In the Company of Wolves
Title: In the Company of Wolves, Part II
Pairing: JA/JP, JP/OC
Rating: R for violence and language.
Warning: AU
Disclaimer: Complete fiction, and I'm hoping it stays that way.
Summary: The hemorrhagic fever has been discovered in Western Washington. The team assigned to stopping this virulent disease discovers not only was the plague deliberately introduced to the human population, but it may have been the government that began the tragedy.
Main Post
Day Three
It was well after midnight when Wentworth found himself with Jensen in front of his hotel room. Wentworth wasn't invited in, as he had hoped. However, he did receive a goodnight kiss on the cheek; the first intimate touch in weeks since their last and only time in bed.
Wentworth knew turning their relationship into a sexual one was a mistake: not that he was regretting what they’ve done, just the timing of it. Though Wentworth had faithfully nursed Jensen off from Padalecki, much like an addict from heroin, he knew Jensen's feelings towards his ex still existed. And Jensen was still too damaged from the tumultuous breakup to start planning for the future with someone else.
Wentworth really should have shown more self-control that faithful night, but he was also human despite what Padalecki and his cronies thought, and when Jensen had offered his body, Wentworth had said 'yes' without hesitation.
Right from their rocky introduction, Wentworth saw Jensen as a fellow colleague equal in will and intelligence. He also admitted if only to himself that Jensen was an attractive man. However, the attraction always came second to their working relationship, and Wentworth kept his distance as he was only too glad to have Jensen on board with him. It was a mindset he was able to keep until one afternoon, during a boring staff meeting, when something caught Wentworth's attention and forced him to rethink about what he wanted from the American.
As the head of his lab, Wentworth was forced to attend the monthly budget meetings. On more than one occasion he pulled rank and sacrificed someone else in his stead, but the one scheduled in September determined the lab's future budget for the following year, so Wentworth had no choice but to attend. He had the foresight to drag Jensen with him as ammunition in case Oxford thought about cutting back, even though he knew Jensen would be even less thrilled than he was about attending the budgetary review meeting.
Thirty minutes into the mind-numbing discussions, Wentworth glanced at Jensen to discover the American was almost asleep. Wentworth smiled ruefully as he continued to examine the drooping eyelids and Jensen’s laid-back posture.
A small scar at the base of Jensen's throat caught his attention and made Wentworth wonder what caused the wound. Then his eyes discovered something else and suddenly the meeting wasn’t so boring anymore. Jensen's v-neck sweater was draped in a manner that allowed Wentworth a clear view of the left side of Jensen’s chest. The first thing he noted was a large puckered, angry-red scar. Wentworth had seen such wounds before: it was from a bullet, probably a large caliber.
The rest of the skin was creamy white, with a dusting of lightly-colored freckles. They invited touching and Wentworth fingers involuntarily flexed with the want of grazing them.
The lascivious thought opened doors Wentworth preferred to remain closed, and he had to tear his gaze away from Jensen in order not to embarrass himself. Thinking about his partner is a sexual manner was taboo for someone like Wentworth, and it went doubly so when they worked under the auspices of Oxford’s more conservative programmes.
Against his will Wentworth’s gaze drifted back to the pale skin, then towards the hazel-green eyes that never missed anything. He also noted crowlines on the corners due to the time Jensen spent outdoors. Laughing eyes usually veiled by Jensen's quiet demeanor until you took the time to get to know the man.
The current speaker from the Finances Division droned on about replacing some of the lab's rental equipment with cheaper counterparts.
Wentworth glanced at his watch: another hour of this. It was bad enough he was in a stuffy windowless cell, but now he also had to deal with his hormones making an unannounced visit. He decided with some desperation to distract himself by studying his feet. Instead, he noticed Jensen was wearing flattering pair of jeans. His mouth went dry and Wentworth knew he made a fatal error from which he would not find an easy solution. He also noticed Jensen was sporting atrocious shoes. Wentworth frowned a little; what happened to the penny loafers? They looked like a family of hedgehogs nested in them.
“Dr. Miller, what do you think?”
He didn’t raise his head but replied somberly, “If I tell you now I’ll be bound to it so I’ll save my reply for an internal memo.”
Wentworth heard polite chuckles from around the table and knew he dodged the bullet. He also knew it was by sheer luck so he finally focused his attention to the discussion, and left Jensen with his attractive features for when he could safely daydream and not embarrass himself.
Wentworth managed to wrangle a dinner date of sorts with Jensen after the meeting and it turned out better than he expected. Wentworth's brushes against Jensen’s social and private life increased steadily from that night as he took every opportunity to befriend the newest member of his lab. It wasn't long before he also discovered how deep Jensen's feelings were for Padalecki, but Wentworth was wise enough to not be intimidated. The loyalty was admirable, and one day he hoped to earn the same.
Wentworth’s mind slowly drifted back to the present and he stared at the mirror as he took off his shirt. Days, months fading into two years in the field working alongside Jensen had given him an impressive physique. It pleased him to have any since he was reed-thin for most of his adult life, due to hyperactive metabolism and general lack of appetite.
Wentworth remembered how beautiful Jensen was when they went to bed that one time. He was so physically perfect Wentworth felt embarrassed to undress in front of him, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Jensen compared him to his previous lover. The dark thoughts would have dampened his ardor but a heated kiss managed to wipe them out and basic needs took over from then on.
They both drank too much that night. One pint led to two to a count well over seven. The level of alcohol in his blood should have impaired Wentworth from doing anything, but the wants he so carefully repressed found an outlet and Jensen seemed more than willing. The next morning they discussed everything and Jensen was the first to apologize for taking advantage of Wentworth’s inebriated state. He laughed it off and the two went back to the easy camaraderie they shared earlier.
Since he ate very little during the award ceremony, Wentworth decided to order some food. A loud knock interrupted him before he could order room service. For a moment he wondered if Jensen came to the same conclusion he did and quickly opened the door.
“Dr. Padalecki, what are you doing here?”
“We’ve got a huge problem in the State of Washington,” Jared stated, his face drawn and pale.
Wentworth saw the fear underneath the grim façade and stepped aside to let him in. “Let me grab a shirt and you can tell me what’s happened.”
“No time, we need to fly to McChord Air Force Base now. Where’s Jensen?”
“What is the matter?” Wentworth asked, concerned and annoyed by Padalecki’s attitude.
“There are reports of hemorrhagic fever, so far two confirmed cases and two suspected ones.”
“What research lab?” Wentworth asked as he began throwing his belongings haphazardly into his carry-on.
“Hospital. It’s been reported in a hospital.”
“Harborview?”
“No, Overlake in Bellevue. I have a private plane waiting for us.”
Wentworth finished packing in less than two minutes. Jensen had already fallen asleep but he was ready in less than five minutes as his field training taught him to pack only the bare essentials. They were chauffeured to the airport and escorted through the various security checkpoints without a single stop. It was then Wentworth comprehended how serious the problem was and wondered if there were only four patients. And, who the four were.
The plane was still rising to find the right cruising altitude when Jared began briefing Wentworth and Jensen about the microbreak in Western Washington.
“We’ll be landing in about five hours so we’ll have enough time to go over the material. There won’t be any chance for me to talk to you privately afterwards since we are scheduled to meet with the mayor and the health services right after we land. These two cases are the focus as of now.” Padalecki distributed the folders of Dr. William Coughlin and Dr. Lucie Jorgensen, both deceased. “When Coughlin was hospitalized, his doctor, Rodriguez, thought it was a combination of MRSA and pneumonia. Of course, their lab didn't test for hemorrhagic fever so nobody spotted it until Dr. Chang, who has intimate knowledge of Marburg, accidentally came across Coughlin's body. During that time Dr. Jorgensen was also hospitalized. Her neighbor discovered her unconscious and called emergency services. She came in with Jorgensen's son. They have been quarantined. At six in the evening, Pacific Time, Overlake has been placed under quarantine by the mayor’s orders.
"The C.D.C. is establishing their headquarters next to Overlake. It was they who called for our help.”
“How long have the two been exposed?” Jensen asked as he scanned through the folders, picking up pertinent information.
“It is estimated they were exposed for two weeks, maybe more.”
“Any family members?”
“Yes, Coughlin had a wife, Melanie. She's been admitted to Overlake. Coughlin also has a brother: a thirty-one year old named Hunter. The C.D.C. is tracking him now. Melanie told us Hunter was driving to Portland to tell the parents about his brother's death. Jorgensen is divorced and has only one child.”
“Christ, I hope he wasn’t exposed,” Jensen said as he flipped through the photos. "What is the radius?”
“Melanie is self-employed CPA but she had the week off. Hunter flew in from New York four days ago. What worries me the most is that Coughlin met him in SeaTac. From what his wife said the man was well into his symptoms when he went to the airport to pick up his brother.”
Two sets of eyes landed on Jared’s face as both doctors realized the huge implication revealed to them.
“The airport…” Wentworth echoed.
“There is no radius then,” Jensen added then sank back into his chair as he suddenly felt light-headed.
“None,” Jared said harshly. “Unless Coughlin managed not to infect anyone while he was in the main terminal. I think we all know that is highly unlikely.”
"What of Jorgensen?" Wentworth looked at her autopsy report.
"She didn't travel outside Bellevue but her son did attend school while his mother was sick." Jared took a deep breath and continued, "The C.D.C. is coordinating with the school system to get a list of students, faculty members, and staff."
“Is the C.D.C. doing anything on the international front?” Jensen asked.
“They have alerted WHO. By midnight tonight, their bulletin regarding this will have reached all major medical facilities across the globe. England’s Health Services already notified everyone via e-mail. We hope within twenty-four hours the chain will be made," Jared answered.
“Is there connection between these two?” Wentworth asked.
“Yes, both are researchers working for Ignatius Pharmaceuticals.” Jared was grateful neither mentioned his relationship to the company, as Jeff headed a division for Ignatius. “My team went ahead. Murray is setting up a mobile command center, and I have Morgan prepping the possible point-zero scene as we speak.”
"How do we divide the workload?" Jensen mentally winced as he could easily imagine a pissing contest between different governing bodies.
"The C.D.C. will take control of Overlake and try to contain the diseases. Our job is to find out where this thing came from, and what strain it is. If it's something we've seen before, then everyone will follow protocol. If not - then we're going to have to develop new ones very fast," Jared said.
"And what of the Army? Shouldn't they be involved?" Wentworth hated the idea of a military presence in a scenario as volatile as this one. Unlike his American counterparts, his dealings with the military were chilly at best.
"They are willing to wait for us to find out if this was a deliberate attack or not, but I don't think they'll just sit around and twiddle their thumbs. They have a standing order to protect this country from any biological attacks, and they are very serious about it. So, I think it'll only be a matter of time before they join the fray."
"Then we got Homeland," Jensen added. "Between them, the C.D.C. and the Army, we've got a powder keg of a situation."
A stewardess approached the three hunched over the table. “I have a phone call from Dr. Rodriguez.”
“Thank you,” Jared replied and grabbed the receiver. “This is Dr. Padalecki, what is the latest development?”
“Rory Jorgensen and Melanie Coughlin are infected. Their results just came back: both tested positive for Ebola Sudan.”
“Sudan, are you sure?”
Both Jensen and Miller looked at Jared when they heard 'Sudan'.
“Yes, the C.D.C. has ruled out Marburg," Rodriguez answered. "I've been reading up on this thing. How in God's name did this thing show up in Bellevue?"
Jared closed his eyes and readied himself for the carnage waiting for him. Sudan meant the fatality rate just doubled as it killed well over fifty percent of its hosts while Marburg only wiped out about twenty-five percent. Ebola Zaire was considered the worst, as its mortality rate was ninety percent - a kill rate that almost guaranteed to wipe out the infected host species from existence.
