Thursday morning - 10:37 a.m.
It took me almost a year but I did it. After gaining enough trust I was given enough security clearance to enter certain areas of the facility and I stole it. The glass vile is only four inches long but is contained in a secure steel box about the size of a small book and can’t be opened without a punch code. Thank God, without that safety measure I wouldn’t have touched it.
I have a limited amount of time to exit the seven-story building owned by BHO Industries which to the outside world looks like an industrial manufacturing plant. We believe BHO stands for Bio-Human Operations but means a myriad of things. In reality it’s a dummy corporation that’s in the business of manufacturing biological weapons; particularly man made viruses.Its government run and headed by the one who is believed to be president of the United States, a usurper. This “president” is attempting to radically redefine and change the U.S. Constitution. He’s weakens those in the party opposite to his by putting a stop to their funding. He’s starting his own personal militia aside from the U.S. armed forces (Hitler did the same thing when he was in office). He’s attempting to alter the 22nd amendment which states that a president can only serve two four year terms so he can remain in office longer. He’s regulating big business so he can control what is produced, how much, and who consumes it. He’s fascist.This so called president is also a part of Bilderberg, an organization of world leaders whose objective is to assemble a one world government. Not by the choice of the people of the world, but through forcibly altering the global economy and laws. World domination, isn’t that always the plot? This time they’re close.One of the major goals of Bilderberg or who some call the Illuminati is population reduction; less people are easier to control. The target is under 500,000 people worldwide. To do this they manufacture viruses and diseases to exterminate the masses little by little; AIDS is one of them. The virus in the metallic casing I stole is the newest. We still don’t know what it does exactly but I have it and an antidote has to be made before it’s released on the public.I know a silent alarm goes off as I walk out of the small containment room on the fifth floor. I’m wearing my uniform and I.D. so those who don’t know the virus is stolen don’t suspect me yet. I avoid elevators so I walk quickly down the hall to the empty stairwell at the back of the building and down. As I descend the steps to the second floor the light goes out and someone enters the stairwell from the floor above and metallic footsteps hurry down the stairs in the darkness. Somebody knows. I speed up and two bullets zip past my ear and hit the wall. He’s using a silencer by the sound and must have night vision. I take the 9mm from inside my lab coat but continue even faster down the steps. I can’t see in the dark, no point in shooting back, just need to get out where lay-employees are.I make it to the first floor, hide the gun and step out into the light of hall, BHO lay-employees walk along as usual. “Hey there Adam,” Joe says as he walks by. “What’s up Joe?” I reply. I look back at the door to the stairwell and see the shooter looking at me through the small glass window. He wears a black leather mask, reminds me of a ski mask but his eyes are covered by dark lenses. His head whips away and out of sight.Down the hall ahead of me I see my supervisor, Jerry, talking with his boss, they look at me simultaneously. Unfortunately I need to continue in their direction to get to the cafeteria and out of the back door. I avoid eye contact and speed up slightly to make it to the cafeteria entrance. I look back to them, they’re gone.“Hey Adam,” Jerry says, “Can I talk to you for a moment?” I didn’t even see him walk up to me, I’m getting slow.“Hi Jerry, how are you?”“Good. I need you to do something for me. The city inspector was here earlier. They’re making sure everything is up to code and I was given some questions to ask one of my managers. Could you come with me just for a second?”They know, Jerry’s stalling until security gets here.
“Sure Ger, I’m just going to run in the cafeteria for a minute. Need to get a honey bun and a Coke. I’ve got a real headache from not eating all day.”“We really need you right now Adam.”“Just give me two seconds,” I say with a friendly smile. Jerry nods, giving no resistance. They probably told him not to get pushy with me because, I could be a threat. I walk into the cafeteria, close the door behind me and by-pass the soda and snack machines. A few of my co-workers are munching, sipping coffee, and chat at one of the round tables. Dennis waves, “What’s up Adam, lunch already?” I walk past the table. “Not yet. Just need to get some fresh air,” I say as I head out the exit into the back area of the facility and onto a freshly rained on lawn. I see the river that’s behind the building and move toward it which will take me to a side street into a local neighborhood. This time I run for it.Pop, pop, pop, three gun shots come from above. Two miss, the third grazes my ear. Warm blood trickles down my cheek as I duck behind a tree for cover with my 9mm drawn. Peeking from behind the trunk a fourth shot is taken and would have hit me if I hadn’t jerked back.n that split second I saw the shooter, same guy dressed in black wearing the mask is on the third floor with a rifle poking out the window. Now the sirens blare. Its security, they’re headed my way.I run out from behind the tree gun blazing, multiple shots unload at the shooter in the window. He ducks out of view as I evade his line of fire and onto the street out of range. I ditch the lab coat and run down the street as the sirens get louder. Dammit! My ride isn’t there!It’s a pretty urban local; the houses are not the best. A few civilians stand on the side walk as a black SUV speeds out from behind the facility after me. It’s the corporation’s private security. Both security officers in the SUV start shooting and I have no choice but to run into someone’s front yard and jet past a man who paints his front porch. Security holds their fire. It wouldn’t look good for BHO if a civilian is killed by a black truck with the company logo on the door.As I run along the side of the house I call Rebecca on the cell. “Where the hell is Taylor? He should have been waiting,” I shout. “You’re ahead of schedule,” Rebecca says, “What’s your location?”