Hermes discovers they missed something

To call Lucian Nord intimidating would be like calling a nuke dangerous. Sure, it was accurate, but also in no way sufficient. Still, Adam Yates wasn't about to stand down. He had been hired by Hermes because he was the best, and these people were going to listen to him, damn it.

"Is Mr. Nord ready to see me yet? This is really important," Adam said to the guard standing watch around the command center.

"Look dude, maybe you haven't heard, but the team monitoring the college hasn't been able to be reached since this afternoon. As mission commander, Mr. Nord has more important things to worry about than air disturbances or whatever."

"They're temperature readings, and they're saying we're in trouble! Is the possibility of this mission's complete failure not enough for me to see him for thirty seconds?!"

The guard sighed heavily and reached for his radio. "Mr. Nord, are you able to see one of the lab techs yet? He's out here yammering on about temperature charts or something, apparently it's important." There was a short pause as the guard listened to the person on the other end. "Yes sir, I told him, but he's insistent."

"Sir, it'll only take a minute, we're all in danger!" Adam yelled, hoping his voice would reach the walkie and the person on the other end. Something must have convinced the person on the other end, because with a short 'yes sir', the guard released the radio and led him to the mobile command station.

The room was buzzing with radio orders and officers rushing around, trying to keep tabs on the entire containment operation and regain contact with the missing college team. In the middle of the room was a well lit table, covered with a map of the city and surrounding area with all manner of lines and figures on it. Half a dozen men in fancy outfits stood around it, discussing and arguing with each other about the best course of action. Only one of them was quiet, a short man with salt and pepper hair, not even six feet tall. He would have seemed out of place if it wasn't for the air of complete authority he carried himself with.

"Mr. Nord, sir, this is the tech who wanted to see you." The man with graying hair looked up from the map with a gaze of complete focus and locked his light blue eyes on Adam.

"Tell me, quickly," Lucian Nord said, his intense stare immediately making sweat appear on Adam's forehead.

"Sir, I'm Adam Yates, I'm the head of the-"

"Doesn't matter, tell me what you came to say, now," Lucian cut him off. Adam gulped before starting again.

"I was monitoring thermal scans of the plant wall blocking our advance. Sir, the heat signatures I'm reading aren't consistent with a large number of sexually active people. I don't think Patient Zero and its horde are where we think they are." Lucian Nord stared at him for another few seconds before speaking again.

"This virus massively changes the biological properties of its victims. Is it possible that their body temperature is much lower than a normal human's?"

"I don't think so. Even if their temperatures were lower, the sheer number of them should offset that. I'm barely reading any heat at all. Sir, wherever the horde of Infected is, it's not behind that wall."

Lucian Nord looked back to the map on the table in front of him. He had considered the possibility that the horde had moved before, but he couldn't establish a reason for doing so. The city was all but empty. There were surely some survivors still inside, hiding from the Infected, but there was in no way enough to bolster their numbers enough to make a difference. None of the perimeter bastions had reported anything either, forcing Lucian to conclude that the Infected were biding their time. Now, things were different. Something was clearly up, and if his instincts were right, they wouldn't be left waiting to find out what it was.

"I want all troops on high alert," he finally said, barking orders with the expectation that they would instantly obeyed. They were. "Check in with all perimeter groups, get full reports. If they so much as spotted movement, I want to know about it. Double up defenses around the camp. If there's an unknown spotted, it is to be taken down and reported immediately. Pull troops away from the wall if you have to, but keep a few there just in case."

"But sir, what if the Infected come through the wall?" one of the officers asked, interrupting Lucian's orders. The salt and pepper haired man shot the older officer a look of absolute contempt and disgust.

"The wall doesn't matter, because the horde isn't behind it. Wherever they are, it isn't there, or weren't you listening? Now grab a gun and get on the front lines, you're relieved of your station."

"Wha-but-do you know who I am?!" the officer shouted, completely livid.

"No, but you have no business being here if you aren't going to use your brain. This is how we reached this stalemate, with moronic orders with no thought behind them. Storm the city, stupid, wasteful. We had the upper hand, now we're losing it. Now get out." The sputtering officer was swiftly removed from the command structure by two efficient security officers. "All of them idiots. What are you still doing here, you're dismissed," he said to Adam, who hurriedly left the building, his role fulfilled.

Lucian continued to look over the map, shutting out all the noise around him. Whoever Patient Zero was, they were smart, gifted with a tactical mind. Or maybe they were just a good match for the virus and it had been what had given him such an edge. Either way, the source was irrelevant, only the result mattered. More important was the next step. The virus needed more bodies, their numbers had been decimated by the foolish headlong attack. But they couldn't get them, could they?

Lucian eyed the ring around the city representing the quarantine barrier. It was a big circle. Even with the incredible backing of Hermes, there were surely weaknesses. And just beyond the quarantine ring were the suburbs. Hermes had ordered the people to stay in their homes, but that wouldn't stop the virus. All it would take was one breach and a bit of organization. One of which was likely and the other one was already established to be present.

"Focus our troops on the suburbs, get some men together and do a sweep. If any Infected are spotted, retreat immediately. If we've been breached, we will need to take **** action. Quadruple perimeter defenses, be prepared to fend off a major ****. If we're going to be attacked, it's not going to be from inside the city. Call out for additional support, the top needs to be informed that this operation may have already failed."