"It's Brazil," Stephanie said. "They released the plague in a village called Sao Bendito. It's in a very remote area."
"How did you find out?" Selena asked.
"Krivi's scientist, Schmidt. He's in charge of the test. He emailed Gutenberg with a progress report and my program captured it. According to the email, everyone who didn't receive the vaccine is dying like flies. Schmidt used a free vaccination program in a clinic as a cover while he infected everyone."
"I screwed up," Nick said. "We didn't get all the samples."
"Don't blame yourself," Elizabeth said. "It figures they'd have them in more than one place in case something went wrong."
"These people need to be put down," Stephanie said.
"That's not like you, Steph."
"If you read that email, you'll feel the same way," Stephanie said. "Schmidt talks about the suffering of these people as if they were lab rats."
"For him, they are," Nick said.
"Do we have any satellite shots of the area?" Elizabeth asked Stephanie.
"We do, but they aren't very good. That area of the world isn't on the list for priority surveillance. I thought you might want to see the photos, so I got them ready."
She touched a key on her laptop. The wall monitor across from Harker's desk came to life with a photograph of a small cluster of buildings in a vast sea of foliage. An unpaved road leading to the town ended in a square in front of the village church. To the north lay a vast area of rivers and grasslands dotted with scattered clusters of huts.
"Zoom in on the town please, Stephanie," Elizabeth said.
"Not much of a town," Lamont said.
"Talk about the Third World," Ronnie said. "That place makes the boonies look like New York City."
"Where's this clinic they're using?" Nick asked.
"I'm not sure," Stephanie said.
Harker pointed at the photograph. "There's activity around that shack on the north edge of town. That might be it. Steph, what's the big open area on the top of the photograph?"
"An Indian reservation, set aside by the government. It's protected."
"Not anymore," Nick said. "Not if they've let that stuff loose. It may be too late to stop them but we can close them down before they do any more damage."
"It makes sense Gutenberg would choose a place like this," Selena said. "It's isolated, hard to get to. Away from prying eyes. My guess would be that the government wouldn't be in a big hurry to do something about illness on that reservation, even if they knew about it. Look at that country, it's perfect ranchland. There must be a lot of people who would like to see the Indians disappear."
"Sounds familiar," Ronnie said.
"I don't think they'd use a house or the church for a clinic," Nick said. "My bet is on that building as the primary target. If we're wrong, it shouldn't take long to find the right one."
"How do you want to go in?" Lamont said.
"We have to shut this down fast. There's only one way to get in there without losing a lot of time."
"Airdrop," Ronnie said.
"I don't see an alternative, but extraction's going to be hard."
"I have a solution for that," Elizabeth said. "The Fourth Fleet is conducting exercises with the USS Carl Vinson off the coast of Guyana as we speak."
"The super carrier?" Lamont said. "That is one mother of a ship."
"That's the one. They have Ospreys on board. That aircraft has enough range to bring you out."
"That would work," Nick said. "How long will it take to set up?"
Elizabeth looked thoughtful. "I have to make a phone call or two but it shouldn't take more than a few hours. In the meantime, you can get everything together."
"What about protective gear?" Selena said. "It's plague. We're going to come across people who have it."
"You won't be treating anyone. As long as you stay away from them you should be all right. The main problem is that this variety is airborne."
"We could use M-50s," Lamont said. "They're rated for everything but the kitchen sink."
"What's an M-50?" Selena asked.
"A biological warfare mask," Nick said. "Lamont's right, it would protect us against anything airborne. It's a full face mask with a good field of view. Plus it's got twin filters that make it easier to breathe and you can put a voice mike on it. Hot, but it keeps you alive. The filters are good for 24 hours. We do this right, we won't be there that long."
"How do we get over the target?" Selena asked.
"Straight from Andrews. I'll send you in a C-130."
"I always wanted to see Brazil," Lamont said.