Free Web NovelChapter 30: Meeting Cell 7 - III
The woman’s face hardened.
"You dare threaten us?"
"I did not threaten you," Hans clarified. "I simply stated a fact."
"Cell 12, is this the kind of character your Commander has? Cell 7 will not be easily insulted like this."
"You insulted my subordinate, questioned my authority, tested our attendance, and placed two people on our flanks."
Hans tilted his head slightly. "I am simply correcting the atmosphere."
For the first time during their conversation, the woman did not answer immediately.
Hans continued, "You do not have to trust me. I did not come here expecting trust."
His gaze shifted briefly towards Johannes.
"But you will treat the people under my command with respect."
The woman looked at Johannes. Then at Kimmy. Then at Tyrus.
Finally, her eyes returned to Hans.
"And if I refuse?"
Hans smiled faintly.
"Then I will show you exactly what my armed forces can do."
Johannes’s pupils dilated, feeling the changes in the air. This... is the Commander going all out?
"You think you’re the only one who has power here?"
"I don’t," Hans’s eyes sharpened. "You might want to use your earth shifting power if you want to stand a chance."
Cell 7’s group stiffed at once.
One man shifted his gun, ready to point at Hans. The other assumed half a stance and would quickly pounce at a moment’s notice.
An invisible tension wrapped Cell 7.
"Stand down," the woman ordered to her subordinates.
"That’s better," Hans gave a faint smile.
"Golden Eagle, was it?"
Her tone lost some of its mockery, now replaced with slight caution.
Johannes’s expression eased.
Hans did not look satisfied. He only waited.
The woman continued, seeing that Hans had no intention to speak first.
"I am Agent Genevieve Courbet. Acting lead of Cell 7."
Johannes’s eyes shifted slightly. He recognized a portion of that name.
Hans received it, nodding at her attempt of introducing herself.
"Golden Eagle," he replied. "A commander."
Genevieve studied him.
"You seem to know a great deal about us."
"Enough to spark a conversation."
"Did Cell 12 speak to you about HELIX?"
Hans glanced briefly at Johannes.
Johannes did not move.
"He spoke about many things," Hans said. "Not all of them were useful."
"Then..."
"Then why did I know about your earth shifting ability?" Hans interrupted before she could finish.
Genevieve did not answer.
Her silence confirmed his words.
"The tunnel gave you away," Hans waved his hand.
Genevieve’s eyes narrowed.
"At the entrance, it looked like it was excavated by bare hands."
His gaze remained on her.
"But deeper inside? The walls were too smooth in areas where they should have fractured. The floor flattened so smoothly that it looked unnatural. And lastly, there were no circular grooves from boring equipment, no drill scars, no support frame marks."
Hans paused. Three of his fingers were already raised, each one pointing to the individual findings.
Genevieve held her breath.
"You—you observed that?"
"Not me, but my soldiers did."
That answer made Genevieve fall silent.
Cell 12 had no reason to know the full details of her ability. Even among the SAS Cells, Project HELIX remained obscured for the most part.
But her team knew more than Cell 12 could.
After all, Genevieve had become the first HELIX recipient in Cell 7 to manifest as an elemental-type.
At least, within Cell 7’s records.
Her gaze toward Hans changed. He was no longer merely an unknown bird calling himself Commander.
A commander with armed men was dangerous.
But a commander whose soldiers could read the traces of a HELIX ability from tunnel walls was something else entirely.
"Who trained them?" Genevieve asked.
Is she referring to my soldiers? Hans looked at her.
He couldn’t just say "The System trained my soldiers. You’re very welcome, Agent Genevieve."
Hans paused for a moment, then came up with a response.
"Why would you ask?"
The caution in Genevieve’s eyes deepened.
"Project HELIX is confidential state information," she said. "No ordinary outsider should recognize its traces so easily."
"Then treat me as an exception," Hans chuckled. "Project HELIX is not as confidential as you think it is."
That answer irritated her more than any denial would have. "Just who are you, Golden Eagle?"
"As I’ve said, I’m a commander."
"Then whose authority do you command under?"
Genevieve had no choice but to ask. She couldn’t bear being led to nowhere after a long conversation.
She needed answers, and she needed them badly now.
Hans was about to speak when Tyrus suddenly interjected.
"Careful, Agent Courbet."
Genevieve’s gaze snapped toward him.
Tyrus smiled faintly.
"That question may not have an answer your clearance allows you to hear."
The air went still.
Johannes slowly turned his head toward Tyrus.
Even Hans looked at him. Tyrus replied with a wink, much to Hans’s horror.
Genevieve scanned Tyrus from head to toe.
