Chapter Text
"In a dream you saw a way to survive and you were full of joy.” –1991, Jenny Holzer
[Sector 14]
Jungkook
Jungkook wakes to his alarm. It’s too quiet around him. For a moment he’s worried that he overslept, but then he remembers that the other guys have duties in the center of the city today, so they had to get an early start. He heads into the shared bathroom and splashes cold water on his face and combs his fingers through his dark hair to make it look somewhat neater. He dresses in simple dark clothes and pulls on his long, gray Defender coat and black boots before heading outside.
It’s colder here than where he’s from. Even after years of being here, he’s still not used to it. He shivers and peers up at the cloudy sky as he heads toward his post at the edge of the city. His boots crunch on the rocky ground and he wonders if it will snow soon. He hopes not.
It wasn't Jungkook's choice to come to Sector 14. Though it's not like he had any say in the matter. After the earthquake and the other disasters that happened in the southern Sector six years ago, he was appointed here as a refugee. He thinks about that day often even though he tries not to. His mind always tries to grasp hold of home.
He, his parents, and his older brother were lucky enough to make it out alive when the earthquake hit. Thankfully, his family was at the edge of the Sector which was spared from some of the worst damage. The governments of the Sectors relocated most of the people from his home in Sector 5 to Sector 10, which didn’t have a very large population to begin with.
He was meant to go with them too, but 10 suddenly met their limit and he ended up getting separated from his family and sent to 14 instead, which was also taking in some refugees and children. They gave him housing and food vouchers, and made sure he and the other boys were safe. Sector 14 promised many of these children a place among the Defenders when they got older and finished school, and with this being the best option, Jungkook did what he was expected to do.
The work wasn't bad, although it was boring at times. He preferred when he was still in training and was practicing for his physical and written exams. Although, he tries to be thankful for what he has now. At least he doesn't go hungry and can tolerate his housemates.
He knows that it’s not likely he’ll see his family again. There has been no way to contact him through the Defense Department or through any other means. He only wishes it was possible to contact his parents, if only to make sure they're okay. And to tell them that he is okay, too. But the common communicators people of higher status and Defenders carry are not strong enough to span across the Sectors. There's limited contact, even between the city officials.
Altogether there are 15 Sectors, with each containing a city of varying size in which people live and work. The first three in the south are primarily empty, and Sector 15 is not populated since it has long been used for disposing of hazardous materials and waste. Sector 14 is among the larger, more populated cities with more developed infrastructure than some.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Jungkook rounds the corner of the housing district and looks at the brick buildings and smokestacks that poke out from across the small hills. It is so different than the flat plains and grassy walkways and the stone house he grew up in.
He reaches the checkpoint and clocks in by scanning his personal identification necklace or PIN. It’s a simple silver medallion with his information encoded. Everyone is issued one once they join the Defense, which in his case was three years ago when he was sixteen, the youngest age that citizens can join. Though he has heard they are starting to make the necklaces mandatory for all citizens in the Sectors to get a better idea of the population and to make record keeping and data transfer more accessible.
Jungkook nods to the other guard on duty and takes up his position outside of the city’s Center for Agriculture. It’s a rather plain, white building that appears out of place in this part of the Sector which is rundown and dusty. His job is easy here: Don’t let anyone in or out.
He’s not too sure about the “out” part. It seems strange that even the people who work at the Center are not allowed out during work hours, but it’s what the city has enforced and what they pay him to do, and so he does it. It’s not like he often sees many employees or scientists from the Center anyways.
Before the formation of the Sectors, he heard that people used to have farms where they kept livestock and grew vegetables and fruits. Genetically modified lab-grown plants and animals took over the market long before Jungkook was born, so in this way the Sectors are self-sustaining since the labs can produce enough food for each Sector. It also solved the age old issue of animal cruelty in the meat industry as none of the meat developed now has eyes or a heartbeat.
