Soulless: Catalyst - Chapter Four
Title: Soulless: Catalyst
Chapter: 4/11
Fandom: SS501, cameos of Super Junior, BEAST, U-KISS and SHINee
Pairing: KyuMinSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: AU, Dystopia, Angst, character death in certain chapters
Summary: Arc II. Their mission failed. The identity of the Soulless was discovered, but it wasn’t who any of them expected it to be, not even the Soulless himself. Every question answered brings ten in its place, and everyone seems to be keeping secrets. Who can you trust? The search for the truth has become a ticking time bomb, and they may not all survive its detonation.
A/N: Please refer to my master fic list for past chapters. Do not own the characters, but the plot is all mine. Please comment <3
The walk to the infirmary was silent, a heavy weight on all their shoulders. Yes, they had succeeded in their mission. They’d gotten both JungMin and YoungSaeng out of the facility, along with three others, three who might be the next step in the Soulful organization.
But had the cost been too high?
Drawing in a shaky breath, YoungSaeng leaned against the wall of the infirmary and watched as YoungWoon was carefully laid down in one of the beds. KyuHyun, waiting for them to return, stared for a moment before his expression twisted in the same grief SungMin and HyukJae bore. He shook his head even as he looked over the hole in YoungWoon’s chest with shaking hands.
“There’s nothing I can do,” he whispered. “His power core’s gone, his entire system’s fried. Even if we were to replace everything that’s damaged, there’s no guarantee…he’ll come back.”
Those of them who believed in souls knew that no matter how well you fixed an android that’d been killed, the soul wouldn’t return to his body. And even those who believed they were infected with a virus had nothing to say. After all…you wipe and restart an android’s entire system, whatever viruses they may have had would be wiped as well.
They could do everything in their power, use up all the resources they had, and in the end if they were able to restart YoungWoon, it would be a completely different android inside the shell of their old friend.
“He deserves better than to be reduced to an ordinary android without thought,” SungMin said quietly. “He wouldn’t have wanted to be like that, to live like that.”
KyuHyun nodded mutely in agreement, swallowing thickly. “We’ll say our goodbyes then,” he said, usually sarcastic voice uncharacteristically soft. “Where are the others?”
“Charging,” DongHae bit his lower lip. The Model 8’s hands were still shaking, even as he clasped them together. “Even KiBum…YeSung convinced him to take a quick charge.”
That explained why he wasn’t down here yelling at them all for their stupidity.
“Then we’ll organize him a proper funeral,” HyukJae said, drawing in a breath. “We can bury him outside the city…he would have liked that.” To be buried in a place where trees might one day grow.
“He would have,” KyuHyun smiled sadly as he slowly drew a white sheet over YoungWoon’s body.
Closing his eyes for a moment, YoungSaeng opened them again after a moment and looked towards the others. HyungJoon was occupied with removing the tracking beacons from inside the three former captives; there hadn’t been enough time to do so before coming into HQ, and none of them wanted to take the chance that they would be followed.
HanKyung was sitting on one of the beds in the corner, waiting patiently to be tended to. The fluid had stopped dripping down his arms, but the cuts along his body still needed to be looked after and repaired. TaeMin waited beside him, MinHo keeping him company as they both kept their gazes carefully away from YoungWoon’s body.
YoungSaeng’s gaze went to the other end of the room, where JungMin was laying still and quiet on one of the beds. RyeoWook was looking after him, unlocking his chest panel to check inside him for any damage. The guards had taken JungMin out of the holding room numerous times, so it was anyone’s guess what had been done.
“Are you okay?”
Blinking, YoungSaeng looked up at HyunJoong leaning against the wall beside him. Nodding slowly, YoungSaeng tried to smile and failed.
“Yeah…they didn’t do anything to me. Just left me there.” YoungSaeng bit his lower lip, looking down at the ground. “HyunJoong, I’m sorry. Kyu yah’s…”
HyunJoong wrapped one arm around the Model 3’s shoulders in a comforting gesture, sure the other man needed it. “I know. We’ll figure this out…okay?”
YoungSaeng nodded, not looking up from the ground. He had put so much faith in KyuJong, so much of himself into helping the Model 6 understand. And it had seemed like KyuJong was finally, finally understanding…was starting to be less what others wanted to be and more of what he wanted to be.
But that had all been a lie too.
If androids had been able to cry, YoungSaeng would have. All he wanted now was to hide in his room with JungMin, and try to forget everything if just for a little while.
But that didn’t seem to be happening either.
“Hae hyung?” RyeoWook called softly. YoungSaeng looked up to see DongHae turn around.
“I need Henli here to help me read code…could you…”
DongHae bit his lower lip, then nodded. “I’ll get him.” He squeezed RyeoWook’s shoulder before leaving the room.
YoungSaeng watched RyeoWook start to hook JungMin up to various machines, opening the redhead’s wrist panels as well as removing his chest panel completely. “Why do you need to read code?” He asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
RyeoWook looked up at him, and appeared unsure how to answer. After a few false starts, he looked down at what he was doing, fingers curling around a wire.
“It’s just that…I’m sorry, YoungSaeng hyung. He’s not waking up.”
Staring at the younger android, YoungSaeng shook his head slowly, walking over to the bed. “What do you mean he isn’t waking up?” he whispered, unable to breathe.
“They must have done something to him…his system’s functional as far as I can tell, but he won’t wake up.”
No…no, not JungMin too. He couldn’t have lost them both. YoungSaeng shook his head, struggling to focus. “He has to wake up,” he whispered, reaching into JungMin’s chest to find the switch that he’d flipped inside Kevin to power him back on.
Flicking it on, YoungSaeng looked up to JungMin’s face. “Min ah.”
He waited to see JungMin’s eyes open, or for the redhead to grumble something, or make a kissy face like he sometimes did when he knew YoungSaeng was there.
But nothing happened. JungMin’s eyes remained closed.
“No…” YoungSaeng’s hands started to shake as he removed them from JungMin’s chest. “Min ah, please,” he pleaded, but there was no reaction to his words.
“I’m sorry hyung,” RyeoWook said, waving KyuHyun over. “We’ll do everything we can, okay?”
YoungSaeng nodded mutely, slowly sinking down into a crouch next to the bed. He felt HyunJoong’s hands on his shoulders, trying to reassure him, but he paid the cell leader no attention.
The only thing he did do was take one of JungMin’s hands loosely in both of his own, running one thumb over the smooth skin as he watched RyeoWook continue to hook the android up to the machines.
