The Lazarus Moment by J Robert Kennedy

shrugged.
    “If the
President dies, they won’t stop until they find those responsible. It could
trace back to us and lead to war!”
    “I’m not
concerned. There’s no way it could trace back to us.”
    “If
you’re not concerned, then why are you trying to stop him?”
    “Because
the First Family is on the plane. I never would have given him the virus if I
had known the President’s wife and daughter were going to be on the plane.”
    “Why the
concern? You’re willing to kill almost a hundred innocent people, what’s two
more?”
    “It’s a
kid!”
    “I never
thought you cared about kids.”
    Dudnik looked
away. “That’s only because we couldn’t have them, and I didn’t want you
thinking I was disappointed.”
    This
caught Katya off guard. It was the first time he had mentioned children since
they had discovered she couldn’t have any. She had been terribly disappointed,
but he wasn’t, instead shrugging his shoulders and saying he never really
wanted them anyway.
    Then he
had reached for the bottle.
    Could
it have been children all along?
    “You
never said anything.” Her voice was gentler, probably as gentle as it had been
since things started to go wrong between them.
    He shrugged
again, stealing a quick glance. “I didn’t want you to feel bad and blame
yourself.”
    She
wanted to reach out, to comfort the man she once loved, but she resisted the
urge. She knew what she had to do, and reestablishing an emotional bond now
would be a mistake.
    She took
in a deep breath. “That’s the past. Now back to the present. Who knows about
this operation?”
    “Me,
you, Khomenko and his friend, Thulas Zokwana. And some of Khomenko’s men,
obviously.”
    “Does
anyone know the source of the virus?”
    “No,
only Khomenko. He assured me he’d tell no one its source.”
    “And you
can trust him?”
    Dudnik
nodded. “Yes. He’s a man of honor, a man of his word. And he only has a few
months left to live with no one to live for. Even if they catch him, there’s
nothing they could do to make him talk.”
    “They
could torture him.”
    “That
would only hasten his death.” Dudnik shook his head. “He won’t talk.”
    “Which
means the only way they can trace it back to us is through his connection to
you.”
    Dudnik frowned
at her. “I suppose so.”
    “If we
kill him first, then there’s no risk of that. Can he be reached?”
    Dudnik shook
his head. “I’ve been trying, but after the first call when I ordered him to
abort, he hasn’t answered.”
    She
sighed, turning her back on him as she stepped toward the door, unbuttoning her
jacket. “We can’t risk this backfiring. It must be stopped.”
    “I don’t
know how. That’s why I called you.”
    “You did
the right thing.” She turned to face him as she reached inside her jacket. “For
once.”
    She drew
her weapon and fired two shots into his chest, the look of shock on his face
one she would never forget.
    A tear
rolled down her cheek in memory of the good times.
    So long
ago.
    Now
how do we warn the Americans without admitting involvement?
     
     

 
     
    CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia
     
    CIA Senior Analyst Chris Leroux poured over the data his team was
gathering, the emergency tasking to run a background check on one Thulas Zokwana
a priority that he was certain was going to keep them there far too long. He
had already postponed the visit with his parents, delighting his girlfriend,
CIA Agent Sherrie White. They had been disappointed yet understanding, it not
the first time plans had been cancelled due to his job.
    Worse
was cancelling plans on Sherrie. He always hated doing it, he knowing how it
made him feel when she was forced to do the same. Something in the back of his
mind always thought she wanted to spend less time with him, to end things.
    Your
insecurity is what’s going to end this.
    She was
way out of his league, or at least that’s how he had always felt. She was
gorgeous, at least in his eyes— and