“I just ran down Howard Street, I’m in a civilian’s backyard.”“Taylor is in the area now.”“I’m going to get off this person’s property and into the alley. Tell Taylor to meet at end of the alley on Sandler Street.”“Right, be careful Ryan.”I hang up and hop the chain link fence into the alley, all seems clear at both ends of it. The sirens have stopped but I hear Tupac blasting from someone’s back yard. I run toward Sandler Street in the direction of the music and glance behind me at the end of the alley, the front end of the SUV slowly creeps into view.I stop at the garage of the house from where the sounds of Tupac blare and align my back against the graffiti covered metal door. I make myself as skinny as possible in hopes of not being seen. The SUV stops and the security officers stare down the alley. I’m not sure if they see me.I’m startled by the loud barking of a pit bull in the backyard next to me. Its front legs are propped up against the short chain link fence and its huge head jettisons out. It eyes are transfixed on me as slobber drips from its sharp, yellow teeth. I jerk away in reaction and give away my position.The black SUV turns down the alley coming at me at full speed. I should shoot the damn dog. I run for Sandler Street along side the garages and fences belonging to multiple back yards. The SUV’s sirens ring out again and there’s no sign of Taylor. Security starts firing and I shoot back.There’s no way I can out run the vehicle, I’m going to have to jump into someone’s yard again. Please God, no pit bulls. The next few backyard fences are too high and if I attempt to climb any of them I’ll give security a clear shot. I aim for the tires as I keep running and hear a loud pop as a one shot hits the front driver’s tire, the SUV skids but continues down the gravel stretch. I finally make it to the end of the alley at Sandler and the dark blue Lincoln stops in front of me, the passenger door swings open.
“Ryan, get in!” Taylor screams. I hop in, slam the door and he steps on the gas. We head down Sandler and the SUV stops at the end of the alley as a procession of cars and trucks drive by leaving BHO security stuck.“You were supposed to be at the corner of Howard. What took so long?” I ask.“You’re early, I was on my way.”“I thought I was right on time.”“What matters is that you’re safe and have the tube. You do have it don’t you?”“Yeah, I got it.”Friday - 12:05 p.m.
I walk into the briefing room and I’m greeted by a fellow agents who belong to the same government group I do, a faction that opposes the president’s fascist attempts on increasing his legal powers.
Colonel Hatcher looks me in the eye extending his hand for a shake. “Good job,” he says.” Taylor shakes my hand as well and Rebecca gives me a hug and a smile. I feel her thin frame against me and her long brown hair on my face. “So glad you made it Ryan, I knew you could do it,” she says.“Well, was it worth a year and a half as a BHO employee?” I ask as I pull away from her.“Sit down, here’s what we know.”We all sit at the conference table. Colonel Hatcher and Rebecca sit at the end and a rectangular space on the wall opens revealing a flat screen monitor. Video footage appears of scientists in a laboratory working in protective clothing that resemble space suits. “The vile you stole Ryan, contains a deadly genetically engineered virus created from three strains of pre-existing viruses: hence the name Cerberus 14 from the Greek three –headed mythological creature Cerberus,” says Rebecca.“And the number 14, where does that come from?” asks Taylor.“It was on the 14th attempt at combining the three strands that BHO succeeded in creating this flesh devouring virus. It spreads fast by simple human skin to skin contact,” Rebecca replies. “This is what it does.”Rebecca pushes a button on the remote and new footage appears. Three men and two women lay in hospital beds, sheets all white. Each bed is sectioned off by clear plastic walls.“These patients are some of the first scientists who to studied the sample last night,” says Rebecca. Other scientists wearing the protective space suits pull away the white sheets of one of the unlucky victims revealing his condition. Underneath the sheet is a layer of clear plastic which is also pulled away.The victim’s face, neck, and shoulders look normal except for the torso which has no skin whatsoever and partially exposed muscle tissue that’s blood red. The white bone of his ribs are visible and his abdominal wall and pectoral muscles have rotted away revealing his internal organs. Each infected individual’s sheets and plastic covering is lifted away, their innards revealed. The look on the living one’s face is horrible, he’s alive and suffering.“The virus causes the literal decomposition of the flesh in the torso area. It’s excruciatingly painful and the victim will die within twenty-four hours. We are still working on the antidote,” Rebecca says.“There’s one more problem,” Colonel Hatcher interjects. “We’ve intelligence that this president’s administration will release Cerberus14 on a small portion of the local public. It’s possible to prevent this from happening which will allow more time to formulate an antidote if a second release is attempted and spreads far and wide.”“Why would they release it on a small population?” Taylor asks.“It will appear like a biological anomaly, spread quickly, and kill thousands of people within days. The president can declare a state of emergency calling it a terrorist attack and use the tragedy as a means to infringe on citizens rights giving himself more powers.“Any idea when they’re going to release the virus?” I ask.“Memorial Day, Monday, three days from now.”“Where?”
“The downtown plaza at the city Memorial Day festival.”“How do we stop it?”
