Extinction Level Event (11 page)

Something fishy is going on, but I don’t know
what. I need more info
. Vowing to himself that he will not be
left uninformed about the suspicious activities that Bao had
mentioned, Manjak takes a brief moment of comfort riding in the
exceedingly fast elevator ride down the twenty-two stories to the
ground. Speed walking through the corridors Trip passes the
security checkpoint and exits the Headquarters building. Trip goes
over the information Bao gave him during the meeting while enjoying
the sights and sounds of the
city that never sleeps
. Trip
always enjoyed his trips to New York, and for that reason he is
going to get a sizzling New York-style pizza now before heading
back to his hotel room. After that he intends to go straight to bed
catching up with sleep, before heading back for the meetings
tomorrow morning.

Crossing Roosevelt Avenue swarming with buses,
minivans, cars and the famous yellow taxis Manjak opens his cell
phone to see about a dozen messages waiting for him. Reading the
messages as he walks slowly along the Roosevelt Drive next to the
East River, he texts back his secretary Maria Pereira his latest
information so that he could keep track of things. Reading the
latest messages, including one from Jean-Marie Dupont, he
eventually closes the cell phone and walks into a pizza parlor.
After buying the pizza, he walks back to the Millennium UN
Plaza.

03- PROPAGATION

Michael McCarthy wakes up to the faint smell of paint
and two glaring beams of sunlight cutting through the window
curtains.
And a damn ringing alarm!
Slamming the alarm off,
Mike gets up and heads to the shower. Mark yawns as he stretches
and gets out of the other bed. 6:31am reads the alarm clock next to
Mike’s bed. Showering and getting dressed the two co-workers
quickly pack their personal items and get ready to leave. Within
another ten minutes they check out of the motel and head for the
van. Mike opens his cell phone to call Laurie when he realizes she
is already next to the van. “Wow. How long have you been waiting
for us?” “About three minutes, give or take.” The three get into
the van and head to the Miles farm, where they are to meet with the
LA team according to the latest set of instructions received from
Stockton. The report stated the designated meeting time to be
7:30am.

Arriving at 7:24, the team sees several other vans
and vehicles with the familiar “USDA” corn stalk seal printed on
them. Over a dozen people are already milling about, some in lab
coats while others are in work trousers and jeans. Spotting Peter
LaJoy, seemingly the most senior official from LA, the team get out
of the van and walk over to him. LaJoy notices them and turns
around, meeting them halfway. “Mr. LaJoy. Your people are here
early. Any reason for this?” “Actually, yes we have a reason. The
report you sent yesterday evening stated that the cause of the
die-off could be anything from P-99 to isopropylamine salt. We are
here to quarantine the area and make sure the rest of the
environment doesn’t get affected by this, assuming this is the
case. We can’t risk having isopropylamine or P-99 ending up in the
water shed.” “How do you propose to quarantine the area? If small
quantities are already in the watershed there is nothing you can do
about it now.” “No. We are bringing in point-of-use water treatment
systems as we speak. We are going to seal off all the waterways
leading out of this area and we are going to be conducting rigorous
examinations of the soil. Furthermore, there is something else for
you three to do. You should report back to Stockton. Bring all of
your samples to Stockton, and from their make sure they get to the
Western FSIS Laboratory in Alameda.”

“What happens to the other sites that had worm
die-offs in? The ones in Bakersfield, McFarland, Tehachapi? You
intend to quarantine all of them?” “If we must, yes. Now don’t wait
so long, get going! We need those samples to be analyzed at the
FSIS labs.” LaJoy motions with his hand in a goodbye gesture, and
leaves the three standing in his wake. “What now”, asks Laurie. “We
get our samples to Alameda as quickly as possible”, replies Mike
evenly. “FSIS is better equipped than we are for this kind of
analysis.” Laurie, Mark, and Mike return to their van and head off
back north on Interstate 90. Alameda is only 40 miles from
Stockton, and Mike realizes that they are probably the easiest way
for LaJoy to get samples back to the FSIS Western laboratory as
quickly as possible. “So, we spend six hours yesterday getting down
here, only to spend another six hours today climbing back up.
After, of course, staying at a lousy motel”, remarks Mark to no one
in particular, “This is going to be a memorable week.”

