Extinction Level Event (15 page)

“Since the first days of Project SuperPower we have
tested the herbicide’s new properties against all the varieties of
weeds that farmers in the US, and the world, would face. We made
sure that we are prepared to deal not only with common species, but
with unusual and exotic varieties as well, such as chocolate vines
and sacred lotus. More importantly, we tested multiple times one of
Cleanup’s most important qualities: that it has no effect once in
contact with soil. Since its inception decades ago, Grounduphas
focused on inhibiting the production of the enzyme EPSP, which is
vital for the plant to manufacture amino acids necessary for
metabolic growth. Glyphosate also attacks the plants rhizomes and
roots, leading to death and decomposition within a few days.
Glyphosate will not attack non-target vegetation, nor will it move
through the soil through the root system. It is designed to destroy
the green, living parts of invasive species. In fact it will bind
tightly to most soil particles before being degraded and
decomposed.”

LoSchiavo knows that this is common knowledge to most
MalSanto employees, but she enforces the point forcefully to the
USDA officials who seem to think of the perfectly safe herbicide as
a threat to their precious worms.
For years it hasn’t harmed
other animals, why all of a sudden would it kill a billion worms?
Its not a virus or something!

McCarthy, on the other hand, takes every one of
LoSchiavo’s words with a hint of salt.
She is after all, a high
level employee and would never say anything counterproductive to
the company
. McCarthy interjects LoSchiavo before she can
continue. “Mrs. LoSchiavo, could metabolite components such as AMPA
and POEA provoke reactions within earthworm digestive or immune
systems? I understand that you make sure that ppm concentration of
these metabolites are kept under the maximum safe level for humans,
but you have never tested the ppm levels currently used in
Groundupon insects or earthworms?” LoSchiavo turns around to face
McCarthy, her eyes locked onto his for daring to ask such a
question. “Mr. McCarthy, human safety is our primary concern. It
would be a waste to be researching effects on insignificant
organisms when we are already so much time and money into making
sure that our products have no effect on people.” “But it would
seem that the species in question isn’t nearly as ‘insignificant’
as you make it out to be. Earthworms are as critical to the
environment as any species can be. Do you know what would happen to
your product if it were to destroy all the worms on a farmer’s
land? The land would be lacking in nutrients, non-aerated, and all
the weeds that Groundupwould have ‘decomposed’ the previous year
would be left rotting on the surface. Basically the land would be
unusable, no crops would be able to grow properly, and maybe the
weeds would take over. But then there would be no market for your
products if there are no crops to be protected, right? Ma’am, no
worms in the soil means no market share for Groundup SuperPower.”
Everyone around is taken aback by McCarthy’s fierce response, the
MalSanto executives reeling back in horror at his words. However,
while LoSchiavo continues burning into McCarthy with a venomous
glare, a slow, somber expression of realization comes across
Walter’s face. He breaks the tension by asking the redundant
question. “Are you saying, Dr. McCarthy, that by withdrawing our
latest product you believe that we are saving our largest market
from a catastrophe that our product allegedly causes?” McCarthy
swallows. “Yes, sir, that is basically my point. It if doesn’t
cause it, well, the precautions would justify itself by keeping the
market, basically the farming industry, a safe distance away from a
potential danger. If SuperPower is in fact the cause of the worm
die-off, then that danger is real and preventing the farmers from
acquiring it keeps your future markets intact. After all, I believe
that you can easily continue to market PowerMax, Bioforce, and
every other Ground upline product. Every other Groundup product has
come out and none of them have the correlation to a massive die-out
as SuperPower.”

