Chapter 12: Outbreak

The most horrifying thing about an infection is how badly it can get out of control. Infection can spread from one to two, to four, to eight, and more and more. It grows exponentially until the infection has saturated the population. This will mainly depend on how infectious the thing is and its medium of infection. The most common type is fluids. Spit, mucus, tears, anything that the body secrets.

By the time Gin reached his Boss’s place, it was already walled off by a quarantine squad. A huge inflatable dome covered the place, constantly attempting to purify the air inside. Depending on how serious the infection was, everyone who the Boss had contact with since he got back must also be checked.

Suddenly, a large parasitic tendril emerged from the roof of the building. It wiggled fiercely before several containment experts destroyed it and sanitized the area. It was getting worst.

“Type P infection. No need to get the others involved, this type is dormant and won’t spread to others until the final symptom takes place.”

One of the containment officers said to his associate.

A crowd of people had gathered around to see what was going on. Gin stood with the crowd staring at what had become of his Boss’s home. His boss had saved enough money in his lifetime to afford an apartment in a fancier part of Area 39. The place was recently renovated so he was the first to move in. Thankfully, because of this, no one else was present when the symptoms occurred.

Gin gathered the courage and approached the containment officer.

“May I know what is going on? I am a co-worker of the person infected.”

The officer froze then quickly did a scan of Gin.

“Recovered from an infection, already cleaned.”

The officer sighed with relief.

“Your friend had been infected with a type P bug. It is a spore that remains dormant most of the time, but when it does explode, it grows into a large tendril-like plant that absorbs the host and those around them.”

Gin paled.

“T-then Boss is?”

“Most likely.”

“C-can I talk to him?”

The officer frowned. It was against proper protocol but after he saw how young Gin looked, his resolve waned

Finally, he sighed.

“Suit up kid. You will need a full quarantine kit.”

“Thank you!”

Gin got into the clunky yellow suit. The helmet connected to the neck ring and formed a perfect seal. A pipe in the back pumped fresh air into the mask.

He entered the decontamination chamber with the officer. A cloud of disinfectant blasted his suit as the door slowly opened.

Finally, he saw the full horror of the infection. Countless tendrils were emerging from every crevice and hole. They bore through weak spots in the cement walls and laid a foundation of roots. If they looked woody like normal plants, it would have looked like normal wall decorations, but since the tendrils were more flesh-like, the scene was utterly sickening.

The tendrils looked like it was desperately trying to find nutrients as it expanded outwards. Thankfully, several containment personnel were constantly pushing the tendrils back with fire, chemicals, and chainsaws. It was an on-going battle of attrition. They must make it to the core and kill it, but they don’t have authority to use the heavy weapons.

The officer approached one of the personnel manning a screen with a remote control in his hand.

“How’s the drone? Has it gotten close enough?”

“We have established contact with the infected. He is conscious but dying.”

“Boss…,” Gin’s heart was racing. He felt sick and lightheaded.

The monitor flashed and suddenly Gin could see it all.

His boss Jeral was pinned to the wall by the tendrils that emerged from his abdomen. His limbs were already absorbed and all that remained was his torso and his head. He looked like a husk of a man, dried and shriveling at a visible speed.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the drone flash its light on his face. Jeral looked around and saw the horrors spearing out of his body.

“It’s too late for me huh?”

He coughed.

“Can I speak to him?” Gin asked.

“Go for it, the mic is on.”

Gin took a deep breath.

“Hey boss.”

“Kiddo? Is that you?”

“Yea, it’s me boss.”

“Damn, I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“It’s OK boss.”

“Looks like it’s the end of the line for me, huh? Didn’t think I would go out so soon right after Hunter.”

“Boss…”

“Look Kiddo, everyone has to go eventually. This world is a cruel, cruel place. But you got to accept that. You are old enough now. I have seen you mature over the years of your training. I wanted to have this talk with you when Hunter died but it seems I couldn’t do it until it was too late.”

Talking so much seemed to really drain Jeral. What colors that remained on his face slowly faded away.

“Gin, my boy. I left you something. Take care of the rest for me kid, I know you can do it.”

“Boss…I’ll miss you.”

“Same kiddo.”

Then he closed his eyes and whispered one last time.

“I wish I could see the stars.”

The drone beeped as it detected the fading of life signals.

“Initiate purge sequence.”

The officer said immediately.

Several nozzles pointed towards the apartment complex and began to spew flames. Without any living employees left within the building, they are now authorized to use the big guns.

The tendrils cried out and went on a rampage. The building collapsed as several support beams were destroyed. Gin watched as his boss and the parasite that killed him turn into ash.

“So long, Boss.”

Tears rolled down Gin’s face. He felt like he lost a father. Zin stayed quiet.

Gin recalled memories of Jeral slowly teaching Gin how to solder metal and chips together, of how he showed Gin how to use the lathe, how to splice tubes and wires, and many more. Jeral really passed on a lot of his experience as a mechanic to Gin.

