Chapter Text
The after party proceeded as major investors bombarded Mr. Lee with questions about the ZA products. Any attention that would have been given to Shotaro and Jisung disappeared. Disgusted by the people discarding their concerns to replace them with curiosity, the NCT family saw themselves outside, Taemin not too far behind them. For a while, a defeated silence remained among the group.
“I don’t know what to say.” Taeil stared down at his feet.
“If the formula is stored back at the company, how did they already move forward with production?”
“I have a theory but I hope I’m wrong.” Taemin said.
“Are you feeling alright, Taemin?”
“I feel like ripping my heart out of my chest. The formula locked in the main building isn’t the first batch. The batch before was reported successful but had an error in it. However, the error was a small one from my understanding. They probably took it to use in those models as a test run and planned to swap out the formula later.”
“Isn’t that taking a risk? If there is a small enough error then wouldn’t that make the androids more likely to fall into problems?”
“Do you really think they care? In their eyes, they aren’t like humans. They assume they can tell them to show up for a part replacement and they're just going to let them do whatever. They’ve been taking the data from all previous models and layering them. These androids don’t need trainers, not when they have an entire catalog of information from seven different models, soon to be ten once they pull the info from Sungchan, Shotaro, and Jisung.”
“Incredibly irresponsible.”
“It is.” Taemin agreed.
"Now what do we do?"
"For now, nothing. I think we need to pull ourselves back together before we try anything else."
“Well, my mood is sour for the rest of the night. I'm going home and painting to calm down. I guess we’ll talk over the weekend or sometime soon?” Renjun wrapped his arms around Jeno.
"Going home sounds nice." Jaemin agreed.
“We’ll walk back with you to the cars." Winwin pulled a sad Lucas closer to him.
“I’ll follow.” Doyoung slipped his jacket off, throwing it over his shoulder.
“Sungchan, are you ready to leave?” Jungwoo questioned.
“Yes. Thank you everyone for getting us out of the company’s ownership. We hope we didn’t create too much trouble for you.” Sungchan walked toward Jungwoo.
“You’re worth the trouble. It’s better than being under company control.” Taeil nodded.
“I would like to talk to Johnny and Taeil if they have the time.” Kun cleared his throat.
“Sure. I’m not going to get much sleep tonight anyway.” Johnny shrugged.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Mark fiddled with the cuffs of his shirt.
“Oh? You want to go with them?” Taeyong tilted his head.
“Yes.”
“It’s rather serious.” Kun warned.
“What I need to talk about is pretty serious too.”
“Then I’m coming with you.” Haechan decided.
“Yeah, you’re going to want to be there.” Mark whispered.
“Yuta, here are my keys. Take Shotaro home. He needs to learn where everything is and pick out a room through the weekend anyway.” Johnny instructed.
“Do you need anything while we’re on our way?”
“No. Thank you, Yuta.”
“Of course. Come on, Shotaro. I can show you your new home.” He guided the other.
"Mark, are you sure you wan-" Taeyong began to question him.
“You need to get Jisung settled. Haechan and I will make it back to the United building in one piece.” Mark pulled the boy closer.
“Alright. If that is what you want. Jisung, come on. Jaehyun and I will take you home.” Taeyong gently grabbed the other by the arm.
“Bye, guys.” Jisung waved.
“Ten, will you take the boys home?” Kun turned to him.
Ten didn’t respond. He had stayed silent giving Kun an expression of quiet worry and anger. His eyes staying on him for a moment as the rest of the group dispersed.
“Fine. Yangie, Jun, Lele, come here. You too, Prince boy.” He waved them over.
“Me?” Hendery pointed.
“Well I wouldn’t call the others a prince, it would get to their heads. Come on. You’re staying at our house tonight.” Ten told him.
“Kun?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Go! All four of you! Go on with Ten. I’ll be home later.” Kun gave them his car keys.
“I’ll drive him and Johnny home.” Taeil reassured them.
“Alright. Be safe.” Ten gathered the boys, looking back one more time as they headed out toward the car.
Taemin lingered while the others said their goodbyes. He kept glancing at Mark. It was marvelous seeing his creations after so much time apart. Despite not being able to really change in terms of aging, it felt as though Mark had matured. It was the way his eyes expressed more emotion, the way he had developed his own walking style, the way he spoke to others, and the distinguished relationships he had.
