A Heartbeat Away

CHAPTER 9

Dr. Bethany Townsend’s expression was equal parts disbelief and fear.

“Are you implying that what killed the Jackson family is the same biological agent that we’ve all been exposed to?”

“Unfortunately, that is exactly what I’m saying,” Allaire replied. “Both you and the pathologist failed to pinpoint the cause of death because we intentionally kept you unaware of Project Veritas. But we did learn a great deal from your findings about how WRX3883 attacks the body.”

“Excuse me, sir, but Veritas?” Townsend asked.

“Veritas for truth. Even Vice President Tilden did not know about it, although I was going to tell him at the time I decided to pull the plug on the project. But by then, after funding was stopped and the whole project was shutting down, there seemed no need to tell anyone.”

“A little too late for the Jackson family,” Townsend said.

Allaire bowed his head. Salitas, sensing the president needed time to gather his thoughts, spoke up.

“The people at Veritas conducted a close inspection of Jackson’s biocontainment suit and found a tiny opening by the wrist, probably from bumping against a syringe or scalpel,” Salitas said. “At the time, Dr. Chen’s team was working with a new strain of the virus, trying to increase its potency and effectiveness. That pinhole-sized leak in Jackson’s suit turned him into a carrier. He went home feeling fine and spent the night with his family. He infected all of them without his knowing he was a walking hot zone.”

“Jesus,” Hank Tomlinson murmured.

“The Veritas team immediately destroyed the viral line and resumed work on an earlier strain. They augmented it and controlled how fast it acted when administered. But they never perfected it. Then the president shut down the program.”

“What happened to the Jacksons?” Tomlinson asked.

Allaire looked at Salitas through reddening eyes. The defense secretary walked to the water cooler and returned with water for both of them. Allaire drank his cup dry in a single swallow, then was able to continue.

“They were tightly quarantined, and treated as best our doctor knew how with massive doses of IV antiviral drugs. But nothing worked. They died in just a few days.”

“My God. And that virus is what we have been exposed to?”

“That or a variant, yes. We were all devastated by what happened to the Jackson family, but we had to weigh that tragedy against the possibility of ending the war on terror.”

“Ending the war on terror? Mr. President, just what does this virus do?” the police chief asked.

“The target organs of the germ are a group of structures in the midbrain including the hypothalamus, the anterior cingulate cortex, the amygdala, and the limbic system. These structures in the gray matter of the brain influence many functions, but taken as a whole they control the will—the ability to make voluntary decisions, the uniquely human ability to lie. When the microbe was first brought to my attention by Dr. Chen, a professor at Columbia, her animal studies had shown that cats infected with the virus would swim without resisting. Hard-core carnivores could be trained to eat a mix of vegetables and vitamins. Mortal enemies could quickly be taught to live in the same cage.”

“So? Since when did we get into the development of biological weapons?”

“Since terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center buildings,” Gary Salitas said, returning to the table. “That’s when. And I wouldn’t call WRX a weapon. This country is pockmarked with cells of enemy combatants who don’t feel much like sharing their plans with us.”

“And you’re suggesting this virus will make them?”

“That was the idea,” Allaire said. “With the liberal press holding a constant magnifier on our techniques of interrogation, we have a very limited toolkit when it comes to extracting information from these … individuals. We were developing and testing the virus in hopes of making them share what they knew without resorting to more stringent measures, or having to move ahead based on their version of the truth. And for a time it looked as if Veritas was going to be a success.”

“But even with the new strain, there were still side effects,” Salitas added.

“What sort of side effects are we talking about here, Mr. President?” Bethany Townsend asked, her tone cool.

“I had been assured by Dr. Chen that the results from the new variant strain were most encouraging,” Allaire said. “But as I read through her reports it became increasingly clear that the germ still had some serious problems. It was unstable in terms of mutation, and there had been no progress made in controlling how it spread from host to host. In fact, the data suggested that the highly contagious nature of the virus had gotten worse.”

“So that’s when you shut down the program?” Tomlinson asked.

“In retrospect, I wish that were the case, Hank. Even with the setbacks, we still believed we had a silver bullet with WRX3883. I kept Vertias operational. Until the theft.”

“Theft?”

“Yes. Nine months ago, a presumed terrorist, working in the lab, stole five canisters of the virus. At least that’s how many we recovered from a compartment in the wall of his basement when we arrested him. Shortly after that I finally ordered the project shut down.”

“Did we have test animals at this Veritas lab?” Townsend asked.

“Yes. Mostly primates. Those were the research animals of choice for Dr. Chen. But she brought another virologist to Kansas with her—a scientist who was staunchly against animal testing and experimentation. His approach involved the use of advanced computer models of the virus and various treatments. He claimed his methods were capable of simulating, with near ninety-nine percent accuracy, the nature of the virus’s mutation patterns, as well as the effect of different antiviral drugs.”

“Ninety-nine percent sounds a bit optimistic,” Townsend said. “Especially given that his methods didn’t seem to work any better than Chen’s. So, what are we all in for here?”

“I’ll debrief you all about our exposure and what we can expect in a moment,” Allaire said. “But I can tell you that as far as contagion goes, the penetration statistics are daunting. Bethany, I know you’re angry. But I really need you. If you can, I’m putting you in charge of organizing our containment strategy. Veritas was headquartered in an underground facility. The lab had Level-Four containment, and aside from the insider theft I told you about, there were never any incidents. Gary will get you the contact information for the former director. Meanwhile, get in touch with the CDC and anyone else you need and have them help you. Try to maintain some control over who you tell what to. We’re going to need a whole bunch of containment suits and a safe way of getting food, medication, and personnel in here.”

For half a minute, Townsend simply sat there. Then, with painful slowness, she stood and crossed to the communications center.

“As you wish, sir,” she said.

“As for the rest of you,” Allaire went on, “I need you to be patient. Be as calm as possible. I’ve trusted you with this information because I think you can handle it, and because I need your help. We can’t risk starting a mass panic. Our hope now is that we develop a way to neutralize the virus and contain it inside the Capitol. All our energy and focus must be directed toward those efforts. And most importantly, I need you to support me and my decisions one hundred percent.” Allaire turned to architect Jordan Lamar. “All hell is about to break loose, Jordan. This building is going to be our home for a while. I’m counting on you to make it as comfortable for everyone as possible. Even though it’s the middle of winter, I’m worried that with seven hundred of us, the rooms are going to warm up fast from body heat, so we might need to boost the air-conditioning levels.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Gary, I need you to help me make two calls.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“First get me Paul Rappaport in Minnesota.”

“No problem. And the other?”

“I need the warden at the supermaximum federal penitentiary in Florence, Colorado.”