The Premise

by Andy Crossfield

  Each of the inmates complained of the same thing; persistent stomach pain that increased when they ate, accompanied by severe joint pain, mostly in the hips and shoulders. Each had lost weight and suffered a lack of energy as well. It could be flu symptoms, but then again, he could find no inmate not in the Termes program that had the same symptoms. Either something else was going on, or this was the least infectious flu virus he’d ever seen.

  Mark took blood samples from each inmate, and then began his work in the lab. He didn’t see anything obviously wrong under the microscope. He then prepared and submitted genetic tests on the first group of patients to be run that night.

  He looked at his watch and suddenly felt tired. He had been going since six this morning and this had been a day like he couldn’t remember. He decided to go back and lie down for a bit, but he couldn’t rest. Too much had happened, and too many threats and dangers existed, each swirling in his head, competing for Top of Mind anguish.

  He remembered the decision to counter his dread by staying busy, and pulled out Colleen’s data. He decided he would call her tomorrow with his initial opinions. She, at least, would be glad to hear from him.

  Halfway through her data, he fell asleep.

  Mark woke the next morning feeling better. An extra hour of sleep helped, as did having a clean, vermin-free room. He showered and dressed and went out in search of nourishment.

  After a big breakfast, Mark went to the clinic to examine the results of his tests on the inmates.

  The results pointed not to the flu, but to a rare genetic disorder called Wolman disease, which was present in various stages in each of the inmates. While not immediately fatal, it was painfully debilitating and without a cure, most patients died prematurely. The curious thing was that the disease normally appeared only in infants or toddlers. Mark searched the Internet but could find no cases of Wolman's that began in adults. He realized the finding would result in Termes' immediate suspension until its cause could be identified and eliminated.

  When Mark initially agreed to make the genetic changes to the consumer, not the plant being consumed, it seemed the logical thing to do. As early as 2015, genetic code customization had become accepted by the public in the fields of cancer research and immunologic vaccine production. Mark was just the first to adapt it to something so basic as nutrition.

  While each person’s genetic makeup was slightly different, the genetics of the process of human digestion was fairly uniform. Making permanent, customized genetic changes in the person seemed more efficient than continually modifying individual crops. Besides, it was always Mark’s hope that he would hit on some way to improve digestion efficiency for all of humanity, thus eliminating malnutrition in the Third World.

  To accomplish this, Mark set about creating a computer program that would analyze the individual’s genetic makeup and design a custom viral mutator that would establish the necessary genetic changes in each patient. That would enable the individual to break down cellulose as well as the other, nutritious parts of the plant.

  Wolman disease was a disease with no cure because the 'garbage disposal unit' of the cell– called lysosomes were so critical to each cell’s function. Without the ability to break down and clear toxins that built up in the cell, a person would soon begin to bloat, then vomit, and finally lose consciousness.

  Mark called Ramy to tell him the news, but was told he had been called downtown once again by the police. He left word for Ramy to call him when he returned.

  What have they’ve found now? Mark wondered. He envisioned Ramy, sweating under a bright light in a dark room, being interrogated until he spilled his guts. Mark didn’t want to think about it, but he was beginning to realize he might not be able to return to Chicago after all.

  While he waited for the confirming genetic tests to be run, he called Colleen. She was thrilled to hear from him and promised not to leave any more messages on his machine, a promise for which Mark was grateful.

  He said he had started his review, not mentioning falling asleep, while assuring her he would have a full review by their lunch on Friday.

  "Fabulous," said Colleen. "I get in tomorrow night and can’t wait to hear what you think!"

  At 9:30, Kyle brought in the next group of inmates in the program. Mark instructed the nurse to see that blood was taken and recorded from each of the inmates while he and Kyle went for coffee.

  "Well, you look better this morning Dr. Moran!" Kyle said as they walked over to the cafeteria.

  Mark stopped Kyle in the parking lot and put his hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Kyle, but I’m afraid I don’t feel much better. Remember I said I might need some help?"

  "Yeah,"

  "Well, this thing may go higher than I originally thought. Kyle, have you ever heard Hank Caswell mention somebody named Senator Deason?"

  "No, but then again, I try not to hang out with that asshole, remember?"

  "How about a guy named William Downs?" Mark asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

  "No, I’m not really in the inner circle out there, you understand. I could ask Brenda though. She’d know who he meets with." Kyle offered, trying to help.

  "No, she’s too close. For now I’ll just have to assume he’s got friends in high places."

  Mark became quiet as he pondered the importance of another dead end to his search for a solution. He wanted to tell Kyle about his findings, about the 'flu' that was sweeping the prison, but he decided to hold that information back just in case he couldn’t trust Kyle after all.

  "If there’s anything I can do to help, you just let me know, okay doc?" Kyle said, with a look of concern on his face.

