Everything seems to come to a complete standstill as the strange wolf in a lab coat finishes. You feel as though you are thrown in a loop. This wolf…claims to have known you? But that can’t be right!
“But that doesn’t make any sense! You are not a human!”
The doctor pauses, quietly raising his paw as if to inspect it. The doctor lets out a hefty sigh, putting his paw away.
“You aren’t wrong Colin, but I WAS human… at least before I changed into this.”
You and Puro share a glance in confusion as if you are sharing the same thought. This strange wolf was once human? But what happened? Did a latex creature do this?
“But Puro thought that once a latex beast assimilates a human, they are gone forever! Puro thought maybe the latexes don’t want to assimilate humans anymore.”
“It’s not that they don’t want to, rather more that they can’t do it. Not anymore at least.”
“Umm…Dr. K? I don’t quite follow what you mean. What do you mean by that? I don’t even know what is going on.”
“Colin, I am aware of your amnesia and I promised I will answer every question you have. But let me ask this again, do you remember anything…even a small thing…anything at all?”
You simply shook your head. You don’t remember anything…nothing at all. The wolf doctor groans in defeat, clearly not happy with the response.
“Can’t we have anything going right for once? Why must everything be so damn difficult?”
“Dr. K?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine…just have a lot on my plate. Mind following me to my lab? Have plenty of work to do.”
You look at Puro who shrugs, unsure of what to take about this. It couldn’t hurt right? You have Puro here to back you up in case something goes wrong.
“Sure.”
And with that, the Doctor opens the door, going down a small passage while you and Puro follow along.
“Alright, let’s start from the beginning.” The Doctor speaks out, grabbing your and Puro’s attention.
“A few years ago, our world was struck with a new kind of virus. No one is sure where this virus came from or what created it. All we know is that this Virus is unlike any we have ever seen. Not only was it easy for it to infect humans after humans, but any form of life as well. All living things, both plants and animals, aren’t safe from this virus.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Nothing is safe, if we didn’t stop it, nothing on this planet would survive. So the world went into a state of emergency and scientists from around the world band together to defeat this virus.”
Dr. K then stops by a locked door with a keypad and starts inputting a code.
“This Institute became the last stand to find a cure for the ongoing virus. I joined the cause just like many others.”
“But then something happened?” Puro asks.
“Yes…it did.” Dr. K grimly said, finishing inputting the code as the door slides open.
Through the door, you find that there is plenty of lab equipment all around, ranging from vials, a few diagrams of a human body, a microscope and a few computers.
Dr. K sits by the desk by his computer, staring at the screen before starting to type.
“While we were searching for a cure, we had an idea for creating an organism designed to hunt down and remove the virus, without harming the body itself. With some programming, coding and adjustments, we created the white latex creatures.”
Dr. K pauses, quickly reaching for a file and flipping through its contents.
“However, they were merely prototypes and they were not ready. They were able to detect and destroy the virus but they also behave much like a predator seeking its next meal, defeating the purpose of preserving life. Before we were ready, a riot struck.”
“A riot? Why?”
“People were desperate, Colin. They might have caught wind that we have a cure in the makings and assumed we are keeping it to ourselves. And then we were overrun and the riot had incidentally released the latex prototypes. And after that, all the latex prototypes broke out, assimilating people left and right as they escaped the institute.”
“But…what about all the latex beasts in the institute? Human seems to have met a lot of them. Wouldn’t they have assimilated him?”
“I’m getting to that.” Dr K bluntly says.
“Desperate to salvage the situation, I was able to create an aerosol that’s designed to…let’s say…upgrade…yes, ‘upgrade’ the prototypes to what we were looking for. Removing their ability to assimilate so they can function more like a symbiote. Preserving life rather than consuming it.”
Just like that, it all makes sense.
Fragments of the memories back when you first met Hunter and Scar. You recall Hunter scolding Scar, talking about how his instincts are telling him to assimilate. And your encounter with the Chimera. Didn’t it say it wants to assimilate you?
Your heart skips a beat upon realization, never had you felt so lucky, if it weren’t for that ‘upgrade’ the Doctor is talking about, you wouldn’t even be here! You wouldn’t have even met Puro.
