Conniveo

Chapter XIV: Glimmer

"You should teach the others your method. I'm sure it would prove very useful."

Tari laughed and placed the dose injector back into the case. In the past twelve hours, I had convinced the other nurses to have her be the one to administer all my medication. They had only been happy to oblige because it meant less work for them. I often chatted to this nurse because I felt she was very different from the rest - calm, observant, intelligent and not given to idle conversation. We had gone past the usual introductions and I learned her name. She had explained to me that the story of the black-haired Homini girl was why she had suffered such an emotional break-down when she saw Eugene - she had never seen another person with black hair since that time and the resurfaced memories had been overwhelming. I tried to understand. It must have been distressing to discover that she had played a personal role in the death of so many innocent children.

She gave me a smile and left the quarantine unit. I was in better spirits today. My medication had been changed and I was now due to be discharged in four days; just in time for the Silas qualifiers. Arye's schedule was fully occupied, and hence he could not visit me anymore. Mother had visited in the evening of yesterday, and she looked tired. She informed me that the sterilization of my room had been completed, though it was likely that I was due for a hearing with the General of the Security Forces. He was probably going to send a subordinate in his stead because he was sure to be occupied - especially in this period of a crisis. The sounds from the Network Report disturbed my thoughts.

"The situation had been controlled, as far as we know. We have overlaid the phase-disturbance grid. The General is currently attending to other affairs, but until his return, I would be in charge of running the Chaser Project."

An older man with Blonde-brown hair was being interviewed by a news relay team via commlink. He was stated to be the Vice-General of the Security Forces for the WLQ - the West Lower Quadrant; the General's second-in-command. I looked away from the screen and lay back in bed. I wondered where Eugene was. The fact that there had been no subsequent reports could only mean that he had never returned. The events of the last time must have discouraged him from visiting again. I wondered if the new phase-disturbance sensors were actually going to find anything. There was a good chance that Eugene might never return. I also wondered if there were others like him. If any of them ever attempted to visit us now, they were sure to encounter a lot of trouble. Eugene and Greg had set up this situation to the detriment of all others. Assuming there were others. From what Eugene had said, I doubted it. I felt a strange sensation in my chest as I thought about Eugene. I wished for his safety but I also wanted to see him again. The two could not be possible simultaneously, as they were contravening desires. I wondered which I would pick if there was only one choice to be made. I wasn't sure. Maybe if I was threatened with violence or death, the choice would become more apparent.

'You mentioned a 'Chaser Project', Vice-General Mith. What does this entail?"
"The first phase is the establishment of the phase-disturbance grid. This has already been confirmed in the Ixor Metropolitan area, as well as all our factories as we assume these would be the most likely targets for the criminals. We are currently expanding to cover the entire city. A desired extension of our phase one would be actualizing the Chaser Project across all neighboring cities and eventually all four continental quadrants and then the world, but this has to be approved by each district's legislature. The second phase is the training and deployment of rapid-response teams to arrest any intruders as they are detected. We need to be ready at all times, if we are to prevent a war between the two sides. We would not like to believe that the governing body of the other world approves of such activities, but if we confirm that this is indeed a certified attack, we would move on to phase three. Phase three is a counter-strike; we will play the offensive hand. We would harness their technology and use it against them. We doubt there would be any resources to be gained from their world, but we must protect our own at all costs."
"How do you seek to address the health implications? We have been informed that the criminals are well-equipped with biological weapons and had caused an epidemic in some parts of the Ixor region."
"Phase three will not be immediate. We will first gather intelligence from phase two and administer appropriate prophylactic agents to any soldiers who would be involved in the insurgence - if need be. We have the resources for these. As for the so-called biological weapon you spoke of, my sources have confirmed that it was nothing but an old bacterial species, one whose treatment was clearly outlined in the Biblos. There is nothing to be afraid of."