A/N: Hello! I posted a teaser pic earlier saying I didn't have the patience… well, I didn't lie. Michonne Grimes made her last appearance on The Walking Dead last Sunday. We still have no solid confirmation on what's going on with the RG movies, so… with my impatient self, I gathered two other writers (Winterscorpian and Isisnicole) in a collaborative effort to bring the ultimate Richonne reunion to the fanfiction world.

And, to find out where Rick Grimes has been for the past six years and why he hasn't come home.

This is my imagination running wild on how it all plays out.

This is different from my Greek Mythology, however, it does involve the mechanics of a culture that's different from mine. I hope I got it right. I did a lot of research to make sure I got, at least, the basics of Korean culture down.

You will meet new characters and some not so new ones. If you are familiar with the Korean drama, Goblin the Lonely and Great God, you will know exactly who they are.

I hope this all makes sense to you and I pray you all enjoy.

Thank you all for starting this journey with us.

Let's go!

CHAPTER 1

RI JI-YEONG

YEAR 5

(Since Rick's Disappearance)

Human Genome Processing Dept. (HGPD) Busan, South Korea…

Recruited from top scientific institutions from around the world, scientists of different nationalities gathered in front of a wide LCD monitor. Each stared curiously at the graphical image of an unnamed, male humanoid and his chart showing his metaphysical traits. The French overweight doctor with spiky hair, read from his report, "Five years ago, this 'B' specimen we've titled Subject RG, had been caught in an ammonium, nitralloy explosion in the USA and was brought to us by CRM's retrieval unit."

Though he was reading from his report, what he said next still surprised him, "With a body ratio damage over 70%, Subject RG was on the brink of death. Yet, miraculously he survived."

He proceeded to tell his fellow scientists the list of every broken bone, percentage of skin ravaged by fire, and infliction caused to the patient's internal organs. "According to our reports, the patient recovered at an astronomical rate. After 26 weeks, Subject RG had fully healed, his scarring at a bare minimum."

His French accent became more pronounced as he continued with a revulsive tone, "Because his recovery happened so fast, it, unfortunately, caused a disruption within the department. Records were misplaced and mislabeled. Before upper management was made aware of his fast improvement, the medical staff placed Subject RG in the general population…," he basically spat out the words, "working construction."

He pulled out a laser pen and pointed to different areas on the screen. "While blood and tissue samples were taken at the time, the staff neglected to enter the results into our HGPD system. This discrepancy was discovered a year later after we inspected their records and found the omission. What was left of subject RG's samples, were tested immediately."

He scrolled through several documents, "Once the results were in," he took in a deep breath, "we found that Subject RG's stats were highly favorable for our Replication program."

His eyes widened as his associates became excited with what he had to say next, "Once the samples were utilized," he laughed, "We received some unbelievable results." The other men and women in the room gave all their attention as they waited with bated breath for what the French doctor had to tell them.

"We were able to produce a viable human chimera."

Gasps of surprise sprang out amongst the group.

"Our initial goal was to create a clone of Subject RG with immunity to the HZH virus, but due to an unknown female's DNA located on Subject RG, a chimera organism resulted in a collective product of two individuals. Instead of a clone of the male, we produced a female because the unidentified XX chromosomes were the stronger gene. I'll leave the rest for Dr. Suja to explain."

The scientist from Nigeria stepped forward with a tablet and stylus in his hand, "The unidentified DNA sample came from a loc of hair bound around Subject RG's wrist. The team member who collected the samples extracted a fraction of said hair for individual testing, but mistakenly combined it with the male's sample."

He ran the tip across the tablet he held when several images of the female form in different stages appeared on the monitor. Some of the figures were deformed and some perfectly formed on the outside, with notes attached stating how the brain function was inadequate. "Following the DNA replication process formulated by your team, Subject RG-8's creation was a success after eight attempts. The faulty aberrations were incinerated immediately."

