L18-2 Anguish

That night at Nikaido Research Lab, located atop a hill on the out- skirts of Tokyo, only its director Professor Nikaido and his assistant Kujo remained.

"Professor, is the work on the antidote complete?"

"Yes, it's done. Tomorrow I'll inform the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare and hand the antidote over to them. If the virus and antidote should ever fall into the hands of terrorists, the world would come to an end. All too easily," Nikaido said. "I'm going to store the virus and antidote in separate deep-freeze containers as a precaution. Neither can be opened without a password and my biometric authentication."

"Excellent work, Professor," Kujo said, but her face was still grave.

"Thanks." Nikaido answered, distracted. It was a different reac- tion from the kind of satisfaction a scientist might feel after seeing his work come to fruition.

Kujo asked, "Is something bothering you?"

"I understand this work will save lives. Nevertheless, I have smuggled a level four virus into this lab. I can imagine the protests by the residents in the area, to say nothing of the denouncement from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. Of course, I'm prepared for the fallout."

For a private research facility, Nikaido Research Lab was equipped with cutting-edge equipment; it was one of only a few infectious disease labs in Japan outfitted to handle level four viruses-those categorized as having the highest biohazard risk. Level four viruses, such as the Ebola virus and Marbug virus, had extremely high fatality rates while a level four lab was a facility with the safety equipment to handle such high risk viruses. (To put it another way, it look a level four lab to contain a level four virus in the event of an accident.)

There was, however, one precondition that made the handling of such viruses possible: the surrounding public had to agree to take on the risk of infection. Certainly other biosafety level four labs existed in Japan. But none had been used as a level four facility due to the protests of residents living in the surrounding area. For the residents. it was an obvious and natural reaction to the threat of a virus as deadly as Ebola being brought into their neighborhood. Nikaido Research Lab was no exception; it was restricted from bringing in anything higher than a level three risk as spelled out in an agreement reached with the surrounding residents when the lab was built.

"But Professor, it isn't as if you conducted this research for fame or for personal gain."

"You're right. People are suffering as we speak, and yet the devel opment of the antidote was stalled simply because there isn't enough of a market for it. Only developing countries are being affected by the virus. I merely wanted that to change. But... Nikaido took a long look at the two ampules before him. "I don't have to tell you that the current strategy for the most part has been to treat the symptoms.

There has never been an antidote as foolproof as this one. This virus is like a ticking time bomb that has a two-week incubation period, during which the viral cells multiply inside the host without their knowing they've been infected. Depending on how the virus is used, it could very well become the ultimate weapon."

The liquid contained inside the two ampules seemed to sparkle, as if spurning such a ghastly fate.

"Apparently Kira, who caused quite an uproar, was capable of killing anyone of his choosing. On the other hand, whoever comes in possession of this virus, and the antidote, would be capable of killing everyone but the people of his choosing. In that regard, the virus could turn out to be nastier than Kira if it were used in service to a dangerous ideology."

Nikaido sighed deeply and turned toward the picture frame on top of the desk. In it was a family picture capturing his happier days.

"This virus will not be the property of Japan alone. The Ministry of Health will likely decide to send it to the CDC. In the end, all I've done is led the way toward developing a virus weapon. What would my wife say if she were alive..." A self-loathing smile crept across Nikaido's face.

"But Professor, the U.S. has declared that it will only conduct biological weapons research for defensive purposes." Despite Kujo's best effort to put him at case, the hard look on Nikaido's face remained.

"Daddy, dinner's ready!" Maki appeared wearing an apron.

"Maki, you came in here without my permission again, didn't you? I'll have to have a talk with the security guard," Nikaido said.

Though his tone was disapproving. Nikaido was smiling.

"Okay, okay, but come home before dinner gets cold. And how long have you been wearing that same lab coat? Off with it already!" No sooner had she spoken than Maki was at her father's side, pulling off Nikaido's lab coat. Kujo looked on, trying to keep from laughing.

"Dr. Kujo, when do you think you can come to tutor me next?"

Maki asked.

"How's tomorrow night?"

"Great. I'm going to feed the animals now." With her father's coat in her arms, she left.

Nikaido sighed as he watched his daughter go. "She's more and more like her mother every day. She must still yearn for her mother's touch, but I have to say she's coming up nicely."

"She's completely turned into your wife.

She's quite a girl-she's got the world's preeminent professor of immunology completely under her thumb.

When Kujo looked into the animal husbandry room, Maki was feeding the lab chimpanzee.

"Eat up now." Maki told the monkey. Though her voice was cheerful, her cheeks were wet with tears. The animals in the room were to be subjects in lab experiments the next day. Maki hastily wiped away her tears upon seeing Kujo. "I know I'm not supposed to get attached to them..."

Ignorant of its own fate, the chimpanzee inside the cage was also attached to Maki. The chimp bared its teeth defensively when Kujo bent down next to Maki.

"We're allowed to go on living happy, healthy lives because tens of thousands of animals like this chimp sacrifice their lives. But all people do is kill and hate and do whatever they please. I guess they forgot that nature is what keeps us all alive," Maki said.

Kujo peered into the girl's face. "Maki, do you think the people of this world deserve to live at the expense of sacrificing the lives of these animals?"

Maki looked at the animals and pondered the question a bit. "I don't know. But if these animals have to be sacrificed so we can live, I think we have to live the life they gave us to our fullest." Maki turned her innocent eyes on Kujo without hesitation. "Why do you ask, Dr. Kujo?"

Kujo smiled sadly and put an arm around the girl's shoulders. "I think if everyone thought the way you do, this world might change for the better." Kujo's face, which Maki could not see in the dark of the room, was twisted in anguish.