The Perfect Pathogen (18 page)

“Have you learned anything new?” asked Ben.

“Only that the White House is going to continue to
withhold all information regarding what you and Katie are doing until we have
some type of cure in sight…”

“…or some major uprising like we are seeing in
other parts of the world,” lamented Ben.

“I think they will have to come clean sooner
rather than later. The blood bank testing and the results from the submarine
crew should seal the deal, I think. How much are you planning on telling
Natalya about the blood sampling we are doing?” asked Sarah.

“I am going to have to give her a briefing on our
hypotheses in order to get her to agree to help us get the blood sample.
Frankly, I don’t think I have a choice. I don’t know if I can trust her to keep
it between us, but I will ask,” said Ben.

“Well, do your best. Times now call for some risk
taking, especially with the interesting leads you propose,” Sarah said. “Update
me in the morning, if you would.”

CHAPTER 29

Katie and Rob arrived back
at the house after their walk. They could now smell the aroma of fresh baked
bread coming out of the oven.

“What a heavenly smell,” said Rob. He took a deep
breath through his nose to take it all in.

“Yes it is. We don’t smell that too often unless
we are at Panera Bread when they are baking,” said Katie with a smile.

The kids were all seated at the table. Katie’s mom
had decided to add a plate of peanut butter and jam sandwiches to the menu to
ensure the kids had something they liked, for vegetable soup was not always a
favorite of the young, she remembered.

With everyone seated, Katie thought that this
would be the perfect opportunity to get a picture with everyone, so she got out
her smart phone and went to the end of the table.

“Now, everybody face me and say cheese.” 

The entire table turned and there were smiles all
around.

“Hold it a second, let me get just one more,” said
Katie.

She sat back down and then everyone started to
eat. The discussion was lively among the adults. Surprisingly, not once did the
topic of SDX come up. The kids had their own mini-discussion going and one or the
other of the grandparents would interject occasionally.

Lunch was finished and the kids asked if they
could explore in the woods, and so off they went. Katie and Rob’s mom helped
clear the table and Katie’s mom began to straighten up the kitchen. The three
men sat in the living room talking about the chances of the Redskins and Ravens
making it to the Super Bowl this year. 

About a half-hour later the ladies all emerged
from the kitchen with coffee and apple pie. Everyone looked so relaxed and
comfortable in this idyllic American setting, like something out of a Saturday
Evening Post cover.

Rob looked at Katie and nodded his head. It was
time.

Katie started.

“I wanted to tell you all about the research I have
been doing regarding SDX, which is the disease that has been going around.
Would that be okay?” she asked.

They all nodded their heads.

“But there is one catch, my research is
classified. So what I tell you, you cannot repeat, agreed?”

“Of course dear, go ahead, we’re all ears,” said
Katie’s mom.

“Well, I have been looking at the data from the
blood tests of the victims of this current epidemic. The work is not unlike the
work I have been doing regarding aging. The difference now is that I am trying
to find out if there are any commonalities in the blood that could be causing
the deaths instead of causing people to live longer,” said Katie.

“And have you found anything interesting yet?”
asked Rob’s dad.

“As a matter of fact, I have,” said Katie. “There are
six different blood tests that are abnormal for all of the deceased. So, I
analyzed samples from people who were alive and found that they too had
abnormal results for the same six tests.”

“So, I guess you hit a roadblock then, because
what you thought was abnormal must have been incorrect. Those tests were in
fact normal, like the blood tests from the people who are alive.” said Katie’s
dad.

“Not exactly, dad. We do know what is normal over
time because we have blood samples from the aging studies of centenarians. I
was able to establish that the normal ranges of four of the six blood tests
were correct. So, what that means is the people whose blood we tested are also
carriers of SDX.”

“Oh!” said Rob’s mom. “So what you are saying is
that the healthy living people are also infected. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that is correct,” said Katie. “Now, we are
going to do wider testing, but what I expect to find is that everyone we test
will be positive for SDX.”

Rob looked around him and saw from the faces in
the room that what Katie was saying was starting to sink in.

“Well,” said Katie’s mom. “This means we are
probably all positive too. Is that what you think?”

“Yes mom, I think that is correct. I tested Rob
and the kids and we all turned up positive, except Hope. We think there was a
problem with her test and it is being redone now.”

“Gosh, what does this mean for all of us?” asked
Rob’s dad. “Are you saying we all are going to die soon?”

