The Perfect Pathogen (19 page)

CHAPTER 31

Katie awoke the next
morning refreshed and ready to conquer the world. She rolled over and saw Rob
staring at the ceiling.

“What’s wrong,” she said.

“I am just worried about what is going to happen
to our parents and our family. I don’t have any control it seems,” he sighed.

Katie rolled over and gave Rob a long hard kiss
while sliding her hand down between his legs.

“Let me relieve your worries,” she said as she
climbed on top of Rob.

Minutes later they were both panting with ecstasy.

“No time for afterglow this morning. I have to get
moving. I got so many things to accomplish so I can get home at a reasonable
time,” said Katie.

She jumped up out of bed and headed into the
shower. Rob lay there thinking what a sexy, beautiful, wonderful wife he had.
He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He was still grinning when Katie
exited the bathroom to get dressed.

“We need to get you out to the farm more often
honey. I like what it has done for you,” Rob said with a chuckle, finally
getting out of bed.

“We will be there all weekend coming up, so be
prepared,” she said while laughing.

Five minutes later Katie kissed the kids goodbye
and was headed out the door. She noticed a white car drive by as she got into
her car but didn’t think twice about it. Probably someone lost on their dead
end street again, she thought.

Driving into work all she could think about was
Hope’s blood test results. She wanted to find out if it was possible that she
wasn’t infected with this disease, and if not, why not? Pulling into the office
parking space, she noticed that Beth was already there. She didn’t know what
she was going to do without Beth’s assistance in the her new office downtown.

Katie opened her email and did a quick scan for
anything from Sarah, Ben, or Patti, her lab technician friend from church. All
of the death notices were now being auto-forwarded to a file for Beth, so Katie
didn’t have to wade through those hundreds of emails.

The first thing she saw was an email from Patti.
It was Hope’s blood test information. She opened it and quickly scanned the
data for the six key indicators. She didn’t know what to think. Again, they
were all normal.

She printed out the results and went back to her
other email. Then she saw the message from Ben entitled ‘Hope’s blood test’.
She did a quick scan, noting how Ben had done an in-depth analysis of Hope’s
first test and also had concluded the test was good and that she was not
infected. Double confirmation.

Next she saw that she had three emails of blood
bank test results. She wanted to start running these through her algorithm as
soon as possible to see if she could detect any other samples that were
negative, just like Hope. This would take about two hours so she should do this
before anything else.

After about thirty minutes she had the blood tests
all set for analysis. There were 3,000 sets of data in the emails each
representing 3,000 separate people. She figured this to be a fairly good representation
of the population as a whole at this point, drawn from across North America.
She was expecting to get another 2,000 sets of data each day for the next week,
so this would broaden her database significantly. It wouldn’t be long now until
she found other samples that were negative for SDX, she thought.

Katie opened the email from Ben again and clicked
on reply.

Hi Ben,

You were right. I just analyzed the second blood test
result for Hope and she remains negative for SDX. The question now is why?  On
another subject, I should be downtown by about eleven today and I would like to
discuss my data, and our next steps. I’ll stop by your office as soon as I
arrive, if you are available.

Happy Monday,

Katie

Katie hit the send button and then went to check
on Beth. Beth had all of Katie’s important documentation either packed in boxes
for her to take or scanned into the shared drives for the office. Beth was
simply a miracle worker -- everything that Katie needed would be at her
fingertips.

“Beth, what did you do, work all day yesterday?”
Katie asked.

“Well, not all day, but I was in here for a
substantial part of the day. Hey, I know the work you are doing is important
for the success of the search for a cure for this epidemic, so it was the least
I could do. And don’t get all sappy on me,” said Beth. “Okay?”

Katie came over to Beth and gave her a big hug as
a tear of joy ran down her cheek.

“Stop,” Beth protested. “You’re going to make me
cry too.”

Drying her eyes, Katie went back into her office
and dug through her things.

“I am going to take a load down to the car right
now,” said Katie to Beth. “I’ll be back shortly.”

When she returned, Beth had the final three boxes
together and ready for loading on a hand truck Katie could use now.

Katie then went into her office to check the
progress of the blood bank data analysis, as Beth made ready the rest of the
items Katie would be taking with her downtown. Katie saw that the analysis
would take another five minutes, so she finished loading up the car in order to
be able to take off as soon as she had the results.

