Project Apollo

Chapter 3

"Now I was just starting to enjoy my day, but a barge in like this usually means its about to come to a screechin' halt..." He had gotten the nickname Cool Hand Hoop for his ability to calm through any situation.

"We have a situation, Mr. President..." Power's eyes weren't lying.

"If I had a nickel...." Hooper's voice trailed as he leaned back in his chair.

"There has been a break-in in the NIH."

"--What!" Jacobs interrupted.

"An armed man besieged a BSL-4 laboratory and stole an anonymous bacterial contagion. Seven men and women were killed in the raid. He has gotten away with the contagion and the FBI is trying to track him down. The news isn't on the story yet. We have been able to keep it under wraps, for now. It will leak eventually though," Powers stated.

"You said... anonymous bacterial contagion? What do you mean?" Hooper asked.

"We don't know what it is until after a biological profile has been completed and it takes a long time to perform a full biological profile," she responded.

"But how?! Can't they just put in a machine... It's the 21st century—"Jacobs interjected, but was interrupted quickly by Powers.

"People tend to forget that Biology is the newest field of science. Physics, Astronomy, Geometry were all explored thousands of years ago. Even in Galileo's time, the human race knew more about the heavenly bodies than they did their own. In many ways we are still cavemen when it comes to the complexity of the biological sciences." Powers adjusted her blouse to the silence of the room. The President's finger perched on his lips in a contemplative stance.

"Does anyone know anything?" The President asked slowly, hopeful for a lead.

"The sample was undergoing initial biological profiling. All we know about it is that it killed a few people in West Africa and it is not Ebola. The sample was being analyzed by the laboratory technician. She did survive the attack. Her name is Catherine Mueller."

"How do I know that name?" Jacobs asked.

"She led our analysis on stem cell research. Although she is young, she is becoming an expert in the eye's of her peers," Powers spoke fast in briefing mode.

"So where is this Catherine Mueller?" President Hooper's question loomed.

"She is being questioned by the FBI but from what I have heard she is in shock and is still unresponsive."

"How much would she be able to learn in the time she had with the bacteria?" Jacobs asked.

"I don't think she would be able to learn very much...." She answered.

"What about our suspect?" He turned to Powers.

"The laboratory has 5 security cameras, one of which was directly centered on Catherine's workstation. We have a clear image of the suspects face. The NSA is currently running a scan of the man's identity. No hits yet," Powers briefed.

"No hits?" Jacobs asked, surprised.

"No... the NSA usually gets a hit within 5 minutes, but nothing. We are cross-referencing with multiple agencies to find our suspects identity, but chances are... he doesn't have one," Powers explained.

"Everyone has an identity, Janet.... You just have to find it...Keep me briefed.... Is there anything else?" Hooper eyed his Chief of Staff and his National Security Advisor.

"Yes, Mr. President.... There is one more thing.... something was odd about his intrusion..." Powers note dropped an octave. Jacobs leaned forward.

"Janet, what is it?" Jacobs asked short.

"He entered a Bio-Safety Level 4 Laboratory with no protective clothing. He just walked in combat gear. He could have been infected and didn't seem to mind." President Hooper stopped as the implication dawned on him.

"Is he intentionally trying to infect himself?" He asked.

"We don't know exactly how it spreads and infects a host but... It appears so Mr. President..." The President fell back in his stance and exhausted a gasp. His eyes reached out to distances as his mind ran through scenarios.

"If a terrorist would strap a bomb to their chest, why not carry a weapon inside of them... its undetectable and as deadly... we have a Patient Zero at large." The silence hung in the Oval Office as they realized they were up against a new form of terrorism – one that, at the moment, seemed unstoppable. President Hooper's teeth bore down on themselves. 

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