He tapped on the screen of his tablet and a picture showed up on the LCD monitor for all to see. "Subject RG-8's growth accelerated beyond our expectations within a four-year span, and with a regular schedule of growth augmentations, Subject RG-8 has the look and abilities of a twenty-five-year-old humanoid. Not only has her body grown, but her educational and fighting abilities have increased at an exceptional rate."

After tapping more buttons, the image of a finely muscled, female dressed in tight, black lycra came into focus. He continued, "As Dr. Berger explained before, the additional unknown DNA, allowed us to create an entirely new person, and not a carbon copy of its parent. And just like Subject RG, Subject RG-8 does not carry the virus that creates zombies and has other surprising abilities."

The group gasped with praise at this information.

Dr. Suja continued, "The male specimen's height is listed at 5'11 (180 cm.), yet the progeny had only reached the height of 5'3 (160 cm.). Her intelligence notwithstanding, she's been compliant and subservient to her handlers."

The scientist from France took over, "When Subject RG-8 gained the ability to walk and speak she had been placed in Quadrant D testing out her skills against the Yaghan. So far, the results have been successful. I believe we can trust that Subject RG-8 will be the answer to replace the human population with those who have immunity from the HZH virus. I have called for Subject RG to be returned to our labs to begin processing more rep-…"

He was interrupted when someone started talking into the microphone attached to his ear. He used his hand to hold it closer, as disbelief marked his features, "What's that? Subject RG escaped?"

YEAR 6

(Since Rick's Disappearance)

Busan Train Station, South Korea, One year later…

Ri Ji-yeong, wearing a dark-grey hooded sweatshirt and loose jeans, leaned briefly against a rusty turnstile to take a short breather. His friend and fellow escapee, Kim-shin, wearing a black turtleneck sweater underneath his long general's coat, stood stoically next to the steps. Patiently waiting.

Ji-yeong cocked his head, "Kim-shin, I know you're not afraid of anything, but could you at least show me you're a little bit tired from all this running? I feel like I'm out of shape from just looking at you." He eyed Kim-shin's tall, slim yet muscular form covered by his fit clothing. He dragged in a ragged breath, "You act like you're a god or something."

Ji looked around the once noisy and busy station that used to have over a thousand travelers hurrying to catch the train during all hours. Now it was nothing but a quiet, dusty, empty shell of what it used to be.

Kim-shin quirked a perfectly shaped black eyebrow, "We don't have time for jealousy over my pretty face and my athletic body. Yua and Woo are waiting for us. Would you mind whining later?"

Ji pursed his lips before clutching his pack tighter to his back then racing off through the long-abandoned terminal, while Kim-shin watched his back as they scrambled up the broken four-lane escalator. In their attempt to escape detection from the CRM foot soldiers, they caught the attention of free-roaming Yaghan Jombi (weak zombie-Korean).

The day was fading into night as a dozen or so of the undead trailed behind them. They needed to lose them before patrol noticed. If they saw the Yaghan chasing something, then they'd know there were living humans out on the streets, and the CRM would search until they found whoever caused the Yaghan's disturbance.

Ji-yeong would not go back…

Nine years ago, …

The end of the world happened just as he was about to complete his Conscription to South Korea. Because he was trained as a pilot during his mandatory military service, he was recruited to fly for the CRM (Civilian Recruitment Mandate) created in the aftermath of the apocalypse.

They were made up of people all around the world, yet, whenever they left the compound, everyone was required to wear the all-black CRM uniform made from material resistant to Yaghan bites. Conforming everyone under one symbol of three interlocking circles. The logo was placed on everything from clothing to equipment, and every mode of transportation. Including their helicopters.

That's where he befriended Kim-shin and Woo-bin. Fellow pilot and aeronautical engineer, who soon not long after they met, had a bad habit of getting on Ji-yeong's nerves because they were all around the same age and had an answer for everything.