…
But…
Didn’t Puro say that black latex beasts can assimilate? Can he still do that? You are not so sure…
“So human is safe here?”
“More or less. Way safer in here than out there at least, there is still some rogue latex that didn’t breathe in the aerosol, so they are still dangerous. Although we did have an incident with a Behemoth.”
“Oh…”
You try not to think about your encounter with the behemoth and change the topic.
“But what about you? You said you were once a human, so why are you a latex now?”
“I…had to make a sacrifice to survive. I had no choice back then.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it…”
You hold back your curiosity and say nothing, you don’t want to bother him after all.
“Ok but then why am I here? How did I get here?”
Dr K’s ears perk up with the question.
“During the development of the cure, the staff here complain about their growing discomfort and worry about their family’s safety and wellbeing, so the higher-ups decide to compensate by providing shelter in the institute for the families while we work on finding a cure. That is, after some checkups about being infected, stating rules and filing info and such of course.”
“Is that how I got here?”
“That is correct.”
Strange, something about this doesn’t sit with you right. You feel like you are forgetting something important. Something like-!
Then it hit you.
“So, I needed someone to take me in? Someone that works here? B-but that could mean that my family would be here!”
Dr K’s ear flickers as he listens.
“Dr K! Wouldn’t you know where my family is? Or anyone I should know about?”
“Err, no. I’m afraid I can’t say, I was fighting for my life when the riot happened.”
“Oh…”
That was utterly disappointing, yet another question about your past that you need answers for.
“But what about the stasis pod? Why was I in there? And how long was I there?”
Dr. K pauses as he gathers his thoughts before answering.
“I am not sure but If I were to guess, someone might have escorted you in there during the riot, that’s when you disappeared. I had no idea that you were in there, I even thought you were dead. If the server room wasn’t damaged, I would have picked up a log where you were put in.”
“But…how long was I in there?”
“Colin…you have been in there for three years now.”
You feel as though the world shatters before you. You have been stuck in that thing…for three years? Locked away from the world? Only released by pure luck? You can’t help but feel as if you were abandoned…forgotten.
Fortunately, Puro notices your gloomy mood and wraps an arm around you, giving you a small comforting hug. But the hug didn’t help, it somehow feels different.
“Puro has an idea! Why not talk about your adventure? Talk about all the latex beasts you met! Puro would love to hear!”
Hearing Puro’s advice, you find yourself agreeing with him, it would be nice to recount your strange adventure so far. After all, this might be something you get to experience every day, it’s almost like you are in a whole new world, filled with strange creatures.
“I admit, I am curious about what happened after you were released from stasis.” Dr. K adds in, showing interest in your adventures.
You take a moment to gather everything that happened before you begin.
“I remember waking up in that room, I was wearing nothing but shorts. I tried to recall something but I came up with nothing. I came upon an odd note left on a table, warning me about ‘monsters’ lurking around. After that, a small white latex puddle just came crawling out of the vent, coming after me. But luckily, it fell into the drainage. You can imagine how terrified I was.”
“Go on…” Dr K simply said, nodding in acknowledgement.
“After that, I discovered a keycard hidden under the note and made my way out. There were other doors there, but none of them opened. I was about to reach for the exit, but a weird white wolf came out and just chased me. I managed to get out just in time.”
“Hmm sounds like their predatory instincts are still lingering, the aerosol may have changed their programming but not the instincts. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
You nod in understanding before continuing.
“After that, I found myself in storage and from there I met a cat. I had no idea that this cat was a latex, but when I found out it was too late.”
“Did the cat transfur you human?”
“It did, I was so scared and confused. Even more so when I woke up after a while. I ran out of there as soon as possible. And that’s when I met the Black latex. It was strange seeing them doing all those things, it’s almost like they were humans.”
“Does human think Puro is like human?”
“Pretty much in every way. I was amazed when we first met.”
Puro growls in delight at the praise.
“The dragons were strange too, but the small ones were adorable. They just played games with me. I had never seen that coming.”
“The dragons love their games, Puro remembers some of the games the young dragons play. A curious lot, they are like me…yet different.”
“After the dragons, I eventually met the Elder. I don’t know how but he seems to know me personally.”
“The Elder knows about you human?” Puro asks.
“Seems like it, even knew my name,” you confirm. Dr. K hums in thought but encourages you to continue.
