“Yes I was. You wanted me to.” “What are you talking about?” Douglas was too tired to deal with this. Dora didn’t look friendly, and the other two seemed to have aged. No longer young and impressionable, but hard-faced, and he suddenly understood that Dora had arranged for them to be there as witnesses. Be very careful now, Doug, he told himself. “Dora, I don’t know what you’re talking about. There was a secure viral sample from a pigsty in that vial. What have you done to it?” “The vial was insecure, Doug, and the timing of your patent on the vaccine suggests that you wanted the virus released. You thought I’d spread it out into the world for you.” “What patent?” “Oh, come on, Doug. That’s a matter of public record.” “So my research was more advanced than I told you. I don’t know where you’re getting the rest of it. All those accusations. You can’t prove something like that.” “I think I can, Doug.” Dora reached into her pocket and pulled out an identification card. Australian Federal Police. Federal Police! But Dora had been desperate to work with him since her undergraduate days. How could she be a Federal Policewoman? He didn’t think her father would have had a chance to put negative thoughts in her mind— he’d died when Dora was only a teenager, soon after the two men had argued—but perhaps… Douglas was tired, so tired. He couldn’t think. It seemed that Dora had been one step ahead the whole time they’d worked together. “Douglas Ruth, you’re under arrest pending charges from the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2005. And it’s not just this offence. You’ve been lucky before in the timing of your vaccine
46 Timeless Tales 2