“Irene and I are in the same business—we both want to keep people safe and healthy. That’s landed us at a few of the same conferences and participating on the same panels.” He flashed the everyman smile that he was known for. “I figure the fact that she hasn’t had me killed yet makes us friends.”

Fairly close friends, in fact. Their relationship had been cemented by a recent bioterrorism event that she’d had no choice but to bring him in on. The long days, long nights, and logistical nightmares they’d faced had given her a healthy respect and personal affection for the man. He was one of the most impressive people she had ever met and seemed to honestly have the good of mankind at heart. The fact that some of his views were a bit naïve was more than overcome by his enthusiasm and almost supernatural competence.

“I heard what happened in Uganda, but the details that have reached my desk are still sketchy. We have limited resources in that area and I’m not sure the local government’s fully on top of things.”

“I can guarantee you they’re not. That’s why I’m here.”

“Why don’t you give us the rundown on what you know,” the president said, reasserting his dominance by pointing everyone to a seat and then taking one himself.

“Our facility was attacked by Gideon Auma’s forces. The hospital director managed to evacuate most of the people before it happened, but the ones who stayed—including him—were killed. The exception may be David Chism and his two research assistants. They were there at the outset of the attack, but now they’ve disappeared.”

“My understanding is that the facility burned,” Kennedy said. “It seems likely that they were inside.”

“That was our assumption, but our people are going through the rubble and haven’t found any bodies.”

“Are you sure that Auma doesn’t have them?” Kennedy said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a call pretty soon asking for ransom. In fact, it seems to be the most likely reason he’d attack a facility that has nothing he needs and that’s well outside his normal operating theater.”

“It’s possible,” Ward admitted. “But we have people on the ground telling us that there’s significant guerrilla activity in the forest to the east of the facility. As though they’re searching for something.”

“Irene?” the president prompted.

She leaned back and instinctively reached for a cup of tea that wasn’t there. Another reminder that the Alexander administration was gone.