The Perfect Pathogen (27 page)

CHAPTER 45

Katie was a little
surprised that the secure DVC came off as planned. Secretly, she was frankly
glad that Jim Redman was dead. Up to this morning, she didn’t know how she was
going to continue working, knowing that he was probably trying to find someone
to silence her.   The White House Chief of Staff, Harvey Berry, represented the
National Security interests and acting Secretary Hill ran the meeting.

“I would like to start by observing a moment of
silence for Jim. He was one of the most dedicated public servants I have
known,” said Larry.

After an appropriate pause, Larry said, “Okay,
does anyone have anything new to report?”

The Chief of Staff spoke up first. “The President
is actively searching for a new National Security Advisor. His interest’s lies
in someone who can help manage the epidemic, which the President currently sees
as our biggest threat to national security. He hopes to have a new person in
place within days. In the interim, I will be representing the President’s
interests.”

Katie was glad to hear that the new NSA would be
working proactively in solving the problem and not putting in roadblocks.

“Sir,” said Katie. “We have evidence that people
with Down syndrome are immune to SDX. This has been confirmed by negative test
results on three females - ages 32, 20, and 4.  We are in the process of
analyzing test samples that were taken on a group of seventy-five disabled
persons and the staff of an independent learning Center that my husband runs in
Charles County, Maryland. We should have those results by early afternoon
tomorrow, before the 2 o’clock DVC. In addition, my colleague Dr. Ben Shah will
be leaving for Ust’Nera, what we believe is the original point of the disease.
Tomorrow he’ll collect plant and soil samples from the location where the baby
mammoth was found in 2010. He also reports that the Russian Ministry of Health
has been doing baseline DNA testing on both victims and live subjects infected
with SDX. We hope to compare those results with our own DNA testing of the
mammoth here in DC.”

Dr. White at Johns Hopkins briefly interrupted,
“The mammoth remains have now been moved to the National Institute of Health
for the analysis. I am told this work could take several weeks before yielding
any information that may be used to develop a treatment or antidote.”

“I am continuing to work on a life expectancy
model,” continued Katie. “I hope to have an accurate estimate of how long we
can expect to live and what the death rate will be from day-to-day going
forward by early next week.”

“So, if I understand you correctly, the evidence points
to the fact that that whatever is causing SDX mutates the DNA in the human
body.” said Larry.

“That’s correct, Mr. Secretary,” said Dr. White.
“We can’t prove it right now, but we have no evidence to the contrary and this
is the main path that our current technology will allow us to follow.
Unfortunately, if we do find out that this is what is happening, that the genes
in the body are mutating, which in turn causes rapid aging, then we have no
current means to reverse this process. We will have to invent some new way to
treat the disease. This has never been done before in the lab, let alone for a
population of over six billion people. It would be a “Fountain of Youth” cure
if it is found.”

“This is a very sobering portrayal of what we are
facing. We have the brightest minds in the world working on this. I think we
will find a solution,” said Larry.

“I beg your pardon, Mr. Secretary,” said Katie.
“We don’t have all the brightest minds in the world working on this. In fact,
the only people that have any in-depth knowledge of what is going on are the
people on this call, my colleague Dr. Shah in Russia and the President. I think
the time has come to make this public, so the brightest minds in the world
really can start working on the solution.”

There was silence in the room. Katie looked at
Sarah, who was just cracking a slight smile.

“Katie, you have a point,” said Larry. “I will be
meeting with the President later this afternoon and I will bring this up.
Harvey, I expect you will be present also, is that correct?”

“Yes I will,” Mr. Secretary.

“We will see what the President would like to do.
Sarah, in the event the President does want to have something released, I would
like you to prepare some talking points by 4 p.m. that I or the President could
use to present this information to the public. I will keep you all posted,”
said Larry.

At about 5 p.m. the White House released a
statement indicating that the President would be addressing the nation on the
subject of the current epidemic at 9 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. In the back
halls of the White House to the headquarters of various agencies, calls were
made to counterparts across the world. The press was provided with an embargoed
copy of the President’s remarks. The Washington Post, and the major networks
and news channels were poised to explain to the public what the President had
said, even though most people would likely turn back to their favorite reality
TV show as soon as the remarks were over.

