BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

“And we’re not seeing cases spread exponentially?”

“No,” Roth said. “Not as far as we can tell. They seem to have contained this initial outbreak to this one area.”

“How is that possible? From what you and Laurel showed me of the virus.”

Roth shook his head. “That’s the thing. We don’t think this outbreak is the virus.”

“What is it then?”

“It’s got to be something else. Something that isn’t transmissible. Given the history of the facility, our best guess is that it’s some sort of anthrax strain.”

“So they’re working on more than one bioweapon?”

“It looks that way.”

Lance looked at Roth.

“I know,” Roth said. “That’s why I want to get you over there as quickly as possible. Destroy this facility. Grind this thing to a halt.”

“All right,” Lance said. “So they’ve got a lab and a production facility?”

“Yes. The lab’s the real target. The production facility seems to be using pretty ordinary pharmaceutical equipment. These tanks here are the main production vats. There are four of them. This building, we think, is for drying and milling ingredients.”

“It doesn’t look very high tech.”

“Like I said, it’s low-value equipment. Given the fact there was a leak, it doesn’t even seem like they’ve customized it for military use. It’s just ordinary industrial-grade stuff. Nowhere near up to the task.”

“Why would they develop deadly new pathogens, and then cook them up in old vats like these?” Lance said.

“Same reason we shipped sixty M224 mortars to Basra with no four pound shells.”

Lance nodded.

“The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,” Roth said.

“If this is how they produce anthrax, we better pray they don’t start production of the virus.”

Roth nodded. “That’s why the main priority has to be the institute. That’s where the research is coming from. Destroy the lab, and you destroy the new weapons at their source.”

“So just walk in and start blowing shit up?”

“That would be a recipe for disaster,” Roth said.

“No kidding,” Lance said.

“You’re going to need help. The institute is led by this woman,” Roth said, pulling up a photo. “A scientist named Sofia Ivanovna. If you could somehow capture her and get her to guide you, it would make your job a lot easier.”

“That’s a pretty lady.”

“Yes it is,” Roth said impatiently.

“And why do you think she’ll help?”

“Because we ran analysis on every scientist in the institute. If they have a weak link ideologically, it’s her.”

“But she’s head of the institute.”

“It looks like they hired her because of what she could achieve in the lab, not because of her party loyalty.”

“Beautiful, and smart.”

“She’ll help you, Lance.”

Lance swiped through the other scientists. “What about this guy? You scored him highly.”