“JungMin, you have to wake up,” YoungSaeng whispered. His shoulders shook as he rested his head against the bed mattress. “You can’t leave me alone.”
**********************************************************
It was inevitable that KiBum would wake up and find out what had happened eventually. And when he did, it surprised no one that he was furious.
“What were you thinking?!” he yelled, his voice sending TaeMin, RyeoWook, Kevin and KiBum (the new KiBum) scrambling away. “Do you understand what could have happened? You could have sacrificed our entire mission, gotten yourselves all killed! One of you was killed!”
They all tried to avoid looking at the white sheet covering YoungWoon’s body.
“It would have been worse if we hadn’t gone,” YeSung said, voice shaking as he stood up against the angry android but expression firm. “The government would have gotten the information for HQ out of them eventually, firewalls or not. This way we have a better handle on what’s going on.”
“It still leaves that Soulless,” HeeChul’s eyes narrowed. He’d come in shortly before KiBum had, and even though he’d heard them out and agreed it had been the best course of action, grief had twisted his expression as he looked at the friend they’d lost. “They’ll get the information out of KyuJong, and we’ll have to move anyways.”
“No,” YeSung shook his head, looking at KiBum. “I heard you talking to DooJoon. He’s going to take care of the Soulless, you said.”
KiBum stared at him, eyes narrowed. “So your eavesdropping skills have gotten better.”
“You said you haven’t been able to reach the third cell,” HeeChul said lowly, eyeing KiBum.
“I reached them just a while ago,” KiBum replied calmly. “You don’t need to worry about the Soulless.”
“We did the best that we could, KiBum ah,” DongHae said softly from where he sat on the edge of a bed. “You know we would take a loss no matter what…YoungWoon wouldn’t have been happy staying safe if he could do something to help. You know how he was.”
KiBum drew in a slow breath, looking to the white sheet covering YoungWoon’s body. “We’ll give him a proper burial, an honorable one,” he said quietly. Then he turned his attention to the three new recruits. “Who are these?”
YoungSaeng drew in a breath, looking up from where he was watching over JungMin. The others were all looking at him for an explanation, so he pulled himself together and stood. “These three were at the facility with Min ah and I, they were captured as potential Soulfuls,” he explained quietly, looking at them.
“My name’s Kevin,” offered Kevin, looking to his two friends. “These are KiBum and Eli.”
“They picked their names long before I met them, KiBum,” YoungSaeng said quietly. “Without meeting a single Soulful.”
KiBum blinked, turning to the three in the corner. “How is that…possible?” You could see the man was thinking hard, eyebrows furrowed as he looked at them.
“We couldn’t just leave them there,” HyunJoong spoke up, as YoungSaeng sat down on the edge of JungMin’s bed. “And they tell us there are four others like them out in the city, hopefully being smart and hiding from the government.”
“…” KiBum just looked at them for a moment, before nodded. “I’d like to speak with you three later in private,” he told Kevin, KiBum and Eli. “For now, someone will show you to rooms here and it’s safer if you stay underground for a few days. We’ll need descriptions of your four friends before we send out a search party to look for them; they aren’t safe up there either.”
The three nodded, still looking more than a little disorientated by the sudden change of events.
“JongWoon, could you bring them to the spare rooms?” KiBum asked the man beside him.
YeSung stiffened, but ducked his head in a nod before smiling tensely at the new recruits. “Come on, let’s get you all set up.” He left the room, Kevin, the new KiBum and Eli trailing after them.
The second the door had closed, HeeChul exploded. “For God’s sake, KiBum! Stop calling him that name! He’s not JongWoon!”
“He is,” KiBum replied firmly, turning away from them to address a different issue. HeeChul came up beside him and grabbed his arm, forcing the other android to look at him.
“He is not,” HeeChul hissed. “He is YeSung, he chose the name YeSung. Even when you pressed the name JongWoon onto him, he said it didn’t fit with him, it wasn’t his name.”
“It is his name, he just hasn’t realized it,” KiBum insisted.
Listening to this, YoungSaeng clenched his jaw. He knew YeSung well; YeSung had been the one to introduce him to this organization, his best friend outside his cell. And he knew just how much this situation pained the older android.
“Wake up, KiBum!” HeeChul yelled. “He chose his name over 300 years ago! Don’t you think he would have realized it by now if he were JongWoon? JongWoon is dead, he died when the rest of the humans died, you can’t bring back a soul!”
“How do you know that?” KiBum snapped then, dark anger in his eyes as he turned to look at HeeChul fully. “You are all here, aren’t you? You all chose the names you had before!”
“We have their names, but we aren’t them, KiBum,” SungMin put in, frowning. “And not all of us chose the same name. YeSung isn’t the only one who took on a different name. You’re just sore because you can’t let go of the past.”
Listening to the yelling back and forth, YoungSaeng drew in a slow breath, feeling the anger mounting. Finally he couldn’t stand it anymore, letting go of JungMin’s limp hand to go up and shove KiBum back harshly.
“Stop it! Just stop it! Can’t you see what you’re doing to him?” He snapped in KiBum’s face, the other android’s expression a mix of anger and shock.
“YeSung is not JongWoon, he’s his own person, but because you refuse to see that, he’s trying to be someone he’s not! He’s doing it for you, because he loves you! But you can’t let go of JongWoon, and it’s killing him! You’re killing him!”
KiBum stepped back at that, eyes wide.
YoungSaeng stared up at him. “Get your head on straight, Kim KiBum. JongWoon is dead, but YeSung is right here waiting for you to see him as himself. And I don’t know how much longer he’s willing to wait. Not when every single day he has to face the fact that he’s just a copy of a dead man.”
Silence followed YoungSaeng’s harsh words, KiBum looking down at the ground. Watching the other man’s expression for a long minute, YoungSaeng sighed and turned to go back to JungMin’s bed.
Movement through the partly-closed door caught his eye, and he looked up just in time to see a dark-haired figure disappear back down the hallway.
Pain twisted in his chest, and YoungSaeng sat back down next to JungMin, taking the redhead’s hand again and running his fingers along the soft skin. He wished YeSung hadn’t gotten better at eavesdropping.
*******************************
The first thing that his sensors registered was a steady humming, like from an engine. It was all around him, suffocating.
Then the humming was overrun by a series of beeps. Machines. Where? What were they for?
Cold hands pressed into his skin suddenly.
