Archive of Our Own

A nihilistic looking woman hurried through a crowd of compact bystanders, the heavy leather jacket that weighed down her shoulders occasionally trailing behind due to the prompt exertion. She zigzagged between zombie-like beings mindfully padlocked to their everyday routines in the city. The damp streets displayed an aesthetic of decay, a dystopian world.

In her ears all she could hear was her own arrhythmic breathing and the odd thump of her heartbeat as it gradually built to a steady crescendo. Her dark features were camouflaged amongst her defined makeup; sharp and mysterious, almost blending in with the ill-lit surroundings. Above, a colossal blimp overlooked the city, ostentatious as it menacingly observed the lifeforms below - Minji being one of many.

As the woman chased the droid down the congested backstreets, her otherwise pale features would temporarily become enhanced in colour by provocative neon signs that vastly consumed the area. They came in flashes, just like the vision of the brunette in Minji’s tunnel vision, who was frustratingly being blocked by the dense population compressing the environment. She was becoming agitated fast, civilians slowing her progress.

Stumbling past such citizens and pushing her way through crowds was nothing out of the ordinary in Minji’s line of work.

For a while now, a few minutes at least, the chase had been in one straight line; suffocating.

Rain beat down upon Bora’s fragile figure, fog seemingly creeping in from somewhere below ground, ghosting across her feet and consequently sending a shiver down her spine. She’d been caught.

The brunette had been dancing at the local club, where she was employed, a gaunt snake sensually wrapped around her neck as she swayed her body to the beat of the blues music. The last thing she had expected on a normal Sunday evening was for a Venatrix to pay particular interest in her. See, Bora usually adored the company of other stunning women but this time was a huge mistake.

She had invited the dark featured woman to her changing room before it was then that they discovered one another. Of course the woman was a Venatrix, anyone dressed like that (complimented by harsh, almost Egypian-looking makeup) was bound to have a trick up their sleeve. And it seemed as though the Venatrix had suspected Bora almost as soon as her black boot had stepped foot inside of her room. It was truly so difficult to disguise such a distinctive trademark in her right eye; it was bright yellow, appearing almost snake-like in itself. The moment Minji had realised that Bora was a droid was the moment when chaos erupted.

Bora, thankful for her own actions, reacted swiftly, pushing over the taller woman so she fell over completely. Minji hadn’t expected it right off the bat, this droid was smarter than previous victims.

Bora, in the meantime, had made an abrupt beeline for the exit of the club, leaving all of her personal belongings in the changing room for the time being, rapidly taking off down the consumerist back alley. It didn’t seem to faze the brunette that she was almost practically naked, at the end of the day it was better to be cold than dead.

At least Bora had been smart enough to buy herself some time.

Although cold running against the weak wind, a warm sweatbead had formed against the brunette’s forehead, her chilled lips also moisturised by a shimmering, purple lip gloss that managed to stay prominent despite the subtle storm. She darted suddenly to the right, using all of her body weight to swing open an olive gate that provisionally blocked her from another side street. Puddles splashed beneath her panicked feet, droplets of icy rainwater staining areas just below her belt. Even the weather was insensitive. Unsympathetic.

The consistent clatter of her footsteps upon the soaked concrete gradually slowed, her breathing heavier than before as she spun around to observe the space in which she had passed through seconds ago, searching for her predator.

As Bora exhaled, a solitary raindrop leaped helplessly from her cupid’s bow, joining the overwhelming pool that had formed at her shoes. She could really feel the downpour now, more than before, her bare shoulders dampened and her once luscious brunette locks now almost matted in a drenched bundle pulled to the back of her head.

Frantically, she blinked as though trying to clear her vision like a windscreen, backing up into the foreign alleyway.

It was noisy, the repetitive sound of heavy rain combined with societal clatter around her; voices, automated directions and robots, gutter and drainage systems disposing of masses of water, the artificial disarray of humanity… Bora could hardly hear herself think. Yet God, her mind was on overdrive - many thoughts passing in and out in such a short period.

‘Morality.’

A bright blue sign highlighted through the use of neon lighting mocked Bora from the wall to her left. It reflected backwards in her heterochromatic eyes, transforming the single yellow iris into a soiled green colour.

She continued to back up, further into the alleyway, until-

She collided with another figure. The thick material of their jacket rubbed against the exposure of the smaller ones skin. It was leathery, unwanted upon her body and within an instant, her heartbeat sped up, adrenaline soaring once more.

Whipping her slender frame around, she shifted her gaze from the human’s chest to their face; her face. A Venatrix.

Fierce and emotionless copper eyes stared back, raven hair slicked almost sinisterly around the woman’s ears as her next movements sharpened with intention. She quickly pulled something from inside of her jacket pocket, a hidden compartment upon the inside. Bora took an instinctive step backwards, terror-stricken for a brief moment. How had she-

The dark Venatrix raised her hand, her fingers clasped around a gun, a gun evidently comfortable in her grip. The barrel was pointed directly between Bora’s eyes, at her forehead as she continued to stare, unblinking, at the small droid. Bora couldn’t move, frozen by the hold of the weapon and the enticing glare of the woman. She sucked in a deep breath.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Minji pulled the trigger.

Bang! One shot… straight through the centre of the smaller one’s skull. All of a sudden, the droid dropped mercilessly to the polluted concrete, the back of her head impacting with the tough surface as a subtle trail of grey smoke drifted into the atmosphere from the murder weapon. It immediately evaporated into the night just as Bora simultaneously consumed her last breath, dark red blood seeping into the ground, pooling around her fragile frame.

A smile flashed upon Bora’s face. It was her… first birthday as a droid but her twenty third in total. Her best friend engulfed her in a warm embrace, picking up the small one by her waist and swinging her around playfully. They laughed together, entirely happy in the uninterrupted moment.

Eyes briefly shifting, Minji’s attention dropped to the deceased droid, now defeatedly unmoving upon the ground. She lowered her gun, her arm returning to her side as her fingers unconsciously loosened upon the weapon. She inhaled the suffocation lingering around her through her nostrils.

A brainless manacle passed by the scene, too imprisoned in their society to take any notice of Bora unforgivingly bleeding out upon the pavement. The vibrant neon blue from the sign that had once silently mocked Bora now reflected clearly in the crimson flooding around her figure. At the end of the day, it was just another droid dead.

This city was no place for empathy…

-

A faint tune wavered throughout a somewhat empty apartment. Darkness consumed the majority, shafts of volumetric light penetrating the overwhelming grey palette, often illuminating specific areas of the room. A gentle blanket of fog seemed to leisurely gravitate in the open space, appearing to float when colliding with the unknown beams of light. The light moved unhurriedly, with a level of exhaustion as it seemed to explore the vast solidarity.

Sharp, white nails softly pressed down upon the keys to a grand piano, the tune familiar yet slowed in practice. The noise echoed through the entire apartment, bouncing from wall to wall but otherwise dying short before the next droning note was played. Prolonging.

From the quieter radio placed delicately atop of the wooden piano, a weary jazz instrumental complimented the strong notes being played. Le singe bleu.

A woman occupied the chair in front of the piano, the woman who bared the minimalist, white nail design. Her blonde, bobbed hair was tucked carefully behind her ears, one strand on either side managing to separate from the rest, curling around her cheeks yet shielding her identity, her eyes, from sight.

A half-empty whiskey glass was almost meticulously placed beside the radio, a nude lipstick mark staining it’s transparency. It was a melancholy ambience that engulfed the apartment.

Some distant beam of light from a passing blimp momentarily shone upon the woman’s nose, highlighting the sharp structure in a mysterious manner. It was soon sliced in half by the blinds that protected the apartment windows, glistening only for a second in the woman’s chocolate brown gaze. Her attention was undividedly set upon the notes that she was lazily playing, expression neutral.

It was an abrupt knock at the door that shifted the blonde woman's attention all of a sudden; her eyes calmly darting to the right of the room. For a moment she remained static, until she heard it again… Two stern knocks.

Her fingers lightly peeled themselves from the piano, steadily hovering over the keys before she slowly rose to her feet. Instinctively, she gripped the glass containing a minimal amount of liquor, pinky finger raised a little with her grip. Her walk was unhurried, seemingly carrying no sense of urgency within herself as she advanced closer to the visitor.

She kissed her teeth as she unlocked the front door, unveiling the other human standing in the corridor. The pair were still for a moment as their eyes met, neither girl uttering a word until Siyeon arched one of her defined eyebrows in intrigue.

“I’m retired.” She rasped.

Minji held her cold glare equally as she nodded once in acknowledgment.

“I know.” She replied, a little out of breath. “Which is why I would only come to you at a desperate time.”

Siyeon narrowed her eyes, her long nails tapping comfortably against the door frame. Minji appeared as though she had been through hell and back all in one night. Drenched in rainwater, eyes appearing drowsy, her posture fatigued likewise. However, she somehow still managed to look just as striking as usual.

The blonde released a heavy sigh, stepping away from the entrance but leaving her door open for Minji to follow suit.

Almost in a rehearsed manner, Siyeon swirled her drink in a circle, swallowing the remaining liquid when she heard the apartment door lock behind the older woman.

Minji squinted upon entrance. The room was dimly lit, not like the city; the city that was persistently dominated by vivid neon signs and extravagant nightlife. Although the sun never quite seemed to rise, there were always other hopeful light forms. In Siyeon’s apartment however, the only light forms were those beyond her world, her isolation bubble that she strangely called home.

Lights of hope from the hierarchy, promises of a better future in the form of something so bland but prominently visible; a line of white light. Humanity.

The only humanity here was Siyeon… and even she was hanging on by a thread.

Minji’s alert eyes latched onto a familiar royal azure blazer hung up, collecting dust, upon a clothing rack in the corner of the apartment. The iconic but subtle white lettering was still notably stitched into the back; ‘LEE’.

A brief smile sadly tugged at the corner of Minji’s dark lips.

“Don’t you miss it?”

Siyeon cocked her head to the side, analysing her old partner before humming and placing the whiskey glass down upon the compact coffee table closeby.

“If I did then I never would’ve retired.” She replied monotonously.

“Not necessarily.”

“Why are you here Minji?” Siyeon cut to the point, crossing her arms over her chest, a harsh shadow splitting her face in two. Chiaroscuro.

Immediately, Minji sighed, closing her eyes at the same time.

“It’s Handong.”

A subtle grimace painted Siyeon’s features at the mention of the infamous name. She groaned.

“What has she done now?”

“What hasn’t she?” Minji retaliated, scoffing in exasperation, “she’s created droids that are so human-like it’s almost hard to tell them apart from us.”

Siyeon didn’t even seem surprised at the exposition, instead she gently scratched her chin in thought.

“Implanting memories.” She voiced nonchalantly.

Minji’s eyes widened as she pondered on the idea. Siyeon had made a valid observation, one that she hadn’t concluded herself.

“Hmm…” she tapped her boot upon the carpet, “no longer restoring them.”

“Perhaps people are beginning to volunteer.”

Now, that would be insanity. The raven head frowned.

“Volunteering to risk homicide? They know they won’t be safe… that wouldn’t make any sense.”

Siyeon shrugged. “The world doesn’t make sense.”

Minji shook her head, a moment of silence falling over the pair before she sighed lightly.

“You need to see for yourself what it’s like out there nowadays.”

Siyeon averted her collected eyes elsewhere. She dismissed the older woman with one limp hand.

“I stopped for a reason.”

“But this is Handong we’re talking about.”

“Why me?” The retired Venatrix shot back. The dark shadows upon the smaller ones' figure brought Minji an enigmatic, unexplainable sense of comfort. Familiarity.

“If anyone can stop that bitch, it’s you Siyeon.”

A chuckle left the blonde girl’s nude lips, a half-hearted one it sounded like.

“And if I do, our city might start to restore it’s faith.”

Minji nodded, a visual agreement.

“Humanity needs it’s hope.”

Another silence lingered momentarily, a reflective one this time. From the outside world, a hovering vehicle sped past the apartment window, emitting a long, almost musical note, like a synthesiser.

“Alright. Consider that bitch dead by tomorrow evening.”

Minji’s lips curved into a smirk.

-

“Testing I haven’t transformed into a droid in the time I’ve been away?” Siyeon asked, almost completely disinterested by the response, although she looked up from her seat at the woman wearing a baggy beige suit who was wiring her up to an empathy machine. The other woman laughed gently at the question.

“It’s good to see you too, Siyeon.” The grey haired woman responded while carefully attaching a few small clips to the girls fingers, a grin spreading across her lips. “Nice to have you back actually. I’ve missed you.”

Siyeon was slouched in her position, slumped in the chair with her legs outstretched under the silver interrogation table. Her blonde locks were slicked back to her skull on one side.

“I’m not back,” she shook her head, “just taking care of Handong.”

“And you’re insane for that.” Yoohyeon pushed a hefty piece of black machinery closer to Siyeon’s face upon the table, expanding a few areas of it to prepare for the test.

