Acidalia VIII
By Amanda D

Thursday June 29 8:18pm Reynolds Quarantine Medical Center:

“What’s his condition doctor?” Colonel Jordon asked as he looked at the unconscious form of Major Brady through the four inch thick glass of the quarantine cell.

“I suppose, Colonel that would depend on your point of view.” Dr Stanly answered with what sounded like a small amount of amusement in her voice.

“Madam, I have neither the time for games, nor for a glib attitude.”

“I wasn’t being glib colonel.” She replied annoyed. “I was simply saying that depending on how you see it; his condition can be described as either improving or on the decline. He suffered several serious injuries at the hands of inmate Logan, three cracked vertebrae, a lacerated spleen, both testicles ruptured, several stab wounds, broken pelvis and his left hand was shattered beyond our ability to repair it.”

“Quite a list. One person did all that to him? I’m sorry, but I find that a bit hard to swallow. The major was a trained soldier, and an expert in hand to hand combat.”

“From what I understand Colonel, his attacker was supposed to have been sedated, and that’s what Brady must have believed. Perhaps she simply caught him off guard and was able to take advantage of the situation before he could respond.”

“Hmmm … perhaps” Jordon replied dubiously. He could tell the doctor knew much more then she was telling him, but decided to let it got for the moment. “… you were saying … about his injuries?”

“Provided he can survive the transformation process itself, which is questionable, considering the extent of the injuries, his exposure to the virus should render them pretty much meaningless. Like all those infected with the virus, his body is repairing the damage done to it as he is transformed. Once it is complete, he should be perfectly healthy so, obviously no surgery will be necessary. That’s what passes for good news these days, I’m afraid.”

“Tell me again, why was she in the lab to start with?” Jordon asked trying to shake loose a bit more of the actual truth behind Brady’s situation.

“As I told you, the Logan girl was complaining, loudly about not feeling well. We had her taken down to the secure treatment area because she had a history of being violent.” Dr. Stanley replied, inwardly rolling her eyes at the colonel’s obvious attempt to recheck her story. ‘Does he really think I’m that stupid? Like I’m not going to remember my story.’ she thought as she smirked inwardly.

“Where is Logan now?”

“We have her in a solitary cell up on the fifth floor, sedated. We couldn’t have her inciting the other residents, so we’ve kept her secluded.”

“I think the best solution would be to just eliminate the threat she poses, quickly and permanently. Do you have someone here to take care of it or should I have her brought to Grayson and put down there?”

“Eliminate?” Dr. Stanley asked. Jordon cocked an eyebrow at her but said nothing.

Catching his meaning, Paula felt a chill run down her spine. She had sacrificed so much already in her study of Logan and the other special ones, there was no way she could allow one of them to be simply put down like some kind of animal. “Colonel, are you suggesting we put her down like some kind of rabid dog or something?” the fat doctor asked, hoping she had misunderstood, but knowing she hadn’t.

“No doctor, I’m not suggesting anything, I’m ordering it done. We have more than enough problems in this facility without having to worry about someone like her causing more. As the new head of this facility, I expect you to see it gets done. If it bothers you that much, perhaps I need to rethink your appointment.”

“No need to do that Colonel. I’ll see that it’s taken care of.”

“See that you do. I want her body sent to Grayson for examination by my people there. Also, should he survive, I want the Major transferred to Grayson as well. Once he … err … she is able to travel, that is.”

“You want him at Grayson too?”

“For his protection. The rest of the detainees would kill him, once they found out who he really was if he were to be interned here. There are only limited containment facilities there, but we’ll find room.”

“Sir, with your permission, I would like to keep the major here. There is plenty of room here, so it wouldn’t take much to keep her separated from the rest of the inmates, and I feel she can still perform many of her previous duties, even after the transformation is complete.”

Jordon lifted an eyebrow, wondering exactly what duties Stanley had in mind, but once again decided against asking. “We’ll have to see about that. Keep me apprised of his situation. I want to speak to him as soon as he is able. In the meantime, I need to get back to Grayson, I have some issues to deal with there.”

**********************

In her new office, Dr Stanly searched the detainee data base frantically. With Colonel Jordon’s demand that Logan be put down, and wanting her body for personal disposal, Paula needed to find someone that could even marginally pass for Thomas, and she need to find that someone fast!

The only thing Paula had going for her was that Jordon had only glanced at the picture of Logan in the patient record folder she had shown him. That, coupled with her being reasonably sure he wouldn’t be inspecting the body when it arrived personally, gave her a bit of wiggle room as far as features were concerned.

Paula glanced at the screen as photo after photo flashed by, grateful that the computer ran the comparison program on its own. She had been so lost in thought that she had paid barely paid any attention to the computer.

She had already decided that she was going to tell Jordon that Brady hadn’t survived the transformation. Regulations called for the immediate burning of all deceased that had been infected. Jordon wouldn’t be happy, but she would simply tell him that they had followed procedure if he asked for the body.

Dr. Stanley, while sure she was capable of running Reynolds as well as Brady ever had, felt that having him stay at the quarantine would prove invaluable to her. Regardless of the physical changes, the major would still be an expert at intimidation and extracting any information that would be needed, and those were irreplaceable talents in a prison-like atmosphere. Especially since now she would be the one holding the leash now.

The comparison program suddenly stopped flickering and a single image appeared on the screen, dragging her back to reality. Dr. Stanley studied the face closely for several minutes amazed at the close resemblance to Logan. ‘Almost a perfect match. Excellent! She should do just fine.’ she thought excitedly as she jotted down the name and cell number.

Turning away from the monitor, Paula reached for the phone on her desk and punched up the security office. She looked back at the image display as she waited impatiently for someone to answer. When the line was picked up she said “This is Dr. Stanley, I need some to bring prisoner number 312551, name Sharon Wyld, down to the testing lab immediately.”

“Yes ma’am” the security officer answered. “Sharon Wyld, 312551.” He repeated as he looked up the inmate’s location. “That’s the fourth floor cell six. We’ll have her down there with in half an hour.”

“Good … and Sergeant…”

“Yes ma’am?”

“Make sure you have someone send her clothing sent to the laundry for cleaning and redistribution.”

“Yes ma’am.”

*****************

Saturday July 1 11:00 am Grayson labs
Colonel Jordon’s office:

“Colonel? Dr. Blue is here to see you sir,” the intercom announced from behind him.

Turning and reaching over, Jordon replied “Thank you, Joan. Please send her in.”

Moments later, Mia entered Jordon’s office. Though she didn’t say a word, the look of fury on her pretty face told him everything he needed to know about her mood. She was obviously upset over her demotion, but to his mind, she had brought it upon herself. Attempting to be pleasant, the Colonel said “Dr. Blue … Please come in, have a seat.”

“I want to know what the hell’s going on here!” she demanded loudly enough to make Jordon’s secretary look at the closed office door from her reception area desk. “For over a week now, you’ve ignored me, haven’t replied to a single request or report and today … Today I get your email … a god damned email, of all things!! For Christ sakes, you couldn’t even be bothered tell me in person? You send me an email telling me I’ve been relieved? You …”

“Doctor!” Jordon said sternly interrupting Mia’s tirade. “I didn’t do anything to you. You put yourself in this position. Your refusal to use any testing means available despite my orders, left me with no choice but to have you replaced by someone that would.”

“I refused because it’s wrong, you jackass! You’re talking about people … citizens of this country not … not some … “thing” for you to experiment on …”

“Doctor, the decision has been made.” Jordon said in a tone that suggested he was done discussing the matter. “The reason I asked you to come here is …”

Mia started getting out her chair as she yelled “Save it! I’m leaving. There’s no way I can be party to this kind of atrocity. And don’t think that I won’t be going to the press with this either. When they find out what you intend to do …”

“Doctor Blue!!!! Sit back down! Now!” Jordon ordered as he glared, red-faced with anger at the CDC scientist.

Mia stared at Jordon in stunned, frightened silence. Never had mere words and a look made her feel cowed like his just had. In that instant, she finally understood why this man had been chosen to be in charge of the military operation here.

Satisfied that his attitude had the desired effect on her, Jordon nodded towards the chair and in a conciliatory tone said, “Please, doctor.” Mia sat quickly and looked timidly at Jordon.

