Beliz left the room, filled with researchers at work, and headed towards his office. He walked down the halls twiddling with his stylus in hands. He shot a glance out of the windows facing out towards a helicopter pad.
The general will arriving soon today, with a plus one.
"Who is it?" Beliz thought to himself, he wants to know. It could be someone special. It could be someone unimportant. He needs to know, he must know who will be coming. "It must be someone important, right?" He thought, "I know him enough that he wouldn't someone that has no value to the purpose of this facility?"
Once he saw himself going down this spiral of obsession over someone who he doesn't even know he immediately made himself snap out of it. Why should this matter to him. It ultimately changes nothing. It will happen regardless of his opinion.
Once he made it to his office he sat down in his chair at his desk and turned on his computer. While he was waiting for the computer to turn on he caught a reflection of himself.
He stared at it, he noticed his eyebags had gotten more noticeable. When he was about to touch his eyebags to make sure that it was really his refection, his true reflection, the monitor turned on. He stopped what he was doing and checked to see if he had gotten the report.
He had nothing. "Stupid of me to think that they would have it done already, they just got it." He muttered to himself. He looked through his messages to see if there has been more notifications regarding the facility and the general. Beliz could have gotten his secretary to do this for him but his schedule was cleared and had nothing to do, it was essentially his day off and he was working.
From what he read from the messages was that the facility was showing promising results and had high expectations set for them. This meant nothing to Beliz as he saw it as his superiors kissing his ass for doing work that they don't want to do. The good news he got from this was that the facility was going to receive more significantly more funding and more security personnel.
Another piece of news that Beliz got from reading his message was more news about the arrival of General Rad to the facility. General Rad was expected to arrive at 14:00 sharp with his "plus one" by helicopter. Beliz knew that the General would be stationed at the facility for an unspecified amount of time, "probably until the research into the infection is finished." Beliz thought to himself.
He looked at the clock on the monitor and saw that Beliz had an hour to himself. He got up from his chair, shut down his monitor, and walked to window in his office.
He gazed at the forest outside. The forested protected the facility from outsiders, peering eyes of the public and the enemy. It seemed calm, quiet. It seemed to be standing still, as though holding its breathe, scared that even the slightest bit of noise or movement will expose itself. To who is a mystery.
Beliz backed away from the window and slump over the couch. In light of the recent developments regarding the Infection he had gotten a poor amount of sleep. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and yawned so wide his jaw looked like it was about to unhinge itself. He set an alarm on his tablet and laid across the couch. He tried to make himself as comfortable as he could, his tiredness helped a lot.
He slept.
When he woke up from the alarm he felt more tired than before. He fixed his glasses as they were clinging to the side of his head because he forgot to take them off before he fell asleep. He glanced at the clock on his tablet and let out a tired sigh. He got up from the couch and straightened his shirt. He grabbed his research coat and buttoned it shut to prevent anyone from seeing his shirt.
He left his office and headed outside to greet the General, his tablet and stylus in his hand. He walked down the halls and corridors of the facility. On his way there he had to make a short detour as the maintenance crew worked on the ventilation system near the testing room. All of them were wear face masks that covered the whole face to prevent the left over spores from being inhaled.
Once he reached an exit of the facility he went out to the helipad that was far out of the facility. When he reached the helipad he got there just in time to see the helicopter appear above the thick foliage of the forest.
As the helicopter descended Beliz took a couple steps back from the powerful winds that were being created. When the helicopter was on the ground and its blades stopped spinning the side door slide open.
The General stepped out of the helicopter and immediately straighten his uniform.
"Hello Head Researcher Beliz," General Rad shouted with a smile, walking towards him as they were quiet the distance between them.
"Hello General Rad," Beliz shouted back to the General with a straight face.
The General quickly looked behind him and had a look of surprise to see nothing behind him. He turned around and walked with a brisk pace back to the helicopter.
"Get out here and say hello to the Head Researcher," General Rad hissed between his teeth as veins begin to appear on his neck from straining to keep his mouth shut.
From the helicopter Beliz heard a reluctant groan and saw someone jump out of the helicopter. Beliz knew that this must has been the General's plus one.
