The Cure

THE CURE

2:45 pm

July 21^st 2017

San Jose, California

The air ruffled Nathan Santonio’s clothes as he walked down the sidewalk. His hands were freezing and he regretted not wearing a coat. He let out a nervous sigh and continued down the desired pathway, then stopped in front of a tall building. This was it; he either makes it or breaks it.

He pushed open the long glass door and was instantly met with a cold burst of wind; the air coolers. He walked towards the elevator, not minding the expectant stares sent his way. He allowed himself a small smile when he realized the elevator he called for was empty. The lift made its way up to the third floor where he got off. He looked around him, nothing much had changed. Not that he expected a difference.

He sauntered over to a receptionist who seemed to be about thirty years old. She had her nails painted black and was wearing a light and dark blue work suit. Her hair was in a tight bun and she had a troubled expression grazing her unsightly face.

“Good morning. I have an appointment with a Mr. Alexander, ma’am, at three- thirty” Nathan said, a certain charm in the way spoke.

“Good morning sir. May I have your name please?”  The lady asked.

“Nathan Santonio.” Nathan said and smiled.

“Go right through the third door sir, into the lounge. At three thirty you will be called.” This time, her voice was endearing and kind.

“Of course, ma’am, thank you.” Nathan said, gallant in his manner.

She only nodded in understanding and got back to her paper work. She had a lot to do and therefore couldn’t afford to be tedious.

Nathan ambled over to the lounge, he had been there before, and sat down on a comfortable cream leather couch. He picked up a magazine, he didn’t really know the name, but nevertheless, he flipped through it, trying to appear busy.

From the corner of his eye he could see the reflective glass door that opened into another office. He inspected himself; his white formal shirt was pressed against his lithe frame, and his black trousers were far from giving off the ‘formal’ look he was going for. He didn’t have a tie or blazer, nor did he look professional in anyway, yet he looked personable. He was content with his attire. He ran a hand through his fair hair out of anxiety, more than frustration; he looked at his wrist watch, and it read three- twenty seven.

Then, someone entered the room, the receptionist.

“Mr. Santonio you may go through now.” She said; her voice cordial.

“Thank you ma’am” Nathan replied.

He got up and followed the woman to a door and knocked once before entering. There he saw Ashton Alexander, who was in his sixties with graying hair. He wore dark blue slacks and a dark blue blazer concealing a white shirt underneath. He had a balding patch at the back of his head and a slight pot belly.

“Nathan!” he cried, “Please do come in, have a seat.” Mr. Alexander finished, with slight excitement evident in his voice.

“Alexander” Nathan acknowledged with a nod of his head.

“The board has made a decision” Ashton Alexander said, “We have decided to fund you and we continue with the agreed amount. I will get my secretary to fix up an appointment for a later date so that the three of you can sign the necessary documents and we’ll be done with the whole ordeal. I’ll call you if I need anything else.” He finished with a small smile.

Nathan began to speak, “Thanks a ton, Ashton. I look forward to working with you. Good afternoon”

Nathan stood up and started walking towards the door when Ashton spoke.

“Good day, Nathan. Please meet Kelly, my secretary, on your way out to fix our next appointment.”

“Of course, thank you.” Nathan said and made his way towards the desk of one Kelly Martin.

Fifteen minutes later, Nathan walked out of the building, his face remained passive, but on the inside he felt triumphant, victorious.

+++

Nathan went back home and changed into dark red trousers before slipping on a white and black striped shirt. He had two hours before he had to meet his business partners. He sat down on the cream colored couch in his house and switched on the television.

He picked up a book lying on the table and opened the page he was reading. He looked down at it, unable to concentrate. Excitement bubbled through him and he jumped to his feet. He placed the book on the couch and walked into the kitchen.

After pouring himself a glass of water, he drank it with slow gulps. He walked back to the couch and seated himself; it was around six-thirty when he got drowsy. He fell asleep on the couch, his meeting due to begin in half an hour, long forgotten.

+++

7:47

July 21^st, 2017

San Jose, California

Noah Edwards walked towards a dingy bar with short strides. As he was about to enter the bar, he turned around to see an ambulance rush by; he turned back around with an unreadable expression adorning his face. He pushed open the bar door and walked in.

+++

7:55 pm

July 21^st, 2017

San Jose, California

Jayden Zeiferman was already waiting at the bar; he was a lanky, tall man with raven hair suiting his pale complexion. He was dressed in casual white trousers and a blue button up shirt.

His blue eyes scanned his surrounding before they landed on a relatively shorter man with light brown hair and deep gray eyes. The man was dressed in a black button up shirt and dark blue jeans. He called out to Noah Edwards.

“Any news?” Jayden asked, eyes taking a quick scan around them, in case anyone was listening in on their conversation.

“He hasn’t told me anything” Noah replied and sat down at their usual table. They ordered their respective drinks and resorted to small talk.

+++

At eight-thirty, Nathan’s phone rang, waking him up in the process.

“Hello?” Nathan asked; his voice groggy.

“Nathan? You’re late” the blunt voice of Noah rang through the phone, loud and clear.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Nathan said, suddenly alert, and without waiting for a response, he placed his phone on the table and dashed to his washroom, trying to look presentable. In five minutes, he was out of the house and on the street. He lived about five blocks away from the bar and so he ran to the rendezvous.

He swung open the door of the bar and walked in, eyes searching for two people in particular. When he saw them, he dashed towards them and sat down.

“Sorry” this one simple syllable uttered by Nathan tempted Noah to admonish him but he held back.

“What did he say? Will they fund us?” Jayden asked, curiosity lacing the undertones of his voice. He had a slight sinking feeling that they might not have gone through with it. But all was reassured by the expression Nathan’s face sported.