“Thank you for informing us so promptly. We’ll be there as soon as possible.” Jared didn’t give the man time to hit the panic button and ended the call. “The Kikwit scenario is no longer applicable here.”
“How long before WHO sets off Flatlands?” Wentworth asked.
“That will require NATO’s involvement. My guess is it won’t be for at least another three days.”
“So, we have a day to track down X,” Jensen stated. “With some luck he, she, or it, will be in Ignatius unless Jorgensen or Coughlin was infected on the outside and brought it into the lab.”
“A day is nowhere near enough. Kikwit had weeks to create the infectious tree and we’re dealing with a much larger population, not to mention habitat,” Wentworth said as he scrambled to reach his laptop.
“As the saying goes: there are no atheists in foxholes,” Jared said, his voice strained by the knowledge of the workload ahead of them.
The other two knew better than to be insulted by Jared's caustic remark. The three began to formulate a strike plan they could put into effect as soon as they landed in McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma.
Washington
There was a SUV with police escorts waiting for them on the runway. The driver didn’t say a thing and neither did his guests as he drove straight to the mayor’s private residence. It was too late in the evening to have the meeting in the formal office so a suitable substitute was set up in the turn of the century mansion that managed to survive while the neighborhood was upgraded with ostentatious mcmansions. The three doctors were greeted formally by the secretary and were led to the dining room where tense men with bleary eyes and cow-licked hair waited.
“Thank you for responding so quickly. Dr. Lee from the C.D.C. could not join us as he has his hands full,” Mayor Hanover said even as he refused to introduce the other three men.
However, Jared could guess the nature of the strangers' presence. They were probably from the various health departments as Bellevue was not only a bustling city but was a close cousin to Seattle: an international seaport that oversaw tons of materials exchange hands on a daily basis.
Jared knew he and his team would have a fight on their hands since they had no choice but to take control of the situation as soon as possible and prevent any interference from the local political authorities. “Gentlemen, we are dealing with Ebola Sudan which has the kill ratio of one out of two or three out of four, depending on the level of health care the patients receive. I am sure you all have either read books on this virus or seen movies about the disease, but let me assure you it is neither that simple nor that hopeful.” Jared saw the men blanche and realized they weren't made aware of the disease they were dealing with.
“Is there a cure?” Hanover asked.
“None,” Wentworth answered. “There only preventive treatment to keep the patients alive while they battle this virus. If the patients survive they become permanent carriers, a danger to others who have not been exposed to Ebola.”
“Forgive me but I am not a medical man. So could you please start from the beginning,” Hanover stated as coffee and fear began to wake him up.
“Ebola is a type of virus, a filovirus - it literally looks like its name, a virus strain that resembles a thread when one takes both ends and uncurl it.” Jared began smoothly but his tone held no comfort, only cold medical details. “There are five known variants, Zaire, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Bundibugyo, and Reston. The Reston one was discovered in DC over a decade ago. Fortunately for us it did not jump species - from monkeys whose population it decimated, to human beings. We still have no clear idea why it didn't kill people. Then there is Marburg, another filovirus. It isn't Ebola but a close relative, close enough to kill one out of every four human beings who contract the disease.
“The patients in Overlake all died in the same manner. The first symptoms resemble a flu, which is why it’s so hard to spot in the beginning, hence the containment problem. What the virus does is it turns the host into food: it literally liquefies the tissue in order to digest and reproduce. When the patient dies they bleed from every orifice. That blood is highly contaminated and if another organism makes physical contact with the corpse or the blood, the chance of becoming a host is extraordinarily high.” Wentworth took a deep breath and waited for Jensen to continue.
“We don’t know what its natural reservoir is but there must be some organism out there that has successfully developed a type of immunity against Ebola and Marburg. But what it is we do not know.
“It is not like AIDS; this virus is hardy and can survive outside a host for days, and because it is a virus it will mutate at an astonishing rate. We humans have DNA, which basically checks and makes sure the reproduced cells are exactly the same as the original. This filovirus has no such checkpoint because it reproduces RNA; this alarming ability is somewhat curbed because it seems that though there are mutations the filovirus we were able to harvest from outbreaks practically stay the same throughout the years. Some say the mutated strains can’t survive.” Jensen rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. “The truth is we have no idea. But all we need is one mutated strain that can effect the human species and we have a whole new ballgame.”
“We are dealing with Sudan,” Jared said. “And you know its killing rate. If a more pernicious strain develops it can rival Zaire or even worse. We cannot predict what course it will take since we have very little information on its origin.”
“What can be done?” Hanover's pallor increased as the information he was given killed any hope he harbored of controlling the situation before dawn rose.
“We must find Patient Zero. It doesn't matter whether it’s an animal or human. We must find it and the best starting point is the lab in Ignatius where the late Dr. Coughlin and Dr. Jorgensen worked. There is a chance that it began there, but then again maybe not. Our first order of priority is to backtrack the infection and develop a strategy to contain it. Until we hear from our international colleagues we will be working with the assumption that it is contained within the continental United States.
“I am sorry to say we all have agreed Bellevue is too small a radius. Hunter Coughlin is no longer in the area, and his exposure period was long enough for him to pick up the virus from his brother and pass it on to an unsuspecting third party. The situation is probably worse because Dr. Coughlin met his brother in the airport.” Jared began packing his folders to emphasize the need for time. “There are too many things we don't know and every minute we don’t we are losing this war.”
“What can we use to tell the press?” Hanover asked.
Jared turned to the strangers at the other end of the table, forcing them to meet his gaze. “I am sure the C.D.C. has already created multiple scenarios for you to use.”
The three silver heads rustled slightly in confusion and anger as the answer pleased none of them.
“What is Flatlands?” Hanover asked and earned shocked looks from the three doctors present. “I want to know what it is,” he continued, undaunted by the wall that came down on the faces of the doctors across the table.
“It is the last solution to a burning zone,” Jared finally answered. “A combined effort from WHO and NATO to deal with a situation hitherto was only conjecture.”
“Last solution, sounds fatal for those caught in the burning zone … what is a burning zone?”
“A situation where the virus multiplies from host to host at an unstoppable rate, eradicating a large number of the host population: like a raging forest fire,” Jared answered, knowing he was probably confirming the Mayor’s worst fears.
“Can anything be detailed as a burning zone?” Hanover asked in a subdued voice.
“Yes,” Wentworth replied. “Villages, towns, cities … even countries. It doesn’t have to be one single spot since the virus travels with its host. In certain conditions, the term defines the situation more than a place.”
“Is Bellevue a burning zone now?”
Jensen shook his head. “If the only people who are infected are the four victims already identified then no. However, if we can’t contain it, prevent it from spreading within the city populace ... then yes.”
“A city of this size, of such economical importance to the welfare of the nation?”
“Sir, with all due respect, that will have little good for a nation that's being engulfed in an outbreak of Ebola Sudan,” Wentworth said.
Miller’s statement brought on an ugly flush on the man’s face. “I did not suggest…”
“We are wasting time, please,” Jared pleaded. “I don’t think I have to tell you that every minute counts in a situation such as this one.”
“Of course, my chauffeur will drive you…”
“I think it would be best if we move solo from here onwards,” Jensen said, making sure his voice was modulated to calm the strangers sitting around the table. “It’s best to have least number of civilians involved when we're dealing with a virus as deadly as this one.”
The Mayor saw the wisdom behind his offer and graciously accepted. Within ten minutes Jared was driving an Escalade with a police escort clearing the way.
"I thought you'd have better sense than to antagonize the goddamn mayor," Jared rebuked Wentworth.
“I am not here to make friends, Dr. Padalecki. He wanted to have assurances from us that this will all turn out well in the end. We both know that’s bullshit so why bother? It’s his city after all, and he should be informed on what’s waiting for all of us just around the corner.”
“Miller, try to use your other brain cell. He's the fucking mayor and he could make our work miserable or easy. I would rather have him on our side than against us.”
Jared’s terse statement earned a measured glance from the Englishman sitting in the back.
“I had no idea you were such a political creature.”
Jared’s knuckles turned white as his grip on the steering wheel became a stranglehold.
Jensen had hoped their working relationship wouldn’t degenerate into childish bickering, but it took less than an hour before the two men were at each other’s throats. For the rest of the trip, he looked out the scenery blurring by his window.
Jensen was the first to spot the laboratory building: a nondescript concrete structure with a large parking lot. It was currently surrounded by banks of high beams and was guarded by enough police force to make him wonder if there were any cops left to patrol the rest of the city. And shoved into the far right of the parking lot was a large, familiar trailer. It was Jared's rolling fortress that doubled as a lab. Jared had humorously christened it 'Mr. Ed' when it finally arrived, seven months behind schedule. Jensen saw familiar faces mill about the place, those he worked with before he left for England, and felt apprehension rise. What did they think of him and his sudden departure from their tightly knit community? He didn’t have a chance to think about it for any length of time as Jared's lifelong friend, Chad 'Mayhem' Murray, ran towards them as they got out of the car.
“The suits from DC are in the media tent right around the corner." Chad pointed to the left of the building. "Jeff convinced the cops to cordon off two blocks surrounding the compound. “And your brother’s here. He’s waiting in the trailer.”
“What's he doing here? He has no jurisdiction over this.” Jared frowned as he looked at Mr. Ed.
“Don’t look at me, I haven’t spoken three words to him since he arrived.”
“Thanks,” Jared said and turned to Jensen and Wentworth. “Why don’t you go ahead, I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
They left his presence without a word.
“How are you doing?” Chad asked as his eyes leveled on Jensen's retreating form. “He giving you any trouble?”
“Jensen? You’re kidding. It’s Miller we have to worry about. Listen, don’t give Jensen a hard time because of what happened. That was years ago, and I've moved on.”
Chad sighed and shook his head. Jared raised a cautionary finger towards his friend then walked away, briskly.
“What are you doing here?” Jared asked when he spotted Jeff sitting behind his desk.
“A friend of mine from the C.D.C. gave me a call.” Jeff paused and took a deep breath before he broke the news. “This whole operation will be handed over to Miller in about an hour. They're going to release the news to the media in the morning briefing.”
“What?” Jared shouted, the veins on his neck rose, visibly pulsing through the skin. “That's bullshit! We can handle this without some fucking academic from across the Atlantic! Who the hell made the decision?”
“Lee did, and he won the majority vote. He decided to nominate Miller when he found out you recruited both him and Jensen.”
Jared opened his mouth to continue yelling but found himself unable to voice his frustrations.
“I’m sorry, Jared. I really am.”
“Jesus Christ, I’m American. Don’t they believe I'm going to do my best to save my own country?”
“They’re not questioning your allegiance or your passion. It’s just that…”
“They believe Miller’s better in spite of the fact I have almost seven years of field experience over him.” Jared closed his eyes and added, "And Miller has Jensen on his staff. We can't forget about that - can we?"
Jeff didn’t need to reply to the statement as his brother slouched on the stool. “It’s not a question of loyalty, Jared.”
Jared gave his brother a deprecating glance before standing up. “Thanks for stating the obvious."
Before his older brother could soothe his bruised ego, Jared stormed out of the trailer. He knew his staff was looking as he marched angrily across the parking lot but he couldn't bring himself to care.
“Something tells me we're in whole lot of shit,” Morgan whispered to Murray. Chad remained tactfully quiet but his face spoke volumes as his blue eyes projected his worry clearly across his tight-lipped silence.
“What have you found?” Jared asked through the voice module as he watched Jensen read Coughlin's findings on his computer.
“Lab results from an autopsy done on three monkeys that died in the lab," Jensen answered. "From the looks of it I say we found our Patient Zero.”
He stepped aside, allowing Jared to read the screen. The suits they were wearing were cumbersome but the doctors had long been accustomed to moving about in the airtight protective gear.
“Where are the monkeys now?”
