Variations on Humanity (WorldWalker Trilogy Book 3)

by Paul Eslinger

  Another reporter pushed close. “I thought you lived in Jetmore, Kansas.”

  “I do. What is the problem today?”

  The first reporter bristled at the interference. Her voice was strident. “The World Health Organization says two Abantu caused an Ebola outbreak in Africa.”

  Rhona didn’t smile. “You need to do your homework.”

  The second reporter pushed her microphone closer. “What do you mean?”

  “The BBC aired a totally fabricated story implying the Abantu had something to do with an Ebola outbreak.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Ratings and market share.”

  The first reported butted back in. “Do you have proof?”

  Rhona smiled. “Go back and listen to the broadcast. All Abantu women are the same height and all Abantu men are six inches shorter than the women–an obvious lie.”

  “Anything else?”

  “It said no current vaccine or medicine is effective against Ebola. He was wrong, again.”

  The second reporter got in the next question. “Where is this miracle cure?”

  “We are sending a chariot with two types of medicine to the village to Africa. It should arrive there within the hour. One type of medicine eliminates the virus within a day. The second type is a vaccine. It takes twelve weeks to administer, but it makes the person immune to viral infections.”

  “Where did this new medicine come from?”

  “It was designed by the Abantu. My parents, Charles and Judith Lantier, head up a new company holding worldwide production and distribution rights.”

  “You plan to make a lot of money,” shouted one of the reporters.

  “Of course, but the end result will be much healthier people.”

  The reporters continued pestering her and Rhona soon realized they had no interest in learning the truth. Rather, they were looking for a new headline to catapult their show into the limelight. She kept her poise, but she finally held up her hand. “That’s all the questions I will answer today.”

  Her comment had no effect on the reporters, who followed her to the door of the office spouting questions, comments, and innuendos. Rhona opened the door and backed into the waiting room, fending off the pushiest reporter. Rhona leaned against the door and pushed it shut, flipping the lever to lock it.

  “Obnoxious, aren’t they?”

  The comment from Elaine’s familiar voice surprised Rhona. She spun around and saw Elaine, Joan and Kelly in the waiting room and Diana in the receptionist’s office talking on the phone. “Terrible,” she agreed.

  Joan gestured at Diana. “We only have one more day before we shut down for the holidays. Diana is rescheduling today’s patients.”

  “What is that all about?” Elaine asked as she gestured at the parking lot.

  “The BBC ran a story about the Abantu implying they caused an Ebola outbreak in Africa. We don’t give media interviews at the embassy and these folks couldn’t travel to Africa, so they decided to create their own story using medical people associated with the Abantu.”

  “So you came here to get them to go away?”

  Rhona nodded. The reporters and cameramen had gone back to the vans, but the vehicles weren’t moving. “That was the idea. We’ll see if it works.”

  Diana finished her phone call and hurried into the waiting room. She gave Rhona a hug. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  “Likewise.” Rhona gave Diana a squeeze while thinking fast. The money she had invested in the dental clinic was a small drop in the bucket of her total investments through the Abantu financial empire. Maybe she could sweeten the deal and recruit Elaine and Diana while getting the others to stay in Rapid City.

  Rhona looked down at Diana. “Did you cancel the rest of the appointments for this morning?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s talk, then.” Rhona gestured around. “There’s enough room we can talk here.”

  Rhona leaned back in a comfortable chair and studied her fingertips while the others found places to sit. “We need to hire more people in Jetmore. I invite all four of you to move there and work for us.”

  “Who is us?” Joan asked.

  “There’s a convoluted explanation, but in short, Laura is the head of the Abantu living on Earth. She ultimately controls the decision making.”

  Kelly cocked her head sideways. “Laura? Abantu?”

  “What would we do?” Diana asked before waiting for Rhona to answer the previous question.

  “Initially, you would work in the medical company we are forming.”

  “I didn’t know they had one,” Elaine responded and then she shook her head.

  Rhona pointed at the window. “The BBC didn’t have their facts straight about the cause but there is an emerging Ebola problem in Cameroon. My father and mother and a couple of other people should arrive there just after sunup. They will distribute a drug that cures Ebola within a day.”

  “That’s really great,” Diana said.

  Joan and Kelly looked at each other. “Do you have positions for dentists?” Joan asked.

  “We have a good business going here,” Kelly added, quickly.

  “You do,” Rhona agreed. She then looked at Diana. “However, are you interested in coming to work for me in Jetmore?”

  “Yes,” Diana said enthusiastically, and then she looked around with a sheepish grin.

  Rhona shifted her attention to Elaine. “How about you?”

  “I enjoyed the time I spent with you down there–most of it, that is.” Elaine wound a lock of her long black hair around one finger and closed her eyes in concentration. Finally, she nodded. “I’m willing to move there and work for you–or Laura.”

  “What about you two?” Rhona asked and looked at the dentists.

  “We have a good practice,” Joan said.

  “Yeah,” Kelly agreed.

