by B. M. Hodges
“Mr. Bertrand was surprisingly forthcoming about IHS. I think he believed that the confidentiality agreement you signed for your settlement and the ensuing greed from your new wealth would shut you up for good. It is true that IHS is a virus that has military applications. But Vitura isn’t working on a contract for an ‘unnamed military organization’ as Bertrand put it. Vitura is working for Vitura.
“You have to understand, Vitura is a global corporation the likes of which has never been seen before. It is a hydra, completely decentralized, with no actual headquarters running the operation. It was set up that way so operations could continue even if most of it was shut down or destroyed. Bertrand mentioned that Vitrua is in eighteen countries, but those aren’t its only locations. Vitura has also absorbed a fleet of six cruise ships that they have converted into mobile research facilities and reclaimed four derelict oil platforms for corporate operations that function well outside the jurisdiction of international law. And in reality, each of those eighteen branches is an individual cell, wholly enclosed and self-sufficient. Due to its international presence in various non-treaty countries and its unconventional corporate structure, Vitura Pharmaceuticals operates outside any single country’s law. And with the fortune it has amassed over the last ten years through intellectual property patents and genetic breakthroughs, Vitura has become the wealthiest corporation on the planet, surpassing many country’s GDP.”
She paused, her eyes glittered for a moment at the brilliance of the company’s success, “But the beauty of Vitura is the way that the wealth and its power is delegated so, while in the last twenty years it has grown to become a global power, it has remained under the public’s radar. The founders of Vitura are master architects, master craftsman of a transnational corporate structure that operates above mundane global affairs. Its reach extends beyond politicos and state rulers. It’s omnipresent.” She lit another cigarette and smoked in silence for a few moments while she reminisced about Vitura’s greatness inside her head.
Tomas coughed.
That brought her back to the present. Dr Greer snuffed out her cigarette and continued, “Andy and I have been working at Vitura’s San Diego campus since it was incorporated eleven years ago. Most employees at Vitura are independent contractors on one-year contracts or less as another layer of security. Because of our longevity with the company, your father and I have become privy to information that most employees at Vitura Pharma wouldn’t even have the slightest inkling of.
“Vitura is getting too big to remain hidden. It knows this and has been planning proactively to announce its presence to the world on its own terms. The initial deployment of IHS in Guangzhou, China next month is going to be their coming out party.”
She paused long enough to light another cigarette.
“You see, Vitura, while headless, does have its own internal ideology. Vitura sees the big picture. And one of the tenants of that ideology is a desire to control nature for the betterment of mankind.
“One of Vitura’s cells is a think-tank devoted to creating theoretical models of the company’s long term survival in a world where billions of people are born every decade. Projections have shown that an increasingly overpopulated world will eventually destroy itself and Vitura. Their solution: If the population could be eased back down to less than five billion, many of the world’s problems would go away or diminish to a manageable extent and Vitura could thrive. With current technology, hunger, disease, green house emissions, even poverty is curable if we could put a reasonable cap on the world’s population.
“So the think-tank began to create models of a world where the population is selectively culled, in critical areas where disease and war would most likely threaten humankind with annihilation. They submitted a request to Vitura’s San Diego campus. Our contribution to the cause was an engineered chimeric virus that can be deployed then rendered inert before spreading out of control. How? By creating a virus that infects through human-to-human contact, is easy to diagnose and containable with efficiently managed quarantine zones.
“And the best part is, the think-tank believes that once governments see the effectiveness of IHS, that they will open their coffers and pay Vitura to cull their populations.”
Tomas had enough of this nonsense. He didn’t trust a word she said. She must be one of those stalker types who feed off the misfortune of others, he thought. “Give me a break lady. This isn’t a Bond movie. There are no global conspiracies. You’re off your rocker.” He rose and stormed towards the door. As he reached for the knob, he heard a barely audible ‘click.’ He turned back and saw that Dr. Greer was pointing a pistol at his head. “Sit down, Tomas. Your father warned me that you are impulsive and emotional. He was right - you’re more impetuous than a schoolgirl. And hand over the memory card. If you want proof, you have all the proof you need in your possession.”
Tomas backed away from the door and dipped his hand into his pocket, fishing out his phone amid crumpled wads of dollar bills, Andy’s keys and the forgotten envelope. He ejected the card and flicked it across the table. It slid to a stop next to the ashtray.
“I’m so glad you didn’t throw it out with the ashes. There was no other way to smuggle out the files. Employees are searched and sent through a backscatter full-body scanner when leaving the premises. I knew you were in town and figured it was just a matter of time before you came snooping around the facility for your father so I planted the card in the urn.” She set the gun on the table and reached down into a bag beside her chair, brought out a tablet and inserted the card. After typing in a complex series of codes, she handed the tablet to Tomas.
“That’s all the information you need. I’m confident you will come around once you have taken a look at those files. Take your time,” she said. “We have five hours before the night shift changes at the facility. You should be able to slip in with the rest of them to save your father then.”
