The Moses Virus Read online

  “Well, yes,” Alex said, “that’s what I had in mind.”

  “I’m highly flattered by that,” Gerard said, smiling. “I give credit to Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, Mount Sinai for residency and further study of communicable diseases, and training with E.I.S.—all of these activities have drummed my French accent out of me.”

  Alex apologized, “I know I have a definite Italian accent in my English.”

  “Not true,” said Tom and Gerard in unison.

  “Anyway,” Gerard added, “I take your comment as a compliment.”

  Tom said, “Gerard, I have no idea how well Bailitz protects himself, but I have to assume he’ll be heavily defended.”

  Gerard replied, “The GSG-9 can handle just about anything.”

  “What role do we play?” Tom asked.

  “You’ve been at Kronberg Castle recently and know more than anyone else where the virus might be. I won’t kid you—there is considerable danger,” said Gerard, looking closely at his two traveling companions.

  Tom was silent. Alex looked at Tom, concern spreading across her face.

  Then Tom said, “How do you do this, Gerard? You’re in as much danger as Alex and I are. Yet you don’t seem to show concern.”

  “It’s my job, so I don’t think much about it. I weigh what happens to the world if I don’t intervene. Here, it’s an open-and-shut case. From what I know, the virus would probably be the most dangerous virus ever to be set loose on mankind.”

  “You believe that, really?” Tom asked.

  “Baskin told me our labs at CDC examined minute particles recovered from the green moss in the Roman Forum. It’s the real McCoy. More virulent even than the Spanish flu.” Gerard continued. “You tell me that Bailitz will set the Moses Virus off in Nairobi?”

  “That’s the first stage of his plan,” Tom stated.

  “We’re concerned by what may happen in Kenya, but extremely worried that he won’t stop there. Suppose he sets off the Moses Virus in another major metropolitan center, like Paris, Hong Kong, or New York?”

  “You mean substantially more people could be exposed?” Tom asked.

  “Exactly. Sixty million people visit New York City every year. That means 166,000 visitors are in New York on any given day. Think where these travelers come from—virtually every state of the United States, and every country of the world. Infect any or all of these 166,000 visitors, and they will carry the virus to their homes. We stopped the outbreak of SARS a few years ago because we tracked and isolated those carrying the virus. Virtually every person was tracked down. But there isn’t enough manpower to prevent a worldwide pandemic like the one that this virus could cause.”

  Tom concluded, “So, the danger is less to the world from Belagri starting an epidemic in Kenya than from starting one in New York or Paris?”

  Gerard said, “The power Bailitz possesses with this virus is awesome. From what I understand, a man like Bailitz, so strongly driven, may use the power to extort all he wants. He will convince himself that the end justifies the means. When I see the risks to the world from substances like a virus as potent as this one, I willingly take personal risk to keep the unthinkable from happening.”

  Tom said, “Bailitz is charismatic, driven, brilliant. I’d hope he would wait to use the virus until he has the antidote and can control it. Am I wrong?”

  “Tom,” Gerard replied, “Bailitz certainly knows you are still alive. That was not his original plan. He’ll assume you’re going after help. That’s us. He knows we will do everything in our power to stop him. Hand over the virus to us? He’ll never do that.”

  “Why wouldn’t he wait until he’s got the antidote?” Alex persisted.

  “Antidotes are tricky—they may take too long to develop, and he’d have to deal with us. No, if I were Bailitz and believed in my mission, I’d set off the virus as he’s planned to do in a place like Nairobi, then I’d follow up with a strike in New York. There’s a fine line between brilliance and madness,” Gerard concluded.

  Tom looked at Alex, then at Gerard. “I’m not a professional in these matters, as you are. But I couldn’t live with myself if I shrank from offering my help.”

  Alex said, “I’m on board, as well.”

  Tom then said, “Let’s go over again what we’re trying to get done. With the Moses Virus in dangerous hands, and time working against us, we can’t afford to make a mistake of any kind.”

