Yeah, definitely a ton of information was still being hidden from them. Benji knew their manipulative strategy very well, considering he was a skilled manipulator himself. They were manipulating them by telling them just enough truth to keep them from asking questions, especially the important ones. Instead of wanting to know more, they would be busy thinking about what they had already told them. And it seemed to be working.
'How devious!'
"Since you are now well aware of how grave the situation is, I sincerely hope you have no regrets because there will be no coming back from this. Perhaps in a more literal sense than you think."
Major looked at them without blinking, and then turned to Benji, making him flinch.
"Is that is all then I would like to begin explaining the course of action we are to take. The Command Center has prepared a detailed strategy plan we should follow once we reach Australia. You should receive it in your special communicators shortly after this meeting. For now..."
Another slide appeared on the screen showing the map of Australia. Half of the map was entirely red and the other half had dozens of red spots.
"I am going to do a short overview and explain a few things before this expedition begins. This right here is the map of Australia. Australia is divided into two regions as of late. The Nothern Region, which we refer to as Danger Zones, and the Southern Region, with a relatively tiny chance of survival. I have marked them on the map respectively. As you can see, there are some red spots on Southern Region as well. That represents the areas where dozens of people died because of the disease, and there is a fat chance that it still lingers there, considering we do not actually know how it spreads."
Major zoomed the picture closer until only the Southern Region of Australia was shown.
"The continent is vast, too vast for a mere human to transverse on foot, so there are many areas the disease has not reached yet. We are going to use that to our advantage. There are remote and desolate forests east of the Southern Region - or simply South-eastern Region, - that we can use to establish strongholds for research and strategising. We will not be alone though, the forest being wild and all, but I doubt it will be problem. I think it will a boon actually, because then we can hunt and replenish our food supply."
"But that is not an issue right now. Once we settle in the Southeastern Region, the Combat Unit will then move west, further into the heart of the continent. Once we receive a safety confirmation, they will establish another base where Technology and Software Development Unit and the Research and Development Unit will move out and rendezvous with them. The Medical department will remain behind because they are the cornerstone to this whole operation. Some candidates in this unit will probably stay behind as well."
He sighed and continued.
"We will all then advance slowly and carefully, deeper into the continent. You will be supplied with protective gear that will prevent you from coming into contact with stuff and getting infected by the disease. We have been tasked with collecting samples for testing and research, and also monitoring the spread of the disease. So out job is just as perilous. We will also have to make sure that there are no technological issues that might slow down or disrupt the mission."
"Five special cohorts have been formed for each unit, each cohort consisting of five elite candidates handpicked by the head of each unit. So, congratulations soldiers your hard work and dedication is recognized. These five special cohorts, along with the Command Center, will arrive first in Australia, followed by three dozen naval convoys with food and supplies. The ones who will take care of distributing supplies will follow as soon as we land. It should take about 6 - 7 weeks. Our main priority right now is to contain the disease and stop it from infecting more people. Any questions soldiers?"
His tone had become more stern and commanding. They all shouted back in perfect unison.
"No Major, SIR!"
"Good I trust you know what is expected of you. Use this remaining week to prepare for the mission. Work hard, do your best and remember to rest well. If you need have questions or ever need something, you know where to find me."
He walked towards the table, picked up the projector, switched it off and put in back his pocket. They all stood up straight, and saluted their superior with an enthusiastic tone.
"SIR, thank you sir!"
He did not say anything, waved his hand dismissively and walked towards the elevator. However before he reached it, he suddenly stopped and spoke without turning his head. His tone as indifferent and even as before.
"Oh and Mr Walker, please come and see me in my office tomorrow morning before you start with your preparations. There is an important matter i would like to discuss with you."
"Uhm... yes sir!"
With that, he entered the elevator and left the underground compound, leaving Benji reeling from confusion and fear. His heart was pounding so loudly he was certain even the others could hear him. He vaguely heard them discussing something, but he could not even hear what. His thoughts were in turmoil. Why the hell would Major call him alone to his office? Was he in trouble? Judging by his tone, Benji was definitely in trouble. But what the fuck did he do?! All he did was express an opinion...