“He offered to restore my memories, to which I agreed. I went unconscious and then I woke up in the library with a note from him. He said that he couldn’t restore my memories but it should come eventually.”
Dr. K scoffs in annoyance.
“Pity, would have made this a lot easier.”
“I thought so too,” you say in agreement.
“It was then that I met Puro and became friends at the main library and found out he got locked up in a stasis pod with no memory like me.”
“Puro was happy to hear that he and human had something in common!”
“You were stuck in a stasis pod as well?” Dr. K asks.
“Puro was! Though I’m not sure why…”
Dr K seems to share a strange glance, you can’t really tell what he is thinking because of the mask. And you thought Puro’s mask makes it hard to tell what he is feeling.
“After that, I went to explore the library for a bit until I met Scar and Hunter and some snow leopards. I ended up being transfurred like before but Hunter helped me understand the whole idea a bit better. It was very strange…but I kinda accepted it? Having a tail feels different yet comfortable.”
“Colin, wait, you say you know their names? How?”
“It was through telepathy. I thought all latex can do that.”
“I don’t follow…”
“Latex can communicate with each other via telepathy. It’s like talking to someone else, except you just…’hear’ it…at least that’s how the Elder explained it. Puro lost his telepathy long ago.”
“This is…bizarre. I didn’t hear anything from the other latexes, they never tried to communicate with me.” Dr. K hums, tapping his claws on the desk.
Dr. K leans back in his chair, trying to understand everything that Puro said. You can’t blame him, this is surprising news to you as well. Rethinking back on your previous encounters with the latex, it kinda makes sense. The wolf and the cat never tried to communicate with you via telepathy, the first time you experienced telepathy was with Hunter and Scar. Why is that? Did they not bother?
Looking up at Dr. K you notice that he didn’t say anything, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
“Dr. K?”
Dr. K looks back to you as if he came up with something.
“Wait Colin, didn’t you hear anything from the latexes prior to your meeting with the Elder?”
“Well none of them besides that alpha black wolf talking, he did speak with his voice.”
“No telepathy?”
“None of that.”
“So you only started hearing thoughts AFTER you have met the Elder?”
“That sounds about right.”
“But that wouldn’t make sense, you can’t just simply start ‘hearing things’ without reason. Isn’t there anything else? Didn’t the Elder do anything else?”
“All I got was the letter he wrote along with a splitting headache.”
“A splitting headache? From what I learned, this sort of thing shouldn’t really occur. I had seen what the crystals could do but not once did I see anyone get a headache. Unless of course there is a slight chance it is something else, transfurs could possibly have a side effect such as headaches…hmm.”
Lost in thought, Dr. K eventually looks back to you, as if he came up with something.
“Colin, I will need to perform a body scan on you.”
You blink in surprise.
“Wait what? Why?”
“Colin, getting a memory scan does not give a headache as far as I know. I had seen some of the power that the Elder wields, so perhaps there is an explanation that allows you to connect to latexes via this telepathy you speak of. A body scan is a surefire way to find out.”
The way Dr. K says this has a small hint of urgency. Admittedly you are feeling rather curious about it yourself, how does this implant work exactly?
“Alright, how can we do that?”
“I have a machine in the back that still works, and should give us everything we need to know.” Dr. K says, standing up and heading towards a door, presumably containing the machine.
You share a glance at Puro, seemingly sceptical but shrug it off. Whatever happens, Puro is there to back you up in case something goes wrong.
Following the Doctor, he opens a door, flicking on a switch as the lights turn on before heading to a nearby desk with a computer, revealing a strange-looking machine.
The machine has a roundish shape, with a small hole in the middle big enough for a human body. It also has a narrow pedestal with a cushion by the end, suggesting that this is where you are supposed to lie down.
“What is that? Is that machine you were talking about?”
“Correct. What were you expecting?”
“I don’t really know…”
You don’t know how to put this, you are kinda expecting some kind of big machine, but not something like this. It all feels so foreign to you.
“Puro thinks the machine looks funny.”
Dr. K ignores Puro’s comment as he gets up from the desk and heads to the machine, turning it on after a push of a button. The machine starts to boot on as it quietly whirls, indicating that it is working.
