The constellations are so unfamiliar 1/?
The constellations are so unfamiliar 1/?
Tao/Sehun; AU, dystopian, romance, slight angst; PG13; 6,758
In a world of metal and concrete and nothing else Sehun longs for the trees and just maybe something else.
The constellations are so unfamiliar 1/?
“I've lost faith, the forest's changed.
My stomach's empty I'm feeling faint.
I've lost heart, the forest's scarred.
I hear no birds, just tv's and cars.
I've lost sight, the forest's died.
The brambles are bare, and I'm hollow inside.”
- A Tale of Outer Suburbia by Hands Like Houses.
The trees went up in flames, fire licked the sky so high it looked as if it would set the heavens alight. Smoke was all that could be seen for miles. making it hard to see anything too far away. Hopelessness filled the small boy as he watched the only home he had ever known going up in flames right before his eyes.
"Sehun we have to go!" His mother yelled gathering him up into her arms. Tears were running down her cheeks leaving tracks in the ash already discoloring her skin. She was more panicked than Sehun had ever seen her before and it made him panic even more.
As his mother ran as fast as she could with Sehun in her arms, he watched as the only home he had ever known was taken away from him. In the blink of an eye life as he knew it changed forever.
9 Years Later
Sehun runs his wrist under the gun metal grey scanner on the door. He taps his foot impatiently against the cement as he waits for the beep that will allow him entrance into the small two bedroom house. The beep finally comes and Sehun plows through the doorway. Once inside the smell of bleach hits his nostrils, he cringes and plugs his nose. He hates the smell of bleach on cleaning day, no he hates cleaning day in general. He throws his bag carelessly onto the floor than takes a right hand turn and goes to the kitchen. The place is spotlessly clean. Sehun thinks it's unnatural to be this clean.
Sehun moves to the other side of the kitchen and stands in front of the white machine. He stares at the panel on the front of the small 2 by 2 door. "On." He speaks to the screen. The screen comes to life upon hearing his voice. "Hello Master Sehun, what can I get you today?" The electronic voice asks.
Sehun sighs. "What's available for fruit?" He doesn't have much hope that there will be any fruit available. There is never fruits or vegetables available even though they are already in summer.
A beat passes. "We just got in a shipment of fresh apples."
Sehun smiles triumphantly. "I'll definitely have an apple then."
"Processing your request." The voice says in monotone.
A few moments later the door pops open revealing a shiny red apple. Sehun grins as he picks up the apple. He hasn't had an apple in at least five months, the last time they got an apple shipment, and he really wants to savor the moment. He slowly takes a large bite of the apple and savors the taste closing his eyes in pure ecstasy.
Fruit is the hardest to get a hold of nowadays. It's first come first serve and Sehun rarely is first come. Most fresh fruit or vegetable shipments are very small, only a couple boxes, and the fruit is high in demand. He can almost remember a time when fruit was easy to get. For a fleeting moment Sehun wishes he could go back to before. Back when fruit was common.
Sehun eats the rest of his apple quickly. As he finishes he feels upset that there is no more left, he doesn't know when the next time he will be able to get an apple will be. It could be years from now.
"Sehun are you home?"
"Yeah Mom, I'm in the kitchen." Sehun yells turning his head towards the door. He hears his mother's heals clicking on the tile floor as she enters the room. "How was school?" She asks coming up beside him.
Before he can answer she is ordering something for herself, a glass of flavored water. She takes a long sip and turns to Sehun expectantly waiting for his answer.
"It was good, just like every other day." Sehun answers. "Career testing day is tomorrow though." Sehun adds the last part on nervously.
His mother breaks out into a huge smile. "Career testing already?" His mother asks. Sehun nods. "I bet you'll get a high paying job." She says.
Sehun nods even though he doesn't have much faith in himself. Career testing day is only the first step. After taking the test, your result qualify you for three jobs, you have to work at all three at the same time all the while being tested for efficiency. Whichever one you end up being the most efficient in ends up being your career for the rest of your life.
Sehun isn't ready for that kind of commitment. How can any nineteen year old know what they want to do for the rest of their life?
Sehun's mother rubs his back soothingly. "You'll be fine." She whispers in his ear. “I have faith in you.”
Sehun fakes a smile for his mothers benefit. He's not so sure she's right about that. He opens his mouth to let his anxiety pour out to his mother when his whole body vibrates.
He looks down at the panel in his left wrist. Luhan. He looks back to his mother. "You can go." She says smiling softly.
Sehun doesn't think twice. "Accept com." He states.
"Sehunnie are you busy?" Luhan’s pretty face pops up in his vision, his voice is inside his head as if he is wearing headphones.
"No, why?" He asks Luhan.
"Meet me at the park." Luhan disconnects the com without another word.
Five minutes late Sehun’s out the door and on his way downtown to the park.
Sehun spots the park a short ten minute walk later. The park isn't really a park at all though. It's just a large square of cement with a few picnic tables spread around with pots of fake flowers sitting atop them. It’s really quite a shame.
Sehun spies Luhan sitting at one of the picnic tables. His blonde hair is sticking up in places and he is staring straight ahead.
A huge grin breaks out on Luhan's face as he sees Sehun approaching. Sehun sits down on the other side of the picnic table from Luhan. "What's going on?" Sehun asks staring at his friend.
Luhan looks around like someone is going to be eaves dropping on their conversation.
He leans across the table. "A group of anti-techs attacked the central building this morning."
Sehun stares at his friend. For all of the things he loves about Luhan there is one thing he hates. Luhan hates the anti-techs more than anything else on the entire planet. Sure Sehun doesn’t quite like them either but he can’t hate them, he is indifferent to them.
"They should just send the military after them, it would solve all our problems." Luhan moves back to his side of the table.
Sehun bites his tongue. He wants to tell Luhan that he is wrong, pointless killing won't solve any problems but instead he changes the subject. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" He asks knowing this will change the subject easily.
Luhan shakes his head wildly. "Of course not, I will probably get surgeon, lawyer, or mayor. I have no worries and neither should you." Luhan says with assurance.
Sehun almost wants to punch his friend for being so cocky. It's near impossible to get those three careers he listed. Although Luhan’s father is the mayor so maybe it is possible for him to get the job.
"What three results do you think you'll get?" Luhan asks.
Sehun shakes his head shamefully. "Garbage man, food processor, or cleaning man."
Luhan bursts into laughter his whole face lighting up. "Your scores would have to be almost obsolete to get such terrible careers."
Sehun laughs halfheartedly. He doesn’t actually believe he will get that bad of results but he doesn't think they will be much better to be honest.
There laughter dies down and Luhan gets suddenly very serious. "I heard from Minseok that the anti-techs might attack during the tests." He says voice low. Sehun clenches his fists in his lap. Why does Luhan care so much about the anti-techs if he claims he hates them? "I also heard that the tests are going to be a little harder than last year’s were." He adds.
"What do you mean harder?" The blood drains out of Sehun’s face. He thought they were as hard as they could get already. He almost had a break down taking a practice test a few months ago because of the difficulty of it.
Luhan shrugs. "Dad told me they would be twice as hard and for some even harder than that."
Sehun groans and slams his head into the table. His stress levels just rocketed through the roof. This isn’t good. The more stressed Sehun is the worse he will probably do.
Luhan laughs. "Don't worry me and you will both do great, I’m sure of it." Sehun doesn't move his head off the table nor does he stop groaning.
-----
Sehun lies in bed that night not able to sleep because of his anxiousness. He lies there not doing anything but staring up at the ceiling or the wall to his side, worrying about the tests. He wants to do good and make his mother and Luhan both proud but in reality he doesn't think he is good enough.
While contemplating the worst and best possible job options he could get, something loud sounds downstairs.
