Archive of Our Own

1. How it ended

Everything hurt.

And as if to mock him for his pain, the wretched saying he'd learnt so long ago rang through his head like a warning-

The machine knows not of emotion,

Or of mercy or love or remission.

So cleanse the mind, of all filth and temptation,

Cleanse the body, of-

Of-

What was it again?

What was it, what was the point of all this?

He tried to rack his brain, tried searching for answers and found none. A voice echoed instead, as if from the far end of a tunnel:

" You don't belong up there, Kookah. That place, it's too stiff, it cages you. Come with me to the Moon..."

I'd love to, oh how I'd love to. If only I could escape the confines of my cage.

He was losing consciousness fast. He could feel the energy begin to drain out of him, taking his hope along with it. He tried to hold on to it all- the anger, the disdain, the sense of betrayal. But it slipped away.

And just like that, Jeon Jungkook was left with nothing again.

---

2. Awake

"... his vitals are normal."

"Good. Make sure he's not alone when he wakes."

"Yes ma'am."

Jungkook inhaled sharply, it burnt his nose to do so. He could almost taste the sterile smell of his surroundings-- this must be some sort of a medical facility.

Great. He'd messed up again, hadn't he?

Jungkook let out a groan and opened his eyes.

His focus sharpened on a familiar petite woman in a lab coat.

"Hey there, sleepy head." She smiled warmly at him.

"What happened?" His voice came out in a hoarse whisper.

"Hit your head pretty bad. You were admitted late last night, apparently practicing on your own again." She paused, surveying him through her oversized glasses, "You don't have to push yourself this hard, really. Not when you're already better than everyone else."

Jungkook shut his eyes again, he did remember hitting the ground hard. He lifted a hand to his head. "Ouch."

"Ouch indeed." She smirked, typing into a system on his bedside. "You'll be perfectly fine in no time, Jungkook. I'll just take a few more minutes to run some tests and then you can rest."

Jungkook placed an arm across his eyes. The lights were hurting his already throbbing head. "I heard my mother's voice. Was she in here?" He tried to sound casual.

"Yeah, she left a couple minutes ago. Urgent business, apparently."

"It always is." He muttered.

"I've never seen her as worried as she was last night. She cares a lot, you know."

He was not sure about that at all, to be honest. But he decided not to say anything.

"Kim Taehyung was here last night too. He looked like death, let me tell you. Ran as soon as he caught sight of your parents though." She shone a light into each of his eyes.

Jungkook felt a pang of guilt for making his friend worry. "I should visit him tomorrow."

"Not so soon, young man. You will need to rest for at least a day, make sure nothing's too shaken up there." She tapped the metallic implant behind his ear with an acrylic nail.

"Can't I just enable the insta-heal? I'm sure Master Hoseok will let me activate the bionic suite just this once, won't he?"

"I won't fall for your puppy dog eyes, Jeon Jungkook. Not this time." She huffed, eyeing him with suspicion.

"Byul, pleease, I just need one written note."

"No can do, buddy." She seemed adamant.

"Come on, don't you know who my father is?" He asked weakly.

Byul snorted, shaking her head. "Of course I do, kid. That's why I'm not taking any chances."

"You used to be more fun" Jungkook pouted.

She paused, watching him introspectively. "You seem- calmer than before. It's good to see you like this."

Jungkook frowned, looking up at the ceiling. He didn't feel calm. If he really thought about it, he didn't feel anything at all.

Empty.

"Say, who found me last night, do you know?"

"You came in with your parents, Jungkook."

Something about this did not add up. They couldn't have been the first people to find him lying unconscious in the practice area in the middle of the night. Who was it then? His training enabled him to distinguish reality from simulation. So Jungkook tried to think. He remembered losing his footing and hitting the ground from a lofty thirty feet height. But it did not feel real, in fact, reality itself felt a little shaky at the moment, maybe it was because he’d just woken up from unconsciousness.

Jungkook would rather avoid a conversation with his parents if he could help it, but he had to be sure that his safety, and the safety of his tech gear had not been compromised. "There's nothing wrong with the implants, is there?" He asked after a moment of fidgeting with his bedsheets.

"Perfect working condition, Jungkook Ssi. Although, I'm keeping you under observation for the next day or two just to be sure. You don't have to worry, okay?"

He nodded weakly. His head hurt with each movement. Not having much energy left in him at this point, he decided to give in to the pressure on his eyelids, drifting off into uneasy sleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.

He dreamed of the ocean that night. Of salty air and sharp winds, of clear blue waves and electric pink giggles. And of stolen glances at a pair of startlingly grey eyes.

Jungkook startled awake a few hours later to the beeps of medical equipment.

How strange.

He scratched his head in drowsy confusion. The implants on the sides of his head were supposed to ensure- among other things- a perfect, dreamless sleep. This was the first time he'd dreamed in the last ten years.

Something was not right.

---

3. A father’s test

Jungkook was discharged from the hospital in the early hours of dawn. He found Sejin waiting for him outside in the neon lit hallway, his well built frame leaning against the black air car.

"Morning Sejin." Jungkook raised his hand high above his head to return the high five Sejin greeted him with. It was a habit the two of them had formed back when Jungkook was a little child, the gag had been that Jungkook was too short to reach Sejin's hand. Now it was just muscle memory.

Jungkook faced the passenger side window of the car with his eyes wide open so the system could scan and confirm his identity. The car door slid upwards with a click and he slumped into it's leather interiors. Sejin was already revving the engines.

They flew through the hallway, and the neon lights left a trail behind Jungkook's eyelids as he blinked at them. A dull throb of pain flourished across the back of his head. He decided to shut his eyes until they'd flown out of the sub-level halls, through the exit overhead and into the open morning sky.

Jungkook lived in a perfect little world. The New Asthra Outpost was a 5 mile chunk of Artificial Habitat machinery that hung suspended in mid-air, hundreds of feet above the surface of the planet Rheia. His home, school, playground and even the hospital he'd just been admitted to were confined to this floating mega structure. Every cog and every wheel moved to serve a purpose here. Nothing about the place was unintentional, including Jungkook's very own presence.

They were flying over the vast courtyard of the training center and Jungkook watched idly as fifty or so adolescents went about their morning practice sessions with Jung Hoseok watching over them from the sidelines.

Jungkook reminisced the years of grueling training he had to go through at the very same training facility. He'd always been the best in his year, but no one expected anything less from him either. It was no secret that even though Jungkook grew up with his fellow trainees, he was always held to a different standard. While the others were training to survive, he was training to lead.

Jungkook sighed. He was almost done with it all, just a few more months and he'd be out of this planet for good.

Is that what he really wanted?

He turned around to peer out through the opposite window of the air car. From there, he had a clear view of the city on the planet surface below them. It looked like a gargantuan beast, puffing out smoke and dust, always shifting and evolving. The city never looked the same any two times that Jungkook looked down at it.

Maybe his pristine little castle in the sky was symmetrical, orderly and perfect, but Jungkook had stopped associating those things with beauty a long time ago. The city below, with all of its imperfections and asymmetry looked like it held secrets as old as civilization itself. He’d only set foot on it's surface a countable number of times, but there was something about the place that pulled him to it. A sort of wild beauty. He suddenly thought back to the pair of grey eyes he'd seen in his dream.

Wild beauty…

Jungkook shook his head. He hadn't told Byul about the dream. Surely all the meds in his system had caused it. He'd be worrying her and everyone else for no reason. Besides, he didn't think he could survive another day at the damned hospital.

"How are you feeling, Kookah?" Sejin broke the silence all too suddenly, making Jungkook jump in his seat.

"Not bad, all things considered." He turned his head around experimentally, "The fall didn't cause lasting damage, just a minor hit to the head. Aren't you proud of me?"

Sejin didn't reply, but Jungkook saw him shake his head with a sigh.

He did have a way of making everyone who cared about him worry, didn't he?

"What's today's schedule like, Sejin?" He asked, just to avoid the strained silence.

"The General will be expecting you at his office, so that's where we're going first." Sejin informed.

Jungkook's eyes widened. "But I'm in my night things"

"He asked me to bring you to him first thing in the morning."

Jungkook raised an arm and took a sniff, "I smell like shit too."

Sejin snorted, "Oh I agree. But these are my orders, kid."

Jungkook slumped against the backrest with a huff, "Come on, let me drop by my bunker for a change of clothes at least."

"He is a busy man, Jungkook. He's got a hundred things to do before he leaves tomorrow night. Meeting you is the first thing on his list, so that's where I'll be taking you." Sejin replied firmly.

The General was a powerful man at the head of a powerful Empire – he owned the Neo-Cyberware Entreprises (NCE for short) - a multi-Stellar corporation that manufactured the implants Jungkook and Sejin and everyone else on this Outpost wore. He was reaching the end of his week-long visit to the planet, so this was likely the last time Jungkook was meeting him before he graduated. He bit back his nervousness. "Dyu know why he wants to see me?"

Sejin chuckled, "Does he need a reason?"

"There's always a reason." Jungkook muttered darkly.

The General's office was situated on the topmost floor of the tallest structure on the Outpost. Jungkook surveyed the reflection of the air car on the mirror-like windows of the building as they zoomed up to the landing pad. He hopped off the air car once they'd parked and headed towards the heavily guarded entryway.

Several security checks later, Jungkook was ushered in through a doorway. He stood awkwardly at the entrance of an expansive room that was entirely white from ceiling to floor. Jungkook noticed how everything here had a layer of that same symmetrical perfection that he was starting to grow tired of.

A dark haired man sat at a desk, apparently busy reading something off of his system screen. The implants on either side of his neck glowed blue, indicating a fully activated Bionic suite.

The man never let his guard down, did he?

Jungkook bowed low, deciding that he'd rather get this over with quickly, "Good morning, father."

The man, General Jeon Jungwoo, looked up from his system, dark eyes meeting his son's. "Good morning, boy. You look pale, did they feed you well at the hospital?" He asked, making his way to where Jungkook stood.

"Well, they didn't leave me to starve" Jungkook straightened up as best as he could, he was now almost as tall as his father.

"Good, good" The General said distractedly as he reached out to grip Jungkook by the jaw, turning his head from side to side, examining the implants behind his ears. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah, the pain's almost gone-"

"What about your heart, has it settled?"

Jungkook cocked his head to the side, "my heart?"

His father patted him across his cheek twice and let go, "Your happiness is important to us, I hope you know that, son." He turned around and walked toward the massive window that overlooked the rest of the outpost and the City beyond that. Jungkook followed, wondering why the General was speaking in riddles today.

"Have any of them taken your interest?" Jungwoo asked after a few beats of silence, gazing pointedly past the multiple silver archways that led to the training grounds where the students were still practicing. 

Jungkook knew his father enough to know that this was a test of some sort. He followed Jungwoo’s gaze, thinking.

As the General's son, he was part of one of the most strictly controlled bloodlines known to humanity. If he had any choice in the matter at all, it was limited to the citizens of this outpost, who’d all been hand-picked and filtered through a rigorous process to ensure a superior genome. If he was unable to choose in the time given to him, or if he chose a man, he’d simply be assigned a woman to bear a child for him.

It was important that Jungkook produce an heir worthy of inheriting everything he’d eventually own. It was equally important that his partner be a source of strength and stability in his life. And it was made extremely clear to him from the get go that 'ground dwelling scum'- as his father called them- were out of the question.

Jungkook turned to his father who was still staring out the window with his jaws clenched.

"I guess I don't see any of them in a special way, Sir."

The General's eyes crinkled in a smile, "My son has yet to experience love, I see?"

For the second time that day, the vision from his dream flashed before his eyes and Jungkook couldn't bring himself to answer his father's question. He ended up shrugging with a sort of half-hearted smile.

This seemed to be enough for the General because he changed topics quite quickly. They discussed briefly about the state of affairs at the outpost. His father expressed his impatience to welcome him back to Planet Asthra after his graduation and show him the ropes. "Your Home Planet is every bit as magnificent as they say and no video or simulation has done it justice, trust me." The General told him with a parting pat on the back. "I look forward to living as a whole family again, son."

Jungkook wasn't sure he shared the sentiment. Almost Nineteen years ago, his mother travelled to this planet with him in her womb. She’d birthed him and left almost immediately and he’d been raised here on the outpost by the teachers and nurses. While the other children would receive video messages and presents on a regular basis from their families, Jungkook didn’t receive so much as an indication that he was even loved- that he was more than just the all-important heir to the Neo-Cyberware Enterprises. And it wasn’t like Jungkook particularly cared for frivolities such as presents, but a simple text message would have been nice from time to time. Sejin, in an attempt at consolation, once informed him that his parents regularly received reports regarding his physical and mental health, like that settled anything. It only made Jungkook feel like a test subject in an experiment.

The only time he ever got to see his parents was when they came to the planet for diplomatic visits, which was a rare occurrence in itself. And even then, the meetings would be formal, always with a desk in between them. So it was not Jungkook’s fault if he doubted that his parents ever truly loved him.

He didn’t say anything to his father about the matter because he didn’t find it in himself to care enough. All he found was a yawning emptiness where there was once an eagerness to impress and to be accepted.

Jungkook did have one thing to ask of his father before taking his leave, "Sir, do you know who brought me to the hospital after I fell and hurt my head?"

There was a pause in which the General surveyed Jungkook with shrewd eyes. "Wasn’t It Kim Sejin? Now run along, boy. I have work to do."

