The Wuhan Mission

by Irving Waters

  Roet had called him this morning in his car on the way to work to give his intimidating reminders.

  “Wu, how is the project coming along?” Roet had asked in his snide voice.

  “Work is progressing steadily but I have more ground to cover.”

  “Your daughter is also doing very well. She studies too much though. She really needs to get out more.” Roet had said.

  Dr. Wu had been lying to Roet. He was indeed very close to having the new SARS-CoV-2 virus that would satisfy the Chairman, but he had so far ignored Roet’s request for a special ‘Asians only virus’.

  He hoped that the Chinese Government would help him with getting his daughter out of America unharmed. He had no intention of ever doing what Roet was asking. He would rather take his chances with the Chinese Government grabbing his daughter and bringing her back to China, but he would put off telling the Chairman about Roet and his daughter until it was absolutely necessary, if at all.

  *

  Sam Chilvers had been waiting a good couple of months for a briefing from Roet about the details of the package that Xue Lin would be tasked with stealing. He had become frustrated with Roet’s excuses and he felt that Xue Lin’s life might be being put in danger by the pointless secrecy that was going on. Sam dialed the phone on his desk.

  “Speak!” answered Marcus Roet from his office upstairs on the fifth floor.

  “We need to talk, Marcus” said Sam,”Immanuel Presbyterian at 11am.”

  “OK Sam. This better be important” said Roet, annoyed, abruptly hanging up.

  Sam had always been wary of Roet. He had a tendency to cut corners and blame others for the problems he himself had caused. He was a coward, and of course an alcoholic. Sam had learnt from his step-father that no alcoholic can be trusted to tell the truth or to do the right thing.

  Sam was on a ‘need to know’ basis, according to Roet, but now he needed to know exactly what ‘the package’ was that his operative was going to be going after.

  Sam had recently been briefed about the basics concerning Dr. Wu. He was a ‘coerced’ asset, not to be relied upon, and was likely under equal pressure from the Chinese Government. It was still officially ‘classified’ how Roet had coerced Wu. Maybe money, maybe blackmail. Sam had been ordered to keep Xue Lin in the dark about Wu. So as far as his operative knew, she was on her own in Wuhan with nothing but the promise of an extraction team on the day she secured the package, which might be soon.

  When Sam arrived at the church, he looked at his phone, 10:55am. He decided to wait until Roet showed before getting out of his navy blue SUV. Sam put his phone in the glove compartment and pulled out his Beretta PX4 in its holster and shoved it down the small of his back. The pistol was not issued by the agency. It was his personal weapon which despite being licensed, he was not supposed to need while working in the States. He just liked to carry. Maybe it was a thing from his military days, but he just felt better packing a gun. He and Roet were swimming in murky waters now.

  Sam observed Marcus Roet pulling up outside the church, getting out and looking over his shoulder for a moment before going into the church. Thirty seconds later Sam followed him in and sat next to him in a pew up the back. The church was empty.

  “Marcus.” Sam said, nodding.

  “Samuel” replied Roet.

  “Marcus, you’ve got to tell me what the package is going to be.” Sam wasn’t one for beating around the bush.

  Roet looked sour: “Come on Sam you know that’s above your pay grade” replied Roet. “You’ll know when the time comes. No-one is to be trusted, and that includes CIA officers, for now.”

  “OK, then what about our Dr. Wu? What do you have on him?” Sam smirked at Roet, encouraging him to answer. “You’ve got something on him, what is it?” he prompted.

  Roet’s ego pulsed in him. He wanted Chilvers to know the power that he had over the Chinese virologist.

  “Well…he has a daughter here that we have been keeping tabs on.”

  “By that you mean you have tapped every device she has and bugged her apartment?” replied Sam, smiling.

  “Yep” said Roet smugly. “We send videos to her father every now and then, just to let him know that she is still….safe..”

  “So the Doctor is behaving over there for us?” asked Sam.

  “Far as we can tell. There’s no biological oversight from our side. He’s working alone. The dumb assistants are just doing the admin, but he’s the only one who knows the ‘special mission’ that I’ve assigned him, that is besides me and the Deputy Director of National Intelligence. Not even the President knows that Dr. Wu is in play.”

  “My operative is going to need to know what’s in tha lab. She’s going to be stealing it from that facility. It’s going to be pretty God damned tight. She’s got to get to extraction with the package intact, and needs to get her exit routes straight soon, and her knowledge of the contents of that package might change her mind about how she plans to evade and escape the Chinese. Don’t you think we should tell her Marcus?”

  “When the time comes, Samuel, you’ll know, she’ll know, but that’s all. This particular item, when put into play, is going to affect everything it touches, and currently, the Chinese don’t know that we know what’s going on in that lab. I’d like to keep it that way. This is also for the safety of your pretty little “Snow Forest” over there, who we all remember from her Langley training.” Roet smiled, remembering how Xue Lin had injured several other trainees in hand-to-hand sessions. She was quite the little tiger.

  “Have it your way Marcus, but you make sure that Wu doesn’t find out that she’s one of ours. Her life depends on it. Do I have your word?”

