validation pt 11
Title: Validation
Chapter: 11/?
Author: notochrasy
Rating: PG
Pairing: it's complicated (originally Luhan/Kris)
Genre: AU, Drama, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Summary:
55 years after a new radioactive mineral has been discovered and used as a new nuclear energy source for Earth,
the human population has changed. Exposure to the radiation to the natural human fertilisation process is hazardous.
Potential genetic anomalies may be overcome through the use of genetic engineering to assist IVF treatment.
Your choice to conceive naturally may be the choice that brings humanity to its demise.
Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, blah blah blah.
Word count: ~4800
A/N: Please don't hate me, lol. and like always it's good to reread the last few chapters to refresh your memories. and because they all linked…… 8D
chapters: one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven
“Lu…Han…” Kris breathes the name and feels a cold sensation wash over his back. His legs feel weak and he feels himself sway a little, and he staggers backwards into a row of ferns.
“Are you okay??” Zitao rushes over to Kris’ side and extends his hands to steady Kris.
“I’m fine…” Kris murmurs, pushing Zitao’s hands away. “I just… I think it’s the humidity of the greenhouse. I’m not used to it.”
“Maybe you should step outside, come on.”
The cold air outside compared to the stuffy interior of the greenhouse comes as a slight shock. Kris feels his chest tighten and inhaling becomes a little difficult. There’s a feeling of dread that crawls under his skin as he opens up the folder again to scan through the names. His fingers hover over Luhan’s listing.
“You know him?” Zitao asks, peering over Kris’ shoulder.
Kris looks up from the folder, “Do you?”
Zitao hesitates a little before he answers, “No.”
“You’re going to have to be a better liar than that.”
“Is he important? He’s been off the registry for a while now.”
Kris closes the folder, “What can you tell me about him?”
“I feel that he must be important for you to ask about him.” Zitao says.
“He’s just someone I know.”
“Are you friends with many Invalids?” Zitao inquires further.
“I…” Kris pauses, tossing the question around in his head, “I don’t know how to answer that.”
“Your father was friends with many Invalids… if you are here to see him, you must feel they are important too.”
“Honestly, I just don’t understand them.” Kris admits.
Zitao throws Kris a bemused look, “Aren’t you the same as your father? Don’t you work with Invalids?”
“I am not the same as my father.” Kris emphasizes, but then sighs, “Strangely, working with them for this long hasn’t really helped shed light on…my situation.”
“Your situation? Got some Invalid infestation or something?” Zitao quips as he wanders over to sit down on small rickety wooden bench leaning against the greenhouse wall.
Kris measures his breath in strides as he follows Zitao, wanting to feel the relief in his legs after standing for so long. Once seated, he exhales and his shoulders fall.
“I have an Invalid who has a book made from his own skin.” Kris waits for Zitao’s reaction before he continues, but there’s nothing. “He writes in the book to create…these… dream worlds.”
Zitao nods slowly, “Dream worlds… Like in that movie Inception?”
Kris frowns, “…Incep…tion?”
“You don’t know it? It’s an old movie now I guess. There’s an architect that designs worlds for dreamers and..”
“Can we focus for a minute?”
“Okay okay…but I don’t understand how this skin book is relevant…”
Kris purses his lips before answering, “The thing is, I don’t know any Cases like that. I don’t know any Invalids that can teleport not only physically but within the mind. There’s nothing in books, no journals, no record of anything like this Case. That’s why I’m here. I needed to ask my father for the list of all the Invalids he’s assisted with rehabilitation to see if there were any similar Cases.”
“You should’ve said so earlier.” Zitao chides.
“I didn’t think you’d be of any use.” Kris mutters under his breath.
“Excuse me?”
“I didn’t think you’d be able to help me.” Kris says, in earnest.
“Well, I helped you didn’t I?” Ziao points to the blue folder in Kris’ hand.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Zitao smiles slightly, “No problem.” He then looks away from Kris towards the stony path, “To be honest, I knew you were Mr Li’s son as soon as I saw you.”
“…How?”
“I got a phone call saying you’ll be needing a replacement Scorpion Tail. And it was urgent. But… confidential.”
Confused, Kris shakes his head and stands up, letting the folder drop to the ground, “Why would I need a replacement Scorpion Tail?”
Zitao picks up the folder and brushes off the grit, “Because each Tail has a unique expiration date… wait you don’t know do you?” His eyes narrow as he shifts his gaze towards Kris.
“Why does it seem like there are so many things being kept from me... Do you know who called?”
Zitao shrugs, “No, they only said they were from the Favona Institute.”
“Maybe it was Joonmyun.”
“Is Joonmyun old? Because the guy on the phone sounded really old.”
Kris sighs in frustration, “He’s not old.” Kris paces up and down along the path before coming back to the bench, “Are you sure the call was from Favona?”
Zitao nods, “Yes… They quoted an access code number from Favona, but it just was a number that I didn’t recognize personally.”
“Did they say who I needed the Scorpion Tail for?”
Zitao’s fingers trace along the plastic binder of the folder. “Yes, but I don’t think it’s a name you want to hear…”
“Luhan, isn’t it?” Kris says, hands rubbing at his temples.
“If it helps, the guy who called said he was Luhan’s father.” Zitao offers.
“…”
Zitao squirms a little, “Is that something that you also didn’t want to hear?”
“He doesn’t have a father.” Kris replies offhandedly.
“That’s not possible, you can’t fertilize an ovum without sperm.” Zitao points out.
“That’s not what I mean… He doesn’t know his father. His father abandoned him.”
“Well I guess he finally came around?” Zitao smiles.
Kris’ expression sours, “You have no idea how....sickeningly idealistic you are.”
Zitao stands up and closes the distance between them, “Look, I’m a simple guy. All you city folk think too much and have your preconceived ideas about things and these weird cultural notions you follow… it’s all etiquette that is built on false pretenses. It’s all just dumb politics.”
“You think this is about etiquette?” Kris scoffs, “And you don’t even know anything about politics.”
“I know enough to not get involved with it.” Zitao says, firmly.
“Politics is everything.”
“No it’s not. Just stop with the politics and unclutter your mind.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Your father did it.”
Kris turns away, “Yeah, he uncluttered his mind to the point of insanity. I’m not exactly planning on following my father’s footsteps.”