“If it was anybody else I would’ve refused but… killing Handong will be revolutionary.” The blonde locked eyes with her old pal, noticing the concentrated expression gracing the younger ones features. Yoohyeon always was so loyal to her job, she loved what she did… pretty weird but endearing anyhow.

“I can’t believe she actually agreed to meet with you.” The grey haired girl shook her head in disbelief, eyes wide with the statement.

“There will be other people there. They’ll be watching me like hawks.”

“But you’re the best at what you do… you’ll find the right opportunity.”

Siyeon smiled genuinely, it was faint but it was evident nonetheless.

A silence followed between the pair as Yoohyeon completed the set up, lining a microscopic glass panel up to Siyeon’s eye-line. Once set, the younger woman shoved her hands into the pockets of her suited pants and smiled.

“This seems silly.” She observed, attention trained upon the blonde who was wired up to the machine. The Lobos test, or more commonly known as the empathy test, was a tradition in the Venatrix line of work in the assistance of testing whether an individual was a droid or not. It was a standard procedure that measured basic bodily functions such as heart rate, respiration and eye movement in response to emotionally provocative questions. It was a sort of advanced lie detector test, except more accurate in the final readings, calculating the degree of one's empathic response.

Yoohyeon dimmed the lights in the room, a subtle sepia filter painting the majority, a skinny red laser projecting onto Siyeon’s flawless face from the machine. Facing the younger woman was a cinematic screen, Siyeon’s dark iris magnified for her professional viewing.

“So you’re at a party,” Yoohyeon returned to the table, swiveling a grey chair around with a single hand and straddling the back of it, casually resting her arms atop, “and a certain guest is boasting about their perfect life.”

Siyeon arched an eyebrow.

“How do you respond?” The taller one provoked.

“I sit silently.” The answer rolled from the blonde’s tongue without a moment’s hesitation.

“At this party a friend offers you a drink of tequila.” Yoohyeon continued, moving past the woman’s previous answer.

“Yum.” Siyeon hummed.

“But in the glass, right at the bottom, there’s a dead worm.”

“Dead worm.” Siyeon shook her head, “what a waste.” She sighed before pondering for only a few more seconds.

“I’d politely refuse and go pour a new drink for myself.”

Yoohyeon nodded before carrying on further. She asked another few based around the hypothetical party, to which Siyeon responded instinctively without much trouble.

“You meet a cute girl.” Yoohyeon arched an eyebrow, resisting the urge to smirk. “It’s going well, you’re both clearly into each other but she’s a criminal.”

Siyeon chuckled lightly.

“She kisses you after you find out. What do you do?”

“That’s a strange question.” The blonde noted, “and ambiguous too. Why is she a criminal?”

“That I can’t answer.” Yoohyeon replied.

“Okay… then I guess I’d kiss her back.” Siyeon shrugged, her answer consequently colouring her cheeks in a light pink blush.

“Interesting.” The flushed reaction evidently didn’t go unnoticed by Yoohyeon. Siyeon cleared her throat before regaining her usual icy gaze.

“Last question,” Yoohyeon tapped her fingers once upon the metal of the chair she was resting upon, “now and then you contemplate life alone.”

Siyeon’s heart rate sped up slightly at those words, gulping dryly. She hoped Yoohyeon hadn’t spotted her outward anxiousness. She had though, of course.

“How is it?”

The blonde girl dropped her gaze to the table where she stared for a brief moment, her eyes distant. The silence was deafening before Siyeon proposed a question of her own, rephrasing Yoohyeon’s.

“How is life alone?”

“Yes.”

Siyeon hummed, the tension in the air almost painful all of a sudden as the solitary word rolled from her tongue.

“Inconceivable.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, the sincerity of the comment extremely apparent.

Their eyes locked once more, Yoohyeon hesitating before speaking.

“The test is finished.” She rose quickly from her seat, throwing her leg over the chair to stand up.

Siyeon had seemed to immediately return to her nihilistic, sarcastic self. “Are the results shocking? Do you have a weapon on you just in case?” The girl latched her attention to Yoohyeon standing above her as she unhinged the machinery from the girl's smaller frame.

“Absolutely shocking.” The younger one played along, shaking her head. “I’m gonna have to restrain you.”

Siyeon arched an eyebrow, retracting her hands from the table once Yoohyeon had detached them from the Lobos device. She pushed herself upright on her seat.

“You’re unavoidably human.” Yoohyeon concluded, pushing down the analytic screen and inserting it into a compartment on the side of the machine. “But I’m pretty sure we both knew that from the beginning.”

“Mhmm.” Siyeon hummed smugly.

“But it was nice to spend some time with you again.” Yoohyeon sighed, “this place really hasn’t been the same since you left, you know?” She wrapped a bunch of blue wires around her wrist, honest eyes darting towards the blonde.

“It’s really changed that much?”

Yoohyeon nodded, pushing her beige blazer back with a hurried hand as she advanced to the corner of the room to put away the machine.

“Life outside of the precinct is pretty shit. But life in here too is… different without you.”

Siyeon pursed her lips in thought.

“Maybe it’s just me because we entered this business together,” Yoohyeon turned the dial upon the wall to brighten the lighting, illuminating their faces, “it was a huge shock when you left… I don’t know.”

“Didn’t realise I had such an effect around here.”

“Oh please,” She scoffed playfully, “you know you’re the best Venatrix there ever was.”

Siyeon ran a quick hand through her hair. “Ever? Yoohyeon… Don’t flatter me too much.”

“I mean it. Minji is the best now but you… Siyeon you were next level.”

The girl sighed inaudibly, she felt nothing from Yoohyeon’s praise although it was very kind of her. She just… didn’t feel like it was worthy of praise. Like she was worthy. It was her job at the end of the day, nothing personal.

“Obviously don’t tell Minji I said that. She’ll kick my ass.” The grey haired woman chuckled to herself.

“Perhaps I will. For fun.” Siyeon laughed, a rich tone for the ears.

“I wouldn’t put it past you at all.”

A knock peeled the two girls away from their conversation and trained their collected attention towards the heavy white door in the room. It was flung open before either one of them could make their presence on the other side known. A small, lilac haired girl stumbled into the room, her hair tied back into a loose and low ponytail, some of her baby hairs around the front escaping its lazy grasp. The black and white oversized suit that she wore was a heavy indicator that this girl worked for the Venatrix organization yet Siyeon didn’t recognise her face. She appeared young, younger than the rest, her soft-looking cheeks a visual sign of this. In her small arms she carried a bunch of stray papers, documents.

Her eyes immediately shot to Yoohyeon upon entry before widening when she noticed Siyeon sitting in the chair opposite.

“L-Lee Siyeon?” The stunned words fled from her lips.

Siyeon flickered her gaze between the two girls. “Yes?” The corner of her lips curled into a smile.

“I had no idea you would return.” The youngest girl seemed star-struck, frozen in her position as the door gradually closed behind her.

“Siyeon,” Yoohyeon addressed the woman in the blue suit, “this is Gahyeon, my apprentice.” She grinned, “I’ve told her all about you.”

Gahyeon nodded enthusiastically, “you really did some great things Miss Lee. So impressive.”

“Please, call me Siyeon.” She smiled in a friendly manner, flicking her head coolly once in her direction. A subtle blush coloured the small girl’s cheeks.

“She reminds me of you.” Yoohyeon chuckled while Gahyeon’s eyes widened with the claim.

“Don’t flatter me like that.” She fired back.

“See?!” Yoohyeon clapped once, her grin spreading further across her lips, “you said that too just a moment ago.”

Siyeon laughed, pushing herself up from the chair and rising to her full height, Gahyeon’s eyes locked on her the whole time. She casually stuffed her hands into her trouser pockets.

“I better get going… it seems like you two have your hands full anyway,” Siyeon announced, turning her head from Yoohyeon to Gahyeon who was still holding a bunch of loose papers, “quite literally for you.” Her teeth poked through her lips with her grin and the girl with the lilac hair giggled, averting her gaze elsewhere.

“How are you getting to Dream Corporel?” Yoohyeon enquired, finally joining Gahyeon by her side and taking a handful of the papers, easing the load for the smaller one.

“Minji is gonna drop me there. She’s given me this phone,” Siyeon pulled out a tiny device from her side pocket, it was a screen that illuminated whenever the blonde pressed her finger gently upon the front, “so she can contact me whenever she wants. She’s very efficient,” the girls brows furrowed as she studied the device, “I’m not used to this technology. I feel ancient.”

Yoohyeon dismissed her with a gentle hand and a hearty laugh. “Okay, grandma. You’ve only been retired for three years.”

The blonde hummed distantly. “It feels longer.”

“I can imagine.”

With that being said, Siyeon tucked the phone away into her pocket and straightened her attire, gently brushing it down with her two hands, hands that bared a few silver rings.

“I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon, no?” Yoohyeon helped Gahyeon place the documents down upon the interrogation table ahead of them, momentarily flicking her gaze towards the older woman.

The blonde nodded once, although it was masked with an uncertain undertone, a slight hesitance.

“Maybe so.”

Siyeon made her way around to the opposite side of the room, nearing the exit.

“It was really cool to meet you Siyeon.” Gahyeon stopped the oldest with her shy words.

“Likewise,” Her gaze softened, “good luck with everything.”

Minji was leaning against a brick wall outside of the precinct, a cigarette loosely clasped between two long fingers as she deeply inhaled the contents from the stick through her plump lips. Upon Siyeon’s swift departure, she turned her head, shielded mainly by an oversized black hood, over towards the younger one. She dropped her boot from the wall behind her, straightening her posture and approaching the blonde.

She unhurriedly exhaled an unforgiving cloud of smoke that drifted high into the night, disappearing into the clear abyss above the skyline. Her intimidating gaze latched onto Siyeon’s.

“Ready?” She rasped.

“Yep.” The blonde nodded, resorting once more to her tailored suit pockets to warm her hands.

The raven haired woman flicked her cigarette onto the damp pavement beneath her, crushing it mercilessly under the weight of her platforms. “How was she?”

The pair began to walk towards Minji’s dark car that was awaiting their occupation, parked against the curb directly outside of the station.

“Who?” Siyeon asked, “Yoohyeon?”

Minji only hummed in confirmation. “She was looking forward to seeing you again.”

“She’s cute.” Siyeon retaliated as they both simultaneously opened the vertical car doors, shifting their gentle weight into the vehicle, the oldest in the driver's seat. Their seatbelts automatically snaked around their figures once they were comfortable inside, locking them in place to keep them safe. Siyeon momentarily fumbled with her clothing.

“And special.” She sighed.

Minji started the ignition, the vehicle immediately springing to life and noticeably lifting a few inches from the ground. It’s engine was almost inaudible as it set off, the raven head effortlessly controlling its direction.

“Yeah… she’s never changed.” As the car gradually began to ascend into the air, Siyeon averted her attention to the world outside of the window. The hundreds of aircrafts that darted around the city acted as a fantastical spectacle from the passenger's seat, the occasional explosion also illuminating the otherside muted world. It was nothing unusual; Siyeon just hadn’t seen the city like this for a little while now. Seemingly nothing yet everything had changed at the same time.

Her own face was vaguely reflected back upon the transparent glass of the vehicle as though she could envision herself amongst all of the societal chaos but from a safe distance; acknowledging the lifestyle despite rejecting its tradition.

“She’s a good girl.” Siyeon replied after a moment, voice monotonous, just above a mumble. Minji studied the other woman’s side profile before the blonde turned to make eye contact. “Please keep it that way.”

“As long as she stays in the Lobos testing field, she’ll be okay.”

“Don’t let her become a Venatrix.” Siyeon responded quickly. “It’s not worth it.”

Minji sighed, fighting the urge to counterattack although deep down, she knew Siyeon was right. All of the death, all of the pain... A human would be totally psychotic to not feel any sense of guilt; even a Venatrix. Instead of responding, Minji held her tongue, the rest of the journey falling silent until they arrived at their destination.

A prodigious pyramid building had rapidly come into view ahead. It was icy white in colour, a reflective grey shimmer in areas where headlights of hovering blimps and vehicles would highlight in passing. Crimson red lettering mocked citizens in its grand scale upon the building, plastered directly in the centre. It read: ‘Dream Corporel’.

The building was no mystery in the city, actually it was the opposite, it overlooked many areas, a physical, outward indication of the dominance that the hierarchy possessed. That Handong and a handful of others possessed, but her name was the one in the headlights.

How that corrupt woman was still in such a powerful position after all of the mess that she had created really baffled Siyeon, set her skin alight with a rage that she had never particularly felt with another before. Today that would end... the rage as well as Handong’s reign.

“I feel unwanted.” Minji grimaced as she lowered the car into the small designated guest area outside of the strong structure. A shiver ran down her spine, this was untouched territory for a Venatrix… for most at least. Even stepping foot onto the pavement beneath Dream Corporel felt morally wrong, almost carrying a sense of betrayal.