Though the soldiers were forbidden to fraternize with each other, lowkey, the three soldiers became fast friends and bickered like brothers whenever they were out of view of CRM patrol.

The CRM used their skills as pilots and engineering expertise to build, repair and fly helicopters and airplanes back and forth between Korea and California to pick up their designated A and B recruits.

Ji-yeong didn't know why the CRM chose Korea out of all the places in the world for their base, but the Seoul Detention Center was the largest compound that housed millions of workers, soldiers, and scientists and was within distance of the Busan train station, Gimhae International Airport, and the Port of Busan for their operational needs.

What he'd come to find out was that the rich and powerful elite who survived the first wave, came to Korea to begin a new world order.

Maybe they planned for this. He didn't know since he was just a pilot and fighter… low on the food chain. He and his friends only heard rumors that the heads of the CRM were conducting experiments on the captured survivors.

What those specific experiments were, they didn't know.

Unbeknownst to Ji-yeong and friends; the Korean government had prepared well for the end of man's normal existence. By improving their solar and wind technology and utilizing other technological progressions, they recruited scientists from across the world and put an infrastructure in place to handle the extinction-level event their data predicted. They kept this information confidential while the most advanced western countries were brought down to their knees.

With full electrical power and radio-wave capabilities, countries that had once looked down on Korea as a third-rate nuisance were now nothing more than the skeletal versions of their former glory.

While the CRM kept Ji safe, he couldn't say the same for his family in Seoul. Being the largest city with the highest population of close to ten million, the number of people who turned was overwhelming and his entire family had fallen to the plague while he was away performing his service.

Ji hadn't heard a word from his overseas family members, either. Even though he made many attempts during his downtime to search for any type of news.

Unable to locate his father and brother in the United States, combined with the secretiveness of the CRM, and the soldier's neglectful treatment of the A and B captives is where he and his friends made the decision that enough was enough.

It was time to go.

They were able to intercept a bit of information that the A's were categorized as strong-willed humans who had been bitten. They were used in experiments pertaining to endurance-type labor, while the B's were normal humans categorized as compliant followers who were used for subservient tasks.

More importantly, the leaders of the CRM didn't believe that the people labeled with a "B" had the intelligence, the capabilities nor the attributes to lead or to form a rebellion.

Their only purpose within the CRM was to be treated as slaves. They were forced to grow produce in the fields, clean, build, make clothing, repair equipment and prepare food for the executives and the soldiers.

They were also sent through a department called HGPD, but Ji or his friends couldn't figure out what they did or for what purpose they used the B recruits.

In the beginning, Ji-yeong, Kim-shin, and Woo-bin performed their missions out of duty placed upon them during their mandatory service. As the months went by, the more they saw, the more they wanted out.

It was only when they brought a young African American boy onboard their jetliner, that the fire was put in Ji-yeong and his friend's ass to finally act.

The child was no more than three or four years old and missing his shoe, his tawny brown skin-tone a pale contrast compared to the black uniforms of the CRM soldiers.

Ji was standing there when they asked for the boy's identification and all he saw were his big, brown innocent eyes when the toddler said he couldn't remember his name or his parent's names. He spoke in a voice that was small, trembling, and weak as he told them he could only remember he had a "mommy, daddy, and uncle".

The officer in charge gave him the name, 'Yua', the Korean name for orphan.

He was very much afraid of all the people wearing helmets with their tinted visors. His sniffles and cries didn't garner any sympathy from the soldiers. He was either ignored or yelled at harshly as he called out for his mother. Every time Ji came from the cockpit, he found Yua sitting alone and afraid.

To keep from frightening the boy further, whenever Ji went near him, he removed his helmet and made sure the little boy could see his face expressing a warm and calming smile.

At one point when he took a restroom break, Ji walked past and saw that the tyke had fallen into a restless sleep. When he heard him whimper, Ji didn't give a damn if the other soldiers had something to say, he sat down in the empty seat next to him. When the little boy sobbed again but didn't wake, Ji ran a comforting hand over his tight curls, soothing him.