“What you say is true, Dr. McCarthy.” Onassis comes
to McCarthy’s defense, while simultaneously trying to comfort his
old friend Patrick Walter. “Look, this could merely be a timing
issue. After all, other possibilities that have been proposed range
from wild new environmental conditions to an unidentified worm
epizootic. But these are more unlikely, and unfortunately the worms
are being affected at exactly the same time and locations where
Groundup SuperPower is being first marketed.” Walter, whose
flushness of the face has started to visibly fade, calms after
hearing those few key words from Onassis. “Very well then. Can you
start work on this research immediately?” Onassis replies, “Dr.
McCarthy will stay here along with a few of my other people to run
tests. I’ve ordered samples brought here ASAP. I’ve also asked for
the best environmental scientists, molecular biologists, and
virologists to come down here and give their opinions, and see if
they can come up with something.” Realizing that the conversation
has shifted, LoSchiavo drops the ball and looks up to Walter for
instructions. “We need to go over the legalities and recall
procedures for SuperPower.” Reminds Onassis, speaking to Walter and
the rest of the MalSanto executives. “I’ll leave McCarthy, Jones,
and La Cruz here while we go back to your office and work on the
recall. I want to make sure every single container is accounted
for. McCarthy, Jones, La Cruz; you three stay here and start coming
up with control experiments, tests, any ideas to determine the
correlation between worms and SuperPower.”

While the top executives file out of the
GroundupDivision II room, LoSchiavo stays with the three USDA
researchers assigned by Onassis to stay put and devise solutions.
Knowing that SuperPower was directly under her supervision,
LoSchiavo feels compelled to stay and work with the USDA scientists
to disprove the alleged link between the hodgepodge of crazy events
that have recently unfolded and the project that has taken the last
two years of her life. She looks over at McCarthy, Jones, and La
Cruz. A tall blonde man, an even taller African American, and a
shorter man who may have passed as a Hispanic in most states.
Gathering her strength after the quick succession of arguments,
LoSchiavo started. “Gentlemen, my apologies for any inconveniences
in this little shake-up. I assure you that our CEO Mr. Patrick
Walter is simply flustered by all these recent events, not to
mention this assumed relationship between SuperPower and the worms
disaster unfolding in Los Angeles. I’ve read the reports, and
believe me, I find the reports of environmental changes and
epizootics much more likely than it being a result of SuperPower.
As you all know, herbicides are specifically designed to kill
plants, not organisms.”

McCarthy interjects. “Ma’am, I’ve also read the
reports and from what I can tell there is no new environmental
phenomenon that could be causing the worms to die. I’ve been at the
sites myself, and from what I’ve seen and tested with my team soil
moisture is usual, soil temperature is normal to the 0.5 of a
degree, precipitation is average, soil aeration is average. The
chances, or should I say probability, of
this
die-out being
caused by some environmental change is remote. Sunlight levels are
average for lower California, precipitation this season is normal .
. . which is to say almost nothing, barely 0.10 inches over the
month. Every soil sample we tested was fine, and the water has no
element in it that we haven’t detected before. Although the EPA
should be doing their own tests to the water as well.” McCarthy
looks at LoSchiavo, who is quickly running possibilities through
her head. “What about a spill from a refinery, chemical plant?
There are hundreds of chemical-products companies around Santa
Monica. Have you investigated them?” La Cruz brings his points up.
“Yes there are many corporations involved with chemical products in
LA, but this started in Bakersfield. The first place, the first
city that had access to Groundup SuperPower.” McCarthy adds, “Not
only that, but if we were dealing with an oil spill we would know
about already. Everything would be contaminated with the oil in a
large radius around the source. We have found not a drop of
unexpected oil or petroleum of any kind at any site that I have
been at. And our office at LA reports the same.”

“What about an epizootic?”, presses LoSchiavo. “Have
you even considered that? We’re so focused on avian and swine
influenzas, we forgot that other animals can be affected as well.
Have you even though of worm flu?” “Worm flu? The idea is
preposterous, arthropod diseases don’t spread that fast!”,
interjects Jones. “Actually, some do”, corrects McCarthy, “Fire ant
disease has been known to reduce colony sizes by over sixty
percent. And there is Colony Collapse Disorder in honey bees. We
don’t even know the cause of that, even though the disease has been
around for years. But valid theories out there claim that the cause
is some unusual spore called Israel Acute Paralysis Virus. Are you
suggesting that the worms are being killed by a virus or
unidentified spore?”

