Chapter 3: The Global Relief Effort

(Friday, March 24th, 2017 - GRE Headquarters in Downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States - 10:47am...)

Chicago was considered the third most populous city in the United States after New York City and Los Angeles - and honestly, it was easy to see why. For starters, it was located on the shores of freshwater Lake Michigan, which was... arguably one of the best areas to take photos at. Now that I think about it, that's mostly Abraham's opinion, since he's been there countless times. Not that I blame him. There was also the annual Comic & Entertainment Expo at the McCormick Place Convention Center, which is a lot of fun and also, one of my favourite places to geek out.

Surprise surprise, I'm a Marvel and DC nerd. Get me Batman: Arkham City and I'll be off fighting Joker's thugs all day long!

Speaking of which, I remember noticing quite the similarity between Chicago and Gotham when I was a kid - so much so that I'd often joke that I could potentially be a witness to Batman driving around in his Batmobile or fighting some of Penguin's thugs. Abe wasn't particularly impressed (he still isn't), though I think that ties in with our dynamic - because I will gladly take ownership of the fact that I liked to take the p*ss out of him and to see him crumble and descend into madness. He's tried to be annoyed, believe me, but we both know that he secretly appreciated my antics.

Plus, I've lost count of how many times he's said that my wife and adoptive daughter are good influences for me. So, that's probably why he's now made his appreciation clear. Again, not that I blame him.

Anyhow, our meeting with Grace was scheduled at the GRE's headquarters downtown and if you're imagining it to be some kind of political sci-fi agency, you wouldn't be wrong. From what I remember, the place was massive. Its' main fields of activity involved both military and medical research, as well as emergency relief. And there were also numerous departments such as the Biology Lab where Abraham worked, or the Field Laboratory that Veronika was the director of. Me? Well, since I was a mercenary, I was stationed in the Military Department alongside a relatively small group of fellow mercenaries and scientists. Most of them preferred to do their own thing instead of making small talk, which was... fair? I guess? A bit boring, personally - but hey! No point in whining about it.

I did befriend one colleague, though. He was a cool guy to talk to; pushing 50, former cop. Liked to give us an earful about Christianity and resided in Manhattan with his wife, who was a GRE doctor. He and his brother (who's another nice dude, but can sometimes be aggressive) also got me out of a bar fight when I was around... I want to say, fourteen, fifteen? Argh...! It's tough to remember. I'll give '99 some credit though, because that was a good year. Anyway, yeah, I'm glad I've got him and his family as allies. Truly.

I hope they're doing okay too, considering what we've all faced.

"I was at Grace's right before Korea with my first wife," A colleague's voice greeted my ears, as my brother and I walked into one of our headquarters' offices and sat at a nearby table. The area itself appeared to be simple enough; just your average meeting room with white walls, a tawny brown carpet, large windows and multiple dark tables. "Turns out, it wasn't her that they buried. They buried the pig," Oh for f*ck's sake!

"Yes, that was hilarious," Our aforementioned handler, a 50-something redhead who wore a blue collared shirt, grey t-shirt, jeans and ankle boots, remarked in an unimpressed manner after we all shared an amused chuckle. "Alright, we're all here. And as you know, no good deed goes unpunished," Okay? "The deputy director was..." Cue a brief smile. "Surprisingly impressed," Was that aimed at me, woman? "With the first thirty four research interviews, so much so that he has requested another thirty four,"

"Wow," Abraham commented with surprise.

"Oh, so generous!" One of my fellow colleagues, Jesse Thomas, scoffed sarcastically with a smirk. "How many more hospitals do we need to p*ss off?"

"Jesse, can you please tone down the sarcasm?" His sister-in-law, Elodie, sighed tiredly. She was a lovely woman to talk to. Early to mid 40s. Red hair and kind, blue eyes. Clad in a grey cardigan with a blue collared shirt underneath, blue denim jeans and a pair of black knee-high heeled boots. She then turned to address our handler with a firm but concerned: "And Grace, do we need to consider more autopsies for our research?"

"No, those won't be necessary now," Grace responded, much to mine and Jesse's visible relief. Oh, thank f*ck for that! "I would like for us to discuss the best route we can take in regards to our cure," Pfft, that's just asking for me to fire some insults your way. Bring it! "Does anyone have some theories they'd like to share?"

Man, do I! Anything to get back at you for your depressing attitude!

If my brother could sense my excitement, I couldn't tell. "Yeah, I've got one," He raised his hand. "Um, I'm assuming we still need to figure out the virus' origins and what caused it to break out?"

"Affirmative,"

"Okay, well - to be fair, I don't think we're achieving much progress by analysing autopsies 24/7," He continued to explain, influencing a smirk to spread across Jesse's face. I know, dude. I'm just as pleased too. Finally! "I propose that we send a group of mercenaries into the quarantine, so that they can collect some samples of the virus and bring them back here for analysis,"

Hearing this, I raised an intrigued eyebrow. Hm. Not bad, bro.

"What if some of us get trapped there?" That rational question came from Jesse's younger brother, Jack. Yeah, you know that one colleague I mentioned? Pushing 50, former cop? Liked to give us an earful about Christianity? Yep. That's him.

"Then I'm sure you guys can radio for assistance," Abraham tried to reassure him. "That shouldn't be a problem,"

"Affirmative," Grace agreed, before turning to address Jack with a firm: "And Thomas, I understand your fears," Oh, do you? I mean, give the guy a break! He likes to look at these scenarios logically! "But you don't need to worry about every risk. We're all working for the greater good,"

Jack resisted the urge to scoff in an unimpressed manner. "That's just the GRE's slogan,"

"It's the truth," She gave a restrained sigh. "Does anyone have any other theories or comments that they'd like to share?" Hey! Back off from him, for f*ck's sake! Aren't we supposed to be a supportive work environment?!

Apart from the angry glowers Elodie, Jesse and I were directing at her, no one else dared to speak. Huh? Why aren't you guys insulting her?! Alright, f*ck it. I'll do it myself.

"Yeah, I do," I raised my hand.

Upon hearing my words, Abraham grabbed my wrist. "Kyle, don't,"

"What are you doing, kid?" A concerned Jack chimed in. Uuuuuh, I'm defending your *ss?!

After shrugging my brother's grip off, I turned to face the older woman. "Aren't we supposed to be a supportive work environment? Because if we are, then our boss shouldn't tell their colleague not to worry so much when he's being rational? Should they?"

The woman gave an amused scoff. Oh that's funny, is it? "Crane, I was merely assuring Mr. Thomas," Cue a professional smile. "I should hope that will answer your question?"

Okay, so here's a little tip about her. If she asks you questions such as that, it's pretty much of her way telling you to shut the f*ck up and listen to her. And trust me, she's told me that a plenty number of times before. I...! God. Looking back, I wish I stood my ground sooner. But, uh, yeah. There's nothing I can do about that now, so... back to it, I guess!

Unfortunately before I could start launching into a tirade of anger, Abraham stepped in with a tired glare in my direction. What the f*ck bro?! "I believe it does,"

"Good," She responded in a calm manner. "Would anyone else like to contribute to our discussion?"

As our group of colleagues' voices filled the room, I found myself slumping in my chair with defeat and glowering at my brother. Dude, we've both agreed that she's depressing! You should have let me tear her apart right there! It wasn't long before I turned to acknowledge Jack, Jesse and Elodie's theories politely.

I'm sorry, guys. The three of you deserve better than this. Truly.