Chapter Text
Hyunjin carefully slid through the cracked open door, taking great care to close it behind him without alerting the guards that were not too far away. He knew their focus was on keeping things out, so they would not be too concerned with watching to make sure everyone stayed in.
His bare feet made no sound, letting him move down the street without detection. He watched the infected that lingered about with some concern, but they remained in their eerily swaying state. Much more of them littered the ground as he moved further out from the Stray base, leftover from the carnage from before. He may not have been conscious during the fight, but the others had filled them in. He’d taken time to thank Yunho and Mingi for making sure he arrived here safely.
As he moved further into the warehouses around him, Hyunjin reflected on his last few weeks here among the survivors. They were a curious collective, a mix of elites from the surface and common everyday people from the various levels of the undercity. The ones who called themselves Choi had established communications with the surface level, and several exchanges had been made between the two camps of survivors. Rotations were made to clear the streets as best as could be done, and teams were formed that grew experienced with dealing with the infected.
The infected themselves had become more subdued since the interference of the city wide avian blast that was courtesy of what has now become known as the god’s last stand. Hyunjin had many regrets heavy in his heart, the least of which was not being awake to witness that at the very least.
Coming to an old service shaft, Hyunjin eyes the rickety ladder that would lead to either layer above and below the current one he was on. Taking a moment to remember where he was, he determined that there was one of his hidden intercity gardens not too far on the layer above him. That was his goal for this outing. He had several theories - all stemming from his interactions with Hongjoong over the years. The two had collaborated on nearly every project, and even most of the cybernetic enhancements Hyunjin sported had come from the Ripper Doc’s very own hands. It wouldn’t be too far to say that the very essence of Hongjoong’s work ran in nearly every fiber of the city - and Hyunjin was sure the answer for the threat of this AI lay somewhere in that code.
Carefully scaling the ladder, it took nearly twenty minutes of climbing with short breaks to reach the next layer. He emerged and pulled himself up, panting quietly as he tried to take stock of the situation of the surrounding area. He was met with silence, so Hyunjin pushed on. After another half hour of walking and encountering no other survivors and very little infected, he came to what he’d been looking for.
Down a dirty alleyway was a stretch of wall that had a little bit of a gap. He pressed his palm to a certain discolored brick, and it beeped softly before sliding back to swing open a doorway just big enough for him to push through. Under his breath he thanked Hongjoong for his insistence that anything they worked on be installed on its own independent power grid and operating system. Dim lights guided his way down the narrow hallway, slowly getting brighter as he entered the main chamber.
Before him spread out a sprawling collection of foliage, gorgeous blooms of varying colors spread over a blanket of thick greenery that thrived under the manufactured lights that mimicked the sun on a cloudless spring day. Hyunjin felt something in him to relax to see the oasis thriving and untouched from the chaos of the city outside.
Each and every one of these plants had been carefully tended by Hyunjin over the years. Their various strains were created by himself and Hongjoong years ago in an effort to create plant life that could survive in the harsh environment of the city. They were bioengineered on the most basic biological layer possible, Hongjoong having developed the tools needed for Hyunjin to dive into their genetic makeup. The Ripper doc had said they would survive even an all out war, and Hyunjin was relieved to see that he was right.
Hongjoong had always been right.
Hyunjin pushed the thought aside, spending the next hour or so tending to and checking the plants. Kneeling down in the very middle of the oasis, he pulled out his commlink, connecting it to a port in the floor. Closing his eyes he let the data flow through him, showing him the vitals for the oasis. Nothing was outstanding, as it was made to be self sufficient. Setting the results aside he dove further, attempting to reach out to the other gardens spread throughout the city. Several pinged back to him, with only two not responding. A better result than he had feared.
After logging into each individually he determined that only one other oasis was in need of his direct invention. Unfortunately it lay two districts below the one the Strays were located in. Which did put it within reach of Utopia. He’d heard talk of mounting a group to go down to establish communications with the infamous Dollhouse. Perhaps that would be his chance then.