---

4. Oh look, a spaceship 

Sejin dropped Jungkook off to his bunker later that day. Located deep in the metal and concrete bowels of the outpost, his room was pretty much identical to everyone else’s, with it's circular windows (he was lucky to have windows at all, some of the rooms down here resembled jail cells) and boring grey walls that he'd jazzed up with posters and photographs and occasional paintings. Jungkook remembered growing up in a massive penthouse in the uppermost levels of the outpost where half the walls were windows and servants tended to his every need. But when he found out that no other kid in his class received similar treatment, he insisted on moving into the lower levels to live with his fellow peers (There were times when he sorely regretted this decision.)

After washing up, He sat cross legged on his bed and gently pressed the implant on the right side of his neck with two fingers, drawing a rectangle in mid-air with the index finger of his free hand at the same time. A screen appeared within the confines of the rectangle he'd just traced. Of course, this screen was only visible to him and no one else, since it was the implant hijacking his vision that created this illusion.

Checking his messages, he found nothing out of the ordinary that demanded his immediate attention. So he flicked his forefinger in front of the screen to scroll through all the emails and notifications until his eyes caught sight of Taehyung's name. He stayed his finger over the notification and a video message popped up.

Taehyung paced restlessly across Jungkook's screen, and stopped mid-way after a few beats to face the screen. "Hey it's nothing uhh- I just wanted to check on you" He whispered, running a hand roughly through his hair. Jungkook noticed Tae's anxious frown and knew for certain that something was bothering his friend, who continued on, "You gave us all a scare the night you fell and-" he stopped and turned sharply like he'd caught sight of something and leaned out of frame, "Oh look, it's a spaceship!" his voice sounded distant, weary.

Jungkook stiffened.

"Anyway, uh-" Tae returned into frame again and stumbled up to the camera, "I gotta go to the library." He whispered, "I hope everything is good."

The message ended and Jungkook scrambled to check the timestamp on the video. One hour ago. He jumped out of bed and ran up to his window. Without giving it a second thought, he threw it open and stuck his torso out to meet the bellowing wind, which at this altitude was nothing short of icy. He climbed out and found his footing on one of the pipes that ran up and around his window. The sun was low on the horizon and he could see the lights of the city through the translucent clouds far below him. 

If he fell, the anti – gravity field would catch him, but he'd be in a whole lot of trouble. He carefully moved sideways with firm placements of his feet on any irregularities he could find along the outer walls until he saw a square of horizontal metal bars- an entry into the air ventilation system. He lifted his foot and gave the rusty metal bars a kick, they fell open. He swung himself into the opening with a grunt. Crawling along the narrow passageway, he mentally counted the number of turns he had to take to reach his destination, all the while wondering what had gotten his oldest and dearest friend so worked up. "Oh look, a spaceship!!" Was a secret code between them that they'd shout if one of them was in danger and needed to make a run for it. This came in handy mostly in VR games, so he was quite taken aback when Tae used it outside of a game simulator.

After a few minutes of groveling in the dust filled ventilator tunnels, Jungkook found the horizontal bars of dull light he was looking for. He pried the grill open and stumbled out into a dimly lit space. Jungkook and Tae had discovered this place many years ago- it was the one blind spot of the security camera system that covered almost every nook and cranny of the Outpost. The place was essentially a corridor that led out of the server rooms and ended at a door. The two little boys had walked through the door all those years ago to find that it opened up into a sort of balcony. The space was as big as a broom closet and was bordered by waist high railings that you could lean against and see the world stretched below for miles and miles. Tae loved it there and had soon placed a little trunk of books in the corner of the empty space. He would visit often just to sit on the trunk and read books for hours on end. Thus it became his little library.

Jungkook beat down the dust off his clothes as he made his way to the door at the end of the hallway. It was slightly ajar and he could feel the cold evening air through the opening. Before entering, he paused in front of the door and checked to make sure that his right implant (which often connected to the web) was properly turned off. Not that there was a possibility of eavesdroppers, but he didn’t want to take any chances because Taehyung clearly meant to be discreet about this meeting. He then gave the door a push to find Tae leaning against the railing, staring at the horizon. Jungkook joined him.

"Did you get here through the vents?" Tae eyed him with a suppressed smile and reached out to pluck a strand of cobweb from Jungkook's fringe.

"Yeah, I'm not allowed out of my room without an armed escort for the foreseeable future. I hate it when they get all over-protective." Jungkook combed his fingers through his hair aggressively to get rid of any residue dirt. "Also, I don't remember the tunnels being so fucking tiny." He turned around to survey a silent Tae.

Tae was worried about something, there was a sadness in his eyes too that confused him. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Tae shook his head and sighed. "I'm just glad you remember our emergency code."

"Tae, we use the code all the time, how could I not remember? Wait, did you call me here just to test if I remembered? I didn't hit my head that hard, you know."

Tae didn't answer for a few seconds, he was looking down at his knuckles, which were white from clenching the railings so hard. He slowly turned around to meet Jungkook's eyes. "Kook, there is something you need to know about your- about this- about-" he broke off, looking uncertain and then hit the railings with both hands in frustration, "Shit shit shit!" He pushed away and started pacing, a hand on his hip and the other rubbing his forehead.

"Hey hey, what's the matter, you know you can tell me anything right?" Jungkook walked over and placed a steadying hand on Tae's shoulder.

"Shit, yeah I know-" Tae said and then sighed with slumped shoulders, "I used to love this place. It's funny how a few days can change everything."

"Tae, you're seriously scaring me right now, did something bad happen while I was away?"

Tae shook his head again and took a deep breath, "I made contact with my sister, Kookah."

"Your sister, you mean the one who-"

"-the one who hops planets, yeah. She asked me to come travel with her."

"Oh"

"And I said yes."

Jungkook blinked, "So you're not going to Asthra after graduation?" His heart thumped heavily in his chest.

"Jungkook, here's the thing, she would love it if we can both join her." Tae had his eyebrows raised and looked almost as if he were pleading.

"What, I can't-"

"Just think about it, we could travel freely, without the constraints of the Guild. This is our one chance of true freedom. Do you even know what that would feel like? Come on Kookah, please say you’ll come!"

Jungkook took a step back, "You know I can't, Tae. I have an important role to fulfil-"

"Oh fuck your roles, man!!" Tae looked properly deranged now. His eyes were wild and his hair flew in all directions. "Come with me, please."

Jungkook couldn't shake off the feeling that Tae was not telling him something big, something that was probably the root of all his worries. He noticed a pin-prick sized yellow light blinking on Tae's left implant. Emotionally unstable.

"Tae, If you'd just calm down and tell me exactly what's bothering you-"

"You know what, maybe this is not the time.” Tae cut Jungkook off with an upheld hand and breathed in deeply, trying to center himself, the yellow lights slowly fade from the surface of his implants. “Let's talk about this after your assessments. Yeah, we'd both have clearer heads then." Tae nodded to himself. "Forget I said anything, Kookah" He grinned his usual boxy grin, but Jungkook still saw the sadness in his eyes.

Taehyung was one of the first people Jungkook ever made friends with. Little Jungkook had taken to Tae quite quickly when he found out they were both from Planet Asthra. Ever since he was a child, he assumed they’d both return to Asthra after graduation together, always believed that they’d go on adventures long after they left this place. He was now beginning to realize that maybe things wouldn’t all go as he hoped.

It was an unsettling thought.

---

5. The man and the machine

The assessments for Jungkook's final year of training tested just one thing: Brain to implant coordination- the mind's control over the machinery and the body's willingness to fuse with it. This was in fact one of the many purposes of the New Asthra Outpost- to help young trainees master the devices implanted into the sides of their heads. Because you see, this fascinating piece of technology was more than just an internal smartphone. It read and wrote into the brain, altered certain bodily functions, helped the body create new enzymes, enhanced healing, strengthened the muscles- the list went on. One couldn’t simply drill it into the sides of a person’s head and expect them to have a mastery over it the next day. It was so much more complicated than that.

For starters, there was a certain genetic quirk you had to be born with- a mutation- called the Cryomere gene without which the implants would not work. Testing for this gene began when the fetus was no more than a few months old. If found, the mother was taken to the nearest training facility (the New Asthra Outpost being one of many) and looked after until the baby was delivered. The child then belonged to the Outpost, with parents only allowed to visit at certain times of the year.

The training itself began very early in the child’s life, every aspect of their health and personality was carefully monitored. If the good old folks down at the medical and neurology department found anything at all out of the ordinary, the child was sent back home without a second thought.

If one somehow managed to hang on until their tenth birthday, they’d finally have the privilege of being implanted with arguably the most powerful tool created by mankind. Training started in earnest from then on. Each of the implants’ functions were activated in discrete levels and once fully activated, the implants would eventually turn the human body into a Bionic Suite- a successful merger of man and machine. If the trainees managed to master every level in the years that ensued, they’d have complete license to use the Bionic suite by the time they graduated.

And Jungkook was almost at the cusp of it. Three months, and every hour spent in grueling training would pay off. He would finally become a member of the Voyager’s Guild.

And that was the end game, really. To be a part of the Guild that organized long range expeditions across stars. Because to even survive such a journey through worm holes and near light-speed travel, you needed the Bionic suite. It would also be impossible to live through conditions of high radiation and extreme weather that a few foreign Planets hosted without them. The human race occupied fifty-eight planets across nearly twenty star systems and for the most part, any trade or transport between stars was managed with unmanned ships that required no human interference. But there were always cases of emergencies, natural disasters, matters of sensitive diplomacy or simply curious exploration that required humans on a ship travelling between stars. The ancients used Cryogenic freezing- a way of preserving life in a body under extreme conditions of heat and pressure- but it took months, sometimes years, for people to get their regular bodily functions back after being frozen for even a week’s span.

After graduation, the Voyager’s Guild usually recruited most of the trainees into their task forces, where they’d be trained further and drafted off to various causes such as rescue, exploration, espionage or defense. Of course, joining the Guild was not the only option, there were always freelancers, like Tae’s naturalist sister, who hopped planets to study their environments.

The ability to wield a Bionic suite basically meant power, status and respect. This was why big and influential families tried so hard to maintain the Cryomere gene within their bloodline. This lead to more than a few questionable practices but the payoff was too massive.

And this made Jungkook’s family, who controlled the trade and manufacture of the Bionic suites in question, some of the most powerful people in the world.

But Jungkook did not want to think about all that, he still had time for a few more adventures before his father swooped in to start grooming him for his inevitable destiny.

He still had time, or so he hoped.

---

6. Dream Boy

By the end of the week, Jungkook had finally admitted to himself that maybe he wasn’t doing as ‘okay’ as he’d formerly thought.

Normally, his days began as early as 4:00 AM in the morning. He’d have freshened up and grabbed an energy drink or two from the vending machine down the hallway that would now be filled with drowsy murmurs of the waking trainees. As a final year who’d pretty much mastered every level of the Bionic suite, Jungkook wasn’t really given a schedule. He was free to go around finishing his assignments and train for the final assessments that would begin in about two months’ time.

Jungkook never used this relative freedom as an opportunity to slack off though. He usually took the lift to the topmost level, jogged through the massive rows of silver archways that led up to the training ground which at the early hours of dawn was thankfully empty. The cold winds at this altitude did a very good job of waking him up. He’d then go up to the very edge, find a comfortable spot to sit somewhere on the waist high bannister that separated him from the planet surface and worked on his brain exercises. This involved slowly turning on the Bionic suite to full capacity and performing a series of checks. It was then time to force Master Jung Hoseok out of hibernation and get some quality practice done before the rest of the students came in for their morning training sessions. After this, Jungkook would be off to find Professor Kim Seokjin, who was probably giving a phenomenal lecture on Brain anatomy and Neurology somewhere.

Few times a month, Jungkook was allowed take a trip down to the University on the planet surface and visit Professor Kim Namjoon for sessions on Politics, Governance and Leadership. Despite his relative disinterest in the subject matter, Jungkook absolutely loved these trips.

He’d then return to the outpost by mid-day and be on his way down to the cavernous physical training center where Shiroi would greet him with her usual fox-like grin. He’d train, first with the implants switched completely off, and then he’d gradually work his way up to full activation. It was here that he got to have the most fun and truly test the limits of what he could do with the suite.

Later, around Sun down, Tae would drag him off to eat and probably play a few video games with him up in his room. The day would end with Jungkook sneaking back down to the Physical training center for a few more rounds of simulated combat training before calling it a night.

That was what a day in the life of Jungkook looked like- or at least, that was what it used to look like before he fell and hurt his head. More recently, there’d been a lot of- what Jungkook liked to call- “disturbances in the peace”

Disturber of peace, number one: Kim Sejin. He refused to leave Jungkook alone, not during his 4 AM practice sessions with Hoseok and not when he attended lectures. Worst of all, he was not allowed to use the training center at night anymore. The General’s orders, apparently. He hated it all.

Disturber of peace, number two: This was a little harder to explain. Dreams were not a normal phenomenon among the inhabitants of the Outpost. The very fact that he was having them would be considered scandalous enough to make Jin call an emergency council meeting. Jungkook shuddered to imagine what Seokjin would do if he found out that it was the same dream that recurred almost every night and that an elusive pink haired boy danced in and out of them, taking Jungkook’s heart along for the ride.

Jungkook didn’t know who this boy was or why his vibrant grey eyed smile had such an effect on him. He didn’t understand how this beautiful man, with his button nose, impossibly soft looking lips and pink hair tied up in a soft messy bun that glowed golden under the evening sunlight, filled him with such unexplainable joy. And he couldn’t, for the life of him, tell you why this joy shrunk so quickly into a pool of disappointment every single time he woke and realized that none of it had been real.

