Playing The Victims [BL]

Chapter Ninety | Third World

[ 90 ]

"But I thought it wasn't for another three months?" Roscoe blurted as the meeting went ahead. All around the room stood a myriad of different faces belonging to all shapes and sizes, who were equally as surprised to hear the sudden and unexpected news of the mission being pushed up by more than a month. Each and every individual standing within the unassuming room, that had been dutifully selected for today's meeting, had proven on more than one occasion to be loyal to the Supreme Commander; and by default, his son.

Mathias himself regarded the room with a composed demeanour. A man experienced in dealing with high-pressure situations both on and off the front-lines. He stood within his own space, arms crossed over his chest with one shoulder rested against the wall. His height and figure exaggerated by the position he was in. But although appearing casual, he was most definitely not taking the situation lightly. He knew the mission's rate of success rested on the shoulders of everyone currently around him.

"Those who were previously impartial have chosen their sides. Whatever has happened these past few days has somehow swayed the minds of those in doubt. From this, myself and the others who haven't been corrupted by the conscience-lacking scientists, have been iced out." The Supreme Commander stepped forward and rested his knuckles on the table in front of everyone. His shoulders squared as he leant forward onto them. "It's no coincidence that the knowledge of these abilities has come to be public knowledge. This is their way of telling us, that they hold the cards. But that's not true, as they haven't told the whole story."

But everyone in the room had the clear picture. Initially, they were just as astonished to hear about people suddenly developing fantastical talents like controlling elements. This was further increased by the revelation that their respected Commander was one of the people who had said ability. But as the excitement wore off, more questions were asked. Ones that people wouldn't like the answers to; so the people behind the whole leak coincidentally neglected to inform people who were suddenly more than eager to 'develop their own defences'.

Which is where the Supreme Commander, along with other militants of high ranking, came in. Among those loyal to them, the truth was revealed. No one simply 'developed' the abilities, they were not something that was naturally occurring. It was a process the body was forced to undergo via experimentation. And when the Commander didn't hide the fact that he was experimented on without consent, expressing his seething resentment for the whole process, the soldiers were quick to realise that they had momentarily fallen for a misleading advertisement.

"Andrei, along with his backers, won't have any qualms with people willingly signing up to be part of the experiment. Of course, he won't call it by that word and will leave it to the pretty faces of the previously rich and famous to reel them in. What the public doesn't know, is that the experiment doesn't work on everyone. From monitoring Andrei's activity we have come across— over the time we have been at this base— just under a hundred people go missing and not to return. And out of them, only a handful have been sighted working for him afterwards. So the success rate is marginal."

"That's not all that we believe the people should know." A burly man cut in as people were struggling to hear the facts they had already been vaguely told. Only now were they hearing it in more detail. As for the man, he was someone who was only slightly lower than Mathias in ranking. They had previously never seen eye to eye, choosing to go about things in different ways. But with the current situation, their decision was unanimous.

He continued, "Out of those who were chosen by Andrei and his merry-fucking-men, eighty percent of them were taken from the outer-most section, with the remaining twenty from the next one in. None from them being from the central section. I don't think the average person would appreciate being used as a guinea pig for those who are still able to get their monthly Botox appointments."