[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER ELEVEN - PROJECTS[/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]

PLEASE REMEMBER TO UPVOTE IF YOU HAVENT ALREADY!

I hoped into the car with Youngjae, Daehyun, Kyuhyun and Hyoyeon running after me. The driver took us to the military headquarters and as soon as we were ID'ed, I was the first one to rush into the building in search of the rest of our team. I ran around like a wild goose, asking anyone and everyone I saw if they had any idea where my friends were. 

I spot three males standing outside one of the training halls and speed over to them, skidding to a halt only a few inches from colliding with them. They watch me with hungry looks in their eyes but I do not back away, I am no longer afraid. "Have you guys seen sergeants Wang, Lau and BamBam?" 

"Last I saw them they were escorting a group of soldiers down the east wing," the shortest one answers. "Aren't you Choi Hye-"

"Yeah, yeah, gotta go! Thanks!" I shout over my shoulder as I dart down the corridor. As I make my way over to the east wing, I go down a hallway I've never encountered before. The east wing is reserved for authorised personnel only so I'm already breaking rules by coming down here. I make sure to keep my breathing light and my footsteps even lighter as I tiptoe down the hallway. "Where am I even going?" I hear a buzz of electricity and jump slightly. 

I look over my shoulder and see a flash coming from the door I just passed. I'm torn between curiosity and my need to find the boys. Deciding against the latter, I shuffle back to the door. If Luhan really is in the building with Jackson, BamBam and Henry, then he'll still be there when I'm done snooping. I peak through the circular window and see a few people in white coats, standing in a white room filled with a plethora of advanced technology. This must be where they experiment on soldiers they choose to turn into cyborgs. Although the Chinese and Japanese government realised that their human sides made them malfunction, they continue to produce the half-human, half-machine creatures because it's the best they've got for the time being, at least until the AIs are completed. 

The people in the room, I've concluded that they must be scientists, are moving around at a great speed, seemingly in a hurry to get something done. I cannot hear what they are saying and so, against my better judgement, I push down on the doorknob. It does not open and I realise that I need a security card to get in. I swear under my breath and peak into the room again. I see one of the scientist come my way and jump back, looking around me for somewhere to hide. I look up and see a ledge on the ceiling. I run towards the wall and kick myself up, grabbing onto the ledge and hoisting myself up. 

"I need a breather, this is too much for me," a female scientist grumbles as she walks out the door. I silently lower myself to the ground and slip into the room before the door closes. I manoeuvre across the room, hiding behind tables, boxes and chairs until I reach the centre. I peak up, craning my neck so I can hear two other people talking. 

"This one should be ready for dispatch next month," the blonde female says, nodding at a male enclosed in a glass case. He has tubes poking out of different areas of his skin, oddly coloured liquids being flushed in and out of his body. His eyes are a crystal blue colour and have lines drawn from the corners, right across his temples and stopping at his ears. There are two other lines starting at his eyebrows, going up his forehead with four dots in between them. From the corner of his lips, two more lines are drawn to the bottom of his chin. His eyes are emotionless and as my eyes trail down the rest of his body, I realise that he isn't human. Only his face is covered with skin. Cyborg? 

"Project CH. How is its programming?" The other scientist, a brunette, asks. She called him an 'it' instead of a 'he'. I have a growing suspicion about what is going on in here but, still, I stay silent and hidden. 

"Perfect. It responds to stimuli as desired, it's quick on its feet and its movements are seamless," the blonde answers, the other female noting down everything she says. They move onto the next male, or robot, or whatever the hell these things are. This one has fair skin but its darker under his eyes. His eyes, unlike the other's, are a silvery-grey colour and his nose is straight. His jaw is squared, giving him an intimidating appearance. His facial structure in general is simply perfect - a little too perfect - and his tall frame is equipped with slightly broad shoulders. His black hair is fluffy and falls over his forehead, covering one eyebrow. 

"What about this one? He looks ready for dispatch," the brunette says and I agree with her. I'm not at all sure what it means to be ready for dispatch but, unlike the other male, this one is fully skinned and, again unlike the other one, he even blinks every so often. "He blinks, he seems to be functional."