His eyes snapped open, one hand grabbing the wrist of the person hovering over him. Trying to sit up, he was brought up short by sharp tugs around his chest and wrists. He looked down, staring at the wires going in and out of his chest uncomprehendingly.
“Relax.” Hands pushed him back down, someone looking down at him. A Model 2, his CPU supplied, but something wasn’t right. The man’s eyebrows were furrowed in something that looked like concern. “Stay still while we get you unhooked.”
We? He turned his head, looking around the room for the first time. There were two other androids present. One stood by the door, the other at a monitor tapping in codes. Neither of them were Model 2, but he was quickly distracted from them by a tugging in his chest. The Model 2 hovering over him was disconnecting the wires from inside him, removing him from the machines systematically.
“Who are you?” was the first question out of his lips, blinking up at the 2. Something wasn’t right. Where was he? What was he doing here?
“I think there are more important questions at the moment.” The Model 2 finished removing the wires, closing his chest panel with a light click. He tapped his finger against his wrist before speaking, something about the motion strangely familiar to the one watching.
“We still clear? No alarms?”
There was a pause, and he must have heard some sort of reply because he nodded slightly before tapping his wrist again. Then he stepped around the side of the bed, crouching next to it. The android on the bed stared down at him.
“Let’s start with this…what’s your name?”
“…” The android blinked down at the Model 2. His name? Hadn’t he done this before? Not number, but name…
What was his name?
The other two in the room were watching intently as they looked at each other. “What’s your name?” The 2 asked again, gently.
The android’s lips parted slightly. “…KyuJong,” he whispered.
His name was KyuJong, Kim KyuJong.
And like a firewall had come down, bits of information started to come back to him, eyes widening slowly.
The Model 2 smiled at him. “…Good. It worked.”
Where was he? Wait. JungMin, YoungSaeng…where were they? What had happe-
He was a Soulless.
The cold truth crashed down on him again, KyuJong’s hands starting to shake. He’d betrayed his friends; they’d been captured by the facility. The facility had him here to get information out of him. How long had he been here for?
Hands gripped his own, squeezing lightly. “Hey, relax,” the Model 2 said quietly. “Don’t think about it all at once. Listen.” He squeezed again, getting KyuJong’s attention.
“Who are you?” KyuJong asked.
The Model 2’s lips quirked. “My name is DooJoon. Do you know me, KyuJong?”
That name was familiar. Trying to figure it out, KyuJong watched DooJoon turn around to talk to the other two in the room.
“The decoy’s set up?” He asked the one at the monitors, a Model 7.
“All done,” the 7 nodded, hitting a few more buttons and shutting off the display.
“Great. JunHyung, get the others to cover our exit,” DooJoon told the Model 3 at the door.
Then it clicked. “You’re the leader of the third ce-mpfh!” A hand clapped over KyuJong’s mouth to shut him up.
“Not so loud,” DooJoon sighed, but smiled at him. “Yes, I am, and we’re going to get you out of here.”
“But I’m a Soulless,” KyuJong stared up at him uncomprehendingly as the hand over his mouth was removed. They had to know by now what he was, right?”
“Everything will be explained once we’re out.” DooJoon placed a hand on KyuJong’s shoulder before standing. “For now, can you trust us?”
KyuJong looked between the three in the room. The one DooJoon had called JunHyung quirked a smile at him, and the Model 7 waved. They didn’t seem too worried about him, despite being a Soulless.
As a matter of fact…what had happened with that? KyuJong remembered being woken up; he remembered everything now, how he’d just watched YoungSaeng and JungMin yell at him as if he were watching a wall. Their pleads had meant nothing to him. But they did now. What had happened…was the Soulless programming dormant again? Just waiting for him to lower his guard, or for the Model 2’s to press another button, before he went back to being like that and a danger to everyone?
“I trust you,” KyuJong said quietly. “But I don’t think you can trust me.”
DooJoon looked down at him, lips quirked into a sad smile. “You saying that is the only reason why I do. Now come on, we need to get a move on before we run out of time.” He offered a hand.
Surprised, KyuJong looked at the offered hand before taking it, letting himself be pulled to his feet. It was then he realized it was strangely quiet…not in the room, but in his head. He couldn’t hear anything on his cell’s communication line. Confused, he tapped one finger against his wrist, without result.
“That won’t do anything, they took the comm implants out,” DooJoon shook his head as he pulled KyuJong to the front of the room. “The cell’s changed lines anyways, so the government can’t listen in. Now, pay attention.”
He clapped two hands on KyuJong’s shoulders, making the Soulless look at him.
“You’re going to follow JunHyung and YoSeob here, they’ll take you to where DongWoon’s waiting at the edge of the facility. He’ll take you to somewhere safe. If you run into anyone while in here, act blank, and don’t speak, my cell will do the talking. Do not try to run or contact your own cell, or anyone else.” DooJoon met his gaze seriously. “Understood?”
KyuJong nodded, and DooJoon let go of his shoulders. “Let’s get this show on the road then.”
Finding himself flanked by the two other androids, KyuJong followed them out into the hallway, glancing between them nervously.
“Relax, we’ll get you out,” YoSeob nudged his shoulder lightly before taking on a subservient stance, head bowed and hands clasped; he was a much lower Model than the 2’s, and expected to show respect. JunHyung was quiet as well, though kept his head up and eyes alert.
Doing his best to relax, KyuJong managed to school his face into blankness like when he was outside on the streets, just as some other androids took the corner. Security guards.
It was all KyuJong could do to keep a straight face and walk past them as if he didn’t even see them, remembering the feeling that nothing other than his orders mattered. In return they paid him the same courtesy, and didn’t so much as look their way as they took another corner and headed down a different corridor.
Everything looked so different to him now, but no less dangerous. KyuJong didn’t move from the sides of the two Soulfuls, wondering why these strange people trusted him. He’d never met any of them before in his time as a Soulful, only heard brief mention of DooJoon.
As if sensing the confusion in his mind, JunHyung nudged him slightly once they were alone in the corridor, enough to snap him out of his thoughts and back to the present situation.
Within a few minutes they’d reached the side exit to the facility, KyuJong wondering why no one had stopped them. Weren’t there cameras? Or did the third cell have someone watching over the cameras too, looping them at all the right moments so that they wouldn’t be caught?
They stopped him at the door, JunHyung’s hand on the knob lightly. “This is as far as we can take you,” the Model 3 told him. “Listen; outside this door, there’s going to be a long stretch of clear land, and then a fence. You have the implants you need to climb quickly, right?”