“Thank you. I can understand your outrage, and I don’t blame you for wanting out, but this isn’t the civilian CDC, where you can come and go as you please. You are part of a vital military operation, and you will not be allowed to leave our employ until this crises has passed. That said, I have an assignment for you that will give you some time away from Grayson, and allow you the chance to become acclimated with your new position at the same time.”

“Assignment? What kind of assignment are you talking about?”

“Over the last few days, these have been popping up all over the city and surrounding communities,” he said, pushing a yellow flier across the table. “We attempted to track down whoever printed it but they’re a slick bunch.”

Mia picked the piece of paper up and read it.

‘The government is lying you.’ it began in large bold faced print. Our leaders tell you the Acidalia test is accurate. A lie!

They claim to have experience, and knowledgeable doctors looking over your results. Another lie!

President Fuller claims the only way to keep the general population safe from infection is to quarantine those infected. The biggest lie of all!

Fact: Most doctors that have any experience with dealing with Acidalia are themselves infected with the disease and quarantined alongside the rest of the virus’ victims.

Fact: The government test has proved to be at best, 70% accurate, leaving an unacceptable margin of error.

Fact: The infection rate of those that have been tested at least one time prior to testing positive in a government testing facility is over 120 times greater than those that have not been tested before.

Fact: Everyone found to be infected with Acidalia in a government testing center has been sent to quarantine. To this point, no one has ever been released.

We are the Sisters of Acidalia. We are here to offer you a better Acidalia test in a safe environment, where you can make your own decisions about what’s best for you and those you love when you get your results.”

Mia threw the flier back onto Jordon’s desk. “They’re crackpots.”

“Dangerous crackpots with very good information.”

“So what does this have to do with me?”

“You are going to find these people for us, and be my eyes and ears so we can track down their leaders and put a stop to their program before it gets started.”

“How am I supposed to get inside of their group? I’m not a spy or anything like that. Besides, what makes you think I’m going to do anything for you at this point?”

“Your cover story will work perfectly because it’s the truth. You’ll tell them you’ve left Grayson because you’re bitter about being replaced as head of research and want to help them. We will aid your claim, by having the local news broadcast a story saying we are attempting to hunt you down for one thing or another.”

You’ll do it do because I’m going to have Dr. Grayson and the baby here to ensure you do as your told.”

Mia glared at the smiling military man. “You son of a bitch!” she said disgustedly.

“Glad to see we understand each other,” Jordon said smugly. “This afternoon you will be taken to Santa Cruz. We have intelligence that suggests the sisters will be somewhere in that area today. Go get your things. You’ll be leaving in about an hour.”

“If you know where they’ll be, why not just go in and get them yourself? Why have someone go undercover, for lack of a better word, for you?”

“As I explained to you earlier, they’re a slick bunch. Every time we’ve tried to pull a raid on where we thought they were, we’ve come up empty. It’s almost like they knew we were coming before we did. We need someone on the inside, so we can pin down their location once and for all.”

“How will I report any information I may uncover back to you?”

“Don’t worry about that, Doctor. We will be in contact with you. You just remember what’s at stake, and you’ll do just fine.”

Mia continued to glare at Jordon, who smiled smugly at her. They both knew he had her, and she would do as he wanted. Since there was nothing left to debate on the subject, Mia stood. “I’ll go collect my things. Do I have time to say goodbye to Sam before I leave?”

“You leave in an hour. How you choose to spend the time between now and then is up to you.”

**************

Once back in her room, Mia began throwing her belongings into a couple of small carry bags. As she packed, her frustration and anger at her situation continued to grow. ‘How am I going to pull this off? And what will happen to Sam if I fail?’ she continually wondered to herself.

Eventually, the stress and fear overwhelmed her. Mia found herself unable to continue, and curled into a tight ball on her bed and began to cry.

*************

Twenty five minutes later, Mia arrived outside the isolation laboratory. She hated the fact that Sam was still incarcerated here, even though her virus count had been practically nil for the last three weeks. Putting on the best smile she could manage, Mia pushed her way though the door into the control room.

Sam was at the back part of the labs interior, near where the sleeping area was, changing Sara’s diaper. The scene brought Mia to the brink of tears again. She was glad Sam’s back was turned as she fought to hold back the emotional storm that raged though her. It took so much concentration to regain her composure; Mia didn’t notice Sam approaching the glass wall.

“Hey. Are you okay, Mia?” Sam asked over intercom, causing Mia to jump a little.

Mia walked over to the airlock and cycled the doors. Stepping though the inner one she looked up at her “daughter” with all intention of putting up a brave front and telling Sam the story she had invented to cover her absence, but the pain was too great. “Jordon replaced me … Dr. Ryan is in charge now.”

“Oh Mia that’s aw …”

“There’s more … I … I don’t have a lot of time either.” she interrupted.

“Tell me.”

“There is a group out there, Jordon considers them a threat. He’s sending me to spy on them.”

“You? Why you, of all people?”

“I think he’s afraid I’ll cause trouble if I stay here, so he’s sending me away.”

“Well once you’re out of here just go. Don’t do as he wants … just disappear …”

Tears streamed down Mia’s cheeks. “I can’t. He says if I don’t cooperate … it … it would just be bad if I didn’t.”

“That son of a bitch!” Sam spat out impotently. “What did he threaten you with?”

“Sam, don’t ask that, OK? Just please don’t.”

“Ok.” Sam replied with great concern for her “mother”. A long silence followed.

“I need to get going,” Mia said, finally ending it after a quick check of the time. She gave Sam and Sara each a long warm hug. “I just want you to know … I am going to get you out of here somehow. I promise I will.” Mia finally let Sam go.

“Just be careful … Mom.” Sam said quietly, as tears ran down her cheeks.

“I will be, and I will be back for you and my granddaughter.”

***********

Harlem New York 3:35pm EDT:

Ronald McTavish in his day, had been one of Broadway’s and Hollywood’s biggest stars. The list of topnotch plays and movies he had starred in was legendary. From comedy, to drama, to mystery, there didn’t seem to be any role he couldn’t master. He had won award after award, 5 Oscars in all, for his acting abilities. His talent had earned him fame, adoration and wealth. It seemed that all the women he met wanted him, and all the men wanted to be him, as cliché as that may sound.

Somehow, despite all that, he had managed to keep a level head on his shoulders and never forgot what life had been like before the fame. He had treated each and every person he came in contact with exactly the way he had wished to be treated, something very few of his compatriots had managed to do. In every meaning of the word, he was a superstar.
A year ago, he had begun to experience a series of increasingly intense headaches. Eight months ago, his life had been shattered by the news that his doctors had discovered the cause of the discomfort was an inoperable brain tumor. Dr. Winegard, Ronald’s personal physician, had been very nice and very sincere in his condolences over the actors condition, but also been very firm in his belief that Ronald would be lucky to see Labor Day this year.

As he sat in the comfortable waiting room chair, the reflection of his face in the mirrored wall in front of him lent credence to his doctors’ claim. His once handsome face and thick brown hair were now a thing of the past. The chemotherapy, as useless as it had been, had left him mostly bald, and weak as a new born. The disease had left him looking drawn and thin as a scarecrow. The few strands of hair he had left even seemed to resemble straw a bit.

So here he sat, in a part of the city he had never dared visit before today. In a room that no one would ever guess existed in such a horribly dilapidated building, he sat patiently in fearful anticipation. Waiting for his last hope for continued life to be administered, the Acidalia virus.

Two weeks ago he had been contacted by Dr. Thaddeus McCoy, the man who, along with Dr. Gregory Davies that ran this rather unorthodox treatment center for the terminally ill, hidden in one of the decrepit neighborhoods in Harlem. The clinic itself was remarkably modern, with a good deal of amenities. ‘Not too shabby’ he thought to himself as he gazed around the waiting room ‘especially considering it’s not supposed to exist.’

As he continued to wait ,and boredom began to set in, Ronald thought back to that fateful day two weeks ago. When he woke up that morning ,he certainly didn’t think it was going to lead him to where he was now:

That faithful Friday in June had begun like all the others recently. The days all seem to blend together when you’re just waiting to die. He had been lying on his bed that morning, reading the New York Ledger, and feeling rather awful when the intercom next to his bed squawked “Mr. McTavish? There is a man here to see you. He claims to be a doctor,” Marie, his house keeper informed him.

