Hi-Tech Hijack (3 page)

They spent that entire morning driving with Amit behind the wheel and Eddie riding shotgun in complete silence. There was no need for Eddie to speak his mind. Amit knew perfectly well that Eddie could think of nothing else but Rose back at the farm. The night before they left, Amit suggested to Eddie that they delay their departure and stay at the farm a few more days.

“A girl like Rose isn’t going to wait for you for six months until you’re done with all your tasks. You should stay a while and build the relationship before you ditch her.”

“Let’s not make too much of it. We had a nice week together and that’s that,” Eddie replied quite crossly, upset at the invasion to territories he wasn’t used to talking about.

“The fact that you’re this angry about it, bro, tells me it was more than just a fling.”

“We’re already a week behind schedule, and we can’t afford any more delays,” Eddie replied, and Amit knew the discussion was over. Eddie, the guy whose life was made up entirely of goals and tasks, would not be sidetracked by the momentary weakness of having feelings for some girl.

They kept driving in silence for a long while. Amit realized he had called Eddie
bro
and remembered how much Eddie hated that expression. During their army service once their friendship was strong enough, Eddie explained why it bothered him so much.

“I had only one brother, my twin. He got cancer after we came back from our
bar mitzvah
safari trip to Kenya and died a few months after. So please, I’m asking you as my best friend to do me a favor and cut it out with the bro and brother stuff.”

They were headed to the dangerous Ebola valley in northern Congo-Kinsasha, and Amit knew very well how determined his friend was to let nothing stop him from getting there. The Ebola valley and the river with the same name were located about a ninety-three miles northeast of the mighty Congo River. The Ebola River runs from the east to the southwest, emanating from the border of the Congo and The Central African Republic and flowing eventually into the Congo River, which runs farther west across the continent and into the Atlantic Ocean. The Ebola valley—remote and unexplored—was marked as the origin of the terrible epidemic that broke out every few years and killed 90 percent of people infected. That was where Eddie wanted to go in order to learn as much as he could about the disease.

They still had a very long way to go before reaching the Kenyan border, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, and hopping on a flight to the Congo.

“Tell me more about that Ebola of yours,” Amit said, hoping to shake Eddie out of his moody state. “You said you’d fill me in along the way, but who knows who might fall in love with you next and lead you astray again . . .”

Eddie smiled and welcomed the change of subject.

“Well, really the whole idea started when I was watching some sci-fi movie, and they had the Ebola as this demonic doomsday virus that the bad guys were planning to use as a weapon. I can’t even remember who the good guys were and who the villains were. In any case, what struck me was the fact that this weapon didn’t come from some sterile lab, but from this primordial place in the heart of the African jungle. I didn’t think much of it until the final year of my BSc studies when we had to write a paper on viruses and were told to choose a virus we hadn’t covered in class. I came across some mention of the Ebola and thought of that movie I saw. I started searching the libraries and the web, but found very little material on the subject, which was extremely frustrating. Eventually I managed to contact the World Health Organization and find some more research that had been done by the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland.”

“And was what you found anything like that doomsday weapon from the movie?”

“Not exactly. American reports mentioned some unsubstantiated rumors about attempts that did not succeed to use the Ebola as a biological weapon. They made note of a strong Soviet involvement in the Congo state and said the Russians probably had some knowledge in this area.”

“What’s to stop someone from dropping these microbes from a plane over a densely populated area and killing massive amounts of people?” asked Amit.

“Fortunately this virus is parasitic, which means it’s unable to survive without a live tissue mediator, not even for a few minutes. It simply dries up and dies immediately. So if you tried to drop it from the air, it would be dead before it hit the ground.”

“So what you watched in that movie can’t happen in reality.”

“Not unless someone develops some durable mutation. The Ebola isn’t uniform. There are several types of the virus, and not all have been fully researched. It is supposedly unable to spread, yet the Sudan fever, the Ivory Coast fever, and the Uganda fever were all found thousands of miles from Ebola’s known habitat in the Ebola valley.”