  “You have my word Sam. Relax. Wu is shackled to us. He’s a puppet.”

  *

  Chapter 23

  Three Scientists

  Dr. Wu’s work on the antidote was infinitely simpler than creating the virus. Years ago he had perfected the anti-viral drug that he had proven could kill the ‘Human Immunodeficiency Virus.’ AIDS was considered by the Communist Party to be a useful ‘reaping machine’ for the undesirable parts of the population: homosexuals and intravenous drug users. The US Government had similar sentiments about HIV. Dr. Wu’s anti-viral drug had been buried by the Chinese Government almost immediately and had never been leaked. His ability to keep his mouth shut had been noticed by the Communist Party, which almost certainly had something to do with them offering him his current job.

  The anti-viral drug needed merely to be tweaked in a few minor ways to be effective on the virus he had engineered for the Chairman. The beauty of the antidote was that it could be administered before or after infection, and would cure most patients if introduced before too much damage was done to the respiratory system. However, in the back of his mind there lingered the concern that the antidote could not work beyond a certain timeframe on a ‘mutating virus.’

  By the end of the day he would have the antidote which he would color green, to prevent any confusion when the special travel vials tubes were handed over for mass production.

  As Dr. Wu opened the bio-hazard safe and slid the test-tube rack out, placing the green antidote vial into a vacant slot, he thought about the version of the virus he had labelled: “SARS-CoV-X” that had the ability to mutate. He had colored this version ‘red’ and nicknamed it the “Red Virus” in his notes. He had marked it for incineration. According to his limited experiments with the Red Virus, the antidote would likely only work for a year or so until the virus had mutated enough to be invulnerable to it. There would be no antidote that would offset the virus after a couple of mutations. As the virus changed, the antidote would also have to change. That’s why the red version had to be destroyed when work was completed. He would have loved to have worked with the Red Virus for a while to see the extent of its ability to mutate, but alas, the Chairman had put him on a deadline.

  *

  The three men in cheap suits passed through the front doors of
the Virology Building. To Xue Lin, they looked different to most men, awkward, nerdy with unfashionable glasses and poorly cut pant cuffs that were all slightly the wrong length. Xue Lin ran a mental profile as they emerged from the security area with their briefcases still in hand. They walked, talked and dressed like scientists.

  “If it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck…” thought Xue Lin.

  Dr. Wu appeared at his lab’s security door between the two guards, opened it and ushered the three visiting scientists into the secure area. All of them, including Wu, wore stern faces, almost scared. There were no smiles, no warm greetings, and not really any polite interaction at all. It was extremely odd. Xue Lin ran more scenarios in her head as she’d been trained to do. She needed to be flexible with her plans. Things were developing now and she could be forced to move up her schedule.

  The three scientists followed Dr. Wu through the security door, and out of Xue Lin’s line of sight.

  Inside Wu’s secure lab, the men all sat down at the central table and opened their briefcases containing folders of confidential files. One of the men extracted a folder and spread the contents on the table for Wu to examine. Dr. Wu picked up the first page which had a heading:

  Central Military Commission

  Directive: Vaccine 5G 2.0

  Authors: Dr. Wenliang, Dr. Wang, Dr. Xiang, Dr. Wu

  *

  The following morning Xue Lin wore her new running shoes to break them in a little and she had finally gotten around to sharpening her metal chopsticks. They now had deadly, razor sharp points. The front security guard had become accustomed to a small reading in the metal detector whenever Xue Lin went through, and no longer stopped her to examine them.

  She went straight to the break room to make her green tea. It was always quiet in there at 9AM as all the workers wanted to be seen at their desks at the start of the day. On her way back to her desk she slowed as she passed near the security area. The three brown suits had just shown up again at the building. Today was their third visit. She returned to her desk and went back to her official work as the men made their way through security and up the hall to Dr. Wu’s lab.

  *

  Dr. Wu felt a little more relaxed this morning as he greeted his three new colleagues. Today they would complete “Vaccine 5G 2.0” for the Chinese Communist Party. None of them, including Wu, had verbally expressed any sentiments regarding the intended use of the tainted vaccine, though each could surmise an obvious shame in each of the other scientist’s faces. It was never safe to criticize the Party as it was every citizen’s duty to inform on those who talk critically about the Government, and one could never predict when someone close would inform, either out of spite or to save their own skin.

  The four scientists worked through the final steps of creating the vaccine that would be mass produced in the millions for citizens all over China. The trace elements of heavy metals including copper and aluminum and a substance called “thimerosal” which contained ethyl mercury, were part of the recipe, and the three guests assured Dr. Wu that they had in fact already been tested on human subjects and were shown to be a strong catalyst in the desired reaction with the prescribed wavelength spectrum that the new 5G network could broadcast if so desired.

  Yesterday afternoon Wu had tested the newly engineered vaccine against all of his virus strains. He didn’t explain the properties of any of the viruses to his new colleagues. It was best if no-one else knew that one of the strains could mutate quickly. If it became known that the virus he had marked “SARS-COV-X” could possibly mutate to live longer on surfaces, kill younger patients, or even travel through the air, it might fall into the wrong hands. It was a powerful weapon, and could very likely be impossible to reign in once it was released.

