The Perfect Pathogen

by Mark Atkisson

  “Yes mom,” they all said as they headed down the hall to the bathroom and their rooms.

  “…and you young man,” said Katie to Rob with a smile, “I have something special in mind for you tonight,” as she grabbed his hand and they headed to their room on the other side of the house.

  CHAPTER 16

  Katie decided to go directly to the Headquarters Building in the morning. She could work out of one of the offices while she waited for the meeting to start. On her way in she called Beth to see what was happening at her office.

  “Hi Beth, anything going on this morning?”

  “Things seem to be back to a relative normal. I saw the folder of emails you sent me. I will sort through them today and try to figure out how to answer them. I am also trying to keep statistics on the deaths. They are really coming in quick from your centenarian group. From the looks of it, it won’t be long until they are all victims of this disease.”

  “I have a meeting with Sarah at 10 a.m., then I’ll come back to the office. I’ll call just before the meeting to see if you can give me an update on people in our longevity study. It would be a good data point to use to stress the urgency behind finding a solution.”

  “Okay, I will have you something by 9:30 a.m. Talk to you later,” said Beth.

  When Katie entered the Director’s outer office she was greeted by Sarah’s secretary.

  “You’re early.”

  “Yes, I thought I’d save some time by coming straight here. Do you have an office space I could use for work until the meeting begins?” asked Katie.

  “Sure, you can use the conference room again. There aren’t any meetings in there until the digital video conference with the Secretary at 10:00.”

  “That’s great. Thank you,” Katie said as she entered the conference room.

  Katie logged on to the computer and went to work looking at the remainder of her emails. She had received an additional 238 overnight, most going to a file marked “Longevity Project.” She would now be able to sort through the rest. She noticed there was an email from Jim Redman, the National Security Advisor. After a brief update about Dr. White’s team, he wanted to know when the “live batch” test results would be analyzed. She quickly scanned her emails and verified that the blood sample data had not yet been received. If she remembered correctly, Sarah mentioned yesterday that she would receive them around noon. Then she opened an email from Dr. Shah. He wanted to meet with her about thirty minutes before the DVC to discuss his hypothesis regarding the selectivity of the disease. She sent a quick email to Ben telling him that she was working out of the conference room this morning. In addition, there were four more batches of test data to run through her algorithm when she got back to her office.

  Sarah stuck her head through the door of the conference room and saw Katie working at the computer.

  “Hi Katie,” hesitating as she greeted her. She wasn’t sure what her frame of mind would be now she knew she was positive for the test she had designed.

  “Oh, hi Sarah. I decided to come straight here this morning to avoid the traffic. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all. I was thinking about setting up an office for you here anyway as we work on solving this problem. What do you think?” asked Sarah.

  “I guess that would be good. I would be closer to you and Dr. Shah so it would be easier to collaborate and participate in the DVCs. Beth could hold down the fort in Hyattsville while I am down here.”

  “I’ll have my assistant get on it today,” Sarah said. “You can plan on coming to your new office here on Monday morning.”

  “Okay,” said Katie. The drive would be a little more difficult she thought, but not if she came early and left late, like she had been doing lately.

  “There is one other thing I would like to share with you. Could you step into my office for a second?” said Sarah.

  Katie entered the room and shut the door behind her.

  “This “live batch” blood test group that you should be receiving soon came from the blood bank at WRNMMC in Bethesda. Know that it contains the blood from some very important people. The samples are numbered similar to all of the data that you have received and the numbers correlate to individuals. All of the blood was drawn within the last six months. In addition, there are some other samples that were added, such as mine and Dr. Shah’s along with some other key players working on this problem. This data is very sensitive, so I want to stress to you the importance of being certain of your assessment of each sample. We don’t want to give the wrong information to someone, if you know what I mean,” explained Sarah.

  “I do know what you mean and I will be very careful. I don’t want to be a pessimist, but I will be surprised if they don’t all come up positive,” Katie replied. “This is based on my initial review of the longevity data. Of course this is all just a theory right now, as are the tests themselves. But it’s all I have right now.”

  “I understand,” said Sarah, with a muted look of alarm on her face. “Well, if everyone has it, then we should be able to get people to double down on their efforts to find the source and develop a cure,” said Sarah.

  “Indeed,” Katie replied. “I think we will have a better idea this afternoon, after I have had a chance to look at the test results.”

  As Katie said this there was a knock at the door. It was Dr. Ben Shah.

  “Hi, am I interrupting anything?” he said with a smile.

  “No, we were just discussing Katie’s doomsday scenario. I don’t think I like it, but it is all we’ve got,” said Sarah.

  “Well, I was going to meet with Katie to discuss my theory regarding how I think the disease works to see if it agrees with her longevity data,” said Ben. “If you would like to join us we can have the discussion right here.”

  “I think I would like to hear this,” said Sarah.

