USAMRIID

Platt stood in front of Commander Janklow’s desk, unflinching and prepared for an attack.

“You were out of line, Colonel Platt,” Janklow told him. “I didn’t authorize you to release the vaccine to anyone.”

“I had no direct orders that forbid it, sir. And as the head of this mission—”

“Cut the crap, Platt.”

Janklow surprised him. His voice was impatient, bordering on not just anger but something else. There was an edge to it.

Platt waited, not sure how to respond. Not sure how far to push. This morning the man looked shredded, though his uniform was pressed as usual and his office tidy. His stance slouched a bit at the shoulders. His face creased in places Platt had never noticed before. His eyes were bloodshot. And when he showed his hands, Platt could see a slight tremor in the fingers.

“At some point in your career, Dr. Platt—if you still have a career available—you will need to choose between being a soldier, a doctor or a politician. The three contradict each other on many levels. They cannot coexist for long. Today you’re choosing to be a doctor. That’s fine. You probably think that’s noble. I’m here to tell you, it’s not noble. It’s foolish.”

He turned away from Platt to stare out his window, and for a minute Platt thought he was dismissing him. Platt decided he had to push.

“Sir, I think I know why you did it.”

Janklow turned slowly, eyebrows raised but his face still angry.

“What is it, Dr. Platt, that you think I did?”

“I considered it myself. That the Ebola may have come from our own labs. You want to protect USAMRIID. After the anthrax debacle I can understand—”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sir, I just know—”

“Did you find any Ebola samples missing?”

“No, sir, I did not, but it would be difficult—”

The hand went up to stop him. Palm facing out. A definite tremor.

“There are no Ebola samples missing from USAMRIID.”

Platt kept his shoulders back, his stance tall, his face impassive.

“Let me ask you this, Dr. Platt…” Janklow’s voice leveled to normal. “Do you have any idea how much the vaccine for Ebola brings on the black market?”

Platt stared at him and he could see it wasn’t a question Janklow expected an answer to.

“I better find out that you have no clue,” Janklow warned. “Because although there are no Ebola tissue samples missing from this facility there is vaccine missing.”