He had given Gin a lot. More than what his job description required him to do. Jeral was prepare Gin to be able to survive on his own with his own two hands.

To Gin, he wasn’t just a boss and a teacher. He was a savior. Taken from the depths of the canyon, Gin trained under him until he became a full-fledged micro-technician.

“He’s gone.”

Zin finally talked. He had to pull Gin out of the daze. Start him on the journey towards acceptance and recovery. First thing was to admit the truth. He didn’t want to remind Gin that now that Jeral was gone, he now lacks a guarantor for the loan now.

“He really was…”

But before Gin could fully begin on his journey towards acceptance, something horrifying occurred.

An alarm blared out and the containment officer panicked.

“Shit, its combustive!”

Suddenly, the entire building exploded with an ear shattering explosion. Gin was knocked down to the ground immediately as Zin instantly activated Exceed mode. With his inhuman reactions, he got behind cover and fortified his stance just as the explosion’s shockwave hit. It knocked nearly all the containment employees off their feet and into the air. The heat wave melted part of the plastic and the shockwave shattered the glass on their helmets.

Suddenly, Zin realized something. Spores, countless spores in the air.

The explosion had released countless spores. Now that nearly all the containment employees are exposed, they have been infected.

“It’s a full outbreak.”

Zin sighed but he stayed calm. Gin was already unconscious within his mind. He had to prepare to fight or run. Several of the spores germinated rapidly as tendrils erupted from the nose, mouth, and eye sockets of the personnel. Their bodies quickly shriveled up as the parasite absorbed their nutrients. Then, they begun to take root as tendrils seeped into the ground. The heat seemed to have triggered some sort of rapid response within the spores that allow them to germinate far faster than usual.

The containment officers who were not exposed quickly tried to rally the troops to fight back.

“Get you equipment, Code Red! Full blown outbreak! Activate the kill-order!”

Drones emerged from the backpack of the remaining officers. They began to shoot out disinfectants, acids, and flames. Anything that can destroy organic matter was deployed.

Zin quickly backed off as the fight ensued. But as he was close enough to the epicenter, several infected tendrils were heading his way already.

Looking around, Zin grabbed a miniature chainsaw from the corpse of one containment personnel. It didn’t have the power to obliterate organic materials, but it can at least buy him time.

Hacking away at the approaching tendrils, Zin ran towards the group of uninfected officers. There was strength in numbers, and he had to get to a safe spot right now. Sidestep to the right, jump to the left. Roll aside to avoid an incoming tendril. Zin pushed Gin’s agility to the limit as he evaded what he could and used the chainsaw for what he couldn’t.

Finally, he made it to the rest of the group. Thankfully, due to his actions, they didn’t immediately neutralize him.

“Scanning. Clean.”

The officer in charge did a quick health check of Zin. His focus returned to on leading the pack to hold their ground. The loss of personnel was major. Countless were infected. But thankfully, they were not evolving fast enough.

If things continued as they were, the containment team would eventually win. Thankfully, the parasite was a more stationary target as they took root and branched out. It was mainly the tendrils that were dangerous.

“Avoid using fire on the main body. We don’t want another combustion. Use acid, ultraviolet radiation, or disinfectants.”

The leading officer said as he took out what looked like a water pistol. It started to spray acid towards any tendrils that got near him. The tendrils quickly lost momentum and wilted into a brown mess.

For the trunk of the infected, they used everything but fire to try to destroy the roots and the heart of the parasite. The entire area looked like a warzone. It was a good thing that everyone was already evacuated.

Once the situation looked like it was under control again, the backup finally arrived. A new dome was placed over the area of infection and once again it was mass decontaminated. This time, with extreme prejudice. Strong chemicals rained down from the sky. Without the suit, Zin would have melted into a pile of organic goo by now if he had been exposed to the chemical bath.

The tendrils withered en masse, leaving nothing but brown sizzling goo. The situation was finally calmed down. The containment personnel wanted to cheer, but the sudden loss of life was too great. Some were suffering from shellshock and PTSD. The company would need to send them to group therapy if they wanted to recover from this. Only the veterans could somewhat remain clear minded and began going through the standard operating procedures.

Zin sighed. Things were not looking good. The kid needed a break, so instead of waking Gin up, Zin dealt with the aftermath of the outbreak. He answered the daunting questions of the containment officers and went through the rigorous health checkup.

Finally, after a few hours, he was let go to return to his room pod. The constant humming of the life support system was the only sound in the room. Zin looked out the windows towards the stars above. He recalled what Jeral said with his last words.

“The stars are beautiful tonight,” he sighed.

Zin flopped down on Gin’s bed and closed his eyes. He deactivated exceed mode as Gin’s unconsciousness brought his body to sleep.

“Rest well kid. You deserve it.”

______

Area 82, a den of gambling, alcohol, and sin. Rakia sat at the bar drinking a dry gin and tonic. She wore a flaming red dress that accentuated her lithe figure. There were countless eyes on her, but her demeanor prevented those cowards from approaching her. With just a touch of light makeup and ruby red lipstick, she seemed to age herself up to a more mature look. Constantly looking like she was 16 wasn’t good for shady areas like Area 82. It was just asking people to kidnap her.

