HALF: DEAD NOR ALIVE

Archie and Eve walked the small hallway as they kept talking and put on their lab coats. They opened the steel door with Marlyn’s ID card, and then immediately dozens of people were walking by in front of them.

Everyone in that room was a scientist, and only a very few of them were Axis Humans. It would be an easy job, but they didn’t want to rush things out because they wanted to know more about the secret base from them.

They both shared a look for a second, and then they went their separate ways to gather information. Their expressions told that they were both thinking about the same thing. They were both thinking about how they would handle the situation. They both had the same idea of what they needed to do.

Everyone recognized them the moment they entered the lobby, and luckily Marlyn and Dale had become a part of their memories over the years. This helped them a lot to recognize those people, and they had a normal conversation with each other as if nothing was suspicious about those two.

Archie thought that those scientists were going to have a talk about what they were doing in there, but they kept their mouths shut about their own job. They were all keeping their own tasks secret from each other, and only a few of them that would talk about what they were doing there. The scientists were all working on different parts of the project, but they were keeping their work a secret from each other. They only told a few other people what they were doing there, and those few people would only talk about their own task.

After knowing there was no hope of digging up information from those people, Archie decided to wander deeper into the secret base. Since Dale had been a part of that project longer than most of them, he was allowed to move anywhere in the laboratory.

Although Dale could go anywhere in the laboratory, everything was shut and he couldn’t enter all the rooms unless he had a reason or was asked for an assistant. In the end, he decided to stay in the cafeteria and enjoyed his cup of coffee and a sandwich for free. He waited until someone would approach him.

“Long time no see, Dale,” An old man with glasses stared at Archie as he walked toward him.

Archie looked at the man and Dale’s memories flashed before his eyes.

“Yanwar, yes, it’s been a while,”Archie answered as he took a sip of his coffee.

“It’s rare to see you in the cafeteria since you always been busy working with your project,” Yanwar said as he sat down in front of the table.

“I realize that I need a little break,” Archie answered with a smile.

Archie knew exactly what Dale was doing on the secret bases. He was one of the most experienced specialists in observing the parasites’ behaviors, and used that information to match it with the Axis Humans and the parasites that existed inside their bodies. Archie had already learned all there was to know about the parasites and there was no reason for him to be there anymore.

“I guess a hardworker like you need some break as well, huh?” Yanwar asked with a chuckle.

Archie only smiled and nodded his head as he drank his coffee.

“Well, it’s nice seeing you again,” Yanwar said as he stood up.

“Yes, it’s nice to see you too,” Archie answered.

Yanwar walked away, but then stopped in the midway.

“Dale, I just remember, there’s a new project that just started a week ago. They might need your expertise to discuss about it. Why don’t you go to level five and they will bring you to their small lab,” Yanwar said as he looked at Archie.

“Level five?” Archie asked with a confused look.

“Yeah, I know right? Fifth floor. Good luck down there,” Yanwar answered, and he looked a bit shocked as well. “If they asked you why you’re down there, just tell me I was the one who recommend you,” Yanwar continued, and then he left the cafetaria.

Archie stood up and closed his eyes to remember how to get down to the fifth floor or level 5. There was a different lift to go down there, and he was retracking how to go there.

Archie followed the hallway to the lift, and on his way there, he saw Marlyn or Eve in disguise was talking with her colleagues. He greeted them so casually, and they greeted him back like a normal human interaction.

“Where are you going, Dale? You’re not wandering around, aren’t you?” Eve asked.

“Dale wandering around? That’s impossible,” A woman younger than Marlyn replied.

“I meet Yanwar earlier, and he told me there’s a new project on level five, so I’m going there because he said those guys might need my expertise,” Archie answered.

“Ah the new project. We almost forgot about it,” The woman said. “Anyway, good luck,”

Archie nodded his head, and then continued walking toward the lift.

Archie used the lift and went to level five which Dale had never been to before. There was no information related to level 5, but he knew that level 5 was the lowest floor in the base, so everything that was on that level would be the most secured place in the base.

The moment the lift door was open, two Axis Humans were staring at him and immediately approached him.

“Professor Dale, what’s your occasion here?” One of the guys asked with his right index finger rested on the rifle near the trigger.

“I came here because Professor Yanwar recommend me to go down here. It’s about the new project that started a week ago,” Archie answered as he pretended to look nervous because of the guns in their hands.

The two Axis Humans shared a look for a moment, and then one of them nodded his head.

“Alright, you stay here and we will ask them if they really need you or not. It’s either you’re going to go back or pass, it depends on their answer,” The guy said.

Archie nodded his head without hesitation and stayed still like a statue.

The other guy walked the hallway and seemed to be going to where the new project was.

It took a while until the guy came back, and he was casually walked toward them without showing any expression. The guy then looked at Archie as he sighed and pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

“They said that they’re indeed need your expertise, but before you can go, let me do a report first. I’m going to ask you a few questions first, the usual,” The guy said.

Archie nodded his head with understanding and followed them to the side where the computer was.

Luckily, Archie knew exactly what they were doing and answered as how Dale answered those questions. The two Axis Humans didn’t even suspicious of him at all, and it made him a bit uneased because of it.

“Alright, you’re good to go. Now follow me and don’t wander around because I will have to send you back if you don’t listen to my order,” The guy said as he walked past Archie.

“Of course,” Archie answered simply.

Archie followed the guy all the way to the other side of level 5, and everything was covered in thick steel walls. It would be impossible for anyone or even a parasite of Gen-7 to break the walls with brute force. He believed that all the secret experiments happened down there, and it was his chance to get something out of it.

“Alright, just go right to the door on the left. They’re waiting for you inside,” The guy said as he pointed at the door in front of him. “If you’re done, you go back to the lift immediately,”

Archie nodded his head, and then walked toward the steel door.

Archie stood in front of the door, and there was no button to press, but there was a camera above the door. He looked up and waved his right hand toward it, and then the door slowly opened.

“Professor Dale,” A young woman greeted Archie the moment the door fully opened. “Please follow me,” The young woman said as she walked away.

The place was as big as a football field, and it surprised Archie a bit because he had no idea how massive the secret base was. He followed the young woman quietly as he looked around with so many high technology devices with dozens of people around him.

“Professor Dale, let me introduce myself. My name is Jenny, and maybe you’re confused where you are right now, but that shouldn’t worry you because everything here is safe. I won’t allow you to go around this area and I want your cooperation to keep following me and do as what I say,” Jenny explained. “So, before we can start, do you agree with that?” Jenny asked.

“Yes, of course,” Archie answered.