Eureka should have failed. It was a bold idea in a fiercely competitive and inherently expensive industry, heavily reliant on large capital investment and strong connections with tremendous risks involved at every step. For a robot to be truly successful required it to be more financially sensible for a corporation than a human being. Anything less was simply a gimmick or a novelty with no real economic future. 

Maddie Lacroix was not the first person who attempted to bring robotic software into nursing homes, however she was probably the most dedicated and experienced in that field. 

Lots of people worked in senior care, who frankly were not equipped for it. Many elderly people required constant attention, and some suffered from debilitating illnesses that needed frequent medical treatment. Ideally the people placed in charge of their care would be well versed in psychology, medicine, and home-keeping with strong personal skills. Unfortunately such people would typically be attracted to loftier aspirations that paid better. Elderly people needed long-term relationships with their caretakers, who could learn their habits and needs.

These are the people who will make the world a better place. Maddie thought as she glanced around the private dining room she had reserved in Delphi’s Tavern. Many staff members had arrived early, and took the opportunity to chat with one another. For most outside the Assembly Team this was the first time they had ever met in person. 

It was hard to fathom that had things gone slightly differently in the past two weeks, this would not have been possible. Instead of a triumphant celebration to a bright future for Eureka, Maddie would have taken this time to reconcile her losses and return home in defeat. 

With all her heart she was grateful to every employee at Eureka. Without their hard work or dedication as a collective team, everything would have collapsed. However there was a particular employee who above all else had saved the company alongside her. It was not a matter of whether or not an employee would have been willing to help her finish weeks worth of work in a matter of hours. Rather if someone else could have accomplished such a feat. 

I hope he gets here soon. It would be nice to express my gratitude before dinner begins, everybody wants to meet him. Maddie thought. Eren is the reason everybody in this room still has their job after all. 

He deserves more appreciation than I can possibly give. 

Eren took a step back from the mirror and exhaled slowly. The reflection he saw seemed almost alien compared to the man he was just two months ago. A handsome, dark-haired man with an athletic build dressed well in a vest and blazer. His long hair was drawn back into its usual bun with a few loose strands exposed at the front above his forehead. Until the gigantic woman stepped into view in the mirror behind him, Eren appeared completely normal. Human. Not a tiny, insignificant vermin or leech on society. But a real person. 

Ultimately he decided to go to the Eureka celebration, and introduce himself to all of his coworkers who now spoke of him with nothing less than admiration after Maddie shared his accomplishments and credentials. They would learn who he truly was. The person who saved the company from disaster was a speck. 

Should I have come up with some kind of speech? Something to say when they find out? He thought anxiously as Jisoo made her last minute preparations. No. I don’t even know how they’ll react to begin with. 

What would happen when he first entered that room? What would they all say when they saw him? Would there be stunned silence and disbelief? What would happen afterwards? Or would there be anger? 

Not once had he considered that he would receive the most hopeful outcome. Acceptance. Gratitude. It just didn’t seem possible that even a single person would look at him, smile and raise a glass in celebration. 

How will Maddie react? He rubbed his temple and felt his legs become shaky. That had been at the forefront of his mind all week. How would she react once she discovered he was a speck? She of all people. Damn. There’s that feeling from before. That same fear I got when those two assholes at Delphi’s confronted us and I-!

“Hey.” A soft, nurturing voice boomed from behind him. Eren opened his eyes and noticed that Jisoo had lowered her chin to the table, her face full of concern. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” She proclaimed. 

Her voice was calm, yet firm. Eren believed every word she said, and felt safe with the knowledge that as long as she looked out for him, everything would work out in the end. He grasped her finger and leaned against it for support. 

She’s so strong. Just once in my life I need to be strong too, and see this through. 

Expertly he climbed into her palm, and was placed deftly on her shoulder. Her modified dress had handholds built into the straps for his safety, which prevented him from being flung off when she walked. Despite that he still clung to a few strands of her hair. For some reason that made Eren feel more secure. 

Kovit had the car ready for them when they made it to the lobby outside. He complimented both Jisoo’s and Eren’s elegant appearance as they stepped inside. The car began to move, and it hit Eren that this was really happening.

“What do you think they’ll say?” He asked after a long period of tense silence passed. 

She was quiet for a few moments as she considered a response. “I don’t know. Madeleine seems like a good person. She wants to help elderly people, which is a noble goal few people her age set their mind to.” Jisoo reasoned. “And of course, everybody in the company knows the good you have done. Prejudice against specks aside, that cannot be disputed.” 

