He was just… 907.  He’d never had a name before but now… now he did.

Mark.

His name was Mark.  It used to be 907… but now it was Mark. 

Mark looked at his babysitter as a wonderful feeling filled his chest.  It seemed to spread through his core and send warmth down to the very tips of his fingers and toes.  He couldn’t really describe it, only that it made him felt light and giddy.  He remembered feeling this way when they had first told him he would get days above ground.  This was what everyone referred to as happiness.  It was a very good feeling.

“Well Mark,” the elderly lady said, giving him a smile, “Would you like some ddukbokki?  I’ve been told I have an amazing recipe.”  She stirred the food enticingly.

Mark blinked as the babysitter turned to look at him.  He hadn’t realized he’d been staring.  He had been wondering and lost in thought; what was the babysitter’s name?  The babysitter hadn’t introduced himself back at Facility so Mark had no idea.  Was it as pretty as the name Mark?  Were all names that pretty?

“Yah,” the babysitter said, nodding towards the elderly, “She’s talking to you.” 

Mark turned to look at the lady.  What did she say?  Something about the food she’d been stirring.  It was called what?  It certainly smelled wonderful and he was awfully hungry.  He hadn’t had much breakfast before they’d left and even of the food he had, he’d… Mark shook his head and dismissed the memory.  He didn’t want to think about the terrible feeling of throwing up just then, not when the lady was still waiting for an answer.

“Um…” he said, looking at the babysitter hesitantly, “What is it?” 

The lady looked at him with surprise before she gave him another sweet smile.  “It’s spicy rice cake, dear,” she said, “You must be foreign?  I thought so!  You’re so pretty!”

“Ah, yes,” the babysitter piped up, “He’s… from overseas.  We’ll take two bowls.  And two bottles of water, please.”  He pulled out a few bills and gave the lady a smile.

Mark stared at the babysitter’s face.  The smile was very nice to look at and he wondered why the babysitter didn’t smile more.  Though they hadn’t been in each other’s company for long, Mark had noticed that the babysitter’s default face seemed to be one of irritation.  But now, as they waited for the lady to serve them their food, Mark couldn’t look away from the smile.  It was quite beautiful.

“There you go, darling,” the lady said, handing them two Styrofoam bowls filled with steaming rice cake

“Thank you,” the babysitter said, taking both and giving one to Mark.  He stepped away and gestured for Mark to follow.  “Eat it while it’s hot,” he said, digging into his own portion.

Mark looked down at the bowl in his hand.  The food was a beautifully vibrant red and the smell was very appetizing.  It was nothing like the standard Facility food of bread, mashed vegetable cubes, and chunked protein squares.  Food on the outside didn’t come in cubes; the fruits he had touched at the fruit stand had been all sorts of shapes and sizes.  He wondered if they all tasted different too. 

Taking the toothpick in the bowl, Mark stabbed a soft looking rice cake log and brought it to his nose for a sniff.  Hesitantly, he took a small bite of the softness and chewed.  After a few moments, a fiery sensation started from the tips of his tongue to the back of his throat.  Choking slightly, Mark looked up at the babysitter, who was watching him with amusement.

“Wa… Water,” Mark said, gesturing to the bottle.  His eyes watered as he waited for the babysitter to open the bottle.

“Spicy?” the babysitter asked, “I guess it would be if you’ve been on Facility food your whole life.”  He took Mark’s bowl and exchanged it for water.

Without hesitation, Mark threw his head back and guzzled down some water to wash away the burning in his mouth.  Taking a few deep breaths, he his lips and let the fire fade.  After the burning had gone, the residual flavor in his mouth was still very pleasant.  Intrigued, he reached for the bowl in the babysitter’s hand and ate the rest of the rice cake on the toothpick.  As he’d expected the fire returned and down went the rest of the water.

“You don’t have to eat it,” the babysitter said, his face cracking into an amused smile, “It’s spicy isn’t it?”

Mark nodded.  It was indeed spicy, as the babysitter had called it.  But still, after the initial burn, the spiciness seemed to give the food added flavor.  He couldn’t explain why but he wanted to keep eating, despite his burning tongue.  “It’s tastes good,” Mark said, staring at the bowl in the babysitter’s hands.  Hesitantly, he looked up and said, “One more…”

Chuckling, the babysitter held out the bowl for him with one hand while the other held out the other bottle of water.  “Try the fish cake in here too,” he said, pointing to a flatter looking piece, “It’s better than the rice cake in my opinion.”

