Mutagen

"Hmmm. Then that person should be alive somewhere doesn't he?"

"He might be but who knows?"

The General entered a deep contemplation about the information he just heard. He subconsciously took out a packet of cigarettes and was about to light it when the Professor's voice snapped him out of it.

"I'll kick you out if you light that. You said a while ago that you already stopped smoking, so what in the world are you doing right now?"

Gen. Miguel froze and awkwardly returned the cigarette.

"Sorry about that. I've been stressed out since this morning. The pressure is piling up."

"I won't really mind if that's the reason but you better do that outside and not in this building."

Prof. Isaach sternly reminded him.

"By the way, there are also fragments that landed in other countries right? Is there any other information given out by them?"

To that question, The Professor snorted.

"You think they would? With the pretense that it was their country's private matter, you think us smaller countries get anything from them? Our country might not even have the ability to send spies to other countries so of course we got nothing but the initial reports and leaked news about a small outbreak in a village in Arizona."

"Outbreak?"

"Yes, similar to what we are experiencing at the moment. I was also sent there to investigate with other scientists but everything was already cleaned up when we arrived. The only news we got there is that there was a fragment that fell there on a colony of termites. The colony mutated killing more than half of the people in that village. We tried to communicate about cooperating with their research but they were highly secretive about it."

"I see. You really can't do anything about that."

The General looked at the two assistants writing things on their notebooks on the other table.

"You said that these two evolved, did they gain superpowers?"

"They did. Well, I don't really mind telling you about them but it is easier if you see it."

The Professor smiled mischievously.

"Nia, Allen. Come here and show him your abilities. I want to see his surprised face!"

The two assistants shook their heads when they saw the smile on the Professor's face. The Professor was at it again. This crazy scientist not only immersed himself on his research but also loved to play pranks on people.

The first to display her ability was Nia. She half extended her arm with her palm open and facing upwards. Her palm then started to emit a faint white light. The General could feel a faint cold air from her direction. After about five seconds, two chopstick sized ice spikes landed on her palm.

Next was Allen. He picked up the smallest needle from a cabinet in the room along with a short piece of thin nylon thread. Using a thumb flip using his left hand, he launched the needle in the air spinning vertically in a very fast pace similar to a propeller of a helicopter. His eyes then released a faint red glow and his right hand that was holding one of the ends of the nylon thread moved. The next thing that the General saw the needed hanging down from Allen's hand with the nylon thread that passed through the eye of the needle.

The General was slack jawed. He then heard the Professor's smug voice behind him.

"Amazing isn't it? Nia's ability is to conjure the moisture in the surroundings and form the collected moisture into ice in any shape she wanted. As for Allen, ocular senses were highly enhanced that he is even capable of clearly seeing things even as fast a fired sniper bullet. Paired with his enhanced body, he will be able to respond to anything as long as he can see it coming.

Actually, their abilities are very beneficial to my field of research as NIa can freeze the specimen gathered anywhere needed while Allen can do a lot like accurately sewing wounds, catching fast moving parasites and other things that needed a fast reaction and reflex."

Hearing his explanation, the General sighed.

"You're lucky to have such assistants."

"What? Jealous?"

"I'm not. It's just that I will feel assured it at least a few of these Mutators can be drafted in the my ranks."

"What you want to do is hard. It's likely that these Mutators will have a high ego and hard to control unlike your fully trained men. Unless one of the people you trust the most became one, it would be a pipe dream."

"What if I give them benefits? What do you think?"

"The result will depend on the Mutators themselves. It is likely that many of them will aim for a higher position than being a lapdog in the military and following orders from the untrusted upper brass. But I guess, that method can work on the man we had now."

"The Mutator with super strength?"

"That's right. That guy has his family waiting for him in the survivor area you see. If you can promise him a better treatment with his family, I'm sure that he will comply."

"Is he going to be released soon?"

"Uhuh. We're just doing the final tests so you can have him afterwards if you can convince him. If not, we'll just release him.

Well, we can only release him since I don't think that we have the capability to restrain him. It's better to build good relations with these Mutators if possible since the safety of the people will be in danger if we are the ones to do the first move on them and not the other way around.

You also needed to bolster the ranks of your men, Miguel. There are also the existence of Mutant Animals and Plants. These mutated creatures will sure come in flocks sooner before we humans are able to evolve naturally."

***

Day 2 - 5:25 AM - City Mall Bacoor, Basement Parking, Central Area

The military moved back and forth around the parked vehicles they already transported in after they found the security room of the mall. The soldiers who were left here in the parking was in charge of checking and fixing their vehicles while most of the soldiers already moved out and secured the essential parts of the mall like the Hardware and Electronics Store in the first floor and the whole of the service corridors of all the floors of the mall.

The survivors brought by the military convoy were staying in the East Wing part of the Basement Parking where they arranged beddings and rationed food from the warehouse. The survivors who had almost nothing to eat since this morning were very happy eating the food rationed to them.

The employees of the mall helped in securing the mall by serving as guides for the soldiers as they knew the mall structure more than anyone else in here.

During the process of securing the mall, they managed to find several more survivors hiding inside stores. Most of them went out of hiding after hearing the sounds the soldiers were making.

However, due to the increase in the survivors, another squad was needed to transport all the people in one go. According to the report 1st Lt. Rafael received from the headquarters, the earliest arrival of the rescue squads will be in the afternoon and the latest was before midnight.

Still, it seemed that no matter how long the rescue arrives, the survivors were fine with it as long that the rescue will surely arrive. It was due to the men 1st Lt. Rafael led showing their prowess and successfully securing a large area in the mall. It was unfortunate that they would not be able to secure the main areas of the mall due to the overwhelming number of infected.

Another thing was that the conflict between the survivors became almost none existent due the soldiers leading the people. The survivors put the soldiers as their pillars making the soldiers try to not let these people down.

***

Day 2 - 6:00 AM – Lakeville Subdivision, Taal Lake Street, Bacoor City, Cavite

Inside one of the locked house in that street, a strong ray of violet light flashed coming from the closet in the only room of that house.

Aside from clothes that were stacked very far from being neat inside the closet, there was a gallon sized circular wide-mouth jar buried deeply among the clothes.

Inside the jar, there was a double terminated crystal of a vivid violet color. The crystal was one and a half inch in diameter and a little more than three inches in height. The crystal was floating vertically in the middle of the jar not being affected by Earth's gravity. Around the crystal, there were six smaller sphere shaped crystals about the size of a marble with the same color. The smaller crystals were also floating and danced horizontally around the mid-level of the larger crystal while slowly moving counterclockwise.

The crystals flashed a strong light for some time before settling down. Unfortunately, no one was able to see this amazing sight aside from the person that hid it there that was not even present in the house at the moment.