'Huh, where am I? Why can't I open my mouth?'
On top of a long white metal table lay Jericho's newly regenerated body.
He couldn't move or speak; some straps restrained him, made from an odd material.
Jericho's body shivered from the cold metal that felt as if it could somehow melt through his skin.
His eyes frantically searched for an answer as to where he was; it was a laboratory eerily similar to the ones he'd seen in his dreams.
Cogito appeared in Jericho's view, hovering over him with a disgusting smile on his face.
"Hey, you're up!"
In his hands, he carried a set of clothes that he held out for Jericho to take.
'Dimwit, how am I supposed to move?'
"Oops."
With the click of a button, Jericho was released from the restraints that strapped him to the metal.
Jericho snatched the clothes from the sly lizard's hands and put them on; they were all white, both the pants and the shirt—even the underwear.
'I look like an asylum patient.'
Looking up from changing, Jericho noticed Cogito staring at him; his pupils were dilated, seemingly out of focus.
"What's your issue?"
Cogito snapped back into reality, shaking his head and focusing.
"Huh? Whatever could you mean, my dear Jericho?"
There was a grimness in his voice, even though it was obvious that he was playing around.
'It's so hard to tell what he's thinking or if he's being serious or not. I hate it.'
"Well, first of all, you're always collecting my blood. I only allow you because Cypher trusts you, and I trust Cypher. But I really know nothing about you."
Scratching his neck and diverting his attention from Jericho, Cogito looked up and pondered.
"Hm, seems I have been kind of mysterious."
Cogito pulled a chair from the corner and placed it near his desk.
"Alright then, Jericho, I'll allow you to ask me 4 questions."
Jericho skeptically looked at Cogito, feeling as if the gravity within the room had multiplied tenfold.
"What's the catch?"
Laughter filled the room; it was a sinister, almost fake sort of laughter—a laugh with no emotion behind it.
"You caught me."
Throwing his hand up, Cogito plopped into his desk chair, signalling for Jericho to sit in the chair across from him.
"I promise to tell the truth for 3 of your questions, but—"
Jericho sat in the chair awaiting Cogito to finish his sentence.
"But, I will lie for one of your questions. I won't tell you which it is, but I will tell you one of the truths, but that's up to me which one I want to choose to confirm."
Cogito put his finger to his mouth as the corners of his mouth curled up forcefully.
The smile painted onto his face was that of a child who just got a new toy.
"Fine, let's play."
Darkness consumed the room, the only light shining on the person answering or questioning.
Jericho felt a lump in his throat every time he tried to swallow. He had so many questions, how would he condense them into 4?
"What do you know that I don't about the Central?"
The light switched to Cogito, revealing his sketched smile.
"Hmm, no more than you already know."
Jericho's brows furrowed in confusion and a slight bit of anger.
The light flickered and switched back to Jericho.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
The light switched to Cogito, his face covered in the same smile.
"Is that your second question?"
'I knew it, it's always some mind fuck with this lunatic.'
Once again, the light was on Jericho.
"No."
He played with his thumbs, sweating, his teeth gritted in frustration.
"Why are you so fascinated with me?"
Something was off; the light didn't switch as soon as Jericho asked his question, it was as if it hesitated before switching back to Cogito.
The light cut off, leaving the room in darkness.
'Could that be an indicator that this next answer will be a lie?'
When the light flickered and switched to Cogito, there was no smile, just a blank expression, as if its artist had forgotten their paintbrush to fill the white canvas.
His expression sent chills down Jericho's spine, making it hard to breathe; it was as if his change of demeanour infected the air, killing it.
"Well, to put it simply."
A shivering sense of despair crashed upon Jericho; he'd only felt this feeling once before.
"You're immortal, who wouldn't be interested in you. Especially to a scientist like me."
Suddenly, the air became breathable, and the sense of despair evaporated from the room, leaving Jericho in shock.
Sweat dripped from Jericho, each drop making a distinct sound as it hit the floor.
"Just who the hell are you?"
Jericho built the last of his courage to finally speak, each word shaking as if he was afraid of what would happen if he asked.
The light shone on Cogito, revealing his painted smile, as if the mask had cracked, revealing a black hole within it.
