ROMANO: It was Mark Twain who said there are three types of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. You’ve taken a poll that clearly shows me in the lead and have twisted the results to make it seem as if I’m in last place.
GALBRAITH: Sixty-one percent are voting for someone else, Mr. Romano. That’s not a lie.
ROMANO: What you haven’t mentioned is that my support is at thirty-nine percent, while my two opponents have garnered thirty-two and twenty-seven percent, respectively, with two percent undecided. I’m the clear leader in this race.
GALBRAITH: It’s a plurality.
ROMANO: In a field of three candidates, a plurality is to be expected.
GALBRAITH: Okay, we can both agree that the polls predict you will win with a plurality. If this turns out to be true, would you have a mandate for your agenda?
ROMANO: Bill Clinton won both of his terms with a plurality, and no one was bothered about whether or not he had a mandate. As I said before, in a field of three candidates, a plurality is to be expected.
GALBRAITH: We’re running short on time, Mr. Romano, and I need you to answer the question on how you will be able to effect change in the healthcare system if you become president.
ROMANO: I’m already doing it, or rather, God is already doing it, but the media refuses to report it. I have personally visited over fifty hospitals and hospices in my travels across this great country, and thousands of people with so-called incurable diseases have been healed after praying with me and receiving the laying of hands by my ministers.
GALBRAITH: Your ministers are not recognized by the Catholic church, even though you identify as Catholic. Pope Mary is on record as stating she does not countenance your methods.
ROMANO: Think about that — thousands of people who no longer require medical supervision or prescription medication. Thousands of people…
GALBRAITH: Mr. Romano, that number is completely unsubstantiated, and what about Pope Mary’s statement…
ROMANO: …have been healed by the power of prayer alone. That’s a pharmaceutical company’s worst nightmare! That’s an insurance corporation’s worst nightmare! And, quite frankly, that is also Congress’s worst nightmare, since members of both parties are funded by these evil entities. Once faith healing eliminates the need for health insurance and prescription medication, the healthcare debacle will fix itself. I won’t need to wait for useless legislation from Congress to come to my desk.
GALBRAITH: Mr. Romano, I want to make sure I am hearing you right. You’re saying that everyone who is suffering from a terminal disease will be healed by prayer, and that’s how you’re going to fix our broken healthcare system? With all due respect, sir, is that your solution?
ROMANO: With all due respect, Ms. Galbraith, you know perfectly well that it is working…
GALBRAITH: I know nothing of the sort, sir, and you can try to bully me all you want…
ROMANO: Your colleagues in the press have been closely following the thousands who have been healed. The medical records of these thousands have been illegally obtained…
GALBRAITH: Mr. Romano, you can’t just make up accusations from thin air…
ROMANO: …in order to find one, just one false case. With all due respect, Ms. Galbraith, your colleagues have not only found no deception, but on the contrary, they have discovered a wealth of evidence that supports my claim. These people who were genuinely terminal now have no trace of their respective diseases. You know it, your colleagues know it, and…
GALBRAITH: I’ll have to cut you off there, Mr. Romano. [Speaking to the crew] Go directly to a commercial break.
ROMANO: …you are deliberately suppressing it.
GALBRAITH: [Speaking to the crew] Commercial break, now!
CRISIS
Lifeboat, Arctic Circle
US Election Day 2048 AD
“If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it!” exclaimed Tariq. “It really is a cure for cancer!”
Everyone was awestruck as they watched the screen images projected from the electronic microscope. The nanobots collected data as they hovered over the cancerous cells then suddenly attacked them.
“What are they doing?” asked Jasper. “If all they do is destroy the tumor, then the cancer will eventually return.”
“They’re tying off the blood vessels that feed the tumor,” explained Merk, “while at the same time infusing the surrounding healthy tissue with the Delta-32 mutation receptor inhibitors.”
“What type of tumor cells are these?” asked Emanui.
“The biopsy was taken from a patient with pancreatic cancer,” said Merk.
“I thought the Delta-32 mutation only protected against the plague,” said Tariq.
“It’s adapting,” said Merk. “The nanobots are reconfiguring the mutation to inhibit pancreatic cancer receptors.”
“We have to find a way to make this available to everyone,” said Emanui.
“Isn’t that what Romano’s doing?” asked Jasper.
“It’s where he gets his political power!” exclaimed Emanui. “There has to be a way we could distribute it anonymously — the water supply, maybe.”
“We don’t know enough about the nanobot design yet,” said Merk.
“What’s not to know?” asked Emanui. “They kill cancer cells and prevent new ones from maturing.”
“I want to be thorough before we undertake something of that magnitude,” answered Merk.
Nadia’s wristband buzzed. “It’s a media alert. Romano has been declared the winner.”
“This early?” asked J’Vor. “It’s not even midnight on the west coast!”
Tariq entered a news website address at the nearest terminal to get more information. “The Internet connection is gone.”
The other terminals were just as useless.