And maybe it was because Jungkook was trained to control every aspect of his mind, and because he couldn’t get a grip on his dreams even if he tried, the very thought of these dreams caused a flurry of panic within him. He’d wake up every morning with yellow lights blinking on his implant, and the only thing he could do to calm his nerves was to pull out a paper and some paints and sketch out the face of the boy. He’d go to painstaking lengths to get the details right, sometimes having to clutch his head in desperation because the memories faded too quickly. He’d sketch and sketch like a mad man until Sejin banged on the door, demanding to know if he was okay because it was well past five and he should’ve been out on the grounds by then.

Jungkook knew that he should tell someone about his condition. But stressed though he was about it, he didn't want the dreams to stop. He wanted to see the boy again, to feel the butterflies in his stomach again. It was silly, He knew it was, but Jungkook would sometimes find himself walking down the stark white corridors of his school or through the enormous silver archways that led to the grounds, looking for a flutter of pink or a twinkle of grey among crowds of passing people. The outpost received lots of visitors every day, both from the planet surface and off world. It was not uncommon to run into strangers.

As the phantom presence of this nameless pink haired boy grew in his life, Jungkook began noticing the bloom of emptiness he’d first experienced on the night at the hospital, start to take hold inside him. It was like he’d lost a part of himself when he’d fallen. He didn’t know how to fix himself, nor did he understand why any of this was happening to him and it was fucking infuriating.

---

7. Free from the Sentinel

Jungkook was having lunch one afternoon, with Sejin sitting across from him as usual, when he remembered that he’d have to go down to the University to visit Kim Namjoon the next day. He particularly loved these trips because he’d get to take the subway and ogle at the landscapes passing him by. He hoped Sejin and his new security protocol would still allow this, “Um, I was wondering if we could take the subway tomorrow to the University?” he looked up tentatively at Sejin.

“We can get Namjoon to come over and meet you here, or- I don't know, you can both meet virtually like normal people, it’s safer that way.” Sejin spoke through his lunch with great disinterest.

Safer? Why was it safer? What exactly was he in danger of? Just as Jungkook was about to voice his frustration, he felt a pair of hands grip his shoulders from behind.

“I’m going down to the University tomorrow to run some errands, care to join me, Jungkook?” Seokjin peeked at him cheerfully from over his shoulders.

Sejin glared disapprovingly at them both over his plate of food, “But it’s not safe for hi-“

“You doubt that I can keep him safe, Kim Sejin?” Jungkook could almost picture the stony expression on Jin’s face just from the tone of his voice. Kim Seokjin sure was intimidating when he wanted to be.

Jungkook watched Sejin’s jaw work as he tried to assess the situation, but Jin did not intend to spare him any more of his time. “It’s settled then! This is going to be a Student-Professor bonding exercise, so we won’t be needing your chaperoning this time, Sejin.” Seokjin thumped Jungkook on the back one last time before walking away.

---

8. The Professor's Secret

It would not be a stretch to say that Kim Namjoon's study was one of Jungkook's favorite places in the world. The room was tastefully decorated with vibrant, earthy fabrics and glossy woodwork. An entire wall was taken up by a bookshelf that held rows and rows of books- some of which were ancient looking, like they'd been taken out of a museum. And Namjoon's prized collection of indoor plants added an extra splash of life to the place. The wide windows overlooked the vast courtyard of the University, where students could be seen strolling along at all times of the day. Jungkook often stayed back here, long after his lessons were finished and curled up on the couch in front of the luxurious fireplace to finish the rest of his homework. Namjoon never seemed to mind and would sometimes indulge him with a story or two about his adventures from back when he worked as a historian for the Voyager's Guild.

Namjoon had been quite the Voyager back in his day. He had some of the most captivating tales to tell about the times he'd visited close to a dozen planets that were once occupied but now abandoned. He was now retired from the Guild though, owing to a nasty back injury that nearly killed him four years ago. Jungkook always listened with wide eyed fascination and later wondered what it would be like to go on such adventures himself.

Jungkook travelled down to the City today for a session with Kim Namjoon, accompanied by one of the most unlikely people- his good-humored Neurology Professor. He wasn't complaining though, he'd choose Seokjin over the uptight 'I only listen to the General's orders' Sejin any day.

Seokjin and Jungkook were currently standing outside the Oak doors to Namjoon's study. There was a shuffling from inside and the door creaked open to reveal Namjoon peeking out through the gap. Jungkook immediately noticed, even through the half-open door, how unnaturally tired and disheveled he looked today. Namjoon's weary eyes fell on Jungkook first, then travelled up to Seokjin and widened slightly.

"I hope you don't mind me tagging along, Namjoonah. I know it's been a long time." Seokjin bowed low with a kind smile.

"Not at all, not at all" Namjoon cleared his throat and tried to flatten his hair as he opened the door wide for them both to enter.

Jungkook wished his professor a good afternoon and took his usual place on the seat by the desk.

Seokjin closed the door behind him as he entered and walked up to Namjoon, who was still eyeing him with apprehension.

"I would like to have a word with you, please, before you start your lesson." Jin spoke in a low, urgent tone.

Namjoon simply nodded once, with his brow furrowed and turned to Jungkook, "Uh, get your notes ready, I'll be back in a minute."

Jungkook obediently turned on his implants by gently pressing the one on his right and drew a rectangle on the table surface in front of him. He then sifted through his notes on the screen and found the page they'd left off on and waited.

His professors had walked into a little storage unit beside the bookshelves for some privacy, but their heated whispers carried through the silence, clear as crystal.

"...what the fuck do you think you're playing at, Joonie?"

"We knew there were risks-"

"Do you realize what would've happened if I hadn't been the one to do it? Do you?" Jungkook had never heard Jin sound so enraged. He turned off his implants and fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. This conversation was clearly not for his ears.

"Like I said, we knew the risks" Namjoon's voice shook as he struggled to keep it levelled.

"Your life, Joonie! That's what you're risking, do you not understand?"

There was a pause, "I am grateful, for everything you've done Jin. But you cannot come down here after all these years and question the way I've chosen to live my life."

"Does Min Yoongi have anything to do with this-"

"I am not telling you anything more than you know, which is already too much."

There was a huff, and then silence.

"How's the kid doing? " Namjoon slowly asked after a moment.

"The kid's fine. He doesn't know anything, but he's fine. Again, you have me to thank for that."

"I am thankful to you Seokjinah, I truly am." There was a tenderness in Namjoon's voice that made Jungkook want to cover his ears and sing out loud just so he could avoid listening to this very confusing and very private conversation.

Much to Jungkook's relief, it didn't take long for his Professors to re-enter the room. Seokjin promised to meet Jungkook by the University entrance in exactly an hour and exchanged one last nod with Namjoon before taking his leave.

Jungkook knew it was none of his business, but he couldn't get his mind off the conversation he'd just eavesdropped on. 

Growing up, there had been an abundance of adults in his life who seemed to want what was best for him. But Seokjin and Namjoon had been part of those few who'd actually shown any real affection towards him. Why had it taken him this long to find out they actually knew each other? Why had Namjoon sounded afraid, and Seokjin angered? It was very unlike them and it frankly made him question if he knew them at all.

Thoughts of foreboding stirred in his brain and distracted him from his lessons all evening. He was not the only one distracted though. Namjoon looked like he'd eaten a frog. He fumbled over his words and knocked down several of his collectible woodwork toys from the desk. Jungkook was glad when the hour was done, and hoped that his Professor would get some well-deserved rest after this.

Namjoon stopped him when he was halfway out the door however, and startled him with a bone crushing hug. Jungkook found himself hugging back just as tight, he needed this, after the long and exhausting couple of days.

Joon stepped away and surveyed Jungkook at arm’s length, “You are a brave young man, Jungkook. And I want you to know that no one’s more proud of you than I am.”

Jungkook was taken aback by this sudden sentiment, “I still have a long way to go, Joon.” He smiled at the ground with slightly warm cheeks.

Namjoon shook his head with a tired laugh that revealed his dimples properly for the first time that day, “Just remember that none of this matters if it isn’t what your heart wants. We will be here to help you when you figure it all out, yeah?”

Jungkook nodded, even though he didn’t know what Namjoon wanted him to figure out, and turned to leave.

---

9. One night in a strange city

The train ride back to the center of the city brought back thoughts of the pink haired boy, like most things did these days when Jungkook's brain was left remotely idle. He turned to look from the spectacular sunset racing past megalithic buildings outside to the crowd of people who dotted his train car.

He'd noticed quite early-on that the boy in his dreams showed no signs- or marks, that he'd ever been implanted with the bionic suite. His neck looked clean and unblemished- and beautiful- but no one needed to know that. He didn't know if this little detail meant anything since these were only dreams and there was a very high chance Jungkook's brain was making the boy up. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but smile as he revisited last night's dream. As always, there was very little actually going on- the boy, as angelic as ever in the golden light of the sun, had linked hands with him. His smile was nothing short of radiant as he held Jungkook's gaze with an intensity that made him want to reach out and pull the boy closer.

Made him want to run a hundred miles if only to calm his racing heart.

It was nervous exhilaration like Jungkook had never experienced before in his life. He hadn't known what to do with the energy once he'd woken up. Painting the boy's beautiful face was simply not enough anymore. He wanted to believe that the boy existed. That he could see him for real one day. Any other alternative simply felt agonizing to even consider.

Jungkook shook his head. This was getting out of hand. Control your mind, or let yourself be controlled. That's how he'd been taught to live. These dreams were steering him from the path he'd worked so hard to stay on all his life. He simply couldn't let this get in the way of his graduation. And so Jungkook promised himself that he'd speak to Seokjin about this as soon as they arrived at the Outpost later that day.

The train snaked its way through the dense jungle of concrete and neon and metal and Jungkook was starting to see his own reflection more starkly on the foggy windows against the darkening sky. He tried in vain to look past his reflection at the fast moving landscape outside. But the lights inside were too bright and so he was left to look at his fellow passengers' reflections and wonder what their lives were like. Did he want to live a life like theirs? Free from all the burdens and responsibilities that came with his status, but also sure that he'd never be able to set foot on a planet outside his star system. He didn't know what he wanted and that same infuriating emptiness gnawed at him from the inside.

He shut his eyes, opened them again and the first thing they landed on was the glass reflected image of a dark haired boy leaning against the opposite window. The first thing Jungkook noticed about him were his lips. They looked hauntingly familiar. His heart gave a jolt and he turned around from the window, quick as lightning. The boy must have been startled by the sudden movement because he looked up and their eyes met.

Those grey eyes were unmistakable. His hair was not pink but this was definitely him.

Jungkook took a step forward without even realizing it and the boy's eyes widened. There was none of the wondrous happiness on his face that Jungkook had grown to love, instead, the boy looked at him in horror, like he'd seen a ghost. The moment stretched on and Jungkook instructed himself to remain calm and not let the adrenaline take over. He almost succeeded too, but then the train stopped moving and the doors slid open.

The boy disappeared amongst the rush of moving people.

Without thinking, Jungkook pushed through the incoming crowd and burst out of the train. It didn't take long for him to find the boy striding through the platform exit. He could sense the train doors about to close somewhere in the background and a part of him was screaming, begging to turn around and board the train again. But the desperate need for answers overcame everything else and Jungkook tore after the boy.

The second he stepped out of the exit, it was like he'd been plunged into a new and unfamiliar world. The grey buildings loomed much taller and more imposing than he'd imagined, now that he was standing right there at the base of them. There was movement everywhere around him, and the lights- so many lights- this was pure sensory overload.

He stumbled ahead, almost blindly, and ran into a few annoyed stragglers who pushed him away with such force that he was almost knocked out by a fleet of air cars that zoomed past him at shoulder level.

"Hey, can't you see the light's red??" Someone yelled at him from what he now realized was the pedestrian pathway. He scrambled onto it and sensed that he was beginning to panic.

Fuck this

Almost mechanically, he reached up and pressed his left implant with a forefinger and thought of just one word: focus

The world around him changed, or at least, his view of it did. The discordant noise now sounded muted and less distracting and his vision spread out a little wider and clearer. He looked around and the outlines of people walking by appeared a little more distinct to him even in the darkness. Jungkook's eyes wandered in the direction he'd last seen the boy go, and sure enough, he was walking swiftly up a walkway that lead into a confused maze of intersections that Jungkook didn't quite understand. Focus, he thought again, staring at what little he could see of the boy. His world view shifted again, with the boy standing out a little more colourful than everyone else around him. Jungkook darted in between and around the throng of pedestrians and occasional drones, all the while, trying not to lose sight of him.

He heard a faint 'ping' issuing from his right implant. An emergency call. His heart sank, of course Jin would have noticed he was missing by now, what was he even thinking? He pressed at the implant's metallic surface and thought: answer

Seokjin's voice rang through his head without preamble, "Kid, don't take me for a fool, I saw you leave the train. I'm at Central Station now and you have thirty minutes before I organise a fucking search party for you across the city. Your ass better be here before then if you know what's good for you." There was a beep that signalled the end of the call.

Right, well, he was in trouble.

Jungkook began to run now, not really caring about how many people he was knocking out of the way. The boy had taken a sharp turn and jumped off the walkway onto a much less crowded alley. Jungkook followed suite and realized with a skip in his heartbeat that the boy had begun to slow down. The buildings here looked a lot more run down and rickety than they did back at the station. A few neon signs flickered weakly at him, a faint pulse of dance music issued from around a corner, the air was hazy and people walking past side eyed him with menacing expressions. Jungkook had only ever seen places like this in VR simulations.

