From the Earth: A Future Chronology Anthology

by D. W. Patterson

  “This is my fault Phylicia. I shouldn’t have allowed you to get involved. I’ve been foolish to think that the university is something other than a business. That they were interested in furthering knowledge in whatsoever way possible. All they are interested in is money and notoriety.”

  “I wouldn't be surprised if Camble hadn't encouraged the university to shut down your site,” said Phylicia.

  “You might be right Phylicia but it's out of our hands now. With this viral outbreak and the general state of the world we can't be concerned with the machinations of the university anymore. We have to do the things necessary to take care of ourselves and help others.”

  He continued, “And right now I think the only thing we can do is have that dinner I promised you long ago. I think we could both use a quiet evening. How about it, I'll cook us some food?”

  “Sure Jack that would be nice.”

  As they sat down to eat Jack offered up a prayer before they began, something he hadn't done since he was a young man.

  ________

  Jack had taken Phylicia home late the night before as they had talked well into the evening. It was still Saturday morning and he was still in bed when his Annie announced a call from a Dr. Roberta Hughes. Dr. Hughes introduced herself as a researcher in the Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she had been one of those using Jack’s software. After telling Jack how great a help his software, especially D-Cages, had been to her research, she began to impress upon him the need to get his site back up and soon when Jack interrupted and asked, “Excuse me Dr. Hughes, but why do you think it is so urgent?”

  “Mr. Jackson,” said Dr. Hughes. “We at the CDC believe we have a real problem. The plague virus of a few years ago seems to be back and it appears to be more contagious than before. I don’t have to tell you what that could mean.”

  “No,” said Jack coldly. “You don’t, I know what that could mean.”

  “Yes,” said Dr. Hughes. “And I believe that only the combination of services your site provided will help us with the virus detection and delivery mechanism modeling my lab needs to do in time to save lives. We have a vaccine already in development but of course that only protects those not yet infected.”

  “Well the biggest problem I face right now in re-establishing the site is that I don't have a host server and cloud ANI. And I don't have the money to lease them.”

  “I think the CDC can help you with that Mr. Jackson.”

  “You mean you will provide support free of charge?” asked Jack.

  “Yes, we can provide you with the necessary space in our cloud and ANI access if you will commit to getting it setup and online. Mr. Jackson I guarantee the CDC will be willing to take care of everything else.”

  “Alright Dr. Hughes, I'll do what I can to get it setup as soon as possible,” said Jack.

  “Thank you Mr. Jackson and good luck,” said Dr. Hughes. “I will have someone contact you with the server information.”

  Jack called Phylicia. “Guess what,” he said when Phylicia answered.

  “What is it Jack?”

  “I've just finished talking to Dr. Roberta Hughes with the CDC. They want me to get the website setup again. And you'll never believe it. They are offering to provide the servers and any other support I need.”

  “Jack that's great. But I wonder why?”

  “Well there is a serious reason for their offer. They think the global viral epidemic of a few years ago is back and some of the researchers involved in its investigation were using the site previously and believe it would be an asset to have it up and running again.”

  “That's wonderful. I mean your work could really make a difference in people's lives, just as you wanted.”

  “You're right Phylicia, I hadn't thought about it but that is what it is really about, making a difference. But you got one thing wrong.”

  “What is it Jack?” asked Phylicia.

  “It's our work now, not just mine.”

  15

  Of course there were those who tried to take every advantage of the situation. They stole what they could and sold it on the black market. They promised cures for a price that some desperate families could not resist when faced with the loss of a loved one. Perhaps the worst of the worst were those that threatened to infect people if they did not pay the price the extortioners demanded. These were the most sought after by law enforcement. Pervasive surveillance and biometrics proved their worth as arrests were eventually made.

  But no matter how hard the government tried there were always people falling through the safety net. Then something happened that was unexpected. Private individuals took it upon themselves to deliver services to those in need. It wasn't just altruism though, it was as commercial as any business. But except for a few outliers most of the services were provided at a reasonable cost considering the danger the providers were taking upon themselves. It was enough to supplement the government efforts and keep those in need from perishing. It was enough to keep some semblance of order in a society on the brink of disintegration.

  But it wasn't enough to keep complete order.

  ________

  “Damn kid!” exclaimed Rivera, pounding the steering wheel.

  “Okay,” he said to the other two, Lamoille and Camel. “We've wasted enough time, what's the next address Camel?”

  “765 Hyperion Avenue,” said Camel.

  The SUV pulled into the driveway and stopped. The driveway continued on to the back of the house. The house itself had at one time been a single private residence. Maybe a hundred years old it was now partitioned into separate units. The unit Rivera wanted was in the front.