Sound logic. I don’t disagree with anything she says, but I can tell she has her doubts too. When it comes to hatred of another group of people, sensibility isn’t really a factor. He sighed. All this thinking is pointless. I won’t know until we actually get there.

“Eren.” Jisoo suddenly blurted, as if she was lost in her own thoughts. Slightly startled he wobbled on her shoulder and tugged on her rope-like hair instinctively.

For almost a full minute after she spoke Jisoo said nothing, almost as if she regretted even speaking in the first place. Finally she forced the words to come out. 

“What would you do… if you were in Madeleine’s position?” She asked slowly, each word meticulously chosen. “If someone you thought you knew well turned out to be very different, and revealed themselves, how would you react?” Jisoo inquired. 

It was a rather unusual question, but fit the conversation. 

Eren pondered it carefully. “It depends on the circumstances. In this case, if I was Madeleine I would not be upset that my employee was a speck, or that they lied to me. But maybe if I would be bothered with the knowledge they didn’t trust me enough to share the truth from the beginning.” He remarked. 

Jisoo listened and contemplated what he had said. She seemed very distant, her mind clearly elsewhere as she considered the reply. “I see.” Her response came from somewhere far away. 

The trip to Delphi’s took less time than Eren remembered. Before he knew it the brightly colored sign out front was in view, as was the packed parking lot. Many of the cars had plates from other states in New England, most likely the Eureka team who had driven all this way. This was his last chance to back out.

Ironic that coming here has been the hardest part of my career with the company so far. And it’s supposed to be a chance for us to all relax.

“Let’s head in. I hope we aren’t late or anything.” Eren mused. The invite had specified sometime around seven o’clock, but he surmised a few people would come in either earlier than that to get settled.

Jisoo stepped out of the car and bid Kovit a quick farewell. Some of her hair hung in front of Eren like a dark curtain, which hid him from view to a casual observer. Distantly fireworks to celebrate the New Years illuminated the starry sky, dulled by the ruckus from the many patrons inside the tavern. 

The pleasant aroma from Delphi’s kitchen wafted into the lobby, from cooked meats and freshly baked bread intermingled with smoke from lit torches. A different hostess than the last time he and Jisoo went to the restaurant attended to new customers, and was quick to point them in the right direction. Ironically it was the same room Jisoo had once reserved for them weeks ago that Maddie had used. 

Not much had changed in the tavern so Jisoo could navigate just fine, although it was very busy so she had to push past several people. Few if anybody in the crowd noticed a speck on shoulder amidst all the fun to be had, but Eren was too anxious to really care. 

I recognize that laugh.

Somehow despite all the people crammed into the restaurant, Maddie’s laughter was still clearly audible. An infectious, melodious sound that normally put him at ease now came from an adjacent room as opposed to his computer screen. 

He heard other things as well familiar to him. The voices of a few other coworkers he had spoken with before all sounded so… thunderous. From the comfort of his own devices it was easy to forget each person he worked with was many times his own size. 

Jisoo gingerly brushed past the narrow curtain that led into the private dining room. Around a dozen or so people were inside, and many of the tables and chairs had been reorganized in order to accommodate the crowd. From his vantage point Eren recognized a few people by name, one of whom noticed the newcomer enter the room and approached with a broad smile. 

He extended his hand towards Jisoo and introduced himself. “Hello hello, so glad you could make it tonight.” Eren quickly recognized the man as Desmond Lewis, one of the Assembly Team employees who had been with Eureka since its inception. 

“Hi, so happy to meet you! I’m Tae.” Jisoo replied with a smile of her own and shook Demond’s hand. The portly young man did not notice the speck hidden behind her hair, neither did any of the other people nearby who overheard the introduction.

Immediately she took a small step back as a few people who had been chatting nearby took notice and went over to greet her. 

“Oh wow so you’re Tae?!”

“We’ve heard so much about you from Eren!”

“Would you like a drink or are you driving?”

“Is Eren outside? We have to meet him!” 

It was a little overwhelming for Jisoo at first, who became noticeably uncomfortable when she was practically surrounded on all sides by very friendly, if not a little too eager party-goers. Subconsciously she swept her hair to the side to keep Eren completely hidden, at least for now. 

Once she regained her composure, Jisoo maneuvered into the center of the room away from the congested entryway to make some space for herself. Behind her, a young woman with long curly red hair and fair skin stood up from the other side of the room. As usual a wide, toothy smile was plastered over her face. Jisoo turned and immediately recognized Maddie by description alone, and felt Eren tense up on her shoulder slightly. 