Deciding that it was time to stop being creepy and make his presence known, he called out, "Hey, excuse me-" and broke off awkwardly, not knowing how to address the boy. Thankfully though, before he could think of anything else to say, the boy turned around.

There was something off about him. He looked Jungkook up and down once with cold eyes, "What do you want?" He barked in a tone that was anything but welcoming. Jungkook's confidence faltered.

"I just-"

"I said, what the FUCK do you want?" The boy charged at Jungkook, who involuntarily took a step back. "You're not welcome here. So go back to that trashcan up in the sky and stop bothering me." He glared at Jungkook with daggers in his eyes and disdain plainly written on his face.

Only, Jungkook didn't know why he was being shouted at in this way. He took a deep breath and said in as calm of a voice as he could muster, "Listen, I am sorry but I don't know why you're mad and- I just want to know yo-"

"HA!! He doesn't know why I'm mad, can you believe it?" The boy looked up into the sky and spoke to no one in particular. He had a crazed look in his eyes as he ran a hand through his dark hair, and Jungkook, even amidst all this lunacy, couldn't stop himself from noticing how beautiful he looked. The boy brought his eyes back down to Jungkook, almost burning him with a seething glare, "Spit it out, what do you want to know?"

"I- um- your name?" Jungkook hurried to say, in the fear of being interrupted again.

This seemed to shut the boy up. It was almost as if his anger had been hit by a pause button. His eyes grew wide and jaw slack, "My what?" He asked in an almost whisper.

"Your name? You see, I have a feeling we've met before." Jungkook was beginning to feel very stupid.

The boy continued to stare, his eyes wider than ever and his eyebrows furrowed deeply. Whatever Jungkook had said, seemed to have shocked him. He took a few steps backward, unable to string words together properly, "I- I don't-" he brought his hands up to his head and clutched at fistsful of hair, "I- I'm sorry, you should leave" he sounded scared.

Jungkook was at a loss and didn't know what to do except watch helplessly as the boy stumbled backwards, nearly tripping, and pushed himself through a doorway with a sign overhead that read, "Mr Jack's".

He stared down the alleyway with unseeing eyes for a moment, and then slowly, miserably, turned around to walk back to the station.

"Don't blame him for the way he behaves, Mr Jungkook."

Jungkook jumped at the sudden break in silence and looked around in alarm. A man in a bamboo hat stood leaning against a wall. His face was shrouded under the shadow of the hat and he wore a set of white robes. Jungkook faintly wondered for how long he'd been standing there.

"You see, our little Jimin has lost too much." He explained, looking up. The man had a small round face with feline features that were accentuated by the kohl under his eyes.

Jungkook stared at him, "Um, I'm sorry, but am I supposed to know you?"

The man smirked and held out a hand from beneath the folds of his robe, "Min Yoongi, at your service."

Jungkook shook his hand, regarding the man with careful eyes, "And how do you know my name?"

The man named Yoongi laughed at this, "You are famous around these parts, boy. The prodigal son, set to rule the world some day. We like to keep an eye on the people we have to fear next."

Jungkook didn't understand, nor did he care much for what Yoongi had to say, he had other pressing matters to deal with. "That boy," Jungkook pointed at the door that he'd disappeared into, "does he know who I am as well?"

Yoongi's eyes softened. He was still smiling, but there was a sadness to it, "Mr Jack's- the club over there, it meant everything to Jimin- the boy you speak of. He rebuilt the place from the ground up after his father left. Imagine his horror when the authorities visited him in the wee hours of morning about a week ago and ordered for it's demolition because the building didn't meet the 'city construction standards'. Jimin was charged a hefty fine that cost him his life savings, and barely managed to evade arrest." Yoongi snorted, "of course, every other building in the area is made of the same stuff. None of them got the demolition order though. This, Mr Jungkook, is what happens when someone gets on the wrong side of powerful people like your father. And this is why we don't all throw welcome parties when the likes of you show up at our doorstep anymore." Yoongi shot Jungkook a challenging glare, as if he was waiting to be contradicted.

Jungkook frowned, "So what was it that- uh- Jimin did, that got him on the wrong side of powerful people? Did he commit a crime?"

Yoongi studied him with eyes that looked dead and tired, "Tell me, Mr Jungkook, is it a sin to be kind? To care for people? Is it a sin to wear one's heart on the sleeve? If it is, then Park Jimin is a sinner beyond redemption."

---

10. Real

Jungkook barely made it back to the station on time, but Seokjin was surprisingly nonchalant about it. They rode the rest of the way in silence and Jungkook couldn't stop replaying everything that Min Yoongi told him about his dream friend- about Jimin.

Jimin

He existed. He was a real person and he was beautiful. But the glowing happiness and the almost infectious joy that the boy in his dreams radiated was missing in him. The real Jimin was both breathtaking and broken, and Jungkook's heart sang and wept for him at the same time.

---

11. A friend's intuition

Taehyung liked inviting himself over to Jungkook's room on dull Saturday mornings. Today was no different. No sooner had Jungkook returned to his room after breakfast, there was a muffled "Ay Jaykay, I hope you're decent-" followed by a bang as Tae unceremoniously slid the door open with his foot, not bothering to pull his hands out of his pockets.

He stopped short upon entering the room though, and let out a low whistle as he looked around. "You seem to be having a bit of a problem." Tae gestured at the walls which were plastered with drawings upon drawings of the same person- a soft eyed, button nosed man with bright pink hair and plush lips.

"Thanks Tae, I hadn't noticed." Jungkook lay on his bed, chucking a stress ball at one of the portraits he'd stuck on the wall in front of him. He huffed and caught the ball with an outstretched arm and threw it back at the portrait again with greater force, like letting out his frustration this way would somehow give him the answers he'd been looking for.

Tae watched him repeat this monotonous game for a while before settling down on a spindly chair beside the bed. "Who's the pretty boy?" He asked, tone casual, but eyes intent.

"His name's Park Jimin. Other than that, I do not know." Jungkook replied impassively.

"Hmm, never heard of a Park Jimin around here."

"That's because he's not from here." Jungkook caught the ball with a snap and turned to look at Tae, "I've been seeing dreams every night for more than a week now, and he's been in every single one of them."

Tae raised his eyebrows, "That's wild."

Jungkook sat up, frowning, "Is that all you have to say? Recurring dreams are a sign that something's not right with the implants."

Tae shrugged, "Stranger things have happened."

"Stranger than your best friend being fucked in the head?" Jungkook demanded, throwing the ball again, aiming it at Tae's face this time.

Tae caught the ball just before it hit him square on the nose and sighed, "You're not fucked in the head, Kookie. You are good and kind and sane- well, as sane as any of us who grew up in this place, at least."

Jungkook brought his knee up to his chest, rested an arm on it and ruffled his smooth, dark locks with his fingers wearily. "I don't feel very sane at the moment." he admitted.

Tae's face fell visibly, "Talking about it helps sometimes. Tell me what you're going through, Jungkook." He placed his elbow on Jungkook's desk, fist clenched tight around the stress ball.

"Well at first, I thought my brain was making the boy up, that he was a figment of my imagination. But that was soon proved wrong when I ran into him on the train-"

"Wait, you met Jimin?" Tae leaned forward in his chair, his eyes growing wide in surprise.

Jungkook nodded, "Yeah, saw him on the train. I couldn't just let him go without knowing his name at least, so I got off the train when he did and followed him across the city like a creep. He was not too happy about it, which is understandable, of course." Jungkook threw back his head and massaged his temple frustration.

"Of course…" Tae trailed off as he pushed against the back of his seat, making it squeak, and stared at the ceiling with a frown.

"I don't know what I was thinking, Tae." Jungkook continued miserably, "Maybe that he had answers? Maybe that it was destiny of some kind?" He suddenly sat up straight, eyes wide, "What if this is all a setup? What if someone's trying to plant these- these distractions in my head to get in the way of my graduation? Father has enough enemies, I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them! What do you think, Tae? Wait- Tae where are you going?"

Taehyung had sprung up from the chair, "Stay here, don't do anything stupid. In fact, don't do anything at all until I'm back." He spun on his heel and almost ran out of the room, leaving a very confused Jungkook in his wake.

---

12. Bearer of gifts

Park Jimin was not a difficult person to find, and this was a long overdue visit. Tae tugged at the hem of his black turtleneck so that it covered his implants as he pushed open the door to Mr Jack's.

The dusty, rundown bar inside looked mostly empty. Tae walked straight up to the farthest corner of the room where a boy sat lounging by a door with a sign pasted over it that read, 'VIP area'.

"I'd like to book a game." Tae spoke to the boy who had his eyes closed and hands folded behind his head.

"I'm sorry but the VIP area is closed indefinitely." the boy said in a slow drawl, after a few seconds' silence.

"Choi Yeonjun, isn't it?"

The boy opened a single eye, looking right at Tae with a bored expression, "What's it to ya?"

"Just checking." Tae shrugged with a knowing smile, "Don't drop out of school, kid. I know this is your last day on the job."

A sudden beeping noise issued from somewhere around the boy, who pulled up his sleeve to reveal a small glowing screen embedded on what looked like a metal prosthetic arm. The boy, Yeonjun, looked at the screen for a few seconds and then stared up at Tae with wide eyes, "Did you just- who the fuck are you?" he broke off, turning back to the screen in shock.

Tae simply grinned, "I'm just a friend of a friend."

Yeonjun stared at Tae in disbelief, "A thousand units- it's enough money to pay off all my debts. I don't know if I can except this, sir"

Tae rolled his eyes, "Just let me in, kid."

Yeonjun narrowed his eyes, "You can't bribe me into this, the VIP room is still closed to visitors."

Tae bounced on the balls of his feet impatiently, "Alright then, tell him there's a Kim Taehyung here to see him. He'll let me in."

Yeonjun still eyed Tae suspiciously as he unlocked the door and walked inside.

A few frustratingly long moments later, he returned and gestured for Tae to enter, "He's not happy that you're here, but he'll see you."

Tae flashed him a quick thumbs up and walked through the door. He knew what to expect, based on all the stories he'd heard about the place, but he couldn't help but gasp at his surroundings nonetheless. The bar outside had just been a facade to mask the real thing, this nearly five storey high space filled with rows upon rows of elevated seating surrounding a central stage- where all the fights took place. The arena.

There was no sign of Jimin at first, but then he noticed a dark haired man lying sprawled at the center of the ring. Tae walked up to the stage, the surface of which came up to his shoulders and had a gritty, scarred and rugged quality to it, probably because of the decades worth of violence it must've seen.

"My grandfather built this place over sixty years ago. My father brought it to fame. Funny how it took me just five years to run it to the ground." Jimin let out a humorless laugh, his eyes stared up at the distant ceiling vacantly.

Tae couldn't help but notice how small he looked in that moment. "I don't know how to convince you not to beat yourself up about this. It's not your fault." He said quietly.

Jimin sat up and curled himself around his knees, somehow managing to look even smaller, "I couldn't think straight these last few days because of how bitter I was. Directing all my anger at him was the easiest thing to do. I'd trusted him with everything, hadn't I? I'd trusted him with my heart, too. And he'd disappeared, taking it all with him. What was he going to lose in this situation really? He'd just go back to living in his castle in the sky, with a fucking throne waiting for him in Asthra. And here I was, left with nothing but ruins." He turned around, and Tae saw the dark circles and the hollow eyes and had to fight an urge to reach out and pull him into a hug. "But then I saw him last night," Jimin continued, his voice tiny, "And he looked so lost. He didn't even know my name, and I realised that they'd broken him, just like they'd broken me." He burried his head between his knees.

Tae turned around and leaned against the edge of the stage, unable to look at him in this state.

"I hope he's doing ok", Jimin mumbled.

"No, he's not." Tae turned back around again with his jaw clenched tight, "and he'll never be ok if we don't do something about it. They took away his freedom when they took away his memories. He's in a fucking prison cell now and he doesn't even know it. I tried talking him out of going to his family in Asthra after graduation and he looked at me like I was crazy. It hurts to see his loyalty to the very people who did this to him."

Jimin sat up straight, looking at Tae with wide, blood-shot eyes filled with concern, "What can we do about it?"

Tae began to feel a smile tugging at his lips, "You, Park Jimin. You are going to save him."

"Me? What can I possibly do? I'm a ground dwelling nobody."

Tae let out a disbelieving laugh. He really doesn't know how big his role in all this was. "You do realise that Jungkook would never have confronted his father if not for you?"

Jimin's eyes widened, "What? I thought it was the rebellion-"

"-Yes, the rebels and Namjoon were one side of the story. Jungkook learned things about his father and his company that changed his world view. He lost all respect for his family and everything they stood for, but he also wanted that Guild license. He would have waited until he'd graduated and eventually taken over the company to act on his anger and frustrations, waited until he actually had power to make a difference. He would have waited to confront his father, Jimin, if not for you."

Jimin frowned, "So what you're saying is that I somehow convinced him to-"

Tae stamped his foot and shook his head impatiently, "What I'm saying, is that Jungkook can be a fool when he's in love"

A deafening silence followed Tae's words, in which Jimin simply stared with his mouth slightly open, apparently unable to comprehend what he'd just heard.

Tae took this opportunity to continue, "The only thing he'd lose if he waited till he graduated, until he was back in Asthra, was a life with you. He would've been so wrapped in his responsibilities that he would never have had time for you. And you cannot travel across stars either so it's not like he could take you with him."

Jimin was beginning to shake his head slowly, like he could make everything go away just by denying it.

