“What the virus is doing, or more specifically the effect of the virus, is to lower of the vibrational state of your body to a point where it can no longer contain your soul. Call it death. Call it what you want. But this is what I see every day. Up till this moment, I've always thought of it as basically a one-way ticket, but now I'm proposing that we fight fire with fire, as one would say. We are going to pump up the vibrational state of your body to a point where it overwhelms the virus and kills it."
“Using this Japanese healing art you mentioned?"
“Yes, but much more. I want to throw the kitchen sink at this thing. Some things may help and some not, but somehow some combination of things has to work."
“I have so little energy, but I'll try. What do I need to do?"
“You need to eat, and I'm not talking about that broth you've been sipping, nor your dextrose drip, either. You need real nourishment. Also, we need to get your senses active and feeding input to your mind."
Gathering her meager strength, she touched his face. “Your idea sounds marvelous, but I'm too far gone Anthony. You've got to let go."
He took her hand in his and kissed it tenderly. “I have hope, Tanya, but it is your choice. I just want you to hear me say two things and then I'll do whatever you say.” She nodded in agreement. “First off. I love you, and knowing that you love me is one of the greatest gifts of my life.” He paused for a silent moment, waiting for her to ask.
“And what is the second thing?"
“Shut up and tee off!"
The words of Senator Chavez had struck a clarion note of logic once again and Tanya chuckled. She thought about it for moment and finally said, “In my dome, there are some cans of New England Clam Chowder. I love the stuff and I've been saving it for something special. Will that do for nourishment?"
“Yes! Yes!” he replied gleefully. “Now the senses, music, videos, whatever."
“I have some really old DVD rock and roll videos of my favorite groups, like Pupo and the Scorpions. Will they do?"
“Yes, that will work perfectly.” He stood up still holding on to her hand. “I'm going to get things started. In the meantime, promise me you'll put your heart into it, Tanya. Please promise me you'll do this."
His love for her filled her with a renewed sense of vigor. Whether or not his plan worked, she would meet this challenge with him because she loved him. “I believe in you, Anthony."
A huge smile sailed across his face from ear-to-ear. He tenderly laid her hand down, “I love you Tanya, and we're going to beat this. I'll be back real soon."
* * * *
THE LAST THING Chief Medical Officer Jim Boole and Physician assistant Ramona Baker expected to see was Anthony bounding out of Tanya's isolation unit past them like a young boy racing out to a school yard for recess.
“Whoa there, Anthony,” Boole called out. “Just what is going on?"
Anthony stopped and turned to face them. “We're going to beat this thing. I've talked it over with Tanya, and we're going to do it."
“Do what?"
“Beat the virus. We're going to reverse the process."
“Hold your horses, here! I'm the Chief Medical Officer here, and you're not doing anything with one my patients unless I approve. If you have an idea, I'm open. If not, the last I'm going to do is let you tear around here like some kind of cowboy, so start explaining yourself."
Reluctantly, Anthony began explaining his epiphany and what he planned to do as Boole and Baker listened with stunned expressions. When Anthony finished, Boole raised his back into a stern posture. “You're going to use some Jin Shin voodoo or whatever you call it and all this other nonsense to save her. My God man, her heart can't take the strain of all this kitchen sink theory of yours."
Ramona winced at Boole's words and decided to step in. “Actually Jim,” she said with a stern professional voice, “they are developing new techniques for emergency medical technicians at Walter Reed which just happen to be based on Jin Shin Jyutsu. I didn't work on it, but I heard a lot about it. It seems to be very effective."
Boole turned to her with an incredulous stare. “You gotta be shitting me?"
She held up two fingers. “As God is my witness."
Boole's jaw sagged and Anthony saw a chance to pick up on Ramona's cue. “Look, Jim, Tanya knows she's dying, and so do you. OK, so you feel this is a ‘kitchen sink’ idea, as you so quaintly phrased it. So what have you got to offer? I'll tell what you've got to offer.” He jabbed a finger in the direction of the trenches. “I see what you have to offer kneeling in front of my trenches every day. Well now, I've got an idea, and you're playing hard-ass with Tanya's chances of beating this thing to satisfy your god-doctor-on-Mount-Olympus complex, you pompous, smug son-of-a-bitch."
