Page 93 of Viral Justice

Max stared after her for a moment, then moved to a part of the building away from the rock face where he could get a signal and pulled out his satellite phone.

“Stone.” The general’s voice was as professional as always, but there was a note of worry or perhaps impatience in it.

“Sir,” Max replied. “I’m requesting a quarantine of this area. I’ve identified the virus and if it gets out the death toll could be catastrophic.”

“Define catastrophic.”

“Millions, sir. Hundreds of millions dead. Everywhere.”

“Is it Akbar?”

“My gut and the message Ali found on a body earlier are telling me it’s him.”

For a moment Stone didn’t say anything, then his voice came back over the connection. “What do you need?”

“I need vaccination supplies and enough doses of the latest Influenza A H5N1 vaccine for three hundred people.”

“Will that vaccine help?”

“It’s a long shot, but it’s better than doing nothing at all. None of the locals here have been vaccinated and the mortality rate is around thirty-five percent.”

“Is it contagious?”

“Extremely. One of our own appears to have died of it about hour or two ago. He’d reported a slight cough, headache, and tiredness. He went to grab a few hours of sleep and died. Another of the men is reporting flu-like symptoms, but his illness isn’t progressing. His appears to be like any other flu in a healthy adult. Irritating, but not lethal.”

Max took a deep breath and continued. “But two cases don’t tell me much. That’s why I want to attempt to vaccinate the remaining population here.”

“What’s your plan B?”

“That is plan B. Plan A is two-fold. We’re collecting blood from survivors to use as a treatment for those who are gravely sick. I’m also going to try to culture a vaccine here from the full virus. In case plan B doesn’t work. That’s forty-eight hours away, though.”

“Which soldier died?”

“Bull. I mean, Sergeant Bullard.”

“Good man.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m going to give the phone to your assistant so he can get your list of supplies. We’ll have to coordinate a covert drop for this one.”

“My thought as well, sir.”

“Don’t risk yourself or any of our soldiers if you don’t have to.”

He didn’t say “take care of my daughter,” probably because that sentiment would earn him a nasty reaction from said daughter, but Max didn’t have difficulty in inferring the meaning.

“No, sir, I won’t. I need every one of them able to perform at their current impressive level.”

“Good.”

There was a bit of static, then Eugene greeted him and Max began to list off the supplies he’d need.

“Sir, you need biohazard suits if you’re dealing with Akbar.”

“That would be like closing the barn door after the horses have gotten out. Too little too late.”

“Sir, is there anything else I can send? Antibiotics or anti-virals?”

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