“You may have escaped his name, but you can’t escape his legacy.”
“I can do what I want.” Kris snaps.
Zitao smiles sadly and hands Kris the folder, “You can try.” And he walks away.
Kris holds folder open in his hands, feeling it’ weight, but once he sees Luhan’s name printed so boldly in ink, he closes it. He contemplates Luhan’s paternity and curses. Despite having felt sympathy for Luhan’s fatherless childhood, Kris now suddenly feels anger. But towards himself. Even a father who had resorted to abandonment can come back to help his child in it’s time of need. But how is it that his own father can live without ever even reaching out to him. Tears prick his eyes but he blinks them away, then follows the path through the garden back towards the main house. He reaches the front of the property to find the bundle of papers his father handed him still lying on the stone steps, so he picks it up, scanning the ground for the worn piece of string that kept it all together.
As he begins to wrap the string around the bundle, his mind keeps flashing back to Luhan’s face, and his name in the folder. Will Luhan’s true history and blood be revealed…or hidden? And at what price? Kris broods over the possibility that he might be the one who will end up exposing him.
“But not until I talk to him first.” Kris murmurs and walks back up the cobblestone path towards the driveway of white gravel where he parked his car. Sliding back into the car, he throws the bundle of papers and the folder in the seat beside him and fishes out his phone. Kris scrolls through his contacts and pressed down on Luhan’s contact icon. The icon is a photo Luhan personally took of himself the first time they met. The photo used to mean nothing to Kris, but now as he took his thumb away from the icon, the photo fostered so much confusion and guilt, anger and resentment.
Kris puts the phone up to his ear and listens to the connecting tone.
Several minutes pass and there’s no answer so he hangs up. He leans his head onto the steering wheel, the leather warm from baking in the sun’s rays. He then takes his tablet out from under his seat and scans in a few of his father’s sketches of the Scorpion Tail and the contents of the folder. He runs several sketches from different angles into a 3D imaging software and stares at the intricate design. Kris sets it aside, picks up his phone again and redials. A minute passes and Kris is about to hang up, but then there’s a muted beep and a soft voice at the other end.
“Kris?”
The voice was not Luhan’s, but it was easily recognizable, “…Lay, what are you doing with Luhan’s phone?”
“Oh… Kris, he’s just… sleeping.”
“It’s a Monday afternoon, how the hell can he be sleeping?”
“He’s a bit sick at the moment, Kris. So he’s sleeping here so I can keep an eye on him.”
“I need to talk to him though.”
“I’ll let him know you called when he wakes up.”
Kris exhales loudly, “You can do better. Can you get him to open up to you about his father? Or his mother? Whoever, I don’t care.”
“What? Why?”
“There are some things I’ve found out about Luhan’s paternity that I’m going to be investigating. Just ask him about his past. Anything he’s received from his mother or anyone significant in his life. Just do me this favor.”
“Should I be worried?”
“I’m sure Luhan will be fine.”
“No, I’m worried about you. You sound strange. Are you alone?”
Kris’ eyes focus on the bricked house ahead, “Lay, just trust me. I’ll call back later.” And with that, he hangs up and turns his phone off. He then starts the car and reverses off the white gravel, but instead of turning to go back onto the open road, he drives slowly up the wide cobblestone path.
Kris looks on to see Zitao in the distance picking up the broomstick once again, sweeping the path.
“Zitao.” Kris calls out to him from the open car window, the timbre of his voice rustling the leaves.
The boy walks over but says nothing.
Kris looks up at the boy from inside his car, “I have an offer for you. Would you like to come along? Get out of this place?”
“Why would I?” Zitao replies, without hesitation.
“I don’t know, there’s a lot to see in the inner city.”
Kris catches a spark in the boy’s eyes that he’s never seen before. And it surprises him when Zitao leans toward the open window and places a hand on his shoulder. Kris can feel the warmth of the boy’s hand through the thin fabric of his shirt.
“Jiaheng…”
“Kris.” Kris corrects immediately.
“Jiaheng. I know this will be a hard journey for you. But it’s something you must do alone. I wish I could help, I really do. But my place is here, with your father. He’s helped me so much…to leave now… it feels very wrong…” Tao’s expression is thoughtful, his eyes kind. “He needs me here.”
While Kris understood Zitao’s debt and his father’s need of constant care, he felt a slight ache in his heart as he realized that it really should be a son by his father’s side. Could it be that the offer of freedom would only be considered after many more years of servitude? Or has a true bond grown from a union built on obligation.
All these years, Zitao still feels his place is here. Yet all these years Kris has never considered for a second that his father might need him. Is there some deep seated problem that feeds this carelessness?
“I’ll take care of him.” Zitao offers his hand out and Kris takes it in a firm grip.
“I don’t approve of his methods, can you tell him that, when he is lucid again?”
As Kris’ car drives off, Zitao nods and whispers, “He’ll still love you. No matter what.”
* * *
The Favona Institute is large. Even calling it large is an understatement. There is nothing inconspicuous about the building, and as Kris drives through the gates he feels nauseous. Pushing the overwhelming urge to throw up aside, he finds a parking spot, slots his tablet into its case and gets out of the car. He approaches the entrance of the building with caution, but there’s a man standing outside the doors in a dark blue suit that ushers him in.
It takes a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior of Favona. Kris glances around and walks towards the front desk.
The person behind the desk is young, his face just a boy with a cheery disposition. “Good evening sir, may I help you?”
Kris eyes the nametag as its plastic corners catch the soft light. Taemin.
“Yes, Taemin. I need to talk to one of your superiors, Suho.”
The boy smiles, “Do you have an appointment?”
“No I don’t, but this is very important. I’m a friend of his.” Kris stresses.
Taemin holds the smile and stares with unblinking eyes, “Would you like me to look up his next available appointment time?”
“I really don’t have time to wait.”
Taemin doesn’t blink, “But I really can’t let you see him without an appointment.”
Kris brings down his fist on the desk, “The Scorpion Tail. Perhaps that may persuade you otherwise.” He pulls out his tablet and places it down onto the desk, flipping the cover open and initiating the file projector.
The 3D image of the Scorpion Tail flickers and Taemin’s face pales.
The boy then pushes an access card across the desk towards Kris.