“They will fund us” Nathan continued, “At the same amount we discussed. The paper work will be taken care of by them. An appointment for next Tuesday has been made; we will go there together and sign the documents. By next month, I assure you both that work will progress. As of now, we just make plans and do whatever research we can.” Nathan ended, a small smile adorning his face.

The two men sat still for a minute, wrapping their heads around the relayed information before a smile broke out on Noah’s face, followed by Jayden’s pleased look. Everything was falling into place.

+++

Nathan Santonio was born in St. James hospital to Melissa and Jacob Santonio. When Nathan was three years old, his father breathed his last in a plane crash.

Nathan had a tough life growing up; he was not as well off as his classmates were, he didn’t have everything they had; and he understood that.

His mother did as much as she could to offer Nathan a future worth laboring for. She was a teacher at a neighborhood pre-school.

Growing up, Nathan was the light of his mother’s life. When his mother was studying for an exam that would provide her with a higher level of education, thirteen year old Nathan was able to teach his mother a concept in biology; a concept he had not been taught in school.

From that day onwards, his mother considered Nathan a child prodigy. And his principal agreed even more.

Many incidents later, Nathan realized he was far ahead of his grade at school. He topped all his classes except for P.E, where he was average; but he was more interested in securing a place at the ‘University of California, San Francisco’.

As soon as he turned fifteen, he started working in a bakery so that he could afford going to an expensive university. He attended a local college majoring in genetic engineering and biology. After that he applied to the UC, San Francisco and secured a place there for himself.

Over there, he met two people and an idea that changed his life forever.

+++

When one describes Noah Edwards, one would think of his ability to think quickly and of his intelligence. He was born to Senator Allen and Mrs. Olivia Edwards.

As a child, Noah was neglected and often left alone. His father was always working and his mother was always attending functions. He knew what he had; a broken family.

 A father who was never home and a mother who found it decent to spend more time with males she didn’t know rather than her family. It hurt him a lot; but then he found a way to stop it. He stopped caring about it.

By the time Noah was sixteen, he had close to no interaction with his family. One day, his father called on him and told him he would like for Noah to receive his education where all the men in his family studied, then to get on with politics. His father expressed what he expected from his son; he wanted him to run for senator for a few years then for governor.

Noah politely declined. That day was the worst day for the Edwards family; they had their biggest fight yet; a fight that never ended.

The next morning his father came to him and told Noah he could do whatever he wanted to do with his life. Noah was too scared to ask what had changed, so he didn’t. He expressed his wishes of moving to San Francisco to study genetic engineering at the ‘University of California, San Francisco’.

His father agreed despite his loathing towards his son’s choices and sent him to live with his uncle in San Francisco.

His father, however, failed to understand that his son was a prodigy; his head didn’t want to accept it even after a thousand comments favoring his son’s intelligence.

On Noah’s first day at the university, he met two friends he could mistake for brothers and an idea he would describe as life changing.

+++

Jayden Zeiferman was the son of Doctors Harry and Megan Zeiferman. His father was a pediatrician and his mother a dentist. He was born and brought up in Stanford and was recognized as a child prodigy when he was thirteen years old.

When Jayden was fourteen, he expressed his desire to be a genetic engineer to his parents who readily agreed.

At the age of sixteen, Jayden explained to his parents where he wanted to study;

“Mom, I have made a decision. I want to study at the ‘UC, San Francisco’.”

His parents made arrangements for him to finish his pre- university education in San Jose and sent him there to live with his grandparents.

On his first day at the university, he met two friends he knew he would keep for life and an idea that would change his life.

+++

Nathan walked towards his first lecture at eight-thirty in the morning. On his way there, he bumped into a person shorter than him by a couple of inches and all his books fell down. As he bent to pick up his books, the bell rang, signaling the start of his first lecture.  He sighed as he hurried to pick all his books up and jogged to his room.

Nathan strode into the room and seated himself. “Hey, I’m sorry about your books, I was in a hurry.” Nathan heard a voice.

“It’s alright, I was late anyway” Nathan replied, turning to look at the young man who spoke to him and came face to face with a boy with light brown hair and deep gray eyes. “I’m Nathan.” He said, then turned back to the front of the class and paid attention to the guidelines the professor was narrating. He had already read through them the day before. He expected all professors would go over them.

“Noah Edwards.” The speaker replied then turned towards the front of the class and listened to the professor intently

+++

After his first lecture, Jayden had break; he sat himself down under a tree and started going through his notes, when he noticed two males talking animatedly walk towards him. He recognized one of them as his course mate who was late to his first lecture, and the other male as one of his neighbors.

He watched as the two of them walked over to him.

“Jayden did your grandparents get my message?” Noah asked, smiling slightly.

“Yeah they did.” Jayden replied; he stood up and faced Nathan. “Hey, I’m Jayden Zeiferman. You’re the guy who was late today, aren’t you?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Yes, I am. But I must blame your friend Noah for that, he made me drop all my books and then ran away. I’m Nathan Santonio, by the way.” Nathan replied, the amiability flowing through his voice with ease.

“I apologized for that, didn’t I?”  Noah asked.

“You did, didn’t you?” Nathan replied with a teasing tone.

The three of them were fast in becoming friends, growing closer as each day passed.

They discussed their ambitions at great length and that gave rise to an idea; an idea that would change their lives forever.

+++

8:00 pm

January 3^rd, 2016

San Jose, California

Noah stopped outside the dingy bar; he took a deep breath and walked in. he spotted his friends and walked over to them.

“This is the bar you chose?” Jayden questioned him.

