The Perfect
Pathogen
Mark M. Atkisson
and
J. David Kay
Rhino Air, LLC, Spokane, WA
The Perfect Pathogen is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Mark Atkisson and David Kay
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced, in any manner whatsoever, without the written permission of the authors.
ISBN-13: 978-0-9904854-1-4
ISBN-10: 0990485412
eISBN: 978-0-9904854-0-7
Printed in the United States of America
Visit our Website at: www.ThePerfectPathogen.com
or see us on Facebook: The Perfect Pathogen
Book cover design by: Gary Val Tenuta, [email protected]
Acknowledgements:
The authors wish to thank the following people for their great advice and assistance with the various stages of developing this special work of fiction:
First, our wonderful wives, without whose support our story would still remain locked away in pieces within our imaginations.
To Dr. Marlan Kay, Tim Kok and Jayme Perry for much appreciated initial technical and content reviews.
To our many Facebook friends for allowing us to use you as a sample audience. Your feedback and encouragement has been fabulous!
To our wonderful editor, Susan Harrison.
And to our future book agent—whoever you are—please accept our special thanks in advance.
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
Charles Darwin: English naturalist and geologist
DEDICATION
To all the trailing spouses in the world
.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
Terman’s Termites
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
Dóchas
CHAPTER 10
Chapter 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
Chapter 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
Yuka
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
The Trisomy Gift
CHAPTER 49
EPILOGUE
About the Authors
Prologue
Since the 19th century, the rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans had been steady and, to some, in disappointingly small increments. Starting in the mid-1800s, a massive increase in the human population began in earnest, thanks to the larger food supply, better storage methods, improved medical care, and other mixed benefits of the industrial revolution. For many years scientists were blind to the rise of the Earth's mean surface temperature by about 1.4 °C (2.2 °F). By the 1980s, well over a century later, scientists finally took serious notice, albeit with a large skeptical element doubting the evidence, or understanding the long-term impact of this global warming trend.
Many scientists postulated that the recent warming was the result of industrialization, specifically due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels burned as a byproduct of human activities. But the theory needed evidence to back it up, and over the next two decades, the scientific community assembled enough evidence to prove their hypothesis, and to enable them to garner the enthusiastic support of many world leaders to help them sound the alarm. Various doomsday models were proposed to demonstrate what could happen if people, and in particular those living in industrialized nations, did not unite to undertake drastic measures to alter the output of these harmful gasses.
However, as the evidence mounted, an academic paradox became evident. Concerned scientists were puzzled as to why the previously anticipated negative effects were not appearing, even to a comparatively small degree. Where was the major dramatic climatic impact upon human activity? Where were the rising oceans? The expansion of deserts? The change in precipitation around the globe? The acidic seas? The en masse extinction of species? These seemingly valid questions fueled the debate and delayed world-wide efforts to address the problem effectively and quickly. And humanity dallied while the research and debate went on, scrutinizing the evidence even more, looking for the effects many thought should be visible, but failing to materialize.
Sure, no one doubted the continuing retreat of glaciers and permafrost. All could see it with their own eyes. Indeed, some even welcomed this development as ancient things saw the light of day again, long imprisoned beneath the ice.
But, like frogs in a pan of slowly boiling water, there was something no one saw until it was too late.
Chapter 1
Margaret Anne Smith suffered a heart attack on a Saturday afternoon. She was dead by the following morning. Even though she was in relatively good health, her family was not overly surprised as she was 111 years old. No one could have known she was supposed to live for another five years. Dr. Katie McMann would be the first to suspect something was wrong.
The alarm went off and Katie rolled out of bed to get ready for her presentation later today at the CDC’s Conference on Aging. She had attended and presented at this annual conference for the last fifteen years, ever since she was a graduate student at the University of Maryland. It didn’t matter how many presentations she had given, or how well prepared she was, butterflies always fluttered in her stomach before she started. Luckily, they always disappeared after the first few words were spoken.
As the Supervisory Statistician of the Aging Division, Dr. Kathleen McMann would be presenting the latest statistics on the aging of people in America in contrast to the developed and undeveloped world. The number of centenarians and super-centenarians had been increasing ever since records began, but lately it seemed to plateau, if not slightly decrease. She expected it was all within the margin of error in her analysis. But questions kept popping into her mind: “Are people still living longer or have they hit a glass ceiling? Is there something that is keeping the human race from continuing to obtain even older ages?”