Sehun is on his feet and moving before his brain can catch up to his body. He pads into the hall on light feet. He makes it to the bottom of the stairs before he stops and takes a deep breath. There could be a murderer in his house, he doesn't know how to fight, but he can't let his mother be the one to investigate and have her end up injured or worse. He presses onward.
He moves around the corner to the kitchen where the sound seems to be coming from. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees the outline of a person standing in front of the kitchen window.
"Lights on." He says.
The room is filled with golden light a second later. Sehun gasps at what he sees.
The man-- or boy depending on how you look at it, is tall, he has dark ,dark hair, his body is heavily muscled. He only looks to be a year or so older than Sehun. He stares at Sehun with a look of shock on his face. Sehun just stands there frozen in place. He doesn’t know what to do.
"What are you doing in here?" Sehun asks slowly not wanting to make him run away or attack him.
He cocks his head not looking away from Sehun for even a second. He opens his mouth but recloses it after seemingly changing his mind about speaking to Sehun.
"Why are you in here?" Sehun asks this time a little more forcefulness behind the words.
"I was hungry." He says his voice is softer than what Sehun had expected. His words also don’t sound genuine. If he was hungry he would be at the food box ordering something not staring out the window at the city.
“What’s your name?” The man asks suddenly.
The questions throws Sehun off. Why would a burglar care to know his name? He opens his mouth to tell him it doesn't matter but that's not what happens. "Sehun, my name is Oh, Sehun."
Sehun waits expectedly for something more to happen. The man across the kitchen just stares at him. They go on like this, staring at each other, for at least another minute before anything happens.
Then without hesitation the man is moving towards Sehun. He pushes him lightly out of his way. He swings the front door open and turns around half way. That’s when Sehun notices there is no sliver in his eyes. He has no nano bots coursing through his veins. "We'll meet again Sehun." He is already out the front door by the time Sehun can get his bearings back.
What did he mean they'll meet again. Why would he meet him again? Why didn’t have any nano bots? Everyone is required to have nano’s by law. If you don’t have them you can’t use the computer in your head so how can he not have any?
Sehun shrugs it off. Maybe he didn’t take his nano shot yet.
Sehun locks the front door and makes sure the rest of the house is secure before heading back to bed.
He falls into his bed weightlessly, his head barely makes contact with the pillow before he is out like a light.
He dreams about the strange man.
-----
"Rise and shine Sehun!" His mother's cheery voice says breaking through his dreams of a nameless man. Sehun groans and rolls over shoving the pillow over his ears to block out his mother’s voice.
His mother promptly rips the pillow away."Sehun get up and get dressed, you have to be in school in an hour to take your test." His mother chides him.
Sehun's body flies out of the bed. He trips over discarded clothes on the floor on his rush to get dressed. After dressing he rushes downstairs and orders himself a bowl of oatmeal and a bottle of flavored water. He inhales everything within minutes and is out the door on his way to meet up with Luhan.
Luhan greets him with a smile when he spots him coming down the street. "How long do we have till the test starts?" Sehun asks out of breath. They are standing outside of Luhan’s four bedroom mansion on the sidewalk.
Luhan looks down at the panel on his wrist. "Half hour, we better get going." Luhan grabs Sehun by the hand and leads him down the street toward the school.
The school is the same as it has been for as long as Sehun can remember. It's a newer building but it feels old to him. He’s been going to school there since he first came to the city.
Luhan guides the two of them inside the front doors and down the hall to the lecture hall where they will be taking the test with other students all ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-four. Everyone has to take the test by their twenty-fourth birthday, no exceptions. The age doesn’t really matter though since almost everybody takes it before they turn twenty anyways.
Luhan guides Sehun to a couple empty seats in the very back row. They sit down and get comfortable.
"How long does this test take?" Sehun asks as he looks around the room at the familiar faces of people he has been going to school with for years.
Luhan stares wide eyed at him. "Didn't you read the information they sent us about the test?" He asked.
Sehun shakes his head. He doesn’t remember ever getting any information on the test.
Luhan opens his mouth to speak but he stops when the room goes completely silent. A man walks into the room and sets down a bag near the desk in the front of the room. He turns and makes his way to the podium. Sehun notices that the man isn't that much older than him, he must've taken the tests within the last two years so how is it that he the instructor for the test today?
The instructor stands at the microphone staring at the large crowd of kids in front of him. "Hello." He says. The crowd murmurs hello back to him. "As you know today you will be taking your career test. This is the most important test you will ever take in your lives." He glances around the room making eye contact with a few people in the front row. "I took the test last year and I was rewarded with three great jobs, after working the three jobs for three months each I got chosen to be a teacher. Today is my first job alone. You can all call me Joonmyun" He does his glance around the room again. "Now onto information about the test- ." The door flies open suddenly cutting him off midsentence.
All eyes are glued to the man standing just inside the doorway to the room. Sehun has to throw his hand over his mouth to stifle his gasp at what or better yet, who he sees standing there.
The guy that was in his house last night stands there glaring at the instructor as if the instructor is the one who barged into the room.
"You are five minutes late, I'll let it pass though since I just barely started, take a seat please." Joonmyun says to him.
He doesn't move. His eyes scan the faces in the room and don't stop until they land on Sehun. Sehun looks away quickly when their eyes meet.
The guy takes a seat in the middle of the room right in front of Sehun. Sehun studies the back of his head like it will give him the answers he seeks.
"Now, the test will last three hours. If you are not done in that time that's too bad. I assume you've all read the information that was sent to you?" The crowd murmurs yes but Sehun didn't receive any information.
"Alright then, you may begin as soon as I hand you a computer." He reaches underneath the podium and pulls out three large boxes. He opens up the first back and starts taking out the mini-computers.
Sehun receives his computer and immediately gets to work on the test. It’s hard typing on the computer since the touch screen is so sensitive to touch. He wishes he could turn the sensitive down a notch.
Sehun doesn't start to sweat until half way through the time limit. It's been an hour and half and Sehun doesn't even think he is half way through the test yet. He looks over at Luhan's concentrated face. Sehun knows that Luhan will do great, he is smart and always does great at things when people expect a lot from him. Sehun on the other hand does the complete opposite.
Sehun sighs and goes back to concentrating on his own test but then he feels like someone is watching him. He looks up expecting the instructor to be watching him but finds the guy that was in his house last night looking over his shoulder at Sehun. Sehun sucks in a breath as he winks and turns back around.
Sehun stifles a gasp of surprise caused by the wink and goes back to concentrating on his test.
-----
"Times up!" Sehun laughs out loud manically. He managed to answer the last question a minute before the time was up.
He looks a Luhan and grins widely. He receives a grin in return.
The room starts to get loud but Joonmyun shushes everyone. "Please everyone take an hour break and come back, I'll have result then…"
Sehun's relief quickly fades. They get the result the same day? This whole time he thought they were sent to them in a few days. He didn’t think they could get the results so quickly.
"How'd you do?" Luhan asks.
Sehun shrugs. "Hopefully good enough." He answers.
They get up and head out of the room without having to ask the other where to go. They don't have much time so they stay in the area. They just decide to hang out in front of the school which happens to be everyone else's plan also.
"Sehun." Sehun turns around at the sound of his name.
He sputters when he sees who is coming toward him. "You." He says.
"Zitao." He smiles and Sehun's knees goes weak. This reaction seems to give Zitao even more satisfaction. "I told you I would see you." He says.
Sehun swallows the lump in his throat. Last night Zitao didn't have the silver of nano bots filling his eyes. Today his eyes are incredibly silver. Sehun knows that he must’ve taken his nano shot this morning or even last night but something is bothering Sehun. The whole things seems strange to him.
"Do you two mind if I hang with you until we get results?" Zitao asks with a yawn.
Luhan nods. "We don't mind at all." He smiles at him.
Sehun wants to say yes we do mind but Luhan already said the opposite so he can't be rude.
"Are you new here?" Luhan asks. "I haven't seen you around before."
