This does not look good. This does not look good at all.
Ollie Wozniak squinted through his wire-rim glasses at the twenty-four photographs strewn across Milos dining table. He held one up for a closer look. Through the bottle-glass lens, one pale blue eye stared out, enormous. One only saw Ollies eyes; everything else, hollow cheeks, pencil lips and baby-fine hair, seemed to recede into the background pallor. He shook his head and picked up another photo.
Youre right, of course, he said. Some of these I cant interpret. Id like to study em later. But these here are definitely raw mortality data. Rhesus monkeys, I suspect. He paused and added quietly, I hope.
Surely they wouldnt use people for this sort of thing, said Cathy.
Not officially. Ollie put down the photo and looked at her. But its been done.
Maybe in Nazi Germany.
Here, too, said Victor.
What? Cathy looked at him in disbelief.
Army studies in germ warfare. They released colonies of Serratia Marcescens over San Francisco and waited to see how far the organism spread. Infections popped up in a number of Bay Area hospitals. Some of the cases were fatal.
I cant believe it, murmured Cathy.
The damage was unintentional, of course. But people died just the same.
Dont forget Tuskegee, said Ollie. People died in those experiments, too. And then there was that case in New York. Mentally retarded kids in a state hospital who were deliberately exposed to hepatitis. No one died there, but the ethics were just as shaky. So its been done. Sometimes in the name of humanity.
Sometimes not, said Victor.
Ollie nodded. As in this particular case.
What exactly are we talking about here? asked Cathy, nodding at the photos. Is this medical research? Or weapons development?
Both. Ollie pointed to one of the photos on the table. By all appearances, Virateks engaged in biological weapons research. Theyve dubbed it Project Cerberus. From what I can tell, the organism theyre working on is an RNA virus, extremely virulent, highly contagious, producing over eighty-percent mortality in its lab animal hosts. This photo here- he tapped one of the pages -shows the organism produces vesicular skin lesions on the infected subjects.
Vesicular?
Blisterlike. That could be one route of transmission, the fluid in those lesions. He sifted through the pile and pulled out another page. This shows the time course of the illness. The viral counts, periods of infectiousness. In almost every case the course is the same. The subjects exposed here. He pointed to Day One on the time graph. Minor signs of illness here at Day Seven. Full-blown pox on Day Twelve. And here- he tapped the graph at Day Fourteen -the deaths begin. The time varies, but the results the same. They all die.
You used the word pox, said Cathy.
Ollie turned to her, his eyes like blue glass. Because thats what it is.
You mean like chickenpox?
I wish it was. Then it wouldnt be so deadly. Almost everyone gets exposed to chickenpox as a kid, so most of us are immune. But this ones a different story.
Is it a new virus? asked Milo.
Yes and no. He reached for an electron micrograph. When I saw this I thought there was something weirdly familiar about all this. The appearance of the organism, the skin lesions, the course of illness. The whole damn picture. It reminded me of something I havent read about in decades. Something I never dreamed Id see again.
Youre saying its an old virus? said Milo.
Ancient. But theyve made some modifications. Made it more infectious. And deadlier. Which turns this into a real humdinger of a weapon, considering the millions of folks its already killed.
Millions? Cathy stared at him. What are we talking about?
A killer weve known for centuries. Smallpox.
Thats impossible! said Cathy. From what Ive read, we conquered smallpox. Its supposed to be extinct.
It was, said Victor. For all practical purposes. Worldwide vaccination wiped it out. Smallpox hasnt been reported in decades. Im not even sure they still make the vaccine. Ollie?
Not available. No need for it since the virus has vanished.
So where did this virus come from? asked Cathy.
Ollie shrugged. Probably someones closet.
Come on.
Im serious. After smallpox was eradicated, a few samples of virus were kept alive in government labs, just in case someone needed it for future research. Its the scientific skeleton in the closet, so to speak. Id assume those labs are top security. Because if any of the virus got out, there could be a major epidemic. He looked at the stack of photos. Looks like securitys already been breached. Someone obviously got hold of the virus.
Or had it handed to them, said Victor. Courtesy of the U.S. government.
I find that incredible, Gersh, said Ollie. This is a powderkeg experiment youre talking about. No committee would approve this sort of project.
Right. Thats why I think this is a maverick operation. Its easy to come up with a scenario. Bunch of hardliners cooking this up over at NSA. Or joint chiefs of staff. Or even the Oval Office. Someone says: World politics have changed. We cant get away with nuking the enemy. We need a new weapons option, one thatll work well against a Third World army. Lets find one. And some guy in that room, some red, white and blue robot, will take that as the go-ahead. International law be damned.
