Chapter-11 Paris, 48° 51′ 22.5″ N, 2° 20′ 37.5″ E Fragments Cafe

Marc stirred his unsweetened coffee anxiously. The meeting with Pierre was a secret meeting. As a WHO official, he should not meet with a president director of a pharmaceutical company. Moreover, it was one of the few giant pharmaceutical companies that dominate the world's pharmaceutical market.

The distinguished doctor saw an extraordinary opportunity when he heard Doctor Cecilia story. They were friends during college and she always took him as a trustworthy friend.

He was about to betray her for the opportunities of fame, financial gain, and patriotism towards his country France. He would be famous around the world as someone who discovered the serum that could stop a terrifying plague. Pierre would also be paying him a big sum of money for his information and contribution to the creation of a serum or vaccine. France of course would be very proud to have a citizen who contributed greatly to the world named Marc Antoine.

Marc imagined Cecilia's angry face when she found out about all this. Oh, I will deal with that later. Cecilia's anger would be tiny compared to his great service to his country.

Marc deliberately took a seat in the corner, which was a bit dark and quiet. This cafe was always busy every day. But around two o'clock in the afternoon it was relatively quiet.

Marc's wary eyes searched around the cafe. He saw nothing suspicious. Few visitors were enjoying their cup of hot coffee and a piece of sugar-covered croissant.

Not too far from his table, a girl ate a croissant while playing with her gadget. Next to him was an old man reading newspaper with a walking stick by his chair. Then in the opposite corner, a young mother was busy feeding her fussy toddler with a small piece of bread. Oh, it's safe!

While waiting for Pierre to arrive, Marc flipped through the news on his mobile. Some news headlines were quite bombastic and featured the same news and looked rather suspicious.

A whale-hunting ship from Japan explodes and catches fire in Arctic waters.

Authorities from Iceland are investigating the burning ship in its EEZ.

A dismembered corpse was found off the coast of Norway. Allegedly the crew of a whale-hunting ship that caught fire.

Mark frowned. It was unusual. A whale ship on fire? In the Arctic waters? Hmm.

"You've been here long Marc? Sorry, I'm a bit late." A voice greeted Marc.

"Oui Pierre it's okay. Are you safe?"

The well-groomed man nodded. He pulled a chair and immediately asked for detailed explanation of what the meeting was all about.

In a low voice Marc asked Pierre's men to persuade or if necessary forcibly capture a man named Fabumi who was with his colleagues in the Congo at that time. Marc would provide update on their whereabouts.

"This person is a very important asset to your company in developing a cure for the imminent pandemic. He's proven to be resistant from the disease."

Pierre nodded in disbelief. Marc was a reliable source. He held important position at WHO and was well known among his peers.

"You know Marc? Can you investigate through your network what really happened to the ship that caught fire in the Arctic and the body that was found in Norway? My sources at the hospital there said it looked like it had a serious illness."

Marc raised his head. His instincts were right.

"Oui Pierre. Keep in touch. Don't forget we're partners in these 2 cases. I'll feed you the latest coordinates of the asset location so your people can devise a plan to get him."

Pierre cleared his throat. He got up and walked out. Marc placed a few Francs on his desk and walked out behind him.

The girl pressed the send button. It was the recoding of Marc and Pierre conversation to someone in London.

The old man rushed off after paying. His steps were steady. He did not touch the walking stick.

The young mother dialed a number in Beijing while tidying up her toddler clothes.

"Mr. Feng, please pass this on to Mr. Huang. Confirmed cases in Congo and Scandinavia. Prepare investigation protocols. I will send recorded conversations between WHO official and the Boss of Neogen Pharmacie just now."