Zitao nods enthusiastically. “I just arrived in the city a few days ago. So far I love it here.”
Sehun isn’t sure but he senses a lie within Zitao’s words. He stares at him trying to read his expression but he doesn’t get anything strange from it. He’s either being truthful or a very good actor.
Luhan and Zitao start to get animated talking about something that Sehun can’t seem to concentrate on. He is too nervous about his results.
“Hey Sehun are you always this quiet?” Zitao asks suddenly.
Sehun’s head whips in his direction. He didn’t even know they had stopped their conversation. “What?” He asks.
“You’ve said maybe one word this whole time.” Zitao raises and eyebrow at him.
Sehun just shrugs. He has no energy to speak anyways.
“He’s stressed about the test,” Luhan speaks for Sehun. “and we have to get back now.” Luhan adds looking down at the panel in his wrist.
The three of them trek back into the building and sit where they were all seated before. Sehun breathes a sigh of relief that Zitao is gone. The man unsettles him for some reason.
It doesn’t take long for the room to fill up again. Sehun’s hands are shaking and he can’t seem to make them stop as more and more people enter and time beings to count down.
Five minutes pass and the instructor doesn’t come back into the room. Sehun is somewhat relieved that he still has time to think about things and prolong his results. Then another ten minutes pass and Sehun starts to feel strange. Could something have gone wrong with the results?
Then the instructor walks in and he doesn’t look happy. He sets one of the small testing computers down on the podium. “Oh Sehun!” He says louder than he needs to.
Sehun sinks down in his seat like that would really make him invisible. Luhan nudges Sehun with his elbow. “That’s you.” He whispers. Sehun gives him a look that says “no duh” and stands up shakily.
Two men in suits walk into the room. “Please come with us Sehun.” Fear fills Sehun as he walks down to meet the two of them. He catches Zitao’s eye as his walks past his row of seats. Zitao’s face is concerned and that makes Sehun feel even more scared.
He stops in front of the two men in suits. “What’s going on?” He asks.
“Please follow us.” The bald man says to him. They turn to leave expecting Sehun to follow.
Sehun looks over his shoulder at Luhan who is sitting in his seat with wide eyes. He smiles trying to make Sehun feel better but it doesn’t help. Then Sehun’s eyes catch Zitao’s. They stare at each other unflinchingly. Something passes between them, Sehun doesn’t know what it is and he’s not sure he wants to know. He looks away quickly.
He follows the two men out the door into the hall. They lead him down a set of stairs he didn’t know they had and down into the basement. They lead him through a small doorway that he has to duck under to get into the room.
“What’s going on?” He asks. The room is dimly lit, there is a table and three chairs sitting in the center of the room. Two on one side and one on the other side of the table. Sehun swallows hard and looks to the men.
“Please have a seat.” The man who speaks gestures to the one chair.
Sehun sits and so do the men. Sehun suddenly feels like this is an interrogation. He didn’t do anything wrong though.
The two men say nothing. They just continue to stare at Sehun and make him feel extremely uncomfortable. He swallows hard and looks around the room, anywhere but at the two men. They are unsettling him more and more as the silence stretches between them.
Then finally one of them, the bald one, clears his throat. “Do you know why we brought you down here?” He asks.
Sehun shakes his head. “No, you didn’t tell me.” He says.
The bald man glares at him. “You really don’t know anything?” He sounds disbelieving which confuses Sehun further.
Sehun shakes his head. The two men look at each other and then down at the panels in their wrists. The motion is synchronized, they have clearly done this exact thing before.
“Your family has known to be tied with the anti-tech movement.” The balding man says.
Sehun just stares at him. He has never heard that before in his life. “No?” It comes out more of a question that a statement. “It’s just me and my mother the rest of my family is dead.”
The other mans scoffs. “You people are very skilled in trickery.”
The balding man shoots him a look then focuses back on Sehun. “Your father is part of the anti-tech movement and your test results were very eye opening.” He taps his fingers on the table.
Sehun’s mouth drops open. His father? Didn’t his father die in the forest fires nine years ago? Sehun just stares blankly at the two men. They must have the wrong person it can’t possibly be his dad.
“Upon your results the mayor thought it best to send you to a work camp instead of giving you career within society.” The balding man says. “You will be escorted out of here in a few short hours to start your new life.” With that they stand and leave.
Sehun stands too not really understanding what they just told him. His mind is not really processing anything at the moment.
The men turn back to him. “You are to wait here for an escort.” The bald mans says.
Sehun just stares at him. “Wait you’re sending me to an anti-tech prison camp?” It finally hits him and it hits him hard. He bites his tongue so he doesn’t get hysterical.
The two men nod. “You have a ninety-five percent chance of being one of them in the future, we have to weed you people out.” The man with hair says with a sneer.
Sehun doesn’t feel like this is real. Everything is surreal and moving in slow motion. This can’t be actually happening right?
The two men leave before Sehun can come back into his body and question them any further. When he does finally come back to himself he pounds on the door with his fists.
He yells and punches the door until he has used all his strength up. He admits defeat and sits down on the chair he was occupying before.
He stares blankly at the concrete wall in front of him. He looks down at his wrist.
His panel, his nano’s! He can get in touch with Luhan and tell him there was some kind of mistake. Luhan’s Dad can fix this mess easily being the Mayor and all.
Sehun tries to connect but nothing happens. He can’t get onto the server, his panel won’t show anything other than the time.
His blood goes cold as he realizes what must have been done. They deactivated him from using the servers. He has no connections to the outside world. He punches the table hard and goes back to staring at the wall angrily. How is he going to fix this mess?
Ten minutes later the door is opened and a body is shoved through the doorway. The doors reclose and Sehun can hear retreating footsteps.
He moves hesitantly towards the body that lays crumpled on the floor.
“Nice to see you again.” A head whips up to stare right at Sehun.
Sehun’s jaw drops. “Zitao?”
“Who else looks like me?” Zitao asks getting up off the floor. “If there is someone else I am suing them.” He brushes himself off.
“Why are you down here?” Sehun asks in shock.
Zitao shrugs. “Doing bad things.” Sehun wonders what Zitao could mean when he starts speaking again. “I’m an anti-tech.” Zitao says like it’s no big deal.
“Wh-what?” Sehun moves away from him.
Zitao just watches Sehun. Sehun is getting a little more uncomfortable but it’s not like he can leave the room. “Wait….” Sehun trails off. “If you’re an anti-tech then why are you taking the career test?” He asks.
Zitao laughs. “Finally you asked me the right question. I came here to help you escape.” He says simply.
Sehun just stares dumbly at Zitao. “You’re helping me escape right now? You’re doing a great job.” He says sarcastically.
“You are just like your father.” Zitao says. “We can’t escape until they come to transport us to the prison camps, obviously.” Zitao rolls his eyes.
“I am not one of you people though!” Sehun yells. “I did nothing wrong, I just want to be like everyone else here in society, not wreaking havoc and getting nothing done like you people! I want nothing to do with the anti-techs!” Sehun takes a deep breath and plunges onward. “I am not an anti-tech. I love the technology we have and I think it betters us. Why I am being put with you people? Just because of my father whom I thought was dead this whole time? No, this is wrong.” Sehun seethes.
Zitao smiles. “You’re pretty hot when you get all worked up.” He says.
Sehun stares at him dumbfounded. What is wrong with this guy? How can he joke about that right now? Sehun shakes his head and begins to pace back and forth. “Wait! Your nanos aren’t real are they? You didn’t have them last night.”
Zitao nods. “Contacts.”
The room goes silent then. Sehun doesn’t want to speak to the anti-tech sitting across the table from him.
Hours pass in silence. Sehun gets more unnerved the longer they are trapped inside the tiny room.
“How long before they come get us?” Sehun asks after the third hours crawls by.
Zitao just shrugs. “It could be minutes from now it could be days. They could care less about us, we are nothing but ants to them.”