“Alright Colin, I need you to lie here and stay as still as you possibly can with your eyes closed so the scan can be as accurate as possible.”
You walk towards the small pedestal, gazing at the machine with curiosity.
“How long will this take?”
“Only a few minutes, this machine is our latest model.”
You look behind to check up on Puro, who gives you a supporting smile, promising that everything will be fine.
Climbing onto the machine, you follow Dr. K’s instructions as you make yourself comfortable on the pedestal.
“Remember, stay still, and keep eyes closed, got that?”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
“Got it,” you respond, acknowledging him.
And with that, Dr. K pushes a few buttons on the machine as the pedestal starts pulling you through the machine. You close your eyes, a sudden sense of fatigue drawing you into sleep. A quick nap shouldn’t hurt right?
Before you go into the machine…everything goes quiet.
…
----------------------------------------
After putting on the machine Dr. K steps away and lets the machine do its job, slowly pulling Colin through the scanner and relaying vital data to the computer nearby. Admittedly, he did not expect to hear such vital information from Colin.
‘Damn Elder…’
No matter what he does, Dr. K always seems to be one step behind him. The Elder has a tactical mindset, if only he knew sooner! But there was nothing he can do now, the most he could do now is to uncover the root of this telepathy Colin was talking about.
While Colin is in the body scan, Dr. K takes this opportunity to get some answers from Puro.
“Puro? A moment of your time?”
The black wolf’s ear flickers as he hears his call, grabbing his attention.
“Hmm? Strange doctor?”
“So how do you feel about Colin?”
“Puro loves his human friend! Puro always wanted a friend but Puro never imagined having human as friend! Though the latex beasts always keep driving Colin away…Puro wishes he protected human better.”
“I see…”
Judging from Puro’s reaction and tone, he seems to value Colin’s friendship. But he is not satisfied…not yet.
“You said you were locked in a stasis pod as well right?”
“Yes?”
Dr. K is fully aware of the potential side effects of using the stasis pods, the most common occurrence being retrograde amnesia. The longer the subject was in stasis the more serious this amnesia is.
“Do you truly remember nothing at all?”
“No…Puro tried so hard…but nothing works…”
He expects this response but he has to make sure just in case.
“Before the riot, I had a research team that was part of the development of the latex prototype. Some of them also interact with your kind as well for vital information during production. Perhaps you might find any of them familiar?”
The doctor can see the confusion in Puro’s eyes, but waits for his response.
“Puro can try.”
Quickly typing onto the keyboard, Dr K brings up files of his co-workers.
“How about her? Does Sarah sound familiar? She works with your kind.”
The Doctor reveals a photo of an energetic woman in a lab coat, kneeling beside a small black latex pup who tries to climb onto her lap.
“No…Puro can’t recognize human.”
Strange, surely he would have seen her at some point…
"Are you sure? She's been visiting the institute for two years now," he asks one more time, Puro simply blinks in confusion.
“She was?”
“She has been visiting the office where your kind resides and you haven’t seen her? Surely you did.”
“Puro admittedly doesn’t pay much attention to current events,” Puro answers, drooping his ears in shame.
Dr. K almost feels bad now for bringing it up.
“Ok…moving on. And how about this one?”
The Doctor pulls out a photo of a young man, the man seems to be operating on a computer while a cup of coffee is right next to him, barely giving the camera a glance.
“No.”
Time for a moment of truth…
“And this one?”
The photo reveals a much older man, standing with pride with a young girl next to him, presumably his daughter.
Puro takes a moment to consider the picture…
----------------------------------------
You let the deep slumber slowly engulf you, until you feel something entering your mind. Everything becomes fuzzy as you get a strange headache.
You see yourself rushing along with someone in front of you down a narrow corridor, where there are pipes everywhere and steam hissing from leakage.
You both seem to be in a hurry as the person from ahead glances back, seemingly checking on you as you follow close behind, turning around a corner. The lights are flashing red. You don’t know what is happening.
Seeing a gap in the pipes, the person in front of you stops you and urges you.
“In here, we can hide in here!”
You quickly nod as you follow along with him, tuckering in the corners as much as you possibly can.
You both watch the corridor from your hiding spot as everything becomes still. The alarm blaring as you both stay hidden. Suddenly, a sound of pattering can be heard as you shut your eyes, waiting for it to pass.
