Ghost in the Machine [Matthew+Jia]

[Matthew Williams]

With a nod after the affirmation from Jia, Matthew ran to the small kitchen in the back of the room. He reached up for a glass in one of the cupboards, holding it up to the lamp above to make sure it was clean enough. Turning on the faucet, the Canadian found himself losing himself in thought. It was still a rather interesting situation and he wasn't quite sure what to as of yet.

When he felt the water begin to trickle over his fingers, Matthew looked down at the glass and sighed to himself. Pouring all the water out and letting it fill to a little over half way before turning off the water supplier. He made his way then to the fridge, opening up the freezer area and picking out a few ice cubes from the tray; setting them in the cup and closing the door behind him.

Back near Jia, the blond held out the glass of water and gave him a once over glance. He was a little...worried about the situation? No, it was a mix of worry and confusion. Why would a bot be talking about parents. Maybe that's what the owners wanted their bot to call them. There were friendly bot owners too, he knew. "I-it's no problem at all. And hardly at all; you were not the least bit heavy." Matthew smiled.

"You sure you're okay? You just sort of...fell over."

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[jin]

“Thanks,” Jia blinked, taking the glass gratefully. Water should wake him up – water was the cure all for like, everything, wasn’t it? The universal...something or other. It had been a while since he’d been in class. He brought the rim to his lips and took a short sip.

Nothing.

He took another sip, hoping he’d just been distracted, but still, there was nothing. It was like there was a coat of latex covering the inside of his mouth, preventing him from feeling the wetness of the drink, and even the coldness of the ice. Jia set the glass down on a nearby desk, his hand visibly trembling.

He’d heard rumours...rumours about what happened at the hospitals around the Eastern Sector.

But...they were just rumours...right? And besides...his parents would never...

“That’s a relief, I guess,” he said instead, hoping to get his mind off the subject. “Mama always said I was a chubby baby, cuz y’know, that’s totally the kind of thing an impressionable teenager wants to hear, right?”

Jia chewed his lip, making a face at the lack of pain that caused.

“And...I guess I’m okay. I mean I look okay, right? I don’t feel–”

Anything.

“–sick and stuff.”

[Matthew Williams]

Matthew laughed a bit nervously in a vain attempt to force a smile and laugh off the chubby baby business. For a bot he wasn't very robotic at all. In fact, he was almost human. The Canadian continued to watch the other with a hint of both curiousity and worry.

...

"J-Jia, can I ask you something?" his tried to keep himself calm, pulling the rolling desk-chair from it's name sake and sitting on it. "What do you remember?"

Matthew had every mind to ask about the serial number, the clear signs of being bot, everything. But, it seemed almost cruel to simply pull the boy in front of a mirror and be done with it. Though, maybe through this he could gain a few answers.

[/blockquote]

[jin]

“Like, in general?” Jia asked, pulling his gaze away from the water glass. “Or…? Well, I guess knowing what I went in for would help, yeah?” he continued, wondering if Matthew was secretly a medical guru. He didn’t look like it, but he supposed that was why it was a secret.

“Like, a couple of weeks ago…or months, or whatever, I was having some issues with breathing and sleeping and stuff; the doctor said it was from like, heavy metal poisoning or something. I thought that was kinda weird, cuz like, to my knowledge I’ve never swallowed any coins or anything, but I guess it could be from all those years chewing my pencils…”

Jia paused and waved away his little tangent, leaving the mystery of his poisoning for someone else to discover.

“Anyway, I spent like a week in the municipal hospital before mama and baba transferred me somewhere else – they said it was like, better and it cost more, so...I dunno, I guess that means something? They’re super cheap with like, everything, so I was kinda surprised they’d actually do that for me.”

Maybe he should have taken that surprise more seriously; after all, his parents weren’t the type to spend money so willingly. And they never really paid much attention to him anyway; it was always his older brother that got the praises and damnations. But they certainly didn’t hate him...right?

“It was my birthday too, when I started coughing up blood” Jia added, fiddling with his sleeve. “Like, I thought it was a pretty crud present, but beggars can’t be choosers I guess.”