Ji took a closer look at the little boy to make sure there weren't any hidden injuries that could explain his bouts of crying, however, he looked perfectly healthy, maybe a little gaunt from not eating properly but there were no cuts or bruises from what he could see.

As his gaze trailed down his bare arms, one of the other soldier's hand came into view and pulled something out of the little boy's closed fist. Yua woke up immediately and began screaming incoherently for the man to give whatever he took back to him. He hopped up and stood on his seat, reaching out his little arms, shrieking. His face full of tears and his throat so clogged that his words couldn't be deciphered.

The soldier only laughed at him and held what Ji could now see was a loc of hair, up away from the toddler's grasping fingers. Ji couldn't take it anymore. Glad he was older, Ji-yeong grabbed the man by the lapels and in quick, heated Korean, he told his Dongsaeng (younger male) to give it back and if he ever caught him teasing the little boy again, he wouldn't be responsible for someone getting accidentally left in one of the remote spots he's had to land the plane at times.

Embarrassed to be yelled at by his Hyung (older male) in front of his fellow soldiers, he apologized and begrudgingly handed the long, twisted loc of dark brown hair back to the orphan, who quieted down immediately while sniffling and wiping away his tears.

Ji missed the heated stare at the back of his head and unbeknownst to the soldier and Ji, Kim-shin stood by the cockpit door with his arms folded as he caught the soldier's eyes light up with murderous intent.

Kim thought to himself, "I guess Korean honorifics are a thing of the past cause this boy looks like he's up to something."

Meanwhile, Ji-yeong leaned closer, not wanting to touch the now sleeping tyke with his hands so not to scare him, he saw that the boy had wrapped most of the loc of hair around his wrist, with the end clasped tightly within his tiny fist.

"I wonder whose hair you're carrying," he whispered quietly.

Kim-shin came over and explained, "He had it with him when we found him wandering around in a place called Georgia of the United States, during one of our first roundups."

Ji nodded, "So, he must have lost his parents when it all happened," he sighed, "Poor kid."

Keeping tabs through gossip, Ji-yeong found out that Yua had been placed in the rice fields with other adolescent workers and whenever Ji-yeong had an opportunity to visit between plane trips, he'd stop to see how he was doing.

Kim-shin and Woo-bin came along as well.

The soldier that teased Yua on his first plane trip somehow went missing. When asked about his whereabouts, Kim-shin would stare off in the distance, stating he had no idea.

During one of their visits, they discovered that Yua wasn't faring well. The backbreaking work was too much. It cemented their decision it was time to leave after seeing the loss of freedom by all the people taken and they couldn't stomach contributing to the system anymore.

Because of the vastness and power of the CRM, trying to break out everyone was next to impossible.

That's when the three men made their plan to escape. They studied the perimeter guard's plans, how they operated and their routines. They planned out several escape routes and devised a map and calculated the best time to leave and when to smuggle Yua out.

After years of strategizing, backtracking, devising again and being meticulous in covering all bases, Ji-yeong, his friends and Yua made their way to Busan without ringing any alarms. During the planning stage, they found a small shelter plus others in different locations that were not part of the CRM's surveying route. Gradually, over the years, they filled each one of them with supplies and food to hold up for months if they needed to hide out that long.

To get out without the CRM noticing they were missing, Ri Ji-yeong, Kim-shin, and Woo-bin were killed while off duty, one year apart for each death.

Before it was their time to return to work, they each had found a walking corpse that resembled them, tied them up in one of their safe rooms and with extra care, dressed them in CRM pilot and engineering uniforms. After each "death" they released their dead doppelganger and made it look like they died from some accident and made sure each one was different.

They relied on the CRM to follow protocol when an employee was killed and turned by the Yaghan. First, they'd verify the person from the nametag and barcode from their uniform. All soldiers were labeled already and depending on the fallen employee's medical records, they were either placed with the "A's" or dumped into an incinerator.