Tae smiled grimly. "The General- Jungkook's father- ordered Kim Seokjin, the lead Neuroscientist up there, to do away with Jungkook's memories. Erase every rebellious thought he's ever had in his life, like he's a fucking plaything. But here's the catch," Taehyung's eyes gleamed, "Kim Seokjin cares about Jungkook more than he could ever care about Asthra or the company. He did as the General told, but didn't erase everything. He didn't have it in him to erase you, at least not entirely."

"If he truly cared about Jungkook, he wouldn't erase anything at all." Jimin looked furious.

Tae raised an eyebrow, "And you think it's easy to fool the General?"

Jimin huffed, he was now sitting with his arms and legs crossed, "Well, Seokjin did something right because Jungkook told me that I seemed vaguely familiar to him yesterday. How is this going to help anything though?"

Tae thought back to the nearly fifty portraits of Jimin on the walls of Jungkook's room and grinned. Vaguely familiar, my ass. "He's curious about you. I know I'm asking a lot but the next time he approaches you, please don't push him away. We have until graduation to help him escape. If it was you who made him want to run away the first time, then maybe you can convince him to do it again-"

"No." Jimin stood up, walked to the edge of the ring and jumped down to the ground. "I am not going to help you manipulate him like that." He stood inches away from Tae and although he was slightly shorter and narrower, Tae could finally see the fighter in him. The way he tensed his shoulders and angled his legs, he was ready to pounce if provoked.

Tae was not about to back down. "Is it manipulation if you feel the same way for him as he does for you?"

Jimin didn't reply, he was still tense, but a little bit of the fire was lost from his eyes.

"I care about him too, Jimin. He's the best friend I've ever had. And if this doesn't work, I will find another way- I will stage a kidnapping if I have to, goddammit. But no way in hell is he going through this shit again." Tae said through gritted teeth, his eyes just as fierce as Jimin's.

They stared at each other for a good few seconds before Jimin took a step back and sighed. "Jungkook fell for the rush and exhilaration of the fights, and the freedom this place gave him. It had little to do with me, really."

Tae rolled his eyes, "Dude, I'm his best friend. You can trust me when I tell you that it had a lot more to do with you than anything else."

Jimin turned a slight shade of pink at this, "Well, I'm not the same person I used to be back then. I don't know if he will look at me the same-"

"-oh don't be such a pessimist, just try your best, ok?" Tae chirped, giving Jimin's shoulder a merry thump.

"What do you want me to do?" Jimin asked warily.

Taehyung grinned, "Well, first things first, here's something Jungkook gave me for safe keeping before he went to visit his father that night." He pulled out an old fashioned envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to Jimin. "It has your name on it so I figured I'd give it to you myself. Secondly, I have a job offer that I want you to accept."

---

13. Crumble

"The only thing he'd lose if he waited till he graduated, until he was back in Asthra, was a life with you..."

Jimin's heart was thundering in his chest long after Taehyung had taken his leave. Wanting to do something with all the built up emotions, he'd barricaded himself in the training room, which was through a small door by the ring.

The unopened envelope sat heavily in his pocket as he delivered blow after blow on the unfortunate punching bag, a thousand questions rattled within his brain. Was Taehyung telling the truth about how Jungkook had felt? Had he really been ready to risk everything to be with Jimin? How could Jimin ever know the answers to these questions for sure when the person in question had lost his memories?

It properly sunk in then, that everything he had with Jungkook was now lost, that they were back to being strangers again- and Jimin simply couldn't take it any longer. He sunk to his knees, head hanging and eyes blurry with tears. How much more loss did the universe think Jimin could take before he came undone and crumbled into a pile of nothing?

---

14. How it began

Over the last few decades, Underground Borg fighting had grown into a beloved sport among the ground-dwelling Rheians. This was one of the direct results of the over-exposure to VR technology, which made every experience feel almost too real, too perfect and too easy. A growing group of people began to prefer alternative forms of entertainment that were grounded to the physical realm with actual real life consequences.

Worried about the overwhelming number of health and safety rules these competitive fights would be breaking, many attempts were made to outlaw establishments that held Borg fights, but it could never be fully abolished (mainly because a lot of people within the administration itself personally enjoyed the sport)

One didn't necessarily have to be fitted with cyberware to enter a Borg fight. Regular people often walked into Mr Jack's, seeking a thrill or whatever, but the Borgs always had the upper hand since they were made of sturdier stuff.

Jimin grew up in the arena, watching and learning and training even when he was a toddler. As he grew, his physical training took a more graceful turn. His step mother at the time was a dancer and watching her perform started a new little fire in Jimin's heart. He soon became her youngest apprentice.

Tragedy struck when Jimin was thirteen, his father lost his life in a horrifying air car crash.

It was then Jimin and his step mother, Mera, against the world. She would oversee things at the arena and Jimin would help her as much as he could, propelled by his new found sense of responsibility. They lived their lives in relative peace like this for a few years- until Jimin turned seventeen.

In retrospect, all he remembered from that year was fire and pain. There had been a blast, no one knew what had caused it, but It had torn open a section of the club Jimin and his friends were in at the time.

It was miraculous that Jimin's life hadn't left his body by the time they'd found him in the ruins. The entire right half of his torso had received severe burn damages and his right arm was destroyed almost completely. He'd been plugged into life support at one of the best hospitals in the city but there was very little hope for him. Mera was not one to give up though. She searched and searched until she found a Borg engineer who agreed to fix him up with printed carbon fibre and steel and the best technology the planet had to offer. It had taken six long months of drifting in and out of uncertain consciousness and excruciating pain. At the end of it all, Jimin had made it out alive against all odds. The tech used on Jimin was not the usual chunky metallic exoskeleton that other Borgs had sported at the time. It was beautiful and precise and completed him quite artfully. The average outsider would never be able to notice the artificialness of him.

There was a price to pay for such advanced technology, and Jimin knew, right when he first gained consciousness, that this was not something his mother could have afforded. His fears were confirmed when Mera visited him at his bedside one night around the time when he was still very bed ridden. She had come to say goodbye.

To this day, Jimin did not know what the price of his new body had been. All he knew was that Mera had been taken away, and he could do nothing but watch in horror. The days that followed were pure anguish, as he laid there in his stupid useless new body and imagined the kinds of horrors his mother must have agreed to go through in exchange for his life.

The only thing that kept him going was the minuscule hope that his mother might still be alive. That if he got strong enough, he could find her one day.

Jimin did grow stronger over the next few years, he ran the arena all by himself between school and trying to find out as much as he could about Mera. He did learn a few things, but not as much as he'd hoped. Mera was last seen leaving on a spaceship that usually carried cargo to Atropos- one of Rheia's moons.

Jimin would still try to convince himself that there was hope, despite everything. With the increasing success of Mr Jack's, he was certain that he'd have enough money to make the trip to Atropos by the time he graduated University.

This was around the time when Jungkook walked into his life.

Jimin was fighting in the ring that day, which was not a common occurrence. There was a ranking system that marked the fighters based on their strength and Jimin only entered the ring if a fighter remained undefeated for too long and needed to be shot down a couple of ranks. He never lost a fight, and the locals created a sort of urban legend around him because of this. Yeonjun always insisted that Jimin should fight more often because the turn-out was incredible every time he did. News would spread like wild fire and they'd nearly have double the number of people in audience.

And so it was that Jimin had noticed those wide, curious eyes even amongst the heavy crowd that day. He'd noticed how they were fixed on himself, apparently mesmerized. He'd never fought in the ring to impress anyone before. But he wanted to that day, for no reason that immediately made sense to him.

Yeonjun had noticed the sky-dweller boy too. "Did you see the pretty Prince boy in the audience today?" He'd asked Jimin later that day.

"Yeah, an actual sky dweller, how did he even find this place?" Jimin had wondered.

Yeonjun shrugged, "Beats me. Isn't his father the guy who runs that big scary company?"

Jimin chuckled, "Yeah, I've seen him around in University too, apparently gets private lessons from Professor Joon."

"Entitled prick" Yeonjun rolled his eyes.

Jungkook returned the next day, and the day after that, and Jimin was cautiously curious about why Jungkook kept coming back, talking to no one, watching a fight or two and leaving. He hoped that the place would not fall into trouble because of this new visitor, but Jungkook never brought anyone else with him. Jimin's intrigue only grew as time went by and so one day he asked Yeonjun and a few other people from the bar to corner Jungkook and ask him what his deal was.

"I want a fight." Jungkook had stated almost immediately with innocent sincerity.

"Yo, did you hear, Prince boy wants a fight!" One of the onlookers cackled gleefully.

"I don't know what kind of hocus pocus they teach you up there, but you ain't standing a chance against the big guys up top."

"I don't see him standing a chance against the smaller ones either. He's too pretty." The others chimed in.

Yeonjun shushed them all up, "Ok Prince boy, who do you want to fight?"

Jungkook had turned around, without a single moment's hesitation and pointed at Jimin, who was leaning against the bar counter, watching the proceedings.

There was a hushed silence at this. Nobody challenged Jimin. He chose his own fights, and the unfortunate person who got to stand opposite him in the ring only hoped that they'd make it out in one piece.

Jimin raised his eyebrows at Jungkook with a wry smile, "I don't fight just anyone, kiddo", and straightened up to walk away, shaking his head at the audacity.

"Who do you fight, then?" Jungkook had asked, making Jimin stop in his tracks.

"I fight when there is no one else left to fight."

Jimin's amusement didn't last long, however, because Jungkook returned the next day, and he was almost unrecognizable. He'd ditched the dull grey jumpsuit that most Outpost trainees wore, and had opted for local wear that was much more colorful. He'd tied his hair back and out of the way, painted his lips and lined his eyes. He looked like he'd fit right in, except he didn't because he was still too pretty.

He asked for a fight again, but didn't pick an opponent this time, saying that he'd fight anyone they chose for him.

Jimin had to do some quick thinking and come up with a few extra rules because they'd never had a Guild trainee fight in the arena before. Yeonjun, under Jimin's instructions, had walked down to him before the fight and told him that he couldn't use the bionic suite in any way, because that gave him too much of an advantage and he'd agreed to these terms without complaint.

Jeon Jungkook, as it turned out, was a complete and utter menace in the ring. Where Jimin fought with all the grace and agility of a dancer, Jungkook was a weapon of precision who had been sharpened and honed all his life just for this one purpose. Jimin had heard about the legendary training the Voyagers received, but seeing it in action was just something else.

Jungkook climbed up the ranks faster than anyone else had done, setting a new record. Normally, this was a sure fire way to make a lot of enemies. But there was something about him, a charming audaciousness, that let him get away with almost anything.

It was safe to say that this was beginning to infuriate Jimin. He wanted to hate the kid and his guts, but instead, found himself growing enamoured. He despised the fact that he was not immune to sparkly Mr Prince boy's charms.

Soon, Jungkook had reached the very top of the ranks. Everyone knew what this meant- that Jimin would be entering the ring to end this. It had quickly turned into one of the most anticipated fights the arena had seen in recent years.

For the first time in his life, Jimin did not want to step into the arena. By no means was he afraid of losing. It was the desperate pull he felt in his heart every time he laid eyes on that insufferable boy- that was what he was afraid of. The luxury of feelings was something he couldn't afford, and he did not want to remove the distance between himself and the very person who was making him feel that way.

But Jimin could not put it off much longer and Jungkook knew it. He walked onto the center stage one day without invitation, spread his arms wide and looked directly up at Jimin, wearing the smuggest grin on his face.

Left with no choice now, Jimin had descended to the stage amidst the almost deafening cheers and finally faced Jungkook, whose playful demeanor had now morphed into something more fierce and focused.

As the bell signifying the start of the match sounded, Jimin decided that this was not a match he wanted to prolong, and charged at his opponent with all his might.

Jimin had been ruthless that night. Yeonjun still spoke about it with slight awe to this day, how he had not allowed Jungkook a moment to breathe, a moment to look up at him with that disarming smile that he so despised. Because he knew that that was all it would take for him to be defeated by Jungkook.

Borg fights didn't have a lot of rules, they usually ended really quick but took a nasty toll on the body. The opponents started off with just their bare hands and then graduated to weapons capable of various degrees of destruction. After every 30 seconds, a bell would ring, marking the end of a round and a new weapon would drop from the ceiling.

It didn't take long for Jimin to realise that he had finally met his match in Jungkook. Ten minutes in, and neither of them had been able to land a single serious blow on each other and Jimin was beginning to feel like Jungkook was enjoying himself.

It eventually ended in a confused tumble of limbs as Jimin didn't hesitate to throw himself onto Jungkook after his pickaxe sliced through the baseball bat that Jungkook had been holding.

Jimin pinned him down aggressively, expecting a struggle but none came. Instead, Jungkook lay there under him, chest heaving, mouth slightly open and lips impossibly red, and stared up at him with soft sparkling eyes. Their faces were inches away from each other now and Jimin allowed himself to look at Jungkook properly for the first time. Heat spread like the blooming of flowers across him as he wondered what those pretty lips would taste like against his.

Jungkook pushed aside a few stray strands of pink hair that had escaped Jimin's braid and ran his cool fingertips down Jimin's cheek, to the edge of his lips, making him shiver, " You're so beautiful" Jungkook had whispered and Jimin would have kissed him right there if they hadn't been pulled apart by the ref in that instant.

Over the next few days, Jimin couldn't seem to stop thinking about Jungkook. There was little else he was able to put his mind to. All he wanted was to see him again. A week passed like this, and then two, but Jungkook didn't show up. Jimin was beginning to feel pretty stupid for hoping.

Almost a month later, he spotted Jungkook again, walking across the courtyard at University. Jimin strode up to him with a scowl on his face.