What is an ant? Sehun has never heard of that before. Whatever he shakes it off.
Sehun feels his anger beginning to build. “They can’t just let us starve down here!” Sehun yells he jumps up from the chair and moves the door. He tries in vain to rip it open but it’s locked securely.
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? We are nothing but ants to them. They don’t care about us at all.” Zitao says.
“Don’t say “we” I am not one you people.” Sehun slams his fist into the closed door. Pain shoots up his arm but he doesn’t really feel it.
“Just chill.” Zitao states. “They’ll come for us eventually.”
Sehun hates how he sounds like this is absolutely nothing new to him, but then again maybe it really isn’t. Sehun admits defeat once again and sits back down on the hard plastic chair.
Another three hours pass in complete silence. Zitao and Sehun both don’t get up from their seats the whole time. There isn’t anywhere to go so what’s the point.
“I have to get in touch with Wufan.” Zitao says breaking the silence. “He might be able to get out us out of here.”
Sehun laughs. “How do you expect to do that-“
Zitao produces a relic of a phone out of his pocket. He presses something and puts it to his ear, something Sehun hasn’t seen done in years if ever.
“Wufan, I’m here with him, no they seem to have forgotten about us, yeah, I know but I didn’t eat, yeah, that long? Yeah bye.” Sehun tries to piece together the other side of the conversation. “Wufan and the others will come to get us out as soon as they can.” Zitao states.
Sehun groans. “I don’t want you to help me escape. Luhan will realize this is a mistake and get me out.”
Zitao scoffs. “Please Luhan is the mayor’s son, the mayor is the one who ordered everyone connected with us to be put in the camps. He won’t help you, if he’s anything like his dad he would rather have you imprisoned.”
Sehun knows what Zitao is saying is true but he doesn’t want to believe it he would rather live in denial. Luhan is his closest friend he’s pretty confident Luhan will try to get him out somehow. “He’ll try.” Sehun whispers to himself.
“Why are you part of the anti-techs anyways? I mean what’s so wrong about the world the way it is?” Sehun asks.
Zitao bites his lower lip. He stands up and walks over to the door. He takes a deep breath and begins to speak. “Have you ever longed for the smell of real flowers? Not those plastic scented ones real live flowers? What about the sound of birds singing in the morning? Don’t you want to fill your lungs with fresh air? The trees though, I don’t understand how a person can live with no trees.” Zitao pauses. “We are free outside the walls of these so called civilized cities, we have trees, animals, and we have technology too but our technology isn’t our whole life.” Zitao is getting passionate about this and Sehun watches his face in fascination. He really believes every word that comes out of his mouth.
“When is the last time you had fruit?” Zitao asks suddenly.
“Yesterday.”
“No.” Zitao says fiercely. “It was grown in a factory it’s not real, I mean an apple that was grown on an actual tree! You probably never have!” Zitao’s face is getting red and Sehun is starting to fear him slightly. But then he drops to his knees. “You people are so stupid in these walls.”
Sehun can’t argue with this. What kind of life is working the same job till death? That seems stupid to Sehun and always has. You can only have two kids which they generate for you with whomever you choose. You can’t do anything out of the ordinary without express permission from the mayor himself. Free will isn’t a real thing in Sehun’s world. Is it in Zitao’s?
“Do you always eat fresh fruit where you live?” Sehun asks softly. He doesn’t want to sound too interested.
“Every single day and we don’t have to have permission we just eat it, we eat as much as we want of it too.” He says staring right into Sehun’s eyes.
Sehun doesn't think there is such a thing that's possible. They just eat fresh fruit when they want? Sehun waits months and months for shipments of so called fresh fruit to come in. How can there be people living out there that don't have to do that? It's not fair. Why don’t they get fresh foods inside the walls? Wouldn’t that make everything better?
"We have pets too." Zitao has a sparkle in his eye now and Sehun can turn away from him.
"Pets?" Sehun asks confused.
Zitao frowns. "You don't know what a pet is?"
Sehun shakes his head. He thinks maybe he's heard the word before but he can't be sure. It doesn't sound all that familiar to him.
Zitao sighs. "A pet is an animal that you keep, almost like a nonhuman friend. You have the responsibility of taking care of it..." Zitao trails off upon seeing the confused look on Sehun's face. "You've heard of dogs and cats right?" He asks.
Sehun nods. "The wild dogs attack anyone who goes outside the wall they are vicious-"
"No." Zitao cuts him off. "There are wild dogs but they don't usually attack people. You've been lied to your whole life." Zitao throws his hands into the air in exasperation.
Sehun watches at Zitao starts to get worked up again. "All you know is a lie Sehun." He says eyes filled with intensity. "The lies they feed you on a daily basis are unbelievable. You probably believe that without the nanos in your system you will get sick and eventually die." Zitao stares down at Sehun intensely. "That's a lie. The nanos are destroying your body not helping it. They aren’t supposed to be inside our bodies.
Sehun just stares at the man in front of him. Could everything he is telling Sehun be true or is it anti-tech propaganda to get him to join them? Either way it doesn't matter, Sehun knows the leaders of the world and particularly in this city are bad. He knows they lie all the time to the people and he hates that everyone just nods along agreeing with everything they are fed. Is Sehun just the same as them though?
Maybe there is a side to Sehun that is a rebel. Maybe they made the right decision by putting him down here with Zitao.
"Your father is trying to take back the cities for the people." Zitao says, this time it comes out more quiet than anything he has said so far. "I was sent in a month ago to get you out but I wasted time. I just watched you. You are different from them, anyone could see it if they really looked Sehun." Zitao's voice is soft and it sends shivers through Sehun’s body. Sehun feels something spark in his heart but he quickly shoves the feeling away.
"No, I am just like everyone else in this city. I want to get my career, get married have two kids and live my days like everyone else." As soon as the words leave his mouth he knows they don't sound convincing even to his own ears.
Zitao looks concerned. "That’s not what anybody wants. They are lying to themselves. Why live a life behind walls with the faint buzz of electronics your whole life when you can go outside the walls, eat fresh fruit, breathe fresh air, listen to the wildlife that fills the forest? Swim in the ocean. Lay in the soft grass and stare at the stars. You're telling me you would rather live this mundane life with nothing exciting?" Zitao shakes his head like he is ashamed of Sehun. "No one truly wants that. Your heart longs for the trees, Sehun, I can see it in your eyes."
A tear slips out of the corner of Sehun's eye. He knows that everything Zitao is saying is true. He has longed for the trees since the fire took him away from his first home, he has always wanted to go back deep down inside but he didn't think there was such a place left on earth. "Is there really forest's left out there?" Sehun asks softly not wanting to be too loud he doesn’t want to seem too interested.
Zitao nods. "Yes, there are deserts, oceans, rainforests, everything that used to be exists still you just have to look a little harder."
Sehun stares at Zitao. He feels his heart melt at the way he gets so passionate about his cause. So passionate about nature. Sehun has never seen anything like Zitao in his life.
All it takes is a moment and everything can change.
"I want to see the forest." Sehun whispers.
Zitao shoots Sehun a genuine smile his eyes crinkling. It takes the breath out of Sehun's lungs and he knows that everything, his life before this day, is over. "Take me there." He says to Zitao this time more confidently. “Take me to the trees.”
Sehun wants to see the forest and he wants to do it with Zitao and all the passion he carries with him.
Sehun and Zitao stare at each other. Zitao’s eyes are fathomless pools and Sehun wants to get lost in them forever.
A strange ringing noise knocks them out of their moment. Zitao shakes his head and clears his throat. “It must be Wufan calling.” He says pulling the ancient phone back out of his pocket. “Are you close? It seems they have actually left us to rot down here. Yeah, Ten minutes, we’ll be ready.” Zitao shoves the phone back into his pocket and looks to Sehun. “Ready?” he asks.