Ji was the first to go by fall. He sprinkled blood at the end of some winding stairs in quadrant C. Since he went first, he kept himself hidden as he collected all the things they needed for their escape.

Kim-shin, with the assistance of a now-dead Ji-yeong, died by an accidental fire. His fiery remains were discovered walking out of his vacation cabin by CRM patrols. They were alerted by an anonymous caller saying they saw a house on fire.

Woo-bin died because he couldn't take it anymore. His doppelganger was found dangling from a rope, a suicide note attached to the body.

That left all three to pull out Yua for last.

After they were all free, everything was going according to their detailed game plan. Except, they didn't foresee the now 12-year-old Yua having an allergic reaction to peanuts.

They were holding up in one of their secret hideouts deep within the train station's tunnels when Ji-yeong prepared Ddangkong Jorim for them to eat. As soon Yua swallowed the soy-braised peanuts, his face immediately broke out in hives, his speech slurred, his breathing became irregular and he became dizzy.

Thanks to his training, Woo-bin recognized the signs of an allergic reaction. He immediately made Yua stop eating and rinsed his mouth out with clean water. They didn't have any medication for allergic reactions because Yua showed no signs he had any sensitivity towards the food he was given while a captive.

As a quick solution, Woo-bin lay the pre-teen flat on his back and applied acupuncture needles to specific points on Yua's body. It stopped the wheezing, his watery eyes, sneezing and improved his speech.

Since the acupuncture gave the pre-teen only a temporary reprieve, they needed to adjust their plans to compensate for any future allergy attacks. Being on the run meant they needed something that acted fast in case it happened again.

Ji-yeong and Kim-shin went back into the city of Busan to get some stronger anti-inflammatory medicine to take with them for their trip across the sea in the 40ft yacht sitting on the docks in case there were issues with the jetliner Woo-bin had tenaciously rebuilt and repaired over the years and was waiting unmonitored in an abandoned hanger.

BACK TO PRESENT DAY

Alexandria, Virginia…

4:30 am, Michonne was up and getting ready to go out and do patrol. It was the same routine she'd kept for over six years. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized it was the same as when Rick was with her. In the midst of getting dressed, she went to his dresser. It took several years for her to finally move all his things into one place.

She had no plans to move them anywhere else. Every two weeks, she laundered, folded and put away every stitch of clothing that her husband wore. And sometimes, she wore his shirts just to keep reminding herself of her mission:

Raise the kids

Protect her people

Never give up hope.

After the explosion on the bridge, she didn't know if she could survive or if she even wanted to. She did go through the five stages of grief, but in her case, she went about it in a different way.

Seeing her beloved within the fiery ball of flames first devastated her and sent her into a deep depression. She didn't want to talk to anyone, she only wanted to stay indoors and cling onto the closest thing to her husband… her daughter, Judith.

A few months later… she found out she was pregnant with their son, RJ.

Not long afterward, her sense of justice to find out what happened took over her grief and so she began to investigate.

The last thing she knew was that Rick had gone back to the bridge worker's camp to convince Carol to keep her people there and continue working while he tried to figure out who was killing Saviors.

It had always bothered her that Rick should have been home around the time Maggie showed up to kill Negan.

It also bothered her when after she came out of her seclusion, Carol, Daryl, and Maggie were all reluctant to speak to her. It made her ask herself, what had they done to make them afraid to face her.

Their behavior caused warning bells to go off.

After donning Rick's blue jean shirt, she went to each room and checked to see that Judith and RJ were still sleeping. Looking in on RJ, a picture of seeing Carl and Andre sleeping peacefully, passed through her mind.

She quickly forced the memory of her boys from her thoughts. There was work that had to be done.

Aaron would come by later with Gracie to feed them breakfast and get them ready for the day. When she closed the outside door softly, Siddiq, Laura, Scott, and DJ, were waiting for her.

