wait until I got home that night to read the rest of it.”
“When did all this occur?”
“It was right around the time when Sarah showed up … about a week ago. There had been a lot of activity around the chateau … a lot more than usual.”
Leo continued to scan through the pages while Martha talked. He paused to push his glasses back up on his head and looked directly at the couple. The possibility that these two still worked for Acerbi was driving him to probe deeper. “Have you two shown this to anyone else?”
Martha laughed. “Are you crazy? If we had, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now. We’ve been listening to the news about the virus just like everyone else. The Acerbi Corporation owns a big drug company, so I just thought they were doing some kind of research on it. I was beginning to think that some of the research was going on right there at the chateau, because there’s a lab on the third floor that’s off limits to the regular staff. There was also a sudden increase in people coming and going from that area of the chateau, and we saw a lot of new faces arriving at all hours of the day and night in vehicles that had the words Acerbi Pharmaceutical painted on the doors. They were always talking about the pathogen, or the virus. They didn’t pay any attention to us. You know how it is-servants always seem to be like pieces of furniture, we’re invisible, and that’s a good thing. The kitchen staff told us they were serving twice the normal number of meals in the dining room.”
“What made you suspicious?”
“When I read through that folder, it was obvious they were describing how to spread a virus, not stop one. You might think I’m crazy for saying this, Cardinal, but when I read all that stuff it didn’t surprise me at all.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean those men guarding the chateau reminded me of a bunch of Nazi’s. You could see the hate in their eyes. They were some very tough and cold men. I never once saw any of them smile. The only time they talked to us was when they needed something. Other than that, they just patrolled the grounds with their dogs and their guns … watching everyone and everything. Sometimes it felt like we were working in a prison instead of a home. Everyone there was extremely suspicious of strangers.”
Leo handed the folder to Evita as he continued to probe Martha for more information. “What about Acerbi himself?”
“Oh, you mean Rene? I never trusted him. None of the staff liked him. I know I didn’t. He’s a hard man to figure out. I mean … he’s moody. One minute he would be walking around, smiling and saying ‘Hello’ to everyone, then suddenly his mood would change for no apparent reason. He would be yelling at people … threatening them. I always had a bad feeling when he was around.”
Leo heard Evita gasp and turned to see her staring back at him, her eyes filled with fear.
“I think we just found our smoking gun, Cardinal.”
Leo took the folder and looked down at the page Evita had just been reading.
The Executive Committee
Executive Order #322 — Eyes Only Communication — Incinerate after reading
Phase one of our plan to disseminate the genetically engineered pathogen has been a spectacular success. Our scientists have created a fertile breeding ground for an otherwise harmless virus by altering the DNA of unsuspecting populations through the use of genetically engineered wheat distributed in the form of cereal and free samples of baked goods.
Once a target population has ingested food made with our genetically altered wheat, a silent chain-reaction occurs within the DNA makeup of their cells, thus making them susceptible to the effects of the airborne form of the virus. In other words, they have no immunity to this new, artificially engineered pathogen and will die a quick and merciful death within hours of exposure. Those who have not eaten the modified wheat will suffer no ill effects whatsoever, and as a precaution against the possibility of mutation, the pathogen has also been engineered to die within 48 hours of being introduced into the atmosphere.
In a tribute to our scientific team, this ability to control the spread of the virus has been the true genius of our plan. By managing the dissemination of our genetically altered wheat products, along with the failsafe mechanism within the virus itself, we now have a means of containing the pathogen. As predicted, this random pattern of inexplicable life and death will breed fear and panic around the world, thus giving us the upper hand over the world’s governments as we enter phase two of our plan.
As you already know, the virus has been released in several widely dispersed geographical regions around the world, and to date, only the targeted populations in those areas have become sick. Within a matter of days, every government on earth will be looking to the pharmaceutical division of the Acerbi Corporation to come to their aid in the face of an unexplained epidemic they have no control over.
In clandestine meetings this morning with world leaders who are already under our control, we have assured them that their populations will not be affected by the virus. To those countries that are not currently under our sphere of influence, we will soon begin offering them the same guarantee if they agree to transfer control of their governments over to us.
Many of these countries will, of course, refuse to cooperate with us. However, we will make it clear to them that this is their only path toward salvation, both now and in the future. Any attempts to block our control will be met with immediate and fatal retaliation. Their countries will become barren wastelands heaped with corpses. Our plan is a simple one. Those governments who agree to our terms will survive with their current regimes intact under the umbrella of our shadow government. Those who do not will cease to exist.
Along with the governments, we will also begin taking control of the world’s resources; a vital piece of the puzzle if we are to assure the survival of our species. It has been widely recognized for quite some time now that our planet can support only a finite, mathematically pre-determined number of people, and that number has been exceeded.
Unfortunately, despite the dire warnings over the years, none of the world’s governments were willing to make the hard decisions necessary to ensure that their populations were kept to a level that could be sustained by the resources available. Therefore, because of this lack of disciplined leadership, our group has been forced into taking this drastic action.
The time for democratic rule by the masses is past. Society can no longer endure an antiquated system whereby a barely literate proletariat is given the power to elect their own rulers-rulers who by their very actions make it obvious that they have no idea how the world really works. The world must now be governed by those who possess the intelligence and foresight necessary to ensure that only those who contribute to the welfare of the planet be allowed a place at the table in a society of the future, a society under the banner of a one-world government.
Additionally, we can no longer tolerate the constant warfare attributed to religious differences around the globe. To this end, we will also be replacing the many primitive belief systems that are currently polluting the world. We will institute a new, one-world religion that will follow the words of our Master’s book.
Therefore, I am hereby directing that we continue with executive order #322 for the viral extermination of large segments of the world’s population so that we may herald in a new and glorious age for our future generations.
For the good of all mankind,
Rene Acerbi
The cardinal let the folder slip from his hands onto the table. A sound like that of rushing water pounded in his ears as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Acerbi was a monster.
Dr. Diaz had been correct all along. The victims of the virus had been prepped by altering their DNA, and now, armed with this new information, they knew how it was being done. The DNA of some was being modified by the food they ate, thus creating two genetically different populations who lived and died according to what brand of cereal they had eaten for breakfast. At least they had included a self-destruct mechanism within the virus, Leo thought. That explained why it died out so quickly.