KyuJong nodded, swallowing.
“Good. Go straight and climb the fence, and run into the alley right in front of you. Keep going straight, DongWoon will be waiting to take you the rest of the way. You’re going to have to be fast, they’re going to see you and be after you.”
YoSeob glanced around once JunHyung had finished. “Wait for us to be gone, and count to thirty. We have our positions here, and they’re valuable to us, so we can’t be anywhere near you when you break out. We’ll see you later,” he smiled, clapping KyuJong off the shoulder before he and JunHyung turned and hurried from the hallway.
Head still reeling after the sudden events, KyuJong drew in a shaky breath and forced himself to not think about what all this meant in his life, instead doing as he was told and starting to count down from 30.
It was just so much to take in at once…he would need a little time before he was ready to fully confront the fact that he was a Soulless. Everything that he thought he knew about himself, how he thought he was overcoming conditioning, all came down to programming after all.
The second he reached zero, KyuJong pulled the door open and ran. The dust clouds were low today, and it wasn’t long before he had disappeared into them, but he’d still been spotted. Alarms started going off behind him.
By the time voices echoed across the clearing, KyuJong was already climbing the fence and landing on the other side, wincing as the barbs at the top punctured his hand and sparks flew. But there was no time to stop and he’d had much worse injuries, and he ran full-speed into the first alley he saw.
They had told him to run straight, so that was what he did, despite the overwhelming urge to take a more swerving path. If someone shot a bullet down the alley, he would be struck; it was such a simple target.
But no one fired anything. He heard the sounds of fighting behind him, and kept running.
How far was he to go? They’d said that someone named DongWoon was going to meet up with him, but how far did he have to do before then? Had he already passed the meeting point? He was going rather fast, spurred on by upgrades he’d received a long time ago. Being Model 6, he specialized in information, not running or dexterity or strength…but he’d gotten enough upgrades from the Soulfuls to be confident with almost any task.
That brought his train of thought to the ones who usually gave him upgrades, the mechanics. JungMin and HyungJoon from his cell, KyuHyun and RyeoWook from the first cell. He remembered them all joking around in the infirmary, making crude jokes, and had to stop himself before he choked up.
Just keep running, thinking could come later.
A hand shot out from an alley opening and yanked him down the different path, another hand clamping over his mouth before he could shout. KyuJong instinctively slammed one hand into the android’s chest to push him away, and found himself staring at dark brown eyes.
“My name’s DongWoon, follow me quickly.”
And then he was being pulled along a little before his arm was released, DongWoon jogging ahead. KyuJong stumbled before hurrying to catch up.
They took twists and turns through the alleys, DongWoon offering no explanation as to where he was going. KyuJong was tempted to turn on the city interface so that he could orientate himself with a sector at least, but he wasn’t sure just what had been done to him, if it was safe.
Then something occurred to him.
“Wait, what if I’m bugged?” he called up to DongWoon, who hadn’t slowed even once. If they’d put another beacon inside him, it wouldn’t matter how far away they got.
“Were they expecting you to escape?” The other android called back.
“No, but-“
“Then you aren’t bugged. We were watching you the whole time you were there, no one bugged you.”
They’d watched him the whole time? Just what was the third cell doing inside the facility? Collecting information, probably, but what else?
What did they want with him?
There were too many questions, and that wasn’t even considering the ones he wanted to ask most…if JungMin and YoungSaeng were all right, if he would ever be able to see them again.
KyuJong swallowed and hurried to catch up, having fallen behind in his musings.
Only once he was sure they’d gone through several different sectors did DongWoon slow, glancing around the area. There was no one around, that they could see anyways. The area was still covered with a dirt cloud, KyuJong coughing as dirt got in his respiratory system.
They were in a warehouse area, probably a sector on the outskirts of the city, one of the older sectors. DongWoon brought him up to the door of a warehouse, slipping inside and motioning for him to follow.
There was nothing inside the warehouse other than storage containers, but that meant nothing to KyuJong after seeing how the Soulful HQ was hidden. Sure enough, he wasn’t disappointed as DongWoon pushed a container out of the way, exposing a trap door.
“Come on, this is where you’re going to be staying for the next little while,” DongWoon said, pulling the trap door open and motioning for KyuJong to go first. The Soulless did so warily, seeing a ladder and carefully taking it down.
“Does this connect to the main HQ underground?”
“No.”
Disappointment, but how could he have expected to ever be let back into HQ again? He was a traitor.
KyuJong’s feet touched the floor and he looked around, blinking to see in the dark. It was a dimly lit hallway, with six doors.
“This is your room.” DongWoon had come down after him, closing the trap door and standing there with one hand in his pocket and the other pointing to the room to KyuJong’s right.
“I guess I can’t go back to my apartment?” KyuJong asked softly, not that he wanted to go back to his apartment. That place meant nothing to him. He wanted to go back to HQ, to his room there, to YoungSaeng and JungMin’s room there.
“No, and you’re not going to be going anywhere at all for a long while,” DongWoon replied, nodding towards the door again. “I’m sorry, but you can understand this is a very delicate situation.”
KyuJong nodded; he understood that at least. Walking to the doorway of the room that was to be his, he looked in, faintly pleased at the colors. But it wasn’t the same as HQ, with DongHae’s painting of the forest on one wall and the canvas they’d all painted together on another.
“There’s a lot I don’t understand,” he said as he walked in, turning around to look back at the door.
DongWoon quirked a sad smile. “I’m afraid it’ll have to stay that way for a while longer. The others will be back later, for now there’s a wireless charger in the top drawer of the desk. Get some rest.” He closed the door.
KyuJong looked at the door for a long moment, hearing the unmistakable click of a lock. No matter what DooJoon said, this one at least didn’t trust him, not that KyuJong blamed him.
What was he going to do now? Everything had just been turned upside-down yet again.
He walked over to the desk, opening the top drawer. As DongWoon had said, there was a charger in there.
And a cross necklace.
Blinking in confusion, KyuJong picked it up, looking at the slightly tarnished metal. Silver. Who did this belong to? One of the third cell? It didn’t seem well cared for.
Shaking his head a little, he put the necklace back down after a moment, picking up the charger. Maybe things would make more sense once he’d woken up.
KyuJong lay down on the bed, inserting the charger into his wrist. And as he closed his eyes and drifted, he tried not to think about how the last time he’d slept on a bed, it had been with two others, a head resting lightly against his shoulder and a hand linked with his own.
