Dr. Alvarado was bouyant when he woke up on Thursday morning. His medical facility would be officially opened to the public. The clinics were just a front though because he had more vicious ideas in mind for the facility. The opening would also be the culmination of his carefully laid plans. Despite the mishaps in the beginning, he was able to push through sucessfully. Partly thanks to his accomplices, particularly Morgan who helped him a lot in finding the right solutions. For today, he had no plans of visiting the isolation camp. He needed to look great and impressive that afternoon. Plus, he needed to prepare a heartwarming and inspiring message. He was always good with words but for the event, his lines would have to be more stirring and affective.On the other hand, Morgan began his day early. He needed to make sure that every detail of the inauguration would be perfect. His boss deserved nothing less. Besides, it was his pride at stake if there would be something amiss during the event. He called the coordinator relentlessly, asking for updates. He visited the facility before noon and checked the preparations meticulously.
The event would be done at the lobby area. It was wide enough to accommodate as much as a hundred guests but only fifty if they were to be seated comfortably and a wide s.p.a.ce for socialization would be provided. The excess people, the less important ones, would have to stay by the front lawn. Hence, only the elite guests would be invited inside. But once the tour started, everyone could go in and look around the facility.
It was not yet the flowering season and so the flowers used as decorations did not have uniform whiteness. Morgan saw this with his keen eyes and so ordered the florists to make the necessary rearrangment of the flowers. The cream curtains with ruffles, as well as of the table and chair covers, were not also that pleasing for him and so they were removed and replaced with something that matched more beautifully with the flowers. It was stressful for the decorators as they realized that Morgan mostly disagreed with everything they did. Yet, Morgan was precise with his actions and his relaxed demeanour enabled everyone to work harmoniously so that by three in the afternoon, all details were ready.
However, Morgan was not really concerned with the physical preparations. It was only an act because truthfully, what had been done was near perfection already. Morgan was particularly worried about the activities done in the facility. He checked first the upper level which housed the research laboratories. Everyone was busy examining samples through different lenses and monitors. Others were a.n.a.lyzing data manually or through software programs. There were also few volunteer patients who stayed in some of the living quarters in that area.
Morgan moved down and visited the different clinics. Indeed, most of them had already started accepting customers. He talked briefly with the doctors and their staffs and they had nothing to say but kind words about Dr. Alvarado and his initiatives in addressing the outbreak. Morgan smiled as he listened. It was not a smile of delight, knowing fully well what the doctor"s drama was really all about. It was entertaining for Morgan to hear them say those praises.
After such sweet time spending with the first-level occupants, he went stealthily to the secret area in the bas.e.m.e.nt. Only a few trusted individuals knew about the place because the things done there would be regarded as the doctor"s private records. Next to Dr. Alvarado"s private office located at the furthermost corner in the first floor, there was an elevator leading to the bas.e.m.e.nt. There was a specific access code before anyone could operate the elevator. It was a big elevator so that equipment could easily be transported to the secret bas.e.m.e.nt. In case of emergencies, there was also an access door located inside the off-limit room which was also beside Dr. Alvarado"s office. The room was always locked to prevent anyone from wandering to the bas.e.m.e.nt. Besides Morgan and his boss, only the control room had the spare keys and only specific persons knew about them. Everything about the bas.e.m.e.nt was confidential and only a few had knowledge about it.
For today, he ordered everyone involved in the secret bas.e.m.e.nt not to report for work, except for the keeper of the keys. Moreover, the control room was behind the main building as a separate structure so the guests would mostly likely not venture in the area. Morgan initially planned to let two or three people stay in the bas.e.m.e.nt and guard the rooms but he later changed his mind. He could not risk raising any suspicion or even curiosity from the guests and so everyone who could mention the bas.e.m.e.nt as a slip-on-the-tongue would have to be absent for that day.
Quickly, Morgan walked through the bas.e.m.e.nt. There were several rooms and walking through the empty corridor was creepy. His footsteps, and even his breathing, could be heard in the silence. He retraced his steps but before going up, he glanced at a certain room. It was still quiet and so he sighed a releif.
Dr. Alvarado had already arrived when he got back to the lobby. The doctor flashed a wide smile, as if he had just received a good news.
"Is everything all set, Morgan?"
"Yes, Sir. Everything had been prepared carefully."
They walked until they reached a safe spot, away from any ears that could hear them.
"Is the area taken care of, Morgan?"
"Yes, Sir. The area is silent since this morning. I let n.o.body enter it for today."
"Our specimens are okay, right?"
"Of course, Sir. They won"t cause any trouble."
"Good. I don"t want anything to ruin the event."
Dr. Alvarado thought for a while.
"Is there a possibility that the trouble would come from outside, Morgan?"
"It is possible, Sir. Outside factors are beyond our control."
"But they can be minimized. Right, Morgan?"
"Of course, Sir. I looked into each of them and it is highly unlikely that they will get in the way later."
"Certain of that?"
"Yes, Sir. But only for the outside factors in consideration."
"What do you mean?"
"Based on the facts I gathered, I already surmised what can be troublesome and so I have taken care of them. Yet, there are still things we do not yet know and such things may just get through our safety measures and pa.s.s right before our eyes easily."
"I do hope you are wrong, Morgan. You are a genius man, and I believe you have looked into all considerarions."
"Yes, I did that solely based on the little knowledge I have."
"Well, let"s hope the odds will be in our favor. For now, I"d rather not worry about it. I need to look good during the event."
Morgan nodded and then Dr. Alvarado went back to the crowd. Time was drawing near. Twenty minutes more and the show would begin.