Puppetry - P.JM. [ON-HOLD]

Eleven

I heard the sudden, little sound of electricity run through the body, the dark eyes snapping open to see the world once more.

The puppet searched its eyes around the room while laying down, finding the white room of the mechanics holding again. I saw its muscles flex as it got used to life, its eyes blinking. Its eyes were wide, innocent in a way. Its delicate fingers were folded over its stomach, the nails and skin seeming flawless. Underneath its left arm, I saw its waist slightly move, its diaphragm moving for a breath. It sucked in a slow, deep breath, its vine tattoo moving with it.

I watched with a blank expression, my eyes heavy from my tears that had fallen earlier. I was put into new jeans, ones still new to where they weren't drawn on yet, a long sleeved, black shirt covering my torso. My wet hair still sat on my head, though, feeling too exhausted to dry it and fix it.

Its eyes finally drifted over to me, it fixating itself on my face. It started at me for a moment, the both of us having no instant reaction of happiness or sadness or anger. We just . . . stared. I didn't think much of it. I don't think it did either.

"Your hydration level is low," it finally said, its left fingers slightly twitching towards my direction. "You should go get some water. Or I may go get you some water, if you would like."

I gave a quiet sigh, feeling some sort of uneasy, horrible feeling lift off of my shoulders, lungs, and stomach. It was weird, but it felt relieving in a way. The pressure of being safe and not facing anyone that knew my identity made me feel better. "I'm okay. I came by to take a look at you."

That was half the truth. Taehyung had tricked me over here slightly. He wanted to talk to me. Since that was over, my work was allowed to begin.

"Were you crying?" it asked, its eyebrows perked up. I saw a flash of worry come across its eyes. I was a bit taken back. Puppets were usually only caring for their masters, and if the masters had some sort of setting on the puppet, it would allow the puppet to care for that human as well. I wasn't sure if Taehyung had explored this option. If he didn't, I was already a bit shocked.

I opened my mouth for a second, collecting my words. I could feel my brain was slightly slow and foggy. Exhaustion was kicking in, wanting to take over my body. "I wasn't."

"Your respiration, heart rate, and hydration say otherwise."

I bit onto my lip, trying to shake off the puppet's words. I reached my hand up, sliding my beaten-up palm against the top of my head. Watching the puppet, it was like I could see a hint of Taehyung within it. The caring look, the pretty eyes, the soft voice. Everything screamed at me, saying, Taehyung. This is Taehyung.

"Shit," I murmured to myself, letting my hand fall down to my lap. I tried shaking off my thoughts, trying to forget about my delirious mind. I stared the puppet straight in the eyes, my expression falling to stern. I needed to regain myself. "Do you have any memory of who you came from? Any at all?"

The puppet stared at me for a second, thinking. I saw his fingers twiddle against his skin a bit. "I can't think of anyone. There's no memories in my head of before waking up yesterday."

I ran my hands up and down my thighs, feeling the material of my pants against my palms. I could sense the ink was nonexistent. It made me feel as if I wasn't myself. "I may have to go to a facility to find your code in the data base."

"Is there something wrong with me?" it said, sounding curious. "I sense no flaws within my internal functions. Is there something wrong with my external functions?"

I thought to myself for a moment, collecting on what was the best words on how to come across. My fingers danced across my pant legs, creating imaginary images to cover them. "Your model is unlike any other I have seen of or heard of. I need your creators to explain to me how you function. I don't even know if your enlightment within your body is in the same place as a generalized model."