Chapter: 4/11
Fandom: SS501, cameos of Super Junior, BEAST, U-KISS and SHINee
Pairing: KyuMinSaeng
Rating: PG-16
Warning: AU, Dystopia, Angst, character death in certain chapters
Summary: Arc II. Their mission failed. The identity of the Soulless was discovered, but it wasn’t who any of them expected it to be, not even the Soulless himself. Every question answered brings ten in its place, and everyone seems to be keeping secrets. Who can you trust? The search for the truth has become a ticking time bomb, and they may not all survive its detonation.
A/N: Please refer to my master fic list for past chapters. Do not own the characters, but the plot is all mine. Please comment <3
The walk to the infirmary was silent, a heavy weight on all their shoulders. Yes, they had succeeded in their mission. They’d gotten both JungMin and YoungSaeng out of the facility, along with three others, three who might be the next step in the Soulful organization.
But had the cost been too high?
Drawing in a shaky breath, YoungSaeng leaned against the wall of the infirmary and watched as YoungWoon was carefully laid down in one of the beds. KyuHyun, waiting for them to return, stared for a moment before his expression twisted in the same grief SungMin and HyukJae bore. He shook his head even as he looked over the hole in YoungWoon’s chest with shaking hands.
“There’s nothing I can do,” he whispered. “His power core’s gone, his entire system’s fried. Even if we were to replace everything that’s damaged, there’s no guarantee…he’ll come back.”
Those of them who believed in souls knew that no matter how well you fixed an android that’d been killed, the soul wouldn’t return to his body. And even those who believed they were infected with a virus had nothing to say. After all…you wipe and restart an android’s entire system, whatever viruses they may have had would be wiped as well.
They could do everything in their power, use up all the resources they had, and in the end if they were able to restart YoungWoon, it would be a completely different android inside the shell of their old friend.
“He deserves better than to be reduced to an ordinary android without thought,” SungMin said quietly. “He wouldn’t have wanted to be like that, to live like that.”
KyuHyun nodded mutely in agreement, swallowing thickly. “We’ll say our goodbyes then,” he said, usually sarcastic voice uncharacteristically soft. “Where are the others?”
“Charging,” DongHae bit his lower lip. The Model 8’s hands were still shaking, even as he clasped them together. “Even KiBum…YeSung convinced him to take a quick charge.”
That explained why he wasn’t down here yelling at them all for their stupidity.
“Then we’ll organize him a proper funeral,” HyukJae said, drawing in a breath. “We can bury him outside the city…he would have liked that.” To be buried in a place where trees might one day grow.
“He would have,” KyuHyun smiled sadly as he slowly drew a white sheet over YoungWoon’s body.
Closing his eyes for a moment, YoungSaeng opened them again after a moment and looked towards the others. HyungJoon was occupied with removing the tracking beacons from inside the three former captives; there hadn’t been enough time to do so before coming into HQ, and none of them wanted to take the chance that they would be followed.
HanKyung was sitting on one of the beds in the corner, waiting patiently to be tended to. The fluid had stopped dripping down his arms, but the cuts along his body still needed to be looked after and repaired. TaeMin waited beside him, MinHo keeping him company as they both kept their gazes carefully away from YoungWoon’s body.
YoungSaeng’s gaze went to the other end of the room, where JungMin was laying still and quiet on one of the beds. RyeoWook was looking after him, unlocking his chest panel to check inside him for any damage. The guards had taken JungMin out of the holding room numerous times, so it was anyone’s guess what had been done.
“Are you okay?”
Blinking, YoungSaeng looked up at HyunJoong leaning against the wall beside him. Nodding slowly, YoungSaeng tried to smile and failed.
“Yeah…they didn’t do anything to me. Just left me there.” YoungSaeng bit his lower lip, looking down at the ground. “HyunJoong, I’m sorry. Kyu yah’s…”
HyunJoong wrapped one arm around the Model 3’s shoulders in a comforting gesture, sure the other man needed it. “I know. We’ll figure this out…okay?”
YoungSaeng nodded, not looking up from the ground. He had put so much faith in KyuJong, so much of himself into helping the Model 6 understand. And it had seemed like KyuJong was finally, finally understanding…was starting to be less what others wanted to be and more of what he wanted to be.
But that had all been a lie too.
If androids had been able to cry, YoungSaeng would have. All he wanted now was to hide in his room with JungMin, and try to forget everything if just for a little while.
But that didn’t seem to be happening either.
“Hae hyung?” RyeoWook called softly. YoungSaeng looked up to see DongHae turn around.
“I need Henli here to help me read code…could you…”
DongHae bit his lower lip, then nodded. “I’ll get him.” He squeezed RyeoWook’s shoulder before leaving the room.
YoungSaeng watched RyeoWook start to hook JungMin up to various machines, opening the redhead’s wrist panels as well as removing his chest panel completely. “Why do you need to read code?” He asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
RyeoWook looked up at him, and appeared unsure how to answer. After a few false starts, he looked down at what he was doing, fingers curling around a wire.
“It’s just that…I’m sorry, YoungSaeng hyung. He’s not waking up.”
Staring at the younger android, YoungSaeng shook his head slowly, walking over to the bed. “What do you mean he isn’t waking up?” he whispered, unable to breathe.
“They must have done something to him…his system’s functional as far as I can tell, but he won’t wake up.”
No…no, not JungMin too. He couldn’t have lost them both. YoungSaeng shook his head, struggling to focus. “He has to wake up,” he whispered, reaching into JungMin’s chest to find the switch that he’d flipped inside Kevin to power him back on.
Flicking it on, YoungSaeng looked up to JungMin’s face. “Min ah.”
He waited to see JungMin’s eyes open, or for the redhead to grumble something, or make a kissy face like he sometimes did when he knew YoungSaeng was there.
But nothing happened. JungMin’s eyes remained closed.
“No…” YoungSaeng’s hands started to shake as he removed them from JungMin’s chest. “Min ah, please,” he pleaded, but there was no reaction to his words.
“I’m sorry hyung,” RyeoWook said, waving KyuHyun over. “We’ll do everything we can, okay?”
YoungSaeng nodded mutely, slowly sinking down into a crouch next to the bed. He felt HyunJoong’s hands on his shoulders, trying to reassure him, but he paid the cell leader no attention.
The only thing he did do was take one of JungMin’s hands loosely in both of his own, running one thumb over the smooth skin as he watched RyeoWook continue to hook the android up to the machines.
