Golden Boy

## Meta

**Timing:** 1 Sep 2038, the day after Sean's 18th birthday

**Setting:** Central business district, Sydney

## Text

Okay, this's weird.

First, Sean gets pulled out of calculus (not that he minds much) and stuffed into a fancy car (that, he minds).

Then, he's 'escorted' into some posh harbourside office tower and—blast from the past—gets greeted by Doctors Lightcap, Langlie, and Donnelly.

Haven't seen them since kindergarten.

Now, he walks down the center of the unremarkable corridor, the doctors shepherding him, two muscle-y types in too-big suits that scream 'security' following them.

He's seen this movie a few times and it's not /**nearly** as cool in real life.

It's not like he can make a break for it, so he takes Logan's advice: keeps breathing, keeps watching, keeps memorizing the turns, keeps not panicking.

Donnelly opens the door to what seems to be a perfectly average conference room—

Someone already inside chuckles.

Sean smiles, slouches into a chair with a clear, short path to the door. "Didn't your mum teach you to keep your feet off the table?"

"She did," grins Yun, parked cross-legged dead-center on the tabletop, "but she's not here, so ...." Shrugs.

"What's up with the neckwear?"

"This?" Yun flaps the end of the pink-blue-green scarf looped around his neck. "It's a hint for them." Inclines his head toward the doctors.

Who stand frozen, rabbit-in-the-headlights style, in the open doorway.

Okay, that's /**really** weird.

Langlie finally gets her mouth in gear. "Who're—?"

"How'd you—?" interrupts Donnelly.

Lightcap just stares.

"How'd I get in here? I apparated, of course. Doctor Lightcap can tell you who I am." Yun serves up a grin.

Sean's insides try to sneak off.

It's plain /**wrong** such a skinny little goofball can look that evil.

Donnelly and Langlie turn to Lightcap.

Lightcap shuts her mouth with a click.

Yun rolls his eyes. "I have to introduce myself? That's kinda rude, Doctor."

Lightcap swallows. "You ... you're the Bud."

Yun scrunches his nose. "That's /**such** a crap nickname. You can call me Leung Teng Bao and I use he-him-his." To Sean: "That's an alias, Golden Boy."

Lightcap chokes.

"Oh. Riiiiiight. I'm not supposed to know that, ay?"

"Someone wanna tell me what's going on?" gripes Sean.

Yun leans back, bracing his elbows.

The doctors remain motionless in the doorway.

Sean looks to Yun. "I think you broke 'em."

"Yea, pretty fragile considering." Sighs. "They're about to ask you to kill yourself."

Sean chokes.

"/**No!**" squeals Lightcap.

"They want you to try and pilot a Jaeger solo, now that you're officially an adult." Yun leans closer, stage-whispers, "It'll kill you."

Sean blinks.

Donnelly and Langlie /**finally** fold into chairs. Lightcap gets the door, mouth tight, all three with skin nearly as pale as their lab coats.

"They think you /**might** survive because your bio-dad did. It's why they made you."

"/**Made?**" squeaks Sean.

The doctors continue gaping like smacked fish.

"Me and you are sorta experiments—"

Wha ...?

"To make better Rangers? But /**you're** their Golden Boy—that's your codename—the best human trial they ever pulled off. You're /**supposed** to be the perfect little Jaeger pilot. All those tests? Games? They were checking your brain, seeing if you were shaping up like bio-dad. 'parently, you're close enough. So—"

Okay, this's gone straight through weird into /**completely** crackers.

"—can I get a drink of water? I'm drying out explaining all of this."

Sean shakes his head slowly. "My bio-parents died—"

Yun grins, all teeth. "'Of Blue poisoning'. Brilliant, ay?" Eyes gleam. "It's the perfect excuse. Mums wouldn't suspect anything about all the checkups, might even encourage 'em." Springs to his feet—

The table doesn't even wiggle.

—tilts his head toward the door. "I'm bored. You wanna go for a walk? Maybe get a snack and some cokes?"

Sean scoots his chair back. "Yea, s-sure"

"You can't leave!" yelps Lightcap.

Yun rolls to a stop, toes perfectly even with the edge of the table. "Who's gonna stop us?"