Ronald rolled his eyes. The last thing he wanted was company, and he didn’t want one of Winegard’s little ‘flunkies’, as he liked to refer to the never ending list of interns the doctor seemed to employ, poking at him all morning. “Send whoever it is away. please Marie. Have them inform Dr. Winegard that I’m not really up for being poked and prodded today.”

When no response came back through the intercom after several seconds, Ronald had assumed that Marie had shooed his caller away and began to read the morning paper again. No sooner had he found the spot where he had been before being interrupted, when the intercom chirped again.

“I’m very sorry to bother you again, Sir, but this is a Dr. McCoy, and he says he has nothing to do with Dr. Winegard. He is, however, still insisting on seeing you. He claims that he has a way to cure you.”

Marie’s last four words infuriated Ronald. He couldn’t count the amount of times some quack had told him that for the right price, a miracle cure could be administered, and he would be saved. How many times over the last few months, in his desperation had he given these so called doctors whatever they had asked for, and received nothing but humiliation and continued sickness in return? He liked to tell himself that he couldn’t count that high, but in truth, to his eternal shame, he knew the exact number by heart, and it wasn’t a small one.

Unable to hide his irritation, Ronald barked in a loud raspy voice “I told you once already damn it! I’m not in the mood for any kind of bullshit today, Marie. Now tell whatever his name is down there to go away! If he doesn’t listen, call the police and have them remo …”

“Mr. McTavish? Sir my name is Dr. Thaddeus McCoy and I would just like a moment of you time to tell you about the clinic my partner and I have started here in the city.” a male voice interrupted.

“God damn it! What did I tell y …” Ronald began to screech back through the intercom just as a he was wracked by a deep phlegm filled cough. The line was left open as he choked and coughed for several minutes, allowing his uninvited guest to hear every second of his distress.

When the fit finally passed, McTavish was horrified to find that he had coughed up a considerable amount of blood all over his bed sheets. Dr. Winegard had told him the cancer was spreading, and from the evidence in front of him, it looked like it had made it into his throat or lungs. That thought sent a wave of terror washing through him. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to die eventually, but spitting up blood was a shock that sent a wave of panic through him. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to live.

“Marie?” he croaked into the intercom.

“Yes Mr. McTavish? Are you alright now sir?”

“Yes, I’m feeling better now, thank you. Is that doctor still down there with you?”

“Yes sir, he’s right here next to me. Would you like me to send him up?”

“No … no I’m fine now. Could you just show him to the library and have Charles come up here and help me get dressed so I can come down and meet with him?”

“I’ll get Charles for you right away sir.”

**********

Fifteen minutes later, Ronald had entered the spacious cherry wood paneled library. With its high-backed cushy leather chairs, and excellent acoustical dampening system, the room was ideal for reading or quiet conversation. It was also a library in fact, as well as name, for it contained hundreds of books, covering everything from home improvement to transgender fiction. Ronald, a voracious reader, had always been very proud of the fact that he had read every single book in his vast collection.

Putting on his famous smile, McTavish stepped over to his guest and stuck out his hand, introducing himself. McCoy took the extended hand and flawlessly hid his unease at how thin and weak the grip was as he reciprocated the introduction.

“Please doctor, have a seat.” McTavish offered as he tried to restrain another coughing fit.

“Thank you Mr. McTavish …”

“Please, call me Ron.”

“Ron, then … As I was saying Ron, it’s an honor to meet you. I have seen just about every movie you’ve been in since I was a young man. I’m quite a fan of you work.”

“Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say. However I hope you didn’t come here just to gush to me about my acting career.”

“No sir, I certainly didn’t.”

“Then why don’t we cut the pleasantries and you tell me why you did come to see me.”

“Well sir, I’ve come to talk to you today about a special kind of clinic my associate and I have created for people in your position.”

“And what position is that doctor?”

“Well sir, to be frank, wealthy and very sick is the position I’m talking about. We’ve come up with a way to cure just about any affliction that you have, and we’ve had an astounding success rate in the limited time we’ve been administering our treatment.”

“Define astounding,” Ronald asked, trying not to sound too intrigued.

“Our rate of successful recovery is right around ninety eight percent, Ron.”

Ronald rolled his eyes. He had heard that line many times before. “I find that very hard to believe Dr … I’m sorry, old age seems to be catching up with me this morning, what did you say your name was again?”

“McCoy sir. And what I’ve just told you is the absolute truth. Our treatment is revolutionary, if somewhat controversial.”

“Controversial in what way?”

“Are you familiar with the Acidalia virus at all?”

“The one that’s been all over the news the last couple weeks?”

“Well, my partner and I have come up with a way of using it under controlled circumstances to help the terminally ill. By administering the virus under controlled conditions, in exact amounts, and constantly monitoring our patients while the changes it induces are in progress, we’ve been able to treat most everyone that’s come to our clinic successfully.”

“You mean to tell me you want to charge me to become infected with Acidalia? Are you insane, man? Why in the world would I want to become a woman? I may have played a few gay characters in my career, but I assure you, I have no leanings in that direction,” Ronald explained a bit more indignantly than he had planned.

“Mr. McTavish, no one is suggesting that you do. What I’m trying to explain is, that besides the sex, change the virus has the side effect of rebuilding you from the ground up. It has cured everything from poor eyesight, to HIV, to cancer. Every single person that’s been infected, who has survived the transformation, has come out completely healthy, with no sign of disease what so ever. Now I ask you sir, isn’t a small thing like changing your sex worth a second opportunity at life?”

Ronald considered the doctor’s words carefully. He had to admit the thought of dying scared the hell out of him, but was he willing to trust this man to take care of him and change his life so completely, just to survive? His religious beliefs told him that God had created him just the way he was supposed to be, and to change that would be a mortal sin. His selfish side argued that it was easy for God to set down rules for his people to follow, since didn’t have to follow them himself. Being immortal takes a great deal of the fear out of living, he was sure.

“What kind of financial arrangement are we talking about here? I’m sure your services aren’t free to the public. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t come to me as all that altruistic.” he asked.

McCoy grinned slightly at the minor dig. “Mr. McTavish, as you can see we offer a unique service, and the price is comparable with that uniqueness.”

“I’ll take that as a euphemism for hugely expensive.”

“Before we discuss that, why don’t I explain exactly what you get for your money? First off, you will be under constant supervision by either me or my associate during your transformation. From start to finish, you will be checked on hourly to make sure there are no complications.”

Ronald wondered internally just what they could do if complication did arise, but kept the question to himself.

“We are both licensed in internal medicine by the state of New York, and have been practicing for a minimum of ten years each.” McCoy continued. “Once you’re through the change, we have a staff that will help you with adjusting to your new body. Everything from sanitary needs to a new identity, which you will need, since no one wants you to wind up in a quarantine center.”

“All that sounds just wonderful. I’m sure you will provide excellent care, but none of that matters if I can’t afford your asking price.”

“Right down to the nitty gritty then, is it? I like that about you. No bullshit, just cut to the chase.” McCoy said admiringly as he pulled a sheet of paper out of his brief case and handed it to Ronald. “As you can see, Sir. In your particular case we would be asking for a payment of $2.5 million.”

“2.5??? Are you insane? Even if I was able to put together that much …”

“Mr. McTavish, you’re not really trying to negotiate on the price of saving your life with me, are you? The amount I quoted you is certainly well within your means. My associate and I did quite a bit of research on your financial situation before we approached you. Your current net worth is in excess of $8,000,000. We are only asking for a little over a quarter of that to save your life,” Thaddeus McCoy said a bit smugly.

Ronald frowned at the look on the doctor’s face as he made a mental note to ferret out who ever had provided this man with such personal information. “Be that as it may, I need time to consider your offer, and should I decide to accept I will need a bit of time to gather that much cash. I assume this is a cash only transaction.”

“We don’t take a check, that’s for sure, but wire transactions are the easiest to accomplish these days. Saves on having to carry large bundles of cash into and out of our offices. As far as your needing time goes, feel free to take as much as you need. I’ll leave you my card with a contact number on it for when you’re ready.” McCoy got up, fished his card out and handed it to Ronald as he shook the older man’s hand. “I sincerely hope we hear from you soon.”

