>> OPEN LEE SUNGKI’S FILE …
:// AGE — 26 :// OCCUPATION — gladiator :// CLASS — elysium native
>> LOADING DEVELOPMENT …
:// MODIFICATIONS —
pain editor: this is designed as a bundle of specialized nerve tissue to filter stimuli, which is a learned reflex, used to inhibit the feeling of pain when in use. however, after a rough fight, the mechanics of this device were fried and damaged some of his other augmentations while putting sungki in agonizing, chronic pain. while it’s now been turned off, due to the lack of money to properly remove the entire device, he continues to suffer from tremendous pain requiring him to be constantly medicated on a tailored narcotic supplied by apollo and hebe.
retinal advancement: updated twice. the first set of enhancements is to see long distance and detail, the second allows him to see through most solid structures (so long as their width does not exceed half a foot) to detect silhouettes and shapes of things behind them.
muscle memory: this was originally added in order to enhance his training and performance in fights. however, it quickly backfired and his memories consist of vivid recollections instead, especially the brutality of the fights he participates in. the faultiness of this augmentation is what makes him one of hermes regular clients until he can get it removed.
better hearing: updated twice. the modifications allowed him to hear at greater distances and to detect certain frequencies and sounds such as heart palpitations. the latter works like echolocation in that it allows him to detect exactly where the user is and their positioning, should they be out of sight. this second augmentation was damaged when the pain editors got fried after a fight.
laced rib cage: bone-lacing is the augmentation of a normal bone’s cellular structure through reinforced metals such as aluminum to increase its tensile strength. it makes his rib cage harder to break therefore decreasing his chances for a serious injury, though those may still occur.
hydraulic legs: this lengthy procedure was slowly completed over a six month period through three main updates. the first was a replacement of his knees and then bone lacing of multiple bones in his legs with titanium technology. in addition to those, several tendons and muscles had to be replaced with synthetic material in order to be compatible with the modification. the purpose of these technologies was to make him unnaturally fast, resilient to injuries, and allow him to jump exceptionally high and across great lengths, if need be. this skeletal reconstruction handles great pressures and has tremendous strength. not only was this his most expensive augmentation but due to its invasive and extensive nature, it required him to take a three-month hiatus from the gladiator ring post-op in order to learn how to use his new legs to their full capacity.
trauma damper: he was coerced into getting this by ambrosia casino to prevent immediate death or trauma in the instance that a fight went horribly long, especially considering the nature of his career. it is designed as a cluster of specialized receptors in the brain that activate and supply concentrated endorphins to produce opiates and painkillers when the body is near death, or extremely fatigued. in the event that sungki experienced physical trauma, it kept him alive and conscious enough to receive medical attention. this was later damaged when his pain editor backfired.
reflexive wiring: a reflexive enhancement that works as implanted neural boosters or adrenaline producers in order to provide quick reactions to threats such as incoming objects.
robotic shoulders: made out of titanium metal, his shoulders have been replaced to be flexible enough that he can reach behind himself. they withstand great injuries and pressures, but require frequent adjustments to keep them in optimal shape.
synthetic tendons in arms: in order to enhance the efficiency of his former augmentation, his tendons were replaced with synthetic material to make them stronger, and resilient to damage in fights.
robotic hands: his metal implants were exchanged for a robotic skeleton in his hands to replace bones and some tissue. the titanium metal isn’t easily damaged and gives him the capacity to grip and crush things with ease.
subdermal metal knuckles: these were metal implants under the skin of his knuckles to enhance his punches and assist him in fights. he received these at age sixteen.