[Matthew Williams]

Matthew's emotions and facial expressions matched the mood of the story that was being told. It was upsetting to hear someone who looked so young as Jia was subjected to such terrors. The mention of being transferred to a better and more expensive hospital, though; especially considering how Jia had been describing his parents, was intruiging him.

It may have just been him over-thinking it, maybe they were indeed a caring and loving family. But, things just sounded off to him. His over-thinking tendencies and past experiences starting to take hold. "I-I'm sorry to hear that." Matthew frowned and looked at the other sympathetically, unsure of what to say about the situation.

"D-do you remember anything else after that?"

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[jin]

Jia shook his head, looking a bit disappointed in himself. Other than the events leading up to his hospital stay, there wasn’t really nothing that stuck out as being too important. He didn’t even know what kind of treatment they were supposed to have given him, only that it had cost a lot. Everything following the diagnosis had been very hush-hush, and he never really thought to question what was going on – after all, what would he do if he knew? It wasn’t like he had much choice; he was dying at the time.

“Oh!” Jia sat up, bouncing slightly. “The nurses at the hospital I was transferred to, I think they were bots. You know those doll things that rich people have as pets or whatever? Yeah. They were like, super creepy too.”

[Matthew Williams]

Matthew leaned back into his chair, shoulders sagging slightly when Jia shook his head. It wasn't like he expected life-changing answers out of the other, but he did hope for some sort of revealation. Maybe he was over-thinking things just a tad bit and this was simply a glitch within the bot. "I see." he smiled at the other slightly, regaining his composure and sitting up straighter.

There wasn't much he could do; or so he thought.

Jia suddenly sat up, startling the blond slightly; but, he watched the other intently. "That's...strange. I-I always thought they kept those jobs for humans." Matthew mused, bringing a hand up to his mouth as he thought. He was pretty ignorant when it came to higher-end medical facilities and that might have been why it seemed odd to him.

Carefully, the Canadian looked over Jia once more; taking a breath before asking the next question. He lowered his hand, "Jia. T-that mark on your forehead, did they give that to you when you got to the hospital?"

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[jin]

Jia automatically brought a hand to where Matthew had mentioned seeing a mark. Hospitals stamping their patients? He’d never heard about anything like that...and they definitely wouldn’t be doing it at a supposedly high end facility. But then again, why were there bots serving as the nursing staff? Unless...

He looked up at the blond and quietly shook his head, looking about ready to cry.

“It’s probably just a zit or something,” Jia said, continuing to rub the area. There was no bump, no oiliness, nothing that would even suggest that he had a pimple to large it would be mistaken for a stamp. In fact, his skin was perfect. Completely and utterly perfect.

“Y’know, if I didn’t know any better,” he added, forcing a laugh, his eyes starting to shine. “I’d think my parents were lying to me about the transfer.”

Not that he would be too surprised – his parents weren’t exactly the most honest people in Eishoff. Or the world. Possibly the universe.

[Matthew Williams]

Matthew could do nothing but feel sorry for the boy. Only wishing that there was something he could do for Jia. By the reaction's in the others eyes an voice, it was so blatantly clear that this was no program. This were genuine emotions. Shakily, the blond was starting to see his suspicions come to be revealed as, perhaps, the truth.

Not only that, he felt stupid for not believing all the other kids who had come to him previously. This was not a childish fantasy anymore; this was the truth and reality. How and who could subject anyone to this sort of life?

Carefully, Matthew reached out and put a steady hand on the others right shoulder. In all honesty, he didn't know what to say. The Canadian was speechless at the discovery. This must have been what Francis meant when he said 'special qualities'. He studied Jia for one more moment, wondering what, if anything, he could do for the other.

After a rather silent moment, he sat up from his chair and pulled the other into a one armed hug. "W-we'll find them okay? I'll help you figure this out." calmly, he suggested. He wanted to know why and how; he wasn't sure if anyone besides Francis would believe this story.

