The cold corridors in the hospital were haunting as they waited outside the doors staring at the red slogan. The moment they entered the hospital Lucas was rushed to a surgery, leaving the worried crew nothing but to wait behind those doors, unaware of the procedure. Shu shivered as he curled into himself, his hand fervently rubbing the four-clover silver pendant, his mind replayed Lucas' ashen face, blood pouring out his wound, coating his body a ghastly red. "Hey," Norman said softly, reaching to his hands. He was crouching in front of him on the floor, trying to get his attention.

"Is he going to be okay?" Shu had lost the count of times he had repeated the same question, Norman didn't seem to mind as he repeated the same answer.

"Yes. Yes, he will be."

Then he slipped out of his jacket and wrapped it around Shu. His dress was soaked in fresh blood, now rusted into an ugly brown. He thanked him, clutching the blazer tight around him. Leo was pacing back and forth, he had abandoned his wig and was running his hand through his blonde locks, seemingly panicking. Everywhere smelled like blood, or was he imagining it?

When Theodore rushed in with Pam and Jean on his toes, Shu was dozing off from sheer exhaustion, "Where is he?" He asked, looking at their ashened faces. Norman pointed at the operating room.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Glass. I didn't realise they would find out the truth so quickly if I'd known-" Theodore cut him off, placing each of his hands on Norman's shoulders.

"Don't even think about it, I'm glad the rest of you are okay. Lucas will be fine, he's a strong man. He'll get through this."

Shu watched the exchange through bleary eyelids, trying to hang onto his words. But his mind kept replaying Liam's death, how his body was splayed on the ground, he clutched the pendant and stared at the grey walls of the hospital. Pam sat beside him, "You're not hurt, right?"

Shu shook his head, not turning to look at her. "How did they know?" He asked, earning all of their attention. "How did they know about everything?"

Jean and Theodore shared a look as the former started speaking. "Someone leaked the information," Jean said. Pam wrapped one of her arms around Shu gently coaxing him into her embrace. "We have yet to find the mole, but if this keeps continuing I don't know how many lives we're going to lose."

Theodore hummed in response, staring at the closed doors when they opened. One of the doctors walked out in his green scrubs, his mouth set into a grim line. Shu and Pam stood, all of them waiting for him to answer their myriad of questions when he spoke. "The surgery went well," They all let out a relieved sigh as he continued, "But we still cannot guarantee anything. The bullet pierced some vital points in his body which sent him into a coma, we cannot predict when he will wake up." There was a silent statement lingering in the air, or if he woke up at all.

Leo wrapped his arms around himself, sinking to the floor, "Jesus Christ, now what? The whole operation was completely futile. We didn't gather any information."

Norman excused himself as they wheeled Lucas out of the operating room. Shu stared numbly at his ashen face, recalling all the memories he had. The first impression, how Lucas was protective over him, worrying over every little moment of his life. It was a repetition of the past, Liam cared, a little too much about him, and Shu lost him. Then Lucas cared, now he might be losing him too. Pam wrapped one arm around him, kissing his hair lightly. "Sweetheart, let's go with me, okay? I brought you some fresh clothes."

Theodore turned to Pam and Jean. His determined expression was replaced with exhaustion. "Yes, please. And make sure he eats something. Don't let him go anywhere alone until we make sure he's safe."

"Yes sir!" Jean said and Shu thought of protesting. He wanted to stay with Lucas, hold his hand and will him back to consciousness. But he nodded, unable to fight their decisions, too numb to do anything else except follow along with their plans. He was silent as they made their way towards the hideout, the screens blackened and Shu still had no idea where they were going. Leo was seated beside him, his sapphire eyes narrowed in deep thought. Shu reached out and patted his hand.

"Are you alright?"

Leo turned, blinking out of his reverie. "Hmm? Yes, of course. I was just thinking what we-"

"Did wrong?" Shu asked.

He gave him a sad smile, "Yeah, what we did wrong for everything to end up being so horrible."

Jean was staring at the two kids in the backseat, she wanted to tell them they did nothing wrong, all they did was follow orders, but she kept silent, allowing them to have their hushed conversation among them. She had bigger issues to deal with, the rest were still surveying through their databases, trying to piece the puzzle together and discover the mole, but they were clutching at straws. Whoever the person was, they were smart enough and had a clean record. Once they were safely inside the hideout, Pam led Shu to his room.