Once parked, Minji cut the engine dead, the pair sitting in a strange silence for a moment.

“You’re right.” Siyeon identified her surroundings, taking note of the unusual architecture and advertisements that consumed the areas around the building. It all seemed very much like indoctrination... but then again, the whole city was full of it, that’s how the people survived. The rules of humanity. A predetermined morality.

“I wouldn’t want to be you right now.” Minji gave the girl a serious look.

“That’s why you persuaded me to do this for you.”

“Not for me,” Minji shook her head gently, “for everyone.”

Siyeon tapped her white nails along her thighs. “And it shall be done.”

“I’m gonna get off when you leave.” Minji caressed the steering wheel carefully before gripping it tight with one hand. “Get back to the precinct and help Yoohyeon identify some of the newer droids that bitch has released onto the streets.”

“Gimme a text if anything arises.” Siyeon voiced.

“I should be saying that to you.” The raven head chuckled half-heartedly.

The younger one smiled faintly before unlocking the passenger door and swiftly exiting.

“And good luck,” Minji poked her head forwards so Siyeon could see her from her position, before she held out her small device and gave it a little shake, “I’m a call away if you need.” Her eyes were sincere. Siyeon appreciated her selective kindness, it was nice to be on the receiving end of it. With Minji, many weren’t. She could often be cold, very unforgiving in nature. But she always did have a slightly softer spot for the blonde one.

Siyeon nodded in her direction before closing the door again, but not before quickly saying goodbye.

A light drizzle suddenly broke through the gunmetal clouds overhead, dripping lazily upon Siyeon, absorbing in her clothes and temporarily staining the blue of her suit. The weather never did bother Siyeon, it would only mess her hair up slightly but there was nothing that a quick brush through with one hand wouldn’t fix. Her appearance was the last thing on her mind as she approached the entrance to the extravagant building. Before entering, Siyeon stopped in her tracks and flickered her eyes over her shoulder, just in time to see Minji’s vehicle ascend into the air and take off. She lifted her chin up carefully, her gaze momentarily following before-

A masculine voice abruptly pulled Siyeon’s attention ahead. “Good afternoon.”

Her head whipped towards an individual wearing a grey suit, arms covered up to his elbows in darker grey gloves that displayed leopard print upon them. Siyeon’s eyes had immediately locked on his calm brown ones. Instinctively, the retired Venatrix studied his orbs; both undoubtedly brown. Human.

His stance was that of a body guard, arms meticulously placed by his side as he looked directly at the woman in front of him. He hadn’t been there just a moment ago, maybe he had been waiting for Siyeon to arrive… either that or he had sensed her presence outside.

“Hello.” Siyeon replied casually, shoving her hands into her pockets, the outline of a very familiar weapon teasing her arm from her inside compartment.

“May I have your name ma’am?” He asked, his dark eyebrows raised, juxtaposing the lighter blonde tone of his mid-length hair.

“Siyeon.” The woman replied, taking a step forward into the porch area of the building, away from the subtle attack of the rain. With her sudden movement, the man turned with her, following her every move with his body language. Siyeon arched a brow. They seemed cautious. Understandable… She was practically the enemy of Dream Corporel.

“As expected,” he moved his hands to the front of him, nodding once in acknowledgement, “Handong has been waiting for your arrival.” At the sudden mention of the name, Siyeon’s jaw visibly clenched, her heart rate simultaneously picking up. She remained static while the attractive-looking man turned on his heel, invisibly activating the grand doors as they opened automatically in front of them. He made eye contact once more.

“Follow me, if you will.” With that, he made his way into the building, leading the way. He seemed very formal, elegant and clean, seeming to take pride in his appearance. He walked with his hands held behind his back, his black boots clacking along the burnt sienna marble that decorated the flooring.

Siyeon followed closely behind the man, her lips sealed for the entirety of the walk. She had nothing to say to this man, her anger was directed at the woman in charge. The fiery redhead who she was yet to observe first hand. But that was quickly about to change.

The man led Siyeon down a more narrow corridor, dimly lit with orange hued lighting, the walls painted with achievements and documents that appeared like trophies pinned proudly onto otherwise blank walls. Everything looked expensive, invaluable even. This was nothing like the city, the outside world surrounding the building, the rough lifestyle that humanity had to suffer through due to people like Handong. It wasn’t even capitalism at this point it was injustice, a discriminative lifestyle that these members of the hierarchy hid behind. Siyeon growled to herself as she advanced down such a provocative hallway. Hurting people in this way was nothing to celebrate. Making individuals into inhumane robots, creating false visions of hope for them and sending them on their way, only to have them die five years later was nothing but corrupt, inequitable. They were only polluting the city once they were droids. Handong was killing humanity and she was proud of her ‘achievements’.

The pair reached the end of the substantial corridor, breaking out into a new room which was sheltered explicitly well. It was dark, again, but there were fire-like holographics in and around the room that each emitted a soft golden glow, seeming to warm up the space with their pigmentation.

The first thing Siyeon’s eyes latched onto was the huge dining table in the centre of the room that stretched from one wall to the other in length; it could probably seat the whole city’s population. Okay, exaggeration... but it could fit maybe a hundred if there were enough seats. The man stopped in his tracks, shifting to the right hand side to allow Siyeon to progress into the room. However, the blonde hesitated.

A light trail of smoke drifted towards the tall ceiling; the almost indistinct fumes radiating from one particular chair in the centre of the table. It was turned away from the entrance, from Siyeon. Her gaze followed the line as it dissipated into nothing.

A hand exposing long, red nails revealed itself to the left of the chair, a thin cigarette loosely clasped between two fingers. The smoke followed the hand, unveiling the minor enigma to the blonde girl as she narrowed her eyes.

“She’s here.” A feminine voice echoed around the four walls, a brown haired woman seemingly appearing out of nowhere from the opposite side of the room. She was dressed in a similar way to the man beside Siyeon, except she wore a brown suit, her hair pushed away from her face. However, she did mirror the actions of the man; hands behind their backs, attentive in nature.

At the clear observation of her arrival, Siyeon took the initiative to take a few steps forward, taking in the appearance of the minimalistic surroundings. A slender, Persian cat suddenly hopped up onto a desk near where Siyeon was standing, it’s eyes trained on the blonde woman as though ready to pounce at any second. Siyeon froze carefully, her eyes shifting to the feline. It was watching her.

The cat possessed a singular yellow iris, the other a dark green shade. A cat... a droid? Siyeon didn’t even know that was possible, didn’t know that their DNA would work in a similar way to human’s. Experiments maybe… that was a scary thought.

When the woman in the blue suit turned to look at the table again, the chair had turned, unveiling the infamous red haired woman. Her face was masked harshly by a dim shadow casted by the curled chair in which she was situated upon, the prominent red of her lips and hair unintentionally catching Siyeon’s eye first.

She raised the cigarette to her mouth, a lipstick stain noticeably coating the end of the white stick as she rose from her seat, her features gradually becoming clearer within the ambient orange palette. She walked around to the front of the table, tight black dress extenuating her figure with each step. The verbal silence was dense until their gazes locked, calm brown eyes wordlessly challenging one anothers.

“Lee Siyeon.” Handong’s voice was like silk, involuntarily seductive in Siyeon’s ears. The blonde arched an eyebrow, removing her hands from her pockets to cross them across her chest.

“Handong.”

Her eyes trailed shamelessly down the length of the woman’s figure.

The redhead snickered, noticing the observation.

“My eyes are up here.”

Siyeon’s gaze shot up immediately and she clenched her jaw at what the other was implying.

“I wasn’t-”

The younger one leaned back against the table, applying most of her weight as she leisurely pulled an ashtray with her pinky finger from the centre over in her direction. She took one last drag of the cigarette before putting it out, abruptly killing it’s flame. She swiftly changed the subject.

“When I heard that you wanted to talk with me,” she smoothly exhaled the smoke from between her lips, “I was intrigued.”

Siyeon remained silent, consoling all of her rage and allowing the steady-speaker to continue.

“What could the infamous Lee Siyeon possibly want with a woman who she hates so dearly?” The redhead asked, almost rhetorically, ensuring to provoke an agitated response from the older one.

I came to kill you.

“I came to ask you to stop creating your droids.” Her glare switched, an intimidating layer glazing her eyes.

The younger one chuckled.

“Of course you did.” She rolled her eyes, “Tell me. Why now? I thought you were retired.”

“Since when do you know my life story?” Siyeon growled, feeling her chest tighten a little with growing fury.

“Since you decided to murder many of my droids.” The woman retaliated quickly, “I need to know who I’m dealing with.”

Siyeon scoffed, looking away. The sheer audacity of this woman.

“Look,” Siyeon ran a hand through her hair, pushing back her damp blonde locks. “If we’re gonna talk… I’d like it to be just us two.”

Handong arched an eyebrow, humming at the implication.

“I came alone. I think it’s only fair you are too.”

“Handong that doesn’t sound saf-”

The red haired woman raised a hand in the direction of the brunette who had just made her voice known, stopping her short in her approach and sentence.

“It’s okay Yubin.” She dismissed her politely, dropping her hand, “I have my cats.” She winked in her direction.

Siyeon frowned.

“One wrong move Miss Lee,” she turned back to the woman in blue, pointing a solitary finger towards her, “and you’re dead.” She smirked. Siyeon narrowed her eyes.

“You see my cats here,” she gestured around her, to where more nimble felines had leaped up onto the furniture surrounding, “they’re designed to protect me, to sense any potential threat and dispose of it in an instant. Hurt me… and well,” she shrugged, talking with her hands, “bye bye Siyeon.”

The blonde clenched her jaw. Shit.

Of course she should’ve known, Handong was powerful even without the supervision of others. That meant that killing Handong right now would only be suicide. But after all... it was Handong, the girl’s life was worth the risk of her own.

She gently tapped her fingernails on the lining of her jacket, to where the gun inside her pocket rested for the time being. A low hum vibrated within her throat.

“Bye bye Siyeon.” She repeated the girl's words, holding the sharp gaze of the other. “I understand. Loud and clear.”

Handong raised her eyebrows. “Good.” She responded calmly before looking past the retired Venatrix, to the man standing unmoving at the entrance door. “Xion?” He met her gaze at the sound of his name, “Yubin?” The brunette hummed in acknowledgement. “Thank you but I’ll no longer be needing your services here today.”

The blonde man, now identified as Xion, nodded once before swiftly making his exit through the corridor in which he had entered through. Yubin, on the other hand, hesitated momentarily.

“You know where I am if you need.” She nodded once to the woman, “I’ll be watching from the cameras.” Her gaze shifted to Siyeon before she sent her leader a subtle nod, only then exiting through the door to the side where she had originally emerged from.

Once the distinct sound of the door closing behind Yubin echoed through the room, Handong spoke.

“So, we’re alone.” She pushed herself up from the table, her posture straightening. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable.”

Siyeon didn’t move an inch.

“Oh c’mon,” Handong smirked, “I won’t bite.” She lowered her voice, “just yet.”

She swivelled herself around, maneuvering onto the opposite side of the table, sinking back into the chair in which she had arisen from initially. Her back was momentarily on show for Siyeon’s admiration. Handong didn’t seem fearful… turning her back to one of the best Venatrix’ to ever exist was a bold move. She wasn’t worried; evidently so.

Poking out from under her dress, inked into her pale skin, Siyeon attentively noticed a long but subtle, black tattoo stretching across the length of Handong’s spine, stopping short just below her shoulder blades. It was some kind of writing, incomprehensible due to the language it was in but the blonde frowned before it was hidden once more when the girl resumed her seat. She snapped her attention back to valiant brown eyes. She raised an eyebrow, speaking through her glare and instructing the older one to take a seat opposite her. Siyeon humoured her, quickly situating herself in front of the woman, resting her elbows upon the hard wood.

“I’m all ears.” Handong gestured with her hands for Siyeon to begin with her speech.

The blonde ignored her blatant ignorance and posed a dangerous yet ambiguous question.

“Why?”

Handong frowned. “Because you obviously came here for-”

“No.” Siyeon interjected harshly, “why are you destroying the city?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard what I said.”

Handong perched in her seat, also leaning onto the table, gaze fixated upon Siyeon. “No, I heard you,” she confirmed, “but you’re fucking brainwashed darling.”

Siyeon clenched her jaw at the younger one's tone, and the sarcastic pet name. “I’m brainwashed?” She counterattacked, “you’re the one giving innocent people a false hope by disregarding their humanity.”

“How can you say that?” Handong seemed shocked as she looked away and scoffed. The action irked Siyeon even more. “It’s rich coming from a Venatrix.”

Siyeon snarled. “Retired-”

“Oh who cares!” Handong leaned in closer to Siyeon upon the table, her gaze fiery like her hair, “you’re still the same Venatrix that murdered many of my people.”

The blonde girl didn’t flinch, or even feel the slightest bit intimidated under her gaze.

“You mean your droids?”

