“He’s on his way. You have to stay right where you are until he gets here. Don’t move an inch.”
“I’m tired, and it would be appreciated if you let me sit down exactly where I am. My boss will want me awake and able to answer questions. Don’t make me threaten to leave again, my boss would have you both locked up if I did.”
The second guard handed him a chair.
*
In discussing Eugene’s father’s information there was agreement that the most interesting item was the increase in the numbers of Alphas rising to positions of power in a crumbling society. The fascination was with the alleged transition from ‘cannibal to politician’ and back again. The proverbial Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. They couldn’t exclude the possibility that this was in fact a third stage of some kind of metamorphosis. Yet it seemed so fanciful in view of the knowledge that phase one infection was so characterised by resolution of two personalities to a single, obsessional drive to literally consume the enemy. They would have to think again about the function of the Trojan Horse they wanted to employ.
“It’s the final stage which worries me most,” said Brandon, “recognising and targeting cannibals will be easier than ferreting out plausible chief executives and government big shots, especially if the tests for infection become compromised by the shift from phase two to a third phase.”
“Yes,” replied Eugene, “that had occurred to me, and maybe even phase three isn’t the final state of a deviant. If there are further mutations to come, I don’t think microbiology can offer the capability to adjust in such short timeframes. Unless we can prevent progression from one phase to another.”
Brandon shook his head. “Well, we can forget about phase one to phase two for that approach. They are all over the planet already. Hopefully this phase three, if your father’s reports are validated, has a longer residence time. It’s hard to imagine what it could progress to. The drive from infection to cannibalism is relatively logical. The ability to switch from mindless flesh eating to intelligent management of norms is a hell of a leap, even if it is partitioned by some arbitrary stimulus such as hunger. All it really does is to underline our strategy to leave the Trojan Horse until we have the other components ready. It’s counter-productive to worry about this until everything else has been checked off.”
“Ok, let’s get back to work.”
*
Zlatan’s boss arrived and told him to stay put until he could retrieve his isolation suit from his locker. He brought a disposable one for the suspected deviant to put on.
When they were in the isolation lab he scribbled something on a piece of paper. It read, ‘Why didn’t you call me directly instead of exposing your presence to the two guards?’
Zlatan grabbed the pen and wrote his one word reply.
‘Insurance.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Yes you do. They’ve seen me, they called you, here you are about to examine me. It can’t be denied.’
The exchanges continued until Zlatan locked the door and ripped off the disposable suit.
“Check whatever you want. But first, let me tell you what you’ll find. My temperature is lower than a fully infected person, my vision is normal, if you give me raw meat I’ll puke up. When you do the scans, you’ll be puzzled because it will show the infection is in a dormant state. Boss, watch my lips – I’m not Alpha or Beta, I’m in a kind of transition status when I should have been in phase two by now. Well?”
“Ok, ok. So, how have you managed to halt the transition?”
“I don’t bloody know. That’s why I’m here. Look, we both know that the lid is being kept on stuff in this place. The only person we trusted from the top brass was that French guy who left, Deluge or something…I can’t,”
“Delacroix. I tried to keep in touch with him but he didn’t answer my emails. I don’t know how to contact him now. Anyway, I’d get fired if they found out.”
“For Christ’s sake, what about your kids? Don’t you want them to be safe? Whatever has blocked my transition is the only hope I have, and it may be the only hope for your children. We can’t let this fall into the hands of those upstairs.”
“Mmm, I seem to remember Delacroix’s father was the big wheel in deflecting the asteroid. He shouldn’t be too difficult to trace. We can make enquiries in France.”
“Now you’re making sense. So, examine me first – you need to know there is a chance for you and your family.”
“You’re right. Get on the scanner table while I set up the controls.”
Chapter 52
Zlatan was sleeping rough again. It was the safest option while he waited for contact from his boss. Several days passed and he was beginning to harbour thoughts that the perimeter guards may have reported his arrival at the checkpoint. His boss may be now under suspicion. Another week and he was beginning to run out of bees. He knew that this particular genus of killer bees were from African origin, he’d studied them as a boy. He was also aware of why they were called ‘killers’. Their venom wasn’t drastically different from other varieties, but they were extremely aggressive, and had been known to pursue threats to their hive for more than quarter of a mile. It was the sheer number of stings within a very short time which terminated the target. He wasn’t an experienced bee ‘shaman’ like Olla, and capturing them himself wasn’t an option.
He was resigned to returning to speak with Suma when his boss finally appeared in the homeless enclave.
“Sorry for the wait, but I’ve had to be very careful about how I tried to contact the asteroid man. I’ve eventually managed to get a message to him, via a guy who used to work for him at the company he used to run. It has a different name now. Pan American something or other. Anyway, this Russian gave me his number after a hell of a lot of questions. He finally relented when I said it was actually the guy’s son I wanted to contact. I spoke to the father and he seemed very interested in what we found during your examination. He has since contacted his son and this Eugene character wants to meet with you. I said it was me who conducted the examination, but he wasn’t put off. He insisted he needs to examine you himself. He is presently in Japan. He was happy to transfer funds for you to fly there so he can check your condition for himself. So, we have to get valid travel documents. I know someone who can do this, but we’ll have to hurry, the two guards ask me every day what has happened to you. I’ve told them you are still in quarantine until we can be absolutely sure you aren’t a risk. I swore them to keep schtum, but we can’t rely on them indefinitely. I’ll tell them you’ve been transferred to another research unit.”