“Doctor, what’s to stop me from going to the police and reporting you and your activities?”

“You could do that, Mr. McTavish, but you won’t. No one ever does.”

A week after his meeting with McCoy, Dr. Winegard confirmed Ronald’s suspicion that the cancer had spread to his lungs. Though he had expected the news, it still hit him like a hammer to the side of the head. With his fear and desperation at an all time high, Ronald placed a call to the number McCoy had left him.

Now, as he sat waiting, he still struggled with his conscious over whether he had made the right decision. Just as sanity was telling him to leave now and call the police he heard the dark haired receptionist say “Mr. McTavish? The doctor is ready to see you now.”

“Th … thank you.” Ronald stuttered as he pulled himself out of his chair and slowly shuffled across the reception area to the office door. As he put his hand on the knob, his mind screamed for him to leave ,but his fear of dying forced his hand to turn it.

“Ahh. Mr. McTavish, I’m so glad to see you again, sir. And also happy you decided to take us up on our offer,” McCoy said. “This is my partner Dr. Davies.”

The short grey haired, impeccably dressed man to McCoy’s right got stepped around the large ornate desk. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. McTavish. I’m a very big fan of your work,” Davies told him as he shook Ronald’s hand.

“Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say.” McTavish said automatically. “I trust you received the transfer?”

“Yes we did. Just cleared this morning, as a matter of fact.”

“Good. So now what do we do?”

“First ,we need to give you a complete and very thorough physical. Once that’s done, we’ll get you started on your way to vastly improved health and a new lease on life.” McCoy said, sounding like more of a salesman than a doctor.

Just as the he was finishing his little speech, a youthful looking short, slightly over weight dusky skinned woman wearing pink hospital scrubs with large almond shaped eyes and long curly jet black hair entered the room.

“Ronald McTavish, meet Julia Reynolds. Ms. Reynolds was the first person to undergo our treatment. She was in a nursing home up in Napa when her family brought her to me just over a month ago. She had been diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer’s disease several years ago, and was in the terminal stage, with no hope of recovery. As you can see, with our treatment she has received that same reinvigoration of life that we anticipate you experiencing.

“Julia is kind of our transition councilor, if you will and she’ll be looking after you once your transition is complete, to help you with your adjusting to your new body and all its functions,” Davies told him.

“Hello, Ronald. It’s very nice to meet you.” Julia said with a sweet smile as she held out her hand to him. “We’re going to be spending a lot of time together over the next week, so I figured I would come down and introduce myself right away. If you would come with me now, I’ll show you down to the exam room.”

Putting a gentle hand on Ronald’s elbow, Julia led him out the door and started guiding him down the hallway. “This place is amazing isn’t it?” she asked, trying to make conversation.

“It sure is. I never would have suspected all this would be here, in this building, in this kind of neighborhood.” He replied.

Giggling a bit Julia said “Well, that’s kinda the idea, Sweetie.”

Ronald smiled at his escort, “I suppose you’re right. May I ask you a question?”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“How long has it been since you were changed?”

“A bit over a month now.”

“How has it been? Are … are you okay with the way you are now?” he asked, trying to be tactful, but fearing he was failing miserably.

“The transformation part of it was pretty easy for me. I was unconscious the entire time, and felt none of the pain that some experience.”

Ronald raised a questioning eyebrow at the mention of the word pain.

Catching the look, Julia said reassuringly, “Oh don’t you worry about that, Sweetie. The doctors sedate everyone now, as soon as the first symptoms begin to appear ,to prevent them from feeling any discomfort.”

A look of relief flashed across the elderly actors face. Seeing it, Julia continued “When I woke up, at first I was very upset by what had been done, but when I was treated, I had been pretty far gone they tell me, but there wasn’t much I could say about it beforehand.

Once I got over the initial shock and started learning about my new body, it got much better for me. A woman named Naomi was here when I first came back to the world of the living. She taught me about living as a woman. It helped me so much, I can’t even tell you. That’s why, when she left, I agreed to stay on to help others that come here to adapt to their new lives, just like she helped me. Have you considered what name you want to use when it’s over?”

“To be honest, I haven’t really given it much thought.”

“Well you should start thinking about it. Your new body isn’t going to look much like a Ronald when this is over, ya know what I mean?” she joked with an exaggerated wink.

He laughed a little “I suppose you’re right. I’ll try to come up with something.”

“Good. Well here we are,” she announced as they reached the end of the hallway. You go ahead inside, and I’ll be here waiting for you when you done. And try not to worry so much. Everything will be just fine.” Julia gave Ronald’s hand a small reassuring squeeze and sent him through the door.

*********

Two and a half hours later Ronald walked back out of the exam room, feeling absurdly violated. Never in his seventy two years of life had he been so thoroughly examined by anyone. He had been poked and prodded in places he hadn’t realized existed before now. As he looked to his left, he saw to his delight that as promised, Julia was waiting for him.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“You don’t want to know,” he replied, slightly red faced.

With a big grin she told him, “If you think that one was bad, just wait until the post transformation one.”

“I can hardly wait,” he retorted sarcastically. “Where are we off to now?”

“We’re going back and see the doctors.” Julia took Ronald’s hand again and led him back up the long hallway. Ronald asked a spattering of random questions about living as a woman as they walked back to McCoy’s office. Julia patiently answered each one with a reassuring smile, and as honest an answer as she could give.

“Mr. McTavish, glad to see you survived the physical,” McCoy said as they reentered the doctor’s office. “I was just looking over the results, and I’m glad to say that you seem to be strong, and still in good enough physical shape to survive the transformation. In my opinion, we can begin your treatment immediately.”

“That’s good to know. I wasn’t aware that there a question about whether you would, or not.

“The process takes a considerable amount of energy to complete. The better shape you are in before it starts, the better we’ve found the rate of successful transitions to be,” Davies chimed in.

“Now, since we know that you have a good chance to make it through, the only question left to ask is, are you ready to live again?”

Ronald looked at each person in the room with him as he asked himself the same question the doctor had just posed. Was he really ready? Was he willing to change everything in his world for a few measly decades more of life? After several moments of soul searching, he had his answer. “Yes,” he finally replied.

“Very well, let’s get to it then. Could you roll up your sleeve?”

Ronald began to roll it up as McCoy got up and walked over to the small wooden cabinet behind his desk. Davies and Julia came over and prepared Ronald’s arm for the injection. Moments later, McCoy was at his side, holding a needle that looked just shy of harpoon size to Ronald’s beginning to panic mind.

“Ok Mr. McTavish, just try to relax. This should only hurt a bit, kind of like being stung by about a ten pound bee.” McCoy’s face had an impish grin as he slid the needle beneath Ronald’s skin and pushed the plunger down, sending the virus into the sick actors blood stream.

****************

KLTR 6pm News:

Good evening, San Francisco. This is KLTR news, and this is what’s happening at this hour.”

“Today was the first official day of the U.N.’s attempted blockade of U.S. ports. According to reports from the Naval Command Office, all eastern ports remain open to shipping.

“Several small skirmishes broke out in the Atlantic throughout the day and continue into this evening. The USS Kitty Hawk carrier group is at this hour engaged in a battle with a Russian destroyer and several smaller ships approximately 150 miles off the Virginia coast. According to Pentagon sources, satellite surveillance shows the Russian ship and several of the other vessels have suffered heavy damage, but continue to fight on.”

“Further to the north there were reports of a submarine battle in Cape Cod bay earlier this afternoon. At approximately 1pm EDT fishermen began to radio in reports of undersea activity in the bay. One radioed in a periscope sighting approximately ten miles east of Wellfleet Ma. The Coast Guard and the Navy were both unable to confirm the sighting.

“At about 2 o’clock Eastern Time the Coast Guard reported sonar traces of several undersea craft. Forty five minutes later, upwards of fifteen tremendous undersea explosions were reported in different portions of the bay, from as far away as Greenland, over a 20 minute period. Not long after the final explosion was recorded, local fishermen reported seeing a Los Angelis class submarine surface just off the northern coast of Provincetown.”

