Jack POV
When Smith opened the metal door.
He and I entered a large poorly lit room of 30 square meters with in the middle of this room a large conference table where I could make out the shapes of 5 people who are seated in the central seats, 4 men and 1 woman.
As Smith and I walked over to the conference table, the woman's voice was heard.
(Woman): Mr. Holder, I'm glad you were able to come, please take a seat.
Listening to that soft voice, I obeyed and sat across from them with Smith.
Then without wasting a single moment I asked the question that had tormented me for a long time.
(Jack Holder): So what's happening to my sister, tell me.
I question them while looking at them intensely and with a trace of fear in my voice.
As I watched them, the man on the far right stood up and started talking.
(man 3): Wait Mr. Holder before getting down to business, we should introduce ourselves first, that would be more suitable........Let me introduce myself first my name is Franck Kerman and here are my colleagues.
Said the man called Franck, pointing to the people to his left by his hand.
(man 2): My name is Richard Spellberg.
(man 4): Karim ahmed.
(man 1): Joseph Parker and here is the leader of the base 0-34.
Said the man showing me the woman who was in the center of the group.
(woman): Lena Obrayane but you can call me Lena, Mr. Holder.
Said the woman sitting in the center of the group with a slight Cainfri accent.
(Lena): Alright now that the introductions are done we will be able to..............
(Smith): Cough .... cough.
As Lena was about to continue her introduction Smith cut her off with a cough.
(Lena): Oh please excuse me Mr. Smith.........Mr Holder, I think you already know Mr. James Smith, he is in charge of recruiting new agents and spotting new cases related to the disease.
Faced with this presentation, James smiled and started to swing in his chair.
(Lena): So if nobody has anything more to say, we can start.
Lena said snapping her fingers, which made a photo appear on a screen.
(Jack Holder): Fuck ..... what is this thing !!!
I exclaimed in surprise because this picture showed a lion, but this lion was very strange, its size was twice the size of a normal lion and spikes protruded from its back.
(Franck): It is a lion but not a normal lion because it has been infected with the disease which is currently affecting your sister.
Franck told me with a look of apology.
(Jack Holder): WHAT ..... you imply that my sister will end up like this monster.
I cried out in horror at this announcement.
Shit, shit it's impossible, not Celestina, she's not going to become like that monster.
As I let myself be carried away by my emotions, Lena lifted her hand from her desk and snapped her fingers again.
(Lena): Calm down, Mr. Holder for the moment, we do not yet know if this disease will affect human Genoa and animal Genoa in the same way, but thanks to your sister we will be able to determine the impact it will have on the human Genoa.
Lena explained to reassure me but one of her words made me realize a few things.
(Jack Holder): What do you mean by "thanks to Celestina",.. don't tell me .....
(Joseph): Yes Mr. Holder, currently your sister is the only documented case of the disease in humans.
Joseph informed me, which confirmed my concern, Smith had lied to me.
(Jack Holder): SMITH !!!!!!!! you lied to me motherfucker.
I screamed in rage at Smith who had given me false hope because if there was no other case then there is no evidence of survival of other victims of the disease and so that means Celestina could die.
I grabbed Smith by the throat and threw him against a wall with all my might.
After hitting the wall, Smith struggled to lift and screamed.
(James Smith): Wait mister Holder ..... cough .... cough..i didn't lie this disease is really not fatal.
(Jack Holder): Oh yeah and what makes you say that, there is no other case so we can't prove that this shit disease is not fatal.
I tell him resentfully and approaching him.
While I was going to grab Smith for the beaten up, mister ahmed stopped me by grabbing my arm then he said to me.
(Karim ahmed): indeed Mr. Holder, we do not know what could happen to your sister but there is one thing of which, I am sure is that she will not die of it because human and animal genes are not very different so your sister is more likely to be mutated than to die.
(Jack Holder): Mr. ahmed do you know that your words are not very reassuring.
I tell him darkly and removing his hand from my shoulder.
(Karim ahmed): hehehe it's true but it's always better than death.
Said Mr. Ahmed to me with a smirk.
Although not completely clamored but reassured, I returned to my seat and asked them again.
(Jack Holder): Okay, tell me what this disease is?
(Lena): Yes Mr. Holder, let's start again, this disease was detected 11 months ago during the Oltar Zoo incident you may have heard of it.
Lena said to me, sitting down.
(Jack Holder): Yes, a horrible case a rhino which is unleashed killing 45 people and injuring 102 and despite all the police force present the animal still managed to escape.
(Lena): Yes that's right.
She confirmed to me then she resumed her explanation.
(Lena): This rhino had been infected, although we do not know its way of transition or that We don't know its origin, but what is certain is that animals affected by this disease can emit an extremely high level of radiation which can impact other living things and it's what happened with your sister and the calf, the infected calf must have transmitted the disease to your sister.
(Jack Holder): You imply that the disease is nuclear.
I told him with doubt because the calf that had been with us has never been exposed to radiation.
(Lena): No, it comes from a completely revolutionary new energy source that defies all logic.
She answers me seriously, it seems that this part of the story really troubled her.
(Jack Holder): So what is it?
I asked him.
(Lena): its radiation comes from a new source of energy which, unlike nuclear energy which damages genes, we believe that this new source of energy that we have decided to name mana allows it to be improved even to strengthen our genes for our survival.
(Jack Holder): So that means it doesn't cause a mutation.
I say hopefully.
(Lena): It's true Mr. Holder, this revolutionary energy accelerates evolution without damaging the genes of living beings.
Miss Lena told me seriously as put Lena was about to continue talking, the metal door opened sharply and violently and a person opened it and it was the scientist who had taken Celestina from me, he had the air breathless due to the fact that he had run to announce some important things.
(scientists): It started, it finally started.
said the scientist with great joy.
(Jack Holder): What started?
I asked with concern.
(scientists): The ... The young girl begins, she begins to evolve.
End of Chapter 9