  18

  When their flight touched down at the Frankfurt airport, passport control had been prearranged by the U.S. Embassy so that Tom, Alex, and Gerard descended from the plane and got into a black Mercedes station wagon waiting next to the plane on the tarmac. The station wagon was driven by a uniformed officer who spoke flawless English. “I’m an officer of Bundespolizei, our federal police force. We were asked by the E.I.S. in Berlin to assist you. We’re coordinating with a unit of the GSG-9 which will meet us near Kronberg Castle.”

  Tom said, “If we could stop the Germans in the Opel before they reach the castle with the virus, we would make life much easier for ourselves.”

  “Agreed,” said Gerard. “Maybe we can get the local police to set up a roadblock.” Speaking to the Bundespolizei officer, Gerard asked, “Can you help to arrange a roadblock?”

  The Bundespolizei officer radioed his home base in Frankfurt. After a few minutes of conversation he switched off the radio: “Headquarters says they’re not hopeful the local police chief will set up the roadblock.”

  “Why not?” Gerard asked.

  “Jurisdiction,” he answered. “We’re part of the federal police force. The roadblock would have to be set up by the local police force, which reports to the State of Hesse.”

  “Why is this a problem?” asked Tom.

  “Belagri has a lot of power in this region, which means they’ve given plenty of money to local politicians. The police won’t cross the local politicians, and we can’t make them. This means no roadblock. Sorry.”

  “So,” said Gerard, “we’ll just have to proceed with entering the castle grounds.”

  The driver continued, “I’ve got plans of the castle, and I also am familiar with its grounds, the forest, and towns nearby.”

  Gerard asked, “Please give me a general picture.”

  “Kronberg is in the middle of a large forest. Its entrance gates are closely guarded, and this is the only way in. There’s an eighteen-hole golf course between the entrance gates and the castle itself, built when the castle was a hotel before being purchased by Belagri.”

  Tom asked to see the building diagrams for the second floor. After he looked at them, he admitted his surprise. “These plans don’t match my recollection of the second floor, which is a series of labs, conference rooms, and some bedroom suites, organized on either side of a wide corridor. There’s also a hidden internal passageway, which I’ve been told very few people know about.”

  Gerard said, “Looks like that floor was changed by Bailitz, which means we’ll have to rely on your memory of what’s there. Tell us what you learned in your encounter with Bailitz. You know more about him than any of us. He’s always kept a low profile.”

  Tom said, “Bailitz uses his suite of rooms on the second floor of the castle as his personal headquarters. He has a private bedroom, and, from what I learned when I was held captive, there are a series of rooms, loaded with computers, in which teams of Belagri personnel prepare for Bailitz’s secret operations.

  “Bailitz’s first objective is an attack on Nairobi. He was planning this anyway, but once he has the virus—and Gerard has pretty much convinced me that Bailitz won’t stop there—he’ll create a global incident of terror and panic rather than a local one that plays into his plan of making Belagri an unstoppable force. One of the rooms in Bailitz’s suite is the central planning area for the Nairobi operation. I’m sure ther
e are other planning rooms for other cities on his list, as well as laboratories where viruses are experimented with.

  “We’re dealing with a man who’s blinded himself to the real dangers of what he’s doing and will stop at nothing to accomplish his objectives. I believe he’s out to create hysteria on a massive scale. He won’t stop until he has an absolute monopoly.”

  Gerard asked, “Did you see any of the laboratories?”

  “I only heard them talked about. But I know that once he has the Moses Virus he will be moving as fast as he can to find the antidote for it. Bailitz is anxious to protect himself and Belagri. But he also plans to offer the antidote to countries that ‘play ball’ with him. By all rights, he should wait to set off the Moses Virus until he can control it with his antidote. But I’m not sure Bailitz will wait—that’s not his frame of mind.”

  Tom added, “There’s a secret corridor with a stairway down to the back of the castle, which I’ve been in.”

  “How should we enter the castle? The front will surely be guarded,” Gerard said. “I would guess that the secret back entrance will be locked and protected by security cameras everywhere.”