“Mind if I join?” Taemin shyly crept forward.
“I’m not sure if you’ll find much interest in it but you can come.” Kun confirmed.
“Hi, Taemin.” Mark quietly greeted as the six walked off down the street.
“Hello, Mark. You’re still going by Mark, yes?”
“Correct.”
“We’ll have to catch up when things aren’t so tense. It’s good to see you.”
“I’m happy to see you too. This is Haechan, my new owner.”
“Please never call me that again. Hi, nice to meet you.” Haechan smiled.
“Nice to meet you too. I take it you’ve taken care of Mark well?”
“He’s been my primary maintenance since day one.” Mark answered.
“Then I know you’re in good hands.” Taemin chuckled.
While they chattered meaninglessly, Kun and Johnny had fallen into deep silence. Johnny had an idea as to what the discussion would be about and in his mind the options were narrowing down. The six found their way to a fried chicken shop. It was a completely inappropriate setting for what Kun wanted to talk about but everything felt inappropriate at the moment. The way he was dressed up, the absence of Ten, the presence of lethal AI, and the man behind it being his little brother’s godfather. They slipped into the table in the back. Taeil graciously placed everyone’s order and received their drinks before they could begin their discussion.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, Mr. Qian?” Johnny leaned forward.
“Now that I know that at least four androids have been created, I think it’s important to have more coverage there. We can’t just waltz up to the new leader to try to get him to tell us anything. We don’t know his morals or values or which side he is on. We need someone on the inside. I don’t know how I’ll get Mr. Lee to trust me but I’ll make a deal with him. I’ll come up with something for him to allow me to transfer to the Resonance Facility.” Kun said.
“Kun! It could be dangerous, are you sure you want to do something like this?” Taeil raised an eyebrow.
“Should you be making this decision alone? Ten is going to freak out if you go through with this.” Johnny looked perplexed.
He knew Ten well. He had become his best friend through the years. He would be willing to argue that with the exception of Kun, no one else knew Ten better than him. There was a good possibility he would be livid to know Kun was making such an important decisions in his absence. Then again, the two had a more complicated dynamic than Johnny had ever witnessed.
“I’ll tell Ten. Someone needs to be at the new location to monitor what is going on and try to find a way to stop it. I don’t want Chenle near it. I don’t want any of them living in a dystopia because of something I might have been able to stop. I know I can’t do it alone but maybe I can find the right people to take action.”
“If you need someone who can be the eyes and ears of Resonance then let it be me.” Taeil volunteered.
“No, Taeil. I need you to stay at NCT. You’ve been there the longest, you have seniority there, and you’ve pissed him off the least. Chenle is going to need someone and while I know all of you would do your best for him, I would feel better knowing Taeil was under the same roof as him.”
“You can’t just go alone.” Johnny shook his head.
“Take me.” Mark declared.
“What?” Haechan whipped his head around.
Mark made eye contact with Kun and held it while he spoke. He purposefully avoided Haechan's stare. He knew the maintenance worker wouldn't like the plan he had been thinking of the moment Mr.Lee announced the new androids.
“That’s what I wanted to talk about. After the encounter back there I knew someone from the main building was going to have to get involved. If any of you went without some form of protection I wouldn’t be able to function correctly. It would worry me and maybe it’s part of my design to feel protective of the people around me, but I can’t let any of you go alone. When the opportunity arrives for you to talk to Mr. Lee, make me your offer. They wanted me and Xiao Jun for final testing to begin with. Tell him you were thinking about the possibilities given to you if you transferred. Then, tell him you convinced me to participate in whatever experiment they want to do but that I’ll only go if you’re there since you’re a familiar face I know. Make me your offering to him.”
“Mark, this isn’t like going to a new school or trying out a new skill. This is-”
“I know what it is, Kun. This is a decision I’ve made. Please, take it.”
“If that’s how it’s going to be then I’m transferring too.” Johnny put an arm around Kun’s chair.
“For what?” Kun frowned.
“For both you and Mark. We’ve been friends a long time. I won’t just let you walk into a leadership office where you could potentially be outnumbered by whoever is in charge. It’s better if there are two of us instead of one. I’ve been around long enough that it would make sense for me to want to level up in the workplace. He won’t think twice about it. Plus, Mark is sort of cute and has been a funny annoying little brother to me since his activation.” Johnny smiled at the AI.