As they were heading out, Siddiq asked quietly, "Daryl asked if he could stop by to see you and the kids."

Adjusting her sword, she answered, "Why is Daryl asking permission? I told him he's more than welcome to visit Alexandria. All he needs to do is come clean and tell me what really happened to Rick."

"Michonne, it's been six years. Don't you think it's time to let it go? We all need each other."

She sighed as they walked toward the gates, "Siddiq, I'm not going to argue with you. And, this will be the last time I say this. Yes, we need each other, but these same people might have been responsible for my husband going missing and refuse to acknowledge it. How am I supposed to trust anyone like that? They made a decision that went against what we all agreed and decided to take matters into their own hands which caused Rick to be up on that bridge alone that day. After what happened with Jocelyn, Daryl went with me to get the kids back," she sighed again.

"After that, neither he, Carol nor Maggie came to check on us. I consider myself a strong woman and can handle a lot of things, but I'm not that strong." She waved her hands in disgust, "I would have thought my so-called friends would have come to their senses but this thing… whatever happened with Rick, is keeping them away."

Siddiq contemplated what Michonne was telling him, "Do you think you'll ever forgive them? Will you stop looking for Rick? RJ is five now and Judith is ten. Do you ever think you'll move on?"

Scott opened the gates for them as she waved at Father Gabriel keeping watch at the top. She ignored Siddiq's first question, "No. I won't ever stop. We never found a body. I found his Colt upriver away from the blast. If Rick had died and became a walker, I would have found some evidence of that. He's out there somewhere and for some reason, he's not able to get home."

Michonne sighed again, and straightened her shoulders with determination, "I will find him. He would do the same thing for his family."

Busan Train Station…

Now the Yaghan were after them.

Running the opposite way from where Yua and Woo-bin were hiding, Ji-yeong and Kim-shin ran into another dark tunnel. Taking advantage of the darkness, they hoped to keep out of sight of the CRM while getting rid of the Yaghan. It'll also double as a place to hide their corpses. If the CRM found the bodies, they would still know a living human killed them and was free to roam the city.

They needed to stay under their radar until they reached the shores of California where a truck waited, hidden and filled with supplies for their trip. They didn't have a plan of where they were going, once they reached the U.S.A., but it was better than being on the Asian continent and far away from CRM headquarters. Maybe Ji-yeong could continue his search for the other half of his family who moved to America.

Ji looked for a spot in the tunnel where he could stop and take care of those following him. Kim-shin right beside him. When he found it, he planted his feet and unsheathed his long knife. Kim unleashed his dual blades.

Thankful for not being alone, Ji felt confident they could easily dispatch the few Yaghan in the tunnel.

However, they didn't account for the ones moving up behind them.

Another group must have heard the growling noises and it led them to where Ji-yeong and Kim-shin fought off the others. It didn't take long for them to get overwhelmed as the putrid and rotting bodies surrounded the two and pressed in, forcing them to swing and stab with smaller arcs. Kim-Shin was suddenly pinned inside a curve of the tunnel and when Ji went over to help, he nearly tripped trying to avoid a female's gnashing teeth.

The sound of a sword slicing through the air, puncturing soft tissue, echoed over the Yaghan's snarling and moaning.

Ji-yeong caught a glimpse of a figure cloaked in black with a dark hood covering his head. The stranger held two katas, utilizing both hands to strike the Yaghan left and right with a lethal force.

Now having more room to fight, Ji-yeong and Kim-shin silently battled the rest with the stranger's help. As the undead numbers dwindled, the friends had enough breathing room to take in their savior. Covered from head to toe in dark clothing, the man was masterful wielding his weapons. His movements were quite poetic as he handled his swords as if they were but an extension of his arms.

Just like he and Kim-shin, the man fought silently, only the rustling of his clothing, the dragging of his combat boots in the gravel, and his blades slicing through the air could be heard.

