Immortality Project, Chapter 1

19th December 2147

		“Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.” A toneless voice arose from him. His aim from his gun was steady and locked onto the girl’s head.
		“Uhh…” Joanne, with fear snuffing her voice, tried to croak a word. “I… was looking for you.”
		“For what purpose, exactly? Pray tell, my poor young juvenile, why would you look for me here in this stairwell on the 14th floor of this opulent hospital?” Dumbfounded, Joanne’s mind went blank, knowing this spelt the end of her should she not even whimper for mercy. She warded off the urge to break down and mustered up any courage she could find in her distraught state.
		“I work here part-time as a nurse. I had to scan through every person’s ID cards for security reasons, besides taking care of the patients here in Brimdon Hospital, and I didn’t get yours.”
		“Is that so? Should I also assume that because you’re wearing civilian clothing, with your drab green jacket, your shabby pants and your plain pair of shoes, that you’re done with your day shift and am now going back home to cry about your day at work to your petty friends?”
		“Yea, that’s right.”
		“Isn’t your day shift over then?”
		“But I mean, my job still remains if I’m still here.”
		“How did you know my ID was not checked then?”
		“I do not exactly know, but it wouldn’t hurt to check again.”
		“But why here? You could have expected me on each floor or in an elevator, but here you are at the emergency staircase with me. What does that look like to you?”
		“I…”
		Her will to speak steadied, but her words tangled up in her head. The nozzle of his pistol never quivered away from her forehead. The shiny glimmer of his pistol’s engravings gleamed brightly under the well-lit stairwell’s lights, as if it was greeting Joanne for a surprise.
		“… Needed a breather. You know how hard it is for a teenager nowadays to take up a part-time job, especially when they just started. I thought hanging around here will make me chillax. Coincidentally, I found you here.”
		“That must be one convenient excuse you pulled out of your scrotum, I must say. Only an idiot would trust in such make-believe.  However, I am willing to give you the benefit of doubt, but do not paint me as an imbecile next time, will you.” After heaving a sigh, he turned his head outside the windows of the staircase. “Well, you are not wrong about this setting. It helps detaching yourself from the harsh world we live in. This peaceful sight can calm anyone down.”
		Motioning his pistol towards the stretched-out window panels, he joined Joanne for a glance outside the staircase.
		Brimdon, this bedazzling and bewildering forest brimming with technology, stands proudly of the achievements that became its roots, both metaphorically and literally. Unlike its concrete and sky-piercing counterparts like New York, Hong Kong and many more, Brimdon has integrated both the naturalistic touch of the vast forests and the modernized world out there. A marvel to adore, these humongous trees encircle the city and cover it with a thick blanket of leaves and branches. Neither the sun nor the rain can peek inside. Visibility is never a problem, however, as the ecosystem grants Brimdon a lovely and abundant array of fireflies, aimlessly fluttering around in the jars they have been collected or in the refreshing air. As a matter of fact, the great ecosystem grants the city a diversity of critters that coexists with each other. Of course, for a futuristic society, electricity is ever needed, especially for WhiteCin Hospital, the shining citadel in the middle of Brimdon. Windmills and rivers are much invested for resources.
		As the rain droplets pitter-pattered on the windows Joanne and him glanced out, they could see a community, a city. A city where the greenery, be it the countless strings of bushes laced down the cobblestone pavements or the looming trees that could pierce the Heavens, is lush and pompous. A community where poverty is not a societal menace but more so an embraced cultural trait. Who needs to flaunt their money here, where the farmer’s markets around the block are always generous, are always jolly and are always cheap, where the houses the denizens reside here are accommodated with what they need and not want, where everyone works hand in hand for each other, not for themselves. It is not about being poor, it is about thriving with what you got, as what the locals would say, with a spark in their eyes, to any wandering foreigner that waltz right into this humble abode.  A sight for sore eyes, anyone can claim so.
		WhiteCin Hospital. The jewel of the nation. A hotspot for innovation and inspiration. The lower public sectors of the hospital offer refined and extensive healthcare, ranging from consultations to surgeries. Need a diagnosis? Step into WhiteCin. Need a health advisor? Step into WhiteCin. Need a veterinarian for your poor puppy? WhiteCin! Coupled with that is its relatively cheap prices and pristine amounts of attention to detail and cleanliness. However, the upper sectors offer much more to that, which is what surge the hospital’s popularity in the medical field. Commonly known as the Research & Development section, the upper sectors are like a hive, where people buzz around the office labyrinth, paging for patents and research, where cutting-edge upgrades and creative inventions are checked out on an hourly basis, where products of the future are sought out heavily for tweaking, refining and upgrading, let it be robotic prosthetic augmentations, genetic modification therapies etc.