“JungMin, you have to wake up,” YoungSaeng whispered. His shoulders shook as he rested his head against the bed mattress. “You can’t leave me alone.”
**********************************************************
It was inevitable that KiBum would wake up and find out what had happened eventually. And when he did, it surprised no one that he was furious.
“What were you thinking?!” he yelled, his voice sending TaeMin, RyeoWook, Kevin and KiBum (the new KiBum) scrambling away. “Do you understand what could have happened? You could have sacrificed our entire mission, gotten yourselves all killed! One of you was killed!”
They all tried to avoid looking at the white sheet covering YoungWoon’s body.
“It would have been worse if we hadn’t gone,” YeSung said, voice shaking as he stood up against the angry android but expression firm. “The government would have gotten the information for HQ out of them eventually, firewalls or not. This way we have a better handle on what’s going on.”
“It still leaves that Soulless,” HeeChul’s eyes narrowed. He’d come in shortly before KiBum had, and even though he’d heard them out and agreed it had been the best course of action, grief had twisted his expression as he looked at the friend they’d lost. “They’ll get the information out of KyuJong, and we’ll have to move anyways.”
“No,” YeSung shook his head, looking at KiBum. “I heard you talking to DooJoon. He’s going to take care of the Soulless, you said.”
KiBum stared at him, eyes narrowed. “So your eavesdropping skills have gotten better.”
“You said you haven’t been able to reach the third cell,” HeeChul said lowly, eyeing KiBum.
“I reached them just a while ago,” KiBum replied calmly. “You don’t need to worry about the Soulless.”
“We did the best that we could, KiBum ah,” DongHae said softly from where he sat on the edge of a bed. “You know we would take a loss no matter what…YoungWoon wouldn’t have been happy staying safe if he could do something to help. You know how he was.”
KiBum drew in a slow breath, looking to the white sheet covering YoungWoon’s body. “We’ll give him a proper burial, an honorable one,” he said quietly. Then he turned his attention to the three new recruits. “Who are these?”
YoungSaeng drew in a breath, looking up from where he was watching over JungMin. The others were all looking at him for an explanation, so he pulled himself together and stood. “These three were at the facility with Min ah and I, they were captured as potential Soulfuls,” he explained quietly, looking at them.
“My name’s Kevin,” offered Kevin, looking to his two friends. “These are KiBum and Eli.”
“They picked their names long before I met them, KiBum,” YoungSaeng said quietly. “Without meeting a single Soulful.”
KiBum blinked, turning to the three in the corner. “How is that…possible?” You could see the man was thinking hard, eyebrows furrowed as he looked at them.
“We couldn’t just leave them there,” HyunJoong spoke up, as YoungSaeng sat down on the edge of JungMin’s bed. “And they tell us there are four others like them out in the city, hopefully being smart and hiding from the government.”
“…” KiBum just looked at them for a moment, before nodded. “I’d like to speak with you three later in private,” he told Kevin, KiBum and Eli. “For now, someone will show you to rooms here and it’s safer if you stay underground for a few days. We’ll need descriptions of your four friends before we send out a search party to look for them; they aren’t safe up there either.”
The three nodded, still looking more than a little disorientated by the sudden change of events.
“JongWoon, could you bring them to the spare rooms?” KiBum asked the man beside him.
YeSung stiffened, but ducked his head in a nod before smiling tensely at the new recruits. “Come on, let’s get you all set up.” He left the room, Kevin, the new KiBum and Eli trailing after them.
The second the door had closed, HeeChul exploded. “For God’s sake, KiBum! Stop calling him that name! He’s not JongWoon!”
“He is,” KiBum replied firmly, turning away from them to address a different issue. HeeChul came up beside him and grabbed his arm, forcing the other android to look at him.
“He is not,” HeeChul hissed. “He is YeSung, he chose the name YeSung. Even when you pressed the name JongWoon onto him, he said it didn’t fit with him, it wasn’t his name.”
“It is his name, he just hasn’t realized it,” KiBum insisted.
Listening to this, YoungSaeng clenched his jaw. He knew YeSung well; YeSung had been the one to introduce him to this organization, his best friend outside his cell. And he knew just how much this situation pained the older android.
“Wake up, KiBum!” HeeChul yelled. “He chose his name over 300 years ago! Don’t you think he would have realized it by now if he were JongWoon? JongWoon is dead, he died when the rest of the humans died, you can’t bring back a soul!”
“How do you know that?” KiBum snapped then, dark anger in his eyes as he turned to look at HeeChul fully. “You are all here, aren’t you? You all chose the names you had before!”
“We have their names, but we aren’t them, KiBum,” SungMin put in, frowning. “And not all of us chose the same name. YeSung isn’t the only one who took on a different name. You’re just sore because you can’t let go of the past.”
Listening to the yelling back and forth, YoungSaeng drew in a slow breath, feeling the anger mounting. Finally he couldn’t stand it anymore, letting go of JungMin’s limp hand to go up and shove KiBum back harshly.
“Stop it! Just stop it! Can’t you see what you’re doing to him?” He snapped in KiBum’s face, the other android’s expression a mix of anger and shock.
“YeSung is not JongWoon, he’s his own person, but because you refuse to see that, he’s trying to be someone he’s not! He’s doing it for you, because he loves you! But you can’t let go of JongWoon, and it’s killing him! You’re killing him!”
KiBum stepped back at that, eyes wide.
YoungSaeng stared up at him. “Get your head on straight, Kim KiBum. JongWoon is dead, but YeSung is right here waiting for you to see him as himself. And I don’t know how much longer he’s willing to wait. Not when every single day he has to face the fact that he’s just a copy of a dead man.”
Silence followed YoungSaeng’s harsh words, KiBum looking down at the ground. Watching the other man’s expression for a long minute, YoungSaeng sighed and turned to go back to JungMin’s bed.
Movement through the partly-closed door caught his eye, and he looked up just in time to see a dark-haired figure disappear back down the hallway.
Pain twisted in his chest, and YoungSaeng sat back down next to JungMin, taking the redhead’s hand again and running his fingers along the soft skin. He wished YeSung hadn’t gotten better at eavesdropping.
*******************************
The first thing that his sensors registered was a steady humming, like from an engine. It was all around him, suffocating.
Then the humming was overrun by a series of beeps. Machines. Where? What were they for?
Cold hands pressed into his skin suddenly.