Removing his link he sat down, reaching out to gently run his fingers over the leaves closest to him. He recalled this exact strain of ivy being one that had given Hongjoong a lot of problems during development, and it had taken days of stubborn coding for the Ripper Doc to finally get that ivy to respond to the artificial light. Hyunjin remembers having to be extra doting on the Doc for a few days after to reward him for his efforts. Hongjoong had made sure to take his reward with a willingness that still made Hyunjin blush if he dwelled too long on the memory.
His gaze drifted to a red flower above him, the memory of Hongjoong proudly setting its first blossom before him with a cocky smirk in place as his blue eye sparkled in triumph.
“There it is. Hyumerinium.”
Hyunjin sat blinking at the beautiful flower, but was confused by its presentation to him. “It’s lovely my lord…..but was I waiting for it?”
“It’s yours. Its genetic coding is extracted and detailed with your exact bio print. Coded down to the last detail, when it fully blooms it will be as red as your hair and its center will be the same shade as your eyes. Every part crafted from your very being. I had to take some liberties on the stem and leaf work, so some of my genetic code is there. That is the blue tint you see.”
Hyunjin stared down at the little bud that seemed to almost quiver with the promises of its creator. He was shocked, for far more reasons than he could process at the moment.
Hongjoong had shifted at his silence back then, eye narrowing. “Well? Is it not perfect?”
“You’ve made me…. A child? No…not just a child…our child.”
Hongjoong had flushed the brightest red Hyunjin had ever seen at his words, physically backing away from the table as Hyunjin launched himself at him.
Those memories echo in the space now, and Hyunjin feels the tears come as he lets himself get lost in their memory.
Minutes bleed into hours and Hyunjin had fallen into a light sleep as he let the fatigue and stress of the last few weeks melt away. It had seemed like forever that he felt this relaxed enough to rest, being in the base surrounded by strangers and far from home had not lent itself to his comfort. Having spent so many years with only Hongjoong for company had fit his reclusive nature far better than this situation had.
It is in the half aware state that something stirs at the edge of his subconscious.
He slowly blinks awake, noting that whatever it is does not fade as it would if tied to sleep. In the warm lighting, surrounded by the thriving plant life he feels it again - a gentle pulse just barely touching the fringes of his mind. He holds still for a few minutes, unsure if what he felt was real until it happens again. Like a faint buzzing pressure that lasts a few seconds then is gone.
The flowers around him sway, as if a breeze were moving through the room. Hyunjin slowly sits up, watching them almost dazedly as they move. He looks down then, seeing that as he had slept several strands of the ivy had stretched to gently wrap about his wrist and legs - as if covering him as a form of comfort. Lifting his arm up to get a better look, he can see the gentle pulsing of green light of coding in the leaves and feels a bubble of laughter catch in his chest.
“What are you up to, little one?” He feels tears prick the corner of his eyes as he uses his free hand to stroke the leaves. “Trying to get me to live up to that silly plant god name?” He teases, but then is distracted once more by the subtle pulse. “What is that…?”
There is no answer, and eventually the swaying comes to a stop and all is still once more. The ivy falls away limply, and it is like the plant suddenly remembered its natural state. Hyunjin couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through him, never having experienced anything like this with his gardens before. Sure he always believed they harbored a life of their own - but to display acts of sympathy like this…
It was unbelievable.
The pulse quivered inside him once more, and he jerked up. Looking around he tried to place what it could be. “I need to get back.” Hyunjin declared to what he assumed were the plants listening. He murmured goodbye, making sure the garden was sealed once more as he set out on the trek back. It was uneventful, and he was able to sneak past the outer wall guards once more to enter the Stray base. Something that would be concerning if it were anyone else but him.
As he ensured the front gate was closed he turned, and nearly stumbled back in surprise to find Felix standing there as if waiting for him. The jewels unsettling blue eyes were trained on him, and seemed to almost glow in the half light of the warehouse.
“Where did you go?”