“No, I mean my people.” Handong solidified, “the so-called ‘droids’ that I create, that I encourage… they have more life in them that any other person in this fucking nihilistic city.” She paused, “do you realise that?”

“You’re implanting false memories into innocent civilians' brains. They’re not real, authentic memories. You’ve created them somehow.” Siyeon responded, “that’s artificial, inhumane.”

She could feel her temper gradually becoming harder to control, rage overshadowing any other emotions she was experiencing. One hand slowly crept into her blazer pocket, slyly from under the table. It seemed to go unnoticed as her familiar fingers grazed over the gun that was waiting. She could almost feel the trigger teasing her silently. Just annihilate Handong, whatever happened to herself after that didn’t matter too much. After all, her legacy as a Venatrix was already powerful; one fatal move now could strengthen that for an eternity.

Handong shook her head all of a sudden. “I’m implanting memories for a better life. How is that wrong?” Her voice seemed a little less confrontational now, it was more… truthful. Siyeon froze, her fingers hovering over her gun yet her lips aching to speak some more. She had time. For the moment, she unhurriedly retracted her hand from her pocket. It seemed as though Handong was genuinely waiting for an answer.

“Because these people think their memories are their own, their own experiences, things that have happened to them through their lives. But they’re not, they’re just some fictional vision created in a lab in Dream Corporel by some red haired girl. And that’s sad.” Siyeon hesitated before continuing, “and besides, your droids have a lifespan of five years. Creating them to only kill them so soon after… That’s not fair.”

“The short lifespan wasn’t intentional you know? I’ve been working on that.” The younger one fired back, “but you see, to put it bluntly, life in the city is fucking awful.”

“What do you know?” Siyeon rolled her eyes.

“A lot, actually.” She managed to grasp the older ones undivided attention with her colder tone, “let me tell you something,” pause, “your Venatrix friend, Miss. Kim Minji?”

Siyeon’s eyes widened slightly. Handong had done her research…

“Two days ago she killed one of my happiest subjects, Kim Bora.”

Two days ago. That was the same day Minji showed up at her door.

For the first time, a brief silence lingered between the pair. Siyeon was actually listening and once Handong was aware of that, aware that she had momentarily bit that harsh tongue of hers, she continued with the story.

“She came to me, just over ten months now, asking to volunteer for my new program that I was installing.” She leaned slightly closer, “Siyeon, that girl was the most beaten girl I had ever met.” She paused, “in her own words, she ‘had nothing left to live for’. She was so upset about the way her life was panning out, about her future, about her home life.”

Siyeon unconsciously held her breath.

“I helped her. I performed the surgery upon her myself; retracting one of her iris’, rewiring a few of her retinal ganglion cells within her optical nerve system, implanting a microscopic device into the axon. The device was filled with hand-picked memories that I had crafted myself. I gave her hope. I changed her life.”

Siyeon was reflective in the moment, but she refused to believe that Handong was a good person. It was an act, her preconceived idea of the redhead was correct. It had to be.

“One of her favourite memories was hugging her best friend on her twenty third birthday.” Handong smiled sadly at the memory.

“But it was fake.”

“She had no recollection of her life before becoming a ‘droid’ as you say. What someone doesn’t know won’t hurt them.”

Siyeon shrugged, dismissing her philosophies. “So what? Just one person?”

“It’s with everyone that comes to me, Siyeon. I’m restoring their faith within our city.”

“No.” The blonde disagreed once more, “it’s not right.”

“I monitor all of my people.” Handong continued, “two days ago, your friend Minji seemed to take a particular liking to Bora. She was at a local club, where Bora worked as a dancer. Bora took her back into her room, the pair were laughing and joking for the entirety of the walk to the dressing room. Then everything changed when Minji saw Bora’s eyes, her true identity.” Siyeon clenched her jaw. Her heartbeat was slowly starting to rise once more.

“I saw the brief look of contemplation upon Minji’s face, the hesitation, the shock, the cogs inside of her brain turning to decide her moral compass. I know that even for a split second Minji debated not hurting her.”

Siyeon shook her head frantically, pushing herself from her seat and standing up abruptly. She pointed her finger towards the red haired woman.

“That’s not true!”

Handong calmly rose to her level.

“Why else would she randomly call at your house after such a long time?” She pondered, “it was guilt. She wanted you to return, so you can do the job that she can’t for much longer.”

“Minji is one of the best Venatrix’ there is. That woman has practically no soul.” She emphasised loudly, “you’re wrong.”

“Everyone has a soul,” Handong noted, “even cowards like yourself.”

“Suddenly I’m a coward?” There was the anger again, unfiltered.

“All Venatrix’ are.” Handong responded matter-of-factly, “threatened by my work. Too scared to focus on their own humanity. You resort to murder above all else.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I say that’s cowardly.”

“You’re hiding.” Siyeon snapped back, “in your perfect fucking palace, surrounded by many people to talk to, you don’t have the slightest idea what it’s like to live in that city.”

Handong shrugged her shoulders, “so?”

“So…” She was strongly irritated, “I think our conversation is done.” Siyeon growled, eyes piercing through the other woman before she spun around to exit. Handong scoffed, jogging around the table to catch up with the blonde woman. She was trailing close behind her, annoying her until the last moment.

“Just tell me one thing Siyeon,” the girl was marching away as Handong spoke in a hurry, “why did you retire?”

Siyeon spun on her heel, causing the redhead to halt in her tracks at the look of anger plastered on her expression.

“Fuck you.” The blonde responded.

And as Siyeon rushed to leave the building, Handong smiled smugly.

Siyeon was trembling. She had come to a realisation all of a sudden; killing Handong would be too easy. She would just have to make her suffer a little beforehand.

-

A solitary source of white light emitting from a desk lamp in Siyeon’s apartment illuminated the scrap piece of paper resting impatiently beneath the blonde woman’s wrist. She lightly clasped a pen between two fingers, her knuckles occasionally tightening around the biro with annoyance. She was deep in thought, productive.

After leaving Dream Corporel, the blonde had taken a taxi back home, too frustrated and disappointed in herself to call Minji. Besides, she was unconsciously reflecting upon everything Handong had mentioned in their brief encounter together. So little yet so much had been exposed.

Only once she was back at her apartment did Siyeon message Minji, telling the woman of her plan and how it had been impossible to kill the redhead when she had the opportunity. The other Venatrix seemed to understand entirely, encouraging her to perform such an act in the next few days instead.

Two days had passed now since Siyeon had spoken with Handong. Two days to reflect. Two days to rethink. The blonde quickly scribbled down the last word to her sentence, finishing her kind of theory.

Suddenly, sharp white nails dropped the pen to the paper. She leaned back in her chair, gently picking up her writing to analyse. Her eyes darted across her scribing before she lowered it again.

Zeng Keni.

Zeng Keni was Handong’s greatest creation; one of them at least. She was successful, powerful even. She roamed the streets fearlessly, escaping the grasp of many Venatrix’ in the city multiple times. She was probably one of the smartest droids currently out there.

“I better get going… it seems like you two have your hands full anyway,” Siyeon announced, turning her head from Yoohyeon to Gahyeon who was still holding a bunch of loose papers. A document was poking out from Gahyeon’s hold, the face of a stunning woman plastered in print next to a bold ‘Wanted’ sign. Her features were striking, her heterochromia extremely prominent even in picture. Unusual though… her iris’ were yellow and pink.

Siyeon began to remember, her memory so vivid, like a distinct vision.

The man led Siyeon down a more narrow corridor, dimly lit with orange hued lighting, the walls painted with achievements and documents that appeared like trophies pinned proudly onto otherwise blank walls. Siyeon’s gaze latched onto one specific picture- certificate more like. It was Handong… standing beside a distinctive girl once more, the girl with the yellow and pink eyes. The document from the precinct. Written beside the picture was some valuable information: ‘Zeng Keni, the first subject successful under Handong’s new implantation methods.’

“Keni.” Siyeon zoned back into reality, the name ghosting her lips as everything in her brain suddenly clicked. Her eyes widened with a brilliant idea. Zeng Keni was the key to Handong’s downfall.

The woman leaped from her seat, leaving her paper upon the windowsill and swiftly entering her room to change from her oversized white t-shirt to her iconic Venatrix blue suit. This could be a long night.

-

Siyeon advanced into the precinct as though she had never left. She was on a mission… That was prominent by her hurried nature. She took a deep and sharp breath; she had practically ran the entire way to the station.

“Yoohyeon.” The blonde reached the grey haired woman’s desk and placed her arm out upon it. The younger one abruptly stopped clattering on the keyboard in front of her and immediately averted her gaze towards the other, eyebrows raising.

“Siyeon.” She replied, surprised, “what are you doing back here?” She instinctively turned her body in the older ones direction, outwardly giving her her undivided attention.

“I need information.”

“That’s… ominous-”

Siyeon cut her off in a hurry, “what do you know about Zeng Keni?” She looked attentive. It was nice to see this side of her old friend again. Passionate…

At the mention of the familiar name, Yoohyeon hummed lowly. “Zeng Keni…” She momentarily took her lower lip between her teeth in thought before releasing it with her next words, “that girl broke Jason’s arm a few months back.”

“What?” Siyeon’s expression morphed into a quizzical one.

Yoohyeon nodded slowly, “Seulgi brought her into the station after capturing her, somehow. We were planning to run some tests on her to see why there was such a diverse contrast in her heterochromia before… disposing of her,” the younger one put lightly, “but when Jason brought her into the interrogation room she snapped his arm and ran for it.”

The blonde’s lips parted. “No-one chased after her?”

Yoohyeon shrugged subtly in reply. “Minji did.”

“Wha-” Siyeon shook her head in disbelief, frowning momentarily. “Then how did she get away?”

“I don’t know.” The youngest answered truthfully, “she just vanished into the night. Minji said she chased her for a few blocks, tried to get a clear shot on her but it was just a torrential night.”

“I get that,” Siyeon sighed, “so she got lucky.”

“I don’t think so. She seems very intelligent. Escaped us a few times.”

“How?” Siyeon was confused. Was there a mutation that no-one was aware of with this girl? Was it only memories that Handong was implanting into her subjects?

“We’ve exploited and researched her. Before she became a droid she was an orphan and… a self-trained free-runner.”

“So that explains the skills.”

Yoohyeon nodded once more, more in thought now.

“Why ask about Keni?”

A brief silence blanketed the conversation before Siyeon finally exposed her plan.

“I’m going to kill her to get to Handong.”

“Damn.” Yoohyeon whispered, the moment of reflection passing in the form of a comfortable stillness between the pair. The blonde then hummed, switching her positioning so she was facing Yoohyeon’s computer screen upon her desk.

“Can you show me the documentation on her?”

Yoohyeon nodded, sliding her chair under her desk once more and immediately closing the other tabs that were open on screen. A few professional clicks later and Keni’s existing casefile was clearly brought onto the monitor. Siyeon narrowed her eyes, focusing on the screen as the younger one’s gaze flickered to the blonde.

“She was spotted on the outskirts of Dream Corporel.” Siyeon read, eyes quickly darting across the page, “she hangs out there a lot?”

The grey haired woman hummed, tucking one of her stray hairs behind her ears, “that’s where Seulgi found her that time. But look,” she pointed her finger to one particular part of the text, “she often goes clubbing.”

Siyeon hummed. “So if she was to go anywhere she’d go to a club near the part of the city she’s familiar in.”

Good observation but she wasn’t finished yet. The blonde continued to read the rest of the information, collecting every minor piece of detail she could. It would all become useful.

At one particular section of the description, Siyeon frowned, purring in confusion. She read aloud, “she’s been spotted wearing eye-catching colours,” an eyebrow arched, “she’s a brave girl.”

“She’s insane.” Yoohyeon commented.

The older woman suddenly turned away from the monitor, tapping the palm of her hand once upon the hard wood of the desk. “I think I got all I need to know.” She made clear, exhaling an audible breath.

“Be careful Siyeon.” Yoohyeon’s voice was sincere. Siyeon sent her a quick smile, however it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She began to distance herself from desk, heading evidently for the exit. Back into the city.

“Thanks for your help, Yooh.”

-

Amet Domum.

If there was any club where Keni was going to be, it would have to be Amet Domum. That club bordered the outskirts of the city and the Dream Corporel building, it was almost exactly between the two areas. It wasn’t far from where the woman enigmatically resided, where she had been spotted a few times. By the process of elimination, in the end Siyeon had whittled it down to two clubs; The Amet Domum and Mortem. And judging by the track record of droids who had been murdered at club Mortem… it was likely that Keni would be smart enough to settle somewhere a little safer. She was brave but not dumb.

Siyeon was basing her judgement off sheer instinct but she was confident nonetheless. She was almost always correct in situations like these; her knowledge of the city was much more complex than any droid that inhabited it.

