The two stood frozen, their eyes darting between the open capsule and the details of the young man lying inside. His body was entirely natural, devoid of any signs of mutation or distortion. Kath studied the man's features carefully—his closed eyes, short black hair, and seemingly flawless skin.
"He's... a pure human!" Kath said hoarsely, his voice barely above a whisper as his gaze shifted from the man to the rest of the room. Leaning closer, he examined the young man's body with precision, pointing at specific details. "No signs of transformation. No fur, no scales, nothing unusual... He's completely intact, just like in the old images."
Bebo turned his attention to the other broken capsule on the far side of the room. His eyes widened as he pointed to it excitedly. "Wait, do you think the second capsule holds another pure human?"
Kath snapped his head toward the direction Bebo was indicating. The shock on his face deepened, but now it was tinged with unease and confusion. "If that's true... this changes everything," he said, his voice trembling slightly. He started moving slowly toward the second capsule, his steps hesitant, as if dreading what he might find.
Bebo, still standing by the first capsule, followed Kath's movements with a mixture of eagerness and nervous energy. He remained rooted to the spot but couldn't hide the spark of excitement in his voice. "If they're pure humans, then there are huge secrets buried here..."
Suddenly, a sharp electrical crackle erupted from the cylinder, filling the room with a loud, jarring noise. Bright blue sparks arced from the intricate lines etched into the surface, as though the cylinder itself was alive, hungrily devouring the air around it.
"Watch out!" Kath shouted, leaping back with cat-like agility, his senses on high alert. At the same moment, Bebo sprang backward as well, the red lines on his body glowing brightly as he assumed a defensive stance.
The electricity surged, with the sparks now resembling tiny bolts of lightning, ricocheting off the walls and striking the surrounding equipment. A faint smell of burning filled the air, as though ancient circuits had been jolted awake after centuries of dormancy.
Then, without warning, the monitors surrounding the cylinder flared to life, their once-dark screens now casting an intense light that bathed the room. The sparks subsided abruptly, leaving behind a heavy silence, as if the room itself was holding its breath.
On each screen, a strange logo appeared: three interlocking circles, each smaller than the one before, flanked on both sides by three parallel lines. The lines resembled wings or coded signals, their meaning unclear. The logo pulsed with light, glowing and dimming rhythmically, as though it were alive and breathing.
Kath and Beebo bolted out of the structure, their heavy footsteps pounding against the ground as they ran at full speed. Both were gasping for air, but they suddenly skidded to a halt, frozen by the terrifying sight in front of them.
Standing before them was an enormous beast, as large as a small house. Its appearance was horrifying—a giant bear with jagged, rocky protrusions covering its entire body, as if an armor of carved stone was fused to its flesh. Sharp spikes jutted out from its shoulders and back, giving it an even deadlier look. Its glowing red eyes burned with savage intensity as they locked onto the pair.
"Damn it!" Kath cursed, taking a step back in shock, his wide eyes fixed on the monstrous creature.
The colossal bear let out an ear-splitting roar, then charged toward them with thunderous steps, raising its massive stone-covered paw to slam it down where they stood.
"Watch out!" Kath shouted, leaping to the side with incredible speed, while Beebo dove in the opposite direction.
The bear's paw crashed into the ground with immense force, creating a deafening explosion. Dust and debris erupted into the air as the ground beneath their feet shook violently, like a bomb had gone off. Shards of stone from the impact flew in all directions, narrowly missing Kath as he took cover behind a crumbling wall.
"This is not good..." Kath muttered under his breath, struggling to catch his breath as he scanned the dense clouds of dust for any sign of Beebo.
The giant bear turned its attention to Kath, its thundering steps shaking the ground as it charged at him again. Its massive arm raised once more, ready to deliver another devastating blow. But Kath, relying on his extraordinary agility, darted out of the way just in time. The ground exploded once again where he had been standing, sending shards of rock flying in all directions.
"Kath! Are you okay?" Beebo's voice rang out, cutting through the chaos.
Kath straightened up quickly, brushing off the dust from his clothes as his sharp eyes remained locked on the beast. "I'm fine!" he yelled back before adding loudly, "You go on ahead! I'll lure it away. It's slow compared to me—I'll catch up with you later."
Beebo hesitated for a moment, glancing at Kath and then at the enormous beast. He bit his lip in frustration but finally nodded. "Don't die, you skinny idiot!" he shouted before turning and sprinting toward the forest, the human boy still slung over his shoulder.
Kath watched Beebo disappear into the distance, then turned his attention back to the bear. "Alright, rock face, it's just you and me now," he muttered, a nervous but determined grin spreading across his face as he prepared to lead the monster away.
Beebo finally came to a stop amidst the thick trees, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath, sweat dripping down his forehead. He carefully laid the human boy on the soft grassy ground, ensuring he wouldn't cause him any harm. Kneeling beside him, Beebo's sharp eyes stayed fixed on the path he had come from, where the distant echoes of explosions and crashes still filled the air.
A faint sound from the human boy suddenly broke Beebo's thoughts. His eyes widened, and he stepped back nervously. The boy began to move slowly, his brows furrowing as if trying to wake from a deep slumber.