“Just… go in.”
* * *
As Kris strides down the wide hallways of Favona Institute, he’s suddenly caught by how strikingly different it is to the Trident Facility. While Trident is cold and clinical, Favona left Kris with a much warmer impression. Furnished with dark wood décor similar to that of 1940’s Shanghai, the hallways boasted elegance, while soft light exuded from clouded glass lanterns.
Casting his eyes upon the intricate patterned walls, Kris accidentally stumbles into someone walking past. He swiftly bows and apologizes, but when he lifts his head, he’s greeted by a familiar face.
“Jongdae? Chen… what…”
Jongdae is equally surprised, “Kris! Fancy seeing you here. I thought you were taking a sabbatical.”
“I was, I mean…I am, technically…still on sabbatical.” Kris stumbles over his words.
“Mm I figured so when you were absent for yesterday’s dental check up back at Trident.”
Kris’ face softens, “Yeah, I was going to reschedule anyway… But what are you doing here?”
“I actually work here.” Jongdae replies.
“At Favona?” Kris cocks his head the side.
“Yes, at Favona.”
Kris stares at Jongdae in disbelief, “I thought you had your own practice.”
“I did, until about 6 months ago when I was bought out by Favona…”
“They bought you out? How much did they offer you?”
Jongdae considers the question, “Enough to settle a few debts, and whatever debts I may come across for the rest of my life.”
Kris shakes his head disapprovingly, “I didn’t really think you were the type to sell out.”
“I had no choice. They made it pretty clear, if you’re not with them, you’re against them and well… I needed the money…”
“You could’ve come to me, you know.” Kris responds solemnly.
“I know, and I would’ve if they hadn’t come to me first.”
Kris sighs, “A growing conglomerate.”
“That they are…oh Kris, I don’t know if this should stay off the record or not, but that new Carer at Trident, he needs to be checked out.”
A sudden jolt of worry sparks in Kris’ mind, “Checked out?”
“He reacted to some of my equipment… in a similar way to how an Invalid would. But his reaction was so much more severe and well… all together different...” Jongdae struggle to find the right words.
“What do you mean?”
Jongdae lowers his voice just above a whisper, “They’re keeping it under wraps back there but I don’t think he’s gonna make it. It’s like he’s experiencing some immunological rejection. His body is rejecting itself…”
“Ah shit… The expiration date.”
“Expiration date?”
Kris begins walking away and turns back,“I’m really sorry Jongdae, but I’ve got to go and deal with something. I’ll keep in touch.”
Kris quickens his pace through the hallways, his eyes scanning the door signs for Joonmyun’s “Suho”. As he ventures deeper into the core of the building, he feels the temperature warming and he unbuttons the top of his shirt, and fingers his collar. It suddenly hits him that he doesn’t really know how he’s going to confront Joonmyun. He had been in such a rush to get to Favona, and his head has been so occupied with the issue of Luhan. Kris had completely disregarded how he was to go about this encounter with Joonmyun. His pace slows down and he slides his tablet out from its case. He stares at it, wondering if he’ll even need to use it. Ideally it wouldn’t have to come to that, and that Joonmyun would just cooperate… and perhaps Joonmyun had some logical explanation to his role in this entire incident. He wants to give his friend the benefit of the doubt, but considering how entrenched in Favona Joonmyun is, Kris just can’t stomach the idea of Joonmyun going behind his back to follow down his father’s path.
Before Kris can collect his thoughts, Joonmyun’s door was before him, the door sign with “Suho” printed in gold was illuminated with a soft glow. Kris stands there, unmoving. After a moment, Kris lifts his hand to knock but decides otherwise and turns the door handle, pushing the door open.
The room is lavish, dark wooden panels and a pearl marble finish along the ground. There’s a musky scent that lingers in the air along with the smell of sweat and alcohol.
Joonmyun is seated at his large marble top desk, hands clasping a small book. He looks up slowly when Kris enters the room.
“Kris… welcome to my humble abode…”
Kris rolls his eyes, “Save it Joonmyun. I think you owe me an explanation.”
Joonmyun stares at Kris intently, “Do you mind? It’s a bit warm in here.” Joonmyun puts down his book and slides his finger across the touch panel embedded in the desk. A cold gust of air jets out of the ventilation system.
Kris finds the sudden chill uncomfortable and clenches his jaw.
“How long were you going to keep the charade up, Joonmyun? You conspired behind my back, you’re in league with my father... Does our friendship mean so little to you?”
“Is the cold bothering you?”
Kris brushes off Joonmyun’s question, “Now I understand how you could never condemn the old man out loud. So what was it? A hand in your pocket or a gun at your neck?
And all this time, you asking about my father? And then telling me I should get in touch with him? What, were you mocking me? You walk the hallways of your damn institute, using technology based on my father’s prototypes and you act like that isn’t going to affect our friendship? You honestly have some nerve.” Kris shakes his head and looks away, “Just looking at you makes me want to throw up now.”
There’s a feeling of subdued rage simmering in the pit of Kris’ stomach, his jaw is tense but his muscles begin to ache from the temperature drop of the room.
“I’m honestly disappointed in you…” Kris hesitates as he catches a glimpse of his warm breath ghost into fog. “I… I thought you had more in you. But I guess you’ve just ended up being one of his pawns.”
With a snigger, Joonmyun stands up and walks around his desk towards Kris, “Weren’t you one first though?”
Kris glares at Joonmyun, “Excuse me?”
“You’re as much of a pawn as everyone else. Cryonics… He did his first cryogenic experiments on you, didn’t he? I can see that some of the side effects still plague you.” Joonmyun points to the slight tremor in Kris’ hand.
It’s only when Joonmyun mentions it that Kris realizes the physical manifestations of his side effects, “Why the hell would you bring that up now? And for fuck’s sake stop with the cold. Do you want to die in here too?”
Joonmyun leans against the edge of his desk, “You’re not any better than any of us, Kris. Don’t go around acting so self-righteous just because you decided that your father’s methods were beneath you. So get off that high horse of yours and stop taking it so personally, he changed the entire field of Invalid rehabilitation.”
Kris sticks his hands into his pockets to hide the tremor, “Suppressing powers is not rehabilitation. And the Scorpion Tail has an expiration date you know. It’s not gonna last an entire life time.”
