Page 3 of Ice Princess

Chapter 2 ~Blade

Blade stands in front of a screen watching the jumpy body cam video as one of his teams enters a village in West Africa.

“Master Chief Benson we are entering the village now, it looks as if we have some infected dead.”

“Roger that, be careful. This disease can cause some aggression.”

“Copy.”

Then Blade feels his muscles tense as he looks at the scene of devastation. Someone has been testing bio-terror weapons in remote villages. It hurts his heart to look at the scene, but he has seen too much to show it outwardly. Growing up in a military family the Navy Seal program is all he ever wanted. Blade achieved his dream and found the infectious disease was his calling. Now after completing a Ph.D. in infectious disease, he is the senior officer on the bio-weapons task force protecting Americans and our allies from the threat of bioterrorism.

“It looks as if it wiped the entire village, Master Chief.” Owens one of the most senior officers’ radios back.

“Do the recon make sure that no one got out of the village and create a containment field for 25 miles around the village. Check for survivors and get back to me.”

“Roger that.”

“Owens?” Blade says, waiting for him to respond.

“Yes, Master Chief.”

“Be careful and come home safe.”

“Will do. Owens out.”

The feed disconnects and Blade walks out of the briefing room. The last month has been brutal. He lost two of his closest friends and officers to an Ebola outbreak and now this new virus was spreading terror and panic. From the analysis, it was a man-made combination deadliness of Ebola with the longer shelf life of other viruses. It seemed to be able to live outside of the host for 24 hours. If it was to get out and into a major metropolitan area, it would be devastating. From their limited exposure to N562 or as it was being called The Kraken Virus due to the virus somewhat resembling the sea creature of old, it had a 75% mortality rate.

The only good news was that it was not airborne and had to be spread by direct contact.

“Master Chief there is a phone call for you.” His assistant said coming into his office.

“Send it through.” He says picking up the call as it rang through.

“Is this Master Chief Benson?”

“Charlie is that you?” Blade finds a smile and kicks back in my chair. Charlie went through Navy Seal training and the infectious disease program with him at Columbia.

“Blade, how the heck are you?”

“Busy, busy the terrorists just keep making more bio-weapons and we keep rooting them out.”

“I hear that. I wish this was a social call, but no such luck. I am afraid I have some news. I received word that there is chatter about a possible bio-weapon attack on the United States.”

“Is it Tuesday?” Blade laughs along with Charlie.

“Isn’t that the truth? This is credible and we think that the terrorist is armed with N562.”

“There is chatter that someone has brought Kraken into the United States.”

All humor leaves the conversation as Blade thinks back to the video of the village from Owen’s body cam.

The bodies littering the dirt, the screaming of the dying. Blade thinks about that village except imagine it as a major American city and shudder.

“Do we have any way of knowing where he may have come in at?”

“Not at this time. All we have so far is the chatter that he is in the United States. That was all we got from the source before he was found dead in his apartment.”

A chill works its way through his body.

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