Generation Y (Chapter 1)
Shadows danced endlessly around. Screams and moans echoed in his ears as he spun around, terrified and confused. Desperately he clamped his hands down on his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, as if attempting to block it all out.
“Go away!” he screamed, shaking his head, “go away….”
“Help me.”
The voice was familiar and it made him jump, surprised at how close it was to him. Hurriedly he whirled around and glanced in both directions, hoping to see if it who he was thinking who spoke.
“Help me!” The tone of the voice and loudness, vibrated throughout his body.
Stumbling backwards, he felt something hard behind him and froze. Ever so slowly he turned to it and gasped.
“Yoochun,” he whispered, “no, that can’t be, you’re dead!”
Yoochun shook his head. His skin was pale, his eyes lifeless. His hair was shaggy and tangled, and he looked much thinner than Junsu remembered. But it was undoubtedly Yoochun, and Junsu unconsciously took a step forward, reaching his hand out as he did so.
“What happened to you?” he asked, “I saw you…die.”
“I’m still alive Su.” Yoochun’s voice was so flat and dead, it was almost unrecognizable. “You must help me. I need you, and you need me. They’re coming for you and everyone else. They won’t stop until all of our kind is destroyed. You must save yourself, I won’t be able to bear it if you got yourself killed.”
“But you just said to help you,” Junsu said, “what do you mean?”
For the first time, Yoochun actually smiled a little, looking more like himself. Then it disappeared and he straightened out. “I mean help me by keeping yourself safe. I love you Junsu, if anything were to happen to you…or the others….”
“Yoochun…” Junsu bit his lip uncertainly but then reached out. His hand touched Yoochun’s cheek gently and winced when he felt how cold it was. Nonetheless he kept it there, and Yoochun looked at him sadly. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep my promise. But if you’re really alive I’m not letting you suffer any longer. I swear, I will come and get you, no matter what.” He stared at Yoochun, and Yoochun stared back with his lifeless eyes. Then he started shimmering and the cheek under Junsu’s hand was suddenly very warm and soft. Slowly Yoochun was disappearing, slipping out of existence and Junsu panicked.
“Yoochun, Yoochun, don’t leave me!” he screamed, “don’t…!”
“Remember your promise?” Yoochun’s voice echoed and was gentle. “I will see you again….” And then he was gone, and Junsu’s knees buckled under him from shock. His breathing was heavy and shaking, and he stared at the spot where his love had been standing not a second ago.
Suddenly he felt an invisible tug, and a voice hurriedly saying his name repeatedly. Standing Junsu looked above and saw that there was a little light breaking through the darkness and he felt something warm and wet trickle down his cheeks. As if on its own, his hand reached up towards the light and he found it was growing bigger and bigger. No it was moving closer and closer….
And then he was awake. Opening his eyes, he glanced around him and noticed that Changmin was sitting on the bed, peering down at him worriedly. When he saw that Junsu’s eyes were open he sighed and leaned back, running a hand through his short cropped, brown hair.
“Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack,” he mumbled, “you were kicking and screaming, I thought you were being murdered. And then you kind of just calmed down on your own and then you started crying…. What the hell was that all about anyway?”
“I’m sorry I scared you,” Junsu apologized, closing his eyes. Despite actually being asleep he felt like he hadn’t slept in a few days. “It was about Yoochun. He says he’s alive, but needs to be saved.”
Changmin raised his eyes and stared at Junsu with shock. “Junsu you do realize we all watched Yoochun die right? There’s no way he could still be alive unless he tricked all of us.”
“I don’t know what to think about it either, but-” Junsu bit his lip and wiped away his sticky tears. “But I think he might actually be still alive. He also told me, that they were coming for us, and they won’t stop until all of our kind is destroyed. And we know exactly who “they” are. It may have been just a dream but what if Yoochun was really alive somewhere and needed our help? Do you really think I’m going to leave him all alone?”
Changmin looked at him for a moment, and Junsu could see the gears moving in his mind. He was considering what to do, and Junsu’s hands clenched, praying that Changmin would believe him. It was dark in the room, but he could see the younger man’s features clearly as if he was standing in broad daylight. He knew Changmin could see him as well just as clearly.