“I know the owner.” Noah shrugged and sat down with his back facing away from everyone but his friends.

When the three of them were talking, they heard the sound of a glass breaking and a man shrieking. All the people in the bar turned towards the bartender and watched as he inspected his hand; a long gash was visible on the man’s palm.

The man was out the door in a matter of minutes and no one bothered to find out what happened after that. Jayden had watched the scene rather intently and said,

“You remember?” he knew his friends would understand what he was implying.

 Nathan spoke seriously, “Are we still going to do it?”

This time Noah spoke, his voice faltering, “I want to”, he glanced at his friends before continuing, “But we need a private lab, funding, equipment” he finished.

“How about starting a company? Get some people in on it too, it would be a believable façade” Jayden said.

Noah looked at his friends with a slight smile playing on his lips. Their ambitions were the same.

“Starting a company would be a believable façade, I agree, but getting other people in on it? I don’t think that’s a smart thing to do.” Nathan spoke, raising an eyebrow.

“I agree with Nathan, getting other people in on it might be a bit dangerous. But starting a company would be a good idea.” Noah mused

“We could get a funding; get some people to work on other things and we could work separately in a different lab. We could rent out two labs. I suppose that could work.” Jayden said.

The three of them looked at each other; Noah let out a chuckle, he couldn’t help it, Jayden smiled, and Nathan reminisced the old days, when they worked it out; they were happy.

“Can you believe it,” Nathan started, “The future of genetic engineering being discussed in a bar? I can’t” he finished, but cracked a crooked grin.

“Stranger things have happened” Noah replied with a smiling face.

They were going for it. How Audacious.

+++

They met every Friday night in the same bar and discussed at length their plan, going over everything again and again, making sure everything of importance was being discussed, when one night:

“Nathan, I’ve been going over the notes we made in school and the ones we have made recently. Something isn’t adding up. We’ve made so many changes, but this composition is not stable.” Jayden said; his face serious.

“I know it is, well actually it’s just about stable but if the consumer takes an acid with a pH level lower than three, the solution will not remain stable. And last night I looked into it again, if the consumer consumes carbon, they might respond badly.” Nathan said. He was upset that they overlooked something so big.

“What about allergic reactions, would that also be taken care of or will we face a problem there? We need to rent a lab as soon as possible; to check the stability of some chemicals with the others.” Jayden spoke.

“What about intake? We need a lab.” Noah said. 

“Shall I make an appointment with the fund manager for tomorrow? We can stick to what we planned, but just go through with it two months early, I guess.” Nathan spoke. He looked at his friends and watched as they contemplated what he just said.

After thinking about Nathan’s proposition, Noah felt a little unwilling to go through with it; nevertheless “Let’s do it.” Noah said with no energy at all.

+++

3:30 pm

February 21^st, 2016

San Jose, California

The three of them were seated in an Ashton Alexander’s office staring at the stubby man. In turn, the man stared back at the three, eyeing them with mild curiosity.

Noah broke the unnecessary silence and spoke first. “Mr. Alexander-“

He was cut off by the other man. “Please call me Ashton”

Noah nodded once before continuing; “Ashton, I am Noah Edwards; this is Jayden Zeiferman and Nathan Santonio,” Ashton Alexander nodded at each of them as they smiled back with a certain charm.

“We are here to request a funding for a genetic engineering company that we will be opening. We will be renting out labs and work towards finding a cure for migraine and epilepsy. We have a presentation to justify ourselves.” As Jayden finished talking, Ashton nodded once in approval.

At this gesture, Nathan placed a laptop on the table before opening up a presentation.

After they were done with their presentation, no one spoke as each of them thought of what to say while Ashton looked at the three of them with an unreadable expression.

“So, if you are funded, you’re talking about a three year plan, that is, you all want to open a lab and find a cure for migraine and epilepsy, in your words ‘diseases that have been around for centuries’ with no permanent or definite cure?” Ashton questioned them.

“Yes; these sicknesses have been around for so many centuries and no one has been able to find a cure for them. Migraine is triggered by various factors and in each case, triggers are identified by trial and observation, sometimes over decades; while epilepsy has multiple causes but no definite and permanent cure. That’s what makes them a viable opportunity.” Jayden said.

 “Finding a cure will be hard, but we are extremely confident that we will be able to crack it. The market potential across the Pharma and Health care Sectors is huge. The percentage of world population suffering from migraine or epilepsy offers a huge opportunity to monetize it. We will be able to find a cure at the end of an estimated three years. This could be an amazing breakthrough! Science will have a new meaning.” Nathan answered in an earnest voice.

Ashton Alexander listened to their speech and nodded in understanding.

“You say you all graduated out of ‘UC, San Francisco?” he asked.

“Yes, we did.” Noah replied, his voice oozing with confidence.

“And you say that you are sure you can find a cure?” Ashton continued.

“We are sure” Noah replied again.

“I’ll see what I can do. I will bring this up with the board and talk in your best interest. Please leave your details with my assistant Kelly; she’ll be at her desk.”

“Thank you. Good afternoon, Ashton” Noah said.

“Good day” Jayden and Nathan said as they packed up their things.

Ashton replied with a “Good Day” and walked them out.

After leaving their details with Ashton’s assistant, the trio decided to go to a café.

Nathan let out a small chuckle as he sat down.

+++

9:00 am

October 20^th, 2018

San Jose, California

It had been a year since they started their project. Every time they got somewhat close to figuring it out, something would go wrong.  They knew it would take time but they had no leads and no ideas.

 Still, they were not discouraged.

The main company, focusing on migraine and epilepsy had made minor profits and had quite a few leads, which resulted in more funding. They had more money and more time to work on things, now that the employees always had something to do.

