Protocols & Hearts

Chapter 9

October 7, 20XX. Approx. 7:09 p.m. Classified Military Base.

The days crept by with tension and unease as the team processed the new information about Shesh's chemical plots. While they now understood the disturbing scope of his plans to unleash deadly substances across landmarks, they also recognized more clearly the true danger Shesh posed. Surveillance teams were spread thin, keeping watch over potential target sites in cities across multiple states as Shesh had implied, but so far there were no signs of an attack. Yet.

Aelia found her thoughts circling obsessively around the finer points of their adversary and his motives. She replayed their past interaction with Shesh, hoping to glean some insight. Poring over case files late into the night, she sought any clues that might reveal his next moves or what could possibly deter him. Her concerns grew as she contemplated the very real prospect of Shesh unleashing chemically induced madness on a massive population. If he proved as unhinged as his actions indicated, the consequences seemed apocalyptic. How did one fight against or contain a plague of civilization wandering in a zombified state? With so many unknowns and the highest of stakes, a looming sense of dread weighed in the air.

The long night was taking its toll on Aelia as the hours dragged on. Her eyes grew heavy, eyelids drooping lower each time she blinked over her work. Her head nodded forward unconsciously until her cheek came to rest against the keyboard, finally giving in to exhaustion.

That's when Ghost happened to pass by the doorway to her lab. He paused at the threshold, noticing an odd shape silhouetted against the glow of multiple monitors. Stepping closer, he realized it was Aelia slumped over her desk, fast asleep amid the chaos of papers and notes strewn about. With a gentle shake of her shoulder, Ghost roused her from her inadvertent computer nap. Aelia jerked awake suddenly, looking up at him in a dazed confusion. "Sorry!" She exclaimed hoarsely through a wide yawn, embarrassed to be caught in such a state.

Ghost simply shook his head, concern evident behind the mask, as he pulled up a chair next to her. His eyes surveyed the array of empty energy drink cans littering the workspace amid the disorderly mess. He glanced past her at the whiteboard completely filled with her frenetic equations and formulas scribbled in every available space.

"When was the last time you got some real rest?" He asked bluntly but not unkindly, crossing his arms while leaning back to regard her weary form.

Aelia began idly tapping a pen against the desktop, unable to meet his gaze as pink bloomed in her cheeks. "Um.. a while..." She mumbled evasively, clearly ashamed to admit how run down she had become in her determination to crack this case.

But Ghost persisted with quiet concern. "When was the last time you had an actual meal?" Aelia opened her mouth to reply, but he continued, "I mean a full dinner, not some granola bar or takeout." She closed her mouth, cheeks flushing at being seen through. Again.

With a weary sigh, Aelia averted her gaze to shuffle through papers strewn across her desk. "I'm sorry, it's just.. Shesh really got to me, I just want to figure it all out."

Ghost's stern manner softened slightly as he let out a sigh of his own but kept his gaze steady on her drawn face. "I know you do, but you have to take care of yourself too." He urged gently but firmly.

Distractedly flipping through pages in a notebook, Aelia nodded with a small smile of acknowledgment. But then her fingers paused abruptly on a single sheet amid the chemical scrawls and mathematics. Ghost's keen eyes noticed this brief change, and he reached out to gently grasp her wrist to halt her movements. "What was that?" He asked quizzically. Confused, Aelia merely raised a questioning brow.

Ghost scooted closer, pulling the notebook into his own hands. Flipping back a couple of pages with focused care, his eyes scanned and focused on finding whatever had elicited Aelia's atypical response. She watched him intently, curiosity overtaking her fatigue as she wondered what he may have discovered in her disordered notes.