Sunlight poured through giant green leaves. Warm, golden drops landed on the boy's face. His eyelids fluttered – once, twice. They opened.
He saw a roof made of glowing branches. Strange, floating dust sparkled in the air. He felt confused. He pushed himself up on weak arms. Soft, warm moss was under him.
Silence fell.
The happy sounds stopped. Tyrant dropped the flowers he was threading. Bolo froze with a pebble in his hand. Cragan and Crania stopped their pretend wrestling. The two dragon-pets lifted their heads. Everyone stared at the boy.
He blinked. His eyes moved over the faces around him
The tall man with grey hair and a long, teal coat, Destroyer
The sharp-eyed volthax race holding flowers Tyrant.
The bea head race with the metal leg Bolo.
The women leaning back, watching Rambo.
The figure hidden in a dark hood Faceless.
The two huge, identical herald race, Cragan & Crania.
The Gaint Bird -like creatures.
Monsters! His mind screamed the warning he'd heard before. He jerked back, scrambling on the moss. His breath hitched, fast and scared. His hands glowed faintly with a soft light.
Destroyer moved. Slowly. Carefully. He placed his wooden bird carving down. He stood up, his long teal coat shifting. He walked the few steps to the boy, then knelt down on one knee. He made himself smaller, less scary.
The boy pressed back into the moss. He looked up at Destroyer's face. He saw lines, scars... but also a deep tiredness. And something else. Was it... worry?
The jungle sounds seemed loud now – bird-chirps, rustling leaves, the boy's own shaky breaths. Destroyer didn't touch him. He just stayed kneeling, his eyes calm and steady on the boy's frightened ones.
The boy swallowed. His voice was a dry, tiny whisper.
"Who... who are you?"
Destroyer's face fell. He looked disappointed. "You don't remember me, kid?"
The boy stared. Nothing. Just empty confusion and fear.
Whispers rustled behind Destroyer:
Bolo say "Nothing? Really?"
Tyrant doubted "Taking him from that chamber... it hurt his memory."
Rambo said confidently "Or the Feds cleaned his mind."
Cragan says "Experiment BoBo... what kind of name is BoBo?"
Crania adds "Sounds silly. Like a toy or a space bunny." The twins looked puzzled.
Destroyer sighed. The disappointment faded into weariness. He leaned forward a little, elbows on his knees. A tiny, almost-smile touched his lips. What else could they call him? That name was on the chamber where they found him.
"Well," Destroyer said, his voice surprisingly gentle, "Experime...nt BoBo-boy." He paused. "BoBo-boy." He tilted his head. "Too long, isn't it?"
He stood up smoothly, his teal coat swirling. He picked up his dark staff-sword, resting it lightly beside him like a walking stick. He looked down at the lost boy.
"Tell you what," Destroyer said, the tiny smile returning. "Forget 'Experiment'. Forget the chamber. 'BoBo-boy'... that's just strange.
The name hung in the air. Simple. New. The boy, Boboboy– blinked. The faint light in his hands flickered, uncertain. He didn't remember. But he had a name now. Given by the man in the teal coat, surrounded by scary faces that somehow looked... hopeful.