*tap tap Tap Tap TAP TAP Tap Tap tap tap…*
“...I think…they’re gone. We’re safe now…”
“You think so?”
That voice was your own. Who is this person you’re seeing?
“Yeah…I…”
The person pauses, clasping his head as if he is having a massive headache.
“You need to rest. Let me check rather, please your headache is getting worse!”
“I…uh…sure…”
You then find yourself leaning out from the hiding spot, peeking down where…whatever it is that ran past you went. You climb out of your hiding spot seemingly relieved. You seem to stand still for a minute, raising your hand to brush your head in relief, trying to figure out what to do next.
“What do we do now? Should we stay hidden until help arrives?”
“...”
*SPLAT*
You jump in fright as you turn, as horror freezes you over.
The person behind you is thrashing all over, trying his hardest to pull away from a latex creature behind him. The latex already has goo forming on his torso, one of its paws wrapping around his face while the other grabs hold of his arm, restricting him.
You move back a step, before tumbling backwards and falling, unable to speak, move or look away.
The latex pushes the person to the ground, his legs and torso all but consumed by the beast. All that is left is the remaining left arm and the person’s face. He seems to be reaching out towards you before his remaining skin is consumed by the goo.
The person comes to a complete still as a tail starts to form by his hips, his hand melding, turning into paws as triangular ears take shape. The creature pushes itself up to its knees as the goo settles as the last of the transformation takes place.
Fur starts to develop as the goo around his head takes shape. A familiar white mask sliding in place…
Your companion was consumed by a black wolf.
The wolf then looks towards you, its eyes gazing upon yours.
You quickly scramble to your feet and run.
…
----------------------------------------
Dr. K watches with anticipation, waiting for Puro to give his answer once he finishes examining the picture.
So much so that he isn’t sure what he will do next…if Puro says no, then…honestly even he doesn’t know what answer he wants to hear. Whatever happens, it all depends on what Puro has to say.
Suddenly, Puro leans back, still fixated upon the picture. He speaks out his answer.
“Sorry Doctor…but Puro doesn’t recognise either of the three humans. If anything, Puro never recalls ever meeting any human besides human here.”
Dr. K lets out a quiet sigh of relief…or was it disappointment? Dr. K couldn’t tell, but at least it was over.
‘Damn…so he really doesn’t remember.’
The tension fades away from the atmosphere, as he closes the files containing the pictures.
“Why did Doctor show me pictures of humans? Was Puro supposed to know them?”
“Maybe, your kind can sometimes be difficult to tell apart.”
Puro’s ear flickers at that comment.
“We are not that difficult to tell apart are we?”
“Puro…your kind has the same matching traits, from fur, tail and mask. It can be tricky sometimes.”
Puro seems to scoff at the absurdity of the idea. Him? Looking like the others of his kind to the point where they look identical?
Just before Puro could argue, the machine starts to power down as the data feed grows in the computer, compiling the data into a digital diagram of a human body.
“It’s done. Let me get Colin out quick,” Dr. K hastily comments, heading to the machine while Puro watches from behind.
----------------------------------------
…
Your world comes to light once more, as you feel yourself being drawn into the light through a tunnel. The light blinds you temporarily, as Dr. K pulls you out of the machine. You almost forgot that Dr. K is a wolf, not human.
“And we are done. You may get up now.”
You get up from the pedestal, quickly regaining your sense of balance before standing on the tiled floor. You can’t help but replay the vision in your mind over and over, struggling to take in what you just saw.
What was that? Was that…a memory? A memory of your past? Before you went into stasis? But why? Why now? Why is it that you are getting glimpses of your past? You then recall the warnings of a certain letter…
Of course! Now you remember! The letter from the Elder! It did say that you will receive flashbacks of your past, was this what he meant?
But if that’s true, then that means that memory…that event…everything that you saw…was real. You don’t even know what to say…
“There we are, the results are in.”
Hasty clicks and clacks of a keyboard can be heard by the desk, as Dr. K quickly reviews the latest data and readings. Curious about the results, you walk to the desk along with Puro who peers over his shoulder to get a closer look at the readings.
