Kath and Bebo began walking through the ruined city streets, their steps cautious on the cracked ground partially covered in moss. The silence enveloped them like heavy breaths, broken only by the sound of scattered gravel beneath their feet and the wind whispering through the abandoned concrete structures.
"Look here..." Kath said as he approached a crumbling wall adorned with faded drawings. The colors had dimmed with time, but the images revealed glimpses of a past life: children running, smiling faces, and old slogans. Kath reached out and touched the wall, murmuring, "Everything here carries memories… but now, it's just a trace."
Bebo stood beside him in silence, gazing at the surrounding buildings. He felt a weight in his chest, as if the city itself bore the burden of pain and eerie stillness. "Do you think they knew this would happen to them?" Bebo asked in a low voice, as though speaking loudly might shatter the solemnity of the place.
They continued their path and entered a dilapidated building, its open windows revealing how nature had taken over the interior. Plants had covered the floors, and tree roots pierced the walls like fingers attempting to embrace the remnants of the past. Kath found an old metallic device resembling a tablet, coated in dust. "What's this?" he wondered aloud, wiping its surface.
Bebo glanced at it and smiled slightly, pointing to its buttons. "Maybe it's something they used to learn things, just like we do." Kath tried pressing one of the buttons, but the device emitted a faint sound before going silent. He chuckled softly and said, "Well, it doesn't seem to like me much."
Outside, they made their way to a wide plaza, its center dominated by a broken fountain with stagnant water left in its basin. Around the fountain were remnants of broken benches and empty crates. Bebo sat on one of the crumbling benches and looked at the sky visible through the ruins. "It's strange, Kath. This place is full of memories, but no one's here to tell us their story."
Kath, who was exploring a nearby corner, turned his head and replied with a faint smile, "Maybe that's our job—to bring life back to these places, in our own way."
Despite the haunting aura of this place, seemingly frozen in time, there was also a sense of discovery and curiosity. Every corner, every nook held a secret waiting to be uncovered.
"All right, let's start exploring the area," Kath said, his tone a mix of caution and excitement, as he moved with steady steps toward one of the ruined buildings. He cast a quick glance at Bebo and added, "Make sure we stick close to each other. If we face any danger, it's better to handle it together."
Kath approached the building's entrance, where the main door was half-destroyed, dangling on its broken hinges. He stepped inside cautiously, his feet touching a floor thick with dust and fallen leaves. The air inside was stifling, heavy with the scent of moisture and decay. The walls were cracked and overrun by creeping plants, as if nature was determined to reclaim the space.
"What was this building before?" Kath wondered aloud as he scanned his surroundings. The ruined furniture and scattered remnants of metal equipment suggested it might have been an administrative office or a small research center. Kath turned on a small flashlight he carried, directing the beam across the darkened walls.
"Look here," Kath said, pointing to a metal plaque mounted on the wall. The writing on it had eroded, but a few words were still legible: "Center" and "Environment."
"Maybe this place belonged to scientists," Bebo said, stepping closer to examine the plaque. He added with a faint grin, "Looks like you're right—you always manage to find the weird places first."
The two continued moving down the narrow corridors, where parts of the floors had partially collapsed, while other sections were cluttered with debris. Suddenly, they heard a faint rustling noise. They froze in place, exchanging a quick glance before Kath motioned for Bebo to stay quiet.
"Probably just rodents," Kath whispered, though he kept his hand close to his backup weapon, just in case. "Stay behind me. Let's check it out."
Kath and Bebo navigated through the ruined rooms, weaving through narrow passages filled with rubble and the echoes of forgotten memories. They stopped in their tracks when Kath noticed something unusual in one of the rooms. "Look here..." he said, pointing to a round metal cover embedded in the floor, dusty and partially overgrown with weeds.
Kath knelt to touch the cover, its surface cold and rough. "This looks like it leads underground."
