"Yes, a melodramatic one. We call it the bleeding death." * * * * * In the third week of our stay he came unexpectedly, late on a Wednesday afternoon. I talked to him alone as the other officers had gone on an early patrol. He was extremely agitated. "I believe the counter-offensive will soon be starting," he said. "The Americans have refused to sell any more food to us and our radio is full of reports that the return of another wet spring in Europe and drought in Siberia is their doing. Today we were ordered to load all our available virus for shipment to Russia. We expect to send it Saturday." "How will it go?" "In refrigerated tank cars," he replied, and seeing my amazement, he added, "We do not have a bottling plant here. There are barely enough immune technicians to load it and seal the containers properly. I have been told there is an automatic bottling plant in Siberia which can put the virus in missile warheads without human aid, but of course I am not completely informed about these things." "God! They must be desperate if they intend to let this thing loose on America without being immunized themselves." "A calculated risk, Colonel. We can produce vaccine rapidly and protect those who matter before the disease rebounds to our lands." "Those who matter! That's good! I'll give you three guesses who makes the decisions." On their return that night I called in my officers and explained the situation. "We must stop that stuff from getting out of here," I said at the end. "In fact, if possible we should blow up the tank cars and let it all run out and at the same time try to put the laboratory out of action. It won't do much good now for us to take the virus home ... there would be too little time to produce a vaccine against it even if we have the formula." "There's a railway bridge about two miles from the plant, about four from the way we'd have to go, that crosses a deep ravine," Makstutis said. "It's on the spur line from the main Wonsan-Vladivostok railway. That's the only way out of this fever factory of theirs. We can put demolition charges on that to blow when the train goes over. There's only three or four bridge guards. I'm sure we could cut the telephone wire and handle them before the train gets there." "Suppose not all the tank cars are destroyed," Kim said. "Could they use that crap again, or would they go near it?" "Yes, they would," I said. "Some of the technicians are protected by immunizations." "Then somebody has to be designated to explode the tanks in case they survive the drop," Blackie said. "And what about the train guards?" "You're so right!" I said. "That makes me the mouse that ties the bell on the cat. You boys hold off the guards, I'll get the tank cars." "Hell, Doc, you've lost your marbles!" Makstutis burst out in amazement. "That's our job. We've got to keep you all wrapped up like a dame in mink so you can tell them back home what's in that lousy stuff."