The company count had grown to a good thirty five people and that was worrying them. Only five people, including them, knew where the office was; Martha and Tim, her husband. They didn’t know what they did there, but concluded they were working on a different disease.

The other employees didn’t question their absence as they had come to a similar conclusion.

Nathan sat on a stool near a rat, he hadn’t left the building in three days; he had not slept, nor had he showered. He only ate at regular intervals as he was forced to. He wore the same clothes and had not shaved.

Noah and Jayden tried to convince him to go home but he was adamant. Noah stayed with Nathan during the nights and Jayden stayed with him during the days.

Finally, on his fourth day there, Nathan fell asleep while sitting on a high stool.

“Should we wake him up? Maybe he’ll go home.” Noah said. Both of them were worried with the way Nathan was working. He was bound to get a migraine headache at this rate.

Something similar had happened when they were at university. Nathan stayed up four nights in a row then he had a migraine and slept for a whole day.

As of what his friends knew, Nathan had migraines only when he hadn’t slept in a long time, or when he had coffee.

“Yeah let’s wake him up. I’ll take him home.” Jayden replied while creasing his eyebrows together. He was worried for his friend.

“Okay then.” Noah said, and then he turned to Nathan, who had his head peacefully on the table top, “Nathan wake up. Jayden’s going to take you home; whether you like it or not.” Noah finished.

Nathan didn’t say anything; he got up and took off the lab coat. He handed it to Noah and wore his blazer and put on his tie.

“Let’s go.” He said to Jayden and started walking out the door.

Noah sat down and started reading through some papers. They were way off and he knew it.

+++

11:00 am

August 11^th, 2019

San Jose, California

Noah walked up into the main lab unnoticed by his colleagues. He made his way over to the lab and watched as all the employees were crowded around the table top. He walked over to a young man named Evan Walter.

“What’s going on?” Noah asked. He looked tired and had bags underneath his eyes, but he looked pleased.

“Noah.” Evan nodded, acknowledging his presence, “Do you remember two months ago we decided we would try inducing a monkey with migraine? We’ve made progress but it’s challenging.” He finished.

“Of course it is. It isn’t easy. You’re trying to find a cure for a sickness no one knows the root cause for. What did you expect?” Noah asked as calmly as he could.

“You misunderstood me, we almost have a way to induce the monkey with migraine but something is wrong with the solution. We aren’t sure what.” Evan said.

“Let me take a look.” Noah said as he walked towards the monkeys.

“Can I have the solution?” Noah asked, as he looked at the monkey.

“Here” Harper McKenzie replied and gave him the solution. She also gave him a piece of paper with the behavior of the monkey and a composition and brief description of the solution.

As he went through the list, he found nothing that should make the solution fallacious; until he calculated the outcome and then what they had done according to the paper, the amounts were wrong.

After explaining what was wrong to the employees and reading a monthly report on the overall progress of the lab, he made his way back to the private lab quietly.

+++

“They induced the migraine alright?” Jayden asked as he leaned against the corner of a desk.

“They made some mistakes but I corrected them. They should induce the migraine tomorrow. One more thing, the monkeys have already been induced with epilepsy through the subpial alumina injections.” Noah said as he reached out for some water.

“Hey! Noah?” Nathan called out, “When do you think we should start the trials on the monkeys?” he finished.

“Three weeks.” Noah said then sat down.

“Three weeks.” Jayden repeated. They had three weeks.

+++

11:45 pm

August 26^th, 2019

San Jose, California

Nathan walked out of his lab and made his way towards the lab upstairs with Noah and Jayden following closely behind.

“Are you sure everybody left?” Jayden asked, his voice echoing due to the small, empty lab.

Nathan chose not to answer and just walked into the main lab to come face to face with Harper McKenzie.

“Nathan! What are you all doing here so late?” Harper questioned with a calm voice.

“We might ask you the same thing; we just wanted to check up on the monkeys and the progress reports since we were free.” Jayden lied smoothly while placing the small vial he held on to, in his coat pocket as discreetly as possible.

“Oh. I was just leaving. I thought of staying a little while and got a bit carried away.” She stated. “But I’m leaving now- it’s getting late and tomorrows my day off. Good night.” She said before walking away from them.

She placed the keys on the corner of a table before walking out of the lab. All the shutters were pulled already, so Jayden walked towards the door and locked it from the inside after making sure Harper had left.

Then the two men glared accusingly at Nathan, who chose to ignore them and walked towards the monkeys.

The other two males walked behind Nathan and all three of them stopped in front of the cage of a monkey who was still awake.

Jayden pulled the vial out of his coat pocket and handed it to Noah.

Noah walked towards the monkey that had induced epilepsy and injected it before walking toward the monkey that had induced migraine and injected it too.

The three of them sat in front to the monkeys the whole night, noting down everything it did before going back to their office at the break of dawn.

When it had been found out that the two monkeys had been cured miraculously, Nathan was glad Harper had a day off.

+++

9:00 am

September 10^th, 2019

San Jose, California

It was a day off for all employees except Noah, Nathan and Jayden.

“I’m not doing it.” Nathan said and backed away from his two friends.

“I’m not doing it either” Noah and Jayden said at the same time.

“Why should I do it? I don’t know how to.” Jayden said as he gestured towards the monkey before looking at it with sympathy.

“I don’t know how to either.” Noah argued back.

Five minutes later, Jayden stood in front of the monkey cage belonging to the sleeping monkey. This monkey was supposed to start going through the process of being induced with epilepsy the next day and so the three of them found it well within their limits to do what they had to before it went through procedure the next day.

