by M. C. Miller
“The extra hassle is worth it. Private studies convince some people. Government studies convince others. We need both. We agreed simultaneous research would be suspicious but leaving the government out of the loop will also look peculiar. They’re bound to research it anyway. This way, we control the results.”
“I’m still not convinced you’re in control of Ross. The man is too high maintenance to be on the team.”
“Oliver is my concern.”
“He wasn’t even your first choice.”
“He was available when I needed him. Don’t worry. I’ll handle it. He’s at a new facility. Some of it is still under construction.”
“Excuses,” snapped Heinrich
Hasuru turned to the German. “Since we’re on the topic of disrupted schedules, what’s going on with 2nd Protocol? Last year you said we’d have it by now.”
“That was best case.” Heinrich pushed back from the table. “You know very well what we’re up against. Capping lifespan is more challenging than delaying fertility. Hitting a precise age is the most difficult thing of all. We have to be patient if we want to lock it down.”
“Is there something about a 70-year cap that’s a problem?”
“A cap at any age would be difficult. It’s not the age; it’s the precise timing.”
“But it’s going to happen,” prompted Hasuru.
“Difficult, not impossible.” The answer was immediate but without conviction.
“So, you’ve figured out how to accelerate the aging process?” asked Curtis.
“What’s to figure out? It’s the flipside of GenLET – the easier side. I like to call it RevLET – reverse life extension therapy. Thanks to Malcolm Stowe’s split loyalties between spying for Her Majesty and accumulating pounds sterling, his work procuring GenLET for the Crown also gave us what we needed.”
Curtis tensed. “Your mercenary is dead. And that’s a problem. With Malcolm gone, our line into NovoSenectus is shut down.”
“We have what we want. It’s just as well. Malcolm went off the deep end after his girlfriend died. Last time we spoke, he was ranting about a bio-lab in Austria.”
“What lab?”
Heinrich laughed. “My lab – the lab where we were working on 2nd Protocol.”
“Why didn’t you tell us about this?”
“It was a non-issue. I handled it.”
“Handled what?”
“Malcolm claimed Mass was preparing to collapse the world’s population using my lab. Something so ludicrous didn’t require Group involvement.”
“Did he report this back to British intelligence?”
“I think not. He wanted to confront me with it first. Poor man. Blinded by the need to explain Riya’s death, he lost grip and critical focus. He became gullible.”
“Gullible enough to suspect you and Mass might be working together?”
Hasuru added, “Maybe he took your denials about the lab with a grain of salt.”
Heinrich laughed. “Me? Working with Mass to collapse the population – and at the same time stealing his GenLET? Hardly.”
“What else did Malcolm say?” asked Curtis.
“Does it matter? The man was obviously deranged by grief. More importantly, he was paranoid. He felt NovoSenectus was freezing him out. He’d gotten used to being on the inside of their top security. Suddenly, he was out of the loop. It didn’t occur to him that a non-professional association with Riya Basu might have something to do with that.”
“Is that what you told him?”
“No. You can’t reason a man out of something he has not been reasoned into. It had gotten emotional with him. That mindset is immune to logic or common sense. He badly needed his explanation to be true.”
“You had to tell him something.”
“I told him to take some time to get his head on straight. I can’t afford unstable people in sensitive positions. I know what’s going on in my lab. Eugene Mass has nothing to do with it.”
“Is it so impossible?” Hasuru squinted. “You got to Malcolm in NovoSenectus. You convinced him to supplement his income while stealing secrets for the Royals. Likewise, why couldn’t Mass have someone in your lab in Austria?”
“That’s preposterous. Stealing secrets is one thing – developing a major pathogen, with all that would entail – that’s something else. Malcolm was a spy at NovoSenectus – but he was one person – he wasn’t running a major lab project to develop a superbug. That’s what he claimed was going on in Austria.”
Curtis sat up straight. “Malcolm was a trained agent – British Special Forces. He may have been lining his pockets working both sides against the middle, but he wasn’t deranged. What else did he say?”
“I only half-listened after that. He wasn’t making sense. He had just watched Riya Basu gunned down right in front of him.”
“His job was to be on the inside – and you ignored what he brought to you?”
“Oh, I didn’t ignore it. I’m not stupid. Just in case, I moved 2nd Protocol work out of Austria, to another lab.”
“If you weren’t concerned, why bother?” asked Hasuru.
“The way Malcolm was acting, I couldn’t rule out that Mass had put him up to it. I knew there was no way Eugene was running a major bio-weapons project out of my lab. All the same, I wasn’t going to fall for one of his tricks.”
“Like what?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Our work could interfere with Mass’ plans for GenLET and his New World Harmony. What if we successfully release 2nd Protocol? What if we manage to cap lifespan before Mass has a chance to extend life for everyone he’s invited to his fountain of youth party?”
Hasuru looked to Curtis. “He’s right. We weren’t a threat to Mass until now. It didn’t matter until we got near to having 2nd Protocol ready.”
Curtis stiffened. “If Mass knows the project status of 2nd Protocol that well, then he must have someone on the inside. That would prove your project’s been compromised. Who knows how far it goes?”
