by Bobby Akart
“We learned that local residents, in reaction to the President’s address, began to pull their children out of the school. Some of the parents didn’t bother to stop by the principal’s office to provide an explanation. While most of the women refused to speak to me, one of them did, who seemed to echo the sentiment of her neighbors.”
A tall brunette woman stood inside the open door of her Mercedes-Benz SUV as Almaguer and the camera rushed in her direction.
“Ma’am! Ma’am!” shouted Almaguer as he shoved the microphone in her face. “Why are you removing your daughter from the school today?”
“It’s very simple,” the mother replied as she nervously fidgeted with the pearls around her neck. Her attention darted between the camera and the reporter. “I don’t want my baby to get sick.”
“Why do you feel it’s necessary to pull her out of school at this time?” he pressed her despite her attempts to get into her vehicle.
The woman nervously looked around, as if scanning the parking area to see if anyone was listening, and responded, “Listen, everyone knows this disease was brought to America by, you know, these refugee kids or their parents. Our school is full of them.”
“But, ma’am, don’t you consider these statements to be racist? I mean, aren’t you doing the exact opposite of what the President requested?”
The woman stood a little taller and looked Almaguer directly in the face. “No, it’s got nothing to do with racism. It has everything to do with the facts. The President said it himself. This disease was brought into America by people crossing our border illegally. Now they’re in our schools.”
“Ma’am, it’s not just people of color who could be carriers of the disease,” said Almaguer. “The plague bacteria does not discrim—”
The woman cut him off. “It’s my duty as a mother to protect my child, not to worry about hurting someone else’s feelings.” With that final statement, she sat in the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut, almost taking Almaguer’s arm and microphone with her as she sped off.
He concluded his report. “Lester, this appears to be the general mood here in Orange County, as residents are heeding the warnings of the President, in part, but ignoring the admonition on how to treat their fellow Americans at the same time. Back to you.”
Holt pursed his lips and shook his head in disgust. “Thank you, Miguel.” He continued with the next news story.
“Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is reporting that throughout Europe as many as eighty million people may have been exposed to the plague bacteria and nearly sixteen million are reportedly dead. This report prompted calls by several U.S. senators to not only close the borders, but to expel those noncitizens who are here on temporary visas.”
Chapter 57
Day Forty-Five
Boulder, Colorado
Hunter searched Fort Collins and Loveland to locate the extensive checklist of medical supplies prepared by Mac. Her request went beyond the standard first aid kits and over-the-counter medications he suggested. The items included dental care, alternative medicines, and the oddest request of them all was for fish antibiotics.
Mac printed out several checklists for him at Quandary’s Peak last night, including several pages of suggested preparedness items from the WHO. It was designed for governmental agencies, but it was a perfect resource for infectious disease preparations.
These items weren’t found in Walmart or the local drug stores, whose shelves were depleted. Hunter searched the web on his iPhone, looking for possible locations that the general public wouldn’t consider.
Hunter had quite a bit of luck in Loveland, where a small medical supply store agreed to sell directly to him so long as he purchased case packs of their products. Hunter focused on trauma treatment, including gunshot wounds.
While in Iraq, Hunter had the opportunity to examine the MOLLE vest of a combat medic. In addition to carrying a full combat load of ammunition for his M4, the medics focused on fluid resuscitation, blood-loss control, airway management, and a variety of splints.
Hunter packed the Defender with IV fluids and tubing to deal with fluid loss. He purchased a variety of tourniquets and trauma bandages, together with a number of blood-clotting agents to stop hemorrhaging like Celox and Israeli bandages. They suggested a few different chest seals in addition to the HALO pack that Hunter was familiar with. Coupled with the Combitube designed to keep the airways open, a gunshot victim could avoid respiratory distress.
The owner of the store sold Hunter several medical supplies that were only available to health care providers because he had cash and didn’t require a receipt. The man claimed he’d stocked his home with similar supplies to prepare for the inevitable collapse of Metro Denver’s health care system.
The owner’s wife, who was a nurse at Boulder Community Health, said more and more staff members were refusing to work out of fear of being exposed to the plague. In fact, he suggested to Hunter that he purchase Tyvek suits and sanitizing supplies. Hunter took them all.
Having filled the majority of Mac’s list, Hunter then headed to his final stop, which was Buffalo Industrial Supply in Boulder. They specialized in laboratory equipment and supplies. Hunter had questioned Mac about the need for these things when she had a building full of them, and her curt response was just in case. Hunter didn’t question her, and with the final list in hand, he entered the building.
He was greeted by a man and woman who were both wearing protective masks and gloves. Hunter immediately reminded himself that he needed to do the same. Like his previous stop, it took a little financial prodding to make these purchases. He couldn’t explain to the store clerks what the intended use was because he didn’t know.
