Eves of the Outbreak

by Lilith Assisi

  “This is a level five containment, Judy. You risk all your research being lost. Unless you’re already on a plane, we need you here. And regardless, if you don’t come in you will jeopardize your career. I can arrange a private jet for you back to the states once the issue here is fixed. It should only take a couple hours.”

  “I’m sorry, I am at the airport. If I talk to Chen I might be able to offer some assistance over the phone?” Judy continued to lie, but realized she was becoming more confident, trying to trick Mr. Dickinson in to revealing how much he knew the same way he was manipulating her. She found as her confidence grew this conversation reminded her of the times in college when she questioned a professor’s wrong information, only displaying that confidence in speaking up because the alternative of spreading misinformation was so despicable to her. She wanted to see what her boss would do when she called out his lie about having Chen there.

  There was a pause, and Judy found herself trembling slightly as she waited for a reply from her boss.

  All urgency gone from his voice, he simply replied “I’m sorry to hear that, Judy, but I know you are not at the airport as we have employees waiting there to intercept you. And I doubt the story about your mother is true either, though I can easily send some people there to verify that claim.”

  Judy felt a wave of coldness spread over her skin as Mr. Dickinson’s voice continued, more calm and collected than ever before. “I wish you hadn’t lied. It reveals you know something, something you shouldn’t know. And now you must come to the lab, especially if you ever want to see your mother or other family members alive again.”

  They knew. All of her resolve seemed to drain right out of her at the same time that she found herself shivering, goose bumps forming all over her body. Before today she never thought someone could have that much influence or control to make something like killing her family members an achievable priority, but she knew that it was a distinct possibility now. She wondered if he had been the one that had killed Chen, or if he had just made the order. Either way, she had to turn herself in, it was the only chance at protecting her family.

  “I assume I will see you shortly. I am expecting you here no later than 6:30.”

  And with that he cut off the connection.

  Judy dropped the phone to her lap. She glanced over at the backpack on the seat next to her, the laptop and memory stick inside being the cause of all of this. If only she had kept her curiosity at bay. With Chen murdered so brutally in his sleep, she was sure she couldn’t expect much better. But she couldn’t risk her family being hurt either.

  Slowly she pulled out from the side of the road and headed towards the lab.

  Chapter 4

  Judy called Mark at least a dozen more times on her drive in, receiving no response again and again.

  Judy debated about whether or not she should abandon the backpack somewhere before reporting to the lab. Eventually she decided it would be best to bring it in good faith, in the hopes that her family, and maybe she herself, would remain unharmed. She did, however, park her car several blocks from the laboratory on a hidden side street. Tucking her phone in the glove box she shut and locked the doors, and hid the keys under a log on the side of the road. At least if she did escape she had a good getaway plan.

  Viratech Headquarters was really quite a sight even though only the employees on the island regularly got to admire it. Being in the middle of the rainforest, the roads leading to it were muddy roads like everywhere else in this area. Bamboo stalks and palm trees surrounded the sides of the road.

  Turning the corner there it was ahead of her: a massive behemoth of a building with beautiful tinted glass windows, twelve stories high and at least two blocks in length across. It might not have seemed that large in a more developed area of the world, but here in the Philippines it was a monster of a structure and the greatest one not found in the capital of Manila.

  The basement levels made it even more vast, but only those who had been inside knew how much more extensive the building was on the inside. She only had access to about half the building and often wondered what happened in the other labs. Now that she had an idea and part of her wished she had never known.

  Sleek gray paneling would have been shining against the sun in between the windows if it had risen above the trees. But the dark shadows cast by the forest made the building look like a vast empty space ahead of her.

  Walking inside the front lobby Judy didn’t see her favorite receptionist, Kim. Kim always had such a nice smile and a care-free attitude. Judy had been harboring a slight crush on the woman, admiring her comfortable clothing selections, kind attitude, and sexy Australian accent. It was too early for Kim to report to her post. Judy thought about Kim and wondered if she would ever see her again.

  Instead she was greeted by the older night shift security guard, the one that normally walked her to her car on the late nights she spent in the lab. He too was a kind, gray haired local, but this morning he seemed nervous and apprehensive. He was standing behind the station desk, flanked on either side by two large armed guards.

  One of the guards stepped forward as she approached.

  “Ms. Gau. Mr. Dickinson is waiting for you in his office. He asked that we escort you there straight away.” Many of the non-scientist employees in Viratech were locals, earning anywhere from four to twenty times what they would normally in this rural part of the country. This soldier however looked American, and the more alarming part to Judy was she didn’t even know that Viratech employed soldiers.

  Judy nodded and followed them, feeling her shoulders tighten in apprehension. She squeezed her fists and tried to muster some resolve. She was scared, and didn’t know how she would fight back, but she knew she was not going to be passive about this. She had spent most of her life being passive except for when it came to her education. But never before had she felt so rectitudinous. Scientific morality was a topic she avoided in the past, always thinking about the greater good that her research would eventually assist. What Mr. Dickinson was doing was wrong, even if there had been a greater-good intention. He and the others involved were wrong, were bad people, and had to be stopped.