  Ben started by explaining what he thought about the damage to the victim’s internal organs and brain. He asked specialists to look for specific signs of aging, such as hardening of the arteries, or atrophy changes to the brain. His theory was that this disease was causing people to age more rapidly than normal, but he didn’t think it was uniform among everyone. There were some people who were predisposed to have a heart condition or brain aneurism and he thought the disease would have a more rapid effect on them because they were already suffering from some type of silent killer. The rest of the population would just be aging rapidly, maybe not so much that it could be seen on the skin, but only on the inside, in the organs and brain, the parts that keep the body functioning.

  “So, based on what I have just explained, I think that when the rapid aging occurs the individual has the remainder of their life to live rapidly. What I mean by that is that when the pathogen becomes active in a person’s body, they start to age at a pace that could be ten times, fifty times or maybe even one hundred times the normal rate. Assuming the hundred times normal rate, and given normal life expectancy, I would estimate that someone who is 40 years old would have six months to live. That is, six months until the inside of their body was functioning like that of an 80 year old. This would result in what we have been seeing, mainly strokes and heart attacks,” explained Ben.

  “This seems plausible based on the causes of death I have in my centenarian control group,” said Katie. “Talking about this group, I got a call from Beth about twenty minutes ago and she said that over two thirds of my control group has died in the past five days, and I was tracking a little over 3,000 people.”

  “Wow,” said Sarah. “On that note, the DVC starts in about ten minutes. I plan on sharing your theories with the group unless either of you have any objections.”

  “None here,” said Ben.

  “Do you think we should wait for the results from the expanded testing of live samples until we present my theory?” Katie asked.

  “I think we need to give our leaders everything we have at this stage, even it is only speculative. They don’t have anything else
and we need to prepare them for the worst. Also, your theories may tie in with some other data they have received from our American and world partners,” explained Sarah.

  They all agreed that Sarah would broach the subject and then Ben and Katie would explain their respective theories. Katie didn’t know if she was ready to take on this task in this setting, but she didn’t have a choice. She would surely rise to the occasion she told herself, but first she needed to go pee.

  CHAPTER 17

  Rob headed off to work not knowing what to think. The kids were safe, at least for today. But what if everybody was sick, what if everybody was going to die, why keep pushing, he thought? Why not take it easy and just enjoy his family for the next six months? He shook himself out of this mindset and thought, what if everybody gave up? What good would that do? Who would run the power plants to provide electricity, who would pick up the trash, who would stock the grocery stores, keep the internet running, provide security, put out fires, and provide for other emergency services? The list went on and on in his head. This could be a real disaster if it wasn’t handled just right, he mused.

  When he arrived at the Center he was happy to see that the housing project was well on its way. Out across the vast meadow the colored flags were rapidly being replaced by trenches, gravel and cement. Four of the six huge cement septic tanks were in place and the fifth was being delivered on a truck next to one of the pits. It looked like they may already be one day ahead of schedule, he thought. The forecast was clear skies for the next two weeks too, so with any luck at all maybe one of the prefab units, or pods, could start to be positioned by the end of next week.

  He visited with the students and they were excited about the project. They all wanted to be one of the first students to get to live in the new pods. Bill Shaw had promised to take the students through the project to explain how it was being designed and how it would work when fully finished. Rob would talk to him about this today and schedule something for next Monday.

  As he was returning to the office, Marge walked out the door.

  “Hi Rob, how are you this morning?”

  “Just looking at the progress being already made gives me goose bumps, Marge” he said. “It is incredible how quickly things are moving. How is everything with you?”

  “Pretty good. Any word from your wife on what is causing all of the deaths. It seems like the ambulances and funeral homes are operating non-stop. It is getting to be a little unnerving to say the least,” said Marge.

  “No breakthrough yet, I don’t think they know why people are dying. Katie says that the autopsies reveal that the victims have damage to their internal organs, but it is not clear what is causing the damage. It is frankly a little scary, Marge. But I have faith that there will be a solution to the problem,” he continued. “I am going to stop by Saint John Vianney and talk to Father Jones later today and see how they are coping.”

  “Bill said he would be by around eleven this morning to give you a status update on the project. Based on what I am seeing, it looks like it is going pretty well. These guys aren’t lollygagging around one bit. They hit the ground running each day. Did you give them special pills or something? They must get paid by the job and not by the hour,” Marge said laughing.

  With a good chuckle himself, Rob went about the business of the Center. When Bill arrived, they went into the conference room where Rob had taped a large blueprint of the project on the wall.

  “Rob, I am very pleased with the progress my construction teams are making,” Bill said. “They have decided to work on Saturday also to finish up the septic systems if that is alright with you, as your project is about all we have going right now, what with all these deaths and such.”

  “That is fine with me, Bill. The quicker the project is finished the better. It is a little disruptive to the students, but in the long run the improvements will more than make up for any inconvenience,” said Rob.