“Yo, why did I feel the sincerity?” Mark touched his chest where his heart would be.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay at NCT and I’ll go in your place?” Taeil checked.
“I need you there for Chenle. It might be better with me gone. Mr. Lee might think it would be easier to influence him if his older brother isn’t around.”
“Very well.” Taeil nodded.
“I’m very proud of you, Mark. You’ve developed into everything and more than I dreamed of you being.” Taemin gazed with pride.
“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you. You really were the kindest creator.” Mark smiled.
Haechan downed his drink in one go, slamming the glass on the table.
“I’ll fill my form out tomorrow morning.” He pushed his light brown hair out of his face.
“Donghyuck, no. Absolutely not.” Mark rejected the statement.
“Wow. Using real names now? Mark, you’re a fool if you think I wouldn’t go.”
“I can take care of myself. You’re one of the most important people to me and I need to know you’re safe. I want you to stay where you’re at.”
“I can’t stay where I’m at if I know you’re risking yourself somewhere else. I’ve been your primary maintenance for years in multiple ways. I’m not going to let you get hurt out there and then have some random newbie who doesn’t know shit about you try and patch you up. I’m going and that is final. You’re not going to dismiss me.”
Mark’s disapproval was evident but there was no point in arguing with Haechan when he set his sights on something. He was the least likely to budge from something because of another person’s orders. The beautiful golden boy had a fire in his eyes staring him down in an act of defiance. Mark sighed, the harshness melting to the understanding they shared.
“Okay.” He sadly smiled.
“I’m applying as well.” Taemin sighed.
“You are? I thought you hated it when we toured the place.” Johnny smiled as the waitress sat down the food.
“I did hate it. I still do. I feel responsible for this getting so far. All the ideas I’ve created and now I’m paying the price for watching them come to life. I never suggested a military AI but I’ve done everything they’ve asked of me blindly for so long. I want to know how the androids are built, how the weaponry is installed, and what chemicals are used. I want as much information as I can get. If you’re all there then I can help. I’ll keep you informed on how they’re made from beginning to end.”
“We would appreciate that.” Taeil nodded.
“If we’re going to work together to attempt stopping things before they get worse then you should know what Mr. Lee has over me. When he first started NCT, I was tinkering with technology as a side hobby. I had a fascination with robots. I kept a notebook full of ideas on ways to improve society. One day I created a mini robot, about the size of a small trash can, nothing too impressive. It was just a test run of a companion robot, a friend to have with you. I took it everywhere with me until one day I left it near a warehouse. I ran away from it because I was going to test a new feature. It was supposed to be a protection mode. When I tried it out for the first time my little trash can sized robot blew up! Unfortunately, it sent the entire warehouse on fire. Four people died and it was all my fault but I was young and scared so I ran. I ran as far as I could as fast as I could. The warehouse belonged to Mr. Lee. He found out rather quickly what happened and instead of turning me in he tracked me down himself. Covered up the whole thing for me. He wanted to know what the trash can device was and when I explained my interest he saw an opportunity. He gave me access to the best education and materials to start building an actual robot. It took a few years of trial and error but one day I had a human-looking robot opening their eyes to me. The LT1. Eventually, they would choose their own name. Taeyong. That’s been my burden to carry. I’m responsible for property damage, four lives lost, and knowing this man better now...he would pin the cover-up on me somehow. So I work and obey because the other options aren’t favorable.”
The others digested the story for a moment. Being so young and not knowing how to handle such a situation wasn’t uncommon. Although there should have been consequences, it was hard to hold anything against Taemin. It was Mr. Lee that decided to not speak up on the matter and now things were out of Taemin’s control when all he wanted was a companion.
“I understand why you feel stuck.” Kun nodded.
“There really isn’t an alternative for you that truly would work out well. Especially when so much time has passed.” Haechan grumbled.
“I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable with me now.”
“No, don’t apologize. Thank you for trusting us and in return, we’re willing to work with you.” Johnny nodded.
“We share a greater threat and enemy than anything you could have ever done.” Taeil took a piece of chicken.