Taking the toothpick, Mark stabbed a piece of fish cake and took a bite.  This time, he was prepared for the fire.  in air as he chewed, he his lips and took in the flavor.  It was absolutely wonderful.  Even though he really wanted to eat more, he had reached his limit.  Taking the water, Mark pushed the bowl towards the babysitter with a sheepish smile and took the water instead.

Nodding, the baby sitter proceeded to finish off the rest in only a few bites.  He didn’t look at all like he was affected by the spiciness.  Instead, he tossed the paper bowls into a nearby garbage and continued to walk down the street as if he’d eaten something quite mundane.

“It’s not spicy to you?” Mark asked, speeding up his pace to walk beside the babysitter, “There’s… there’s no fire in your mouth?”

“Fi…” the babysitter replied, looking at him with exasperation, “No-I mean, yes, there is fire but it’s not that bad for me.  I’m used to it.” 

Mark nodded and fell silent.  After a brief moment, he worked up the courage and asked, “What’s your name?  I’m Mark.”

The babysitter rolled his eyes and replied, “Yes, I know… I named you.”  With a sigh, he said, “I’m Jackson; I work as a technician.”

Mark’s eyes widened.  A technician… he’d never met a technician before.  Numbers were discouraged from interacting with other Numbers or Facility staff.  They often saw each other inside of testing labs but they were almost never allowed to speak with one another.  And it was extremely rare for a Number to come across a Technician because of segregation rules.  And yet, right in front of his eyes, was a technician. 

“So…” Mark asked curiously, unable to hide the excitement in his voice, “What do you do with the tests we do?”  Mark was curious about what happened after they drew his blood or sent him through the X-Ray.  And what about when they sedated him long enough to do whatever it was they needed to do?  What did they do with all of that information? 

He bit his lip and hoped he wouldn’t get in trouble; Numbers were also typically discouraged from asking questions.  He hoped that, since he was granted the days above ground, Jackson would make an exception. 

Jackson looked at him with a raised brow before explaining as if Mark had asked a simple question, “We do more tests to see interactions between the drugs you take and your organ’s natural functions.  Or we come to some sort of conclusion about the drugs or testing item and…”  He sighed and shrugged.  “It’s pretty boring,” he said, “And rarely useful-”  He cut himself off as he looked at Mark quickly.  “Er… I mean,” he backtracked, “You know, it… gives us some good information.  About… saving lives and stuff.  That’s the whole point of Facility right?”  He gave Mark an awkward grin before clearing his throat and picking up the pace of his walk.

Mark blinked at the lukewarm answer.  He had thought the technician to be more… passionate about his work at Facility.  After all, Facility’s goal was to find innovative ways of saving more lives.  How could the life of a technician be boring?  They were revelled as miracle makers amongst the Numbers.  He, and all the other Numbers, was taught from an early age that their purpose in life was to sacrifice their bodies in the name of medical advancement to save lives.  And the people who made it all happen were the technicians. 

Curiosities nibbling at his mind again, Mark quickly followed and opened his mouth as more questions when something caught his eye.  Two elderly men sat across from each other with deep frowns as they stared at a grid board topped with black and white stones.  Neither looked very happy as they stared at it and yet neither moved away.  Mark’s feet gravitated towards them as he looked at the two.  Nobody seemed to pay them any attention despite the obviously tense atmosphere.  Mark wondered if a fight would break out.  He’d never seen a fight before though he’d heard it was often bloody and terrible.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Jackson called, as he quickly backtracked to Mark with a small frown himself, “Don’t wander.”  He pulled Mark to the side and rummaged in the duffle bag hanging on his shoulders.  “Before I forget and lose you again,” Jackson said, pulling out a metal gadget, “Put this around your wrist.” 

Mark took the item and examined it curiously.  It was light and quite beautiful.  He looked at Jackson with a perplexed face.  How, exactly, did he put this around his wrist?  The opening looked far too small for his hands to fit through.

Sighing, Jackson took the bracelet reached out to take Mark’s wrist.  Gently, he pressed Mark’s wrist against the side and, like magic, the bracelet slid to the side like a sliding door and cuffed around Mark’s wrist. 

“Ooh,” Mark said, staring at it in amazement, “What is it?”

