Virus-72 Hours to Live (23 page)

"Lovely," he said under his breath, that
'area' included Formosa, part of the Philippines, the oil fields
off the coast of Malaysia and a handful other islands and key
resources.

He turned to his chief of staff and said,
"Let's try to get a message to the 7th, Nancy at state and the
President. If we can't get through and get a response, we'll have
to find a way to deal with this on our own."

"Yes, sir."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ophelia looked at her fellow Mars colony
residents. They knew something was up and she had their total
concentration. "Ok guys, we just had a couple of interesting
transmissions from Earth. As many of you know we've been getting
fewer transmissions from SC. Unfortunately, we've lost them
entirely. We haven't had any contact in hours and they didn't
respond to any transmissions from Oasis. I'm afraid we're alone. I
hope that someone will come on line shortly and help us, but I
think we need to prepare for the worst. When Oasis was trying to
contact them something unusual happened. There wasn't a response
from anyone at SC, but there was a response from a computer. It
called itself SIMPOC and it said it is a new type computer - that
thinks. I'm not sure what that means but at least for now we have
'something' to talk with on Earth. We have to wait and see how this
plays out. However, on our side, there are steps we need to take.
Immediately I'm suspending all mining operations. All effort will
be to maintain our facilities, life support, and food sources. If
we are stuck here with no SC support, then we've got maximize our
chances for long-term survival

Wallace asked, "All they could talk with was
a computer?"

"Apparently."

"So it sounds like everyone at the
consortium is dead?"

"Could be."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Bill took a deep breath and finished
summarizing the situation. The mess room in the larger habitat was
full of adventurous and intelligent astronauts. They all knew the
dire situation they were in, but they also understood a challenge
and immediately they began debating and coordinating what their
next steps would be to maximize their survival chances. Bill was
encouraged and he knew he had the best people to solve the hardest
problems, but the pragmatic part of him knew the challenges they
had to face.

He looked at his wife Sally and they smiled
at each other. They both respected the tasks in front of them, but
they both knew the chances of success.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It was a beautify summer evening in
Washington DC. The sun was just starting to set and Dmitry loved
sunsets and sunrises. During those times of the day, the dirt was
hidden and everything looked clean. Washington was a beautiful city
and even where the city had been burned out by the riots; Dmitry
felt that was the natural cleansing that needed to happen. Areas
burned by fire were clean and didn't detract from the realm Dmitry
was surveying.

Artur was driving the car and now that they
had found a limousine, Dmitry could sit in the back and have a
glass partition between him and Artur. They could drive where they
wanted and had to follow no signs or restrictions. Driving towards
the Washington Memorial from the capital along Constitution Ave, he
was thinking about what kind of monument he should build for
himself. After all Washington was from a different era and this was
the beginning of Dmitry's time. When he got to 15th NW, he told
Artur to turn right. They passed the Ellipse then left on
Pennsylvania. Suddenly he yelled, "Stop," and the vehicle screeched
to a halt. Looking out of his right side window, he looked at the
White House and he had a brilliant thought. A White House would be
the best place for him to live. White is clean and clean is how he
intended to build his kingdom. What better place to rule from, than
the White House. He had a moment's hesitation and thought where is
the US Government? They must be somewhere and if he moved into the
White House, whatever remained of the government might attack him.
Before he made that move, he needed to know where the government
was and if they were a threat. He was strong now; maybe he could
clean them up too.

"Continue," he yelled to Artur in the front
seat. They continued down Pennsylvania then left on 17th Street NW
and right on Constitution Ave NW. Both sides of the Reflecting Pond
were lined with tents for the failed quarantine facility. Seeing
them didn't effect Dmitry, because the virus didn't affect him.
From his current perspective, the sun was setting behind the
Lincoln Memorial so it was natural to drive around the back and
look at the Potomac as the sun set. As they went around the back of
the monument and parked, Dmitry was surprised to see two people
creep out of the bushes beside the river.

All Dmitry had to say was, "They look
dirty," and Artur knew what to do. He took out his pistol and shot
them before they could get too close to the limousine. They fell to
the ground dead, and Dmitry's view of the river was clean and he
was happy.

Dirt was everywhere, how could Dmitry
protect himself? After they left the Lincoln Memorial and drove
along Independence Ave. Dmitry could see the remnants of the
quarantine camp that the area had set up along the reflecting pools
and Constitution Park. There was trash all over the place and
hundreds of dead bodies were everywhere. Dmitry could see some of
the dead were wearing protective suits. "Apparently those suites
didn't protect them very well," he observed to Artur.

"Maybe they got the virus some other way and
they would have died anyway," Artur commented. "Perhaps we should
get some of those suites for your crew?"

"No, they aren't necessary. I am clean and
others are irrelevant. You may wear a suit to protect
yourself."

"Yes, Supreme Leader, Artur smiled as he
used the different title for Dmitry, it will be interesting to see
if he likes being called supreme leader.

Saturday
7/15/51

Date – 2051.53536 (1:45 AM)

"Oasis, SC; this is RD33A."

"RD33A, this is Oasis, SC might not
respond."

"Oasis, this is Mary Silver. Something
terrible has happened. The onboard computer woke me prematurely.
John is very ill and I don't know what to do. Whatever is happening
to him is way beyond our basic medical training. I'm scared; he
isn't doing well. Please help me."

"RD33A, stand-by, Commander Herl is en route
and should be here in a moment."

"Will, do. Please hurry, I can't lose
John."

"I understand, Joan and Tom just came in,
hold on for a second while I update her."

"Joan, they've got a problem on the Mars
supply vessel. The onboard computer woke up Mary because John is
very sick. She needs to talk to you."

Joan stood still for a moment and took a
couple of deep breaths. "Mary, this is Joan. You're telling us John
is very sick?"

