As I mentioned earlier, this is my second update in a day. It is taking the story away from Anna for a bit, and should only be 2 parts absolute maximum.
When I started this project, I only intended it to be a "complete every LTW" thing. Instead, I'm finding my mind throwing idea's at it until the right one's stick... so I'm hoping to turn it into something more. This update is part of that, so I would really appreciate constructive criticism.
Anyway... here we go...
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A Dark Secret - Part 1.
This is where he lived? A renowned scientist, geneticist and inventor?
Here?!
The woman sighed and whipped out her cell phone. The reception was pretty terrible, but she’d downloaded all of her e-mails ahead of time. A niggling feeling in the back of her mind told her she would need to do that, and it seemed that feeling had been completely and utterly right. She checked the address once more, and it seemed that Midnight Hollow was, indeed, the correct place to be. Flagging down a taxi was easy enough, and the newcomer to the little city was soon on her way to the address she had been given.
Finding the house really wasn’t difficult, and more like what she expected for a world-renowned Doctor.
A single hand pushed the gate open and she walked the path to the door, shuddering slightly at the odd plants in the front garden. The bell rang, and within moments, a PlumBot opened the door and stepped outside.
Eva: “Can I help you?”
Woman: “I… have an appointment with Doctor Rathbone.”
Eva: “Please hold still… scanning to confirm identity.”
Woman:
(“Why didn’t she just ask me…”)Eva: “Identity and appointment confirmed. Please come in, Kerry Watkins. You can wait in the living room, it’s the first door on the right. I’ll inform my father that you’re here.”
Kerry: “Um… thanks.”
Not wanting to argue with a robot, her Grandmother Lois said they could have short tempers, Kerry did as she was asked, taking a seat on the sofa and simply waiting for this doctor to arrive.
It was only a few minutes before he wandered in from the kitchen.
Dr Rathbone: “Ms Watkins? Dr Steven Rathbone. I’ve been expecting you… though I do not normally take visitors via e-mail…
especially ones that will not discuss their ailment.”
Kerry stood up and moved to the side of the sofa, the Doctor crossing the room surprisingly quickly for a man of his advanced years.
Kerry: “I’m sorry for the secrecy… I really am. But this is something that I didn’t want getting out. If my family knew…”
Steven: “Calm down. Just tell me what the problem is.”
Kerry: “I… don’t think I can die.”
Steven: “Explain. Are we talking ‘can’t be hurt’ not dying, or just not aging?”
Kerry: “I don’t mean to offend, but I should be your age… and I’m not. I stopped aging just after I became a mature adult.”
Steven: “I see. Drink anything odd? Say… pink and potion shaped?”
Kerry: “No.”
Steven: “Anyone else in your family have this condition.”
Kerry: “Yes, but out of respect for their privacy, I would rather not reveal who.”
Steven: “Ah. So I really need to do some work then, especially if you want this fixed.”
Kerry: “I don’t think I want it fixed. I just want to know if it can be passed onto any children I may have.”
Steven: “Then let’s make a start. I do
love a good mystery. First, some mental tests.”
Something Kerry learned quickly was that Dr Rathbone did love his ink blot tests. He went through several of them, testing what she saw for easily half an hour before she finally decided to question him on it.
Kerry: “Alright, enough with the ink blots! What are they for anyway?”
Steven: “Well… two things really. One, I like them and you will indulge me if you want my help. Two, I was making sure you weren’t insane.”
Kerry: “And?”
Steven: “…and you have a very active imagination, but you aren’t insane. Come, let’s go to my lab.”
The strange Doctor led Kerry out of the living room, through the hall and into an adjoining room with a spiral staircase heading downstairs. She noted the two PlumBot charging stations, and found that a little odd since she’d only actually met Eva. In the basement, it was very clear she was in the presence of a great mind. There was a bot-creation station, an inventing desk, a time machine, some random old book and a science station. Steven also seemed to have a pet deathfish and kept a computer in the basement, which Kerry assumed was for his notes. He was already standing by the science machine, with a gadget of some description in hand.
Steven: “I need a DNA sample.”
Kerry: “So you can run gene sequencing to work out exactly what’s going on, right?”
Steven: “Yes. How did you know that?”
Kerry: “Auntie Susan was a very accomplished surgeon and gene therapist before she died.”
Steven: “So
that’s why your name is familiar. You’re related to Susan Watkins. Now it makes sense.”
Kerry: “Yep. So do what you need to.”
The sample was acquired fairly quickly and Steven moved to start analysing it immediately.
Steven: “This will take a while. My house is at your disposal. But if you want to make yourself useful, feed Everett.”
Kerry: “Everett?”
Steven: “The Deathfish.”
Since this man was helping her out at no cost, Kerry didn’t feel she could really refuse.
Kerry: “You must be a great fisherman to catch such a perfect specimen.”
Steven: “Fish? Me? Nono… that means going outside. Eva caught a normal Deathfish. I cloned Everett from it.”
Kerry: “…oh.”
Sometimes it’s better not to know. Kerry sat down at the computer and used it to play some games while Steven finished up his research. A few hours went past, and the woman actually fell asleep sitting in the chair. Her dreams were… strange… and she wasn’t sure if it was to do with being in such an odd place, in the presence of a man she barely knew, or simple exhaustion. She awoke with a start, an image and phrase burning itself into her mind.
”Kerry… I see you…”A hand was on her shoulder when she woke up, almost making the woman fall out of her chair. When she turned around, it was just Steven.
Steven: “You were having bad dreams. I suggest you put them to one side because I need you to do something.”
Kerry: “Mmm… what?”
Steven: “Step one: Get out of my chair. I need to do research. Step two: Go to the kitchen and get yourself a coffee. Step three: Go to the mausoleum. If my theory is correct, only two people with the name Watkins should be buried there. I need you to go and find those names to confirm if I am correct or not.”
Kerry: “Alright, whatever you say…”
So while Steven did research…
…Kerry explored the mausoleum, which was conveniently located in the graveyard right next door to Steven’s house.
Even while doing something important, she couldn’t get the image of those eyes out of her mind, and she was sure that someone was whispering to her…
”…your soul will be mine…”
