All he could do at that moment was just to sit back and watch without even blinking. The rat was back from the other dimension or time zone, but there was something that just didn’t make any sense at all. And despite the fact that Dr. Greene knew that there must have been a pretty good explanation for it, it seemed as though it was all just too darn shocking for him to even begin comprehending on whatever the heck was going on at the time.
The rat didn’t look as though it had been harmed in any way whatsoever. But that aside, it seemed as though the rat had undergone some changes in its anatomy that just didn’t appear to make any sense. For instance, the rat had two horns sticking out of its head and instead of its usual claws, it had talons in their place. And it went without saying that it was just too darn scary at the end of everything.
In the end, what seemed to be the most important thing was the fact that it had gone and come back, meaning that the machine had worked. But that was just one thing solved. Dr. Greene had to figure out just how he was going to set a particular destination as well as a time zone. And on top of that, it also seemed as though he needed to know whatever the heck was going on as far as getting all of these anatomical enhancements were concerned.
It was scary, but Dr. Greene knew that he was on to something. And if history was anything to go by, all the scary findings always made him push a little bit further just to see to it that everything was going to work out rather perfectly in the end. But from the look of things, it did seem as though the latter discovery was much scarier than the usual.
This wasn’t just any other cell trying to eat up another cell or a rush on a test subject that just would go away. No. this was a creature which crossed into another dimension and came back with some features that didn’t make sense at all. And so for a moment or two, it seemed as though the only thing that would have made some sense at the time would have been to wait and see what was going to happen.
In the mean time, Dr. Greene kept on checking the rodent, taking all the precaution in the world since if it decided to attack, there was nothing he could do about it.
It still seemed as though it was dormant and very confident, another very weird characteristic as far as rodents were concerned. Rats were always known to be very timid creatures that wouldn’t just stand there and watch a human go about their business. But this one seemed as though it was very confident that it wasn’t under any form of danger, and that just made Dr. Greene to be a little bit concerned about the place that the rodent had been to.
And for a very long time, it seemed as though that idea had been bothering him for a while now. But at the end of the day, the most important thing seemed to be the fact that his machine worked. And at that moment, Dr. Greene decided that it would be a good idea for him to take a break, let his mind rest for a little while.
The good thing about getting enough rest was that it always made sure that the good doctor always came up with some of the most amazing ideas. And at that moment, he realized that resting was the only thing that he wasn’t very keen enough to be doing and thus it was starting to affect him.
So he decided to close the transparent box right away right before going out to check his refrigerator for some liquor. Once he got in the kitchen and opened his fridge, Dr. Greene just bowed his head and shook it a little. From the look of things, he hadn’t visited his fridge for quite a while, and all of the food had reached expiration date. That was the main problem with being too engrossed in making inventions that would help the world to the point that you couldn’t even think of helping your stomach with some fresh food.
Dr. Greene knew that the world of science was starting to ruin him altogether, but he managed to keep on convincing himself that everything was going to be fine in the end.
But from the look of things, it did seem as though it was just getting worse and worse. And at that point, Dr. Greene just walked towards the living room as slowly as he could and sat down in a heap, trying to figure out where he was going to get some food and later some drink to give himself some energy that he needed to think straight.
***
At that moment, Dr. Greene decided that it would be a good idea to go out and get some air. And the best place for him to be at the moment would have been none other than Tori’s bar. Over the years, it appeared as though Tori’s bar always gave her all of the freedom that he ever needed and so it had grown to become some sanctuary at the end of it all.
And so without wasting any more time, Dr. Greene decided that it was about time he went out for a drink. Of course, it was noon, but that didn’t count at any point. All he needed was to get his head cleared, and there was no other place that he could get to think of that would do such a fine job when it came to giving himself some sanctuary.
Thankfully, the club was just a ten minutes’ drive from where he lived, and so it meant that he wasn’t going to have to work too darn hard before he could get on top of the game just like he had wanted. And by getting on top of his game, Dr. Greene was thinking about getting plastered drunk, more than he was used to.
From the look of things, it always seemed as though every single thing would make some incredible sense if at all he got drunk, got over the crazy hangover and then have a clear head.
And as he was driving, Dr. Greene was trying very much not to think about any damn thing to do with the bizarre experiment at the moment. Despite being such an amazing breakthrough and something of note as far as the scientific society was concerned, it still didn’t hide the fact that it was the scariest thing he had ever seen.
And to make things worse, Dr. Greene knew the possibility of having opened a portal through some very dangerous dimensions that could get some dangerous creatures into this one. And if that would be the case, then he would become responsible for single handedly destroying human kind without even trying too darn hard.