"Yes he is, what do I do?"

Joan sat for a few minutes then begins
reviewing John's symptoms with Mary. She did the best she could to
remember all of the information she had heard from Doctor Chevesky.
Unfortunately, John's symptoms sounded just like those OS210
demonstrated.

"Mary I'm having the Oasis computer talk to
your onboard and mirror the med-stats for the other crewmembers.
Standby while I look at them."

It took only a couple of seconds for the two
computers to establish the link and begin to display the
information on Joan's display. The computer showed they were under
stress. The sleep induction system was working harder to keep their
temperature's down and the oxygen level in their blood was down,
perhaps due to congestion. In addition, it appeared their
respiration rate was up to almost one per minute. Joan knew she
wasn't a doctor and she was working in an area that was far from
her expertise.

"Tom they've already accelerated and left
the Earth's orbit. It will take a ton of fuel to bring them back to
Oasis, but what will they find if they survive and make it back
here? Besides, I haven't run the math yet, if they have the fuel,
it might take them longer to get back here then to continue to Mars
orbit."

"I agree the physics doesn't work and we
have nothing better to offer."

"Mary it's very serious. Just as you left
Earth and reached Oasis, a major viral pandemic was starting on
Earth. When you reached Oasis, the world was just recognizing the
danger. Remember, as you were leaving John didn't feel well. It
appears he may have contracted the virus. This virus has been
baffling the medical experts. It is not following any known
patterns of infection. It is occurring in hundreds of cities and
for some unknown reason, it starts spontaneously for some people
then it is spread to others. Whether he caught it before leaving
Earth or it possibly just started on its own, doesn't matter. I'm
sorry to tell you, but so far, it has been 100% fatal. OS210 crew
arrived just after you left and they all have died. Doctor Chevesky
was onboard OS210 and he had the most experience, and,
unfortunately, he passed away with the crew. The virus began
spontaneously in one of the Oasis crew and it progressed to the
point where we lost 16 other Oasis crewmembers. There are eight of
us left we're trying to control it, but we don't know yet if we'll
be successful."

"Is John is going to die?"

"I'm afraid so. He likely has only a short
time. Mary, you also seem to be developing the same symptoms."

There were a few moments of silence, "You
mean I'm going to die also?"

"It's likely, I'm sorry," said Joan.

A few more moments of silence, "Joan the
med-stats show the others are under stress, does that mean they
might have it too?"

"It might be, we don't have any experience
with how the virus would present itself in a sleep state. But the
fact the systems are showing that they're fighting something, it
appears they have it also."

There was a long silence and Joan almost
called Mary again, but then she responded. "It appears we all have
it. I suppose the only fair thing to do is for me to wake the
others up and present the situation to them. We need to make any
decisions together. Unless anyone has a better suggestion, I'll
start waking them up."

"Mary, we support you and the others. I'll
send you some calculations I made about your orbital options, maybe
it will help you decided what to do. I wish there were something I
could do. Let me know what you and the others decide. In the
meantime, I'll run more numbers for any possible scenarios and
forward the data to your onboard computer."

"Ok Joan, RD33A out."

"Oasis out."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Artur you've done a good job finding people
to help us cleanse our new world. I don't want to know the dirty
details of where you're finding these people, but keep it up. The
more people we have, the more options we have. I'm concerned where
the remnants of the US government have gone. They may be all dead
or they might be hiding somewhere. We need to know where they are
and what they are doing. We might need all of the people you're
finding to help us clean out that last nest of the previous dirty
world."

"Yes, Dmitry. Finding what remains of the
government would be a prudent thing to do. We are the last power
here, but they might do something trying to come back to
Washington. If we know where they are then, we'll know what they
are doing."

"Where do you think they may be hiding?"
Dmitry asked.

"The president has that hide away in the
Maryland Mountains near Thurmont Md, they call Camp David. That
might be a good place for him to hide. The good news for us is, it
isn't very big and he won't be able to have a large force to
protect him."

"Excellent point," Dmitry sat and thought
for a few moments then he said, "Artur set up one of our human
cleansing stations in Thurmont and build and army. When we're
ready, I'll send up some reinforcements from here and we'll check
out this Camp David and see if the president is there. Maybe we can
capture him and his staff and make them pay for all of the dirt
they allowed."

"Excellent suggestion..., your Highness."
That was the first time Artur thought of using that title. He was
curious how Dmitry would react and he hoped he would like it. Soon
after saying it, he saw the smile spread on Dmitry's face. Now he
knew what was necessary to manipulate Dmitry. Flattery was his
drug, not reality. "I will move my crew tomorrow," was all Artur
needed to say, and then they both smiled.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The morning stand-up meeting was getting a
less formal every day. The purpose of the meeting was to let
everyone know what the latest news was, not to impress but to
provide information.

"Mr. President, I'm afraid two of the
congressmen's staff has not been heard from this morning. I've sent
someone to check on them."

"Thanks, Eddy."

"Should we go back to bio suits?"

"Sir, I don't know. They stayed in their
quarters yesterday, maybe we're safe. This damn thing hits so fast,
I'd bet that if we're ok now, we might be ok. We should know in a
little while."

"Eddy," the president said.

"Yes, sir."

"Don't cough in my direction."

The sick humor wasn't lost on either one. It
wasn't a joke to laugh at, but at least one that could draw a
smile.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Oasis, this is RD33A."

"RD33A, this is Oasis."

"Put Joan on the line, please."

"Stand by and I'll get her."

"Thanks, we're standing by."

"Joan this is the duty officer, RD33A is on
freq."

"Roger, I'll be there in a second."

Tom and Joan moved out of the mess hall and
down rotation to the control center. They were moving fast and the
crewmembers who saw them coming cleared out of the way and watched
them almost fly-by.