Aethon Arises (Endless Fire Book 2)

by R E Kearney

  Robert snaps his fingers and then taps his temple with his right index finger before pointing it at Shengwu. “Isn’t one of your team members studying this kind of thing?”

  “Well yes, Zhou Caoyao is researching Puerto Rico’s indigenous plants. Hopes to produce natural medicines. She is working in the El Yunque National Forest. That’s Puerto Rico’s rain forest.”

  “Whoa. Wait. Did you say rain forest?” Robert steps back from Shengwu. “No thanks, rain forests are not healthy for me. Too many people have tried to kill me in rain forests. When does she come into the city? I’m safe and secure in cities.”

  “Relax Robert, you’ll be safe. Most of El Yunque is filled with tourists. Besides, there isn’t that much left of that rain forest. Heat and drought has killed a lot of it. Anyway, she’s renting a house in Guavate about fifty kilometers outside San Juan. It’s an easy glider ride. I traveled there and visited Zhou, myself.”

  “Guavate, eh? Fifty kilometers outside of San Juan isn’t too bad.” Robert nods his head and lightly strokes his chin. “I believe I can handle that.”

  Rita snickers, as she reappears from her treatment. “Ooooh. I don’t know. Could be very scary for a metroman like you, Robert. Shengwu didn’t tell you that Guavate is just a small town and, oh my goodness, it’s in the Carite Forest in our mountainous Cayey region. Huirle como el diablo a la cruz (to run from it like the devil from the cross), Robert.”

  Robert flinches when his translation implant tells him Rita just advised him to avoid it at all costs. He grins to hide his distress, so she will not discover that he understands her Puerto Rican slang.

  Ignoring Rita’s teasing of Robert, Shengwu continues. “Anyway, last I remember, she is researching some plant called guanabana out there. It’s reported to have natural healing properties. And, if it will help you any, I believe she regularly returns to San Juan to use the new lab in the Instituto de Neurobiologia.”

  “Then, by all means, I think we should visit Zhou, immediately. With genetic manipulation, she may be able to develop an answer to Aethon through nature. Discover some Kisameet clay here in Puerto Rico. It’s a long shot, but…”

  Raising her hand, Shengwu halts Robert. “You’re leaving only after both you and Rita complete your treatments with my edited genomes. After your edited genes replacement is completed, you’ll be spray coated with a clear germ and bacteria shield. It’s like a second skin. We will also spray the hair on your head. All of your hair will be a little sticky until it sifts through onto your skin. It’s just like getting a thick spray tan.”

  “Well, I’m not too familiar with spray tans.” Robert chuckles and raises his dark skinned hand in front of Shengwu. “But, I look forward to your spray anyway. For as Thomas Fuller once said, ‘He who cures a disease may be the skillfullest, but he that prevents it is the safest physician.’ So spray away Shengwu. Spray away.”

  “Yes, well, be that as it may, first the treatment and then the spraying.” Impatiently, Shengwu points toward the door exiting into the waiting room. “And the spraying will certainly occur in a booth without me.”

  In the treatment room, Robert soon realizes that insertion of replacement edited genes is basically the reverse of the sampling procedure. He is in and out of the treatment room in less than five minutes. It is all routine. But, he is less assured concerning the spraying step.

  Naked and nervous, Robert activates the germ and bacteria coating shower. The spray tickles Robert in places where he is usually not tickled. It is not unpleasant, but it is far stickier than Shengwu indicated. After his coating is complete, he struggles to open his eye lids and separate his fingers. Using his adhered fingers, he pries his lips apart with a pop. Walking starts painfully and tentatively, as his tender body parts reluctantly free themselves from each other. Dressing in a freshly printed set of hospital scrubs is equally painful and difficult.

  Gingerly rearranging his adhering genitalia, as he leaves the spray room, Robert angrily mutters, “I doubt that Rita suffered this type of pain and aggravation.”

