The Science of Spying (Erityian Tribes, #4)

Chapter 20 : Man in the Capsule

My mouth was hanging open when we arrived at Area 008. As expected, the CIA's ability to conceal something like this was exceptional. On the outside, it looked like a barren land with nothing but stones and boulders, but in reality, the base was just covered in some sort of camouflage with a color similar to earth and dirt.

"You really can't tell that there's a building here," Cliff commented.

We stood in front of the door, which was hard to see, and several buttons were embedded on the wall. According to Von, we should press the red button as it represents the Custos tribe. I pressed it and a hologram appeared before us.

"This is Area 008. May I help you?" the guy asked and judging by his look, he might be a B- or C-class agent.

"We're here to see the zuerst," Nigel said and his expression suddenly changed.

Bumukas ang pinto at sinalubong naman kami ng dalawang agents. They were wearing suits and ties, just like usual CIA agents, but their orange-ish eyes gleamed in the dark hallway.

Habang naglalakad kami ay napapatingin ako sa paligid. The interior was loosely based on Cerebrum so there was a sense of familiarity. We stopped in front of what looked like a laboratory and one of the agents pushed the button near the door.

"Doctor Liev, the S-class agents are here," the other agent announced.

The glass door opened and when we entered the lab, I didn't expect it to be this developed. There were a lot of equipment and machines that could only be made by Custos or Senshins. My eyes wandered around the lab but when I saw the monitor beside a capsule, it seemed like I had forgotten how to breathe.

"What a familiar face," somebody said and I didn't notice the woman beside the cubicle. "Nigel, right?"

"Liev," Nigel said. "So you're still working here, huh?"

I didn't expect him to know someone from here. However, looking at them, it seemed like they were of the same age or maybe they were classmates during their Academy days.

The woman might be around forty or fifty but her fair skin and ash-colored hair made her look like in her early thirties. Her red eyes and the red, claw-like marks on her face  were accentuated because of her Caucasian features. She was wearing a lab gown and it looked like she just finished running some diagnostics in the capsule's system.

"What happened?" tanong ni Nigel at napahawak naman si Liev sa mukha niya.

"Ah. This. I got it from him," she said while pointing at the capsule.

My heart started throbbing painfully as we approached the capsule and when we saw the person lying inside it through the monitor, Nigel almost collapsed.

It was a familiar face. Someone I had seen several times in my childhood but with his blank expression and wild eyes, he looked like a complete stranger.

"Ansel . . ." Nigel's voice faltered. "How . . . where did you find him?" he asked, his eyes still on Ansel Choi, their team's specialist.

"As you know, the tension between Senshins and Shinigamis has reached its climax," Liev explained as she led us toward the separate room, "and the Director asked us to monitor the movement of Elites."

"You mean, the higher Shinigamis?" I asked since I'm still not familiar with their hierarchy.

"Yes, they are the Royal's guards," sagot naman niya. "I sent some agents to follow them but unfortunately, almost all of them didn't return. I asked for assistance from A-class agents and we learned that they made an alliance with some underground organizations."