Bebo stepped closer, his face showing a hint of determination. "Leave it to me." He crouched and grabbed the cover with his massive hands, trying to lift it. He heaved with all his strength, but the cover moved only a few inches before settling back with a muffled thud.
"It's stuck!" Bebo grumbled, taking a deep breath as he prepared for a stronger pull.
"Don't overdo it, you might—" Kath began, but his words were cut off as Bebo gave the cover one final, powerful yank, breaking it free with a sharp, sudden snap. "Ha! Told you I could do it!" Bebo said with a wide grin, holding the broken remnants of the cover in his hands.
Beneath the broken cover was a dark opening leading to a narrow staircase that descended deep underground. The air rising from the hole was cold, damp, and thick with the smell of mildew.
"Let's go down," Bebo said excitedly, already stepping onto the stairs before Kath could respond. Each step creaked faintly under his weight, a mix of wood and stone worn down by time.
Kath smirked and followed him. "You know," he said as he descended, "subtlety really isn't your strong suit, is it?"
Without turning around, Bebo replied, "Subtlety doesn't open locked doors, Kath. Strength does."
When they reached the bottom of the staircase, they were swallowed by a heavy darkness that made it nearly impossible to see. The only sounds were the faint echo of their footsteps and the deep silence of the space around them.
"Got a light, Kath?" Bebo asked, squinting into the pitch black, trying to make out anything in the shadows.
"Yeah, I've got one," Kath replied, reaching into the leather satchel strapped to his belt. He pulled out a simple-looking wooden rod, polished and smooth to the touch. Sliding open a small cap at one end of the rod, he revealed a hidden light source that immediately illuminated the room with a bright, steady glow.
As the light spread across the space, their surroundings came into focus. They stood in what seemed to be an old lab, its forgotten purpose long buried under a thick layer of dust. The room was spacious but cramped enough to feel oppressive, its air heavy with the weight of years gone by.
In the center of the room was a long wooden table strewn with tools and artifacts: shattered glass tubes, a rusted metal basin, and tattered notebooks with loose, curling pages.
In the far-right corner stood an ancient, dust-covered computer, its bulky monitor tilted slightly to the side. Its keyboard was barely visible beneath the accumulated grime. Beside it were glass vials of varying sizes—some intact, others shattered—coated in dust and containing mysterious, unidentifiable substances.
"Look at all this," Bebo said, brushing a hand across one of the intact vials, leaving a clean streak in the dust. "This place is ancient... but it feels like it was part of something important."
"There's a door," Bebo suddenly said, pointing toward a side wall near the computer. He moved heavily toward the iron door, his eyes fixed on it as if it concealed a deep secret. The door was thick, made of solid steel, with fine lines etched across its surface like traces of a complex mechanism. In the center of the door was a small panel with round buttons neatly arranged, indicating that it required a passcode to unlock. It was clear the door would slide horizontally to open, like a high-security vault.
Bebo stood in front of it, inspecting it closely. "I know this type of door," Kath said as he approached, his tone neutral but tinged with a hint of admiration. "It opens with a passcode. Let's look for clues or any—"
Before Kath could finish his sentence, a sharp metallic sound interrupted him, followed by a sudden crash. Bebo had raised his arms, the red lines on his body glowing faintly in an eerie way. With a single powerful punch, he crushed the keypad and pressed against the center of the door with unbelievable force. The metal buckled and tore away from its frame, sending small shards of steel flying through the air as the door slid open with a loud, grating noise.
Kath stood frozen in place, his eyes wide in disbelief as he watched the scene unfold. He looked at Bebo, who was already stepping into the newly revealed room, seemingly unconcerned about his companion's reaction.
"You have no patience, do you?" Kath said, placing his hands on his hips, his voice a mix of frustration and sarcasm.
Bebo turned his head slightly and smirked. "I just didn't want to waste time."
The two cautiously entered the room, their footsteps quieter now as Kath's flashlight illuminated something astonishing at the center of the space. A massive black cylinder stood upright, its surface glowing faintly with intersecting blue lines that resembled a network of energy coursing through it.
