[Title pending] Dr. Neo Cortex x Reader

The Not-So-Sneaky Thief

          Finally, a window of opportunity. How long have you been camping out here? Days? Weeks? Months?  That stupid scientist finally left. Now you can begin the first phase of your scheme. The machine. But then you had a thought. Something that you had overlooked in your excitement, your confidence, and your planning. 'What if this guy doesn't even have what I need?'  You shook your head. This was no time for doubt. You took a deep breath as you stood atop the peculiar tower. Shoving all uncertainty out of your mind, you fastened a carabiner clip to the harness that sits snugly around your waist and thighs. You secured your rope and pulley system around a smokestack and mentally prepared yourself. 'Get in, build, get out. Easy.'

          You grab the rope and, without a moment to doubt yourself, begin your descent. You continue farther and farther down the wall until you reach an old window. It's laden with water spots and cobwebs, and smells of mold and rainwater. You peer through the musty old window into the dimly lit room beyond. The only light seems to be coming from the window, which illuminates just enough to reveal rows of shelves on a wall, covered in different containers. Some are filled with colorful substances and others are either empty or clear; it's hard to tell. In the middle of the small room sits a table covered in papers, beakers, and a few burnt spots.

          'This must be the lab,'  You thought. 'Just what the doctor ordered.'  You smirk at your horrible pun. You lock your rope into place and begin to look for an opening to the window, or any mechanisms that may hint at a method of opening.

          As you inspect the side of the window, you notice a rusty set of hinges. They look about ready to fall apart. You turn your attention to the other side to see if there's a lock. To your dismay, there is. It looks even worse off than the hinges. You try pushing on the window, hoping maybe the window will fall in. It moved a bit, so you push harder.

          All of a sudden, the window flings open, taking you with it. If it hadn't been for your rope, you would have fallen in. The window lands inside with a thud, but thankfully it doesn't shatter. Now that you have an entrance, you unlock your rope and slip through the window. Landing on your feet in front of the glass, you detach the rope from your harness. You pick up the window and prop it up against the wall.

          You move to the wall of shelves to grab what you came for. Glancing over the bottles, you see their labels. Some have compounds and chemical names scribbled on the labels, whereas some have symbols, or no label at all.

          Glancing over the labels, you grab hydrogen sulfate, hydrogen peroxide, and a few other bottles and containers. You fling the bag from your back and carefully store the containers inside. You scan over the shelves again, making sure you hadn't missed anything you might need for your plan. You don't find anything there, so you move on to the table. It's cluttered with empty containers and papers, with blueprints strewn about. The papers seem to be the papers seem to be numerous formulas and notes, nothing important to you, but the blueprints caught your eye. You gather a few of them and a couple empty containers and put them in your bag with the other bottles. It doesn't seem like there's anything else of interest left here. 'Time for phase 2.. Phase 1.5? I guess I haven't really finished phase 1..'  

          You make your way towards the door. Opening it, it leads to a hallway that extends to your left and right. The dimly lit, dark, stone hallway seems intimidating, the red carpet beneath your feet stretching the length of the corridor. Ghastly shadows are cast down the hallway by the dim torches that line the walls. 'Spooky.'  You think to yourself. You decide to turn right and head down the hallway. A short ways from where you started is a door thats been left slightly ajar. You peek inside and lightly push the door open. The door leads to a large room with a declining staircase. The stairs are attached to a metal balcony right in front of your feet.