FIC: "White" (Chapter Twenty)
Konbanwa, minnasan, I hope everyone out there in Cyberland is doing well! Thank you all for the wonderful get well wishes, they meant so much to me! I am finally on the rebound and hopefully I can overcome the last little bout of irritating pain tonight. (I have too, I have work tomorrow!)
On the upside, I finished the next chapter of "White." I'm really pleased how this part turned out. Apparently I write my best action sequences at 2 a.m. when I have insomnia and on pain meds! =O.o= Anyhoo, I'm looking at one more chapter and an epilogue after this, which will probably be combined into one post if it'll fit. In a way, I think it's fitting since the GTop unit will be returning to Big Bang. =^^= I hope everyone enjoys and ja ne for now! =~.^=V
"White"
By: Miracle Shining
Banner by: atenais_pala
PAIRING: GTop (Seunghyun/Jiyong), ninja!pairings
GROUPS: Big Bang, cameos by other entertainment personas
RATING: PG-13 to NC-17 (Will be notated if R or NC-17)
GENRE: AU!Future/Action/Angst/Dark/Romance
WARNINGS: Violence, Sexual Situations, Blood, Dark Themes
LEGAL JUNK: Don't own, just borrowing.
SUMMARY: Kwon Jiyong is the soul heir to Kwon Industries, the largest producer of "Companions," androids used by the wealthy for pleasure. However, when he decides to purchase a T.O.P. off the black market, he gets far more than he bargained for.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My first GTop chaptered fic. I hope everyone enjoys and thank you for the encouragment in attempting to write this! =^^=
Prologue l Chapter One l Chapter Two l Chapter Three l Chapter Four l Chapter Five l Chapter Six l Chapter Seven l Chapter Eight l Chapter Nine l Chapter Ten l Chapter Eleven l Chapter Twelve (R) l Chapter Thirteen (NC-17) l Chapter Fourteen l Chapter Fifteen (R) l Chapter Sixteen l Chapter Seventeen l Chapter Eighteen (R) l Chapter Nineteen (R) l
*****
CHAPTER TWENTY: Winds of Change ~ Rated R
The rain continued to hammer down on the people in the vehicle outside of the YG building. Daesung was gritting his teeth against the pain as he watched the stocks continue to plummet. Boa was working on keeping him from moving.
Seungri was attempting to use Taeyang's communicator to try and reaccess Rain's main system but was being continually met with new firewalls.
Taeyang looked at CL, the woman watching for the police cars from the window.
"Did you think it would go this far?" Taeyang finally asked the other.
"No." she replied simply. "I always thought that either Choi would give up on trying to find the lieutenant or we would have busted him much earlier than this."
"You never meant for Ji-hyung to get involved, did you?"
"No, I didn't. And if I could have changed how everything went, I would have. All I can say is that I'm sorry for what has happened." CL replied earnestly.
Taeyang paused before he reached over and squeezed the young woman's hand.
"I know Jiyong would understand."
CL looked down at the touch and blushed slightly. She coughed for a moment before withdrawing her hand. She went to say something to Taeyang when her virtual clipboard lit up suddenly. Her eyes went wide and she flung open the car door.
"What's going on?!" Seungri asked quickly.
"Security lockdown has been alerted on level 28!" CL answered rapidly. "Which means that we're going to have to break through to get to any levels above it!"
The young woman pointed at one of the guards.
"Contact all of our security personnel that specialize in entry and access components. We're going to need all the help we can get!"
The remaining members in the vehicle heard sirens from down the street. The flash of oncoming colored lights indicated the police were arriving. Ebony cars also came from other directions. Men and women wearing black suits stepped out, all hooked up to ear devices, carrying virtual communicators in their hands.
"This is so surreal." Daesung murmured.
"Everyone stay in the car, it'll be safer for all of you."
"I'm coming with you!" Taeyang shot back as he crawled out after CL.
"It's not safe."
"Jiyong is my best friend and you're not going to stop me!" he shot back.
CL paused before she nodded her head.
"All right. We'll get a bullet proof vest on you and a riot helmet. No weapons and stay behind the main security line. I'm probably going to lose my job for letting you do this."
The young man gave a short nod. He looked back at Seungri, Daesung and Boa in the vehicle.
"Be careful." Seungri said softly. "I'm going to see if I can help the tech crews out here. I think if I have access to a bigger system, I can probably crash Rain for good and get everything opened for all of you."
"Thanks, Ri."
"I'm going to notify all my stock insiders and let them know the situation. Then I'll have all these nasty little secrets fed to the media. This whole building will be lit up with reporters before YG can even blink."
"Thanks, Dae."
"Take care when you go in there, Youngbae." Daesung answered. "This isn't some game."
"I know. I'll be careful."
The three men reached out their hands and clapped them together. They squeezed their grips tight before releasing. CL hooked Taeyang's arm with her hand and closed the door. She guided him toward some riot officers. The men began to hook Taeyang up with the necessary protection.
"Please save Jiyong, Seunghyun. And Jiyong, save Seunghyun. You may be each other's only hope." Taeyang thought silently.
