Chapter 22: Elevator

"Good morning, Mr. Jack! Why are you bringing a rabbit?"

"Good morning, Adrian! This? Let me introduce you! This is Harley, my pet. Isn't he adorable?" I then looked at Ethan who is currently clinging to my left arm. "Harley, this is Adrian, Mr. Alec's assistant."

"Okay?"

As Ethan suggested with our conversation last night, he will be pretending as my pet and that I will be calling him Harley.

Though I am quite hesitant about this setup, going to Dr. Stitch's underground laboratory alone is still far more nerve-wracking.

You really can't blame me or anything, Ethan is not a human and I don't know if he had other motives for approaching me other than making me his cover from his pursuers. I couldn't be too careful.

When I entered Mr. Alec's office, I saw Dominick and a woman with brown hair I have never seen before.

"Mr. Jack! Good timing! Let me introduce you to Miss Alicia. She's also working in the agency. Alicia, this is Mr. Jack, he started only recently."

She turned to look at me while smiling, showing her teeth. I noticed she has a burn mark on her left cheek near her ear. "Hello, Mr. Jack!"

I nodded and retracted my gaze away from her as I thought she might find my action rude.

"Are you here for a request, Miss Alicia?"

"Yes, both I and Dominick are taking it as it requires two people. In fact, we're supposed to be on our way when you came."

"Oh! Forgive me, I must have delayed you."

"Not really and we don't mind. See you any time soon! Let's go, Dominick!"

As usual, Dominick still has this unbreakable wall surrounding him. I wonder how Miss Alicia was able to work with someone who is very hard to communicate with.

"Mr. Alec, did you get any response? And oh! This is Harley, my pet."

"Yes, and what's with you bringing your pet to work?"

"I thought I should bring Harley with me since I will be watching over three kids. Better keep them entertained."

"You put more thoughts on this than I thought."

"Shouldn't it be expected, Mr. Alec? It's the renowned Dr. Stitch after all."

"Oh? You already changed your mind about the scientists?"

"Not really. He deserves to be respected after all, but that doesn't mean I'm a fan."

"I see. Good luck! Dr. Stitch said you can come to his laboratory this afternoon at 1:00."

As he said that, he handed me a brown envelope. Just like the first time, it contains the type of request and the location.

Ethan, who I was holding with my hand, climbed on my left shoulder so I could receive the envelope. Seeing this, Mr. Alec was amused.

"Your rabbit is surprisingly smart. He's also good in balancing."

"Amazing isn't he?"

Of course, he would be smart, he's not a normal rabbit after all.

"But I'll have to remind you, Mr. Jack. Though I understand you mean no ill intentions, you still have to ask Dr. Stitch's permission before bringing your pet inside his laboratory. It might disrupt him."

"No problem."

***

I went to the address that was indicated in the paper.

A man, probably in his 50's is waiting for me at the entrance. He wears a white coat that has stains all over it. His gray hair was in disarray, it looked like he haven't combed in ages.

"I'm Dr. Stitch, are you Jack Miller?" when he saw that I have a splint in my right arm, he didn't bother for a handshake.

"Yes, I am. I'm looking forward to working with you, Dr. Stitch." he sweep his eyes to Ethan who was in my arm before he nods.

"Follow me."

"Uhh… Dr. Stitch, will it be fine to bring my pet with me inside?"

"No problem. As long as you keep it in check. Count Norman mentioned that you have a pet rabbit so I'm not surprised."

Oliver must have told his father.

We walked through a hallway that is not so wide. There are no decorations everywhere. It's pretty bare. The walls and the ceiling were painted with white all over and the marble floor is white as well.

If not for the single line of black paint of about four inches, one meter above the floor that goes along the wall on the hallway on either side, I would have thought we were inside the white room and not a laboratory.

"We could use the stairs but it's inconvenient. Let's use the elevator. I hope you're not easily scared." Dr. Stitch suddenly said amidst the silence.

"Is there anything I should be afraid of, Dr. Stitch?"

"Nothing! It's just that, there are quite a lot of people who are scared of elevators. Especially those who are afraid of enclosed spaces. So I hope you're not one of them. I invented it and it is hydraulic powered."

He took out a brass-colored key from his pocket to open the brass elevator door. And I tell you, it looked creepy and had an eerie feel to it. I remembered all those horror films I watched back in the day. Where an elevator would suddenly stop midway and then the people inside would start running out of oxygen.

Calm down, Sean! This elevator is not airtight so suffocation is not going to happen.