Chapter 2 - No way out

Having no idea what to do, Ryan could only wait as he was transported somewhere. Inside the container, it was pitch dark, making it nearly impossible to see anything, including himself. That's why Ryan decided to stay quiet for most of the journey.

He realized the container was in motion, but without sight, it was difficult for Ryan to determine exactly where he was being taken. At some point, the container stopped moving, and Ryan had no clue what was happening or the reason for the halt. In the end, all he could do was wait. Ryan stayed inside the container for a long period of time.

As it was completely dark, it was practically impossible to know how much time had passed. At some point, the container door was finally opened, letting in bright light from outside. Slowly, he began to move (or crawl) towards the door. As he emerged, the light became less intense, allowing him to get a glimpse of his surroundings.

Ryan seemed to be in some sort of glass cubicle. Inside it, apart from a few cameras, Ryan couldn't see anything else. Thanks to the glass, however, he finally got a glimpse of his new form.

(But what on earth have I become?)

In front of the glass Ryan was looking through, there was a kind of twisted red and white goo. Although it was already strange enough for Ryan to have turned into some sort of slime monster, what intrigued him even more was the fact that he hadn't had a panic attack upon seeing his new form.

Or rather, even with all this weird situation happening, Ryan felt surprisingly calm. Something deep inside him reassured him, as if telling him he didn't need to worry. In the end, somehow, Ryan managed to accept his new form.

"You see? This is a more advanced form of life. With it, we'll be able to accomplish incredible things"

Outside the cubicle, voices broke out, catching Ryan's attention. Turning towards the voices, he noticed some people observing him from outside the cubicle. Among them, there was a man with his back to Ryan, and it was this man who had spoken earlier.

"This is a unique species in our solar system, perhaps even in the universe. This will be our best chance to achieve what we've been dreaming of. Imagine, curing cancer won't be a problem anymore. Think of how many people we can help"

Ryan had no clue what the man was talking about, but he realized the man was referring to him. This made him ponder the man's words. Overall, was Ryan a kind of alien unique throughout the universe? Still, he couldn't think of a plausible reason for the man to believe he could cure cancer.

As far as Ryan could remember, cancer was an incurable disease; even after several years of study, a definitive cure was never found. So why on earth did the man think an alien slime could achieve that feat? It made no sense to him, but in the end, Ryan was the one trapped inside a glass cage, not the other way around.

While pondering this, Ryan noticed the man suddenly turning towards him. The man was looking at Ryan with a fanatic smile on his face, almost as if he was gazing at something divine. For some reason, Ryan felt a strange sensation as he was being observed by the man, although he couldn't identify the reason for such feeling.

"Doctor Skirth, please, initiate the tests"

With these words, Ryan noticed a woman dressed as a doctor, who was standing next to the man, approach a device resembling a touch-sensitive screen. As soon as the woman pressed the button, a small hatch that had been closed opened. Ryan watched cautiously as a small, furry creature emerged, taking small hops.

(A rabbit?)

Looking at the small, cute animal, Ryan couldn't understand what he was supposed to do exactly. Why release the rabbit along with him? What were they expecting him to do? While these thoughts occupied Ryan's mind, the man's voice echoed again.

"What's happening? Why isn't he doing anything?"

The man asked, addressing the woman named Skirth.

"I don't know... maybe the environment is favorable for it, so he doesn't see the need to join a host?"

Skirth suggested hesitantly. Hearing the doctor's words, the man touched the glass and stared at Ryan.

"If I remember correctly, they don't survive in oxygen-rich environments, right? Dr. Skirth, please proceed"

The man's words reached Ryan, who couldn't fully comprehend what he had heard. If he couldn't breathe in an oxygen-rich place, then what the hell was he breathing? In fact, was Ryan really breathing? He hadn't noticed before, but his new body didn't seem to possess any respiratory system. So how the hell was he breathing? Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for Ryan to formulate his thoughts.

Suddenly, Ryan could see and feel small ripples in the air. Although he couldn't initially identify what they were, somehow, he realized it was oxygen. As one of the thousands of tiny oxygen fragments made contact with his viscous skin, he felt suffocated.

With this, Ryan understood that somehow he was breathing in a manner similar to amphibians, essentially absorbing oxygen through his skin.

(Haaa... Haaa... Haaa... I can't... breathe)

The only readable words came from Ryan's mind. Although he was making sounds, they weren't intelligible, and he highly doubted the people watching him would help. While pondering what to do, Ryan cast a quick glance at the rabbit.

His instincts screamed for Ryan to join it. Ryan had no idea what this was supposed to mean, but he knew that if he didn't act, it would be him who would die.