>> LOADING BIOGRAPHY …
1.
he finds his place in blood.
it’s a violating taste in his mouth, an unsavory sort of aggression that doesn’t suit his lanky stature. still, he reigns it — lets the blood dribble to his chin and stamp onto his palms. he’s emancipated himself from the world, and in parts, from himself at this moment.
in elysium people are shepherded into distinct groves of personalities, and sungki finds himself among the desperate and greedy in the underbelly of its criminal streets with jaws clenched and fingers curled into fists.
two boys twist on the ground, nails digging into flesh, yelping like dogs as they grapple among dirt with their fingers rupturing from their fists to find substance in something. they find hair, they find eyes, they draw out screams and grunts of frustration, yet they never yearn to surrender. in this setting they’ve found freedom in unsanctioned rage and bloody street fights, and in this night it’s the making of men and cutthroat gladiators.
home in elysium isn’t a steady constant, it’s whatever they can find, and sungki is adopted into a garage full of boys at 14; the sanctity of his new home unparalleled in blood and glory.
2.
he’s a mangled mess of bones and wires — of electrical creations thrumming beneath a vest of muscle, acting in the place of organs and tissue; resenting the life of blood and matter and their quick deterioration. he lays there as a shivering canvas, naked to his skin — to the human flesh and flaws concealing the array of devices from which he is remade. his ligaments aren’t held together by nature and its virtue, but the profane technologies of artificial conception. this is him: dignity-less. more manmade than man that he lacks the comprehension to feel some semblance of shame. he feels so entitled to power that he doesn’t understand resignation.
in his delirium, he finds the peeping reflection of his naked body not entirely real.
they found him like this, sweating, lips sealed tightly as his body shuddered, waves of pain rushing down his spine and prickling his toes. he couldn’t tell what was real — the various gears skewed into his body had failed him epically as he found himself on his knees, and then the floor of ambrosia’s ring. sungki doesn’t comprehend this pain as he’s been taught. it’s distinct, and blinding, and wholly unnatural, and yet its persistence and his own haggard breaths give him something to look forward to.
a cold feeling spills across his crown as he’s finally put out of his misery. in the blankness he sees mechanics, the grinding presence of disrupted gears faltering and stopping. he realizes he’s looking at himself; rusted and breaking apart, yet alive. death isn’t allowed to boys like him.
it takes a mammoth of strength to deter him from this place of weakness. those memories chase him afterward when the pain of his failing augmentations are medicated with drugs. he’s been doing this cycle for years, and between the gladiator ring and his spot on an operating table, he’s the classic tale of downfall that’s never portrayed in public heroism yet thrives in the scenes shortly after where the cheers dissipate.
3.
i. the first take is like this: a street littered of garbage, voices in the distance, and a boy curled along a ledge. he’s thirteen, and he only knows hunger and fury.
there is no purchase in routine.
his mind is a vessel of desperation, he finds. cluttered thoughts paired with aching desires to flourish into something rewarding, something beyond humanity, beyond divinity. he won’t exist like this: a starving street rat. sungki sees himself in a godly vision, and it’s not that he’s narcissistic, but there’s an absolution in strength to strive for — to reach and greedily obtain entirely for himself; forgiveness for being born in this frenzy.
ii. the second take is like this: the essence of humanity exists in unsanctioned glory. the way in which he — like other mortals — burns hard and fast in a lonely moment of time. their existences are measured as a short spark across greater life, and yet he is somewhat humanless to it. the realization passes him by — that he’s a part of it too.
as his head rolls towards a red fan against the edge of the venetian couch, his robe parts and clings to his sweaty skin. a baggy of pills rest nearby and his cheeks flush, full of life. peace, as of late, needs to be bought.
sungki lays there in the stillness, the world hovering in a beat that stretches like the distant pulse of his heart. it’s gotten quieter now, faint, and his reality is flooded, colors and sounds all underwater. this new narcotic is tailored just for him, numbing his world until feeling slows to a crawl; intensity withered away until life thrums dully.
there is no purchase in routine: he can’t keep doing this either.
his fingers curl loosely in the absence, and he knows if he were to bite into his flesh hard enough that he’d still bleed. in the end, he remains running red, all too real.
