Dellings Secrets of The South

Chapter 19

Dimitri (Next day)

I watched Alexander as he wiped off the few drops of chemical spilled on his desk. He had his thick, white gloves pulled pass his wrist for protection but even so the sound of sizzling alerted us of the chemical eating into his gloves. He quickly pulled them off, dropping them in a metal bin nearby and turning to see if I had witnessed the scene. I pretended not to.

Alexander was new at his job. He didn't have much experience working in the lab but he was smart and he had a big mouth that shared a lot of information that my ears wanted to hear.

I always came to visit him when Keenan - my friend and his mentor – wasn't here so he could talk freely. Keenan didn't hide much from me either but there were certain information he couldn't give out because of confidentiality. Alexander on the other hand, he didn't really care much.

"Have you guys done any more research on the Katkuma?" I asked as he went to get himself another pair of gloves from a drawer.

"The higher team took charge of that case. Keenan should know what's going on, he's been in and out of their labs all week. They won't let me in because I'm new. The general has been there too. I saw him walked in with his guards but I couldn't see much because one of them blocked my view. Those men are massive." He whistled exaggeratedly. "I'm so glad I no longer have to train-"

The door swung opened and he immediately stopped talking. In walked Keenan, his lab coat hanging just a few inches above his calves and his tousled up hair even worse than usual. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed, threw his clothes on and came directly here.

"I hope he wasn't sharing too much." The words were directed at me but the warning in both his glaring eyes and firm tone to Alexander who quickly turned back to his task at hand. He continued on with whatever he was doing, completely ignoring our presence.

I was the one who explained the situation. "We were just talking about the Katkumas. I was checking if there were any updates."

Keenan shook his head.

"Why do you think the general lied about what happened?" I asked, curious for his opinion as he walked over to his desk with his back turned to me. I still hadn't figured that out. If the North was not behind it then that was good. We could live peacefully. We had nothing to be worried about.

By the sight of Keenan's dropped shoulders and heavy steps, I could tell he really did just get out of bed. And I could also tell that he probably got just two hours of sleep like every other night when he stayed working until early in the morning. The dark circles and puffiness under his eyes weren't getting any better.

"He didn't lie." He answered, exhausted.

"He said it was an attack from the North. Your research said it was a virus."

"A virus can come from anywhere. The North could have been the one to create the virus or who knows, maybe they got it there and the North sent them down here to die. It's like killing two birds with one stone; Southside gets attacked and their creatures die on foreign soil where they don't have to bury them."

"What about the time frame though? Have you guys checked how long they could've carried the virus?"

He went silent, too silent and that's how I knew he was keeping something. I tilted my head to the side to get a better view of his face and sighing he turned.

"The results we have shows that they must've gotten it at least two days before coming here. That's how fast it takes for it to completely take over and..."

"They're not able to fly here from the North in just two days." I finished his sentence.

He shook his head, defeated. "No. If we stand correct then they got the virus outside of the north."

"So the general is lying." I concluded and he shook his head, this time as a plea than an actual answer.

"Dimitri you cannot tell anyone this. It's not only my job, it's my life."

"I know." I stood up from where I was sitting on a table with my hands in my pockets. "Why is the general lying though?"

He shrugged, defeated, "It's Alastor, man. No one knows what goes on in that man's mind. Its better if we just leave it at that. Don't do anything stupid."

"Have I ever?"

He gave me a look, one that basically said yes I have. I guess he was too tired for his usual eye rolls so he just went back to his desk, shifting out of the way at the exact time Alexander faced his desk too, without Keenan catching on that he was listening.

"Can you bring me lunch later? I don't think I'll have time to come out. Bring meat."

"Yeah, sure. Alexander do you want anything?"

"Actually" Alexander turned around to talk but Keenan stopped him from saying anything else.

"He's fine. Alexander doesn't eat normal food. He gets full on all the conversations he eavesdrops on."

The boy couldn't do much but just bite his tongue and turn back around, embarrassed. I guess he did catch on.