A twinge stuck him in the chest as he realized he was still sitting there on the catwalk, hanging over the pool in high school. Sean had always wanted things to be perfect. He took every precaution to ensure safety and success. It was one of the reasons he had been the best agent Axis had ever had. His methods had caused him to be the desire of several other government agencies as well.
He looked back one last time at the pew where Adriana slept, knowing full well he wouldn’t take the leap, at least, not tonight. Letting out a deep sigh, he slid down into the church pew and rested his head on the bag he’d brought along. He slid the phone back into his pocket and pressed the button on the top to turn it off for the night.
Above, the cracked white ceiling stared down at him. He wondered what his friend would think of him at that moment, if Tommy had known what Sean was feeling and pondering. Tommy never said anything about Sean’s unwillingness to jump into the pool. That wasn’t his style. He had always been a supportive friend. They’d always had each other’s backs, no matter what. Just like brothers.
As Sean closed his eyes and started to drift away, he could hear his friend’s voice echoing through the sanctuary. “Jump.”
Chapter 44
The clock on the McElroy cabin wall read 11:00 o’clock. It had been dark since 5:30. The moonlight was blotted out by a mostly cloudy sky, making the forest darker than usual.
Joe and Helen had been waiting on pins and needles, anxious to receive word from Dr. Solomon. Joe had reminded himself and his wife that those things took time. He imagined Jenny sitting over a microscope somewhere deep in the CDC trying to figure out what it was they had taken to her. He wondered if that was an accurate mental portrayal or if there were machines that would do the work for her. He believed that there had to technology out there that could do such a thing.
To pass the time and keep from worrying about what Dr. Solomon might discover, they were both reading silently in the faint illumination of a few lamps. The rest of the house remained dark. Helen and Joe enjoyed being in a room that wasn’t so brightly lit, each feeling far more relaxed when things were a little darker.
Their hound rested his old chin on the floor, droopy eyes looking up occasionally or flicking to one side then the other when one of them turned a page or shifted in their seats.
The clock continued to tick, second by second, seemingly not annoying the home’s occupants. Suddenly, a cell phone on the end table next to Joe began to vibrate violently on the hard surface. He set his book on his lap and picked up the device. The caller ID displayed Jenny Solomon on it. He gave a quick nod at his wife, who had an expectant expression on her face.
He hit the green button and answered. “Hey, Jenny. What did you find out?”
“I need you to listen to me, Joe. I don’t know how much time we have.” The grave tone in her voice caused him to sit up in the deep leather couch.
“I’m listening.” He cast Helen a concerned look.
“This thing is worse than Sean could have ever thought,” she began. “I have already alerted the authorities, but I’m getting blocked by red tape at every turn. They want search warrants, paperwork…I can’t get into that right now. Soonest they could shut down Biosure would be a day, maybe two. And that’s if they hurry.”
“Ok, Jenny. Slow down. What is it we’re dealing with here?” He could hear her rushed breathing on the other end of the line.
“The easiest way I can describe it is that this is a mutated form of the Spanish Flu virus from the early 1900s. It didn’t take me long to recognize that the contents of that vial were live.”
“What do you mean, live?”
“Typically, vaccines are made from dead or an inactive form of whatever it is that’s desired to be prevented. The shots are given to the patient, and the patient’s body learns how to fight off the virus by beating up on a weaker or dead form of it.”
“Ok,” Joe wanted her to know he understood that part.
“This sample wasn’t dead at all. The virus inside it was alive and kicking. And what’s worse, it was a strain like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“I thought you said it was like the Spanish Flu.”
“Only in what it will do,” she explained. “It will cause a cytokine storm inside a human body, but unlike other forms of the flu, this strain is resistant to every antibiotic I’ve got. And I have them all.” She let the last few words sink in.
Helen was staring at Joe, wanting an explanation. But she could tell that whatever he was hearing wasn’t good.
“What should we do, Jenny?” he asked finally.
She didn’t hesitate. “We have to shut that facility down. None of those shipments can be allowed to leave that building. If any of them get into the public, even a few samples, the results could be catastrophic.”
“Maybe Emily Starks can help us out,” he thought out loud. “She has been known to bend the rules on more than one occasion.”
“Whatever it takes,” Jenny agreed. “There’s one other thing, Mac.”
“What’s that?”
“This virus doesn’t just cause a cytokine storm to kill its victims like the Spanish Flu. It is almost as if this virus was developed to kill the healthy and the weak.”
“Meaning?”
“During the epidemic in 1918, the Spanish Flu mainly killed healthy people. Their strong immune systems were their downfall. Those with weaker immune systems managed to survive because their bodies didn’t overreact and attack the virus. With this one, it won’t matter if their immune systems react or not. The virus actively attacks tissue, feeding off of it and replicating itself at an alarming rate.”
Joe didn’t need to be a biologist to know that didn’t sound like a good thing.
Jenny kept talking. “Whoever developed this thing knew what they were doing.”
“If this virus gets out into the public, what kind of damage are we talking about?”
“In terms of the human population? Ninety percent. Give or take five percent. I’ve already called my director. He is on his way down here right now. We may be able to get the authorities over to Biosure before morning. But we have to do something immediately.”
“I understand. Thanks, Jenny. Keep doing what you can. I’ll see what we can do from here.”
“Alright, Mac.”
He ended the call and began looking up Emily’s contact info. His wife was still staring at him, waiting for an answer.
“It’s the worst case scenario,” he said, not taking his eyes away from the glass screen on his phone.
“How bad?” she wondered.
“Basically,” he tilted his head slightly and peered straight into her eyes. “It could mean the extinction of the human species.”
Her eyebrows lowered in a frown. “I don’t understand. Why would someone want to eradicate the entire planet?”
“Sean seems to think that whatever it is Alexander Lindsey is looking for could be the ultimate cure for any illness, virus, even death itself. It could be that he is planning on killing off almost anyone so he can start the planet over, sort of like the story of the flood from the Bible.”
Joe could tell a sickening feeling was creeping up in his wife’s throat. He felt it too as the words came out of his mouth.
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“I’m calling Emily to see if she can help. Apparently, Jenny is having some problems getting through to anyone.”
“Isn’t that why we have the CDC?”