"His brain activity is slightly off," the blonde tells her, showing her her clipboard. "He's probably one of the best, if not the best overall, fighter we have amongst the AIs but he struggles to follow orders that require him to kill his targets." AI? Hold up! From what me and my team have been told by our superiors, we're nowhere near as far along with the AIs as what I'm seeing with my very own eyes. We were also told that that they would not look remotely human because it was just too difficult, impossible even, to make them so. 

"What does he do?"

"He tries to reason with the target, asking them to surrender themselves instead of killing them on the spot," the blonde answers and the brunette tuts, shaking her head. "An impressive quality under other circumstances but, as you know, it's a quality we do not want. He also seems to feel sympathy." 

"How so?" 

"During one training session, he was ordered to destroy a humanoid we programmed to act like they had a child. Another humanoid played the child and was instructed to beg the AI not to 'kill' their mother. Project HZ showed evidence of sympathy and hesitated."

"Did he make he kill?" The brunette asks and the blonde shakes her head.

"No, he captured both humanoids and brought them back to us," she replies. The brunette tuts again, shaking her head in what looks to be disappointment. I'm disgusted at these two people. I know that AIs are fundamentally machines but if one is showing signs of compassion, is that not a good thing? "So, we're going to try to fix him. If our measures fail, we'll have him demolished."

"No, that's a waste," the other female says. "If all else fails, send him with a group of fully functional AIs and have them 'accidentally' leave him for dead. If anything, it'll save us electricity and other resources that would be wasted if we had to take him apart." 

"Noted," the blonde states, literally noting it down on her clipboard. "I'll show you our prime specimens." As they walk over to two different AIs, my eyes widen and my breath catches. In glass cases, just like Project HZ and the one before, are the two males I caught watching me in the canteen the day I first met my team. The tall, brooding ones with handsome features and alpha-like auras. This time, I'm seeing them up close and I notice that their eyes are a darker blue colour compared to those of both Project HZ and Project CH. 

"Oh, wow. They're all very handsome but these two..." The brunette remarks, whistling. The other scientist chuckles and nods in agreement. "How are their programmings?"

"Impeccable. No errors, no faulty wirings, no signs of human emotion," she replies. "Projects JT and LH have proven themselves to be very efficient both out on the field and also behind desks. They're invaluable. They're even allowed to roam the headquarters as they wish, many of our soldiers know them simply as Taekwoon and Hongbin." 

"I'm impressed. I'm sure my people will be happy to know of your progress, we could really use all the help we can get," the brunette sighs and the other scientist puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes it. "North Korea is crumbling, we're in desperate need of these AIs." 

"More are already in production, we're working closely with Japan to have them ready within the next six months," she assures her and the brunette nods gratefully. "Just hang in there." 

"We will," she responds. The door opens again and I look to see the other female scientist entering with two other males. Although I want to hear more of the conversation, I know this may well be my only chance to getting out of here undetected. Surreptitiously, I crawl out from behind the boxes and slip out of the room. It shuts and I peak through the window. The scientists are completely unaware of my trespassing and, with a final check over my shoulder, I walk to the end of the hallway. I hear voices and metal clinking, and I follow the sounds.

I reach the private training room and take several breaths outside of it. I presume that the metallic sounds are a result of people sword fighting. Many countries have readopted this method of fighting because in close combat, blades never fail simply because they do not need to be reloaded. I knock on the door before entering. All eyes fall on me and I take note of Jackson, Henry and BamBam. The others must not have been allowed in this wing. 

"Miss Hyerim, what are you doing here?" General Xi asks as he walks over. I plaster a sweet smile across my face and bat my lashes at him. 

"I was looking for my sergeants, sir. They disappeared before we could train as a team," I lie and he buys it like ice cream in the summer, nodding to my words.

"Sorry to have taken them away, they're the best trainers we have. As you may know already, our older soldiers are not as well equipped as our new ones," he says and I nod, acting understanding. "We need to make sure that we are prepared for anything the Americans, the British, the French and whoever else is after us, throws at us." 

"I understand, sir. Perhaps I could help?" I suggest and General Li steps forward, clapping happily.

"Marvellous, that'll work just fine!" He exclaims, taking my hands and kissing them. I inwardly roll my eyes but keep my facial expression neutral, if not a little cheery. I scan the room and take