The doctor was sitting behind his desk and started speaking before Jeffrey had a chance to sit.
“It’s far worse than we thought. It’s H1N1… but it’s not. It’s something much more devastating. We ran the data, crunched the numbers, examined the modifications that were made. How much do you know about the original H1N1 virus?” the Frenchman asked, obviously frazzled.
“Just what the German told me. Deadly, affected the young and healthy, had up to a five percent mortality rate, typically killed very quickly — within twenty-four hours of the onset of symptoms, in most cases.”
“That’s probably as much as most know, if not more. This… this makes that look like having the sniffles. The death rates will be off the charts. Literally. The numbers you gave me… it looks like this virus would kill eighty to ninety percent of those infected. And it’s extremely contagious. Again, almost immeasurable. If this was released, it would wipe out much of human life. Our rough model says six billion people, possibly more, before it ran its course.”
“Good God. Are you serious?”
“I have never been more serious about anything in my life. The main problem is that there would be no resistance — it’s been modified enough so that the existing flu strains and the natural resistance that develops over time from exposure to those won’t have any positive effect.”
“What about a vaccine?”
“By the time we could create one, it would be too late for many. And by the time we could go into full production, it would be over.”
“Antiviral meds?”
“Limited to no effect. Again, because we’re dealing with a specifically crafted variant that was designed to bypass the two major antiviral drugs, as well as any natural immunity. It’s the perfect virus, in that sense — indestructible, highly infectious, and as deadly as just about anything I’ve seen.”
“But you could start working on a vaccine now…” Jeffrey tried.
“Of course, but it would take months. And if your brother was under the impression that it was going to be released soon, we don’t have time. I’ve already checked, and there’s a large global flu shot program scheduled to start within a week. That’s a likely culprit if you’re even half right about your HIV dissemination suspicion. Or it could be as simple as releasing it in a number of popular airports. It wouldn’t take much. In fact, if a small group of travelers was exposed, or some security workers, as virulent as this is, tens of thousands would be infected and become carriers before anyone knew it. By the time the first ones started dying, we’d be talking millions exposed, at which point it would be too late. Frankly, this is the worst case scenario of the thousands of nightmare possibilities we’ve ever contemplated.”
Both men sat in silence, and then Jeffrey nodded.
“I have a possible solution. A blocking move. But it will require your help.”
“Monsieur, at this point, anything you can suggest would be of interest. The alternative is too horrible to consider.”
“The basic idea is to short-circuit the plan so it can’t be executed.”
“How?”
“I have some ideas…”
FORTY-THREE
Exposure
Jeffrey listened as the phone rang and rang, and then Kaycee’s voicemail engaged.
“Hi. This is Kaycee. Leave a message, or breathe heavy, or whatever, but keep it interesting…”
The beep sounded more like a warble on his cheap burner phone, and for a moment his heart caught in his throat at the sound of her voice. He didn’t stop to think his reaction through, and instead launched into his message.
“Hi, Kaycee. This is the guy you held the shotgun on last week. I need to speak with your grandfather. It’s…” — he checked his watch and quickly calculated the time on the east coast — “… seven o’clock in the morning there, I know, so pretty early. I’ll try back in an hour. It’s very important that I speak with your grandfather. Hope everything’s okay on that end.”
Jeffrey found himself wanting to say more, but instead he softly pressed the end call key and stared at the phone. He was back at the hotel, in the stairwell on his floor, so that just in case his U.S. cell was picking up sound in the room it couldn’t eavesdrop on his call. He’d read online about how the NSA could activate the microphone in a cell phone anywhere in the world without it appearing to be powered on, and he had to expect that those who were behind the virus had the capability to access it at will.
He’d laid out a plan of attack for Bertrand, who had reluctantly agreed that his proposed course of action was likely to be effective. Short of taking out a full-page ad in the New York Times laying out the whole scenario, which they both knew would never be printed, they didn’t have any alternatives, and they shared his sense of urgency. Bertrand had already begun making calls as Jeffrey walked out the door, and they’d agreed to follow up with each other the next day.
The hour back in his hotel room crawled by like he was being waterboarded, and he practically sprinted for the stairwell at the end of the empty hallway, scanning to confirm that he wasn’t being observed.
This time Kaycee answered on the first ring, and Jeffrey realized when she said hello that he was grinning like a punch-drunk buffoon, in spite of the dire circumstances. He hoped that his voice sounded normal when he began speaking.
“Kaycee. It’s me. How’s everything on that end?”
“Hello, ‘me.’ Everything’s fine. Is this a social call?”
“Wouldn’t that be nice? No, I need to talk to your grandfather. How’s he doing?”
“Cranky and troublesome as ever. But I manage. Can I tell him what you want to speak with him about?”
Jeffrey had anticipated this first hurdle, and braced himself for the pushback. “It’s about what we discussed when I was there. I have more information for him.”
Kaycee didn’t say anything, and he could hear the line crackling, as if an occasional electron was veering giddily off course and obliterating itself in a sonic blaze.
“Your last discussion left him agitated for days. I had to deal with the fallout. I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to do a repeat performance,” she said.
Jeffrey was about to try the response he’d rehearsed to her inevitable protest when he heard Sam’s voice booming in the background.
“Kaycee? Are you out there?” he called, and then there was a rustling on the line.
“Look, don’t take this wrong, but I can’t deal with this right now. He’s just now back to normal, and I—”
“Kaycee, it’s really important. As in life or death.”
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that since I was a child. I think I’m going to exercise executive privilege here and just say no. Sorry,” she said, and hung up.
Jeffrey swore and took several deep breaths. He’d give her a minute to calm down. He could see her perspective — he was just stirring up troubling history for no reason, and she was her grandfather’s protector. Ordinarily he would have agreed with her.
But these weren’t ordinary circumstances.
He pressed redial and listened. One ring. Two. Then her voice again, this time decidedly frosty, none of the musicality and slight teasing quality of the first call’s opening words.
“Kaycee. Just listen, okay? I have information that I need your grandfather’s help with — his advice. I’m in Europe, and I’ve been attacked. This is serious. I’m not making it up.”
“Attacked? What are you talking about?”
He told her about the mugging.
“Please, Kaycee, put your grandfather on. You can listen on the speaker if you want. If you think there’s anything he shouldn’t hear, you can mute it and tell me there’s a problem, okay? But there’s a lot in the balance and I don’t know who else I can turn to,” he pleaded.