Straightening up suddenly, Joonmyun presses his palms together. “An expiration date? The half life of all the materials used is well beyond a single lifetime so why would expiration date even matter.”
“Because each expiration date is unique. The Tail’s life span is directly proportional to the frequency of which manifested powers are used. Luhan has one, and since I doubt he has any knowledge of it, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been using any of whatever powers he as.”
Joonmyun arches a brow, “Luhan?”
Kris snorts, “Don’t play dumb with me. You really think I don’t know about your involvement? You even asked about him when you visited Trident.”
Joonmyun puts his hands up defensively, “Look, I had nothing to with his procedure, it was before my time.”
“His name is in the paperwork.”
“I know that.” Joonmyun replies flatly.
“And you decided that this piece of information was just completely irrelevant?” Kris says accusingly.
“He’s not harming anyone, is he? He’s doing a lot better than anyone anticipated, that’s why the Elites left him alone.”
Kris groans, “The Elite Circle knows about Luhan?”
“Yeah, and you would’ve known too if you took up my offer of joining the Elites.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. This is ridiculous.”
Joonmyun grins, “We could’ve traded a lot of information if you became one of us. It would’ve been a symbiotic relationship.”
Kris glowers at the thought, “There is no quid pro quo in this. You deserve nothing, Joonmyun. Nothing. There’s a possibility that Luhan might die if he doesn’t get the right medical attention so I don’t have time for this.”
“I could help you.”
“No… I’m not gonnget roped intothis.” Kris’ speech slurs a little and alarm triggers in his head.
“Cryonics works.”
Kris fumbles his way to the wall, “What?”
“Not exactly in the way your father intended it to, but we have an asset here at the Favona Institute that could be of assistance.”
“An asset?” Kris rests against the wall but then feels a chill seeping into his back.
“Yes, he’s Favona property.”
“He? A person?” Kris can only manage short phrases as he feels his mouth go numb.
“An Invalid.”
“…”
“He has the power of cryokinesis, he can manipulate cold, frost, ice. I mean, this display right here is all him.” Joonmyun gestures to the surrounding room.
“You want me… to use him?
“I wouldn’t say ‘use’ exactly, but yes, something along the lines of that.”
“No. It’s… not ethical.” Kris gasps between words.
“You’re going to need all the help you can get Kris. And his powers are very effective.”
“Humans?”
“Yes, on humans and Invalids too, and… as you now know, Luhan is of that kind.”
“Luhan…” Kris coughs.
“Is an Invalid.” Joonmyun says brightly. “Speaking of Invalids, did you know who decided to pay Favona a visit the other day?”
“Stop with questions. Just… say it.” Kris coughs again, finding it increasingly hard to control his breathing.
“We arrested an Invalid trespassing 2 days ago. To my surprise, I recognized the man.”
Kris waves his hand, staying silent, motioning Joonmyun to continue.
“Wow, you’re persevering quite well, Kris. You see he was caught issuing a new Scorpion Tail. He actually tried calling straight to your father’s property.”
This triggers a stream of memories of his father, blurred by the cold, clouded by his own consciousness.
The image of a glass roof closing down on him as a child flashes in his mind, and the feeling of a penetrating cold that wraps around his entire being as his father would tell him stories. Every memory of his father seemed enveloped in coldness.
Joonmyun’s voice brings him back, but the voice sounds distant and unclear.
“… by the time I got there he was remanded in custody and wouldn’t say who the tail was for. Just that he needed to help someone he loved. And at first, I thought it might be you he needed to help. You were always his favorite after all.”
“What…” Kris’ voice is raspy and he closes his eyes as his skull begins to throb.
“Professor Wan. He was here. And he’s an Invalid.”
Kris can almost feel the blood draining from his face, and he remembers his father’s reaction to the graduation photo of him and Joonmyun with the Professor Wan.
Kris suddenly lunges forward at Joonmyun. “Turn… it… off…….He has a son. He’s helping… his son.”
Joonmyun opens the touch panel in his desk and slides his fingers across it again. “He has a son?”
Kris bends over, dry heaving, spluttering as he tries to gain back control of his speech. “Luhan is his son. Which means Luhan is genetically only half-Invalid.
“How do you know that?”
“Because Professor Wan is a character in the stories my father used to tell me when I was young. Stories of the “man that was fixed”. He fell in love with…one of us, a Valid human… and that union…”
“Ahh… Luhan. How interesting.”
“Does the cryonic process work on half-Invalids?”
“I’m curious to find out.” Joonmyun replies, a thoughtful expression painted across his face.
“So you don’t know? And what if he can’t handle it?”
Joonmyun walks back around the desk and sits down. “Then he becomes collateral damage in a cryokinesis demonstration.”
Kris’ jaw drops, “A cover up?”
Joonmyun’s brow furrows, “Luhan is just a singular entity. Just one. But the difference between him as the average human and him as an Invalid or half-Invalid, if you want to be technical… is that this one non-human death will not be seen as a tragedy, it will be a statistic.
“How can you even say that?”
“Because it is the way I was taught. It was the way you were taught too actually. Invalids die, and we harvest from them. And so we can still learn from them in death.”
“And if it works? What then?”
There’s a flash of malice in Joonmyun’s eyes.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
a/n:
next chapter find out more details about this cryokinetic asset of favona,
please enjoy your stay at the favona institute,
trust in the idea that the true wickedness of mankind
makes it necessary for the law to suppose them better than they really are.
it's all just politics after all.
hi. read and leave comment? or tweet me @notochrasy
ps. omg…..sorry, don't kill me for being such a slow updater. i've been MIA lately and well, interesting news… i'm no longer studying anything biology related. i recently dropped out of university after HATING IT SO MUCH, then i was going to enrol again at a different university but then i couldn't get in because i just wasn't good enough for what i wanted (speech pathology) T^T but then after a stroke of good luck (and fate, who knows), i'm now studying a bachelor of business/commerce with a focus on public relations. completely new territory. hmm, what else. i also had a lot of trouble with formatting this because live journal has changed since i last posted… damn *shakes fist*
BUT HEY, BY THE END OF NEXT CHAPTER, ALL OF THE EXO MEMBERS WILL HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE APPEARANCE IN THIS FIC yay
Chapter: 11/?