“Fine, let’s be hypothetical for a moment,” Changmin said suddenly. Bluntly. “What if Yoochun really was alive, then what? What are you planning to do Junsu? Storm into their headquarters demanding them to bring you him? I doubt that’s going to go over with them very well.”
“No…I don’t know what I was going to do,” Junsu muttered, admittedly. “But they do have him, I can feel it. If we can find out where he was being held then we can plan his escape a little better. He needs to be saved, and we need to destroy them before they get their wish, and we become a thing of the past.”
Slowly he stood and crossed to the window. As he did something spanned out from his back. Two, twenty foot, velvet black wings almost touched the two opposite walls as he walked towards the window. The moonlight cast his shadow across the floor and up the far wall, his wings part of him. It felt good to let them stretch out instead of always being cramped tight against his back. Changmin sat there with worry on his face but he didn’t say anything as Junsu leaned his head against the cool window. He was really glad that being in the country meant they all freedom to be who they were. They weren’t forced to blend in with the humans, who-if they found out about them-would definitely turn away from them and cast them out like they were freaks. And they were freaks regardless of how many times Junsu was told they weren’t. They were very different than humans, sometimes externally, but always internally. Jaejoong had always called them Generation Y, a more advanced human breed. Junsu heard the more common term, mistake, thrown about like an insult. It hurt people more than the word “mutant” did.
Those who are of Generation Y could never live normal, carefree lives. There was always a fear of being caught, a fear of becoming a circus freak or a lab rat. Nowhere was safe, and even though Junsu and the others he was with felt safe in the country side, it was only a matter of time before they were hunted as well.
There was a particular group of scientists who really wanted to get Generation Y and use them for experiments and research was called Plutotec, a notorious mutant facility. They literally hunted mutants down and then did all kinds of terrifying experiments on them. It was heartbreaking to be unable to help all those who got caught, but in a world of differences and where everything had to be “normal”, it was survival of the fittest and a person had to look out for number one. Junsu had already lost someone to Plutotec, so he knew the pain it caused.
Changmin stood up and sighed. “You should get some more sleep, the kids will be up early in the morning, and you know how they are.”
“Changmin.” Junsu’s voice was soft, thoughtful. “Don’t tell the others…not yet anyway. Until I find out the truth I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”
“Sure.”
Changmin closed the door, and Junsu closed his eyes. “If you are alive, anywhere, please Yoochun, give me a sign. Anything.”
Then his eyes opened slowly and as his wings folded against his back, he curled back up in bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. He must have been more tired than he felt because as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep.
~*~*~
“Junsu come on!”
Little Taemin pulled Junsu’s hand eagerly, grinning widely. “Come on!”
“Hey, whoa slow down,” Junsu chuckled as he allowed the little boy to drag him into the thin woods. “I’m not as fast as you are.”
Taemin giggled. “No, you’re not, but you can keep up!” Junsu rolled his eyes and pushed himself to catch up to the boy.
Taemin moved gracefully over and under the fallen trees. He was the most balanced for a little five year old, the most graceful and elegant. He ran on his hands and feet, and when he paused to wait for Junsu, he perched on a tree giving the older boy a mischievous grin. His golden eyes were rounder than a normal human’s with slits for pupils. His teeth were pointed and Junsu could almost picture a tail and ears on the boy’s fluffy, black head.
“Are you coming or what silly?” Taemin giggled again and it sounded more like a gentle purr. Then he was gone, leaping off the tree and heading into the woods. There was silence after that, and Junsu listened intently but couldn’t hear the kitten’s movements. Suddenly he threw up his hands and realized that the boy just wanted to play cat and mouse. Well it was time that the cat became the mouse.
Smiling Junsu let his wings stretch out and then he was running, being careful not to catch his wings on a tree whizzing by. Using a rotting tree as a hoist, he pushed himself off it and was up in the air, his brilliant wings glistening in the sunlight. He was a powerful force, and very quick once he was in the air. Plus he had hawk-like vision, something that helped when tracking his tiny pray.
There. Lurking next on a tree. Creeping over a rock, looking at the place Junsu was not a moment ago. Smirking, Junsu folded his wings down and sped downwards, dodging trees easily.