  Bill briefly explained where they stood on his timeline and what additional infrastructure had to be put in place before the modular structures could be positioned.

  “I see you have started to pour the foundations for some of the pods. How long after a foundation is in place until you can place a pod?”

  “I’d say at least forty-eight hours,” Bill replied. “We expect to have all the foundations in place by Tuesday. The first pod will arrive next Wednesday and we will place it on the left, where the foundation has already been completed. Then we will move from left to right. I think we are on schedule. If the weather holds, I expect to be complete in five to six weeks, since all materials are on hand and I don’t expect any problems with the necessary inspections.”

  “This is all great to hear,” exclaimed Rob. “Please let me know if you run into any problems.”

  “I will,” Bill said. “The only thing we have had to work around is the funerals. A lot of the guys have lost grandparents because of the bug that is going around. I sure hope they find the cure for it before too many more people die.”

  “Me too,” said Rob as he shook his head. “Me too.”

  Rob thought he would surprise Hope at school. He knew that she would be out of class in a few minutes, so he headed up the road to the College of Southern Maryland to pick her up before she boarded the County bus. As he arrived, he saw Hope coming out of the building with some friends. She recognized the Blue Pacifica and came running at full speed.

  “Hi daddy! Why are you here?”

  “I just thought it would be nice to have lunch with my beautiful daughter. Are you free for lunch?”

  “You know I am,” laughed Hope.

  They drove into Prince Frederick to Hope’s favorite restaurant, Panera Bread.

  “So what do you want to eat, Hope?” Rob asked.

  “The same as always daddy. A bowl of chicken noodle soup and a chocolate chip cookie. I love their cookies.”

  Rob ordered and they got their food and sat down in a booth to eat. The place was always busy at lunch, but that was ok, because Hope liked to watch the people coming and going. She was always on the lookout for some of her old friends from high school or her current friends from the Center too.

  After a few minutes Hope asked, “What are you doing today daddy.”

  “I am working,” said Rob with his mouth full as he chewed his sandwich.

  “I know you are working, but what are you working at? That’s what I mean.”

  “Oh, I was reviewing the new housing project at the Center with the developer and I am going to meet with Father Jones at the church after lunch with you,” Rob replied.

  “Why are you going to meet with Father Jones?” she asked.

  “I just want to check in with him to see how everything is going. He was instrumental in helping us to get the money we needed for the new housing at the Center.”

  “Oh, I thought maybe you were going to ask him about why God was letting all of the old people die. I have been talking to friends at work and at school and they say a lot of old people are dying. Are my grandparents ok?”

  “Yes, they are doing fine,” Rob said. “Remember, we are going to visit them on Sunday.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s right. It will be so much fun,” said Hope.

  “Well, I better get you over to work so you won’t be late,” said Rob as he finished his sandwich.

  Rob dropped Hope off at the door to the Calvert County Government offices and he watched her as she walked down the hall. He thought maybe she should be one of the first to move into the new housing at the Center. She has become so independent. She would be a good example to the other students too, and it would help her to continue to grow. Then for a brief moment a shadow appeared over his thoughts as he considered the fact that they may all be dead soon.

  Rob turned left on Main Street and arrived at the church about thirty seconds later. His appointment was in ten minutes so he would have some free time to walk around the grounds.

  Walking by the cemetery, the first thing that stru
ck Rob was the number of new graves. It was hard to take in: there must have been over fifty fresh graves. He knew there were many people dying, but not until now did he realize the true impact on so many families. He tried to shake the thought of the space that was left in the cemetery being filled to capacity.

  Father Jones was standing in the doorway of the Rectory to greet Rob.

  “Hi Father, how are you doing today?” asked Rob.

  “As you can see we have been busy with funerals. The columbarium is now full. I honestly don’t know where we will bury the dead next. At this rate the entire church yard will be covered with headstones before too long,” lamented Father Jones.

  “In the midst of all of this bad news, I wanted to bring you some good news,” Rob said cheerily. “The housing project at the Center is well underway. The developer expects to have the one hundred and fifty housing units in place within six weeks. They already have most of the septic systems installed and have made great progress with the foundations for the buildings. Isn’t that something?”

  “That is good news, and I hope I get to see the finished product. I don’t know what God has in store for me but I know he could take me anytime, as he has done with such a large number of our parishioners already,” he said. “I am so happy that our young people seem to be safe from this epidemic.”

  Father Jones was 68 years old and fairly fit. One would have expected that he would live to be 80 or 85. But with this disease going around, no one could really tell how long he had left.

  “I had lunch with Hope and I told her I was stopping by to see you this afternoon, Father. She asked me if I was going to ask you why God was letting all of the old people die.”

  “Sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways,” said Father Jones. “Mysterious ways, indeed. I am reminded of a quote from Corey ten Boom, you know, the special Dutch lady whose writings I like so much. In her book “The Hiding Place” she wrote: