President Martinez motioned for everyone to sit as she took her seat at the head of the table. At the age of 47, she represented several ‘firsts’ for the country: the first female president, and since her parents had legally immigrated (this was exhaustively researched by her opponent’s campaign) to the U.S. from Mexico prior to her birth, she was also both the first Mexican-American president and the first first-generation immigrant to serve as president.
She surveyed the people at the table, then took note of the location indicated on the VTC screens. “Alright, good morning everyone. I see we have the CDC, Pentagon, and NORAD online. Mitch, I see you made it there safely. That’s good to know.” Mitch Winters was the Vice President. In times of crisis, it was imperative that the President and VP be in separate locations to ensure continuity of government, shoul one or the other become incapacitated. “OK, what information do we have?”
Harold Donnelly, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, leaned forward. “Madam President, right now we don’t have much. The virus seems to have originated in Southern California, but it has spread quickly, with numerous reports in all major metropolitan areas.”
She looked down at her iPAD, making a note. “How many dead?”
The Secretary paused.
The President looked up and fixed him with her eyes. “Harold, how many?”
“At least one hundred thousand.”
The room fell silent. People shifted in their seats. This thing had come out of nowhere five days ago, and already a hundred thousand Americans had lost their lives. Secretary Donnelly continued. “That’s a combination of both the afflicted attacking and killing people, as well as those who were infected and later became violent. The only way to deal with them - as far as we currently know - is to kill them. They show no reason, no willingness to do anything other than attack.”
“I see.” The President pointed to the right screen. “Who do we have at the CDC? What do we know about it? Can it be stopped?”
A middle-aged white man raised his hand on the screen. “Madam President, I’m Doctor Miller, I’m the lead down here at the CDC. To answer your question, we don’t know much yet. It seems to be passed through the transmission of bodily fluids. There have been reports of the afflicted spitting out large amounts of blood and bile onto others. Within hours, those people report symptoms. However, there are also people who haven’t been around the afflicted, who seem perfectly healthy, who then show of infection as well. We’re baffled.”
President Martinez nodded, making a few notes on the iPAD as the doctor spoke. After he finished, she held up a finger while she finished writing. She looked up and back at the screen. “Do we know the incubation period? Can we quarantine?”
The doctor shook his head, apologetically. “I’m sorry, Madam President. We haven’t gotten that far. We haven’t been able to identify Patient Zero yet, either. We know very little, to be honest, but we are working nonstop to find out what we’re dealing with. I was going to bring in some of the experts in the field, and one in particular, but I’ve been told he’s already there. I believe that’s him at the table.”
The President’s eyes darted over to land on the one person in the room she didn’t recognize. “Is that you?”
Standing from his chair, Andrew Chang did something he never thought he would do: introduce himself to the President of the United States. “Madam President, I’m Doctor Andrew Chang. I believe Doctor Miller is referring to me. With me are Doctors Lisa Bowman and Jonathan Reed.”
President Martinez rose from her seat and walked over. The three doctors rose as well, unsure of what was happening. She extended her hand to Doctor Chang. “Thank you for being here. We need your help.”
Doctor Chang looked at her hand hesitantly. “Madam President, I don’t mean to be rude, but we shouldn’t do that. As Doctor Miller indicated, we don’t know everything about it yet. Although it appears to be passed by fluid transmission, nothing is certain yet. I recommend we keep contact at a minimum, at least until we know more.”
Feeling slightly foolish, the President knew the doctor was right. She withdrew her hand. “Great point, Doctor, thank you.” She looked around the room. “Let’s make sure we include that in our guidance to the public.” People nodded in agreement. “I know the three of you haven’t been here long, but have you been able to figure out anything about it?”
“Only that it’s viral and that it appears to have multiple incubation periods.” Doctor Chang looked embarrassed that he’d accomplished so little and yet had identified something his peers at the CDC hadn’t.
“What does that mean?” The President looked confused at the prospect of such an anomaly. While her education was far removed from the medical field, she was a keen listener and retained information very well. Past briefings on epidemics around the world hadn’t been given in vain. She’d learned a lot, thanks to the educated professionals whose job it was to distill complex knowledge into learnable chunks of information. And through all of those instances, they never had been such a thing as multiple incubation periods.
“Madam, it is still early in our research, but we believe that the first wave of infected people underwent a longer incubation period than those who were sprayed with the, um, liquid they spit out during their affliction.”
“So during the long incubation period, were those people contagious?” Color drained from the President’s face, as it did on many who listened to the exchange.
“Most likely, Madam President. We’re still analyzing the cases. We’ll need access to each type of victim, provided we can get them.”
“You’ll get them.” She turned to the team online at the CDC. “You will as well. I want parallel efforts with maximum sharing of information.”
Doctor Chang nodded. “Yes, Madam President, of course.”
“Harold, make sure they get what they need.”
“Yes, Madam President.”