He didn’t take Taemin by surprise, and he certainly wasn’t counting on it. But he was faster, and was able to scoop the boy into his arms laughing. Taemin struggled, whining about being so high up. He clung to Junsu tightly, closing his eyes and his bottom lip pouty. Junsu chuckled and shook his head of leaves as they broke out from the trees and were up in the air.
“Next time tell me you want to play a game and maybe I won’t pull the height factor out on you,” Junsu said, and Taemin nodded meekly, refusing to look about. Sighing, Junsu swept down slowly and landed elegantly on the ground in front of their house.
It was a grand mansion to be exact. Three stories with ten bedrooms and five bathrooms. There was one big kitchen connected to the dining room that held a table long enough to fit twelve comfortably. Each person had their own room, though Taemin still wanted to share with his mother. There were lots of things for the kids to do, and lots that the adults could do as well. Plus it was safely hidden in the country side with trees so large and so tightly packed in front of it, it looked like a dense forest. Vines trailed up the side of the building and a flourishing garden lay a few feet away. There was a beautiful little pond at the back of the house, deep enough to make a fun diving hole. A gravel driveway was at the entrance and came right up to the double door way. It was comfortable, safe and warm. It was home.
As Junsu and Taemin came closer to the house they could hear laughter from the pond and instantly Taemin perked up curiously. Without looking back at Junsu, he crept around the house and spotted his little friends, Key, Onew and Sunny splashing around in the pond, diving in or jumping from the rope. Jessica sat a little ways away drinking her lemonade and reading a magazine. She wore a bikini and looked like she was posing for a model magazine; one leg bent, while her other was stretched out. Her bug-like sunglasses always made Taemin laugh but at that moment he was a sneaky cat, creeping towards her. His sister was so mean to him, that it felt good he had the upper hand sometimes. But as he got closer, Jessica clicked her tongue and put her glass on the ground.
“Seriously Taemin, you plan to scare me?” she said, sitting up, “good luck with that.”
“Aw come on Jess!” Taemin pouted, slumping to the ground. He crossed his arms and scrunched his face up to look as miserable and adorable as he could. Jessica rolled her eyes.
“Look twerp, that’s not going to work on me,” she said, patting his head, “now be a good kitty and go play with some butterflies or something.”
Taemin hissed and jerked away from her hand. “You’re so mean Jessica! I’m telling mommy!” And with that he whirled on his feet and scampered up the stairs and into the house, whining. Jessica just rolled her eyes and flopped back onto her lawn chair and picked up her magazine. Then she caught Junsu staring at her and huffed dramatically.
“What do you want?” she demanded. The kids were still splashing away, too far to hear. Or ignoring it.
“Nothing, but he just wants to play with his sister. He looks up to you, though there’s not much to look up to.”
A magazine went flying towards him and he ducked away laughing. “Seriously, he’s your little brother, don’t you think you should be a little nicer to him?”
“Whatever,” Jessica mumbled, strutting away. “He’s a pain in my ass so there!”
Junsu rolled his eyes and sat on the edge of the lawn chair, watching the kids play happily in the water, splashing and dunking each other excitedly. There were four children in the house. Jessica was old enough not to be a child and yet young enough that she wasn’t quite an adult. Then there were seven adults. Jessica and Taemin were siblings and their mother was the oldest adult in the house, Natalie. The other three children were orphans: Onew was eight, Key was seven, and so was Sunny. And all twelve residents were mutants. Generation Y.
Natalie came out suddenly, followed by a sniffling Taemin who held a cookie in his pudgy hand. He was the youngest kid, and completely spoiled. It was no wonder that Jessica might be jealous of her little brother, especially with the treatment he received with being small.
“Junsu look at your pants,” Natalie sighed. Junsu glanced down and smiled slightly. They had gotten torn when he stumbled a couple times going through the woods. “You’re running low on jeans you know that right?”
“Yup, and I’ll go pick some up sometime this week okay?”