The woman was wearing a navy fedora atop of her head, one that masked her identity as she awaited across the street, standing directly under an unlit streetlamp. She was nothing but a silhouette, tucked away onto the pavement, out of sight from the masses of humanity that huddled outside of the club. She was in front of a rundown television shop, a shop that the poor owners couldn’t keep open due to the consistent financial demands. A television from the year 2078 was glistening in the window, wordlessly beseeching to be bought as the blonde teased it from behind the glass panel that separated them. It was a wonder how no-one had robbed the thing already. Some people had good morals it seemed.

Siyeon tapped her nails along the material of her blazer, her piercing eyes alert in her surroundings as she searched for the familiar face. It was a shot in the dark of course, but it was the best shot Siyeon was going to have.

There were many people, but that was common. The city was polluted with civilians.

The blaring lights from the club illuminated the faces of bystanders and those who awaited entry outside of Amet Domum, the pavement beneath bleeding from a vibrant yellow, to a dark grey as it stretched away further. Siyeon wasn’t in the light.

The sign outside of the club was strobing in a neon green colour, attracting an audience with its allurement. Siyeon didn’t even take note of the rain as the sky turned from evening to night, the most subtle of changes. It was, however, a cold night; the icy air bitter against her fingertips. She licked her lower lip, giving it some slight moisture as she slumped against the broken streetlight beside her. Her arms crossed.

It was loud. Siyeon could barely hear herself think, which was a change. Back in her apartment that’s all the woman could focus on; her fucking brain. The environmental chaos was something that Siyeon had grown to slowly forget about, although right now all of her faraway Venatrix memories were coming back to her in waves of nostalgia; the capacity of the city, the commotion.

She inhaled steadily, the frosty air snaking her nostrils and refreshing her lungs with pristine oxygen. She was prepared to wait… and wait she did.

A few hours had passed and Siyeon was still frozen in the same position. By now, she had memorised the entirety of her circumstances, she even knew the arrhythmic pattern in which the ‘Amet Domum’ neon lights flashed in. She had counted the sequence in beats, like syllables.

3...2...pause on colour...4...3...off for one beat...4...repeat the cycle.

Quite frankly she wasn’t sure how she hadn’t frozen to death. Maybe her thoughts had distracted her for a long enough period that she had become completely numb to the sensation or maybe she was so vigilant that it was hard to concentrate on anything other than the task at hand.

Just when Siyeon began counting how many irradiated aircrafts she could make out amongst the dark palette of the sky… from her peripheral vision, she spotted a taller girl emerging from the club. Her eyes narrowed immediately at the unmistakable recognition, her posture straightening from against the lamppost. She tipped her fedora upwards, revealing a little more of her forehead, but also so she could be clear of her target. It was her, undoubtedly. Zeng Keni.

She was long, her head slightly poking above a few other individuals that left the club next to her. She wore her lengthy brunette locks in two tight plaits that hung either side of her face, slumping casually against her chest. From the distance, Siyeon couldn’t make out her heterochromia but her face was too distinguishable for it to be another. The bright pink kneesocks, flower-like earrings and lime green elastic belt also gave away her identity. Her casefile had been highly accurate, she didn’t blend in. In fact it was quite the opposite, she stuck out.

Siyeon leisurely followed the loitering woman with her gaze as she advanced into the open air with the crowd she was amongst. She wore a cat-like grin upon her lips, her fangs on display as she must’ve laughed at something another individual had said nearby.

The blonde stepped down from the sidewalk, onto the dampened road deserted of vehicles as she stalked Keni like a predator to its prey. The closer she could get now, the less of the chase.
The Venatrix was nearing the lighter side of the street, closer to the droid, yet still remaining undetected.

Her left hand impulsively found her inside pocket, gripping the metallic surface of her gun within the fabric as she slid the weapon out from incognito.

Her pace picked up, slotting herself effortlessly in amongst the sea of oblivious citizens as she locked her sights on Keni. Her grip upon her weapon unconsciously tightened, knuckles turning white. All of a sudden, as though Keni had sensed Siyeon’s presence or seen the shady-looking woman from the corner of her eye, she whipped her head, alert in her direction.

Their gazes met for a split second and the city seemed to slow. Keni’s eyes carried a crazy heterochromia, like nothing Siyeon had seen before. It was almost a spectacle in itself.

If it wasn’t corrupt, Siyeon may have even thought it was beautiful. But no. The blonde clenched her jaw.

“Shit.” The droid whispered under her breath, lips parting.

Keni’s instinct’s were fierce. She wasn’t messing around; instantly reacting to the sight of the shorter one and hurling herself down a street that broke away from the main strip. She was fast. Fuck.

Siyeon gripped her fedora and carelessly threw it to the ground, her short platinum locks blowing back against the wind as she was hot on the droid’s trail, budging past a few citizens and sprinting after the tall individual.

She raised her gun while following close behind, one eye squinting as she focused the target upon her victim. But Keni was continuously moving, and moving in a zigzagged line at that. Clever girl. Siyeon couldn’t get a clear aim.

She fired anyway.

Three boisterous bullets launched in Keni’s direction, more so as a warning than a coordinated puncture. The gunshots momentarily disrupted usual streetlife, making a few innocent bystanders cower expectantly, with others nonchalantly disregarding the action in a rehearsed sense.

Keni ducked instinctively at the sound but kept her attention trained forwards, at the path in front of her feet. Perhaps wearing platforms wasn’t her smartest decision but outrunning a Venatrix was nothing new to the tall droid at all.

Not far ahead, there was a man-made obstacle; a line of plastic canisters filled with litter collected off the streets. Keni increased her speed, sensing an opportunity. After all, her legs were seemingly longer than the other woman’s. She needed a good advantage, a substantial run up. Her two plaits flew behind her back as she strode forwards all of a sudden, catapulting her wiry body over the artificial row of canisters as though competing in long jump. Damn, Siyeon’s pace unconsciously slowed at the sight, her eyes widening at the perception. She hadn’t expected that.
Her eyes immediately searched for an alternative route, scanning the walls either side of the barricade. Nothing. There was no substitute. She would have to take her chances, there was no time to hesitate. Hesitating with droids would result in defeat.

Once again raising her weapon with one hand, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she sped up. There were two canisters directly in the middle of the obstacle, a slight gap between them both. If Siyeon could jump high enough she could pass between them, in the small space… but she may need some assistance first.

Bang! The blonde shot the canister to the left, the plastic exploding at the side before she aimed at the second. Bang! Another shot.

Newspapers and stray product wrappers were propelled into the air by the force of the two bullets just as she hurled herself over the obstruction. She impacted slightly with the canister to the right, her boot clipping the top as she flew through the mess onto the opposite side. Keni turned her head, just in time to see the woman in the blue suit emerge from the litter that had scattered freely into the air. Shit. She wasted no time in resuming her speed, heading further down the new street.

Siyeon, however, was thrown onto the dull ground, the sudden exertion had been interjected when she had clipped her boot. She fell onto her ribs, scuffing her blazer as she slid across the gravel. Pause. A brief grunt left her lips upon impact, a few unwanted raindrops teasing her face as they fell from the open sky. She rolled back onto her knees, then to her feet in one swift motion. She was a professional, a little scrape or bruise wasn’t gonna stop her.

In a matter of seconds, the intense chase was back on. This time, Keni’s heart was racing a little more. This Venatrix was fearless, the perfect match for herself.

Rain splashed up the length of Keni’s leg from crafted puddles beneath her shoes, the majority soaking up in her kneesocks, some clinging to her defined, exposed thighs. Her breathing was prominent within her own ears, the overwhelming factor amongst the other noises of the city. She could strongly detect just how cold her ears were becoming against the harsh weather attacking her.

There was a side street coming up ahead, Keni had practically memorised the whole map of the city, had explored most areas. The street was cut in half by a gate, a gate that Keni was more than capable of hoisting herself over. Bounce off one wall, grip the top of the gate, leap over and land on the other side, planted on two feet. There was a small possibility that the blonde woman chasing her would actually be able to perform such a stunt. Good. That was her survival plan.

As soon as the familiar road was in sight, Keni immediately switched up the route, darting like a whippet down the entrance. Of course Siyeon followed closely behind, ruthlessly bumping shoulders with a woman as she unexpectedly changed direction. Her eyes never once left her target. She twirled her gun around skillfully between her fingers, pointing the barrel up towards Keni’s moving figure to get a satisfactory alignment.

The patter of the droids footsteps against the water flooding the alley ricocheted off the claustrophobic walls; every sound was enhanced. If Siyeon was to get a clear shot, now would be the time. There was less civilisation present, more environmental obstruction but that wasn’t as dangerous, better for Siyeon to shoot looser.

Keni progressed rapidly towards the high gate cutting the alleyway down the centre and Siyeon cursed audibly under her breath when she sussed out the droids plan. Now was the time to fire, while Keni was still on the same side as her. She halted in position at the top of the alley, standing still to get a clear shot. One… Two… Three…

They were all close, skimming past the droids skin due to her catlike reflexes and defense. Fuck. None of Siyeon’s bullets had hit, all falling short as they crashed into the walls either side or ricocheted from their surroundings. She sucked in a harsh breath, steadied her fingers and focused on the target as Keni neared the gate. She pressed against the wall to her left, the muscles flexing in her forearm as she attached both feet strongly to the surface, pushing her long body up towards the top of the gate. She gripped the top, pulling her weight upwards as she simultaneously swung her legs around to her right side, the momentum carrying her.

Four…

Siyeon fired quickly while she had the chance, lowering her weapon right after as the silver bullet launched forwards through the air. It’s trajectory was a straight line, aiming for Keni’s back. Except, there was a sudden gust of wind, a gust that led the bullet astray slightly. It only grazed past Keni’s bicep... just as the girl disappeared out of sight over the gate. Siyeon clenched her jaw, setting off into a sprint to catch up to the vital droid. If she wasn’t quick, she could lose her.

Lucky for Siyeon, she was nimble and small, and her eyes had just latched onto her next route. There was a gap beneath the gate, just sizable for her to slide underneath if she made herself as compact as possible.

On the other side of the gate, Keni winced in pain, bending her two knees upon landing but stumbling into the pavement ahead as her hand moved to inspect her fresh wound. There was a crimson river flowing down the length of her bicep, the Venatrix had managed to hit her. That bitch.

She moved her gloved hand away from the nasty scratch to examine the damage, blood seeping into the silk material. The fresh wound burned against her icy skin. She dropped one hand to the ground, holding her steady in place as her eyes moved to see the pain herself. There was no bullet entry, no shrapnel inside of her; it had simply grazed her skin and left just as fast.

Red trickled lazily onto the damp pavement, mixing with the clear rainwater until disappearing completely. Keni panted, everything suddenly feeling heavy on her brain, the world spinning in slow motion. She blinked twice.

At the least had managed to lose the Venatrix.

Wrong.

Siyeon suddenly flew under the gate at full speed, legs first. There was no doubt that she had torn her attire down the side at the necessary exertion but she didn’t care at the moment. She had felt her hip scratch along the solid ground, the arm that held the gun tucked into her stomach, the other grazing along the ground to guide her direction. Ouch.

Keni’s heart skipped a beat when she whipped her head in the direction of the blonde haired woman laying momentarily on the ground next to her.

Their eyes met within the closest proximity they had ever been; within touching distance of one another. Time seemed to stop for the pair.

Siyeon raised her gun with both hands, back still firmly pressed to concrete. Although Keni was perched, running from the Venatrix at this moment would be suicide… there was no way Siyeon would miss her within such close range.

Siyeon’s numb fingers laced the trigger-

Keni dived forwards, throwing her body onto the other woman’s, projecting her hands towards the nozzle of the gun. Bang! Three additional shots, each after one another.

Siyeon gasped at the sudden attack, her weapon firing aimlessly into the air as the maneuver from Keni surprised her. The droid wrestled the blonde, attempting to pin both of her arms down to one side to shield her body from the threat of the weapon. Siyeon struggled against her, Keni was sitting atop of her waist, locking her in place. She gritted her teeth as she fought the taller one, trying to push her arms up although Keni trapped both of her hands tight around her wrists. She was squeezing hard, wanting to get the Venatrix to lose her grasp on the gun.

Siyeon whined at the shooting pain up her arm, dropping her head to the wet concrete to squeeze her eyes shut as she tried to concentrate upon getting an upper hand.

Her legs… Keni was so panicked thinking about the deadly weapon between Siyeon’s hands that she forgot to lock her legs in place.

The blonde suddenly moved her knee up to sharply collide with Keni’s spine. The action was enough to make the droid unconsciously loosen her grip on Siyeon’s wrists. Even a second was fatal. Her free hand snaked out of the grip but Keni reacted swiftly once more, ensuring the hand with the gun was still firmly pressed into the pavement. Their eye contact was unwavering yet anxious at the same time.

Their breathing mirrored one anothers, heavy and frantic as the rain drenched their clothing, chilling their bones.

Sharp white nails reached for the fresh wound upon Keni’s forearm, unforgivingly plodding at the injury. The droid winced in agony, her throaty cries of pain becoming louder the longer Siyeon held her. It was rapidly becoming too much for her to handle and she weakly dropped her head to Siyeon’s shoulder, the crook of her neck, her audible breathing and whimpers more distinct within the blonde’s ears. She sounded desperate.