“Where was the disease first discovered?”

“I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure when the epidemic struck first, since it never spread across the jungle in northeast Congo. It wasn’t until westerners came across or were affected by it that it first began to leak out. The heart of it was apparently around a monastery in a little town called Yambuku.”

“And that’s what intrigues you? Where the demon hides between attacks?”

“What interests me most is that there’s a strand of the virus—called Ebola Reston—that doesn’t harm people. On the contrary, it renders people immune to the vicious Congolese Ebola.”

“How can you differentiate between the good virus and the bad one?”

“The ‘good’ virus originates in the Philippines and other places in southeast Asia, not Africa.”

“So all you need is to find the right combination of the two to immunize the most vulnerable areas?” asked Amit.

“Correct, but I’m thinking one step ahead. I believe this virus’s parasitic attributes could be used to destroy cancerous cells.”

“I could never think of that,” said Amit; he was impressed. “The big question then is does the virus know it can do that.” He smiled.

“Well, I’ll teach it,” said Eddie, smiling back at him. But then he immediately turned serious and said, “I just feel it can be done.”

“And you want us to get to Kinshasa and from there to Yambuku in the Ebola valley?”

“That’s the plan. Although I still don’t know how we’re going to do that. The distance between Kinshasa and Yambuku is more than six hundred miles, and the roads are not great. We’ll have to look into flights as well, although the idea of a trip alongside the Congo River really appeals to me.”

“Check us out, a real modern-day Stanley and Livingstone.”

“Not quite. We’re not going to be the first to venture into these places like they were.”

“Well in any case, I’m with you as long as you remember what we agreed—Kilimanjaro first, Congo second.”

“I remember, Amit. We each have our obsessions.”

And what an obsession it is
, Amit thought to himself.
Eddie’s whole life changed when he lost his brother to cancer after their African trip. The trauma of being so helpless in facing that horrific disease made him dedicate his life to finding a cure. That’s why he chose to study biology; that’s why he wants to start his own company. It’s all meant to find closure, to come full circle from that trip when he was thirteen to being here today
.

Amit and Eddie’s journey began in Cape Town, South Africa, where some of Amit’s distant relatives lived. There they purchased the five-year-old Land Rover that had already traveled more than one hundred thousand miles. After scouring the cape area for about a week, they started heading north along the Atlantic coast toward Namibia. From there, they crossed over to Botswana and toured Chobe National Park—a huge and beautiful park full of a staggering amount and array of animals. They stayed there for two weeks before continuing north toward Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. They enjoyed the comforts of civilization for a couple of days in the nearby city of Livingstone, then went straight on east across Zimbabwe, toward the capital, Harare, and up north back to Zambia in order to cross the Zambezi River and reach the mighty Lake Malawi.

The malfunction in the vehicle’s transmission held them back at the Horowitz farm, north of Harare. Now fully stocked with food and gasoline, they were all set to cross the Zambezi and go the rest of the way to Lake Malawi. The journey alongside the lake’s western bank took them a week. Its clear waters and tranquil atmosphere caused them to slow down unintentionally. In the evenings they would start preparing for the night and set up camp in the designated area. The allotted camping grounds were located quite far from the water, since the shore would be sole territory of the hippos and crocodiles with the approach of nightfall, and any person present there at that time would be in serious danger. Exhausted after the day’s driving, cooking, and setting up camp, Eddie and Amit fell asleep in no time. Eddie still had time to think back on the magical week he had at the Horowitz farm before dozing off with a calm, content smile across his face. They rose at the break of dawn, spent an hour preparing a light meal and loading all the gear back on the car, and were on the road again.