“In the Pacific, the proposed blockade has been more difficult to get set into motion as tremendous storms have been enveloping the West Coast for the last 3 days. With tide surges averaging twelve feet and wave heights of 30 to 40 feet out on the open ocean even the largest battleship would be hard pressed to patrol. The Naval Office spokesperson did say, however, that once the storms had passed he was sure the waiting blockade ships would begin to move into their expected patrol positions.”

“On the northern and southern border fronts: We have reports today that Canadian led U.N. forces are gathering at strategic points along the border as the United States continues to recall tens of thousands of troops from abroad. Conservative estimates say that almost 1/3 of all foreign posted military personnel have returned to the continent, with more arriving daily.

“Military sources refuse to give even a guess on just what the final number of troops recalled will be when all is said and done, but have said that the worldwide US military presence will be greatly diminished.”

“In a related story, the withdrawal of American Special Forces from the U.N. peace keeping force in Zimbabwe is being blamed for the reigniting of hostilities between local warlords in the civil war torn country. The leader of the interim government, Prime Minister Carlos Hemibizu was assassinated on his way to a meeting with U.N representatives, sparking off a day riots and fighting in the capital city of Harare.

‘U.N. Secretary General Mosbard has come out blaming the United States for the situation, and has called upon President Fuller to reinstate U.S peacekeepers in the area around the capital city. As of this hour, the Fuller administration has made no public response to the demand.”

“Nationally, concern over the tremendous jump in the price of all consumer goods has rallied members of both houses of congress to call for emergency legislation to put an end to the price gouging. Both houses are expected to vote this afternoon on a pair of hastily assembled bills. If, as is expected, the two bills pass, tomorrow morning there is expected to be a meeting between two branches to iron out any discrepancies. Once that is accomplished, the bill will be sent to President Fuller to sign into law.”

The White House, in a statement today, said that President Fuller is expected to meet with members of his cabinet tomorrow morning to discuss the legislation.

The national average price on everything for gasoline to milk to home goods has jumped nearly two hundred percent in the last forty eight hours. The average price of a gallon of gas in the Bay Area, already at record high of $3.15 has seen a jump to an incredible $9.10. Most other consumable goods have seen similar price increases. Experts warn that without some kind of government intervention, even more increases can be expected over the next few days.”

In local news, San Francisco Mayor Thomas Fortin held a press conference today to put out a plea for help from any area resident that has knowledge of who was behind the rash of Acidalia clinic bombings. In his plea, the Mayor restated that anyone willing to come forward would receive immunity from prosecution in return for information leading to the conviction of those responsible. His honor also made mention of a possible cash reward for any information provided by someone not directly involved with the bombings.

The Mayor refused to speculate of whether the so-called ‘Sisters of Acidalia’, who have been littering the entire bay area with fliers for the last three days, offering a safer more accurate test to plague victims, were involved with the bombings. Mayor Fortin was quoted as saying, “While we would certainly like to find that group as well, and put a stop to their illegal harboring of infected individuals, I cannot, in good conscience, at this time say that there is any evidence to link the Sisters to any of the center bombings.”

“The Senate’s committee investigating President Fullers handling of the Acidalia crises met again today, this time hearing testimony from General Robert Alexander. General Alexander answered the committee’s questions for nearly four hours, and looked exhausted as he left. Chief among the many lines of questioning was the Army’s involvement in the Providence Riot, and what, if anything, the general felt could have been handled differently.”

“General Alexander was quoted as saying in his closing comments to the committee,
“The men who were stationed in and around Hasbro did everything in their power to maintain the peace and keep the mob under control. It is my belief that there were elements inside the crowd instigating violence from the very start. That, and a general fear of the disease, is what I feel was responsible f the outbreak violence that day, not any government plan or policy.”
“Also, in other Washington news today, a federal court today denied the most recent motion set fourth by the defense in the upcoming trial of Dr. Carla Ryson. In the motion, the defense asked that the trial be moved to the World Court in Zurich. The motion sited the immense amount of publicity, and even made claim of a government backed smear campaign against Dr. Ryson, among reasons for requesting the change of venue.
“Attorney General John Adams praised the court’s decision. “This crime took place on American soil, and was committed against the American people. It’s only right Dr. Ryson be tried in this country’s court system. To have an international court hear this case would be a grave injustice to all those that have been impacted by the doctors release of the virus.”

********************

Outskirts of Santa Cruz Alexander’s Diner:

“You see now, that’s the real crime. That right there,” he said pointing with his fork towards the TV hanging in the corner behind the white with red speckled linoleum counter.

“What would that be?” his dinner guest asked.

“Putting that woman on trial.”

“And why is that a crime? She’s caused a lot of families a tremendous amount of pain and anguish.”

“That’s what I mean. She doesn’t deserve to be given the chance to be found not guilty. They should have executed her the minute they caught her.”

“I think President Fuller wants her to go on trial. Ya know, to make a big show out of it. Make it look like they’re doing something about the situation. Distract us from the real problem … as usual.”

“Hmmm. I wonder what security is will be like once the trial starts.”

“Tough, almost impenetrable I’d say. The last thing they’d want is for her to be killed before she’s sentenced to die.”

“Ha, Ha. You’re a funny guy. We want to be there when the trial starts. Myself and two others to be specific. We’re going to need full access to the court house and information on any potential transportation routes.”

“That’s going to cost you … a lot. You’ll be needing encoded picture ID’s, good enough to be able to pass Secret Service inspection. Do you have pictures of the people who will be going with you?”

Philip pulled an envelope with the pictures in it out of his shirt pocket and slid it across the table. “Whatever it takes. Just let me know once it’s been arranged.”

“Philip …”

“Just get me what we need to get in. We’ll take care of the rest.”

“Ok, whatever you say. It’s your money.”

“That it is. Now, anyhow. How long will it take to arrange everything?”

“A few days at the very least. The good part of this bug floating around, is that everyone’s so busy chasing it that there are fewer people around to investigate when something looks out of place. The bad thing, is that the people that can get things done are that much harder to find.”

Philip Bastion got up from his seat and threw a handful of cash onto the counter. “That should take care of the bill, plus a tip. Enjoy your supper, and I’ll expect to hear from you soon.” Turning away from the table without waiting for a response from his companion, he walked to the door and out into the parking lot.

The humidity of the early evening felt oppressive compared to the air-conditioning inside the 50’s style throwback dinner. ‘Hate this weather!’ he grumbled internally. Hurrying over to the waiting Lincoln Continental, the fat terrorist was glad to see the small plume of exhaust coming from the tail pipe, indicating the air conditioner was running inside.

Taking a paranoid look around before climbing into the backseat, Philip was greeted with a cell phone shoved into his face. A look of irritation flashed across his face, directed at Jane, the short plump blonde in the front seat, as he put the phone to his ear. Before Philip could say a word, he heard a deep gravely voice ask, “How did it go?”

“He said he’d have everything we need in a few days time.”

“Good. The trial begins in three weeks we need to have everything scouted out ahead of time. Possible target areas, security stations, likely transport routes especially. Everything you can think of. Leave nothing to chance. We don’t want any surprises. When the time comes I want this to go smoothly and I want her alive. She’s of no use to us or our friends with the funds for our operations if she’s dead.”

“I understand.”

“Make sure you do. No fuck ups are going to be tolerated! Have you been able to locate Gail?”

“No.”

“She needs to be found and brought back into the fold. Make that your highest priority while you wait for Mr. Davis to deliver.”

“She’s probably infected …”

“Then you better be careful once you find her, or you and most of your group will be out shopping for new wardrobes before the trial starts.”

“Yes sir. I will take care of it.” Philip said as heard the line disconnect. Rolling his eyes, he threw the cell phone down onto the backseat.

“What did he say?” Jane Colber asked.

“We need to find Gail. God Damn it! I could kill Randy for pushing her out.”

“What’s done is done. He told you that he told her she could stay.”

“Did she strike you as the disloyal type? Did she come off as someone that would abandon her friends? Cause I’ll tell you, she didn’t to me.” Philip said sarcastically.

“Philip, he fucked up. Nothing can change that now, so just let it go. Fix the problem, not the blame.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Ok, well back to the city. Let’s go find Gail.” He rolled his eyes again.

Jane dropped the transmission into drive and headed into the light traffic heading towards the interstate. “Why does the big guy want her so badly, anyhow?”