Once the two of them were close enough to Beliz were they didn't have to shout at each other the general let out a sigh.
"Head Researcher Beliz," General Rad said with the Pride of a thousand suns, "This here is Private Ajax, my son."
Ajax stood a head taller than his father. He had wide shoulders and massive frame packed with muscles. He seemed that he could destroy anyone in a fit of rage if he wanted to. He was dressed in the typical solider uniform for his rank, going to the research facility was not a request but an order. From his father and the higher ups.
Ajax stood in front of Head Researcher Beliz with his father to the side. He had a forced smile on his face.
"Hello Head Researcher Beliz," Ajax said with false enthusiasm and warmth. He didn't want to be here, he was doing fine before his father told him to pack everything up. Much like a reluctant child being dragged by his parents somewhere he didn't want to go.
"Family bonding" that was what he heard his father tell him over the phone before he got ordered to go. Ajax hated the idea since the words left his father's mouth. He knew that there was no way of fighting it, his father had a significantly higher position in the military and an order like this was but a small part of the power he could wield.
Ajax knew that amount of influence his father had on the military was significant. Growing up when Rad wasn't having dinner with his family he was having it with some up and coming politician or some bureaucrat that got a new position. Some would consider this networking but to Ajax it was his father expanding his influence to other branches. If he played his cards right he could announce war on a nation should he choose to feel like it. But he knew that his father was a sensible man and would do such thing, for he wasn't as fickle as the wind.
"Hello Private Ajax," Beliz said same still face he gave the general. Beliz sensed Ajax's reluctance to being here. Beliz understood his frustrations, he was brought here against his will, by his father no less. "Just right when you are free," Beliz thought to himself sympathetically, "You're back where you started."
Beliz gestured to two of them to follow him back to the facility. As they turned around the helicopter started back on and fly away, disappearing behind the thick foliage of the forest of protection. Ajax still walked forwarded turning his head to see his last hope of escaping leave him behind with his father.
He grumbled underneath his breath, which was rewarded by an quick elbow strike to the ribcage by his father.
"General Rad..." Beliz was beginning to ask General Rad a question but was quickly interrupted by General Rad.
"Look Head researcher Beliz," General Rad said with a firm but kind voice, "We are going to be in the facility for an unforeseen amount of time, I think we can drop the formalities early don't you think? Just between the two of us."
Beliz nodded his head to show that he understood and continued with his original question. "Rad, how was the trip over here?" Beliz asked.
Rad put his arm around his son's shoulder and let out a hearty laugh. "I was a good ride, no bumps no nothing," He said with a smile, "Except for this son of a gun, he kept complaining the whole ride here."
Ajax kept his mouth shut as he didn't know how to defend himself. Which indirectly saved him from being hit by his father again.
Once they made it to the front of the research facility, he sent a message to prepare two rooms in the living quarters from his tablet. "We have made a significant amount of progress since you have left Rad," Beliz said as he guided the two of them to his office, "We have been able to collect blood samples so that we can study the DNA and see how the infection has bonded with Subject Zero."
Once they were in Beliz's office he guided the two of them to sit on the couch that he slept on before he got them. They sat done comfortably, ignoring the fact that it was a tad bit warm. "Anything to drink?" Beliz asked courteously as he set his tablet and stylus on his desk.
"I would like water, thank you," Rad said with a great smile across his face.
"Water," Ajax grumbled under his breath. Rad shot his son a side eye and then returned his focus towards
Beliz grabbed his tablet and sent a message to one of the staff to get two glasses of water. Right after he sent his message the door to his office shut loudly with audibly locks clicking into place. The lights in his office changed colors to a soft yellow and were blinking slowly off and on. Alarms blared loudly throughout the facility waking up those that were.
All throughout the facility doors were automatically shut closed and locked in place at every intersection and entrance leaving some researchers stranded in hallways by themselves. No one without significant authority was allowed to move.
A calm, automated announcement was made over the PA system.
"Warning! One of the staff members has been infected! Initiating Emergency Quarantine Protocol!"