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Minhyuk was the first to enter the abandoned hotel. Dongmin had informed him earlier of the location, and Minhyuk decided Sanha was an idiot. Why would he choose to store his hostage in such an obvious place? It was always abandoned buildings; Minhyuk had watched enough crime dramas to understand that much.
Then again, no one had found Myungjun yet, so perhaps Sanha was not as dumb as he initially assumed.
Jinwoo shouldered past Dongmin, but winced when Minhyuk put a hand on his broken arm to stop him.
“What the hell—” he started, but Minhyuk did not have time to hear Jinwoo complain and fuss yet again. He had a mission he would like to complete as soon as possible so he could return to unproblematic bliss with Dongmin in the middle of China.
“You and Dongmin should go down this hallway,” Minhyuk suggested. “I will go upstairs.”
Jinwoo glowered. “I can go by myself.”
“Your arm is broken. It would be wise of you to go with Dongmin,” Minhyuk pointed out, much to Jinwoo’s chagrin.
“I wonder who broke it,” Jinwoo snapped.
“That does not matter at this moment. Would you like to find your lover, or shall we just leave him in the hands of a machine? ”
The hypothetical question definitely hit Jinwoo hard. Minhyuk watched as the agent made a face before rolling his eyes and gesturing at Dongmin. “Come on,” he barked, years of government work fueling his stern voice.
Dongmin did not hurry as quickly as Jinwoo seemed to want him to. Instead, Dongmin looked over at Minhyuk and asked, “Will you be alright?”
“Of course.”
There was hesitation, and Dongmin finally leaned over and kissed Minhyuk softly. Jinwoo inhaled sharply, but Minhyuk paid him no attention.
“Yell if you need anything,” Dongmin told him, offering a small smile. “And if you find Myungjun, let us know.”
“Of course,” Minhyuk repeated, but just as Dongmin turned around, he became aware of adoration flooding through his system. He had to release it somehow, so he added, “I love you, Dongmin.”
Jinwoo gave a small, “Oh, my god.” but, once more, he was ignored.
Dongmin beamed and nodded his head, clearly satisfied with Minhyuk’s statement. He returned the sentiment with, “I love you, too,” and then he was off, dragging an incredulous Jinwoo behind him.
With them gone, Minhyuk was free to ascend the hotel staircase. He found the state of decay quite remarkable, and he wondered if this was to be his fate should Jinwoo end up turning on him in the end. Would he be tossed aside and left to rot, like this hotel? Or would he be pieced into a war machine, doomed to death and destruction? He hoped they could talk some sense into Myungjun, at least, and beg him to say nothing.
If Myungjun and Jinwoo were the cause of his downfall, Minhyuk supposed he could kill them. It would be a simple matter, wouldn’t it?
He made it to the second story. A few lights flickered overhead, but even then the pathway was dark. Very briefly, he felt bad for this Myungjun guy. He wouldn’t like living in an abandoned hotel with burnt-out lights. Then again, he also felt bad for Myungjun because he had Jinwoo as a lover. What a terrible life this poor man must lead.
He poked his head into a few rooms, but all of them seemed rather empty. Some held a bed and a desk, and others were void of any furniture at all. What a miserable place to be held hostage at. Minhyuk pitied this man all the more.
There was one room with lights that worked, with a television and a clean bed and a chair nearby. Minhyuk entered that room and looked around. There was discarded food and ropes, a dirty towel on the floor, and a bathroom with running water. Minhyuk turned the faucets on before shutting them off again. This seemed to be the room where Myungjun had been kept. In fact, he found some of the clothes Myungjun had been wearing in the picture they received, though he noticed them covered in stains and mostly torn.
Where had Myungjun been taken to?
Sanha had yet to say anything. He had texted the address of the hotel, and from then on, his phone was turned off. He likely rid himself of the phone in order to not be traced. It left them, then, in a bit of a bind if Myungjun was still missing.
Minhyuk could find no clues as to the whereabouts of either Myungjun or the android he supposedly had by his side. He ended up leaving the room, feeling a bit frustrated that the search was yielding very little.
He supposed the android could have hidden Myungjun elsewhere at the threat of newcomers. While Minhyuk had not met any other androids, he supposed this one would be a lesser version of himself. This one would have been made to follow rules blindly, to not feel emotions, to be as cold and heartless as a war machine ought to be.
He walked down the hallway and to the third-story staircase, which he traveled up quickly.
The third story had no lights. Minhyuk was easily able to peer through the dark, however, and he began searching once again, peeking into rooms and keeping as quiet as possible so he would not ruin the surprise. If the android knew he was close by, there was no telling what he would do to Myungjun.
There was one room that appeared to have someone inside. Minhyuk could see the lights from under the closed door. Minhyuk walked toward that one, but just as he reached it, something grabbed him and kept him from moving. He craned his neck, struggling to see who his captor was.
It was dark, but he knew the man behind him was taller and stronger and definitely an android. His grasp was strong, and Minhyuk could not tug free.
“Let me go,” he warned.
“Who are you?” the android asked. His voice sounded confused. He was an android, yet he was confused. He was just like Minhyuk.
Minhyuk felt an odd sort of kinship develop, but he said nothing. The android yanked at his hair and asked again, “Who are you?”
“Minhyuk,” he responded. He still couldn’t break free. Damn it, he wasn’t strong enough. Dongmin had created him to be more human-like, more delicate and fragile. He was no match for an android created to be a war machine.
“You are an android,” the android snapped.
Minhyuk confirmed with a, “Yes. I am R-03Y.”
“Have you come for Myungjun?”
Ah, so Myungjun was here. He was here somewhere. Minhyuk didn’t know what to say in response to the question. Was it possible he could trick this android into letting him go? He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to try.
“No, I am not here for Myungjun.”
The android yanked his head back further. Minhyuk could feel the metal in his neck threatening to snap. He didn’t make any movements.
“You are lying,” the android announced after a few seconds. Before Minhyuk could try to defend himself, try to convince the android that he wasn’t lying, the android pulled back all the way.
Minhyuk’s neck snapped.
The android wasn’t quite finished, though. He continued to yank and pull. Minhyuk could feel the wires fraying apart. His eyesight was gone. He could not hear. He could not move his mouth. He could not feel anything. Yet his consciousness remained, stuck as the android ripped him apart completely.
He was discarded, just as the hotel building had been. He was tossed aside like garbage. He tried his best to power down, but he could not. He was no longer in control.
The android, though, made certain that Minhyuk would never come back. He lost his thoughts as the android ripped apart more wires. He lost his consciousness.
And then, finally, he was forcibly shut down.