As Titania laid on the cool metal floor of the facility, pockets of pus covering his eyes. Bile foaming at his mouth. There were foots steps heading in his direction.
It was Beliz giving a tour of the facility with Rad and Ajax. When they saw this they were excited at first. They saw subject zero! However as they looked closer at him their looks of awe turned sour.
Their faces contorted into shapes of disgust as witnesses Titania writhe on the floor covered in pus and blisters. They took a couple steps back in fear and to give Beliz space. "Surely," They thought to themselves, "He would know what to do." Always looking at the boss to fix the problem.
When Beliz saw Titania laying on the floor his heart tinged a bit, which was soon replaced with anger. To release the building up anger he let out a long sigh and rubbed his eyebrows. He continued to sigh loudly, which then turned into a guttural yell of frustration.
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT," He yelled. He was frustrated, so far for him it was a shit show after the next. First it was the emergency quarantine protocol and now this. Anger got the best of him causing him to yell at the top of his lungs. The volume shocked the researchers but they didn't show in fear that he would do something worse.
He took out his tablet and began sending order to the researchers and to maintenance crews.
In a short moment a crew of both appear in front of Beliz.
"Stick him in the observation room one," Beliz said through his teeth pointing at Subject Zero to the crew of Researchers. He then turned his attention to the maintenance crew, "Sanitize this area, we have a rudimentary understanding of how the infection spreads but I am still not taking any risk, especially after today. Send me a report on who got infected and how."
They stood their waiting for further instructions from Beliz. This infuriated him to his core.
"WHAT ARE YOU FUCKING WAITING FOR? DO WHAT I SAID!" He yelled in frustration at his crew. The crew scrabbled in all directions to get everything prepared for cleaning and transportation. This was the first time that they saw Beliz get angry at them.
"Are they stupid! When their mother was pregnant did she drink or smoke? Punch her stomach, and do a belly flop into the pavement when she was bored? Were they dropped on the head? Did they not get enough attention at home when they were young?" Beliz thought to himself in anger.
He then turned to the two he was giving a tour. Private Ajax was scared and astonished with what he saw. Rad on the other hand stared at him proudly, seeing that Beliz had finally release his anger.
"Now," Beliz said calmly now, "We will go to the Observation room," He then turned around from where Titania was and walked past the two, they followed behind him like little ducklings.
Half an hour passed while they got all of the equipment ready. Researchers ran around the room preparing for recording data. On the other side of the room, divided only by glass screen was Titania on floor.
"This is where we record data we collect on the infection, ranging from experimenting with the raw ingredient of it or experimenting on humans, such as Subject Zero," He said to Private Ajax as Rad was well aware of where they were. They all looked at Titania with different emotions.
Beliz had a tired look on his face. Many events happened today with in a short span of time and he had to react to all of them. Rad had a look of wonder. He wanted to know what is happening, why it is happening, what will happen later. Ajax was filled with fear, he didn't see the potential of what his father. He saw a man sitting on the floor fill with pain and pus covering his body.
When all of the equipment was ready and the atmosphere calmed down a bit, Titania started to shiver. It started small, little movement at all. Then it grew in energy, his whole body started to spasm as though it was trying to reject something from its body.
Doing this popped all of the blisters covering Titania's body. The yellow pus clung to his skin like glue. The pus started to melt his skin. Thin whispers of vapor left his skin. He let out a primal scream of pain from his throat, popping all of the pus that has grown in there, sending the thick pus into his stomach.
When everyone in the Observation room saw this the calm atmosphere disappeared and many researchers started to scramble to record.
"And now we start recording," Beliz mumbled to himself as he brought out his tablet and stylus.
Beliz stood firm in his place as he recorded what he saw. He saw the blisters on Titania once filled so tightly with pus start popping one by one. Pus flew with fierce velocity into the sky and landed directly onto Titania's skin.
The pus started to burn his skin like acid. It chewed through his skin and then started attacking muscles and blood vessels.
Beliz saw this and clutched his tableted tightly into his hand, almost cracking the screen. He began to type notes and murmur under his breathe what he saw. He made comparisons to what happened to subject zero when he was first infected and what he saw now.
"Same process is happening as to when he first came in contact with the infection, however in much more significant volume. This leads me to the conclusion that significant change will happen in 'subject zero', however still no deviation from the process that happened." he muttered as he typed his notes into his tablets.
Rad and Ajax saw how Beliz was feeling as he proceeded to record data. Beliz would constantly run his hands through his hair, scratch his arms, and was an overall big bomb of stress ready to explode, killing everyone in the room.
Rad saw the Beliz was gathering stress in his body, the constant movement, the strained voice, all proved to him that he was stressed out.
He walked over to Beliz, who was talking to a research assistant, and lightly tapped his shoulder. Beliz quickly moved his head, slightly startling Rad.