Author: notochrasy
Rating: PG
Pairing: it's complicated (originally Luhan/Kris)
Genre: AU, Drama, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Summary:
55 years after a new radioactive mineral has been discovered and used as a new nuclear energy source for Earth,
the human population has changed. Exposure to the radiation to the natural human fertilisation process is hazardous.
Potential genetic anomalies may be overcome through the use of genetic engineering to assist IVF treatment.
Your choice to conceive naturally may be the choice that brings humanity to its demise.
Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, blah blah blah.
Word count: ~4800
A/N: Please don't hate me, lol. and like always it's good to reread the last few chapters to refresh your memories. and because they all linked…… 8D
chapters: one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven
“Lu…Han…” Kris breathes the name and feels a cold sensation wash over his back. His legs feel weak and he feels himself sway a little, and he staggers backwards into a row of ferns.
“Are you okay??” Zitao rushes over to Kris’ side and extends his hands to steady Kris.
“I’m fine…” Kris murmurs, pushing Zitao’s hands away. “I just… I think it’s the humidity of the greenhouse. I’m not used to it.”
“Maybe you should step outside, come on.”
The cold air outside compared to the stuffy interior of the greenhouse comes as a slight shock. Kris feels his chest tighten and inhaling becomes a little difficult. There’s a feeling of dread that crawls under his skin as he opens up the folder again to scan through the names. His fingers hover over Luhan’s listing.
“You know him?” Zitao asks, peering over Kris’ shoulder.
Kris looks up from the folder, “Do you?”
Zitao hesitates a little before he answers, “No.”
“You’re going to have to be a better liar than that.”
“Is he important? He’s been off the registry for a while now.”
Kris closes the folder, “What can you tell me about him?”
“I feel that he must be important for you to ask about him.” Zitao says.
“He’s just someone I know.”
“Are you friends with many Invalids?” Zitao inquires further.
“I…” Kris pauses, tossing the question around in his head, “I don’t know how to answer that.”
“Your father was friends with many Invalids… if you are here to see him, you must feel they are important too.”
“Honestly, I just don’t understand them.” Kris admits.
Zitao throws Kris a bemused look, “Aren’t you the same as your father? Don’t you work with Invalids?”
“I am not the same as my father.” Kris emphasizes, but then sighs, “Strangely, working with them for this long hasn’t really helped shed light on…my situation.”
“Your situation? Got some Invalid infestation or something?” Zitao quips as he wanders over to sit down on small rickety wooden bench leaning against the greenhouse wall.
Kris measures his breath in strides as he follows Zitao, wanting to feel the relief in his legs after standing for so long. Once seated, he exhales and his shoulders fall.
“I have an Invalid who has a book made from his own skin.” Kris waits for Zitao’s reaction before he continues, but there’s nothing. “He writes in the book to create…these… dream worlds.”
Zitao nods slowly, “Dream worlds… Like in that movie Inception?”
Kris frowns, “…Incep…tion?”
“You don’t know it? It’s an old movie now I guess. There’s an architect that designs worlds for dreamers and..”
“Can we focus for a minute?”
“Okay okay…but I don’t understand how this skin book is relevant…”
Kris purses his lips before answering, “The thing is, I don’t know any Cases like that. I don’t know any Invalids that can teleport not only physically but within the mind. There’s nothing in books, no journals, no record of anything like this Case. That’s why I’m here. I needed to ask my father for the list of all the Invalids he’s assisted with rehabilitation to see if there were any similar Cases.”
“You should’ve said so earlier.” Zitao chides.
“I didn’t think you’d be of any use.” Kris mutters under his breath.
“Excuse me?”
“I didn’t think you’d be able to help me.” Kris says, in earnest.
“Well, I helped you didn’t I?” Ziao points to the blue folder in Kris’ hand.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Zitao smiles slightly, “No problem.” He then looks away from Kris towards the stony path, “To be honest, I knew you were Mr Li’s son as soon as I saw you.”
“…How?”
“I got a phone call saying you’ll be needing a replacement Scorpion Tail. And it was urgent. But… confidential.”
Confused, Kris shakes his head and stands up, letting the folder drop to the ground, “Why would I need a replacement Scorpion Tail?”
Zitao picks up the folder and brushes off the grit, “Because each Tail has a unique expiration date… wait you don’t know do you?” His eyes narrow as he shifts his gaze towards Kris.
“Why does it seem like there are so many things being kept from me... Do you know who called?”
Zitao shrugs, “No, they only said they were from the Favona Institute.”
“Maybe it was Joonmyun.”
“Is Joonmyun old? Because the guy on the phone sounded really old.”
Kris sighs in frustration, “He’s not old.” Kris paces up and down along the path before coming back to the bench, “Are you sure the call was from Favona?”
Zitao nods, “Yes… They quoted an access code number from Favona, but it just was a number that I didn’t recognize personally.”
“Did they say who I needed the Scorpion Tail for?”
Zitao’s fingers trace along the plastic binder of the folder. “Yes, but I don’t think it’s a name you want to hear…”
“Luhan, isn’t it?” Kris says, hands rubbing at his temples.
“If it helps, the guy who called said he was Luhan’s father.” Zitao offers.
“…”
Zitao squirms a little, “Is that something that you also didn’t want to hear?”
“He doesn’t have a father.” Kris replies offhandedly.
“That’s not possible, you can’t fertilize an ovum without sperm.” Zitao points out.
“That’s not what I mean… He doesn’t know his father. His father abandoned him.”
“Well I guess he finally came around?” Zitao smiles.
Kris’ expression sours, “You have no idea how....sickeningly idealistic you are.”
Zitao stands up and closes the distance between them, “Look, I’m a simple guy. All you city folk think too much and have your preconceived ideas about things and these weird cultural notions you follow… it’s all etiquette that is built on false pretenses. It’s all just dumb politics.”
“You think this is about etiquette?” Kris scoffs, “And you don’t even know anything about politics.”
“I know enough to not get involved with it.” Zitao says, firmly.
“Politics is everything.”
“No it’s not. Just stop with the politics and unclutter your mind.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Your father did it.”
Kris turns away, “Yeah, he uncluttered his mind to the point of insanity. I’m not exactly planning on following my father’s footsteps.”