Boole's eyes glowed with anger. “Maybe you never studied history you self-important primadonna. There were no black gods on Mount Olympus, but I did drag my black ass through medical school and into a position of respect, because I do not play fast and loose with people's lives!"
Now it was Anthony's turn to be taken aback while Ramona gritted her teeth. “OK, we'll skip the black god on Mount Olympus part because I was asleep in class that day. Still the same, you owe it to Tanya to let me try."
Boole waved his hands and nodded his head from side-to-side. “What I owe her is all the time she's got left and I'm not going to let you come in here with some hare-brained cock-and-bull idea and change that."
Anthony fumed. “Fuck you. I'll go over your head."
As Boole reared his head back for a hot retort, Ramona stepped between the two of them holding one hand against Boole's chest and the other against Anthony's. “Have you fully explained this to Tanya, and if so, did she agree to it?"
“Yes, I explained it to her, and yes, she agreed."
“So where were you going from here so fast?"
“To her dome to get some things she wants."
She pushed him away. “Go stand by that gurney over there while I consult privately with Dr. Boole.” Anthony raised an eyebrow. “I'm having a serious PMS day, Anthony, so don't fuck with me.” Anthony backed away and did as she instructed, while mumbling to himself.
Boole started to back away as well and was suddenly surprised when Ramona grabbed his surgical gown in her fist and pulled him towards her. She looked into his face with a grim smile. “We're going to have a professional conversation now, Doctor.” She nodded towards Tanya's isolation room. “My best friend is there dying right now, and if she wants to play voodoo witch doctor with the man she loves, then who in the hell are you to stand in her way?"
“But, but,” Boole stammered.
“You're jabbing your thumb on my PMS hot button and there's no telling what I might do if you don't get your ‘I put my black ass through med school’ down from Mount Olympus this instant. Do you feel lucky?"
He wrapped his hand gently around her fist and sighed. “I'll listen."
“Uh-huh,” Ramona replied with a glaring nod. She let go of his gown and turned to Anthony and gestured for him to join them knowing that she'd just tamed two rams locking horns at the wrong time.
They discussed Anthony's plan in calmer tones, and finally Boole agreed after glancing several times at Ramona's stern gaze. As Anthony left for Tanya's dome, Ramona reached up, kissed Boole on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “You're an adorable, old curmudgeon. You know that don't you?” Boole could only growl with resignation.
* * * *
ANTHONY HAD SPENT the day checking in on Tanya whenever he could. Word about what he planned to do buzzed through the center, and everyone begged him and Ramona to let them help.
Sunny Sharma, Tanya's orderly had overheard the fight between Anthony and Boole and met Anthony on his way to Tanya's dome asking him to let him gather her things while Anthony made other arrangements.
Preparations took on a whirlwind proportion from that point as Sunny gathered up the canned soup and DVDs from Tanya's dome. The cooks prepared her soup
with tender loving care and a special flourish of condensed milk, along with a pinch of this and that thrown in for good measure.
As Ramona lovingly fed Tanya one spoonful after another of the perfectly heated Clam Chowder, Professor Goldberg's soundman Pete and his videographer Jerry had cannibalized various audio/video systems to create a huge entertainment system in Tanya's isolation unit. In no time at all, patients were clamoring to know why Tanya's isolation room was now reverberating with the outdated wailing sounds of Russian rock and roll artists.
After another tough day, Anthony ate a light meal and took a long hot shower before returning to Tanya's room for the next major step in the process. Entering the room, he found Boole pressing the bell of his stethoscope against Tanya's chest as Ramona glanced up at the monitoring panel mounted above Tanya's head.
Boole closed his eyes as he listened intently to Tanya's heart. Finally, he stood and removed the diaphragms from his ears and draped the stethoscope around his neck. “You're better than you were this morning,” he announced to Tanya. “Don't ask me why, but you are."
