As General Prius headed to his headquarters, he received a message from General Johanssen. All of them were required to return to the facility in three days' time. He needed to settle things with Princess Sofie's parents before they could head out to the facility. Three days weren't enough, but he would find a way.
When he arrived at the facility, he ordered his men to comply with the instructions given by the royal family for the event. He then called Princess Sofie and told her about the new deadline. He was confident that the Princess could be trusted with such confidential matters. He needed to figure out a way to get the king and queen to permit Princess Sofie to leave the royal palace.
"General, I have a suggestion. Do you wanna hear it?" Princess Sofie was currently packing some things.
"What is it, Princess?"
"Fake my accident. Tomorrow is an important event for the Queen. Let's just say I don't wanna participate in such a boring event and run away, driving a car while drunk."
"Tell me all the details."
"I'm gonna find a way to sneak out of the event tomorrow, and I need your help with that. You're in charge of security, so I need some holes for me to squeeze through. You don't have to ask anyone to help me get out, just give me the opportunity to sneak out on my own. It's better if only the two of us know about this. Well, make it three. I need a fake body. When there's a body inside the car, they won't suspect foul play. Considering my behavior in the palace, everyone will believe the accident was caused by my own recklessness."
"Quite a plan. So, about the time for you to sneak out—when the Queen is giving her speech, everyone's attention, even the security personnel, will be focused on her and her safety. By that time, you need to be out of the hall and head to the kitchen. Over there, everyone will be busy preparing the wine for the toast after the Queen's speech. It will be up to you to manage your disguise and all. From the kitchen, head for the back door. There will be patrol cars there—take the last one. I'll leave it open for you. Then you can execute your fake accident. Will you be able to manage it though?"
"Trust me, General. I'm more than just a pretty princess. How about the body? And the location of the accident?"
"Drive around until you reach the expressway. There's a blind spot in the right corner of the road—even CCTVs can't get a hold of that spot. I'll be following you in another car. I can provide a body perfectly suited for that kind of accident. Hope you won't have any problems with it while driving." General Prius chuckled, imagining the Princess' reaction to driving with a corpse.
"You're not attending the event?"
"I already told your parents that I have important matters to attend to. The country's security is far more important than the Queen's charity event, don't you think?"
"That's true. And about the corpse, I… I think I can handle it." Hesitant, yet she must succeed.
"Well then, see you tomorrow."
The next day, both General Prius and Princess Sofie executed their plan perfectly as discussed. The Princess proved capable of pulling off such dangerous stunts on her own. As for her and the corpse, it didn't end well. Princess Sofie vomited on General Prius' uniform just after he opened the car door for her. She thought of it as a nightmare that would haunt her for a while. General Prius took the Princess to headquarters and let her rest for a bit. Then they would head to the facility by evening.
Back at the facility, Ara, Diego, Slacovich, and Li Ying were confined separately. All of them were anxious and confused. No details about the project had been revealed to them—not a single word from the generals. Doctors went in and out of their rooms, extracting blood and checking their physique every now and then. The four of them were closely monitored by the generals through hidden cameras installed in every room.
"Generals, good thing you're here. Only General Prius isn't around yet." General Johanssen looked at the monitors and examined the other generals' candidates.
"General Prius will arrive tomorrow with his candidate," General Nushka said, also staring at the monitors.
"By the way, General Johanssen, I don't wanna be rude, but you're the only one without a candidate." General Buhaden smirked.
"General Buhaden, I think General Johanssen has something in mind. He always has a trump card up his sleeve. Am I right, General?" General Yang's tone carried a hint of suspicion.
"Calm down, Generals. As for the final candidate—you know how big the US is. There are a lot of capable people there, but they lack conviction and will. If I just randomly pick someone because I find them interesting, how can I control that candidate?" General Johanssen sat calmly and took a sip of his coffee.
"You think highly of yourself. You think we didn't pick the right candidates?" General Yang clenched his fist and took a deep breath.
"I didn't say that, General Yang. I know our countries have conflicts; we don't need to literally meddle with them. We're here for the same goals and objectives. Instead of falsely accusing me of misjudging your candidates, why not open your mind to what I'm pointing out about our situation?" General Johanssen distributed sets of files.
"I know what you mean, General. Sorry." General Yang calmly received the files and examined them, as did the other generals.
"These are the personal details of each candidate—including General Prius' candidate, who is the royal family's only princess," General Buhaden said in amazement.
"I've heard General Prius volunteered for this project. He's saved from the trouble of discussing the project's details with his candidate. The princess is willing to undergo the mutation with an open mind and optimism. But the others—those candidates don't know anything. They are furious, agitated, and anxious. This will hinder us from controlling them afterward," General Johanssen pointed out.
"We need to deeply encourage them and assure them of the project's success," General Nushka said, finding it hard to accept, as his candidate was particularly difficult to convince.
"Any suggestions?" General Buhaden asked, starting to feel uneasy.
"Once all six candidates are gathered, we should immediately explain everything. They might resist, but we can always subject them to intense debriefing. We can also brainwash them—make the project seem like the only justification for their sacrifices. This will make them vulnerable and easily controlled. After the project, each of us will return to our countries. As for the facility, we'll still fund it—we'll surely need it in the future. An enhanced mutation, for example." General Johanssen observed the other generals' expressions. He knew each of them had their own agenda after the project. He needed to keep them on track and secretly investigate their every move.
"General Johanssen, we won't be able to gather all six without a candidate from your country," General Nushka said, growing impatient.
"General, as for the final candidate—" He threw a photo into the middle of the table.
"This... This man is who I think it is?" General Buhaden asked, confused.
"Who is it, General Buhaden?" General Buhaden handed the photo to General Yang. Both General Yang and General Nushka were shocked. They passed it to General Cloutier, who had remained silent the entire time.
"Why would you pick your son as a candidate? We all know he has a weak heart. The mutation might kill him. What's the use of finding a perfectly fit candidate if you're just going to toss in a weak one?" General Cloutier burst out.
"He may have a weak heart, but he's a capable young man. This project may be the only thing in this world that can save him. I talked to him about this project, and he agreed willingly. He will never oppose my instructions once the mutation is a success." General Johanssen clenched his fists.
"Who are we to tell you whom to pick? We all have our candidates. Just don't blame the facility for negligence if your son dies in the process." General Yang stood up and walked out, followed by the others.
General Johanssen loved his son too much—he would do whatever it took to save his life. The process of the project might kill him, but seeing his son's eagerness to live gave him hope. He had to be there when the project began. He was even willing to take the pain himself if he could. Based on his son's health, he wasn't capable of undergoing such extreme measures—it could kill him. But his son insisted on being the candidate and assured him his heart wasn't a problem. He would undergo the mutation whether his father agreed or not.
Behind a weak body was a very strong mind. He had spent his life studying, reading books, even being called a young inventor at a very young age. All of it stopped when doctors found out his heart was weak and he could easily catch diseases. He had been confined to the hospital ever since. Tyler Johanssen, at age 20, was like the living dead. All his hopes and goals were crushed by physical weakness. Now, having the opportunity to do something gave him hope again. No matter what he went through, he would push through the procedure. He wouldn't give up this time. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he died in the process, he would accept it—at least he tried something he'd never regret.