The Hidden Agenda

by Ajinkya Dharane

  "Mr. Lee, it is great to see you finally. Shall we begin?"

  "Mr. Ghazi, it would be rude of me to not offer you some refreshments." Mr. Lee looked at Wang, who instructed the head butler to bring out the food.

  "No need. I had a good lunch. And the food in this country is not my favourite. No offence Mr. Lee."

  Mr. Lee tried very hard to hide his disappointment. He thought Mr. Ghazi was clearly ignorant of some of the Asian traditions. It was considered an insult to reject a refreshment from your host in some of the Asian countries.

  Mr. Lee sat down in his chair, across from Mr. Ghazi. "So, Mr. Ghazi, you must be very desperate for me to join your project since you travelled halfway around the world."

  "First, Mr. Lee, can I count on your discretion about this meeting?"

  "Of course," Mr. Lee responded, assuring Mr. Ghazi.

  "Good. I would like to know your concerns because we can make a lot of money from this project."

  "Why do you think I need more money?" Mr. Lee replied, almost laughing at Mr. Ghazi. Arrogance was not Mr. Lee's usual trait, but this time it came out naturally.

  Mr. Ghazi grunted. He had expected that answer but not that attitude from Mr. Lee. He knew his next play, "Mr. Lee, your grandfather built this cottage?"

  "Yes. In 1921. Stayed strong since then."

  "And your father grew the company which you run?"

  Mr. Lee did not answer. He was getting a bad feeling about the direction of this conversation.

  Mr. Ghazi grinned at Mr. Lee, "You are the chairman of the company, one of the biggest corporations in Asia. You have money. You have luxury. You have power. But you do not have respect from your employees like your father or grandfather." He looked at Wang, who was looking down in shame.

  In his frightened voice, Mr. Lee said, "Did you come here to insult me, Mr. Ghazi?"

  "No, Mr. Lee. I came here to offer you the respect of your people. If we succeed in this project, you will be known as the person who saved the world."

  Mr. Lee was intrigued. He definitely was fascinated with the idea of people calling him a "saviour." The approval of his employees and authorities around the country was one thing he longed for since taking over the company.

  "You gave me my reason. What is your reason? Why is the Iranian government interested in this project? You know hundreds of people in your country might die too."

  "I am aware. Thousands die in our country out of poverty every day. And do not worry about the number of deaths. I assure you, we will control the outbreaks. We will keep them to rural areas, so we can contain them easily."

  Mr. Lee was not entirely convinced by Mr. Ghazi's quick dismissal of the number of casualties. The idea of a controlled viral outbreak was dangerous. He was an intelligent, well-educated man. He knew controlling a deadly virus could be impossible.

  Ignoring the puzzled look on Mr. Lee's face, Mr. Ghazi continued his explanation, "You ask why Iran is willing to do this? You tell me why we should not? The world does not want to buy our precious oil because of your rivals America." Mr. Ghazi emphasized on the word, rivals.

  "They have so many sanctions on our country, I forget the number. Our beautiful country, rich with oil, was once friends with everyone. Because of the greed of western powers now, our people rot in the dirt."

  Mr. Lee was stunned and speechless. He could feel the hatred for America in Mr. Ghazi's voice. Mr. Lee was more scared of Mr. Ghazi than he was convinced of his idea. He truly did not understand what damage it would cost him to deny Mr. Ghazi, second in command, to the supreme leader of Iran.

  Mr. Lee, talking more to himself, said, "If we publicize the part about vaccines, I will definitely get what I need. My government will definitely stand behind me. They do not like the west anymore."

  Mr. Ghazi was grinning. He knew the fish was hooked. All he had to do was carefully reel him out. "Yes, Mr. Lee. I like what you are thinking. The outbreak can be caused by simple testing failure or one of your dirty food markets. Blame the farmers for being unhygienic. No one will know the cause, but they will know the cure."

  Mr. Lee sat down, deliberating the execution plan. He opened his mouth to ask a few questions but found the answer himself. Mr. Ghazi sat in silence, amused by comic expressions on Mr. Lee's face. He thought Mr. Lee is truly a wealthy fool, as known to the world. But that very reputation made him a perfect partner. No one in the world would think that a timid fellow would participate in killing thousands around the world.