Sehun nods. He’s not sure what he needs to be ready for but he is.
Tao/Sehun; AU, dystopian, romance, slight angst; PG13; 6,758
In a world of metal and concrete and nothing else Sehun longs for the trees and just maybe something else.
The constellations are so unfamiliar 1/?
“I've lost faith, the forest's changed.
My stomach's empty I'm feeling faint.
I've lost heart, the forest's scarred.
I hear no birds, just tv's and cars.
I've lost sight, the forest's died.
The brambles are bare, and I'm hollow inside.”
- A Tale of Outer Suburbia by Hands Like Houses.
The trees went up in flames, fire licked the sky so high it looked as if it would set the heavens alight. Smoke was all that could be seen for miles. making it hard to see anything too far away. Hopelessness filled the small boy as he watched the only home he had ever known going up in flames right before his eyes.
"Sehun we have to go!" His mother yelled gathering him up into her arms. Tears were running down her cheeks leaving tracks in the ash already discoloring her skin. She was more panicked than Sehun had ever seen her before and it made him panic even more.
As his mother ran as fast as she could with Sehun in her arms, he watched as the only home he had ever known was taken away from him. In the blink of an eye life as he knew it changed forever.
9 Years Later
Sehun runs his wrist under the gun metal grey scanner on the door. He taps his foot impatiently against the cement as he waits for the beep that will allow him entrance into the small two bedroom house. The beep finally comes and Sehun plows through the doorway. Once inside the smell of bleach hits his nostrils, he cringes and plugs his nose. He hates the smell of bleach on cleaning day, no he hates cleaning day in general. He throws his bag carelessly onto the floor than takes a right hand turn and goes to the kitchen. The place is spotlessly clean. Sehun thinks it's unnatural to be this clean.
Sehun moves to the other side of the kitchen and stands in front of the white machine. He stares at the panel on the front of the small 2 by 2 door. "On." He speaks to the screen. The screen comes to life upon hearing his voice. "Hello Master Sehun, what can I get you today?" The electronic voice asks.
Sehun sighs. "What's available for fruit?" He doesn't have much hope that there will be any fruit available. There is never fruits or vegetables available even though they are already in summer.
A beat passes. "We just got in a shipment of fresh apples."
Sehun smiles triumphantly. "I'll definitely have an apple then."
"Processing your request." The voice says in monotone.
A few moments later the door pops open revealing a shiny red apple. Sehun grins as he picks up the apple. He hasn't had an apple in at least five months, the last time they got an apple shipment, and he really wants to savor the moment. He slowly takes a large bite of the apple and savors the taste closing his eyes in pure ecstasy.
Fruit is the hardest to get a hold of nowadays. It's first come first serve and Sehun rarely is first come. Most fresh fruit or vegetable shipments are very small, only a couple boxes, and the fruit is high in demand. He can almost remember a time when fruit was easy to get. For a fleeting moment Sehun wishes he could go back to before. Back when fruit was common.
Sehun eats the rest of his apple quickly. As he finishes he feels upset that there is no more left, he doesn't know when the next time he will be able to get an apple will be. It could be years from now.
"Sehun are you home?"
"Yeah Mom, I'm in the kitchen." Sehun yells turning his head towards the door. He hears his mother's heals clicking on the tile floor as she enters the room. "How was school?" She asks coming up beside him.
Before he can answer she is ordering something for herself, a glass of flavored water. She takes a long sip and turns to Sehun expectantly waiting for his answer.
"It was good, just like every other day." Sehun answers. "Career testing day is tomorrow though." Sehun adds the last part on nervously.
His mother breaks out into a huge smile. "Career testing already?" His mother asks. Sehun nods. "I bet you'll get a high paying job." She says.
Sehun nods even though he doesn't have much faith in himself. Career testing day is only the first step. After taking the test, your result qualify you for three jobs, you have to work at all three at the same time all the while being tested for efficiency. Whichever one you end up being the most efficient in ends up being your career for the rest of your life.
Sehun isn't ready for that kind of commitment. How can any nineteen year old know what they want to do for the rest of their life?
Sehun's mother rubs his back soothingly. "You'll be fine." She whispers in his ear. “I have faith in you.”
Sehun fakes a smile for his mothers benefit. He's not so sure she's right about that. He opens his mouth to let his anxiety pour out to his mother when his whole body vibrates.
He looks down at the panel in his left wrist. Luhan. He looks back to his mother. "You can go." She says smiling softly.
Sehun doesn't think twice. "Accept com." He states.
"Sehunnie are you busy?" Luhan’s pretty face pops up in his vision, his voice is inside his head as if he is wearing headphones.
"No, why?" He asks Luhan.
"Meet me at the park." Luhan disconnects the com without another word.
Five minutes late Sehun’s out the door and on his way downtown to the park.
Sehun spots the park a short ten minute walk later. The park isn't really a park at all though. It's just a large square of cement with a few picnic tables spread around with pots of fake flowers sitting atop them. It’s really quite a shame.
Sehun spies Luhan sitting at one of the picnic tables. His blonde hair is sticking up in places and he is staring straight ahead.
A huge grin breaks out on Luhan's face as he sees Sehun approaching. Sehun sits down on the other side of the picnic table from Luhan. "What's going on?" Sehun asks staring at his friend.
Luhan looks around like someone is going to be eaves dropping on their conversation.
He leans across the table. "A group of anti-techs attacked the central building this morning."
Sehun stares at his friend. For all of the things he loves about Luhan there is one thing he hates. Luhan hates the anti-techs more than anything else on the entire planet. Sure Sehun doesn’t quite like them either but he can’t hate them, he is indifferent to them.
"They should just send the military after them, it would solve all our problems." Luhan moves back to his side of the table.
Sehun bites his tongue. He wants to tell Luhan that he is wrong, pointless killing won't solve any problems but instead he changes the subject. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" He asks knowing this will change the subject easily.
Luhan shakes his head wildly. "Of course not, I will probably get surgeon, lawyer, or mayor. I have no worries and neither should you." Luhan says with assurance.
Sehun almost wants to punch his friend for being so cocky. It's near impossible to get those three careers he listed. Although Luhan’s father is the mayor so maybe it is possible for him to get the job.
"What three results do you think you'll get?" Luhan asks.
Sehun shakes his head shamefully. "Garbage man, food processor, or cleaning man."
Luhan bursts into laughter his whole face lighting up. "Your scores would have to be almost obsolete to get such terrible careers."
Sehun laughs halfheartedly. He doesn’t actually believe he will get that bad of results but he doesn't think they will be much better to be honest.
There laughter dies down and Luhan gets suddenly very serious. "I heard from Minseok that the anti-techs might attack during the tests." He says voice low. Sehun clenches his fists in his lap. Why does Luhan care so much about the anti-techs if he claims he hates them? "I also heard that the tests are going to be a little harder than last year’s were." He adds.
"What do you mean harder?" The blood drains out of Sehun’s face. He thought they were as hard as they could get already. He almost had a break down taking a practice test a few months ago because of the difficulty of it.
Luhan shrugs. "Dad told me they would be twice as hard and for some even harder than that."
Sehun groans and slams his head into the table. His stress levels just rocketed through the roof. This isn’t good. The more stressed Sehun is the worse he will probably do.
Luhan laughs. "Don't worry me and you will both do great, I’m sure of it." Sehun doesn't move his head off the table nor does he stop groaning.
-----
Sehun lies in bed that night not able to sleep because of his anxiousness. He lies there not doing anything but staring up at the ceiling or the wall to his side, worrying about the tests. He wants to do good and make his mother and Luhan both proud but in reality he doesn't think he is good enough.
While contemplating the worst and best possible job options he could get, something loud sounds downstairs.
Sehun is on his feet and moving before his brain can catch up to his body. He pads into the hall on light feet. He makes it to the bottom of the stairs before he stops and takes a deep breath. There could be a murderer in his house, he doesn't know how to fight, but he can't let his mother be the one to investigate and have her end up injured or worse. He presses onward.