  Rivera unfolded his Annie and reviewed the target information. He then straightened his suit tie and walked up to the front door with the medical satchel in his hand. He knocked and waited.

  An elderly lady called from inside, “Who is it?”

  “Mrs. Cheevers?”

  “Yes.”

  “It's Dr. Joseph Sachs. If you remember we talked over the phone?”

  “Oh yes Dr. Sachs, I remember.”

  “Mrs. Cheevers I believe I told you I would try to get by today. Is it okay if I come in?”

  “Well, I guess so, although I had forgotten it was today, wait while I get my keys.”

  Once inside Rivera asked, “How is your husband today Mrs. Cheevers?”

  “He sleeps most of the time. I don't think there is much change.”

  “Have you considered what we discussed over the phone? I believe he is an excellent candidate for our treatment. I mean, as I told you, I can't guarantee it because each person reacts somewhat differently to the regimen but after our discussion I believe he may be one of them.”

  “Well the doctors at the hospital aren't any more help. They've given up on poor Mitch. Do you really think it could do some good?”

  “I wouldn't be here if I didn't think there was a good chance Mrs. Cheevers. I have to choose the patients carefully, there's only so many hours in the day.”

  “Oh I understand Dr. Sachs. It's just that it's a lot of money.”

  “I know Mrs. Cheevers and I'm sorry to have to ask but your payment will go towards making more treatments which will be offered to others. For them, like your husband, it may be the only hope.”

  “Okay Dr. Sachs, if you will administer your treatment I will get the check book. Is a check okay?”

  “That will be fine Mrs. Cheevers.”

  It didn't take Rivera long to administer the 'treatment', a concentrated vitamin B shot, and leave the sugar pills with Mrs. Cheevers. He took the thousand dollar check with him.

  “Please keep me informed Mrs. Cheevers, you have my number, I am always available to my patients.”

  “Thank you Dr. Sachs and goodbye.”

  “Goodbye Mrs. Cheevers.”

  Back in the SUV Rivera handed the check to Laimoille. “Scan that quickly and make sure it deposits,” he said.


  Laimoille scanned the check with his Annie. A few seconds and he signaled thumbs up. Rivera started the SUV.

  “Who's next Camel?”

  They drove away to their next 'appointment'.

  16

  After a day and night of non-stop work Jack and Phylicia almost had the site back up. The cloud servers the government provided were adequate but as with everything the government does there was a lot of resistance when doing even the simplest things. The security requirements were extremely confining, often stumping them until they could contact their CDC liaison who would then chase the request up the chain of command until he found a person that could resolve the problem.

  Eventually they had it all put together and brought the site up. By that time the flu epidemic had reached its peak.

  ________

  Except for a few trips to see each other Jack and Phylicia had mostly stayed in their apartments after bringing the site up. For weeks they maintained and updated the software and site remotely. But now they had been invited to a meeting at the CDC by Dr. Hughes. Jack called Phylicia about the invitation. Because it would require them to fly, neither was looking forward to the trip. Still they prepared for travel with a feeling of excitement.

  Their first long range venture outside their apartments since the epidemic had begun shocked them with what they saw. Streets deserted of people except for troops and automated delivery vans. Checkpoints that had to be negotiated. Robotic drones overhead and robot security on foot. Barricades and barriers seemingly everywhere, nothing they had seen on television could compare with what they were seeing with their own eyes.

  At one point Jack took Phylicia's hand absentmindedly.

  “Jack?”

  “Yes Phylicia.”

  “This is frightening isn't it?”

  “Yeah that pretty much sums it up,” said Jack. “It's amazing how fragile is civilization. Normality gone in a moment. I'm thinking I may be more afraid of the measures taken to meet this emergency than by the cause of the emergency itself.”

  They continued their ride to the airport quietly, taking in the strangeness of the scene, still holding hands.

  At the airport the old security was back, a thing they had only heard about. Besides checking ID's and tickets, security also scanned them for their temperature before allowing them to board the plane. At least the plane was only half full, the seat next to them was empty, no doubt a result of the viral outbreak.

  ________

  Even though he had been there before Jack found Atlanta to be as strangely unfamiliar as Boston. It was as if the cities had been transported in total to a foreign country or different planet. The enormity of the situation was more real to Jack now than it had ever been. He was glad he had been of help to the researchers at the meeting. He was glad Phylicia was with him.

  The halls of the CDC were bustling with human researchers and robotic assistants. A robot concierge guided Jack and Phylicia to their seats.