Jungkook's eyes widened upon spotting him, "Jimin, what's wrong? He asked with a frown.

Jimin felt a pang in his heart at hearing him use his name. "You didn't come back" he said, sounding dumb, even to his own ears.

Jungkook looked confused at this. "I didn't think you wanted me to come back?"

"And since when do you listen to what I want?"

Jungkook laughed, "You missed me, didn't you?"

"No" Jimin said almost too quickly, "You can't just stop coming like that without an explanation. We thought you were dead or something."

"Oh, I'm sorry I made you worry." Jungkook eyed him with a small smile.

Jimin still somehow felt like he was being teased. "I didn't worry" he mumbled, folding his arms and looking away.

"I've grown up on planet Rheia" Jungkook started in a slow, cautious tone, "but in all the years I've lived here, I haven't ever had a chance to explore this city, let alone this country." he fidgeted with the strap of his backpack and shifted his weight from one leg to another, "I'm leaving to Asthra in a few months time, and I hoped to see as much of this place as I could before that. Would you- um- want to come along and show me around?"

Jimin blinked, "You want me to show you around?"

"Yeah, I figured you know this place better than any of my other friends anyway." He shrugged and Jimin could tell he was trying to play it cool even though his eyes betrayed nervousness. "Only if you want to, of course" he added.

What was he going to do? Refuse? When all he'd wanted for the last few weeks was a chance to get to know Jungkook better? "You're on, Prince boy. By the time I'm done with you, you'll know this place like the back of your hand."

"I'm counting on it."

And so they began seeing each other almost everyday, just the two of them. Jimin discovered a special kind of joy in showing him the world from his point of view, and Jungkook trailed along, eager to learn and sporting unlimited curiosity.

It was a beautiful period in Jimin's life, one that he cherished to this day, despite everything that happened after. The longing stares exchanged in cafes and the hours of walking down shorelines with hands intertwined and the stolen moments spent in secluded haunts with their bodies pressed against each other. He regretted none of it.

In the coming months, Jimin started to notice a shift in the world around him, subtle at first, just whispers and rumours that would grow into occasional shouts that were silenced just as quickly. The people had always been unhappy with the way things were, there was nothing new about it. But this talk of a rebellion, of an uprising and an imminent war, this worried him.

This was around the time when Jungkook began to grow restless. He told Jimin about his lessons with Namjoon taking a new turn, about them discussing topics that made him look at the world in a whole new way. Jimin did not take any of this as cause for concern. He didn't see the warning signs until it was too late, until he showed up.

Jimin could deal with trouble no problem, but Min Yoongi was a special kind of trouble. He went against the law like it was his passion. He had a devious mind and the will to act on it. He was the kind of trouble you stayed away from.

Jimin first crossed paths with Yoongi when he was researching Mera's whereabouts. It was Yoongi who helped him track her back to the spaceship she'd last been sighted boarding.

As a compensation for this piece of information, he'd drop in at Mr Jack's from time to time, always bearing suspicious requests to 'keep an eye' on certain customers and report back to him, or to 'deliver a message' to certain others. Jimin was never provided an explanation, neither did he want to know. The lesser he knew about what Yoongi was up to, the better.

But the man had completely disappeared over the last one year, and Jimin had been convinced that he'd gotten himself into prison. That was until he saw him seated in the corner table at Mr Jack's one evening, making casual talk with Jungkook.

Jimin had stormed up to Yoongi, "It's a busy evening, I don't think I have time to humor you today, Yoongi, I'm sorry." He smiled politely.

"Oh no, I don't have any requests for you, Jiminie" Yoongi had his signature smirk on, "Jungkook's all I need tonight." His slow drawl made Jimin want to kick him.

"Nope." Jimin grabbed Jungkook, who was looking up at him from beside Yoongi, by the arm and pulled him to his side. "You don't come anywhere near him, you got me?" He shot Yoongi a seething glare before turning around, Jungkook in tow, and walking away.

"You know where to find me, boy! I hope you think about what we just discussed!" Yoongi called from behind them. Jimin could almost picture the shit-eating grin he must have had on his face.

"He's bad news, Kookie. Especially for someone like you." They'd locked themselves in the little store room behind the bar counter.

Jungkook leaned against the cobweb covered wall with folded arms, and Jimin noticed for the first time how tired his eyes looked.

"I know who he is. I asked him to meet today."

Jimin stared, "why?"

"Needed answers."

Jimin sighed, "You are never going to tell me everything about yourself, are you?" Jungkook didn't speak much about his life up at the outpost, and Jimin didn't press him about it either, figuring that he came down here to escape everything up there. "I'm okay with that, but I hope you're not doing it from some sense of chivalry because, have you seen the place I run? I can handle it."

Jungkook ambled closer with a weary smile and slipped his hands underneath Jimin's shirt, leaving trails of heat up and down his waist. "I know you can handle it" he whispered against Jimin's lips, pulling him into a brief kiss. "But you've got a lot going on, with University and Mera-"

"Hey, we could be in the middle of a fucking apocalypse and I'd still have time for you, Prince boy." Jimin snaked his arms around Jungkook's neck, removing all distance between them.

---

15. A future of your choosing

"It used to be so easy, waking up, attending lectures, training till my joints were sore, all with just one purpose in mind, to become a Voyager."

They sat snuggled up to each other on the cold dusty floor of the store room with their backs against the wall.

"But the fact is that I have a much bigger role to play than just being a part of the Voyager's Guild. With Namjoon's lessons this year, I've been learning so much about this part of my future and-" Jungkook sighed, "things are so much more complicated now."

Jimin lifts his head from Jungkook's shoulder to look at him, "why's that?"

"I guess it's a part of growing up, isn't it? I haven't been able to simply accept everything I'm taught. I've had a few questions in my mind- a few suspiscions, for quite some time now. I voiced them to Namjoon, and well-" he lowered his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, "It has been illuminating."

"What'd you learn?" asked Jimin, unable to contain his curiosity.

"That I was naive to think my father ran his empire on cogs that were squeaky clean. There is nothing about it's history that's clean. The mess just keeps getting messier."

Oh

While the Voyager's Guild controlled pretty much all trade and transport across the Human Occupation, a larger, more menacing presence loomed over almost everything else. The kind of monopoly the Neo-Cyberware Enterprise (NCE) held over tech today worried a lot of people. There were speculations and allegations, but there was also fear. Jimin was not surprised Jungkook found things about the company that didn't please him.

"The worst part about this is the level of deception. They- we've played almost everyone and gotten away with it for more than a century." Jungkook frowned at the opposite wall, his mind dwelling on things much farther than the confines of this room. "It's pretty neat, if you think about it." He threw his head back, hitting it to the wall repeatedly with low thuds, his eyes still unseeing.

Jimin was beginning to worry in earnest now, he instinctively ran his hand back and forth across Jungkook's chest, felt him exhale slowly.

"To think that this is what my father will leave behind for me, this colossal mess that I don't know how to fix."

"Can you stop scaring me and tell me what's bothering you in simpler words please?"

Jungkook reached up to hold Jimin's hand that was still rubbing his chest and gave it a squeeze, "I'm sorry. I am still processing everything I've learnt."

"Which is what, exactly?" Jimin pushed on, determined to get it all out of Jungkook, because of how it was affecting him.

"I don't know how much I can tell you, Jimin."

"Oh, come on! You've built up the tension so well, you can't back out now! I won't be able to sleep in peace tonight." Jimin complained with a disapproving pout.

Jungkook chuckled, "Well, where do I even begin? Um, you know how we are chosen for the training program up there? How they test for the cryomere gene in pregnant mothers?"

Jimin nodded.

"It's all a scam."

Jimin frowned, "That can't be right. I know the cryomere gene exists."

"Oh it exists, it's the most carefully maintained genetic trait in all of humanity" he snorted, "except it does nothing to help with the bionic suites."

Jimin straightened up and slowly turned around to face Jungkook, eyes wide, "You mean to say that a person could integrate with the suite even without the cryomere gene?"

Jungkook nodded bitterly, "The rule was apparently written to keep the technology within the powerful family lines."

"Wait, how have we not figured this out before?"

"Asthra is one of the most protected human colonies in the world."

Jimin nodded, he'd learnt this in school.

"That's the only place the suites are manufactured. The only way to reach Asthra is aboard Guild spaceships and we all know they dance to the NCE's tunes. So there's no way in or out of there if you're a commoner."

"And that's why no one outside of Asthra has been able to figure out how those things work?" Jimin pointed at the implants on Jungkook's neck.

"Yep. There are many attempts being made as we speak, but so far, it's been failure after failure. You can't prove anything unless you successfully learn how it works."

"Damn, so this means that anyone could be trained to use a bionic suite?"

"Anyone with a healthy enough body, yeah."

"I could have qualified?"

"Definitely."

"Well shit"

They sat there in dumbfounded silence for a few minutes, and then a thought struck Jimin, "There have been talks of a resistance…" he trailed off, his heart suddenly beating a little harder in his chest.

"Yeah, Yoongi's been filling me in on that. Most of it's just noise and rumours, but there's actual work being done in some parts. People like Namjoon, who used to be a Voyager himself, have been helping with the research to replicate NCE's tech."

"You do realise that they'd come for you if there was an uprising?"

Jungkook bit his lip, deep in thought, "The situation's a lot more delicate than that. For starters, It won't be easy to go against the establishment. The Guild is in on this dirty little secret too, and so are a lot of people in the administration. Don't forget that in a lot of places, people rely on our tech for survival. So there is currently no way to boycott the company entirely, not when it's such a monopoly." Jungkook looked exhausted, "This might sound crazy, but sometimes I wish someone would just fly up to the outpost and burn everything down. Isn't that what we deserve?"

"Not you! None of it's your fault." Jimin said, shaking his head firmly. His mind was racing, a million different things being processed at once, "You don't belong up there, Kookah. That place is your cage." He nodded to himself conclusively.

"Where else would I belong?" Jungkook let out a tired little laugh

"Anywhere you damn well please! I'd give you a job if all else went to shit." Jimin shrugged.

This brought the widest smile to Jungkook's face, "From nearly getting kicked out to being considered for an employee position, I've come a long way."

Jimin rolled his eyes, "Please consider it, at least." He said in a small voice.

Jungkook sobered up quite quickly, "It's very hard to think about doing anything else when I've been training my entire life for just one purpose."

"You were never given a choice"

"Yes but I have a chance to make a difference because of it."

Jimin sat up on his haunches, facing Jungkook, "Ok, here's something I want you to think about. Imagine there were no implants on you. Imagine that you're allowed to do as you pleased. What do you want to see in your future?"

Jungkook considered the question for a moment, "I don't know, um- I guess I'd want to live in a place that didn't have as many rules as the outpost. And maybe-" he stopped short, eyes meeting Jimin's. There was a bloom of pink spreading across his face. He looked down at his fidgeting fingers, "this is stupid" he mumbled.

"Hey, no it's not-"

"What do you see in your future, Jimin?" Jungkook's eyes shot back up, a curious hint of desperation in his voice.

Jimin was taken aback, but he gave the matter a thought all the same, "Well, I have to find Mera again. Best case, I'd want to settle somewhere quiet with her, maybe by the sea. A little more dancing and a little less fighting would be nice too I guess" he smiled weakly at Jungkook and it had been right then, the moment of terrible realisation that no matter how he looked at it, Jungkook could never be a part of his future. That Jungkook was meant for greater things than just the quiet life Jimin dreamed of. There was suddenly a lump in his throat and his smile soured.

---

16. Ultimatum

Things started changing after that day. Jungkook's parents were set to visit the Planet in a few weeks' time and security had been upped at the outpost, making it difficult for him to leave the place. Even when he did come to visit, he would be very distracted, discussing with Min Yoongi about whether he should confront his father, about the resistance, and all things that made Jimin worry.

Jimin himself had a lot of things on his plate. Graduation was merely months away and that was not even the start of his concerns. Not a lot of ships carried humans to Atropos, one of Rheia's farthest moons, and the two month long trip cost an arm and a leg. Jimin hoped that his major in mining technology would land him a job there, since most of the colonies on the moon were based on that profession. A job would warrant an almost free trip. If he was unable to find one by the end of the year, he'd have to spill his entire life's savings into the ticket. He was willing to do both, so it was safe to say that he'd be off before the new year started. Jimin decided to leave Mr Jack's to Yeonjun. The boy had demons of his own but was smart and loyal. So he spent extra time and effort training him.

Amidst all this, Jimin had a countdown ticking in his head at all times. Three months and thirteen days until Jungkook leaves for Asthra. He didn't know how to prepare for it, he didn't know if he could bear to say goodbye. And maybe it was this selfish fear of getting hurt, mingled with everything else that was going on that made him distant. He'd put a shackle around his heart without realising it, and it made him cold.

Jungkook noticed, of course. He'd sometimes have it in him to coax Jimin out of it. But he was tired and anxious and worried too. His visits to the ground soon grew sparse.

Jimin was having a pretty bad week already when the General and his wife touched down on the planet. It was radio silence from Jungkook, which was painful enough in itself.

Yeonjun, bless him, had invited a bunch of his friends from University to the bar in an attempt to cheer Jimin up one evening. Despite the anxiety that pulsed through him like a ticking time bomb, Jimin had had a pleasant time that night- until the door burst open and in walked at least a dozen men in smart suites holding badges that indicated that they were here on behalf of the administration.

