Jaejoong’s hearing got sharper and the small titling sounds erupted from the silence. The voices followed in, first in whispers and then in insensible loud discussion. As usual, he knew what was next, so he inspired strongly from his nostrils, and kept the oxygen safe inside his lungs as if it could give him some energy to swallow the first punch of pain when he opened his eyes.

“I told you.” Miss A exhaled fiercely from , the sound of her notebook flying to the ground made Jaejoong shrunk. “He isn’t responding anymore.”.

Jaejoong breathed out slowly, but kept his eyes closed, hoping that his pretense to be still on sedatives looked real enough..

“He is damaged.” Mrs. H uncommon opinion turned the situation even stranger. “The good side is that his body is strictly rejecting any triggering from VIP or its descendants.”.

“It’s purely adaptation!” Miss A couldn’t control her frustration, and it scared the young man in the bed. He had seen her acting like this before, and in any of those occasions, someone came out of the room alive. “His body is adapted to being abnormal.”.

At the first time, 3104 was called into the surgery room. Jaejoong and him shared the same waiting space and the older one could sense the tension exhaling from the nameless child. Miss A broke through the doors, grabbing 3104 by his neck and called him some words Jaejoong never heard before. Useless. Weak. In the following months and years, it had become natural, as the people around him disappeared while only him stayed. Most of them fell sick before leaving; others, never came out of the procedure room.

Jaejoong had never thought that he, one day, would be classified as not necessary for the time being..

“The doctor is right,” the voice of the Mr. S sounded hesitant, bringing Jaejoong back from his memories. “It seems like at his present circumstances we can’t eliminate the abnormalities introduced to his anatomy. Not without killing him.”.

“He can’t die, Stupid! He absolutely can’t.” Jaejoong felt Miss A touching his face, her nails scratching the vulnerable skin. “I said I would have my healing from him. No matter what it costs.”.

.

“We just need to try more, then,” Mr. S quickly changed his mind. “he is the strongest we have. He will give us the glory he owes us.”.

“Maybe his death is our answer,” Mr H declared. “His death might mean the contrary reaction of his changed body to a regular human anatomy.”.

Jaejoong tried not to cringe at the adjective the doctor addressed him. He stopped being a human long ago, he knew it, as much as he knew he was far from a changedone. In days like these, only the half changed could survive. The humans no longer resisted, except for the doctors. The only pure ones left..

He had heard stories, mostly coming from 6002. Many of them used to say his neurons were toasted as a side effect from a test at that one time he had a change to run from the car in one expedition outside the laboratory. He would tell in details to anyone who asked about the changed he had seen walking on the sand above their heads. It was skinny, and tall. Almost as white as Jaejoong, he would say, and anyone would laugh. They had no hair nor spoke any language but mumbles of ache. The only thing he never shared, was how he had survived through that experience, when it was of the knowledge of all that the changed creatures were thirsty of flesh and blood of anything that resembled humans. .

Miss A retracted her touch, and Jaejoong heard her steps around the room. “We would only have one chance. We can’t find another 2601!”.

“We should try the H virus.” Mr. H sounded confident, bearing the arrogance. “Imagine the results it could give us.”

“What if the results are not what we expect?” Mr. S sighed, and Jaejoong felt him approaching his body. “What if…”.

“Do you not trust my research, Doctor S? Do you know how much time I have been spending in developing the right characteristics for a vaccine against VIP?”.

“I am not against your research!” Mr. S’ tone went higher “I am just more concerned about the future of this laboratory without Jaejoong. I mean, without 2601. We are the only hope left to bring life again to Earth.”.

“There is no hope with useless bodies.” Miss A whisper was heard, thanks to the silence that muted the other two doctors with the imagination of the days to come. “2601 has stopped answering long ago. Let’s use our last chance. Let’s introduce H virus in him.”.

“He might die instantly,” Mr. S announced. “Don’t forget about his natural condition.”.

“At least of this one he is cured.” Miss A opened the procedure room’s door. “He is no longer human.”.

Jaejoong pretended to be still asleep, holding onto the will to scream. To shout, to throw himself on his knees and beg, please.He wanted to offer all he could, he would divide his body in two just if he could have hold onto the chance to be alive. .

Even if the only life he knew was inside a cavern, with needles in his arms, medicines down his throat and pain incinerating his body inside out. He would try new lives if he could, just if they existed. Just if thechangedhadn’t took all over the earth that humans once ran.

“Outside test tomorrow at 2 pm.” Mr. H said, the satisfaction in his voice made Jaejoong’s stomach churn. “His endurance has been falling drastically. He might hold around one hour tomorrow.”.

“Poor boy.” Mr. S sighed deeply. “Born to live in the darkness. Wouldn’t survive outside even with a miracle.”.

“Poor us.” Mr. H highlighted. “He isn’t worthy of going up. But we are. Still, we can’t. Put yourself first, if you want humans like us to lead this world again.”.

The door opened again but Jaejoong refused to open his eyes again. His mind started to produce images to convince him, plans to excite him of a future that maybe wouldn’t be as different as the pain he had been through all his life..

.

“Sometimes human beings are worse than them.” Mr. S spoke, as if he knew Jaejoong was listening. “The changed ones can’t think any longer, so they kill as instinct. Human beings though, can think further than any animal, but still wish evil and do evil on their equal. Not even changedhurt another changed. Remember it, Jaejoong. No human is our brother. Don’t trust them.”.