Chapter 61:  02:04– SPLINTERED REFLECTIONS OF BLUE/BLACK/WHITE [9:56pm]

Thunder POV

Ah.

So it had been like that.

The one who had started this all. The one who had the idea all along. The one who-

[DO YOU REMEMBER NOW?]

Inhale. Exhale. The mirror beneath my hand felt cool and complacent; the air around me hummed, mixed anticipation and fear. Whether he knew it or not the Coliseum was linked to the Ringmaster’s mental state and he was only human. His emotions, my emotions, it was games within a game, who could read the other better. The Ringmaster had had the upper hand with his memories all along but now with mine restored…

“I remember,” I said softly, knowing he could hear me. Another chip, another move.

[AND WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO NOW?] he asked and there it was, the minute hitch in his speech, too easy to miss if you hadn’t been listening out for it.

This was it, the only possible flaw in his plan. The moment when we remembered was the moment that we were no longer dancing wholly in the palm of his hand. And that was the moment where the game was no longer his.

 [THUNDER?] the ringmaster said, voice quiet and static.

I had a goal: to save my sisters. To accomplish that I would need to finish the Coliseum and that was what the Ringmaster was betting on. He too wanted the games finished because only then would he gain the power to control all Four Levels.

We had mutual methods but could I forgive him for all the times he had nearly had me killed?

I exhaled.

“My name,” I said, shortly, “is Sanghyun.” I tilted forwards, pressing all my weight against the mirror and watching as the joints of my fingers flexed and gave way, felt the mirror push back and resist. “And I will do what needs to be done.”

A pause as the Ringmaster digested what I had said.

[IS YOUR GOAL STILL YOUR PRIMARY CONCERN?]

I smiled at that. “Of course,” I said without hesitation.

It was the truth. No matter what the Ringmaster had done, he did it for his goal, and likewise I would do whatever it took for mine.

I leaned forwards and pressed my forehead to the cool touch of the glass. It was like fingers, soft and smooth and they were soothing.

Durami. Sandara. Soon. Oh, so soon.

[AND YOUR NEXT MOVE?]

I flexed my fingers and dug them into the mirror. I heard the tinkle of a crack, the sound as it traversed.

“What do you think?” I said with a smile. There was the sound of a splinter and it made me smile even more. “Make yourself comfortable and enjoy the show. These games will be over soon enough,” I said and let the relief of saying those words flood throughout my system. It would soon be over; my sisters would soon be saved. And the cost?

Something cold sliced my stomach, the feeling foreign and harsh. I moved my hand away from the mirror and in that moment it shattered, a hundred thousand tiny pieces that fell to the floor, the light twinkling and dancing as they crashed downwards. Beneath me the floor shook and ruptured like an earthquake, slabs rising and overlapping and others falling beneath the weight of the other. It was beautiful chaos.

The Ringmaster was quiet, just how I wanted him to be.

I bent to lift up one thick shard, as long as my forearm and slimly skewed at one end. It glinted blue and black and white as I turned it in my hand, the weight a reassuring heaviness.

Broken, the mirror would no longer show the vision of the past. But that was okay. I didn’t need them anymore. I knew how the past played out, and I knew how the future was going to play out from hereon now.

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< REFLECTION:WHITE >

Time log, Seungho Age 25
1 years prior

It had been almost a year since the first appearance of the Christmas virus, or the Xmas virus as people were calling it these days. Little progress since then had been made in terms of finding a cure or the culprit and the public were growing restless.

The number of cases had somewhat levelled out thanks to the recent development of an program that was able to detect traces of the virus when it infected a monitor and shut it down immediately, thereby preventing the infection of a user.  

The development of the program had reassured people at first, but eventually it gave way beneath the public’s unrest. Why hadn’t a cure been developed yet? Did the government not realize how irritating it was for your monitor to just shut down on you, all files and information lost in a split second? In fact what was the government even doing?

They wanted to know more and more and the government couldn’t keep up with their demands.

The virus was something they had never seen the likes of before. The code baffled them; the culprit had outsmarted them. At loss with what to do, all the government could try was to stall the restlessness of the public as they continued struggling, hoping for a breakthrough.

Last that Seungho heard, they were planning a sort of remembrance ceremony on the anniversary of the incident.

He wasn’t too sure on the details because he had spent the last few months immersed in paper work. He was doing work not just for one person but for three and the growing pile never seemed to diminish. He didn’t mind it though; it was good to have something to occupy his mind, something to help numb the feeling of helplessness.

It made him all the more glad that his teacher wasn’t making him help out with the preparations for the ceremony. He didn’t think apologies and promises from the government could pacify his frustration anymore.

There was a buzz from a monitor which Seungho answered with a tap to the screen.

“Sir,” came a cool female voice in response.

 “Yes Hyejoo?” Seungho said to his secretary, a woman in her early twenties with blonde-streaked hair tied back neatly into a bun.  

“There’s a call from an Enforcer Lim. He’s currently stationed in the Mid-Level barracks. He says it is to do with the suspected Christmas virus drug ring.”

Seungho frowned. “Put him through then.”

“At once sir,” Hyejoo replied and the then her voice was cut off. Seungho flipped one of his monitors into a mirror and took a quick glance at his appearance. Dress shirt pressed and unwrinkled, tie white and neatly knotted at his neck. He did look like he could use some sleep but then again his mother was always telling him that he had been born with black creases under his eyes and there was really no hope for him. She loved him all the same anyway.

Another beep from his main monitor pulled him back into focus. Seungho swiped away the mirror to his left, straightened himself in his chair and then pressed the button to answer the call.

An image flickered on the screen in front of him. Enforcer Lim was dressed smartly in military black. He held the standard black visor in one hand, the other smoothened down his hair. Seungho noted that it was streaked through with white, a sign of age or stress.

“Sir,” Enforcer Lim said as the connection came through.

Seungho nodded in response. “What is it Enforcer?” he asked in his business voice, cold and curt, just as people expected of those who worked in the Peaks.

“We have an issue on our hands,” the Enforcer said, straight to the point. “Something that we could deal with by ourselves, but…”

“Speak,” Seungho said. He didn’t like it when people were hesitant to talk to him.

The Enforcer coughed. “But it involves the Christmas virus and I believe you requested you be informed of anything to do with the subject.”

“Yes, I did,” Seungho replied, his eyes suddenly sharp with interest.

