Lynch 1

Liam Lynch

Dr. Gilbert

Core 101

December 9, 2018

The Plot Against Missouri

It was May 3, 2018: the day after the Track and Field conference for my highschool and

many others.

“You’ve got a shot at making State!” I would hear. Unceasingly would those words be

thrown at me by my coach and my teammates. I didn’t just want a ‘shot’ at making State; I

wanted to be ​certain ​that I would go. And on top of that, ​I wanted to win.​

***

In the beginning, it started off as nothing more than small science experiments. My

biomedical class was doing simple bacterial resistance labs, learning that these single-cell

organisms can be bred into extremely dangerous, outbreak-causing, end-of-days super weapons

if put into the wrong hands. That’s where the plan erupted. If somehow I could mold one of these

bacterium to do some of the work for me, I would be set.

I began to have glorious visions of striding across the finish line, unopposed. I wanted to

be the greatest, but I knew I couldn’t do it without a little extra help.

We had just finished breeding Viral Gastroenteritis to be immune from certain

antibiotics, and at that point I knew I had found my contagion. With a bit of sleight of hand, I

swabbed up a few samples of the Viral Gastroenteritis, put them into petri dishes, stuck them in

my lunchbox for safe keeping, and I was on my way.

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It was thrilling to know that this was the beginning of something great. As soon as I got

home from practice I began working on my ‘project,’ as my parents had come to know it as. I

ordered an incubator, spare petri dishes, all kinds of antibiotics, mice for experimentation, and all

other things that I could find online that might help ensure me the victory. As the deliveries came

in over the next few days, I looked at the materials before me.

“This might even be more trouble than just running the race,” I thought to myself.

Regardless, I initiated my project. The process of cultivating the perfect weapon took exactly all

of my available time, but in the end I had made my own virus, ensuring the victory.

Simply creating the virus itself didn’t encapsulate my whole plan though. The next phase

of my plan guaranteed that I didn’t infect anyone who I didn’t want infected. Casually, I began to

tap the schools water supply with trace amounts of my virus. The intention in doing so was to try

to build up the immune system of my fellow teammates: morally, I would hate it if any of them

suffered because of me. After a week of immunization, I wanted to test if my plan was working.

While my good friend Ethan was sitting next to me in Speech, I spiked his water with a little bit

of my own virus-contaminated water to see if he would develop symptoms. I prayed he would

come out healthy the next day, because if he were to become sick due to me, I would never be

able to forgive myself for ruining his season. Low and behold, the next day passed, and Ethan

didn’t experience any symptoms, so I was confident that my teammates wouldn’t get poisoned

all because of me.

Before my virus was completed, however, I had to be certain that my competition was

incapacitated at the time of the race. The only way to do this was to breed my viruses to have the

shortest incubation time possible, and that took many days of meticulous labor. Over the
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two-week span that I had to create the perfect virus for my mission, I had bred hundreds of

generations of viruses, using hundreds of field mice from stores across town, all in an attempt to

see which mice would succumb to the gastrointestinal issues the fastest, (Also, at this moment I

would like to add that I am not insane; I do indeed care for animals. It’s just that my victory over

the state of Missouri is more important than their happiness and length of life). By the end of the

two weeks, I had finally concocted the perfect strain of Viral Gastroenteritis. My species began

to multiply and multiply under the Ultraviolet light of the incubator. I sat back feeling as though

I had already won.

As the day of the District Meet approached, I was all set up. I came prepared with two

water bottles: one for hydration and one for contamination. The later of the two was filled with

all of the virus that I could produce in five days mixed with water so that I could stealthily sneak

it into the other team’s water jugs. I knew everyone would be drinking that day because it must

have been at least one million degrees Fahrenheit. Once at the meet, my plan began to unfold. I

walked over to every other team’s tent in my ambiguous black hoodie and sweatpants, casually

and confidently opened each opposing team’s water jug, and swiftly poured well over enough to

cause Gastroenteritis to every one of my team’s opponents. After that, I nonchalantly walked

back to where my team had gathered, and told them all ‘you’re welcome.’ Which of course

brought about many confused looks in my direction.

Regardless of their lack of knowledge concerning my plot, I was satisfied even though I

hadn’t won yet. The victory had already been guaranteed when I saw the line to the bathroom

growing exponentially.
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I still had to go out, stand on the line, and look for all of my competition as if I didn’t

know what was happening. At the line, there was an obvious lack of runners, but the ones that

were present appeared pale and shaken up. It was then that I knew the race was mine for the

taking. As I set my toes on the line, I felt none of the nerves that I had felt in earlier races of my

career. There, I knew nothing was at stake. The gun that signaled the start of the race was shot,

and after the first few seconds of the race I was already leading unopposed.

