I smiled inside as I felt the soft touch of a young girl who had a smile on her face and the light that sparkled in her eyes. The moment out in a couple of seconds, then a new flashback emerged. I was drawing in my notebook; I was drawing machines that would change the world even more and make life more efficient. The girl frowned at me and I knew what she wanted: To spend more time with me. I kept drawing in my notebook until she got up and flipped pages through my notebook, then she stomped out of the room and I followed her, wanting to make up for my stupidity. I wrapped  my arm around her shoulder and she smiled, grabbing my other arm. I knew I would win her back.

The flashback out again, and a dreaded memory crossed in: She was on the hospital bed with an I.V. attached to her hand. Her eyes were slanted and she was sickly and pale. She had an unknown illness that even she didn't know about, and I felt my strong hands touching hers gently with love and care, but her eyes closed and her hand fell right in front of me.

I begged for her to wake up, tears forming in my eyes. She didn't respond...

The sadness blackout out and then came even more sadness. I felt tears run down my cheeks and occasionally they slipped in my mouth, the taste of salt hit me, but it didn't distract me of my broken heart. I cried even more as I remembered her from beginning to end; a sad love story it was. I looked over to a white operating table and I ed my white shirt, revealing toned muscle and abs. I walked over slowly and programmed the machine to replace my insides with artificial parts...

...so I didn't have to feel any pain, grief or sadness. I wanted to leave my broken heart behind.

Before I would be operated on, anesthetic liquid ran through my body, making me numb everywhere. As I was being cut open and replaced with wires and metal I didn't feel any pain on my body, but when my heart was ripped out, I let out a silent scream as my human emotions were fading away along with my past memories and being released into the cold air around me. Finally, I was complete; I trasnformed myself into a cyborg.

No emotion...

No memory of her...

I just need to breathe and eat to live, nothing else.

The memory cut off abruptly and I found myself staring at five cyborgs who were halfway complete. They were my first friends I ever had and I stared at them in content, their metallic silver eyes staring at nothingness. My failed experiments were in a corner; first they were just metal prototypes, then came two that were real people, sacrificed because of my greed. But I didn't feel sympathy; I wanted to run away from something, but what?

Then I noticed something in the back of the room. I slowly walked over and saw a female cyborg complete but asleep. Fragments of memories hit me: First I saw a girl that looked like the female cyborg frown at me as I drew in my notebook. She flipped pages angrily and I went to comfort her. Then she laid in a hospital with an I.V. attached to her, my hands holding hers. Then her hand went limp and her eyes closed. I begged for her to wake up, and then the next thing I knew was that I was crying on cold concrete stairs. I couldn't deal with the harsh reality of her death, so I turned myself into a cyborg, just like I did with her.

The female cyborg's eyes opened and blue light circled around them as she awakened at last. Now I knew who she was, or she was supposed to be: My girlfriend Youngji.

Then these memories came by in a flash: Her arm broke off and I fixed it. I inserted Youngji's past memories inside her mind, and when she remembered, she hugged me tightly. I finally felt happy until three men in black came in to ruin everything. They found out she was illegally made and I fought to get her back. We hid in the same room I turned myself into a cyborg in, and when I realized Youngji and I wouldn't be able to live happily ever after, we decided to commit suicide as our final act of love. We got on the operating table together and the drills mercilessly tore us into pieces. The last thing I remembered was Youngji's smiling but teary face as I finally out forever.

These memories kept playing inside my mind for a very long time, but were they my memories?

No.

They weren't. I was merely a vessel for the true keeper of these memories: Dr. Lee Hongbin.

Just as the cycle of memories was about to play again, my eyes saw a different scene: I saw a run down lab with a small boy touching my hand. I looked around and saw that the other four cyborgs were awake also, blinking constantly, a hint of confusion in their eyes.

I looked back at the small boy with awe struck on his face. My systems told me that he was human and he looked very familiar.

"Cool!" the little boy shouted. "Robots!"

We were NOT robots. We had a bit of humanity in us still.

"Who are you?" I asked. Surprise hit me: I didn't even pause after every word and this was my first complete sentence I ever spoke but I was still monotone. It was a good start so far after however many years it was since us cyborgs closed our eyes for what seemed like forever. I have no doubt that this small human boy was the one who woke us up from our long and emotional slumber.

"My name is-"

"Son?" an adult male voice asked. "Who are you talking to?"

"I was talking to my new friends, daddy!" the little boy said excitedly. Before the father came into the room, I commanded the other cyborgs to close their eyes and be inanimate. I did also and when the father finally came in, he said, "These are cyborgs, son. But they aren't awake."

"What are cyborgs, daddy?" the little boy asked.

"They are half human and half machine," the father explained. "They are stronger and faster, but they are capable of feeling emotions also."

"Like happiness or sadness?"

"Yes."

"I want them to be happy all the time, daddy! I don't want them to be sad like we are right now."

"I know son, but with the corrupted cyborgs chasing us, who knows what will happen?"

"Maybe..." I felt small fingers entwine with my metal ball for a hand. "We can use my new friends to fight for us so we don't have to be sad."

"No son," the father said. "They aren't tools of war. They are human also, like us. Even though they are also part machine, we cannot do that to them. It'll make them sad."

"Then what are we supposed to do, daddy? Keep hiding?"

"For now, yes."

"Okay. I'll just talk to my new friends then."

"Alright, son. I don't want you to be lonely."

Footsteps were getting softer and softer until they couldn't be heard anymore. I heard the boy's squeaky voice whisper, "It's okay. My daddy's gone. You don't have to be shy anymore."

Shy? We were protecting ourselves...

I opened my eyes and told the other cyborgs to open theirs too. I looked down at the little boy and he looked up with cuteness and innocence.

"Who are you?" my monotone voice repeated.

"I cannot reveal my name," he said. "Or else I'll be in danger. Can I know what your name is though?"

"...It's N."

"N? I like that name. It's unique. Who are the others?"

"The ones on your left are Leo and Ravi," I explained. "The ones on your right are Hyuk and Ken."

"Those are awesome names! For a cyborg, you talk like a human."

"And for a human you sure are annoying..." Leo muttered, but not loud enough for the little boy to hear. Did all of us have the ability to speak clearly now?

"Hello, I'm Ken."

"I'm Ravi."

"My name is Hyuk."

"It's nice to meet all of you!" the little boy smiled, dimples on his cheeks. "I hope we're friends forever!"

I think I miss you even more...