"Oh no... What do I do now?" Beebo muttered, his voice trembling slightly, his hands instinctively reaching toward his red markings, ready for any emergency. He stood frozen, torn between his desire to help the boy and his fear of what might happen.
"Come on, Beebo... Think! Will he attack me? Or is he..." He took a deep breath, trying to calm his scattered thoughts, but he couldn't stop the tension spreading through his body as he watched the boy stir further on the ground.
The boy slowly opened his eyes, his brows still knitted as if struggling to recall something. He partially sat up, placing a hand on his head and rubbing it while his half-open eyes scanned his unfamiliar surroundings. The scene was entirely foreign to him—the dense trees, the soft green grass, and the barely visible sky peeking through the interwoven branches above.
"Where am I?" he wondered aloud in a hoarse voice, almost as if speaking to himself. Then, suddenly, he froze and stared ahead, his eyes widening gradually.
"What is that... a gorilla?!" the boy suddenly shouted, pointing directly at Beebo, who stood frozen in place, his face locked in an expression of utter bewilderment. Beebo's eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly agape in shock, as if unable to process what he was hearing.
The boy scooted back slightly, trying to make sense of the scene. "Am I in a forest?" he said hesitantly, looking around again, his gaze darting between the tall trees and the surrounding environment.
Beebo tried to speak, but his words came out in broken fragments. "Uh... you... are you okay?"
The boy stared at Beebo for a few minutes, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Then he raised his hand to rub his head again, as if the whole thing was just a figment of his imagination that he was trying to shake off.
"The gorilla... talks?" the boy said softly, half to himself. "I guess I'm still not fully focused... Yeah, maybe because I just woke up."
Beebo stood there, his face still frozen between worry and hesitation, but he tried speaking again in a low, cautious voice, breaking the silence:
"Are... you... okay?"
The boy stopped rubbing his head, his eyes widening as he stared at Beebo again. Now, it no longer seemed like an illusion. He caught a flicker of shock in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he took a deep breath and began to watch the large gorilla carefully.
The boy pointed at Beebo with his trembling hand, his eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.
"Are... you talking to me?" the boy asked in a soft voice, full of hesitation.
Beebo immediately responded, as casually as if it were the most normal thing in the world: "Yes."
The boy's eyes grew wider and wider, as though he were trying to comprehend what was happening. He took a deep breath and spoke more clearly, though the shock was still evident in his voice: "Are you... talking?"
Beebo answered in a straightforward tone, without hesitation: "Yes, I'm talking."
The boy stared at him for a few more moments before asking again: "You're talking?!"
Beebo raised his hand to scratch his head, his eyebrow raised in mild confusion, before replying with a mix of annoyance and amusement: "Are you deaf or something?"
The boy stood frozen for a few seconds, muttering to himself: "This... this can't be... gorillas don't talk."
Beebo quickly responded with certainty, smiling with an indifferent grin: "But I do talk."
Suddenly, the boy erupted in a loud scream, his eyes widening unnaturally in shock. He took a few steps back, shouting, "No... this can't be! Are... are there more like you?"
Beebo answered simply, as though responding to an ordinary question: "Yes, there are many."
The boy froze in place, his eyes widening in shock he couldn't contain. "Many!!! Does this mean the movies are real? So... is your leader Caesar?"
Beebo looked at the boy with surprise, then responded without hesitation: "No, my leader is Bong."
The boy fell silent for a moment, trying to process what had been said, then burst out laughing lightly but still in a state of shock. "You seem so nervous... here."
Suddenly, Beebo reached into his leather bag, which was strapped to his belt, and pulled out a banana. He casually handed it to the boy, saying, "Here, eat the banana."
The boy looked at the banana in his hand, then at Beebo, his eyes unable to hide his astonishment. His mouth hung open, as if he couldn't believe what was happening.
"Er... throw the banana from where you are!" the boy said nervously, staring at Beebo as if the situation was too much for him to handle.
Beebo smiled indifferently and threw the banana toward the boy with a swift motion. The boy reached out his hand to catch it, but just as his hand neared the banana, something strange happened. The scene before him suddenly distorted, with Beebo turning into a blurry image of another man, while the banana became a small ball.
Moments of confusion swept over the boy, as if his mind were trying to comprehend something mysterious. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his head, causing him to clutch his head tightly. "My head... it hurts! What was that?!" he whispered, groaning in pain.
Just as the boy could barely tolerate the pain, Beebo rushed toward him, placing his hands on his shoulders as if to prevent him from falling. "Are you okay, human?" Beebo asked with concern, but quickly picked up the banana from the ground and handed it back to the boy, saying, "Take the banana, you'll feel better."
The boy shook slightly as he struggled to move his hand toward the banana, slowly bringing it to his mouth. Afterward, he looked at Beebo with confusion and weakly asked, "By the way, what's your name, human?"
"I... my name is..." the boy whispered, and then suddenly stopped. His words caught in his throat, and he was silent for a long while. It seemed like he was trying to remember something, but his mind was in turmoil. "I don't know..." he finally said, his eyes filled with confusion.