  The vaccine was effective enough. It would help all but the sick and elderly, and people who had heart or lung conditions. For them, the virus would still be able to kill them. The figures would be set out in the scientists’ report on “Vaccine 5G 2.0”, with no mention of the mutating virus.

  They agreed that the vaccine should not be colored, as it was less alarming to patients when they were being injected.

  Dr. Wu went to one of the cupboards on the wall and returned with a bottle of rice wine and four shot glasses. The men made a small but awkward fuss about it as Wu filled the glasses and pushed one in each direction. The scientists each took one and they all said quietly and grimly: “Gan Bei” and drank.

  It appeared that they were drinking to the success of the project, but the truth of the matter was that they were each drinking to his own survival of this dangerous situation they had found themselves in. Scrutiny from the Chinese Communist Party was never good.

  Chapter 24

  Great Leap Forward

  The Chairman entered the ballroom where a long table was surrounded by men seated along each side. The old concrete hotel was listed as five star, but its bleak lobby and hallways gave away the fact that this communist monstrosity encapsulated the spirit of the cultural revolution in which Chairman Mao took measures to upheave any capitalist tendencies. Many of China’s historical sites were destroyed, as they were at the root of “old ways of thinking.” Museums and homes were ransacked, and anything representing bourgeois ideas was burned. There had been massacres everywhere. Children were not spared. People from ethnic minorities were beaten to death. It was a bloody time in China in the sixties and seventies.

  Chairman Xi Jinping walked towards the table as the twenty men in suits rose from their seats. They all sat as he took his seat at the head of the table.

  “Today, we take a great leap forward.”

  Xi Jinxing paused as the echo of his voice faded.

  “Long has the West kept China in poverty with its economic policies, trade agreements and its oppressive military machine.”

  “Too long!” the Chairman boomed.

  “China will soon be dictating new terms to the United States of America and other Western countries.

  It will soon be China who decides how much tax will be paid or collected. It will be China who decides which islands belong to China!”

  The men around the table looked intently at the Chairman. None of them had a clue what he was going to say.

  “China will be unified. We will be one nation marching triumphantly in the same direction. There will be no more protests. No demonstrations. There will be no more slow working in the factories and the people’s war against the West will be won without us lifting a gun barrel. There will be no need for missiles, ships or submarines to be deployed. There will not be a single soldier killed in action. China will be the most powerful country that there has ever been. Our Government will soon have riches to shower upon our Country’s infrastructure. We will have the most comfortable and efficient transport in the world. Everybody will be able to afford to eat. Our citizens will love China more than they love their own mothers.”

  The Chairman waited for the low murmur to die away.

  “There will be a new Chinese virus that will ravage Wuhan.

  It will not touch our manufacturing cities such as Beijing, Shanghai or Nanjing. We will allow Wuhan to serve as a warning and also as reassurance to the rest of the citizens of China. We will wait while many die in Wuhan before we step in with vaccinations. The people of Wuhan will suffer for the good of China. The people must see the extent of the danger before we step in to save these brave citizens who will suffer for the good of their comrades.

  At the same time, we will relay to the West our strategically adjusted infection numbers from Wuhan so that when the virus reaches the West, they will have underestimated its ability to spread, to sicken and kill, and they will not be prepared. We will tell the World Health Organization what to say and what recommendations to make to the West. We will convince the West to keep their international borders open for much too long. Their epidemic will become a pandemic, and their governments will be criticized for their lack of preparation. Their laziness and stupi
dity will bring them to their knees. Before the year 2021 arrives, they will bow before China.

  The virus will hit Europe and the United States and other western countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada within a few months of the Wuhan outbreak, quickly bringing their economies to a standstill. Their hospitals will be overrun with infectious cases and they will quickly run out of resources.”

  The men around the table still sat in silence. Waiting for the Chairman to explain. He often talked in parables which was annoying as it was so patronizing, but this was never discussed. Xi Jinxing was a ruthless man.

  “When the West is on its knees, China will help! China will come to the rescue.

  We are prepared. We are ready, because we know what is coming. We learned our lesson in 2003 with the SARS outbreak. Our factories have already mass-produced millions of extra units of medical equipment. When Wuhan is recovering, we will appear to be coming to the aid of the West. The machines and face masks, the gloves and gowns that they will immediately run out of, will need to be replaced. China will be there for them. China will sell them everything they need for their sick and dying people. We will sell it for billions in profit. While their factories lay idle, producing nothing, China will stride ahead with great strength and purpose.”

  “China’s workforce will be vaccinated and, as such, will be completely unaffected by the pandemic in Wuhan. Our country will gear up it’s production in all areas. We will become an exporting giant!”

  More murmuring from the men around the table.

  “At the same time, our new billionaires will make forays into foreign countries, buying up land, businesses and raw materials. The American stock market may dip, leaving it open to takeover. As the world’s workforce lays idle and their companies flounder, losing money every day, our industrialist heroes will march in and save their businesses by buying up everything.”