“According to this: incinerated. But we have to track down the autopsy samples. If we find Ebola Sudan in the monkeys, I think we can start building the infectious tree immediately, from the top down instead of the usual backward tracking,” Jensen answered.
“Give me the address and I’ll have Morgan retrieve the samples. I hope the poor fools who performed the autopsies were wearing gloves. Where is Miller?”
“There was a phone call; he’ll be back soon.”
Jared gave one nod and asked, “Do you know who it was?”
“Probably someone from Health Services wondering why the hell we’re not back in London, helping them get ready for the eventual outbreak.”
“C.D.C. has decided Miller will lead this campaign.” Jensen's shock translated clearly through the faceplate of the helmet. “They determined it would be best for all concerned if he took charge of the situation.”
“I'm sorry to hear that, Jared,” Jensen said.
“Is this why you left me, Jensen?" Jared couldn't stop his anger and his memories from bleeding into the present as this latest betrayal weakened the walls he'd put up since Jensen left him three years ago. "Is this the reason you decided to back Miller instead? Because you knew who'd come out the winner in the end?”
Wentworth entered the room before Jensen could answer. He noticed the charged atmosphere and saw Jared looking at Jensen with an unreadable expression. Wentworth decided to break the news to Jensen later, in private. He had already guessed from Jeff’s presence in the trailer that the older brother learned of C.D.C.’s decision to place him in charge and came to warn Jared. This was not the beginning he wanted, but at least Wentworth had the backing of everyone he felt necessary in order to control the tense situation.
The three men worked silently as they methodically combed through the offices of Dr. Coughlin and Dr. Jorgensen.
“Are you guys finding anything ‘cause I’m coming up with bupkis,” Jensen said.
“The lack of paperwork is alarming,” Wentworth said as he closed the last of the filing cabinets in Coughlin’s room. “Anything from your friend, Dr. Padalecki?”
“No, Chad’s not finding anything useful in the laptops or the backup servers.”
“Someone’s done housekeeping,” Jensen said. “Shit.”
“I guess that answers the question whether Ignatius was aware of what these two were doing,” Wentworth said. “It’s almost six in the bloody morning. I don’t think we’re going to find anything here. Let’s go.”
They were still in various state of undress in the decon chamber when Chad paged Jared.
Jared turned on the comm and asked, "What is it?"
“Jeff … our Jeff’s back. He was able to get all the samples that were sent out by Coughlin and Jorgensen.”
“Good, we’ll be out in five,” Jared said.
If Wentworth felt any slight that Chad only addressed Jared, he didn’t show it.
Jensen was the first out of decon so he began examining the samples. At first Jensen thought the vials were mislabeled by the people who signed for them. He knew Jeff Morgan well enough to know the man would never make such a critical mistake.
“This is impossible,” Jensen commented as he stared through the microscope.
“What?” Jared caught the confusion in Jensen’s voice and rushed over to him.
“This isn’t Ebola, it’s something else,” Jensen said as he checked the personal database he had on his laptop.
“What do you mean? It has to be!”
“It’s a member of filoviridae but … look. It's not Marburg either: I already checked.” Jensen stepped aside and let Jared study the data. It took him nearly twenty minutes to come to the same conclusion.
“Where in hell did this come from?” Jared asked his new boss as Wentworth started examining the photos taken by the electronic microscope. “It tested positive for Sudan.”
“What test did they use?” Jensen asked.
“MassTag, and the old UV test. Both pointed to Ebola Sudan,” Jared answered.
“What in God’s name were they doing here?” Wentworth whispered as he stared at the unidentified virus on the computer screen.
“I think it's safe to say Ignatius is covering their collective asses at the expense of our investigation,” Wentworth stated flatly as he tossed aside the findings released by the pharmaceutical company less than an hour ago.
“So, it’s agreed then,” Jared said. “Ignatius or someone in the company has performed a massive cover-up.”
“Definitely, they couldn’t get their hands on the samples once you issued the quarantine last night. If it weren't for your swift response we would have never known,” Jensen said. “Chad, are you still proficient with computers as you used to be?” Chad gave a small nod to Jensen’s question. “Good, I want you to hack into their database and find out what's really happening.”
“Is that necessary?” Wentworth asked. “Shouldn’t we inform the C.D.C. so they can inform DC?”
“No, not yet. I have a plan,” Jensen answered. “Trust me, if this works we’ll shake a lot more trees than the Senate.”
It took Chad less than three minutes to worm into Ignatius' mainframe. From there he managed to tunnel his way into the backup servers of all the divisions until he hit the one containing the proper information.
“The security system is topnotch. I can’t stay here much longer without leaving a trace signature.”
“That's exactly what I want you to do,” Jensen said.
“What?” Chad looked at Jensen with confusion.
“Just do it.”
"Do as he says," Jared said calmly. He had just realized what Jensen had in mind.
Alice Dunrea, Head of Research and Development for Ignatius, had no choice but to contact her boss when she got the call that the the Research's backup server had been hacked.
“We’ve been breached,” Alice informed Benjamin Adams, the CEO of Ignatius. “Whoever it was didn’t find much…”
“By whom?” Adams asked, fearing the answer.
“Padalecki or Miller: take your pick.”
“Oh God, he knows. Those samples, damn it! He’s going to call here any minute. We have no choice now, we must talk to them.”
“Let’s not drop our pants yet; we still have Jeff.”
“But he isn’t involved in this.”
“Leave that to me. When Miller and his team call for a conference, just say yes and set it up within the hour. We have to work fast now.”
“Alice, wait, my other line went live. I bet you anything it’s that son of a bitch.”
“Calm down and leave it to me. Schedule the meeting as soon as possible.”
“I’ll ring you back in a minute. Goddamn it, Alice! You better know what you're doing.”
“I do.” Alice managed to find a chair before collapsing in exhaustion and genuine grief. She had established true friendship with Jorgensen and Coughlin and came to see them as friends, not subordinates.
The two researchers approached her as soon as she was promoted to the position of spearheading the research department. Their idea was brilliant if also risky, but she took the chance because she knew they would succeed. It had taken little to convince Adams, who was then the CFO of Ignatius, to fund the research behind Singer's back. And it took even less pressure for her to convince Adams to stage the coup necessary to overthrow Singer's control over the company.
She stared out of her bedroom’s window at the twinkling lights of dotting around Lake Washington. When she heard the garage door open and her husband's car pull in, she went downstairs to greet him and to inform him of her return to work due to an emergency at the office.
The three doctors were greeted by a receptionist at the front entrance and were immediately ushered into what was probably the plushest conference room Jared had ever seen. Around the table sat some of the most powerful men in the company whose words were law for Ignatius and most of the pharmaceutical world. None of the three doctors sat down on the sleek chairs presented to them. Instead, they chose to stand. Jared studied each seated figure, measuring and dismissing them one after another until he was familiar with everyone involved from Ignatius’ camp. Without warning he threw pictures of the newest member of the filoviridae onto the table.
“We’ll be informing the C.D.C. that you’ll be cleaning up your own shit,” Jared snarled and turned to leave the room.
“You can’t be serious!” Adams cried out violently.
“What in hell were you thinking?" Jared's voice completely drowned out Adams'. "This is the hemorrhagic fever! That means people are going to die and will continue to die until we find a cure, which is pretty goddamn impossible when you're holding back vital data!"
“As of fifteen minutes ago, there are seven confirmed cases besides your two employees,” Wentworth coldly announced to the room. “And the demographic suggests this disease has spread throughout Bellevue and probably further since the late Dr. Coughlin went to SeaTac to pick up his brother, who also tested positive.
“We performed blood tests and ELISA on all seven, and they have without exception been diagnosed with Ebola Sudan. But we all know that’s not what this disease is, don’t we? So, as soon as we tag this particular filovirus I'll be informing the media on who’s responsible for starting this bloody plague.”
“It wasn’t sanctioned by us," Adams finally managed to croak out. “We had no idea…”
“And you expect us to believe that?” Jensen asked. “For someone who didn’t have a clue you sure as hell did a good job cleaning up the aftermath. Where are the carriers, the original hosts?”
“Dead,” Dunrea answered. Three sets of accusing eyes leveled themselves on her pasty face. “We killed all the monkeys; burned them and buried their ashes in a tub of bleach. The holding room was scrubbed with bleach and we released T-24 to neutralize anything that could have survived the cleanup. It was done by the book, nothing’s left alive in there.”
“Is it sealed off?” Wentworth asked.
“Yes, it’s airtight and we did the Niger Test: the room passed.”
“And the lab?”
“Your quarantine came down too quickly. We didn’t have chance to move in.” She sounded almost accusatory and that made Jensen bristle.
“Forgive us for doing our job,” Jensen said. “If I knew you had a timeline I would have made sure our team stepped aside and let you finish your sweep.”
Dunrea backed down; angering the three doctors was not what she wanted. Anger led to irrational decisions, and if any of these three were roused to report on Ignatius, it would be the end of the company and everyone involved in the cleanup.
“What happened - and we want the real facts. Also, by the end of this meeting, I want all documents, papers, discs, everything and anything that has to do with what Coughlin and Jorgensen worked on,” Jared demanded.
“They were working on AIDS,” Dunrea said. “They were focused on the immune suppressive abilities of the HIV virus, and decided to utilize other viruses with the same abilities. They harvested the filoviridae and neutralized the samples years ago. What they were working on now should have been completely inactive. They were sure of it.”
“Well, they were wrong, and they paid for it with their lives,” Jared said. “How did they get their hands on the virus to begin with?”
“Coughlin and Jorgensen knew it would be impossible for them to do the necessary research on Ebola since Ignatius did not have the proper clearance, and probably would never have it. So they imported monkeys from areas known for their high contamination rate. It was only matter of time before they came across an infected animal. They managed to extract what they needed before destroying the host monkey."
"When did this happen?" Wentworth asked.
"Five years ago," Dunrea answered. "Afterwards, they used monkeys from non-infected areas. They assured me the samples were neutralized. That they no longer harbored any danger."
“Maybe they did, but that doesn't mean the monkeys they brought in later were clean,” Jensen said. “Even if the materials were neutralized, once it was introduced to an infected monkey - you could have an entirely new strain crop up."
"Did anyone else work with them?" Jared asked.
“No,” Dunrea answered. “They were isolated at all times, only two of them worked with no outside help whatsoever. They weren’t exactly the most popular group of people and had a hard time recruiting any type of assistance.”
“How long did this go on?” Jared asked.
“Seven years. The paperwork will confirm the dates.”
“Who alerted you to this?” Wentworth asked.
“Jorgensen, she called us from home,” Dunrea answered. “She realized what was happening and warned us. That was yesterday morning, before her neighbor found her.”
“You work very fast, let’s hope you’ve been more thorough than the two who came before you,” Wentworth said, knowing they had no confidence that they were successful where both Coughlin and Jorgensen failed.
“We’re going to have to rework the infectious tree and inform the C.D.C.,” Jensen added as he began to formulate out a whole new directive in his head.
“I suggest you carefully think about what you want to disclose to the C.D.C.,” Dunrea said.
“What makes you think you are in any position to make demands?” Jared asked sharply.
“Just suggesting you consider everything before dragging Ignatius into this, and remember that your brother still works for us and there will be repercussions on his personal life should you try to shift the blame on the company,” Dunrea said.
"If you're threatening me with my brother, you're barking up the wrong tree. Jeff can take care of himself, and if he had anything to do with this, I'll personally see to it that he pays and pays.
“Does that answer your question?” Jared replied, his words vibrating with anger.
Alice knew she made a terrible mistake; she thought Padalecki would consider the welfare of his family to be paramount, but now she realized something else stood closer to his heart - his work.
“I wonder if the public would believe a word you say if they found out what you've done,” Dunrea said, knowing her comment would gain everyone’s attention.
