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Not even the fleeting touch of the soft breeze caressing his cheek could make Bang Chan feel human again. He had lost himself long ago. That wasn't who he was anymore. Now, and forever more, he was CB97. Half cyborg, half human, he was a failed experiment abandoned to the hands of nature's unpredictable ways.
The tall, moist blades of grass swayed lazily against the bare skin of his numb legs. Slender willow trees loomed over him, a circle of gracefulness encompassing him in a shaded cloak. Even with the natural entities drawn towards him, CB97 remained in a dreamless sleep, less alive than the plants.
It wasn't his fault that his dreams were stolen away from him.
His youth was stolen away from him. Bang Chan was an aspiring idol, so eager to join JYPE with his talents; singing, rapping, dancing, playing the guitar and playing the piano, that he was quick to get that flight to Seoul from his home Sydney. Why wouldn't he be? He had already attempted to enter the K-pop world at the age of 13, but once he turned 16 his parents finally agreed. Unfortunately, they would come to regret that if they knew of what had transpired.
Sucked into a web of lies, Bang Chan had stumbled into an illegal experimental facility, an organisation attempting to unite all living creatures into one thriving species - or at least that was what he had overheard under the influence of a strong anaesthetic. Really, it was a dangerous test playing on the boundaries between humans, animals and technology. Everything that had happened to him was built into his hard drive, permanently etched into his new and improved working memory. If he was conscious and chose to scan his own database, he would be able to find the audiovisual remnants of how he was treated.
"Welcome to the future, CB97."
Future? He didn't have a future. He had nobody, nothing.
"It's eyes... I told you we needed to insert more circuits into-"
"It's still human!"
"If you hadn't backpedaled on creating an actual robot-"
"This was a much more efficient way! We keep the brain and we rewire it as we see fit. I told the whole team from the beginning of the rules! This is how we run the experiments around here."
Experiments. Ah, yes. Plural.
A cacophony of sounds had awoken CB97 when he was wheeled into a sterile room, three blank white walls and one glass wall. Multiple of these rooms lined the dimly lit corridor, nameplates along with 'EXTERMINATION' were stuck on the windows of each failure. First, he failed to become an idol, and now, he wasn't even good enough to be a test dummy?
In his assigned space there was nothing to stimulate his brain, just a plain, old chair for him to sit on. The days dragged on monotonously, whether it was the slamming of huge beasts throwing their bodies against their enclosures, deep, gravely growls, haunting shrieks or the droning of the execution buzzer. He didn't feel a thing. He didn't even have an ounce of dread hollowing away at the pit of his stomach knowing it would be his turn soon. Maybe, deep down he knew that it would be different for him.
"We can't dispose of CB97 like the others, it's still too humane, they'd be able to trace this all back to us!"
Different alarms had been blaring at that time. Urgent beeping and scientists running back and forth with files and trollies containing test tubes with concerning colours.
"Then we leave it where no one will ever find it."
Deserted. Isolated. Alone. He still remained in the same place he had been left. When he had felt sunlight hit him again for the first time in what felt like centuries, he had awoken. Bang Chan, not CB97. He cried, he sobbed, he screamed in anger at the way fate had led him. His soul had been dealt the cruelest punishment. His nervous breakdown horrified the cruel, cowardly scientists who had to transport him to the middle of nowhere. They had desperately scrambled away at the sight of the tumultuous sparks of electricity emanating from their experiment. They were lucky to escape. He wasn't.
Almost as if the last part of humanity was being drained from within him, cables dug themselves into the dry, cracked soil, intertwining viciously with tree roots and tying him to the same spot for the rest of his life.
Two years. That's how long he had been asleep for. That's how long it had been since his body shut down on him. Never to wake again was the most likely outcome.
"She's not a normal baby, she's this, this horrible thing!" a woman screamed, a bundle in her arms.
"We needed the money!"
"And look where that got us!"
"Then leave her here, already! No one... No one has to know..." a man pleaded desperately with his ex partner.
"I know! I know, what you did, to her... to us! You ruined everything!"
Crying. Sobbing. Screaming. It was a familiar pattern in rare occasions such as this, yet Chan was still unresponsive, until the wails of a baby caused an involuntary jerk of his leg.
Abandoned. Like us. Must analyse.
System rebooting.
As if they had a life of their own, the branches of the trees that cocooned Bang Chan withdrew from his awakening figure. His eyes flickered open, feeling the electricity course through his brains as his programmed instincts went into overdrive.
Scanning surroundings. Being identified.