Two more weeks passed before they crossed Tanzania from the southwest to the northeast and arrived at Kilimanjaro. Towering at a height of 19,341 feet, its snowy peak faced north toward Kenya. They spent a week at the nature reserve surrounding the mountain, letting their bodies grow slowly accustomed to the increasing height, until one Sunday, four months after leaving Israel, they were standing in awe and excitement on top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

“The mountain is ours!” cried Amit, and he burst out in song, bellowing the timeless French hit about the snows of Kilimanjaro. The fierce wind shook the waves of his voice, and the echo of his hoarse singing resonated all around them.

“First goal achieved, next goal still ahead,” said Eddie, not letting Amit forget their resolution to get to the Ebola region in Congo.

“Let’s just enjoy this moment for a while. Try to forget the chores and duties for a minute.” Amit gripped his friend and forced him into a joyful slow dance, resuming his singing of the 1960s
chanson
.

Over the next few days, they made their way to Nairobi, Kenya, and directed their thoughts to the next destination—Congo and the Ebola virus.

“How far is it from Yambuku to the Ebola valley?” asked Amit.

“About thirty-nine miles as the crow flies. There’s nothing to worry about. The area we’ll be visiting has been plague free for several years now, and the likelihood of the Ebola epidemic breaking out again just when we’re there is the same as getting hit by a car while crossing the road in Tel Aviv.”

“Those aren’t exactly low odds,” said Amit, chuckling, and he lapsed into thought. Their military service rendered them accustomed to dangers of a much higher probability. The Ebola stories did not deter either one of them from visiting the area.

They went ahead in silence for a while. “You know what, Eddie?” said Amit a few minutes later. “I know you signed up with Biotec.com and that you’re supposed to start there right after we get back, but I think you need to go and start your own company right away instead of spending a few years there. You’re so eager about researching this virus, and you shouldn’t have a problem finding an investor that would be willing to take a chance on your idea given that you aced both your degrees.”

“I don’t think so. I feel like I need to get the hang of things in the real world first. I should gather up some business and managerial experience so as not to make any stupid mistakes like those business majors fresh out of school who think they know everything there is to know.”

“And in the meantime, forget about the Ebola.”

“Not to worry, Amit. You know me well enough to trust that my mind’s made up and that I’m going to crack the Ebola sooner or later.”

“I suppose you’re right about gaining some experience before starting your own venture. There are so many start-ups that fail every year because of poor management by inexperienced guys. We usually only hear about the ones that succeed, but no one talks about the other ninety-five percent that dissolve and don’t even make it through the first three years.”

“And you would know. You started working fresh out of engineering school, and you’re only now, a year later, starting to realize how much you don’t know. Before you knew what’s what, they shut down the company on you.”

“Yup, yup,” said Amit, sighing. “They made it five years. That’s two years more than the average statistics, I’ll give them that. But still, they fall within those ninety-five percent failures.”

Eddie felt someone shaking him roughly and opened his eyes; he was still quite groggy.

“Drink up,” commanded the voice of the so-called steward in English, and a bottle was shoved at his mouth from under the sack.

In a daze Eddie opened his mouth and managed to take a few gulps of the water that was being splashed forcefully into his mouth. He couldn’t swallow fast enough and some of it poured down his chest, helping him to momentarily wake up. The steward let him be, and Eddie was left to his own, wet and disoriented. He tried to make out if Reuben was still near him, but the sack on his head was too thick, and he was unable to see even the slightest light or silhouette. He started to feel himself slipping back into the helpless abyss of sleep and tried to fight it off, attempting to mentally hold onto reality, but the drugs were too powerful. He finally succumbed and allowed the slumber to pull him down under. In the last moments of lucid cognition, he conjured up memories of a more pleasant flight, the one he took from Africa to London to surprise Rose with a visit and, as it turned out, to surprise himself with an unexpected infatuation.

It was the beginning of May. Winter had passed and spring brought along a sprinkle of sunshine to London. An inexplicable sense of optimism washed over the city, as it does every year in this season On that first spring morning of May, Rose woke up earlier than usual. She drew back the curtains and saw the sun in the London sky for the first time in many months.