“And what might that be?” Jared asked.
“Do you remember a medical trial that took place in Nairobi two years ago?”
Jared didn't respond but the sudden tensing of his posture was big enough of a betrayal for everyone to read.
Wentworth turned to Jared. “What is she talking about?”
“The good doctor here led a drug trial for a company in a small hospice located on the outskirts of Nairobi. Unfortunately, the drugs were placebos and all the patients died. Something that the C.D.C. and the WHO missed because nobody cared to inform them.”
Jensen didn’t let anyone have a chance to speak after Dunrea’s threat. “Well, now we really know how desperate you all are.”
Wentworth spotted Dunrea’s surprise at Jensen’s reaction and decided that was the best they could do under the circumstances.
“We’ve got work to do,” he said. “We’ll be waiting downstairs for all the information pertaining to the work Dr. Coughlin and Dr. Jorgensen was doing for Ignatius Pharmaceuticals.”
Jensen took his cue and gently guided Jared out of the building. As soon as they hit the cool night air, Jared began to shudder; his whole body trembling in fear and shock in the aftermath of having his worst secret unveiled. The three men stood outside for almost ten minutes before employees of the company began filing out of the elevators, all carrying boxes.
Jensen gave a nod to Wentworth as he tactfully withdrew and began directing the men to follow him to their cars.
“Listen to me. I don't care,” Jensen said firmly, holding Jared's cold sweaty hands.
“You have to care. Jesus, how the fuck did she find out?”
“That’s not the issue right now. It looks like Ignatius coughed up what we wanted. We have to return to the lab and look over the information. There is no time for you to have a breakdown.”
“You can’t be so nonchalant about this,” Jared said. “This can destroy us down the road. They could always use it as a weapon against our investigation.”
“But will they?” Jensen asked. “They’ve got just as much to lose, if not more. Seriously, Jared, we have to go back to work.”
“Jensen, I swear I didn’t know the drugs were placebos. In fact, I had no fucking clue until I came back to the States and tested one of them.”
“I believe you.”
Those three words healed wounds deeper than either knew existed.
Jared remained silent during the drive back to the lab and neither Wentworth nor Jensen pressed for conversation as their workload loomed largely in their minds. As soon as he got to the trailer Jared kicked out his techs in order to call his brother.
"Jeff, you fucking idiot! Did you tell Dunrea about what happened in Nairobi with SymTech?"
"What? What are you yelling about? What happened?"
"I just came from a meeting with your friends. Alice Dunrea knows about the fucking mess SymTech made of my campaign and threatened to break it to the press if I reveal how deep Ignatius is in this shit. Why did you tell her?"
"She's my girlfriend, Jared. I was going to tell you as soon as she separated from her husband. We've been seeing each other for almost a year now. I am so sorry. What are you going to do?"
"As of yet, nothing. But she's going to be a problem sooner or later. Miller will want to go public with Ignatius' involvement in all this, not to mention their pathetic attempt at coverup. He wants someone to hang and it's either going to be Dunrea or myself. Right now I'm guessing it's 50-50 between us."
"Don't worry about Alice. I'll take care of her."
"Don't do anything stupid, Jeff."
"Miller wants someone to blow in the wind; he'll get one," Jeff said. "Besides, it's my fucking mess, so I have to clean it up. Trust me little brother?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not if you want to save the world. Wait for my call."
"Good luck, Jeff."
"Luck has nothing to do with what I'm about to do."
"You had no idea about Padalecki’s problem, did you?"
Jensen turned to Wentworth and gave a tired shake of his head. "None, I had no contact with him after I left."
"It will work against us, you know that."
"It doesn't have to. I’m sure between the three of us, we could come up with something that will gag Ignatius. And remember, we have two goals, and that is to find out what this is exactly and help C.D.C. to prevent it from becoming an epidemic."
"But we will need 100% cooperation from everyone in order for that to happen. You know how prejudices go in our world: it will be subtle but it will be there."
"So we cave under Ignatius's threats? If they find out they have a hold over us they will keep using it. It's too tempting, too easy for them, and you know that!"
"Yes, unfortunately I do. So what do you suggest? That we let this dog lie until it wakes up again?"
"Do we have a choice?"
"Of course we do. We can replace Padalecki with someone else, someone equally qualified."
"At this stage of the game? This is his sandbox, and don’t forget, we’re using his techs and his equipment. At least until Steve and Chris get here.
"The truth is, we lose him - we lose time."
"We'll keep him for now then,” Wentworth reluctantly said. “However, if the scandal breaks, I'll have no choice but to replace him."
"Jared's reputation will be destroyed if you do that."
"Jensen, you have to put aside your personal feelings. It won’t do you any good in a time of crisis like this."
"I'm not like you; I can't just run on mental energy and the need to beat the other guy."
"I knew you were going to say that." Wentworth sighed as he lightly placed one hand on Jensen’s shoulder. "We're not getting anywhere talking about this. Let's hit the folders and see what the good doctors were up to before all hell broke loose."
"Miss Dunrea, Dr. Jeffrey Padalecki is here to see you." The secretary's voice sounded strained even over the speakerphone.
Alice closed her eyes and picked up the receiver. "Tell him I'm busy…"
Her door burst inwards as Jeff forced his way into the room. The secretary trailed behind him, stumbling as her high heels caught on the lush carpet. "I am so sorry but he wouldn't wait."
"It's all right, please close the door behind you." Alice steeled herself. She had been dreading this unavoidable confrontation.
"You bitch, you used what I gave you in strictest confidence to threaten my brother."
"Calling me names won't help anyone, Jeff. I am doing what is best for all of us, not only for Ignatius but also your brother and his investigation. If he puts us in negative light, we will have no choice but to fight, and who do you think will come out the winner? Do you really think we will sit by and let Jared and his group drag us down? Ignatius will spend whatever money to win and we will win."
Her summation managed to bring on an ugly flush from the man as curled up his hands into tight fists. For a moment Alice felt a dull rush of fear as she wondered if Jeff was capable of hitting a woman.
"My God, you really are that stupid."
Something in Jeff's voice made Alice examine him harder. "What are you talking about?"
"They're not going to spend millions of dollars when they got you to be their scapegoat."
"What are you talking about? They do that to me and I will scream bloody murder."
"Really? Well, consider this. Your extremely deficient clean-up crew used whose codes and passwords during their assignment? It really was a stupid mistake, Alice. You panicked very badly and rushed to do the job, so your team made the same mistake. They logged in using your clearance. I should know; I checked out all the trace activity in the labs and the monkey rooms.
“Tell me something, while you were planning on how to save Ignatius' ass, did you by chance record the conversations with the others because from where I'm standing, it looks like it was all your doing. Your passwords, your codes, your orders, I couldn't find anyone else's involvement save yours."
"They wouldn't dare - I have too much on them."
"They'll risk it. Trust me, you don’t have enough experience to cover your ass, and you're not valuable enough for them to take flak for. They will cut you loose and feed you to the wolves; of that I have no doubt. It's only matter of days, maybe even less if this plague really does start wiping out the population. Isn't it ironic? The only hope you have of protecting yourself is to help the very man you threatened to destroy. If Jared and his team fails, then Ignatius will start pointing fingers and I can tell you it will be far from unpleasant, especially if the Flatlands scenario is triggered."
"Flatlands? They wouldn't dare, not here, not in the U.S.!"
"Imagine it, Alice. A city quarantined and blocked by the military and whose citizens will be told that it was you who was responsible for letting this thing spread. That you tried to do a cover-up which in turn not only interfered with the investigation but also hindered them from making critical progress. They will gut you alive in front of the City Hall.
“Mull over that, sweetheart. Some good old-fashioned medieval justice right here in the liberal heartland."
"United States won't allow itself…"
“We won’t have a choice. Even if the President says no, without international help we won’t be able to find a cure in time. And maybe it wouldn't be so bad for the rest of the world if we did exactly that. What better way to make sure the plague does not spread to the rest of human population than to make sure no hosts or possible hosts survive? Flatlands was developed with such scenario in mind. Trust me, when the time comes we will be made sacrificial lambs. We are no longer the economic muscle of the world. China, even India, will be able to step in within five years, if not less. We are … what is the word … replaceable."
Alice's resolve finally crumbled. "Jeff, please, you have to..."
"Go to hell."
Jeff walked away, not sparing a glance behind him. He didn't slam the door even though his rage demanded that he take it off its hinges. Jeff made sure he wasn't being followed before he retrieved the briefcase he'd stashed behind the potted plant next to the elevator. It contained material he had gathered illegally in the last hour.
By the time Jeff reached the underground garage his heart was racing. Throughout the exodus Jeff feared he would be stopped. He got into his car and began pulling out of the reserved space when security guards swarmed out of the elevators. He didn't spend another moment second-guessing and gunned his BMW.
The small speedster screamed around the corner just in time for Jeff to see the steel entrance gate coming down. He shifted gear and began praying. Jeff heard the metal scraping on top of his car but the noise didn't concern him as the BMW popped free of the closing cage.
"He's escaped. The guards didn't get to him on time."
Alice's eyes fluttered closed as the death sentence was passed onto her person.
Jared heard the familiar roar of his brother's car and stepped outside the trailer to see the mess of German engineering pull up in front of him.
"What the hell happened to you?" Jared asked, noting Jeff's pallor as his brother stumbled out of the car.
"I just escaped by the skin of my teeth. Here, take this, you'll need it if you want to bring down Ignatius."
Jared opened up the elegant briefcase and saw what was inside.
"What is this?" Wentworth asked, peering behind Jared.
"Readouts, computer-generated reports on who was where doing what during the microbreak. And few other things which will clearly show Ignatius was cognizant of the problem before we were onto it; to prove that they had the chance to come clean instead of trying to do sweep the whole damn thing under the rug. They want to hang us; well, we can burn them alive. This should keep those bastards in place, at least until their legal counsel does something slippery."
Jensen examined the scratch marks on the roof of the BMW. "You nearly got caught," he said in admiration. "You really put it on the line didn't you?"
"No, I told the truth and cut Alice off at her knees. Without her, the rest of the Board will be easier to handle. It might amaze you to know out of all of them she had the most balls. Let them see tonight's news and realize the enormity of the situation. Who knows, they might cooperate afterwards. If not, let's start publishing this on the Web. We can't trust the newspapers to do the job since Ignatius has their fingers in most everything, including DC."
"How much danger does Ignatius represent?" Wentworth asked, also admiring the oldest for his foolhardy bravery.
"If the media reports this as bio-warfare we'll have massive panic on the streets. If we don't, Ignatius will fuck us over in a second," Jeff stated flatly.
"What if we don't do anything?" Jensen asked. "Wouldn't that keep them on the edge? Make them wonder?"
"Well, yes, but why wouldn't we use this to nail them to the cross?" Jeff asked.
"Why didn't Russia or the U.S. fire the first nuclear missile? Because it was a deterrence for both sides of the fence,” Jensen said. “Maybe we could establish the same situation here."
Wentworth personally thought the idea had merit but felt compelled to say, “That’s risky, maybe too much.”
"Yes, but think about it. Never underestimate the power of denial, especially if you're the root of all the problems,” Jensen said.
"How long can it last?" Jeff asked.
"Two days at most before they decide to do something outrageously stupid. But that's still forty-eight hours we desperately need," Jensen answered.
"We'll sit on this, and, by the way, we are going to need to make copies, before storing them in safe-boxes. Just in case." Wentworth's face darkened as he flipped through the material. "We have no idea what they'll do in order to get this back. Never underestimate the power of stupidity - to quote Jensen."
"Chad, can you make digital copies of this?" Jared asked.
"Oh yeah, and upload it on a private server with a time bomb, so if I don't punch in the codes - let's say every three hours - it goes public."
"Do it," Wentworth said. “It’s time we get these bastards out of the way.”
