~ Damien ~
"Prepare for safe landing landing"
My eyes flickered open at the sound of those words but I could barely see anything, given the uncomfortable position I was in. I must've blacked out immediately we took off, because I couldn't recall anything else soon after we took off.
Gasp!
I was plunged forward following a suction sound, allowing me to unfasten my seat belt. My gaze shifted to Ryan whose fingers kept touching the colourful buttons until the glass dome slid open with a trilling sound.
As I jumped out of the craft, my gaze swirled around the whole place where I stood. We were in a huge hall which had a close resemblance to the first one we had visited earlier. It had all kinds of vehicles, including the ones I haven't seen, neatly strewn throughout the whole place; but unlike the other room, this one was lit up by glinting silver lights and had a few white concentric circles impressed on its black floor.
"Whoa!", I silently exclaimed in awe.
Ignoring my fascination, Ryan asked, "can you swim?"
"I can't"
I sighed, lowering my head as we approached the other side of the room.
"Then we'll have to take the Sonic riders instead", he responded in a cold tone.
I remained silent, trying to imagine what a Sonic rider looked like. However, I was yanked back to reality when two bald men suddenly appeared in front of the silver door we were approaching; their eyes were concealed behind thick dark glasses which suited the black leather jumpsuit they wore.
Wearing a frown as I turned to Ryan, I asked in a whisper, "Who are they?"
"Security"
His face contorted into a smile as he reached into his pocket and handed a white ID card to them. My eyes shot wide open when the left man took off his glasses, projecting a bright red beam of light at the card for a few seconds.
"You're him", the right man said to me in a surprised tone.
Puzzled, I averted my gaze to Ryan who obviously knew what was happening, given the plain look he wore on his face.
"What-what's--"
I got interrupted as they both took a bow in front of me, causing me to flinch backwards in utter confusion.
"Welcome home, my prince", they both chorused.
It felt as though my mind was frozen at the moment, making it unable for me to say anything.
"Grant us access", instructed Ryan.
They immediately stood upright, paving way for us to step through the door which belonged to an elevator. A moment of awkward silence existed between us while my gaze travelled around the brightly lit elevator, taking note of the strange white symbols which were impressed on its black buttons.
Ding!
We stepped out of the elevator, arriving at a brightly lit place which seemed to be a tunnel, given its arc shaped top and walls. The same strange symbols as the ones on the elevator's buttons were engraved upon its walls, highlighted in luminous blue color.
The echoes of our footsteps were the only sounds that could be heard, since there was no one except us. I couldn't help but wonder why such place was empty, and a lot of bad thoughts began zipping through my mind but I was too afraid to ask why.
A few minutes passed while we continued walking further away from our arrival point. The silence that existed between us was deafening, mostly because I was afraid of igniting a conversation with Ryan. I kept on stealing a gaze at him until I realized that he had been staring at his black wristwatch since we arrived there, wearing a frustrated look on his face.
"Damn it!", he murmured.
I frowned, shooting at him until he noticed the look I was wearing;
"You've been staring at your watch for a long time, with a frustrated...is there a problem?", I asked.
He took a deep breath and stopped walking, causing me to halt as well;
"None of the Sonic riders are online because no one is aware of our sudden visit...and I've been trying to reach out to them, but no one's answering", he paused and turned to me.
"Does this mean--"
"We'll have to teleport to one of your father's secret bunkers and pass the night there...", he cut in.
I sighed because I hated the feeling I experienced after each previous teleportation, but what choice did I have?
He dug into his pocket and took out the small device, shooting at me with a gaze that meant, 'you already know what to do'. I hesitantly touched his outstretched hand, plunging us both into darkness.
**********
"Where are we?", I asked, unable to see anything.
However, I received no response from him until my eyes met with the dull blue light from his wristwatch.
"I'd appreciate it if you stop asking me unnecessary questions", he responded in a stern tone.
Thud!
Warm golden lights finally illuminated the whole place, allowing me to realize that we were in a hallway whose metal floor and walls were glazed with silver. My gaze swayed from side to side as while strode down the place and I couldn't help but remind myself of how this place shared a close resemblance with the wave rider from 'DC's legends of tomorrow'.
"Stop here", instructed Ryan.
I paused and watched as he turned to the left wall, projecting a blue beam of light at it from his wristwatch. I gasped in awe immediately that part of the wall vanished just like a mirage, revealing a hidden white door which had no knob.
"Step further and stare into the peephole", he instructed again.
I obeyed, stepping further until I reached the door. My eyes were immediately shot with a dull red laser from the peephole, causing me to flinch and step backwards.
The door came open with a click and he dashed into the room with me behind him, gesturing at the small white sofa for me to have a seat.
Thud!
It got shut again.
"So, this is the secret bunker?", I asked, scanning the whole place with my gaze.
"Yeah...it's one of the many others, owned by your father", he responded.
I sat upon the incredibly soft sofa, taking in of the room's features. It was glazed in different shades of gold, blue, black and white shades; its left wall, made of transparent glass, through which you could see sky scrappers amongst other tall buildings touching the silver night sky.
Ryan's gaze spun around the room as well before he exhaled;
"Well, it's not that big...but at least there's a closet, bathroom, bed and a stash of food supplies"
A while after freshening up, I walked up to the bed and threw myself upon it with my head facing the white ceiling. A lot of thoughts dizzied round my mind and I was yet to come to terms with the fact that I was now an orphan, seeking refuge from my father's killers in another world.
I sighed, turning my gaze towards the transparent wall. That was when my attention was drawn to the bright light which suddenly appeared in front of me, causing me to realize that Ryan's outfit had transformed into a rather casual one; he was now donned in a white shirt and a black pair of shorts.
As he noticed that I was staring at him, he walked up to me and sat upon the bed.
"Look kid, I know you must be confused and I'm sorry for everything that happened...for keeping you in the dark throughout today", he said in a rather soft tone than usual.
"Can you tell me how everything happened?"
"Who killed my dad? And why?"
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a short while before asking;
"Are you sure you wanna know?"
I sat up, shooting at him with a frown;
"Fuck yes, I do wanna know...I need answers!", I yelled.
"Alright... I'll tell you everything"