“Ok, so when do I see the document man?”
“Now, that’s why I’m here. I had to clear the funds first. Let’s go.”
*
All the previous background work Eugene had invested in Sophie’s treatment for schizophrenia was bearing fruit in the virus project. The flexibility of stem cell orientation and the established snip and stitch technique enabled him to declare that his part of the ultimate attack on the virus was almost ready.
He hadn’t yet mentioned the information his father had passed on about Zlatan, and that wouldn’t change until an intense examination of the subject had been completed. He did offer to join in with Brandon’s more esoteric task of implanting and maintaining chaos to preoccupy the virus on a second front. The extra pair of hands was welcomed, as fatigue was beginning to emerge, in part because of a string of negative results. They needed a boost of some kind.
Eugene took advantage of his own workload easing to speak again with his father. The news wasn’t good. As if the world needed more self-inflicted harm, Julien’s description outlined the mushroom effect of a new cult.
It was springing into existence across every social group in Europe, and France provided fertile ground. The basic premise, in the face of exponential spread of the virus, was to re-connect with God. No matter which god, it was extoled as being part of some great tapestry. Interference with the ordai
ned path of the almighty was sacrilegious, abhorrent, naïve, futile, cowardly, and dozens of other descriptive gospelesque terms. There was no other explanation – it was simply meant to be. The potential of this doctrine to gain such a stranglehold was not foreseen, or if it had been, it was merely considered as nothing more than the looney rabble elements clutching at any hint of their own personal salvation. It was only when the link to suicide bombers was made, that suspicion fell on orchestration by Alphas. Killing oneself by explosive force in densely populated areas, was an effective and indiscriminate way to spread infected flesh. The injured had to be attended, the uninjured would be contaminated, not as a collateral effect, but as part the main strategy. Momentum was achieved firstly by indoctrination, becoming a disciple of the omnipotent one, to be rewarded in heaven. A consequence of which was an extremely productive ratio of suicides to created deviants. Julien explained that the family were seriously at risk every minute of every day just seeking enough food to survive. They had virtually become prisoners in their own home. Eugene sensed some regret that they hadn’t stayed in Guiana.
*
Zlatan was nervous. The security staff at Perth air terminal seemed to be hunting in packs. He recalled his parting conversation with his boss.
“I didn’t want to believe it, Geoffrey Nelson. When you told me you were known only as Zlatan after your escape from the exclusion zone. But since your miracle ‘cure’ I’ve thought more about how you were always droning on about various conspiracy theories. I also started checking up on certain events whenever I had the chance to access files. The sheer number of alterations, designated as errors which appear in personnel records isn’t explained by the workload everyone is under. Some just don’t make sense. According to these records you are officially dead. This led me to look at scan results. They weren’t where they should be, but I asked a colleague if she could undelete certain files, after I knew she was clean. At first she refused, but I told her I knew for certain that some dead people according to the files, were still walking around. Guess what she found? The entire supervisory panel of the exclusion zone had positive initial scans. Subsequent scans placed them in strict echelons, related to different stages of infection symptoms. The ones at the very top are all what she called ‘stabilised Alphas’. This situation is even worse than you suspected. You have to get to this Delacroix guy, because unless you do, I fear the battle is lost.”
Zlatan had taken the precaution of subjecting himself to eight stings that morning, hopefully suppressing any signs of infection as he passed through to the gate for boarding. Still, he couldn’t relax until they were at thirty thousand feet and the co-pilot began to ramble on about the anticipated weather over the entire journey.
*
The situation in Lyon had deteriorated further, so much that Julien had found a reputable company to build a panic room in the apartment. The specification included ten centimetre thick metal walls to give a degree of protection from home-made bombs. Massive freezer capacity for stored food cut down the number of visits to supermarkets. Once locked from the inside, the only way in was to cut through the walls. However, there were compromises, such as air conditioning vents. They were located externally, on the roof and could be tampered with or deprived of power, giving rise to suffocation risk. As a disincentive, the panic room concept could help, but Julien knew it was primarily based upon the logic that there might be easier targets for the perpetrators to fulfil their lust to harm the very rich.
He decided not to tell Eugene about this; he wanted his son to have no further distraction from his daunting task to neutralise the enemy from the world of the infinitely small.
*
Eugene didn’t recognise Zlatan from his time in Australia.
“That’s how it normally goes, the workers know the bosses, but the reverse doesn’t often apply.”
“Well, they say it’s never too late, but we are on a shrinking window of opportunity to nail this pestilence. So, rather than reminiscing here at the airport, let me get you back to the lab and get on with the examination. Then I can introduce you to the rest of the team. While we drive back, do you want to tell me about how you came to be in a stable condition after suffering the full-blown infection?”