  Judy found herself reflecting inwards as she walked. She had spent most of her life dedicated to science and the possibility that her research would help create better vaccines, or understand viral genomics in a way that let other researchers manipulate, destroy or inactivate the virus. Before now, her concept of bad research was either fabricated or over-exaggerated. Now she knew there were bad people out there performing research with the intent to harm, or at least lack of regard for human life in the process of their handiworks.

  As she continued following the guards her emotions and resolve started to blend with fear and sorrow. Fear for what might happen to her family. Fear for what might happen to other people if this company was not stopped. Fear for her best friend Mark. And lastly as well as least important to her, fear for herself.

  Judy figured Mark was lost, likely murdered in a similar fashion to Chen, or being held captive here as she would likely soon be. And Chen. Poor Chen. Guilt mingled with her other emotions. Judy had often been annoyed by Chen, and avoided interacting with him for fear that she would lead him on. Now she felt terrible that she hadn’t gotten to know him better, and wondered what his family and friends would be told.

  At this last thought she clenched her teeth again, and started imagining some unknown force of good arriving just in time to take these villains in to custody. She also pictured herself punching Mr. Dickinson in the face, then kicking the guards out of her way and escaping. She wasn’t sure if her current adrenalin surge would give her enough strength to actually cause some damage, knowing her size would work against her but the surprise factor would be an advantage. A little known fact about Judy was that her brother had forced her to be his aikido partner, and in college she had taken a lot of self-defense classes. Yet there was only so much a five-foot tiny Asian woman could pull off.

>   Once they had arrived to the twelve-floor the guards escorted Judy to the large office at the end of the hallway. She had never before been above the fourth floor. Without the impendence of trees, and the large floor to ceiling windows, allowed the sun to burst through all the surroundings, making it hard for Judy to believe that this was the same building that she worked in every day.

  She was finally led to an office where Mr. Dickinson was standing, his back to them. There was a large monitor displaying various viral DNA mutation algorithms in front of him. He must have heard the door close behind them as he took that moment to turn around and face them.

  “Judy, so glad you heeded my advice. Please, have a seat.” He waved towards the chair in front of his desk.

  Judy kept standing and hugged her pack closer to her chest. She stared at her boss with more hatred than she could handle. His pearly white teeth, crisp tailored suit, and tan complexion all made Judy want to vomit.

  Mr. Dickinson looked at her with could easily be described as amused impatience when she did not sit down.

  “I am very sorry for the lies this morning, but you clearly know that we figured out you stole some very important information from our lab yesterday. Information that was supposed to only be seen by Dr. Twaung and a few others involved in the project. He will naturally have to be held accountable for not securing his computer when I talk to him later this morning. But right now I think you and I need to have a serious conversation.”

  Mr. Dickinson sat at his chair behind his desk, and pulled out two glasses along with a bottle of what Judy thought was whiskey from below the desk. Judy almost laugher, thinking how bizarre and unbelievable this situation had become. In the last twenty four hours she had discovered a secret study experimenting on people, had found a co-worker brutally murdered, and now she was sitting opposite the villain behind it all, her boss, as he poured alcohol at six thirty in the morning like a gangster from some Hollywood movie.

  Mr. Dickinson slowly slid a glass towards Judy. He had set his glass down on the other side of the desk, which made Judy wonder if it was tainted. Even if she was an alcohol drinker, and even if she was a morning alcohol drinker, there was nothing that could make her voluntarily drink from the glass in front of her.

  “Where is the information you uploaded off Lin’s computer?” Mr. Dickinson asked with a smile. Fantasies of smashing the smug look off his face with one of the glasses of alcohol flashed around the back of her mind.

  “Ms. Gau, why don’t you have a drink? It will ease any pain you might be feeling, or any that may be yet to come,” he continued.

  “It’s all here,” Judy replied realizing she was in no mood for fake small talk. She pulled out the laptop from her bag and set it on his desk.

  A wiry man with an unshaven face rushed out of the corner behind her, startling her. She had been so focused on her boss that she had failed to notice him. He picked up the computer and quickly headed back to the corner, using a table to set it on as he started frantically punching through her desktop folders.

  “It’s just as you thought Mr. Dickinson, just the files from Lin’s computer. Nothing else. I should be able to assess if it has been uploaded to any other devices shortly,” stated the technician as he started hooking up additional wires to the computer.

  “Good. Now, Judy,” Mr. Dickinson stated, turning back to his prey. “This information you found was sensitive information only viewed by a few key people in the company. I am very sorry you stumbled across it. And sadly I cannot trust that you have not told anyone else about it already, or that you would not do so in the future.”

  Judy felt a cold sweat develop on her hands and could feel a prickling sensation up her back as Mr. Dickinson slowly got up from behind his desk and started around towards her. While the adrenalin running through her system kept her focused, it was making her nausea more severe.

