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Seokjin had almost everything he wanted in life. Last year, he’d been promoted to Centurion status, he had a good view from his office overlooking the lake at the Nova Corps headquarters and he had plans in the works to buy a penthouse apartment in the city. Yoongi had told him countless times how he thought the penthouse apartment was overkill, but Seokjin didn’t care. He’d worked hard for years and things were finally starting to pay off. He deserved to treat himself every once in awhile.
There was only one thing Seokjin was yet to achieve, something he’d been trying to do for the past few years now. It involved Jung Hoseok, the so called vigilante who nicknamed himself ‘Star-Lord’ and a prison sentence in the Kyln.
“There’s reports coming in of a ruckus down at the market,” Yoongi said, walking over to Seokjin’s desk and passing him a file of documents. “No names, but the descriptions seem pretty similar to your friend Jung and his crew.”
Seokjin flicked through the file. Everything about it screamed Jung Hoseok. Whenever he worked with others they always left a mess, it had almost become their trademark. Seokjin had always found it interesting that Hoseok had gone from working solo, moving across the galaxy leaving very little trace when he stole things, to working with others and causing chaos and destruction everywhere he went. There was solidarity in numbers, Seokjin supposed. He added it to his mental list of things that they needed to question Jung Hoseok on when they captured him.
“Did you send down a patrol group?” Seokjin asked, adding the file to the pile that had been building up on his desk. Jung Hoseok and his friends had been quite prolific lately.
“Yeah,” Yoongi nodded, heading over to his desk. “I’m just waiting for them to report back now.”
“Great,” Seokjin said. “Let me know how it goes.” He stood and collected all the files on his desk, dumping them into his briefcase.
“Are you going down to the Room?” Yoongi asked, looking up from his monitor.
“Is that even a question?” Seokjin asked. “Of course I am.”
Yoongi rolled his eyes. “Right. Have fun.”
“I will!”
The Room technically wasn’t supposed to exist. They kept all information on all known criminals on their database, which was impenetrable, but after Hoseok and his crew started to grow and cause more damage, Seokjin decided he wanted to have everything set out in front of him. His boss had grudgingly given him space in the basement, an old unused meeting room, so that he could pin stuff to the walls and try and make a connection between all the information they had. It was a little unorganised, but Seokjin liked it. It reminded him of something his father would do. He had been born on earth, so he always favoured simpler methods than those which used Xandarian technology.
At the end of each week, Seokjin would go to the Room and start adding whatever new information they’d gathered to what they already had. Frequently visited locations, sightings, suspected ships, the list went on. They had definitely made some progress - Seokjin was almost a hundred percent certain he knew what sort of ship Hoseok and his friends were using were using to hide. They were one step closer to catching Jung Hoseok, he was sure of it.
.
Seokjin was in the middle of typing up a report when the alarm sounded. Seokjin frowned as the alarm continued to blare, and looked over to Yoongi’s desk to see him looking just as confused. The alarm never went off. Something big had to be happening.
Seokjin got up from his desk and walked out into the corridor to see several of his colleagues rushing past. He spotted Byulyi from the office across the corridor and flagged her down. “What’s going on?” He asked,
“There was a break in at the bank in town. Whoever it is tried to get down to the security vaults underneath the building, there’s already two patrols on their way to close off the area.” She explained.
“Do you think it’s…” Seokjin trailed off.
Byulyi shrugged. “I don’t know. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. They don’t sound the alarm for any old criminal.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Seokjin said. He thanked her and rushed back into his office to grab his stuff. “Come on Yoongi, let’s go.”
Yoongi raised an eyebrow as he watched Seokjin. “We’re going?”
“We’re going,” Seokjin confirmed, and Yoongi stood, grabbed his jacket and followed Seokjin out the door.
.
The town square was a mess by the time Seokjin and Yoongi got there. Stalls had been overturned and there were abandoned shopping bags scattered everywhere. Seokjin could feel the irritation building in his chest. It had been a long time since someone had dared to cause this much destruction in a public space on Xander. He shook his head and carried on walking until they reached the group of patrol officers stood, weapons ready, outside of the bank.
“What have we missed?” Seokjin asked.
“A patrol’s already gone in to try and deal with the disturbance,” One said. “We’re waiting on an update.”
“They’ve been quiet for almost ten minutes now,” Another added, shaking his head.