  “You’re correct. It’s strictly a male problem. But, the stickiness will ease soon, as will the pain.” Shengwu surprises Robert outside the spray room and ushers him toward another room. “However, now I’ve decided that I want you and Rita to also wear my flexible polymer membranes. I have a newly printed set for you in here.”

  “Membranes? In this heat? You’ve injected me with edited genomes, sanitized me and sprayed me. Isn’t that enough?”

  “No. Not as far as I’m concerned. Not with a deadly superbug like Aethon. Besides, my membranes are different. They’re composed of an array of aligned carbon nanotubes that block biological agents while still allowing you to sweat. You’ll wear the membranes beneath the clothing Rita printed for you.”

  “And what about you?”

  “I won’t be accompanying you. With my body and knees, I can barely walk on flat, level surfaces. I would be more of a handicap than a help in a rain forest. Besides, I have responsibilities here. I need to conduct more research with Pion to gain a better understanding of Aethon’s genetic configuration. Also, I plan to immunize Negocio and Puerto Rico’s other leaders. Police too. I must protect my protectors.”

  MEDICINE IS MONEY

  “No Shengwu! Quarantining San Juan, shutting it down and locking out new tourists is not possible, especially now. This is the holiday season…our busiest time. Tourists are coming and going and spread throughout the island.”

  Agitated, Negocio impatiently paces back and forth in front of Shengwu. The actions Shengwu is demanding of him pose more than a problem. They are a catastrophe. His new nation is already fighting to stay afloat in a deep, red sea of debt. Survival of San Juan and his struggling state depends on tourism and tourist money. He is certain Puerto Rico will not endure if he wastes money rounding up and ejecting tourists and then barring more tourists from entering.

  Negocio stops pacing to gaze out his office window at the tourists filling the street below. “Besides, how do I do it? How do I separate and isolate San Juan from the rest of Puerto Rico or all of Puerto Rico from the rest of the world?”

  “I do not know President. I only know about the dead people that I’ve seen and the sick people that I’ve treated using engineered genomes.”

  “And how are those people that you treated? Are they getting better?”

  “At this time and as far as I know, they are stable. At least that is what Doctor Salud reported to me just before I arrived. But, it’s only been a day and being stable now does not mean that they will improve.”

  “And have any additional deaths from your so called Aethon fever been reported?”

  “Well no, I haven’t heard of any, but it’s only been a few hours since…”

  “No more dead and the sick are stable?” Scowling, Negocio challenges Shengwu. “So why are you panicking? Why are you calling this an epidemic? Be careful Shengwu, epidemic is a very, very scary word. Very scary. Too scary to be just tossed around. Especially, here in a tourist resort. Puerto Rico needs every tourist and every tourist dollar to stay alive.”

  Shengwu lowers her head and stares at the floor in silence. She is distressed by Negocio’s refusal to comprehend and share her concern. But, she knows the danger is real. She cannot escape Pion’s description of Aethon and her warnings about its virulence and ability to mutate and spread.

  Fingering her hair, she searches for an argument that will convince Negocio. “You are correct. There may be no Aethon epidemic here…yet. But, that doesn’t mean we‘re safe. There may be many more sick and dying victims of Aethon in San Juan or in a different Puerto Rican city. Just because we don’t know about them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”

  “But Shengwu, you have no evidence that they are there…or here…either.”

  Shengwu attempts another course of persuasion. “President, through my tests of the patients from Hospital Del Maestro, I am certain that all eight of them su
ffer from Aethon. Also, all eight told Doctor Salud while they were still conscious that they attended the same nightclub. A nightclub filled with many other people. People who are possibly scattered around San Juan or Puerto Rico now.”

  “So where did it…this Aethon as you call it…come from Shengwu? Mosquitos, like malaria and Zika? I know it didn’t materialize out of nowhere. How did it get here?”