Jayden lifted the small, but real hammer and brought it down on the monkeys toe, breaking it in the process. The monkey screeched in pain and the three of them felt their hearts constrict at the sight of the wailing monkey.

Putting that aside, Nathan stepped forward and watched the monkey as it wailed in continuity. He started writing rapidly while Jayden put the hammer down and stood next to Noah who was hooking the monkey up to the machine that took its vital signs and such.

One hour later the monkey stopped making any noise and stared at its foot. Jayden visibly calmed down and all of them joined the monkey in staring at its toe.

+++

10:00 am

September 22^nd, 2019

San Jose, California

Nathan looked up from his work and looked at Jayden.

“I think we should start human trials.” Nathan said with a decided air.

“We need to find a willing subject.” Jayden replied; he knew where this was going.

“We don’t need to- test it on me, I have migraine.” Nathan replied.

“Fine; I’ll tell Noah to get some coffee.” Jayden said.

+++

Thirty minutes later:

Nathan sat looking at the double shot espresso in Noah’s hand before taking it from him and sipping it.

“I forgot coffee tasted so good.” Nathan said with a chuckle.

He then gulped down the whole thing and waited for an hour. After an hour Nathan picked up a small inhaler and helped himself to it.

“How do you feel?” Jayden asked while pressing a pen down to a page.

“I feel like having another cup of coffee.”

+++

9:35 am

1^st December, 2019

San Jose, California

“Nothing.” Noah said, smiling at the clipboard. They were good.

“That means,” Nathan started, “We distribute?” he asked, hopefully.

“Not yet, I have something I need to do first.” Jayden spoke while eyeing Nathan’s coffee.

+++

5:37 pm

1^st December, 2019

San Jose, California

Noah and Nathan stared at Jayden’s retreating figure. He was actually going to do it.

Jayden knocked on his neighbor’s door and waited with heart in mouth. He was scared he would be caught but he had to do this. A few seconds after he knocked, an old and feeble man opened the door with tired eyes; David Carter.

“Good evening David.” Jayden spoke in a kind voice.

“Good evening Jayden, such a pleasure to see you. It’s been so long, come in.” David spoke with a feeble but excited voice.

“Of course, it’s good to see you too. How’re you doing? How’s Mitch?” Jayden spoke in a fond voice as he walked into the house.

Mitch Carter was a good natured, shy boy. He was a twelve year old orphan living with his foster grandfather, David. Mitch and David were God fearing men and had great faith in the higher power. That’s why they were not angry when Mitch was recognized as a cancer patient at the age of nine; he was now twelve years old. The cancer having spread to different parts of his body, he had no chance of survival and knew it.

He had stopped responding to treatment at the age of 11 and was getting worse each day. David was unable to do much about it and respected his foster grandson’s desire to stop treatment.

“Oh he isn’t doing too well,” David’s voice faltered. “But he says he’s happy. I, I’m scared Jayden. He’s all I have left.” David said as sat down along with Jayden.

This morning David had been to the church and prayed for a miracle to happen; for Mitch’s cancer to be cured.

“Hang in there, David, what has to happen, will happen.” Jayden said as sent David a sympathetic look.

“I suppose you’re right. God knows what he is doing, he does not wish ill for his ever so faithful son.” David spoke.

“Yes. I got some chicken soup for Mitch; can I meet him?”

“Sure, go right ahead.” Jayden nodded at David and walked up the stairs before knocking on Mitch’s door.

“Hey Mitch, I got you some soup as I heard you had a cold. I also got you a new inhaler. Would you like to try it?”

“Thanks Jayden, I could certainly do with it.”

He grabbed the inhaler and used it.

Jayden walked out of the house with an accomplished smile.

He walked back to the lab where he found Nathan with a proud smile and Noah with a fond one.

“After breaking a monkey’s toe, who would’ve thought you could be so caring?” Noah asked with a playful smile but knew his friend was one of the kindest men he had ever known.

+++

That night, Nathan, Noah and Jayden cleared out their offices and collected the canisters in a box.

For the first time since they started their lab, not one soul stayed through the night, they all went home.

+++

When they came back, Jayden received a call from his grandmother claiming that Mitch was normal again and that he must go and visit him. David had claimed that God had indeed granted him the miracle he prayed for. He was exuberant.  

+++

Soon, the three of them started showing traits of normal scientists and ended up staying in their lab for not more than seven hours a day. They watched over the progress and growth of the company and helped with reaching the company’s aim.

At the end of the week, it was like the three of them never had a private office downstairs; it was like they were upstairs all along; which was exactly what they were hoping for.

+++

10:00 am

December 15^th, 2019

San Jose, California

Jayden cleared his throat as he stepped in front of his employees; there were nine of them, twelve including the three of them.

“The last few years have been glorious. We made progress and were able to do things that were not done before. We worked together and figured out how to induce a monkey with migraine. We were quite successful, but it looks like someone beat us to our ultimate goal.” Jayden paused and looked around the room. They had achieved so much in the last six years.

“As migraine and epilepsy are now cured diseases, many of our employees have found it in their best interest to leave; and we don’t blame them. As I stated before, migraine and epilepsy, what we worked with, are cured diseases and so we have nothing left to do. The rest of the employees, all of you, should get a proper job.” Nathan said. His eyes were cold and he had no expression on his face.

“We will close the company. We could of course, work on something else, but labs all around California are closing for the same reason. There seems to be nothing much left to do. As Nathan stated earlier, we all better get proper jobs. We have families to care for and houses to pay for; we cannot tread on the same path twice and expect to land up elsewhere. It would be foolhardy on our part. Best of luck” Noah said with the same emotionless voice Nathan had sported.