		“Hopefully you enjoyed the viewing, because that may be the last sight you see.”
		Joanne, after gaining a bit of composure after peering out the window, pointed out something to him.
		“Despite the fancy engravings, your pistol has no suppressor. You can’t shoot me without considering being caught by security here.”
		“Hmm?” The mysterious figure, cladded in black with his cloak, brought back his pistol to her. “Whatever could you mean? Are you saying I won’t pull the trigger?”
		“Yea. I bet it’s not even loaded. I even bet it’s only some antique you pulled out from some gag shop down the street. What is that even? I’ve never seen such a pistol model before.”
		“A little gift from Asia. I digress, however, because we have more grave matters in hand. Are you utmost certain that this is an empty gun? Would you like to bet on it?”
		“I’m just saying that you won’t pull the trigger. You can’t kill me. Security is tight around this sector, even if there are no cameras around here. The gunshot will just reverberate throughout the whole sector.” Joanne stood up with confidence, with even a smirk in her lip. He, however, was not impressed.
		“You’re underestimating my capabilities, young one. I can slip through any form of security they could ever conceive. I am familiar with this building, why else would I take the stairs instead of the elevator? I know where are the control rooms, I can alter surveillance footage for my favour. I roughly familiarize myself with the personnel’s daily routines, where they walk, where they stay in a spot etc. I know this hospital’s layout like the back of my hand.”
		“Without referring to the back of your hand, can you draw all the creases and wrinkles on it?”
		“Touché. Nonetheless, I can still kill you here and now, if I like to.”
		“Like to? What’s holding you back then?”
		“Although I hate to admit it, you are an intriguingly bold character. For someone your age, you are not as braindead…”
		Joanne shrugged off the compliment and kept her eyes onto his.
		“… And I am not one to waste potential and talent when I chanced upon it. I shall close one eye and bestow you the leverage of walking away now. You have my word that I will not shoot you when your back faces me, I am not one to go back on my words. You can raise the alarm, inform security, even call the police, I simply do not care.” Lowering his pistol, he said with a cold yet teasing tone.
		“What talent are you talking about?” In a mocking tone, “Pray tell, elder.”
		“Aren’t you amusing. Think of it this way, I am fully aware of my choices when it comes to disposing you. A gun, a knife, or even my fists. Naturally anyone would lose their minds at this point and their bodies get locked into “fight-or-flight” mode. However, you are just here having a chit-chat with me, as if we are naturally friends.”
		“I mean, I’ll admit I was scared, but if I think about your pistol lacking a suppressor, your holier-than-thou attitude and tone, I have a hunch that you’re no more frightened than me. You’re just holding a façade.”
		“Don’t be mistaken, young’un, because I was not the one on the floor, grovelling with anxiety.”
		The teenager took a step forward instead. Taken aback, he rose his pistol again.
		“I am being generous now, so don’t tempt me.”
		“I’m no charity case.”
		“You will be in a case, six feet under.”
		A beep from his watch arose. It was 9pm.
		“I’m sorry but I have to run, visiting hours for the public are about to end, and security will tighten afterwards. You had your chance. Ha, and here I thought you would let any qualms be cast aside and walk away. Such a shame.”
With that, he drew his pistol square into her forehead, assuring that he shall not miss this shot.
		“Any last words, love?”
		…
		“Nothing? Then I bid you adieu, my poor gir-”
		“Death comes to those who lived. Life comes to those who hasn’t.”
		The estranged individual could no longer hide his astonishment, or even bewilderment, of this girl. Disregarding any effort to conceal his face, withdrawing his pistol, he unhoods himself and removed his mask. Now, face-to-face with Joanne, he pensively ran through his mind, pondering why does that quote sound familiar. The bells in his head chimed loudly as mental images flashed before him.
		“My mantra. That accursed mantra. How did you know of such a quote?”
		“My grandmother told me. Do you remember Amelia Felino?”
		“My granddaughter.” A gasp emerged out of him, “Then you must be…”
		“You must be Avrom Felino, my great, great grandfather.”
		BANG.