“Okay. Keep your guard up,” Seokjin told them. “We don’t know who or what is going to come out of there first. If it’s the criminals we need to apprehend them straight away. Do whatever it takes”
“Now we wait,” Yoongi sighed as they stepped away from the patrol team, putting on their helmets. “Jung and his friends have never made this much of a mess before. Whatever it is they’re trying to steal must be worth a fortune.”
There was a loud bang and dust filled the air. Seokjin flinched and pulled his blaster from his belt, moving into position behind a hedge. Yoongi crouched down beside him and they both watched the bank entrance for any sign of movement.
It was a couple more minutes before the dust began to clear and they could see what was going on properly. There was an enormous hole in the side of the bank and debris all over the ground - Seokjin could just about make out a handful of figures rushing through the dust. The leader of the patrol gave her signal and they all moved forward.
It was never going to be easy. Whilst Seokjin had formulated a profile for Hoseok, he had little information on the others and what they could do. They were completely unprepared for the masses of roots that began to grow from cracks in the ground, for the chunks of rock flying through the air towards them and the grenades that were thrown their way. It was a mess - Seokjin could see his co-workers stumbling over the roots, getting trapped as they wrapped themselves around the patrol team’s legs, others flying backwards from the force of the explosions.
Seokjin did his best to keep low and out of sight. He lost track of Yoongi, too focused on following Hoseok and his friend - tall, green-skinned, went by the alias V if Seokjin could remember correctly. He aimed his blaster and fired.
Seokjin watched as V pushed Hoseok out of the way, and he swore as the pair of them dodging the blast. He started to run, abandoning his cover and shooting at them whenever he got a clear shot. Unsurprisingly, they had come prepared. Seokjin ducked as a blast of energy came flying in his direction, diving behind a pillar to catch his breath.
He pressed the button on the side of his helmet, switching on his earpiece, and he glanced around the pillar. “I have eyes on two targets, both are heading away from the bank and towards the park. Backup needed immediately.” He waited for a moment but got no response. “Yoongi?” He tried again, moving from behind the pillar and jogging to catch up with Hoseok and V before they disappeared from his sight.
There was a grunt in his ear. “Yeah, kinda busy at the minute - oh are you kidding me? Motherfucker!”
“You good?” Seokjin asked.
“What do you think?” Yoongi retorted. “I’m fighting a guy with superhuman strength here.”
“Stay safe,” Seokjin told him.
“Yeah.” Yoongi muttered. “You too.”
Seokjin sighed and turned off his earpiece. He couldn’t wait on a patrol to come and aid him, he needed to act fast - he had to do it now. The further the pair got, the less likely he was going to catch them and he was determined not to let them escape this time.
“Think fast,” He muttered to himself.
It had been a few months since his promotion, but he hadn’t had much opportunity to fully explore just how much power he now wielded. Seokjin checked out the settings on his blaster, turning them up as high as possible. He took aim and fired.
The force surprised Seokjin. The pulse of energy hit V’s legs and sent him sprawling to the ground, and Seokjin knew that he had to be quick or he would be up and gone in minutes. He raced over, trying to keep an eye out for Hoseok who had disappeared, pulling out a set of steel cuffs and securing them around V’s wrists whilst he was still recovering from the force of the blast. He fought back of course, kicking at Seokjin, and so Seokjin climbed on top of him as he attempted to stop his wriggling as he fastened a second set of cuffs around his ankles.
There was a sudden sharp pain in his side and Seokjin hissed, hands flying to his waist. He turned to see Hoseok stood not too far from him, pointing a taser in his direction. He gestured with it for Seokjin to get off V. Seokjin ignored him, reaching for his blaster, and Hoseok used the taser on him again, sending him falling to the ground with a cry of pain.
Hoseok raced forward to try and free his friend. The cuffs were special, they could only be opened with a pulse of energy from the Nova Force and maybe the universe’s most powerful chainsaw, but Hoseok had neither of those at his disposal. Whilst he was distracted, Seokjin took the opportunity to pull himself up and fire his blaster.
Hoseok yelled out as he went down, the force much stronger as a result of the close range. Seokjin grabbed a second set of cuffs from his belt and quickly locked them around Hoseok’s wrist. Seokjin’s earpiece bleeped and he turned it on. “Yeah?”
