Case:Black - 31. Chapter 31

Day 2

Fort Detrick, Maryland

Virology Division Lab

July 17, 2016 0025

The RNA sequence of the Pandora virus was displayed on a large flat screen monitor on the back wall of Dr. Well’s lab.

Abigail Ames spoke in her hushed Sydney accent, “What kind of a monster would do such a thing?”

Dr. Wells said, “The kind that was told other monsters across the ocean was doing the very same thing.”

The results of the computer searches for the splices set into Pandora’s RNA were in and it only raised more questions.

The first splice was from Morbillivirus- the cause of Measles. What purpose it played remained to be seen.

The second splice came from H3N2 Influenza which probably accounted for the spikes in the protein shell.

The last splice was unknown. It came from no known virus and had apparently been sequenced by hand. It replaced an RNA sequence that was responsible for creating the viral sheath.

On any other day such a masterful work of genetic engineering at the molecular level would have won its creator a Nobel Prize. Today wasn’t that day. They were looking at a creation as potentially destructive as a hydrogen bomb.

Liao said, “I have no idea how he pulled this one off or how he created a stable strain of this virus. We could spend years on this thing.

Ames looked at the sequence and said, “There is a vaccine for VEE- for horses and humans. I’ll bet the changes in the protein coat make it appear just different enough that the immune system sees it as a wholly different virus.”

Wells replied, “It’s not so different that we couldn’t develop a vaccine given time. I wonder why the guys at White Sands didn’t work in that direction.”

Liao said, “After 9/11 and the Anthrax attacks, the Bush Administration got really serious about bioterrorism. They put a lot of money into grants to fund research to create vaccines for potential bioweapons. Did you see who was killed in that lab accident at White Sands? Terry Porter from Stanford and Larry Yates from John Hopkins were there plus a couple of heavy weight researchers from Pfizer. I’m betting they were working on a vaccine.”

Ames said, “We’ve got to see their work. Doesn’t Homeland Security run that lab?”

Wells paused thoughtfully and said, “Yeah, they do. I’m going to call our boss General Yardley and get him to make the request to Director Foley at Homeland. If anybody wants to play jurisdiction or secrecy games, let them explain it to the Directors.”