The message was waiting on his desk when he came in to his office that a call had come from the Governor's office, requesting a report on the occurrences of the previous night's attacks.
He'd been in the performance and testing facilities since hearing from Diana about the explosions, and the reports of an airborne pathogen. Coupled together with the girl he'd seen toting around the basket, the report from the guard who'd escorted him away and a few other clues, and it hadn't taken him long to deduce who the perpetrator was.
The strangest thing of all, however, had been Leo, who had been practically at ground zero for one of the blasts. The man had been tested over and over again for whatever pathogen had been released there, and showed no signs of infection, while Big Mike and the other three survivors were crawling with the stuff. Which had been his final clue, once he got a look - he had a live sample of it held in stasis, locked away in a secure location, and he knew the person behind it's insidiously genius design.
With a sigh he tapped the multi-touch surface. "Yeah, Leo. Jack. Ah need reports, as detailed as ya can make 'em, soon as poss'ble."
He had the reports an hour later. The one from Leo was a detailed synopsis of the events that occured once he arrived on the scene, detailing the actions of two young women. An excerpt from his report got Ed's attention immediately, and he groaned inwardly.
"...the brunette addressed the blonde as 'Celia,' who in return addressed the brunette as 'Renna.' It is unconfirmed at this time, but it is believed that the brunette was the same Renna who has been referred to as The Betrayer, whom is reported by the Watch to be deceased. The blonde, Celia, is an unkown at this time. Investigations are continuing at the time of this report, but both women are believed to have been killed during this incident, one by gunfire and the other by a self-destruct process which released the pathogen into the air."
The medical report was shorter, due to the limited time his staff had so far to examine the virus, but what was there, he thought, summed it up rather nicely, and at least there was some good news.
"The pathogen is unlike anything yet encountered by Batten Industries, and is not a virus at all in the conventional sense but rather a combination of biological and technological elements. The pathogen appears to attack the mind first, attempting to take over the body's functions and adapting itself to its environment in an attempt to control the host. By first changing its makeup to blend with the host's biochemical makeup and therefore bypassing the host's immune system, the virus appears to be proceeding to completely take control of the host, though to what end we are not yet certain. Symptoms include a high fever, delirium, episodes of violence and siezures. However, it is believed at this time that despite the airborne method of delivery this pathogen is not transmittable between hosts via an airborne vector. It is possible that the pathogen can be transmitted via physical contact involving bodily fluid exchange, however due to the nature of the virus and its effect on the host we are unable at this time to confirm this theory."
He frowned slightly as he called for a messenger to take the reports to the governor's office. He didn't like giving out information before a conclusion had been reached, but at least she would know enough to inform the public that what had been released at the party wasn't a new strain of Benghu fever.
The reports were sealed in a manila envelope marked 'CONFIDENTIAL' in bold red letters, and once he had stressed the urgency and secrecy of the message being delivered, he dispatched the courier.
The reports would arrive shortly after Issy did, and the courier - a young man - would see them personally into the Governor's hands only before departing.