Part I * Part III
Pairing: JA/JP, JP/OC
Rating: R for violence and language.
Warning: AU
Disclaimer: Complete fiction, and I'm hoping it stays that way.
Summary: The hemorrhagic fever has been discovered in Western Washington. The team assigned to stopping this virulent disease discovers not only was the plague deliberately introduced to the human population, but it may have been the government that began the tragedy.
Main Post
Day Three
It was well after midnight when Wentworth found himself with Jensen in front of his hotel room. Wentworth wasn't invited in, as he had hoped. However, he did receive a goodnight kiss on the cheek; the first intimate touch in weeks since their last and only time in bed.
Wentworth knew turning their relationship into a sexual one was a mistake: not that he was regretting what they’ve done, just the timing of it. Though Wentworth had faithfully nursed Jensen off from Padalecki, much like an addict from heroin, he knew Jensen's feelings towards his ex still existed. And Jensen was still too damaged from the tumultuous breakup to start planning for the future with someone else.
Wentworth really should have shown more self-control that faithful night, but he was also human despite what Padalecki and his cronies thought, and when Jensen had offered his body, Wentworth had said 'yes' without hesitation.
Right from their rocky introduction, Wentworth saw Jensen as a fellow colleague equal in will and intelligence. He also admitted if only to himself that Jensen was an attractive man. However, the attraction always came second to their working relationship, and Wentworth kept his distance as he was only too glad to have Jensen on board with him. It was a mindset he was able to keep until one afternoon, during a boring staff meeting, when something caught Wentworth's attention and forced him to rethink about what he wanted from the American.
As the head of his lab, Wentworth was forced to attend the monthly budget meetings. On more than one occasion he pulled rank and sacrificed someone else in his stead, but the one scheduled in September determined the lab's future budget for the following year, so Wentworth had no choice but to attend. He had the foresight to drag Jensen with him as ammunition in case Oxford thought about cutting back, even though he knew Jensen would be even less thrilled than he was about attending the budgetary review meeting.
Thirty minutes into the mind-numbing discussions, Wentworth glanced at Jensen to discover the American was almost asleep. Wentworth smiled ruefully as he continued to examine the drooping eyelids and Jensen’s laid-back posture.
A small scar at the base of Jensen's throat caught his attention and made Wentworth wonder what caused the wound. Then his eyes discovered something else and suddenly the meeting wasn’t so boring anymore. Jensen's v-neck sweater was draped in a manner that allowed Wentworth a clear view of the left side of Jensen’s chest. The first thing he noted was a large puckered, angry-red scar. Wentworth had seen such wounds before: it was from a bullet, probably a large caliber.
The rest of the skin was creamy white, with a dusting of lightly-colored freckles. They invited touching and Wentworth fingers involuntarily flexed with the want of grazing them.
The lascivious thought opened doors Wentworth preferred to remain closed, and he had to tear his gaze away from Jensen in order not to embarrass himself. Thinking about his partner is a sexual manner was taboo for someone like Wentworth, and it went doubly so when they worked under the auspices of Oxford’s more conservative programmes.
Against his will Wentworth’s gaze drifted back to the pale skin, then towards the hazel-green eyes that never missed anything. He also noted crowlines on the corners due to the time Jensen spent outdoors. Laughing eyes usually veiled by Jensen's quiet demeanor until you took the time to get to know the man.
The current speaker from the Finances Division droned on about replacing some of the lab's rental equipment with cheaper counterparts.
Wentworth glanced at his watch: another hour of this. It was bad enough he was in a stuffy windowless cell, but now he also had to deal with his hormones making an unannounced visit. He decided with some desperation to distract himself by studying his feet. Instead, he noticed Jensen was wearing flattering pair of jeans. His mouth went dry and Wentworth knew he made a fatal error from which he would not find an easy solution. He also noticed Jensen was sporting atrocious shoes. Wentworth frowned a little; what happened to the penny loafers? They looked like a family of hedgehogs nested in them.
“Dr. Miller, what do you think?”
He didn’t raise his head but replied somberly, “If I tell you now I’ll be bound to it so I’ll save my reply for an internal memo.”
Wentworth heard polite chuckles from around the table and knew he dodged the bullet. He also knew it was by sheer luck so he finally focused his attention to the discussion, and left Jensen with his attractive features for when he could safely daydream and not embarrass himself.
Wentworth managed to wrangle a dinner date of sorts with Jensen after the meeting and it turned out better than he expected. Wentworth's brushes against Jensen’s social and private life increased steadily from that night as he took every opportunity to befriend the newest member of his lab. It wasn't long before he also discovered how deep Jensen's feelings were for Padalecki, but Wentworth was wise enough to not be intimidated. The loyalty was admirable, and one day he hoped to earn the same.
Wentworth’s mind slowly drifted back to the present and he stared at the mirror as he took off his shirt. Days, months fading into two years in the field working alongside Jensen had given him an impressive physique. It pleased him to have any since he was reed-thin for most of his adult life, due to hyperactive metabolism and general lack of appetite.
Wentworth remembered how beautiful Jensen was when they went to bed that one time. He was so physically perfect Wentworth felt embarrassed to undress in front of him, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Jensen compared him to his previous lover. The dark thoughts would have dampened his ardor but a heated kiss managed to wipe them out and basic needs took over from then on.
They both drank too much that night. One pint led to two to a count well over seven. The level of alcohol in his blood should have impaired Wentworth from doing anything, but the wants he so carefully repressed found an outlet and Jensen seemed more than willing. The next morning they discussed everything and Jensen was the first to apologize for taking advantage of Wentworth’s inebriated state. He laughed it off and the two went back to the easy camaraderie they shared earlier.
Since he ate very little during the award ceremony, Wentworth decided to order some food. A loud knock interrupted him before he could order room service. For a moment he wondered if Jensen came to the same conclusion he did and quickly opened the door.
“Dr. Padalecki, what are you doing here?”
“We’ve got a huge problem in the State of Washington,” Jared stated, his face drawn and pale.
Wentworth saw the fear underneath the grim façade and stepped aside to let him in. “Let me grab a shirt and you can tell me what’s happened.”
“No time, we need to fly to McChord Air Force Base now. Where’s Jensen?”
“What is the matter?” Wentworth asked, concerned and annoyed by Padalecki’s attitude.
“There are reports of hemorrhagic fever, so far two confirmed cases and two suspected ones.”
“What research lab?” Wentworth asked as he began throwing his belongings haphazardly into his carry-on.
“Hospital. It’s been reported in a hospital.”
“Harborview?”
“No, Overlake in Bellevue. I have a private plane waiting for us.”
Wentworth finished packing in less than two minutes. Jensen had already fallen asleep but he was ready in less than five minutes as his field training taught him to pack only the bare essentials. They were chauffeured to the airport and escorted through the various security checkpoints without a single stop. It was then Wentworth comprehended how serious the problem was and wondered if there were only four patients. And, who the four were.
The plane was still rising to find the right cruising altitude when Jared began briefing Wentworth and Jensen about the microbreak in Western Washington.
“We’ll be landing in about five hours so we’ll have enough time to go over the material. There won’t be any chance for me to talk to you privately afterwards since we are scheduled to meet with the mayor and the health services right after we land. These two cases are the focus as of now.” Padalecki distributed the folders of Dr. William Coughlin and Dr. Lucie Jorgensen, both deceased. “When Coughlin was hospitalized, his doctor, Rodriguez, thought it was a combination of MRSA and pneumonia. Of course, their lab didn't test for hemorrhagic fever so nobody spotted it until Dr. Chang, who has intimate knowledge of Marburg, accidentally came across Coughlin's body. During that time Dr. Jorgensen was also hospitalized. Her neighbor discovered her unconscious and called emergency services. She came in with Jorgensen's son. They have been quarantined. At six in the evening, Pacific Time, Overlake has been placed under quarantine by the mayor’s orders.
"The C.D.C. is establishing their headquarters next to Overlake. It was they who called for our help.”
“How long have the two been exposed?” Jensen asked as he scanned through the folders, picking up pertinent information.
“It is estimated they were exposed for two weeks, maybe more.”
“Any family members?”
“Yes, Coughlin had a wife, Melanie. She's been admitted to Overlake. Coughlin also has a brother: a thirty-one year old named Hunter. The C.D.C. is tracking him now. Melanie told us Hunter was driving to Portland to tell the parents about his brother's death. Jorgensen is divorced and has only one child.”
“Christ, I hope he wasn’t exposed,” Jensen said as he flipped through the photos. "What is the radius?”
“Melanie is self-employed CPA but she had the week off. Hunter flew in from New York four days ago. What worries me the most is that Coughlin met him in SeaTac. From what his wife said the man was well into his symptoms when he went to the airport to pick up his brother.”
Two sets of eyes landed on Jared’s face as both doctors realized the huge implication revealed to them.
“The airport…” Wentworth echoed.
“There is no radius then,” Jensen added then sank back into his chair as he suddenly felt light-headed.
“None,” Jared said harshly. “Unless Coughlin managed not to infect anyone while he was in the main terminal. I think we all know that is highly unlikely.”
"What of Jorgensen?" Wentworth looked at her autopsy report.
"She didn't travel outside Bellevue but her son did attend school while his mother was sick." Jared took a deep breath and continued, "The C.D.C. is coordinating with the school system to get a list of students, faculty members, and staff."
“Is the C.D.C. doing anything on the international front?” Jensen asked.
“They have alerted WHO. By midnight tonight, their bulletin regarding this will have reached all major medical facilities across the globe. England’s Health Services already notified everyone via e-mail. We hope within twenty-four hours the chain will be made," Jared answered.
“Is there connection between these two?” Wentworth asked.
“Yes, both are researchers working for Ignatius Pharmaceuticals.” Jared was grateful neither mentioned his relationship to the company, as Jeff headed a division for Ignatius. “My team went ahead. Murray is setting up a mobile command center, and I have Morgan prepping the possible point-zero scene as we speak.”
"How do we divide the workload?" Jensen mentally winced as he could easily imagine a pissing contest between different governing bodies.
"The C.D.C. will take control of Overlake and try to contain the diseases. Our job is to find out where this thing came from, and what strain it is. If it's something we've seen before, then everyone will follow protocol. If not - then we're going to have to develop new ones very fast," Jared said.
"And what of the Army? Shouldn't they be involved?" Wentworth hated the idea of a military presence in a scenario as volatile as this one. Unlike his American counterparts, his dealings with the military were chilly at best.
"They are willing to wait for us to find out if this was a deliberate attack or not, but I don't think they'll just sit around and twiddle their thumbs. They have a standing order to protect this country from any biological attacks, and they are very serious about it. So, I think it'll only be a matter of time before they join the fray."
"Then we got Homeland," Jensen added. "Between them, the C.D.C. and the Army, we've got a powder keg of a situation."
A stewardess approached the three hunched over the table. “I have a phone call from Dr. Rodriguez.”
“Thank you,” Jared replied and grabbed the receiver. “This is Dr. Padalecki, what is the latest development?”
“Rory Jorgensen and Melanie Coughlin are infected. Their results just came back: both tested positive for Ebola Sudan.”
“Sudan, are you sure?”
Both Jensen and Miller looked at Jared when they heard 'Sudan'.
“Yes, the C.D.C. has ruled out Marburg," Rodriguez answered. "I've been reading up on this thing. How in God's name did this thing show up in Bellevue?"
Jared closed his eyes and readied himself for the carnage waiting for him. Sudan meant the fatality rate just doubled as it killed well over fifty percent of its hosts while Marburg only wiped out about twenty-five percent. Ebola Zaire was considered the worst, as its mortality rate was ninety percent - a kill rate that almost guaranteed to wipe out the infected host species from existence.
