Gordon Amherst

Dr. Gordon Amherst is the primary antagonist and cause of the Dollar Flu in Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's The Division. A radical virologist, Amherst is the source of the Dollar Flu outbreak on New York City.

Background
Amherst had a reputation as being a controversial and dangerous individual even before the outbreak of the Dollar Flu, causing riots at lectures he would hold and being considered an unpopular figure by virologists Dr. Jessica Kendel and Dr. Vitaly Tchernenko.

Believing that mankind is the greatest threat to the survival of the planet, Amherst "realizes" that the cause behind mankind's destruction of the planet is their own greed. Convincing himself that action must be taken, Amherst acquires samples of several viruses and sets to work on creating his own "superbug". By combining the smallpox virus with other dangerous diseases like H1N1, Ebola, and Dengue, as well as modifying the genetic traits that controlled the incubation and communicability of the disease, Amherst's final step was to use a protein printer to create the final form of his virus just in time for Black Friday; the biggest commercial shopping "holiday" in the United States.

Amherst's first and primary target was the New York department store Abel's, which on Black Friday was filled with customers. ECHO recordings show Amherst stopping at several stores passing along infected $20 bills to the cashiers in crowded shops. Without realizing it, these men and women were undoubtedly the first victims of the Dollar Flu in New York City. Over the course of the day, these bills were transferred to other New York residents as change, from there spreading the Dollar Flu to the rest of Manhattan, and from there the Five Boroughs. Due to the highly infectious nature of the Dollar Flu, it was more than likely that it was only hours later that the first airplanes bearing Dollar Flu-infected passengers lifted off from La Guardia airport.

From this point, Amherst disappeared. Any trace of his existence after the initial outbreak vanished, with the Second Wave of the Division desperately trying to find him before any more damage could be done and to have the "good" doctor to explain what he did, and a way to stop the disease; due to it's genetic makeup, Dollar Flu was highly mutative, and therefore resistant to treatment. From across New York finding Amherst, as well as any information on the Dollar Flu, was priority one. Even after the largest criminal groups across Manhattan were defeated, the JTF was still fearful of the infectious power of the Dollar Flu.

Eventually, Amherst's eventual fate is found. Only a short time into the Outbreak, Amherst succombs to his own creation. His body is found in an apartment building only a few hundred yards from the CERA outpost on the Hudson River, where the first Second Wave agents first arrive on Manhattan. Despite finally finding Amherst however, the entire search was a failure when the ECHO log inside the building revealed that rogue agent Aaron Keener had not only secured Amherst's research notes, but his functioning protein printer as well.

Personality
In creating the Dollar Flu, Amherst believed he was acting in the best interests of the planet, and in fact mankind. Believing in a Darwinist outcome of his virus being released, Amherst was willing and unconcerned with his own death when it came to finding his body. Instead, Amherst accepted that his death may come from his own creation.

From what can be pieced together, Amherst was a calm, collected man who knew exactly what he was doing. He realized that the Dollar Flu would kill millions, and that he would deserve his death if he did fall to it. His final words in the game are, "I'll see you in Hell."