The Enforcer continued on only the slightest hesitance. “We have detained a man suspected of trafficking the virus. He pleads innocence.” There was a silent ‘but’ at the end of his sentence.

“Very well,” Seungho said shortly. He could see relief flicker in the Enforcer’s eyes. “I’ll come down personally. Be ready to receive me in an hour’s time.”

The Enforcer nodded and then Seungho ended the call.

He took a deep break, inhaled and tried to hold his focus. Could this man be a possible lead? Seungho didn’t know if he was happy or not, all he could feel was a sense of anticipation, eagerness to meet the man.

He leaned down to press a different button on his desk. “Hyejoo.”

The reply was swift. “Yes sir?”

“Schedule me an appointment at the Spine to the Mid-levels. I need it to be within the next hour or so.”  

“I’ll see what I can do sir,” Hyejoo replied and the connection cut. It wasn’t a promise but it was a  I’ll damn well do what I can. Seungho had to suppress a smile. He enjoyed how blunt Hyejoo was, never one to mince her words. That was why Seungho had chosen her when his position and his piling responsibilities required a second person to manage his schedule. He wanted not just someone who was capable but honest as well.

Seungho got up and straightened his suit. Into his pocket when his handheld device which would have all he needed. He didn’t expect to stay for long.

“I’ll be back soon,” he said to a tiny photo settled on the mantle behind him. It was black and white, faded with time. They had taken the photo a long, long time ago. In a quieter voice, “I’ll save you soon.”

He moved away from the photo to check his suit again in a full length mirror. The white suit was immaculate, not a speck of dust or a crease. It would do.

He opened the door and stepped into the hallway. In the room next door Hyejoo stood and stuck her head out. “I’ve arranged a car to take you to the Spine sir,” she said quickly.

“Thank you Hyejoo,” Seungho said with a nod. “Let me know if anything else crops up.”

“Of course sir,” Hyejoo nodded and disappeared back into her office.

The car was waiting outside, small but sleek and most of all functional.

Do your part and no more Seungho, his teacher had said. Seungho was doing that. For a month and a half after his brother was infected, Seungho had done exactly as asked: monitored him round the clock until sleep or hunger came calling, wrote the reports diligently and sent them as required.

Then at the two months mark a message had come: ‘make the reports shorter’.  And so the reports dwindled from five pages on heart rate and brain patterns to seven simple words: ‘no change in patient from previous report’.

That was it. Nothing was changing. And just like the citizens demanding for answers Seungho wondered quietly on the inside, did the government really have what it took to save them all?

< / REFLECTION:WHITE >

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< REFLECTION:BLACK >

Time log, Mir Age 22
1 year prior

The one year mark since the release of the mutated Xmas virus was nearly upon him and Cheolyong was no closer to find a way to reverse it.

Whoever who had mutated it had known what they were doing, more so what Cheolyong and his meagre experimentation had accomplished. Not only that, but defenses had been placed around it to prevent the virus from being tracked or traced as it zoomed about the System.

If Cheolyong had then harbored any hopes that it meant the Enforcers would get off his back a bit he was completely wrong. If anything, they stepped up their game, forcing Cheolyong to change hideouts almost every other day. It was exhausting and trying to fit in the time to find a cure for what was being called the Avalanche Syndrome was almost impossible.

Still Cheolyong persevered. It was mind-numbing and almost routine, waking up and shoveling food down his throat despite not having any appetite at all, then spending the next few hours in front of monitor trying to analyze code and formulate a cure which he would then test in the late evenings, fingers twisted in hopes for success that so far had not come. The evenings bled into mornings and afternoons drowned in the wake. The only marker of time that Cheolyong possessed was how often he had to switch hideouts whenever the Enforcers came too close.

When he wasn’t working on a cure he was trying to trace the person who had mutated his code or keep track of who had next been infected. It was a grim process, bearing little to no patterns or conclusions.

An alert from his left most monitor jerked him away from his code work. It was the monitor dedicated to tracking all Enforcer movements. Cheolyong twisted his body over so that he could look better. It was a phone call transmission made to the Peaks. Cheolyong paused in his analysis of the virus’s latest firewalls and shuffled over to turn on the audio.

The sound was slightly static and words were missing, but it was enough for Cheolyong to piece together the gist of the conversation.

“Sir… Christmas virus… you requested to be informed…” It sounded like an Enforcer, the words stiff and military like. “-suspected of trafficking…virus…pleads innocence- ”

There was one reply in a softer, smoother tone. A “yes” and then “in an hour’s time” and the call ended.

Cheolyong leaned back and paused to think. He had heard about this so-called drug ring. Word on the streets was that the ever since the government had developed a tracer that would alert them whenever the virus infected a computer, thus allowing them to forcibly shut down the monitor before it could then infect a user, the spread of the virus had changed forms. No longer was it solely  digital, now the mastermind behind it all had managed to turn it into a physical form, one that could be carried between the levels. Rumors said it came in the form of tiny pills, looking exactly as racer drugs would, except that you didn’t need to consume it to become infected. Just standing in close vicinity when the pill exterior was broken was enough to do the job.

Cheolyong had been doubtful of it at first, after all there had only been rumors, and few at most. However Cheolyong knew he couldn’t ignore anything at this point of the game and so he had set up filters to keep an eye on anything like this. He reasoned that if there really were drugs then it could lead him to the culprit. After all, physical trails were harder to hide than digital ones.

Cheolyong scooted over to the monitor and began to follow through, first finding who the Enforcer was and then his location in the Mid-Levels. It was pretty easy hacking his way through. People thought the Enforcers would have the highest grade security, but no, that belonged to the government. The Enforcers were no more than extension puppets; they had no secrets to hide. Not ones that would be eventually leaked to the public at the end of the day at least.

He tapped the enter button and there came up a visual.

The gritty white-grey walls of the rundown Enforcer office came up on the monitor.  Cheolyong tapped in another command and six or seven images from various cameras popped up onto the monitor. It gave him the all-around view of the entire premise that he needed.

He watched as the Enforcer who had made the call to the Peaks paced nervously in the building’s lobby. His white-streaked hair was combed back nearly, the parting at his hairline only making his uncomfortable expression more obvious.

A visibly younger colleague tried to reassure him. Cheolyong could not pick up on what they were saying because the cameras lacked speakers. There was nothing much going on in that camera so Cheolyong let his gaze wander, exploring the rest of the building.

