A clone. 

Youngjae couldn't get his head around the idea that he was a genetic duplicate of somebody else. Who was the original? Was Youngjae even completely human? Technically, he was...right?

"Hyung," Junhong whispered. 

Youngjae blinked, suddenly remembering reality. They'd managed to get out of the palace relatively unscathed; Junhong had taken the brunt of the shots, but he seemed unaffected by them. Now, they hid among the bushes and trees lining the pathway leading from the palace back to the main road. 

Youngjae still couldn't believe Junhong was an android—with a free will. When he looked at Junhong, he swore he could see the minuscule gears turning behind Junhong's eyes. They lived together for a couple years, and Youngjae couldn't believe he didn't see it earlier. 

"What is it, Junhong?" Youngjae asked. 

"We have to get going soon," Junhong said. His face went blank as if he was processing something. "If we leave right at this moment, the chance that we get caught by Legion soldiers is approximately 40%. With every three minutes we wait, the percentage increases by 0.5%. Estimates vary."

Youngjae stared. He briefly wondered how much more Junhong was capable of. Junhong blinked, and he seemed to return to normal. 

"We should get going then," Youngjae said after he recollected himself. His mind was going at a hundred miles an hour, and he would worry about the...other situations later. Escape was the first priority. 

Junhong stood up, and offered a hand to Youngjae. The foliage was dense enough to provide them cover, but they needed to hurry anyway. Youngjae could feel his heart beating in his throat, and he tried to get rid of it, 

"We'll stay out of sight for now," Junhong said. "But once we get to the main road, we'll have to run."

Youngjae nodded, following Junhong. 

//

"Hyung, look," Junhong announced quietly. 

It'd been about fifteen minutes since they started walking, and Legion trucks and platoons passed by. With each one, Youngjae felt his limbs freeze, but Junhong was there to urge him forward again. 

Now, they'd gotten to the end, but there was a barricade of soldiers between them and the main road. 

"What do we do?" Youngjae asked, ducking behind a bush. 

"We can't wait here," Junhong replied, crouching beside Youngjae. 

They were trapped. Legion soldiers blocked the only way out. Youngjae felt hopelessness settle in the pit of his stomach. 

"Stay here. Don't come out until I tell you to. Call Zico afterwards and wait," Junhong ordered. He got up, and darted out of the trees and into the wall of soldiers. 

Youngjae almost yelled out to protest, to stop Junhong, but it was too late. He was already engulfed in a blinding light of lasers. Youngjae covered his mouth, crouched back down, and did the only thing he could do: wait. 

It took mere minutes for it all to stop. 

It felt like a lifetime to Youngjae. 

"Hyung."

Youngjae peeked over the top of the bushes, wincing as his legs cramped from being crouched for so long. His eyes widened at the sight. Junhong stood amongst a sea of red and a pile of corpses. Laser holes pocked his body, but he still stood tall. Just how much was Junhong capable of?

Youngjae stood up, and approached Junhong, his steps slow and careful. "Junhong?"

"Hyung," Junhong repeated. 

Something was wrong. Youngjae stared, trying to determine what was happening. 

"Hyung."

As Youngjae got closer, he realized with belated horror that Junhong had short-circuited. He may have a consciousness, but he was still a product of technology, and the limits of technology could only be stretched so far before they snapped. 

"I'm sorry, Junhong," Youngjae whispered. He placed his hands on Junhong's shoulders, and swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Youngjae," Junhong said, and as he looked down, Youngjae thought he saw a twinkle of what was left of Junhong. "Run."

Youngjae gripped Junhong's shoulders. "Jun—"

"System shutdown. Sorry," Junhong said, his voice low and monotone. In an instant, his eyes went dark and his body went limp. He fell to the floor in a soundless, graceless heap.

And Youngjae did nothing but watch. 

Youngjae fell to his knees, staring at Junhong. He closed his eyes, clenched his jaw, and took a deep breath. He saw Junhong behind his eyelids, laughing, smiling, talking, eyes shining. Now all that was left of Junhong was a hollow, metal shell full of circuits and wires. 

Simply. 

Dead. 

Run. 

Youngjae opened his eyes, blinking back tears. If he stayed any longer, he'd be caught and Junhong's efforts would have been futile. He stood up, and carried Junhong. He refused to leave Junhong behind, dead, short-circuited, or whatever. He didn't know if it was for himself or for Junhong or for the other members, but he couldn't leave Junhong there with the soldiers.

"Let's go, Junhong," Youngjae mumbled.

//

Youngjae figured Zico was waiting somewhere close by because he came in a shorter amount of time than it should have. 

"Get inside," Zico ordered from the car. 

Youngjae struggled to get Junhong into the backseat. His limbs flopped around, but Youngjae managed. When he finally got into the car, he slumped into the seat, drained of all his energy. Zico sped away from the palace, and Youngjae closed his eyes. 

"Why they hell is Junhong here? What happened to him?" Zico asked. 

Youngjae took in a deep breath. "He's an android. He got shot covering for me."

"What the ?!" Zico exclaimed, turning his head so fast he nearly swerved the car. "And you guys knew this for how long?!"

Youngjae shrugged. He didn't want to talk about it—let alone talk at all. "I don't know about the others, but I just found out today."

Zico sighed, shaking his head, and glanced in the rearview mirror at Junhong. "An android, huh?"

Youngjae nodded, letting his eyes slip closed. 

//

New Seoul was absolute chaos. 

Both citizens and soldiers were running wild in the streets. Fires had started, smoke billowing from buildings. Watches littered the streets, laid in abandon. Groups of citizens marched, trampling anybody that stood in their wake. People cowered inside buildings, peeking out of windows with terror in their eyes. This was nothing like the riot Youngjae witnessed last year. It was as if the world had ended, and he was sure the rest of the districts were the same. 

