“That’s not what you proposed,” Eric said.
“No,” Palmer admitted. “It’s not. What got me thinking was bin Laden. He thought he could draw the US into an expensive war, a guerrilla campaign where Al-Qaeda could bleed the country dry. Financially, that is. I postulated a virus, like the flu, but instead of modifying it to be helpful, this one would be modified to cause meningitis. You know what meningitis is?”
“An inflammation of the brain?” Eric asked
“The lining of the brain,” Palmer said. “If you could induce a number of cases, say, a couple of hundred thousand, or maybe a million? You might get a few thousand deaths, but imagine the strain to the system. The intensive care alone would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. There would be panic in the streets and a collapse of faith in the healthcare system.”
Eric’s stomach sank. “That would do it,” he said. “But you also mentioned a bomb?”
Palmer snorted. “Well, just in case the virus didn’t work, a small nuclear bomb would tip the country over the edge. Besides, it’s a combined threat, right? The body of a bomb, the head of a virus. A Chimera.”
Eric’s stomach started tying up in knots. “Why would you write such a thing?”
“Nobody was supposed to see it,” Palmer said. “It was just a thought exercise. I journal all kinds of crazy ideas. Once I write it down, it helps get it out of my head.”
Valerie shook her head. “Someone read it and now they’re using it as a template.”
Palmer glanced between them, his face going pale. “That’s not good.”
“No,” Eric said, “it’s not. This is on a need-to-know basis. We’re only talking to you because you developed the plan.”
“I didn’t develop it,” Palmer protested. “I told you, I journal all kinds of things. No one was supposed to read it.” He stood and began pacing around the table. “I value human life, you know? That’s what inspires me. Every human life is sacred. I can’t be responsible for something that would kill people. The entire point of EOS is to save lives.
“We’re not saying you planned it, but it’s out there and we need your help,” Eric said.
Palmer stopped in his tracks, his face hopeful. “Anything. Just name it.”
“An unknown amount of biological material was funneled through Somalia,” Eric said. “We don’t know where it went.”
“Somalia?” Palmer asked, sliding back into his seat.
“Yes,” Eric said. “There was a bomb and a mobile lab.”
Palmer’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh God, the bomb that went off near Somalia. I saw the President’s speech on the television. That was because of me?”
“Yes. We tried to retrieve it, but it detonated. Shortly after, the mobile lab was destroyed. We lost a lot of good men.”
Palmer sank back in his chair and buried his face in his hands. “I can’t believe this.”
“Focus, Dean,” Valerie said. “We need your help.”
Palmer raised his head. “Sorry, this is a lot to take in. Okay, if I was doing it, I could have cooked up the basics in a mobile lab. I could do the first stage there. But to complete the virus, I’d need a sterile environment.”
“It could be anywhere,” Valerie said.
“Not really,” Palmer said. “See, here’s the thing. There’s been an explosion in high-quality equipment. Any idiot can order a commercial grade centrifuge off the Internet, but to create a true clean room takes a lot of money. And, you have to have an idea of what you’re doing. There’s places here in the States, but they’re too well guarded. But, the old Soviet Union? I can name at least a half-dozen places that existed to do bio research. Most closed up, but the KGB wouldn’t let the researchers leave. They wound up just… staying put.”
“What about the condition of the equipment?” Eric asked.
“Probably out of date or broken, but like I said, any idiot can order gear like that off the Internet. You’re the CIA, don’t you monitor that kind of stuff?”
Eric smiled, stood, and stuck out his hand. “Thank you for your help, Mr. Palmer. We’ll be in touch.”
Greg barely got the Gulfstream in the air before Eric initiated the video conference with Karen. “We need to search for any signs of lab gear being bought and sent to the old Soviet Union.”
Karen nodded. “I’m on it, boss. We’ve, uh, got some bad news. John and Nancy ran into problems in Seoul.”
Eric waited for Karen to speak, then turned to see Valerie watching their conversation. “It’s okay. I’m clearing Valerie for the rest of the mission.”
“They found the office and I cloned the servers,” Karen continued. “They waited around and got jumped by a guy who blew himself up with a grenade.”
“Blew himself up?” Eric asked. “Did I hear you right?”
“Yep,” Karen said, spreading her fingers. “Kablooie. Don’t worry, Nancy and John are safe. They got out before the locals showed.”
“What kind of people do you deal with?” Valerie asked, her mouth hanging open.
“Bad people,” he said. “Very bad people.” He turned his attention back to the screen. “Did we get anything?”
“Seoul police got a name. Wong Yuan. I’ve finally got something to go on. If there’s a record of him in any system, I’ll find it.”
“What about the servers?” he asked.
“The files are encrypted. I’m doing my best to break it, but it’s tough stuff. I should be able to exploit a problem in the math behind the algorithm. See, it’s 2048 bit, but because of—”
“It’s like you’re speaking English,” Eric said with a smile, “but I can’t make heads or tails of it.”
“Sorry, boss. It’s going to take a few days. In the meantime, I’ll see what I can find on Wong Yuan.”
“How’s Deion?” he asked.
Karen nodded. “He met with the asset. They’re meeting again tonight. Well, tomorrow. I mean, it’ll be yesterday. Wait. I hate dealing with different time zones.”
“Does the asset know anything?” he asked.
“He’s trying to find who accessed the report.”
“Pretty risky. Can he do it?”
“He thinks he’s the best,” Karen replied.
He shook his head. Why did every hacker think they were the best? “He better not get himself killed. We need him.”
Karen cleared her throat. “I’ve got another piece of news. The Old Man left for Washington.”
“What?” He just had brain surgery.
“Dewey told me what happened,” Karen said. “Shouldn’t he be under observation or something?”
“He’s the Director. Apparently he gets to make his own rules. Okay, we’re on our way to Chicago to drop off Valerie.”
“Gotcha, boss. I’ll get back to work.”
The video call ended and he turned his attention to Valerie. “So, have you thought about my offer?”
She leaned back in the leather seat, eying him critically. “I’ve thought about it.”
“And?”
“My career is important to me,” she said, “but I want to protect my country. Tell me how I can do that if I work for you.”
“We prevent the end of the world. I’m going to read you in, right here and now. We answer only to the President. We have the authority to operate anywhere in the world, including on US soil.”