“There’s too much traffic,” said Devonna. “It’s a pity we don’t have cable television!”
“I’ve gotten onto UNN!” exclaimed Emanui. “It’s saying Romano has been assassinated!”
For the next hour, the only information they could obtain was from news sites that had shrunk their content to fit into one data packet. Although it was only text-based, it sufficed. The headlines kept changing — after initially claiming Romano had been assassinated, updates reported that he had been taken to hospital and was in stable condition. A suicide bomber was said to be the culprit.
Finally, the backpressure routing algorithms implemented by the networks cleared the congestion, and they were able to watch live news feeds. The video of the assassination attempt replayed in front of them, and they could not believe their eyes. As Romano walked onstage to make his acceptance speech, a man tackled him and at that precise moment blew himself up.
Although the assassin’s body absorbed most of the shock, his close proximity to Romano caused horrific injuries to his head and chest.
“Half of Romano’s face has been blown away!” exclaimed Tariq.
“No one could survive that,” said J’Vor.
Romano’s ministers could be seen frantically gathering up bits of scattered flesh and brain matter. Together, the four of them pressed the disembodied material into what remained of Romano’s head.
“It’s glowing!” cried Emanui. “Romano’s face is glowing!”
When the ministers removed their hands, Romano’s head was intact and no longer glowed. He appeared lifeless as he was bundled away by his security detail, but, unbelievably, a short time later it was announced that he would soon be making a public address from his hospital bed.
Official news videos that recorded the macabre event only briefly showed the back of the assassin, but videos recorded by those in the crowd on their phones began to make their way onto the Internet. An intern who was standing behind the stage as Romano walked on posted a video that captured a clear image of the assassin’s face.
“Oh, God!” sobbed Merk. “It’s Amos!”
CONSPIRACY
Romano Residence, Colorado
Election Night 2048 AD
“Kevak’s hybrid network must be responsible,” said Jirza. “The assassin was sent by them.”
“We checked the monastery in Russia,” Kwetz reminded her. “The lifeboat is no longer there, and none of the monks displayed any signs of deception when they claimed to have never heard of a ‘Brother Kevak.’”
Jirza ignored him and began scraping bits of gore from her hands and shoes into a specimen jar.
“What are you doing?” asked Arkani.
“Some of this brain matter came from the assassin,” she explained. “It might contain clues that will lead us to the conspirators.”
“How do you know he wasn’t a lone wolf?” asked Arkani.
“He was wearing tight-fitting clothes,” said Jirza. “The explosives were concealed internally, meaning that not only would he have needed a doctor to perform the surgery, he would also have required a remote device or person to detonate it. He had plenty of advanced help.”
“A surgeon and an explosives specialist?” asked Arkani.
“Yes,” said Jirza, “and someone else brought them all together for this purpose. We need to find out everything about the assassin, and the trail will lead us to the organizers.”
*******
Star Chamber, Undisclosed Location
“You were there, One. How could he survive that?” asked Three.
“It was just like you saw on the television,” said One with a shrug.
“Then he truly is the Antichrist,” said Two.
“For all intents and purposes,” agreed One.
“All is lost!” exclaimed Two.
“All is not lost,” retorted One. “We might not be able to eliminate him, but we can suppress his agenda. Not a single member of Congress belongs to his Faith Party. Surely we can gum up the works with either downright rejection of his proposals or gridlock.”
“There were no complications with the remains of the assassin?” asked Three.
One shook her head. “One of our pathologists in the coroner’s department is taking care of the public report. We’ll have the private one in front of us in a matter of hours.”
“Has his background been circulated to our operatives in the press?” asked Three.
“A once brilliant professor of theology with an insane notion that Romano was the Antichrist because he bore a striking resemblance to the ancient Emperor Titus in the recently discovered frescos,” answered One.
“About those frescos…” began Two.
“One of the tunnels constructed at the second arch site to prevent flooding gave way a few hours ago,” said One. “The vault quickly filled with water and debris. The antiquities had already been removed to museums, but nothing could be done to save the frescos. They were completely destroyed.”
EMERGENCE
Washington, D. C.
Inauguration Day, 2049 AD
The world waited in anticipation for the first glimpse of Sebastian Romano since the assassination attempt. The last time he had been seen was during an interview given from his hospital bed, during which he assured the public that he was unscathed. The nanobots had not only replaced his functioning brain tissue, but all of his memories were intact as well. He attributed his miraculous recovery to the power of God, who saved him through the laying of hands of his ministers. Upon release, he went into hiding with his mother and ministers, and they used the time to fine-tune their strategy on how he could push through his agenda without any members of his own party in Congress.
His inauguration speech set the tone. He invoked God repeatedly in order to portray Big Pharma as the devil incarnate. Romano skillfully explained in laymen’s terms how the pharmaceutical industry had maintained premium patent protections, which resulted in the price of life-saving drugs being determined by market influence. Citing the example of a leukemia treatment drug costing $150 a year from a country without premium patent protection versus the same annual treatment costing $100,000 in the United States, Romano urged the common man and woman to recognize that the only thing holding back effective change was their own apathy.