As Katie re-entered her office, Beth was on the
phone. Katie could hear Beth saying, “I am sorry Mr. Hughes, but Dr. McMann is
not in right now. If you leave me a message I will ask her to return your
call.” Then there was a pause and she heard Beth say, “Ok, suit yourself,
goodbye.”

“Who was that?” asked Katie.

“It was Marvin Hughes from the Post. He had
questions for you again. He didn’t want to leave a message and he didn’t even
want me to tell you he called. He said he would catch up with you, whatever
that means.”

The thought of the white Chevy Malibu filled
Katie’s head, followed by a slight remembrance of a small white car in her
neighborhood this morning. An unnerving chill went through her body. She hoped
Marvin wasn’t stalking her just to get answers for his story.

As she was pondering what Marvin was up to, she
noticed that the data just finished running. She went to the report page and
scanned for the number of tests that were not abnormal for the six key
indicators. As she glanced across the page her head dropped and she let out a
long sigh.   The number of samples with abnormal results for the six tests was
3,000. Every sample was indicative of SDX infection. Her hypotheses that
everyone had the indicators and was therefore a carrier of SDX was probably
accurate. The fact that she could identify no other samples that were
comparable to Hope’s was very disappointing. Hope couldn’t possibly be the only
one not infected. She immediately decided that the sample group was too small.
Maybe after analyzing the next batch of 2,000 people there would be another
negative.

Katie emailed the blood bank results to Ben and
then packed her briefcase and went to say goodbye to Beth.

“I expect I will be by the office off and on,
maybe once a week. Take good care of everyone in my absence, Beth. Don’t
hesitate to call or email if you need something,” said Katie.

They hugged again and Katie walked down the hall
towards the exit.

About thirty minutes later Katie pulled into the
parking lot of the main headquarters building, relieved that this time nobody
seemed to have been following her. She was more than a little spooked by the
thought that maybe Marvin Hughes was watching her every move.

As she walked down the hall towards her office,
she saw Ben coming out of his. She waved and Ben turned, smiled and started
walking toward her.

“You’re here just in time, Katie. There is a
secure DVC at noon today,” said Ben.

“I thought they normally have it at 2 p.m.?” said
Katie.

“They do, but Jim Redman moved it up because the
Secretary has a meeting with the President at 2 p.m. I just finished briefing
Sarah on my findings. If you have time now, I can get you up to speed,” said
Ben.

“That would be great. Come into my new office
digs,” said Katie with a smile.

“I think it would be better if we went to my
office,” Ben countered. “I have some visual aids on my computer that I would
like to use to explain my new theories to you.”

“Sure,” exclaimed Katie and they headed down the
hall.

Ben went through yesterday’s analysis. He was able
to call up each graph individually and explain that each represented different
start dates, but the lines all had the same slope. Then, with a touch of a key,
he laid each graph on top of the other and they formed a congruent curve.

“Do you know what this means, Katie?” asked Ben.

“I think so,” said Katie. “It means that it
doesn’t matter when you got infected, because if it was later, your infection
will begin now at the higher level as those who were infected on day one.”

“You are as bright as I thought you were,” he teased.
“So that is why people are dying simultaneously throughout the world instead of
sequentially based on when they were infected. Indeed, so far there is nothing
about SDX that makes sense.”

“So you have solved riddle one. Now for riddle
number two, how come Hope is negative but over 3,000 samples from the blood
banks are positive?” said Katie.

“No kidding. Did you send me the data?” Ben asked.

“I sure did, about an hour ago, ‘said Katie.

“Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to read my email
yet. I was in briefing Sarah. I’m going to have to think on that for a while.
Interesting. Maybe the sample was too small, that’s about all I have off the
top of my head,” said Ben.

“I was thinking the same thing,” said Katie. “I
will have another 2,000 samples to analyze by early this evening. Maybe they
will bear some fruit. Any other revelations up your sleeve?”

“One maybe. I looked at your data pinpointing the
origin and I am in synch with your thoughts. I did some searching on the
internet and I found an article that spoke about a baby mammoth that was found
in 2010 in the Sakha Republic of Russia. I think there may be some connection
to SDX. The researchers involved were able to take a serum sample from the
remains which is stored somewhere. I am leaving for Moscow later today to meet
with my counterpart at the Russian Ministry of Health. If I convince her about
our hypotheses, she will help get me access to the sample so it can be tested.”

“Do you really think there could be some
commonality between the mammoth’s blood and ours?” said Katie.