“P-please.” Her voice broke and Siyeon could’ve sworn she heard the gir- the droid helplessly sniff into her shoulder.

Keni was vulnerable, her grasp having loosened a little while ago but Siyeon only now noticed as she pulled her other arm up, pointing the gun to the others chest.

But Keni wasn’t giving up. Not yet. She headbutted Siyeon suddenly, the toughness of her skull cracking just above the blonde’s right eye. Immediately, Siyeon could feel the split upon her eyebrow, feel the hot ichor seep from the wound, pooling down the side of her face and forcing her eye shut. She groaned, releasing Keni’s arm.

Then it all happened in a flash.

The platform shoes that the taller one wore all of a sudden crashed into the metallic weapon between the woman's fingers. It escaped her grasp, the gun skidding across the concrete, only static when it reached the gate behind them. Siyeon was unarmed. Her heart skipped a single beat.

Keni audibly gasped in surprise, heavy rain now ruining her appearance, running some of the makeup from her features. She jumped to her feet, trembling slightly but taking off into the crowded market street while she had the chance. Siyeon felt dreary but pushed herself up, observing from one eye which way Keni was heading before she scrambled upon her hands and knees to retrieve her gun.

Balling up one of her dampened sleeves into a fist, Siyeon tapped at the wound above her eye, wiping away some of the blood obscuring her vision. She was light-headed but she couldn’t stop now.

Back to her feet she rose, intaking another substantial breath of oxygen before she trudged after the droid, who wasn’t too far ahead in her sights. She was exhausted, aching almost everywhere. The closest she was to giving up since… well, retiring.

Just one last push. She could sense Keni’s weariness too.

The droid had slowed to a jog, then a gradual walk. Anymore running and the tall one thought she might actually pass out. She hunched over with her pace, chest rising and falling erratically as she cradled her injured arm in the other. She didn’t bother looking behind her, to search for the Venatrix who may or may not be chasing her. Her entire body was on fire yet numb with the bitterness.

Market stalls enclosed in on her, local business owners each attempting to sell their goods with automated bots to persuade bystanders. Hurried citizens bumped and scraped past the droid, each embarking on their own personal nightly routine. It was just another day for them. They were oblivious.

Keni unhurriedly reached the showcase windows.

Amongst the city, especially in marketed areas, civilians would set up their own showcases projecting to others whatever they’d like. For instance, Keni was currently facing three transparent cubic rooms that each displayed a range of wearable art, recyclable trash made into garments. Individuals could walk between the glass panels and explore the stalls.

She stepped up into the first ‘room’, not thinking straight as the tainted blood from her forearm dripped leisurely onto the paneling beneath her feet.

“Uh, ma’am?” A man standing closeby hesitantly approached Keni, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he noticed the crimson exuding through her gloves, leaking to the floor. At the voice, she whipped her attention in his direction, their gazes latching onto each other. Although her eyes pleaded desperate, he stopped dead in his tracks and abruptly retracted his outstretched hand. The colour difference. Oh.

A singular bullet cut through the atmosphere like a knife.

Keni felt the pain before she had even acknowledged what happened. The sheer force of the round burying itself into her shoulder was enough to make her stumble backwards a few inches, lips parting as her eyes met her predator.

The blonde Venatrix was standing below the showcase windows, gun clenched in both hands. One side of her face was smeared with blood, appearing almost as if she wore a mask on that one side. Keni felt her knees tremble, all feeling in her feet vanishing and the sensation travelling fast up the rest of her body.

Bang.

Siyeon fired once more. And again… And a final time.

One bullet had shattered the glass panel behind her into a million pieces… The other two bullets had fatally impacted Keni’s chest.

She stumbled back a few more steps until she lost all feeling in her body completely, mercilessly dropping to the floor where edged shards of glass impaled her. An exhausted trail of smoke left the barrel of Siyeon’s gun before the girl robotically lowered her arms.

The droid stared up into the night sky, a few solitary tears escaping the corners of her eyes as she painfully spluttered out her last breaths. Her vision became blurry, a bright light taking over.

“I don’t care… I love you.” A blonde haired man was lying next to her, the kindest sparkle glimmering in his chocolate eyes. His smile made her heart swell with an emotion she’d never felt before; it was so pure, so authentic.
“I never thought I could feel so happy,” she admitted, her lips ghosting over his as she leaned in. There was a tear in her eye. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Her head lolled to one side, lips slightly upturned into a sad smile as a sole line of blood poured from the corner onto the glass.

She was dead.

Siyeon reached the droid, peering down at her deceased body as a foreign lump formed in the back of her throat. She choked it down, eyes darting to the subtle blood pool at the side of Keni’s parted lips. Within the vermillion, she saw her tainted reflection staring back at her, eyes full, almost demonic. A vaguely familiar feeling filled the pit of her stomach.

-

Yubin marched down the extensive corridor in the personal sector of Dream Corporel. She was notably shook up by something, her face had distorted into one of shock as she frantically reached her leader's bedroom door and flung it open without warning.

Upon the unexpected entry, the red haired woman quickly closed a case that was resting upon her desk and rushed to grab her mascara. “Just a mi-” She noticed the reflection of her favourite assistant in the mirror ahead of her and her body language visibly relaxed. “Oh, it’s just you.” She released the eye makeup and casually spun around in her chair but when her eyes locked on Yubin’s panicked features, her expression drastically flipped and she rose from her seat in concern.

“Yubin, what’s wrong?” Her voice was lower, serious.

The darker haired woman was out of breath and the exposition left her lips in the form of a whisper.

“Siyeon murdered Keni.”

Those words were like a dagger to the heart for Handong, her hearing suddenly fuzzy all of a sudden. Not Keni… And not Siyeon.

An unanticipated rage flooded her senses, her heart rate rising. Before she knew what she was doing she had stormed out into the corridor, almost fully colliding with Xion who had been also racing to the room. He instinctively backed up out of her way as she strode down the corridor, dropping her gaze upon noticing the blonde man. She couldn’t quite face him just yet.

Yubin jogged closely behind. Xion looked at her through pleading, nervous eyes.

“Yubin…” he whispered, “what’s going on?” His gentle eyebrows were raised. His formal demeanor was broken, an unnerving feeling enticing his stomach. Handong looked over her shoulder, her expression saddening momentarily as she sent the girl in the brown suit a subtle nod. Yubin slowed down her walk until static. He should know.

“It’s Keni…” She sincerely met his human gaze, “I’m so sorry.” She whispered.

He visibly gulped.

“W-what? N-no, I don’t understand.” Xion shook his head in disbelief, “w-what do you mean?!”

“She’s gone.” The dark haired girl looked away, eyes now trained on the floor. She didn’t want to see his pained tears as they fell from his precious eyes. It already hurt enough.

“M-my Keni?” He rasped, his voice trembling as he placed a hand over his mouth and slowly slid down the corridor wall. He hugged his knees, gloved hands wrapping themselves tightly around his legs as he buried his face into them. He audibly sobbed.

Yubin swallowed the hard throbbing sensation that protruded her throat.

“I’m sorry Xion.” She repeated, her own voice now wavering. She stayed in silence for a few seconds before respectfully deciding to leave the man to grieve, catching up with Handong who had long disappeared. Yubin would hate to be Siyeon right now.

-

A bloodied white cloth was carefully submerged into a cool bowl of water. A rough hand squeezed the material, red vaguely separating into the pond. The wound above Siyeon’s eye had stopped bleeding by now but most definitely needed stitches. It was a nasty gash right through her eyebrow, a raw and open cut. Oh well. At least her face was clean now and she didn’t look like one of those psychotic murderers from a TV show anymore. She sighed as she wiped the final section just above her brow, the cracked mirror in the corner of her room assisting to guide her shaky fingers.

She had tossed her infamous Venatrix suit to one side, not bothering to hang it back up. It was damp, blood-stained and destroyed. Instead, a loose white shirt clung to her torso, the top few buttons undone as the bottom was tucked restlessly into a pair of comfortable leather pants complimenting her lower half. Her platinum locks were pulled back into a short ponytail at the back of her head, a few stray hairs falling around the front of her features. Upon her lower eyelids, the once defined and meticulously placed line of eyeliner was now carelessly smudged in her waterline, some blending gently into her skin under her eyes. She looked dangerous. She almost didn’t recognise herself.

Stillness lingered in the apartment, the only sound being the blonde’s breathing in her ears. The beams of light from the outside world were still prominent, occasionally illuminating her face but otherwise she was surrounded by an overwhelming palette of darkness. Greyscale, monotonous.

Siyeon felt numb, even though she had warmed up completely from the events a few hours ago. It was a feeling inside, an emotional one, a hollow sensation within her chest and mind alike.

A furious knock upon her apartment door ripped the woman from her own haunting thoughts. It was loud, demanding in tone. Siyeon immediately tossed the cloth into the bowl, flicking some stray droplets from the tips of her fingers before making her way over to the door. The person on the other end knocked again. Impatient.

Siyeon frowned, jogging a little until she gripped the door handle and unlocked it swiftly. She half-expected to see a raven haired Venatrix on the other side, smiling smugly as she congratulated the other. But no.

Red hair. Black dress. Scowl upon her features.

Her eyes flickered immediately to Siyeon’s as she was revealed behind the door. Siyeon froze. Handong looked pissed… So much so that an unconscious shiver ran down the back of the blonde woman.

“I thought you were retired Siyeon.” The younger one spoke through gritted teeth, arms crossing over her chest.

Siyeon remained standing offensively in the doorway, blocking the woman’s view of her apartment. “I am-”

“You killed one of my best.” Handong cut her off angrily, stepping closer to the blonde, “and then her boyfriend too. He- He couldn’t live without her.” She was invading the older one's personal space, eyes piercing into hers.

Siyeon gulped suddenly, her heart skipping a beat as the redhead moved within close proximity. She sucked in a suffocating breath, eyes calm in contrast.

“How do you know where I live?” She retaliated nonchalantly.

That was it. The question, the girl’s unfiltered cockiness, had finally irked Handong to her breaking point. Siyeon didn’t care; she didn’t care that she had killed such a wonderful girl with no remorse, didn’t care about the consequences, didn’t care that it hurt Handong. She was an emotionless void of a human. A shell.

Handong forcefully shoved Siyeon’s shoulders, pushing the woman away from the door and back into her apartment, breaking the physical barrier between them. Siyeon unanticipatedly stumbled back while Handong entered her apartment, slamming the door closed behind her.

“You bitch!” Handong wailed, not slowing down as she moved towards the blonde. She abruptly raised her hand before striking Siyeon powerfully across her cheek. A painful slapping noise rang out amongst the silence, as well as a strained whimper from Siyeon. “You’re heartless!”

Siyeon held her face, the opposite side to her nasty wound. Both sides now stung but Handong clearly wasn’t finished. When Siyeon regained posture, backing up gradually, she raised her palm once more. This time, however, when she swung, the blonde latched onto her wrist. She looked the redhead directly in her eyes.

“Don’t touch me.” She warned, her voice somewhat weakly straining itself towards the end of her statement. She dropped Handong’s wrist, throwing it back down by the girl's side as she turned on her heel. She was heading towards her bedroom.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Handong was furious and she caught up to the blonde, gripping her arm and pulling her backwards, only to push her forcefully into one of the walls in the lounge. A fragile Siyeon stumbled into the surface, embracing the impact. Her eyes were diverted elsewhere.

“Look at me.” The red haired girl instructed harshly.

She didn’t.

“I said look at me.” Handong reached for the woman’s chin, pulling it sharply towards her in one motion so their gazes locked. Siyeon’s eyes were glassy, brimming with an inevitable layer of tears.

Handong’s eyebrows instinctively furrowed at the sight, blood boiling even more so. She watched as an isolated, cold tear trailed down the length of Siyeon’s red cheek. It reached her lips where it then dropped from her face, onto the ground.

“Wow… you really are a coward.” Handong dropped her hand by her side, her words like salt in Siyeon’s wounds.

The blonde clenched her jaw, her gaze still managing to remain intimidating despite the tears. She shook her head slowly.

“You have no fucking idea what it’s like to be me, Handong.” Her tone was filled with self-despair.

“Oh, yeah,” Handong mocked, “it must be a really hard life choosing to brutally murder people.”

Siyeon wiped her eyes quickly, disposing of any emotion. “Do you realise what you’ve just said?” She stared at the other, “you’ve made these droids so human-like that I have to live with the kind of guilt that comes with killing an actual human.”

Handong’s irritated eyes dropped to her lips as she spoke, taking in each word before she shook her head in disbelief. “They are human. You’re killing humans, Siyeon. Humans who are hopeful of a better future.” She spoke quickly.

“They’re artificial!”

Handong poked her finger into Siyeon’s chest, the atmosphere suddenly shifting.