Hearing the news, Katie shot an email off to Ben
to give him a heads up. Unfortunately, it was one in the morning and Ben would
be sound asleep. He wouldn’t hear the news until the next morning.

Katie decided she had done all the damage she
could do for one day, so she headed home early. The family would be happy to
spend the evening with her. “Maybe we could go out to the Mexican restaurant
she thought.”  She made a quick call to Rob who was still at the Center.

“Grab the kids and I will meet you at Mexico at
six,” said Katie.

“The kids will be glad to hear that. We haven’t
eaten there for three nights,” Rob said laughing.

Katie looked out of her office door and saw one of
the male section heads walking down the hall with his coat and hat in hand. “He
must be heading toward the parking garage,” she thought.

She grabbed her purse and coat and ran down the
hall to catch up with him.

“Are you heading to the garage?” she asked.

“Yes. Are you on your way out too?” he asked.

“Yes I am. Do you mind if I walk with you?” asked
Katie.

“Not at all. I always like the company of a pretty
young lady.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Katie said with a
chuckle.

“Not trying to go anywhere but home,” he said with
a smile.

Katie was happy to have someone to walk with her
into the garage. They talked about the epidemic and what progress had been
made. She felt comfortable now telling her colleague what was going on in
general terms. He was parked across from her so they walked to her car together
and then he said good-night. Katie opened her car, and this time looked in the
backseat, and just to be sure, she went to the trunk and opened it up. She saw
the Glock 9mm pistol laying in the corner. She had forgotten to return it to
the cabinet last night. She would have to figure out a good time to do that
this evening. Maybe she would have to send Rob out for ice cream tonight.

The meal at Mexico was excellent, as always, and
she loved soaking in the abundance of love from her family.

“When you guys get home, I want everyone to hit
the books hard, so you are free to watch the President’s address at 9 p.m. This
will be the most important speech the President has ever given,” said Katie.

At 9 p.m. they were all assembled in the family
room to watch the President.

“I have been working on the research the President
is about to discuss,” Katie explained. “He will be saying some pretty shocking
things, but I don’t want any of you to worry. Progress is being made and I
believe everything will be ok.”

She looked at Rob and managed a slight smile. Rob
knew she was just trying to prepare the kids for the good and bad news.

The room fell silent as the screen faded from the
news correspondent to the Oval Office. The President cleared his throat and
commenced.

“My fellow Americans and members of the world
community. I come before you tonight to share the hope I have for a cure for
the disease that has caused so much carnage around the world over the past two
weeks and also to explain the progress we have recently made. We are working
around the clock to reach a conclusion as to what will be effective in treating
this disease which has come to be known as SDX. Research completed to date
leads us to believe that the pathogen that is causing this disease is affecting
the genetic makeup of the human body. The result is that our aging process has
accelerated. This is why most of the deaths we have seen are in the elderly
population. With the advent of gene therapy, I am confident we can reverse this
process. This will take some time and we are likely to see the death rate
increase before we are able to arrest the forward progress of this epidemic,
but rest assured, we will beat this disease, just as we have every other
disease that has threatened man before.”

“Now, I would like to share with you what we know
about the progression of this disease. Through analysis of blood samples of
both living and deceased victims of SDX we have been able to establish that the
pathogen originated in the Sakha region in Siberia. It is associated with the
discovery of a baby mammoth there in 2010.  Apparently this disease is of very
ancient origin. The pathogen then spread across the entire globe and lay
dormant until recently. We suspect the disease has spread through contact
unbeknownst to anyone. It is believed that all but a small group of people are
now carriers of this disease. Once we have more detail, we’ll share with you
more about who is unaffected by this malady.”

“It will still take time for the disease to become
active in younger people. How much time, we don’t currently know, but we are
working on a method to predict life expectancy. I know this will sound serious
to you all, but I want you to know we have the brightest minds in the world
working on this. I and my agency heads have discussed this with our
counterparts around the world and we are confident that a protocol for treating
SDX will be developed in the next several weeks or months. There is no need to
take special precautions at this time. I encourage everyone to continue their
daily routine as much as possible. I offer my condolences to the families of
the many who have died and I promise that six months from now we will have
recovered from this epidemic through the superior achievements of science. I
assure you that this too shall pass. May God bless the United States of America
and all of the people of the world.”