  “If we find any evidence that any of your family or friends has been informed of this data, they sadly will have to follow in your footsteps.”

  He was right in front of her now, staring into her eyes with great intensity. Not averting her eyes felt like one of the bravest feats Judy had ever achieved. She forced herself not to smirk at the absurdity of this moment, and pictured vomiting all over his face and perfect suit instead, wondering what his reaction would be.

  She burped but then felt better of holding back, retching forward and emptying bile towards the man. As she looked up she was saddened that she only got his shoes soiled, but was still pleased by the look of disgust on Mr. Dickinson’s face. Judy also felt much better having relieved herself.

  Mr. Dicksinon started taking his shoes off, but continued talking without looking at her. “It would have been great to have a scientist like yourself as one of our contributors, but as things have developed I can tell you probably won’t want to partake. Not that you could have stomached it.” At that comment he glared at her, and Judy felt herself smile vindictively towards him.

  “However, you will indeed be part of the project. We are in desperate need for test subjects, and so I have to say it was so nice of you to volunteer.” His lips twisted in to a smile and he nodded behind her.

  Staring in to his cold blue eyes, a sharp pain ran through Judy and everything went black.

  Chapter 5

  Judy woke up with a raging headache. Lifting her arm to the back of her throbbing head, she realized her hair was caked and sticky. She pulled her fingers through her hair then back in front of her face. Blood. Wet and dried blood.

  They must have knocked me out.

  Judy slowly sat up, and realized she was resting on a cot in a cell. She dropped her head between her legs as a wave of nausea accompanied the movement. Even knowing she had recently vomited, the head throbbing in combination with over secretion of adrenalin left her feeling more nauseous than she could previously remember.

  Gradually Judy moved her legs over the edge of the cot and took a moment to let the spinning sensation settle out. After a couple more minutes Judy was able to sit up completely. She stayed in that position until the nausea abated and then gradually stood up.

  From there, Judy walked forward, and was able to look down the hallway through her cell. She had no idea what she was expecting to see, but was still filled with disbelief as she saw the entire hallway was full of cells. There also appeared to be people in many of them, though the noises they were making were a little incomprehensible. She tried to focus on their words and see if she could recognize any of the local dialects she was used to hearing, but instead just heard jibberish and moaning.

  In addition to wondering whether or not she was in jail, she started trying to assess her surroundings and figure out the time.

  She could not see into any of the cells except those directly across from her, but to her right she could see one inmate frantically waving both arms through the bars, accompanied by strange grunting sounds as he did so. Across from her were inmates that appeared to be sleeping, looking more peaceful than the dead. She wondered how they could sleep through the ruckus.

  Judy continued looking at the cell across from her and realized they didn’t look like the classic iron bars you would see on dramas depicting prison. At a closer look, the doors holding them in were fencing material like those you would see in a veterinary hospital or laboratory facility. The space was more akin to a cage than a prison cell.

  Glancing back down the other end of the hall, Judy saw a large door with an EXIT sign and clock over it. The digital clock read 6:53. She hoped the clock used military time and that less than half an hour had passed since she was last awake.

  While watching the clock, the door beneath it opened. And through it came an orgulous Mr. Dickinson, followed by his two armed guards. His pride turned to delight as he saw Judy looking at him with disgust.

  “Judy! I am so glad you are awake already!” he shouted ahead. Judy pulled back towards her cot, squeezing her eyes shut. Her head was not pleased by the quick movement and threate
ned to cause another blackout, but seeing her boss’s face filled her with so much hatred. She didn’t want to give him the benefit of her watching his approach.

  Mr. Dickinson arrived at the cell and had the guards begin to unlock it.

  “I just got the phone call I have been waiting for. Our dear Dr. Twaung has been working on a new strain of the human prototype for implantation all night as I had requested, and you will be our first subject for this new and improved strain. Since you have already stolen and read the information of the human trials thus far, I figured I would give you a tour of the top secret lab before we see how you take to the virus!” Mr. Dickinson sounded positively elated. Bile rose in the back of Judy’s throat.

  The guards finished opening Judy’s cage and grabbed her by the arms, hustling after Mr. Dickinson. They walked her between them, holding tightly on to her upper arms.

  “Let me give you some background, my dear,” Mr. Dickinson talked back to her loudly. She cringed again, hating his use of the words my dear.

  “You see, the government has been doing quite a bit of research in to controlled hypothermic states lately. They’ve been using it for traumatic brain injury, post arrest conditions, even for organ donation procedures. Have you heard of controlled hypothermia?”

  Mr. Dickinson’s condescension hit her square in the face, bringing back memories of being dismissed or ignored in science classes just because she had been a quiet student, a woman, an Asian, or some other label. To top it all off, his cockalorum was such a rouse knowing that his methods of achievement were unethical and unforgiveable. Judy didn’t know if the throbbing in her ears was from her head adjusting to its concussion or from the anger making her adrenalin spike.