Turning back to them, she again thanked them for being there before returning to her seat.
“So, Doctors Chang, Bowman, and Reed are working up here. Doctor Miller and his team are working down in Atlanta. Does the military have any updates?”
The audio from the left monitor clicked on. A large, imposing black Marine stood up from his position at the head of the table. It was General Manning, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Madam President, without much to go on, we have begun working on possible solutions to quarantine areas. To be blunt, it will be very difficult, and will likely require use of force. Additionally, deployment of military forces in a law enforcement capacity is specifically prohibited by the Posse Comitatus Act.”
“I’m well aware of the Posse Comitatus Act, General. However, the law allows the President to deploy troops on U.S. soil if there’s an invasion, correct? I think we have leeway, here. However, at this point, I’m guessing quarantine is essentially too late for the use of keeping infected people in certain areas. Would you agree with that assessment?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“OK, so perhaps we work plans to keep the infected people out of certain areas instead. This base, for example. NORAD seems like another logical location.”
“Understood, Madam President. I can work with my people and the State Department to generate a list of places that could be fortified to become safe holds.”
“Good. Thank you General.” She addressed the room, as well as those at the remote locations. “Look, I understand this may be considered either too drastic, or perhaps pointless, considering how little we know about this virus, but I’m open to suggestions. Americans are dying out there and we have no idea what the cause is, or even how to contain it, let alone stop it.”
The Vice President took his microphone off of mute. “Madam President. I do have one suggestion.”
“Great, what do you have, Mitch?”
“Ma’am, I’m thinking that at least for NORAD and there at Mount Weather, the quarantine should go into effect immediately. I understand
that we don’t know the incubation period, or periods, I should say, but letting people in and out of either location will only increase risk. We can at least limit it for now. Once we know more, we can revisit the need for quarantine.”
The President considered this for a minute. While she agreed with the approach, two quarantines around know Government facilities during an epidemic would likely cause panic. The press were hounds, too, so it wasn’t something they could keep quiet. On a personal level, her husband and two children were already here, living in the Presidential Housing on base, so she had a comfort others didn’t, which seemed unfair. Undecided, she turned to Harold Donnelly. “Thoughts?”
“Madam President, I think a quarantine might be the right thing to do, but I’m worried about the message it sends to the country. They’ll surely find out.”
“Harold, I asked for an opinion based on your position as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. I have the COS” (COS was short for Chief Of Staff) “for the messaging part. Is this a good idea?”
“Ma’am, I don’t think it’s necessary at this point.”
“Really? A hundred thousand dead Americans, Harold. At what point would you think it’s a good idea? Two hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand? A million?”
The Sec HHS shook his head. “Madam President, I just don’t think it’s going to help. We could have infected people in this room, so what’s the point?”
The President considered this, staring down at what she’d written on her iPAD. “Harold, I appreciate your opinion. I, too, question the effectiveness of a quarantine when we don’t know how long people are infected before they become contagious. At the same time, I realize that a lot of people are scared. I’m scared, too. If any of you,” she looked both around the room and at the video screens “aren’t scared, you haven’t been paying attention. The people of this country look to the President in times of crisis. It’s my job to respond.”
Members in the room and at remote locations unconsciously leaned forward, realizing something was coming, but unsure of what it would be.
“For that reason, I’m doing two things: One, I am ordering a full lockdown of both NORAD and Mount Weather, effective at,” she looked at her watch, which showed 0735 AM, “0930 AM Eastern Standard Time.” Confusion showed on everyone’s face. Why the delay? “You have just under two hours to prepare for the lockdown. Use it wisely. If there are people who are needed, get them there ASAP. Nonessential personnel who want to leave may do so, with the understanding that they will NOT be allowed to return.
“Now, secondly, I will return to the White House. My family will stay here. I’ll ask for a few volunteers to accompany me, simply so I can manage the hectic briefing schedule I’ll likely have to endure, and to help gather and sort information that I can disseminate to the public.”
Alan Roberson, the Secretary of State, and her long-time confidant immediately stood up from his chair. “Madam President, I strongly urge you to reconsider -“
“Won’t happen.”
“There is no need for you to be in D.C., Ma’am! You can brief from here. We have all the facilities. Plus, you’ll be closer to the doctors, so they can get you the information more quickly.”
President Martinez smiled warmly at her friend. “Alan, that’s weak and you know it. The people need to know their President is with them, standing tall and out front, not off somewhere they’ve never heard of, broadcasting remotely to them from behind a curtain like the Wizard of Oz.”
She rose from her chair, commanding the audience’s attention. “Look, I’m the first woman to have the honor of serving as the President of the United States. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. With that honor comes a responsibility to stand strong in the face of danger. I will not shirk that responsibility. Not now, not ever.”
The groups nodded quietly in understanding.
The Secretary of State was the only other person standing. She dared him to question her. He met her gaze without fear. “I’m coming with you.”