A hug, offer to help, and a place to stay. That was all Matthew was capable of right now. Slowly, he began to wonder what kind of parents would do this to their child.

[/blockquote]

[jin]

Tears spilled from Jia’s eyes onto Matthew sleeves as the boy tried his hardest not to sob. That was unseemly...not to mention completely embarrassing. He brought his own sleeve up to his face and attempted to rub away any evidence of crying, though it wasn’t very successful.

He knew his parents weren’t the best in the world, but he never thought they’d lie to their own son, especially on his supposed deathbed. Maybe they were lying about that to...maybe he wasn’t dying at all. And if he really was, then he was sure as hell that they were somehow involved with it. Somehow. He refused to put anything past them anymore.

“You don’t have to,” Jia said, shaking his head. “They probably don’t want me back anyway. A hundred eco-units says the think I’m supposed to be in some landfill in the Underground right now.”

What confused him the most was why his parents didn’t just let him die in the original hospital they took him to. After all, it would have been over sooner, and saved them the transport... Unless of course there was money involved. Maybe the second hospital was some kind of laboratory that needed guinea pigs or something... That would explain why he was feeling so weird.

Confusion was suddenly overtaken by worry – his older brother was away at college, but his sister... What if his parents were planning to do away with Mei next?

“...But d’you think we can maybe try and find my older sister? Her name’s Mei Wang. I dunno if she's still living with them or if she already graduated, but...”

[Matthew Williams]

Releasing the other from the hug, keeping a smile on his face. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to see this site; pulling at every single on of Matthew's heart-strings. There was no sense in frowning, if he did that, he would most likely make the situation worse. He grabbed the handkerchief out of his pocket and held it out to Jia. "Maybe so, but I wouldn't understand why they'd do that to someone as wonderful as yourself." Matthew tried to encourage the other. Seriously, the notion that anyone would do harm to their child was sickening. How could you just abandon your child like that?

It wasn't uncommon and that thought made the blonds stomach flip all over again.

Briefly, Matthew had looked away. Wondering if there was something he could do to comfort the other. His eyes rested on the white polar bear plush that was nestled under the covers and he smiled yet again. Though, he reached forward, blinked at Jia and his question.

"Of course, I'd be more than happy to help. Y-you said your parents were from around here, right? Maybe we could ask around and see if anyone has seen her." he nodded in affirmation before reaching forward yet again; pulling back the blankets and revealing Kumajiro underneath.

Hesitating at first, he pulled out the bear and offered it to Jia. "Here." There was no sense of mocking in his voice or anything. Kumajiro had absorbed far more tears and sorry than anything else he owned. And he thought it might offer Jia the same comfort it did to everyone else. "Though, I think you should rest for a little more."

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[jin]

“Nah, I’m not that great,” Jia shrugged, “I’m just the baby,” he emphasised this by poking his cheek, “No wonder they chose me first, right? I mean, at least the other two can actually do stuff.”

Tears continued to fall silently from his eyes, and despite his embarrassment, Jia did nothing to dry them. He thought back to the weeks before his unwelcome birthday present, wondering if there was anything he could have done to change the outcome. Maybe if he had been paying more attention, he might have noticed warning signs, alerting him to his parents’ true intentions. But it was too late to do anything about it now – whatever that ‘hospital’ did to him was already done.

He looked up curiously at the sight of a white paw in front of his face, blinking innocently at the stuffed polar bear Matthew was holding in front of him. It looked a little like his stuffed panda, Baobao...except it was missing its spots. Jia took the bear and stared at it for a bit before giving it a tight squeeze, burying his face into its soft fur. He missed Baobao...and he missed his brother and sister too...

“Thanks,” he sniffed, looking up from Kumajiro and wiping his eyes. “And yeah, I guess I should... The afternoon’s been kind of draining, right?”

He moved away from the thread of sunlight, already feeling his body getting slower and heavier. Jia flopped backwards onto the waiting pillows, still holding onto Kumajiro as his eyes slid shut. At least he was going to sleep willingly this time – it was one of the few aspects of his life that he still had control over...at least, that’s what he hoped. His grip on the bear grew lax as he fell deeper and deeper into sleep, his chest rising and falling with each unnecessary breath. To a bot, this was standby mode; to Jia, it was simply a much needed nap.