He moves around the corner to the kitchen where the sound seems to be coming from. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees the outline of a person standing in front of the kitchen window.
"Lights on." He says.
The room is filled with golden light a second later. Sehun gasps at what he sees.
The man-- or boy depending on how you look at it, is tall, he has dark ,dark hair, his body is heavily muscled. He only looks to be a year or so older than Sehun. He stares at Sehun with a look of shock on his face. Sehun just stands there frozen in place. He doesn’t know what to do.
"What are you doing in here?" Sehun asks slowly not wanting to make him run away or attack him.
He cocks his head not looking away from Sehun for even a second. He opens his mouth but recloses it after seemingly changing his mind about speaking to Sehun.
"Why are you in here?" Sehun asks this time a little more forcefulness behind the words.
"I was hungry." He says his voice is softer than what Sehun had expected. His words also don’t sound genuine. If he was hungry he would be at the food box ordering something not staring out the window at the city.
“What’s your name?” The man asks suddenly.
The questions throws Sehun off. Why would a burglar care to know his name? He opens his mouth to tell him it doesn't matter but that's not what happens. "Sehun, my name is Oh, Sehun."
Sehun waits expectedly for something more to happen. The man across the kitchen just stares at him. They go on like this, staring at each other, for at least another minute before anything happens.
Then without hesitation the man is moving towards Sehun. He pushes him lightly out of his way. He swings the front door open and turns around half way. That’s when Sehun notices there is no sliver in his eyes. He has no nano bots coursing through his veins. "We'll meet again Sehun." He is already out the front door by the time Sehun can get his bearings back.
What did he mean they'll meet again. Why would he meet him again? Why didn’t have any nano bots? Everyone is required to have nano’s by law. If you don’t have them you can’t use the computer in your head so how can he not have any?
Sehun shrugs it off. Maybe he didn’t take his nano shot yet.
Sehun locks the front door and makes sure the rest of the house is secure before heading back to bed.
He falls into his bed weightlessly, his head barely makes contact with the pillow before he is out like a light.
He dreams about the strange man.
-----
"Rise and shine Sehun!" His mother's cheery voice says breaking through his dreams of a nameless man. Sehun groans and rolls over shoving the pillow over his ears to block out his mother’s voice.
His mother promptly rips the pillow away."Sehun get up and get dressed, you have to be in school in an hour to take your test." His mother chides him.
Sehun's body flies out of the bed. He trips over discarded clothes on the floor on his rush to get dressed. After dressing he rushes downstairs and orders himself a bowl of oatmeal and a bottle of flavored water. He inhales everything within minutes and is out the door on his way to meet up with Luhan.
Luhan greets him with a smile when he spots him coming down the street. "How long do we have till the test starts?" Sehun asks out of breath. They are standing outside of Luhan’s four bedroom mansion on the sidewalk.
Luhan looks down at the panel on his wrist. "Half hour, we better get going." Luhan grabs Sehun by the hand and leads him down the street toward the school.
The school is the same as it has been for as long as Sehun can remember. It's a newer building but it feels old to him. He’s been going to school there since he first came to the city.
Luhan guides the two of them inside the front doors and down the hall to the lecture hall where they will be taking the test with other students all ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-four. Everyone has to take the test by their twenty-fourth birthday, no exceptions. The age doesn’t really matter though since almost everybody takes it before they turn twenty anyways.
Luhan guides Sehun to a couple empty seats in the very back row. They sit down and get comfortable.
"How long does this test take?" Sehun asks as he looks around the room at the familiar faces of people he has been going to school with for years.
Luhan stares wide eyed at him. "Didn't you read the information they sent us about the test?" He asked.
Sehun shakes his head. He doesn’t remember ever getting any information on the test.
Luhan opens his mouth to speak but he stops when the room goes completely silent. A man walks into the room and sets down a bag near the desk in the front of the room. He turns and makes his way to the podium. Sehun notices that the man isn't that much older than him, he must've taken the tests within the last two years so how is it that he the instructor for the test today?
The instructor stands at the microphone staring at the large crowd of kids in front of him. "Hello." He says. The crowd murmurs hello back to him. "As you know today you will be taking your career test. This is the most important test you will ever take in your lives." He glances around the room making eye contact with a few people in the front row. "I took the test last year and I was rewarded with three great jobs, after working the three jobs for three months each I got chosen to be a teacher. Today is my first job alone. You can all call me Joonmyun" He does his glance around the room again. "Now onto information about the test- ." The door flies open suddenly cutting him off midsentence.
All eyes are glued to the man standing just inside the doorway to the room. Sehun has to throw his hand over his mouth to stifle his gasp at what or better yet, who he sees standing there.
The guy that was in his house last night stands there glaring at the instructor as if the instructor is the one who barged into the room.
"You are five minutes late, I'll let it pass though since I just barely started, take a seat please." Joonmyun says to him.
He doesn't move. His eyes scan the faces in the room and don't stop until they land on Sehun. Sehun looks away quickly when their eyes meet.
The guy takes a seat in the middle of the room right in front of Sehun. Sehun studies the back of his head like it will give him the answers he seeks.
"Now, the test will last three hours. If you are not done in that time that's too bad. I assume you've all read the information that was sent to you?" The crowd murmurs yes but Sehun didn't receive any information.
"Alright then, you may begin as soon as I hand you a computer." He reaches underneath the podium and pulls out three large boxes. He opens up the first back and starts taking out the mini-computers.
Sehun receives his computer and immediately gets to work on the test. It’s hard typing on the computer since the touch screen is so sensitive to touch. He wishes he could turn the sensitive down a notch.
Sehun doesn't start to sweat until half way through the time limit. It's been an hour and half and Sehun doesn't even think he is half way through the test yet. He looks over at Luhan's concentrated face. Sehun knows that Luhan will do great, he is smart and always does great at things when people expect a lot from him. Sehun on the other hand does the complete opposite.
Sehun sighs and goes back to concentrating on his own test but then he feels like someone is watching him. He looks up expecting the instructor to be watching him but finds the guy that was in his house last night looking over his shoulder at Sehun. Sehun sucks in a breath as he winks and turns back around.
Sehun stifles a gasp of surprise caused by the wink and goes back to concentrating on his test.
-----
"Times up!" Sehun laughs out loud manically. He managed to answer the last question a minute before the time was up.
He looks a Luhan and grins widely. He receives a grin in return.
The room starts to get loud but Joonmyun shushes everyone. "Please everyone take an hour break and come back, I'll have result then…"
Sehun's relief quickly fades. They get the result the same day? This whole time he thought they were sent to them in a few days. He didn’t think they could get the results so quickly.
"How'd you do?" Luhan asks.
Sehun shrugs. "Hopefully good enough." He answers.
They get up and head out of the room without having to ask the other where to go. They don't have much time so they stay in the area. They just decide to hang out in front of the school which happens to be everyone else's plan also.
"Sehun." Sehun turns around at the sound of his name.
He sputters when he sees who is coming toward him. "You." He says.
"Zitao." He smiles and Sehun's knees goes weak. This reaction seems to give Zitao even more satisfaction. "I told you I would see you." He says.
Sehun swallows the lump in his throat. Last night Zitao didn't have the silver of nano bots filling his eyes. Today his eyes are incredibly silver. Sehun knows that he must’ve taken his nano shot this morning or even last night but something is bothering Sehun. The whole things seems strange to him.
"Do you two mind if I hang with you until we get results?" Zitao asks with a yawn.
Luhan nods. "We don't mind at all." He smiles at him.
Sehun wants to say yes we do mind but Luhan already said the opposite so he can't be rude.
"Are you new here?" Luhan asks. "I haven't seen you around before."
Zitao nods enthusiastically. “I just arrived in the city a few days ago. So far I love it here.”