“Alan, I need you - “
He gently put his hands up in a defensive gesture to avoid being rude. “Madam President, you’ll need someone there with you to help with all of this. The SecDef will be busy with troop efforts, the SecHHS will be coordinating information. The COS is there in NORAD with the VP. Let me help you.”
She nodded, acquiescing.
A few others quietly insisted on accompanying the President, including the two assistants that had come in with her.
Finally, the President raised her hand. “Okay, everyone. That’s enough for now. We’ve got a hell of a lot of work to do, and time is critical at this point. Let’s get to work.” She turned to Doctor Chang. “Whatever you need, let us know.” She regarded the group again. “If Doctor Chang and his team need anything, make it happen. If you think you need to come to me for approval, know that I will grant approval and that you will simply be wasting time that we do not have. Is that clear?” She turned back to Doctor Chang. “Secretary Donnelly will be here. He will ensure you get what you need. Please do your best.”
“I will, I mean, we will, Madam President.”
“Thank you, everyone, Mount Weather out.” With that, the screens went dark and people began to slowly rise from their chairs, discussing their next steps.
President Martinez turned to Alan Roberson. “Well, I guess I’d better go tell Tony and the kids that I’ll be leaving.”
Alan shook his head, not envying the task she had ahead of her.
“Good luck.”
CHAPTER NINE
Like most days, Wednesday morning started early in the Alvarez household. Even though both Daniel and Serafina were working from home again that day, they each had a lot to do. They also ensured the kids that another day at home from school still did not mean a day sleeping in and doing nothing for whatever was left of the day after they finally decided to emerge from their rooms. They each had assignments based on what their current lessons were, the work developed simply by pulling from the quizzes and questions at the end of the chapters of their texts. They were also required to be up and dressed by no later than seven a.m.
When Daniel called the High School yet again to report Ashley’s planned absence, a recording stated, “If you are keeping your child home because of the flu, we here at Montgomery High understand and applaud your decision. The current flu has become an issue for the school and many teachers are unavailable due to the illness. We are currently considering cancelling classes until the situation improves. If we do so, parents will be emailed and the local news will be informed so that our school can be added to the list of school closures. Thank you for understanding.”
‘Wow. This is really bad.’ Daniel thought as he dialed the number for Brenna’s school. Once the line connected there, he received a similar recorded message.
Part of him wanted to clean the house more to ensure they wouldn’t come down with whatever this nasty bug was, but he knew that he and Serafina had already done a thorough job of cleaning the day before, as they had every day since the weekend. Setting his phone down, he grabbed a cup and pulled the coffee decanter from the machine. Filling his cup, he left room for creamer, thinking about what was happening all around his family. He was convinced that staying home was the right decision. Sitting on the counter near him, his work phone buzzed. Placing the coffee pot back, he picked it up. It was a text from John, the project lead that worked for him.
Not feeling well. Need to stay home and rest.
Crap.
Understand. Get rest, drink lots of fluids. Hope you feel better soon.
Daniel opened the refrigerator and grabbed the coffee creamer from the shelf in the door. He poured a small amount into his coffee and put the creamer back in its place.
Serafina came down the stairs, her cup empty in her hand. Daniel grabbed the carafe and filled her cup, leaving room for cream.
“Thanks.”
“No pr
oblem. How’s work?”
“Okay, but it seems like everyone is out sick. Really hard to get things done. Even Tim is out.” Tim was her boss.
“My group is at about 50% right now. John’s out, too.”
“Uh-oh.” Serafina’s face showed concern. They’d known John and his wife, Leslie, for about two years and considered them friends.
“I know. I’m glad we stayed home. Heck, I’m glad we kept the kids home, too.” He told her about the recorded messages he’d received when he’d called the schools.
Ashley walked into the kitchen, looking for the coffee. Thanks to the popularity of Starbucks, coffee wasn’t a new thing for her, even at that age. “Good morning,” she said to her stepmom as she reached for the carafe.
Serafina smiled, reaching into the cupboard to retrieve a cup, which she passed to the teenager. “Good morning. Where’s your sister?”
“She’s in there” she gestured towards their room with her chin, “studying. So annoying. She frickin’ got up at 5:30 to start reading her textbook.” The teenager looked over at her father, her face taking on a serious look. “She is not happy about missing all of this school.”
Daniel and Serafina chuckled.
Ashley filled her cup with coffee, leaving room for cream like the others. She pulled the creamer from the fridge and added a large dose to her cup before offering it to Serafina.
“Thanks.”
Daniel returned to the table where his laptop was. “Okay, well, let’s all just plan on getting our work done and then we’ll relax this evening.” He shrugged. “At least none of us have to fight traffic today.” Daniel was notorious for complaining about traffic and how stupid drivers were. Lately, his major pet peeve was people on their phones while they drove, something he complained about nearly every time he got home from driving in traffic.
Surviving Rage | Book 1 Page 9