A large man in a brown raincoat sat down next to her. He ordered a carbonated beverage and asked for a straw.

“Got the info?”

Rakia asked him with one eyebrow raised. The man’s choice of drink certainly was interesting.

“Where’s the money.”

Rakia set her drink down on the counter and snapped her finger.

The man sat in silence as he listened to his AI confirm the wire transfer. He rubbed his chin, feeling the stubble that had grown out over the day.

“Here.”

He slid a thumb drive across the counter towards her. It looked plain and had a simplistic design, but one can never know what information it contains from its outside appearance anyways.

Rakia picked it up and plugged it into a terminal on her waist. Mead quickly analyzed the data to confirm its usefulness. It opened all the documents and pictures and reviewed them one by one at high speeds.

“All good,” Mead confirmed after a mere minute.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

Rakia downed the rest of her drink in one go and began to walk out.

“Wait.”

The man in the raincoat stood up, knocking his chair to the ground. The noise caused everyone’s attention to shift to those two.

“The deal isn’t finished.”

Rakia smiled sadistically. It sent shivers down the man’s spine.

“As expected, greedy little bastards aren’t ya?”

The blazing spear appeared in her hands immediately. The man in the raincoat took out a pair of metallic gloves. Several of the bar patrons also took out weapons. He didn’t show up alone.

“Bunch of mean old men gonna gang up on little ol’ me?”

Rakia laughed as she brandished her spear in a flurry. The heat caused the view to distort. The bar started to become hot and humid.

“Come get some!”

They pounced at her all at once. Rakia skillfully dodged as she skillfully disarmed the men. A few cut tendons easily rendered their arms useless for the rest of the fight. The spear was like a part of her body as she swung it around. Amazingly, none of the furniture was damaged. Her control was precise and accurate. Only the floor had a few holes from the spear stabbing down.

Moments later, the bar was full of groaning men with blood all over their arms and legs.

“Tell your boss I said thanks.”

Rakia snickered as she left. Not a single bead of sweat could be seen on her body.

“B-but I am the boss.”

The man in the raincoat groaned as he rolled over on the floor.

The scared bartender finally looked up from behind the counter.

“Who was that?”

“The demoness chef,” The man in the raincoat replied as he got up from the ground. His arms were damaged so he could only drink out of a bendy straw. It almost seemed like he knew he would end up in that state.

The bartender paled at the name.

Although the demoness chef doesn’t come around often, when she does show up, calamity always ensues. She was the bringing of chaos, the horsewoman of disaster. None who stood in her path remained unscathed. And in these lawless parts of town, her strength gave her power.

“I-I need a vacation.”

“You already used up your vacation days.”

The bartender went limp in defeat.

“The damned demoness has been looking around these past few days. She left nothing but carnage this time.”

The man in the coat sighed as he drained the carbonated beverage.

“How did she get that name?”

“She cooked someone alive.”

“W-what?”

“Yep, spices and all.”

“Good god…”

“There is no god here in Area 82, only money and power.”

The man lit up a cigarette and took a deep breath and exhaled. The cloud of smoke made the bartender cough.

“Where did you get those?”

“Steve down at Area 83 started to grow some mutant tobacco.”

“Isn’t that illegal?”

“Only if you god damn blab about it in public.”

“…wait, your arm is fixed already?”

“Shhh, company secret.”

“S-so why did you fight her if you knew she was dangerous?”

“Don’t know if I don’t try. But hey, most likely I was going to end up crippled in the fight, so I asked for a straw.”

The man and the bartender chatted while the men were still bleeding out on the ground.

Rakia got on a transport vehicle and left back to her shop with new information in hand. She never trusted Gin to have things ready. Always make sure the plan is possible to solo before allowing others to join, that was her motto for these raids. The solo plan was always the backup. Not that she needed Gin’s money anyways. The kid was trying to do a job for her so she would lend him some money, it would be counterintuitive to ask him to get a loan to do the job. Its just adding unnecessary steps into an already convoluted plot. Borrowing money to do a job so you can borrow money, how idiotic. The boy didn’t even realize it.

“Soon, I will have what I need to create it,” Rakia smiled as she looked at her spear. “Mead, how close are we?”

“75%.”

“So close I can taste it.”

“That’s just the aftertaste of the alcohol.”

“…”

Rakia just started to polish her spear. The heat died down and the metal surface was caked in viscera. Out of her waist terminal popped up a bottle of polishing oil.

“Weapon maintenance is therapeutic,” She said as she took out a piece of cloth.

Eventually, the spear was glistening like it was brand new. The cloth was covered in blood and oil. Rakia turned up the heat and the cloth burnt into ash.

“Hey, no fire indoors. We talked about this.”

Mead warned.

“Yeah, yeah, I remember.”

From deep in the valley, the transport vehicle flew up towards Area 59.