“Why do you want my attention?” Her voice was more eerie now, quieter, “you already had it when we first met. So what do you want?” Her eyes darted leisurely across Siyeon’s features.

“I wanted to get rid of you.” The blonde unveiled.

“So do it.” Handong took a step back, “hit me.” She gestured to herself, “do you have your gun? Go on, now is your chance.”

Siyeon’s eyes travelled the length of the girl’s body before she shook her head angrily.

“I’m not gonna hit you!”

“And why not?” Handong fired back.

“I don’t know!”

“You killed Keni and so many other subjects of mine in the past.” The girl challenged, “I shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Minji killed that Bora girl of yours. Everyday Venatrix kill your people,” Siyeon raised her voice, “why are you so mad at me?!”

Handong paused for a moment, subconsciously pondering the question. “Because you’re the first Venatrix I thought I could see understanding my way of life.” She admitted, “clearly I was wrong.”

“Clearly,” Siyeon pushed herself from the wall, roughly barging shoulders with Handong in passing. “I’m nothing but a heartless coward.” She mumbled under her breath, repeating the words that had left the younger ones lips.

“I’m not done talking.” The red haired woman spun on her heel.

“Well I am.”

Handong clenched her jaw, gripping Siyeon’s wrist to make her stop once more. The blonde turned abruptly, attempting to pull her hand away but instead, Handong’s grip tightened and she pulled her girl into her body. Their faces were close, eyes fixated on one another's.

“You really know how to frustrate me.” Handong whispered, her hot breath ghosting over the blondes lips.

Siyeon arched an eyebrow, lifting her head to look down upon the other.

“Oh I’m sorry, princess.” She responded sarcastically.

“God Siyeon,” the younger one exhaled, “you’re so annoying.” She stated bluntly, her voice almost whiny.

The air between them turned tense as Siyeon’s lips parted. She was about to say something but stopped when her eyes dropped to Handong’s lips.

Then all of a sudden, the redhead gripped the back of her neck, crashing her lips against Siyeon’s. For a moment, Siyeon instinctively reciprocated the open-mouthed kissing, inhaling sharply through her nostrils, before her brain kicked into gear. She swiftly pushed the girl off her by her waist, taking a step back, her chest drastically rising and falling. Her eyebrows were matted in confusion as she admired Handong’s features. Her red lipstick was now slightly smeared, her eyes darker than before, a loose strand of her fiery hair stuck to her parted lips. She was breathing heavily, mirroring Siyeon and the atmosphere unwillingly seemed to switch. This was weird, it was wrong. But Siyeon’s heart was pounding with a feeling that she hadn’t felt in a while.

“What-” She breathed.

Handong remained quiet, silently challenging the older one with her stare.

Not a second had passed before Siyeon quickly moved in again, gripping the dainty redhead by her waist and pulling her strongly towards her, their bodies and lips colliding heatedly once more. Handong moved her arms behind the older girl's neck, keeping her close as she led the kiss between them, taking Siyeon by surprise.

The pair backed up, Handong roughly pushing the other back until the girl impacted with another wall. The blonde moaned quietly into her, her sharp nails pulling on Handong’s satin dress, consequently causing the material to rise up her thighs.

The red haired girl moved one hand to Siyeon’s throat, her hand wrapping carefully around her neck as she bit down upon the girl's lower lip and pulled away with it between her teeth. Siyeon opened her eyes to study her smugly, chest contracting fast.

Handong released her lip, instead ghosting her mouth over the girl's jawline, moving up to her ear. She squeezed her neck, locking her against the wall with another sharp push. Teeth grazed at the older one's lobe, breathing into her ear.

“I want to hurt you so fucking bad.” She growled.

Siyeon chuckled attractively although slightly strained due to lack of breath. Her hands travelled down the length of Handong until they rested under her thigh, dangerously close to the hem of her dress.

“Likewise.” Siyeon leaned her head back against the wall, eyes closing, “but I don’t think I can right now.” She whispered.

Handong’s lips aggressively found the blonde's jaw. “You can still hurt me if you get the chance,” she pulled away breathlessly, “just in other ways.” She cupped her cheeks with both hands as she crashed their lips together again. She really wasn’t allowing Siyeon to breathe. At the same time as their lips moved together, Siyeon’s hand travelled under the light material of her dress, hoisting the woman's thigh up against her. The younger girl almost stumbled completely into her at her abrupt movement, her chest pressing firmly against Siyeon’s.

“You need to stop being such a bitch.” Siyeon spoke against her mouth in between hot kisses.

She hummed. “You don’t tell me what to do.”

The blonde gripped Handong’s other thigh with her free hand, suddenly pulling the girl up into her arms, the redhead’s legs wrapped around her stomach. “Maybe someone should.”

She gasped at Siyeon’s unexpected strength but settled in her arms while the blonde made her way towards the bedroom.

Upon entry, Siyeon smoothly situated herself on the edge of her cosy double bed, placing Handong comfortably in her lap, upon her toned thighs.
“Why won’t you just listen to me?” Siyeon asked desperately, one hand moving from thighs to red hair.

The girl laughed sarcastically away from the kiss, “shut the fuck up.”

A tough hand bundled in her hair, tugging it back. Handong arched her spine, more of her neck exposed to the blonde as she whimpered at the roughness.

“Don’t talk to me like that.” Siyeon’s tongue teased Handong’s neck, her hot breath sending tingles down the younger one.

“I can talk to you however I want.”

“You’re a brat.” Siyeon bared her teeth, grazing the skin while pulling on her hair once more.

“Not the first time I’ve heard that darling.”

The blonde began to kiss her neck, slowly at first then progressively more passionate, sucking and biting the flesh as she went. Handong grabbed the girl by the collar of her shirt and pulled her closer, one hand gripping her platinum hair. Her nails began to dig into her scalp. She could feel the effect her actions were having on the older one as her breathing irregulated against her skin, subtle moans escaping her throat.

Siyeon’s hand gradually loosened in red hair until it dropped to the girl’s thighs once more. But she carried on focusing upon Handong’s neck, soon moving to her shoulders as her hands ran up and down the girl’s thighs on either side. The younger girl took the opportunity to rest her chin upon Siyeon’s shoulder, her lips hovering over her ear as she spoke.

“I can read you better than you realise Siyeon.”

The blonde hummed against her skin. “So what am I thinking?”

“Right now…” Handong shifted her weight, lightly pushing Siyeon away so their eyes met with a burning intensity behind them. “You wanna fuck me so bad that you forget about your morals. Even only for a moment.”

Her swollen lips parted yet no words left them. She simply stared back at the heated redhead who was evidently thinking the same thing. Why else had she worded it so perfectly?

Instead of verbally replying, Siyeon conjoined their lips. This time there seemed to be a density behind the reciprocated actions, a momentary shift.

The younger one leaned against Siyeon, consequently pushing her down onto the bed. She smoothly kicked her heels off the edge of the bed, never once breaking away even after she made herself comfortable on top of the other woman. It was only as her fingers moved to the buttons on the older woman’s white shirt that she breathlessly pulled away, curious eyes darting to her own movements as she slowly unveiled her chest.

A distant line of light flooded through the blinds in the room, briefly highlighting Handong’s eyes as she looked down at Siyeon. The light drifted unhurriedly to her lips before disappearing beyond the pair, exploring the room instead. Siyeon took a deep breath.

This woman was the same woman who Siyeon had been sent to kill a few days ago, not sleep with. She really didn’t know how the pair, so full of hatred for one another, had ended up here… Understanding each other in a distorted kind of way. It didn’t make sense. However as Handong’s mouth began to explore her chest, Siyeon’s threatening thoughts quickly evaporated, pleasure taking the driver's seat instead. Handong’s gaze was so attentive upon her, admiring the way Siyeon would react to her teasing and touching. She loved control, enjoyed being dominant.
Fuck. Siyeon would worry about all of this mess tomorrow, when Handong’s lips weren’t intoxicating her so powerfully.

Siyeon had been awake for a little over an hour or so, perched at the end of the double bed wearing nothing but an oversized shirt and her underwear beneath. Upon one of the pillows, a bundle of red hair was sprawled across the white canvas. Handong slept peacefully, her gentle breathing audible amidst the reflective silence. Her naked back was on show, her enigmatic tattoo stretching down the length of her spine before it dipped under the bed sheets covering her lower half.

Siyeon sighed, glancing out of the large window at the foot of the bed, scanning the vast city outside in deep thought. She had awoken earlier, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. Handong had been holding her unconsciously most of the night, her arm draped around the blonde’s stomach.

Initially, when Siyeon had woken up this morning after only getting a few hours of precious sleep following the unexpected antics between her and the younger woman, a smile had coloured her lips. There was warmth for a moment. That was... until she recalled who she had spent the night with.

Her stomach had immediately dropped, prying the arm away from her exposed middle and rising from the bed. She dressed herself lazily before resting at the edge of the bed, staring out at the environment below. And that was where she was now. Her mind was racing.

She could kill Handong. That right now would be so easy to do.

...Suffocation... a single bullet shot to the head… yet she didn’t want to anymore.

All of her rage, her anger from being in denial that Handong had good morals, had been discharged onto Keni. And any emotion left now was… well, guilt… confusion. The blonde began to question everything she had ever been taught, that droids were a danger to humanity, that droids carried no empathy, that droids weren’t human. Instead of solidifying Siyeon’s hatred of the droid manufacturing, Handong had actually changed her perception completely. 360 degrees. Yet she hadn’t even realised.

Deep down, maybe Siyeon had been hesitant after all… maybe becoming a Venatrix wasn’t really her authentic vocation in life, didn't bring her hope for a brighter future. It had all been a mirage.

She remembered why she retired. The overbearing emotion that had flooded her upon her silly mistake. She hated herself for the longest time, and last night was starting to look like round two of that dreaded memory. It haunted her still.

Last night had probably been one of Siyeon’s most eye opening yet perplexing nights in a long time; the events of the day kept replaying in her mind like a broken record. Over and over.

Looking down upon Keni as the girl had experienced her final moments, it felt almost voyeuristic in a deranged way. A Venatrix deriving such pleasure from murdering a droid, it was awful.

So maybe Handong was putting a lifespan on humanity when they transitioned into droids but hell… at least their memories were good ones, their lives were full of excitement, purpose, pleasurable times.

Siyeon reflected back on the past five years of her life; nothing immediate sprung to mind. She realised that she had just simply existed for the longest time, but not living for a moment.

Fuck Minji for making her go through such an existential crisis in the matter of only a few days but she was also extremely thankful at the same time.

Handong peeled her eyes open, half expecting to adjust to the orange lighting in her room but squinted when she noticed the darkness she was engulfed in. She felt a brief draft wash over her naked back as her eyes stung slightly. She carefully rubbed at her right one. Great, she had left in her contact lenses overnight. Irritation.

She gently pushed herself up on the bed, resting her back against the headboard as her gaze latched onto the blonde sitting at the foot. She seemed to be in a trance, staring out into the illuminated city, the intriguing skyscrapers, the populated side streets. A pastiche of postmodernism.

She then dropped her attention to the floor beside her, to where their clothes lay recklessly from last night. Shifting her weight all of a sudden, she reached down to grab Siyeon’s white shirt and her own underwear, quickly slipping on the attire before standing up and stretching quietly. She didn’t bother buttoning up the white shirt as she looked towards the bundled mess in the corner of the room nearby. Siyeon’s blue suit… in particular, her gun.

Siyeon was too preoccupied with the window in front of her to turn towards the redhead. Now was her opportunity.

The younger girl advanced steadily over to the clothes, picking up the blazer with one hand and routing through her inside pocket with the other. Her eyes were fixated all the while upon the older girl. Bingo.

Of course Siyeon had been too engrossed in her own mind last night to dispose of her weapon from an obvious place. Handong skillfully twirled the gun in her hand, testing out its weight before standing to her full height, dropping the blazer back to the floor. She carefully slid back onto the double bed, creeping up behind Siyeon until she could wrap one arm around her neck, the other pressing the cold barrel of the weapon into her temple. She pulled the older woman into her half-naked frame. Siyeon tensed up momentarily, side eyeing the redhead, her eyebrows raised at the action. For a moment a glisten of fear flashed in her brown eyes, the feeling as she gulped prominent against Handong’s forearm.

The younger one exhaled lightly, close to the woman’s ear. “I’m sorry,” she spoke, “but you’re still a problem.”

She thrusted the gun into her skin even more, Siyeon forcing her eyes closed for only a second.

Then the blonde sighed, fixating her focus again on the city. “I know.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, breaking at the end. Handong frowned.

“I was going to kill you Handong.” She admitted quietly. The younger one's lips parted, the firm pressure upon the woman’s temple lightening unconsciously.

“I really thought I hated you.” She continued, “and when we first met I was gonna put a bullet right through your skull. Just like this actually.”

The redhead clenched her jaw.