He understood that the public had heard statistics like these bandied about every election year, and nothing had ever changed. The lack of change, he claimed, was due to the colossal amount of money Big Pharma had injected into political contributions to both parties, ensuring that any reformative legislation was stymied at the committee level, resulting in the formation of numerous “exploratory subcommittees” to “study” what effect the proposed legislation would have on the status quo.
“Today, this ends!” he triumphantly declared.
The gathered masses erupted into a booming chorus of cheers that did not die down for a full five minutes. The congressmen who were seated behind Romano waited with faces of stone for the seemingly interminable clapping to cease. It did not go unnoticed that many in the crowd were pointing at them specifically while making rude, threatening gestures.
There was no inaugural parade. Instead, a gigantic tent had been erected to receive anyone who desired to be healed by the laying of hands. For over five hours, Romano and his mother prayed with the afflicted as Jirza, Tolum, Kwetz, and Arkani applied their special touch.
Immediately after the inaugural address, pharmaceutical stocks plunged, setting off a wave of panic-selling across the board. All trading came to a halt once the daily losses exceeded 7%, but the so-called “switch-breaker” algorithms responsible for stopping the carnage only offered an overnight reprieve. The losses continued at an accelerated rate at the beginning of trade on the following day, necessitating the intervention of the Federal Reserve. All trading was halted until Monday, and by the end of the week the Dow Jones had lost nearly ten thousand points — the biggest loss on record.
Much to the consternation of those in Congress, the public did not turn against Romano, instead cheering on the crash. He had repeatedly alluded to it as a long overdue cleansing of a system that was corrupt to the core. Even those with retirement accounts understood that if cancer could be eliminated through faith healing, then the money saved on medical bills and insurance costs would far outweigh any losses to their 401-k plans.
*******
Lifeboat, Arctic Circle
Since the night of the assassination attempt, there was no doubt that Romano’s ministers were Jirza, Tolum, Kwetz, and an unknown female Vambir.
“They look nothing like what they did when they were at the monastery in Russia,” said Emanui.
“Their transmutation is different from the Vambir transformation induced by blood ingestion,” said Tariq. “It may be responsible for their different physical characteristics. What we do know is that transmutation has made them immune to sunlight, and they can now partake of human food.”
“What does that make us?” asked Jasper.
“Inferior,” said Tariq. “We can’t fight them directly. They’re too powerful.”
“Now that Romano’s president,” said J’Vor, “it will only be a matter of time before they track us down. They’ll have access to all kinds of classified information and covert operations.”
“Our network won’t be betrayed,” insisted Jasper. “We’ve existed silently alongside governments for centuries.”
“They have solved the mystery of wormhole transportation and have been infused with a seemingly endless supply of nanobots,” said Devonna. “Why did they bother to come back to this planet? Isn’t Earth primitive in comparison to Vambiri?”
“They needed human blood to bring about the transmutation,” said Tariq.
“Then why stay once it had been accomplished?” asked Devonna. “Why involve themselves in politics?”
“Okay, here’s what we’ve pieced together so far,” began Emanui. “The Newisla arrived on Vambiri, and the crew discovered that survivors of the Passenger Lottery revolt used wormhole technology to bring them there. These survivors also possessed advanced knowledge of nanobots. Jirza and Tolum acquired these nanobots, m
aybe for the made-up reason of wanting to be healers on Vambiri. But somewhere along the line, the siblings surmised that the nanobots would effect a transmutation if they ingested human blood. This transmutation would make it possible to tolerate daylight and other food sources, greatly enhancing their ability to blend in among humans. They needed the unknown female Vambir because she could assist either with the generation of the wormhole or the nanobots. Equally as important to their mission was Kwetz’s communication device with Pocatello, which they used to pinpoint their destination.”
“Yes,” said Tariq. “All of that makes sense.”
“So the four of them arrive safely and ingest Pocatello’s blood, which brought about the transmutation,” continued Emanui.
“At that point they’d be ready to go back, but they would have to leave the same way they came,” speculated J’Vor. “They would need unfettered access to a particle accelerator. And they couldn’t just show up and instantly transport themselves home — they’d need time to make readjustments to calculations and equipment.”
“How would a group of four complete unknowns be able to take over a particle accelerator for their own personal use?” asked Jasper.
“If they had the backing of someone who had the power to make it so,” said Emanui.
*******
Devonna went downstairs to the labs with a tray of food to check on Merk. Since the assassination, he had acted like someone possessed, running seemingly endless simulations on the nanobots and meticulously recording the results. He only gave into sleep when he could feel extreme fatigue setting in and did not concern himself with the petty distractions of eating and grooming.
The Nosferatu Chronicles: Return to Vambiri Page 16