She expected that the increase in the number of people reaching “Super Cent” status, as she liked to call it, those people over 110 years old, would continue in years to come. They would actually have three “Super Cents” and over fifty centenarians at the conference. What a splendid way to present the statistics and the science surrounding their success. These people were truly remarkable, and each had an interesting story to tell. Most were female, but there were a handful of men in the group. “This presentation will make for a great kickoff to the c
onference,” she told herself.
She headed into the bathroom as her husband, Rob, was just finishing up. He always got up about thirty minutes before Katie, although he didn’t leave the house until about an hour after her, engaging in his chore of getting the kids ready for school while she had the stressful commute to the office in Hyattsville, Maryland. She loved her home on the Patuxent River in southern Maryland, but there were times she wished she had a condo near work so she wouldn’t have to commute so far every day. On a good day the drive took fifty-five minutes. Today, however, would be a little better because she was going directly to the conference which was being held on the campus of the University of Maryland. She knew the back roads and wouldn’t have to drive on the dreaded Capital beltway.
“Honey, you about done in there? I have to get ready for my big speech,” said Katie.
“It’s all yours,” he said as he passed her in the hall that connected to their walk-in closet and the bedroom. “You look a little frazzled this morning honey.”
“Just pre-presentation jitters. The story of my life,” Katie replied.
“You always do a great job. I’ve seen you speak at least ten times, and you’re always a big hit. You’re a natural. I know you’ll be great.”
“Thanks sweetie, I can always count on you for a thumbs up. What do you have on your agenda today?” Katie asked.
“Pretty much the same as always. After I drop the kids at their schools, I am headed down to the Center. I am meeting with a developer to look at plans for building a new learning Center and temporary lodging facility for the program participants. I want to make sure the design provides the necessary support for the kids but at the same time I want it to be as normal as possible,” explained Rob.
“Who did you say is paying for the project?”
“I got a donation from a retired business owner, Will Walters, and the State is matching the funds. I still need to raise an additional $500K, but I’ve been working with a network of churches in the tri-county area and I think they’ll come up with the rest. They sure are a generous group of people down here. I’m glad we decided to move here and get involved with the community.”
Rob was the director of a non-profit organization that provided training for disabled young adults between the ages of 15 and 25. Rob founded the program twenty years earlier after the birth of their daughter, Hope, who was born with a genetic defect called Trisomy 21, more commonly known as Down syndrome. As Rob did more research regarding the syndrome, he discovered that children with this disability, along with other disabilities, could actually achieve something akin to a normal life if given the chance. It was his goal to ensure as many kids as possible got that chance.
The purpose of this particular Center was to teach young adults to live on their own. He believed that the skills needed to live independently were also applicable to those needed for employment. Over the last twenty years more than a thousand students had graduated from the program and were now successfully living alone or with partners. They ranged in age from 20 to 45. Most of the graduates were either working for pay or doing volunteer work in the community. Five previous graduates were currently working at the Center. Rob particularly enjoyed getting the group together periodically to meet with the younger students. They were a great source of motivation to the current class, as well as to Rob, who was so proud of all their accomplishments.
The new buildings would complement the current training Center by providing transition housing for fifty students. His program had been so successful that it was a magnet attracting young adults from all around the region, and the waiting list for the Center was long. This addition to the training program would help accelerate the progress of his charges so he could increase his annual enrollment figures.
“I love living in southern Maryland too,” said Katie. “I just hate this commute. I think I’ll look into the telecommuting program so I don’t have to do this drive every day. It’d be such a relief.”
“Great idea. You wouldn’t even have to get out of your bedroom slippers,” he chuckled.
Katie glanced at the clock and said: “I have to get going or else I’ll be late. I’ll be down stairs in about twenty minutes. Would you put some coffee in my travel mug? I’ll grab a breakfast bar on the way out the door.”
“That’s not a great breakfast,” commented Rob. “You need food to sustain you at your conference.”
“I’ll grab something off the breakfast buffet when I get there. Don’t worry about me.”