“I’d rather let you explain it to me if you don’t mind. I think I know what it was that turned my condition around, but I have no idea how it works. I don’t want to come across as some kind of crank, and I’m hoping you’re going to prove that. If you can, then I’m sure it will give you a valid starting point to develop an effective treatment for the condition. I’m told that I’m not cured, and that the virus has just been halted in its tracks. If it checks out, I can certainly indicate to you what would extend my stay of execution.”
“Now you do have me intrigued. Here we are, this is our lab, believe it or not. Looks like we both have to invest a bit of faith in each other.”
*
Zlatan’s boss was called to the inner sanctum. He’d anticipated this for some time. The invitation quickly descended into an interrogation. He’d rehearsed this in his mind over and over again.
“We understand that certain files have been undeleted from our highest security database. Do you know anything about that?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even know such a facility existed. May I ask a question?”
“At this stage, you can.”
“Why am I being cross-examined about something I couldn’t possibly know about? I supervise nurses, that’s all, and everything I need to access in order to carry out my function has to be absolutely open on my system. There is no delete facility, if there was we couldn’t do our job.”
“That seems quite logical. This inquiry pertains to one of your subordinates, not the nurses’ manual of work practice. ”
“Oh, I see, am I allowed to know which one?”
“That can come later if we can’t find the hacker, by interviewing others who may have accessed the file of this particular nurse in your team. Thank you. If you don’t hear from us there will be no further inquiry.”
“I’m confused now. If there has been misconduct by any of my people, I should know about it. I would like to think that if you find the hacker and it is someone in my department, you would tell me.”
“Naturally, thank you for being so candid.”
He felt reasonably confident that the interview had bought a little time for him. He needed to confront the guards when he left work.
*
Eugene scratched his head repeatedly.
“Is it bad news,” asked Zlatan.
“No, at least I don’t think so. It does confirm most of what you said, but I can’t seem to figure out why the infection has gone dormant. Well, I mean from the results I have in front of me.”
“That’s a relief thought isn’t it? The verification that it is possible to halt the progress of the virus?”
“Indeed. But in my line of work we must be able to comprehend mechanisms, not just events.”
“I see. So, does it help that I began to resist the advance of the sickness by allowing killer bees to sting me on a daily basis?”
“Killer bees? Bee venom? I don’t really know, how did you find out that the stings would have this effect?”
He spun a bit of a fairy tale to protect Suma and his kin.
“You have good days and bad with this sickness. I was accidently stung a couple of times and the next day I felt better than I had for weeks. So, I repeated the process and I just kept on improving. First my eyesight and then the other symptoms.”
“Have you told anyone else about this?”
“No, definitely not. I knew there was something odd going on in the exclusion zone. That’s why I asked my boss to try to find you.”
“Good. The next step is for you to meet with my colleagues and let them see the results I have. Then you tell them what you’ve just told me, ok?”
“Sure.”
Chapter 53
They could hear a rucku
s outside the front door. Julien had installed cameras in various places inside and outside the apartment, including the new panic room. The one picking up activity in the hallway depicted a serious situation. He watched in horror as he saw his neighbour’s wife being dragged feet-first into the elevator. Her husband’s body was already lying on the tiled floor. He could see three deviants, one was stuffing all manner of foodstuffs into a large green sack. Another was busy breaking down the door of a second neighbour, and the third was now about to press the descend button in the elevator. Julien motioned for everyone to get into the panic room. He’d deliberately left the kitchen refrigerator full of raw meat in case something like this happened.
Sophie tugged her father’s sleeve.
“What about Reuben? He’s at the hardware store.”
“Shit! I’d forgotten about that. Call his mobile and warn him not to come back until you can give him the all clear.”
She made Reuben aware of the situation but he said he couldn’t just wait for her next call.
“I’m coming back. These creatures are very cunning, and I’m not sure your dad’s panic room will prevent them from getting in if they really want to. I can’t take that chance, I’m on my way.”
“No, Reuben, you have to… oh no, he wouldn’t listen, Dad.”
“That’s all we need. What the hell does he think he’s going to do against three of them? Appeal to their Beta side? The three of you have to get into the panic room now, so just do it. When I see Reuben come into the hallway on the camera, I’ll go out there with my pistol. If we stay calm they may be gone before he gets back.”
Sophie, Elise, and Geraldine entered and locked the panic room door from the inside. They then acknowledged Julien’s instruction not to open it again unless he said so.
The situation became more confusing when the deviant who’d used the elevator didn’t return. Julien then figured that the other neighbours on his floor must have been out, because the second deviant came out of the apartment with a green bag full of food, but no victims. This deviant seemed to be in charge, and he shouted instructions to the one next to him to break down Julien’s door while he took both green bags to the elevator. Julien braced himself. It seemed to take an eternity for the reinforced door to concede. As soon as he could get a clear view, several rounds were fired and the deviant dropped to the floor. The hits to the body hadn’t killed him and he began to struggle to his feet. The elevator doors opened just as Julien raised the pistol once again, and shouted, “Stay back, don’t come any closer.”