It’s shaping up to be another uneventful day. If it were up to him, Jungkook would like to be more active. He reminisces about his older brother’s much more exciting job back home in the 5th Sector where he was responsible for delivering goods, and sometimes even important people, across the city. Jungkook wonders what it would be like to drive a truck around and to make buddies at different stops along the way.
Even though he’s mostly mourned the loss of his old life, it still hurts that he’s lost so much. Nothing will ever be the same again. His fellow Defenders from 5 who’s lives were uprooted by the earthquake sometimes help make it a bit easier. Just knowing he's not alone helps. Sometimes when he's with them he even finds himself laughing and smiling, and for a moment he feels like his old self. But then the feeling vanishes and he is left feeling sort of empty again. Maybe it's an emptiness that won't go away.
It’s nearing eleven a.m. and he’s about halfway through his guard duty when his hearing begins to grow muffled before his ears start inexplicably ringing. It doesn’t go away, and he shakes his head and reaches up to press on his left ear to try to get it to stop.
CRACK...WOOSH!
The dull morning spins itself into a disaster. A huge crash comes from somewhere in the building above him and the sound of steel groaning makes him feel sick. He darts out from his post near the door to run to the front of the building to try figure out what’s happening. His eyes widen and he and the other guard stand outside, gaping up at the building.
Something has put a giant hole in the side of the wall. Smoke and flames billow out, consuming the floors high above them. The Agricultural Center is on fire. Jungkook hears an alarm start blaring and it snaps him out of his shock, which is then replaced by the instinct to bolt for the doors and try to help anyone that’s inside.
He is able to get into the first-floor lobby of the Center, but he doesn’t have access to the elevator or stairways that require employees to scan in. The other guard is rushing after him, yelling at him to stop, and that he needs to come out and get away from the building.
He stares uncomprehendingly at the Defender. Jungkook can’t stop thinking about the people who could be trapped inside. The speakers in the building start blasting a warning: This is an emergency message. All personnel must evacuate the building immediately. Do not disregard the emergency protocol.
Jungkook keeps trying to pull on the door and searches for something to hit it with, but he knows it’s not going to budge. He’s on the verge of panic. This is just like when the earthquake hit. No... this is worse, because he knows he could actually do something help people now. He hears more of the building shift and crumble above him.
“C’mon kid! We don’t have all day!”
The guard runs over and tries to get Jungkook to follow him. He finally gives up and grabs Jungkook to drag him toward the door, but Jungkook is all muscle and is not easy to move. Eventually, though, Jungkook has no choice but to give in and he walks toward the door, shoving the guy off of him as they cross through the threshold of the building.
There’s a sudden noise of footsteps and breath that can’t be caught, and suddenly people are all around and behind him, rushing towards the door. He shifts out of the way of the rapidly forming group and they all run out to stand at a safer distance away from the building.
Jungkook sees several types of people standing among them. Old. Young. Both women and men who have on different types of uniforms and perform various jobs within the Agriculture Center. A lot of them must be scientists, he thinks. Most appear to be very shaken, but uninjured for the most part.
He turns his attention back to the burning spectacle in front of them and hopes whoever is still on the upper floors can make it out. It’s not a terribly tall building, but it would be a lot of stairs to run down, especially with smoke swirling in one’s lungs.
He finally hears sirens coming from emergency vehicles. A team of first responders from the Medical Center pull up in their trucks and rush into the building.
There’s a chugging sound coming from somewhere in the sky and a black hovercopter appears, nearing the scene, the sound of its blades adding to the cacophony of the wailing alarm and the safety announcement and the people talking fervently.
Where could something like that have come from? It is highly unusual to see any sort of aircraft and he’s never seen a hovercopter before. Jungkook thinks that perhaps it's an emergency team who is here to assist with rescue, or to help put out the fires, and he starts to feel a bit relieved.
That’s before it drops a small metal dish and the top of the building is blown off.