“Thank you for informing us so promptly. We’ll be there as soon as possible.” Jared didn’t give the man time to hit the panic button and ended the call. “The Kikwit scenario is no longer applicable here.”
“How long before WHO sets off Flatlands?” Wentworth asked.
“That will require NATO’s involvement. My guess is it won’t be for at least another three days.”
“So, we have a day to track down X,” Jensen stated. “With some luck he, she, or it, will be in Ignatius unless Jorgensen or Coughlin was infected on the outside and brought it into the lab.”
“A day is nowhere near enough. Kikwit had weeks to create the infectious tree and we’re dealing with a much larger population, not to mention habitat,” Wentworth said as he scrambled to reach his laptop.
“As the saying goes: there are no atheists in foxholes,” Jared said, his voice strained by the knowledge of the workload ahead of them.
The other two knew better than to be insulted by Jared's caustic remark. The three began to formulate a strike plan they could put into effect as soon as they landed in McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma.
Washington
There was a SUV with police escorts waiting for them on the runway. The driver didn’t say a thing and neither did his guests as he drove straight to the mayor’s private residence. It was too late in the evening to have the meeting in the formal office so a suitable substitute was set up in the turn of the century mansion that managed to survive while the neighborhood was upgraded with ostentatious mcmansions. The three doctors were greeted formally by the secretary and were led to the dining room where tense men with bleary eyes and cow-licked hair waited.
“Thank you for responding so quickly. Dr. Lee from the C.D.C. could not join us as he has his hands full,” Mayor Hanover said even as he refused to introduce the other three men.
However, Jared could guess the nature of the strangers' presence. They were probably from the various health departments as Bellevue was not only a bustling city but was a close cousin to Seattle: an international seaport that oversaw tons of materials exchange hands on a daily basis.
Jared knew he and his team would have a fight on their hands since they had no choice but to take control of the situation as soon as possible and prevent any interference from the local political authorities. “Gentlemen, we are dealing with Ebola Sudan which has the kill ratio of one out of two or three out of four, depending on the level of health care the patients receive. I am sure you all have either read books on this virus or seen movies about the disease, but let me assure you it is neither that simple nor that hopeful.” Jared saw the men blanche and realized they weren't made aware of the disease they were dealing with.
“Is there a cure?” Hanover asked.
“None,” Wentworth answered. “There only preventive treatment to keep the patients alive while they battle this virus. If the patients survive they become permanent carriers, a danger to others who have not been exposed to Ebola.”
“Forgive me but I am not a medical man. So could you please start from the beginning,” Hanover stated as coffee and fear began to wake him up.
“Ebola is a type of virus, a filovirus - it literally looks like its name, a virus strain that resembles a thread when one takes both ends and uncurl it.” Jared began smoothly but his tone held no comfort, only cold medical details. “There are five known variants, Zaire, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Bundibugyo, and Reston. The Reston one was discovered in DC over a decade ago. Fortunately for us it did not jump species - from monkeys whose population it decimated, to human beings. We still have no clear idea why it didn't kill people. Then there is Marburg, another filovirus. It isn't Ebola but a close relative, close enough to kill one out of every four human beings who contract the disease.
“The patients in Overlake all died in the same manner. The first symptoms resemble a flu, which is why it’s so hard to spot in the beginning, hence the containment problem. What the virus does is it turns the host into food: it literally liquefies the tissue in order to digest and reproduce. When the patient dies they bleed from every orifice. That blood is highly contaminated and if another organism makes physical contact with the corpse or the blood, the chance of becoming a host is extraordinarily high.” Wentworth took a deep breath and waited for Jensen to continue.
“We don’t know what its natural reservoir is but there must be some organism out there that has successfully developed a type of immunity against Ebola and Marburg. But what it is we do not know.
“It is not like AIDS; this virus is hardy and can survive outside a host for days, and because it is a virus it will mutate at an astonishing rate. We humans have DNA, which basically checks and makes sure the reproduced cells are exactly the same as the original. This filovirus has no such checkpoint because it reproduces RNA; this alarming ability is somewhat curbed because it seems that though there are mutations the filovirus we were able to harvest from outbreaks practically stay the same throughout the years. Some say the mutated strains can’t survive.” Jensen rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. “The truth is we have no idea. But all we need is one mutated strain that can effect the human species and we have a whole new ballgame.”
“We are dealing with Sudan,” Jared said. “And you know its killing rate. If a more pernicious strain develops it can rival Zaire or even worse. We cannot predict what course it will take since we have very little information on its origin.”
“What can be done?” Hanover's pallor increased as the information he was given killed any hope he harbored of controlling the situation before dawn rose.
“We must find Patient Zero. It doesn't matter whether it’s an animal or human. We must find it and the best starting point is the lab in Ignatius where the late Dr. Coughlin and Dr. Jorgensen worked. There is a chance that it began there, but then again maybe not. Our first order of priority is to backtrack the infection and develop a strategy to contain it. Until we hear from our international colleagues we will be working with the assumption that it is contained within the continental United States.
“I am sorry to say we all have agreed Bellevue is too small a radius. Hunter Coughlin is no longer in the area, and his exposure period was long enough for him to pick up the virus from his brother and pass it on to an unsuspecting third party. The situation is probably worse because Dr. Coughlin met his brother in the airport.” Jared began packing his folders to emphasize the need for time. “There are too many things we don't know and every minute we don’t we are losing this war.”
“What can we use to tell the press?” Hanover asked.
Jared turned to the strangers at the other end of the table, forcing them to meet his gaze. “I am sure the C.D.C. has already created multiple scenarios for you to use.”
The three silver heads rustled slightly in confusion and anger as the answer pleased none of them.
“What is Flatlands?” Hanover asked and earned shocked looks from the three doctors present. “I want to know what it is,” he continued, undaunted by the wall that came down on the faces of the doctors across the table.
“It is the last solution to a burning zone,” Jared finally answered. “A combined effort from WHO and NATO to deal with a situation hitherto was only conjecture.”
“Last solution, sounds fatal for those caught in the burning zone … what is a burning zone?”
“A situation where the virus multiplies from host to host at an unstoppable rate, eradicating a large number of the host population: like a raging forest fire,” Jared answered, knowing he was probably confirming the Mayor’s worst fears.
“Can anything be detailed as a burning zone?” Hanover asked in a subdued voice.
“Yes,” Wentworth replied. “Villages, towns, cities … even countries. It doesn’t have to be one single spot since the virus travels with its host. In certain conditions, the term defines the situation more than a place.”
“Is Bellevue a burning zone now?”
Jensen shook his head. “If the only people who are infected are the four victims already identified then no. However, if we can’t contain it, prevent it from spreading within the city populace ... then yes.”
“A city of this size, of such economical importance to the welfare of the nation?”
“Sir, with all due respect, that will have little good for a nation that's being engulfed in an outbreak of Ebola Sudan,” Wentworth said.
Miller’s statement brought on an ugly flush on the man’s face. “I did not suggest…”
“We are wasting time, please,” Jared pleaded. “I don’t think I have to tell you that every minute counts in a situation such as this one.”
“Of course, my chauffeur will drive you…”
“I think it would be best if we move solo from here onwards,” Jensen said, making sure his voice was modulated to calm the strangers sitting around the table. “It’s best to have least number of civilians involved when we're dealing with a virus as deadly as this one.”
The Mayor saw the wisdom behind his offer and graciously accepted. Within ten minutes Jared was driving an Escalade with a police escort clearing the way.
"I thought you'd have better sense than to antagonize the goddamn mayor," Jared rebuked Wentworth.
“I am not here to make friends, Dr. Padalecki. He wanted to have assurances from us that this will all turn out well in the end. We both know that’s bullshit so why bother? It’s his city after all, and he should be informed on what’s waiting for all of us just around the corner.”
“Miller, try to use your other brain cell. He's the fucking mayor and he could make our work miserable or easy. I would rather have him on our side than against us.”
Jared’s terse statement earned a measured glance from the Englishman sitting in the back.
“I had no idea you were such a political creature.”
Jared’s knuckles turned white as his grip on the steering wheel became a stranglehold.
Jensen had hoped their working relationship wouldn’t degenerate into childish bickering, but it took less than an hour before the two men were at each other’s throats. For the rest of the trip, he looked out the scenery blurring by his window.
Jensen was the first to spot the laboratory building: a nondescript concrete structure with a large parking lot. It was currently surrounded by banks of high beams and was guarded by enough police force to make him wonder if there were any cops left to patrol the rest of the city. And shoved into the far right of the parking lot was a large, familiar trailer. It was Jared's rolling fortress that doubled as a lab. Jared had humorously christened it 'Mr. Ed' when it finally arrived, seven months behind schedule. Jensen saw familiar faces mill about the place, those he worked with before he left for England, and felt apprehension rise. What did they think of him and his sudden departure from their tightly knit community? He didn’t have a chance to think about it for any length of time as Jared's lifelong friend, Chad 'Mayhem' Murray, ran towards them as they got out of the car.
“The suits from DC are in the media tent right around the corner." Chad pointed to the left of the building. "Jeff convinced the cops to cordon off two blocks surrounding the compound. “And your brother’s here. He’s waiting in the trailer.”
“What's he doing here? He has no jurisdiction over this.” Jared frowned as he looked at Mr. Ed.
“Don’t look at me, I haven’t spoken three words to him since he arrived.”
“Thanks,” Jared said and turned to Jensen and Wentworth. “Why don’t you go ahead, I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
They left his presence without a word.
“How are you doing?” Chad asked as his eyes leveled on Jensen's retreating form. “He giving you any trouble?”
“Jensen? You’re kidding. It’s Miller we have to worry about. Listen, don’t give Jensen a hard time because of what happened. That was years ago, and I've moved on.”
Chad sighed and shook his head. Jared raised a cautionary finger towards his friend then walked away, briskly.
“What are you doing here?” Jared asked when he spotted Jeff sitting behind his desk.
“A friend of mine from the C.D.C. gave me a call.” Jeff paused and took a deep breath before he broke the news. “This whole operation will be handed over to Miller in about an hour. They're going to release the news to the media in the morning briefing.”
“What?” Jared shouted, the veins on his neck rose, visibly pulsing through the skin. “That's bullshit! We can handle this without some fucking academic from across the Atlantic! Who the hell made the decision?”
“Lee did, and he won the majority vote. He decided to nominate Miller when he found out you recruited both him and Jensen.”
Jared opened his mouth to continue yelling but found himself unable to voice his frustrations.
“I’m sorry, Jared. I really am.”
“Jesus Christ, I’m American. Don’t they believe I'm going to do my best to save my own country?”
“They’re not questioning your allegiance or your passion. It’s just that…”
“They believe Miller’s better in spite of the fact I have almost seven years of field experience over him.” Jared closed his eyes and added, "And Miller has Jensen on his staff. We can't forget about that - can we?"
Jeff didn’t need to reply to the statement as his brother slouched on the stool. “It’s not a question of loyalty, Jared.”
Jared gave his brother a deprecating glance before standing up. “Thanks for stating the obvious."
Before his older brother could soothe his bruised ego, Jared stormed out of the trailer. He knew his staff was looking as he marched angrily across the parking lot but he couldn't bring himself to care.
“Something tells me we're in whole lot of shit,” Morgan whispered to Murray. Chad remained tactfully quiet but his face spoke volumes as his blue eyes projected his worry clearly across his tight-lipped silence.
“What have you found?” Jared asked through the voice module as he watched Jensen read Coughlin's findings on his computer.
“Lab results from an autopsy done on three monkeys that died in the lab," Jensen answered. "From the looks of it I say we found our Patient Zero.”
He stepped aside, allowing Jared to read the screen. The suits they were wearing were cumbersome but the doctors had long been accustomed to moving about in the airtight protective gear.
“Where are the monkeys now?”