“It’s a tracking and monitoring bracelet,” Jackson said, taking out a remote control from the bag, “I can track your coordinates and check your vital signs.”  He pocketed the small device and looked at Mark.  “It doesn’t mean you can wander, okay?” he said, “You still need to stay within my line of sight.”

Mark nodded and pointed towards the old men.  “Are they going to fight?” he asked, feeling conflicted.  He wanted to see what a fight would be like but, at the same time, he wasn’t sure he wanted to see the two get bloody. 

“Fight?” Jackson asked, frowning in confusion, “Why would they fight?”

“They’ve been staring at the stones with frowns,” Mark explained, “And they don’t look like they’re very happy I think.”  It was true; he had experienced happiness himself and he certainly hadn’t been frowning.

Jackson chuckled, surprising Mark.  “They’re playing a game,” he said, “The different colored stones represent different sides.”

“A game…” Mark repeated, confused, “But… they’re not doing anything.”

“They will.  They’re just thinking,” Jackson said.

Mark walked closer and waited.  After a few minutes, the man on the right picked up a black stone from the bowl beside him and placed it onto the board.  The man opposite him sighed and crossed his arms.  Rubbing his chin, he began staring at the board.  Mark wondered if the game often took so much thinking.

“You stay here,” Jackson said, “I’m going to pick up a few more things from the store.”  He pointed to the convenience store across the dirt road.  “I’ll be back,” Jackson said, “So stay here okay?”

Mark nodded, still staring intently at the other elderly.  He was engrossed in the game even though he really had no idea how it was played.  However, he held his breath and waited.  After a few moments, the man picked up a white stone from his bowl and placed it onto the board.  He then proceeded to remove several black stones from the board.  Mark blinked and watched with slacked jaws; he had a feeling something game-changing just happened.

“Hey,” someone called from behind.

Mark turned around and looked up as a tall young man gave him a gentle smile.  He was taken aback; someone was speaking to him.  He felt both excited and nervous.  He waited in silence as the young man paused.

“What’s your name?” the young man asked, his hands in his pockets.

Mark felt happiness swell in his chest.  He was hoping someone would ask him for his name.  “My name is Mark,” he replied with enthusiasm.  He loved the way it rolled off of his tongue and resonated in his ears.  He loved his name.

“Hey Mark,” the young man said, “Can you come help me?  My friend fell over there and I can’t carry him to the car by myself.”  He nodded towards a corner a bit down the road. 

Mark bit his lip.  It seemed like a simple enough request but… Jackson had told him to stay.  He glanced at the two old men who were still heavily absorbed in their game.  He wanted to continue watching too…

“Are you a fan of Go?” the young man asked, “If you want, I can play with you later after we help my friend.”

Mark’s eyes widened and said, “I don’t know how to play.”

“I can teach you,” the young man said with a smile, “After you help my friend okay?”  He pointed towards the alley.  “Let’s go, Mark,” he said.

Mark glanced down at his wrist.  He would be right back, he reasoned with himself.  Besides, Jackson said the bracelet was a tracking device too so it should be okay… right?  Biting his lip, Mark nodded and followed the young man.  He’d be back soon and then, he would learn how to play that curiously intense game of black and white stones.

Jackson walked up and down the isle of the small convenience store.  He paused at the instant noodles section and frowned.  Even though they were going to a hotel and would be likely eating there, he wondered if he should stock up on a few packs of ramyun.  It couldn’t hurt right?  Besides, Mark would probably want to try it.  Convincing himself, Jackson pulled a few cups off the shelf and dumped them into his basket. 

Looking up, he glanced out the window and sighed in relief to see Mark still fully absorbed in the game of Go.  Chuckling to himself as he remembered Mark’s funny questions, he began humming along with the music playing overhead.  Walking over to the large fridge, he pulled a few bottles of soda and water into his basket.  To finish off, he grabbed a few bags of chips and different types of ice cream and walked over to the counter.

“Will that be everything?” the girl asked in a bored voice as she rang his things through the till.

“Yes,” Jackson said, taking out a few bills.  Only after he put his own wallet away did he remember the money inside the duffle bag.  Sighing, he nodded to the girl, picked up his two plastic bags and headed for the door.  He froze, however, as he looked outside the glass door.

Mark was gone… again.

Author's notes:

A bit short for my usual but I wanted to end it here for now.  More coming soon!  Stay tuned!!  PS: SO EXCITED FOR GOT7's COMEBACK IN A FEW DAYS!!