  "I will," said Mark, slapping Kyle’s back as they headed for coffee. Mark hoped he could count on him when he needed him.

  They had their coffee, talked sports and the weather, and returned to the clinic. Kyle was called back to the prison, and Mark submitted more samples for genetic testing and was headed back to his room when his phone rang.

  "Mark," said Ramy. "I’ve been at the police station all day. I feel like a suspect in this thing Mark… they’re keeping the details to themselves but they grilled me on the break-in again."

  "What did you tell them Ramy?" Mark asked; now wishing he had spent more time with him yesterday getting a story straight.

  "I told them we had a security 'event' but can’t be sure it occurred during Walter’s visit. I don’t think they bought it though. Oh, and his name isn’t Walter, its Joe Pittman, from somewhere out near where you are– some place called Brisbee."

  Mark stopped in mid-thought, turning this new piece over in his mind and coming to only one conclusion. Could it really be that simple, he wondered? Was ReformCo behind this whole thing? Was this just a plan to avoid paying IFT royalties for Termes during their expansion?

  The pieces fit neatly enough. William worked through ReformCo to push Ramy to develop Termes. Then he gets Mark to compromise security, and Hank sends Walter, or, Joe to steal it. That connection must be how Hank knew about the Regal Inn.

  William and Hank must be working together, but Mark realized that just figuring out the plan was not enough. And where did the senator fit in? He had to find a way to use this new knowledge as leverage. Mark knew he had to apply pressure to make Hank back down, but how? Figuring that out would be tricky. Too much pushing, and Hank might just overreact, something Mark resolved to avoid.

  Mark’s most immediate decision was now made simple. Clearly he could not tell Ramy about the plot he suspected. Ramy was almost a regular down at police headquarters these days; he better not give him that information to let slip… plausible deniability and all. Nothing good could come of Ramy putting the cops on Hank Caswell’s scent. Especially since Hank could implicate Mark in Walter’s murder.

  "Ramy? Did the police say anything else?

  "That’s just it Mark, they don’t say anything, they just ask questions… over and over again. Its exhausting!" Mark could hear Ramy getting worked up again.r />
  "Okay, focus Ramy. So where do you stand… did they say what was next?"

  Mark hoped the police would hit a dead end. If Joe Pittman had covered his tracks as he suspected, there was a chance the cops would be left without a motive. Mark wondered how they knew there had been a break in… he hoped it was just an educated guess, trying to link the security badge and Joe’s cut up hands. If that were the case, it might lead nowhere. Termes was not recovered, that much Mark knew for sure. Pittman must have e-mailed it to William before arriving at the motel.

  So what if the cops knew he was from Brisbee, Mark thought. Everybody had to be from somewhere, right? He realized he could ask Kyle if he knew Pittman, but only if he decided he could really trust Kyle.

  "They’re coming over here first thing in the morning to talk to Security and to review our video. I should know more tomorrow." Ramy said, sounding completely defeated.

  "Well, Ramy," Mark said in a deliberate voice, "I have some bad news for you on Termes. I haven’t told Hank yet, but it looks like there is definitely genetic damage being caused out here. All the recipients have developed Wolman disease. I’ll work up some profiles to send back to you at the lab, but until we determine the specific cause, I’m afraid Termes is pulled. I have no idea how Hank will take the news, but he’s a real ball buster… it’s not going to be pretty."

  Mark certainly didn’t want to add to Ramy’s stress level, but he thought having a professional challenge to chew on just might pull him back from the edge and center him on the task ahead.

  They spoke a bit longer, trying to second guess the police and their motives, but in the end, Mark convinced Ramy to instruct Security to come clean about the break in and its connection to Walter’s visit. After all, Security only knew that Walter had gained entrance to the sixth floor; nobody but Ramy and Mark knew he had also stolen a copy of Termes.

  Mark calmed Ramy by pointing out as far as Security and the police could prove, Walter panicked and fled out the elevator shaft without compromising anything at all. Mark guessed the cops might even come to the conclusion that his partner offed him because he bungled the heist, but then immediately regretted mentioning the theory for fear that Ramy might offer it to the police as an explanation. Better and more believable to let them figure it out themselves.

  "Simple is better, Ramy. I’ll be home on Saturday and by then all this will have blown over. You’ll see," Mark said trying his best to reassure them both.

  Mark hung up the phone and sat in his room thinking for a long time. He knew he had enough to threaten Hank, but probably just enough to cause a stalemate, not affect a permanent solution to his problems.

  He began to feel as if his problems were compounding on themselves. No solution he could think of made everything go away, in fact most caused even larger problems. He tried to comfort himself by thinking how much he had discovered in the past day, and that perhaps tomorrow would provide the total solution to his problems.