Tomas began flipping through the files. His quick mind, his degree in biology and his fascination with chemistry as a teenager allowed him to read into the files near the level of a second year lab tech. The files were solely from Vitura San Diego. There was no mention of other ‘cells’ as Dr. Greer called them. Nearly every file had to do with IHS. Along with the documents, were photos of animal experimentation as well as video.
Tomas gasped when he delved deeper and found a file unabashedly called, Human Trials.
Vitura had been recruiting homeless in San Diego, LA, Phoenix and Las Vegas to take part in benign experiments using placebos and faux questionnaires. However, some homeless, the ones too schizophrenic or addicted or senile to be missed, weren’t so fortunate. They were ruthlessly experimented on. Photos, video and detailed observations of bloated moaning zombie-like creatures leaking greenish fluid out of their orifices and splits in their skin, were catalogued and organized neatly in the files. Some of the homeless were used as food for the infected; some merely bitten, scratched or sprayed with viral goo to see how long it took for the fever to take hold.
An hour had passed before Tomas had had enough of the carnage, ruthlessness of the scientists and the unethical treatment of their subjects. He was cognizant of Dr. Greer in many of the videos and photos, tablet in hand, barking orders to her underlings as they experimented on the infected. He could feel the glass of wine from earlier turning in his stomach. He ran to the bathroom, got down on his knees and puked burgundy across the lip of the toilet bowl.
He splashed cold water on his face and went back out to face Dr. Greer who now looked to him like a monster. She sensed the change in his demeanor and said, “Yes, I was head of clinical trials of the virus. And yes, I am personally responsible for the deaths of forty-two ‘volunteers,’ I have no excuse for my actions. My ability to remain detached and impartial during those experiments is a talent that I am ashamed of, but it is the talent that I was recruited for. Mr. Bertrand trusts me because I am the one who will fry in the electric chair should any of this become public. I am r
esponsible and there is nothing I can do to change the past.”
She went to the mini-bar, poured a scotch and tipped it back.
“I loved your father, Tomas. All my life, I have been alone. My family was killed in a tragic accident when I was very young. Science and research have been my life. I’ve never had any lovers until I met your father. But I want to attempt to atone for my sins. I want to take my knowledge of Vitura and IHS and put a stop to their plans before they kill millions of people with what is essentially my baby, the virus that I helped create and bring into this world.
“With your help and with the wealth that your father’s death has brought you, we can put a stop to Vitura. Inside those files is research and discoveries that I have been a party to that we could patent … hell, inside those files is enough research to synthesize a vaccine for IHS. We could inoculate the world, Tomas, and save millions, possibly billions of people.”
“But Andy isn’t dead. You said so yourself. This check,” Tomas pulled the envelope out of his pocket, “is useless if it’s all a fraud.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, my dear. The man that you know, asyour father is dead. His body is still alive; but technically, Andy is brain dead. Like those creatures you saw, he is still walking around, but only because he is trying to find others to infect. He is no longer Andy, no longer my Andy.” Tomas could see that she was actually tearing up. “We need to put him down. Then I can move on. But I can’t do it. If I try to do it, they’ll surely catch me.”
She came up close to Tomas and put her hand on his shoulder, “Your father has a spare uniform and badge. Go to Vitura at exactly three a.m. and enter when you see the change of shift. Use his badge to get through the gate and into the research building in the rear. Then it will be a simple matter to gain entrance to the laboratory level and light him up.”
“Light him up? Do you really think I’m going to burn him alive?” Tomas was close to a nervous breakdown. This day was too much for him.
“You’ll have to. If you get too close, he could bite you and you’d be infected as well. Incineration is the only way. Then get out and leave for Canada immediately.” She walked over to her bag and pulled out a wad of hundreds, “Here’s two thousand dollars cash. When you’re finished, drive straight to the airport and buy a ticket home. I’m crossing into Mexico tonight with these files. From there, I’ll take a plane to Panama and charter a vessel to Australia. I have contacts over there who can help us. After a few months, I’ll find my way back to Canada. If both of us are successful, I will contact you for a meet and we’ll discuss how we’re going to take down Vitura. Now go Tomas and be brave. Do it for Andy. And keep that check in a safe place. It’s seed money for saving mankind.”
And with that, Dr. Greer opened the door and practically shooed him into the hallway. “Andy would have been proud,” she said before shutting the door.
Tomas was alone in the hallway.
He took out the forgotten envelope, realizing he hadn’t bothered to open it earlier. The check inside was written out to Mr. Tomas Overstreet for one million seven hundred and forty-seven thousand dollars.
Chapter 4: Groundwork
Tomas leaned against the corridor wall to steady himself.
I’m a millionaire.
His legs were weak and he had trouble staying on his feet. But after the initial shock over the seven digit settlement began to subside, it dawned on him that since he arrived in San Diego, he was being manipulated. If it wasn’t by his father who knew about his employers evil deeds and his secrets, then Supervisor Bertrand and a ‘settlement check’ that was nothing more than a thinly disguised pay-off - and now Dr. Greer, who claimed she loved his father but was leaving his fate entirely in Tomas’ hands.
No. Tomas wasn’t going to let Dr. Greer off that easy. She is trying to railroad me into doing her dirty work. His father was alive and he had to do something about it. But if I were to even consider helping Andy, I’m going to do it my way.