“The mammoth’s sample will be closer to that of an
elephant of course, but if it has at least some test levels that are consistent
with SDX and abnormal, compared to what a normal elephant has, I think we can
make the connection. Of course, it will depend on the condition of the sample.
Since the mammoth’s blood was frozen and then thawed there may be damage to its
structure. I am also not sure how it is being stored. That said, it may be a
long shot but it is all we have. I also talked with my counterpart in China and
they are also at a loss right now. The DNA testing they have done has yielded
nil.”

“Well, when you get the mammoth test results, ship
them to me as soon as possible. I will arrange with Dr. White at Johns Hopkins
to get the baseline for an elephant from the vets at the National Zoo and I
will load it into my program, so I will be ready to go when you are. How long
do you think you will be gone?” Katie asked.

“Probably about a week,” replied Ben.

Katie had a long look on her face for an instant.
She had just gotten accustomed to collaborating with Ben. In fact it was one of
the main reasons she had moved to the headquarters office.

Then she quickly pulled herself together. “I
assume you will have email, so I can continue to update you with the data
stream I will be processing?”

“Absolutely. I will be available by phone too if
there is something you need to get to me immediately.”

“That should work. Are you going to be on the noon
call with the Secretary?” asked Katie.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I have a lot to
say today,” explained Ben. “We better head upstairs to Sarah’s office. We only
have about fifteen minutes.”

CHAPTER 32

Katie and Ben walked into
the Director’s conference room. Sarah was already at the table going over some
figures.

“Hi Ben, hi Katie,” said Sarah. “I was just going
over the data and your conclusions regarding the blood bank samples and you
daughter’s follow up test. I think we have to mention Hope’s result on today’s
call.”

Katie hesitated. “Of course,” she said, though
deep down inside she wanted the fact kept private. This was her daughter, not
just another number in a database. “Do we have to mention it is my daughter or
can we just say we have found one sample that is negative for SDX and we are
investigating the source?” asked Katie.

The glimmer of hope left Katie’s eyes almost
immediately when Sarah replied.

“That wouldn’t be true. We need to be upfront
about this with everyone involved.”

“Except the public,” said Katie. “Don’t you think
they are involved?  They are dying by the millions every day.”

Katie hadn’t realized how strong her feelings were
about the withholding of information from the public. She thought Sarah felt
the same by the way she nodded her head.

“You know we don’t make those decisions. They are
being made by the President,” said Sarah.

“Do you really believe that?” said Katie. “I think
we all know that Jim Redman is calling the shots and he doesn’t seem to have
anyone’s best interest in mind except for his own.”

“No reason to argue about something we can’t
change,” said Sarah.

While they were talking Ben could see the other
members of the call taking their respective seats in the conference rooms
displayed on the big screen at the end of the table. Sarah looked at her watch
and it was 11:59 a.m. She looked at Katie and Ben and then unmuted the
microphone.

At exactly 12 noon the Secretary started the
meeting. The usual cast of characters were present including the National
Security Advisor and the Director at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, and Dr.
White at Johns Hopkins.

“What new do you have from Atlanta?” asked the
Secretary.

“Unfortunately nothing. The DNA testing is slow.
The Pandemic Task Force hasn’t come up with anything of note so far,” reported
the director. “The death rate is climbing daily. I wouldn’t be surprised if we
each 500,000 per day by the end of the month. Right now we have no good measure
of how or why the death rate continues to go up.”

Listening to this an idea popped into Katie’s
head. She would bring it up when it was her turn to talk.

“Dr. White, what about your team?”

“Ditto here, pretty much. Dr. Kressin has some
interesting immunology findings he is following closely, but nothing solid
enough yet to report,” said Dr. White.

“What do you have from Washington, Sarah?” asked
the Secretary.

“We think we have identified the location where
the disease originated based on Dr. McMann’s longevity data. It is in the Sakha
region of eastern Siberia. Dr. Shah will be leaving this afternoon for meetings
with the Ministry of Health in Moscow and plans to continue on to the city of
Ust’Nera to test some theories,” said Sarah.

“Do we really think that this is worth the time
and effort?” asked Jim Redman. “We need to concentrate on hard science if we
are going to find a cure.”

“Mr. Redman, it would seem that this is the best
lead we have to find your “hard science.” It may prove to be the key that opens
the door we all hope to find. Right now, all conventional methods of
investigating the cause have led us nowhere. This is worth doing even if it is
a longshot,” said the Secretary. “Please Ben, explain in detail what you will
be looking for.”

