Meeting the genius son

===Ifan===

It took him a day of driving to reach Base #1, where the Major General was. He reached the front gate and told them he had to meet him immediately, but they told him his schedule wouldn't be free for at least a week.

He couldn't do anything about it other than wait, so he went to the base's dining hall to get something to eat.

But before he could reach that point, a young man stopped him. The person didn't wear the uniform of the Allied Army, just regular clothes, though quite expensive ones.

Ifan immediately recognized him, as he had never forgotten people like that.

"Did you come here to visit your father too, boy?" Ifan asked the person.

He was the youngest son of the Major General and the one he was proudest of all his five children. He was only 19 years old and officially joined the Allied Army for a year, but they had used his services since he was 14.

He was a master tactician and proved himself at age 12 when they received reports of an attack on some magical creatures' base that had started going wrong. The son was visiting his father and, when he heard the reports of the situation they were in, suggested a plan that he came up with on the spot.

This act impressed the Major General as the plan worked, and they turned the tides.

He had his son study after the best teachers, and he mastered everything they could offer in less than 2 years. After that, even if the Major General couldn't officially give him a rank, nothing prevented him from hearing his son's plans and putting them in motion.

Many of the victories over the years were the results of the tactics of this young fellow.

His name was Aris.

"Colonel Ifan, it is nice seeing you again; it's been a long time. I am not here for my father, but I am here to help you," said the boy with a smile.

"Help me? What do you think I need help with?"

"But of course, I want to help you meet my father and report about the recent attack on one of the bases from the werewolves' attack and what they took."

Ifan could tell that the boy kept his eyes on him and tried to read him, but he had years of experience and could make it impossible for others to get a read on him.

But he was curious about how Aris knew the reason he was here. The report for the attack should have reached the base here, but since this is the main one, they get hundreds, if not thousands, of reports each day.

Even if a base getting attacked wasn't so unusual, the report didn't mention the Werewolves taking something. The Red Code damage meant that the special subject was gone, but the ones who only knew the meaning were him, the Major General, and a few others. Aris wouldn't be part of that list, though.

Most of the bases had a research team with subjects on them, but some of the subjects were of higher secrecy than others. Using those codes in reports wasn't unusual, so one shouldn't consider it unusual. He was confident that the Major General wouldn't tell Aris, or could it not be the case?

"I know about your code. It isn't so difficult to decipher. You keep using the same colors depending on the race of the enemy and change the noun followed by it. So understanding what Red Code damage meant didn't take me much time."

Ifan was impressed but tried not to let it appear on his face.

"If what you tell is true and there is a secret code used in the report, why do you think it is so important for me to come report for this reason."

"Oh, come on. Do you want to play that game? You guys are lucky nobody has found the truth about your 'genius' Professor."

Ifan couldn't hide his feelings this time, catching him off guard.

"He is a nobody one day and a genius, but the other is pretty suspicious. I know Father has tried erasing and changing everything about him to fit your story, but let's face it, it is full of holes. Others don't pay attention since they are taking cool new toys to play with, but I am not interested in these cheap copies. So, after finding that truth, I started noticing those bases that seemed to have some labs to do nothing other than 'general research.' A lab with tasks staying still for a long period was like an arrow, showing that something else was happening to them. Is this enough, or do you want me to elaborate more?"

Ifan had met Aris a few times, but most times, they were discussing battle tactics. But his using the same intelligence to find out about something that he and the Major General tried to keep a secret was something he had never imagined happening.

Normally, his first instinct would be to eradicate the problem, but he knew that this would anger the Major General and weaken the Allied Army, as they would lose a great tool.

"What do you want?" Ifan got straight to the point.

"But I told you already. I am here to help you."

He gave a little bow toward Ifan, which actually surprised him. He waited for some blackmail, but when he thought about it, the boy couldn't earn anything from him. His father was one of the highest-ranking officers of the Allied Forces, much higher than his, and he was also his favorite son.

"What do you want in return?"

Ifan was sure that the boy had a scheme or something, and he wanted to know what it was.

"I just want to be in your club. I know you guys keep special subjects and discuss things off the record. I even had to erase some recordings of conversations between the two of you from your office, which reminds me you have a spy over there. You better take care of it, as he has released some of your secrets and not copies of your reports over the past few weeks. I had gathered most of them and erased them, but there may be more. Here, this should help you when you get back to the base. It is all the leads I have for the spy."

He brought a USB stick from his pocket and gave it to Ifan.

"So, do we have a deal? You get the stick, and I will take care of you. I will ensure you can talk with my father sooner than a week. All you have to do is mention to him that you want me to be included in your future secret plans. If he says no, well…. then no hard feelings."

Ifan was still on guard and didn't believe this was just it. There was more in the story, but he couldn't think what it could be.

But having the kid around would be useful, as he had proved it to be the case many times.

And if he genuinely had an ill will on his mind, it is always better to keep your enemies close to monitor them.