“Jin?” Yoongi. “There’s a patrol coming in your direction now. You good?”
“Yeah,” He responded, grunting as he grabbed Hoseok’s boot before it hit him in the stomach. He wouldn’t stop wriggling. “I apprehended them.”
“Wait, what?” Yoongi said.
“You heard me,” Seokjin muttered.
“Shit.”
“Yup,” Seokjin responded, standing and brushing the dirt from his hands. He was exhausted. “You okay?”
“I’ve been better,” Yoongi said, “I’m alive.”
“That’s what matters,” Seokjin told him and Yoongi snorted.
“Yeah, wait until you see me though. Byuyi said his name was Jimin, I think. The guy’s made of rock, I swear. I’m going to be bruised for weeks.”
“Sounds like you had a good time,” Seokjin said, standing to look out for the patrol team.
“Fuck off,” Yoongi replied, before adding, “I’ll see you back at the office?”
“Yeah, I’ll see you then,” Seokjin told him.
Seokjin took off his helmet and ran his hands over his face. It was hard to believe that he’d been chasing these guys for over a year and now they were on the floor in front of him.
“So.” Seokjin looked down to see Hoseok watching him. “What’s a guy like you doing working for the Nova Corps?”
Seokjin just stared at him, arms folded across his chest.
Hoseok rolled his eyes. “Come on, I’m just trying to lighten up the atmosphere. It’s not every day a handsome guy like yourself decides to put me in handcuffs.” Hoseok rolled onto his side so he could see Seokjin properly and wiggled his eyebrows. “Up for a bit of roleplay? Arrest me officer.”
Seokjin snorted. It was ridiculous how fast he switched from serious to greasy when he realised he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “That’s not going to work on me Jung Hoseok.”
Hoseok raised an eyebrow. “So we’re going for the full names now, huh. Any chance you would do us the honour of gifting us yours? Would be nice to know the name of the guy who has me in handcuffs before we go any further.” He lifted the handcuffs and winked. “If I’d have known there were gorgeous faces like yours working for the Nova Corps, I would have let myself get caught sooner.”
“Yeah, I doubt that.” Seokjin rolled his eyes and turned away whilst Hoseok babbled on. He glanced over at V to see him shaking his head, cringing at Hoseok’s shamelessness. Seokjin had heard rumours that Hoseok was a bad flirt, but they’d done the reality no justice. Hoseok was a terrible flirt.
It was then that Seokjin spotted the patrol in the distance. He breathed a sigh of relief. Everything ached and he was sure his side was bruised. There was a lot to do. They would have to start clearing up the town straight away and repair that hole in the wall of the bank.
Seokjin stood aside as the patrol picked Hoseok and V up and marched them towards the ship they’d landed nearby. Hoseok was still talking, trying to get the officers around him to set him free, but they all ignored him. Seokjin followed behind them, lost in his thoughts. He was feeling an odd mix of satisfaction and sadness. This had been one of his top goals for a few years now and now it was over, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. A nap was definitely first on the list.
As soon as they boarded the ship, Seokjin found himself an empty chair in the control room, buckled himself in and dozed off.
.
There was a knock on the office door. “Come in!” Seokjin called, spinning in his chair.
Byulyi smiled at him as she stepped into the room, a bunch of papers tucked under her arm. It was business as usual at Nova Corps HQ. Seokjin had spent the past few weeks filling in seemingly endless paperwork and taking everything down in the Room. It was cathartic. Things were coming to a close.
“Got some interesting news,” She said, and Seokjin raised an eyebrow. “Remember how the council were thinking of introducing a scheme to rehabilitate prisoners in the Kyln?”
“They were going to make them help with Nova Corps missions right?” Seokjin turned to see Yoongi peering over his monitor at the both of them.
Byulyi nodded. “Well, they’ve just given it the go ahead. Want to take a guess at who they’re signing up first?”
“Lemme guess,” Yoongi said. “Two words. First starts with S, second starts with L.”
Seokjin buried his face in his hands and groaned. “He’s been in the Kyln all over two weeks. I was hoping it would be at least a couple of years before I had to see his face again.”
“Why, worried he’s going to start flirting with you again?” Yoongi laughed.
“Looks like you and Star-Lord will be reuniting a little sooner than expected.” Byulyi said, grinning.
Seokjin sighed. It looked like things weren’t exactly coming to a close just yet after all.