“What differences?”
“Well, the rate of infection appears to have been greatly accelerated. Possibly by a factor of ten. The original Lucifer samples we have been working with here have a much longer gestation period. This was a problem the Soviets recognized that essentially limited practical application of the weapon because there was too great a lag time between introduction and a full-blown outbreak. Now that appears to occur in minutes. That’s rather exciting.”
“Doctor,” warned the president, his voice low and slow, “be very careful in your choice of words.”
“I—I’m sorry,” stammered Price. “I meant from a scientific pe
rspective.”
“I know what you meant.”
The president’s eyes were hostile. So, Price noted, were those of Dr. McReady. Price composed his own features to show contrition.
“Yes, sir,” he said. “My apologies.”
McReady bent close and whispered something to the president, who looked unhappy, but he nodded.
“Doctor,” said the president to Price, “how active has your research been on the Lucifer pathogen?”
You bitch, thought Price. Aloud he said, “We, um, have continued to study it in order to prepare a response protocol in the event of the weapon being deployed as, um, it currently has been…”
“What is the status on that research?”
Price licked his lips. “We have developed several advanced strains of the pathogen.”
“And where are you with response protocols?”
Again Price tried not to look at Scott Blair. “We’ve made some progress.” He leaned slightly on the word “some.”
“Describe that progress, Doctor,” ordered the president.
“Sir, before I do, I need to explain what Lucifer is. It’s more than just a weaponized disease. Lucifer was built using select combinations of disease pathogens and parasites. Those parasites have undergone extensive transgenic modification. Toxoplasma gondii is a key element, as is the larva of the green jewel wasp. The toxoplasma is a key element in artificially induced schizophrenia, a disease that heightens fear and increased psychological distress. This is the keystone of the uncontrollable aggression of the infected. Their brains have—to put it in layman’s terms—been rewired to react as if they are constantly under attack. This triggers our most basic survival instincts, feeding each infected a modified cocktail of adrenaline, dopamine, and other elements. At the same time, the genetically modified lancet flukes Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Euhaplorchis californiensis combine to regulate that aggressive response behavior into a predictable pattern. Specifically a pattern that includes seeking uninfected prey, attacking it, and infecting it. Remember, sir, this was developed by Soviet scientists during the Cold War as a self-cleaning weapon. Once introduced to, say, a base or station, the disease would spread like wildfire and ultimately there would be no uninfected survivors. The infected would be unable to manage any organized defense, even to the point of being unable to aim and fire a gun. An armed infiltration team could then enter the base and eliminate the infected and thereafter secure any physical assets like computers, equipment, and so on.”
The president nodded. “If there’s more, Doctor, let’s hear it.”
“The central element of the entire Lucifer program was the transgenically rebuilt green jewel wasp, a parasite that normally targets cockroaches. The wasp’s venom blocks the neurotransmitter octopamine in the target, and from that point on, all movements of the host are controlled by the imperative biological needs of the wasp. Those needs are, of course, reproduction. With the combination of the toxoplasma, the wasp, and the flukes, the host has essentially become an organic robot whose sole operational software requires that it attack, bite, feed, and then seek other prey.”
The president looked sick, but his mouth was a hard, flat line. “About the feeding,” he said, his voice thicker than it had been, “field reports indicate that the infected stop feeding on their victims after a while. Why don’t they consume the entire body?”
“They can’t and won’t,” said Price. “That’s a design requirement. If the infected lingered to consume their victims, there would be no new vectors, and it would stall the overall rate of infection. Mind you, they do need to feed, but only for the raw protein to feed the parasites as they spread throughout the bloodstream and infuse the mucus membranes. The hyperaccelerated life cycle of the parasites expends a great deal of energy. They need fresh protein to make more larva so that every single drop of saliva is crammed with millions of eggs ready to hatch. But of equal importance to the infected is the need to spread the disease. That far outweighs their need to continue feeding.”
McReady spoke aloud for the first time. “If I may, Mr. President? Dr. Price,” she said, “what triggers the host to stop feeding on their victims? What’s the biological off switch? We’re hoping that there may be something there we can use as a prophylactic measure.”
Price shook his head in grudging approval of the question. “It’s partly a reaction to nerve conduction but it’s mostly triggered by blood pressure. The normal intensity of blood pressure sparks aggression and appetite, but as it diminishes through injury and subsequent blood loss, it sends a signal to the parasite that the target is no longer a viable food source. That’s the off switch, Dr. McReady, and God only knows how long it took the Soviet’s to crack that, especially with the crudity of genetics during the Cold War.”
“Doctor, when you’re done congratulating madmen,” the president said drily, “perhaps you can tell us about what your team has developed as a countermeasure. Can we kill the parasites?”
Price cleared his throat. “We, um, were never able to actually kill the parasites, Mr. President. Not the way you mean, not with a vaccine or anything of that nature. Not in an active vector. By the time the victim has become a host the parasites have spread throughout his body; however, this corresponds to a dramatic drop in circulation. The host is very nearly dead in clinical terms, with minimal brain function, respiration, circulation, and nerve conduction in play—just enough to allow it to continue acting as an aggressive vector. The Soviets did their work very well, however, and they designed it so that there was not enough circulation in play to transmit any kind of parasite-specific toxin throughout the host. Only destruction of the host stops it, and by that I mean either isolation long enough for the larvae to die off—say five, six weeks—or, more practically, incineration of all infected tissues.”
The president closed his eyes for a moment. “Dear God,” he murmured.
However, McReady said, “Wait a minute, Doctor,” she snapped. “You said that you were working on a countermeasure. Short of headshots, did you actually come up with anything?”
“We … um…” hedged Price. Then he took a breath and said it. “We found that the only possible or practical response was along the lines of fighting fire with fire.”
“Which means what?” growled the president.
“We created a different parasite,” he said. “One that is genetically designed to attack and consume the larva of the green jewel wasp. We’re in the earliest stages of testing it. But … I think it might work.”