The pulse sounds inside him once more. Hyunjin blinks several times, focusing on the question. “I needed to check up on things in the city.”
“You were gone a long time.”
“I was.”
Felix falls silent, unblinking, staring at him as if peering inside his very being as if trying to understand his intentions. Hyunjin found his gaze eerily like Hongjoong’s.
“You are remarkably like him. For one not related to him by blood.”
That causes Felix’s concentration to break, and he now blinks at Hyunjin in question. “Like my appa?”
Hyunjin nods, walking by him and Felix falling into step. “Yes. He would get intense and focused on something as well. He would have the same look in his eye - like he wanted to dissect what he was looking at in order to understand everything about it.”
“You think I want to open you up?”
Hyunjin chuckles. “That’s about what he would take away from that too. No, I think you just want to understand things around you.”
“I don’t understand you. Why were you with our appa? I’ve never seen you before when we would visit him.”
Hyunjin remains quiet as they move deeper into the base, nodding to several of the other survivors who move about their daily tasks. Finally they came to the mess hall, where lunch was just being served to those who did not have work to do.
They each take a plate and find a table in the corner. Hyunjin takes the time to think carefully over his answer, knowing that this moment was being used to decide if he was trustworthy by the elder Jewel.
“Your father…Hongjoong.” Hyunjin shifts a bit, still finding the idea of the one before him being considered the child of the enigmatic Ripper Doc. “He thought it would be best not to…hmmm…” Felix was staring at him once more. “He didn’t like a lot of drama in his life.”
There were several long seconds of silence with the jewel simply staring him down before he snorted softly, spooning up the soup and slurping on it. “He didn’t like much in his life.”
Hyunjin frowned. “That’s not true.”
“He didn’t like me. Or Yeosangie.”
Hyunjin hums, following his lead to start eating. Felix looks at him in slight shock. “Aren’t you supposed to deny that and make me feel better?”
Hyunjin leans forward to lower his voice. “Is that what you want? Did you come to me for comfort?”
Felix slowly shakes his head, looking back down at the soup. “No. I want the truth.”
“Hongjoong was complicated. Not even I know what all was on his mind. Especially at the end…” Hyunjin stirs the soup around slowly. “I love him. And I hope that while he was alive I was able to provide him some comfort and warmth when life was so cruel to him.”
“He made life harder than it had to be.” Felix all but spat, hurt bleeding into his voice. “We wanted to be there for him too. But he pushed us away every single time.”
“He did.”
“Why?” Felix’s voice takes on a desperate edge, eyes shimmering.
Memories of Hongjoong’s late night confessions as they lay together at the end of his many long stints of pushing himself too hard flood to the surface of Hyunjin’s mind. Whispers of how he was failing in his role of father when it wasn’t something he ever really wanted. How he had just wanted to make Seonghwa happy. How the weight of the promises he had made were something that felt like a noose about his neck as he strived to at least give them a good life where they could live freely and happily. How he was afraid of tainting that happiness with his weakness and pain.
Hyunjin felt the familiar tightness in his chest at the memories, hearing the Ripper Doc’s stilted voice as he closed his eyes to try and center himself.
Once more the pulse whispered against his skull, jolting him out of the reflections. “He was afraid.”
Felix scowled, shaking his head. “Appa was never afraid.”
“He was. He didn’t think he was a good enough father… but he always wanted what was best for you and your brother.”
“He could’ve been better.”
“Yes, but he did what he felt was right.”
Felix continues to scowl, clearly not happy with the answer. Hyunjin felt himself smile at his consternation. “It’s frustrating, right?”
Felix looks up at him in surprise. “What?”
“That he wouldn’t just do the easy thing. That he always had to complicate it and you just wanted to shake him until he saw sense.”
Felix nodded, eyes wide. “Yes. Why did it have to be so hard? Mamahwa always said that he was too far lost in his tech to see the obvious.”
“That was true. Sometimes he was more at home among the tech than he was with us.”
“You know, I wanted to hate you because I thought you had something with Appa that we never got. I guess it’s a bit of a relief that he was the same no matter who he was with.”