+++

After necessary things were taken care of, all of them decided to take the day off and spend time with each other. They sat in the board room, eating pizza and talking about their best experiences; for once, they slowed down.

+++

Noah faced Jayden and Nathan when he spoke- “It’s been a while since we’ve had a break. I’ve always wanted to visit the oriental Nations and South-East Asia.”

“Great! I’m in” said Nathan.

Jayden smiled. “We’ll meet in the bar this evening and discuss the logistics.”

+++

5:37 pm

January 9^th, 2020

San Jose, California

Debby Dixon was sitting in a café, talking to her neighbors while the children played outside when she heard a loud scream. Everybody turned to look at the door of the café, when she got up and ran towards the playground to see if her son, Ryan was alright.

He wasn’t.

He had a long gash from his elbow to his wrist, blood pouring out crudely.

She let out a scandalized breath before she rushed to pick her son up and tried to hail a taxi.

After hailing down a taxi, she called out “East view hospital. Fast”

“They aren’t working today” the taxi driver spoke up, starting the car nevertheless.

“Take me to the nearest hospital.” Debby spoke with wavering authority.

The cabbie didn’t respond; he took the next turn and drove towards the unnamed hospital, avoiding traffic and taking side roads.

Five minutes later, Debby was walking into ‘San Jose local hospital’ with her son in her arms. After looking at him once in the car, she refused to look at him again lest she lose her resolve and cry. She rushed into the emergency ward with an air of panic.

She spotted a man in a long white coat with black hair and frameless spectacles. She walked to him in a hurry.

Just as the doctor was about to speak, she shifted her son to look at him and fainted.      

+++

Meanwhile….

At the County Memorial Hospital in Sacramento, Dr. James, an Orthopedic Surgeon took a final look at the MRI of the foot of a patient taken in the morning. He was foxed when he made the incision for the surgery to find no broken bones.

At the County Memorial, East wing, Dr. McLean, the Oncologist, was shocked when she saw that her patient was pacing the length of the room, with energy renewed. On conducting quick MRI’s, found that all the tumors were missing.

Soon she realized all the patients in the hospital wanted to get discharged as they were cured. There was a big queue at the discharge desk.

At the Greenville East View hospital, all the patients had been miraculously cured and were therefore discharged within a week.

The shock and wonder had now changed to a fear of losing their jobs.

+++

12:47 am

January 22^nd, 2020

Stanford, California

The operational head of Stanford city hospital, Emily Henderson walked into the board room and sat down.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the board, I think it’s time we call Jonathan Waddell.”

+++

10:00 am

January 23^rd, 2020

Cabinet Room

Washington D.C

Jonathan Waddell arrived half an hour earlier than he was supposed to. He placed a thick file on the table and started reading through his notes.

He ran a hand through his fair hair and sighed; he was beyond confused. How could this happen? What actually happened?

His mind was unable to wrap itself around something like this. A few years ago he had believed it was impossible; but now? He had witnessed it himself.

His mind indulged itself at the prospect of what had happened that morning.

The next Secretary to enter the room was Mr. Dylan Floyd, Secretary of Homeland Security. He liked to stay away from the rest of the Secretaries. Out of all the Secretaries, he was the most closed-mouthed and introverted. He was compassionate yet indifferent.

He set a briefcase on the desk and sat down. He opened the briefcase and took out a file and yellow notepad scribbled with notes.

The next person to enter the room was the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Sebastian Morra; along with three other men identified as the Chief of Staff of the Army, Leigh Decker, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Stan Larson and Chief of Staff of the Naval Operations, Lamar Carlson.

The four of them entered the room and seated themselves quietly. The Secretary of Defense, in a serious manner, opened a file and started studying it, while the three men along with him just sat still.

Next, the Director of the CIA, Jake Matthews and the Director of the FBI, Ben Duran wa

walked in one after the other with serious expressions on their faces. They took their seats and sat down a considerable distance from each other.

Finally, the President, George Orais entered the room with a purpose, all focus renewed and sat down at the head of the table, opening a black file, thicker than the other Secretaries’ file and cleared his throat.

George Orais was fifty three years old, with an odd charm that surrounded him. He was currently serving his second term as the President of the United States and had a passionate love for his job.

He was married to Rita Orais at the age of twenty five and had had two children since. He had graduated from Yale as a lawyer and his wife was a graduate in finance.

His two advisors, John Hermann and Jack Higgins waited for the President to sit down.

“Mr. President” a chorus of acknowledgement greeted the President.

“Good Morning, Gentlemen” The President said.

“We have a situation here; I’m sure all of you must have heard of the situation in California right now. There have been reports of unnatural healing taking place. Evolution has been considered but it is highly improbable. Jonathan Waddell and I had a conversation regarding the issue at hand and came to two conclusions.” The President paused.

“Either, there is a new viral strain that has entered the United States from a tropical Nation, or, we are facing biochemical warfare. Hospitals in California have discharged their patients of various illnesses, in less than a week; their staff has been sent on a hiatus indefinitely and chances of re-opening seem non-existent if we cannot put an end to this issue.”

“After working with Jonathan, we have come to the conclusion that this virus does not enter the body through water; it is food, contact or air that is the carrying factor for this virus.”

“Ben Duran; please have a list of all people belonging to rogue nations or mercenaries who have been active in the United States in the last couple of years, who have been involved in developing bio-chemical weaponry or in fighting in bio-chemical warfare.”

“Also, I need you to get a list of all visitors to the United States from tropical Nations, in case there is a viral strain that has entered America. Please share this list with Waddell.”