Apart from the main lobby there was an sprawling office area where several Enforcers lounged about, some typing idly away on their computers, others lying face-down on the several couches, clearly fast asleep. Along the walls were hooks that were designed to hold Enforcer jackets, hats and masks on their several spikes. To one end was a large water dispenser, coffee machine, jug of tea and a snack machine filled not just with sweets and crisps, but with sandwiches and rice boxes and other more substantial meals.

The adjacent room was vastly different. Its occupants sat systematically on tiny bunks that were attached to the wall and could be pushed up so that the room became clear of all furnishing. Most were awake, but just lay there, eyes open and glazed over with boredom or hopelessness. There were no places to hook their clothes – all they had were the clothes on their own backs – and there were no water or food dispensing machines. The main thing to note was the thick bars affixed to the front of their rooms and the white notes placed to one side denoting their crimes. One man sat quietly, his back to the wall, his head hung low and long hair dangling.

Cheolyong swallowed at the sight of it and looked away. They may have been criminals but the sight was still difficult for him to digest no matter what. It made him think of his sisters, small chips of memories in a drawer. The scene may have been vastly different but they were both prisons in the long run.

The fourth and fifth screens were different angles of the jailed sections. Cheolyong forcibly turned his attention to the sixth. It was the camera situated outside the building, just in front of the main entrance. He watched as a sleek black car pulled up in front of it, its shape and sound nondescript and quiet.

A man stepped out. He wore a suit of pure white.  He walked with confidence in his stride, dark determination in and under his eyes. It was clear this was the man from the Peaks.

He came to a halt in front of the door and when prompted, placed his hand down and waited as the lights scanned his ID. Evidently nothing was wrong as the doors them slid smoothly open and the man all in white entered.

In camera 1 the Enforcer who was still pacing jumped to attention. He turned and bowed deeply. When he stood again, his back was ramrod straight.

Cheolyong couldn’t track their conversation but he assumed it was no more than an exchange of pleasantries, a handshake here and a few words there.

Soon enough they were proceeding past camera 1 and further into the building. Cheolyong swapped his attention from camera 2 to camera 4 and 5 and watched as they two men entered the jailed section. There were several levels of security: biometric, card keys, another Enforcer on the other side, and then they were in.

The Enforcer led the White Suit down the corridor, almost all the way to the end. Then he stopped and his heel, pointing and murmuring something. A frown surfaced on the white suit’s face and he took a step forwards so that his face was millimeters away from the bar. He opened his mouth to speak and Cheolyong knew this was it.

He erased the images of the other cameras from his monitor and zoomed in on camera 5. More code input and he got a close up visual of their faces. He split the screen into two: one a surveyed image of camera 5 that allowed him to see the Enforcer and the White Suit standing in front of one particular cell, then the second was a close up that through a different program allowed him to read their lips and turn it into text that he could read.

“This is him?” the White Suit said, voice clipped and proper in the way they spoke up there in the Peaks. It was after an affirmation, not an answer.

The Enforcer opened his mouth to reply, but it was then that a third person burst into the scene. She had hair the color of the night cut short and efficient. It swayed behind her as she sped-walked furiously down the hallway, bursting right into the view of camera 5.

“Sir!” she hissed, her voice strained and clearly frustrated. “It’s clear he’s innocent!”

“Enough Enforcer Lee!” the older Enforcer snapped. Furrows in his brow and creases at the corner of his eyes showed his pent up stress. “Be quiet or you will compromise your position. I’ve been thinking of promoting you but if you continue to speak in that manner I will rethink my offer.”

The Enforcer turned to the White Suit. Cheolyong quickly switched on camera 6 so that he could see what they were saying from the other angle.

“I’m sorry about her sir,” the Enforcer said quietly, the movement of his mouth small and his hands more expressive than his face. “The suspect is her little brother.”

The White Suit frowned. “I see,” he said as he glanced at the tiny tablet in his hand that Cheolyong had not seen before. He must have slipped it out of a pocket. A face shot of a man in his early twenties was placed in the top corner of the report. Next to it was a scrawl of words and a name. “Siblings hm.”

“Yes sir,” the Enforcer nodded and turned around to look at the suspect. Cheolyong followed him and his breath caught in his throat, hard and unyielding. The suspect had a slim cut to his face and high cheekbones. His eyes were wide and he would probably be considered very handsome if he was not sitting in a jail cell, bruises scattered over the right side of his face and eyes red and dry with neglect. The woman was kneeling in front of the bars, whispering words of encouragement to him. From the hard look in the older Enforcer’s eyes, he did not approve of her actions one bit.

He took a step forwards and pulled her forcibly away so that the White Suit could have a clear view of the prisoner.

“This is the criminal caught attempting to transport vials of the Christmas virus.” Wide eyes; white knuckles on the bars. He looked impossibly innocent. “His name is Lee Changsun,” the Enforcer said and Cheolyong felt his stomach plummet.

< / REFLECTION:BLACK >

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< REFLECTION:WHITE >

Time log, Seungho Age 25
1 years prior

The suspect was younger than Seungho had imagined. Then again these days he had learnt that looks and age were no basis for actions. He had to treat everyone fairly and as the law would.

He pulled off his sunglasses that he always wore when going out to any of the other levels. It helped in maintaining the impenetrable and unapproachable façade that those from the Peaks were expected to have. Now though the important thing for him to look at the criminal and see his every movements, his every features that perhaps would give something away.  

“Did any traces of the virus escape?” he asked, the question directed to Enforcer Lim.

“None, sir. The first should have burnt it all up.”

If there was any good out of the situation it was that they had learnt that the virus in physical form was very fragile. The slightest combustion could incinerate all particles before they could even spread. That being said Seungho had only heard of this second hand. He wanted to see the reports before he could calm himself entirely. There was something rather lax about this Enforcer and he did not like that in a man of such career.

“Should?” he said slowly. He turned to look at Enforcer Lim who he could see swallow very slowly, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

“Well…the tests are still ongoing and-“

“Never mind,” Seungho said shortly, cutting him off. The Enforcer had done well in the prime of his career, but that had been twenty years ago and reports of late had said a lot about his sudden obsession with promotion and pride. Seungho considered putting in a word with the Enforcer HR team later about replacing him.