*****
Jiyong opened his eyes slowly and felt bile rising in his throat. His head was spinning and he couldn't bring his vision to settle on just one object. He swore he could hear water running nearby. The brunette let his eyelids falls shut and he drew in a slow breath. Slowly, he opened them once again.
He was sitting in an astutely designed office. The flourescent lights above his head were bright and almost garish in intensity. They even made his eyes sting. There was a desk with a series of holographic screens hanging nearby and a picture frame sitting on top. A plush chair was behind the desk and a bookcase was across the room.
Jiyong was resting in a basic office chair. The handcuff still attached to one of his wrists jingled softly. He could hear the sound of water again and slowly turned his head that direction. A tall, wavy haired man was pouring some of it from a clear pitcher into a glass. He looked up from his task and offered the smaller a cordial smile.
"Ah, you're awake, Mr. Kwon. I was afraid that I may have knocked you a bit harder than I thought. I sometimes don't know my own strength in this body."
Jiyong said nothing as the man walked over and placed the glass of water on the desk.
"I thought maybe you would like something to drink. It may be a little while before White reaches us up here."
The smaller didn't move as Dongwook slid behind the furniture and sat down. He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a small blue device. He rolled it between his fingers thoughtfully.
"You know, I could have used this when White started to come through the barrier. But I realized at that moment it may be the last time I could see him live up to the standards I created him for."
The smaller brunette looked at the device between Dongwook's tips.
"This is the key to everything, Mr. Kwon. With this, I hold complete and total control over White. A click of a button and he has no choice but to bow down to me. This is the true power of a true master. Not just one by name."
Jiyong said nothing as Dongwook moved the object into the palm of his hand. His fingers were twitching against his leg. He wanted to grab the device from the other and crush it. Almost as if reading the man's thoughts, Dongwook spoke again.
"There's no point in trying to destroy the component. If someone does, it will permanently enact a final shut down mode on White. You see, I built him with two fail safes. Just in case one didn't work. Now some how, some way, he managed to deactivate the one in his frontal lobe by himself."
The young man schooled his expression to banality to hide the shock at Dongwook's revelation. So Bom was correct, she hadn't disabled Seunghyun.
"But that was the minor of the two devices. The main one is hooked to the base cortex of White's human brain. You may have seen periodic examples of it the past couple days. The beginning pain is always a warning to indicate he is disobeying his programming. When the device finally detonates fully, it will destroy everything through his neural core. No brain, no White. Simple as that."
"Why?" Jiyong finally spoke.
"What do you mean?" Dongwook questioned as he leaned back in his seat, the object curled in his hand.
"Why would you put all this work into Seunghyun and then want to kill him?"
"Because I need to start over. White was my first, my chosen. When he is finished, I can start from scratch and rebuild him all over again. He will be resurrected and perfection will find him once again."
"You're a complete lunatic." Jiyong retorted softly.
"No. I'm a visionary and you're the stumbling block in my way."
Before Jiyong could react, Dongwook reached across and gripped his partially damaged collarbone. The nerve endings in his popped shoulder came to life and the pain spiked all the way down to his feet. His eyes rolled back and he slumped forward, sliding out of his chair and onto the floor.
Dongwook rose from behind his desk and looked down at Jiyong.
"You'll be my sacrificial lamb, Mr. Kwon."
*****
Seunghyun's eyes narrowed as he felt the bare brush of the weapon against the back of his head once again. He could hear the sound of men approaching from different angles, their footsteps echoing on the circular walkways.
"Stand and keep your hands where I can see them." a voice sounded from behind him.
The white haired man drew himself upright slowly. His vision shifted slightly to the right. He could make out a series of armor clad invdividuals to his right side. He directed his eyes to the left and could see more people. All were carrying a variety of high powered weapons.
"Now turn around slowly." the person behind him commanded.
The Companion carefully turned around on his heels, keeping his hands held out in front of him. When his profile became visible, he stood silently in front of all the security men.
"Put your hands out in front so we can handcuff you." the man instructed.
Seunghyun obediently held his wrists out to be detained. The man barking orders gestured to one of his colleagues to approach. The man was holding a different kind of cuff. This variation had a metal bar between the silver circles to ensure Seunghyun's hands could not come together. The man approached warily, his riot helmet screen covering his unsure face.
"Don't move or we'll fire." the other person stated.
The taller said nothing as the person holding the cuffs proceeded to slide the duo around his wrist. He never got the chance to click the ends together before the metal dropped from his grasp. A sudden impact and he stood very still before crumbling to the ground. The commander of the group watched the other fall. The front of his helmet had been shattered by a rapid hit. The screen had crushed in and the other's face was visible. A strike of uncharacteristic precision had broken the man's nose and the upper portion of the man's facial structure. The same impact had simlutaneously broke the upper vertebrae in the man's neck, leaving him a misshapen form on the ground.
The leader's attention flew to Seunghyun. The man was standing there holding his uncuffed wrists out as if nothing had happened.
"You're going down." he hissed.
The white haired man only tilted his head mildly at the comment.
"Please let me go. I don't want any of you. I just want to get my Master back."
"And we're not going to let you do that."
"Very well." Seunghyun sighed. "Then I will just have to go through you."