“Well, Madame Secretary, the permafrost in the
Sakha Republic region has been receding for years because of global warming.
About five years ago a baby mammoth was discovered on the receding edge of the
permafrost. Researchers, at the same time, were able to obtain a blood sample
from this particular mammoth. I believe we may be able to find a link to SDX by
analyzing the blood of the mammoth to determine if maybe SDX also killed the
mammoth,” said Ben.

While Ben was speaking, another idea popped into
Katie’s head. She was wondering if the baby mammoth that Ben was referring to
was the same one that was on exhibit at the Museum of Natural History that her
conference attendees went to see.

Ben continued. “If the serum sample can be linked
to SDX, then maybe we will be able to take some tissue samples from the mammoth
to see if the cause of the disease can be isolated.”

“So, all of this ties into the theory raised by
Katie’s longevity study that about five years ago the infection started in the
Sakha Republic of Russia. This is all very interesting, and when are you
leaving?” asked the Secretary.

“In about three hours,” answered Ben.

“Well, we wish you a safe trip and bring back a
new discovery that will aid in fighting this epidemic,” the Secretary added
hopefully, then nodding toward Katie.

Katie was up next.

“I have analyzed over 3,000 blood samples from live
donors. They have all turned up positive for SDX. That said, my theory that
everyone has SDX is not conclusive because I have stumbled upon one person who
is not positive. That person is my daughter.”

Interest in each of the conference rooms perked up
immediately. Maybe there was a chance they would find the cause and develop a
cure. Someone was immune to this disease. It was a miracle.

“Are you sure?” asked the Secretary.

“Yes. I have tested her twice and Dr. Shah has
confirmed the validity of the tests. Her blood shows no sign that she is a
carrier of SDX. Quite frankly, this gives us hope that we will find others. I
will be analyzing between three and five thousand live blood samples a day for
the next two weeks. I expect this sample size should be adequate to find others
who are negative for SDX,” explained Katie.

“And what is your daughter’s name, Katie?” asked
the Secretary.

“Hope.”

“How appropriate. We now have Hope that will lead
us to a cure. Katie, find us another negative so we can compare their blood
with Hope’s. We will find a cure,” said the Secretary. “Let’s discuss this more
later.”

“I did have one question, Madame Secretary,” said
Katie.

Sarah was holding her breath, hoping Katie
wouldn’t step out of her lane and give a speech about morality to the
Secretary.

“Sure, Katie, what is it?”

“I was just wondering why we haven’t shared any of
this information with the public. They have a right to know.  Sooner or later
they will demand that right and by then it could get downright nasty and confrontational.”

Jim could feel his anger rising. He wanted that
bitch silenced right now.

“That is a good question,” said the Secretary. “I
will have to defer you to Jim.

“This is not the proper forum to address this
question,” said Jim curtly.  “The President has his advisors and they have
considered the pros and cons to releasing this information and they are
formulating a strategy,” said Jim. “All that takes time.”

“We seem to be running out of time with over
300,000 people a day dying in the U.S. alone,” said Katie with a firmness of
her own.

“End of discussion. Jennifer, we will discuss this
with the President at your two o’clock meeting today,” said Jim in a huff.

There was silence all around, until finally after
a long pause, the Secretary ended the call and confirmed that the next one
would take place the following day at 2 p.m.

Sarah looked at Katie and just shook her head.
“You really know how to piss Jim off, don’t you?”

“Sometimes you just have to stand your ground and
I feel that this is one of those times,” said Katie.

“Well, be careful. Whether you like it or not, he
wields a great deal of power.”

“What is he going to do, fire me?  I doubt it, he
isn’t that stupid,” said Katie.

“All I am saying Katie, is that I wouldn’t put
anything past him.”

“Ok, I will keep my opinions out of the calls and
stick to the facts,” said Katie grudgingly.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” said
Sarah.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Two things came to me during
the call. First thing:  if we look at the population of the world based on an
average of life expectancy age by region, I think we can estimate the death
rate pretty closely. I’ll work it out for the U.S and see if it agrees with
what we’re seeing. Second:  I think there is an exhibit at the Smithsonian
Museum of Natural History right now that includes a baby mammoth. I am
wondering if it is the same one that you have been talking about, Ben. I’ll
head over during a lull in the action and check it out. It might provide us
with more information you can use when you are attempting to convince the
Russians you are hot on the trail,” said Katie.

“I like the way you think my friend,” said Ben.
“Email me as soon as you have any information on the mammoth.”

“Safe journey Ben,” said Sarah as they all went
their separate ways in search of answers.