Shu washed himself clean and scrubbed his skin, trying to wash out the invisible streaks of blood which haunted him every time he looked at his body. He thought back to the pen drive under his mattress and wondered who he should trust. When everyone seemed to be a potential mole, he barely had anyone to ask advice from, but he knew Theodore Glass was the exception. He led this operation, he was intensely faithful to Lucas, and it was his only shot. Dressing himself, he quietly pocketed the pen drive, he needed a goal, a clear resolve so he wouldn't break down crying. Because right now, if he did allow himself to break, Shu knew he would never stop. He wouldn't be able to stop.

---

Theodore stared at the monitors surrounding his best friend, all of them standing for the uncertainty surrounding his life, would he make it, wouldn't he? He had first met Lucas as a rookie agent, the latter following him all across their base asking to be friends. It was annoying at first, but that was the foundation for their 10 years of friendship where they both rose through the ranks. He was always proud to have Lucas at his side, especially in a profession where everyone was so quick to betray for a wad of cash.

He thought they were invincible, they were supposed to be invincible.

He choked, sobbing on the hospital floor watching his best friend in a coma that he might never wake up from. The hallways were quiet save for the night shift nurses routinely checking in. He didn't bother wiping his tears which bleared the view of his friend on the bed. He leaned back against the wall, reminiscing in memories when someone knocked.

Theodore was quick to wipe his tears when Shu walked in, dressed in fresh clothes, his crimson eyes first halting on Theodore's, then moving to Lucas. "Hi," The kid said, closing the door behind him. The older man grimaced with a nod. He knew the kid was fond of Lucas, he had that effect on people. They trusted him easily, and after all the hope he had spread, the love he had given to everyone around him, he was not allowed to leave them all like that.

Shu didn't walk over to Lucas, he sat down beside Theodore. "You were crying."

He sniffled, "Never seen a grown man cry before?"

He looked up and shook his head, "No, but I understand, I guess. You two are close with each other."

Theodore gave him a sad smile, ruffling his locks. "That's right, we're close. What are you doing here anyway? I thought I asked Jean and Pam to take you back to the base."

"I asked them to drop me off here. They couldn't say no."

Theodore didn't ask how he managed that, because in his knowledge Jean and Pam were strict but Shu had his charm and his ways. He watched the teenager playing with the hem of his t-shirt, avoiding Lucas fervently as though looking at him would tear him apart. He wondered why he dragged this kid along with his plans. He should've done what Lucas asked. He should've sent him somewhere safe so that no one will get his hands on him. The only thing he managed to do was traumatize the kid more.

"When will he wake up?"

"Hopefully soon," He answered, hopefully, soon enough. Hopefully when, not if. Shu rubbed his eyes, sniffing.

"Is it my fault, Mr.Glass?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. The question surprised him, Shu had done nothing but contribute positively to all the ongoing operations, but Theodore reminded himself the person sitting beside him was a child, barely a teenager, conflicted with all the emotions that were going on in his mind.

"Hardly, Shu. It's not your fault. We couldn't predict this outcome. If anyone's at fault, it's the double agent, providing information and making everyone else vulnerable. It's not you, Shu. It will never be you."

Shu hummed, "But you know, Liam died too when he got too close to me, and now Lucas. It feels like-" He stopped, sniffing, trying to stop the tears from spilling out of his guarded barriers. But he was fighting a losing game. He choked on his words, doubling over with a sob. Theodore was surprised at first, unable to move from his spot as he watched the child fall apart in front of him, screaming, curling his fingers on his clothes. "I can't lose him," Shu breathed heavily, finally looking at Lucas' still figure on the bed.

Theodore moved from his spot, and wrapped his arms around Shu, his fingers caressing his white locks. The instance brought forth memories of a home he had back then, with his wife and a child who laughed along, running along their tiled floors with his laugh echoing through their happy house. But he was never there to hold him when he broke apart, and he was paying the price for it. "It's okay," He said, "He will wake up, he'll be just fine."