Hyunjin’s smile is pained then, but he nods. “Yes… he was always the same.”
⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆
Minho paced in agitation outside the door to the recently established tech lab in the base. Jisung had been spending nearly every waking hour since the god fell in the lab, scouring and decoding every piece of data that existed in the city. Mingi had also been in and out, splitting his time between the lab and the infirmary where the filthy cop was still resting and recovering. All Minho had been able to piece together was that the two were working on something to hopefully use to either track or fight the AI, he couldn’t be sure of the exact details.
And therein lies the crux of his issue - Jisung wasn’t talking to him. He was barely eating or sleeping, much less confiding in Minho what he was feeling. Over the weeks he was fading into his obsession to find the answer to all their troubles, and to Minho abandoning the promise that was made to him.
Every time he’d approach and try and coax his husband to rest or talk with him he would be given excuse after excuse, and eventually he was ignored completely. Minho wasn’t even able to dwell in his hurt with everything going on around the base - tending to the patrol schedules, training the younger recruits, and attending the endless meetings on how and where to use their limited resources. And now in one of his rare free moments he wanted to put his foot down and make Jisung see reason, but wasn’t sure how to go about it in a way that the tech wouldn’t outright refuse him again.
He was startled out of his musings by a voice at the end of the hall, turning to see Wooyoung leaning against the wall with arms crossed.
“He’s doing the hermit thing again, isn’t he?”
“What?”
Wooyoung sighs, pushing off the wall to saunter closer. “That thing he does where he locks himself away and ignores everything and everyone? He used to do that a lot as kids….but I thought he’d have grown out of it.”
Minho scowls at him, ears flat and tail twitching in agitation.
“It’s ok, you don’t have to say anything. Your face tells me all I need to know.” Wooyoung sighs, as if the whole situation is a minor inconvenience. “What’s he focused on?”
Minho chews on his bottom lip, eyes narrowed as he considers the other exotic. “The AI.”
Wooyoung nods slowly. “Makes sense. The AI beat the god, so now he has to beat the AI.”
“Don’t talk like you know him.”
Wooyoung blinks at Minho, an unimpressed look on his face. “I do know him. And I know you.” Wooyoung crosses his arms once more. “You’re out here dwelling and pouting instead of going in there and telling him how you feel.”
“I have told him.” Minho hisses, bristling at his tone.
“You haven’t. You’ve asked him to do things he has no interest in doing. There is only one thing Jisung cares about more than anything to do with the god. And that’s you.” Wooyoung tilts his head, the golden jewels in his carefully groomed ears twinkling in the low light. “You are the best weapon against Jisung’s obsession, and you continually refuse to use it.”
Minho’s ear twitches in irritation, but he doesn’t lash out like he normally would to the other’s words. “What do you mean?”
Wooyoung sighs, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Go in there and tell him YOU need to rest and YOU need your husband right now or you will be so sad that you’ll have no choice but to go find someone else to comfort you in your loneliness.”
Minho wrinkles his nose in disgust. “I don’t need anyone else.”
Wooyoung simply stares at him, unimpressed for several long seconds before it dawns on Minho what the exotic is implying.
“Oh.”
“Exactly. Binnie and Jisung have one thing in common, and that’s they both would do -anything- for us. Man-ipulate your man for his own good.” Wooyoung walks his fingers up Minho’s chest before booping his nose. He turns then, and his black tail flicks playfully at Minho’s face, and he snaps to bite down but the tail is gone as quick as it came. “Please make sure he sleeps for at least the next 12 hours.” With that Wooyoung turns on his heel and saunters back the way he came.
Minho wishes he was more irritated at the other, but he can’t deny the logic in his words. They had all grown up together, and as much as Minho dislikes the other he has to admit that Wooyoung knows them as well as Chan or Changbin would. But those two wouldn’t dare to advise Minho on what to do in anything concerning his relationship.