"Young man, I think you need to relax a bit," Rad said to Beliz in a firm and calm voice. When Beliz heard this slight fear coursed through his body. 'Right now?" He thought to himself, 'This is a project that I have been working on for months and now that there is significant development I need to relax? Chill? Take a valium? No!'
"General Rad. Sir. I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing but please understand that I have work to do and my job depends on this. Thank you" Beliz responded with a clenched smile, his jaw muscles visible showing.
"You know Beliz I-" Ajax said getting out of his seat and walking up towards Beliz. Ajax towered over Beliz in a menacingly way to encourage him to listen to his father. However he was quickly cut of Rad. "Please son let Beliz focus back on what he was doing."
Ajax lowered his head so low that it looked like he had a double chin, "Yes father."
"Beliz," He said as he wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders, shook him for a bit, "Keep on doing what you are doing. My son and I are gonna go on a walk, to give you some, um." He paused for a bit as he saw the researchers gathering around their monitors and those that weren't would be rushing around carrying piles off paper documents or their tablets, "Breathing room."
Beliz raised his eyebrows and smiled in response, "Thank you." He then turned his full focus on managing the experiment, his eyes only glancing away from the subject when needed.
"Son, lets go." He said in a gruff voice as they both walked away, his arm still around Ajax's shoulders. They both went out and walked the halls in a circle that they were familiar with.
Rad and Ajax went and walked for a while, soon Rad broke the silence, "Alright son, Pep talk time," Rad said to Ajax as they walked around. Ajax rolled his eyes into his skull and let out a sigh. Rad ignored this and continued to give his speech, "Son, do you know why I stopped you back there, while I do appreciate the effort was unneeded, do you know why?"
"No Dad I don't, he wasn't listening to you and you're even higher ranked than him!" Ajax exclaimed trying to defend himself as though he was being accused of some cardinal sin in front a jury of holy men.
Rad smacked the back of Ajax head, "Did you even read the file I gave you about him?"
"No," Ajax mumbled back, "But he should know better, going against the recommendations of someone from the main military branch. Who is even higher ranked than them!"
Rad pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and let out a sigh. "He is one of those Esper kind of people. The ones that can control stuff with their minds and willpower."
Ajax raised an eyebrow as though to say, "Does that change anything?"
"He can manipulate metal of any kind," Rad said to warn Ajax as he stomped his foot on the metallic flooring, causing loud echo go through the empty halls. To further prove his point he waved his arms around showing what everything was made of, which was metal. "And worse, he is very creative with it too, pulling one trick right after the next. Unrelenting and unforgiving, capitalizing on mistakes and vices of someone. Don't you know how he managed to get his position as "Head Researcher"?"
Ajax, ignoring what his father is saying, rolled his eyes again and sigh in turn. He knew his father was going to go one one of those long stories and if you try to interrupt him, he makes it longer. "He challenged the previous head researcher to a dual, not to the death as both of them were too important to lose but enough to get sent to the hospital for a while."
Ajax bracing himself for the long story ahead through his head back in dismay and let out a groan. His father ignored this an continued on.
"The previous head researcher who I think was uuhhh. God what was her name?" Rad said to himself as he starts snapping his fingers to help him remember the name.
When Ajax heard this a small spark of hope lit up in his chest. Maybe he will forget her name and scrap the story? Such wonderful hope filled his head. All to be dashed away with words.
"AH! got it! Her name was Mavis Babinni. she was one of those magic guys, mages." Rad clapped his hands when he got her name much to the dismay to Ajax.
"Anyway, so it was Mavis vs. Beliz right? A mage versus and Esper. She was one of those mages that had spells for water, she could manipulate water. Very good if she would transfer in to the Navy department. We need more of those folks there. I hear that they cause quite the stir, ha. But anyway back to the story."
They looped around the circle for some uncounted time as Rad fills Ajax in on the backstory which Ajax wasn't listening to.
"So, you know. Ding! Ding! The match starts and Beliz makes the first move, which was... You know what I know you are not listening so I'll skip to the juicy parts okay?" Rad said as he tightened his grip around Ajax's shoulders, shocking him into focus, "He was able to create wonderful weapons and traps with the metal. Constantly shocking his opponent and those that were watching, rumor has it that he never repeated the same attack twice for his creativity is unmatched."
"Son," Rad said pulling his son closer and started to whisper, "We are surrounded by it here, metal. It's everywhere. The walls, floors, doors, ceilings are made out it. Hell, even the foundations are! And all of it he can warp to the power of his will. If he got angry at us to the point of lashing out the facility will turn into a metal coffin. I know that I am strong enough to escape but I don't know about you! And you know as my son I love and care for you and I don't want to see you die, because, that is the worst thing that can happen to a parent. Outliving their children. Some times Ajax." Rad said letting go of his grip and letting out a gently sigh.
"You got to appeal to people's emotions."