Nevertheless the two women were quick to shake hands and introduce themselves. As the two women spoke, the rest of the crowd around Jisoo gradually dispersed as the boss of the company formally greeted the newest arrival. Some small side conversations continued, albeit much quieter out of respect. Eren noticed that a lot of attention was still on Jisoo, the stranger in the room for most people who had only heard of her by name. 

“It’s awesome to finally meet you!” Maddie beamed with a small bow. “Eren talks about you a lot, I’m delighted to put a face to the name.” She peeked over Jisoo’s shoulder, her eyes flicking over his position obliviously. “Speaking of which, where is Eren? Is he still outside finding parking?”

Jisoo's smile faded slightly. “No. He’s… actually inside right now.” She said with an anxious laugh. A shiver went down her back, and she couldn’t help but wring her hands together. Eren felt it as well, and felt moisture develop on his forehead in trepidation.

“Oh! Well if he’s lost somewhere then why don’t we go get him? This place is kind of a maze.” Maddie replied and turned around to pick up her purse from a nearby chair. Jisoo raised a hand to stop her or anybody else from leaving to go find him and continued.

Eren could sense how tense she was, and felt her pulse race with each second that ticked by. This was almost as hard for her as it was for him. 

“That won’t be necessary. I already brought him here with me.”

The anticipation that had built up in the room slowly faded away into befuddlement from the various patrons. Maddie’s expression, while still elated was now clearly confused as well. 

She scratched her head. “You mean… I… don’t get it.” 

“He’s right here.” Jisoo said and took a long, deep breath as she flipped her hair to the side over her shoulder to expose the speck perched on the straps of her dress. Carefully she unhooked Eren from the fabric and held him in the palm of her hand in front of her for all the room to see. “Right here.” She repeated to the now completely silent room. 

Eren felt their eyes bore into his soul like a performer on a stage, or a criminal before a jury. His face burned bright red, but he forced himself to look up at an angle into Maddie’s wide eyes, who stood rigid like a statue. 

“Eren…” Someone finally managed to find the courage to speak amidst the sea of shocked expressions and dropped jaws. “…is a speck?”

Suddenly as if she had been slapped awake, Maddie staggered backwards several feet until she bumped into a table. Dumbly her fingers gripped wherever they could find purchase, the dexterity in her legs ripped away and for a moment Eren worried that she might faint. Instead she stumbled into a booth and crumpled into it. Not once did her eyes stray away from his tiny body.

Eren inhaled sharply and forced himself to stand up straight. He tore his gaze away from Maddie’s empty eyes and glanced around the room at his coworkers. 

It was hard to gauge their reactions amidst the rush of adrenaline that coursed through his veins. Some looked simply shocked, in utter disbelief of the revelation. Others averted their eyes as he glared around the room, unable to meet his gaze and hid their faces from view. Thankfully he thought to himself, none had the murderous intent he had feared above all.

One woman, Giulia, a mechanical engineer from the Systems Department spoke up when his gaze settled on her. “I-I this a joke?” She stammered and looked up at Jisoo, who remained stoic. “A New Year's Prank?”

“Are you really Eren?” Maddie’s soft voice finally broke the tension in the room and snapped him out of his thoughts. Her question was simple, and her voice distressingly calm despite how mortified she had seemed just a few moments ago. 

For several tense seconds silence encapsulated the room yet again. Until finally Eren spoke for the first time. His voice was equally calm. 

“Yes. I am.”

Maddie’s limbs felt numb and weightless. The only thing she could feel was the pit in her stomach which grew by the second as she stared blankly at the scene in front of her. Everything around her seemed to fade away, her fingers trembled uncontrollably. As if in a dreamlike trance Maddie stood and approached the diminutive man in front of her. He had to crane his neck upwards to meet her gaze, but said nothing as she got closer. 

This isn’t a dream…

How much of her company’s technology was of his design? As the primary contributor to Franklin’s power system, it was most likely that the entire electric grid and efficiency protocols of the robot were entirely custom designed by Eren. And that didn’t include everything he had done early on Christmas Day. A speck was responsible for the lion’s share of her life’s work.

…it’s a nightmare.