“According to this: incinerated. But we have to track down the autopsy samples. If we find Ebola Sudan in the monkeys, I think we can start building the infectious tree immediately, from the top down instead of the usual backward tracking,” Jensen answered.
“Give me the address and I’ll have Morgan retrieve the samples. I hope the poor fools who performed the autopsies were wearing gloves. Where is Miller?”
“There was a phone call; he’ll be back soon.”
Jared gave one nod and asked, “Do you know who it was?”
“Probably someone from Health Services wondering why the hell we’re not back in London, helping them get ready for the eventual outbreak.”
“C.D.C. has decided Miller will lead this campaign.” Jensen's shock translated clearly through the faceplate of the helmet. “They determined it would be best for all concerned if he took charge of the situation.”
“I'm sorry to hear that, Jared,” Jensen said.
“Is this why you left me, Jensen?" Jared couldn't stop his anger and his memories from bleeding into the present as this latest betrayal weakened the walls he'd put up since Jensen left him three years ago. "Is this the reason you decided to back Miller instead? Because you knew who'd come out the winner in the end?”
Wentworth entered the room before Jensen could answer. He noticed the charged atmosphere and saw Jared looking at Jensen with an unreadable expression. Wentworth decided to break the news to Jensen later, in private. He had already guessed from Jeff’s presence in the trailer that the older brother learned of C.D.C.’s decision to place him in charge and came to warn Jared. This was not the beginning he wanted, but at least Wentworth had the backing of everyone he felt necessary in order to control the tense situation.
The three men worked silently as they methodically combed through the offices of Dr. Coughlin and Dr. Jorgensen.
“Are you guys finding anything ‘cause I’m coming up with bupkis,” Jensen said.
“The lack of paperwork is alarming,” Wentworth said as he closed the last of the filing cabinets in Coughlin’s room. “Anything from your friend, Dr. Padalecki?”
“No, Chad’s not finding anything useful in the laptops or the backup servers.”
“Someone’s done housekeeping,” Jensen said. “Shit.”
“I guess that answers the question whether Ignatius was aware of what these two were doing,” Wentworth said. “It’s almost six in the bloody morning. I don’t think we’re going to find anything here. Let’s go.”
They were still in various state of undress in the decon chamber when Chad paged Jared.
Jared turned on the comm and asked, "What is it?"
“Jeff … our Jeff’s back. He was able to get all the samples that were sent out by Coughlin and Jorgensen.”
“Good, we’ll be out in five,” Jared said.
If Wentworth felt any slight that Chad only addressed Jared, he didn’t show it.
Jensen was the first out of decon so he began examining the samples. At first Jensen thought the vials were mislabeled by the people who signed for them. He knew Jeff Morgan well enough to know the man would never make such a critical mistake.
“This is impossible,” Jensen commented as he stared through the microscope.
“What?” Jared caught the confusion in Jensen’s voice and rushed over to him.
“This isn’t Ebola, it’s something else,” Jensen said as he checked the personal database he had on his laptop.
“What do you mean? It has to be!”
“It’s a member of filoviridae but … look. It's not Marburg either: I already checked.” Jensen stepped aside and let Jared study the data. It took him nearly twenty minutes to come to the same conclusion.
“Where in hell did this come from?” Jared asked his new boss as Wentworth started examining the photos taken by the electronic microscope. “It tested positive for Sudan.”
“What test did they use?” Jensen asked.
“MassTag, and the old UV test. Both pointed to Ebola Sudan,” Jared answered.
“What in God’s name were they doing here?” Wentworth whispered as he stared at the unidentified virus on the computer screen.
“I think it's safe to say Ignatius is covering their collective asses at the expense of our investigation,” Wentworth stated flatly as he tossed aside the findings released by the pharmaceutical company less than an hour ago.
“So, it’s agreed then,” Jared said. “Ignatius or someone in the company has performed a massive cover-up.”
“Definitely, they couldn’t get their hands on the samples once you issued the quarantine last night. If it weren't for your swift response we would have never known,” Jensen said. “Chad, are you still proficient with computers as you used to be?” Chad gave a small nod to Jensen’s question. “Good, I want you to hack into their database and find out what's really happening.”
“Is that necessary?” Wentworth asked. “Shouldn’t we inform the C.D.C. so they can inform DC?”
“No, not yet. I have a plan,” Jensen answered. “Trust me, if this works we’ll shake a lot more trees than the Senate.”
It took Chad less than three minutes to worm into Ignatius' mainframe. From there he managed to tunnel his way into the backup servers of all the divisions until he hit the one containing the proper information.
“The security system is topnotch. I can’t stay here much longer without leaving a trace signature.”
“That's exactly what I want you to do,” Jensen said.
“What?” Chad looked at Jensen with confusion.
“Just do it.”
"Do as he says," Jared said calmly. He had just realized what Jensen had in mind.
Alice Dunrea, Head of Research and Development for Ignatius, had no choice but to contact her boss when she got the call that the the Research's backup server had been hacked.
“We’ve been breached,” Alice informed Benjamin Adams, the CEO of Ignatius. “Whoever it was didn’t find much…”
“By whom?” Adams asked, fearing the answer.
“Padalecki or Miller: take your pick.”
“Oh God, he knows. Those samples, damn it! He’s going to call here any minute. We have no choice now, we must talk to them.”
“Let’s not drop our pants yet; we still have Jeff.”
“But he isn’t involved in this.”
“Leave that to me. When Miller and his team call for a conference, just say yes and set it up within the hour. We have to work fast now.”
“Alice, wait, my other line went live. I bet you anything it’s that son of a bitch.”
“Calm down and leave it to me. Schedule the meeting as soon as possible.”
“I’ll ring you back in a minute. Goddamn it, Alice! You better know what you're doing.”
“I do.” Alice managed to find a chair before collapsing in exhaustion and genuine grief. She had established true friendship with Jorgensen and Coughlin and came to see them as friends, not subordinates.
The two researchers approached her as soon as she was promoted to the position of spearheading the research department. Their idea was brilliant if also risky, but she took the chance because she knew they would succeed. It had taken little to convince Adams, who was then the CFO of Ignatius, to fund the research behind Singer's back. And it took even less pressure for her to convince Adams to stage the coup necessary to overthrow Singer's control over the company.
She stared out of her bedroom’s window at the twinkling lights of dotting around Lake Washington. When she heard the garage door open and her husband's car pull in, she went downstairs to greet him and to inform him of her return to work due to an emergency at the office.
The three doctors were greeted by a receptionist at the front entrance and were immediately ushered into what was probably the plushest conference room Jared had ever seen. Around the table sat some of the most powerful men in the company whose words were law for Ignatius and most of the pharmaceutical world. None of the three doctors sat down on the sleek chairs presented to them. Instead, they chose to stand. Jared studied each seated figure, measuring and dismissing them one after another until he was familiar with everyone involved from Ignatius’ camp. Without warning he threw pictures of the newest member of the filoviridae onto the table.
“We’ll be informing the C.D.C. that you’ll be cleaning up your own shit,” Jared snarled and turned to leave the room.
“You can’t be serious!” Adams cried out violently.
“What in hell were you thinking?" Jared's voice completely drowned out Adams'. "This is the hemorrhagic fever! That means people are going to die and will continue to die until we find a cure, which is pretty goddamn impossible when you're holding back vital data!"
“As of fifteen minutes ago, there are seven confirmed cases besides your two employees,” Wentworth coldly announced to the room. “And the demographic suggests this disease has spread throughout Bellevue and probably further since the late Dr. Coughlin went to SeaTac to pick up his brother, who also tested positive.
“We performed blood tests and ELISA on all seven, and they have without exception been diagnosed with Ebola Sudan. But we all know that’s not what this disease is, don’t we? So, as soon as we tag this particular filovirus I'll be informing the media on who’s responsible for starting this bloody plague.”
“It wasn’t sanctioned by us," Adams finally managed to croak out. “We had no idea…”
“And you expect us to believe that?” Jensen asked. “For someone who didn’t have a clue you sure as hell did a good job cleaning up the aftermath. Where are the carriers, the original hosts?”
“Dead,” Dunrea answered. Three sets of accusing eyes leveled themselves on her pasty face. “We killed all the monkeys; burned them and buried their ashes in a tub of bleach. The holding room was scrubbed with bleach and we released T-24 to neutralize anything that could have survived the cleanup. It was done by the book, nothing’s left alive in there.”
“Is it sealed off?” Wentworth asked.
“Yes, it’s airtight and we did the Niger Test: the room passed.”
“And the lab?”
“Your quarantine came down too quickly. We didn’t have chance to move in.” She sounded almost accusatory and that made Jensen bristle.
“Forgive us for doing our job,” Jensen said. “If I knew you had a timeline I would have made sure our team stepped aside and let you finish your sweep.”
Dunrea backed down; angering the three doctors was not what she wanted. Anger led to irrational decisions, and if any of these three were roused to report on Ignatius, it would be the end of the company and everyone involved in the cleanup.
“What happened - and we want the real facts. Also, by the end of this meeting, I want all documents, papers, discs, everything and anything that has to do with what Coughlin and Jorgensen worked on,” Jared demanded.
“They were working on AIDS,” Dunrea said. “They were focused on the immune suppressive abilities of the HIV virus, and decided to utilize other viruses with the same abilities. They harvested the filoviridae and neutralized the samples years ago. What they were working on now should have been completely inactive. They were sure of it.”
“Well, they were wrong, and they paid for it with their lives,” Jared said. “How did they get their hands on the virus to begin with?”
“Coughlin and Jorgensen knew it would be impossible for them to do the necessary research on Ebola since Ignatius did not have the proper clearance, and probably would never have it. So they imported monkeys from areas known for their high contamination rate. It was only matter of time before they came across an infected animal. They managed to extract what they needed before destroying the host monkey."
"When did this happen?" Wentworth asked.
"Five years ago," Dunrea answered. "Afterwards, they used monkeys from non-infected areas. They assured me the samples were neutralized. That they no longer harbored any danger."
“Maybe they did, but that doesn't mean the monkeys they brought in later were clean,” Jensen said. “Even if the materials were neutralized, once it was introduced to an infected monkey - you could have an entirely new strain crop up."
"Did anyone else work with them?" Jared asked.
“No,” Dunrea answered. “They were isolated at all times, only two of them worked with no outside help whatsoever. They weren’t exactly the most popular group of people and had a hard time recruiting any type of assistance.”
“How long did this go on?” Jared asked.
“Seven years. The paperwork will confirm the dates.”
“Who alerted you to this?” Wentworth asked.
“Jorgensen, she called us from home,” Dunrea answered. “She realized what was happening and warned us. That was yesterday morning, before her neighbor found her.”
“You work very fast, let’s hope you’ve been more thorough than the two who came before you,” Wentworth said, knowing they had no confidence that they were successful where both Coughlin and Jorgensen failed.
“We’re going to have to rework the infectious tree and inform the C.D.C.,” Jensen added as he began to formulate out a whole new directive in his head.
“I suggest you carefully think about what you want to disclose to the C.D.C.,” Dunrea said.
“What makes you think you are in any position to make demands?” Jared asked sharply.
“Just suggesting you consider everything before dragging Ignatius into this, and remember that your brother still works for us and there will be repercussions on his personal life should you try to shift the blame on the company,” Dunrea said.
"If you're threatening me with my brother, you're barking up the wrong tree. Jeff can take care of himself, and if he had anything to do with this, I'll personally see to it that he pays and pays.
“Does that answer your question?” Jared replied, his words vibrating with anger.
Alice knew she made a terrible mistake; she thought Padalecki would consider the welfare of his family to be paramount, but now she realized something else stood closer to his heart - his work.
“I wonder if the public would believe a word you say if they found out what you've done,” Dunrea said, knowing her comment would gain everyone’s attention.
“And what might that be?” Jared asked.