“The others won’t be happy when they find out we’re leaving.” Haechan commented.
“I know. Hopefully, they understand and no one gets too hurt by us making this choice without them.” Taeil glanced at the group, lingering on Kun.
Ten would not be happy.
It was nearing one in the morning when Ten heard the front door opening. He was sitting on the couch with a glass of red wine, staring into the quietness of the house. The boys were in Chenle’s bedroom treating the night like a messed up sleepover. They were discussing android war, dystopian elements, and potential survival techniques. It had become rather depressing and overwhelming, forcing Ten into the living room to wait for the older to come home.
The good sign was that Kun came home sober. No giggling, crying, sloppy hugs and kisses, or staggering walking. The bad sign came in the way Kun looked at him. Nervous, sad, and like Ten was the only person in the world he had left to rely on. Neither moved. Kun stayed at the entryway while Ten remained seated. Gracefully, he got off of the couch, sitting the wine glass on the coffee table, and slowly walking over to him. They weren't too far apart, an intense eye stare as they searched one another's soul. when it became too much Ten wrapped him up in a hug, throwing his arms around his neck and burying his nose in Kun’s shoulder. The older embraced him, gently lifting him off the floor for a moment.
“What happened?” Ten asked even when he didn’t want to know.
“Can we talk about something?”
“Oh, god.” Ten closed his eyes, refusing to let go of the hug.
“Tennie.”
“You’re going to go, aren’t you?”
Kun tightened his grip on him.
“How does that feel to you?”
“I hate it. I hate it so much! It’s dangerous and it scares me.”
“How mad will you be if I told you I want you to stay at NCT?”
“No! If you go, I go!”
“Ten, I need you to stay at the company.” Kun pulled his arms away from his neck to rest on his shoulders.
Ten leaned back enough to look at him. The serious tone made him bite his tongue from picking a fight. Ten didn’t have it in him to cry but his eyes still watered.
“So I’m supposed to spend every single day not knowing where the hell you are?”
“Employees for Resonance don’t have to live nearby or live on the property. You would see me every morning, every night, and every weekend.”
“But what about all the hours in between? Kun, you can’t just walk in there by yourself. I knew you would do this! The moment you asked to talk to the guys alone I just felt it in the pit of my stomach!”
“I’m not going alone but you’re not going to like who is willing to go with me.”
The trainer racked his brain to take a wild guess but the answer felt like a hit to the chest.
“Oh my god. My best friend? Johnny is going with you! Johnny!”
“There’s more.” He reached up for one of Ten’s hands.
“Who else?”
“Mark wants to go-”
“Are you kidding me?”
“He knows that they wanted him to begin with. He wants me to tell Mr. Lee that I convinced him to go but only if I go with him. And because Mark is willingly going, so is Haechan.”
“You’re letting the kids go? You didn’t stop them or try to talk them out of it?”
“They are determined to go. We reminded them that this isn’t like anything we’ve done before but they insisted on going. Taemin is transferring as well. He wants to see this through to the end and I can’t fault him for that. He has his reasons. I need you and Taeil to stay at the company to watch over Chenle for me. I don’t want him near this and it would be easier for us to be separated in workplaces for a while. I don’t need Mr. Lee hating him or using him to get to me. I’m sorry I’m doing this to you.” Kun kissed the side of Ten’s hand.
“I don't like this. I don’t understand a lot of what has happened around us lately. However, I do understand you. I understand how your mind and your heart think differently before they start finding ways to work in tandem. So, if this is what you need to do and that is where you feel you need to be then I’m going to have to accept it. It’s not like you’re leaving us there because you don’t want to keep us safe near you. You’re leaving us there because that is how to keep us safe. I know Chenle is your most precious priority-”
“All of you are.” He nuzzled his cheek into Ten’s hand.
“I know but you take your responsibility to the boys very seriously so you trusting me with them means a lot. I knew who you were from the start, so to be surprised isn't an option for me. I told you I wanted to go through this with you so I'll do my part. You take care of them from afar and I’ll take care of them up close.” Ten swallowed down his tears.
“Thank you. I promise when we figure out how to slow this down or stop this, I promise I won't put us through this again. I'm so sorry. Thank you for being open-minded about all of this. I couldn't do this without you. Thank you.” He whispered.