“You may have escaped his name, but you can’t escape his legacy.”
“I can do what I want.” Kris snaps.
Zitao smiles sadly and hands Kris the folder, “You can try.” And he walks away.
Kris holds folder open in his hands, feeling it’ weight, but once he sees Luhan’s name printed so boldly in ink, he closes it. He contemplates Luhan’s paternity and curses. Despite having felt sympathy for Luhan’s fatherless childhood, Kris now suddenly feels anger. But towards himself. Even a father who had resorted to abandonment can come back to help his child in it’s time of need. But how is it that his own father can live without ever even reaching out to him. Tears prick his eyes but he blinks them away, then follows the path through the garden back towards the main house. He reaches the front of the property to find the bundle of papers his father handed him still lying on the stone steps, so he picks it up, scanning the ground for the worn piece of string that kept it all together.
As he begins to wrap the string around the bundle, his mind keeps flashing back to Luhan’s face, and his name in the folder. Will Luhan’s true history and blood be revealed…or hidden? And at what price? Kris broods over the possibility that he might be the one who will end up exposing him.
“But not until I talk to him first.” Kris murmurs and walks back up the cobblestone path towards the driveway of white gravel where he parked his car. Sliding back into the car, he throws the bundle of papers and the folder in the seat beside him and fishes out his phone. Kris scrolls through his contacts and pressed down on Luhan’s contact icon. The icon is a photo Luhan personally took of himself the first time they met. The photo used to mean nothing to Kris, but now as he took his thumb away from the icon, the photo fostered so much confusion and guilt, anger and resentment.
Kris puts the phone up to his ear and listens to the connecting tone.
Several minutes pass and there’s no answer so he hangs up. He leans his head onto the steering wheel, the leather warm from baking in the sun’s rays. He then takes his tablet out from under his seat and scans in a few of his father’s sketches of the Scorpion Tail and the contents of the folder. He runs several sketches from different angles into a 3D imaging software and stares at the intricate design. Kris sets it aside, picks up his phone again and redials. A minute passes and Kris is about to hang up, but then there’s a muted beep and a soft voice at the other end.
“Kris?”
The voice was not Luhan’s, but it was easily recognizable, “…Lay, what are you doing with Luhan’s phone?”
“Oh… Kris, he’s just… sleeping.”
“It’s a Monday afternoon, how the hell can he be sleeping?”
“He’s a bit sick at the moment, Kris. So he’s sleeping here so I can keep an eye on him.”
“I need to talk to him though.”
“I’ll let him know you called when he wakes up.”
Kris exhales loudly, “You can do better. Can you get him to open up to you about his father? Or his mother? Whoever, I don’t care.”
“What? Why?”
“There are some things I’ve found out about Luhan’s paternity that I’m going to be investigating. Just ask him about his past. Anything he’s received from his mother or anyone significant in his life. Just do me this favor.”
“Should I be worried?”
“I’m sure Luhan will be fine.”
“No, I’m worried about you. You sound strange. Are you alone?”
Kris’ eyes focus on the bricked house ahead, “Lay, just trust me. I’ll call back later.” And with that, he hangs up and turns his phone off. He then starts the car and reverses off the white gravel, but instead of turning to go back onto the open road, he drives slowly up the wide cobblestone path.
Kris looks on to see Zitao in the distance picking up the broomstick once again, sweeping the path.
“Zitao.” Kris calls out to him from the open car window, the timbre of his voice rustling the leaves.
The boy walks over but says nothing.
Kris looks up at the boy from inside his car, “I have an offer for you. Would you like to come along? Get out of this place?”
“Why would I?” Zitao replies, without hesitation.
“I don’t know, there’s a lot to see in the inner city.”
Kris catches a spark in the boy’s eyes that he’s never seen before. And it surprises him when Zitao leans toward the open window and places a hand on his shoulder. Kris can feel the warmth of the boy’s hand through the thin fabric of his shirt.
“Jiaheng…”
“Kris.” Kris corrects immediately.
“Jiaheng. I know this will be a hard journey for you. But it’s something you must do alone. I wish I could help, I really do. But my place is here, with your father. He’s helped me so much…to leave now… it feels very wrong…” Tao’s expression is thoughtful, his eyes kind. “He needs me here.”
While Kris understood Zitao’s debt and his father’s need of constant care, he felt a slight ache in his heart as he realized that it really should be a son by his father’s side. Could it be that the offer of freedom would only be considered after many more years of servitude? Or has a true bond grown from a union built on obligation.
All these years, Zitao still feels his place is here. Yet all these years Kris has never considered for a second that his father might need him. Is there some deep seated problem that feeds this carelessness?
“I’ll take care of him.” Zitao offers his hand out and Kris takes it in a firm grip.
“I don’t approve of his methods, can you tell him that, when he is lucid again?”
As Kris’ car drives off, Zitao nods and whispers, “He’ll still love you. No matter what.”
* * *
The Favona Institute is large. Even calling it large is an understatement. There is nothing inconspicuous about the building, and as Kris drives through the gates he feels nauseous. Pushing the overwhelming urge to throw up aside, he finds a parking spot, slots his tablet into its case and gets out of the car. He approaches the entrance of the building with caution, but there’s a man standing outside the doors in a dark blue suit that ushers him in.
It takes a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior of Favona. Kris glances around and walks towards the front desk.
The person behind the desk is young, his face just a boy with a cheery disposition. “Good evening sir, may I help you?”
Kris eyes the nametag as its plastic corners catch the soft light. Taemin.
“Yes, Taemin. I need to talk to one of your superiors, Suho.”
The boy smiles, “Do you have an appointment?”
“No I don’t, but this is very important. I’m a friend of his.” Kris stresses.
Taemin holds the smile and stares with unblinking eyes, “Would you like me to look up his next available appointment time?”
“I really don’t have time to wait.”
Taemin doesn’t blink, “But I really can’t let you see him without an appointment.”
Kris brings down his fist on the desk, “The Scorpion Tail. Perhaps that may persuade you otherwise.” He pulls out his tablet and places it down onto the desk, flipping the cover open and initiating the file projector.
The 3D image of the Scorpion Tail flickers and Taemin’s face pales.
The boy then pushes an access card across the desk towards Kris.