“She put a bullet in Hillary’s head. She was going to gut me for insulting her friends that died in the explosion, she hates everyone that had anything to do with the virus’ creation or it’s release,” he told her as he counted off each thing one his fingers. “My dear, she’s the perfect face for this operation. We pull this stunt off; we bring the doctor to the place in Virginia and let Gail do the dirty work when the time comes. Publicly, so that everyone sees her do it, while we head off into the sunset.”

“We get off scott free then?”

“That’s the plan, anyway. Let’s hope it works out.”

“From your lips to God’s ears.”

******************

Sunday July 2 11:00 am White House
Washington DC Cabinet meeting room:

“Mr. President.” The assembled Secretaries of Defense, Commerce, and State, along with the White House Chief of Staff and Press Secretary, greeted president Fuller nearly in unison as he entered the meeting room.

“Gentlemen and of course, lady, please take your seats.” Fuller said in response as he slid into his seat at the head of the table. “Before we get started, I have a couple of announcements to make. First, Secretary of the Interior Greer has resigned, effective immediately. He came to me this morning, expressing concerns about our handling of the blockade and several other issues, and after a bit of discussion we both came to the conclusion that our best interests would be served by parting ways. Until I can appoint, and get a successor confirmed by congress, Undersecretary Hobson will be in charge.”

The collection of Cabinet members gave looks of varying emotion at the news. Most knew of Nelson Greer’s objections; God knows he had been vocal enough about them. Since the virus’ outbreak, he had openly questioned the need for quarantine and the use of the military to keep order. Some of the other members of the cabinet agreed with his views, but the White House, especially these days, was not the place to be airing them. He had been warned many times to keep quiet, but had ignored the advice, thinking himself not worth the effort of firing. Once the rumor started being passed around the he had been caught on Friday night having dinner with Senator George, everyone knew it was over for him.

“The second item is a bit better news, I’m happy to say. Just before I got here FBI director Vincent informed me that his people have finally tracked down and arrested Dr’s Thaddeus McCoy and Greg Davies in New York City this morning, effectively putting an end to their group of underground Acidalia clinics.”

The second bit of news was received with a bit more enthusiasm. It was a well know fact throughout the White House, that putting an end to this particular clinic group was of the highest importance to the entire containment effort. Unlike most of the other outlaw clinics that had been popping up throughout the country, this one had been using the Acidalia virus to cure terminally ill people in the New York area.

One would think the clinic was a Godsend, until you took into account the exorbitant cost of the treatment. According to sources, the doctors had charged upwards of a $1,000,000 to infect those wealthy enough to afford the treatment. The profiteering, coupled with the death of a relative of a prominent supporter of the President, had made finding and punishing the doctors a top priority.

”Now that those items are out of the way, let’s get this briefing underway here. First on the agenda is an update on the blockades. Frank?”

“Yes sir … Overall, our strategy has been highly successful to this point in the Atlantic. No port has been closed by the blockade, and we’ve managed to repel several attempts to move the blockade in closer to our shores. It’s very early in the campaign, but so far, things look good. Our coast line remains under our control from Maine all the way to Florida’s gulf coast.”

“That’s terrific news, Frank. Tell Admiral Toledo to keep up the good work, and that I expect all our ports to remain open.”

“Yes sir, I will pass your congratulations along to him and his men.”

“Very good. What the situation in the Pacific?”

“The incredible storm activity in the Pacific has made any blockade attempt on the West Coast impossible so far. Even our largest vessels have had to move into port, the seas are that rough right now. Our satellite reconnaissance show the U.N. Fleet has pulled back, been forced to seek safe harbor all the way out in the Marshal Islands.

“ I received word from the National Weather service that the weather should be abating sometime over the next two or three days. Once that happens we expect the U.N fleet to steam full bore towards their assigned patrol areas. Naval intelligence says that if the fleet stays together in a single group as it moves in, it will take them at least nine more days after the storms pass to reach us.”

“Are we ready for them when they do arrive?”

“Yes Sir! We believe we are. The extra time the storms are giving us has worked out perfectly for our plan. The Nimitz and the Reagan groups are in route, but making sure to stay to the west of the U.N fleet’s position, and should be ready to engage the U.N ships once the storms abate.

“Our continental based ships are all at anchor, and have been fully armed. They are ready to launch as soon as we give the word. Once the two groups meet with U.N fleet in between, things should get really interesting for the blockade ships.”

“I imagine the captain of the lead ship will have a difficult decision to make when that happens,” Fuller said with a hearty grin. “How are we doing as far as casualties, and damage to our vessels?”

“So far, our casualties have been limited to the crew of the Oklahoma, which went down in Cape Cod Bay yesterday. Ship dam …”

“I saw the report on that this morning, terrible loss.” Fuller interrupted. “By the way, Kerry, good job of spin control on that one with the press. We need to be very conscious of these numbers, and who gets to see them. If either count gets too high, the media will be all over us, demanding a stop to hostilities.”

“Thank you Mr. President, and we’ll make sure to be careful with the information.”

“Anything else Frank?”

“Yes sir. During the battle in Massachusetts yesterday, not only did we lose a Las Angeles class sub, but there was heavy damage done to another. The Dallas is expected to be in the repair dock for at least 2 months. On top of that, several surface ships have taken major damage in making blockade runs. The secretary of the Navy is concerned about our ability to resist the blockade for more than ninety days.”

“Well then, you should tell him that he better find away to make sure we don’t have to worry about it for that long. Have him step up operations in the Atlantic, and make sure he’s prepared to launch the counterattack in the Pacific as soon as the storms pass.”

“Yes sir. I’ll make sure he gets the message.” Secretary Blake said.

“Ok, unless there is more to go over, I’d to move on to the Northern and Southern border situations. Where do we stand this morning?”

“The southern border is open at every access point we monitor. The Mexican forces, even with U.N reinforcements, have been no obstacle to our forces in the area. Every single major road leading into Mexico from Texas to California remains open and under our control. We have crossed the Rio Grande and now control an additional five miles of buffer zone on the Mexican side of the river. We expect to take the entire Baja Peninsula by the end of next week.”

“That’s certainly great news, and the North?”

“So far there has been significant resistance to our advances into Canada. The combined forces in the North have are better equipped, and better trained, it seems, than their southern counterparts. So far our forces have been fought to a standstill. However, with more troops arriving from overseas every day, the military feels that we will be able to make better progress in the very near future.”

“We’d better. Our country’s very survival depends on our taking of the targets we’ve discussed and the securing of the Alaskan pipeline. If we don’t have at least that supplying us with oil, we are finished.”

“Fighters out of Fairbanks Air Force Base (AFB) have been escorting Army paratroopers over the area. Our forces have been dropped as close the pipe as possible. So far we’ve been able to place approximately 500 troopers along the line to secure it. We plan to drop an additional 1500 over the next week, while our ground forces work their way in to reinforce their positions.”

“2000 paratroopers to guard 800 miles of pipeline? That doesn’t seem like even remotely enough Frank.”

“Sir, the vast majority of the pipeline is in mountainous territory that is virtually inaccessible to ground forces. Our plan is to guard the most vulnerable parts of the line until higher troop levels can be achieved. Once those positions are stabilized we can send smaller groups into the mountain areas to guard against enemy paratroopers dropping in. In the meantime, the air force has fighters patrolling the length of the line to deter any aerial attacks on it.”

“You tell Alexander that getting the line secure is now his number one priority.”

“I’ll make sure he understands how important it is.”

“Make sure you do,” Fuller stated as he stared his defense secretary in the eye. Blake nodded his head in understanding, then nervously averted his eyes. “OK then, what’s next? Joanne? Anything new to report on our efforts to negotiate our way out of this situation?”

“Speaking of the Secretary General, Mr. President” Press Secretary Enrich chimed in, “Do we have a statement to make on the Zimbabwe situation?”

“Yes, we do. Tell them that we regret having to withdraw our support in the area. However we need to defend our borders first, so we had no real choice in the matter. As soon as they back off the blockade, we’d be happy to redeploy out troops to the problem areas.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll get this written up and sent over to all the news organizations this afternoon.”

“Joanne … you were about to say?”

