Golden Melody

Chapter 10.7

Third person point of view

Kyliah, her face with suspicion, tapped impatiently on the table, waiting for Damian to answer her questions.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, her voice sharp.
"How do you know about the Wolves? And their secret hideout here in Yellow City? Why did you spread the virus?"

Damian remained silent, his gaze fixed on the wall.
Marie, stepped forward, her voice soft but firm.

"My father did what he thinks is right."

Kyliah slammed her fist on the table, the sound echoing in the small room.

"Spreading a virus? That's what you think is right? Huh?" She let out a frustrated sigh.
"I never expected a freshman to be a single dad spy, and my classmate, who I considered friend, my enemy."

Marie panicked, her voice rising in a desperate plea.
"We're not enemies! We-"

Damian cut her off, his voice a low growl.
"I had to do it while it was still in the early stages."

Marie's eyes darted between Damian and Kyliah.
"But Dad, that's just one of the reasons."

Damian smiled, a sad, knowing smile.
"It doesn't matter. At least we stopped it for now."

Marie's eyes welled up, and she threw her arms around Damian, burying her face in his chest.
"Dad, why are you playing the villain?"

Damian patted her shoulder, his touch gentle.
He turned to Kyliah, his gaze unwavering.
He handed her a satellite phone.

"You can use this to contact Red City headquarters. Tell them Yellow City is safe. We're just in lockdown for security measures."

Kyliah took the phone, her fingers tracing the smooth surface.

"Who are you really?" she pressed, her voice laced with suspicion.

"Soon, I will tell you," Damian replied, his voice low.
"Not now. We are still weak."

Marie chimed in, her voice trembling.
"Trust us, please. We're not enemies."

Kyliah shook her head, her gaze flitting between them.
"How can I trust you? You almost harmed the students on the field trip."

"But we escape-" Marie began, but Kyliah cut her off.

"How did Ms. Davis knew about the virus before it could spread?"

Marie reached out, gently squeezing Kyliah's hand.
Tears streamed down her face.
"Kyliah, we promised to confess once this is over. Please stop hurting my dad."

Kyliah looked at Damian, who was now pale, his face contorted in pain.
Blood trickled from his nose, eyes, and ears.

"The hell?" Kyliah gasped.
"Are you infected?"

Damian shook his head, his voice weak.
"I wish it was just the virus."

Kyliah realized there was more to this than the virus.
There was a hidden enemy, one she didn't know about.

"Green Garden," Marie whispered, her green eyes blazing with anger.
"They are the enemy! They did this to us! Making us look like the villains, but it was them!"

Marie erupted, her voice rising in anger, but Damian grabbed her hand, his voice a low whisper.
"Calm down, Marie, or they'll know about your existence."

Marie cried,
"Let them know I existed! I'll fight them!"
Damian just hugged Marie, she just cried in his arms, her body shaking with a mix of anger and despair.

Kyliah sighed, her gaze fixed on the pair.
"I'll try to trust you if you can tell me how to stop the virus."

Marie calmed down, her eyes still red-rimmed, and looked at Kyliah.
"Oh! My dad here engineered the virus cells before he spread them in Green City. It will die down after 2-3 weeks, don't worry it won't mutate as it should be. But we just can't return the damage it caused in Green City." Her voice wavered,
"We are sorry for the lives that have been lost, but there would have been more lives lost if Dad hadn't acted."

"And about Zatariel that night," she continued, her voice dropping to a near whisper,
"It was...coincidentally...uhm...maybe he just slept somewhere and Dad found him."

Kyliah noticed the lie about their classmate Zatariel the way Marie's eyes darted away, the way her voice faltered.
She remained silent, her mind churning, trying to decipher the truth from the carefully constructed lies.

Kyliah grabs the satellite phone and starts connecting to Red City, the signal jamming, making the other side barely audible.

"This is Chameleon," she says, her voice clipped and professional.
"Do you copy?"

She doesn't wait for a response, pressing on with her report.
"Yellow City is secure. The government is enacting a lockdown, citing security concerns, but there are no confirmed infections. Repeat, Yellow City is clear."

She pauses, listening for a response, but the static drowns out any words.
"Chameleon to Red City, do you read?"

A faint, crackled voice cuts through the static.
"Chameleon, we copy. Report your status."

"Status: Mission objective achieved. The virus is contained. However, there are inconsistencies."

"Explain," the voice demands, the static momentarily fading.

Kyliah takes a deep breath, her gaze flickering to Damian and Marie.
"There's a possibility of a double agent within the Wolves. I suspect the virus was spread intentionally, but for a different purpose than initially believed."

"Elaborate," the voice commands, the static returning with a vengeance.

Kyliah grits her teeth, trying to filter her words over the interference.
"The virus is engineered to be self-limiting, and its spread was controlled. The real threat seems to be a separate entity, possibly Green Garden, who may have manipulated the spy to create this situation. The virus is a modified version of the Mimic Virus, designed to be time-limited and less aggressive."

"Chameleon, confirm your location. We need to extract you immediately."

"I'm at a secure location in Yellow City, but I can't reveal my exact coordinates until I gather more information. I need to confirm the identity of the double agent and the true motives behind this operation."

"Understood. Maintain your position. We will dispatch a retrieval team as soon as possible. Stay vigilant."

Kyliah nods, even though the other side can't see her.
"Copy that, Red City. Chameleon out."

She hangs up the phone, the static fading into silence.
She turns back to Damian and Marie, her eyes narrowed.
"I need to know the truth. Tell me everything."

The Mimic Virus, even in its time-limited form, could have devastating consequences.
The emotional manipulation could lead to societal unrest and violence.
The virus's potential for mutation remains a threat, and Green Garden's involvement suggests a larger conspiracy.