Vector

There's something about the phrase "weaponized viruses" that gives a person pause, particularly when sprinkled together with adjectives like "aerosolized" and "Marburg". This morning, as a lauded and oft-frisked guest of the Vector State Research Institute of Microbiology and Virology, it was my pleasure to witness the very labs used by the Soviets to make such biological weapons. Neither particularly clean or modern, the halls of the third and fourth floors look like submarine passages, one airlock closing behind you as you step into the next. Typical office paraphernalia like dogs on pillows and kitties hanging from branches are placed, presumably unironically, next to shutdown protocols in case of accidental exposure or rupture. All cameras and computers were confiscated before going in and the stern female soldiers in camouflage were lucid reminders that this was a very serious place. The thick fog that blanketed the ground just added to creepy effect, the sun not fully exposed until 2pm in the afternoon.

Today was my last [long] day representing the Department of State. Tomorrow I will move out of the Akademgorodok and into Novosibirsk proper. Soon thereafter the theatre of embarrassment known as Rod's Excellent Uzbek Adventure will begin.