If this was the revolution they'd been dreaming of, Youngjae wasn't sure if he was ready to face it. 

"Welcome to the era of a new supreme," Zico announced as he slowed the car. "Guernica is in the middle of all this. They are the eye of the storm."

"Where are they?" Youngjae asked. 

"Council."

"Why Council?" 

"They're preparing for a counteroffensive."

Once the road had cleared, Zico stepped on the accelerator, not caring who was unfortunate enough to get in the way. 

"We're a couple blocks from Council," Zico said, but Youngjae knew that already; he knew the roads New Seoul like the back of his hand. 

"Where's your group?" Youngjae asked. 

Zico was silent, and Youngjae immediately assumed the worst. They couldn't be dead. Maybe Zico just didn't hear Youngjae. 

Youngjae turned around to look at Junhong. He looked the same, as if he was sleeping, and Youngjae waited for him to wake up, but that didn't happen; Youngjae sighed at his naivety. 

When they reached Council, the entire building was surrounded by a crowd of soldiers and news reporters. 

"Oh, this is lovely," Zico muttered as he parked the car. Suddenly, he turned to Youngjae with a grin on his face. "I hope your is ready."

Youngjae blinked, taken aback. "What?"

In that moment, Zico's foot might as well have been made of lead. He sped past the soldiers, knocking them down like they were mere bowling pins. Youngjae nearly screamed as he gripped the seat and dashboard to brace himself. Blood splattered the windshield, but Zico flipped the wipers on, leaving red streaks on the glass. They drove up the stairs, the car bouncing with each step, and Youngjae focused on breathing in and out through his nose. 

"Oh !" Zico shouted, and he made a sharp turn left, throwing Youngjae against the door. 

The car skidded against the pavement, eventually colliding with the glass doors of the lobby. The tires made an annoying squeal as it slid across the smooth marble flooring. Before the car could even come to a complete stop, Zico was out. 

"Come on!" Zico shouted. "That should keep them busy for a couple seconds. I've got Junhong."

Youngjae stumbled out of the car, still shaken, but managed to follow Zico. They ran down one of the halls, not even pausing to look back. 

"Get the gun from my back. There are two more magazines in my pocket," Zico ordered. "Cover for me. We're going to the seventh control room."

Youngjae pulled the gun from behind Zico and the magazines full of ammo. He'd never learned how to shoot an Old World gun, but now wasn't the time to puzzle over how to use it. It was just like a ray gun, right?

//

The seventh control room was deep inside the Council building, nestled between a cushion of other rooms and a maze of halls. 

By the time they reached the room, Youngjae was ready to collapse. He could feel his heartbeat in every limb of his body. His lungs felt like they were doused in liquid fire. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. 

Zico knocked on the door four times. "Open up, dips! It's Zico and Youngjae!"

There was muffled whispering on the other side of the door. It eventually swung open, and Youngjae found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. He looked past the gun and found Jongup. 

"Oh my God. Was that you guys in the car?" Jongup signaled to the monitor behind him, and there were different reports from different stations all talking about the same incident: Zico crashing his car into the Council lobby.

" yeah it was," Zico replied as he and Youngjae stepped through the doorway.

In an instant, they were flocked by the other members of Guernica. They spoke all at once, but Youngjae didn't hear any of them. He felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around him, and he involuntarily did the same. 

"Are you alright?" Daehyun asked, his voice muffled against Youngjae's shoulder. "What happened?"

Youngjae wanted to tell Daehyun everything that happened, wanted to say that he was a clone, that Junhong was an android, that Junhong almost killed him, but his throat closed up, and he stayed silent.

"What's wrong with Junhong?" Himchan asked. 

Youngjae pried himself away from Daehyun, and followed Zico to a table where he laid Junhong. He laid motionless, peaceful even, and Youngjae could barely look without thinking of Junhong standing among the corpses. 

"Youngjae, what happened to Junhong?" Yongguk asked in a careful voice. 

Youngjae had a hunch that Yongguk knew what Junhong was. "I... He killed an entire Legion platoon to get us out, but he...died doing so."

"Okay, no. How many of you guys knew Junhong was a ing robot?" Zico asked. "Because the last time I checked, I thought he was human."

Nobody spoke up, their eyes wide as they stared at Junhong lying on the table. Youngjae wondered if anybody else knew. 

Yongguk crossed his arms and sighed. "Alright. I picked him up when it was still Daehyun, Himchan, and me. He escaped the palace because he was the Empress's lapdog or something, and he just...left."

"A robot, though?" Jongup asked, eyeing Junhong carefully. 

"Zico, help me flip him over," Yongguk said, grabbing Junhong's arms.

Zico complied, and they flipped Junhong onto his stomach. 

"How long has he been out?" Yongguk asked Youngjae. 

"Um," Youngjae shrugged, "about an hour?"

Yongguk nodded, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Daehyun, give me your multitool."

As Daehyun went in search of the tool, Yongguk took off Junhong's shirt. Youngjae's eyes widened at the pale panel that covered Junhong's entire back. 

"Behind this is everything Junhong is made of," Yongguk announced, knocking on the metal sheet. It made a hollow sound.

Daehyun returned with the multitool, and gave it to Yongguk, but he shook his head. When Daehyun gave him a puzzled look, he said, "Give it to Youngjae."

Youngjae blinked. "Wait... Why me?"

"I think you can fix Junhong," Yongguk replied as Daehyun gave the multitool to Youngjae instead. Then, Yongguk turned to everybody else with a grin a little too much like Zico's. "Alright, guys, we gotta prepare for the biggest coup the Empress has ever seen."

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A/N: So I had to go out of state again and there was literally no other place with wifi except Starbucks. At least school's over now hell yeah. 

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