“It’s a virus,” Dreyfus interrupted. “Antibacterial hand wash won’t do anything to prevent it. Not unless you really scrub. And soap is actually better for scrubbing.”
Edward put both hands in front of him, as if he was shaking an invisible box. “Look, Dad,” he said. “We’re either all going to die, or we aren’t. If we don’t, I could come out the other side of this with some serious points.” He paused. “And I would be doing good, even if my motives aren’t perfectly pure.”
Dreyfus regarded his son’s earnest face.
“You’ll wear the gear,” he said. “Every second.”
“Yes, yes,” Edward said. “And you’ll wipe down and shower as soon as you come home.” He looked his son in the eye. “I’m not kidding about this.”
“Neither am I.”
Dreyfus nodded reluctantly.
“Okay,” he said. “Just be smart, okay? Be safe.”
It struck him that in a better world, those words would exist in another context, a context more suited to the life of a fourteen-year-old.
Edward left, and Dreyfus picked up the paper. The headline might as well have jumped out and slapped him in the face.
“Oh my God,” he muttered.
The 133 retrovirus devastating the region and other cities around the world originated at Gen Sys, a biological engineering firm located in the Bay Area. An inside informant and company records indicate that the virus resulted from a serum intended as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. According to verified documents, it was designed to help the brain to repair itself. It was tested on primates, and seemed to increase the intelligence of the test subjects.
The virus was developed by William Rodman, a scientist once considered to be on the cutting edge of Alzheimer’s research. His procedures were called into question when a trial version appeared to cause a chimpanzee test subject to go berserk. More recently Rodman began testing an improved version, and then quit abruptly, lodging formal complaints that the testing was being moved ahead too quickly. Rodman could not be located for comment, but a source at Gen Sys has claimed that faulty trials led to the infection of humans.
Independent sources and records obtained by the San Francisco Sentinel reveal that Gen Sys and the mayor’s office colluded to keep the details of this research, and the events that followed, from the public. They have also tried to actively suppress information concerning the escaped apes that wreaked havoc in the city and on the Golden Gate Bridge before fleeing into the Golden Gate National Recreational Area.
Bank records indicate that Mayor House received as much as ten million dollars from Gen Sys and its parent company, Polytechnic Solutions. Police Chief Burston also was named in the documents, but neither he nor Mayor House could be reached for comment. A spokesman for the mayor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that the claims are “outrageous and utterly without foundation,” but sources inside the administration corroborate the relationship between the mayor and the tech firm.
Official reports from City Hall, claiming that the violence on the bridge was exaggerated, have been called into question. Sources indicate that the primates number in the hundreds, and exhibit unnatural intelligence and aggression. Currently they are reported to be roaming Muir Woods, and Anvil, a paramilitary contracting firm also owned by Polytechnic Solutions, has been hired to handle what has been dubbed “Monkeygate.” Trumann Phillips, the executive in charge of the Anvil presence, could not be reached for comment.
The current death toll attributed to the Simian Flu stands at more than 100,000 nationwide and that number is expected to grow exponentially. Medical facilities are overwhelmed with those who have been infected, as well as victims of escalating violence throughout the city.
“Well,” Dreyfus muttered. “There’s the other shoe.” He set his coffee down and headed for the office.
“You think being locked up might cost House the election?” Patel asked.
“There’s not going to be an election,” Dreyfus said. “No matter what happens to the goddamn mayor. And who do you imagine is going to lock him up?”
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough,” his aide replied. “They’ve announced a press conference, and if anything’s going to happen, most likely it will happen there.”
Sure enough, a short time later House appeared before the cameras. He still wasn’t wearing a surgical mask, but looked more bedraggled than ever.
I almost feel sorry for the sonofabitch, Dreyfus thought. Almost.
After some adjustments to balance the sound, the mayor began to speak.
“I’m here today to address the allegations directed at me and my administration, and to state definitively that they are entirely false,” he said. “This city is deeply in crisis, and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. For the moment, that is my one and only priority, and all of the resources of this office are focused on maintaining public safety as much as is possible.
“When the danger is over,” he continued, “I will happily submit to any sort of outside investigation the citizens may call for. In the meantime, I remain in charge. This city is under martial law, and I am its executive officer.
“Thank you. God bless you all, God bless the City of San Francisco, and God bless America.”
The first mob to storm City Hall formed less than an hour later.
The police and National Guard units repelled the first wave with tear gas and rubber bullets. The crowd backed up, but continued to grow. Police were called in from other parts of the city.
Dreyfus watched all of it unfold on the TV, and he came to a decision. He reached for his jacket.
“It would have been nice to have been mayor,” he said with a sigh.
17
When he arrived at City Hall, the mob looked as if it was on the verge of charging again. Despite the bullhorn he held, it took him several tries to get their attention, and for a moment he thought they were going to charge him. Then someone in front shouted his name, then someone else, and before he knew it, it became a steady beat.
“Dreyfus… Dreyfus… Dreyfus…”
He raised his hand, and they quieted a little.
“Look,” he began, through the bullhorn. “I understand that you’re angry. I am too. If what we’ve heard is true—and I think the evidence is compelling—then Gen Sys, Mayor House, and anyone else involved must and will be held accountable. But for the moment, this city is collapsing around our ears. Already basic services don’t exist for many citizens, and the predictions are that it’s only going to get worse.
“We can’t fall apart now,” he said. “We need leaders.”
“You mean House?” someone shouted. “Screw that. Screw him!”
That was followed by a messy wave of rage that took a few moments to calm.
“No,” Dreyfus said. “I do not mean Mayor House. We have law in the city. We have procedure. It’s clear that—guilty or innocent—Mayor House does not have a mandate to govern. Under normal conditions, he would be under indictment even as we speak. Instead he’s chosen to go the way of the tyrant, protecting himself with his office and the brave men and women who serve that office.
“He should and must step down. In the event a mayor cannot continue in office, he is replaced by the president of the Board of Supervisors—in this case, Daniel Ngyun, a good man, a capable man. That is what we should demand.” He paused a moment to let that sink in, then continued. “To the policemen out there, you all know me. I may not be your chief anymore, but you know what I stand for. The mayor is right about one thing—we are deeply in crisis, and we cannot spare a single life on either side of this line. Not when we know our real enemy.