Everything happened at once, Jimin received several notices for misconduct, some of which were absurd, they were able to chalk up at least a good twenty reasons why the building was no longer fit for use and needed to be demolished and Jimin watched helplessly as nearly twenty thousand units disappeared from his bank account, leaving him almost penny less.

Jimin knew what this was- what was being done to him. This was an ultimatum. A clear message to him from the General himself.

---

---

---

17. A future together

Jimin wiped the tears from his cheeks, straightened up, and walked out of the arena into the now deserted bar, envelope in hand.

He settled himself into a chair, feeling it creak underneath him and stared at the envelope that rested on his thigh. He didn't think he'd ever be ready to open it.

The only thing that was on his mind at the moment- and it wasn't making any of this easier- was that the man who'd put together this message for Jimin, he no longer existed. It was a heart shattering thought, but he tried not to break down again, centering himself. After a few deep breaths, Jimin ripped the envelope open with shaking fingers. The first thing he spotted inside was a neatly folded letter.

Hi Minnie,

I hope this old fashioned paper letter finds you well and healthy. I'm writing to you like this because I'm about to do something that's probably very stupid and I don't know when I'll be able to see you again.

A while ago, you asked me what I would see in my future if I didn't have the obligations I do today. I knew instantly what I wanted from such a future, but couldn't say it to you back then, because it sounded absurd even in my head.

I've done a lot of thinking since then, about what I want and what I'm capable of. I've concluded that I have no interest in following my father's footsteps. (I won't say much more about the matter, in case this letter falls in the wrong hands)

There are just two things I love about my life at the Outpost. The joy of testing the limits of my body with combat training, and the idea of adventuring around the known universe as a Voyager.

My time with you has taught me that I don't need the bio suite licence to enjoy either of these things. I was not allowed to use the implants at the Borg fights, and yet, it was the most fun I've had in a combat setting. And as for exploring, there's so much to see on Rheia alone that I'd need a lifetime to explore it all. Besides, going on adventures without you doesn't seem all that fun anyway.

Back to that stupid thing I'm about to do, there's a rule which states that every trainee up here has an option to quit at any point in their training. This would involve handing in our implants and a few other annoying procedures.

So anyway, I'm going to quit tonight.

Yes, this is entirely my decision. No, I am not going to regret it.

So to answer your question:

I see a quiet little place in my future, hopefully by the ocean. I see Mera, she looks happy and healthy, and I see you, Park Jimin.

I know how corny this sounds, but the only future I see myself happy in, is your future.

 

I love you,

Prince Boy

 P.S. Taehyung's sister has a lot of contacts in Atropos. With her help, I was able to get you your early birthday presents. I hope you like them.

Jimin didn't think he was capable of feeling worse than he already was before he’d read the letter. He definitely felt worse.

His vision was so blurry, he couldn't see the text on the paper anymore. He held the sheet away from himself so the tears wouldn't stain the ink, and shook out the remaining contents of the envelope onto the table in front of him.

The first things that caught his eye were two identical, shiny slips of paper that each read: "Atropos: the Moon of opportunities" and below it, "Ticket for one"

And then there were a few blurry photographs that were all pinned together with a tiny note that read: "Mera was spotted in the background of a few photos taken an year ago. She was on a train that flew from Maphne city to New Sydney port."

Jimin sifted through the photographs almost frantically and sure enough, it was Mera.

She was alive.

Jungkook had found her for him.

There was a point where you bypassed sadness and went straight to rage. Jimin was at that point.

He didn't know how, but he wanted them to pay. The people who thought that they could rip the free will away from Jungkook by erasing his memories, they had to pay.

---

18. Always too kind

Tae seemed awfully smug about something all weekend, but he wouldn't tell Jungkook what it was.

Not that he was curious or anything.

Monday kept Jungkook busy, and so did Tuesday. Wednesday meant that he'd be going down to visit Namjoon again, and Jin was dropping him off this time too.

On the train ride there, Jungkook tried his best to school his mind into focusing on things that were not Jimin. It was harder than he'd thought, because the image of his dream-friend standing right there by the window, looking stricken, wouldn't leave him. He shut his eyes with gritted teeth. This was supposed to be easy for Jungkook. He was the best in his year at operating the bionic-suite for crying out loud. The level of brain control this required was no joke. Why then couldn't he drive Jimin out of his mind?

He'd spoken to Jin about this, his analysis had been interesting:

"Dreams huh? Are they nice dreams?" Jin had wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Can you take this seriously? Why is nobody taking me seriously?" Jungkook had raised his hands in frustration.

"I was merely asking you if the dreams were pleasant." Jin pouted defensively, "There's nothing like starting a day with a pleasant dream, let me tell you. I had one last month, I won't go into specifics, but Namjoon and I were sharing an umbrella in the rain and it was-" he kissed his fingertips "-beautiful."

Jungkook had gaped at Jin, "wait, you've seen dreams too?"

"It's not unnatural, Jungkook. And it's definitely not because your implants are malfunctioning. I've been carefully monitoring your suite ever since you- um- ever since last week, and I can give you a doctor's assurance that they're in perfect working condition. The dreams could be an effect of the mind trying to recollect forgotten memories. Or a means for the brain to sort out thoughts, especially when one is overwhelmed or overworked or going through a major shift in life." Jin shrugged, "The brain excersises we make you do as trainees and the implants' own stabilising effect on the brain are the two main reasons most of you don't see as many dreams as regular people do. But there can be an imbalance sometimes. It isn't a cause for concern in my opinion. I suggest taking it easy, Jungkook. See where the flow takes you." He winked, "Now run along, I've got like ten lectures to prepare for."

None of this explained why he dreamt of Jimin, a complete stranger. But he wasn't given a chance to tell him this. When Jin was done talking about something, he was done.

---

Jin separated from Jungkook at the entrance gates this time, so he wandered up to the oak doors of Joon's study on his own, slightly sulking, and knocked on the door.

A distant "I'm coming!" issued from somewhere within the study and Jungkook realised with a pang that this was not Namjoon's voice.

His implants notified him of a message with a tiny 'ding' at around the same time. Jungkook checked his messages to find a note from Namjoon that read:

Hi Jungkook, I am extremely sorry, but something came up and I had to leave the city for a bit. You must be on your way here already, so I've attached two papers that I'd like you to read and summarise by the end of the hour. I also know how much you like the place so please feel free to stay as long as you like and make use of the study to finish any pending course work you may have.

(Also, I've hired a student to take care of my plants for the week, so don't be alarmed if you find him in there.)

Jungkook read through the note once and wondered what must've been so important that Joon had to leave so suddenly. 

All this was forgotten when the door opened though, and he nearly fell to the ground in shock.

Jimin.

Why was Jimin here?

Jungkook stared, wide eyed and motionless, unable to believe that the boy who'd slowly become the bane of his existence was just standing here, welcoming him into Joon's office.

"Come on in" Jimin opened the door wide, he was smiling.

Jungkook followed him inside in a daze, and vaguely registered Jimin closing the door behind them.

"I needed a part time job and Professor Joon was kind enough to hire me." Jimin was saying, "I get to look after his lovely plants while he's out of town." He walked up to the coat hanger and picked out an apron from one of the hooks. "Small world isn't it?" He turned around, dark fringe getting caught in his eyelashes, and grinned at Jungkook as he tied the apron to his waist.

Jungkook was not great with words on any given day, but today was turning out to be particularly disastrous, "You're not yelling anymore" He pointed out rather eloquently.

Jimin stopped grinning at this, and the change from cheerful to miserable was so drastic, it looked like he'd been unmasked, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you that day- it was a shit thing to do"

Seeing Jimin sad, Jungkook realized, was something he couldn't handle, "I did follow you across the city so, I'd say I had it coming" he tried to sound as reassuring as possible.

Jimin shook his head, mumbling something that sounded like, "always too kind" and stepped forward with his hand outstretched, "I am Park Jimin, I hope you can forgive me." he gave Jungkook a small smile.

"Jeon Jungkook." He took Jimin's hand in his own, "there's nothing to forgive."

---

19. Pieces of the puzzle

On the outside, he might have looked like someone keen on his homework assignments, but on the inside, Jungkook was having a crisis. How was he supposed to pay attention to anything remotely academic when the literal and figurative man of his dreams was in the same room as him? Jungkook needed an answer to this question ASAP because the likelihood of him getting any work done today was close to zero.

He sat at his usual place in front of Joon’s empty chair, with his back straight and his eyes on the screen floating in front of him. He tried his best to absorb the words but he was too hyperaware of the boy trailing about in the room behind him. He’d inadvertently activated the implants to enhance his senses without realizing it and so each padded step Jimin took across the carpet sounded like a drumbeat in Jungkook’s ear. He could hear every breath, every pulse and every movement Jimin made, and it took everything in him to stop himself from turning around to look.

A tinkle of China, a puff of smoke, a splash of pouring liquid that smelled like coffee, and footsteps. Jimin was coming towards him.

In a moment of panic, Jungkook stood up, swiveled around and almost collided with a startled Jimin, who held a cup of coffee to his chest.

They were almost nose to nose now, and Jungkook was certain they’d both stopped breathing. Jimin stared up at him with grey eyes so soft, it made him want to melt.

There was something so maddeningly familiar about Jimin. Jungkook wanted to know everything about the man, and yet somehow felt like he knew already. Even his little movements- Jungkook could almost predict them. He watched silently as Jimin stepped away and placed the coffee cup on the desk, “I’m sorry, I just thought you’d like some coffee” he whispered, quickly running a hand through his hair and then bringing it down to scratch at a mole on his neck- something Jungkook bafflingly knew Jimin did when he was flustered.

In one quick, desperate stride, Jungkook bridged the gap between them again, like Jimin was a magnet, drawing him in with irresistible force. He didn’t want to break any boundaries, but Jimin did not back away. Instead, he looked at Jungkook with unwavering eyes filled to the brim with an unknown sorrow. Jungkook inched closer still, his hands resting on the sides of Jimin’s arms, just below his shoulders. “Why are you sad?” he asked, tilting his head with the question.

Jimin shook his head slowly, endearingly, and forced out a little smile, “I am happy. I am with you.” He raised a palm and placed it square on Jungkook’s chest.

He felt the warmth of Jimin’s hand through his shirt, felt himself melt into it. He fluttered his eyes shut and met Jimin’s forehead with his own. None of this was supposed to feel right, and yet it somehow did. In his head swam images of a thousand different moments- a cold storeroom, a bright shoreline, the rough stone floor of a high ceilinged arena, Jimin with bright pink hair tied into a tight braid looking down at him with lips just inches away from his, and eyes so beautiful, it made his heart ache-

Jungkook inhaled sharply and pulled away as the first block of understanding settled in his head, “I know you” he whispered breathlessly.

Jimin nodded, his eyes impossibly wide, “Yes you do.”

Jungkook was too scared to think about what this all meant, but the pieces were falling together in his head at lightning’s pace whether he wanted them to, or not.

Right from when he’d woken up at the hospital, he’d known that something was off, and the dreams had confirmed it. Everyone, from Sejin to Namjoon had been acting differently since the hospital too. Then there was the gnawing emptiness in his chest, a sense that a part of him was missing somehow. And finally, what tied everything together was his father’s test.

His father despised ground-dwellers.

Him asking Jungkook if he’d chosen a partner yet, and Jungkook instantly thinking of his dreams- of Jimin- none of this was random.

No, Jimin was not a stranger.

Jungkook slowly brushed away the hair that fell onto Jimin’s eyes with his fingertips, his heart swelled at the way Jimin leaned into his touch. “I chose you.” he breathed with a quiet certainty.

Jimin’s lips quivered and his eyes swiveled between both of Jungkook’s with disbelief, he cupped Jungkook’s face between his hands with a half laugh- half sob, “Do- do you remember?”

And with that one question, everything properly fell into place. “So I forgot.” He concluded with a racing heart. “They made me forget.”

Jimin nodded, “Your father ordered Kim Seokjin to do it. But Seokjin- he let you keep a few of your memories.”

Jungkook shuddered. His father had always wanted a perfect son. Now Jungkook finally knew that he would never have fit the bill, no matter how hard he tried. And that’s all he’d done his entire life- he’d tried and tried and tried to win the approval of the man who cared so little about him, who was willing to go to such lengths to break him.

Jimin slipped his hands that were cupping Jungkook’s face, down his neck and arms until they found his hands, making Jungkook feel goosebumps all over, “I’m so sorry. You deserve none of this.”

Staring at their linked arms, Jungkook remembered something else with a sinking heart, “Neither do you Jimin, your savings- the Arena- I- “

“Don’t worry about it, Kookie. It’s fine.” He wrapped his arms tenderly around Jungkook in a warm hug, “I have you, and that’s enough.”

After a second’s hesitation, Jungkook leant into his embrace and let himself drown in Jimin’s scent. That gaping hole right at the center of him, maybe it was starting to fill up.

---

20. A detour

Jimin brought Jungkook up to speed about the plan that Namjoon, Yoongi, Tae and Jin had apparently devised to break him out of the outpost- if he wanted to- of course. They were now walking out of the building to reconvene with Seokjin outside the University.

Jungkook had a distant view of the gates as they walked across the courtyard and he noticed something that made him stop in his tracks and throw out a hand to stop Jimin as well.

A dark, gold embossed air car was hovering on stand-by beside Seokjin, who was leaning in and speaking to the driver through the window. Jungkook squinted, the car looked awfully similar to the one Sejin drove around.

“I think we have a situation” he muttered.

“I can see that.” Jimin nodded beside him, “Let’s split up, you cannot be seen with me.” He reached out and briefly squeezed Jungkook’s arm before walking away with his head down and his hands in his jacket pockets, trying to appear casual.