Ten stroked his cheek. Trying to remember when Kun became so self-sacrificing. His Kun who would do almost anything if it meant keeping his loved ones safe.
“I’ll go.” A voice behind them made them pull away from each other.
All the boys were shuffled together.
“How long have you been there?”
“You have two androids in the house, we could hear everything from Chenle’s room.” Yang Yang replied, void of the usual sass.
“If Mark is willing to go then I want to go too." Xiao Jun voiced.
Kun shook his head. Xiao Jun was many things. He was gentle, funny, defensive at times, skillful, graceful, handsome, and loving. He was not the type for combat, weapons, and unnecessary violence.
"No. Just because Mark is going doesn't mean you have to go too. It's not anything of interest to you. I want you home."
"No. This was part of my design and Mark is going to need me eventually. Right now he's confident but when the moment arrives and he's surrounded by androids different from him he will freeze. He will have a moment when he lets his guard down at the wrong time. I want to be there for him. I've already encountered the fear of their presence, I'll be familiarized enough to not be so affected as I was before. Mark is going to need another android." Xiao Jun stood his ground.
"Do the androids stay on property?" Ten held his breath.
"Due to Mark and Xiao Jun now having owners, no. They can't make them live on the property when they have owners living elsewhere." Kun answered.
"Then I'll be with you. I'm going." Xiao Jun wouldn't back down.
Hendery remained quiet during the debate. He didn't know what to make of the situation. He was in a position where he could tilt either way and no one would judge him. He had no family and being so new to the NCT world provided him with escape options. Sure, it was nice having friends but he didn't have to stay.
Yang Yang knew his place well. He knew there would be no need for a faulty model in the eyes of Resonance. His place was with his younger brother at NCT. Faithfully, he would stay and become the eyes and ears in Kun's absence.
As for Chenle, he had no reason to push back Kun's request. He needed to protect what was left of his inheritance. Not for power. Not for money. No real greed. For the sake of lives and relationships. Family and friends. He wasn't the only one who could stop what was happening but he was the only one who had the chance of changing anything.
"Xiao Jun, I have already made up my mind. I do not want you-"
"You took ownership of me so I could have a voice of my own. An opinion. A chance to make my own decisions. This is my decision. Will you be the one to silence me now?"
The oldest shoulders dropped. Warm brown eyes seeing his boys grown and assertive. Vocal and proud.
"No. I will not be the one to silence you. Never." Kun shook his head.
"Haechan is going alone?" Hendery spoke up.
"We'll be there."
"No. I meant no one else from maintenance is leaving, right?"
"Hendery." Kun sighed.
"They would let me switch. I've done impressive work on Xiao Jun, they'll take note of that."
"You can't leave there." Xiao Jun turned to him.
"Why not? I've bounced between places before. There is safety in numbers even if it's just in pairs."
"No. I am not going to have you out there living in random places." Kun shook his head.
"Me either. Look, I know you're all grown up. I know you can make your own choices, but there is no way you're going to be in questionable living conditions while working a stressful and dangerous job." Ten lectured.
"Haechan deserves backup." Hendery claimed.
"Resonance employees aren't allowed to live at the NCT United buildings." Xiao Jun reminded.
"Then can't you both just stay here?" Chenle shot a look over at Kun.
"Of course they can stay here. I would prefer they stay here." He responded.
"We'll get rooms ready for each of you next week." Ten ran a hand through his hair.
"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude with-"
"Hendery, you've got us. You're one of us. Stay, please."
"Okay. Thank you."
Ten knew at that moment that his entire family was shifting, that they were about to witness a transformation of sorts. So, with a shaky heart and a sharp mind, he assembled them into a group hug.
Neo Culture Technology was grim on Monday. Returning to the shiny building felt as fake as the plants in the lobby. The distrust in the air was thick, the forced routine of reality dreary, and the relationships among staff strained. Kun didn't trust anyone outside of the trainers and maintenance. People were already gossiping about transfers and the new location. A lot of them completely overlooking the danger, their eyes only focused on what their wage would look like. When he unlocked the door to his office, he wasn't surprised to see Mr. Lee sitting in his chair twiddling with a paperweight.
"You're a bit late to work." He addressed.
"I apologize. It's not within my habits so fear not, it won't be regular."
