Merchant of Virus

Two kids were playing with their football. The others were on the see-saw. And there in the corner, three kids were fighting with each other on the slide. Some were playing hide and seek. And there were others playing cricket and handball and other games. The park was crowded on a Sunday evening as most of the kids came there to enjoy their one day of leisure. And there in the shades of the tree in the corner, a silhouette of a man, standing, holding a box in his hands. His eyes were scanning the entire park, children and parents busy in different sports. He was not interested in sports. He was more interested in what was going to happen to all those people. Yes something terrible. In 3 days!

The Biological Center for Counter-Terrorism (BCCT) is a clandestine research facility run by the state government. Its existence is the second best kept secret after the recipe of Coca Cola. It consists of 6 stories which are all underground covering an area of around 60 acres. The top level is car parking; the second is cafeteria, gym, recreation center and all other modern facilities. The third level is residential units for the staff. Level 4 is administrative offices, conference rooms and stores. Level 5 has animal houses and level 6 are laboratories. And the whole facility is covered by an immense ground which is considered is the largest children’s park in the city.

The vaccine division is located on level 6, the highest level of security. Dr. Adian John, at the tender age of 32, is the de facto head of the division. It was some 5 years ago when he graduated from the university and applied for a job at the Center for Biological Research (CBR), a front for this facility. After 2 years of fruitless research in this lab, he was about to give up when suddenly his immediate boss met an accident and is in coma since then. Adian was made the acting in charge of the lab. Later on, the accident would be seen as a conspiracy by many. From that moment onwards, he achieved a lot of successes and received many accolades for his novel ideas and accomplishments. Last year, he married his junior assistant, Dr. Aisha. He calls her Ash which she does not like at all but they adore each other.

Alongside many different projects the laboratory was working, there was one pet project of  Adian, the vaccine development. It was so near to his heart that he himself would work on the project in the nights. Only he and Ash were the ones having the knowledge of that project. After 4 years of hectic research, finally they got the desired results. But the government cuts the budget to the center and hence only top priority programs would be running while the lesser important ones would be put on hold. The project run by Adian was included in the list of those to be stopped. The vaccine was for a disease which mortality rate is less than one percent.  At that time of financial constraints, the center could not afford the luxury of that kind of research. But Adian was not going to give up so easily. He had to find some solution. This was his dream project which could make or break his career. His reputation as the top scientific mind of the country was at stake.

Desperate, he took Ash for a long drive over the weekend. They went to the movie. Usually he cooked for her on weekends but not that evening. He remained in his study well over midnight. What if the stakes were raised? What if the morality rate of the disease shot up to 10 or 20 percent? But what could he do? And suddenly an idea came into his mind. A plot most evil. He was awakened from his reverie by Ash when she came to the study with a cup of coffee. He wanted to discuss the plan with her but knowing her gentle nature, he was not sure and then thought against it. Early next morning he drove back to the Center even though it was a Sunday but he had access to the top security level any time any day of the year. He went straight to his lab. Rummaging through the refrigerated stores, he found what he was looking for. He took a few vials from and fed something from it in to the mosquito breeding chamber. He sat there, staring at the ceiling and waiting for the right time.

In the evening, he put a few dozens of the tiny creatures  into the box and drove to the other end of the city. Although the BCCT is just beneath the largest park in the city, he chose the second largest park situated at the other end of the city. This way no one would doubt what happened. There standing in the shadows of the trees, he left the box opened and waited for all of the mosquitoes to fly away. He took the box back and left the park stealthily. Early next morning, instead of going to the lab, he first went to the stock exchange and bought a large number of shares in the MachPel, the makers of mosquito repelling products. 

(Disclaimer: All the places, people and things mentioned in this post are fictional. Any resemblance to anybody dead or alive is purely intentional :P )