The Administration is a Leviathan.

An entity of utmost power, it is a hegemony, an ideology, taking the form of an institution and a totalitarian government. It is a trap for the citizens, distilled authoritarianism under the filters of security. Fear is liquid within the Areas of the Peninsula, controlled by the men and women sitting on the hierarchy of the government.

The Peninsula is divided by Areas, from 01 to 27, of varying importance. The capital, the main office of the Administration alongside the skeletons in its closet, is in Area 01. Half-way out of the closet doors is PROJECT EXACT, an urban legend for most, but a reality for those in Area Zero. Area Zero is an unassuming facility in the outskirts of Area 01. It’s a somewhere—an unknown, a ghost, a non-existent place for the non-existence. 

The myth of Project Exact is that it is men trying to play gods, breathing life to the dead, creating cold machines from warm flesh, killing the humanity of a person to create a weapon. The reality of it is that there is, currently, two successful subjects—

Kai and Chen.

Murmurs echo within the close confines of the clinical room. Men and women dressed in expensive formal suits trade arguments with the speed of a bullet. Words pierce just as deadly as freshly sharpened blades. One man in particular watches the exchanges with wry amusement. There’s a certain beauty to politicians debating, like being a bystander to a train wreck, awaiting for the fireworks.

“How about,” the same man starts, “we put Kai with someone from outside Area Zero?”

There is a halt in the conversations. One woman in a navy blue pantsuit raises an impeccable eyebrow and links her hands together. The red of her manicure glints from the ugly white lights overhead.

“What do you mean, Dr. Lee?” There’s a certain cautiousness to her words. 

Dr. Lee, while not a minister within the ranks of governance, is influential in his own right. Heading Project Exact, the man is in his mid-fifties with enviable ties to the Prime Minister. While there are men and women who prance around in the administrative buildings in various Areas, Dr. Lee is the figurehead in Area Zero.

Power, in all cases, presents itself in many facets, in many shapes, in faces no one can fully recognize. 

Dr Lee steeples his fingers together and adopts a thoughtful look, humming, “I head and supervise Exact myself. We have come across many failures in so many years but Kai and Chen are successful. Everything is scientifically sound. Maybe there is also a fault in his chosen partners.”

“Handlers,” someone corrected. “Are you saying the subject is not at fault, Dr. Lee?”

“No.” Dr. Lee sounds stern, strong despite his old appearance. “What I’m saying is he’s not completely accountable. Maybe someone without prejudice would be good for him and, in turn, be good for us.”

“He killed two of his handlers and went, excuse the term, bat insane on Area 07,” another minister deadpans. There is an air of morbidity to the way his tone lends a casualness to his statement—a matter-of-fact, a weather report. 

“I believe that that happened five weeks ago,” a man sitting on the head of the table begins. He adds, addressing the quiet room at large. “Dr. Lee had a point; Kai is an asset more than he is a liability. If we are to recruit a near-civilian as his new handler, we need someone responsible and trustworthy.”

Before anyone can make another noise, a man in a severe black suit speaks up, “May I suggest Kyungsoo, my own son, Prime Minister Shim?”

NOTE

Hello! It's my first time posting an exo fic online. Leave comments and subscribe or whatever it is that you guys have to do. I hope you enjoyed this short prologue. I'll post the actual first chapter sometime on Tuesday/Wednesday (EST).