Chapter Ninety-Two | Third World

                                    

                                          


                          
[ 92 ]
                          


                          
[ A/N: The legendary time-skip.. ]
                          
Frustration was growing. People were being denied access to leave the section to go to Andrei's tantalising new building. Even though they were being spared the agony of the treatment, still people ignorantly demanded rights. As for the military, those under the Supreme Commander were viewed as the bad-guys. They were the ones that were 'suppressing the common people' and making 'rash decisions that weren't theirs to make'. 
                          
Meanwhile the old military unit— as they were recently named— had to listen to the people slating them at any given opportunity. All while striving to create a concrete plan that would save all those oblivious souls from being mindlessly experimented on for the gratification of an old scientist's vendetta.
                          
It was clear to see when the tides turned and the once respectful tone in people's voices altered towards Niklas and his men. Especially towards the Commander, who had his privacy completely invaded by the revelation that he had the very same abilities that Andrei promised the public they could also achieve. But it only seemed to fuel the distaste for himself and the people he apparently stood for. Which was, those who saw Andrei's experiments negatively. Something dangerous.
                          
The public's opinion was then that Niklas didn't appreciate his gift. It was wasted on him. He should feel honoured that he was allowed such a strong defence-mechanism. Rumours fuelled nasty opinions, and from there it snowballed. Stories of how Niklas took advantage of Andrei's generosity came to light. All of which was hard to swallow by those who continued to hold their Commander in such high regard.
                          
Such as—
                          
Hansel had long since mastered the art of squatting. Before, his thighs would burn after a short amount of time, but since the last mission he didn't have to worry about the same thing happening again. Perched behind one of the market carts that had been locked up for the evening, he leant forward so one of his gloved hands pressed against the ground and allowed him to peep around the corner. Just like a cat stretching after a nap, Hansel's back arched into an appealing position.
                          
There was a startling difference between the section he had currently snuck into, and the one he had previously left. One of the biggest, was the sheer amount of space. From that, it made the surroundings appear far more cleaner than they actually were. Unlike the outer-most section, which was overcrowded and gradually turning into slums by the hour. 
                          
Due to a mandatory curfew, one which was implemented by the currently unpopular Supreme Commander, there was very little movement in Hansel's surroundings. There would always be a few stragglers who wanted to test boundaries by walking around during this time, but not enough to hinder Hansel.
                          
His target had been located. A rectangular white building with a few architectural quirks. Nothing alike what was at the Hydro-City, but still a location that was hard to miss. This old museum had been scalped and refurbished as the hub for the scientists working on a cure. Of course, this wasn't common knowledge because of the potential dangers it could have. From gathered intel, there was precious information inside as well as invaluable material gathered together to try and defeat the virus. 
                          
Hansel's knowledge was very limited when it came to curating vaccinations, but he guessed that there would be all sorts of different strains of viruses inside of very fragile vials. As every antidote possesses a dormant strain of the very same illness it was was trying to prevent, then in the building must be a plethora of highly-dangerous yet unassuming liquids.
                          
Which made him question why the Supreme Commander had chosen a particular individual as his partner for this precarious mission. But it was too late to voice a complaint, since Hansel began to move.