"You must be the Black Key under Glass Cell 12 was talking about."
Tyrus let out a soft snort.
"Tyrus Shearman," he said. "Please do not call me that to my face. It sounds much uglier when spoken aloud."
Nor did he show any fear of being publicly identified.
If anything, he looked mildly offended by the codename rather than the danger attached to it.
"You’re a Shearman."
"It may not be obvious from my current state, but yes. I am the real deal."
"You’re a researcher?"
"EX—researcher," Tyrus emphasized, "of the product that made you what you are now."
Genevieve went still. The two agents behind her reacted, tightening their grips.
"You..." she was speechless. "You admit to that openly?"
"What’s the danger?" Tyrus chuckled. "Are you going to kill me now?"
Hans held his face.
Tyrus’s charades had no end.
This Tyrus Shearman must have told Golden Eagle about Project HELIX, Genevieve’s eyes went cold. I need to be careful about this.
"You speak as if HELIX is a joke."
"In front of Golden Eagle," Tyrus proclaimed. "HELIX is indeed a joke."
Genevieve paused, taking the time to consider Tyrus’s last words.
She stared at Hans once more.
This time, the silence lasted far longer than before. The mystery about Golden Eagle’s identity deepened.
A few nights ago, Cell 7 had recorded heavy explosions from the northern industrial sector. And they were no ordinary fuel nor electrical explosions.
The rhythm felt too organized; the intervals controlled; and the impacts too heavy to be ignored.
At the time, Genevieve had listed it as an unknown armed-force engagement and ordered her people not to investigate.
Grefort had enough ways to kill the curious, and it remained uncertain if that armed-force was friendly or not.
Now, standing in front of this unknown bird, she could no longer treat that record as unrelated.
As to how Golden Eagle had subdued Cell 12, Genevieve could only guess from a few clues.
The force behind this man could be greater than what her SAS cell could manage.
Or perhaps Golden Eagle had given Cell 12 an offer—something they could not afford to ignore, or worse, reject.
Her eyes shifted to the blonde girl beside Golden Eagle. It was as if her body was laid bare with nothing else she could do to hide.
Is she Young Star-Blood?
Though the blonde hair did match the generic Asters’ hair color, the rest remained uncertain to Genevieve.
Kimmy’s fingers tightened around Hans’s sleeve.
Hans noticed, "You better stop spooking her."
Genevieve glanced away, deciding not to provoke this unknown bird further. She spoke after a while, her voice no longer carrying the same mockery from before.
"May I know the Young Star-Blood’s name?"
Kimmy turned her blindfolded face toward Hans, asking for his permission. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Hans nodded as a reply.
"Kimmy Asters."
The answer was low, yet every person present heard it clearly.
"Enough asking," Hans stepped forward. "I’ve said much. Is your verification protocol concluded now?"
Genevieve was speechless. What else could she say?
Antagonizing this man didn’t look good for her and her team.
Forcing Tyrus Shearman or Kimmy Aster to prove themselves now would no longer be verification.
It would be a challenge to Golden Eagle’s authority.
And for the moment, Genevieve had no intention of turning this meeting into a battlefield.
"Provisionally," she said at last.
Their gazes met.
"The two old-bloods have been identified," her eyes narrowed slightly. "However, that does not explain why you wanted to meet us, Golden Eagle."
"It’s a simple request," Hans replied. "Cooperation."
"With an SAS Cell?" She was confused.
From their conversation alone, Hans had more than enough power. Why parade around and actively look for allies?
"With anyone who can still fight, or do anything to help my cause."
Genevieve studied him, wanting to hear more from his side.
"The world has fallen," Hans continued. "Humanity is standing at the edge of extinction. Rebuilding civilization will take time. And people."
"You sound like someone rambling for a noble cause."
"Call it whatever you want," Hans shook his head. "I am not here to preach."
The wind passed beneath the broken rail bridge.
"I want the infected removed from the streets. I want the nests burned before they become hives. I want survivors behind walls to be safe before these things become unstoppable."
Genevieve’s expression became heavy.
"You may have noticed it. The zombies are endless. And you may have seen special types emerging more frequently lately. If you don’t want to stop them, then I will."
The mockery in Genevieve’s eyes disappeared.
Indeed. The earlier zombies were tame compared to what they were now.
Perhaps, they could only walk and stumble in the earlier days. However, a runner or two had begun to regularly appear recently.
And there were even strange ones they haven’t seen before.
"Then how much have you seen, Golden Eagle?"
Hans did not answer immediately. Instead, he gave a mysterious smile.
"More than what—"
Hans stopped abruptly. His eyes froze on a certain section of the map.