“Not exactly,” said Katie. “We don’t know what it
means yet, but it could mean that your lives will be shortened. Rob and I
discussed this and we thought we needed to let you know, that you could have as
little as one to three months left if a cure isn’t found soon.”

The four elders sat back and took in this new
information with sad resignation.

After a long pause, Rob’s mom spoke.

“Does it hurt?  Does the disease make you nauseous
or full of pain?”

“Actually, we think that it makes your internal
organs age at an increased pace. So, if based on your health you were going to
live another twenty years, then maybe you will live another twenty weeks, or
twenty days, we just don’t know. We believe it is somewhere between those two
time frames,” said Katie. “And it seems people then succumb quite quickly,
without a great deal of pain or suffering.”

“I vote for weeks,” said Katie’s dad with a laugh
which lightened up the mood in the room a little with chuckles all around.

“Do the kids know?” asked Katie’s mom, continuing
on.

“Not yet,” said Katie. “I don’t think I could
count on them to keep it secret at their age. Hopefully there will be a cure
that will alleviate all of the worry anyway, but that is probably still a way
off.”

“Why haven’t we heard about this on the news?  We
hear all sorts of other crazy stuff out there.” said Rob’s dad.

“I don’t deal with policy. I know the President
knows about what I told you because I briefed him personally yesterday
afternoon,” said Katie.

There were now looks of surprise from all four
parents.

“Dear, you never told us that you have meetings
with the President,” said Katie’s dad with a tinge of pride.

“That’s because this was the first one I have ever
had, and now you know. I want everyone to remember, you need to keep this
information to yourselves. I will keep you updated about what I find out. Rob
and I have decided to try and come up to visit every weekend to check on you
and spend time with family. I hope that is okay with you all.”

Again Katie gave each one eye contact, soliciting
four nods.

They all then discussed what Katie had relayed and
the consensus was that they were too old to change anything. They were all very
comfortable in their relationships and the only thing they wanted was to spend
more time with their grandchildren, and thankfully, Rob and Katie had already
decided to make that happen.

“Katie, thank you for telling us. I think that
took a lot of courage from you and Rob,” said Katie’s dad. “But I don’t think
it will change anything in our day-to-day life except maybe the fact that we
know our days will be numbered. We have done what the good Lord put us on this
earth for, so if it is time to go, so be it.”

Rob wished that he could get to that place, but
his worry about the children, and especially Hope, made him doubt that he ever
would.

Katie looked out the front window and saw that the
boys were back on the dock fishing and Hope was under the tree again, swinging
away. She wished her life could be so care free. For a brief moment, as she
looked around her in this most familiar setting, she was at peace.

Rob walked over to Katie and put his arm around
her shoulder. “What time did you want to head back home,” he asked.

“I think we should plan on pulling out in the next
half hour. The kids have school and we have work. Next weekend let’s try to
come on Saturday and spend the night.”

“Good idea,” said Rob.

After some final chit chat, Rob gathered up the
kids and marched them into the house to say goodbye to their grandparents.
There were now extra-long hugs from the grandparents and a couple of restrained
tears. Katie could see the information she had given them had hit home.

“We will be back next weekend. I think the plan
will be to go to your place next, mom and dad, if that is alright?” said Rob.

“We’ll be delighted, and Katie’s parents can spend
the night too, if they like. We have plenty of room,” replied Rob’s mom.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Katie’s mom,
registering her husband’s simultaneous nod.

Rob packed everyone into the Pacifica, backed out
and then headed down the long, narrow, tree lined road to the main highway
while good-bye waves were exchanged by everyone else.

“I wish we could have stayed longer,” said Hope.
“They have the best swing ever.”

Brett and Sam laughed “And the ugliest gar fish
too,” they said.

Now everyone in the car was laughing. A trip to
the grandparents seemed to always bring out the best in the kids. In no time
they were speeding down the highway and the kids all had their headphones on.

“So what does your day have in store for you
tomorrow?”  Rob asked Katie.

“I am going into my office at normal time. I
should have the results of Hope’s blood test so I will be looking at that. I’m
almost all packed, so I will put the boxes in my car and drive to my new office
in the Headquarters building. I told Sarah I would be there about noon. I have
a lot of analysis to do tomorrow on the live blood samples. I wonder if Ben was
able to find out anything from the information I provided him yesterday?”

“Sounds very busy,” Rob said. “I expect you will
be late, yes?