Fifteen minutes later, as Rob was waking the children, Katie came in and gave them quick bedside kisses. This had become the standard routine in the morning, and the kids loved the attention from both of their parents. Seconds later, Katie was out the door and in her car, and shortly turning on to Route 4 for her drive into the campus, wondering if she had forgotten something. Her mind had been playing tricks on her lately, but she figured it was due to lack of sleep. “Oh, well,” she thought, “I have the program memorized and I emailed the presentation to my assistant Beth yesterday, so everything should be set.”
CHAPTER 2
With the kids ready and packed into the 2006 Chrysler Pacifica, Rob began his drop-off routine. Sam, the youngest, was in 9th grade at Huntingtown High School; Brett was in 12th grade and would graduate with the Class of 2016 next summer. Hope was attending morning classes at the College of Southern Maryland to improve her business, administrative, and office management skills. Once they had all been safely delivered, Rob would then make his way to his office.
The kids loved their dad taking them to school. It allowed them to sleep an extra half hour, skipping the wait at the bus stop in the mornings. But the bus was a good option for getting home, since Rob’s work normally kept him at the office until late afternoon. Hope would finish school late morning and then take county transportation from the community college to the County Offices in Prince Frederick where she was serving an internship. She expected to be living on her own by the New Year, if everything worked out as planned. One of her co-workers at the county was looking into two-bedroom apartments in the center of town that they could share for a reasonable price. Hope’s life was on track.
When Rob arrived at work, a couple of his staff greeted him. They currently had about seventy-five students enrolled at the Center. Some were in training courses for basic life skills which could last several years. Others were involved in advanced training, which was reserved for those who were getting close to graduation. Living alone was hard enough for any young adult, let alone those with special needs. These kids, with their varying degree of disabilities, faced even greater challenges. Yet, with hard work and encouragement from their families and the staff, they were able to show steady improvement until they reached the goal of being self-sufficient.
Rob’s number two was Marjorie Kline -- called Marge by everyone -- and she had been with the Center from its inception. She had an incredible knack for understanding the needs of the students, and was known for her loving care and unlimited patience. She had graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Clinical Social Work. Shortly after graduation, her parents were in a serious car accident. Her father died at the scene and her mother was paralyzed from the neck down. As an only child, her reaction to this curve ball was to spend the next five years caring for her mother until her mother finally lost her will to live and passed away.
Following her mother’s death, she was sifting through family documents during the settling of the estate and discovered that she was adopted. Her parents had taken her home as a newborn directly from the hospital. She suspected she was the result of an unwanted teen pregnancy, and her heart was never really into trying to find her real parents, though she did try. But the reality was that she had just wanted to move on with her life.
The job at the Center came up at exactly the right time for her, and she threw herself fully into the work, drawing on the experience of her own feelings of helplessness as she watched her moth
er deteriorate, to help these young adults find their way in the world. She had found her calling and immersed herself in this labor of love. Rob was happy Marge was here, for without her, his job would be infinitely more difficult.
It was almost 10 a.m. and the developer was due any time. Rob could hardly wait to get started on this new project. The Center was located on the Charles County side of the Patuxent River, just over the Route 231 Bridge. He had accumulated about 1200 acres of land over the years. Some purchased, some donated. One section reached all the way down to the river. Overall, there were around fifteen buildings. The main building was the schoolhouse and dining facility. The remainder were out-buildings that served to teach teamwork using agricultural skills. About twenty acres of land were currently under cultivation.
The site also had twelve green houses that were able to grow all the food the Center used, and the students ran a farm stand on the main road to sell much of the excess. Students were taught to manage all aspects of agricultural projects, including the accounting, sales, inventory, and planning. Rob thought these skills brought everyone back to basics and that they were necessary for everyday living, whether you worked in an office, on a farm, or on an assembly line in a factory.
The one thing missing from this facility was an onsite living experience. All students were day students. Rob knew from discussion with other Centers and professionals in the area of independent living, that giving these young adults the “on your own” experience in a controlled environment could greatly enhance their probability of success later on. Creating housing units to board the students -- or housing pods, as Rob called them -- would do just that.
At 10 a.m. sharp, Mr. Shaw, the Lead Engineer for the housing project, pulled up to the main building. Rob met him with a wide smile. “Good morning Mr. Shaw.”
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