Steel Virus (2017)

3

The next day, an investigative agent from the US intelligence arrived at his hotel in western Belize City. It was a relatively new building from the 2020's. The striping of natural resources have since dropped off, causing even the nicest of districts to feel abandoned. He sent off his taxi and watched it join the herd of empty cabs moving along the otherwise empty streets.

The hotel stood up proud, at least 20 stories high. It didn't matter to him how much the city could be seen; he would almost never been inside his room.

After dropping off his things and getting a feel for the general area, the agent laid down to bed for the last time. He suspected little but would soon fall into something much too big.

***

Later that night, John reached for the lights to his small bunk room. It was cold, like it always was. It didn't feel like five years had passed; it felt like one long, yet unfinished winter.

The empty bottom bed was left a mess. No one had bothered to touch it since, and the cleaning wouldn't be around until next Tuesday.

He still couldn't believe the manner in which Carl had died.

It was slow and terrifying; almost surreal. John couldn't even watch it all the way. All he heard from the recording before the screams began were a few coughs and growing complaints of a burning itch. The sound was muted after, thankfully. But if he weren't the closest person to him, John wouldn't have even gotten to see the recorded video last week. Few people knew what had happened.

After climbing up to his bed in silence, he dashed his thoughts away with some gentle music. With earbuds in, John fell asleep soon after the timer cut the lights out.

***

At the same time, far above John and the facility, the agent was wandering about the forest dressed in dark green and gray.

It was easier to track heat coming from the ground after the sun had gone down.

After an hour and a half of off-trail biking, he had finally found one of the vents that were leaking hot air. He left his motorcycle leaning onto a nearby tree and took out his phone.

In his report, he had read about the intermittent nature of the heat signatures. His GPS pinged in and he verified his location with his superiors before taking pictures of the camouflaged metal roof sticking up above a small grate.

It looked like the nearby mine had been converted into something newer. But the old entrance was at least a mile away, and he had found no trace of human interaction. There must be a new entrance to whatever was going on, he figured. After mapping the vent and walking out in a spiral from it, he eventually found it.

Covered in leaves and dirt was a broad metal plate. Two, in fact. And a small box a few feet away, buried and camouflaged as well.

He sat down and pulled out a roll of tools to get to work.

***

"What do you mean, 'we've been found?'" Catherine held her phone in her left hand as she pulled on real clothes over her pajamas.

From the other end of the phone, the security chief, George, answered, "Someone snooping around the ground level, trying to pick into the security box to the supply lift. Had all kinds of gadgets and signal emitting things we turned off. Probably too late, though"

"God damn it. Just...just put the alarm on and get everyone over to the cafeteria."

"Everyone? Will we all even fit?"

Catherine shouted, "YES! EVERY EVERYONE!"

He tried to speak, but she continued in a more calm tone, "Get all those workers living on the first few floors to their cafeteria. We can get everyone down here to fit up there; we have a quarter the staff they do. Notify the security team that monitors them so they can direct them all for you, if you need the help."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Catherine hanged up the call and finished throwing her clothes on. It was going to be a long night.