Dr. K’s eyes seem to be dotting left and right, flipping from image to image, changing the filters of the readings before replaying it.
“What did you find?”
“A lot…” Dr. K quickly said, finding fascination in the new discovery as he takes in all of the little details.
“That doesn’t say much…”
Dr. K brings up a clear diagram of your body, showing your nervous system.
“Look here, along here should be the nervous system of a human body. If you look closely, you can see a tinge of black somewhere along here right?”
Listening to Dr. K you and Puro follow his directions and gestures with the cursor on the computer, revealing a tinge of something black along with the nervous system.
“Yeah, I can.”
“According to this diagram, most of it is present by the neck, where the brain is. This diagram alone doesn’t reveal much, but when I show this…” he pauses, changing the image.
“...it reveals so much more.”
The computer shows a clear image of your nerves by your neck, showing a webbing of black latex similar to a nerve.
Dr. K quickly flips through images of your neck, showing that the black latex seems to be reacting just like the nerves.
“According to this, it indicates that there is something within your body acting very much like a nerve would, creating and sending signals to where it is needed. However, these ones seem to prioritise sending signals to the brain rather than the rest of your body. And if I am not mistaken, that seems very much like the black latex.”
“How does that make me hear telepathy though?”
“Black latexes are a hivemind, they always send and receive thoughts to each other, this is basically an implant to allow the human brain to receive and send these thoughts.”
“So does that mean…”
“Yes. This implant is the exact reason why you are able to ‘hear’ telepathy from other latexes.”
This explains a lot, especially how the latex was able to speak to you in a language you were able to understand but why is it that the Elder didn’t tell you about this? This would have been nice to know beforehand!
‘Jeez Elder…at least tell me everything I need to know,’ You thought bitterly.
Regardless, there is nothing that can be done now, what’s done is done.
“The Elder didn’t tell anything about this?”
“No…didn’t know about this until now.”
Dr K seems to pause for a moment, humming in thought as he thinks it over. Eventually, his eyes snap open as he gives a grunt of frustration.
“...damn it…he keeps slipping through.”
“Strange Doctor?”
“Just thinking…”
Dr. K pauses for a moment before he gives a sigh of defeat.
“No matter. More important things to worry about anyway. Colin, now that you are here after so long, what will you do now?”
“Well, Puro and I are hoping to go outside the institute, see what the world is like and the other humans like me. Right Puro?”
“Yes! Puro wants to see all kinds of humans!”
“Understandable, there is a town nearby that you can go to. It is safe there, but don’t stray too far away from civilization, there is still wild latex out there, and they WILL kill you. I guarantee they won’t be as harmless as the latex you are familiar with.”
You nod in understanding, yes most of the latex creatures you met are relatively harmless, but that doesn’t mean every one of them will be.
“Alright fine, I will keep that in mind.”
“Puro will be there for human to chase away the scary latex!”
Dr K seems somewhat thankful to hear that as he gets up and exits the room and back to the main lab.
“You know where to find the exit?” Dr. K asks.
You shake your head, not knowing where to go.
“Figured. Unfortunately, most of the elevators aren’t working right now so you will have to take a long way down. Just head down this corridor and take the stairs and head down. That will take you to the containment room. There should be a working elevator that will take you to the main floor, go there and you should be able to find the exit nearby.”
Is that it? That doesn’t sound so far, you’re almost out of the institute! Just a few more rooms and a trip through an elevator and you are free! Free to see the world with Puro.
Although…That memory…does put a damper on your mood.
You give a quick glance to Puro, seemingly excited that the end of the journey is close. Should you tell him? How would he react? Would he be hurt? Upset? The memory is taking its toll on your mind.
“So it’s not far?”
“Not at all.”
“That’s excellent news! Human! We are so close! Aren’t you excited??” Puro squeals, his fur puffing out a little as his tail wags back and forth rapidly.
You give a small sheepish smile, finding Puro's antics adorable. Maybe he wouldn’t be upset if you told him. He is your best friend after all, right? You can trust him.
Giving you a motivating nudge, Puro leads the way to the exit of the lab, eager to explore the outside world with you.
“W-wait, hold on!” Dr. K jumps up from his desk, stopping you.
You and Puro came to a screeching halt, heeding Dr. K’s call.
“Yeah?”
