Believe Again: Plan B
A/N: alternative title: all NOT according to keikaku
Vanderwood was starting to get sick of this damn cabin. It had been nearly two weeks of scouting, and now his mind was conjuring up an itch in various spots of his skin, no thanks to the fact that he'd been wearing these clothes for four days now.
He should have packed some deodorant; the shirt reeked of his stale perspiration.
Ignoring the itch proved impossible, and eventually the shirt came off, leaving his skin exposed to the cool air of the cabin. The faint smell of cigarette smoke lingered in the room. Well, at least here he could smoke in peace without having Saeyoung nag at him about the smell.
Times like these were a rare break, and Vanderwood leaned back, closing his sore eyes to let them rest for a bit. Saeyoung had been working non-stop ever since his brother was taken, even getting that super rich guy in the RFA on board. Vanderwood had his reservations at first, but working with Jumin had gone a lot smoother than he'd expected.
He just hoped their crazy plan would work out. Because honestly, this was do or die.
Just like every other mission he had gone on with Saeyoung.
Vanderwood let out a small, incredulous laugh. How had he even gotten here? His entire life… he'd always lived on the edge, precariously toeing the boundary line between life and death. Even after leaving the agency, nothing had changed.
Well, he supposed one thing had. At least now he was doing things because he wanted to, not because there was a gun pointed to his head. Now he was helping Saeyoung… he'd chalk it up to repaying a debt. That insufferable brat of a partner had gotten him out of the agency alive, and saved his ass multiple times over the years, so this was just a matter of repaying the favour.
Besides, Vanderwood had heard his fair share of tragic life stories—a characteristic of anyone who ended up in their agency—and Saeyoung's was by far the most unexpected. Shocking even. He and his brother must have done something horrible in his past life to end up in deep shit like this. Or maybe they were just doomed with shit luck from the get-go.
All things considered, they deserved a break from this mess for good. And hopefully, getting Saeran back would be the last time Vanderwood ever had to get his hands dirty like this. He was getting too old for these missions; retiring in a faraway place was the next item on his life agenda.
His phone vibrated in the pocket of his pants, and he took it out, wondering what Saeyoung wanted him to do now.
Vanderwood didn't get the chance to check though, because at that moment, he heard footsteps coming from outside the door. And it didn't sound like it was just one or two people coming to greet him.
"Shit," he cursed under his breath, closing his laptop, tucking his phone into his pocket and grabbing his gun that was lying on the floor just next to him. Good thing he had reloaded earlier. No time to grab a shirt or a bulletproof vest though, he had to leave now.
As Vanderwood hurried out the back exit, hoping the cabin hadn't been surrounded yet, numerous thoughts went through his mind. The Mint Eye followers couldn't have figured out the location of this cabin, they hadn't even noticed the cameras set up around the building, and this cabin was well-hidden in the middle of the woods, a good distance away from their hideout. And if they had, Saeyoung would have notified him earlier.
Unless, this was an ambush? By Mint Eye?
If it was, then thank God Saeyoung had secured the laptop to permanently erase all the information in it in the event someone other than Vanderwood tried to open it. The operation could still go on, just they'd need to make some changes in the plans. Worst case, he'd be taken by the Mint Eye followers, get inside and find Saeran and his girlfriend first, before figuring another way out.
Vanderwood threw the back door open, relieved to find that they hadn't secured this area yet. But it was short-lived; he was easily spotted, and then he heard shouting and a loud command to get him.
It had been a while since he got his adrenaline pumping like that. At least they weren't shooting. Not yet, anyway.
Dead leaves and gravel crunched beneath the sole of his boots as he ran through the woods, down a practised path. He had already planned an escape route in the event his cover was blown.
But damn, they were gaining on him fast, if the sound of footsteps hot on his trail were any indication. And it seemed they were catching up.
Vanderwood tried to pick up speed, but his pursuers had seemingly endless stamina. A bit strange for Mint Eye followers; he didn't think they would have any physical training in place.
His throat was starting to burn from the cold air, and after a while his legs began to feel tired. He had continued to train even after leaving the agency for situations like these, albeit not as strictly, but still. This was ridiculous. He thought he was stronger than this.
Apparently not. Without warning, Vanderwood was tackled to the ground. The world spun before his eyes and then his jaw met the ground, making him groan. His arm was twisted and held behind his back while he was pinned to the ground roughly. Struggling was futile, and Vanderwood ceased to make any sort of movement when he felt a gun rest on his temple.
"Stop struggling," the man sitting on him instructed.
"Who are you people?" Vanderwood asked, wincing slightly at his cut lip and sore jaw. He could taste blood in his mouth, just like old times.
He didn't get an answer, and he thought he was about to get murdered right then and there, but the weight on his body disappeared and he was yanked up to his feet. That was when he got a clear look at the men who had been chasing him. Their guns were pointed at him, keeping him from making an impulsive attempt to escape. In return he raised his hands in surrender, watching as one of them removed the gun attached to the belt on his hip.
He noted that they were well-built and fully armed men who definitely did not look like they were part of Mint Eye.
In fact, they looked more like they were trained for field work.
A thought hit him: was it the agency?
No, if it was, his brains would have been blown out by now. The agency was a ruthless organization, and they had always taught their agents to kill swiftly and quietly. Besides, they wouldn't send this many people just to kill him.
This was different. But if not Mint Eye or the agency, then who…
"We'll be requiring your cooperation with us, Mr. Vanderwood." One of the men to his right spoke. Vanderwood guessed that he must be the leader of this group, or at least the strongest one, based on how burly he looked. He had the biggest eyes out of everyone as far as he could tell, which made for a convenient label to remember him by for now.
"That depends on who you people are," Vanderwood said, narrowing his eyes at him.
"We're part of the elite special forces in the military," he replied. "We have been authorised to keep you restrained until further notice. Also, in the interests of national security, we require your assistance with regard to a certain matter."
"What matter?" Vanderwood asked, not liking where this was going. If this was the military, then that could only be the result of Saeyoung and Jumin's insane plan to get the Prime Minister involved in this whole thing.
Damn it. He should have known better than to think their plan would be foolproof. The both of them had been fairly confident that they would get the job done, and he had naively trusted them to do it. As capable as they were, one a crazy genius and another a crazy billionaire, some things just weren't possible. He shouldn't have allowed himself to relax just because Saeyoung and Jumin came back saying that the negotiations had gone well.
After all, they lived in a world where allies could turn into enemies in the blink of an eye.
"We will talk more when we are in the privacy of the cabin. I hope you don't try to run, or we'll be forced to open fire." Big Eyes then gestured to the rest to move forward, in the direction of the cabin.
It seemed there wouldn't be any time to think or let the others know about this.
He just hoped Saeyoung had a good plan B up his sleeve. Otherwise, things would get ugly real quick.