  "We would need at least two years for experimentation. And we do not have that kind of expertise in our company, so we need to recruit someone from outside," said Mr. Lee, finally finding words for his thoughts.

  "We do not expect you to find a solution in a month, Mr. Lee. Also, I do have someone in mind who would be perfect to lead the project." He gestured his bodyguard. The bodyguard brought him a document.

  Mr. Lee read the title of the document, "Mutation of Zoonotic Virus and its Effects, by Dr. Michael Chung, Dr. Altaf Muhhamed, Dr. Deepak Pawar, Dr. Jayson Lui, 2011."

  "What is this?" Mr. Lee asked.

  "This might be the key to our project, along with the report we sent last week. And we have identified your foreign recruit. Dr. Chung is very talented, smart and innovative. But he has a small gambling problem."

  Mr. Lee leaned on the table, anxiously waiting for Mr. Ghazi's next words.

  "The problem is so small that it has put Dr. Chung in a debt of over a million dollars." Mr. Ghazi said grinning.

  Mr. Lee was impressed by the abstract of the paper. He knew this project could work. Looking at the piece of paper in his hand, he said, "Mr. Ghazi, we do have some lamb kebabs prepared. Why don't you enjoy them, I will read the paper and understand the contents till then."

  "Very well," said Mr. Ghazi, accepting the kebabs. He was skeptical about eating the Mediterranean food prepared by Chinese chefs but wanted to keep Mr. Lee happy.

  After twenty minutes, Mr. Lee spoke, "I think this could be done. I cannot guarantee, but I do have high hopes from this information."

  "That positivity has made my trip worth," said Mr. Ghazi with a big smile. He extended his hand to Mr. Lee, who shook it, indicating an agreement.

  Pointing at his assistant, Mr. Lee said, "Mr. Ghazi, this is Wang. He is the man I trust more than myself. You see the tattoo on his neck? That is only given to one person at a time. It's our family crest for decades. He will run the point of contact here on. I will, of course, be available at your service."

  Mr. Ghazi looked at Wang, who was standing with his chest puffed and hands crossed in front of his belly. "Well, Mr. Wang, you are going to be part of history. Good luck to all of us."

  Saying that Mr. Ghazi left the room, his bodyguards following him.

  Chapter 23

  Emily, Jack and Neil were sitting in the consulate cafeteria, sipping hot coffee. Jack worryingly said, "Are we clear on the plan?"

  Neil and Emily said in unison, "Yes."

  "If you ask one more time, I am going to say no," said Neil jokingly.

  "Then he will repeat the plan. Please do not make him repeat the plan." Said Emily in an irritated voice. Jack looked at Neil, "You are an ass."

  "I am sending the text," said Emily.

  "Wait. Please read it out loud once more." Jack said, panicking.

  "Sorry. Too late."

  Jack heard the swoosh noise from the phone and let out a sigh of despair. "Okay. Just read it for my peace of mind."

  "Hi, Mr. Lee. This is Dr. Emily Rogers. Dr. Chung was my birth father, and I met him the night he died. I know the secret of project Robin Hood. I would like to meet with you to discuss possible collaboration." Emily reading the text. "See. Just as you narrated."

  Jack was a little relieved. But the next part was more worrying. He sat anxiously, hoping for Mr. Lee to take the bait.

  "Neil, the news was printed, right?"

  "Jack, I showed it to you in the morning. You read it yourselves."

  "S
orry. I am really flustered. This is a huge risk we are taking."

  All three of them jumped in their seat as Emily's phone beeped. Neil and Jack leaned forward, waiting for Emily to read the text message.

  "It is from a private number," Emily said, looking at Jack.

  "Well, what does it say?"

  "Meet me at Yanzhong Park at 5 pm. Come alone. No tricks."

  Jack relaxed back on his chair so hard, it almost toppled. He looked at Neil, "Have a backup team ready. We will follow Emily."

  He looked at Emily, "You know where the microphone is going to be installed?"

  "Yes, Jack. In my shoes."

  "Do not remove your shoes at any cost. They will surely pat you down. Me and Neil will be only two kilometres away, listening to your conversation. Any problem, you know what say?"

  "Yes. I will say, I am a doctor, three times consecutively, indicating danger. I am not sure why you chose those words, though?" Emily replied casually.

