BooksBarbecue
Back Outbreak
Chapters (124)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Acclaim for Frank Gardner’s Luke Carlton thrillers
  4. Also by Frank Gardner
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. 95
  102. 96
  103. 97
  104. 98
  105. 99
  106. 100
  107. 101
  108. 102
  109. 103
  110. 104
  111. 105
  112. 106
  113. 107
  114. 108
  115. 109
  116. 110
  117. 111
  118. 112
  119. 113
  120. 114
  121. 115
  122. Epilogue
  123. Acknowledgements
  124. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘Yes, there is.’ Holmes inched his chair a little closer to the prime minister, trying to keep him focused. He found it hard to understand how anyone, especially the PM, couldn’t see that this was more important than any other matters of state. ‘Chris Coppinger,’ he said. ‘Does that name ring a bell?’

‘Nope.’ The PM studied him with a blank expression. ‘Should it?’

‘Well, Coppinger is – or, rather, was – the second Arctic scientist to fall ill with the virus.’

‘Awful. Just awful.’ The PM looked at him wearily. The minutes were ticking by. ‘I think I read that somewhere in the brief. Tragic.’

‘Well, the point is this, Prime Minister. Coppinger took his own life, but right before he did that he placed a call to a medical colleague at the Marsden. He knew he was infected and he wanted people to know that this virus, this Agent X as we’re calling it, is a lot more virulent than we thought. You see, Coppinger had actually been tested and he came up negative. The antibodies simply didn’t show up. The virus had hidden itself.’

‘Oh, Christ. This is worse than Covid.’

‘Exactly,’ Holmes concurred. ‘And there’s another thing.’

‘Which is?’

Holmes could see he had the PM’s full attention now, but the man was still giving him a wary look. ‘The CFR rate is off the scale.’ He shook his head. ‘We’ve never seen anything like it.’

The PM made no attempt to hide his exasperation. ‘Brendan! I’ve told you before, I don’t do science. Please stop throwing acronyms at me. What on earth is a CFR when it’s at home?’

‘Oh, yes, sorry. It’s what we call the case fatality rate. It’s the percentage of deaths per number of cases of infection. So, if we take the WHO report on monkey pox in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2020, for example, the CFR was just two per cent for the whole country. But this chimera, this Agent X, seems to have a near-hundred per cent mortality rate. Basically, whoever gets it dies. We haven’t seen anyone survive it yet.’

For a long moment the PM just stared at him as he took this in. ‘So what’s your conclusion?’

‘I’ve discussed this with Joint Biosecurity and with Porton Down. There’s only one conclusion we can reach.’

‘And that is?’

He saw that the PM had loosened his tie and was rolling up his sleeves. Probably a good sign that he was taking this seriously. ‘And that is, PM, that whoever engineered this synthetic virus deliberately built in a symbel.’

‘A what?’