Once he got in the bar, it seemed as though the whole place had been abandoned and Tori was just sitting there trying her level best to look cute. She was back to wearing her makeup as well as the skimpy dresses and at first, she looked a little bit surprised to see Dr. Greene back so soon and so early.
“Look at you there! I see you are becoming a very stubborn alcoholic, something that most definitely needs some serious remedying in the end.”
“Woman, you have no idea. Can you fix me a martini? And please, I don’t want any chasers on it.”
“You want it dry?”
“Yes. I want it dry.” Dr. Greene responded without looking at Tori in the face.
It was almost as if Tori would suddenly have talons and horns just like his test subject had and for a moment, it occurred to him that maybe he was just overreacting. And that was what he was doing at that time, and so he had no other choice but to let go of his negative thoughts. But still, Dr. Greene couldn’t hide the fact that he was scared shitless with the invention that he had come up with at the time.
“There you go. But remember, if you are planning on drinking yourself to sleep, then I should warn you in advance that I don’t have the energy to carry you. Make sure you can manage to take yourself the hell out of here.”
“Such a nice way to treat your customers Tori.”
She just smiled and walked to the other side of the bar to take care of a client, leaving Dr. Greene to his drink. He sighed for a moment while rubbing his hands, still trying to understand just what the heck had happened to him. As far as he was concerned, the only thing that was considered as magic or science fiction, as popularly known, had just occurred in the home lab, and it was scary.
According to his contract, Dr. Greene was supposed to report every single thing that had happened as soon as possible. But the committee had rejected his invention terming it impossible to achieve and absurd. And thanks to their cruelty, he used that as his motivation and now he was on the brink of getting on top of his game and eventually staying ahead of the curve without any problems at all.
At that moment, Dr. Greene decided that maybe it would
be a good idea if he just stopped thinking way too much about his invention and just focus on having a drink. But no matter how hard he was trying to do just that, it appeared as though he was never going to achieve his goal. And that said, he decided just to kick back and ensure that he was getting to focus on the details of the time machine, trying to figure out just how he went wrong and what might have been the cause for his subject to come out like that.
Chapter 2:
-The testing-
Tori was always very amazing especially when it came to giving Dr. Greene some pieces of advice about life in general. And now that she had seen him shaken because of work, she decided that it was the perfect time for her to tell him the truth. She wasn’t going to allow him to drink too much since from the look of things; Dr. Greene seemed like the kind of person who was running away from responsibility.
“Look, I am not giving you any more drinks. I think you are running away from something. And even though my boss would kill me for telling you this because it denies him money, I think the best thing for you to do is to stop drinking and figure out how you are going to get this whole invention working. And even though I have been selling these frothy drinks for a while now, I think I am qualified to give you advice about it. And you want to know what the advice is all about?”
“What?”
“Alcohol helps you forget about your problems, but it has never solved them. Not even once. You look like you have a problem. So I suggest that you make a point of solving them rather than wallowing in here in self-pity and hoping that the universe will hear your plea and get you all sorted out.
“You have a big brain, use it to find the solutions you are looking for at the time. And you won't find them here.”
And with that, Tori took the bottle from him and just stared at him without even blinking. It seemed as though she had been pissed off altogether and she wasn’t going to allow the drinking to go on. And it seemed as though Dr. Greene was listening to her for once. He had been known to be a very stubborn doctor, and that was a fact that he knew jolly too well.
Dr. Greene wanted to protest since he thought that his right as a free drinker was being violated. But from the look of things, his right to being a top notch scientist was being upheld and for a moment, he found himself in a dilemma. At that moment, Dr. Greene stole a glance at Tori and then right back at the empty glass that he was having. He wasn’t that drunk, at least not as much as he had wanted.
“Well, I guess you are right. Whatever it was that had me all disturbed is now past me. I have to embrace the outcome and make sure that I am pursuing it to the bitter end.”
“Now that’s more like it.”
“Now that I have realized my mistakes, can I just walk away with the bottle that you are hiding from me? I already paid for it.”
“Sure. But not today. Come back after a week. And then you will have to tell me if you have progressed with your experiment. I will only give you the bottle if I am convinced that you have made some progress.”
“What if I just choose to lie to you?”
“Well, I think it would all be in vain since, from the look of things, the most important thing at this time would be to ensure that I take a good look at you. I may not be a scientist like you, but trust me when I tell you that I am a pretty damn good judge of character my friend.”
There was absolutely no way that Dr. Greene was going to change Tori’s mind. She was the kind of girl who always puts her foot down, and no matter how hard one tried to change her mind, it just wasn’t going to be possible. And now that Dr. Greene was drunk, especially after he had promised that he was going to do just that, it seemed as though there was nothing that could be done to get the bottle back.