  The meeting began with introductions. It was an impressive assembly. Some of the better known names were Dr. John Sailes of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, responsible for understanding how viruses were spread and how that might be prevented. Dr. Mary Heier, head of the Bureau of Biologics at the Food and Drug Administration, responsible for quality control and licensing of vaccines. Dr. James Gold of Virginia's Department of Public Health, the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States.

  Dr. Frank Kilbourne, Director of the CDC, began the meeting. “I want to thank everyone for being here today. We at the CDC have been tasked with spearheading the response to this influenza outbreak. As many of you know we could be seeing a new mutation mechanism with this virus where MGE is involved. But however it arose we are pleased to report that researchers here at the CDC along with researchers at the National Institutes of Health have produced a vaccine for this current strain. This is the fastest response ever to any viral outbreak. It was facilitated by the rapid increase in our ability to model and simulate the viral proteins and their delivery mechanism. We have already decided to have the vaccine mass produced and we want to thank those manufacturers who have responded to our call. We have also decided not to make this a mandatory inoculation but to allow local health authorities to decide the proper course to follow in their respective communities. We do however strongly recommend that everyone be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine becomes available, which should begin shipping in about two weeks, again a rapid response time by historical measures. We believe with the addition of this vaccine to our arsenal of treatments we will now be able to get ahead of this outbreak.” There was applause from the audience.

  When it subsided Dr. Kilbourne continued, “We also want to announce an initiative to offer help to those who have already contracted the disease. As you know in any outbreak there are those that are already infected before they can be vaccinated. This highly contagious virus and its high rate of deaths has convinced us that we also need a way to treat those already infected and that we need to develop that treatment just as fast as we can. To that end I have assigned Dr. Sydney Spencer, Deputy Director of the Office of Infectious Diseases here at the CDC to head the program. Sydney will now speak to you about this new initiative.”

  As Dr. Spencer was beginning to speak a robot concierge came up to Jack and Phylicia and asked, “Are you Jack Jackson and Phylicia Hastings?”

  “Yes,” said Jack.

  “Would you follow me please, I will take you to Dr. Hughes.”

  They were taken to the cafeteria and introduced to Dr. Hughes. “Oh, Mr. Jackson, Ms. Hastings, I'm so pleased to meet you in person, call me Roberta,” said Dr. Hughes. After asking Jack and Phylicia how they liked their coffee, Roberta turned to the robot concierge and asked that two more coffees be brought to the table. “I hope you both are enjoying the conference. You two had much to do with making it possible you know.”

  “Yes I do find it interesting, and please call me Jack. Although I have to admit, I'm not real sure why I was invited,” he said.

  “We thought, that is I and my team, that you two would find it interesting to see what your work has allowed us here at the CDC to do and the researchers that have been using your software wanted to thank you both personally. I think you will be surprised how much your efforts have helped our research.”

  She continued, “It is no small thanks to you two that we were able to develop a vaccine for this infection. I would like to take you to meet some of my team.”

  “Thank you Roberta, we look forward to meeting them,” said Jack.

  After finishing their coffee Dr. Hughes took Jack and Phylicia to a lab room down one of the side corridors. Upon entering Jack saw about a dozen people. Dr. Hughes called for attention and introduced Jack and Phylicia to those assembled. Jack seemed embarrassed when several researchers congratulated him on his software but Phylicia seemed pleased, if not for herself then for Jack.

  Several of the researchers gathered around Jack and Phylicia in discussion.

  “Mr. Jackson,” said Mark Lindsey, one of the virologists.

  “Please just call me Jack, Mr. Jackson is just too formal for me,” said Jack.

  “Well Jack,” said the virologist. “Your software has been very helpful to my research and having an ANI link makes it even better to use. I was wondering what motivated you two to create such a great tool and make it open to all.”

  Jack related his original motivation to find a cure for the disease that had killed his family. He then told them about his health problems that had put that search on hold. He brought Phylicia into the conversation by saying how helpful she had been in the software’s development and the price she had paid for that help.

  Dr. Wesley Williams spoke up, “We've been able to apply your software to some of our existing projects and with good results. We are also interested in your program for research into providing a treatment for people already infected with a virus. I've been perso
nally charged by Dr. Hughes to look into your idea of blocking molecules. As you know your idea is very similar to one of the ways the human body already employs to neutralize viruses. Have you made any more progress since your last posting?”

  “No,” said Jack. “I've given it a great deal of thought though. I don't see any reason the approach wouldn't work except for one thing.”

  “What is that?” asked Dr. Lindsey.

  “I'm not sure the replication rate for the blocking molecules will be fast enough to block all the virions. It would basically be a race between the blocking molecule production rate and the virus reproduction rate.”

  “Yes,” said Dr. Williams. “I had just about come to that conclusion myself. Do you have any ideas?”