“When you get a report, let me know. The government will be thoroughly interested in why this man was in possession of the Christmas virus to begin with and where it was going.” Seungho turned his attention back the suspect behind the bars. He watched the way the man’s eyes widened, a clear sign that he knew who the real threat in the room was. The suspect was intelligent enough to not provoke the situation and it made Seungho wonder just why he had gotten himself involved in drugs and viruses to begin with.

“Have you interrogated him yet?” he asked Enforcer Lim.

“No sir,” the man replied. “He keeps claiming he’s innocent.”

“Oh?”

“He is!” the female Enforcer spoke up. Seungho turned to give her proper consideration. She was built slim and slight, but tall enough that she nearly matched Seungho’s height. Her eyes were red with worry but her stance was steady. She was a woman who knew how to do her job.

“Who are you?” he asked her.

She acknowledged his directness with a flash of respect in her eyes. “Enforcer Lee Ji-su,” she saluted. “I’m his older sister,” she added unnecessarily.

“And you say he’s innocent,” Seungho continued. “On what basis? Your words? His words?” Unless she had further evidence, the sibling bond would prove detrimental to her case, a bias if Seungho had to put a label on it.

“Yes,” she said and Seungho sighed internally.

“Excuse me for being doubtful then.”

It was easy to see that she did not like his reply. Her eyes flared wide and her entire body tensed. Despite her anger, she controlled herself well, even gave a subtle signal to her little brother behind the bars to keep himself in check.

She gave him a level gaze and when she spoke, her words were calm and collected. “It started with his words, but further investigation into the site of crime has proven that Changsun over ever came in contact with the virus that day. He didn’t plant them there and he wasn’t planning on transporting them.”

Seungho nodded and digested her words carefully. He glanced at down his tablet to ensure that it was recording the entire conversation. This was after all, evidence.

But he needed more. He needed to see if this was true fact or fictional hope. And the best way to do that was to break down her perfect little façade, one that Seungho was well accustomed with. It was after all Peak mannerism to hide everything – truth and lies. To see either from her he needed to get her angry and emotional.

“Then what was he going to do? Sniff them?” His jibe was sharp and barbed.

“Sir,” Ji-su gave a polite bow that barely hid the flash of anger in her eyes, “I believe Changsun was trying to stop someone else from transporting the virus.”

“Who?”

A minute hesitation and that was enough for Seungho. She knew parts of it but not the whole story. To add, she was trying to hide certain facts and Seungho did not want to be entertaining hole-ridden evidence. He wanted the whole story and he would not be getting that from her.

“Enough,” he said shortly. “Interrogate him thoroughly,” he said to Enforcer Lim who nodded and took note, his eyes shining with approval. The suspect after all was the only one who knew the real truth. It was best to get all the information from him, even if he didn’t want to part with it. As an added encouragement, he threatened, “then convict him.” He would tell the Enforcer later in a message not to do anything rash.

“What?” Ji-su rushed forwards, her hands deep in the silk fabric of Seungho’s jacket. “No!”

Seungho shrugged himself out of her tight grip, putting on a show of dusting his jacket off and straightening out the invisible creases. 

If this Lee Changsun was truly innocent then evidence would sort things out. But... if he really was involved with a cohort that was doing its best to spread the virus and it’s debilitating effects around the Three Levels… if that was the case then Seungho would not stop at anything to make sure he got what he deserved.

“Don’t touch me,” he snapped. “Your brother was found in contact with the virus. I despise anyone who has anything to do with the virus. So many people have died from the Christmas virus and yet you continue to protect him?” Anyone who dabbled with lives, he could not stand them. “You disgust me.”

“Sir!” Ji-su protested, her face a picture of shock, but then Enforcer Lim was there and restraining her.

Seungho took one last look at the suspect, committing Lee Changsun’s face to memory. He would put in an inquiry for further investigation when he got back to his desk.

Behind him Ji-su continued to struggle. “No! Please! He’s my little brother! The only family I have left!”

Seungho closed his eyes and tried to shut off his own emotion. I, too, only have a little brother left, he thought and it was enough to steel his resolve.

“Begging gets you nowhere,” he said and winced internally at how cold it came out sounding as. But he had to be tough, had to be iron and steel and blood. He knew firsthand that no one would help you unless there was something in it for them as well. And even if you tried to do it yourself, there was still no guarantee you would get what you wanted. It was a cruel, cruel world out there.

“You should have never done it in the first place,” he murmured, more to Changsun than to his sister.

“But I didn’t,” Changsun said feverently back to him, his fingers curled around the bars, his knuckles standing out on end. “I was trying to stop my friend who did!”

Seungho paused. “Tell me who he is and I will reconsider.”

Changsun froze and ah, there it was. This was why there were holes in the truth. It was possible that Changsun hadn’t committed the crime but somebody had and this somebody was someone who Changsun and his sister did not want to get into trouble.

He shook his head almost reluctantly.

“That’s too bad then,” Seungho said and turned away. There was nothing more to be said here.

“No! Listen to me!” Changsun suddenly yelled, enough to make Seungho halt, but not enough to make him turn around again. “It wasn’t me and it wasn’t my friend.”

A friend huh.

Seungho glanced over his shoulder. “You’re contradicting yourself,” he pointed out.

“My friend was tricked. They were going to turn him into a scapegoat!”

“Who were?”

“The pirates! The Blackbeards!”

“Why?” Seungho questioned. “Why go for that when the virus was just going to burn away in the fire. A waste.” At least from the point of view of someone whose goal was to spread the Avalanche Syndrome. And if that wasn’t their goal, then what was?

“I don’t know,” Changsun shook his head, frustration clear. He and his sister were alike in their expressive natures.

Fragments, frustrating little fragments were all that Seungho was getting from this encounter. He decided he had spent enough time here as it was. He would leave the interrogation to the Enforcers here and then head back to see what else he could dig up in the Archives.

“Tell me one more thing,” Seungho said, pausing as the question came to him. He turned to see interest and almost hope in the suspect’s eyes. He almost felt bad for asking it. “Do you regret any of this?”

Changsun’s lips parted with surprise. His answer however was firm and unwavering. “No.”

Seungho couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped out. Good he thought. At the very least if this suspect was telling the truth then he did not regret protecting his friend one bit, and that to Seungho was an important sign of his character.

“I see,” he said and turned away, taking careful strides down the hallway, past Enforcer Lim who bowed as best as he could whilst restraining Enforcer Lee who hissed at him, through the door with its biometric security and out into the sleek black car that was waiting for him. Only then did he exhale and let the façade drop.

