Cook, Robin - Pandemic by Cook Robin

Author:Cook, Robin [Cook, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2018-12-11T00:00:00+00:00

19

WEDNESDAY, 10:45 A.M.

The tour turned out to be far more interesting than Jack had imagined. Since he’d seen enough hospitals in his life, he chose to pass the time seeing GeneRx. As he had never visited a pharmaceutical company, much less one specializing in biopharmaceuticals, he didn’t have anything to compare it to. But there was one thing for certain: He’d never seen quite so many biotech engineers all in the same place, and it seemed as if they were mostly Asian and not just Chinese. There were many Indians as well. And all appeared remarkably young, just like Dr. Lin. The only surprising thing during the tour was going through the gatehouse, which required everyone but Jack to show their ID badges. The process made Jack wonder how many pharmaceutical companies had equivalent security.

But even more impressive than the drug company was the Farm Institute, which was physically attached to GeneRx and in the same architectural style. Since it was the inhabiting transgenic goats, sheep, pigs, cows, and chickens who would be manufacturing all the enormously profitable drugs, they were being treated in high style by an army of caregivers and veterinarians. Some of the animals were in posh, completely sterile environments. Although Jack wasn’t shown it, he was told the institute even had its own slaughterhouse, despite it sitting empty ninety-nine percent of the time, and also a miniature rendering plant to recycle the protein. The whole operation was entirely self-contained.

When the tour was over, they returned to the hospital parking lot, where it was quickly decided that two cars should be taken for the trip to Zhao’s home. Stephen would drive his own, with the idea that Jack would be staying longer than the others. After a short discussion, it was determined that Ted would ride with Jack, and Han would go with Stephen.

With that decided, they were on their way, driving north on Lake Denmark Road. At first Jack tried to keep up with Stephen, but it quickly became obvious Stephen drove significantly faster on the curvy, rural road with his Porsche Panamera than Jack in Warren’s top-heavy Escalade. And with Ted in the car for directions if needed, Jack was content to fall behind. There was no reason to hurry. The scenery was a bit of autumnal splendor similar to what Jack recalled from his childhood in Indiana. Except for Central Park, New York City was not a place to appreciate fall colors.

“This area is a lot less developed than I would have imagined,” Jack said, looking out at the stretches of apparently virgin hardwood forest interspersed with rolling hills and small lakes that again recalled Warren’s laconic description of the area.

“It’s thanks to the Picatinny Arsenal,” Ted said. “They have a lot of land. It’s like a nature preserve.”

Both men made it a point to avoid bringing up the subject of the strange CODIS profile match and kept the conversation light. Jack was thrilled with the idea of meeting the billionaire Wei Zhao and didn’t want to put it in jeopardy by forcing the issue.

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