His eyes snapped open, one hand grabbing the wrist of the person hovering over him. Trying to sit up, he was brought up short by sharp tugs around his chest and wrists. He looked down, staring at the wires going in and out of his chest uncomprehendingly.
“Relax.” Hands pushed him back down, someone looking down at him. A Model 2, his CPU supplied, but something wasn’t right. The man’s eyebrows were furrowed in something that looked like concern. “Stay still while we get you unhooked.”
We? He turned his head, looking around the room for the first time. There were two other androids present. One stood by the door, the other at a monitor tapping in codes. Neither of them were Model 2, but he was quickly distracted from them by a tugging in his chest. The Model 2 hovering over him was disconnecting the wires from inside him, removing him from the machines systematically.
“Who are you?” was the first question out of his lips, blinking up at the 2. Something wasn’t right. Where was he? What was he doing here?
“I think there are more important questions at the moment.” The Model 2 finished removing the wires, closing his chest panel with a light click. He tapped his finger against his wrist before speaking, something about the motion strangely familiar to the one watching.
“We still clear? No alarms?”
There was a pause, and he must have heard some sort of reply because he nodded slightly before tapping his wrist again. Then he stepped around the side of the bed, crouching next to it. The android on the bed stared down at him.
“Let’s start with this…what’s your name?”
“…” The android blinked down at the Model 2. His name? Hadn’t he done this before? Not number, but name…
What was his name?
The other two in the room were watching intently as they looked at each other. “What’s your name?” The 2 asked again, gently.
The android’s lips parted slightly. “…KyuJong,” he whispered.
His name was KyuJong, Kim KyuJong.
And like a firewall had come down, bits of information started to come back to him, eyes widening slowly.
The Model 2 smiled at him. “…Good. It worked.”
Where was he? Wait. JungMin, YoungSaeng…where were they? What had happe-
He was a Soulless.
The cold truth crashed down on him again, KyuJong’s hands starting to shake. He’d betrayed his friends; they’d been captured by the facility. The facility had him here to get information out of him. How long had he been here for?
Hands gripped his own, squeezing lightly. “Hey, relax,” the Model 2 said quietly. “Don’t think about it all at once. Listen.” He squeezed again, getting KyuJong’s attention.
“Who are you?” KyuJong asked.
The Model 2’s lips quirked. “My name is DooJoon. Do you know me, KyuJong?”
That name was familiar. Trying to figure it out, KyuJong watched DooJoon turn around to talk to the other two in the room.
“The decoy’s set up?” He asked the one at the monitors, a Model 7.
“All done,” the 7 nodded, hitting a few more buttons and shutting off the display.
“Great. JunHyung, get the others to cover our exit,” DooJoon told the Model 3 at the door.
Then it clicked. “You’re the leader of the third ce-mpfh!” A hand clapped over KyuJong’s mouth to shut him up.
“Not so loud,” DooJoon sighed, but smiled at him. “Yes, I am, and we’re going to get you out of here.”
“But I’m a Soulless,” KyuJong stared up at him uncomprehendingly as the hand over his mouth was removed. They had to know by now what he was, right?”
“Everything will be explained once we’re out.” DooJoon placed a hand on KyuJong’s shoulder before standing. “For now, can you trust us?”
KyuJong looked between the three in the room. The one DooJoon had called JunHyung quirked a smile at him, and the Model 7 waved. They didn’t seem too worried about him, despite being a Soulless.
As a matter of fact…what had happened with that? KyuJong remembered being woken up; he remembered everything now, how he’d just watched YoungSaeng and JungMin yell at him as if he were watching a wall. Their pleads had meant nothing to him. But they did now. What had happened…was the Soulless programming dormant again? Just waiting for him to lower his guard, or for the Model 2’s to press another button, before he went back to being like that and a danger to everyone?
“I trust you,” KyuJong said quietly. “But I don’t think you can trust me.”
DooJoon looked down at him, lips quirked into a sad smile. “You saying that is the only reason why I do. Now come on, we need to get a move on before we run out of time.” He offered a hand.
Surprised, KyuJong looked at the offered hand before taking it, letting himself be pulled to his feet. It was then he realized it was strangely quiet…not in the room, but in his head. He couldn’t hear anything on his cell’s communication line. Confused, he tapped one finger against his wrist, without result.
“That won’t do anything, they took the comm implants out,” DooJoon shook his head as he pulled KyuJong to the front of the room. “The cell’s changed lines anyways, so the government can’t listen in. Now, pay attention.”
He clapped two hands on KyuJong’s shoulders, making the Soulless look at him.
“You’re going to follow JunHyung and YoSeob here, they’ll take you to where DongWoon’s waiting at the edge of the facility. He’ll take you to somewhere safe. If you run into anyone while in here, act blank, and don’t speak, my cell will do the talking. Do not try to run or contact your own cell, or anyone else.” DooJoon met his gaze seriously. “Understood?”
KyuJong nodded, and DooJoon let go of his shoulders. “Let’s get this show on the road then.”
Finding himself flanked by the two other androids, KyuJong followed them out into the hallway, glancing between them nervously.
“Relax, we’ll get you out,” YoSeob nudged his shoulder lightly before taking on a subservient stance, head bowed and hands clasped; he was a much lower Model than the 2’s, and expected to show respect. JunHyung was quiet as well, though kept his head up and eyes alert.
Doing his best to relax, KyuJong managed to school his face into blankness like when he was outside on the streets, just as some other androids took the corner. Security guards.
It was all KyuJong could do to keep a straight face and walk past them as if he didn’t even see them, remembering the feeling that nothing other than his orders mattered. In return they paid him the same courtesy, and didn’t so much as look their way as they took another corner and headed down a different corridor.
Everything looked so different to him now, but no less dangerous. KyuJong didn’t move from the sides of the two Soulfuls, wondering why these strange people trusted him. He’d never met any of them before in his time as a Soulful, only heard brief mention of DooJoon.
As if sensing the confusion in his mind, JunHyung nudged him slightly once they were alone in the corridor, enough to snap him out of his thoughts and back to the present situation.
Within a few minutes they’d reached the side exit to the facility, KyuJong wondering why no one had stopped them. Weren’t there cameras? Or did the third cell have someone watching over the cameras too, looping them at all the right moments so that they wouldn’t be caught?
They stopped him at the door, JunHyung’s hand on the knob lightly. “This is as far as we can take you,” the Model 3 told him. “Listen; outside this door, there’s going to be a long stretch of clear land, and then a fence. You have the implants you need to climb quickly, right?”
