Page 73 of The Presidents Shadow
THEY SIT AND listen. I stand and talk.
“I want to communicate and clarify everything about Jericho’s trip to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. But first I must begin by correcting a misimpression that I put forward at the very beginning.”
They look at one another. Confused? Annoyed? Upset? I’ve got to slow down.
“Let me put it to you simply… I lied to you,” I say, then backpedal when I see anger flash across Margo’s face.
“Well, I lied a little.” When I gave out the assignments, I said that Jericho was going to the University of North Carolina to attend a meeting of amateur environmentalists to brainstorm about the recent problems around the world.
“The official name of the meeting was given as International Study of World Health Data.” But the real purpose was to bring together three of the world’s most important epidemiology experts to report on any insight that might be helpful in solving the question of how Newbola is spread.
All three of the academics gathered there had been doing secret, independent research on the subject. ”
Hawkeye speaks up. “And yet you sent Jericho? He’s not a public health expert.”
Strongly and slowly I speak.
“Let… me… finish.”
And I bring them up to date.
“I sent Jericho as an observer, a reporter, a notetaker. I think you’ll agree that among all of us, Jericho is the best at knowing when to listen and not talk.”
“Completely agreed,” Tapper and Burbank say at the same time, effectively proving my point.
“He spent two days sitting in on these meetings and was able to make some very important observations about the workings of Newbola.”
I press a key on my device, projecting what Jericho shared with me via email onto a large screen.
The most compelling conclusion is clearly this: the Newbola virus is transmitted in a very different manner than most quickly spreading contagions, which are typically transmitted via a cough, that is, airborne.
This contagion is more similar to some forms of hepatitis: THE BASE VIRUS MUST PHYSICALLY ENTER THE BLOODSTREAM. This is most effectively accomplished by injection, transfusion, or sexual contact.
I stop reading. I look at the group. “That means that it would be impossible for any of us to infect so many people across the world with Newbola.”
“Especially me,” says Tapper. “I can’t even remember the last time I had—”
“In any case,” I interrupt. “Whether it is merely a media frenzy, or if there is a dark guiding hand that wants the world to point a finger at us is yet to be discovered.”
“I’d like to advise that we not be the ones who inform the entire world that they should stop having sex,” Hawkeye adds. “We’re unpopular enough as it is.”
“Yes, let’s leave that to the WHO,” I agree.
“I say we make Dr. DaSilva do it,” Burbank says. “Make her public enemy number one, since she was so eager to believe it of us.”
Margo’s device goes off with an alert, and she glances down at it.
“Regardless of if we’re being framed or not, Newbola is definitely spreading. An outbreak was just reported in Texas. With that in mind, I think it would be wise for all of us to take Dr. DaSilva up on her offer of the vaccine.”
“Absolutely not,” I say immediately. “I’m not injecting myself with something if I don’t know exactly what it is and don’t completely trust the person it came from.”
“Lamont,” Margo says quietly, “it’s safe.”
“How can you possibly know that?” I ask.
“Because Grandma Jessica is just as suspicious a person as you are. She injected herself the moment the box arrived to determine whether or not there was some trick involved,” Margo says.
“You did what?” I ask, turning. “That’s insane.”
Jessica nods at Lamont from her seat.
“No,” Margo says. “It’s what you do when you care about people—you put yourself last. Which is why I won’t be taking a dose.”
“Why the hell not?” Burbank asks.
“Because there are only five syringes left,” Margo says. “I will save Jericho’s syringe for when he returns.”
“But—” Tapper begins, and she puts a hand up. I know the gesture well.
“Don’t bother arguing,” I tell him. “You won’t win.”
I turn to Margo. “Fair enough. If you could prepare the syringes, I agree that we should be vaccinated. What’s more, now that we know how difficult it is to transmit the virus, it’s clear that the initial outbreak was caused deliberately, ” I tell them.
“Now all we need to find out is: who the hell did that?”
I am not surprised that the group is bursting with ideas, procedures, insights, and even anger.
They talk with enthusiasm. They gesture with excitement.
I am gratified by their passion. Without this team, I’d be lost, but I also know that all of the Shadow’s investigations ultimately begin and end with myself.
Margo reenters the room with the prepared syringes just as I get an urgent incoming text. I hate that I have to leave so quickly after we’ve found our stride, but someone I’ve been trying to contact has agreed to meet me.
What I don’t tell them is that my next meeting is as important as—perhaps even more important than—the one we’re having right now.
I’ve got an appointment to speak with a brilliant geological professor from the University of Peru.
We’ve just made some headway with the virus.
Maybe now the mystery of the natural disasters will be laid to rest, too.
And if I’m lucky, we can link them, bringing us one step closer to Hephaestus.