A group of people dressed in expensive business attire stood in the center of the spacious lobby. At the center of the group, a tall blonde man stood. The man gave off a sophisticated playboy aura yet high-end gentlemen's air about him. He was, without a doubt, the center of attention. Bold blue eyes turned to meet my gaze, adding a majestic charm that would subvert even the most reluctant woman. His hair was stylish in the classic short wavy, well-manicured style. Add his high cheekbones, straight eyebrows, stoic nose with thin lips, and square jaw; he was the epitome of a playboy. The blonde gentleman wore a pristine navy blue suit, a white dress shirt, and a stark, vivid red tie. Topped off with high-end dress shoes and an expensive watch. I could sense my team members taking a pause before this new development. The man regarded only me as if he knew who I was. I had no idea who this person was, but from both, the Swan twins certainly did. The rest of his team seemed to fade into his presence, making it challenging to notice anyone else. I straightened my posture when I saw him approaching. 

 

"Mr. Nishimoto Rin, I assume," the man said in a profound yet powerful voice. "I was wondering when Mrs. Momota would send her right-hand man. My hunch that she wouldn't or, more importantly, couldn't show up herself was correct," the blonde man said.

 

I raised my eyebrow at his knowledge of who I was and my direct superior. The man reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a pair of fancy reading glasses. He then fixed his tie like he allowed what he'd divulged to sink in. I kept myself calm and composed.

 

"You must be wondering who I am and how I know who you are. I suppose an introduction is fitting for this situation. My name is Malcolm Vance, Director of Horizon Industries Internal Security Division. A direct competitor of your Mrs. Momota Misaki's Internal Operations Division. She didn't have time to brief you on much other than your current task. You and your team are here to inspect this research facility. My team is here at the bequest of Mrs. Momota herself," Mr. Vance revealed. 

 

Saylor cleared her throat, and I took the hint. Mr. Vance was also here in her stead. Why she couldn't be here was a mystery to me. Saylor or Taylor would fill me in later. A loud clacking of footsteps came from farther in the lobby. Every one of his team turned to face the new presence, but the Director himself. 

 

"So, shall we begin?" Director Vance asked.

 

"That would be fine with me," I said as the new party arrived.

 

Our two groups merged into one as another man surrounded by a party greeted us. This man was as imposing as Director Vance. Except he didn't have the swagger he had. No, this man was different. An air of ominous shadows hung around him. The man wore stylish black shades that hid his eyes, but the smooth baldness of his head amplified his facial features. He had a distinct face with high cheekbones, angular eyebrows, a pointy nose, firm yet thin lips, and a chiseled jawline. His black dress suit matched his glasses and mysterious presence. The white dress shirt was contracted with a black tie. Even his dress shoes were black. This fashion sense of his was mirrored by the party with him. 

 

The mysterious man walks right up to Director Vance and extends his hand.

 

"I'm Director Richard Helms. I'm the new Director of Site 503. Thank you for coming, Director Vance. I assume this is Mrs. Momota's Chief of Operations, Chief Nishimoto. I'm sure you want to get this inspection started," Director Helms said, holding his hand towards the interior. 

 

His men quietly move to either side of his gestured arm.

 

"Excuse me, where is Director Eto Sotaro? Wasn't he supposed to meet us here?" I questioned abruptly. 

 

"Director Eto's whereabouts are unknown," Director Helms said.

 

"What about Doctor Morishita Nao Gina and Doctor Vincent Blair?" I asked.

 

"Their whereabouts are unknown as well," Helms stated.

 

"Then we better proceed with the inspection," Director Vance said.

 

Helms nods and offers our two parties to follow. He took the lead with his minions in tow. Our first tour kept us in the administration wing above ground. It was a lengthy inspection that revealed nothing of use to us. As I had seen earlier, most of the branch, including office equipment, was cleared out. Director Helms's people have thoroughly scrubbed the wing. There weren't any personnel we could speak to, just the people Helms brought with him. He was determined to clean this facility up. Whatever was happening here must be extremely bad for the company's reputation.