"I came to have a chat, Kun." He stood from the chair walking toward him.
"Personal or professional?"
"Consider it both."
Mr. Lee pounced forward, grabbing Kun by the shoulder with one hand and using his other to tqke hold of his jaw. The younger was pushed against one of the wals. His superiors eyes burning with malice.
"I don't know what game you and your friends thought you were playing at the party, but I am close to losing my patience. You've always been a good kid, Kun. You never caused trouble and from the moment you were hired you have done nothing short of excelled. Which is why I need to remind you of your place. Acquisition of NV1 was a polite pass from me. Chenle wanted the scrap metal and he found his way to get it. You taking the NV2 did not please me. I have to keep you around because firing you or using other means to assure your silence has a direct impact on my successor. I made a very distinct promise to your mother. Do not be the reason I break it." Mr. Lee lightly hit his right cheek.
"I can promise you I won't step out of my place." Kun kept his voice steady, direct, and calm.
They never broke eye contact. Mr. Lee challenging him and Kun neither stepping down nor making a move. The CEO released his hands from the leader, shoving him into the wall for one last jab.
"Do your job properly. Make sure the new contract gets to where it needs to go by noon."
"Yes, sir."
Mr. Lee took his leave. Once his footsteps faded away, Kun locked his door for good. He informed Johnny to let the rest know not to come see him for the day unless it was a dire issue. The morning went by fairly quickly as he threw himself into work. By noon he had sent in his information about transferring to the Resonance Facility. He knew Mr. Lee would call him to his office by the end of the day after sending the email. When he received the phone call to come up to the man’s office thirty minutes before he was supposed to go home, he was already prepared. The elevator ride up to the office was long due to the stops as other employees boarded. The man was waiting by the door when he arrived at the correct floor.
“I didn’t expect two meetings with you in one day.” He gestured for him to follow.
“I wasn’t prepared for us to meet twice either.” He closed the door behind him.
The office was everything you could imagine it to be. Excessively trying to showcase status and wealth with ridiculous furniture choices, wall art, and the insane wall of windows overlooking the city. He stood in the middle while Mr. Lee stalked around his own desk, a rather oversized piece with far too many drawers.
“You want to transfer to Resonance? Why? I vividly recall your dear Chittaphon having to hold you back at one point during the tour. Why do you want to transfer?”
“Ten didn’t hold me back because of my questionable doubts about the facility. He held me back because I’m not used to hearing his name from other people. It’s rather...delicate of a circumstance in my perspective.”
“Yes, the two of you are quite the pair.”
“Complementary to one another when necessary.”
“What makes you think you have anything to offer at Resonance?”
“I’ve learned a lot here at Neo Culture, I know I could apply myself well at the new facility. It would offer more pay and Chenle is older now. While he’s excited to be learning what he can here with the hope to impress you, I would like to secure our financial position. We’re in good standing, we want for nothing, but maintaining such a lifestyle requires consistent work and progression. After a brief conversation, I have two things that I know you want at the new location.”
“You’re here with a proposal?”
“Only if you view it as such. I was able to convince Mark to make the switch to Resonance for the last few experiments you wanted to put him and Xiao Jun through. I’m sorry, you know them as the LT2 and NV2, my apologies. The NV2 is within my care now and while he originally didn’t want to participate he is willing to go if LT2 goes. However, both are only willing to make the transfer if I am present. I can bring you both the androids you originally wanted if you would permit me to do so.”
Mr. Lee lowered himself into his chair, rubbing his chin in thought.
“I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t risk Chenle.”
“Never. The androids are already in their creation process. There is no use in me trying to give you grief over it. You’ve built more of Chenle’s future than I have. I’ll acknowledge that with gratitude. So, if there is a chance to advance my own career, I would like to take that opportunity if you’ll grant it to me.”
“And you can bring the LT2 and the NV2 to the facility?”
“I’m certain. No hesitation.”
“I’ll let you transfer. However, I’m giving Chanmi strict orders to keep her eyes on you. Trust is earned, Kun. Lately, you and your...colleagues have been giving me reasonable doubt. I have to keep you close to keep Chenle closer so it’s true I can’t exactly fire you. I can make your career life miserable if I find a necessary reason to do so. You cannot make a mistake at Resonance.”
“I’m well aware, sir.”