As the screen changed back to the news anchor, Rob
turned the TV off.

The McMann’s sat in their family room in silence.

Hope broke the silence. “So what part did you work
on mom?”

“I worked on determining where the disease
started. I was able to use data from the longevity project I had been working
on for years,” said Katie.

“Is this why we had to get our blood tested?”
asked Sam.

“Yes.”

“So, if I understood correctly, we are all
infected with this disease. Is that correct?” said Brett.

“That is partially correct,” said Katie. The four
of us are positive for the disease,” she said pointing at herself, Rob and the
boys. “But Hope is negative.”

“What does that mean?” asked Hope.

“It means that we all have the disease, honey,
except for you. There is something in the way your body is put together that
makes it so you can’t get the disease. You are immune,” explained Katie.

“Is anyone else immune?” asked Hope.

“Right now we only know of three people who are
immune and they all have the same makeup as you. They all have Down syndrome.”

“So having Down syndrome isn’t so bad after all,”
said Hope with an innocent smile.

CHAPTER 46

The next morning, Ben
awoke to news of the President’s speech. At least most of what they knew was
now out in the open, he thought. As he showered in the guest bath, Natalya was
getting ready in her bathroom. He found this new arrangement to be quite
agreeable. He had forgotten how much he liked spending time and having
conversations with Natalya. He felt like he had wasted the last five years of
his life.

Last night they had talked about Katie’s proposal
that Hope could take care of Nadya if the nightmare scenario of the human race
becoming extinct ever became reality. They decided that after the trip to
Ust’Nera, they would all travel to the U.S. to meet Hope and her family so that
in the event this option was needed, some groundwork would be in place.

They were both packed for a two-night stay and a
third bag was packed with all of the tools and equipment they would need to
obtain samples for analysis. They discussed their plans for each day and laid
out a draft schedule. A member of the original excavation team would be meeting
them there. They would take a government executive jet and it was scheduled for
an early morning departure.

Anna had her orders for the care of the kids, and
good-byes were exchanged. Ben and Natalya then left for the airfield. Driving
down the highway in a taxi, Natalya reached over and took Ben’s hand in hers.

“I am really glad you are here with me. The
revelations of the last few days have made me realize how important you are to
me and the girls. I hope we can make this work.”

Ben looked at her, and saw that she meant every
word she just said.

“Whatever it takes,” he said. “I am determined to
make it work. I am happy we are together again, and the love I feel from the
girls is incredible. I was a fool to have left. Fate has brought us back
together now and we have to hold on to what we have.”

Natalya squeezed his hand and they drove on. It
was clear now that they both wanted the same things. Despite everything, for
the briefest of moments, Natalya felt that the world was just perfect.

Katie arrived at work at her usual time. She was
hoping to have the results of the Center’s blood tests early, but she knew
these things took time. She continued to analyze the blood bank samples and, as
she expected, they continued to be positive. Her work on the life expectancy
project was just about complete for the data she had. Beth was continuing to
collate the new information so that Katie could use it to validate her work.
She thought that she needed a little more data to have a good product, but that
wouldn’t stop her from drawing conclusions from what she currently had.

Katie finished her calculations and then had the
computer program graph the data. She had developed a 3D graph with the axes
being time, age and total casualties. The more time passed, the more casualties
there would be and the younger the age would get.

At first, the data was all over the place. She
used the smoothing function in her computer software to draw an approximated
line through the best fit of the dots on her screen. She then extrapolated the
information until the total number of casualties in the U.S equated to the
current population of about 325 million people. She looked at the date where
the line crossed this population threshold and took note of it. By her initial
estimate, everyone, except the few people with Down syndrome, would be dead by
August 15, 2016. In just eleven months.

Then it dawned on her - the ‘bright minds’, the
people who would be depended upon to find a cure, wouldn’t have long to live. 
She did a quick estimation of what she thought the youngest age of someone who
had enough experience and education to tackle the problem would be and she came
out at about twenty years old. She looked at the age scale on her graph and sat
back in her chair, now quite saddened. By May 22, 2016, all hope would be lost.