Though it had been years and the cities had been emptied of normal humans, Korea still had severe levels of toxic, fine-dust pollution. Possibly from work the captives were made to do, but it was still prevalent enough where they needed to wear surgical face masks whenever they came out into the open.

The stranger wore such a mask, only his was made of black leather with a spiked gothic design. Ji's admiration for the man's skills had him so fascinated that he paused his own fighting to watch the stranger.

Kim-shin smacked away a walking corpse and exasperated, "What the hell are you doing? Fight, goddammit and quit watching some dude like he's your boyfriend."

"Shh!" Ji waved a hand at his friend, as he continued to watch the stranger twirl his weapons.

Kim-shin stopped his own fighting, "I know you did not just tell me to shh!"

Ji rolled his eyes at Kim's dramatics while the brief flash of the blade's tempered steel caused Ji to turn his attention back toward the killing machine, just so he could continue watching him carry out his executions.

When the stranger grunted, Ji woke from his trance to jump in and stab a Yaghan who had latched onto the ends of the stranger's long, dark coat, nearly dragging him off his feet. With his focus on the one he just killed, Ji heard the stranger's muffled, "Get down!" He immediately lowered his body close to the ground as one of the blades passed over his head to take out a Yaghan who was within grabbing reach.

Ji rolled away and quickly jumped to his feet, gripping his long knife tighter, only to find the last Yaghan's head and carcass falling soundlessly to the ground from its decapitation.

His mind began to work fast. They needed to hide the bodies before a patrol wandered past. From the man's directive earlier, Ji knew he was a westerner. In his own halted English, he hurriedly addressed him, "Ajusshi (the title of respect for an older man), thank you for helping us," he bowed quickly, "we gotta hide the Yaghan before we're busted. You understand?"

With his back turned, the stranger snapped his wrists, knocking the extra gore off his blades and with expertise, raised the swords while crossing his arms. Without moving his head out of the way, he slid the blades precisely into their scabbards attached to his back. "Oh, you mean the walkers. Yeah, I do."

Surprised by the raspy, country lilt of the stranger's voice, Ji and Kim turned a quick glance toward each other.

Ji couldn't place his accent, but he knew he was for sure from the United States and he sounded like someone from those cowboy movies his appa (father) used to watch.

Without getting further instructions from Ji-yeong, the stranger bent down, grabbed the leg of one, then reached and pulled the collar of another, and dragged them over to one side of the useless train tracks and went directly to a manhole that led to a utility tunnel. His thick digits in fingerless gloves slid into the air vents and lifted it with barely an effort.

He put the lid quietly to the side then grabbed a body and dropped it down into the darkness.

Impressed at how fast the man found a solution, Ji hastily picked up a decapitated head and gathered severed arms and dumped them down the hole. Kim-shin grabbed another body. Soon, they cleared the tunnel of all discriminating evidence.

Ri Ji-yeong let out a huge sigh as an awkward silence surrounded the three. He was still bent over and hadn't looked the stranger in the face yet.

Ji stood tall, pulled his hood off and then pulled his own surgical mask down before he ran his fingers through his dark strands. Facing him, Ji thanked the stranger again while looking at him directly.

The first he noticed behind the spiked, leather mask was how his bright, blue eyes stood out from pale skin surrounded by his black hood. As his focus turned to the two black and gold sword handles poking out from behind either side of his shoulders, he didn't notice the man reached up and pulled down the material covering his mouth and that his eyes had opened wide in shock and tears began to pool in the corners.

Ji was thinking this man had to be a superhero that came right out of the comic books when an indrawn breath and a brief sob brought his attention back to the man's face.

Tears had fallen down his cheeks and his gaze held a sense of unbelief and affection. He took another trembling breath before saying in his Western accent, "Glenn? Is that you?"

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you think. If you have any questions, complaints or even just to say hi. I would love to hear from you.

Til the next chapter.

Have a great week!