  Tom thought for a few moments. “I have an idea for getting in the castle.”

  “What is it?” Gerard asked.

  “Crystal Close, one of Bailitz’s top executives, helped me escape and gave me her cell phone number. She could disarm the security system and unlock the door.”

  “Why would she? And if she does what’s to keep her from telling Bailitz?”

  “She’s complicated. Yes, she helped me escape, but I also realized that this was a set-up to let Belagri follow me to get their hands on the virus supply. I think she’s conflicted about Bailitz’s plan to use the virus.”

  Gerard interjected. “If we seek her help, we’d have to assume she’s still on Bailitz’s side and that she’ll tell him.”

  “Understood,” replied Tom, “but we’ll at least get in the castle from the back while GSG-9 fights its way in the front.”

  “We’ll tell the GSG-9 commander when he arrives,” Gerard said.

  The Bundespolizei officer said to Gerard, “He’ll be waiting for us at the checkpoint. We should be there in two minutes.”

  Alex asked, “Can Belagri stop us at the front gates?”

  “Plainly marked federal police cars like ours on an official police mission will not be stopped,” the Bundespolizei officer answered. “And the GSG-9 will be using federally marked cars. The guards won’t stop us but they’ll report us to the castle. Our plan is for two squad cars with the men from GSG-9 to enter the front of the castle. Our car will go around to the back.”

  The Bundespolizei officer pulled the car over to the side of the road.

  “Why did you stop?” asked Gerard.

  “We’re at the checkpoint—a mile away from the front gate of the castle. The two GSG-9 squad cars will rendezvous here. They should be arriving momentarily.”

  At that moment, two black squad cars pulled up, then turned their engines and lights off.

  Tom said to Alex, “I’m thinking about what could happen: I’d feel a lot better if you stayed behind.”

  Startled, Alex said, “Why? I want to be with you.”

  Gerard agreed with Tom, saying to Alex, “Better you stay. We three will go up the back stairs. Alex, we need you in the car near the back entrance. You’ll pick us up when we’re done, but the car won’t be so obviously waiting by the secret entrance.”

  Alex was silent, and not happy.

  Tom was relieved that Gerard had spoken up. He didn’t want Alex exposed to additional danger. But—he thought—she is so damned independent, she’ll want to be with us.

  By her silence, Alex stoically accepted that she would be staying with the car.

  The commander of the GSG-9 force got out of one of the black federal cars. As he approached, Tom saw a tall man with an imposing physique. He was dressed in camouflage fatigues, his face darkened with black paint. He had shiny black boots and a trooper’s beret.

  The officer from the Bundespolizei got out of the Mercedes and walked briskly to meet the GSG-9 commander. They shook hands and walked back to the car. Tom, Alex, and Gerard got out, and they were introduced to the GSG-9 commander. He had a strong, even menacing face, with a nose that had a flattened look as if it had barely survived some serious battles. He introduced himself as Otto Kramer.

  Kramer said to Gerard, “My men and I are ready. I have a plan, but I’d like to hear your thoughts.” Looking at Tom he added, “Weren’t you here recently, Dr. Stewart?”

  Tom replied, “There’s a secret back door to the castle and a stairway up to Bailitz’s quarters. That’s where his security force will be concentrated and the virus will be.”

  “Your plan?” the GSG-9 commander asked.

  Gerard replied, “We could go up the back way while you go in the front.”

  Kramer listened, but replied impatiently, “What makes you think that the back stairway isn’t fully guarded? It could be a suicide trap.”

  Tom then mentioned his idea to call Crystal Close and ask her to turn off any alarms.

  Kramer said, “There’s significant risk in your plan since you don’t know if this woman will turn you in.”

  Tom added, “I can’t argue with you. We certainly have to be along with your team to destroy the virus, one way or another. If we go up together via the front stairway, we’re all exposed. I’m only suggesting the back route gives both your team and the three of us a second access that may be useful.”