Shu was nodding along to his words, latching onto them like a fervent prayer. He breathed hard, trying to recede the panic building in his chest. Theodore kept rocking him back and forward, tightening their embrace, whispering soothing words in his ear. "And Mr Glass," Shu said, voice hoarse as he tripped over his words, "There's something I need to tell you, that's why I came here in the first place."

Shu pulled away, wiping at his reddened cheeks. He looked lost, confused, but determined. He fumbled through his jeans and produced a small black USB. "I found this," He whispered, afraid someone else might catch his words. "I don't know what to do with this."

It took him a moment to process the situation, "You found this from the BM?"

Shu nodded, bewildered. It looked almost comical, if not for the man barely breathing on the bed beside them, Theodore would've laughed. But Shu was still wiping at his tears, holding the pen drive in his trembling hands. "Why didn't you give it to the rest of the crew?"

"I don't know who to trust," Shu whispered, helpless. "I don't know what to do."

Theodore patted his cheek, "You've done well, alright? Let me handle things from here on. Everything is going to be just fine."

Shu nodded, handing the pen drive to Theodore, "Now what?"

"Now we find a laptop and see what's inside. I trust you, Shu. And you trust me, right?"

The younger nodded, whispering his answer. "Alright. We'll see what can we find from here, and I'm planning to handle my extensive research on the rest of the members in secret, but I'm telling you all this because you play an important role in all our plans and I trust you for not being a mole." Theodore knew the younger needed reassurance and someone to rely on. He relied on Lucas, but after the sudden attack, the trust he had built through all their previous interactions might've crumbled, what he needed was a solid foundation to believe and Theodore was not going to let the kid break, he dragged him into this mess, and he was going to protect him.

You better, he could almost hear Lucas' reply. 

"Okay, let's do it." He saw the determination spark in his eyes. "When Lucas wakes up, we can show him everything we've found."

Theodore smiled, "That's more like it."

"Stay right here, I'll be back in ten minutes. And don't worry, the whole hospital is guarded, you're safe. Keep Lucas company, alright? Don't gossip about me though."

Shu smiled, "Okay, I'll wait for you."

Theodore paused by the door before he left and frowned. "And have you eaten anything?"

Shu shook his head, "I didn't."

"Alright," Theodore walked out, closing the door behind him. Shu quietly made his way towards Lucas stared at his pale face and reached out to his hand. Even though he didn't tell Theodore he still had the gun with him, the one Lucas handed him just before the mission. He squeezed his hand, pressing it against his forehead.

"Can you hear me, Lucas?" It felt lonely to speak when Shu could only hear his voice, reverberating against the empty walls of the hospital, in reply. "You're going to wake up, right?" His voice was shaking, he rubbed his eyes, "You still have to do a... a lot of things," He whispered, whimpering. His quiet sobs echoed through the room. "You have to..." he paused to clear his throat, "You have to take me around New York, remember?" He was fervently holding onto his hand, mumbling under his breath. "You promised me," Shu said, "You promised me you're going to be there. And...a-and you better be there when I need you," He chuckled through his tears, before breaking into another fit of sobs.

"Please..." He pleaded, sniffing. "Please wake up, I'm begging you here."

But there was no reaction, just the steady hum of the machines surrounding them. When Theodore walked back in, he found Shu dozing off on the chair near Lucas' bed, curling into himself. He sat down when he saw Theodore, "I brought you some dinner," he announced. Shu made a face but didn't reject the sandwich when he was offered. He placed the Macbook on the table opposite the bed and smiled.

"Are we ready to get to work, partner?"

Shu nodded, despite his swollen eyes and tired smile. "Ready!"

Theodore dragged two chairs to the table and powered the Macbook. Shu was beside him, his legs pulled on and leaning forward to see when he plugged in the pen drive. The loading icon buffered on the screen for a couple of seconds before three folders showed up, all named in familiar terms: Requiem Project, God Blader's Cup and the third, most interesting, "Targets," Shu whispered. Theodore clicked the folder and more folders rolled in, this time each had a name and Shu stared in horror.

"These are..." He stopped, he didn't need to say it out loud. They were the names of bladers, bladers he'd known for so long, starting from Lui and Free, and the list went on.