The commander trained his gun on the white haired taller. He began to pull on the trigger when he felt the grip to the front of his weapon. Before he could fire off a round, Seunghyun had disarmed him with a rapid pull. The automatic gun flew from his grip and was spun around mid air. The Companion caught the firearm with fluid grace before pulling the trigger, firing off a series of direct hits.
The leader's body armor was of no use to him as one of the bullets zipped right above and struck him through his lower throat. The red burst out as he struggled against his collapsing windpipe. Two men behind him were dropped by four of the shots, the high velocity bullets pushing right through their helmets and exploding in their frontal lobes.
"FIRE!" one of the others shouted from the group.
Guns started to ignite, sound barraging from all directions. Seunghyun dropped to his stomach and rolled, some of the bullets burying into the ground behind him. He somersaulted part way down the corridor before twirling the automatic between his fingers. He grabbed the barrell and used the blunt end as a striking device. One of the men didn't even have a chance to fire down at him before the end struck his calf. The force caused the gun's handle to dent. The man let out a scream of pain as his lower right leg's bone cracked unexpectedly.
He tumbled downwards, dropping his small handgun. The Companion grabbed the weapon as he stood and lifted the other upwards. A series of shots fired were intercepted by the security guard's form. The man spasmed and shook as the force of the bullets ripped apart his chest armor. Seunghyun pressed forward with him before tossing the still body into three of the men, crushing them underneath.
He turned on the balls of his feet, whipping out the small weapon from behind him. Two shots went flying from the front and struck two of his would-be assailants through their upper thighs. The men went crashing to the ground, the shots having ruptured their femoral arteries. He heard another approach him from behind.
He jumped unexpectedly and backflipped over the on coming guard. He could see the man's shocked expression for a split second as he reached down with his free hand. His fingers hooked underneath the other's chin as he began his descent to the ground. A nearly inaduible snap whispered by Seunghyun's head as the man's chin went beyond it's normal extension. The body fell lifeless to the ground.
The taller reached down and yanked open the fallen man's back pocket. He pulled out a knife and a cartridge for his gun. Without even looking down, he clicked his thumb against the release switch on his small pistol. He diverted his head to the left as a shot was fired. The metal whizzed by his ear, trimming off the very bottom of some of his white strands. He clicked the new cartridge into the casing at the same time. A second bullet came unexpectedly from the left. He felt the impact against his arm.
Seunghyun looked down to see that red was blossoming on his right limb, just above his elbow. His circuit bound eyes easily honed in on the one who had fired on him. His expression was unchanging as he fired off two precise hits. The man staggered briefly before falling to the ground. Maroon came flowing from the front of his helmet.
The white haired Companion bypassed a series of fallen forms and then dropped down once again, rolling through the corridor as more guards began to join the fray. He avoided another series of shots as he made his way back toward the direction Dongwook had fled with Jiyong. The unguarded corridor was suddenly blocked by another.
A much larger man came into view as Seunghyun popped to his feet. He was holding a riot shield and had a red dot trained on the other's bare forehead. The slightly smaller other paused before he started to run at the man.
The guard appeared startled for a moment before he steadied his feet and braced out his shield. Seunghyun's partially metal body struck directly into the front. The shield made a strange, almost squeaking noise as the fiberglass coating began to bend. The other let out a shout of surprise. The shield came flying off his arm, the bent piece rendered useless.
Seunghyun swung forward with the knife. The taller's bands securing his vest ripped apart and fell to the ground. Seunghyun landed with a quietly thud. The man barely glanced behind him. He didn't have time to say anything as the white haired Companion side stepped briefly to bring his body into view. Another round of shots were fired off just as Seunghyun stepped behind the security guard. His body vibrated as the bullets tore through his flesh, some of them speeding out the other side and puncturing the nearby closed door.
The screen that allowed access was struck and little sparks flew out from the front. A little smoke wafted out from the device. Seunghyun didn't even turn around as he pointed the gun behind him. He fired off three more shots and calculated his speed. He began to run toward the closed evelator door even as the remaining security guards pursued him.
He shot out his hand still holding the knife and rammed the object between the metal seams. His head moved right then left as he dodged a couple more shots. The bullet indented the metal door in front of him as he used an unseen amount of force and pulled backwards. The knife's handle snapped free as the elevator doors opened just enough for him to push his body through. Once inside, he grabbed the ragged edges with his fingertips and forced them together. A couple shots pierced through the metal once again, one of them striking Seunghyun in the upper part of his left leg. He felt the pain briefly but ignored it as he punched Rain's call screen.
The object crackled and then burst into a minature flame. Seunghyun side stepped as more gunfire started to turn the elevator doors into a riddled mess. He looked upwards and saw the emergency exit on the roof of the confined space. The white haired taller hooked his feet easily on the holding bars and pushed the small metal flap open. Though his wounded arm protested slightly, he grabbed hold of the edges and flipped himself upwards. His body bent easily through the opening. On the top of the elevator, he slammed down the hatch. Using his good foot, he kicked downwards, jamming the lock to the top.
His acute hearing picked up the men trying to make their way into the cubicle. Seunghyun's sharp gaze went upwards. There were only two levels above him currently. He ascertained that Dongwook would have to be at the very top.