[Matthew Williams]

Matthew may have kept smiling as Jia continued to talk, but inwardly he was battling with his emotions on the subject. There was nothing wrong with being the youngest, it was something that one simply had no control over. Moreso, the blond always believed that it was the younger of the siblings who would garner the most attention from their parental units.

There had to be more reason behind all of this. Behind why they gave their son up like they did, right? It wasn't logical to just... No, he didn't want to think about it. When they found Jia's sister, maybe she could shine some light on the subject.

With a sigh, Matthew nodded to Jia, watching the poor boy fall into a sleep; bear nestled securely in his arms. The Canadian sat up and grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and placed it around him. Not knowing if it was really necessary or not and not really caring at the moment.

Standing straight, he rubbed the back of his neck; looking over the other and then away at the wall before grabbing his cellphone out of his pocket. "Unusual qualities, huh?" he murmured to himself. Should he call Francis and let him know? Maybe it would be more appropriate to wait for consent from Jia, he thought. Regardless of what anyone would tell him, Jia would still be considered human to him.

Placing the cellphone back into his pocket, Matthew sat back down in the chair from earlier; grabbing the book on the nightstand and starting to read with the dim lighting of the room.

"Sleep well."

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[jin]

Golden eyes blinked open hours later; the former spark of light present while Jia was conscious was now clouded over with the reserved blankness of a bot.

Jin sat up from the foreign bed, rubbing his head slowly as he looked around and took in his surroundings. He’d been out running errands in the Shopping District when he suddenly blacked out, most likely due to a sudden battery drain – he’d have to ask Yong Soo to look into that later. There was something he’d been looking at before it happened...though he couldn’t quite remember what it was. Either way, he definitely wasn’t in the Shopping District now, much less the Western Sector.

There was a plush bear resting next to him, its fur slightly matted and stained with an odd sort of liquid containing trace bits of sodium. He picked it up and studied its face, noting that it was similar to the pandas Arthur liked to buy for him, minus the spots. Jin placed it carefully back onto the bed and got up, wandering out the small space. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before – the décor was simple and rustic, no antique statues or priceless paintings in sight.

He spotted door, slightly ajar, and walked towards it, quietly peeking behind it to find the backside of a wavy haired blond, busy with something he couldn’t see. The bot blinked, briefly looking back to the room he walked out of before opening the door a little wider. He wondered if this was one of those ‘hostage situations’ Arthur had told him about. It was a lot less frantic than his owner had led him to believe though, and the atmosphere was almost relaxing. Steeling his nerve, Jin cleared his throat.

“Excuse me?” he asked, lingering in the doorway. “Um...could you tell me where I am? Please?”

[Matthew Williams]

It had been a few hours since Matthew had taken to reading, waiting for his guest to wake up. Though, reading may have been a term used lightly. Moreso, it was Matthew masking deep thought with his other hobby. There was just so much to take in and he wasn't sure what his next course of action would be. The blond was sure that whoever Jia belonged to would be looking for him and that could pose a possible problem. But, he couldn't just take him back the way he was. Why the bot had memories in the first place still baffled the Canadian; this was most certainly a first for him.

While not knowing much about bots, he did understand that they were supposed to be machines. Not... human.

With a sigh, Matthew placed the book down and slouched in the chair. What to do, what to do. These were things the blond never thought he'd get himself into. Then again, he never believed that he would be running a refuge or anything else for that matter. His previously un-eventful life; something that he had actually wasn't too keen on growing up suddenly seemd that much more pleasing.

"Excuse me?"

Matthew turned around, instantly straightening himself and smiled at the other. "J-Jia! Did you sleep well?" he asked brightly, about to stand out of his chair when he was asked the question. Jia seemed a bit off to him somehow, but Matthew rationalised it as him still groggy from the sleep. "Ah, this is my place; in the Eastern district, remember? I-I carried you here earlier?"

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