“Before you leave…I…I have a favour to ask.” Dr K says slowly as if choosing his words carefully.
“I get that you are eager to leave but I have an urgent matter that needs tending that I cannot do.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Colin…as much as I hate to say it, I need you to help me contain a Behemoth.”
A rush of memories run past you of the intimidating Behemoth you encountered. He cannot be serious!
“Are you kidding me? You want me to contain a Behemoth?”
“I know I know! I am aware of your ‘incident’ regarding that last Behemoth, Prototype told me everything. It just makes this even more urgent.”
“You can’t just send me to go against that thing! I almost died!”
“I wouldn’t ask if I could! I really have no choice here! I wouldn’t even send you if I have a foolproof plan!”
Your eye twitches in frustration, you barely know this Doctor and now he is asking you for a huge favour?
“Colin, that Behemoth needs to be contained. It does not understand the dangers it poses to humans, if nothing is done about it, someone else can get hurt or worse. Colin, I wouldn’t ask if I can do it myself.”
Damn, he does have a point. If it weren’t for Neon, that Behemoth would have drowned you by accident. Hunter himself mentioned how someone died because of them, if this happened before it is sure to happen again but what can you do?
“But how can I contain that thing? It’s massive!”
“You don’t need to fight it, you just need to trap it.”
“How?”
“Using these.”
Opening a metallic cabinet, Dr. K reveals a strange-looking metal device and a bunch of…
“AHHH! NO! NOT THOSE! KEEP THEM AWAY FROM PURO!”
Cones.
You immediately back away from the metal cabinet as Puro rushes behind you, cowering in fear. You can’t blame him, those things are terrifying.
“Ohh no! I am NOT touching those things! That thing is a death trap!”
“Y-yeah! Sharp and pointy!”
“You’ve seen what they do?”
“I saw it shoot out a spike to a white pup, so yeah! Not touching it!”
“They are not dangerous to humans, they only react to the presence of a latex beast. You just need to place it from the outskirts of the nest and it will give me the time I need to devise a plan to separate the Behemoth. Just place some by the other side of the nest and come back here and plant the rest, they won’t go near ya.”
You look at the cones, giving them some thought and consideration before making your decision.
“You need me to do this because you are made of latex?”
“Exactly,” Dr. K waves a paw close to the cone but not too close as it produces a spike before withdrawing as Dr. K pulls his hand away.
“Can’t even go near it if I wanted to.”
You don’t want to go near it…you really don’t, but the sense of responsibility urges you to at least try. If you don't do it, who will?
Hesitantly stepping forward, you reach out your hand towards the cone, pausing for a moment before moving closer. Puro watches from behind, watching with dread.
…
Miraculously, despite touching the deadly cone, you are completely fine. Reaching out with your other hand you reach down and grab the stack of cones, carefully lifting it up as though it is fragile. Puro watches in amazement, as though he is seeing the impossible. You feel the tension fade away from your hands, seeing there is no threat of getting stabbed.
“See Colin? It’s completely harmless…to you at least.”
“So what do I do with this thing? Put it in the nest?”
“At the outskirts preferably, so it can’t go anywhere else.”
Keeping the cones steady, you walk to where you enter the lab while Puro follows from behind.
“Human, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Someone has to I guess…we can’t let that thing hurt anyone else you know?”
“Well…If human wants to stop the Behemoth, then Puro will too! Puro will protect human!”
You always feel touched whenever Puro shows concern for your well-being, he truly values your friendship.
“Before you leave, I have one more thing to give you,” Dr K calls out, taking the metal device from the cabinet before handing it to you.
“What is it?”
“It’s a shocker, a powerful taser that can stun a latex the size of a human. We used these during the wild latex outbreak. It’ll make that behemoth think twice before approaching, at the very least.”
“This thing can hurt a Behemoth?”
“Err…I am giving this to you as a general use protection once the cones are placed. I also have a gurney here you could use to help carry the cones with you.”
He briefly exits the room and comes back with the gurney.
Nodding in thanks, you pocket the taser and heft the stack of cones onto the rolling platform before leaving the lab with Puro who follows not far from behind.
As the door closes from behind you, Puro shimmies his way past the cones to you, flinching a little when his tail causes them to spike out. That's over with, he makes sure to put yourself between him and the cones behind you.