Seunghyun grabbed the elevator cables and wrapped his legs around the sturdy cords. He began to scale upwards quickly. About half way to the top, he stopped and turned his body slowly. He lifted the gun that was still in his hand and fired downwards at the base of the cable hooked to the elevator. The metal smoked briefly before the sound of wiring coming undone echoed through the empty vertical corridor. Seunghyun held tight to all the cables as the elevator's top moved slightly to the left then to the right. After a moment, a snap became audible and the whole encasement began to fly down the levels of the building.
With that elevator out of use, the only other access was the back stairwells. The white haired other knew he would be able to outclimb the remaining security by the time they reached Dongwook's level. Seunghyun freed one of his hands and stuck the gun in the back of his jeans. He only had two shots left and he would have to make them count.
He scaled up the metal cables. His arm was starting to throb slightly but the dominant pain was coming from his leg. He grimaced briefly as he swung his body toward the 30th level elevator entry. His toes caught easily and he brought the rest of his body flush against the opening. His strong fingers felt along the nearly invisible line before catching the center. Seunghyun forced the doors to open with a nearly silent hiss.
He stepped inside and looked around. The floor was eerily quiet. There were no security guards and there were no flashing red lights. The whole scene made Seunghyun hyper aware. He began to walk down the single hallway that led from the elevator. His footsteps echoed on the shimmering tiled floors. He glanced behind him to see if anyone was approaching. Once again, he was met with the same intense silence.
The door at the end of the hall was sealed. He approached it and an image of Rain appeared. The computer seemed to be analyzing Seunghyun before speaking.
"Scan code?" Rain questioned.
"Let me in." he stated.
"Scan code?" Rain requested once again. "Please show me your left wrist."
Seunghyun looked at the network's image curiously before moving his unwounded arm. He unrolled his sleeve and brought the bar code into view. Rain's eyes moved back and forth before the door to the corridor came open silently.
"Access granted."
With that, Rain's image disappeared. Seunghyun felt strange as he walked through the door. He felt something that made his heart beat a little faster in his chest. It caused him to breath a little deeper as the door behind him came closed.
The next passage was just as empty as the first. There was nothing on the walls, no windows, just the hall and the wooden door at the end. The white haired man paused for a moment and tried to gather his thoughts. A sensation touched his mind in a completely different way.
It wasn't like the incredible burning at the base of his skull. It was something harder to distinguish. It encompassed him even though it wasn't painful. Seunghyun's eyebrows knit together before he realized what it was.
He was scared.
It wasn't a normal kind of fear, this was something deep rooted in the depths of his memory. Though no direct images came, he still could remember begging people to stop because it hurt. He couldn't do it any more.
He clearly recalled Dongwook's face at that moment. The man had been smiling down at him even as he was being torn apart by scalpels and machines.
He would not let the same fate happen to his precious Jiyong. He would save him even if it meant facing his greatest fear.
Seunghyun drew in his breath as he reached the end of the passage. There were still no guards or sound of any kind of movement. He stopped and Rain's image appeared once again.
"Scan code?"
The white haired Companion held up his wrist. Rain's eyes went back and forth before he returned his attention back to Seunghyun.
"Access granted. Welcome to YG's Central Network."
He looked at the door. The atmosphere was thick with tension despite him being the only one present. His clean hand grabbed the inlaid handle. He clicked on the release and the heavy wood began to pull backwards. The door opened and a flash of too bright light suddenly struck Seunghyun's still damaged eyes.
He covered them quickly, the flare up burning through his partially damaged circuits. He dropped his hands after a moment, trying to blink away the small spots that were floating in front of his vision. He glanced downwards briefly to see a body laying in front of a desk.
"Master?..." Seunghyun whispered.
The body moved a little and turned over at the sound of the other's voice. Jiyong eyelids fluttered, some of his long hair tangled around his face. There was an evident dark bruise near his temple. His arm was dangling at an unnatural angle where his shoulder had been popped free.
"MASTER!" the Companion cried without thought.
He stepped inside the office and froze. He felt the searing heat in the back of his head. He wanted to clutch his skull and scream, but nothing came out. Instead, he felt his knees lock briefly before his body came crashing down to the ground.
Jiyong's eyes opened just at the moment that Seunghyun's body descended. He watched in speechless horror as his partner landed in a crumbled pile just an arm's length from the brunette. Seunghyun's eyes were glassy and overly dialated. His face had some blood still on it and Jiyong could see the injuries that the other had sustained in his arm and leg.
"Seunghyun....." Jiyong sobbed softly.
The Companion tried to say something to Jiyong but no words came. The sound of footsteps caused both of their eyes to turn. A set of expensive leather shoes came into view. Slowly, the person lowered downwards and looked at both of them.
Dongwook had his thumb pressed on the center of a small glowing blue device. He looked at Jiyong first.
"I'm very impressed, Mr. Kwon. I've never seen White display such fortitude in attempting to retrieve anyone or anything. You should be very honored. And as for you."