He carefully folded the check and put it in the back of his wallet then turned and banged on the door, “Dr. Greer! Open the door! I’m not leaving until you speak to me! Dr. Greer!”
The door opened, but she’d kept the security chain latched and he could see she was pointing the gun, now equipped with a silencer, at his abdomen. She whispered into the hallway, “Stop attracting unwanted attention or I’ll shoot!” When he calmed she said in a frosty tone, “You need to start acting like a man. There is a much bigger world outside that comatose stupor you put yourself in with those pills you take. Oh, yes, your dad knew about the pills and I can see their effects in your slightly unfocused eyes right now. Even during this critical time, you’re high. Now, if I open this door and let you back in, will you act civilly?”
For a few fleeting seconds, Tomas had felt as if he was finally in control of his life when he’d looked at that check. But after Dr. Greer’s scolding, he felt more like a child than someone in control of his destiny. That kind of tongue lashing wasn’t something he was accustomed to as his mother tended to avoid delving into that more difficult side of parenting, instead preferring to withdraw until the need for such discipline passed.
Dr. Greer opened the door and stood back, the gun still pointed at his abdomen in case she’d misread his intentions.
“Ma’am, I agree that something needs to be done about Andy, but I just can’t go in and kill him.” Tomas had a keen mind and he was already formulating an alternate plan, “I’m going to help Andy, but I need four or five days to put everything together. If my plan is to succeed, I’m going to need your help throughout the entire ordeal.”
She started to shake her head.
Tomas held up his hand to keep her quiet and continued, “You can still leave the country tonight. I’m not saying I need you here ‘physically’.” He pulled the two grand out of his pocket she’d given him, “Wait here for me for a couple of hours. This should be enough to pick up a couple of those new com-links just released on the market. We’ll be able to stay in contact and you can get out of here. You’re going to have to provide some logistical information about your company’s compound. Otherwise, I don’t think my plan will work.”
“What’s your plan, Tomas?”
“I’m going to break Andy out of there, that’s what I’m going to do. I won’t ‘put him down,’ but the least I can do is get him to a safe location where we can work on a cure. My father is a good man. I don’t think he’d be opposed to using him to study the disease he’s infected with if it means helping the innocent. If you’re serious about stopping Vitura, having a live specimen will only bolster your knowledge and experience with IHS, wouldn’t you say?”
Dr. Greer seemed more receptive now that she realized that Tomas was planning to help Andy and looking at the whole picture. He’s right, it would certainly be useful if she could get hold of live virus. She set the gun down and said, “The consumer tech you’re talking about is child’s play compared to the equipment our R&D division has been working on. I can do you one better. Let me make a phone call. Andy and I aren’t the only disgruntled Vitura employees.”
She went to the hotel phone, attached a device to the receiver, mumbled instructions to an unseen party and turned back to Tomas. “Do you favor your left or right ear?”
*****
Tomas couldn’t wait to get started the next morning and was already up by five. He took a cold shower and sketched out an inventory of a few but necessary items needed to carry out his plan. His right ear cavity was sore from the com-link that Dr. Greer’s techie friend had implanted deep and inside as close to the eardrum as possible the night before. He didn’t mind the pain, however, as the enhanced audible range and ability to instantly communicate with Dr. Greer, if needed, were more than sufficient trade-offs. At least he didn’t feel as if he were in this alone.
After dwelling over the plan for some time and making minor corrections he came up with a simple list:
Breakout Items
-Andy’s uniform
-1 working security pass (Andy’s? check w/ Dr. G)
-1 liter flask of thermite
-4 tannerite cakes
-5 gallons of gasoline
-1 extra large coffin
-1 angle grinder
-1 moving van (paint white)
-1 industrial strength tarp
- 12 ft. nylon rope
-Sedatives
-4 cellphones and bubblewrap
-Private plane rental w/pilot
-US$20k in hundred dollar bills
The goods and services on the list were easily purchasable once the settlement check cleared, except for the explosive compounds. But he was fairly confident he could make them if they weren’t. The cash may have raised some eyebrows at the bank if he was an ordinary customer, but depositing nearly two million dollars should give him enough leverage to avoid any unnecessary questions.
“Dr. Greer, you there?” he asked.
“Tomas, I didn’t expect you till later. How’s the reception? I’m two hours south of Baja on a schooner. Is there any interference on your end?”
“I hear you like you’re sitting next to me. Doc, I need some chemicals that may or may not be illegal in the States. Do you know where I can pick up some tannerite, thermite and magnesium cord in the Mira Mesa area?”
Dr. Greer laughed, “The first two are impossible to purchase unless you have a demolition company. I thought you were a lab geek? I’m sure you can whip up some thermite and tannerite on your own; recipes are all over the net. You’ll have to improvise your ignition devices for the tannerite, but magnesium cord can still be purchased. Is there anything else? The skipper is eye-balling me. Please only use the com-link when absolutely required. I’m not your yellow pages or confidante, and I’m shutting it off as soon as your mission is over.”