That’s a good reason for my optimistic awakening
, she thought. She could not know that in two short hours her phone would ring providing a real reason for her inexplicable happiness.

“
Boker Tov
, Rose,” said a voice, greeting her in Hebrew.

“Who’s this?” She was confused for a moment.

“Who do you think?” teased the voice.

She hesitated for a minute, unable to decide between Eddie and Amit, and finally made a go at it. “Amit?” she asked.

“Just Eddie.” The disappointment in his voice could not have been any clearer.

“Oh Eddie, I’m so glad it’s you. I just didn’t want to be disappointed. . . Where are you?”

“Here in London at Heathrow. I’m on my way back from Africa to Israel.”

“Are the two of you here?” she asked in her joyful, sparkling voice.

“No, it’s just me. Amit went back from Kinshasa to South Africa to spend a couple more weeks with his relatives, and he might go on to Australia from there.” Eddie made his best effort at hiding his jealousy over Rose’s interest in Amit.

“That’s great! So you’ll be staying here for a few days then?”

Eddie was pleasantly surprised by Rose’s response. “Oh, I can. I have a ticket that allows for a stay of up to a week, but I’m not sure yet how long I’ll be staying.”

“Nonsense,” said Rose, taking charge of things. “You’ll stay the full week, and we’ll paint the town red together. Do you have somewhere to stay?”

“I haven’t booked a hotel yet; I’m just going to the tourist information to do that now.”

“Don’t be silly, you’re more than welcome to stay with us. We have plenty of rooms. Go get some coffee, and I’ll pick you up in forty-five minutes. What terminal are you in?”

“Terminal B.”

“I’m on my way; see you soon.” And she hung up before he had the chance to object.

After Eddie left the farm, Rose found herself spending the rest of the African summer expecting his calls. At first he tried to call once or twice every week, but the farther from Zimbabwe he got, the less frequent his calls became. For Rose this was like the famous old form of Chinese torture. Every phone call was a drop of cold water, cooling down her burning heart and quenching its thirst for a bit. But it was just a drop, and she needed a pitcher full of love and attention. The sense of loneliness wouldn’t let her go, and little by little, she felt that staying at the farm was becoming more and more painful and taxing.

She returned to London earlier than planned, heading back to her urban prison to the end of a cold, wet winter and to the bothersome, archaic habits of the British Empire.

At least here I won’t spend every day by the phone, waiting for Eddie to call
, she told herself. She made up her mind to forget all about him—forget all about the sweet week they had shared and the months of deep frustration that followed.

***

Eddie and Rose spent a magical week together. Rose was over the moon, and the intensity of her love and passion swept Eddie along into a whirlwind of emotions. This was no longer a passing fling. Eddie’s heart knew it days before his mind caught up, but finally the realization sank in—he was in love.

They said good-bye as planned when the week came to an end, and promised to meet again soon.

Eddie could think of nothing but Rose the entire flight home. From time to time, he tried to direct his thoughts to the important things he was about to face—starting a new job or his first real professional position at Dr. Hakmon’s hi-tech company Biotec.com—but his mind kept drifting back to Rose and all that happened between them. He looked back on his former serious relationships, of which there were only two. Both had begun with a big bang of love at first sight, and with time the fire of love grew weak before dying down completely within a year or two. This time was different. When he said good-bye to Rose back in Africa, he missed the warmth and pleasure she had given him, but his heart skipped no more than one beat as they parted. Even the fact that he had decided to go through London and visit her did not signal out to him clearly that he was in love. But now on the plane with the geographical distance between them growing bigger by the second, Eddie felt he was leaving behind someone he loved, someone he wished were here sitting next to him on the plane accompanying him on the next big adventure of his life. He hated the sense of being away from her and wondered anxiously when they would be able to meet again.