“Don’t fret over it too much. It was an adventure.
Besides, we have free reign to stay at the FSIS lab and help them
with their own analysis. It’ll be worth it. Then we head back home
around six.” After an hour on the road Mike’s cell rings, prompting
him to pick up the call. “Hello? Michael McCarthy.” “LaJoy here.
Two additional things you should know. First, we have a worm
ecology expert just as you wanted. Dr. Gonzalo Rodriguez, an expert
from UCLA will be with us to examine the potential impact this will
have on the environment. If need be, you can video-conference with
him from Alameda or Stockton. Secondly, we have seven new cases of
earthworm die-out around the Los Angeles area.” “Seven? That many?!
Since when, and in what areas?” “They have been reported since five
this morning, ranging from Palmdale, Oxnard, to Simi Valley. All
located around the northern edge of the LA metro area.” “It seems
that your quarantine that you set up wouldn’t be enough. I was
right, LaJoy.” “If it is being caused by Groundup SuperPower, as
you said in your earliest report, then anyone who uses it will have
the phenomenon. I’ve already added my recommendation to yours that
it be taken off the shelves immediately.” “Thanks for your support,
Peter.” “No problem. I can admit when I’m wrong. Keep me
updated.”

Laurie hears the last part of the conversation,
adding her own thoughts as soon as Mike hangs up the phone. “Since
when is LaJoy in charge of this operation?” “LaJoy is a Senior
Inspector, as such he outranks any of us. He is fairly competent so
far. However, if more residential zones experience the problem, I
think he may find himself overstretched very quickly.” “He’ll be
fine.” “Fine? If that’s the case, why does he still think that
isopropylamine could have anything to do with this? Mark and myself
found no evidence of any salt in the worms. The worms were lacking
in moisture, which is a characteristic of salt. The salt reacts
with excreted amino acids to release chlorides. The chloride turns
into hydrochloric acid which kills the worm through acidity. In the
process, the worm loses most of its moisture. But I haven’t seen
any trace of hydrochloric acid or chloride, only of a lack of
moisture. No isopropylamine traces were found on the worms
themselves.” “So you don’t think isopropylamine has to do with
this?” “It has nothing to do with it, and that’s in my latest
report that I sent out last night. P-99? Maybe, but again I don’t
think so.” Laurie leans back thoughtfully. “It has to be some other
ingredient in SuperPower, a minor one, or something that we haven’t
thought of yet.” “I agree with Laurie”, adds Mark from the driving
wheel, “Whatever is causing the worms to die, we haven't found it
yet. Maybe it's something entirely new.”

“Very interesting. Your hypothesis is, as always,
very useful. What could it be then, if it's not salt, P-99, or some
glyphosate combination?”, Mike thinks aloud. “Mike, we should wait
until FSIS does their investigation. Then we’ll have another
opinion, and more evidence", answers Laurie curtly. “Right.” Mike
relents and lets Mark drive in peace without their chatter. Four
hours later, Mike receives another call from Peter LaJoy, informing
him that the number of sites has increased by another sixteen.
“Sixteen? LaJoy, you can’t possibly quarantine every single site.
How spread out are they? Unless, of course, you want to get FEMA
involved, but no people are in danger because of this. We’re not
dealing with a hurricane or flood here. Get the product SuperPower
off the shelves right away!” “I am doing what I can, McCarthy.
FSIS’s analysis will make a major impact on whether we recall or
not. Then the decision is handled by the EPA, since we’re talking
about a herbicide. Which is why I’m calling- to check on your
whereabouts.” “We are about one hour away. We should be there at
about 1:50-2:00pm approximately.” “Good. Call me when you get
there.” Mike already knows that they are heading to Alameda at best
possible speed, and that the only thing to do now is wait. At 1:54
they pull into building 2A of the FSIS Western laboratory in
Alameda, California. Three of the staff are on-hand in front of the
building waiting for the team to arrive. As soon as Mark shuts off
the engine Laurie grabs the first container out of the cargo
hold/lab, followed by Mark. The FSIS staff start taking containers
after Mark. Mike picks up a container as well before entering the
building.