  Mark went to the fridge and opened a beer, then began studying Colleen’s research data again, trying to take his mind off his own worries. This time he wasn’t so tired, and he poured over her work in earnest. Colleen was right, he did find it fascinating. Her solution to finding a cure for AIDS was to turn the HIV organism against itself. Truly elegant, he thought. If only he could find a way to do that with his own problem....

  He was pleased that Colleen had included background information on her trial subjects. It made assessing any clinical improvement much easier. Mark remembered what a conscientious student Colleen had been, so he began with a broad assumption: that Colleen was diligent enough to analyze the biology at work in her serum. A brief review of the study’s conclusions thus far indicated that in fact, she had succeeded in obtaining remarkable results in suppressing AIDS, though he couldn’t yet say if she had cured the disease or not.

  Mark decided to approach his review from a different standpoint. It was vitally important to try to identify what other changes were occurring in their physiology, their attitudes, their 'being' so to speak, so as to identify possible side-effects and head off another disaster like that with Termes.

  He pulled out the physicals for each patient along with their intake and exit interviews. He was looking for any emotional or physiological changes that could be attributed to the serum. He began to see some significant patterns, and developed a series of questions for his meeting with Colleen on Friday. To keep track of his observations, he scribbled a few thoughts in the margins, and then went to lunch.

  _________________________

  A freak snowstorm hit Chicago with a sudden fierceness, choking the morning commute and flaring tempers. Colleen wasn’t sure if she would be able to get out, but she had a lot riding on this trip to Vegas and she was not about to be stopped by mere weather. After a harrowing cab ride through the snow, she made it to O'Hare with just minutes to spare.

  She hadn’t wanted to take such an early flight to Vegas, preferring instead to work on her presentation at the lab. But the alternate flights connected through other, out of the way cities, and this direct flight, although early, would leave her time to work on her speech at the hotel.

  Despite the weather, her day was beginning to brighten.

  ___________________________

  Captain Chambers cancelled again, so Mark spent Thursday afternoon in the clinic keeping busy, reviewing the patient histories and familiarizing himself with the inmates general state of health. He found marked increases in metabolism occurring about the same time the Termes project was started. Then about six weeks later, the metabolism started to decline, nutrition absorption was reduced, and energy levels flattened out. All signs pointed to some type of tolerance being built up in the subjects, similar to the effects of dependency. The disturbing thing was the severity of the downside and the fact that the subjects didn’t seem to recover to a stable level that approached their previous one.

  This would take much more investigation than he was able to accomplish here, but the important thing was that the review supported his initial conclusion: Termes was causing harm.

  Mark thought again about Hank and the immediate threat he presented. Colleen’s research had given him the germ of an idea. He’d admired how she solved her problem by turning the HIV invader against itself. Could he somehow find a way to turn Hank’s threat against him, distracting Hank long enough to get out of harms way?

  Mark pulled out his phone. A quick search on 'Senator Deason' found he was the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary committee. One of the senator’s pet projects was getting something called "Rebuild America" passed. That bill sought to use cheap prison labor to continue the infrastructure build-out that began after the election in 2012.

  The idea was proposed as a win-win for the country. As more and more jobs returned to the US because of the economic calamity in Europe and China, the unemployment rate in the US fell hard. That fact, combined with so many baby boomers retiring, meant the available labor pool dropped to record lows. For the first time in decades, jobs in the US were going unfilled. Projects had to be put on hold because of the now sky high labor costs. This pushed the cost of replacing vital infrastructure to its breaking point. Solution? Rebuild America, a plan that depended on the growing trend to privatize prisons around the country, by granting contracts to corporations like ReformCo, that would provide low cost labor for the projects.

  Mark was stunned at how a simple Internet search had provided him not only with the missing piece of his puzzle, but also with his first truly usable leverage. He only hoped it wasn’t too little too late.

  He carefully constructed the sequence of his next move. He called the base motor pool and confirmed his car in the morning for his lunch meeting with Colleen. He finished his evaluation of Termes, then went across to the clinic, packed up the samples, his report, and the profiles he’d promised Ramy, and dropped them in the overnight mail chute.

  To insure there would be no tampering of his data that coul
d then be used to produce contradictory findings, he collected all the residual samples from both days’ tests and dumped them in the incinerator. Then he deleted his backup files on the clinic computer.

  When all traces of his work had been destroyed, he went to the Base Exchange, bought a phone card, and then bought himself a drink, …and then another.

  When Mark returned from dinner, Captain Chambers was waiting for him at the lab. Chambers apologized for being absent during his stay.

  "That’s okay, Captain," Mark said. I’ve been entertaining myself around here… and besides, you’re allowed to cancel; aren’t you the only guys protecting the country these days?" Mark said with a wry smile, remembering their conversation about how nobody really knew what Chamber's unit did.

  "Oh, right, I got the free world right here," Captain Chambers said with a grin and pointing to his shoulder. "If you’ve already had dinner, how about we catch up at lunch tomorrow?"