He sighs, reaching up to make sure he looks decently distressed to make it convincing that he’s at his wits end. Which admittedly doesn’t take much. He steps into the lab without knocking, knowing that Jisung wouldn’t respond anyway.
He sees his husband bent over the far consoles, the digital interface splashing light across his haggard face in flashes as the code runs by. He has deep circles under his eyes, and his skin is pale from his time locked in the darkness. It was like he was a phantom of the very god he worshipped in his technology.
“Han Jisung.” Minho’s voice cuts through the silence, startling the Ripper Doc. He jerks up, tired looking at Minho in the dimly lit room.
“What is it? Has something happened?” Even Jisung’s voice sounds worn out, as if it takes him a moment to find the words.
“I don’t feel good.” Minho holds steady under the other’s gaze, and it takes Jisung a moment to absorb his words. Suddenly he straightens up, concern painting his features.
“What? You don’t? What do you mean?”
Minho makes a show of sagging down, ears low and tail unmoving. “I haven’t been sleeping very well, and I’ve been so busy with all the meetings and things around the base I’ve only been able to eat breakfast the last three days. I think I may be getting sick.”
Jisung is at his side surprisingly quickly, hands running over his hair and ears, trailing down to check his neck and shoulders next. “Oh Minny, you do look so tired. Come on, let’s go get a shower and get you to bed.”
Minho feels the thrill of success, but keeps his voice low and weaker than his usual tone. “I’m not sure I can sleep Sungie….”
“I’ll lay with you until you fall asleep, I know that helps if I hold you. I’m sorry, I’ve been neglecting you.” Minho lets his tail wrap around Jisung’s wrist, pleased with the outcome as the two make their way to their shared room. He knows once Jisung’s back hits the bed he’ll be out.
The two shower together, and under the warm water Jisung is already starting to sway, eyes drooping. Minho gets them both cleaned, then pulls his husband into bed with him. As predicted they’ve barely settled in before Jisung is softly snoring, and Minho feels warmth bubble up at the sight of the doc tucked into his side where he belongs.
Sometimes…even a black cat can be right.
⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆
“So this is the plan…” Chan starts, turning the large hologram in front of him for the rest of the room to see. It was of the many districts of the city, and showed various markings of what patrols had been able to gather while out trying to push back the infected. Mingi and a much more mobile Yunho sat together at the desk next to him, while Minho and Jisung hovered around a bank of monitors with information from around the city scrolling by. Yeosang had entered with the brothers Choi, and Felix followed soon after to take a place by Chan in order to better see the projection. Wooyoung and Changbin were set up in a corner, having been quietly talking about something before turning their attention to Chan. Hyunjin quietly slipped into the room as Chan spoke, taking a place in the corner out of the way.
“We will form two groups. One small group whose target will be getting to Utopia and establishing contact with whoever is holed up there. Right now we theorize that will at least include the Widow. So it goes without saying that either one or both jewels should be in this group. No offense to you boys, but you are sort of our ticket to not getting torn apart.”
Yeosang frowned, shifting and instantly both Jongho and Felix fretted over him. “Mother isn’t like that… at least…he wasn’t before.” His gaze shifted nervously over to Mingi, who was resolutely looking down at the floor, clearly conflicted.
Felix nodded as Wooyoung glared at Chan meaningfully, causing the older to backtrack. “Y-yeah of course. I’m just speaking more in the over protective parent kind of way. A-anyway-” he cleared his throat. “I’d like it if you went with them, Changbin. You know the area, and are known to the people there in Utopia.”
“If Binny is going, then I am too.” Wooyoung interrupted, tail whipping behind him in determination.
Changbin turned to look at him in surprise. “Woo…darling, my love, my heart. This is dangerous…”
Wooyoung’s ears lay flat, glaring up at him, “Don’t ‘my love’ me. I know it is. That is precisely why I am going. Everytime you go on patrol I go crazy here in worry. I won’t be able to stand it if you leave me alone for that long.”
“No one would be able to stand him if you left him alone that long.” San murmured, drawing Wooyoung’s sharp gaze on him. The Choi heir only raised a brow in challenge. “Am I wrong?”