“Do you remember a medical trial that took place in Nairobi two years ago?”
Jared didn't respond but the sudden tensing of his posture was big enough of a betrayal for everyone to read.
Wentworth turned to Jared. “What is she talking about?”
“The good doctor here led a drug trial for a company in a small hospice located on the outskirts of Nairobi. Unfortunately, the drugs were placebos and all the patients died. Something that the C.D.C. and the WHO missed because nobody cared to inform them.”
Jensen didn’t let anyone have a chance to speak after Dunrea’s threat. “Well, now we really know how desperate you all are.”
Wentworth spotted Dunrea’s surprise at Jensen’s reaction and decided that was the best they could do under the circumstances.
“We’ve got work to do,” he said. “We’ll be waiting downstairs for all the information pertaining to the work Dr. Coughlin and Dr. Jorgensen was doing for Ignatius Pharmaceuticals.”
Jensen took his cue and gently guided Jared out of the building. As soon as they hit the cool night air, Jared began to shudder; his whole body trembling in fear and shock in the aftermath of having his worst secret unveiled. The three men stood outside for almost ten minutes before employees of the company began filing out of the elevators, all carrying boxes.
Jensen gave a nod to Wentworth as he tactfully withdrew and began directing the men to follow him to their cars.
“Listen to me. I don't care,” Jensen said firmly, holding Jared's cold sweaty hands.
“You have to care. Jesus, how the fuck did she find out?”
“That’s not the issue right now. It looks like Ignatius coughed up what we wanted. We have to return to the lab and look over the information. There is no time for you to have a breakdown.”
“You can’t be so nonchalant about this,” Jared said. “This can destroy us down the road. They could always use it as a weapon against our investigation.”
“But will they?” Jensen asked. “They’ve got just as much to lose, if not more. Seriously, Jared, we have to go back to work.”
“Jensen, I swear I didn’t know the drugs were placebos. In fact, I had no fucking clue until I came back to the States and tested one of them.”
“I believe you.”
Those three words healed wounds deeper than either knew existed.
Jared remained silent during the drive back to the lab and neither Wentworth nor Jensen pressed for conversation as their workload loomed largely in their minds. As soon as he got to the trailer Jared kicked out his techs in order to call his brother.
"Jeff, you fucking idiot! Did you tell Dunrea about what happened in Nairobi with SymTech?"
"What? What are you yelling about? What happened?"
"I just came from a meeting with your friends. Alice Dunrea knows about the fucking mess SymTech made of my campaign and threatened to break it to the press if I reveal how deep Ignatius is in this shit. Why did you tell her?"
"She's my girlfriend, Jared. I was going to tell you as soon as she separated from her husband. We've been seeing each other for almost a year now. I am so sorry. What are you going to do?"
"As of yet, nothing. But she's going to be a problem sooner or later. Miller will want to go public with Ignatius' involvement in all this, not to mention their pathetic attempt at coverup. He wants someone to hang and it's either going to be Dunrea or myself. Right now I'm guessing it's 50-50 between us."
"Don't worry about Alice. I'll take care of her."
"Don't do anything stupid, Jeff."
"Miller wants someone to blow in the wind; he'll get one," Jeff said. "Besides, it's my fucking mess, so I have to clean it up. Trust me little brother?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not if you want to save the world. Wait for my call."
"Good luck, Jeff."
"Luck has nothing to do with what I'm about to do."
"You had no idea about Padalecki’s problem, did you?"
Jensen turned to Wentworth and gave a tired shake of his head. "None, I had no contact with him after I left."
"It will work against us, you know that."
"It doesn't have to. I’m sure between the three of us, we could come up with something that will gag Ignatius. And remember, we have two goals, and that is to find out what this is exactly and help C.D.C. to prevent it from becoming an epidemic."
"But we will need 100% cooperation from everyone in order for that to happen. You know how prejudices go in our world: it will be subtle but it will be there."
"So we cave under Ignatius's threats? If they find out they have a hold over us they will keep using it. It's too tempting, too easy for them, and you know that!"
"Yes, unfortunately I do. So what do you suggest? That we let this dog lie until it wakes up again?"
"Do we have a choice?"
"Of course we do. We can replace Padalecki with someone else, someone equally qualified."
"At this stage of the game? This is his sandbox, and don’t forget, we’re using his techs and his equipment. At least until Steve and Chris get here.
"The truth is, we lose him - we lose time."
"We'll keep him for now then,” Wentworth reluctantly said. “However, if the scandal breaks, I'll have no choice but to replace him."
"Jared's reputation will be destroyed if you do that."
"Jensen, you have to put aside your personal feelings. It won’t do you any good in a time of crisis like this."
"I'm not like you; I can't just run on mental energy and the need to beat the other guy."
"I knew you were going to say that." Wentworth sighed as he lightly placed one hand on Jensen’s shoulder. "We're not getting anywhere talking about this. Let's hit the folders and see what the good doctors were up to before all hell broke loose."
"Miss Dunrea, Dr. Jeffrey Padalecki is here to see you." The secretary's voice sounded strained even over the speakerphone.
Alice closed her eyes and picked up the receiver. "Tell him I'm busy…"
Her door burst inwards as Jeff forced his way into the room. The secretary trailed behind him, stumbling as her high heels caught on the lush carpet. "I am so sorry but he wouldn't wait."
"It's all right, please close the door behind you." Alice steeled herself. She had been dreading this unavoidable confrontation.
"You bitch, you used what I gave you in strictest confidence to threaten my brother."
"Calling me names won't help anyone, Jeff. I am doing what is best for all of us, not only for Ignatius but also your brother and his investigation. If he puts us in negative light, we will have no choice but to fight, and who do you think will come out the winner? Do you really think we will sit by and let Jared and his group drag us down? Ignatius will spend whatever money to win and we will win."
Her summation managed to bring on an ugly flush from the man as curled up his hands into tight fists. For a moment Alice felt a dull rush of fear as she wondered if Jeff was capable of hitting a woman.
"My God, you really are that stupid."
Something in Jeff's voice made Alice examine him harder. "What are you talking about?"
"They're not going to spend millions of dollars when they got you to be their scapegoat."
"What are you talking about? They do that to me and I will scream bloody murder."
"Really? Well, consider this. Your extremely deficient clean-up crew used whose codes and passwords during their assignment? It really was a stupid mistake, Alice. You panicked very badly and rushed to do the job, so your team made the same mistake. They logged in using your clearance. I should know; I checked out all the trace activity in the labs and the monkey rooms.
“Tell me something, while you were planning on how to save Ignatius' ass, did you by chance record the conversations with the others because from where I'm standing, it looks like it was all your doing. Your passwords, your codes, your orders, I couldn't find anyone else's involvement save yours."
"They wouldn't dare - I have too much on them."
"They'll risk it. Trust me, you don’t have enough experience to cover your ass, and you're not valuable enough for them to take flak for. They will cut you loose and feed you to the wolves; of that I have no doubt. It's only matter of days, maybe even less if this plague really does start wiping out the population. Isn't it ironic? The only hope you have of protecting yourself is to help the very man you threatened to destroy. If Jared and his team fails, then Ignatius will start pointing fingers and I can tell you it will be far from unpleasant, especially if the Flatlands scenario is triggered."
"Flatlands? They wouldn't dare, not here, not in the U.S.!"
"Imagine it, Alice. A city quarantined and blocked by the military and whose citizens will be told that it was you who was responsible for letting this thing spread. That you tried to do a cover-up which in turn not only interfered with the investigation but also hindered them from making critical progress. They will gut you alive in front of the City Hall.
“Mull over that, sweetheart. Some good old-fashioned medieval justice right here in the liberal heartland."
"United States won't allow itself…"
“We won’t have a choice. Even if the President says no, without international help we won’t be able to find a cure in time. And maybe it wouldn't be so bad for the rest of the world if we did exactly that. What better way to make sure the plague does not spread to the rest of human population than to make sure no hosts or possible hosts survive? Flatlands was developed with such scenario in mind. Trust me, when the time comes we will be made sacrificial lambs. We are no longer the economic muscle of the world. China, even India, will be able to step in within five years, if not less. We are … what is the word … replaceable."
Alice's resolve finally crumbled. "Jeff, please, you have to..."
"Go to hell."
Jeff walked away, not sparing a glance behind him. He didn't slam the door even though his rage demanded that he take it off its hinges. Jeff made sure he wasn't being followed before he retrieved the briefcase he'd stashed behind the potted plant next to the elevator. It contained material he had gathered illegally in the last hour.
By the time Jeff reached the underground garage his heart was racing. Throughout the exodus Jeff feared he would be stopped. He got into his car and began pulling out of the reserved space when security guards swarmed out of the elevators. He didn't spend another moment second-guessing and gunned his BMW.
The small speedster screamed around the corner just in time for Jeff to see the steel entrance gate coming down. He shifted gear and began praying. Jeff heard the metal scraping on top of his car but the noise didn't concern him as the BMW popped free of the closing cage.
"He's escaped. The guards didn't get to him on time."
Alice's eyes fluttered closed as the death sentence was passed onto her person.
Jared heard the familiar roar of his brother's car and stepped outside the trailer to see the mess of German engineering pull up in front of him.
"What the hell happened to you?" Jared asked, noting Jeff's pallor as his brother stumbled out of the car.
"I just escaped by the skin of my teeth. Here, take this, you'll need it if you want to bring down Ignatius."
Jared opened up the elegant briefcase and saw what was inside.
"What is this?" Wentworth asked, peering behind Jared.
"Readouts, computer-generated reports on who was where doing what during the microbreak. And few other things which will clearly show Ignatius was cognizant of the problem before we were onto it; to prove that they had the chance to come clean instead of trying to do sweep the whole damn thing under the rug. They want to hang us; well, we can burn them alive. This should keep those bastards in place, at least until their legal counsel does something slippery."
Jensen examined the scratch marks on the roof of the BMW. "You nearly got caught," he said in admiration. "You really put it on the line didn't you?"
"No, I told the truth and cut Alice off at her knees. Without her, the rest of the Board will be easier to handle. It might amaze you to know out of all of them she had the most balls. Let them see tonight's news and realize the enormity of the situation. Who knows, they might cooperate afterwards. If not, let's start publishing this on the Web. We can't trust the newspapers to do the job since Ignatius has their fingers in most everything, including DC."
"How much danger does Ignatius represent?" Wentworth asked, also admiring the oldest for his foolhardy bravery.
"If the media reports this as bio-warfare we'll have massive panic on the streets. If we don't, Ignatius will fuck us over in a second," Jeff stated flatly.
"What if we don't do anything?" Jensen asked. "Wouldn't that keep them on the edge? Make them wonder?"
"Well, yes, but why wouldn't we use this to nail them to the cross?" Jeff asked.
"Why didn't Russia or the U.S. fire the first nuclear missile? Because it was a deterrence for both sides of the fence,” Jensen said. “Maybe we could establish the same situation here."
Wentworth personally thought the idea had merit but felt compelled to say, “That’s risky, maybe too much.”
"Yes, but think about it. Never underestimate the power of denial, especially if you're the root of all the problems,” Jensen said.
"How long can it last?" Jeff asked.
"Two days at most before they decide to do something outrageously stupid. But that's still forty-eight hours we desperately need," Jensen answered.
"We'll sit on this, and, by the way, we are going to need to make copies, before storing them in safe-boxes. Just in case." Wentworth's face darkened as he flipped through the material. "We have no idea what they'll do in order to get this back. Never underestimate the power of stupidity - to quote Jensen."
"Chad, can you make digital copies of this?" Jared asked.
"Oh yeah, and upload it on a private server with a time bomb, so if I don't punch in the codes - let's say every three hours - it goes public."
"Do it," Wentworth said. “It’s time we get these bastards out of the way.”
Part I * Part III