And with that he took off towards the pond, throwing his shirt and stumbling out of his jeans as he went. “Look out!” Wings tucked in, Junsu leapt into the air and the little kids shrieked playfully, scurrying out of the way. Then he hit the water and splashed everyone in the pond. Natalie shook her head laughing, and Taemin was laughing so hard he dropped his cookie.
Junsu was considered the adult kid. He loved playing with the younger ones and making them feel more at home. Their lives had all been so terrible that it was scarring for kids so young. Only Taemin-who was born into a life of safety-hadn’t been affected by the suffering of being a mutant.
“Kim Junsu, next time you decide to go jump in the water before I finish speaking I am going to lock you out of the house,” Natalie said sternly, but there was still a smile on her lips. “I was going to say that lunch is ready, but now you have to go dry off with all the kids.”
“I’m sure Tiffany’s going to love that,” Yunho said, coming up from behind Natalie. She jumped slightly, placing a hand on her chest, but when she saw who it was she smiled.
Sure Natalie was the oldest but Yunho was the one who ran the household. His word-unconsciously on the others’ behalf-was law. He wasn’t a tyrant but a kind man, a father figure to all the kids including Taemin and Jessica. There were times that he was stern and strict, but most times he was ridiculously goofy and playful. Like Junsu he put a smile on the kids’ faces but still maintained the father figure, unlike Junsu.
“I think Jaejoong’s done cooking lunch and he would really appreciate if the drowned rats joined us!” he called out, and all the kids spun around. They knew he was joking but it still meant that it was time to get out and get ready to eat.
Natalie watched as the soggy children marched up to the house, followed by Junsu. Then she sighed and light-heartedly shook her head. “You really are good with these kids aren’t you? All you boys are, especially Junsu. He really takes good care of them.”
“Yeah, well he knows what they went through and he wants to make things better for them,” Yunho replied, patting Taemin on the head. “At least with this treatment they won’t grow up hating the world and the people that live in it.”
“Well some humans are hated,” Natalie said darkly, pulling her child closer to her. “It doesn’t matter what kind of world they grow up in, Plutotec is always going to be hated by them and every other Generation Y out there. They keep doing cruel things to people and no one’s stopping them.”
“I know, and it hurts that I can never bring your son back to you,” Yunho whispered, kissing Natalie’s cheek. “But you still have two more and they are safe. It’s what he would have wanted.”
“I know.” She knelt down and picked her boy up. “Come on baby, it’s time for lunch. It’s spaghetti I think. Your favourite.”
“Yay! I can’t wait! Uncle Jaejoong’s cooking’s the best! Better than uncle Yunho’s!”
Taemin’s giggling was interrupted by Yunho’s joking outrage and he tickled the little boy until the boy was crying from laughing so hard. Natalie had to hold on tightly so she wouldn’t drop the squirming kitty. They walked happily into the house, unaware that they were being watched.
Two men wearing camouflage lurked in the thin woods, sticking close to the trees. They watched the three targets enter the house and muttered something into their walkie-talkies.
“They’re here, and it’s the biggest lot of them we’ve found so far,” one whispered, “there’s twelve in total, four being little kids. That leaves eight adults. We’re outnumbered and we don’t exactly know what they all do, but we did see one of the adults with black wings. There’s one kid with feline like movements. That’s all we know about the mutants.”
A voice crackled in the radio. It was husky like a smoker’s voice.
“Report back to base and we’ll make arrangements to send more men in. If there are children and that many adults, I doubt they’re going to go down without a fight.”
“Yes sir,” the two men whispered, hurrying off into the woods.
~*~*~
After lunch, the Tiffany and Yoona did the dishes while everyone else crowded into the living room to relax and let their food digest. Changmin was curled up in his leather armchair, reading a fat, old novel about some daring adventure. Yunho and Jaejoong were curled up together, Jaejoong sleeping softly and Yunho reading a book. Natalie was holding a sleeping Taemin. Jessica was reading yet another magazine while everyone else was crowded around Junsu who was reading them a Robert Munch book. It was a peaceful time of day, one where everyone could rest up before actually getting to work. There were always chores to be done, little jobs to take care of. It was almost like a normal, human family, except each of them were mutants, the furthest thing from human. But they all looked out for each other and they were glad that no one was able to find where they were.