  “I’m not certain President, but at least two of the dead are brothers. I’ve learned they came from an area of Tennessee where Pion told me something like this Aethon is ravaging the countryside. Now, those two died here. But, only after they had been here for a while, possibly spreading this killer to more people than the six other victims, I saw. Or any of those six may have spread it. So, we don’t know how many infected and sick people are in San Juan.”

  Negocio continues considering the tourists. “From Tennessee? I don’t think we have many tourists visit from Tennessee. Isn’t Tennessee where most of the Sists are on drugs? Was there meth, heroin, fentanyl or opioids in their body? Why do you think they came here?”

  “I’ve been pondering the same question myself. So, on a hunch, I compared samples of their DNA with DNA samples from my former patients. I discovered that the two deceased brothers are named Jacobs and are cousins of a woman named Rachael from Maryland who I treated for Parkinson’s disease. She is fully recovered and living in Baltimore. But, they’re related, so…”

  “…so they came here because they know of you, then?” Negocio scratches his head in thought. “But, why were they following Robert?”

  “I no longer think they were following Robert. I think they were pursuing Rita, not Robert. I found in my records that Rita and their cousin Rachael received treatment at the same time, and I believe they became friends.”

  “Ok Shengwu, so they were following Rita that night. Why?”

  “Not certain. But, I have a theory...” Shengwu silently waves her index finger in the air, as if she forgot what she is planning to say.

  Impatiently, Negocio motions with his hands for her to continue. “So…?”

  After a few moments of thought, Shengwu returns to her analysis. “…I think they realized they were sick and were seeking help from Rita. But, she wouldn’t allow them to get close, because she thought they were after Robert. She is protecting him. Remember?”

  “Yes Shengwu, I assigned her, so of course I remember,” Negocio testily snaps. “But, I don’t understand why they didn’t approach you directly. If they knew they were sick why did they not go straight to your clinic?”

  “I asked myself that same question. So, I reviewed everything I had and could find about Rachael and the Jacobs brothers.” Shengwu smiles and nods her head. “And that’s when her cousins’ actions began to make sense. I believe they wanted Rita to sneak them into my clinic; past that group of protestors at the entrance gate. They were seeking my help, but they couldn’t come in my front door because they would have been seen by the protestors. Turns out some of the protestors are people from the brothers’ home town and members of their church.”

  Negocio is hearing, but is not listening to Shengwu. He is inside his mind processing what he is being told, searching for advantages not problems. Tapping his forehead with his index finger, he is visualizing the possible opportunities arising from Shengwu’s story. Negocio is optimistic that benefits exist in everything. The secret is to discover them.

  Finally, after reflecting in silence, Negocio decides to share his thoughts. “If I understand you correctly, you’re thinking that these brothers…the Jacobs…traveled all the way from Tennessee based solely on the hope that you could help them because you healed their cousin Rachael. Am I correct?”

  “Yes, I suppose.”

  “Could you have healed them, if they had arrived in time? Isn’t that what you told me?” Negocio says, developing a plan.

  “I think it depends upon the individual and how sick they are. After all, healing Aethon victims is not my area of expertise. Pion and SPEA’s super-fast, laser computer are the true experts. Besides, Genome engineering is not a one cure fits all situation. Each person must…”

  Excited, Negocio interrupts. “That’s perfect Shengwu. We have an old saying here in Puerto Rico, no hay mal que por bien no venga or in English, something good comes out of every evil. Hundreds or thousands of people are sick on the mainland. Desperate people. People who can’t receive your treatment in the US because the federal government isn’t allowing genome engineering. People like the Jacobs, who are willing to travel hundreds of miles to see you just hoping that you can save them. People who are willing to abandon their faith, their friends and their families, because they heard from their cousin that you may be their salvation.”

  “Well that’s my theory, but…”

  “No, that’s reality.” Negocio faces Shengwu to capture her attention. “When we first met, you told me that you want to heal humanity. Remember? You said you want to improve mankind. In memory of your mother and your son, you want to cure diseases and make humans capable of surviving in the future. Remember?”

  Shengwu nods. “Yes, of course, I remember.”