  "Emily now is not the time for second-guessing the plan," Jack said, disappointed at Emily's lack of sincerity.

  "Neil, let us go step by step on our part."

  Neil sighed deeply, mouthing, "Again?"

  Three of them discussed the plan again, annoying Emily and Neil, to a point where they were ready to throw their hot coffees on Jack's face.

  Emily entered the park from the west entrance, fifteen minutes before time. Even for a global pandemic, the park was crowded with joggers, walkers, and people sitting on the bench. Most of the people were wearing masks and gloves and maintaining as much distance as possible between themselves.

  Emily was instructed to sit down on an empty bench near a basketball court. Jack and Neil were sitting in a car outside the park, tracking Emily's location through the GPS device they had planted in Emily's shoes. Nothing happened for twenty minutes. Jack had expected the delay. He was confident that Lee's team would recon the place.

  Suddenly, Jack saw the tracker moving. Emily was walking towards the east end of the park. "Neil, Emily is moving. We need to go to the other side of the park. Quick, let's get there."

  "Maybe she is bored sitting in one place and just taking a walk?"

  "She is not here to take a stroll. Just do as I say," said Jack. He called Ed, who was on standby to rectify any technical issues. "Ed, I think Emily got new instructions, can you hack her phone?"

  "Sure. Give me a moment. Yes, Emily got a text from a private number to walk towards the east gate of the park."

  Jack gave Neil "I-told-you-so" look. They started driving through Shanghai traffic, trying not to miss Emily.

  As they reached the east side of the park, Jack spotted Emily. She was getting into a black sedan with no license plate. Jack pointed at the car and asked Neil to follow.

  Neil was keeping a distance of at least three cars between the black sedan and himself. Jack was focusing all his energy to not lose sight of the vehicle. As they left the city area, it was becoming a challenge to follow the car without creating suspicion.

  "Do you think the car is going to the famous Hong'an cottage?" Neil asked.

  "If I were Lee, I would not take Emily to my home. But it looks like this Lee person is not smart enough. Honestly, I was not sure at all that he would take the bait. He spooked easy," Jack replied.

  "Tell me honestly, Jack, why do you care so much about Dr. Chung's murder? I mean, you did not even like to person in the first meeting."

  "Neil, I do not care about Dr. Chung. I had no relationship with him. But this is a chance for me to get back, my job. Also, I am growing fond of Emily. I want justice for her. It is a bonus to solve a mystery of global tragedy along the way. It will be like punishing the murderer of my grandfather and a thousand others." Jack was smiling confidently. He was waiting for an opportunity to get into the room with Lee since he found those papers at Wuhan Lab. He was going to get one soon.

  The car with Emily took an exit, which Neil almost missed. The sudden turn, Neil made, caused the car's tires to screech. Jack yelled, "Shit. They must have heard the sound. Just be careful."

  Emily's car did not show any signs of notice. Jack thought it was weird. He could not repress, asking, "Neil, do you feel this chase is straightforward? Do you think we are being led into a trap or something?"

  "Jack, we are in this now. Do not second guess yourself. You have a solid plan to get Lee. Let's go get him."

  As they drove further away from the highway, Jack witnessed a significant change in scenery. The massive farmlands were slowly disappearing in the background. The road was leading into woods, densely covered with tall trees bearing lush green leaves. Under any better circumstance, Jack would have thought of planning a hiking trip in the area.

  Neil maintained a larger distance now that the road was a single lane, and virtually no other cars existed in the area. After driving for about half an hour, they saw a massive mansion on the top of the hill.

  "This must be the famous Hong' an cottage, huh?" Jack said, looking out of the windshield, visibly amused by the size of the property. Jack was used to seeing million-dollar cottages back home, but this was a sign of pure dominance. The cottage was sitting on top, looking over the woods and roads below.

  Neil parked the car about two kilometres away from the main entrance. Jack could track Emily's location inside the cottage.

  Jack thought this might be the end of the mystery surrounding the death of his grandfather, Dr. Chung, Chen and thousands of others around the globe. The thought gave him chills.

  Chapter 24

  "Hello, Ms. Rogers. Welcome to Hong'an cottage." Mr. Lee's voice was calm.

  "It is Dr. Rogers, Mr. Lee," Emily replied sharply. "It is a great honour to find your acquaintance. Thank you for meeting me."