Jungkook squared his shoulders and advanced towards Seokjin and the air car, already feeling Jimin’s absence beside him. Even from this distance, he was able to discern bits of the conversation Jin was having thanks to his implants.

“… I see no reason for Jungkook to make these trips down here if Kim Namjoon’s out of town. You should have brought him back as soon as you found out.” That was definitely Sejin, Jungkook realized, suddenly thankful that Jimin was walking in the opposite direction.

“Let the kid have some fresh air for god’s sake” Jin grumbled.

Sejin snickered, “You know what the ‘fresh air’ down here did to him, don’t you? Had to wipe him clean like a slate to get all the muck out of him.”

Jungkook gritted his teeth, so that’s how Sejin spoke of him when he wasn’t around. He was fast approaching the air car so he schooled his expression into something that he hoped would look a little more cheerful. “Hi! I decided to call it a day early.”

---

21. Prison break

Jungkook had requested Sejin to drop him outside the training rooms in the cavernous middle levels of the Outpost. There, he’d found Master Hoseok lifting weights. He seemed very distracted, apparently no one was answering his calls. “They’re all up to something, I just know it.” He had complained.

Jungkook had suggested a round of weapons training to clear the mind. It had then been easy to slip a high energy Plasma gun into his pocket without anyone’s notice.

Sejin had rejoined him after practice and they’d made their way down to his bunker together. A few rooms away from his own, Tae leaned against a doorframe, chit-chatting with a junior. Jungkook passed him by with the slightest of nods and a ghost of a smile that Tae caught and returned. As he finally entered his room and locked it from inside, Jungkook felt his smile grow into a smirk.

The last of his forgotten memories had returned, and he'd finally figured out what Seokjin had done. (although he didn’t have a clue how the madman had done it) Jin had siphoned off all his ‘problematic’ memories into a figurative box inside Jungkook’s head and then placed Jimin at the end of the neat little bow that tied it all up together. The second he pulled on the string, the second he accepted the fact that he indeed did know Jimin and that Jimin had been part of Jungkook’s past, the rest of the memories came flooding back in.

The game was up. Jungkook now knew enough to decide that he didn't give a rat's arse about his duties or his obligations or his fated purpose anymore. Not when 'fated purpose' meant that he'd have to be a puppet- a slave to his own family. None of them were ever going to get the satisfaction of making him bow down to them ever again.

He looked around the dim interiors of the room he'd grown up in, and saw that it had really just been a jail cell all along.

They were all going to regret thinking that keeping him prisoner in the place where he grew up, in the place he knew best, was a good idea.

Jungkook put on his best combat gear and secured the Plasma gun in the back of his belt. He didn’t dare send out a communication to anyone via his implants, he was certain that he was being watched. He’d made sure to use his right implant- which accessed the web- as sparingly as possible over the last few days, ever since that night he met Jimin.

After ensuring that he had everything he needed, he walked up to the window, opened it and with a deep, steadying breath, he climbed out. It was a particularly cold evening. The wind howled mercilessly through his ears as he carefully climbed his way down towards the bottom most levels, avoiding windows and motion sensors along the way. After a certain point, the surface of the Outpost curved inward and he was beginning to see more of the planet surface below. He stopped when he spotted the four bright blue lights that shone from the very center of the ground above which the Outpost perpetually hovered.

The Gravity field generators.

The only way out of this floating mass of metal was through the air. But since all air cars that entered the Outpost’s vicinity were heavily monitored, the only way out for someone like Jungkook was down. But he couldn’t just take the plunge and hope to hit the ground, not when the gravity field generators worked tirelessly to keep everything floating. He’d be stuck in a limbo somewhere between here and the surface until someone came and pulled him out.

So the field generators had to go, or at least one of them did.

Jungkook found a snug hand-hold on the Outpost surface above him that was strong enough to carry his body weight and secured one of his legs firmly onto a pipe that passed below him, leaving his other leg dangling in the air. With his free hand, he pulled out the Plasma gun from the back of his belt and paused. The gun required activation, which meant that he’d have to switch his right implant back on. There was no turning back after that.

Jungkook centered himself, switched on the right implant and wasted no time in activating the gun. This would alert the security systems, so he had to be very quick from this point on. He pointed the gun carefully at the spot of blue light nearest to him- the field generator that controlled the gravity of this part of the Outpost- tilted his head ever so slightly as he aimed, and fired two shots in quick succession. As the force of the blast threw him backwards, he held on tight, returned the gun back to his belt and watched the funnel shaped structure below him implode in on itself almost in slow motion. And then he felt it- a slow, gargantuan rumble sounded from somewhere within the Outpost, and the entire section that had been directly above the generator he’d just shot, began to tip.

This was his cue, he pressed his left implant and practically yelled, “Enable Insta-heal”, waited for the beep that confirmed his command, and let go.

The fall was quick, he felt more than he saw the ground closing in on him, and made sure to land on his limbs. This was one of the scariest tuck and rolls of his life, but he managed to get up, even as his dislocated joints were pushing themselves back into place and starting to heal. He’d made sure to pick a spot right above a self-service air taxi lot to fall onto. So he tried his best to ignore the pain and searched around for an air car.

Jungkook threw open the nearest air car he could find and jumped in. He blindly thumbed in his bank details to make the payment and shot off into the night sky. Jimin had said that the plan was to meet at the docks. He was supposed to have alerted everyone before initiating the first phase of the plan, but he hoped that the giant chunks of falling metal from the only floating structure in the city’s skyline would be enough indication that the plan had been set in motion.

He could still hear the creaks and moans of the slowly tipping Outpost behind him as he sped through the skyway, trying to avoid collision with other vehicles while still maintaining his momentum. By now, the emergency systems that had been put in place for exactly these kinds of situations would have taken over at the Outpost, ensuring that the entire structure slowly descended to the surface in one piece before it fully broke into two. It was funny how all the bastards up there who hated the ground dwellers so much would now be on the same level as everyone else.

The first plasma gunshot hit his air car when he was almost halfway across the city. The car immediately plummeted to the ground, but Jungkook thankfully managed to throw himself out before it fell all the way. He looked up and registered six pitch black air cars flying towards him in formation from a distance and weighed his options. His own plasma gun had enough juice left for maybe three more shots. He turned around to find the debris of his fallen air taxi, it was lying a few feet away from him. He closed his eyes momentarily, switched both his implants on to their full capacity, picked up a fallen piece of metal that may have been the taxi car door and hurled it at one of the cars coming his way. The flying chunk hit its mark, causing quite a bit of damage to the car, which began to fall, but not before colliding with two of the other cars.

Jungkook then pulled out his plasma gun and fired once before turning around to start running as fast as he could.

“The sky is falling, did you hear?”

Jungkook looked sideways to find a masked Min Yoongi grinning at him from atop a hoverboard. “Oh hey, Yoongi” he panted.

“This way, kid.” Yoongi swerved on his hoverboard into a side alley and Jungkook began to follow- until he felt something hit his shoulder with blunt force. He toppled to the ground and sensed his systems going into overdrive. The sudden wetness down the side of his arm was definitely blood, he registered dully.

He’d been shot with a plasma beam. This would have killed a regular human in an instant, but the insta-heal was fixing broken arteries and regrowing muscle cells even as he felt his body being dragged into a corner.

“Stay with me, Jungkook” came Yoongi’s ever so calm voice from above him. He felt a pressure on his wound and heard an air car zoom to a halt beside him.

Despite his best efforts, Jungkook could feel his senses weakening…

“You’re almost done, kid, just eject your implants before you let go-“

…He’d known that the odds had been against him from the very beginning. But it felt better to go down a free man than to spend the rest of his life as a caged animal. It would have been nice to go to the Moon with Jimin though...

“-Jungkook, we’ll take care of your wound, for god’s sake, eject your implants NOW!”

…was that Namjoon?

“Eject” Jungkook whispered, and everything faded to black.

---

22. The Hospital again

Jimin hated hospitals. They brought back memories that he’d rather burry in the deepest trenches of the ocean forever. But here he was, swallowing down the bile that the smells of the place brought up, and thoroughly miserable because the one person he cared about most was lying on the hospital bed beside him.

Everyone else had gone out to get dinner, and he was finally left with some peace and quiet for the first time all night. He slumped on a cold metal chair, with his hand laid protectively over Jungkook’s, and tried to rest his burning eyes.

After a good hour of no sleep and pure discomfort, he was startled to his senses when he felt cold fingers slowly intertwining with his own, he sat up straight and was met with Jungkook’s pretty doe eyes staring back at him. “Hi there” Jimin breathed

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Jungkook whispered, his hands tightening around Jimin’s.

“I wasn’t asleep yet Kookie.” Jimin rubbed his tired eyes with his free hand, “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got shot with a plasma gun” Jungkook smirked. He sported heavy bandages around his chest and right shoulder.

Jimin pressed a button under the cot that straightened the top half of the bed so that Jungkook could be in a semi sitting position and handed him a drink with a straw attached to it. “You got hit pretty bad, but the implants did most of the healing, luckily, so you're okay. You won't be able to move your arm for a few days though.” he watched with some satisfaction as Jungkook gulped down the liquid with his parched lips.

“Well, at least I’m alive.”

“At least you’re alive” Jimin agreed.

"So where am I?" Jungkook asked, mild curiosity in his tired eyes.

"Somewhere outside city limits, we were not told the location when we were brought here. This is basically the headquarters of the resistance."

“Ha, I've always wanted to come here." Jungkook mused "How did we escape though?” 

“It's a long story." Jimin took the drink back from Jungkook and placed it on the bedside table. He then edged closer to the bed, "Tae tipped us off. He said you looked like you were planning something. We just didn’t think that something meant you’d bring the whole Outpost down to Rheia with you.” He grinned, taking Jungkook's hand in his again.

“Sejin was growing suspicious. He was never going to let me come down to the University again. We would not be able to meet until I graduated. I couldn't stay there Jimin, it felt like I was being held prisoner.”

Jimin gritted his teeth, "I will never know what you've been put through, Kookie. I will never be able to imagine it. And I don't think I'd have lasted even half as long as you up there. You've been so strong." He brought Jungkook's hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. "I'm sorry that we couldn't be of more help to you." 

Jungkook shook his head, "I would have been dead by now if not for you guys. I owe you my life."

Jimin chuckled nervously, "Well, about that- you're kinda not alive anymore."

Jungkook raised his eyebrows, "That can't be right, because I'm sure it wouldn't hurt this bad in heaven. And if I'm in hell then I don't understand how you're here with me."

Jimin rolled his eyes, "I'm not joking-"

"-get it? Cause you're an angel, and angels are not supposed to be in hell-"

"Oh, will you let me explain?" Jimin pressed on impatiently as he tried not to laugh.

Jungkook raised both hands, prompting Jimin to continue.

Jimin huffed, "So where was I? Yeah, you blew the entire first phase of our plans to smithereens when you blew that gravity generator, so we had to jump right to the second phase."

Jungkook frowned, "You never told me about a second phase."

"Well, there was always a second phase, we just didn't know if you'd be ok with it. It doesn't matter now, because we had no choice but to do it."

Jungkook raised his eyebrows in apprehension.

"Hold on, I'm getting there. So we had a lot of conversations over the last few days about if you could ever live a free life without your past coming to haunt you, and we concluded that you couldn't. They would never let you live because you knew too much. So the only way to get you out, was to kill you before they killed you themselves. You get what I mean?"

"Huh-"

Jimin continued, "Yoongi somehow found a Borg engineer who was willing to create a body double for you. An empty shell of a human body that resembled your features down to the fingerprint. Tonight, Joon and I were in an air car with the decoy body and Yoongi was on the hoverboard, searching for you. It was intense, because the minute we laid eyes on you, you got shot. We had to act fast, so we brought out the decoy and laid it on the side of the road. Yoongi had a grand old time shooting it's shoulder so it had a wound to match yours. And as soon as you'd ejected the implants, we fixed them onto the decoy as well and got the fuck out of there with you in the car. We got eyewitnesses who confirmed that the sky dwellers have taken the decoy body, it's now up to Seokjin to roll out a convincing autopsy report." Jimin sighed. "So now the world thinks you're dead. I'm sorry Jungkook, we wanted to discuss this with you before pulling the stunt but, there was no time-"

"No, you were right. They would've killed me anyway." Jungkook said in a quiet voice as he stared blankly at the wall in front of him. "If an officer goes rogue at the Guild, if they use the implants for disruption- and cannot be stopped, then they're- then the implants they wear can sort of be commanded to blow up-"

"Wait- that's fucked up"

"They were aiming to kill tonight, I just got lucky." Jungkook looked so worn and downcast, it scared Jimin to see him like this.

"Hey, it's ok" Jimin climbed on to the bed and slipped a careful hand around his waist, "You're ok"

Jungkook put all of his weight on Jimin, "I am so tired" he whispered into Jimin's chest.

"You can rest now, Kookie. I'll be here for you." Jimin held on to Jungkook and pressed his lips to the crown of his head, hoping that he could convey how much he felt for Jungkook with the gesture.

"Jimin?"

"Yeah?"

"There was a time when I didn't know if you were real or if you'd just been a figment of my dreams. It was terrifying, living in a world without you in it. I searched and searched and I didn't think I could rest until I found a trace of you at least. When we saw each other on the train that night, it was like the world had been set right again."

"Oh-" Jimin's eyes widened, and then softened.

"I'm so glad you exist." Jungkook sighed, as he settled deeper into Jimin's arms and welcomed a quiet, dreamless sleep.

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