“Take me to the Spine,” he ordered the driver and then closed the partition. He sent a message to Hyejoo to organize transport back to the Peaks and only then did he lean back into the leather seat and let his eyes fall close.

He could still see the unwavering expression of Changsun, the complete opposite on his sister. If Seunho’s instincts were correct then Changsun probably wasn’t the culprit. His friend too was probably innocent as well, but evidence would suggest elsewise, hence Lee Changsun wasn’t willing to give up a name.  

He had however given up other names: the Blackbeard, pirates – the slang term for those who transported goods up and down the river that flowed through the middle of the Mid-Levels. He’d investigate them immediately and track their actions. He’d organize that first time tomorrow. For now he was exhausted, mentally and physically, and his encounter with the Lee siblings left him wanting nothing more than to go home and see his very own brother.

The house was quiet when he typed in the code and slipped in. he didn’t really expect it to be elsewise.

“I’m home,” he said more out of habit than the knowledge that someone would reply.

He dropped his tablet and work items to the dining table and slipped into his little brother’s room. “Hey Seunghoon,” he whispered, pausing and waiting for his eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness of the room. He spied his mother sitting in a chair next to Seunghoon’s bed, her body slumped over and her hands clasped about Seunghoon’s left one. She was fast asleep, her face so waxen that if Seungho didn’t see the rise and fall of her shoulders then he might have almost thought for a second that she too was one of the victims.

But no, it wasn’t possible. His mother hadn’t touched a monitor since the day that Seunghoon had been frozen. She had become deathly afraid of them and only under Seungho’s constant reassurance that he ran the new virus tracking program on his monitors did she let him keep his.

He padded over to the bed as quietly as he could and put the back of his hand to his mother’s cheek. It was cold and he reached for a blanket at the bottom of Seunghoon’s bed and draped it about her shoulders.

He then turned his attention to his little brother though he knew in his heart there would be no change. His brother still lay there, unmoving as always.

“Hey Seunghoon,” he said softly. “How are you doing little brother?”

It was a ritual of his to come visit his brother every night and tell him about the contents of his day. The doctor’s didn’t think that the victims could hear anything but Seungho found it helped him to believe his brother was still there if he spoke to him every day.

Not once through the entire hour did his mother stir. Seungho spoke about what he had for breakfast, what he had done at the office before heading down to the Mid-levels, how it had been like meeting Lee Changsun and Lee Ji-su, and finally ended with his nightly promise to find a way to save Seunghoon.

He would then lean over to ruffle Seunghoon’s hair and leave as quietly as he could.

The rest of the house was a ghost house, pale and unlived in. He padded through it quietly. Anything louder made him feel like he was tempting fate.

He undressed, showered and put together something simple to eat. Only then did he pick up his tablet from the dining table, lock up the front door, and head to his bedroom and boot up the monitor there.

There was a request for his call from his teacher. He sent a reply and waited for his teacher to put through the call.

“Seungho,” his teacher said in greeting and then got straight to it. “Report.”

Seungho knew he wasn’t referring to Seunghoon. “I don’t think the suspect is actually involved in the drug ring,” he said bluntly. “He was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’ll put together evidence over the week and report back to you then.”

“Do that,” his teacher said with a nod. There were a few more questions about his other progress and then came that question. “Have you spoken to your father yet?”

Seungho swallowed. “Just once sir.” 

“You understand why we had to take him away right Seungho?” his teacher said, his eyes and words searching Seungho for a fragment of doubt.

“Of course sir,” Seungho replied, hoping the hollowness in his words were pegged down to disappointment with his father rather than doubt of the government and the System. “I understand… I just wish… it didn’t have to be this way.”

“We all do Seungho,” his teacher said. “I understand why your father tried what he did but he went against the System, overstepped his boundaries, and for the sake of everyone in the Three Levels I had to issue that arrest warrant.”

“I…” Seungho cleared his throat. “I understand songsaengnim. My mother and I understand. We… just want a cure to be found and the culprit caught so that my father can serve his time and come home.”  

“Of course Seungho,” his teacher gave a curt nod. “And rest assure, we are working on it. I’ll leave you be now.”

Seungho’s throat felt so dry that for a moment he almost couldn’t even breathe. He was glad his teacher had ended it before he had to. He got to his feet and staggered to the kitchen, poured out a glass of water sloppily and practically gulped it down, half the contents going down his shirt instead.

He wondered who was really trying to protect who now with their lies.

It had been nearly two months since he had received the report that his father had been arrested and was facing jail time. The crime? For trying to create a cure for the Christmas virus.

His father had given up all hope in the government and tried to put his own expertise to good use in creating his own cure. Somehow the government had gotten wind of his actions and had arrested him before anything fruitful could come of it.

Seungho understood the government’s worries. What if the cure had gone wrong and would worsen the condition instead? This was why cures were created deep within a different domain of the System and several trials attempted before a user even entered the picture.

But this was Seungho’s father they were talking about and doubting. This was his brilliant father who in all of his thirty or so years working for the government had followed the rules like it was the universes’ law, the man who excelled at everything he did and wanted to make sure Seungho and Seunghoon followed the same righteous path. It was this man who had lost all hope with the very System he devoted himself to and tried to do what hundreds of people could not do.

Seungho believed in his father. He knew he wouldn’t just give up on the government if he didn’t think he stood a better chance.

And so, through the lies and the fake trust that he planted with his teacher and with the government, Seungho truthfully wanted to do different.

He had spoken to his father only once from the moment that he had been captured. In their conversation that Seungho knew had been recorded and monitored over to search for any secret messages or instructions, only one sentence had come out of importance to him: watch over your brother, he had said.

He had not said who against and he had not said how.

Seungho washed the glass and put it away, headed back to his bedroom and pulled out a tiny laptop that he had modified to be offline and unknown by the government. He had found it under his brother’s bed, locked in a box filled with Seunghoon’s childhood toys.

His father had called the file the Snowmelt virus and Seungho was going to finish what his father hadn’t been able to do. He was going to go against the System and it’s carefully placed laws.

He was going to save his little brother.  

< / REFLECTION:WHITE >

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< REFLECTION:BLACK >

Time log, Mir Age 22
1 year prior

There was no notice whatsoever.