  A smile crossed Rhona’s face as she gestured at the media vans still in the parking lot. The others had made the decisions she wanted, but she could sweeten the deal and ensure the reluctant dentists didn’t change their minds. “But you don’t need me around causing more problems like this, do you?”

  Kelly shrugged and shook her head slowly. “It hasn’t been good for business today,” she said in an even tone.

  “How would you like to buy me out?”

  Joan’s face brightened and she nodded in affirmation. “We talked about that possibility before. We’d love to buy you out, but neither of us has enough cash right now.”

  “You may lose a lot of patients if I stay engaged. If so, the value of the business would plummet. I can get out now and the two of you can face the future risk.” Rhona rubbed her thumb and forefinger together. “I’ll write a bill of sale turning the business totally over to you, including assets and liabilities, if you each give me one $20 bill. You will have to hire replacements for Diana and Elaine.”

  Kelly’s eyes widened. She had been keeping the books while Rhona was gone and she knew there was a big enough cash surplus to finish setting up the new office. “All of it?”

  “That’s right. All of it.”

  “Let’s do it,” Kelly said. She reached over and tugged on Joan’s arm. Her whisper was loud enough to carry throughout the room. “We would be debt free.”

  “Okay, we’ll buy.” Joan rose to her feet and stepped closer to Rhona. She extended her hand. “Deal.”

  “Deal.” Rhona stood and shook hands with both dentists.

  She turned to Diana and Elaine. “You ladies are on the new payroll right now, and we’ll even throw in a little signing bonus. We need to talk about moving arrangements.”

  Diana slapped her hand over her mouth and looked like she was going to gag. “I forgot about Orval and Lisa.”

  Chapter 10 – Cameroon Relief Mission
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br />   Judith looked at the dark sky through the canopy of the chariot Trixie was piloting. They were currently in the lowest level of the mesosphere traveling three times the speed of sound and Judith could see hints of the west coast of Africa on the horizon. She had ridden in a chariot on the mad rush from her house in Ohio to Jetmore when Rhona was shot, but she remembered little about that ride.

  She listened to the open communications channel as Sam began speaking. He was piloting another chariot and Charles was riding with him. “Keene, have you identified a contact in the World Health Organization yet?”

  “Yes,” Keene responded. “It took a while, partly because of the time difference. We got him out of bed.”

  “That figures,” Sam responded. “We’re just loafing along waiting for the sun. It should be light by the time we reach Pitoa.”

  “I just sent you a message with his name, background data, and coordinates of the place where you should meet him. It’s a small open square on the outskirts of town.”

  “That works.”

  Keene cleared his throat. “He agreed to take you out to the village where the sick people live. They have quarantined the entire village. He didn’t seem very convinced your medicine would help.”

  “Demonstrations of effectiveness are better than descriptions or press releases,” Sam replied. “Anything else?”

  “Nothing at the moment. We’ll keep watching.”

  The sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon when Trixie brought her chariot in for a landing without a hint of a bump. Moments later, Sam landed his chariot beside hers. Judith looked around the square while Trixie spoke without releasing the canopy. “There is one man close by and several other people on foot not far away. Judith, are your defensive systems in the green?”

  “All green,” Judith responded. She and Charles had spent six hours together studying training material for the protective suits before leaving and she had continued working on training exercises during most of this trip.

  “Good,” Trixie responded. “I’m going to release the canopy.”

  Judith checked her suit systems one more time when the canopy absorbed into the body of the chariot. The suit looked like a loose-fitting light jacket, full trousers, and comfortable shoes, but it was designed to protect against heat, cold, chemical and viral attacks, and any man-portable weapon. In addition, it had a built-in invisibility cloak. She stepped out on the stubby wing and dropped down to the ground behind Trixie.

  Red dust puffed up under their feet as Sam and Charles veered over to join Trixie and Judith. “We made it,” Charles said with a huge smile.

  Judith nodded and gave Charles a quick one-armed hug. She gestured at the waiting man and said, “Let’s go talk.”

  The man stood motionless while they approached. Judith noted his dark complexion and curly, wiry black hair. She cocked her head sideways. “We are looking for Hugo, the World Health Organization representative.”

  The man nodded and spoke in accented English. “I’m Hugo. You are here with medicine?”

  “That’s right,” Judith responded and then introduced all of the travelers using just their given names. “Can you lead us to the village?”

  “It’s a half hour drive,” Hugo replied with a gesture towards the northeast. Interest shone in his black eyes when he pointed at the two chariots. “I don’t recognize the type of airplane. Will you fly from here to the village?”

  “It’s a proprietary model,” Judith replied and then she looked at Trixie. There were only two seats in a chariot. However, they had brought along the newest pickup and a storage container. They had already discussed this possibility. “Drop the pickup here. Charles and I will drive and take Hugo with us.”

  She looked back at Hugo. The briefing material said he was a citizen of Cameroon, had attended college in Paris where he had majored in medicine, and he spoke four languages. “Okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wait here,” Trixie said. She moved back to the chariot, hopped up on the wing, and slid into the pilot’s seat. The chariot lifted a few feet from the ground and the bottom of it shifted, just like in the Transformer movies. The smooth outlines of the lower part of the chariot morphed into side panels and wide wheels. The chariot touched back down and lifted again, leaving the pickup on the ground. The bottom transformed again before Trixie landed it next to the pickup.

