“We turned them over to my big Wooly Bear and his team. The patients are in quarantine.”

Wooly Bear was Dr. Ronald Coleman. He was a molecular biologist who oversaw a Division of Integrated Sciences dealing with the hunt for what he called “disease identity,” a radical new field of diagnostics.

“He’ll suss out what was done to them,” Doc assured him.

“Some of those folks have implants,” said Isaac, “and we think that’s where a lot of this ties together.”

“In what way, exactly?” asked Wilson.

Isaac smiled. His smiles always looked like he was wincing from some mild abdominal pain. “The more we tried to separate out the different fields of science here, the more they seem to want to clump together. I mean, especially if we start with a ‘what’s the worst that can happen’ point of view. And if you start with the idea of cybernetic implants for soldiers and add a cocktail of chemicals to enhance stamina and wakefulness, then what we might be looking at is a very damned scary new kind of super-soldier.”

“Or,” added Doc, “if you stir in some nasty short-duration, high-effect bioweapons as a possible payload, we could be seeing the birth of the next generation of suicide bomber. A virtually unkillable soldier who is faster, stronger, and able to fight his way into a crowded airport, a major concert, or a sports event and make himself go boom.”

Scott Wilson stared at them, and he could feel the blood drain from his face.

“You were right,” said Isaac to Doc. “You said he’d look like that.”

CHAPTER 21

SALES PRESENTATION VIA SHOWROOM

“Hello, my friends,” said Mr. Sunday, “welcome back. How delightful to see all of you, and a big welcome to some new folks who have joined us. I know that several of you are here on the recommendation of regular—and satisfied—customers. Don’t forget to ask me about the new customer premiums after the regular presentation.”

Mr. Sunday was dressed in a lightweight wool suit with a hand-painted tie and polished oxblood loafers. He looked like he was ready to host a cocktail mixer at a tech conference. All casual smiles and relaxed posture.

“We live in a troubled world,” he said. “There are all kinds of problems out there, both foreign and domestic. Access to the internet has allowed for unification of dissident voices, which in turn has led to strikes and walkouts, work slowdowns, and pressure from global watchdog groups. Our police forces are under siege for doing their jobs, and soldiers following sensible orders are being tried as war criminals. It’s getting to the point that we are being prevented from running our companies and our countries the way they need to be run. Are you with me still?”