KyuJong nodded, swallowing.
“Good. Go straight and climb the fence, and run into the alley right in front of you. Keep going straight, DongWoon will be waiting to take you the rest of the way. You’re going to have to be fast, they’re going to see you and be after you.”
YoSeob glanced around once JunHyung had finished. “Wait for us to be gone, and count to thirty. We have our positions here, and they’re valuable to us, so we can’t be anywhere near you when you break out. We’ll see you later,” he smiled, clapping KyuJong off the shoulder before he and JunHyung turned and hurried from the hallway.
Head still reeling after the sudden events, KyuJong drew in a shaky breath and forced himself to not think about what all this meant in his life, instead doing as he was told and starting to count down from 30.
It was just so much to take in at once…he would need a little time before he was ready to fully confront the fact that he was a Soulless. Everything that he thought he knew about himself, how he thought he was overcoming conditioning, all came down to programming after all.
The second he reached zero, KyuJong pulled the door open and ran. The dust clouds were low today, and it wasn’t long before he had disappeared into them, but he’d still been spotted. Alarms started going off behind him.
By the time voices echoed across the clearing, KyuJong was already climbing the fence and landing on the other side, wincing as the barbs at the top punctured his hand and sparks flew. But there was no time to stop and he’d had much worse injuries, and he ran full-speed into the first alley he saw.
They had told him to run straight, so that was what he did, despite the overwhelming urge to take a more swerving path. If someone shot a bullet down the alley, he would be struck; it was such a simple target.
But no one fired anything. He heard the sounds of fighting behind him, and kept running.
How far was he to go? They’d said that someone named DongWoon was going to meet up with him, but how far did he have to do before then? Had he already passed the meeting point? He was going rather fast, spurred on by upgrades he’d received a long time ago. Being Model 6, he specialized in information, not running or dexterity or strength…but he’d gotten enough upgrades from the Soulfuls to be confident with almost any task.
That brought his train of thought to the ones who usually gave him upgrades, the mechanics. JungMin and HyungJoon from his cell, KyuHyun and RyeoWook from the first cell. He remembered them all joking around in the infirmary, making crude jokes, and had to stop himself before he choked up.
Just keep running, thinking could come later.
A hand shot out from an alley opening and yanked him down the different path, another hand clamping over his mouth before he could shout. KyuJong instinctively slammed one hand into the android’s chest to push him away, and found himself staring at dark brown eyes.
“My name’s DongWoon, follow me quickly.”
And then he was being pulled along a little before his arm was released, DongWoon jogging ahead. KyuJong stumbled before hurrying to catch up.
They took twists and turns through the alleys, DongWoon offering no explanation as to where he was going. KyuJong was tempted to turn on the city interface so that he could orientate himself with a sector at least, but he wasn’t sure just what had been done to him, if it was safe.
Then something occurred to him.
“Wait, what if I’m bugged?” he called up to DongWoon, who hadn’t slowed even once. If they’d put another beacon inside him, it wouldn’t matter how far away they got.
“Were they expecting you to escape?” The other android called back.
“No, but-“
“Then you aren’t bugged. We were watching you the whole time you were there, no one bugged you.”
They’d watched him the whole time? Just what was the third cell doing inside the facility? Collecting information, probably, but what else?
What did they want with him?
There were too many questions, and that wasn’t even considering the ones he wanted to ask most…if JungMin and YoungSaeng were all right, if he would ever be able to see them again.
KyuJong swallowed and hurried to catch up, having fallen behind in his musings.
Only once he was sure they’d gone through several different sectors did DongWoon slow, glancing around the area. There was no one around, that they could see anyways. The area was still covered with a dirt cloud, KyuJong coughing as dirt got in his respiratory system.
They were in a warehouse area, probably a sector on the outskirts of the city, one of the older sectors. DongWoon brought him up to the door of a warehouse, slipping inside and motioning for him to follow.
There was nothing inside the warehouse other than storage containers, but that meant nothing to KyuJong after seeing how the Soulful HQ was hidden. Sure enough, he wasn’t disappointed as DongWoon pushed a container out of the way, exposing a trap door.
“Come on, this is where you’re going to be staying for the next little while,” DongWoon said, pulling the trap door open and motioning for KyuJong to go first. The Soulless did so warily, seeing a ladder and carefully taking it down.
“Does this connect to the main HQ underground?”
“No.”
Disappointment, but how could he have expected to ever be let back into HQ again? He was a traitor.
KyuJong’s feet touched the floor and he looked around, blinking to see in the dark. It was a dimly lit hallway, with six doors.
“This is your room.” DongWoon had come down after him, closing the trap door and standing there with one hand in his pocket and the other pointing to the room to KyuJong’s right.
“I guess I can’t go back to my apartment?” KyuJong asked softly, not that he wanted to go back to his apartment. That place meant nothing to him. He wanted to go back to HQ, to his room there, to YoungSaeng and JungMin’s room there.
“No, and you’re not going to be going anywhere at all for a long while,” DongWoon replied, nodding towards the door again. “I’m sorry, but you can understand this is a very delicate situation.”
KyuJong nodded; he understood that at least. Walking to the doorway of the room that was to be his, he looked in, faintly pleased at the colors. But it wasn’t the same as HQ, with DongHae’s painting of the forest on one wall and the canvas they’d all painted together on another.
“There’s a lot I don’t understand,” he said as he walked in, turning around to look back at the door.
DongWoon quirked a sad smile. “I’m afraid it’ll have to stay that way for a while longer. The others will be back later, for now there’s a wireless charger in the top drawer of the desk. Get some rest.” He closed the door.
KyuJong looked at the door for a long moment, hearing the unmistakable click of a lock. No matter what DooJoon said, this one at least didn’t trust him, not that KyuJong blamed him.
What was he going to do now? Everything had just been turned upside-down yet again.
He walked over to the desk, opening the top drawer. As DongWoon had said, there was a charger in there.
And a cross necklace.
Blinking in confusion, KyuJong picked it up, looking at the slightly tarnished metal. Silver. Who did this belong to? One of the third cell? It didn’t seem well cared for.
Shaking his head a little, he put the necklace back down after a moment, picking up the charger. Maybe things would make more sense once he’d woken up.
KyuJong lay down on the bed, inserting the charger into his wrist. And as he closed his eyes and drifted, he tried not to think about how the last time he’d slept on a bed, it had been with two others, a head resting lightly against his shoulder and a hand linked with his own.