It was still very early when the old alarm clock rang loudly, with a high-pitched and strident bell sound. Lowo N'air jumped out of bed immediately, and as soon as his feet hit the floor, he no longer remembered why he had gotten up.
Fortunately, his friend Smile had also woken up with the alarm noise and, seeing him standing still, asked:
"What are you doing, Lowo N'air, standing there like that? Aren't you going to visit the research lab today?"
Even before Smile finished speaking, Lowo N'air fully woke up and skillfully started changing clothes. In less than five minutes, he was ready and was now reheating yesterday's coffee while preparing to fry two eggs.
He had just finished drinking the coffee and chewing the fried eggs with flour when he heard a light honk outside the house. It was Dmike, the driver who was supposed to pick him up early in the morning, before six o'clock. Lowo N'air quickly brushed his teeth, and as soon as he heard the second honk, he was already heading out the door.
The driver, with a grumpy expression, forced a smile while greeting him; it was probably by orders of Mr. Domi to treat him well. Lowo returned the greeting with a loud "good morning," equally smiling, and sat beside him, noticing that someone was already occupying the back seat.
It was Dr. Carlie, who greeted him with a cheerful "good morning." It was evident that she was happy to see Lowo N'air, who, in her eyes, looked larger and better-nourished. They remained silent throughout the journey, and it took no more than 20 minutes to reach their final destination.
And there was Lowo N'air again, breaking his promises that he would never return to that place; nevertheless, he stood in front of the majestic CPF building. With its huge dark windows covering the entire façade from the first floor, it attracted the attention of anyone passing by. Large letters at the entrance described part of their actions: "Pharmacological Research Center. Seeking more health for you."
Lowo N'air was already familiar with that routine. First, he had to pass through the reception on the first floor, undergoing a thorough search: on his body, clothes, and then in bags, suitcases, or backpacks. Afterward, he went through the identification system, with fingerprint and iris verification, and if nothing negative showed up in their detailed database, his entry was granted.
Since he was already well-known in that place and was accompanied by Dr. Carlie, Lowo N'air was allowed entry with just a fingerprint scan. However, the clearance for driver Dmike took a little longer than expected.
Soon after, they proceeded down a corridor towards a private elevator, always accompanied by an armed security guard, who took them to the most important part of the building: the research lab. Ramisk came to meet him, and despite having previously barred Lowo N'air from entering that place, given the circumstances surrounding him, he had no choice but to accept him back as an active experiment, this time with high priority.
"Good morning, Lowo N'air. Welcome back," said Ramisk, extending his hand to greet him.
But Lowo N'air only thanked him without shaking his hand, which made Mr. Ramisk visibly embarrassed and then irritated.
"Why would I shake the hand of this disgusting guy after all the humiliation he made me go through?" Lowo N'air thought while observing Ramisk's reaction, who, despite being irritated, tried to please him in every way. Lowo N'air did not know what had happened to that snake disguised as a man, but he suspected that Mr. Domi and Dr. Carlie were involved in this matter. If it weren't for that, Lowo N'air would never have been accepted back there.
As they headed to the most restricted area of the lab, Mr. Ramisk appeared to be deeply worried. And it was not without reason; after all, soon Mr. Domi, directly responsible for the development and funding of all the equipment operated at the CPF, would arrive. If no research progress required by the contract was demonstrated, Mr. Ramisk would lose control of the place, and he would never let that happen.
He couldn't believe how 10 energy pods could fail in such a way if they had enough energy for that and much more. Therefore, all other test subjects would be permanently discarded if the pod used by Lowo N'air did not function today. Mr. Ramisk even thought that his digital security system had been targeted by a hacker, but CPF's security was very high, and that operating system had no contact with any external systems.
Meanwhile, while Chief Ramisk pondered the issue, Dr. Carlie efficiently led her team, proceeding with all the necessary steps for the test required by Domi. First, they needed to verify the entire system: checking lines, areas, content, and then the energy supply and its stabilization. This would take at least half an hour, more than enough time for Lowo N'air to be ready for the connection to the pod.
As he was already familiar with the procedure, Lowo N'air automatically went to the sector where the nurses would help him put on the suit that would integrate him into the energy pod. It resembled a second skin, transparent and made of sensitive rubber, something that had to be custom-made with specific measurements, both in size and weight. It was known as fiber skin, and it was what protected Lowo N'air from being electrocuted while being molded by the pod, which was pure electrical energy.
He left the changing room wrapped in a robe, as the fiber skin made him uncomfortable in front of others due to its transparency, and headed towards Mr. Ramisk, who had decided to call him to his office for a chat. It was the first time Lowo entered the chief's office at CPF, and everything in it was something to admire. Even the desk, chairs, and armchairs were made from materials Lowo N'air had never seen before.
"What do you want, subject 1?"
"Call me that again and you'll find out what I don't want," Lowo threatened.
Ramisk held back for a few moments, as his greatest desire at that moment was to kick that brat who was acting too important in front of him.
"I don't want anything unusual, Mr. Ramisk, just my payment for the services I've provided up to today."
Mr. Ramisk was about to hesitate but remembered that Lowo N'air was so naive that he could always be deceived as many times as he wanted.
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