“What do you want?” the thing spoke, a vague sense of impatience in its voice reverberating in the infinite alley. No matter how hard Noah tried, he could perceive nothing of the thing. It was a dark blur, an alien form his eyes saw but his mind refused to recognize.

He tried to speak, to communicate his mission, his confusion, anger,and unsatisfied curiosity, but no words came from his mouth. Only his thoughts and severely damaged query programs were available to ask. But the thing understood, nevertheless.
“I’m sorry, but not everything will be revealed, even to you. The human mind, despite its charming primitive complexity, is capable of receiving only so much data before shutting down… We learned that the hard way, unfortunately. But the process has been perfected, and no further unnecessary overloads will occur.”

The thing moved closer until the blind spot covered nearly half of Noah’s field of vision. “Now, let’s talk about your friend…”