“Jonathan, after taking this list of visitors from Tropical Nations from Ben, please have them checked to ensure that they are not carrying a new viral strain. Please have a communication sent out to the people living in California stating that they must wear face masks at all times and also ensure that all in the Sacramento County and Stanford and San Jose and neighboring localities run through a strict check for all entering and exiting these places.”

“Get your Bio-chemical defense team to investigate and check across California, starting with the impacted areas.”

“Jake, find out if anybody from your watch-list has entered the United States under false identification from or through any rogue nations in the last couple of years. Hand over any information to the FBI for investigation on priority.”

“Dylan, get CBP to increase border protection and implement strict screening at all American airports. 

Jonathan’s team will help you with what kind of screening has to be implemented. Please have this done by tomorrow morning.”

“Chiefs of Staff of all three Sectors, please get your team to find out if any prisoners of war involved with bio-chemical warfare have escaped from any of your prisons or interrogation camps. If they have, please have the Marines hunt them down on priority. Once you have anybody captured, please have them interrogated and report to me.”

“Please, all of you, report to me in a month.”

“Let’s get Operation Open Claw into action. Good day to all of you.” The President said with a wry smile.

+++

9:30 pm

January 25^th, 2020

San Francisco

Elena Ophir was a sixteen year old girl who had been depressed since the death of both her parents in a car crash. Her room- mates at the adoption home teased her about her dyslexia.

One night, after the teasing had gotten too much, Elena locked herself in the washroom and pulled out a blade from under one of the cabinets. She held it to her left wrist and cut a deep cut, waiting for all the blood to flow and to die. She fainted from lack of energy.

She woke up in the middle of the night and found herself on the hard wood floor with blood everywhere but not one indication on her body that she was hurt physically.

She was in trouble if her room- mates found out.

+++

February 7^th, 2020

More hospitals in Sunnyvale and Stanford had asked their medical staff and doctors to proceed on a sabbatical by the 10^th of February. Nearby Chemists shut down indefinitely due to a complete lack of customers visiting them.

Meanwhile, hospitals in San Francisco and the Bay Area witnessed patients getting cured all of a sudden.  More Chemists were shutting down.

+++

February 10^th, 2020

Sacramento, California

Now that the heart of San Francisco and surrounding areas, Sacramento and many other nearby towns were heavily impacted by the strange incidents, the Secretary of California Health and Human Services Agency was faced with a huge challenge. She called for an emergency meeting with the California Emergency Medical Services Authority, California Department of Health Care Services, California Department of Managed Health Care and California Department of Public Health.

She realized that the controls implemented by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security were not sufficient to contain the situation. They needed stricter rules and methods to control the contagion. She had to declare a State of emergency in San Francisco, Sacramento and nearby Counties.

After this meeting, she had called the Governor of California and the Secretary of California Environmental Protection Agency to discuss the issue at hand.

They decided to call the Secretaries for Health and Human Services and Homeland Security.

California was now declared to be in a State of Emergency.

+++

9:47 am

February 15^th, 2020

San Jose, California

The journalists were relentless. They were crowded around St. James hospital trying to interview the retiring doctor.

“Dr. Buckner! Why are you retiring at the mere age of fifty five? Is it because of employment issues?” A tall red headed woman in her late twenties asked with her high pitched voice. Like other journalists, she was expecting a big scoop.

Dr. Buckner didn’t reply. Instead he shoved through the sea of journalists and got into his black Rolls-Royce and started up the engine. The sea of journalists didn’t leave his side; they surrounded the car and didn’t let him through.

“Dr. Buckner! Were you asked to leave? How does it feel to leave? Was your decision to leave really yours?”  A journalist hollered.

“What are you implying?” Benjamin Buckner retaliated. He was furious.

“Nothing sir, I just wanted to confirm whether leaving the hospital was your idea, or if you were asked to leave by the board.” The journalist replied with an air of arrogance in his voice.

No reply from the doctor. He simply honked again and sped out of the hospital grounds. He was sure this would be all over the news during the next week. He could almost imagine the headline, ‘One of the greatest doctors in the States retires’. It was mortifying!

Benjamin Buckner was known as one of the greatest doctors in the States, and was respected by all. He was fifty five years old with two daughters, one married and one engaged. His wife had died when she was giving birth to their youngest daughter. He was respected for his work in Cardiac Surgery.

He received his education at John Hopkins and then started a clinic of his own; later, he was asked to join to board of St. James hospital. He then handed over his clinic to his son in law and joined St. James hospital as a cardiac surgeon.

It was true that it was the board’s decision to close the hospital, but through persuasion from dear friend and colleague, John Dixon, he decided to leave the hospital board and retire.

John Dixon was a discreet and unnerving man. He always wore a suit and black leather shoes, never brown. He owned over five percent of shares in St. James hospital and so, he took his place in the board, with the most shares in the hospital. 

He funded most of the new wings in the hospital and gave generously to charity. He was, however, not humane in the slightest.

As soon as Benjamin Buckner reached his house, he got out of the car and went inside. He sat himself on the couch and picked up the newspaper splayed on a glass table. It read:

‘St. James hospital closes. Fund manager Mr. John Dixon claims all profits.’

Benjamin Buckner muttered a few malevolent words under his breath. He then got up and dropped the newspaper to the floor; he walked towards the kitchen and got a glass of water. As he was going to place it on the counter, he tripped on his untied laces and fell forward, shattering the glass in the process. He got up and inspected his hand that was bleeding profusely.

Sighing, he walked to the sink to wash it when he paused. He had witnessed it many a time, but never experienced it; he walked back to the couch and watched his arm with minute fascination.

After a minute, he paused and muttered “This is beguiling.”

And so it was.