“Just… go in.”
* * *
As Kris strides down the wide hallways of Favona Institute, he’s suddenly caught by how strikingly different it is to the Trident Facility. While Trident is cold and clinical, Favona left Kris with a much warmer impression. Furnished with dark wood décor similar to that of 1940’s Shanghai, the hallways boasted elegance, while soft light exuded from clouded glass lanterns.
Casting his eyes upon the intricate patterned walls, Kris accidentally stumbles into someone walking past. He swiftly bows and apologizes, but when he lifts his head, he’s greeted by a familiar face.
“Jongdae? Chen… what…”
Jongdae is equally surprised, “Kris! Fancy seeing you here. I thought you were taking a sabbatical.”
“I was, I mean…I am, technically…still on sabbatical.” Kris stumbles over his words.
“Mm I figured so when you were absent for yesterday’s dental check up back at Trident.”
Kris’ face softens, “Yeah, I was going to reschedule anyway… But what are you doing here?”
“I actually work here.” Jongdae replies.
“At Favona?” Kris cocks his head the side.
“Yes, at Favona.”
Kris stares at Jongdae in disbelief, “I thought you had your own practice.”
“I did, until about 6 months ago when I was bought out by Favona…”
“They bought you out? How much did they offer you?”
Jongdae considers the question, “Enough to settle a few debts, and whatever debts I may come across for the rest of my life.”
Kris shakes his head disapprovingly, “I didn’t really think you were the type to sell out.”
“I had no choice. They made it pretty clear, if you’re not with them, you’re against them and well… I needed the money…”
“You could’ve come to me, you know.” Kris responds solemnly.
“I know, and I would’ve if they hadn’t come to me first.”
Kris sighs, “A growing conglomerate.”
“That they are…oh Kris, I don’t know if this should stay off the record or not, but that new Carer at Trident, he needs to be checked out.”
A sudden jolt of worry sparks in Kris’ mind, “Checked out?”
“He reacted to some of my equipment… in a similar way to how an Invalid would. But his reaction was so much more severe and well… all together different...” Jongdae struggle to find the right words.
“What do you mean?”
Jongdae lowers his voice just above a whisper, “They’re keeping it under wraps back there but I don’t think he’s gonna make it. It’s like he’s experiencing some immunological rejection. His body is rejecting itself…”
“Ah shit… The expiration date.”
“Expiration date?”
Kris begins walking away and turns back,“I’m really sorry Jongdae, but I’ve got to go and deal with something. I’ll keep in touch.”
Kris quickens his pace through the hallways, his eyes scanning the door signs for Joonmyun’s “Suho”. As he ventures deeper into the core of the building, he feels the temperature warming and he unbuttons the top of his shirt, and fingers his collar. It suddenly hits him that he doesn’t really know how he’s going to confront Joonmyun. He had been in such a rush to get to Favona, and his head has been so occupied with the issue of Luhan. Kris had completely disregarded how he was to go about this encounter with Joonmyun. His pace slows down and he slides his tablet out from its case. He stares at it, wondering if he’ll even need to use it. Ideally it wouldn’t have to come to that, and that Joonmyun would just cooperate… and perhaps Joonmyun had some logical explanation to his role in this entire incident. He wants to give his friend the benefit of the doubt, but considering how entrenched in Favona Joonmyun is, Kris just can’t stomach the idea of Joonmyun going behind his back to follow down his father’s path.
Before Kris can collect his thoughts, Joonmyun’s door was before him, the door sign with “Suho” printed in gold was illuminated with a soft glow. Kris stands there, unmoving. After a moment, Kris lifts his hand to knock but decides otherwise and turns the door handle, pushing the door open.
The room is lavish, dark wooden panels and a pearl marble finish along the ground. There’s a musky scent that lingers in the air along with the smell of sweat and alcohol.
Joonmyun is seated at his large marble top desk, hands clasping a small book. He looks up slowly when Kris enters the room.
“Kris… welcome to my humble abode…”
Kris rolls his eyes, “Save it Joonmyun. I think you owe me an explanation.”
Joonmyun stares at Kris intently, “Do you mind? It’s a bit warm in here.” Joonmyun puts down his book and slides his finger across the touch panel embedded in the desk. A cold gust of air jets out of the ventilation system.
Kris finds the sudden chill uncomfortable and clenches his jaw.
“How long were you going to keep the charade up, Joonmyun? You conspired behind my back, you’re in league with my father... Does our friendship mean so little to you?”
“Is the cold bothering you?”
Kris brushes off Joonmyun’s question, “Now I understand how you could never condemn the old man out loud. So what was it? A hand in your pocket or a gun at your neck?
And all this time, you asking about my father? And then telling me I should get in touch with him? What, were you mocking me? You walk the hallways of your damn institute, using technology based on my father’s prototypes and you act like that isn’t going to affect our friendship? You honestly have some nerve.” Kris shakes his head and looks away, “Just looking at you makes me want to throw up now.”
There’s a feeling of subdued rage simmering in the pit of Kris’ stomach, his jaw is tense but his muscles begin to ache from the temperature drop of the room.
“I’m honestly disappointed in you…” Kris hesitates as he catches a glimpse of his warm breath ghost into fog. “I… I thought you had more in you. But I guess you’ve just ended up being one of his pawns.”
With a snigger, Joonmyun stands up and walks around his desk towards Kris, “Weren’t you one first though?”
Kris glares at Joonmyun, “Excuse me?”
“You’re as much of a pawn as everyone else. Cryonics… He did his first cryogenic experiments on you, didn’t he? I can see that some of the side effects still plague you.” Joonmyun points to the slight tremor in Kris’ hand.
It’s only when Joonmyun mentions it that Kris realizes the physical manifestations of his side effects, “Why the hell would you bring that up now? And for fuck’s sake stop with the cold. Do you want to die in here too?”
Joonmyun leans against the edge of his desk, “You’re not any better than any of us, Kris. Don’t go around acting so self-righteous just because you decided that your father’s methods were beneath you. So get off that high horse of yours and stop taking it so personally, he changed the entire field of Invalid rehabilitation.”
Kris sticks his hands into his pockets to hide the tremor, “Suppressing powers is not rehabilitation. And the Scorpion Tail has an expiration date you know. It’s not gonna last an entire life time.”