By the time the two lap race was over, only 5 people finished, and I sat unchallenged

utop the podium, confident I was going to win it all.

***

I slept easy that night. The victory, in my eyes at least, felt earned. I had learned so much

about microbiology, and accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. The team had me

to thank too. Almost every single athlete from my highschool had qualified onto Sectionals,

making for the biggest sweep in Missouri history. Not only was I going to win state, but my

highschool would have a team title under its belt now too. That night, I dreamt of crossing the

finish line at State, all alone.

Morning came with a harsh hit of reality. As I pridefully marched up the stairs from my

bedroom to the kitchen, my heart sank. Standing before me were two police officers, a man in a

suit, and my parents. Everything about this screamed run, but I stood there paralyzed. The police

officers asked me to come with them. I followed silently, defeated. While outside, they said

those fatal words to me:

“Mr. William Lynch, you are under arrest for Category B Bioterrorism.” The officers

then read me my Miranda Rights, and sat me down in the back seat of their black, tinted sedan. I
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was in shock, alone in my thoughts. Unable to comprehend that they had traced any foul play

back to me so quickly. And with such certainty! The man in the suit seated next to me began to

talk, but I tried not to listen. He said he was part of the FBI, and what I did caused a lot of people

a lot of trouble. He then asked an odd question.

“How did you obtain a deadly strain of Viral Gastroenteritis?” For the second time that

day, I was at a loss for words, wondering if he meant to say ‘deadly.’ Impossible, I saw everyone

at the meet simply suffering from insane gastrointestinal issues, not ​dying​. On top of that, I was

one of the last people to leave the meet, and when I had left it seemed as though no one had

literally ​died​. I had to ask.

“Did you just say ‘deadly?’”

“Yes Liam.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Everyone at the bureau is already fully aware of your plot against Missouri. Frankly, a

lot of us are impressed with your efficiency. We’re sure that you didn’t intend for anyone to get

hurt, but what you did caused outbreaks all across the state of Missouri. Hundreds of people have

succumbed to their symptoms, and thousands more have been infected. Kansas City and St.

Louis are in quarantine, and water for the state has been shut off.”

“But how…”

“Along with an unanticipated genetic mutation in your virus, we’re confident that there

was external intelligence helping you out. Your friend Ethan has already been taken into custody,
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and we’re searching overseas to find those who may have helped instruct you during your

project.” I was lost in his words, simply trying to comprehend everything he was saying. I didn’t

intend for anyone to ​die.​ He had said that he was aware of my plot, so surely he knew that all I

wanted was to win. At this point, I wanted to vocalize my reasoning behind everything that I had

done, but I was just too disappointed in myself to say anything.

Once we got to the FBI Headquarters in Springfield, I was given a water bottle and took a

seat in their holding cell. Before I knew it, I had woken up in a solid concrete cell with the faint

sound of waves crashing against the outer walls.

***

And that is the story of how I, a straight-A, overachieving, high schooler with a

promising future, ended up in Guantanamo Bay at the age of 18. Looking back on it all, I could

have done things so much differently. I could’ve just ran the race and probably make it to state

without the help of a viral disease, but I decided to risk it all for the glory. Here at the Bay, life is

a lot different. They always tell you that they’ll let you go if you just tell the truth.

That’s a lie.
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Bibliography

Estes, Mary. “Viral Gastroenteritis (‘Stomach Flu’).” ​National Institute of Diabetes and

Digestive and Kidney Diseases​, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.ni

ddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/viral-gastroenteritis.

“Kickapoo High School - Schedule.” Edited by Ryan Wilson, ​MoMileSplit​, FloSports, Inc, 2018,

mo.milesplit.com/teams/10770-kickapoo-high-school/schedule#.XAVk0y2ZPs0.

“Lesson 6: Investigating an Outbreak.” ​Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,​ U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, 15 Sept. 2016, www.cdc.gov/ophss/csels/dse

pd/ss1978/lesson6/section2.html.

Sharma, Divashree, et. al. “Bioterrorism: Law Enforcement, Public Health & Role of Oral and

Maxillofacial Surgeon in Emergency Preparedness.” ​National Center for Biotechnology

Information​, National Institutes for Health, Jun. 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc

/articles/PMC4871839/.

“Viral Gastroenteritis (Not Rotavirus).” ​State Government of Victoria,​ Department of Health &

Human Services, 8 Oct. 2015, www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/

disease-information-advice/viral-gastroenteritis-not-rotavirus.