An hour later, he’d stuffed a variety of glass bottles, vials, containers, and hazardous disposal gear into the back of the truck. As he was leaving Boulder, Hunter noticed one of the few Radio Shack stores that had remained open after they’d declared bankruptcy years ago. He pulled in to add something that had slipped his mind earlier—communications gear.
Hunter picked up several two-way radios, both handheld and desktop scanners, and a couple of crank weather radios. He was about to check out when he spotted something that quickly solved a number of security concerns—a twelve-inch camera drone. He bought two of them as well as a solar battery kit before he left.
During the drive back to Fort Collins, Hunter began to realize that he couldn’t think of everything. Every day, or even every hour, a seemingly indispensable item would pop into his head. His instincts told him that time was running out and that very soon his shopping expeditions would be over—at least the traditional way of shopping.
Chapter 58
Day Forty-Six
CDC Offices
Atlanta
Dr. Spielman had placed Janie in charge of the BALO project and she immediately pulled in her best people who’d trained under and were loyal to Mac. Seeking a vaccine using Mac’s work not only helped the sick, but it could also vindicate her in the public eye. Janie had set more than one co-worker straight in the first few days after Mac’s appearance on Capitol Hill. Now, nearly three weeks later, the alarm bells set off by Mac were proven to be warranted. Hopefully, the BALO project would help redeem Mac in the eyes of their peers.
Following Mac’s departure, Janie continued the daily briefing in the war room established by Mac. The teams assigned to each continent provided updates on their region’s death tolls, number of infected and spread rates. The CEFO’s demeanor became increasingly defeated and demoralized.
The spread of the plague disease exploded at such a rate that a million-man army of epidemiologists couldn’t stop it from engulfing the population. This modified strain of the pneumonic plague had proven itself to be stealthy in terms of its discovery in contagious patients, as well as remorseless in its race to kill.
Dr. Spielman had addressed the team this morning after they’d had an opportunity to study Mac’s hypothesis and clinical notes. Many
had immediately jumped into the lab to begin their work last night. During the briefing, Janie had observed a lot of tired scientists, weary of fatigue from a long night as well as more bad news on the death toll.
Janie needed a break, so she decided to leave the building and walk across the Emory University campus to Starbucks. It was a brisk fifteen-minute walk, allowing her to clear her head. She called Mac to bring her up to speed.
“The campus is almost empty. Summer school is in session, but it doesn’t appear that many people are showing up for class,” reported Janie.
“I haven’t kept up with the Olympics,” started Mac. “How is attendance?”
“At first, it was off the charts. Record crowds were showing up for the events, but as the news began to be dominated by Pandemic Pandemonium, the foreign visitors traveled home. Heck, two countries, Japan and China, pulled their athletes out of the Games and returned to the Far East.”
“I’ve tried to keep up with the spread, but what do the numbers look like in the East, especially China, India, and Japan?” asked Mac.
“They’re growing exponentially now. They got a late start, obviously, compared to Europe and Latin America, but the disease is catching up with them quickly.”
“Janie, I hate to put it this way, but all we can do now is try to protect our own. Our days of saving the world are over. We have to concentrate on America at this point.”
“Well, funny that you mentioned that,” added Janie. “There’s been another outbreak of Ebola in Western Africa, Sierra Leone again. I heard someone ask Dr. Spielman in the hallway whether they should assemble a team to address it. You wanna know what he said?”
“Yeah,” replied Mac.
“He said, ‘Why bother?’ I’m serious, Mac. Even Dr. Spielman seems to be giving up hope.”
Janie continued walking toward Starbucks in front of the Michael C. Carlos Museum. The beautiful granite structure featuring Greek & Roman art collections had a sign posted on its double doors, which read closed until further notice.
“I hate to hear that,” said Mac. “Do you think he’s giving up altogether? I mean, is he supporting the BALO option?”
“Oh, no. He’s not giving up. He’s throwing everything at BALO. They’ve been working around the—”
DING!
The notification indicated that Janie had received a high-priority text message from the CDC.
“Hold on, Mac. I gotta look at this message.”
Janie stepped onto the grassy lawn to use the shade of an oak tree in hopes it would lessen the glare.
“Holy crap, Mac. I’ve gotta read this to you. I’m puttin’ you on speaker.”
“Okay.”
Janie maneuvered through her phone to place Mac on speaker and read her the message at the same time.
“Ready? Listen to this. It’s from Michelle Watson. Lab compromised. CDC main building on lockdown. Where are you?”
Mac was silent on the other line for a moment as Janie repeated the text.
“Mac, I’ve gotta get back. I better call you later.”
Janie hung up the phone and began to sprint across Emory, drawing the concerned looks of the few students who remained.
Chapter 59
Day Forty-Seven
CDC Offices
Atlanta
Dr. Spielman spent the night locked within his office suite, isolated from the cascading series of safety failures that occurred in the BSL-4 where the BALO project testing was under way. In the media, the failure read like a screenplay for a medical thriller movie. It was just another black eye delivered to the CDC that was unwarranted. Granted, a failure of this type was devastating. Under the circumstances, when the hope of America rested upon their work, it appeared to be a death blow.