“But then you told me about your fucking cats so I knew I couldn’t do it then,” she chuckled in a bittersweet way, “you had angered me so much that I thought the only way to get your attention was to kill your best subject,” tears began to brew in her eyes at the confession, “but then killing her felt so wrong because I realised that I was too blinded by my own morals to recognise how they may not be the best ones.” She swallowed down the lump in her throat, “I could’ve killed you this morning. But I don’t want to anymore.”

Handong looked away from the girl, down at the floor but her brow was still furrowed in thought.

“This city is no place for empathy…” Handong retaliated, her voice strong.

“You’re right.” For the first time, Siyeon actually sounded defeated, agreeing with the younger one “and I think I realise that you’re the best ray of hope this city is gonna get.”

There was no way Siyeon had just said that. This was an act… surely. It had to be. This wasn’t the same Siyeon Handong had experienced yesterday.

“So kill me.” The blonde announced abruptly, moving her cold hand to latch onto the one holding the gun. Her fingers brushed across the warm skin as she pushed the barrel further into her own head, closing her eyes simultaneously.

Handong’s heart skipped a beat.

“W-why are yo-”

Siyeon’s index finger curled around Handong’s, the one that was lightly lacing the trigger. Panic struck the redhead in an instant. This was no act. She was really about to pull the trigger herself.

“No!” Handong yelled desperately, rapidly pulling the gun away from her head and pushing the other woman from her grasp. She tossed the dangerous weapon aimlessly to the side of the room, slipping off the duvet onto solid carpet.

“Are you fucking insane?!”

Siyeon turned to lock gazes with Handong, who now seemed to be the one with fear glistening in her eyes. Her breathing was erratic, panicked.

“I-” Siyeon wiped at her eye even before the first tear spilled over her waterline, “I’m sorry.”

Handong shook her head in disbelief, pushing her messy hair back in a flustered state. “What the fuck.” A shaky breath escaped her lips.

“This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.”

Siyeon laughed sadly, plopping down upon the bed again.

“Tell me about it.”

Whatever was happening right now was the last thing either girl expected to happen between them. A tense silence lingered in the ambience. Handong shifted her weight from each of her feet but it was Siyeon who broke the silence again.

“I-I’m really lonely Handong.” The confession was muffled by her hands as she rested her head in them. “And I constantly have this feeling that’s eating away at me inside.”

“Guilt?” Handong asked.

Siyeon sighed. “I-I think so.” She raised her head tentatively as Handong perched on the bed next to her, “more like this feeling that I'll never quite amount to anything no matter what I do. I used to be so great at my job and now I’ve realised that even my job was corrupt.” She huffed, “so why am I here?”

“Let me ask you something.” Handong studied her side profile closely, “what was your last good memory?”

Siyeon pondered the question, the same one she had been thinking about herself while the redhead was still resting peacefully. The answer was still the same.

“I don’t know.” She responded truthfully before shrugging, “last night.”

One of Handong’s eyebrows arched. “W-with us?”

The blonde nodded and the other could’ve sworn she saw a subtle blush colour her cheeks at the response.

“O-oh but that wasn’t even really-” she caught herself, “I just needed to relieve my frustration for you in some way.” She smiled. An actual, genuine smile.

“Well yeah, I'm well aware of that.” Siyeon couldn’t help but reciprocate her expression, a sad chuckle escaping her lips. “But it was the only enjoyable thing I can remember in a long time.”

“Seriously?” Handong pried. The blonde hummed in confirmation.

The younger one released a heavy breath.

“Stay here.” She suddenly rose from her seat, placing a reassuring hand on Siyeon’s bare thigh before she left the room. The blonde raised her uninjured eyebrow quizzically, following the woman with her eyes until she vanished from sight.

Handong hovered over the sink in the bathroom, taking one glance in the mirror above before dipping below, her fingers carefully heading for her eyeballs.

After a moment she looked back up into the mirror, a different pair of eyes staring back at her.

Siyeon waited for the redhead to return, noticing her bare feet by the doorframe firstly. Her movements seemed hesitant, slow.

Her silhouette advanced towards Siyeon until she was positioned beside her on the bed again, her head drooped and her attention upon the ground.

“The gun is still on the floor, right?”

Siyeon chuckled, “what’re-”

Her voice died in her throat as soon as Handong locked eyes with her. Heterochromia.

Prominent heterochromia.

One orange, one pink.

“Y-you’re a-” Siyeon couldn’t tear her surprised gaze away, “but how?”

The younger one sighed, aimlessly kicking her feet along the carpet as she began.

“I was in a terrible accident when I was younger… I was like 15? I think.” Her eyebrows creased as she averted her gaze elsewhere but Siyeon’s focus never left the woman. “A really terrible car crash. I lost all of my family, as well as my memory.” She paused, inhaling shakily. “I thought that shit only happened in movies,” a sad laugh escaped her lips, “you know when the main character suddenly has amnesia and forgets everything they’ve grown to understand?”

Siyeon nodded slowly, although the question was rhetorical.

“The doctors diagnosed me initially with retrograde amnesia however it progressed to dissociative amnesia. I didn’t remember anything from before the crash and some days afterwards I would even wake up and forget what had happened the previous day. It really was a confusing cycle, there was a disruption in my brain, somewhere. Eventually the doctors tried bringing in therapists and other nurses that could help restore my memory, my brain. But I started having bad visions in these sessions, they were so terrifying that I didn’t want to remember anything. So I told them to stop focusing on me.”

“Wow.” Siyeon whispered under her breath but allowed the other to continue.

“But I think the crash caused another side of my brain to kick in because I became smarter somehow,” she chuckled airily, “I began to focus my attention upon my own brain and configured an idea of how to restore my memories. I just needed to be sure my process was correct so that I could restore some of my good memories only, and leave the bad ones behind. Yubin helped me through the thought process, she was a nurse there at the hospital at the time. The only one I could trust, really.”

“So this was when you were restoring memories? Not implanting them?”

Handong nodded.

“Yes, my original procedure only restored good memories. Then when I figured out a better protocol, I began to implant better, fake memories.” She confirmed.

“So…” Siyeon dared to ask, “are many of your memories now real or fake?”

Handong locked eyes once again, the older girl surprised once more at the beautiful contrast in her iris’. They resembled Keni’s, except... they were prettier to Siyeon.

“That’s the beauty of it…” The redhead wore a smile, “I don’t know.”

Siyeon frowned.

“T-that’s confusing.”

“It’s not,” the youngest retaliated, “to you maybe. To me it’s beautiful.”

“But then how do you remember your crash? Your story?”

“I only recall everything after my operation seven years ago; my memory restored itself from that point. As for the crash… Yubin informed me, gave me my medical file to study afterwards.”

“Wait.” Siyeon’s eyes widened, “seven years?” Her lips parted in shock. “I thought droids only lived for five years?”

“I managed to recently push it to ten.” She pointed to her pink eye, “five,” she then moved her finger to the orange, “five.” She unveiled.

“Shit.” Siyeon held her hand in her head, suddenly feeling dizzy. All of those droids she’d killed in the past… maybe a selected few of them still had so much potential, so many years ahead of them. A sudden intrusive thought came to mind and she darted her worried eyes back to Handong, pupils dilated.

“Does that mean... you only have three years left?” Her voice was quiet, as though she didn’t want to utter the statement. The younger one nodded slowly, pursing her lips.

“At the moment yes.” She exhaled, “unless I find a miracle before then.” Her laugh was pessimistic.

“But-” Siyeon shook her head, “can’t you just replace the memories… make new ones?”

“Unfortunately that’s not how it works. It’s a wiring to the brain, an extremely risky process,” Handong sighed, “so no.” The air hung dense for a moment. “Besides, I make most of my new memories like the next person. Not ‘artificially’ as you say.”

“Can I ask you something?” Siyeon’s chocolate brown gaze lingered on a car that bypassed the window.

“Sure.” Handong’s voice was gentle.

“What’s your favorite memory?”

“Oh.” The younger girl looked down at her hands, to her red nails where she anxiously fumbled with her own fingers between her own. Her lips parted as she sucked in a deep breath before sharing.

“Uh- when my mother told me how proud she was of me in the car before the accident.” She swallowed sharply, attempting to disregard the threatening tears that were forming in her eyes. “She told me that I was the best daughter she could ever ask for, and made it so clear how much she loved me. I remember it so vividly.”

She sniffed, an isolated tear managing to escape her duct, leisurely travelling down her cheek before it was wiped away by a defensive hand. “And before you ask… no,” her voice broke, “I’m not entirely sure whether it is real or not because I only began to recall the memory after my second implant.” She gulped, her voice strained, “but, it’s what helps me sleep at night. So that’s all that matters.”

Siyeon felt her chest become heavy. She genuinely felt sorry for the redhead… and she never thought that would be possible. But Handong, deep down, was a good human, and human she was.

The blonde groaned loudly all of a sudden, almost in frustration as she pushed her messy hair back. She breathed out, white nails tapping along her exposed thigh.

“You know when you asked me why I retired?”

Handong nodded, drying her eyes simultaneously.

“That’s what sent me over the edge.” Siyeon admitted.

“I’m sorr-”

“No.” Siyeon cut her off, “you don’t have to be. I’m so selfish that I let my own guilt delude my thoughts.” Pause.

“I killed a human before.”

Handong’s eyes widened at the news, eyebrows arching consequently.

“It was accidental, obviously. But I had mistaken someone for a droid and murdered them. It was only after when I noticed the light reflecting in their brown eyes that I couldn’t trace any heterochromia.” She shook her head, “I never told anyone about that. And the guilt has been eating me up for the longest time.”

“You can’t live with it?”

“I don’t want to.”

Handong hummed before breaking the physical barrier between them by placing one hand upon Siyeon’s. The older one looked down at the contact before meeting her eyes, a subtle smile stretching across her features.

“This sounds crazy,” the redhead began, “but… would you let me create you some good memories?”

Siyeon studied her eyes. They didn’t seem to lie. In all honesty, Siyeon wasn’t sure whether she trusted this woman one hundred percent but on the other hand, that’s what excited her. She hadn’t felt such a rush, such emotion in a long time.

“Implanting them?”

She nodded.

“I don’t know.” Siyeon laughed. She was right, this was crazy. This time yesterday, Siyeon was murdering droids and now, she was being asked to contemplate becoming one? How had her philosophies flipped on their heads so suddenly?

“Will you at least consider it?”

Siyeon pursed her lips in thought. “Maybe.” Her reply was ambiguous but that was okay, actually for Handong it was a good sign. Evidently, the woman’s morality had shifted. Even a little.
There was a comfortable, reflective silence in the space between them. Handong eventually sighed, pulling her hand away and rising from the mattress.

“I should probably get going.” She announced, “Yubin might start thinking you’ve managed to get your hands on me.”

“I did.” Siyeon raised her eyebrow.

The redhead scoffed, advancing towards the side of the bed where she had slept for the night. “I meant in a life-threatening way darling.” There she was again with the sarcastic pet name. But this time, Siyeon didn’t actually mind the teasing.

“Will you consider coming back to see me?” The blonde pried curiously, a genuine grin colouring her nude lips.

“Well of course,” Handong nodded affirmatively, piling her clothes up into her arms before laying them out on the ruffled duvet, “how else would you make all of your best memories?” She reciprocated the blonde’s smile, “even without the implantation.”

Siyeon laughed.

“You have depth, Handong.” The older one admitted, “and I literally never thought I would say such a thing but… you’re actually a really interesting woman.”

“Oooh, that must take some guts to admit.” Handong joked playfully.

The blonde rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it did.”

The older one watched as Handong turned respectfully away from her gaze, effortlessly slipping the white shirt from her defined shoulders, the material dropping to the carpet like a feather. Her naked shoulder blades were on show, and again… that beautiful foreign tattoo.

She pulled her slightly creased silk dress up her legs, until the straps resided upon her collarbones. She pulled her hair from the back, allowing it to flow freely down herself before turning to face Siyeon once more.

When she realised the blonde's attention was still on her, she smirked.

“My eyes are up here sweetie.”

Siyeon blew air through her nose at the familiar words, amused.

“Alright.” She turned away as the younger one swayed around the double bed, patting her head kindly as she passed. “I was just admiring your tattoo.” Siyeon blurted out amongst the brief tranquillity.

The statement revived Handong’s attention as she turned on her heel by the bedroom door frame.

“What does it mean?”

A beam of sudden yellow light highlighted Siyeon’s features, turning her eyes a beautiful amber shade, the woman in her eyeline looking interested in what the younger one had to say. There was a new glisten behind her gaze, a new spark. Hope, maybe. Siyeon was still hard to read. But the frame of her in that moment was like a movie still, the dark surroundings, only Siyeon accentuated like a little ray of faith amongst an overwhelming nihilistic entity. And the fact that it had been Handong who had been the one to enlighten her, to offer that glimmer of humanity back into her eyes. The moment, the image, was one that Handong knew would stay imprinted in her brain for her three years.

She smiled, her teeth poking through her lips.

“Forever lives in memory.”