“Ok Tori, I give up. You can keep the bottle.”
Tori didn’t even bother responding to him, but the cute smile was enough for him to know that she was having the time of his life. And that said, he decided to go back home. But as he tried to stand, Dr. Greene realized that his head was winding to the point that he almost fell. So he immediately sat down and tried to clear his head for a moment. It appeared as though he discovered that he had way too much to drink.
“I think I had way too much to drink Tori. Can you call the cab for me please?”
“You were already too drunk about an hour ago. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of stopping you that early. Oh, and I have already called a cab for you. I could have personally driven you home but from the look of things, the night is still young, and I don’t want to have problems with my boss.”
Dr. Greene wasn’t that much of a heavy drinker. And so it explained the main reason as to why he kept off from the bar and even if he had to go, then he always regulated his drinking. But after what he had seen that day, Dr. Greene knew that he needed that drink.
***
The hangover was finally gone, and Dr. Greene embarked on his experiment, the one that he had been trying too darn hard to avoid. From the look of things, it had seemed as though Tori had managed to bring him back on track.
But even so, it seemed as though he was still too darn scared of the outcome of every single thing. The rodent was still as scary as hell, and the good doctor didn’t know the kind of new adjustments that the rodent might have undergone. For all he cared, the thing could have developed some neurotoxic abilities as suggested by the fangs as well as the scales it had around the mouth and feet.
But what was a scientific mystery as far as this one was concerned was the fact that it was surviving what seemed to be an entirely new atmosphere which meant that there was a possibility that the rodent might have teleported all the way to some different time. But why did it still have claws and all of the other properties that it still had? It was just too darn confusing in the end.
And that was why Dr. Greene decided to make sure that all of the necessary precautions had been taken care of first before any damn thing could be done. He made sure that he had the protective lab coat as well as thick, impenetrable gloves to make sure that Dr. Greene was safe from all of the dangers that the creature might have and that he didn’t get to know all about it.
He made sure that he also was going to examine the rodent in a safe box, a box that he invented where only his hands could go into it. And in the event of any retaliation, all he needed to do was pull his hands out and press the red button. It would most definitely end up in flash burning the creature almost immediately. There was no taking any chances at all, and if that were to be the case, then he was most definitely prepared for it.
Dr. Greene took another look at the animal, and he was surprised by the fact that it was still glancing at him, not moving or eating anything and that was just too darn strange. Whatever the heck happened to that rat? Well, he was the scientist, and it was his job to find out. And so without wasting any more time, Dr. Greene closed his eyes, chanted a short, incoherent prayer right before going straight to work.
Firstly, he tried poking the little animal a little with a spatula, hoping that it was going to retaliate. But nothing came to happen, and this prompted him to prod him once more, then again. The rodent opened its eyes for a moment and then shut it. And whatever he saw made him jerk backward for a time being. The cute black eyes that the rodent once had were now shifted to green and very scary.
And that just brought Dr. Greene back to where he had been in the first place – what the heck happened to that rodent?
He then took the safe box into the scanner and made sure that the animal was all comfortable even in its sleepy state. And then he made a point of turning the scanner on, making sure that the entire body of the rat was being reflected in the huge screen right in front of him. And once it was all set, the first thing that the good doctor had to check was none other than the brain activity of the rodent.
And just like that, Dr. Greene realized that the rodent was indeed in some deep sleep, which had been happening for a while now. That was very odd since rats never had to sleep that long. And it was at t
hat moment that Dr. Greene realized that the rat wasn’t asleep, it was just hibernating, which was odd indeed.
What could cause the rat to hibernate when it's not one of its common habitual characteristics? Dr. Greene kept on asking himself, trying as much as possible not to cage himself in a box. He wanted to embrace the impossible since it was the only way that he could get to understand that freak of nature that popped out of his time machine. He knew that there must be a very valid explanation for it and even though it was just speculation, it was worth looking into at the time.
He then checked out the time and place that he had sent the rodent; it was a decade back and in his place. Then if the rat had traveled through time and gotten back, why did it have the characteristics that it, wait a damn minute!!!
And just like that, it seemed as though a very brilliant idea had popped into his head and the good doctor couldn’t help but smile.
“Limbo.” He said with a smile on his face.
The rodent might have been injected with a lot more serum that the good doctor had anticipated. And as a result of that, the rat might have disintegrated and got lost in time. That explained virtually everything!!
Chapter 3:
-The unusual materials-
Thriller Mystery 3 Book Set Page 6
