Dr. Alvarado was all smiles as he left his home that Monday morning. He believed that things would turn again for his advantage that week. He and Morgan carefully laid out their plans the night before. They meticulously discussed each detail and nothing could possibly go wrong if they were implemented as planned. He could not help but admire Morgan's keen intellect. He was quick to find loopholes and remedy to each one. Morgan was his 'queen' in this chess game.

Dr. Alvarado called many people that morning, including the mayor and some local officials. He needed them to pull some strings. Morgan also called a few men, mostly thugs doing pretty crimes. While the doctor would take charge of manipulation, Morgan would have to do the dirty works. After all, Dr. Alvarado's hands must remain clean through all the scheming.

"Morgan is always right," he said to himself. "The damage is not big. It had been easily repaired."

Dr. Alvarado was looking at his medical facility, grinning in delight. It looked as if nothing happened to it. In fact, it was almost done. The entire structure was already finished inside out. The doors and windows were fixed already, and the floors were tiled. The men were only working on finishing touches. By tomorrow, fixtures would be installed, as well as the furnishings and medical equipment. Wednesday would be the earliest it would open.

As Morgan advised him, Dr. Alvarado called the mayor by Saturday and sought for some help in speeding up the construction and issuance of necessary permits. The mayor obliged with the condition that the "cure" would be available soonest. The doctor was also happy to return the favor. He knew the mayor all too well because the man was also not as the people knew him. They were just players but Dr. Alvarado was wiser and meaner.

Additional men were also put in the construction site who worked overtime on Sunday. Seeing the facility right now, Dr. Alvarado felt it was all worth it. He could not take the smile off his face.

He started the car engine and slowly moved again. He had to drive because Morgan was busy with some things. His next stop was the isolation camp in the school.

"Time for level two," he whispered along the way.

Traffic became heavy as he neared the school. Vehicles were parked haphazardly everywhere around the campus. He sounded the horn upon arriving at the gate. Instantly, it was opened.

"Good morning, Dr. Alvarado!" the guard greeted.

"Good morning, too!" he greeted back with a large smile on his face.

He parked at this usual spot. Doctors and medical staff with vehicles had designated parking areas inside the campus. Though Dr. Alvarado was not really a medical doctor, everyone still looked at him that way. Well, he discovered the meteor remains in the grasslands and was one of the mayor's advisers to things related to the meteor crash, including the outbreak. While he was still revered that way, he would continue to make the most of the opportunity.

He got out of his white car and went to the isolation tents. The doctors in-charge were in the camp but Dr. Alvarado needed to make the necessary pretentions - that he still had control over things and that he cared about where the outbreak was taking the district. After talking to a few of them and some of the patients, he went to the school clinic. Already, Tara and Cecilia were waiting for him at the school physician's office. There were only three of them.

"Good morning to the two of you," he greeted them as he entered the office.

"Good morning, Doctor," they replied in unison.

"How was the weekend? Sorry I was not able to visit since Saturday. There were plenty of things that I needed to settle."

"It was a busy weekend," Cecilia answered. "More patients keep coming in. The head doctor instructed us to release those with mild symptoms. We just gave them over-the-counter medicines."

"So who were left here are the terribly sick patients," Tara said in disgust. "I don't feel good taking care of them."

"Oh, why Tara?"

"I just don't feel comfortable. I am worried that I would get infected by them."

"Careful Tara, you don't want that to happen."

"Of course, Doctor, it is unimaginable."

"Yes, it is. You getting infected? It would be a big mess."

"I bet Tara here is extra careful," Cecilia joined the conversation again. "I am keeping my eyes on her."

"That's good, Cecilia. You really should watch her cautiously."

There was a momentary silence. Tara was confused whether the doctor was just being overly concerned or some meaning lay hidden behind those words. For Cecilia, there was menace and malice behind Dr. Alvarado's smiles.

"I want you two to go to my car and take out the small boxes at the backseat," Dr. Alvarado ordered them. "There are only two of them so each of you take one out and bring it here to me. Be careful in carrying the boxes. More importantly, do not let others see you."

The two women nodded and immediately went out of the clinic. While waiting for them to come back, Dr. Alvarado made mental calculations of his plans. He played them over and over in his head while analyzing possible loopholes. He could think of nothing. He and Morgan planned everything perfectly. He was in a state of reverie when he heard footsteps coming inside the building. In few minutes, the two nurses were back inside the room, carrying two packages. Gently, they placed them on top of the desk.

"What are these, Doctor?" Tara asked boldly.

"What else but new sets of shots?"

"What do you mean by new sets, Doctor?" It was Cecilia's turn to ask.

"What else could the word new mean?"

"Yeah, Cecilia, what else could it mean?" Tara said boastfully. "It means these are fresh materials!"

"Oh no no, Tara," Dr. Alvarado corrected her. "Fresh is different from new."

Tara looked at him in confusion while Cecilia suddenly felt a scary coldness in her.

"When you say fresh," the doctor continued, "it is the same kind of material but another batch. Then new is entirely another kind of material."

Tara gasped and said, "You mean these things will cause other kinds of sicknesses?"

Dr. Alvarado did not answer but looked at her angrily.

"Tara, how many times do I have to remind you to be careful? You should not be talking so loud."

"Sorry, Doctor. I was just surprised."

"Your carelessness might put you in danger."

"So these will cause other diseases?" Cecilia persisted.

"Not all will be new diseases. Some will only worsen the present sicknesses. I really do not know. They were placed there at random so we do not know until they entered the patient's system."

"Are we killing people?" Cecilia asked worriedly.

"No, we are not. That's not part of the plan. We'll just make them sicker. This is a new wave of sickness and it should be worse than the first."

While Tara was unmoved, Cecilia was kind of hesitant. She did not expect they would come this far.

"Don't worry, Cecilia," Dr. Alvarado assured her. "Everything is under control and just do what I tell you."

"So what do we do now?" Tara asked.

"Give our patients those shots and let's wait what happens after."

The two nurses nodded.

"Alright, get out of this room now and start your mission. Don't worry, in this new wave of outbreak, I will pay you more handsomely than before.

With a smile, Tara went out of the room carrying her box. Cecilia followed but she still had hesitations.

"Trust me, Cecilia," Dr. Alvarado suddenly spoke. "Just do what I asked."

Cecilia nodded and went out. All through that morning, the two nurses took random shots from their stocks and injected them to the patients. Before noon came, the patients' conditions became worse. Their colds, cough, fever, and muscle pains were two or three times as bad. And all the while, Dr. Alvarado could not help but smile. After all, it was the second wave.....