  "Yes. It is my pleasure to meet the mysterious daughter of one of the most talented scientists I have met," Dr. Chung said, his voice reflecting a genuine appreciation for Dr. Chung.

  Emily was unmoved by the mention of her birth father by the man who allegedly had him killed. She kept silent.

  Mr. Lee looked at Wang, who was standing still in his spot, looking out the window. "So, Dr. Rogers, how can I help you?"

  "Mr. Lee, I know the origins of the outbreak. Do not misunderstand me, I am on your side. After all, my father was."

  "Dr. Rogers, pardon my skepticism, but can you tell me what you know?" Mr. Lee said, still not showing any form of concern.

  "I met my father the night he died. He told me how the project Robin Hood came to fruition. You took my study of a new virus found in 2013 - Rat-G-13 and mutated it to the current strain of the virus. He told me how he used his theory of controlling various factors and put it in practice. You ordered him, financed him for these experiments."

  Emily paused to study Mr. Lee's reactions. Mr. Lee was cracking his knuckles. Emily noticed the nervousness in Mr. Lee and decided to push for the confession.

  "So, Mr. Lee, I am a reasonable woman. I will take the same deal as my father. I will take one million yen, and I need one more thing. I am tired of being a public servant. I have inherited a couple of pharmacies from my father, well, adoptive father, in Canada. I want you to finance the expansion of these pharmacies all over North America. I want the exclusive rights to sell your VD-19 vaccine in North America. I will handle the formalities with Health Canada and CDC," Emily demanded with confidence.

  After thinking for a few minutes, Mr. Lee looked at Emily and said, "Dr. Rogers, I admire your transparency and ambitious demands. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with the exclusivity of the vaccine. I will compensate that demand by paying you five times the money you asked for."

  Emily was happy to receive the response as planned. Jack had explained to her that the vaccine rollout will have a distribution plan in place. So, it would be impossible for Mr. Lee to give exclusivity in their biggest market - North America. But to achieve her final goal, she had to play her act of demands a little more.

  "Forgive my negligence, Mr. Lee. What could poss
ibly the reason you cannot give me the exclusivity?" Emily asked innocently.

  "Dr. Rogers, I am not the only stakeholder in the project. Have you heard of Mr. Ghazi, second in command, to the supreme leader of Iran?" Emily nodded. "Well, he is the driver of this project. I am merely an executioner. I provided my company's infrastructure, money to complete the virus's mutation, and the vaccine needed to cure it."

  Emily felt happy. She was getting the confession she needed. "Mr. Lee, for my curious scientific mind, how did you make sure that the virus lived outside your lab? How did you make sure that it caused an outbreak?"

  "Great question Dr. Rogers. You clearly are Dr. Chung's daughter. You, your father, was able to mutate the virus named Rat-G-13, which you know about very well. It was your discovery in 2013. You labelled it low risk for transmissivity. But after Dr. Chung was able to mutate it, its risk level rose significantly." Mr. Lee explained.

  Emily understood the contents of the documents, Jack got from Wuhan lab. She was impressed with Dr. Chung. "So, you mutated the virus inside the humans. Once you achieved the results, you just sent that person out in the society, causing havoc in the world."

  It was Mr. Lee's turn to be impressed. He did not know, Emily possessed some valuable evidence of testing from his lab.

  Jack, listening to the conversation carefully, looked at Neil and gave a hearty smile. With a great relief, he said to himself, "Now Emily, agree whatever terms Lee puts forward and get the hell out of there." Jack had got his evidence to connect the pandemic to Lee family. Information on the Iranian government was a bonus.

  Emily looked at Mr. Lee, "I will agree to the terms you proposed, Mr. Lee. But I want to know what my father did wrong. Why you had him killed? Do not get me wrong, I want to know so I can avoid the same mistakes."

  Mr. Lee's smile faded away. He quickly replied, "Dr. Rogers, I had nothing to do with Dr. Chung's death. You have to trust me on that."

  Emily was disheartened. She calmly said, "Mr. Lee, I thought we are going to be transparent with each other."

  Mr. Lee went quickly from calm to panicked mood. "Dr. Rogers, I swear. Dr. Chung had my respect. Because of his work, I will achieve a global recognition—the one thing my ancestors could not do."