Jisoo took a careful step back as Maddie’s face suddenly contorted with rage. She finally found her voice and used it to let out a deafening shriek that cut through the festive music, fireworks and conversation in the background of the restaurant. It was less a scream of anger as opposed to a visceral release of all the raw emotions she couldn’t find any other way to express. Rage. Despair. Confusion. Hatred.

“You fucking bastard!” Maddie screamed hysterically and dropped to her knees as tears streamed down her face. “You ruined me! You’ve fucking ruined everything!” She cried and pounded her fist against the floor in frustration. 

Eren watched her outcry with a surprisingly reserved expression. He made no display of fear, or pain by what she said. Only quiet acceptance. This was the reality of his existence, regardless of what he did or how well he did it. Somehow he had convinced himself otherwise.

Meanwhile, Maddie continued to babble helplessly to herself as some employees nearby hurried to come to her aid. “We have to erase it. Redo everything he touched and start over.” She muttered tearfully to Giulia, who knelt down to lend her support. 

“Why?” Eren finally asked and spoke out for the first time since the reveal. His voice was calm in stark contrast to Maddie, who wept uncontrollably. Several people who had come to comfort Maddie shot him dirty looks in response. He felt Jisoo shift her weight slightly, but ignored the possible dangers of the situation. 

One exception was Desmond, who until now had held his tongue and not shown open animosity towards him. 

He took a hesitant step forward. “Hey, maybe we should all calm down-.”

“You want me to be calm right now?!” Maddie snapped at him. Her face burned bright red in anger, eyes bloodshot from sobbing. “Do you have any fucking idea what this means? We have to restart everything he did. Every damn thing he did has to be replaced and redesigned.” She shouted at Desmond.

“Why?” Eren asked once more, louder this time to be heard over the shouting. Maddie turned her gaze towards him and away from Desmond, her eyes now full of unfettered disgust and hatred. 

There’s that look again. Eren thought as he felt Maddie stare into his soul. That… repulsion. The same way people look at vermin in the gutter. 

He glanced around the room and observed similar, revolted glares from around the room. 

Is this what mom and dad saw before they died? All these disgusted faces? Eren returned his attention to Maddie. Why did I trick myself into thinking you would be any different? I keep making the same mistake over and over again. Isn’t that the definition of insanity? So am I insane or just foolish? 

To come here and hope to be welcomed… I’m probably both.

“Get out.” Maddie hissed at him. “Leave… I never want to see you again.”

“Not until you answer my question.” Eren replied smoothly. The redhead’s eye twitched at his defiance. “Why do you need to restart everything?”

“Fuck you.”

“My work was exemplary. You said it yourself. Is there anybody in this room who could have done the work I did? Nobody else in Eureka is a qualified electrical specialist or engineer.” Eren said and ignored her. He looked back at the crowd of his coworkers. “Hell, I’m one of the only people here who graduated from a top five university.” He proclaimed.

That comment incensed one of the people near Maddie, who stepped towards him. “Why you worthless piece of shit-!” He growled.

Before he could come near Eren, Desmond put himself between the man and Jisoo. “Hey! Let’s all calm down.” As the two men bickered, Eren continued.

“If I was a normal person who walked in here, you would have showered me with praise. But now that you’ve found out I’m a speck, suddenly that same work that saved this company is suspect and has to be redone.” Eren said, pointedly. “Maddie, you’re an exceptionally smart person. You also genuinely care about people. Surely you see something wrong with that.” He reasoned. 

The redhead forced herself to stand up. “I said. Get. Out.” She demanded, her fists clenched tightly and her lower lip trembled. 

Eren refused to back down. “Of all people, I thought you would be different.”

“I said fuck off!” Maddie shrieked and lunged forward before Desmond could react. Her arm swung out wildly like a flail towards him, her eyes wide with murderous intent. Eren felt a rush of wind like a tornado, but refused to cower away like he always had. He would not give her the satisfaction of being afraid.

Before her hand reached Eren, Maddie felt an extraordinarily powerful force ram into her abdomen with the force of a freight train. The air was knocked out of her lungs and she catapulted backwards into a few people who cushioned her collision. She gasped desperately for oxygen and her arms flew to her stomach where she felt an immense pain below her rib cage.  

“You’re pathetic.” Jisoo scoffed angrily. She cracked the knuckles in the hand she had used to punch Maddie across the room into several other people like they were bowling pins. “All of you should be ashamed of yourselves. After everything Eren did for this company-!”

“Jisoo. It’s alright.” Eren cut in before the terrifying woman could press forward, where Maddie was on the ground helpless. She looked up with blurry eyes to see the taller woman looming over her and the rest of the staff who had been knocked down.

