The Plague Years (Book 1): Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here by Mark Rounds Read Free Book Online Page A

with a piercing stare.
    “There are details, but they are in your briefing notes,” said Riley. “Dr. Grieb has some information on the vectors of the disease, treatments and such but they are in the briefing package that you have read already.”
    “Mr. Erskin and Mr. Macklin, I am now going to go over my boss’s head and will call the NORTHCOM Commander, Chief of the Army, and various other luminaries with Dr. Riley’s shiny phone. I suspect that you will wish use the same device to speak to your superiors but effective immediately, I am declaring this briefing and supporting materials Top Secret, ORCON, and NOFORN. This means that until I or my superiors rescind it, no one can release this information without my written authority. There will also be no release of this information to any Foreign National without my personal written authority.”
    “But you can’t do that!” said Mr. Macklin. “I need to report to my boss as soon as this meeting is over.”
    “Call your legal department Macklin, you’ll find I can do just that, but be careful what you say and to whom because the FBI will be notified about the nature of this briefing before the day is out, and unless I miss my guess, any calls you will make will be gone over with a microscope. I recommend that you use Dr. Riley’s setup after I am done. This is just a suggestion mind you, but this must go up the chain NOW. Erskin, same applies to you.”
    Then the General spoke loudly to the whole room.
    “Everyone will kindly give my Aide-De-Camp your name and contact information. Until you have been briefed on appropriate security protocols, you may not speak to anyone on this. There is a bunch more but you will have to wait for the briefing.”     
     
    May 5 th , Friday, 7:31 pm PDT
    Special Agent Horace T. Macklin was sitting in his hotel room with some very fine Bunnahabhain eighteen year old scotch in his glass. He could hardly taste it. The interview with General Buckley’s aide had not been good. The phone call right after General Buckley’s confidentiality declaration to DHS legal counsel was even less helpful. Not only did they agree with General Buckley’s interpretation of the law, they made it clear that they REALLY didn’t even want to talk to him about this until they had guidance from the Deputy Director. It was pretty clear; his stock in Washington was low. He was wallowing in good scotch and self-pity when his personal cell phone rang.
    “Macklin.”
    “This is Deputy Director Erickson. I want you to listen and not talk. I just got off the phone with General McPherson. He is the Chief of Staff of the Army and Academy roommate of Lt. General Buckley. You remember General Buckley don’t you?
    “It was General McPherson’s impression that you had been dragging your feet on some pretty important disaster prep issues relating to the Plague. He also made it plain that you had been suppressing the latest data out of California for infection rates, spreading half truths about the paucity of DHS support, that you had interfered with local police procedures, and other bothersome charges. He also spoke at profane length about your parentage, eating habits, and made a couple of suggestions that are frankly, anatomically impossible. Just what the hell do you think you are playing at?!”
    “Sir, I was following your direction on keeping this out of the public eye so as not to arouse …”
    “I never said,” said Erickson forcefully interrupting Macklin before he could get started, “that you were to misinform or antagonize the very people who are providing us with the epidemiology data we need to make decisions. I never said that you were to horn your way onto a General’s private jet for God sakes, and tell him that the sky is bright pink. DHS stock is low enough as it is with various government agencies. We don’t need this.
    “The next time I get a call from any Government Agency about you, it better be proclaiming accolades about