Celtox

Nikita,

I had codeworks look over the anonymous papers with the chemical equations - apparently the whole thing was an encoded message from a scientist who works for Konrad named Anatoly Ozerov. He is an expert on Celtox37 and claims to be having a crisis of conscience. That was reason enough to meet him for tea, even though I'm not sure how he found out about my 'work'.  We met this afternoon at a small eatery near my now 'most favorite park in the world'. I have a few burns of my own to commemorate our magical evening there. I had no idea your porcelain skin would be so susceptible to splinters. I am sorry. Maybe.

After the usual social formalities, Ozerov went into a sketchy but adequate enough story of how he knew to contact me about Celtox. He knew I had been spending a lot of time with Konrad and his posse, and wanted to personally warn me of the danger the man poses to myself and the world at large.

It turns out that Konrad is as notorious in the world of scientists as he is in the red light district. He is feared by his professional peers as well as his enemies. Known for silencing anyone (using all sorts of unsavory methods) that doesn't share his 'vision' of how the world works, he has managed to build quite an empire among the new order of organized crime groups in eastern europe. Synthetic cocaine and amphetamines coming out of his labs have made him millions, and his excesses have grown proportionately with his bank account. He has managed to stay out of jail through payoffs and favors - many unsolved murders in the red light district are rumored to be his handiwork, and anyone that threatens his livelihood seems to meet with some sort of untimely demise.

Ozerov  went into a lengthy explanation of his involvement in the creation of the new supertoxin named Celtox37. Advances in DNA mapping have made it possible to create toxins that are only lethal to people with certain DNA characteristics. Instead of trying to save the world from Cancer or other horrible diseases, Konrad has led the research into killing people based on their genetic makeup. It's more complex than I can explain in an e-mail, but you get the idea. Genetically engineered weapons of mass destruction  - a weapon with humans as the only casualty - no radioactive fallout or uninhabitable areas. No infrastructure damage. An easily transportable, seemingly benign clear liquid that is lethal to targeted individuals in minute amounts. God help us. 

The ability to target just one person is of special interest to Konrad  - Ozerov's team has been working on this aspect of the toxin for a few years, and is nearing completion of a simple field modification to the toxin. An assassin only needs a DNA sample from the intended victim - hair or  saliva will suffice - the sample is dissolved in a catalyst that creates a genetically specific lethal mix of celtox - it is clear and odorless, so it can be mixed into a drink easily, and will only kill the intended victim. (or immediate family members, it's not perfect yet) Here's the 'beauty' of Celtox - it is completely untraceable - victims die of natural causes, and there is no way to detect its presence in a person's system. The perfect murder weapon.  

Now, Konrad is not so foolish as to create a toxin of this sort without a few antidotes - to keep Ozerov from holding too many cards, Konrad has an antidote created by another one of his chemist teams that Ozerov is forbidden to communicate with.  It's easy enough to consider just taking Konrad out of the game tomorrow, old school. Sniper fire would be an efficient way for him to die... well, maybe too honorable... but he has all sorts of plans in place to unleash 1918 influenza if he is a victim of foul play - so, as much as I want the man dead for several reasons now (especially for touching you) it is fortunate for us that you weren't able to finish the job the other night. 

After writing all of this down, my head is beginning to unwind some - I was so taken by the possibility of such a weapon, that I ignored something very out of place - I'm not sure if Konrad has sent Ozerov - it is almost too convenient for all of this information to fall into my lap so easily - it may be that Konrad has made us both, or it may be true that Ozerov is having a moral crisis - either way, know that our time together has given me an inner peace  - I know love now. If we get into a situation where one of us is being used against the other, follow the handbook exactly. It may be a gamble with our lives, but following the protocol is the only way we can both know how one another will react in a crisis situation. 

S