“That’s precisely what I’m suggesting!”, replies
LoSchiavo, “you need a team of virologists and biologists to
examine those worms as much as a team of environmental scientists
and chemists. Tell me you’re doing that before we go on.” McCarthy
answers, “Ma’am, we are doing that. But it’ll be a while before
that team is assembled. To be honest, I don’t know how they are
proceeding in LA right now. Maybe they’ve already got the
microbiology and virology guys there already.” “Let's hope so.",
answers LoSchiavo, "Well, enough premature talking. Lets start our
analysis of the herbicide by looking at the diagrams of the
SuperPower compound”. . . .

Houston, Texas

In his laboratory at CBEID, a thousand tiny H5N2
virus samples stare back at V.K. Krishnan through the lens of his
Titan Cubed microscope. The massive machine, twice as tall as a man
and many times as heavy, hums softly as it increases the resolution
of his image by hundreds of thousands of times. The tiny viruses,
tube-like in shape, swirl in the gel before his eyes and on the
monitor attached to the microscope. He watches the viruses as a
swarm of newly developed antibodies enters from a
precisely-calculated injection. The antibodies begin to attach
themselves to the H5N2 tubules as -Ring!! The laboratory phone
jolts Krishnan out of his concentration-induced visual stupor.
Darn that phone! Interrupting me in the middle of this critical
test!
Knowing that the computer is monitoring and recording the
entire dance of the microbes happening under the 80-300 Cubed,
Krishnan swivels his chair and rolls himself across the room to the
phone.

“Dr. Krishnan speaking. Who is this?” “Good Morning,
Dr. Krishnan. This is Peter LaJoy from the US Department of
Agriculture. We have a situation in California that requires your
attention. We were wondering if you could be so kind as render your
assistance?” “What kind of a situation? You are probably not aware
of this Mr. LaJoy, but I’m running a rather important experiment
right now on an avian flu variant and it would be rather unseemly
if I simply got up and left.” “Dr. Krishnan, perhaps you should
take a look at the fax that I sent your office. Then you can make
your mind up. My number is included in the fax.” With that, LaJoy
hung up the phone.
Great, this guy is taking my time off an
important experiment. Government type, though, so whatever he wants
is probably not that trivial.
Krishnan thinks to himself as he
exits the lab and heads into the adjoining room looking over at his
fax machine. Seeing one of his assistant professors in the room,
Krishnan calls out to him, “Hey Wang! I’ve got something here and
the H5N2 antibody test running in there! Make sure it's all
recorded and stored!” Seeing Wang hurry into the lab, Krishnan
turns back to the fax. It is a copy of a lengthy report on worms,
herbicides, and environment.
What the hell?
Noticing the
date to be from yesterday, Krishnan prints the document and spends
twenty minutes reading it.
Worms dying all over Los Angeles?
Possible connection to MalSanto SuperPower herbicide; New markets
for the new herbicide which was just introduced affected, other
offered explanations include a new epizootic and new unseen soil
conditions. . . wow, this is strange.

After reading the report a second time, Krishnan
dials the phone number given at the end of the fax. “Dr. Krishnan
here. May I speak to Mr. Peter LaJoy?” “This is LaJoy. I take it
you read our little article. Fascinating, isn’t it?” “Truly. What
do you need me for?” “You’re one of the world’s most renowned
virologists, Doctor. I need you here to tell me if we are dealing
with a virus. Right now MalSanto is the only one who really wants
to fly with that story, everyone else involved here including the
EPA, USDA, FDA, and so on think that this is a negative response on
the worms’ part to some ingredient of their new herbicide. Whether
it is or is not an epizootic I need to know now, and I need you
here to tell me.” “That shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I will
need to get to California first. . .” “That’s taken care of. I’ve
already arranged for your plane tickets. I also need to know ASAP
if, assuming it is a virus, if it can be transmitted to humans.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” “See you
soon.” With a click the phone hangs up and Krishnan is left
wondering how his day had changed so quickly.

“Wang, do everything as stated in the test procedure
and record it all! I’ll be out for a day or two.”, he calls out to
Wang. Just because he is heading to California in two hours doesn’t
mean that the H5N2 experiments need to be stopped. Taking off his
lab coat, Krishnan hangs it up on the rack and leaves the CBEID
building., walking out onto UTMB’s sprawled green and concrete
campus. Getting into his four-year old Mazda Six Krishnan turns on
the engine , pulls out of the parking and heads for Houston
International.