One moment Cheolyong was watching the exchange between the White Suit and suspect Lee Changsun and then the next there were Enforcers bursting into his latest hideout, their guns encircling him and their demands for him to not move whizzing through the air.  

He stilled immediately, his hands frozen just above the keyboard.

“Are you Bang Cheolyong?” one Enforcer barked out the question.

“Y-yes,” Cheolyong replied, knowing they would scan him and his ID anyway to check.

“We’re taking you back to HQ for further questioning. You have no rights to resist or ask any questions until we get there.”

They slowly lowered their guns, thinking that that was it and this was a clean operation. It was their mistake. Cheolyong lowered his hands slowly, moving his whole body so that it looked like he was getting up and cooperating. And then, in a flash he brought his index finger down on the esc key and slammed his eyes shut, turning his head away from the monitor.

The white light that the monitor emitted was designed to be able to penetrate even the dark glass of the Enforcer’s visors and Cheolyong knew that the shock of it was enough to buy him a minute or so. He cracked open one eye to check the situation and sure enough around him the Enforcers lay, curled up and groaning, their hands pressed to their visors and their mouths tight with pain.

Cheolyong blinked twice, for even though he had closed his eyes and looked away, he too was slightly affected. He reached for his keyboard and typed in a commend: /lastresort.

It was a program he had designed to save all his work and upload it to separate domain that he could later access, then to delete and destroy everything here. The entire process would take no more than thirty seconds. Once Cheolyong saw the words complete flash twice and then disappear into darkness he got to his feet and ran for the window.

There were Enforcers in the street as well and it took Cheolyong back to two years ago when he was running just like he was now, darting into tiny alleyways and doing his best to out run the cameras and the people.

Nothing had changed.

He was no closer to finding a cure. No better to helping the residents of this world. If anything, he had just made things worse by creating the Christmas virus.

He could feel the wetness on his cheeks as he ran and he knew this was his breaking point. He had tried and tried, barely slept and barely ate these past few weeks and it had worn him out. He couldn’t last much longer before the Enforcers would find him and drag him back to their headquarters. There it would be the end.

“I can help you,” someone said, his voice so low that Cheolyong almost missed what he had said. He stopped, his heels skidding and he whirled around, searching to see if there really was a somebody or if he had just imagined everything.

There was. He stood taller than Cheolyong was, exuding a kind of confidence that made Cheolyong immediately think he was not from the Ghettos.

“What did you just say,” he asked between deep gasps for breath.

“I said,” the man repeated, “that I can help you.”

“How?” Cheolyong floundered, his heart beating loud in his veins. “Why?”

The man shrugged, broad shoulders under a thick, black coat. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it does! You say you’ll help me just like that? How can I trust you?”

“It’s less of trust and more that you have an extremely limited number of choices in front of you,” the man said, slowly walking over to where Cheolyong stood stock still.

Cheolyong could feel his heart rate rising again, this time though not for the reason of physical exertion. As the man came closer he made out a handsome visage, high cheekbones and eyes sparkling with intrigue. His skin was unmarred, pale and almost unnervingly perfect.

“Is this a threat?”

“Only if you take it as one,” the stranger said casually as he came closer, only coming a halt a foot or two away from Cheolyong. “I’d rather you didn’t though.”

“What is it you want?” Cheolyong demanded. He swallowed and felt his spit slide heavy down his throat. All around him were Enforcers searching for him; in front of him a man who Cheolyong could not understand. He truly did have very limited options.

The man offered him a smile. It looked well-practiced. “I wish to make you an offer.”

“An offer?”

“Yes, an offer. You see I’ve been wanting to do something for a while, and I think you can help me.”

“And what is it you want to do?” Cheolyong asked nervously. He could feel sweat beading to the back of his neck, his shirt sticking to his spine.

The man’s smile widened, a crack in his otherwise friendly façade. “To destroy this corrupt and unfair government of ours.”

“What?” Cheolyong yelped.

“Oh?” he frowned. “I thought you would be interested in the idea as well, what with your knowledge of the government’s more… unsavory activities.”

“Well, yes I know about them,” Cheolyong stuttered. “But to just destroy a government? Like that? That’s not…”

“Possible?” the stranger finished for him.

Cheolyong nodded, dumfounded.

“I thought the man who created the Christmas virus and infected almost twenty seven percent of our population in under a year would think more highly of himself.”

Cheolyong froze. “H-how do you know-“

“I’ve been keeping track of you,” the stranger said with a sly smile. “Well, me and a compatriot of mine. It was he who found you first and suggested we speak. A hacker of your class would be invaluable to reaching our goal.”

Cheolyong his lips. “You said you could help me.”

“I did indeed.”

“How?”

“You’re running from the Enforcers, I can take you some place safe, somewhere they’ll never find you.”

“And in return you want me to topple a government with you?”

“Well that sounds pretty cheap on your part,” the man mused. “No I thought I’d offer you more. How about a cure for the Christmas virus?”

The blood in his veins ran cold.

“You’re lying,” he stammered.

“I’m not,” the stranger replied calmly.

“I’ve been searching for a cure for almost a year now and nothing, nothing, has worked! What makes you more capable?”

The man held up four fingers. “Firstly, the resources I have access to. Secondly, years of expertise in the field of hacking and coding. Thirdly, time and safety. Of which you are running out of.” He spoke of chance but Cheolyong could suddenly swear that in the distance he could hear heavy footfall and calling. “Most importantly though, I have someone who knows how this world runs.”

Cheolyong felt everything slow down, time, space, his senses. “Someone who… truly knows how this world runs?”

The man nodded solemnly.

“Who is he?”

“My compatriot does not like his name bandied around so easily,” the stranger said. “But you can meet him and he can help you. I do not jest about these sorts of things. Finding a cure is something I would want as well. All I ask in return is for you aid in taking down the government, something I think you’d be rather interested in as well.”

Cheolyong swallowed hard. He couldn’t help it. The offer, it was tempting, too tempting.

“How can I trust you? How do I know this isn’t all a lie and you’re with the Enforcers?”

The man shook his head sadly. “It’s as I said. I can’t prove it to you here and now, and to prove it to you at a later date well… I don’t think you have the luxury of time for that.”

That was true. Cheolyong was cornered, well and truly.

“What is your name?” Cheolyong demanded.

The man’s eyes sharpened. “I can’t tell you my real name now, not here in the open. But… an appropriate alias would be… The Ringmaster.”