“Do you have a plan for this human?”
“Not exactly, just gotta be careful with these cones and let them scare it off if we see it. I was hoping you could be my backup in case things somehow go wrong.”
“Puro is happy that human trusts me to help, Puro will do his best! Human, just stay close to Puro, and he will do the rest!”
‘He is still willing to help me, every step of the way.’
Seeing the door to the Behemoth’s nest, you grit your teeth and open it, peeking through to make sure the coast is clear. Stepping into the white room, Puro keeps behind you as you both navigate through the strange room, looking for signs of a possible ambush.
Strangely, nothing happens as you both reach the edge of the behemoth’s influence by the greenhouse, placing the cones by the edge. As you head back, you notice that the white latex seems to retract away from the cones.
‘I will never understand how these things work.’
“Strange… The Behemoth lives here, isn’t that right, human??”
“Yeah…I thought they might try something…”
Stepping through the door, you scan around one more time to find nothing…wait…you did find something.
You found the Behemoth alright, except it seems to be huddling close to the corner. It wasn’t there before.
“Puro, are you seeing this?”
“Hmm?” Puro asks, stepping through the doorway before spotting the behemoth.
“Yeah, Puro sees. What is the Behemoth doing there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Erm…maybe let’s just not dwell on it and get out while we still can human.”
“Yeah, good idea.” You agree, hastening your pace to the exit of the nest as soon as possible.
----------------------------------------
‘You stay. Leave them.’
‘We will!’
‘Promise!’
‘Don’t do it again!’
‘Please!’
Neon then breaks the communication, hiding in the vents as the human and the black wolf make their way out of the nest.
Despite what she had done to her frien-...the human, she couldn’t find the strength to explore the strange world alone. There are just too many things she could not understand, far too many. The human is the only person she knows and understands.
Her only option is to stay close to the human, at least until she can find a way to approach him, or simply, to have the strength to do so. Exploring the unknown alone is a scary journey.
‘Human…Neon will be better.’
----------------------------------------
Placing the last cones near the doorway, the Behemoth is finally secured, at least, that’s what you hope for. But regardless, the creature is no longer a threat for now.
“Finally! We are finished!”
“It wasn’t that long.”
“Cones are dangerous! You don’t understand how bad they are to us latex!”
“...Are they poisonous?”
“Kind of.”
Although vague, you nod in acknowledgement as you and Puro make your way back to the laboratory, eager to get back on our journey to reach the outside world. Now that the cones are gone, maybe it would be ideal to talk to Puro about your vision.
“Hey Puro, got a minute?”
Puro looks up at you in wonder, getting his full attention.
“Yes human?”
“Something strange happened to me when I was in that machine.”
“What happened? Did the machine do something to you?”
“No, nothing bad! It’s just I think…I might have remembered something from my past.”
Puro’s eyes widen but he says nothing, urging you to continue.
“After I met the Elder, he warned me about getting some strange flashbacks, which I think is what happened but…”
“...but…?”
“Puro…the flashback was me and someone else running and hiding but at the end…I saw a black wolf…it assimilated him…”
Puro’s ears droop, understanding the situation.
“I…don’t know what to think. I just can’t shake my head off about it, I just don’t understand! I don’t know how to tell you this but it's like, like if you were there.”
You feel guilty putting this on Puro but this is something you want to get off your mind. You just want to get rid of that strange doubt, the idea that the black wolves…Puro himself could do such a thing.
…
“Human, please don’t think Puro will be like that.”
Puro places a paw on your shoulder as he stands beside you.
“Puro is more than that. Puro is better than that. Puro wants to be an excellent latex beast that human can trust and depend on when needed. Puro does not know if what you saw is true or WHY that black latex would do such a horrible thing but just know…Puro would NEVER do that to you. You’re Puro’s friend right?”
You look up to Puro to see him giving you an assuring smile. You find relief that Puro understands and reassures you, clearing any nagging discomfort in the back of your mind.
“Thanks Puro. It means a lot to hear that. I was worried you might be upset.”
“Not at all! Puro is happy you are open and honest! Traits of a good friend!”
And with that, you press on, heading back to the lab as you both continue the journey, this time you both will travel together.