The wavy haired man's attention turned to look at Seunghyun's paralyzed form on the ground. He released his thumb off the blue device. The white haired man drew in his breath as the agonizing heat in his skull began to relent. More maroon trickled out of his nose.
"Remember, my child. I made you and I can break you."
On the upside, I finished the next chapter of "White." I'm really pleased how this part turned out. Apparently I write my best action sequences at 2 a.m. when I have insomnia and on pain meds! =O.o= Anyhoo, I'm looking at one more chapter and an epilogue after this, which will probably be combined into one post if it'll fit. In a way, I think it's fitting since the GTop unit will be returning to Big Bang. =^^= I hope everyone enjoys and ja ne for now! =~.^=V
"White"
By: Miracle Shining
Banner by: atenais_pala
PAIRING: GTop (Seunghyun/Jiyong), ninja!pairings
GROUPS: Big Bang, cameos by other entertainment personas
RATING: PG-13 to NC-17 (Will be notated if R or NC-17)
GENRE: AU!Future/Action/Angst/Dark/Romance
WARNINGS: Violence, Sexual Situations, Blood, Dark Themes
LEGAL JUNK: Don't own, just borrowing.
SUMMARY: Kwon Jiyong is the soul heir to Kwon Industries, the largest producer of "Companions," androids used by the wealthy for pleasure. However, when he decides to purchase a T.O.P. off the black market, he gets far more than he bargained for.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My first GTop chaptered fic. I hope everyone enjoys and thank you for the encouragment in attempting to write this! =^^=
Prologue l Chapter One l Chapter Two l Chapter Three l Chapter Four l Chapter Five l Chapter Six l Chapter Seven l Chapter Eight l Chapter Nine l Chapter Ten l Chapter Eleven l Chapter Twelve (R) l Chapter Thirteen (NC-17) l Chapter Fourteen l Chapter Fifteen (R) l Chapter Sixteen l Chapter Seventeen l Chapter Eighteen (R) l Chapter Nineteen (R) l
*****
CHAPTER TWENTY: Winds of Change ~ Rated R
The rain continued to hammer down on the people in the vehicle outside of the YG building. Daesung was gritting his teeth against the pain as he watched the stocks continue to plummet. Boa was working on keeping him from moving.
Seungri was attempting to use Taeyang's communicator to try and reaccess Rain's main system but was being continually met with new firewalls.
Taeyang looked at CL, the woman watching for the police cars from the window.
"Did you think it would go this far?" Taeyang finally asked the other.
"No." she replied simply. "I always thought that either Choi would give up on trying to find the lieutenant or we would have busted him much earlier than this."
"You never meant for Ji-hyung to get involved, did you?"
"No, I didn't. And if I could have changed how everything went, I would have. All I can say is that I'm sorry for what has happened." CL replied earnestly.
Taeyang paused before he reached over and squeezed the young woman's hand.
"I know Jiyong would understand."
CL looked down at the touch and blushed slightly. She coughed for a moment before withdrawing her hand. She went to say something to Taeyang when her virtual clipboard lit up suddenly. Her eyes went wide and she flung open the car door.
"What's going on?!" Seungri asked quickly.
"Security lockdown has been alerted on level 28!" CL answered rapidly. "Which means that we're going to have to break through to get to any levels above it!"
The young woman pointed at one of the guards.
"Contact all of our security personnel that specialize in entry and access components. We're going to need all the help we can get!"
The remaining members in the vehicle heard sirens from down the street. The flash of oncoming colored lights indicated the police were arriving. Ebony cars also came from other directions. Men and women wearing black suits stepped out, all hooked up to ear devices, carrying virtual communicators in their hands.
"This is so surreal." Daesung murmured.
"Everyone stay in the car, it'll be safer for all of you."
"I'm coming with you!" Taeyang shot back as he crawled out after CL.
"It's not safe."
"Jiyong is my best friend and you're not going to stop me!" he shot back.
CL paused before she nodded her head.
"All right. We'll get a bullet proof vest on you and a riot helmet. No weapons and stay behind the main security line. I'm probably going to lose my job for letting you do this."
The young man gave a short nod. He looked back at Seungri, Daesung and Boa in the vehicle.
"Be careful." Seungri said softly. "I'm going to see if I can help the tech crews out here. I think if I have access to a bigger system, I can probably crash Rain for good and get everything opened for all of you."
"Thanks, Ri."
"I'm going to notify all my stock insiders and let them know the situation. Then I'll have all these nasty little secrets fed to the media. This whole building will be lit up with reporters before YG can even blink."
"Thanks, Dae."
"Take care when you go in there, Youngbae." Daesung answered. "This isn't some game."
"I know. I'll be careful."
The three men reached out their hands and clapped them together. They squeezed their grips tight before releasing. CL hooked Taeyang's arm with her hand and closed the door. She guided him toward some riot officers. The men began to hook Taeyang up with the necessary protection.
"Please save Jiyong, Seunghyun. And Jiyong, save Seunghyun. You may be each other's only hope." Taeyang thought silently.
*****
Jiyong opened his eyes slowly and felt bile rising in his throat. His head was spinning and he couldn't bring his vision to settle on just one object. He swore he could hear water running nearby. The brunette let his eyelids falls shut and he drew in a slow breath. Slowly, he opened them once again.