There was a shout down the alleyway and both Cheolyong and the Ringmaster snapped their heads around to see three Enforcers yelling and barreling their way past people, their guns held aloft. Screams filled the air and people rapidly pushed against one another to get out of the way.

“You said you had an escape plan,” Cheolyong stuttered, backing away nervously.

“I do,” the Ringmaster replied, looking unperturbed by the incoming danger. In fact he looked almost entertained. 

“Fine,” Cheolyong snapped. “Fine. I accept your offer. You get me out of here and help me make a cure for the Christmas virus and I’ll help you take down a government.”

The man smiled, wide and brilliant. “It is a deal then.” He held out one hand.

“What are you doing?” Cheolyong stared, first at the hand, then at the Enforcers just meters away.

“Take my hand,” the Ringmaster said calmly. “Take it and we seal the deal.”

“Now is not the time for courtesies!” Cheolyong yelped.

The Ringmaster’s eyes hardened. “Take it,” he said with finality to his words.

Cheolyong stared. It was crazy, it had to be, but this was his last choice. “Fine,” he said and reached out to take it. The second his hand slipped around the Ringmaster’s hands, the Ringmaster tightened his fingers and pulled Cheolyong close. There was a sudden lurch, the rug pulled out from beneath Cheolyong’s feet and his core was being tugged and pulled and thrown and the world about him spun.  

Just before Cheolyong succumbed to the darkness, he could’ve sworn he heard the Ringmaster say something, voice soft as velvet. “Just one more,” he whispered, voice almost gleeful, and then came the darkness and Cheolyong thought no more.  

< / REFLECTION:BLACK >

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Mir POV

The room was dark as I staggered away from the mirror, the touch of my hand so, so cold.

I had made a deal with the Ringmaster and it had landed me here, in these games, for a reason I could not understand.

What were these games? What did they have to do with taking down a government? What did it have to do with making a cure?

There was the sound of a splinter and I froze, turned ever so slowly.

I could see a figure in the corner of my eye. Relief poured through my veins and my shoulders slumped. “Oh, it’s just you,” I said. “You scared me. But hey, if you’re here then do you remember everything as well? You saw what I saw right? We’re both trying to help people aren’t we? Yet for some reason we both seemed to have been betrayed by the Ringmaster. What should we do now…”

The sounds of cracking grew. It was all around me, the walls, the floors, the mirror.

“Hey…” I said nervously, watching as he came out of the shadows. “What are you…”

His approach did not slow. He came closer, out of the shadows and into the meagre dim light.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “But this needs to be done.”

Alarm bells rang in my head. My heart raced. We had the same goals, the same aims, so why? Why?

“Hey, hey S-“

Then the mirror behind me shattered, drowning out anything else I had to say.

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< REFLECTION:WHITE >

Time log, Seungho Age 25
1 years prior

Everything had gone wrong so quickly that Seungho could barely even process how it had gone from situation A to this end game.  

One minute he was there trying to figure out how to code the next part of the Snowmelt antivirus and then the next he was getting a getting a phone call from his teacher that he had no choice but to accept.

“Seungho,” his teacher said curtly the minute a connection was established.

“Songsaeng-“

“I’m very disappointed in you.”

“Songsaengnim?”

“I thought you knew better.”

Dread coursed in Seungho’s stomach, thick black ropes that tugged and pulled.

“I thought you promised me that you would stay in line, follow orders, do what needed to be done and no more.”

“I…” His mouth felt incredibly dry.

“You were doing so well.” His teacher’s face was a picture of disappointment, like some primary school teacher scolding a child for not washing their hands before eating. “And to think you were secretly trying to make a cure behind our backs.”

“I-“

“You’re not denying it,” his teacher said shortly and Seungho realized that oh, why wasn’t he? “You’ve made your choice and I can’t do anything more for you.”

“But wait-“ Seungho choked.

“There is a team of Enforcers on their way to your apartment right now. Please go with them calmly.”

“My mother and brother-“

“Will be taken care of by the government. Whatever you may think, we do not abandon our people. We do the best we can for them, it’s just our best is not always what people expect it to be. I’m sorry you turned out to be one of them Seungho.”

“Songsaengnim-“ He had to try and make him understand, make him see that-

“Goodbye Seungho,” his teacher said and the connection was dropped.

Seungho let his hands drop to his lap and his back buckle into the leather of the seat. This was it. He was about to become just like what his father had become, trapped, stuck, jailed for stepping out of line.

Seunghoon and his mother would be taken care of, but would Seunghoon ever be cured? Would his mother be able to handle losing both her husband and son in consecutive blows? Losing Seunghoon had been hard enough on her as it was. When their father had been arrested she refused to leave the house, refused to leave Seunghoon’s room unless it was to shower and occasionally eat. With Seungho gone who would watch over the two of them?

“No, no, no,” he whispered furiously to himself. How could he have let the government find out? He thought he had covered all bases, protected himself, but he had been so, so naïve.

But what could he do now? Escape? It would be hard. Fight back? There was no chance. Let them take him? And give up on everything?

“Or you can make a deal with me.”

Seungho snapped his head up to the monitor. There was a connection, a foreign face on the screen. Sharp eyes and cheekbones, flawless complexion, a confidence that screamed Peak born and bred.

“Who are you?”

“You may address me as the Ringmaster, Yang Seungho,” the stranger said. “As you’ve guessed I’m a resident of the Peaks. But unlike the other closed minded citizens I think differently.”

Seungho frowned. “And that is?”

“I think their idealism of people following the law to letter is wrong.”

Seungho felt a shiver run down his back. “And what do you plan to do about it?”

“What else can I do?” the man who had called himself the Ringmaster said with a tone of sadness. “I’ve spoken to them many times about being more open minded to change, to broaden their horizon. They rejected my suggestions of course.”

“And so you want to take down their government and replace it with one of your design,” Seungho said softly.

“Think of it more as evolving the current government,” the Ringmaster said smoothly.  

“But why do you want me?” Seungho couldn’t help but ask.

“You’re intelligent, you can hack to a certain extent, you are born of the Peaks and hold all of its privilege but you can see beyond the boxed in imagination of the people here. You are like me. We’ve seen this world for what it truly is and we know we can do so much better.”

“But… to just take down a government like that? The repercussions would be…”

“Great, yes, I admit that as well,” The Ringmaster finished for him. “But to continue as it is now? Our government is in decline Seungho, I’m sure you of all people can appreciate that. A slow decline, but a decline all the same. But what do you propose? To stay the same and brush what cannot be done under the rug? Hope it all goes away?”

