Chapter 33 - Discovery
The Surface (Outside World)
Evening
Tokyo City
Three choppers on-air, heading for the explosion area.
Touka looks out the window with shaky eyes. She was on protective gears along with the others.
"What's this?" one of the scientists said seeing the wave of destruction, the air embodied with black snow dew.
"This Riku" Hachiro said.
"Is the result of the virus no doubt" he adds, he turned to Touka who was trembling slightly.
"Are you alright Touka?" Hachiro asked worriedly. She just nods.
"Why would such a thing happen, so many life's lost," she said with shaky eyes.
***
The choppers went to different areas, landing in various destinations.
***
A Few Minutes Later
"We will scan as much as we can for survivors," Touka said. They nod in agreement.
"Alright on teams, like we discussed!" Sergeant Tori said as the few soldiers spread out.
"Let's go Touka," Hachiro said, the flashlight on.
***
They both ventured around the destroyed environment, Touka looked around while checking the transparent device she held scanning for life forms.
Hachiro's eyes scan the areas.
"There aren't any bodies, aren't there suppose to be a bloody mess from the virus or something?" he said puzzled.
Not a single body could be seen it was like it was wiped clean.
"What's this?" she said with wide eyes. Hachiro rushed to her side.
"What?" he demands. Looking at the device she was staring at.
"I'm detecting weak signs of life" Touka said.
"It's so weak, also like it's dead," she said again, studying the low temperature.
"Touka-san," Hachiro said haste pointing at something, she followed his hand.
They quickly rushed to an area with blocks of building, a strange-looking cocoon was present, it was beaming blue, red series of veins were present around.
*Loud Sounds Of Heartbeat*
"Hachiro can you hear it?" Touka asked with shaky widen eyes.
"Yes I can," he said swallowing hard.
"It's like... it's alive" he adds with trembling eyes.
"What could be inside? The monitor is getting vitals but so weak" Touka said.
"I don't know we have to get it back to base and analysis it.
The remaining search party in teams found cocoons too, they loaded them into the chopper.
"We found some cocoons over here too" Sergeant Tori's comm sounded.
"In total, we have 100 of them... And-" Touka paused as she swallowed hard.
"We are detecting life forms in it".
"How's this possible?" Tori said with shaky eyes.
"We won't know for sure until we take them back to base," Touka said.
"Come in Riku, where are you?" Hachiro said to his comm.
"I'm still in the area, am still checking if there are other strange-looking cocoons" Riku's voice sounds through the comm.
"Make it snappy," Hachiro said.
"What's that?!" they heard Riku said.
"What's it Riku?!" Touka asked.
"I don't know, I just heard something, let me check it out".
"Well what is it?" Tori asked.
There was silence, then static noises.
"Riku, I hope you are not making a joke," Hachiro said impatiently.
"OH MY GOD!" they heard him shout in horror.
"GUYS THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE I DON---" the comm cut.
"Riku," Touka said as she trembled.
"What just happened, we have to get to him," Touka said about rushing out but Hachiro held her back.
"We don't know what's out there," Hachiro said.
"Sergeant Tori" Tori's comm sounds. They turned to him.
"We don't know what's happening, we are losing contact with the teams" the soldier panics.
"We have to retreat now!" Tori hissed.
"No! What about the others, they are out there somewhere" Touka hissed pissed.
"We can't risk it Dr. Touka, not just your life but others," Tori said clearly.
Touka fist tighten.
"We have no choice we must head back to base," Hachiro said.
"For the sake of the remaining team," he adds.
A tear fell from Touka's eyes. She nods.
***
One Week Later
Tokyo underground base
Level 20: Prime minister-level
"With no visual of the surface am afraid we have no idea what's happening," Touka said. Prime minister Kiyoshi was in deep thought.
"And the cocoons you found in the infected area?" he asked.
"They have been quarantined, kept in a stable position, we are still figuring what's in it, cutting it open will most likely damage the life form inside".
"Keep it secure and keep running the test we have to figure out what's inside," Kiyoshi said sternly.
Touka's looks sad.
"When retreating them we lost contact with some members of the search party," she said as her fist tighten.
He turned to her.
"We don't know what happened but-" she said with shaky eyes.
"There's a possibility that something is out there caused by the virus that we don't know about yet" she adds.
Kiyoshi faced front.
"The surface isn't safe".
"I see," he said sternly.
A scientist rush in.
"Dr. Touka, it's the cocoon!".
They turned to him.
"They are hatching!".
***
Level 11: Special Facility
They rushed into the wide hall where the cocoons were kept, they froze at the sight before them.
A loud alarm was blowing, doctors on protective gears rushing to and fro as the cocoons hatch, what made them stun the more was the kids breaking out onto the floor unconscious, a blue slippery against their bodies.
"What on earth," Kiyoshi said stunned.
***
Three Months Later
With protective suits on and masks. Prime Minister Kiyoshi and Touka walk into the special facility where about 100 freezer tubes hosing the kids inside showing their temperature and steady heart rate.
They strolled along the long corridor.
"We were able to keep them in cryonics state, they are on the current stage of Sp2, it seems there are some changes with their cellular structure. We don't know what will happen when they cross Sp2 to Sp3. We are still studying the virus but we do know the virus will continue to spread nonstop" Touka said.
"With further study of the virus in their blood cells we will be able to create a synergy that will slow it down" she adds.
Kiyoshi halts.
"You and your team should do all you can," he said as his eyes lands on a tube by his right, the identification tab said 'Kimura Hiro', black veins on all parts of his body, a bandage around his eyes.
"It's unfortunate that General Kimura's son is a part of this" Touka said.
Kiyoshi looks dark. Touka brought out a transparent safety bag with a black headset in it, broken in two.
"He was clinging tightly unto this when he emerges from the cocoon," she said. Kiyoshi turned to it, he took it.
"It must have been special to him".
Kiyoshi's fist tightens around the headset.
"We need to figure out the outcome in all this. These kids survived the deadly virus, as survivors, they will pave a way for us to make contact with the surface once again" he said certainly.
"Our last visual communication was able to defect the virus spread throughout the world. Right here in this base is most likely the last hope of humanity" he adds.
"We will not waste that hope".