  “Well, now is your opportunity to cure the incurable or at least save some very sick people. You’ll become the healer that you told me you want to be. If this Aethon is as dangerous as you have been telling me then it’s your responsibility to do your best to stop this scourge.” Negocio is happiest when peddling his persuasion.

  Negocio’s statements distress Shengwu. “But, for me to treat someone with Aethon they must come to my clinic. That could mean hundreds or possibly thousands of infected and infectious Aethon victims flooding into San Juan. They could contaminate all of Puerto Rico and possibly create a killer epidemic. Thousands could die.”

  With both hands, Negocio points at Shengwu. “You know what this Aethon looks like and you know what to expect. Now, if those…no…when those individuals you’ve already treated recover, they’re certain to announce it through social media. If the word isn’t already spreading. Just the fact that those Jacobs brothers came to San Juan tells me the word is out about you and your clinic. So instead of allowing Aethon carriers to wander around Puerto Rico lost and possibly infecting others, we prepare for them. Coordinate them. Control them. We can’t stop an Aethon epidemic from overrunning Tennessee or Kentucky, but perhaps here we can manage it.”

  “How can you be so certain? I’m not.” Shengwu counters.

  Negocio waves his hand across his desk energizing its computer monitor. “No te panikees. I’ve got it covered with these Center for Disease Control epidemic control directions right here. The CDC is disbanded now, but I still believe in its instructions. Let me read you some of it. I think it is common sense. For example these directions begin, good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilization. Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Raising awareness of risk factors for infection and protective measures that individuals can take is an effective way to reduce human transmission. See Shengwu, straight forward. Nothing new.”

  Shengwu slowly shakes her head from side to side. “No, no, no, it is not that simple or easy. You can’t treat Aethon like it’s a common cold outbreak. It’s a killer. A killer. A type of Aethon is reported to be responsible for thousands of deaths in Tennessee and Kentucky. And you know, we already have people here who have died from Aethon.”

  “Ah yes those people who died. Glad you mentioned that. There are CDC directions for taking care of them here too.” Negocio bends over his desk and reads. “Outbreak containment measures, including prompt and safe burial of the dead, identifying people who may have been in contact with someone infected and monitoring their health, the importance of separating the healthy from the sick to prevent further spread, and the importance of good hygiene, maintaining a clean environm
ent…”

  Vigorously shaking her head no, Shengwu dissents. “No! You don’t understand. My clinic is small and is at full capacity now. Aethon is not easily treated, either. Engineering genomes is a complicated and difficult operation. Then after the genome replacement, you need hospital facilities and medical staff and robotic nurses and medical supplies. All of which is expensive and in short supply.”

  “I understand your reluctance Shengwu, but, as I said before, you must realize that Aethon victims are coming. If the Jacobs brothers came then there are definitely more on their way…or already here. You can’t stop them. I can’t stop them. And obviously, officials in America are definitely not stopping them. They probably want them to leave. I don’t know, but they may be making them leave. Putting them on the airplanes or on ships. Buying them tickets. Makes for less problems for them. We cannot outrun this Tsunami. All we can hope to do is manage the flow of victims to contain the disease and provide their treatment. I will manage. You will treat.” A proper politician, Negocio capably merges rumor and speculation.

  “No! I will not abandon my other patients and my other research projects. I am…”

  “No! You are correct Shengwu. You will not abandon your other patients and research. I’m still depending on you to transform Puerto Rico into the creative center of the Caribbean. However, yes! You will treat any Aethon victim that arrives at your clinic.”

  Frowning, Shengwu indicates she still doubts the President’s plan.

  Negocio straightens to his full height attempting to induce her into agreeing. “Pope Francis said many years ago that a little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just. Now, I’m not a real religious man, but I do believe it is your duty…no…it is our duty to humanity. We are Puerto Ricans. We may be a poor people, but we are not a cold, callous, hate-filled people like they have become on the mainland. We must help.”