He did not know it would get him in trouble. If he did, would have kept his mouth shut. Well... probably not. Major was the one who asked for their opinion, so why he punish him for doing so? It did not make any sense! So, if he was not in trouble, then why did Major call him to his office then? What did he want from him? Was he onto him? No.. that was impossible. No one would suspect a frail weakling like him of plotting against humanity. Of promising his to unleash his wrath, chaos and death upon the world...
So if it is not that, then what is it? He was shaken out of his thoughts by Madison, who called out his name repeatedly, all the while jerking his arm violently.
"Benji!"
"Benjamin!"
He regained his composure and looked around. Everyone had stood up and were ready to leave. They were all staring at him with different expressions. That's when he realized he had been too deep in his thoughts. Madison looked at him with concern.
"Are you okay?"
"Uhm.. yeah I'm good."
Madison looked at him, contemplating for a few moments and then looked away and sighed.
"Don't think about it too much. He probably just wants to discuss something with you. I doubt you are in trouble. Also even if you are, he will not be that harsh with your punishment, considering how important you are. So chin up okay?"
He nodded slowly, but his mind was still in chaos. They quickly caught up with the others and left the underground compound.
***
In his sleeping quarters, Benji laid on his back and looked at the ceiling... or whatever that he had for a ceiling. He could not sleep, so he was deep into his thoughts. He thought about how Major was probably going to figure him out soon. He thought about what would happen if he did. How would Major react and how would Benji himself react to the situation. Would he still continue his pursuit of revenge on humanity, or would he just flee and remain hidden.
It was probably the latter.
Benji knew himself that he could not afford to lose. He could not afford to be exposed. No one deserved to disrupt his plans. No one was worthy enough. He had worked so hard and endured so much pain and humiliation, this could not be the end. He refused. He told himself that Major Black definitely called him for something else. Most likely related to the mission. Or maybe it was about his opinion on the meeting but for a completely different reason. Perhaps even a positive one...
Thinking positive never hurt anyone, except for Benji that is.
So he told himself that he should calm down, get a proper night's sleep and be mentally prepared for tomorrow morning. That when it came back. The fleeting feeling of confusion and uncertainty he felt at the meeting before.
That restlessness of forgetting something and cannot remember what. It messed with his brain so much that he ended up thinking about risking his life to save humans... He suppressed a sickling vomit just thinking about it.
'Eew what the hell..?!'
He blinked a few times, trying to recall what he was thinking about again. Nothing, he could not find anything. His mind felt peaceful and empty. He still could not shake the feeling of restlessness though. He sighed and fixed his pillow.
'Probably just feeling sleepy.'
After a few minutes he was fast asleep.
***
Morning came in a blink of an eye. Jack had barely slept the night before. He had so much work that he had to stay up until 3:30 in morning, and he still had to get up at 6:00 am because he had to meet up with Colonel Jenna for briefing. It was currently half past seven and the meeting had just ended. He was cradling a hot cup of coffee as he headed to his office.
After some time he was sitting on his chair behind his desk, looking at his laptop somberly. On the laptop several images were displayed, showing the grim situation in Australia. Some were familiar, some were not. The unfamiliar ones were those he chose not to show his cohort. He looked at a specific image and could not help but think about what Benji had said.
Ever since Jack was a kid, he had always been passionate about saving human lives in any way he can. But he was also passionate about a lot other things; battle, war, strive, survival, research and engineering so he had to make it work. That is why he chose the military. Even though je chose to risk his life for humanity, he was not blind to the truth either. He often asked himself if his choice of career was a good one, or was he just driven by his desires...
Desire for war. For battle and strive.
He saw as humans evolve into creatures and beasts he did not recognize anymore. Creatures that history did not recognize anymore. The Earth had a population of 13 billion humans and 22% of them were murderers. Even more were criminals, rapists and pedophiles. Almost all animal species were extinct, especially the aquatic ones, because of humans. Everything humans touched crumbled into irreparable ruins. Including other humans.
They were bloodthirsty beasts who fought and killed each other for selfish reasons. Even though Jack was nowhere near as selfish as them, he still felt conflicted about the fact that he was no different..
He was just as bloodthirsty as all of them.
He had killed more humans than dozens of world class serial killers ever did in a lifetime combined, and he did not even feel a little bit of remorse.
He stared at the images for hours, until he was disturbed by a quiet knock on his door.