"You've noticed, huh?"
The person commented, bringing Ross out of his thoughts. He had never seen his assistant go silent on him like that. It once again increased his vigilance. He was now practically blind.
"Like I mentioned before, Alex just needs to take a small test."
Again, Ross heard the person mention the word 'test'.
'Whatever this is, it's not a simple stalker running around following Olivia. And who exactly is the 'we' he was talking about and what do they want with Alex?'
His thoughts raced with multiple questions and assumptions, but it was better if he just asked.
"You keep mentioning test, what do you mean by that?"
"My superiors need to confirm something about Alex, and simply asking nicely isn't going to cut." The person responded, slightly satisfying his curiosity. Since the person was also generous enough to talk, Ross decided to find out more.
At that moment, he knew he was no match. If he could not see him move, then there was no way in hell he could beat him.
"What's the content of this 'test?'" Ross asked for a follow-up.
However, this time, the person shook his head. "While I don't mind telling you as I am sure Alex would do so, I have a few questions for you."
Indeed, Alex would tell them everything when they reunited, provided what this person was saying was true.
"What do you think about our current universe and what humanity is doing right now?"
The question was out of place and context, given the situation they found themselves. Ross was speechless for a moment, thinking about his question and how it connected to Alex, but found no link.
"..."
Seeing his perplexed expression, the person spoke again. "Go on, anything is fine." He urged.
Sometime later, they entered an area with minimal activity around, and his mind started to doubt what the person he was pursuing was up to. He could vaguely tell the person could have run faster than what he was currently doing.
Additionally, from time to time, he would look back and flash a smile as if to taunt him, and it was working.
Now, '...It's like he's leading me somewhere.' The thought came promptly, raising his vigilance. He wanted to test something and decided to slow down a bit, and like clockwork, the person was also slowing down.
He quickly stopped himself, coming to an abrupt stop. However, the area they now found themselves looked like a cluster of buildings meant for storage.
His target also came to a stop a moment later. Alex narrowed his eyes at this. He carefully looked around to see if there were others around. It felt like he walked right into a trap; like a planned action.
"Ross, where are you now?" he muttered, waiting for a response from him. However, the response never came. He looked at his display and noticed Ross' location had stopped broadcasting.
"Xex, why is Ross' location missing?"
[...]
Again, he received no response.
"You won't be able to reach your friend for a while." The person spoke as if answering his question.
Hearing his words, Alex thought for a few seconds, many things coming into play. A lot of things didn't make sense. He was too relaxed for someone who was being chased.
"And don't worry, no harm will come to him." The person tried to assure Alex of Ross' safety. Of course, Alex wouldn't just take his word for it.
He now considered returning, but somehow, he knew he was surrounded. And although he felt no threat, the feeling wasn't pleasant.
He decided to ask some questions while he made quick plans on how to get out of here.
"Who are you?"
The person in question broke out a smile. Now they could begin...