“I am going to try not to be. The research we are
doing now is going to take a while, I’ll admit, but I don’t want to burn out
and be useless. I think I should be home by seven at the latest, barring any
late breaking developments or White House surprises.”

“That would be good. I like spending time with you
in the evening. Thankfully, my day is much simpler than yours. I hope the
progress on the new housing units will continue as planned. I want to get that
finished before people start dropping like flies.”

“Don’t be crude, Rob,” scolded Katie.

“I am not trying to be crude. I am just a realist.
If people are going to start to die in large numbers, then it will present a
problem for getting the project done,” said Rob.

“If that happens, you won’t need the project,”
retorted Katie. “Anyway, you said it is supposed to be finished in six weeks. I
expect you won’t have a problem, even if we are delayed in finding a cure by a
couple of months.”

“Always the optimist,” said Rob.

Katie gave Rob a soft punch on his right shoulder.
“I’m going to lean back and get a little shut eye now if you don’t mind.”

“Go right ahead. I was expecting that you would
with the schedule you keep of late,” he said.

Katie reclined her chair just enough to allow her
head to settle comfortably on the head rest and soon she fell fast asleep.

The traffic wasn’t too bad and they made great
time, getting home about half past eight in the evening. The kids would have
time to check any homework for tomorrow and Rob and Katie could catch the
Sunday Night Football game.

The kids were all tucked away in their rooms by
nine and Katie was in the bedroom taking a shower, so Rob settled in to watch
the game on his favorite leather couch in the family room. About fifteen
minutes later Katie came out in her short bathrobe to join Rob. She cuddled up
next to Rob and gave him a long, sensuous kiss. Needless to say, the game
didn’t last long.

CHAPTER 30

It was now Sunday evening
on the east coast, so it would be Monday morning in Beijing. Ben picked up the
phone and made a call.

“Hi, this is Dr. Ben Shah with the CDC calling
from the United States for Dr. Linyi.”

“Just a minute doctor. Let me see if he is in,”
replied his assistant.

“Hi Ben, how the hell are you,” said a familiar
voice at the other end of the line. “I was wondering when I would hear from
you? I’ll bet a thousand bucks you are calling about the epidemic,” said Zhang.

“Indeed sir. Good to hear you voice again Z. I was
reading a story on the internet about an uprising in China and the people in
the report said that it was caused by the government not sharing a vaccine that
had been developed for SDX. Is there any truth to the vaccine part of the
story?” asked Ben.

“If it was true, we would have licensed it, and we
would be selling it around the world already my friend. The truth is, we don’t
know what is causing the disease. We haven’t been able to pinpoint a virus,
fungus or bacteria responsible for the deterioration of the health of so many
or our elderly people,” said Zhang.

“Z, neither have we here,” said Ben.  “I was
hoping you had something. Any leads at all?”

“I am afraid not, and to make things worse we are
losing over two million people at day,” said Zhang.

“My god, that’s unfathomable,” said Ben. “And it
looks like it will only get worse. Well, if you come up with anything, please
let us know and I will do the same for you.”

“We are just starting DNA testing on the victims.
Maybe that will yield some results, but I don’t know though. What tack are you
taking?”

“Blood and DNA testing along with lab studies and
autopsies of the victims. We have a Pandemic Task Force set up at Johns Hopkins
University, headed by Brian White. I believe you know him,” said Ben.

“Sure I do. I have been to several conferences
where he presented. Top notch pathologist.”

“Well, we need some innovative ideas and we need
them fast. His teams are our best hope right now,” said Ben. “And, of course,
there are other teams on the task too, public and private.

“I am afraid we are out of ideas at this stage
over here. Maybe someone, somewhere will make a discovery soon,” said Zhang
hopefully.

“Thanks for taking my call Z, let’s keep in
touch.”

“You bet. It has been good talking to you again.
Goodbye Ben.”

Ben hung up now convinced that the Chinese were no
further along in finding a cure than they were in the U.S. He imagined they had
some theories, but it was too early for them to share them at this point, just
like the U.S. side.

His next call to Natalya would be much more
difficult. He hadn’t talked to Natalya in over five years, after they had their
nasty breakup. The short version of a long story was that they had met when he
was posted to the CDC’s office in Moscow. Natalya worked at the CDC’s
counterpart office in the Russian Ministry of Health. When they met, they were
both up-and-coming doctors in their respective agencies. They dated off on and
on for a couple of years, and then it got serious when they had a daughter
together, although they never married. She was pissed, because a pregnancy was
a serious crimp on her professional plans. Things went downhill from there.
Soon, he wasn’t allowed to see his daughter which made Ben angry every time he
even said Natalya’s name. So now, he would have to swallow his pride and
remember that this was an official call. He needed something and he knew he
could count on her support as a professional.