At the front of the cylinder, a flat screen emitted a dim light, though it was damaged with deep cracks and a thick layer of dust. The screen wasn't alone; it was replicated on all four sides of the cylinder, giving it an imposing, advanced appearance as though it were a relic of a forgotten age.
On either side of the cylinder were enormous glass capsules, large enough to hold a person inside. The capsules appeared to be designed for preservation, though they were now coated in dust and partially obscured by time.
Around the room, large computers were mounted on the walls, their screens shattered, and their control panels filled with worn, decaying buttons. Wires dangled from the ceiling and spread across the floor like veins waiting to carry life once more.
"What... is this... thing?" Bebo asked, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at the cylinder like it was an unsolvable puzzle.
Kath, less visibly shocked but equally curious, began walking around the cylinder with steady steps, his flashlight revealing more details as he circled it. The beam of light swept over the glass capsules, the damaged screen, and finally settled on a small metallic lever discreetly attached to the cylinder's side, blending almost seamlessly with the intricate lines.
"I think I've found a way to activate it," Kath said, his voice tinged with cautious excitement.
He grasped the lever firmly and pulled it upward with a decisive motion. As the lever reached its apex, a faint but continuous hum emerged, like the sound of something ancient stirring to life. Small blue lights began to flicker along the cylinder's glowing lines, then slowly traveled across its surface, resembling energy flowing through metallic veins.
"Nice work, Kath!" Bebo exclaimed enthusiastically, his large eyes gleaming as he stepped closer to the cylinder, anticipation evident in his posture.
The two stood still, their breaths held as they watched the device. The lights moved in an orderly rhythm along the cylinder, as if the machine were coming alive. Suddenly, the brightness intensified, flooding the cylinder with light until it shone like a small sun at the room's center.
"It's working!" Kath said in amazement, but before he could finish his thought, the light expanded, bathing the entire room in a soft, steady glow. Shadows disappeared, replaced by an even illumination that revealed every detail—from the broken equipment lining the walls to the dusty glass capsules and the floating motes of dust in the air.
Bebo quickly glanced around, his voice filled with excitement. "What's going to happen now? Is it going to do something else?"
Kath, always the more cautious one, focused on the cylinder intently, studying its patterns and the new glow. "We'll find out soon. Just stay alert for anything."
Bebo approached one of the glass capsules warily, his eyes fixed on its dusty surface. He wiped the glass with his hand, revealing a faint, shadowy figure inside. Squinting, he leaned closer and muttered, "I think there's something... or someone... inside."
Kath spun around instantly, curiosity igniting in his voice. "Really?! Alright, let's try to find—"
Before he could finish, a deafening crash reverberated through the room. Kath turned quickly to see the doors of the capsules had been blasted open. Bebo stood beside one of them, the faint red glow on his body indicating that he had used his strength to force it open.
"You muscle-headed fool!" Kath shouted, his face a mix of anger and exasperation. "You and your annoying habit of breaking things!"
He stomped toward Bebo, frustration radiating from his every step, but stopped abruptly when he noticed that Bebo hadn't moved. The larger man stood frozen, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open, as if he had seen a ghost.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you just standing there?" Kath asked, his tone now laced with unease as he moved closer. When he reached Bebo's side, he turned to look into the capsule that had rendered his companion speechless. He froze immediately, his words catching in his throat.
Inside the capsule lay a human—a young man, his features clear under the soft glow of the light. He had short black hair, wore a black T-shirt beneath a red jacket, black slim-fitting pants, and sturdy leather boots. The man was lying motionless in the capsule, as if in a deep sleep or suspended in a long, unbroken slumber.
"It's... a real human," Kath whispered, his voice barely audible, a mix of awe and disbelief coloring his words. He glanced at Bebo, then back at the figure in the capsule, struggling to process what he was seeing.
The two stood motionless, the room filled with a heavy, tense silence, as though the very air held its breath, waiting for what would come next.