Once the team drops off their cargo in the lab, they
are led to a small corner office. A short, round man with thick
glasses and a strong aroma of cologne enters the room introducing
himself as Martin Phillis as he sits in the heavyset chair behind
the desk. “You are Michael McCarthy, Laurie Weisman, and Mark
McGregor. I just got off the phone with Mr. LaJoy, so you don’t
have to worry about informing him that you’ve arrived. I read your
results from Mr. LaJoy’s e-mail. We have already prepared tests for
isopropylamine, P-99, and glyphosate. I assure you this is not
caused by glyphosate, or it would have been obvious years ago. All
of MalSanto’s Groundupuses glyphosate as a prime active ingredient.
Worms are not affected.” “What do you suppose we are going to be
doing here?”, Mike asks his shorter counterpart. “Well”, replies
Phillis, “I suggest you use our conference room that way”; pointing
a finger, “you could send any information you have, conclusions on
the matter, to LaJoy. I also suggest you get into video-conference
with him.” “That’ll do just fine.” Laurie, Mark, and Mike leave
Phillis’s office, retrieve their laptops from the van and settle
with their effects in the conference room.

Plugging in the laptop, Mike immediately dials LaJoy
in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly he responds immediately. “Good to
hear from you McCarthy. I heard you reached FSIS on time. Good job.
There’s good news and bad news.” “Why don’t we start with the good
news?”, asks Mike wearily. “The good news- an emergency session of
the Recall Committee for the USDA and the EPA is being held
tomorrow morning.” “That’s great. Have they gone over all our
reports yet?” “Yes they have. You’re still giving a speech summary
to them.” "Could you say that again? . . .Me? Why me?” “Yes you.
You know this material better than any of us. You’ve seen all the
sites first hand. Just give a run-down of the material and what you
know. You’ve already got airline tickets to DC this evening. Pack
your bags. Your ticket information and itinerary should be in your
e-mail.” “That’s the good news? So what’s the bad news?” “We have
had over 45 other new locations report the same situation to us.
All between northern LA and Bakersfield.” LaJoy paused, taking a
moment to breathe. “Make sure the product recall for SuperPower is
done by noon.” “I will. This is getting out of control.” “Certainly
seems so.”, sighs LaJoy before he terminates the connection.

McCarthy opens his e-mails and sure enough, there is
a ticket reservation code for United Airlines Flight 505 to DC
later that day, along with an itinerary for his meeting with the
Recall Committee and a hotel reservation.
My week just keeps
getting better
. Laurie must have noticed him staring oddly at
his computer because she inquires, “Anything wrong, Mike?”
“Actually, yeah. I’m being sent to DC today.” “Really?! For what?”
“Apparently I’m the one giving the presentation to the Recall
Committee.” “Wow. Good luck. When do you get back?” “Ticket says
tomorrow afternoon, but I have a feeling it could be longer.”
Getting up, Mike goes over to Phillis’s office. “Dr. Phillis, Uhh,
whenever you get those results, I need them ASAP. We have to leave
for Stockton, and I have to be in Washington tomorrow.” “I’ll
e-mail you everything. When do you need it by?” “8:00pm this
evening.” “Should work. Take care.” “You too.” Mike packs his
laptop and motions for Laurie and Mark to do the same. Within five
minutes the trio is back on the road again returning to the
Stockton office.

A forty-five minute ride gets the team into Stockton,
allowing them to get into their cars and head home. McCarthy
arrives at his house at 4:32, with the flight leaving at 7:00pm
from San Francisco SFO International. Grabbing two suits, ties,
extra shirts and underwear he packs his black trolley case as fast
as he can manage. Taking two snack bars from the counter next the
fridge, he rushes into his room to change. After changing into
slightly more presentable clothing and applying more cologne, he
grabs his suitcase and heads outside. Packing the bag in the trunk,
Mike’s Honda Civic races out of his driveway at 4:58pm. At 6:03 he
pulls into San Francisco airport’s parking lot. Racing through the
hordes of passengers usually found at major airports, he presents
his luggage, passes through security and head to his departure
gate.
Flight leaves at 7:00pm which means. . . five hours flight
plus three thanks to time zones. . . Should arrive in DC at
4:00am!!
I knew this was a bad idea. . . .
Luckily the
flight departs the gate on time and very soon is airborne.