Seungho didn’t have to reply. His expression was answer enough.

“Your brother is a victim of the Christmas virus, correct?”

“Yes,” Seungho replied, a little hesitantly.

“I have people on my team who wish to find a cure for the Christmas virus. You could join us, help hasten the process. Help your brother. It’s more than the government would be able to achieve.”  

His teacher’s words rang in his ear: We do the best we can for them, it’s just our best is not always what people expect it to be.

Was he being ungrateful? Sure the government had a lot on their plate but they had little to show this past year for progress. Was this man – this Ringmaster – right in saying that maybe it was time to branch off and do things differently?

“We’re running short on time I’m afraid,” the Ringmaster said suddenly. “There are seven Enforcers making their way to your apartment right now. They’ll be here in about ten minutes’ time. You have three choices: to give in and go with them, to make a deal and come with me, or reject both and run away.”

Seungho swallowed.

“I’ll be honest, option 3 is not really an option. You may be able to outwit them, but there is no way you can outrun them. So that leaves us with option 1 and 2.” The Ringmaster gave him a long look. “Come with me Seungho. Come with me and we can create a cure for the Christmas virus and change this stagnant government of ours.”

 “I...I…” Never before had Seungho felt so indecisive. This was literally choosing between the law that Seungho had grown up knowing like the back of his hand and a completely unknown path.  

“Seven minutes left,” the Ringmaster called out. He paused and gave Seungho a long look. “Tell me, why the hesitation? You dislike the current state of our government. I know you do despite you trying to cover it up. I’ve seen the way you hacked into the Ghetto cameras and how you watched that little boy get into the Factories. You saw what went on down there and you know the Graveyard is more than a fairytale. You know the government is hiding a lot and you are willing to step out of bounds to find what you need to find so why do you still side with them when they are not siding with you?”

Seungho stilled and let the truth ring about in the air.

“I…” he tried to speak but his tongue felt heavy and the words heady. “I guess because it scares me.”

“Leaving the safety of the System?” 

“Leave the certainty of the System.”

The Ringmaster on the screen blinked, surprised.

“I… I guess I’ve always known the government isn’t perfect but it’s managed so far and to just give up on it like that? Well it’s all I’ve known. How can I trust that going with you will be any better?”

The Ringmaster paused to mull over his answer. “You can’t. I can’t. All I can do though is follow my heart and it tells me that this current government of ours will not be able to solve the problems it faces. These problems will only grow, the people will only become more restless, and at some point their regime will topple. If it’s not us it will only be someone else who does it.”

Seungho closed his eyes and wavered.  

“Sometimes you have to destroy in order to create, take a risk in order to obtain the more stable future. Times are changing Seungho and if you don’t watch it you’ll be left behind. This is a risk I will grant you that, but we are going to change this world and for that, I believe this is a risk worth taking.”  

The Ringmaster extended a hand outwards to him.

“Two minutes left,” he said with a crook of an eyebrow.

Seungho took a deep breath, stared at the extended hand. For Seunghoon he thought. For Seunghoon, for his father, for his mother. For this world.

He reached out with one hand, pressed the tips up against the screen. “I accept your offer Ringmaster,” he said firmly and the Ringmaster smiled.

One minute and twenty seconds later the Enforcers burst in through the front door. They searched the entire house but Yang Seungho had vanished without a trace.

< / REFLECTION:WHITE >

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Seungho POV

I dropped to my knees in from of the glass. My body felt numb, cold, chilled to the bone. So this, this had been my wish? Complete the seven levels and I would have a cure to save Seunghoon.

Except between that moment of reaching out to the monitor and then waking up on the dark, dank cell, I had no idea of how the two connected. No idea of why he had made me play this game to begin with.

What did it have to do with toppling the government? With finding a cure? With changing the world?

I knelt there thinking about what I had seen. Sanghyun and Cheolyong were both like me; they were in this to help family. Byunghee and Changsun, they too were hapless victims in this entire unfortunate string of events. I had been right, Changsun hadn’t been guilty. Neither had Byunghee. But the corruptness of the government had pulled them into this mess and for that I could see what the Ringmaster had said did ring true – the government needed to change.

With a surge of realization, I knew too that this was also my wish. I wanted to save Seunghoon, but I also wanted to change the government, change the way people thought and the way people were treated.

Byunghee had wanted to save Changsun. Changsun had wanted to hurt Byunghee, but that had been a manipulated response. They were both victims of other’s plots and corruption.

Cheolyong had wanted to save his sisters, then the world, and then those who he had hurt. It was true that he was the reason why my little brother was frozen, but he hadn’t meant to. He was also paying for his own mistakes in his own way, trying the best he could to make amends.

And Sanghyun?

He wanted to save his sisters and…

The thought came to me like a cascade of cold water, the memory so brief I had almost forgotten it. Sanghyun had been the first one to meet the Ringmaster. He had been the one to approach him, not the other way around.

I have someone who knows how this world runs, the Ringmaster had said. My compatriot, he had called him.

My heart thudded. My hands still felt cold.

I got to my feet and leant my weight against the glass mirror. Was it possible? Was Sanghyun-

A gurgled cry in the distance. I recognized the voice immediately. I my heel and ran in the direction of it, not caring how my calves ached or how my feet protested as my boots crunched on the splintered floor.

In the distance I could see two bodied, one crouched over the other. There was a sharp metallic tang in the air.

I came to a crumbling halt in front of them.

One head raised, lips soft and round, eyes impenetrable.

I stared at the body beneath him, a long shard of black-blue glass protruding out of his chest.

“Y-you…” I stammered, feeling my cheeks heat and my heart race as I took in the scene. The mirror was broken, the shards all about us on the floor. “How could you?”

He stood and brushed a hand across his cheek, smearing blood unknowingly across it. His eyes were downcast. “I’m sorry,” he said throatily. “I had to.”

“Why?” I couldn’t help by cry. “Why did you have to kill him? Weren’t we all in this together?”

He shook his head slowly. “No, we weren’t,” he said softly. “From the very beginning I was never a part of your team.”

It was as if he stabbed with a shard of glass himself.

He offered me a sad smile. “I’m sorry hyung,” Sanghyun whispered. “From the very beginning I was the wolf and it was my job to kill you all.”