Sehun isn’t sure but he senses a lie within Zitao’s words. He stares at him trying to read his expression but he doesn’t get anything strange from it. He’s either being truthful or a very good actor.
Luhan and Zitao start to get animated talking about something that Sehun can’t seem to concentrate on. He is too nervous about his results.
“Hey Sehun are you always this quiet?” Zitao asks suddenly.
Sehun’s head whips in his direction. He didn’t even know they had stopped their conversation. “What?” He asks.
“You’ve said maybe one word this whole time.” Zitao raises and eyebrow at him.
Sehun just shrugs. He has no energy to speak anyways.
“He’s stressed about the test,” Luhan speaks for Sehun. “and we have to get back now.” Luhan adds looking down at the panel in his wrist.
The three of them trek back into the building and sit where they were all seated before. Sehun breathes a sigh of relief that Zitao is gone. The man unsettles him for some reason.
It doesn’t take long for the room to fill up again. Sehun’s hands are shaking and he can’t seem to make them stop as more and more people enter and time beings to count down.
Five minutes pass and the instructor doesn’t come back into the room. Sehun is somewhat relieved that he still has time to think about things and prolong his results. Then another ten minutes pass and Sehun starts to feel strange. Could something have gone wrong with the results?
Then the instructor walks in and he doesn’t look happy. He sets one of the small testing computers down on the podium. “Oh Sehun!” He says louder than he needs to.
Sehun sinks down in his seat like that would really make him invisible. Luhan nudges Sehun with his elbow. “That’s you.” He whispers. Sehun gives him a look that says “no duh” and stands up shakily.
Two men in suits walk into the room. “Please come with us Sehun.” Fear fills Sehun as he walks down to meet the two of them. He catches Zitao’s eye as his walks past his row of seats. Zitao’s face is concerned and that makes Sehun feel even more scared.
He stops in front of the two men in suits. “What’s going on?” He asks.
“Please follow us.” The bald man says to him. They turn to leave expecting Sehun to follow.
Sehun looks over his shoulder at Luhan who is sitting in his seat with wide eyes. He smiles trying to make Sehun feel better but it doesn’t help. Then Sehun’s eyes catch Zitao’s. They stare at each other unflinchingly. Something passes between them, Sehun doesn’t know what it is and he’s not sure he wants to know. He looks away quickly.
He follows the two men out the door into the hall. They lead him down a set of stairs he didn’t know they had and down into the basement. They lead him through a small doorway that he has to duck under to get into the room.
“What’s going on?” He asks. The room is dimly lit, there is a table and three chairs sitting in the center of the room. Two on one side and one on the other side of the table. Sehun swallows hard and looks to the men.
“Please have a seat.” The man who speaks gestures to the one chair.
Sehun sits and so do the men. Sehun suddenly feels like this is an interrogation. He didn’t do anything wrong though.
The two men say nothing. They just continue to stare at Sehun and make him feel extremely uncomfortable. He swallows hard and looks around the room, anywhere but at the two men. They are unsettling him more and more as the silence stretches between them.
Then finally one of them, the bald one, clears his throat. “Do you know why we brought you down here?” He asks.
Sehun shakes his head. “No, you didn’t tell me.” He says.
The bald man glares at him. “You really don’t know anything?” He sounds disbelieving which confuses Sehun further.
Sehun shakes his head. The two men look at each other and then down at the panels in their wrists. The motion is synchronized, they have clearly done this exact thing before.
“Your family has known to be tied with the anti-tech movement.” The balding man says.
Sehun just stares at him. He has never heard that before in his life. “No?” It comes out more of a question that a statement. “It’s just me and my mother the rest of my family is dead.”
The other mans scoffs. “You people are very skilled in trickery.”
The balding man shoots him a look then focuses back on Sehun. “Your father is part of the anti-tech movement and your test results were very eye opening.” He taps his fingers on the table.
Sehun’s mouth drops open. His father? Didn’t his father die in the forest fires nine years ago? Sehun just stares blankly at the two men. They must have the wrong person it can’t possibly be his dad.
“Upon your results the mayor thought it best to send you to a work camp instead of giving you career within society.” The balding man says. “You will be escorted out of here in a few short hours to start your new life.” With that they stand and leave.
Sehun stands too not really understanding what they just told him. His mind is not really processing anything at the moment.
The men turn back to him. “You are to wait here for an escort.” The bald mans says.
Sehun just stares at him. “Wait you’re sending me to an anti-tech prison camp?” It finally hits him and it hits him hard. He bites his tongue so he doesn’t get hysterical.
The two men nod. “You have a ninety-five percent chance of being one of them in the future, we have to weed you people out.” The man with hair says with a sneer.
Sehun doesn’t feel like this is real. Everything is surreal and moving in slow motion. This can’t be actually happening right?
The two men leave before Sehun can come back into his body and question them any further. When he does finally come back to himself he pounds on the door with his fists.
He yells and punches the door until he has used all his strength up. He admits defeat and sits down on the chair he was occupying before.
He stares blankly at the concrete wall in front of him. He looks down at his wrist.
His panel, his nano’s! He can get in touch with Luhan and tell him there was some kind of mistake. Luhan’s Dad can fix this mess easily being the Mayor and all.
Sehun tries to connect but nothing happens. He can’t get onto the server, his panel won’t show anything other than the time.
His blood goes cold as he realizes what must have been done. They deactivated him from using the servers. He has no connections to the outside world. He punches the table hard and goes back to staring at the wall angrily. How is he going to fix this mess?
Ten minutes later the door is opened and a body is shoved through the doorway. The doors reclose and Sehun can hear retreating footsteps.
He moves hesitantly towards the body that lays crumpled on the floor.
“Nice to see you again.” A head whips up to stare right at Sehun.
Sehun’s jaw drops. “Zitao?”
“Who else looks like me?” Zitao asks getting up off the floor. “If there is someone else I am suing them.” He brushes himself off.
“Why are you down here?” Sehun asks in shock.
Zitao shrugs. “Doing bad things.” Sehun wonders what Zitao could mean when he starts speaking again. “I’m an anti-tech.” Zitao says like it’s no big deal.
“Wh-what?” Sehun moves away from him.
Zitao just watches Sehun. Sehun is getting a little more uncomfortable but it’s not like he can leave the room. “Wait….” Sehun trails off. “If you’re an anti-tech then why are you taking the career test?” He asks.
Zitao laughs. “Finally you asked me the right question. I came here to help you escape.” He says simply.
Sehun just stares dumbly at Zitao. “You’re helping me escape right now? You’re doing a great job.” He says sarcastically.
“You are just like your father.” Zitao says. “We can’t escape until they come to transport us to the prison camps, obviously.” Zitao rolls his eyes.
“I am not one of you people though!” Sehun yells. “I did nothing wrong, I just want to be like everyone else here in society, not wreaking havoc and getting nothing done like you people! I want nothing to do with the anti-techs!” Sehun takes a deep breath and plunges onward. “I am not an anti-tech. I love the technology we have and I think it betters us. Why I am being put with you people? Just because of my father whom I thought was dead this whole time? No, this is wrong.” Sehun seethes.
Zitao smiles. “You’re pretty hot when you get all worked up.” He says.
Sehun stares at him dumbfounded. What is wrong with this guy? How can he joke about that right now? Sehun shakes his head and begins to pace back and forth. “Wait! Your nanos aren’t real are they? You didn’t have them last night.”
Zitao nods. “Contacts.”
The room goes silent then. Sehun doesn’t want to speak to the anti-tech sitting across the table from him.
Hours pass in silence. Sehun gets more unnerved the longer they are trapped inside the tiny room.
“How long before they come get us?” Sehun asks after the third hours crawls by.
Zitao just shrugs. “It could be minutes from now it could be days. They could care less about us, we are nothing but ants to them.”
