Daughter of Ra by M. Sasinowski

Author:M. Sasinowski [Sasinowski, M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732446724
Publisher: Kingmill Press

Part 2

CONVERGENCE

10 Korzo Laboratory

Yuri Korzo’s skin tingled as he studied the brick-shaped object on the display. He admired the form for what it was, for what it was capable of, for what it had already achieved. Nature’s ultimate evolution of lethality.

Variola major. Smallpox.

One of the most virulent and deadliest diseases known to humanity, the virus was responsible for taking half a billion lives in the twentieth century alone. It was also the only human disease ever that, through massive global vaccination efforts, was completely eradicated from naturally occurring on the planet. Eradicating the disease eliminated the need for further vaccinations. And no vaccinations meant no immunity.

Because of this, only a handful of sites around the world were authorized to store the virus, under tightest protocols and security. Fortunately, his foresight had allowed him to acquire and stock away several strains before any possession of the virus was strictly outlawed and regulated by the world’s governments.

Yuri had no idea whether the Hybrid woman was aware of his personal stockpile when she contacted him or whether it was just happenstance. No matter what brought them together, he had the tools and the knowledge to give her what she needed.

He scrutinized the dumbbell-shaped viral core that contained the smallpox DNA. His first step was to deactivate it. Throughout his career, he did many things that were of questionable ethics, but he wasn’t about to reintroduce smallpox into the world. For now, to satisfy the woman’s directive, he only required the virus envelope and its unrivaled ability to infect anything with which it came into contact. It would provide the perfect delivery vehicle for the even more lethal cargo that he was about to place inside it.

Yuri activated the molecular manipulator, a marvel of technology that translated the movements of his hand and fingers into the microscopic environment, allowing him to directly handle the virus. With practiced, steady movements, he maneuvered the articulating arm toward the pathogen. He held his breath when he made contact with the outside of the viral envelope then pressed through it and removed the DNA core.

He exhaled. The first part was completed. The next would be trickier.

Yuri moved the manipulator arm to the pod containing the ancient bioweapon, admiring the capsule surrounding it with a self-satisfied smile. The capsule was a molecular timer, his own creation of an assembly of proteins that decayed at a precise and predetermined rate, functioning like a molecular countdown. The combination of the highly infectious smallpox delivery vehicle and his own molecular timer would allow the smallpox-enveloped ancient bioweapon to spread through an entire population and lie dormant until the molecular countdown reached zero, triggering the bioweapon at exactly the same instant in all infected individuals.

He took out a handkerchief and dabbed his head, allowing himself a moment of triumph before moving the merged virus into the replicator.

It was time to make history.

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