He’d resisted the urge to make a public statement regarding the details of the accident and the impact on their research until all of the facts were made clear. He had personnel who were potentially exposed to the deadly plague bacteria and their families to consider. He wanted to get the facts straight before he addressed the media.
From his office, via Google Hangouts, Dr. Spielman read a prepared statement.
“Yesterday afternoon, while our dedicated scientists raced to find a vaccine and cure for this devastating strain of the plague, an incident occurred in one of our biosafety laboratories. Four of our scientists entered the decontamination chamber of our primary BSL-4.
“In this chamber, a shower of chemicals is released that is designed to kill any germ, virus, or bacteria that might have attached itself to their protective gear. The next step in the process is for the scientists, having been fully cleansed, to enter a changing room, which is not a protected area.
“After they initiated the decontamination chemical spray, the shower malfunctioned. Warning lights indicated that additional safety protocols were begun, but they too failed, causing the gasket seals around the exit door to the changing room to deflate to the point that light was entering the chamber and the scientists were able to see into the changing room.
“Our personnel are trained in this type of failure and they immediately worked together to hold the exit door shut and manually trigger a deluge of emergency chemicals to complete the decontamination process.
“Despite their best efforts, the air pressure within the chamber was compromised and the door back into the BSL-4 forced itself open, potentially allowing microorganisms to escape.
“I can only describe the failures as highly unusual, but after an all-night investigation, we’re pleased to announce that none of our personnel were placed at risk as a result of the lab’s equipment failures. Our emergency maintenance team responded quickly and manually operated the chemical showers from outside the laboratory, allowing our scientists to exit safely into the changing room.
“Yes, there was a malfunction, but we had a clearly established protocol for how to quickly and rapidly respond to the emergency. We are still investigating the cause of the malfunction, and a possible glitch in the system software has not been ruled out.
“Under the circumstances, out of an abundance of precaution, the main building of the CDC campus will remain on twenty-four-seven lockdown. Let me be clear on one more thing. We will not stop the important work of finding a vaccine and cure for the pneumonic plague bacteria that is spreading across the United States and the rest of the planet.”
Chapter 60
Day Forty-Seven
Breckenridge
Hunter continued his quest to learn more about the quaint ski town of Breckenridge. He and Mac diligently prepared for the inevitable self-imposed isolation that they expected to become necessary in the coming days or weeks. They were outsiders in a relatively close-knit community despite the fact that most of the retail store owners and professionals were transplants.
Like any new couple who’d recently moved to a new community, they found shopping and restaurants first. Today, they hoped to learn more about medical facilities, of particular interest to Mac, and local law enforcement, which was Hunter’s bailiwick.
They started in the north end of town at the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. Despite having resigned from his temporary post with the FBI, Jablonik refused to allow Hunter to leave the DTRA and Project Artemis. The two had a long conversation in which they agreed about the most likely future of America. Jablonik admitted that he planned on joining his family on their farm in the Shenandoah Valley. He also advised Hunter about the status of his partner, Kameel Khan.
As word of the lightning-fast spread of the plague in London began to reach the American news media, Khan requested a leave of absence to return to London and his aging parents. The city was in chaos and Jablonik lost touch with Khan. Under the circumstances, as was the case with several missing operatives in the field, Jablonik didn’t pursue the matter. Throughout the federal government, including the military, people were abandoning their posts to care for loved ones or hide from the spread of the plague bacteria.
Hunter and Ma
c discussed the news out of Atlanta. They both agreed that the compromise of the BSL-4 must be unnerving to Spielman. The CDC had been under constant attack from the media and its never-ending supply of pundits, who always seem to know a better way. Mac was pleased to hear that the BALO project was continuing, but she feared the public might lose confidence in its effectiveness following this most recent negative press.
The topic of Janie came up in conjunction with their purpose of coming into Breckenridge. The two of them had sat on the deck last night, enjoying the cool air blowing down the face of Quandary Peak. Their conversations wandered for several hours as they tried to envision life after the pandemic engulfed America.
Neither were readers of fiction. Mac was too busy studying scientific journals and Hunter spent his time chasing terrorists. They laughed as they thought about the absurd scenarios portrayed in movies and television—zombies, mutant aliens, and the like. One thing they agreed upon as it related to The Walking Dead series was the writer’s depiction of a dystopian life, without the zombies, of course.
Humans were tribal by nature, and over time, Hunter suspected large groups would band together in an effort to survive. Neighbors would find common ground and seek to defend their homes against outsiders that might do them harm. Small towns would look to their leadership—mayors, law enforcement, and even clergy—for guidance on what to do.
Mac thought it would be logical for communities like Breckenridge to circle the wagons, so to speak, and close their streets to outside travelers. Interstate 70 was a major east-west route and it made sense that those fleeing carnage and societal collapse in Denver would seek refuge in the mountains.