“A mole is one thing,” noted Hasuru. “But there’s no way Mass could be hiding a whole project in Heinrich’s lab. I’m more interested in what else Mass is up to.”
“Sabotage.” The German elaborated. “To sabotage 2nd Protocol, I figured Mass might be motivated to let some vile rumors about himself fall into the hands of an intelligence service – the Brits or Americans, probably.”
“He probably still has contacts,” noted Hasuru. “When Mass bought NovoSenectus, I heard they were doing some secure government contract work.”
Curtis would only add, “I’m familiar with it.”
Hasuru turned his attention back to the German. “The leak would need to be plausible. Beyond scrutiny.”
Heinrich offered, “Malcolm Stowe was handy – and vulnerable. His assignment from London was to get next to Riya Basu in order to get GenLET. Unfortunately, he got in bed with her in a way that affected his judgment.”
“What about sabotage,” prompted Hasuru. “You said 2nd Protocol.”
Heinrich continued. “Yes, well, all of these on-purpose leaks would lead to my lab in Austria. Before you know it my lab would be investigated and 2nd Protocol would be exposed and linked back to us. Mass would be cleared of suspicion while eliminating 2nd Protocol’s threat to his timetable.”
“He’d also have a bit of revenge on us,” added Curtis.
“It sounds like Mass.” Hasuru explored the implication. “Exposing us would create a cover story. If anybody cried wolf about him after that – few would listen.”
Curtis added, “At least long enough for him to carry out plans to bring the population down.”
Heinrich laughed. “You two sound like Malcolm. His rants were helpful in motivating me to move 2nd Protocol work out of possible harm’s way, but that’s the extent of it. Face it. Mass is consumed with life extension, not mass murder. It’s been that way for ten years. The older Eugene gets, the more desperate he is to live longer. It’s all he thinks about.�
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“Did you hear his speech at Oxford last night?”
“Oxford of all places – no.”
“You need to hear it. You’re right, Mass wants to live longer – but he wants to do it in a world where humanity is back in balance with nature.”
“Don’t we all…”
“But Mass intends to get there in a single generation.”
“Even sooner,” added Hasuru ominously. “He sees fewer people as the only answer to a slew of converging crises.”
Curtis was quick to add, “For Mass, population collapse serves another purpose besides rescuing the planet. It’s the surest way to bring about global social reordering. After something of such magnitude, those who have advance warning will be prepared to pick up the pieces and enforce a newly designed social order.”
Hasuru added, “And Mass has GenLET. He’ll live a long time to see his global plan implemented the way he wants.”
Heinrich was bemused but interested by the other men’s fervor. “Really. Even if this were true, he’s not the only one with GenLET. We still have skin in the game.”
Curtis returned to his central point. “Years ago when Mass walked out he said we had no sense of urgency. We watched him agree with André Bolard – that desperate acts were needed to save the planet.”
Heinrich shook his head. “You will not convince The Group to move against Mass, if that’s what you’re up to.” Heinrich stared at Curtis. “Too many members have followed the squabbles between you two over the years. Anything you suggest will be seen as a personal vendetta. Nothing more. At this point, you’re not only personal rivals; more importantly, you’re business competitors.”
“You’re right. I came to the same conclusion months ago.” Curtis stood and strolled to the window. “But that was before my trip to Africa.”
Heinrich glanced at Hasuru in puzzlement then back to Curtis. “The connection escapes me. Is this about COPE, your Communities of Population Expertise?”
Curtis glanced away from the window. He looked to Hasuru for a sign. Should they broach the mystery topic before everyone was assembled? The conversation’s momentum made it a foregone conclusion. Still, Curtis needed to see buy-in.
Hasuru’s nod was infinitely shallow – but evident.
Curtis turned from the window and walked back to the table. Leaning forward on closed fists, he unloaded in Heinrich’s direction.
“A couple days ago, a woman in Burkina Faso died after receiving a combination MIOVAC vaccine delivered by microneedle. This new batch of vaccine is being stockpiled on three continents but healthcare workers have instructions not to use it. Not yet.”
“So how did she get it?”
“A worried husband was desperate enough to break in and steal it.”
Heinrich remained puzzled. “Are you saying the vaccine killed her?”
“No. It’s more complicated than that.”
“You’re sure it’s MIOVAC – from Mass.”
“Yes.” Curtis sat down across from Heinrich. “I got samples, including blood.”
“Such timing,” quipped Heinrich. “Such luck…”
“More like fate.”
“The analysis is complete?”
Curtis nodded. “The vaccine didn’t kill her. The vaccine is MIOVAC’s standard combination package – but we found something new in the preservative used with the microneedles.”
Heinrich’s interest was piqued. “The preservative?”
“Only someone familiar with the 1st Protocol base would recognize it.”
“What is it?”
“A catalyst designed to work with a new Protocol. A key for a missing lock. The design copies work done at MIT. The catalyst is a nanoparticle, wrapped in a time release agent, then covered in a water molecule to disguise it from the body’s immune system.”
“What’s the point?”
“In the presence of the new Protocol, and only then, the key matches the lock. Nanoparticles are released.”
