A Heartbeat Away - Michael Palmer [72]
CHAPTER 31
DAY 4
9:30 A.M. (EST)
General Paul Egan has nothing to do with this package. We used his name to be sure the security monitors took the delivery seriously and brought it to you. The members of Genesis believe that you are someone fit to lead this country. Reply to this message if you agree and would like to learn more. The code to open our messages will be the security login password of your Bank of Virginia online banking account.
Ellis took in a sharp breath as she read the text on the display screen of a handheld messaging device that had been carefully enclosed in protective wrap. It was as thin as a BlackBerry, but somewhat larger. The display on the screen was sharp.
Password? The device prompted.
Impossible, she thought. There was no way Genesis could have gotten ahold of her personal banking password. She purposely typed in an incorrect code, and the device immediately refused to proceed. She then typed in the correct numbers and was directed to two typed sheets, carefully hidden between the bubble wrap of the envelope and its manila outer shell. Printed on the first sheet were the words GENESIS DEMANDS.
Ellis took the package into a stall and secured the door. On first reading, the demands—radically antiestablishment—bordered on the absurd. But Ellis pushed aside her initial impression by reminding herself of the brilliance the organization had displayed thus far, as well as their unbridled ruthlessness.
Who is behind Genesis? she typed.
The response appeared less than a minute after she pressed Send.
We represent everybody who values true freedom. That is all you need to know. These messages are encrypted and secure. These transmissions cannot be detected. Have you read our demands?
Ellis reviewed the sheet of demands again, and then sent a message, which read simply: I have.
The device buzzed in her hand after Genesis returned a reply.
We have communicated these demands to the president and he has ignored us. The virus you have been exposed to is real and lethal. We alone have the treatment that will save your lives. The president, by not responding to our demands, has sealed your fates.
Ellis typed: What do you want from me?
This time there was no immediate response. Can this all be some sort of trick on Allaire’s part? She had after all threatened him with impeachment. Could he be trying to set her up as one willing to negotiate with terrorists? It was possible.
If Allaire wasn’t behind this, then why were they reaching out specifically to her?
Ellis warned herself to tread softly until the picture became clearer. If the message were really from Genesis, then Allaire had not only ignored their communications, but kept them secret as well. If so, he had placed everyone in the Capitol in mortal danger. Suddenly, the device buzzed in her hand.
See to it that legislation is passed that will make our demands law. Do so and we will give you and you alone the antiviral treatment. You will be responsible for saving the lives of seven hundred of the most important people in America.
Ellis did not need Genesis to explain the potential impact of her being the one to end this crisis. She was more than fit to lead the country. It was her destiny to do so. What Genesis was offering was the path to that inevitability. She thought of William Jennings Bryan, who wrote: Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. At that moment, her choice was to prove that the opportunity indeed was for real.
What is this virus? Ellis typed.
WRX3883.
What is that?
Ask your president. He’ll know. He made it.
Interesting, Ellis thought. But the exchange proved nothing. Were she to confront Allaire with specifics about the virus, it might only confirm that she had taken his bait. She needed more certainty than that to proceed.
Ellis typed: The president has brought in a