Blood. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, swallowing the thirst in his throat. Jungkook squinted as bright light flashed before his eyes.

            “Okay, you can get up now,” said a distant voice.

He shivered and left the cold bench where he had been lying. He pulled his shirt from the hook and threw it over his shivering form. The blue light faded, and the facility switched on, revealing the metallic interior with the computers and machines that beeped in synchrony with one another.

            He smelled blood. It was often that he experienced nosebleeds, and it coincided with his recent headaches.

            “I’ve scanned you again, Jungkook.” The door slid open, and in stepped a young man in a white lab coat. He wrote viciously on his stone tablet, nodding to himself. A hand brushed through his thick hair, which often fell into his wide-set eyes. Taeyong was not a tall man, he barely reached Jungkook’s shoulder, but he was clever in his own ways. “There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

            Jungkook frowned. He remained silent and accepted the tissue from Taeyong, pinching it over his nose. His head felt odd, as if he had dunked it under a tub full of water.

            Taeyong scribbled some notes. “If I’m correct, I think the headaches might be associated with your amnesia,” he said. He stared at him, rubbing his pen against his sharp chin. “Of course, you might just be straining yourself trying to remember it all the time. I wouldn’t heed it much thought.”

            With a grunt, Jungkook jostled passed, his footsteps heavy and loud. From the corner of the room, he took his longsword and strapped it against his belt, and then heaved his axe over his backstrap. Taeyong watched the weapons with an open mouth. He took a hesitant step away.

            “Umh, are you going home now? I was wondering if I could hire you for my father’s next assignment?”

“What’s in it for me?” Jungkook’s voice came out as a grunt. He adjusted his black, fingerless gloves. They provided him with a good grip with his weapons. He flexed his fingers.

            “Oh, plenty of money,” Taeyong said, pointing with his pen. “A lot, I assure you. You’ll be handsomely rewarded as this isn’t an easy mission.”

He held those words. “Send me the details,” he replied.

Jungkook walked out of the area. He was met with a long corridor with many double doors. Some would lead to other rooms and labs in the facility. Taeyong scampered after him.

            “Jungkook wait!” The scientist caught him by the elbow. Jungkook flashed him a menacing scowl, forcing him to step back. “Sorry, I forgot my manners. Listen, I’m concerned about your headaches. We could discuss this over a meal, what do you say?”

            “And the mission?” Jungkook crossed his arms across his chest.

“Well, that can wait for one day until I get all the details from father. Right now, I think it’s important that I treat to you to some good food and look after you. Besides, I’m the one who found you when you had amnesia. I feel like it’s my responsibility…”

            Jungkook pursed his lips into a taut line.

Taeyong cleared his throat. “Sorry, I mean, it’s just that…well you know, I care for your well-being.”

            “Hmph.” They reached the end of the corridor, where they were met by the brightness of the reception hall. People walked about, some in lab coats with excited chatter, and others with perplexed expressions. “My well-being is that it?”

            Taeyong forced a smile. “Of course.”

“Should I rephrase that for you?” Jungkook searched for the exit, and to his frustration, Taeyong still followed. “You want to use me for my skills. You said it yourself; you haven’t found someone as good as me out there.”

            They were met with warm humidity once outside Santa Maria headquarters. Towers upon towers of skyscrapers and metal domes greeted them, fading into the pewter skies. The metropolis of Gidem, where resided almost ten million people. The magnificent city breathed life in the form of machinery, vehicles and metal. Beyond the bridge that separated the headquarters from the President’s District, the river Yam stretched to meet the sea. In the distance, the fog swallowed the Great Wall, that kept the Desert-Dwellers at bay.

            “True, you are a fastidious mercenary, but I assure you, I do look out for you. Come on, what do you say? There’s a rather fancy steak restaurant on Mallow Street. We can leave in five, if you agree.”

            Jungkook watched the way the weak sunlight broke against the river’s surface. It glittered over gray waves. He sighed, resisting the urge to pinch his nose again. His nostrils burned, and the feint throb of a headache ensued.

            “I’ll take your silence as a yes.” Taeyong smiled, triumphant and determined. “Alright, wait for me here.”

Jungkook sauntered to the bridge. He stood next to the wired railings. They were almost as tall as him. The river soothed him when his mind became riddled with confusion. It was as if someone had scissor holes into his memories. He remembered nothing before he woke up. The waves splashed, and a few seagulls croaked over its tremendous currents.

            Nothing. He recalled nothing since he woke in Taeyong’s lab. The scientist managed to help him find some traces of his background, but nothing came up in the