It was a child. They were just like him, left to rot and succumb to whatever was thrown at them next. CB97 was able to analyse the situation at hand, whereas Bang Chan knew he had to help.
With a loud yell he stood to his feet, dirt exploding into the air when he rigidly took one step forwards.
Move closer for further identification.
Was he fortunate to not feel any tension in his body after not moving for years? Was he lucky to have not felt the aches in his joints and the cracks in his bones as he approached the newborn.
Not a newborn. Estimated age is 1 year. Appears to be a grindylow.
A grindylow? What on earth was that? Vaguely in the back of his mind CB97 saw a memory of reading the Harry Potter series, that same word appearing. So he must have been somewhat knowledgeable on what the creature in front of him was.
Grindylows are water demons with large horns, pale skin, long arms and feet, sharp teeth and scaly skin.
Ah, that must have been the Wikipedia installation.
Bang Chan approached the wailing baby whose cries instantly stopped once they were lifted into the air. Oddly enough, the young grindylow didn't seem to mind the way it was awkwardly held, Chan's arms outstretched in front of him at a 90° angle and his hands supporting the child from under their arms.
Features appear to be undeveloped.
"You have growing to do, little one," Bang Chan blinked at the child in his stiff arms.
Round, shining eyes gazed sweetly at him, tufts of hair messily sticking up in the air. A pout soon faded away at the feeling of contact with another creature, the grindylow feeling safer than ever as they giggled at the stoic expression Bang Chan wore.
Error. Behaviour not processing.
"You can stay."
Were cyborgs able to feel a sense of accomplishment or fulfilment? Was CB97 less present when caring for another? Was Bang Chan allowed to feel content for even a moment? Here he was, aware, raising his own, sort of, child.
---
"I think I'll call you Nelly."
Nelly babbled excitedly, their fangs coming through stronger now as they gnawed on a piece of bark that Chan had retrieved.
Teething stage recognised.
---
Baby is crying. Nelly, upset. Must stop.
"I don't know what you need," Bang Chan fussed, rocking Nelly in his arms as he searched for a reason why they were so distressed.
"Ah. I think you need water," he nodded once, and promptly launched Nelly out of his arms and into the swampy lake nearby.
He had no need to question why he had done what would otherwise be seen as a cruel and unimaginable act. He knew what his child needed.
Nelly, happy. Task complete.
---
In a rundown district of Seoul, a muscly man with glitter sparkling from his skin huffed in frustration.
"He needs healing but I cannot enter his dreams. I don't have enough time to help him myself. I need to check on the communities in our neighbouring district first. I sense a broken soul I can help but I need you two do to this for me."
"I'm in."
"Got you covered, Binnie."
---
Water time is over. Nelly needs feeding.
"Nelly! I have food for you!" Bang Chan called, brows furrowed in concern as he traipsed the edge of the lake, careful not to get too close in case he fatally harmed himself and his system.
Splashes in the lake caught his attention, as well as the sound of delighted snuffing and teeth grinding together. That was his Nelly, alright.
Heat vision on. Nelly detected. One new grindylow detected.
Is that why they were so happy? They found another one of their kind? Bang Chan hadn't seen such strong emotion in Nelly since the time he had reprimanded them over them recklessly luring a poor human boy to the lake. This was a much better sight, better sound to hear them the previous whines when Nelly had lost claw privileges.
"Nelly. You and your friend can come out and eat! I found some- Nelly?" Bang Chan called out again when Nelly popped their head out, breaking through the surface of the water. Why did they have a sad look on their face? Why were they swimming away? The lake was huge it wouldn't be safe.
Why wasn't Nelly coming back?
"Nelly..." Bang Chan looked down, sadness overwhelming him.
System overload. System shutdown.
---
Nelly didn't return. Chan had rebooted a day after their disappearance, having a reason, a purpose to be awake. He searched around the lake everyday, but piles of uneaten food he had gathered stayed neatly in organised stacks in the foliage by the lake. He switched between different settings, both in his surroundings and his vision programmes. Normal vision, thermal detection, movement scanner. He caught nothing.
Flying objects incoming.
Flying objects? But grindylows couldn't fly could they? Unless Nelly had found their way back to him? He could question them once he was reunited with them! Once he sees Nelly again he can-
It wasn't Nelly.
Bat approaching. Fairy approaching.
Right in front of his very eyes, a bat and a fairy landed down on the tree stump opposite him before morphing into more human forms.
That was Nelly's seat.
"You must be CB97. I'm Yang Jeongin, head of Oddinary House. This is Felix, my friend. We've been looking for you for a while now."
"You can come with us now, we'll help you."