Joanne Constantine, the tall thin ebony hued 50ish Secretary of State, opened up the small manila folder in front of her and began to read her prepared report. “Sir, so far, all our attempts to work out a nonviolent settlement to this situation have come up empty. We received word this morning from the Secretary General’s office that all negotiations are off until we agree to cease all hostilities and submit to U.N control.”

“Surrender?” You tell that pompous son of a bitch, he can stuff it up his ass. It will be a cold day in hell before I allow this country to fall under any outside organization’s oversight.”

“I will pass on your regret over the cessation of negotiations, Sir.”

“Yes …” Fuller stood up and looked at his advisors, “Gentlemen … and Joanne, we’re entering a desperate time for our country. This disease has brought us the very brink of war with the rest of the world. We, as the leaders of this great nation, need to make absolutely sure that we act in what we feel are the best interests of our people. Part of that includes defending our borders and territorial waters. The other, is finding away to destroy this bug before it causes our entire race to become extinct.

“We all know that there have been many tough decisions made in the past few months and that the choices we face in the future will only get harder. We are going to loose ships and Sailors before this is over. We’re going to loose Marine and Army personnel along with planes and pilots as well. On top of all that there will be civilian casualties, shortages, most likely hunger if this goes on long enough but we must remain committed to supporting each other. We must show that world that we are all in this together, through thick and thin.

“You need to pass that message onto your people. There can be no dissension in the ranks. Anyone within your departments that doesn’t agree with what we are doing must be persuaded to see things our way or cut loose. I expect all of you to make sure that is done, regardless of your personal feelings about the person in question. Do you understand?”

The assembled cabinet members nodded in acknowledgement of the Presidents demand.

“Good. Now our final item on today’s agenda is a report from the Commerce Secretary on the recent price hikes. Harry?”

Harrison Gifford, a very tall slender blonde hair and goateed man with steely blue eyes stood up and lifted his report. Facing the President the 53 year old head of the commerce department began to read in a deep baritone voice.” Mr. President, at your request I have talked to several business leaders as well as the Attorney General, Janice Murphy about this issue and what possible actions the government should take.

“It is Ms. Murphy’s opinion that the sudden jump in prices is a case of profiteering at its worst. With the embargo in place for less than seventy two hours, she contends it’s impossible for there to be any shortage of goods at this point, and that it is well within our purview to mandate a price control policy. Furthermore, she believes that no court in the land would overturn any reasonable attempt by this administration to help consumers in this case.

“On the other hand, the prevailing feeling amongst the business community is that the price hikes are a simply the result of supply and demand. Most feel that any price controls implemented by the government would inhibit their ability to remain profitable and viable in the wake of the blockade and the inevitable shortage of goods to come. By hiking prices now, they contend they will have the cash reserves on hand to continue to purchase goods for resale when the availability decreases.”

“And in the meantime, they line their pockets,” Joanne Constantine chimed in.

“Joanne, that kind of comment is counter-productive to our finding an equitable solution to this problem,” Fuller chastised. Turning his attention back to the Commerce Secretary, he asked, “What’s the word from Capital Hill on their position?”

“The Democrats are pushing for an immediate rollback of all consumer prices and the implementation of immediate price freezes.”

“Figures,” Fuller mumbled to himself.

“However the Republican majority has crafted a bill that calls for a modest roll back of prices … ummm … ah here it is … yes the Republicans want to see a 25% rollback of prices, with any future price hikes to be dictated by the demand for goods. Their plan has the support of most business leaders, I might add.”

“25%? That’s it?” Constantine questioned in amazement.

“Joanne!” Fuller repeated sternly.

“I’m sorry Mr. President, but I need to say this. Sir a 25% price roll back will still leave the price of food, gasoline and most other basic goods out of reach of the poor and a significant portion of the lower middle class. We need to return prices to the pre-blockade range, and halt any increases for as long as we are able too. If we don’t there will be more riots and violence, I guarantee it.”

“Joanne that is exactly the kind of talk we need to put a stop to. As leaders of this country we need to see any problem from every conceivable angle,” Fuller told her. “We need to make sure our supporters in the business world can continue to provide basic services, as well as protect the consumer. It’s a delicate balance, but one I believe can be maintained.” Turning to look at the Chief of Staff, Fuller continued, “Frank, get hold of Senate President Falkner and Speaker of the House Roswell and tell them that the roll back needs to be more in the 30-35% range.”

“Yes Mr. President. I’ll call them as soon as we conclude here.”

*******

20 minutes later: The Oval Office

“Mr. President, I just received word that Nelson Greer is in custody. The Secret Service picked him up five minutes ago over in Chevy Chase, and they’re taking him down to Quantico for holding.”

“Excellent news, Frank. Come in, don’t just stand there in the doorway. Take a seat, I want to talk to you for a minute.”

The White House Chief of Staff stepped completely into the office and took a seat on the opposite side of Fullers nearly 4ft wide blonde oak desk.

Once he was seated, Fuller continued. “I’ve just been reading the FBI report on the raid in New York. The news has gotten wind of it, but Kerry has everyone believing it was a drug raid conducted by the ATF.”

“Good cover story, I’d say.”

“Kerry has a real gift for manipulating the truth.” Fuller said with obvious admiration. “Anyway, there is one small problem, Someone from CNN snuck a camera into the tenement, and took some rather vivid shots of the interior. Apparently the FBI took our sweep and clear orders a bit too literally. Kerry is negotiating with their news chief right now and we’re hoping to get the shots squashed.

However, since it seems very unlikely that he’ll be able to pull that kind of miracle off. I’ll triple his salary if he does, but I think we’re going to need to launch some sort of investigation into this raid. Nothing too extensive, since they were doing as we instructed, but it needs to look legitimate to the public. I want you to meet up with Sam Vincent and find a goat for us to slaughter. I’m sure he’ll have someone to willingly take the heat over this for the proper compensation.”

“I’ll have Molly arrange a meeting for tomorrow morning with his secretary.”

Fuller stared at the photos on his desk for a moment. The images disturbed him greatly. Finding it harder with each passing second to tear his gaze from them, he continued, “We needed the clinic shut down but, they really went overboard this time. These after Ops pictures are gruesome to say the least. But now we don’t have to worry about witnesses though. And we won’t have to put the doctors running it on trial so I guess that’s something.”

“The silver lining?”

“If you can call killing fifteen people in cold blood a silver lining, then yes, I guess would be.” Fuller put the pictures down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “How did we wind up here, Frank? At what point did stuff like this become acceptable behavior?” he asked rhetorically. “Remember when we first arrived? When we still believed we could be difference makers, and help the people that voted for us? My god. We were so naive.”

“It’s not our fault this got dropped on our laps, Bob, but we have it, and we need to do what we feel is best and play the hand we’ve been dealt.”

“I know. I know…it’s just… I’ve got so much blood on my hands I wonder if I’ll be able to live with myself after this is all over. Worst, or best, perhaps, is a large part of me hopes I won’t.”

**********

Reynolds quarantine Monday July 4 2:30 pm PDT:

Richard Frances Kraven, how long had it been since she thought of that name, Mona wondered to herself as she lay on the floor of the cell. coughing and gagging, while trying not to throw up. ‘If that had still been my name, she thought, ‘how different the outcome of my latest fight with Jen, the self proclaimed ruler of the cell, would have been.’

‘I was handsome, strong and athletic, a state champion wrestler and heavily recruited high school linebacker. There was no way I would have been beaten so thoroughly by one person. I would have been able to defend myself and poor Paka with ease.’ Mona, much to my pain and embarrassment on the other hand came up on the short end of the stick on every single encounter with the top dog.

Although her mind still understood all the moves she had learned, and how and when to execute them, her new body lacked the training and strength to pull most of them off. Still, she fought as hard as she could to defend the helpless girl left in her care after Thomas’ disappearance five day’s ago. She just wished she had been able to do a better job of it, even if it meant fighting off five or six at one time, something that even Thomas would have been hard pressed to do.

“Look at her!” Jen announced as she stomped Mona in the back of her head again. “All of you look at what happens when you challenge me! This is my domain! I rule here, and no one will ever take that away from me!” Jen looked at the faces of each one of the new girls that had arrived this morning. Their eyes told her what she already knew; none of them had what it took to challenge her for supremacy. Even though beating up on Mona was getting to be a bit old, it still demonstrated to the new arrivals just who was in charge.