Ramona touched his arm and motioned in Anthony's direction. “I've done all I can do,” he said. “Come on, Ramona; let's leave these two to their voodoo."
Anthony walked up to the foot of Tanya's bed as they left. Lifting her blanket, he wrapped the fingers of both of his hands around each of Tanya's big toes. Her energy had improved, just enough perhaps for the next step.
“So, I heard Father Bennett did his juggling act for you?” Anthony asked with a smile.
“That and the singing,” she replied in good humor. “Honestly, Anthony, I do adore the man, but he couldn't carry a tune if his life depended on it."
“Au contraire, my dear. You've only heard him when he's sober."
Tanya chuckled. “Well, are we ready for the next step?"
“All we've been doing is warming up the orchestra, Tanya, and you're ready for what will be a stressful experience for your body. But it is now or never."
“It's time to go for broke,” Anthony whispered under his breath as he walked around to the side of the bed. Tanya watched him approach with alert eyes. She too sensed that this would be her one and only chance, and she felt ready.
As he lowered the side rail of her bed, he spoke in reassuring tones, “Whatever happens next, Tanya, I'll be with you."
“I believe in you, Anthony, and I'm ready,” she said firmly. “Let's do it."
He gently placed one hand on her heart and cupped the back of her neck with the other, at the base of her skull. “We're going to my garden now, so close your eyes and relax.” Tanya took one more deep breath and closed her eyes as she exhaled.
When she reopened her eyes, she found herself standing alone in a garden filled with incredible roses of every imaginable shape and color. The weak, achy feeling was gone, and she felt light and comfortable.
She sensed his presence on the other side of a large rose bed, and as she walked towards him, her feet felt as though they barely touched the ground. As she walked lightly through the rose beds, she paused to enjoying their beauty with serene amazement. “Anthony, are you here?"
“I'm waiting for you in the clearing, just beyond the hedges. Keep on coming,” he said. Following his voice, she looked up saw that the garden was surrounded by a solid, pearly white sky. There was no sun, yet the garden was bright and airy.
Walking past the hedges, she saw Anthony dressed in a long flowing, soft, white gown. He moved towards her and held out his hand. “You're in my garden, Tanya. This is a place of my own making, and sometimes I share it with my patients, especially the young ones. For them, I usually create a swing for them to help them adjust. If you would like I can create it for you now?"
“No need.” She looked around again, “My God, this is so beautiful. I had no idea."
“Come, take my hand, Tanya; there is something else I must show you.” She took his outstretched hand, as the garden below her feet became transparent revealing her own body below. “I need to show you the virus that is attacking your body. Are you ready?"
“Yes."
“Close your eyes.” She did as he asked without hesitation.
A moment later he said, “You can open eyes now.” To her astonishment, she was inside her own heart. It was huge and cavernous, and the walls grew and relaxed slowly, making her feel no larger than the virus that was now destroying her body. Still holding onto her hand, Anthony guided her towards what she immediately recognized as the Three Gorges virus, just like the ones she'd seen so often from the electron microscope images on the web.
They floated just a few lengths away from it, completely unaffected by the beating of her heart, and she could see details within the multi-colored ball-like virus that researchers saw, but with clarity far beyond that available to researchers using their powerful and elaborate laboratory equipment. “I've seen this several times,” Anthony noted impassively as they hovered in front of the virus. “It's a real monster."
“Anthony, when I'm not pushing paper and filling out requests for things we usually never get, I spend some of my free time studying molecular virology. I'm not really a qualified researcher by any means, but I'm just fascinated by them. If you can set aside the fact that they kill, they're sometimes beautiful to observe, with their elegant symmetry, colors and subtle variations. But most of all, this is the one I've studied the most. Yet now, I'm seeing a level of detail that is unimaginable. Can we move around it?"
“As long as you're holding my hand Tanya. Just tell me where you want to go."
“Great! For starters, let's do a slow rotation around the x-axis, and then we'll do the same around the y-axis."