Katie prepared a table by age and date and printed
it off. As she reached across her desk and removed the paper from the printer
she scanned the page until her eyes came to rest on age 42. Her own age. And
then she dared to look at the second column. February 14, 2016 -- St.
Valentine’s Day. She had less than five months to live assuming she was of
average health.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the ringing
of her phone. She answered, “Dr. McMann.”

“Hi Dr. McMann, this is Marvin Hughes. I was
wondering if you are able to discuss the comments the President made last
night.”

Katie thought for a moment and then said, “Mr.
Hughes, how old are you?”

“I just turned 67,” said Marvin.

She glanced at her chart. “I would be willing to
talk to you off the record, if that is acceptable to you.”

“When can we meet?” said Marvin.

Katie checked her watch. “How about at the Au Bon
Pain at L’Enfant Plaza in 45 minutes?”

“That will work just fine,” said Marvin. 

“How will I recognize you?” asked Katie.

“Don’t worry about that, I will recognize you,”
said Marvin.

“Ok, see you shortly.”

Katie walked out of the office and up to the Shaw
Metro station. About 25 minutes later she got off the Metro at L’Enfant Plaza.
She took the escalator up and then walked through the inside mall until she
reached the Au Bon Pain. She walked up to the counter and ordered two pain au
chocolate and a cappuccino. If one thing positive could be said of late, she
wasn’t about to worry about her weight anymore. She was about five minutes
early, so she took a seat in the far corner at an empty table where she could
see everyone who was coming and going.

About ten minutes later she wondered if Marvin was
coming, when in strolled an older gentleman with a fedora and a slightly
wrinkled gray suit, and he headed directly to her table.

“Dr. McMann, it’s so nice to finally meet you,”
said Marvin warmly extending his hand.

“Please call me Katie and I will call you Marvin
if that is alright,” said Katie as she accepted his hand.

“Perfect,” said Marvin.

Katie first established the ground rules. She
could only be referred to as an unidentified government source and no quotes.
Marvin readily agreed. This could be his big break and he didn’t want to mess
it up.

Marvin started the questioning by wanting to know
how they determined the origin of the disease and how they traced it to Russia
in such a short time, and then followed up by asking how they knew everyone was
infected. Katie explained in detail, using a fictional colleague to mask her
work. For the remainder of his questions, Katie explained that she had only
heard bits and pieces regarding the genetic testing and a timeline to find a
cure.

“The President commented that there was a small
group that is not positive.  What can you tell me about that?” asked Marvin.

“The jury is out on that, Marvin. As soon as I
have more information, I will let you know,” said Katie.

“One final question,” said Marvin. “In your
estimation, how long do we have to find a cure?  Or more specifically how long
do I have?”

The look in Katie’s eyes gave her away. She let
her guard down thinking that Marvin was a washed up old newspaper man, but he
was also quite clever. She started to think that he had seen right through her
story.

“I don’t have any information on that,” said Katie
unconvincingly.

“Then why did you ask me how old I was when I
called,” said Marvin.

“It was simply to help me identify you,” said
Katie. With her adrenaline now peaking, she went on the offensive. “You don’t
happen to have a White Malibu do you?”

By the look on Marvin’s face it was clear that it
was he who had followed her that day. Then the picture of the man sitting in
his car outside the parking garage flashed through her mind and she was sure it
was him. She knew it was him.

“Busted,” Marvin said, “It wasn’t my car, it was a
diplomat friend of mine.”

“Well, you really scared the shit out of me. I
shouldn’t even be talking to you based on the antics you pulled,” Katie said,
nearly hissing.

She knew this was a false sentiment now, because
she truly wanted the part of the story out she had shared with him.

Marvin sat with his head hung low. “I was just
trying to get an opportunity to talk to you because you wouldn’t answer my
questions on the phone. My deepest apologies.”

With little resistance, Katie accepted his
apology.

“Will I hear from you again?” asked Marvin.

“It all depends on your first article,” said
Katie.

“I will honor our agreement. No mention of who you
are and no quotes.”

Katie hoped he was as good as his word.