Ch 2: Source

" So, Mr. Carter, how does this world end? You said nuclear bombs, natural disasters, alien attacks—but never a virus. The same one you thought you'd wiped out by burning those patients. If that virus is about to end everything, what's your move?"

Lex said, dragging the room's second chair in front of Carter and sitting, eyes locked on him.

"Impossible," Carter shot back, voice brimming with confidence. "The military will crush that virus for good."

"Oh, such faith in your grunts," Lex said, leaning forward, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "Same old plan, huh?"

Carter hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Round up the infected, kill them, burn the bodies. Done."

"Fuhahaha!" Lex's laughter exploded, raw and mocking.

"What's so damn funny, Winchester?" Carter snapped, rage flaring.

"My stomach's killing me!" Lex said, catching his breath. "You're so drunk on your military's power, thinking you've got this locked down. But tonight, you'll see how bad you underestimated this virus."

He flicked a remote with his right hand, and a light buzzed on. Carter's eyes darted left, confused, then froze. A two-meter bulletproof glass wall, crystal clear, separated them from a man writhing on a bed, groaning in agony, body contorted in pain.

The man's limbs thrashed wildly. Carter's mind raced. Same symptoms. It's the virus. But we eliminated every infected. How's it back? He shoved his guesses aside and turned to Lex.

"Where'd you find this guy?"

"Where's not the issue," Lex said, flipping the question. "How many infected are still out there? What'd the doctors tell you about this virus?"

"High fever, heart stops then restarts, blood-red eyes, crippling pain," Carter recited, voice steady, recalling the reports and what he'd seen.

"Hmm. Ever seen its final stage?" Lex asked, skepticism lacing his tone.

"Final stage? There's more?" Carter's face tightened, a flicker of fear breaking through. "You've seen it?"

"Nah," Lex lied, a smirk curling his lips.

"Then why say there's another stage?" Carter pressed, suspicion growing, sensing Lex was toying with him.

"Just a hunch. This virus is nastier than you think. Its true form shows itself today," Lex said.

"True form? What the hell does that mean?" Carter's voice trembled, a chill of dread hitting him.

This guy knew something big, something dangerous. Escape plans faded; he needed Lex's intel.

"In a few hours, you'll see it yourself," Lex said, casually sipping from a water bottle nearby.

He knows something. If there's a cure, I'll get it, no matter what, Carter thought, forcing calm. "Untie my hands. I won't run, I swear."

"Sure, I'll untie you," Lex said, smirking. "But not yet."

"Why not—cough… cough…" Carter's throat burned, raw from six hours of shouting since waking.

Lex grabbed a water bottle from the floor and tilted it to Carter's lips.

Gulp… gulp… gulp… Carter drank, relief washing over him.

"You wouldn't get it if I explained now," Lex said, checking his phone. "We've got two hours. Let's talk something else. Did you or the government ever trace the virus's source?"

Carter studied Lex's face, then said, "We tried. Couldn't pin it down—where it came from, how it spread. We just tracked the infected, rounded them up, took them to our secret base. Interrogated them, but they were incoherent, writhing in pain. So we shot them and burned the bodies."

"Didn't check their recent moves? Where those 500 went, what they ate, what they touched?"

Lex asked, already knowing the answer, probing how much the military had uncovered.

"We pulled their records for the past month. Nothing suspicious. No common threads in their food or activities. We figured it was environmental," Carter said.

Sigh… Lex's exhale was heavy. "So the government's clueless about the source."

"You know it?" Carter asked, voice sharp, now certain Lex held the key.

Lex didn't answer immediately. He stared at Carter, then said, "Ever been to the ICENTRICA continent?"

Carter frowned, thrown by the random question. "No, but some friends went there this month."

"Tragic, Mr. Carter. You won't see those friends after today," Lex said, voice dripping with mock pity.

"You bastard, what're you saying?" Carter's face flushed with anger.

"They're out there, infected, as good as dead," Lex said, his tone cold, taunting their fate.

"Hah! You're enjoying this, aren't you? My friends are top doctors and scientists. They'll make an antidote!" Carter shot back.

"Oh, really?" Lex glanced at his phone. "Let me tell you a true story from four months ago. It'll clue you in on the virus's source."

"November 12, a cruise with 700 people sailed to ICENTRICA. Ten days later, they docked on the south side, aiming for the north. Vacationers, thrill-seekers, the usual. First three days were calm by the shore.

On day four, ten adventure junkies climbed icy mountains and found a cave. Inside, they saw something frozen in the ice. Curious, they dug it out.

Some sticky substance got on their hands, seeping into their skin as their body heat melted it. They didn't think twice, broke shit in the cave, and went back to camp.

Those ten infected the other 690, clueless. After their ten-day trip, they scattered back to their lives. When summer hit, that substance spread through their bodies. That's where the story ends."

"What'd you think, Mr. Carter?" Lex asked, eyes glinting.