He was sitting in an astutely designed office. The flourescent lights above his head were bright and almost garish in intensity. They even made his eyes sting. There was a desk with a series of holographic screens hanging nearby and a picture frame sitting on top. A plush chair was behind the desk and a bookcase was across the room.
Jiyong was resting in a basic office chair. The handcuff still attached to one of his wrists jingled softly. He could hear the sound of water again and slowly turned his head that direction. A tall, wavy haired man was pouring some of it from a clear pitcher into a glass. He looked up from his task and offered the smaller a cordial smile.
"Ah, you're awake, Mr. Kwon. I was afraid that I may have knocked you a bit harder than I thought. I sometimes don't know my own strength in this body."
Jiyong said nothing as the man walked over and placed the glass of water on the desk.
"I thought maybe you would like something to drink. It may be a little while before White reaches us up here."
The smaller didn't move as Dongwook slid behind the furniture and sat down. He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a small blue device. He rolled it between his fingers thoughtfully.
"You know, I could have used this when White started to come through the barrier. But I realized at that moment it may be the last time I could see him live up to the standards I created him for."
The smaller brunette looked at the device between Dongwook's tips.
"This is the key to everything, Mr. Kwon. With this, I hold complete and total control over White. A click of a button and he has no choice but to bow down to me. This is the true power of a true master. Not just one by name."
Jiyong said nothing as Dongwook moved the object into the palm of his hand. His fingers were twitching against his leg. He wanted to grab the device from the other and crush it. Almost as if reading the man's thoughts, Dongwook spoke again.
"There's no point in trying to destroy the component. If someone does, it will permanently enact a final shut down mode on White. You see, I built him with two fail safes. Just in case one didn't work. Now some how, some way, he managed to deactivate the one in his frontal lobe by himself."
The young man schooled his expression to banality to hide the shock at Dongwook's revelation. So Bom was correct, she hadn't disabled Seunghyun.
"But that was the minor of the two devices. The main one is hooked to the base cortex of White's human brain. You may have seen periodic examples of it the past couple days. The beginning pain is always a warning to indicate he is disobeying his programming. When the device finally detonates fully, it will destroy everything through his neural core. No brain, no White. Simple as that."
"Why?" Jiyong finally spoke.
"What do you mean?" Dongwook questioned as he leaned back in his seat, the object curled in his hand.
"Why would you put all this work into Seunghyun and then want to kill him?"
"Because I need to start over. White was my first, my chosen. When he is finished, I can start from scratch and rebuild him all over again. He will be resurrected and perfection will find him once again."
"You're a complete lunatic." Jiyong retorted softly.
"No. I'm a visionary and you're the stumbling block in my way."
Before Jiyong could react, Dongwook reached across and gripped his partially damaged collarbone. The nerve endings in his popped shoulder came to life and the pain spiked all the way down to his feet. His eyes rolled back and he slumped forward, sliding out of his chair and onto the floor.
Dongwook rose from behind his desk and looked down at Jiyong.
"You'll be my sacrificial lamb, Mr. Kwon."
*****
Seunghyun's eyes narrowed as he felt the bare brush of the weapon against the back of his head once again. He could hear the sound of men approaching from different angles, their footsteps echoing on the circular walkways.
"Stand and keep your hands where I can see them." a voice sounded from behind him.
The white haired man drew himself upright slowly. His vision shifted slightly to the right. He could make out a series of armor clad invdividuals to his right side. He directed his eyes to the left and could see more people. All were carrying a variety of high powered weapons.
"Now turn around slowly." the person behind him commanded.
The Companion carefully turned around on his heels, keeping his hands held out in front of him. When his profile became visible, he stood silently in front of all the security men.
"Put your hands out in front so we can handcuff you." the man instructed.
Seunghyun obediently held his wrists out to be detained. The man barking orders gestured to one of his colleagues to approach. The man was holding a different kind of cuff. This variation had a metal bar between the silver circles to ensure Seunghyun's hands could not come together. The man approached warily, his riot helmet screen covering his unsure face.
"Don't move or we'll fire." the other person stated.
The taller said nothing as the person holding the cuffs proceeded to slide the duo around his wrist. He never got the chance to click the ends together before the metal dropped from his grasp. A sudden impact and he stood very still before crumbling to the ground. The commander of the group watched the other fall. The front of his helmet had been shattered by a rapid hit. The screen had crushed in and the other's face was visible. A strike of uncharacteristic precision had broken the man's nose and the upper portion of the man's facial structure. The same impact had simlutaneously broke the upper vertebrae in the man's neck, leaving him a misshapen form on the ground.
The leader's attention flew to Seunghyun. The man was standing there holding his uncuffed wrists out as if nothing had happened.
"You're going down." he hissed.
The white haired man only tilted his head mildly at the comment.
"Please let me go. I don't want any of you. I just want to get my Master back."
"And we're not going to let you do that."
"Very well." Seunghyun sighed. "Then I will just have to go through you."
