The Wuhan Mission

Jimmy flipped each of the passports open, nodding, impressed with the workmanship as the Tool Man went to a long wooden crate in the corner of the room and lifted the lid revealing a sniper rifle and a vest. Picking up the rifle, he smiled at Jimmy, demonstrating the action.

“Barret 50 cal sniper rifle, and PLA standard issue bullet proof vest, perfect size for pussy chicken shit… also a very, very sharp tactical knife.” He tossed the knife high, spinning in the air. Jimmy watched to see if it would stick in the table. The knife bounced off the table and clattered to the floor.

“Balance is a bit off.” The Tool Man mumbled. “That’s it” he looked at Jimmy. “I hooked you up bro!”

Jimmy looked at him earnestly. “This is going to be a tight operation. I could really use your help with the tech. Might help me not get killed. I can make it worth your while.”

“Oh yeah? What you need?”

“I need you to loop the closed circuit video in the Institute of Virology. Just 10 minutes will do it. Easy job, just sit in your van. I can get you 5k.”

“Let me look if I can get into their system.”

The Tool Man started typing code into his computer hacking into the building specs. “No problem. I can do it.” He looked up at Jimmy and said: “But that’s all. Pay me later tonight, I meet you tomorrow morning”

Jimmy smiled. “One more whisky for the road”

“OK Jimmy.”

Detroit Metropolitan Airport

The Detroit customs officer motioned the Chinese scientist to open his bags. The scientist was tired from his flight in the tight economy seats on his Delta flight. He was highly stressed and appeared nervous. The officer’s gloved hands soon dug out the vial which was in the toiletry bag, another officer walked over, summoned by the officer holding the vial with the yellow liquid.

“It says: ‘Antibodies’” read the officer handing the vial to his colleague, smiling, eyebrows slightly raised.

His senior colleague looked at the sweaty scientist, shaking his head: “You’ll have to come with us please sir.”

Meanwhile at JFK International and LAX airports the two other scientists were having similar experiences with US customs officials. Within four hours of each inspection the FBI had been called in to all three airports. The scientists were taken into federal custody and the case was handed to the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, which handled terrorist threats, including those involving biological weapons.

The three scientists would be held and interrogated thoroughly in the coming days. The FBI was now chasing the trail to find out who else was involved on either end of the yellow vials’ journeys. The Patriot Act would allow for the indefinite detention of the scientists, and the wire tapping of anyone they were to contact on American soil. Over time, there would be more people implicated in the conspiracy including American academics, administrators, research assistants and students.

The FBI began “Operation F1” the following day. Over the next twenty-four hours all foreign Chinese Nationals who were in the country on a student visa and who were on the FBI watch list were picked up and brought in to FBI locations all over the country for questioning. Most were let go, but a few were taken elsewhere for more serious questioning under the umbrella rules of the Patriot Act.

*

Sam got out of the elevator on the seventh floor of the CIA building. He’d been called up for a meeting with the deputy director. Sam had never been to the seventh floor before, but he assumed with everything that was about to go down in China, the higher-ups would have something to say.

“Please come in Sam. I’m Deputy Director Wood. It’s nice to finally meet you” she said as she shook his hand.

“Please have a seat.”

Sam had a quick glance around the modestly sized office. It didn’t give away much about her.

“I understand you have been working with officer Roet on the China situation, is that correct?”

“Yes Ma’am. That is correct” said Sam wondering what was in the file she had opened and was perusing.

“It says here that you have been successfully running one of our young operatives in Wuhan, and Officer Roet has two assets there. It has come to my attention that there is a bio-weapon that has recently been released by the Chinese Communist Party on its own people, or… at least it has been released on those in the city of Wuhan. Very strange don’t you think?” She stared at Sam.

“Those guys play hardball Mrs Wood. Maybe they are being used as an example for some reason.”

“That’s what we think too. We believe that next they will be forcing a mandatory vaccination program, and we have several theories about what that’s about. But that’s not why you are here. We need to know what has been going on in the Institute of Virology. Roet’s asset at the lab, the high level virologist, may have been compromised. You probably heard about the mess Roet made in New York.”

“Yes Ma’am, I heard about it. Shot the daughter himself.”