And since its unofficial, said Cathy, itd be completely deniable.
Right. The administration could claim it knew nothing.
Sounds like Iran-Contra all over again.
With one big difference, said Ollie. When Iran-Contra fell apart, all you had were a few ruined political careers. If Project Cerberus goes awry, what youll have is a few million dead people.
But Ollie, said Milo. I got vaccinated for smallpox when I was a kid. Doesnt that mean Im safe?
Probably. Assuming the virus hasnt been altered too much. In fact, everyone over 35 is probably okay. But remember, theres a whole generation after us that never got the vaccine. Young adults and kids. By the time you could manufacture enough vaccine for them all, wed have a raging epidemic.
Im beginning to see the logic of this weapon, said Victor. In any war, who makes up the bulk of combat soldiers? Young adults.
Ollie nodded. Theyd be hit bad. As would the kids.
A whole generation, Cathy murmured. And only the old would be spared. She glanced at Victor and saw, mirrored in his eyes, the horror she felt.
Probably. Assuming the virus hasnt been altered too much. In fact, everyone over 35 is probably okay. But remember, theres a whole generation after us that never got the vaccine. Young adults and kids. By the time you could manufacture enough vaccine for them all, wed have a raging epidemic.
Im beginning to see the logic of this weapon, said Victor. In any war, who makes up the bulk of combat soldiers? Young adults.
Ollie nodded. Theyd be hit bad. As would the kids.
A whole generation, Cathy murmured. And only the old would be spared. She glanced at Victor and saw, mirrored in his eyes, the horror she felt.
They chose an appropriate name, said Milo.
Ollie frowned. What?
Cerberus. The three-headed dog of Hades. Milo looked up, visibly shaken. Guardian of the dead.
It wasnt until Cathy was fast asleep and Milo had retired upstairs that Victor finally broached the subject to Ollie. It had troubled him all evening, had shadowed his every moment since theyd arrived at Milos house. He couldnt look at Cathy, couldnt listen to the sound of her voice or inhale the scent of her hair without thinking of the terrible possibilities. And in the deepest hours of night, when it seemed all the world was asleep except for him and Ollie, he made the decision.
I need to ask you a favor, he said.
Ollie gazed at him across the dining table, steam wafting up from his fourth cup of coffee. What sort of favor?
It has to do with Cathy.
Ollies gaze shifted to the woman lying asleep on the living room floor. She looked very small, very defenseless, curled up beneath the comforter. Ollie said, Shes a nice woman, Gersh.
I know.
There hasnt really been anyone since Lily. Has there?
Victor shook his head. I guess I havent felt ready for it. There were always other things to think about
Ollie smiled. There are always excuses. I should know. People keep telling me theres a glut of unattached female baby boomers. I havent noticed.
And I never bothered to notice. Victor looked at Cathy. Until now.
Whatre you gonna do with her, Gersh?
Thats what I need you for. Im not the safest guy to hang around with these days. A woman could get hurt.
Ollie laughed. Hell, a guy could get hurt.
I feel responsible for her. And if something happened to her, Im not sure I could ever He let out a long sigh and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. Anyway, I think its best if she leaves.
For where?
She has an ex-husband. Hell be working down in Mexico for a few months. I think shed be pretty safe.
Youre sending her to her ex-husband?
Ive met him. Hes a jerk, but at least she wont be alone down there.
Does Cathy agree to this?
I didnt ask her.
Maybe you should.
Im not giving her a choice.
What if she wants the choice?
Im not in the mood to take any crap, Okay? Im doing this for her own good.
Ollie took off his glasses and cleaned them on the tablecloth. Excuse me for saying this, Gersh, but if it was me, Id want her nearby, where I could sort of keep an eye on her.
You mean where I can watch her get killed? Victor shook his head. Lily was enough. I wont go through it with Cathy.
Ollie thought it over for a moment, then he nodded. What do you want me to do?
Tomorrow I want you to take her to the airport. Buy her a ticket to Mexico. Let her use your name. Mrs. Wozniak. Make sure she gets safely off the ground. Ill pay you back when I can.
What if she wont get on the plane? Do I just shove her aboard?
Do whatever it takes, Ollie. Im counting on you.
Ollie sighed. I guess I can do it. Ill call in sick tomorrow. Thatll free up my day. He looked at Victor. I just hope you know what youre doing.
So do I, thought Victor.
Ollie rose to his feet and tucked the envelope with the photos under his arm. Ill get back to you in the morning. After I show these last two photos to Bach. Maybe he can identify what those grids are.
If its anything electronic, Bachll figure it out.
Together they walked to the door. There they paused and regarded each other, two old friends whod grown a little grayer and, Victor hoped, a little wiser.