The commander trained his gun on the white haired taller. He began to pull on the trigger when he felt the grip to the front of his weapon. Before he could fire off a round, Seunghyun had disarmed him with a rapid pull. The automatic gun flew from his grip and was spun around mid air. The Companion caught the firearm with fluid grace before pulling the trigger, firing off a series of direct hits.
The leader's body armor was of no use to him as one of the bullets zipped right above and struck him through his lower throat. The red burst out as he struggled against his collapsing windpipe. Two men behind him were dropped by four of the shots, the high velocity bullets pushing right through their helmets and exploding in their frontal lobes.
"FIRE!" one of the others shouted from the group.
Guns started to ignite, sound barraging from all directions. Seunghyun dropped to his stomach and rolled, some of the bullets burying into the ground behind him. He somersaulted part way down the corridor before twirling the automatic between his fingers. He grabbed the barrell and used the blunt end as a striking device. One of the men didn't even have a chance to fire down at him before the end struck his calf. The force caused the gun's handle to dent. The man let out a scream of pain as his lower right leg's bone cracked unexpectedly.
He tumbled downwards, dropping his small handgun. The Companion grabbed the weapon as he stood and lifted the other upwards. A series of shots fired were intercepted by the security guard's form. The man spasmed and shook as the force of the bullets ripped apart his chest armor. Seunghyun pressed forward with him before tossing the still body into three of the men, crushing them underneath.
He turned on the balls of his feet, whipping out the small weapon from behind him. Two shots went flying from the front and struck two of his would-be assailants through their upper thighs. The men went crashing to the ground, the shots having ruptured their femoral arteries. He heard another approach him from behind.
He jumped unexpectedly and backflipped over the on coming guard. He could see the man's shocked expression for a split second as he reached down with his free hand. His fingers hooked underneath the other's chin as he began his descent to the ground. A nearly inaduible snap whispered by Seunghyun's head as the man's chin went beyond it's normal extension. The body fell lifeless to the ground.
The taller reached down and yanked open the fallen man's back pocket. He pulled out a knife and a cartridge for his gun. Without even looking down, he clicked his thumb against the release switch on his small pistol. He diverted his head to the left as a shot was fired. The metal whizzed by his ear, trimming off the very bottom of some of his white strands. He clicked the new cartridge into the casing at the same time. A second bullet came unexpectedly from the left. He felt the impact against his arm.
Seunghyun looked down to see that red was blossoming on his right limb, just above his elbow. His circuit bound eyes easily honed in on the one who had fired on him. His expression was unchanging as he fired off two precise hits. The man staggered briefly before falling to the ground. Maroon came flowing from the front of his helmet.
The white haired Companion bypassed a series of fallen forms and then dropped down once again, rolling through the corridor as more guards began to join the fray. He avoided another series of shots as he made his way back toward the direction Dongwook had fled with Jiyong. The unguarded corridor was suddenly blocked by another.
A much larger man came into view as Seunghyun popped to his feet. He was holding a riot shield and had a red dot trained on the other's bare forehead. The slightly smaller other paused before he started to run at the man.
The guard appeared startled for a moment before he steadied his feet and braced out his shield. Seunghyun's partially metal body struck directly into the front. The shield made a strange, almost squeaking noise as the fiberglass coating began to bend. The other let out a shout of surprise. The shield came flying off his arm, the bent piece rendered useless.
Seunghyun swung forward with the knife. The taller's bands securing his vest ripped apart and fell to the ground. Seunghyun landed with a quietly thud. The man barely glanced behind him. He didn't have time to say anything as the white haired Companion side stepped briefly to bring his body into view. Another round of shots were fired off just as Seunghyun stepped behind the security guard. His body vibrated as the bullets tore through his flesh, some of them speeding out the other side and puncturing the nearby closed door.
The screen that allowed access was struck and little sparks flew out from the front. A little smoke wafted out from the device. Seunghyun didn't even turn around as he pointed the gun behind him. He fired off three more shots and calculated his speed. He began to run toward the closed evelator door even as the remaining security guards pursued him.
He shot out his hand still holding the knife and rammed the object between the metal seams. His head moved right then left as he dodged a couple more shots. The bullet indented the metal door in front of him as he used an unseen amount of force and pulled backwards. The knife's handle snapped free as the elevator doors opened just enough for him to push his body through. Once inside, he grabbed the ragged edges with his fingertips and forced them together. A couple shots pierced through the metal once again, one of them striking Seunghyun in the upper part of his left leg. He felt the pain briefly but ignored it as he punched Rain's call screen.
The object crackled and then burst into a minature flame. Seunghyun side stepped as more gunfire started to turn the elevator doors into a riddled mess. He looked upwards and saw the emergency exit on the roof of the confined space. The white haired taller hooked his feet easily on the holding bars and pushed the small metal flap open. Though his wounded arm protested slightly, he grabbed hold of the edges and flipped himself upwards. His body bent easily through the opening. On the top of the elevator, he slammed down the hatch. Using his good foot, he kicked downwards, jamming the lock to the top.
His acute hearing picked up the men trying to make their way into the cubicle. Seunghyun's sharp gaze went upwards. There were only two levels above him currently. He ascertained that Dongwook would have to be at the very top.