 

Our next stop was the central labs. The main elevator was guarded by heavily armed men and women, Horizon's private military forces. They wore black BDUs with full body armor from head to toe. Their weapons were M429s and flame throwers. These guys were playing around. I counted two dozen of them. Along with the remote turrets pointed at the elevator doors, I began having second thoughts about this whole mission. One of the armed guards approaches Helms.

 

"The labs are secure for now. You'll need to wear grade-five gas masks to enter the lab," the soldier said.

 

Helms waves for us to put on the required masks. I can see the worry on the faces of my team and Vance's team. 'What the hell were they up to down there?' When everyone was ready, we went down in two separate groups. Vance and his team went first, followed by my team. The ride wasn't a big deal, just a ten-minute ride. When doors open, a waking nightmare reveals itself. Director Vance's shock over the lab's disarray was evident. It was like a war broke out. Blood was all over the walls, mixed with scorch marks. There was so much blood but no bodies. More armed soldiers were guarding the elevator. I could hear gunfire coming from somewhere deep inside the lab.

 

"What the hell happened here?" Director Vance yelled.

 

"From what my people can gather, Doctor Morishita and Doctor Blair were working on a special elixir codenamed Nectar. The substance supposedly has significant health and healing properties. Beyond that, there is little more information than the compound discovered in Antarctica. We arrived, and the surface facility was deserted. Down here was a brutal massacre. The personnel had gone feral and killed the entry team I sent to investigate. So far, we have explored about thirty percent of the main labs. That doesn't include Alpha Labs and Omega Labs," Director Helms revealed.

 

"Shit, this is far worse than Mrs. Momota had estimated. Why wasn't I notified about this?" Director Vance questioned.

 

"The order came from the board. Whatever happened down here is bad. I have authorized you and Mrs. Momota's teams to search the labs. For now, you have access to the secure sections. Nothing more until I clear it," Helms said.

 

"I want my teams here now to assist," Vance said.

 

"Negative; if your department takes any action, it might tip off the authorities. The board doesn't want any official investigations from the government yet. They suspect corporate sabotage," Helms revealed.

 

"So, you're saying that whatever happened here was not an accident?" I questioned.

The two directors looked at me and agreed. They didn't need to address my question. I hadn't seen a mention of Nectar in my report, either. Our goal was to get to the Doctor's lab, which was still the plan.

 

"What about the Doctor's labs? Are they accessible?" I asked.

 

"Yes, I'll have a team escort you there," Helms said.

 

"Alright, we'll be heading there now," I said.

Mr. Schafer puts a hand on my shoulder. He must have known I was uneasy about this. We all were after seeing this. Helms instructs a team of four to come with us. I gave a brief thanks to Director Vance. He was busy going over the details with Helms and his team. As we delve deeper into the labs, the scene gets worse. It looked like the staff had gone insane. I was sweating from the warm air down here, and my gas mask's visor was fogging. There still weren't bodies anywhere, which was eerie. I did notice an abundance of clothing that had been discarded or ripped off. Vaughn kept a close eye on the other team members. Saylor and her sister Taylor were even jarred by the sight. Their professional and ice-cold attitude was gone.

 

"Where are the bodies?" Ms. Soliz whispered.

 

"There aren't any casualties," the soldier said.

 

"What do you mean by no casualties?" Ms. Ryan snapped.

 

"It means there are no casualties. We've had to herd the infected down to the sublevels," the lead soldier answered.

 

"Infected?" Ms. Augustine whispered.

 

"Don't worry; the risk of infection is near zero. The staff exposed to the agent are more or less harmless now. Well, to themselves, that is," the soldier revealed.

 

"Explain yourself, soldier. Are we walking into a shit storm?" Vaughn demanded.

 

"No, this area is clear. The danger here is zero. The contaminant has dissipated. The masks are a precaution, that's all," the soldier answered.

 

Somehow the soldier could have been more convincing. He opens the door to Doctor Blair and Doctor Morishita's joint lab. The inside was relatively clean. Just as they would have left it after a long day's work. 

 

"Alight, everyone. Let's see what we can find," I announced.