As Brandon uttered those words, he gently nudged Sienna aside, cautioning, "Stay away from me," and promptly distanced himself.
Sienna, displeased, rose to her feet, pointing at the seemingly fragile yet attractive man, expressing her disbelief with irritated disdain, "I'll fetch Professor Jason Marks for you!"
Then came a beeping sound.
Sienna inquired, "What is that sound?" as she stepped around, curiously searching for its source.
It was Brandon's wristband, which was now flashing warning signals with changing colors.
In a feigned annoyed tone, Brandon hastily buried his left hand under him, urging, "No time to waste...?"
Without further hesitation, Sienna walked away. Having just exited the lab, she was met by Mr. Brown, audibly panting. "Sorry, the elevator is out of order; I climbed... Holy Molly, what happened to Brandon?"
"He needs Professor Jason Marks. You stay here and make sure he doesn't kill himself, and I will go..." Sienna began, only to see Professor Jason Marks already approaching them. Both she and Mr. Brown were taken aback.
Professor Jason nodded briefly at them and entered the lab directly.
Upon witnessing Brandon's struggle, he turned around and addressed them seriously, "Stay by the door, and make sure no one enters."
"Professor..." Sienna began to ask something, but Professor Jason abruptly shut the door in her face, closed the blind, and obstructed their view inside.
Stunned for a moment, Mr. Brown turned to Sienna and remarked, "Since when did Professor Jason become a doctor?"
"Not sure," Sienna mumbled, her gaze fixed on the cold wall in front of her.
-
Inside the lab, Professor Jason opened a small rectangular wooden case he had brought with him, retrieving two distinct small crystal screwdrivers. With precision, he began working on Brandon's wrist, the tips of the tools meticulously screwing and adjusting the band. The persistent beeping sound ceased, and gradually, Brandon returned to a normal state.
Opening his eyes, Brandon looked at Jason, who wore a deep frown of concentration.
"What is it?" Brandon asked, his voice noticeably imbued with more strength.
Jason lifted Brandon's left wrist and replied, "You only have 90% battery left." Brandon urgently glanced at the figure, stunned.
"What did you do?" Jason inquired. He compared the data with the old file saved in the program he had set for Brandon, and the data displayed a very different fluctuation, completely unfamiliar to him.
"Nothing!" Brandon slightly exclaimed, "I was just working on the robot when..." The door swung open, and Sienna flung herself into him. Suddenly, he felt her warm lips over his...
He blushed abruptly, swallowing awkwardly. Jason caught Brandon's subtle move, glancing towards the door behind which Sienna and Shane Brown were waiting. He seemed to understand something.
"Was that Sienna Quinn you told me about? The one that released your power stream?" Jason raised his eyebrows, his gaze fixed on Brandon, who remained on the floor with his upper body slightly lifted, and nodded.
"I understand," Jason exhaled a long, knowing sigh, giving Brandon a playful look. In a mentor-like tone, he continued, "Brandon, I understand that you're young and in need of something, but... if it's going to jeopardize your life, it's crucial to learn how to control your desires."
Brandon blushed even more, unaware that he was perceived that way. Feeling misunderstood, he defended himself, saying, "What desires? I did nothing with her. It was an accident."
"Aha?" Jason sounded even more fascinated. "An accident of kissing?"
"How did you..." Brandon began to respond when, through the digital embedded wristband, he saw his own reflection - there was a touch of lipstick at the top of his upper lip.
Jason extended his hand to assist Brandon in getting up from the floor, gave him a brief yet comprehensive check, and sighed with a mixture of satisfaction and compassion. "Well, you're fine now, but evidently, each time you have a close physical connection with the girl, you experience this power stream attack on her and on yourself. She gets an electronic shock, and you lose battery, namely, your lifespan."
Jason said as he typed Sienna Quinn into the program. Observing Brandon deep in contemplation, Jason added, "But it's not too bad because you only have a problem with Sienna, right? Not with anyone else. You don't have to be a monk forever, I mean. There are millions of girls out there."
Brandon nodded briefly, his mind still occupied with the peculiar situation with Sienna, or more profoundly, the momentary kiss between them. Somehow, he blushed again and was only snapped back to reality when the door was pulled open, and once again, he found himself locking eyes with Sienna.
"So, you're fine now?" Sienna asked, more out of curiosity than concern.
"Thanks," Brandon replied, then turned to Professor Jason to bid farewell, as Jason exchanged pleasantries with Mr. Brown, who seemed more visibly concerned.
"Jason, if you're such a great doctor, how about we have some exchanges? I mean, I have a lot of interesting medical bottles at home, and they can be... hey, hey, what are you doing, Sienna!" Mr. Brown animatedly conversed with Jason when he felt a violent pull on his neck by his niece. Jason seized the opportunity and left, while Sienna positioned her uncle in front of Brandon, confronting him, "So you told me to be here for a mysterious, useful approach, and why don't you explain what he is doing here?"
As if reminded of something, Mr. Brown flashed a bright smile and eagerly gestured around. "Yes, great you are both here! Okay, so in one month's time, there will be a national contest for robot design. It's a grand competition for university graduates and, most importantly, sponsored by Walters. So, if you two can win the contest, or at least make it to the top three, you can gain direct access to an interview with Walters. Sounds brilliant?!"
A moment of silence lingered in the air.
Neither Sienna nor Brandon showed any immediate reaction.
Sensing a possible misunderstanding, Mr. Brown clarified, "Walters has provided us with quotas for two representative teams, and I've persuaded the Principal to combine both of you into one team. You can collaborate and secure access together. Oh, yay!"
After what felt like a century, Sienna slowly expressed words of disbelief, "So, in order to get access to an interview, I'm supposed to team up with him to make a robot?"
"For a month?" Brandon added.
"Yeah!" Mr. Brown cheerfully confirmed, fingers crossed, feeling relieved that his two beloved students had understood what he meant. How wonderful it would be to see Brandon and Sienna both achieve their dreams and make it into their dream company.
He must have been the embodiment of a God of Mercy!
"No," both Brandon and Sienna voiced simultaneously, startling Mr. Brown, who had been holding his breath, poised to utter a compliment on himself.