Straightening up suddenly, Joonmyun presses his palms together. “An expiration date? The half life of all the materials used is well beyond a single lifetime so why would expiration date even matter.”
“Because each expiration date is unique. The Tail’s life span is directly proportional to the frequency of which manifested powers are used. Luhan has one, and since I doubt he has any knowledge of it, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been using any of whatever powers he as.”
Joonmyun arches a brow, “Luhan?”
Kris snorts, “Don’t play dumb with me. You really think I don’t know about your involvement? You even asked about him when you visited Trident.”
Joonmyun puts his hands up defensively, “Look, I had nothing to with his procedure, it was before my time.”
“His name is in the paperwork.”
“I know that.” Joonmyun replies flatly.
“And you decided that this piece of information was just completely irrelevant?” Kris says accusingly.
“He’s not harming anyone, is he? He’s doing a lot better than anyone anticipated, that’s why the Elites left him alone.”
Kris groans, “The Elite Circle knows about Luhan?”
“Yeah, and you would’ve known too if you took up my offer of joining the Elites.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. This is ridiculous.”
Joonmyun grins, “We could’ve traded a lot of information if you became one of us. It would’ve been a symbiotic relationship.”
Kris glowers at the thought, “There is no quid pro quo in this. You deserve nothing, Joonmyun. Nothing. There’s a possibility that Luhan might die if he doesn’t get the right medical attention so I don’t have time for this.”
“I could help you.”
“No… I’m not gonnget roped intothis.” Kris’ speech slurs a little and alarm triggers in his head.
“Cryonics works.”
Kris fumbles his way to the wall, “What?”
“Not exactly in the way your father intended it to, but we have an asset here at the Favona Institute that could be of assistance.”
“An asset?” Kris rests against the wall but then feels a chill seeping into his back.
“Yes, he’s Favona property.”
“He? A person?” Kris can only manage short phrases as he feels his mouth go numb.
“An Invalid.”
“…”
“He has the power of cryokinesis, he can manipulate cold, frost, ice. I mean, this display right here is all him.” Joonmyun gestures to the surrounding room.
“You want me… to use him?
“I wouldn’t say ‘use’ exactly, but yes, something along the lines of that.”
“No. It’s… not ethical.” Kris gasps between words.
“You’re going to need all the help you can get Kris. And his powers are very effective.”
“Humans?”
“Yes, on humans and Invalids too, and… as you now know, Luhan is of that kind.”
“Luhan…” Kris coughs.
“Is an Invalid.” Joonmyun says brightly. “Speaking of Invalids, did you know who decided to pay Favona a visit the other day?”
“Stop with questions. Just… say it.” Kris coughs again, finding it increasingly hard to control his breathing.
“We arrested an Invalid trespassing 2 days ago. To my surprise, I recognized the man.”
Kris waves his hand, staying silent, motioning Joonmyun to continue.
“Wow, you’re persevering quite well, Kris. You see he was caught issuing a new Scorpion Tail. He actually tried calling straight to your father’s property.”
This triggers a stream of memories of his father, blurred by the cold, clouded by his own consciousness.
The image of a glass roof closing down on him as a child flashes in his mind, and the feeling of a penetrating cold that wraps around his entire being as his father would tell him stories. Every memory of his father seemed enveloped in coldness.
Joonmyun’s voice brings him back, but the voice sounds distant and unclear.
“… by the time I got there he was remanded in custody and wouldn’t say who the tail was for. Just that he needed to help someone he loved. And at first, I thought it might be you he needed to help. You were always his favorite after all.”
“What…” Kris’ voice is raspy and he closes his eyes as his skull begins to throb.
“Professor Wan. He was here. And he’s an Invalid.”
Kris can almost feel the blood draining from his face, and he remembers his father’s reaction to the graduation photo of him and Joonmyun with the Professor Wan.
Kris suddenly lunges forward at Joonmyun. “Turn… it… off…….He has a son. He’s helping… his son.”
Joonmyun opens the touch panel in his desk and slides his fingers across it again. “He has a son?”
Kris bends over, dry heaving, spluttering as he tries to gain back control of his speech. “Luhan is his son. Which means Luhan is genetically only half-Invalid.
“How do you know that?”
“Because Professor Wan is a character in the stories my father used to tell me when I was young. Stories of the “man that was fixed”. He fell in love with…one of us, a Valid human… and that union…”
“Ahh… Luhan. How interesting.”
“Does the cryonic process work on half-Invalids?”
“I’m curious to find out.” Joonmyun replies, a thoughtful expression painted across his face.
“So you don’t know? And what if he can’t handle it?”
Joonmyun walks back around the desk and sits down. “Then he becomes collateral damage in a cryokinesis demonstration.”
Kris’ jaw drops, “A cover up?”
Joonmyun’s brow furrows, “Luhan is just a singular entity. Just one. But the difference between him as the average human and him as an Invalid or half-Invalid, if you want to be technical… is that this one non-human death will not be seen as a tragedy, it will be a statistic.
“How can you even say that?”
“Because it is the way I was taught. It was the way you were taught too actually. Invalids die, and we harvest from them. And so we can still learn from them in death.”
“And if it works? What then?”
There’s a flash of malice in Joonmyun’s eyes.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
a/n:
next chapter find out more details about this cryokinetic asset of favona,
please enjoy your stay at the favona institute,
trust in the idea that the true wickedness of mankind
makes it necessary for the law to suppose them better than they really are.
it's all just politics after all.
hi. read and leave comment? or tweet me @notochrasy
ps. omg…..sorry, don't kill me for being such a slow updater. i've been MIA lately and well, interesting news… i'm no longer studying anything biology related. i recently dropped out of university after HATING IT SO MUCH, then i was going to enrol again at a different university but then i couldn't get in because i just wasn't good enough for what i wanted (speech pathology) T^T but then after a stroke of good luck (and fate, who knows), i'm now studying a bachelor of business/commerce with a focus on public relations. completely new territory. hmm, what else. i also had a lot of trouble with formatting this because live journal has changed since i last posted… damn *shakes fist*
BUT HEY, BY THE END OF NEXT CHAPTER, ALL OF THE EXO MEMBERS WILL HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE APPEARANCE IN THIS FIC yay