What is an ant? Sehun has never heard of that before. Whatever he shakes it off.
Sehun feels his anger beginning to build. “They can’t just let us starve down here!” Sehun yells he jumps up from the chair and moves the door. He tries in vain to rip it open but it’s locked securely.
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? We are nothing but ants to them. They don’t care about us at all.” Zitao says.
“Don’t say “we” I am not one you people.” Sehun slams his fist into the closed door. Pain shoots up his arm but he doesn’t really feel it.
“Just chill.” Zitao states. “They’ll come for us eventually.”
Sehun hates how he sounds like this is absolutely nothing new to him, but then again maybe it really isn’t. Sehun admits defeat once again and sits back down on the hard plastic chair.
Another three hours pass in complete silence. Zitao and Sehun both don’t get up from their seats the whole time. There isn’t anywhere to go so what’s the point.
“I have to get in touch with Wufan.” Zitao says breaking the silence. “He might be able to get out us out of here.”
Sehun laughs. “How do you expect to do that-“
Zitao produces a relic of a phone out of his pocket. He presses something and puts it to his ear, something Sehun hasn’t seen done in years if ever.
“Wufan, I’m here with him, no they seem to have forgotten about us, yeah, I know but I didn’t eat, yeah, that long? Yeah bye.” Sehun tries to piece together the other side of the conversation. “Wufan and the others will come to get us out as soon as they can.” Zitao states.
Sehun groans. “I don’t want you to help me escape. Luhan will realize this is a mistake and get me out.”
Zitao scoffs. “Please Luhan is the mayor’s son, the mayor is the one who ordered everyone connected with us to be put in the camps. He won’t help you, if he’s anything like his dad he would rather have you imprisoned.”
Sehun knows what Zitao is saying is true but he doesn’t want to believe it he would rather live in denial. Luhan is his closest friend he’s pretty confident Luhan will try to get him out somehow. “He’ll try.” Sehun whispers to himself.
“Why are you part of the anti-techs anyways? I mean what’s so wrong about the world the way it is?” Sehun asks.
Zitao bites his lower lip. He stands up and walks over to the door. He takes a deep breath and begins to speak. “Have you ever longed for the smell of real flowers? Not those plastic scented ones real live flowers? What about the sound of birds singing in the morning? Don’t you want to fill your lungs with fresh air? The trees though, I don’t understand how a person can live with no trees.” Zitao pauses. “We are free outside the walls of these so called civilized cities, we have trees, animals, and we have technology too but our technology isn’t our whole life.” Zitao is getting passionate about this and Sehun watches his face in fascination. He really believes every word that comes out of his mouth.
“When is the last time you had fruit?” Zitao asks suddenly.
“Yesterday.”
“No.” Zitao says fiercely. “It was grown in a factory it’s not real, I mean an apple that was grown on an actual tree! You probably never have!” Zitao’s face is getting red and Sehun is starting to fear him slightly. But then he drops to his knees. “You people are so stupid in these walls.”
Sehun can’t argue with this. What kind of life is working the same job till death? That seems stupid to Sehun and always has. You can only have two kids which they generate for you with whomever you choose. You can’t do anything out of the ordinary without express permission from the mayor himself. Free will isn’t a real thing in Sehun’s world. Is it in Zitao’s?
“Do you always eat fresh fruit where you live?” Sehun asks softly. He doesn’t want to sound too interested.
“Every single day and we don’t have to have permission we just eat it, we eat as much as we want of it too.” He says staring right into Sehun’s eyes.
Sehun doesn't think there is such a thing that's possible. They just eat fresh fruit when they want? Sehun waits months and months for shipments of so called fresh fruit to come in. How can there be people living out there that don't have to do that? It's not fair. Why don’t they get fresh foods inside the walls? Wouldn’t that make everything better?
"We have pets too." Zitao has a sparkle in his eye now and Sehun can turn away from him.
"Pets?" Sehun asks confused.
Zitao frowns. "You don't know what a pet is?"
Sehun shakes his head. He thinks maybe he's heard the word before but he can't be sure. It doesn't sound all that familiar to him.
Zitao sighs. "A pet is an animal that you keep, almost like a nonhuman friend. You have the responsibility of taking care of it..." Zitao trails off upon seeing the confused look on Sehun's face. "You've heard of dogs and cats right?" He asks.
Sehun nods. "The wild dogs attack anyone who goes outside the wall they are vicious-"
"No." Zitao cuts him off. "There are wild dogs but they don't usually attack people. You've been lied to your whole life." Zitao throws his hands into the air in exasperation.
Sehun watches at Zitao starts to get worked up again. "All you know is a lie Sehun." He says eyes filled with intensity. "The lies they feed you on a daily basis are unbelievable. You probably believe that without the nanos in your system you will get sick and eventually die." Zitao stares down at Sehun intensely. "That's a lie. The nanos are destroying your body not helping it. They aren’t supposed to be inside our bodies.
Sehun just stares at the man in front of him. Could everything he is telling Sehun be true or is it anti-tech propaganda to get him to join them? Either way it doesn't matter, Sehun knows the leaders of the world and particularly in this city are bad. He knows they lie all the time to the people and he hates that everyone just nods along agreeing with everything they are fed. Is Sehun just the same as them though?
Maybe there is a side to Sehun that is a rebel. Maybe they made the right decision by putting him down here with Zitao.
"Your father is trying to take back the cities for the people." Zitao says, this time it comes out more quiet than anything he has said so far. "I was sent in a month ago to get you out but I wasted time. I just watched you. You are different from them, anyone could see it if they really looked Sehun." Zitao's voice is soft and it sends shivers through Sehun’s body. Sehun feels something spark in his heart but he quickly shoves the feeling away.
"No, I am just like everyone else in this city. I want to get my career, get married have two kids and live my days like everyone else." As soon as the words leave his mouth he knows they don't sound convincing even to his own ears.
Zitao looks concerned. "That’s not what anybody wants. They are lying to themselves. Why live a life behind walls with the faint buzz of electronics your whole life when you can go outside the walls, eat fresh fruit, breathe fresh air, listen to the wildlife that fills the forest? Swim in the ocean. Lay in the soft grass and stare at the stars. You're telling me you would rather live this mundane life with nothing exciting?" Zitao shakes his head like he is ashamed of Sehun. "No one truly wants that. Your heart longs for the trees, Sehun, I can see it in your eyes."
A tear slips out of the corner of Sehun's eye. He knows that everything Zitao is saying is true. He has longed for the trees since the fire took him away from his first home, he has always wanted to go back deep down inside but he didn't think there was such a place left on earth. "Is there really forest's left out there?" Sehun asks softly not wanting to be too loud he doesn’t want to seem too interested.
Zitao nods. "Yes, there are deserts, oceans, rainforests, everything that used to be exists still you just have to look a little harder."
Sehun stares at Zitao. He feels his heart melt at the way he gets so passionate about his cause. So passionate about nature. Sehun has never seen anything like Zitao in his life.
All it takes is a moment and everything can change.
"I want to see the forest." Sehun whispers.
Zitao shoots Sehun a genuine smile his eyes crinkling. It takes the breath out of Sehun's lungs and he knows that everything, his life before this day, is over. "Take me there." He says to Zitao this time more confidently. “Take me to the trees.”
Sehun wants to see the forest and he wants to do it with Zitao and all the passion he carries with him.
Sehun and Zitao stare at each other. Zitao’s eyes are fathomless pools and Sehun wants to get lost in them forever.
A strange ringing noise knocks them out of their moment. Zitao shakes his head and clears his throat. “It must be Wufan calling.” He says pulling the ancient phone back out of his pocket. “Are you close? It seems they have actually left us to rot down here. Yeah, Ten minutes, we’ll be ready.” Zitao shoves the phone back into his pocket and looks to Sehun. “Ready?” he asks.
Sehun nods. He’s not sure what he needs to be ready for but he is.