In an instant the anger in Maddie’s face dissipated and was replaced with fear as she looked into the malicious eyes of Jisoo who appeared ready to strike her again if Eren had not interrupted.

“Let’s just go home.” Eren requested quietly. “Good luck with everything Maddie.” He said as the woman carrying him spun on her heel and walked towards the door. 

“I hope Eureka does well.” 

That went about as well as I expected. Jisoo thought regretfully on the ride home. The streets were fairly busy with party-goers out to celebrate the New Year, which slowed down their commute. 

She had surmised that Madeleine would react with outright hostility once she learned the truth. Few people saw specks as human. Those that did made it clear. If Madeleine was one of those people then on the job application she would have welcomed them with open arms. Omission and acceptance were not congruent with one another after all, the first step towards equality was acknowledgement of the issue. 

If Madeleine could not even fathom that a speck could have applied to work for her, then odds were she did not view them as people worth consideration in the first place. That was the unfortunate reality of the world. When in doubt, one could trust the fundamental wretched nature of humanity to be consistently awful and wicked. 

Jisoo knew she could have protested Eren’s decision to reveal himself to Madeleine and the rest of Eureka. He would have listened, she was sure of it. And yet she had consciously made the choice to facilitate everything from his initial employment to tonight. 

I’m sorry you had to go through this Eren. But you needed to see what people are like even when confronted by that which is contrary to their own biases. You needed to see that no matter what you do, or how remarkable you are, you will never be seen as anything more than scum in this country. She mused. After tonight… you should have no qualms about coming home with me and leaving all this behind. 

Perhaps it was selfish. But frankly Jisoo didn’t really care if it was for the greater good. Overseas Eren could go on a nice walk outside without fear that somebody would step on him, either out of ignorance or malice. He could find a better job that paid him his worth, with management that treated him like a human. The more she thought about it, the more selfish it seemed to not return home. 

All that’s left now is to tidy up my business with Thomas Evans and we can leave. I am not as strong as I was before, but he is no longer a threat to me. She frowned. Although… Grace seems to have her own plans for him. 

It should not have surprised Grace so much when she learned that Thomas thrashed Jisoo in their first encounter. Her cousin had spent the better part of a year cooped up in her apartment either drunk or in tears in the aftermath of Busan. Fortunately her mental state seemed to have improved significantly. Now she acted more like the woman Grace remembered than when she had first come to visit. 

Eren is probably the reason Jisoo has returned to her old self. Grace thought and ran her fingers through Xiangling’s hair idly. The two women cuddled beneath the velvety covers of her hotel bedroom, with the shorter woman fast asleep pressed against Grace’s bosom. When they first met, I’m sure she just wanted to do the right thing and save an innocent man. But then they connected. He saw a lonely protective guardian in her, and she saw a neglected but brilliant soul in him.

Jisoo had partners in the past, after she ascended and went rather wild with her newfound power. All of the men in her life had simply been objects to her, who existed solely for pleasure. When she grew tired of their affections Jisoo discarded them. However, Eren was different. The way they looked at each other… the way they talked and laughed together was the most pure expression of love she could possibly imagine outside of a fairytale. 

She stifled a laugh.

Underneath the covers shrouded in complete darkness, Grace could feel Claire’s tongue between the wrinkles of her sole. The tribulations of her pet could be rather ticklish from time to time. Her time spent in her bodyguard’s clutches had broken the little thing. Now she obeyed commands without the slightest hint of rebellion. Any semblance of free will had been utterly crushed beneath Xiangling’s heel.

Although frankly she was such a bore now. That spark of resistance that distinguished her toys from one another was what kept them interesting. Once a person was robbed of their willpower, all that was left was an empty shell. A husk. A drone that obeyed orders mindlessly, so what difference did it make who they were before if their actions were identical?

Claire had been too easy to break. She was a privileged, soft and malleable creature who had never faced adversity in her life. Everything she had ever wanted came too easily. She lacked conviction or purpose beyond self-gratification. 

Nothing like her ex-boyfriend. 

Grace had high hopes for him. Never in her life had she seen such unadulterated vitriol in the eyes of another person. Passion burned in his heart like an inferno. To see those eyes alight with anguish as she ripped his willpower away, was all she had dreamt of since he first made the grievous mistake of crossing her. 

He can hide as much as he wants. She thought and squeezed her toes around Claire's body possessively. It won’t change a thing.