Victor's eyes went wide. He pointed at his chest and asked, "Me? You- you're not going to kill me?"
"Jesus Victor, that's what I just said!" Graham exclaimed, performing that facepalm he had been itching to do this whole time.
"Right", Victor chuckled, scratching the back of his when he suddenly thought about something. "Wait, how do you know my name?"
"Long story."
...
That was how a man, a boy actually, a white-haired black boy to be exact, and a cat, a black cat who was slowly growing green stripes on his body, began walking, leaving the scene of a toppled mountain with a large hole on the ground with charred grass behind.
They walked and walked, man and cat together. A cat step and a man step, one step at a time. One foot down then the next following not long after.
It was really peaceful until-
"So, um ... black kitty, where are we going?" Victor asked unsure of where they were heading and why he was following the cat still.
"And there goes an interesting train of thought, you're a walking thinking train bummer!" Graham complained almost immediately.
Not getting an actual answer Victor tried to ask again, "I just want to know where we are head-"
"-Can't you just shut the fuck up kiddo?" Graham interrupted, expressing his sincere dissatisfaction. "Also, you can call me 'Graham'."
...
An entire hour later, the duo, Victor and Graham, arrived in front of a large clearing deep within the forest, about sixty kilometres from their original position.
Walking forward, Graham stood in the middle of the clearing and Victor followed suit.
A few seconds later, they were still rooted in place, standing in the middle of the clearing with nothing happening.
Victor's eyes were already darting around indicating that he was about to ask Graham a question.
But as if he already knew what was about to happen, Graham raised his hand to his lips giving Victor a sign to keep quiet.
'Shhhh'
Victor decided to obey the instructions given, but a few moments later, he was still standing there together with Graham.
He couldn't take it anymore and opened his mouth.
But what came out wasn't a question or a complaint or a curse. No, it was a-
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The ground beneath them had opened up and they were currently falling down what seemed like a tunnel with peculiar winding paths.
It was like some kind of maze.
Victor couldn't keep track of how long they had been going or how many holes they had entered and come out from, but eventually, their ride had come to an end.
"THUD"
Victor fell out from one of the many holes above as he landed on his butt. Beside him was Graham who had a large grin on his face.
Dusting his butt off the ground, Victor took a good look at their current environment and suddenly looked at Graham fearfully.
They were in what could only be described as a high-tech futuristic science lab filled with things Victor had never set his eyes on before.
The lab could also be described as a cluttered workspace- a messy, dimly lit room filled with various gadgets, tools, and experiments in progress.
There were a couple of workbenches covered with an assortment of equipment, including microscopes, oscilloscopes, and other scientific instruments.
The lab featured shelves and storage units filled with strange devices, spare parts, and mysterious containers.
There were various small doors everywhere. Some labelled, others unlabelled. Like the series of black doors under the white door labelled robotics.
There was a rather luxurious showcase by the side of an old-looking, outdated computer. In it was a weird-looking gun that was big but could still be handled single-handedly.
Finally, there was also a large garage door in such a place that you'd have to assume that that door was the main entrance.
There were multiple exposed cables and wires scattered throughout the lab, adding to the cluttered and chaotic atmosphere.
Which, when coupled with the gibberish, handwritten notes, equations, and diagrams scribbled on the walls and workbenches of the lab, would make one associate this place with a mad scientist.
"Be careful not to touch anything you feel the urge to touch ... not everything is as it seems." Victor heard Graham's voice warn behind him.
But when he turned around to face Graham and maybe give his response, he felt his strength leave his body and his eyes darkened as his body slumped to the floor.
Walking up to Victor's body on the lab floor, Graham puffed a smoke as he removed the sedation round AKA tranquilliser bullet he had shot from Victor's neck.
"That wasn't me about to leave my entire life in your weak rust body." He muttered as he pressed a couple of tiles on the ground, and from underneath, a surgical bed rose, carrying Victor on it.
Snapping his humanoid furry cat fingers, a fitting lab coat that almost slept the floor instantly covered Graham together with a pair of surgical gloves, goggles and other surgical equipment.
He drew one large puff of smoke before spitting the cigarette in his mouth away and got to work.
...
The day had started to brighten up as the sun rose, declaring the end of the previous night.
The night was meant for sleeping, but it would seem like it was the opposite for a particular group of people who were gathered around a particular mountain within the forest where a particular white-haired black boy wanted to commit suicide at the edge of Suicide City.
The group gathered here were suited up in medical-looking garments.
A large saucer-like technological-looking device floated above the mountain. Rays of blue light shone from it, scanning the mountain inch by inch.
A man sporting dark brown hair clad in an azure-coloured suit stood in front of the mountain with four bodyguards clad in dark, tight-fitted bodysuits positioned on his left and right.
The officials suited in medical garments kept moving to and fro. They seemed to be investigating the weird phenomenon of the mountain being halved in one night.
One of the people suited in a medical garment with a spectacle on his face walked towards the man in an azure-coloured suit.
"Apart from the point of impact, nothing else can be found here. This is a waste of time," He reported in a low voice.
"You're telling me that nothing can be found here after the large energy surge detected in this area yesterday?... That's impossible!" The man in the azure-coloured suit spat.
"It may seem impossible, but that is the current situation," The medical man replied, "No form of energy whatsoever can be found here since we've been searching for an entire night," he added.
The man in an azure-coloured suit had a look of contemplation as he walked forward slowly, "Lockdown this forest and do a clean sweep of the entire surrounding!" He commanded, "No one is allowed to come in or go out of this forest! Anyone found within this vicinity must be brought in for questioning!"
Immediately after he finished giving out this set of instructions, the four guards behind dashed off in separate directions, heading deep into the forest.
"I need every ounce of resource and power I can lay my hands on right now!" The man in an azure-coloured suit muttered with a solemn face as he placed his hands behind his back, interlocking his fingers.
The medical man behind shook his head and sighed after hearing his last statement.