"There's sec—"

"Sounds kinda quiet, ay?" And there's the evil grin again.

The doctors stare.

Lightcap [twitches] open the door.

Both Muscles sprawl, out cold, on the floor.

"You /really think I came here alone? I'm /**fourteen**. I still have a ten o'clock curfew!" Hops to the floor without a sound. "'sides, my family's pretty protective." Pushes through the doctors. "You coming or not?"

Sean shrugs, follows.

Fuck crackers. This is totally /**insane**.

Yun strolls down the corridor, hands in the pockets of his coat.

Sean slows his steps to keep pace.

Left, left, right, down the stairs—Yun slides down the handrail; Sean hustles to catch up—right, right, out a door onto a harbour-front plaza.

A quarter of the way across, a tall person in a long, brown coat falls into step with them.

"'ey, Logan," greets Yun. Quirks an eyebrow. "Is that Jack's /*Firefly* coat?" Blinks. "And what is this whole 'cane' thing going on?"

"I was worried about getting blood on my jacket. I /**just** had it cleaned—"

"Ah."

"—and the stick's insurance." Logan spins it through both hands, smirks— "Didn't need it." —tucks it back under his arm. "'ey, Sean."

"Hey," croaks Sean.

Yup, everything perfectly typical here ....

Another quarter of the plaza slides by.

Sean stops.

Logan stops.

Yun trips, flails—

Logan pulls him upright by the collar.

"Heh, thanks." Yun straightens his coat. "What's up, Sean?"

"What was that?" squeaks Sean, and then swallows.

"Me tripping?" Yun kinda laughs, rubs his neck. "My Shaolin monk is the best /**and** the worst."

Sean takes a deep breath. "The doctors, dumbass."

Yun and Logan exchange a Look.

"I think we should let Liu explain," says Yun.

Logan nods.

"Another non-answer." Sean nods. "Great."

"Sean—"

"Yun, I love you, but if you aren't going to make sense, shut up."

"Roger, roger!" Yun snaps a salute. "I'll get us those cokes." Fishes in his pocket, flashes a handful of paper. "Thanks for the cash, old man!" Turns—

"That's notebook paper," points out Sean.

Yun blinks, glares at Logan. "Oh, no fair! I /**totally** got you!"

"I totally /**let** you," smirks Logan, "and then I took it back."

Okay, /**this** is typical, at least.

Yun pouts.

"You need more practice, Junior." Offers a few bills.

Yun yanks them free, /*hmphs*, turns a cartwh—chokes on his scarf and goes down in a tangle.

Logan huffs, helps Yun to his feet.

"Duck," orders Yun.

Logan bows his head.

Yun wraps the scarf around his neck, adjusts the ends, beams. "Looks good."

Logan preens. "You're getting better at knitting, at least."

Yun sticks out his tongue, does a handstand, and hares off to the nearest food cart.

Logan starts walking again.

Sean forces himself to move.

A deep breath and Logan says, "You ever wonder why he and his mum visit every year?"

"What does that—" Sean shakes his head. "I thought because you and his mum are old friends."

"They visit because Button's my—" Swallows. "Part me."

Sean staggers—

Logan steadies him.

"[Part]— But you're—" Blinks. "You can't even watch movies with /**kissing** without squicking!"

Shrugs. "Lightcap and friends 'made' him." Shudders. "They kidnapped his mum from Sydney, took her to California—"

"I was born in—" Sean's language center locks up.

"[—]did something scientific I don't understand to her, got her pregnant." Voice drops to a growl. "They kept her locked up and drugged 'til Liu broke her out and brought her to China."

""That's why I'm a 'Wei'—""

Sean jumps.

"—and not a 'Jones'."

Logan [snares] Yun in a gentle headlock.

["Uncle!"]

Logan releases him. "As far as I know, you were 'made' the same way: Ranger DNA, a kidnapped and drugged mum. Never stopped watching you."

"Liu's been keeping an eye [on you], too, since he found out you exist," adds Yun, offers Sean a coke and a bag of crisps.

Sean accepts mechanically.

Fuck insane, this's ... what's crazier than insane?