It was a little after midnight when he called
Natalya at her home. It would be about eight a.m., Monday morning. He knew she
didn’t normally get to the office until about nine, so she should still be at
home, he thought.

Natalya answered the phone, “Aló.”

“Hi Natalya, this is Ben calling.”

Ben could feel her sneer through the phone line as
a long pause ensued.

“What is it that you want?” Natalya said abruptly
in her no-nonsense, Russian manner.

“I am calling on a professional matter regarding
the SDX epidemic,” said Ben, remaining calm.

After another short interval, Natalya spoke again
with a tone more relaxed. She became almost friendly, Ben felt.

“What can I do for you?” she said.

“Like you would surmise, we are working hard on
this outbreak that is killing so many elderly people. Our study so far has
given us some leads. We are tracking down each one and one lead is traceable to
the Sakha Republic. It seems that a baby mammoth was found there in 2010,” said
Ben.

“Oh yes, I remember that. What does that have to
do with SDX?” asked Natalya.

“Well I am not sure, but let me share my
hypothesis with you. Based on an analysis of some old blood data taken as part
of an aging study, we think the infection originated from the area of Ust’Nera
and Susuman, in the Sakha Republic. We also think this infection started five
years ago. So, there is this mammoth and your researchers took a blood sample
at the time. I would like to see if we could test that very sample to rule out
a connection,” said Ben.

Natalya thought for a while. “Well, Ben, you know
I am going to need more data and a bigger explanation before I can get that
sample for you. It will take some time just finding out where it is stored
now.”

“Natalya, unfortunately, I can’t give you much
more over the phone,” Ben admitted.

“Then Ben,” said Natalya, “I think it would be
best if you book a ticket and come to Moscow as soon as possible, if you are
serious about this.”

Ben instantly understood why he needed to come to
Moscow, and his heart jumped for a moment as he realized that maybe he would
get a chance to see his daughter, Natasha.

“I think there is a pretty good chance that the
mammoth is somehow linked to the disease. I will book the next flight out and I
should be there within twenty-four  hours. Any chance I will get to see
Natasha?” asked Ben.

“We will have to talk about that when you arrive,”
Natalya said, her abrupt Russian manner returning.

At least she didn’t say no outright, Ben thought.
Now he hoped that after she heard what he had to say about his theories she
would agree to his visitation.

“Ok, I will email you with my details. If you are
convinced, then I would like to make a trip out to Sakha Republic as part of my
itinerary,” said Ben.

“If what you say makes sense, then I will be happy
to escort you, for this thing is really giving us a run for our money, as you
Americans fondly say. We have to solve this puzzle as soon as possible,” said
Natalya. “See you soon then.”

Natalya hung up the receiver with a big smile
across her face. She had wondered for a long time how she could entice Ben to
come back to Russia, and now she had him. What to do with him when he arrived
was the only question.

Ben hung up the phone feeling excitement. He was
on the trail of this killer and he may now even get to see his daughter. And
who knows, maybe there will still be a spark between him and Natalya, he hoped.
The only reason they had a falling out in the end was because Natalya had
wanted him to change his allegiance to Russia and move to Moscow. Ben couldn’t
do that and Natalya didn’t understand why. Well, things were different now, and
he and Natalya had joint interests to boot. He would see where it went from
here.

Ben made the arrangements and luckily he could
catch a non-stop flight on Monday afternoon and would be there early morning on
Tuesday.  This would also give him time to share his latest findings with Katie
and gather up his data to take with him to Moscow.

Ben walked over to his book shelf and pulled down
a photo album. On the cover was a picture of Natalya, Natasha as a baby, and
him. As he leafed through the album, he thought about all of the fun times they
had had together. Then the album abruptly stopped when Natasha was about seven.
She would be twelve now and he had not been a part of her life for the last
five years. He wondered for a moment about what he had missed in those lost
years. Soon he would find out. 

Ben took the album to his bedroom and placed it on
the night stand. He would catch some rest now and then get up, pack, and head
to the office. It would be a long day, but he would try to sleep on the plane,
so he could be ready to go when he arrived in Moscow.