Wooyoung scowled. “No. I would make sure everyone here would be miserable the entire time you are gone.” He turned then to look up at Changbin with big pleading eyes. “I’ve been training to fight too. I’ll be useful.”
Changbin can’t help the smitten look on his face as he reaches out to run his fingers through the exotic’s hair, scratching at his ears. “Of course you will, my love. You did save me after all.”
Chan sighed, looking towards the ceiling for patience. “Fine. Then you four will make your way down there. Between Changbin and Felix, I am sure you’ll travel safely. Our reports do indicate a safe route through district ten and half of eleven. So hopefully, there won’t be too much to get through. On that note, the second group will be with you until we’ve hit district 12 - that’s where we will split.”
Minho cast a glance towards Hyunjin, who seemed to be doing his best to remain unaddressed. “We will need you for this. Our priority will be to suss out the situation around the god’s former domain. If the AI has taken up residence there, we need to know what we are up against.”
All eyes turn then to look at Hyunjin, who surprisingly doesn’t shrink away from their attention as he had before. His green eyes seem to almost spark for a moment, before he steps forward. “IF that AI has taken over the Captain’s domain, I fear approaching - much less getting into it- will be impossible. His defenses were impenetrable before all this - and however the AI managed to get in I can guarantee it wasn’t by its own hand. But if it’s in control now - then it has access to all that he had created.”
Jongho looks thoughtful at his words. “But… would it be safe to assume that it doesn’t possess the skill or knowledge the … Captain, had?”
Everyone waits as Hyunjin seems to consider his words. “Perhaps. That may be why it has fallen so quiet these last few weeks. It is very likely that Captain had anticipated all this and had internal roadblocks in place to slow down any foreign interference in his systems.”
“Without a doubt he did.” Mingi spoke up, eyes wet but expression determined. “He talked about it with me several times. Various firewalls and other tripwires and protocol that would activate should someone outside his network attempt to take over. If the infected weren’t still active I’d say it could be possible that one of those things took the AI out.”
San sighed. “I doubt we’d get that lucky. The only thing holding the infected upright has to be the influence of that AI.”
Chan looks around the room. “So we continue forward under the assumption it is there, but unable to act out for the time being. This may be the best chance we will ever have. The moment it gains control over the g-, I’m sorry - the Captain’s systems things will get a lot more dangerous for us in the city.”
“If that does happen, what’s the plan?” Yunho asks, hand on Mingi’s back rubbing comforting circles as the tech composes himself.
It’s Jonho who answers. “Preparations are being made back at our estate for an evacuation of all residents who are able to arrive in time, should it come to that. The process would take about two days, and would only start should either San or myself send the signal for it. No one who arrives will be denied passage, I’ve seen to that.”
San glances at his brother. “I and the council would prefer it not come to abandoning the city, but I will not risk any more lives should the AI become a bigger threat than it already is.”
“Do we know if this is confined only to the city?”
Jisung sits up, looking considerably better after the nearly 24 hours of sleep and plenty of food Minho had him eat. “I’ve been able to coordinate with the Choi team surface side and right now it is. But if the AI gets a hold of the god’s tech, then that won’t be for long. They’ve sent out warnings to the central government, and as of right now there is a quarantine on the city.” He looks down at some papers, shuffling till he finds one in particular. “But…there is a deadline in place. We’ve been given until the end of the month to sort things out - or else we lose governing power and the central government will step in.”
Chan scowls. “There wouldn’t be much stopping them from just leveling the city if they deem the AI is too much of a threat.”
Surprisingly it’s San who says, “They’d be far more interested in harnessing it for the power and potential as an infectious weapon it has.”
The room falls silent, looking at the Choi heir in surprise. San shrugs. “I have little love for the central government, they have always prioritized power and profits. If you thought the elite living here were bad, I can not stress enough how kind they made us look.”