"Nobody."
Jericho stared into the darkness where Cogito would be, still sweating and panting.
"You're lying."
Putting a finger on his lips as if he were silencing himself, Cogito smiled.
"No, that is the truth."
'What? That makes no sense.'
Jericho bit his lip, causing it to bleed. This creep thinks he's the fucking Riddler, huh.
Whatever, it's time for the final question, the only one that he could get a real answer from.
He just had to know how to ask it.
"What is the Central's true goal?"
The light instantly switched to Cogito.
"Ah, I was waiting for this one. They're going to erase humanity off the map for who knows what."
Cogito shrugged and stuck his tongue out as if what he just said wasn't severe at all.
"What the fuck!"
The lights flickered, then lit up the entire laboratory.
"Welp, that's all you can leave now."
Cogito waved his fingers, and instantly, two drones pushed Jericho out of the laboratory.
Jericho fell off the steps of the lab into the bushes nearby, landing on his face.
'Creep.'
Brushing off the twigs and leaves from his back, Jericho got up and looked around.
'Where the heck am I?'
He was surrounded by giant trees that towered over him, and the breeze was warm and felt good as it caressed his cheek.
'I wish I could just forget about everything Cogito just told me.'
For some reason, he felt as if he could feel each molecule of air touch his skin; it was as if he was more connected with life.
Could this be the post-mortem experience that old age Buddhists talked about?
'Have I reached Nirvana from dying so many times? No, maybe this is my rebirth. Yeah, a rebirth.'
Jericho sat on the floor in a meditating position. He hummed as if he were trying to centre his chakra.
'Oh yeah, I feel it.'
Inhis mind, Jericho envisioned himself being briskly swooped off the floor by a gentle wind, propelling him above the ground.
'I've done it, I've reached nirvana!'
He felt as if he were one with the wind and the air itself, guiding him to his destination.
'I'm flying! Whoa, I truly am the main character! I'm destined to defeat the bad guys and save the world!!'
Ripping him out of his fantasy, a splash of water hit Jericho in his face, forcing his eyes open.
"Ouch."
Jericho rubbed his eyes and opened them, met with the sight of the vast forest below him.
'Ah, so it's a 'secret' lab. Noted.'
"I really am flying!"
"We sure are!"
An unfamiliar voice interrupted Jericho's moment of bliss. Looking up, Jericho noticed a man in a golden helmet with harpy wings on it above him.
He was being carried by this man, soaring high above the village below them.
The man had giant brown wings; they were beautiful.
'Oh fuck I'm being kidnapped.'
"I can tell what you're feeling from that expression on your face. Don't try and resist or you will fall to your death."
Jericho's face tensed up, contemplating what he should do in this situation.
"Well, I'd rather die than go with you!"
Frantically, Jericho flopped his body around trying to escape the grip of the talons that held him up by his shirt.
"Sigh, you're kind of annoying."
Suddenly, a ball of fire shot past them at alarming speeds.
"Ugh, they're here already?"
Looking down, Jericho saw a man in black with a weird-looking gun-like object below them running after them.
'That's a gun! Oh, and Cypher!'
Noticing Cypher, Jericho ripped off his shirt, releasing him from the creepy bird guy that was carrying him.
The winged man instantly noticed looking at the falling man.
"What the hell, man, I can't bring you to the priest dead!"
The man stopped in the middle of the sky, redirecting himself and then shooting down towards Jericho to stop him from escaping.
'Fuck, I'm mid air.'
Jericho tried to act as if he was swimming to gain more speed and fall faster, but it ended up just making him look like an idiot trying to swim in the air.
'I think this is working!'
In an instant, Jericho was swept out of the air by a black blur, narrowly escaping the flying man.
"Hey, what the hell, where'd you go!?"
The winged man looked around, scanning the giant trees below him, confused as to where Jericho had gone.
Safely on the floor, Cypher placed Jericho on the floor underneath the surrounding trees, hiding them from the winged man.
"They already found us."
Confused, Jericho wiped the dirt from off of him and looked up at Cypher.
"Who?"
Cypher's face exuded killing intent; it was scrunched up in pure anger.
"The cultists from the church of Sol, the solians."