I followed the markers to the next lab, Laboratory 02. It was a jungle. Literally. There were plants everywhere, the smell of damp earth was prevalent and small cat prints led from one plant and faded out slowly as they led back towards the back of the lab.
“Jungle needs a machete,” I noted and walked through the plants ducking under several broad leafed banana looking trees, some thin bladed palm-type grasses and so forth. There were so many plants. There were deciduous trees, like apple and oranges, and evergreens like pine and fir. Flowers scented the air and I found myself getting lost.
“Hello?” I called. There was no answer. Movement in the plants came from the left, a leathery sound almost like a snake or something pulled through a broad leaf.
I was tackled as a large plant moved forwards quickly.
“What is that?!” I demanded.
“A hybrid. We don't stand where the plants can scent us.”
“Have you seen a cat? Tiger-striped, black and brown?” I asked, worried.
“Oh the furball. Yeah he darted out of the room before the plants woke up,” the lab coat said helping me up, “I think he peed on one.”
I held my tongue as the lab coat led me out of the room. I found the arrow to the next soon-to-be fiasco and made a note about the jungle. “Find machete.”
I headed for the next lab and stepped inside to find space. There were multiple rocks, debris, dust, and a small “scale model” of part of Alpha Centauri… or at least what I thought was Alpha Centauri. It was made from dirt that smelled the same as the litterbox in my apartment. Three lab coats were working at various points in the room. One had a Spartan style helmet on his desk, one had a solar system hanging over the desk, and the third had a pink cup with a bowtie. There was cat fur on her lab coat.
“Has anyone seen a cat?” I asked.
“Oh I have I have!” the girl said excitedly.
“Which way did he go?”
“He went that way,” all three said at once and pointed in different directions.
“Great… What's this place?” I asked absently.
“We study the planets here, George is a geologist, I am an astrophysicist, and I always forget what Melvin is. We just call him the modulator guy,” she said, unhelpfully.
“Melvin” looked up from the desk where the helmet was.
“They're space modulators and they are precision instruments. And my name is Marvin, Marvin Marshen,” he stated in overly cultured tones. I rolled my eyes.
“Right, I've got a cat to locate,” I said and walked out another door.
Lab 04. Weather. I sighed. This would not be good.
I stepped inside the lab and immediately spotted Kyper sitting on a desk. He was angry, and his fur was standing on end. So were the scientists.
“Look out!” one of the lab coats yelled. Kyper hissed and darted off the desk. A crackle and another lab coat at a computer.
“Stablized, it's stable now, you can let go,” he called out. I growled.
“What is going on?” I demanded.
“Dry rain!” one explained excitedly. Which explained exactly nothing.
“Dry…rain?”
“Yes! It produces moisture without being wet!”
“So… Air? You've invented air?”
“NO! It's dry rain!”
“Right…” I said and looked around. I sighed.
“Which way did the cat go?”
“Cat?” the lab coat asked. I rolled my eyes and left the room.
I'm not sure how long I looked, but I did know my throat was getting dry. I decided to head back to the apartment for water. I wouldn't be long and I could start looking again immediately.
It took me a few tries but eventually I found my way back and opened the door. I really needed IT to fix that code.
I stepped inside and sighed. I shook my head.
“You could have waited for me,” I said. Kyper studied his paw, sitting on my counter. I closed the door and walked over to the sink to get my water, and checked his out of habit.
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