Feathers and Carnations

Chapter Twenty-three

*I've listened to this song TONS while writing this story, so it's like the theme to me. It's so good. 

(if not showing it's The Other Side by Ruelle)

*TW slight gun use, blood.

Jisung stared straight ahead, unmoving and unblinking as the sun slowly rose over the demolished grounds of the Solswor mansion. The stairs he sat on didn't help the state of his sore body, but he didn't move. Despite his exhaustion, his mind was working at full speed, circling through ideas and rough plans to destroy Chimera completely.

After regrouping and assessing the damages to Nightfield and Minho's team, Chan, Seungmin, and Madsins' don Jung In-su, gathered with Ju-won and the top ranked officers of Solswor to negotiate. Jisung sat out of the meeting, his mind much too preoccupied to be of any help in there.

Just after Seungmin managed to get the power of the estate back up, he saw Chimera surround Changbin's team. Most were killed off, but the enemy's target had been clear. They took Changbin and retreated before the chain reaction.

Jisung was so enraged he wasn't sure if there was a word or term in the world that could embody exactly what he was feeling. He was tired of Chimera. Tired of the poison taking everything and everyone he cared about. He was ready to tear them apart with his bare hands. If Hyeon wanted his attention, he had it, and he was going to regret making an enemy of Han Jisung.

Someone limped into his vision. "Jisung?" Seungmin slowly lowered himself to sit beside him. "Whoa, that is a look of murder if I've ever seen one."

Jisung's jaw was locked into place, his gaze still lost somewhere distant. It took him a long time to bring himself to respond. "You said Chimera left a message. Can you tell me what it is now?"

Seungmin hesitated as he studied Jisung. Then he sighed. "They basically said that if you want Changbin freed and unharmed, you need to hand yourself in. Like a trade-off."

"I'll do it."

"Hell no, do you want them to win?"

"They won't win until the entire mafia is under their feet."

"I'm not talking about this war, I'm talking about your life, Jisung."

Jisung shot to his feet, his emotions welling to the surface all at once. "They already have Minho, I can't lose my best friend too! I will not lay down and take it, Seungmin. Not this time. Not anymore. If Hyeon likes destruction so much, that's exactly what I'll give him." He turned on his heel and descended the stairs, a decision in his mind.

"Jisung."

He kept walking. "I'll contact you tonight."

"Jisung!"

⧫⧫⧫

"So this top secret facility doesn't have a self destruct? How lame is that?" Jisung joked, rubbing at the bruises lining his arms.

Minho shook his head with a smile. "No, unfortunately they're a bit smarter here than in the movies. They don't want to risk one of their prisoners destroying the whole place in revenge."

"I would love to do that. Maybe I can create a self destruct."

Minho smirked. "Are you really smart enough for that?"

Jisung threw one of the couch pillows at him. "I'd hit you if I wasn't chained. I am a genius, that's why Hyeon had me targeted, isn't it? Also, I'm the one that altered your program, so you can't question my intelligence."