The feeling of control made her almost giddy with pleasure. being the unquestioned leader felt good, and she understood in her heart that she would die before she gave it up. Deciding to press home just how much power she wielded through her minions, Jen turned to her left and looked at Doris, her second. “Grab Paka and bring her over here,” she instructed the very tall bulky red haired new woman. “I want to have some more fun.”
Doris’ a former weight trainer at one of San Francisco’s most exclusive health clubs, hadn’t had as complete a transformation as most of the others. While she was genetically female, with all the prerequisite parts, as had all the other virus’ victims, she had maintained a more manly physic. Her arms were still quite large and defined; her broad shoulders remained. along with a trim waist, making her look more like a drag queen than a woman. Her looks and the embarrassment she felt over them had made her mean and hurtful, a perfect enforcer for Jen’s tyrannical rule.

Doris, doing as she was instructed, strode purposefully across the cell to Paka’s bunk. Grabbing two big handfuls of hair, she yanked the catatonic woman off her bunk and dropped her onto the floor. Paka, who never defended herself, hit the floor with a loud painful sounding thud. The sound brought a sadistic smile to Doris’ manly face.

Reaching down and grabbing Paka’s long dark hair again, Doris dragged the defenseless girl across the cold linoleum tiled floor to where Jen stood. “Where do you want her?” she asked in the deep gravelly voice that reminded most of Lurch from the Munster’s TV show.

“Put her right there next to her rescuer. That way little Mona her will get a good view of this,” Jen ordered with a sneer.

Sadistically, Doris lifted Paka off the floor a bit and slammed her back onto it as hard as she could a second time before stepping back. A small wave of satisfaction washed over her as Jen gave her a small appreciative smile over the little extra effort given.

Turning her attention back to her victims of the floor, Jen pulled her now infamous hook out of the waist of her quarantine issue pea green hospital style pants and showed it to the assembled crowd. Her crotch dampened with sexual excitement as she saw their eyes widen at the sight of it. For her, the power she held over them was like sex, only better.

Feeling almost drunk with power, Jen squatted down in front of Mona “Remember this? Remember what it did to your little fat friend there, Jo? Well I’ve managed to sharpen it even more since then, and I’ve been dying to try it out. So I think we’ll see what it does to you friend here, and once I’m done, we’ll try it on you. What do you think about that? Huh? Sound like fun to you?” she taunted.

Mona’s blood boiled at the taunting and the thought of disappointing Thomas, by allowing Jen to harm Paka. Summoning the last of her strength, she reached out and grabbed the hook as it dangled loosely from Jens hand. Pulling with all she had, Mona managed to unbalance the would-be despot. As Jen fell towards her, she used the last iota of her strength and blasted her tormenter squarely in the jaw with her free hand.

Before Jen hit the floor, Doris and the rest of her minions attacked Mona. The five new women kicked and pummeled her unmercifully. Mona, because of her earlier beating, found herself unable to mount any kind of defense whatsoever, and just lay there covering up as best she could while waiting for the attack to end.

“That’s enough!” Jen hollered pushing her way through her gang. “Fucken punch me, will you?” she screamed, kicking Mona in the face as she did. “Gonna kill you for that you cunt! Gonna kill you slow, so that you feel ever second of it. How you like that idea, Cunt?” she yelled again, rubbing her sore jaw as she delivered another kick.

Paka lay on the floor unmoving, taking in the entire scene, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. As Jen dropped to her knees and raised the hook to strike at her defender, Paka reached out from behind and yanked the weapon out of Jen’s grasp.

Before anyone could react to the normally unresponsive woman’s move, she rolled over, got to her feet and buried the fearsome hook into the right side of Jen’s neck. Without any hesitation, Paka pulled it viciously to the left, ripping the bully’s neck completely open.

As Jen fell to the floor grasping at her shredded throat, Paka turned the hook around in her hand and whacked Doris right between the eyes with the handle, stunning the huge woman. Turning it quickly in her hand again, she raked Doris across the face with the sharp end. As the flame haired girl raised her hands to her injured face, her attacker sunk the hook deeply into her abdomen and twisted it with all her might.

The entire cell stood and watched in stunned silence as Doris crumbled to her knees and rolled over onto her side. Paka reached down and pulled the hook out of her victim’s stomach, pulling several feet of Doris’s intestines out as she did. Paka howled like an animal, her head raised to the cells ceiling as her attackers continued their individual marches towards death.

Turning to where Mona lay stunned and injured on the floor, Paka gently lifted her by the arms. Wrapping her around the torso, she gently dragged her injured friend back to Mona’s bunk. With surprising ease, Paka lifted Mona onto the bunk and gently set her down in the center of it. She smiled at Mona, and gently stroked her hair for a moment before moving to the next bunk over.

Lying down herself, the surprising new woman glared at the rest of her cellmates as she held the hook against her breast as a child would hold a loved teddy bear. Inserting her thumb back into her mouth, Paka’s eyes locked onto Mona and watched her closely.

****************

Thursday July 7 8:15 am Harlem New York:

The new woman formerly know as Ronald McTavish, found herself on the floor as she struggled up out of the virus induced slumber she had been in for the last four days. Unable to summon the strength to move more than her eyes, she silently surveyed her surroundings. It still looked like the room they had put Ronald in once the virus had begun to take hold, but somehow, in the gloomy darkness it seemed a lot more ominous now than it had been when she arrived that afternoon.

She wondered how she had managed to wind up on the floor. Shifting her gaze slightly she saw the bed had been overturned, and seemed to be blocking the doorway. ‘What the hell happened?’ she wondered silently. Confused, and becoming more frightened as each minute passed, the new woman tried to call out for help, but found her throat too dry to do more than whisper.

Beginning to whimper, she was suddenly seized by a tremendous hunger. Without warning she was suddenly hungrier than she ever remembered being. She felt as if she couldn’t eat immediately, she was going to die of starvation right then. Each moment that ticked by, it grew worse, and more intense until it was almost too much to bear. Frantically she looked around for anything edible, anything to fill the giant hole in her stomach but saw nothing.

As the hunger continued to gnaw at her, she became aware the she couldn’t hear any sounds coming from outside her room. While the makeshift clinic hadn’t been exactly a hub of activity when she had arrived, she distinctly remembered being able hear the coming and going of the few other patients before her sleep began. ‘Oh God, please don’t let me be alone here.’ she silently pleaded as a tendril of fear crept up her spine.

That tinge of fear, however, was enough to send a rush of adrenalin though her weak and hungry body. Summoning all the strength the rush provided, Ronald strained, pulled and cajoled her stiff and ache filled limbs until she was finally sitting up right. Exhausted from the effort, Ronald rested, her now ample chest heaving as she sucked air into her newly repaired lungs. From this higher perspective, she took another look at her surroundings. The dresser, she noticed had been moved into a position that looked like it was fortifying the bed barricade. ‘What the hell happened in here?’ she wondered out loud this time, taking no note of the higher octave of her new voice. The small echo it produced made him even more acutely aware of the lack of any other sound, sending the tendril of fear further up her back.

With a second adrenaline rush providing just enough strength, Ronald pulled herself to her knees and began to slowly crawl towards the bed barricaded door. Shakily, foot after foot, she crawled, sweat pouring off of her fore head from the effort until her right hand landed in what felt like a puddle. Stopping to wipe whatever it was off her hand, she became acutely aware of a weak, but pungent odor coming from somewhere very close by.

The creeping fear began to turn into a low level terror as she tried desperately to convince herself that she was wrong about the smell. No mater how many times she denied it she knew what it was. The smell of rotting meat wasn’t one anyone ever forgot. Her below empty stomach roiled but nothing was inside of it, there was nothing to come out.

Swallowing hard, she focused on the bed and pressed on, finally arriving at the bed in front of the door. While in actuality, the journey had taken less than a minute, it seemed to Ronald to have taken hours. Her chest heaved, sucking in air like she had just finished a marathon, while her limbs shook from the strain and hunger. With her back leaning on the overturned bed, a feeling of being totally abandoned washed over her and she began to sob.

*********************

Confirmed cases: 76,239

Actual cases: 101,567

End part VIII