  “I admit it’s a reasonable idea, but there is considerable risk. For you. If you accept this risk, I’m willing to go ahead with it.”

  Tom said, “Should I call the Belagri officer—Crystal Close?”

  “Proceed,” Kramer said.

  Tom reached Crystal and told her he needed her help. He added that there would an effort to retrieve the virus.

  Crystal didn’t deny that the virus was in Bailitz’s possession. “I’m concerned,” she said. “Bailitz has changed his plan. Now he wants to use the virus even before there’s an antidote to control it. You know the danger.” She paused and said, “I’ll let you in. I’ll disarm the security cameras on the back drive and at the entrance to the castle. You’ll have to move fast, since even if I disarm them, the system is programmed to reset itself.”

  “How long do we have?” Tom asked.

  “Ten minutes,” Crystal said.

  “As we enter the castle grounds, I’ll call you. Then you should immediately disarm the system.”

  “I’ll do that. Be careful. Bailitz is on edge tonight. He has his scientists already working on the virus with orders to test it and begin looking for the antidote.”

  Tom related the substance of his conversation. Kramer outlined his plan to enter the castle from the front demanding to see Bailitz. “He’ll know why we’re there.” The commander paused. “This virus. Tell me what we’re dealing with.”

  Gerard summarized the reasons behind the mission to destroy the virus, and at the words “mankind’s most deadly virus,” Kramer said nothing, but pursed his lips in determination.

  Gerard continued, “I’m sure Bailitz will deny any knowledge of the virus and will certainly deny having it. He’ll order you to leave.”

  Kramer smiled and said, “We’re a tough enough looking group, and he’ll know we mean business. He’ll demand a search warrant.”

  “But,” said Gerard, “we don’t have one—unless you have already taken care of that.”

  Kramer said, “I’ve ordered a warrant—but we don’t have it yet. Frankly, with what’s at stake, we’re going in now with or without a warrant.”

  Tom asked, “I heard you prefer not to use weapons.”

  “We definitely carry guns and are ready to use them. In most cases we prefer to intimidat
e—we’ll try that first. I’ll tell Bailitz to avoid unnecessary bloodshed—but I doubt that’ll work,” Kramer said. “We carry Heckler & Koch MP5s, which are 9-millimeter submachine guns, and 0.38 caliber revolvers. No one in his right mind should want to tangle with us. Now, let’s go over what you’ll be doing while we go in the front.”

  Tom replied, “The entrance to the back stairway is heavily disguised, but I know the way in. It goes up into a passageway that Bailitz uses to spy on what’s happening in any of the rooms on the second floor—the entire second floor is Bailitz’s secret headquarters. I think there are only two exit points from the passageway into the second-floor rooms.”

  Tom continued, “I’ve been told that the passageway terminates in Bailitz’s bedroom suite—that’s one exit point. The other exit is near what they call the Nairobi room. I was taken through this door when I escaped.”

  Kramer said, “So you can enter the rooms on the second floor through this back passageway?”

  Tom nodded affirmatively. “The first thing Bailitz will do—or already has done—is hand over some of the virus to his scientists to test it and begin making an antidote. He’ll move fast. I’m sure we’ll find the virus in the lab—likely under refrigeration since it’s less dangerous that way.”

  “What about the scientists working in those labs, or security guards or Bailitz himself?” Kramer asked.

  “There are one-way mirrors in the passageway that open into every room. We’ll have a great vantage point as long as we stay in the passageway, but we’ll have to be very careful.”

  “I’m still uneasy about your plan. We’re excellent at defense but we’re downstairs making a ruckus. You’ll be at the center of the action, and we’ll be downstairs. You’re not used to shooting guns, are you?”

  Gerard said, “Yes,” but Tom said, “No.”

  “Do you even have weapons with you now?”

  Both Gerard and Tom said, “No.”

  “I can fix that,” Kramer said. “I’ve extra pistols. But I want one of my men to accompany you.”

  The Bundespolizei officer spoke up. “I’m planning to join Dr. Stewart and Mr. Pinet.”