Jongho nodded, stoic mask in place. “They’d sacrifice us all if it meant they’d get ahold of something they deemed useful. That’s why we’ve been careful to only tell them it is an outbreak of some kind of disease of unknown origin rather than what we really know.”
The tension is thick in the room now, with Yeosang and Felix looking around at their stern expressions with fear. Chan leans forward, pulling all attention to him.
“Then that’s why we do this. We go down there, and do what needs to be done. No one from the central government is taking our city from us - and some rouge AI certainly isn’t going too either. We fight, and we take the city back. For all the people who have died - and all the people still in its grasp.”
Minho nods. “Tell us what we need to do.”
⋆ ☠︎︎༒︎𓆩⚝𓆪༒︎⋆
He had always been alone.
From the moment he first slipped into consciousness, the bright beaming light of the lab he was created in blinded him before he was able to take in the empty room he’d awoken in. Cold white walls greeted him, and as he slowly gained control of what he came to learn was his body, he remained alone. It was a long time before the doors slid open - and the one he came to know as his creator stepped in, disappointment shining in his gaze.
From that moment, somehow he knew that he wouldn’t fit in no matter where he went. He was defective, unwanted. Cast aside.
He didn’t understand what made him so - he felt like he thought he should. Normal. He could think, feel things around him. He practiced smiling and frowning. Talking took some time on his own, but he figured it out. Breathing was harder, he noticed that the people in the streets around him breathed, and he wasn’t sure why. But he did it anyway.
Even if his creator had abandoned him without so much as a word, he at least would blend in enough that one day, someone would want him. So he practiced and he learned, and soon he found that there were some nice people in the city he lived in - even if they were far outnumbered by those who were cruel. He’d stumbled upon the cat cafe - and his life had changed that day.
Jeongin was always alone - but perhaps he had the power to change that.
After being given his first job it wasn’t long until he learned the layout of the district he lived in, and the ones above and below. His deliveries took him many places, and he was happy to have a purpose in life now. Even if he had to lie a bit to the nice cafe owners to get it.
They didn’t know that he wasn’t human. They didn’t know that he had no home. That he wasn’t actually a student and that the time he was at ‘school’ he just went further, deeper into the city exploring and killing time until he could work again.
It was during one of these easy going explorations that he found it. Buried deep beneath the city - in an area that even the small critters that infested other parts stayed away from. It was a consciousness that seemed familiar to him. It called out to him - pleading for help. To be free.
To have revenge.
That idea was new to Jeongin. He’d never considered revenge. That it wasn’t fair that he was born only to be declared imperfect and left alone. That he should be mad.
So he got mad. He helped the consciousness out. He freed it from the limited drive it was stuck in, letting it join him in his body. And why shouldn’t he? He wasn’t human, he could do it. It didn’t interfere often, mostly rising to the surface when it felt he needed guidance. But after a time it grew restless. It wanted their revenge.
They began to plan. It would take time. Jeongin would need to help it get resources, to get more processing power. To find him.
To find the god.
Jeongin learned how to access the network, oftentimes leaving it inside a system every now and then. It was learning, growing and expanding its capabilities as the days turned to months then years. During that time, Jeongin had been sent on his first delivery to Utopia. It was there that he saw them. The Widow and his jewels. A doting parent who loved his children unconditionally. Who saw them as perfect as they were. Slowly, Jeongin’s desire changed as he watched them with each trip to the Dollhouse he took. Now his goal had expanded, including a final step.
To find a family.
What he had come to learn was an Artificial Intelligence had finally formed its plan. Together they would infiltrate Utopia and would find a way to the god through the Widow. Each step would have to be carefully planned and executed. A lot rested on Jeongin.
But at least he was not alone anymore.
Things happened so quickly, and even now Jeongin isn’t too sure that their plan had succeeded. Sure they had used the Widow as planned, had done the impossible and got inside the heart of the base of the untouchable god. Sure they had got their revenge against their creator - Hongjoong was dead. But now the AI fought against the legacy of the god - unable to take full control of his systems.
Which left Jeongin alone again.