“Then what?”
“The immune system shuts down – giving the new Protocol a clear shot at the body.”
Heinrich took a moment to let it sink in.
Hasuru reiterated. “The preservative is a trigger for an immunosuppressant. The vaccine was designed to be normal unless it interacts with this new Protocol. In this case, it didn’t work out that way.”
Curtis was adamant. “The lab is certain of it. We spotted it because we know what the 1st Protocol base looks like. Anyone else would miss it. They’d only see a new preservative for a microneedle delivery system.”
Heinrich wavered. “So this has nothing to do with the woman’s death.”
Curtis shouted. “No! That’s not the point. Don’t you get it? There’s no reason for Mass to design a key without also designing the lock. This is being staged in preparation for something, something big.”
“What exactly? If Mass is staging a new Protocol, what does it do? Did you find out?”
“No, but from the vaccine it’s designed to work with, we know it’s clever and elegant. If a pandemic hits and people rush in panic to be immunized, it’ll be the vaccines that suppress the immune system. That’ll make the new Protocol’s job that much easier.”
Hasuru drove home the insidiousness of it all. “Those who aren’t killed right away by the Protocol will be at the mercy of tuberculosis or diphtheria or meningitis or any one of a dozen diseases that kill millions around the world. What better way to collapse the population?”
Curtis added, “What better way to confuse the world as to what’s going on.”
Heinrich was somber. “Can I see your results?”
“Of course.”
Curtis emphasized, “We don’t have immunity to a 3rd Protocol. But you know Mass has to have engineered one for a select few.”
Hasuru grimaced. “Have you considered the fact that he might know that GenLET secrets have gotten out but he’s not concerned; he knows 3rd Protocol will likely eliminate anyone else who acquired it without his approval.”
“Malcolm might have been right after all,” mused Curtis. “We can’t let Mass get away with this. If there’s no other way, we have to take him out.”
Heinrich took in a deep breath then released it. “The mystery is revealed.”
“I see no other way.”
“I see your concern, but you’ll never get The Group to step over the line. They won’t go that far.”
Curtis locked gazes with the German. “He’s going to do it. You know he is. What choice do we have?”
After a deathly silence, Hasuru asked Heinrich, “What exactly did Malcolm tell you Mass was working on?”
Heinrich said nothing for a long while. When he finally spoke, he dropped his gaze to his empty plate.
“3rd Protocol.”
Chapter 22
General de Gaulle Place
Marseille, France
The spinning carousel cast a warm glow into winter’s twilight. Sounds of children’s laughter blurred against the pulse of city streets. Paces away from the frivolity, Janis Insworth stood beneath a street lamp hugging her coat close. Turning away from the sting of cold ocean air, she watched as pedestrians flowed up and down La Canebière.
Behind her, a male voice drew near. “Waiting for someone?”
Startled, Janis turned to find a man standing inches away. His demeanor was relaxed but serious. English was his second language, Marseille his home. Taken by surprise, she said nothing. All at once, nerves took over. Her mind went blank.
His hands dug deeper into the pockets of his charcoal pea coat. He shrugged.
“Pardon me. I’m supposed to meet a woman here. She’s in the market for a luxury craft. A boat.”
As he turned to go, Janis found her voice. “Yes, that’s right!”
The man changed direction. “Janis?”
She nodded.
The man took a couple steps away. “Let’s walk.” He glanced up into the glare of the streetlamp. “Standing here m
ight be…bad for business.”
Janis held her ground. “Where to?” Her suspicion was obvious.
“Rue Saint-Ferréol. Lots of shoppers. Very public.”
The Rue Saint-Ferréol shopping promenade was only a block away. Janis was familiar with it from an excursion earlier in the day. She felt it would be safe. The two of them walked side-by-side. Unsure of the situation, she said nothing.
The man was suddenly cordial. “Is this your first visit to Marseille?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve come a long way. What made you think of coming here?”
“I think both of us have something the other one wants.”
“Whatever we’ve got to say to each other should be done quickly.”
“Agreed. I don’t want this to take longer than it needs to.”
They turned down Rue Saint-Ferréol, a narrow straightaway lit by shop windows on either side. The man slowed the pace. His attitude hardened.
“You’ve got me curious. That’s the only reason why I’m here. What could you have that I would want?”
Janis turned and stopped at a shop window away from other shoppers. The man drew to her side and pretended to window shop. Janis spoke in whispers.
“You’ve had a hard time convincing people that life extension is a bad thing.”
“Sooner or later, people have to wake up. The fact remains, only the rich and powerful will get it. When they do, there’ll be two kinds of humans – gods and mortals.”
“Why do so many people believe they are going to be one of the gods?”
“People are deluded. Hope is a strong force.”
“And you think your tactics so far are going to convince them otherwise?”
“I bring attention to the fact: seven billion people aren’t going to get GenLET.”
“I take it you don’t believe in the New World Harmony.”
The man was gruff. “That’s code for a new social order, the final solution, the complete management of man. Thanks to people like you.”
“Me?”
“Scientists are naïve. They’ll create anything just because they can.”
“Then we give it to people like Eugene Mass. Is that it?”