Carl slowly opened his eyes, remembering the events that had transpired earlier. He tried to move, but to his surprise, it was much easier than he had anticipated. He quickly turned off the machines and checked his phone for the time. It was almost midnight. Panicked, Carl left the premises, forgetting all about the hyper-fusion laser.
As he rushed back home, his mother was frantically searching for him. "Where the hell is he right now?" she exclaimed. "It's almost midnight!"
Katy, who was with Carl's mother, tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, Mrs. V. I know Carl will make it back."
Just then, Carl burst through the door. "I'm finally home," he announced, trying to catch his breath.
His mother rushed to his side, relieved. "Carl, you're back! What happened? Are you hurt?"
Carl tried to downplay the situation. "Calm down, Mum. I'm okay. I was just stuck in traffic."
Katy raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "How far did you go that you were stuck in traffic? Moonstone Alley isn't that far from here, and there aren't many cars out at this time of night."
Carl thought quickly, trying to come up with a convincing excuse. But before he could respond, his mother intervened. "Just forget it, Katy. The most important thing is that he's unharmed."
Carl took advantage of the distraction to slip away. "Okay, Mum, I'll be going up to my room now."
As he climbed the stairs, Katy followed him, determined to get to the bottom of things. She snuck upstairs and listened through the door, overhearing Carl's conversation with someone on the phone.
Carl's words sent a chill down Katy's spine. "Yeah, the lab is too high-tech to infiltrate... I don't want to risk my life like this, so I'm afraid I'm quitting."
Katy's eyes widened as she realized the truth. Carl had been breaking into labs and stealing dangerous technology. She felt a mix of emotions: shock, anger, and concern for Carl's safety.
Without hesitation, Katy burst into Carl's room. "So, from what I heard, you broke into a lab but weren't able to get what you were supposed to due to the tight security. You were almost hurt, and now you want to resign and stop working for whoever sent you."
Carl's eyes went wide with shock. "Listen to me, Katy... I..."
But Katy cut him off, her voice laced with disappointment. "Carl, when did you start doing this? Breaking into places and stealing dangerous technology? This isn't who you used to be."
Carl's expression turned defensive. "Stop, just stop. I was forced to do it, okay? It's not my fault."
Katy's eyes narrowed. "Forced to do what? Carl, what's going on?"
Carl hesitated before revealing the truth. "To get the hyper-fusion laser from Stellar Labs."
Katy's eyes widened in horror. "Hyper-fusion laser? Stellar Labs? Are you nuts? That's one of their most dangerous creations. It can fuse anything, even things that were never meant to be fused."
Carl looked at Katy in surprise. "How do you know all that?"
Katy smirked. "You would have known too if you had aced last year's exams and gotten a tour of the greatest laboratory in the history of the gamma-photon universe."
Carl's eyes widened in amazement. "There's something or somewhere called the gamma-photon universe?"
Katy smiled. "You would have known that if you had attended last year's valedictorian speech, which I gave."
Carl felt a pang of frustration. "Well, there's no need to rub it in."
Katy's expression turned serious. "Anyway, I'd like to know, have you noticed any side effects? Any changes in your body? Since you were blasted with that beam?"
Carl thought for a moment before responding. "No, I don't think so."
Katy nodded. "Since there's no contact, I don't really think there's a side effect."
As Katy turned to leave, Carl felt a sense of relief wash over him. But it was short-lived, as he heard a noise at his window. He got up to investigate and found a note on the wall outside.
"Katy! Kidnapped!! Weapon of mass destruction!!" Carl's heart sank as he realized that Katy was in danger.
Without hesitation, Carl rushed out of his room, determined to save Katy. He found himself in a dark alley, where Katy was tied up to a chair and placed on a high platform. The cloaked figure from earlier was standing on the ground, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
Katy struggled against her restraints, her voice firm. "Who are you, and what do you want from me?"
The cloaked figure chuckled. "Oh, so you don't know about me? I thought for sure that your boyfriend told you about me."
Katy's eyes flashed with anger. "First of all, Carl is not my boyfriend. Second, why blackmail him?"
The figure sneered. "Blackmail? Oh no, I just want to have a simple negotiation." He held up a remote control. "Work for me, or your girlfriend goes bye-bye."
Carl burst into the alley, his eyes blazing with determination. "Why did you kidnap her? This is between you and me, okay? Leave her out of this."
The figure shrugged. "Kidnap? Oh no, I just want to have a little insurance policy. You see, Carl, you're not very good at following orders. You failed to get the hyper-fusion laser, and now you're trying to quit on me?"
Carl's face twisted in anger. "I'm not working for you. You made me risk my life this last time, not again."
The figure smirked. "Suit yourself, Carl. But if you don't work for me, then your precious Katy here will have to pay the price." He pressed the remote control, and the platform Katy was standing on began to drop.
Katy screamed as she fell, but Carl sprang into action. He sprinted towards her, his heart racing with fear. But it Seemed He was not going to make it.