Seunghyun grabbed the elevator cables and wrapped his legs around the sturdy cords. He began to scale upwards quickly. About half way to the top, he stopped and turned his body slowly. He lifted the gun that was still in his hand and fired downwards at the base of the cable hooked to the elevator. The metal smoked briefly before the sound of wiring coming undone echoed through the empty vertical corridor. Seunghyun held tight to all the cables as the elevator's top moved slightly to the left then to the right. After a moment, a snap became audible and the whole encasement began to fly down the levels of the building.
With that elevator out of use, the only other access was the back stairwells. The white haired other knew he would be able to outclimb the remaining security by the time they reached Dongwook's level. Seunghyun freed one of his hands and stuck the gun in the back of his jeans. He only had two shots left and he would have to make them count.
He scaled up the metal cables. His arm was starting to throb slightly but the dominant pain was coming from his leg. He grimaced briefly as he swung his body toward the 30th level elevator entry. His toes caught easily and he brought the rest of his body flush against the opening. His strong fingers felt along the nearly invisible line before catching the center. Seunghyun forced the doors to open with a nearly silent hiss.
He stepped inside and looked around. The floor was eerily quiet. There were no security guards and there were no flashing red lights. The whole scene made Seunghyun hyper aware. He began to walk down the single hallway that led from the elevator. His footsteps echoed on the shimmering tiled floors. He glanced behind him to see if anyone was approaching. Once again, he was met with the same intense silence.
The door at the end of the hall was sealed. He approached it and an image of Rain appeared. The computer seemed to be analyzing Seunghyun before speaking.
"Scan code?" Rain questioned.
"Let me in." he stated.
"Scan code?" Rain requested once again. "Please show me your left wrist."
Seunghyun looked at the network's image curiously before moving his unwounded arm. He unrolled his sleeve and brought the bar code into view. Rain's eyes moved back and forth before the door to the corridor came open silently.
"Access granted."
With that, Rain's image disappeared. Seunghyun felt strange as he walked through the door. He felt something that made his heart beat a little faster in his chest. It caused him to breath a little deeper as the door behind him came closed.
The next passage was just as empty as the first. There was nothing on the walls, no windows, just the hall and the wooden door at the end. The white haired man paused for a moment and tried to gather his thoughts. A sensation touched his mind in a completely different way.
It wasn't like the incredible burning at the base of his skull. It was something harder to distinguish. It encompassed him even though it wasn't painful. Seunghyun's eyebrows knit together before he realized what it was.
He was scared.
It wasn't a normal kind of fear, this was something deep rooted in the depths of his memory. Though no direct images came, he still could remember begging people to stop because it hurt. He couldn't do it any more.
He clearly recalled Dongwook's face at that moment. The man had been smiling down at him even as he was being torn apart by scalpels and machines.
He would not let the same fate happen to his precious Jiyong. He would save him even if it meant facing his greatest fear.
Seunghyun drew in his breath as he reached the end of the passage. There were still no guards or sound of any kind of movement. He stopped and Rain's image appeared once again.
"Scan code?"
The white haired Companion held up his wrist. Rain's eyes went back and forth before he returned his attention back to Seunghyun.
"Access granted. Welcome to YG's Central Network."
He looked at the door. The atmosphere was thick with tension despite him being the only one present. His clean hand grabbed the inlaid handle. He clicked on the release and the heavy wood began to pull backwards. The door opened and a flash of too bright light suddenly struck Seunghyun's still damaged eyes.
He covered them quickly, the flare up burning through his partially damaged circuits. He dropped his hands after a moment, trying to blink away the small spots that were floating in front of his vision. He glanced downwards briefly to see a body laying in front of a desk.
"Master?..." Seunghyun whispered.
The body moved a little and turned over at the sound of the other's voice. Jiyong eyelids fluttered, some of his long hair tangled around his face. There was an evident dark bruise near his temple. His arm was dangling at an unnatural angle where his shoulder had been popped free.
"MASTER!" the Companion cried without thought.
He stepped inside the office and froze. He felt the searing heat in the back of his head. He wanted to clutch his skull and scream, but nothing came out. Instead, he felt his knees lock briefly before his body came crashing down to the ground.
Jiyong's eyes opened just at the moment that Seunghyun's body descended. He watched in speechless horror as his partner landed in a crumbled pile just an arm's length from the brunette. Seunghyun's eyes were glassy and overly dialated. His face had some blood still on it and Jiyong could see the injuries that the other had sustained in his arm and leg.
"Seunghyun....." Jiyong sobbed softly.
The Companion tried to say something to Jiyong but no words came. The sound of footsteps caused both of their eyes to turn. A set of expensive leather shoes came into view. Slowly, the person lowered downwards and looked at both of them.
Dongwook had his thumb pressed on the center of a small glowing blue device. He looked at Jiyong first.
"I'm very impressed, Mr. Kwon. I've never seen White display such fortitude in attempting to retrieve anyone or anything. You should be very honored. And as for you."
The wavy haired man's attention turned to look at Seunghyun's paralyzed form on the ground. He released his thumb off the blue device. The white haired man drew in his breath as the agonizing heat in his skull began to relent. More maroon trickled out of his nose.
"Remember, my child. I made you and I can break you."