"Let's see… no, not this one… definitely not that… ah, and this would probably kill you before it helps you…"
Dr. Dan Zarkov muttered to himself while digging through what he proudly called a laboratory, though to Tyler it looked more like a mechanical disaster that had somehow survived several explosions and then decided to continue existing out of stubbornness.
Metal shelves leaned unevenly against walls packed with cables, loose circuits, cracked monitors, robotic limbs, and half-assembled devices whose purpose Tyler could not immediately guess. Some machines hummed softly, others clicked at random intervals, and one corner contained what looked suspiciously like a mechanical arm attempting to tighten screws into another mechanical arm without much success.
The old man moved through the chaos with complete confidence, pushing aside piles of equipment as though he alone understood where everything belonged.
One object flew past Tyler's shoulder and landed on a nearby table.