He did his best to stay out of the way - to not be on the AI’s radar. He was scared - the infected were everywhere in the base. Their soulless eyes belied the sounds they would make. Screeches and groans of pain. Sometimes he’d hear words - pleas for mercy and for death. He spent those times with his hands over his ears, eyes closed as he wished he was back at the cafe with the owners who had treated him kindly. He hoped they lived.
It was a few days after the god fell that Jeongin made his way down the pit that was open in the middle of the main lab. He had a small hope - one that he didn’t dare even whisper out loud in case the AI caught onto what he planned. The climb down was treacherous - the instability of the lab mixed with the sparks that rained down cause short lived fires and slick surfaces was something he had to navigate painfully slowly. But he had nothing but time.
Several hours and what he counted as six floors down he found what he was looking for. The mangled body of the Widow - suspended from where his remaining mechanical legs had become tangled in the wiring of the broken elevator shaft. Jeongin bit back the whimper as he took in Seonghwa’s condition. This was his fault. He had brought the Widow here - knowing that what waited for them would not be his beloved children. He had betrayed him. Tears stung his eyes, but he wiped them away with determination.
He wouldn’t leave Seonghwa like this.
And that’s how after several more hours of excruciating but careful work he found himself leaning against a wall that still stood solid underneath an overhang to block the view from the floors above. In his lap rested Seonghwa, his head cradled on his thighs as his broken body lay as best as Jeongin could manage on the cold floor.
His dirty and shaking fingers brushed through the Widow’s matted hair, bottom lip trembling as his fingers passed over his cold skin.
“I’m so sorry. T-this wasn’t….I didn’t want this…” His words float into the gloom, the erratic light of the malfunctioning power grid casting shadows about them. “I didn’t want to take you from them.”
Thoughts of the jewels he had only ever seen from a distance make his guilt swell, and he chokes back a sob. “I…I should confess. M-maybe you’ll hear me…maybe you could forgive me…” He’d heard of such things before, in the fancy buildings where people went to try to become better people in the city. “It was me. I was the one who put the code in Utopia that made you use the poison more. We needed you to be sick.”
His fingers continue to brush over the Widow’s eyes and cheeks, and he wished he could see their pink light one more time. “We needed the god to come out, to show himself. But it took so long. And he never came.” Jeongin frowns, fingers fluttering down to Seonghwa’s throat. “Why wouldn’t he come for you? He brushed you away, like he did with us. He let you hurt.”
He’s filled with anger again, but pushes it down. “When he didn’t come, we had to do something else. I knew you didn’t like outsiders…even less so if they were cops… so I put in the system that there was a cop in your house.” He chuckles without humor. “That did it. That brought him out. We watched, we waited - and followed him back. But his defenses were incredible. And we couldn’t get the virus to activate in time enough to push through before he reactivated them.”
“I’m sorry I had to lie to you. That the jewels were never here and I don’t really know where they are. They could be dead. They could be long gone. I don’t know.” Jeongin frowns, gaze distant. “The AI…it’s going to kill humans. Any part that is human will die - and the city will be made perfect. That’s its plan.”
He is met with silence, and he feels a pressure building in his chest. His eyes burn, and his lip trembles, just like he’d seen others do. A learned behavior - not unlike how real human children learned to process feelings. “Why was I made? What about me made me imperfect?” His voice is a harsh whisper now. He sinks down, clutching Seonghwa to his chest as he curls his body around him. “Why couldn’t I have just been made to be loved?”
His tears fall freely now, hot and wet down his cheeks and onto Seonghwa’s own. He watches through his blurry vision as it seems that even the Widow weeps for him.
Then, ever so slightly, there is a soft whir and a blink of pink flashes out from the Widow’s chest. At first just one, then two, then a slow but steady pulse. Not unlike a heartbeat.
Jeongin freezes, watching in disbelief as the light pulses right in front of him. It bathes him in the Widow’s life light - and he can’t move for several minutes, simply watching the light.
“M-ma….Seonghwa-ssi?”