“One twenty-five cent tour coming up."
First, they floated around the x-axis of the virus with an occasional pause now and again as Tanya studied one more aspect in closer detail. However, as they had floated halfway over the top of the virus Tanya suddenly ordered, “Stop. Take me in closer. As close you as can."
She studied a part of the virus that seemed no different from any other to Anthony as he waited patiently. Finally, she turned to him with sad eyes and said, “This monster has killed over a billion people, and it was engineered by human hands. Somebody made this awful thing."
“I've always figured that, but can somebody actually find a way to destroy it?"
“I believe so, now that I've seen this. We can create a vaccine provided two things happen."
“And those are?"
“I must live to tell the CDC researchers in Washington. Between that and my own antibodies, provided my body can destroy all of these viruses, this could be what they need for a cure.” She looked at him with imploring eyes, “I can't die now, Anthony. We've got to succeed. We must!"
“Close your eyes, Tanya."
When she reopened her eyes, she was back in the garden in the exact same clearing as before.
“Tanya,” he said softly. “The next step will be more difficult for you. That is why I showed you the virus. While I've always had my suspicions, I was still surprised to learn that it was engineered. Frankly, I cannot begin to understand how someone with this kind of knowledge could create such a terrible killer that is so hard to kill."
“When monsters like these are created, a way to destroy them is also created, or at least it usually is,” she replied. “It reminds me of something novelist Frank Herbert once said, ‘He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing?’ Well, this one got out of control."
He took both of her hands. “Tanya, I'm really not sure how this next step will play itself out. You know, I've been making this up as we go along, and so far, we've been pretty lucky. So are you ready for that next step?"
“Let's do it."
He pointed to the ground at her feet. “Just sit and wait. I'll be back in a moment."
She settled herself on the cool, green grass at her feet and watched with curiosity as Anthony walked through the pearly white sky that bordered the edge of the garden. In a m
illion years, she could never have been prepared for what happened next. Anthony returned to the garden, and just behind him, a second figure stepped through the pearly, white sky. It was the spirit of Henry Wheelwright, looking as fit and healthy as the day she first met him in Moscow.
“Hi, kitten,” Henry said with a wink. Speechless, she could only nod at the visage of her dead husband.
Henry looked about the garden with an appreciative smile and said to Anthony, “I like your garden. It is most impressive."
“Well, it's a work in progress, you might say,” Anthony replied modestly. “Unfortunately, I can only maintain this for a short while more.” Henry nodded.
Anthony gestured with hand. “Come here, Tanya."
Still speechless, she rose as he instructed her and joined them. Anthony took her hand and guided it to Henry's. “I've taken this as far as I possibly can. I'm going to leave you both alone now."
“Thank you, Anthony,” Henry replied as Anthony's image disappeared.
“Am—am I hallucinating?” Tanya asked as she stood alone with Henry in the garden.
“Look inside yourself, Kitten, and see if you have lost your fear of death?"
She closed her eyes for a moment and slowly reopened them. “Yes."
“Then you're not hallucinating."
“It's really you Henry?"
“Yes, Kitten. Would like to take a little trip with me?"
“I'll go anywhere with you."
“Close your eyes."
When she reopened her eyes, she was standing next to him in the Novokuznetskaya metro station in Moscow where she had found Henry as he'd wandered away from the American tour group she had been guiding.
“You know, Kitten, this was one of the finest days of my former life. I'll never forget the moment you found me. It was late at night, and the place was almost deserted. I remember how you were so frustrated with me and yet glad to find me at the same time. Although I have to tell you, not half as glad I was.” He pointed to the connecting tunnel that linked metro lines 6 and 8. Somebody or something was playing Glen Miller's Moonlight Serenade on a trombone and it seemed to echo off the marble walls of the station as though it were a perfect speaker system. “It was amazing,” Henry reminisced, “that just one man with a trombone could fill such a huge place. And the music was so sweet."
Godschild Covenant: Return of Nibiru Page 43