  By this time, a number of onlookers had gathered at the edges of the square and several children ran about. Judith heard goats bleating in nearby yards. She turned towards the pickup. “Charles, please drive. Let’s get started.”

  Judith opened the door and gestured for Hugo to ride in the back. She didn’t know the customs of the region for where individuals rode, and frankly, she didn’t care. She slid into the front seat, close to auxiliary controls for the surveillance and defense systems.

  She watched Hugo look around when Charles slid into the driver’s seat. “This is also a proprietary model,” she said to forestall additional questions.

  Hugo pointed towards a dirt street on the other side of the square. “Go a few blocks up that street. We will turn on route N1 towards the northeast.”

  “Sure,” Charles said as he glanced over his shoulder. “Can you point it out on the map?”

  “Oh,” said Hugo when he finally realized there wasn’t a steering wheel. “How do you drive?”

  “We enter a destination and the onboard AI does the driving.”

  Hugo leaned forward and pointed at the map. It only took a few moments to identify the roads leading to the small village.

  “That’s good enough,” Charles said to Hugo and then gave the AI an aural command in Abantu to start moving. There weren’t any sidewalks, and children, animals and a few vehicles shared the dirt street. The two chariots rose from the ground and paced them as the pickup drove slowly up the street.

  Hugo twisted and looked up at the chariots. He pointed with one hand. “They don’t make any noise.”

  “They use magnetic repulsion engines,” Judith responded.

  “They’re not made by humans,” he said with a sense of finality.

  Judith smiled but didn’t respond to his comment. “What can you tell me about the sick people? Do they have the normal progression of symptoms for Ebola?”

  “Yes.” Hugo sighed. “They are also very superstitious. Most of them are convinced evil spirits are making them sick. Some will think the same about you.”

  “Has anyone died?”

  “Not yet, but two of them reached the critical stage yesterday afternoon. My team wanted to start IVs and administer medicine that helped during the last outbreak. They refused.”

  “Will they take a pill?”

  “Your medicine is the form of a pill?”

  “Yes.” Judith wiggled one hand back and forth in the air. “It also contains anti-nausea components. It will work provided they can keep it down for several minutes.”

  “How many pills do they have to take?”

  “Two. They should be spaced about twelve hours apart, but anything from eight to sixteen hours will work.”

  “That’s it?” Hugo sounded incredulous.

  “That’s it,” Judith replied. “The first pill kills the virus and the second one vastly accelerates the recovery process.”

  “You didn’t develop this medicine.”

  Judith twisted around and looked at Hugo. “You’re a trained medical professional and I worked in a general practitioner’s office for twenty years. No, I didn’t develop the medicine.”

  Hugo gestured at the unfamiliar design and equipment in the pickup. “Do you work for the Abantu?”

  “That’s right,” Charles said when the vehicle turned onto route N1. The road was reasonably smooth, but it was a narrow ribbon of oiled dirt rather than asphalt or concrete.

  “That’s not quite the
entire story,” Judith added as Charles monitored the AI. They passed a shepherd herding goats and several of the animals darted out onto the road. The AI responded properly and smoothly avoided the animals.

  Judith looked back at Hugo when they passed the goats. “They plan on manufacturing and distributing several types of medicine. Charles and I are heading up their medical division.”

  Hugo’s face grew impassive. “So, you plan on experimenting on the poor people in my country.”

  A discussion with Nanda came to mind as Judith shook her head. The DNA and physical system simulations the Abantu utilized were incredibly complex and comprehensive and yielded error-free results. They had used the anti-viral drugs to treat several human husbands. “The drugs have already been tested.”

  A hint of emotion crossed Hugo’s face. “How many tests?”

  “Only a few,” Judith admitted. “But the tests were completely successful with no side effects.”

  “Hmm. We’ll see what happens today.”

  The rest of the trip to the village was uneventful. Charles directed the AI to park the pickup on bare ground near several trees bearing an impressive number of long thorns. Sam and Trixie landed the chariots near the pickup.

  Hugo waited silently in the morning sun while Charles and Judith retrieved backpacks from the pickup. He pointed at two men standing near a gate in the baked brick wall that encircled the village. “We have to pass the guards.”

  Judith hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder. “Lead the way.”

  They were just outside the gate when Keene spoke in Judith’s earpiece. “Keep your eyes open. We haven’t made any progress on figuring out who set up the fake information they sent to BBC. They may have agents in the area waiting for someone to show up.”

  Although Judith was no pushover, she knew she didn’t have the stubbornness or bravery that was part of her daughter’s base personality. She glanced around at the unfamiliar terrain, not sure if she would even recognize an agent. She focused on Hugo when he stopped just outside the gate and started talking to the guards. She didn’t understand what he was saying, but then, only a handful of people spoke the language.