Breath of Death

Matt Grayson thought his life under control until discovering he possessed the framework for a biological weapon. Those wanting control of this creation hunt Grayson forcing him to decide how to deal with this unexpected package. His decision will determine if his already distorted life will continue or end.

October 2018. With the 2014 Ebola crisis ended and treatment for the virus available, the world thought the threat of its unexpected spread over. However, using government research on biodefense systems, someone has engineered an airborne spread Ebola with the intent to use it as a weapon. With medical responses developed for a contact spread Ebola, release of an airborne form of the viral nightmare would infect thousands before the biodefense system could react. The first man to uncover the threat is dead. The only hope remaining is Matt Grayson, a research geneticist, who now holds the data—a parting gift from his deceased colleague. Before Grayson can decide how to address the issue, he is accused of helping create the weapon. Already facing his own demons, Grayson flees. His situation only worsens when the destructive potential of the virus is revealed with its release on an isolated town in Arizona. Learning of the weapon’s use, Grayson realizes the event is intended to serve as a demonstration to bring the weapon to market with its sell to the highest bidder. Teaming with Erica Celica, the graduate journalism student researching Grayson’s work at his genetics lab, the two seek to identify the source of the virus. Pursued by a government team with the goal of executing him and the weapon’s designer wanting the data he possesses, Grayson must make a decision. Knowing it unlikely anyone will believe what he uncovers, especially when his past is revealed, Grayson must choose between destroying the virus before it can be sold or ignore the threat hoping someone else can prevent its future use.

Clint Browning was born in Austin, Texas. Surviving childhood, he began pursuing adult opportunities. Initially specializing in medical technology and then engineering, his career afforded unique opportunities. In the medical world, Clint specialized in clinical laboratory management and business consulting for forensic labs. Following that episode in life, he headed in a different direction employed by the Department of Defense where he executed feasibility studies, developed white papers, and performed specialized research projects with the occasional management of some remarkable individuals. Clint holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. His last foray into the educational arena was completion of a Master's degree from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (now the Eisenhower School) in Washington D.C., one of the Senior Service Colleges in the National Defense University system. With earlier writing primarily focused on career endeavors, Clint's encounters afforded some remarkable opportunities to dwell on the 'what-ifs' in the world. With the move into fiction (although some of the previous real work seemed fictional), his hope is to provide the reader an escape.