+++

February had brought changes in the life of Jonathan Waddell; the problem had become a living nightmare for him.  While all investigations were going on, reports of similar occurrences started pouring in from Nevada, Oregon and Arizona.

 One factor of interest observed by his team was that the infection seemed to be spreading radially to other States. All the air traffic coming in and going out of San Francisco should have logically transmitted it to other States across America as well, but it had not done so. It certainly looked like it was airborne and not through contact.

The worst part was they still didn’t know what was causing this pandemic.

+++

9:30 am

February 22^nd, 2020

The Cabinet Room

Washington D.C

The Secretaries of Homeland Security, Defense, Health and Human Services, the three Chiefs of Staff of Air Force, Army and Naval Operations and the Directors of the CIA and the FBI were seated in the Cabinet room when the President walked in.

Each of them confirmed that after extensive research and combing operations, they had come to the conclusion that it was not a bio-chemical warfare that they were facing.

Jonathan Waddell spoke in a confident voice “Mr. President, there is confirmation that this is not the work of a new viral strain. Sometime ago, the Secretary of Homeland Security and I had a gotten a call from Natasha Diamond, the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency and James McRoy, the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, who claimed that the infection was spreading rapidly, resulting in major job-loss. They also found the controls implemented by us not strict in us. As of now, California is declared to be in a State of emergency.”

“Another issue we are facing is that the infection has spread to other States. Oregon, Arizona and Nevada are the affected States. One feature of interest my team identified is that the infection is spreading radially to other areas; I suspect it is airborne as citizens fly in and out of California every day, but none of the other States seem to be reporting incidents. I think it’s time we got some genetic scientists on the team.”

“I agree; we also need to get the Secretaries of Labor and Commerce in on this. We are facing something larger than expected.” The President replied.

+++

10:00 am

February 23^rd, 2020

The Cabinet Room

Washington D.C

The Secretaries of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services were seated in the Cabinet Room.

Mr. Wayland Wright, the Secretary of commerce entered the Cabinet Room. He greeted his colleagues with a small smile.

“Morning” the voice of Wayland Wright rang through the room.

In response he got an acknowledgement from the Secretary of health and human services; “Wright”, the Secretary of Homeland Security sent him a tight-lipped smile. The Secretary of commerce sat himself at the table and took out the familiar black file; he opened it and started going through it.

He was forty five; a recent widower with two children. He was often the one showing, rather than receiving sympathy. His relationship with almost everybody was shrouded in positivity and understanding.

His ability to offer a smile; be it a wry one, during situations such as the one they were facing at present was what bound him with everybody around him. He was a knowledgeable man who took any task given to him without the slightest trace of neglect or disdain.

 He was respected by all his colleagues and on rare occasions, managed to get a smile out of the Secretary of treasury. He was a true gentleman focused on his work and if challenged, a man who fought with a vengeance that could have made the calmest of people restless. He was the kind of person anyone could talk to.

After him, the Secretary of Labor, Olivia Lynch walked into the room with a calm demeanor. She smiled warmly at everybody and managed a quick “Morning” as she took her place at the table and opened a black file.

Olivia Lynch was an introverted extrovert. She kept to herself and liked to stay alone but she was still outgoing and warm in her manner and friendly in her speech. She had black and white hair and carried herself delicately. Her poise was unnerving and her manner of talking even more so.

Next, the President walked into the room and sat down.

“We are here to decide our next move. We are not in the midst of a bio-chemical war and there is no new viral strain identified; we are working with an unknown enemy.” The President said.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services spoke next. “I have put together a team of four genetic scientists. Here are their profiles”, he said as he passed over a file to the President, “They have started research. On another note, two hospitals in San Francisco have sent their employees on an indefinite sabbatical. Many chemists all over California are shutting down their shops and are now left un-employed. The infection has spread to almost all of California and now, California is in a State of emergency.”

“Other than California,” he paused, “Oregon, Nevada and Arizona are identified as States affected. Reports of similar incidents confirm our theory; the contagion is spread through air and not through contact.”

The Secretary of Commerce cleared his throat before he spoke. “The Health Industry is heading for colossal shut downs and will cause a major setback in the Health and Business Sectors. Soon, minor Pharmaceutical companies will face shut downs. If we do not stop it now, the string of events to follow this path of havoc will be irreversible.”  

The Secretary of Labor spoke in a strong voice. “Other than the issues the Health and Business Sectors will face, job-loss is imminent. With the number of un-employed chemists, doctors and supporting staff, the need for jobs will rise and we will not have job openings for them. I see severe labor unrests and protests coming up in the near future.”

The President’s eyes swept across the room and landed on Jonathan Waddell. “If the infection spreads as it is now, other States will most-likely be impacted heavily. Many people working in the Health Sector will be rendered un-employed and therefore, many people will have to be supported.”

“I see this causing far more damage than just the Health Industry.” His eyes unmoving, he spoke with authority, “Jonathan I think we need to find out what’s causing this and we need to find a solution to this problem. How long do you think your team will take?”

“I think my team will take a good two-three months to identify what’s causing this.”

“I hope there are no more surprises on this.” The President said before standing up.

+++

January 1^st, 2020

San Jose, California

Jayden, Noah and Nathan were sitting in the bar perfecting their plan.

Jayden would go back to his flat in North Dakota and store the canisters in his house while Nathan and Noah would travel to a few places, releasing the cure into the air. Jayden would then fly out of Chicago and land up in China. Three days after that, Nathan would fly out of Texas and reach Jayden in China. Noah would wait for another five days and fly out of New Mexico to China. They would spend their time touring Asia and land in North Dakota on different days after their long holiday. They would tour Asia on trains and buses and stay in bed and breakfast joints so as to avoid leaving a trail.

Nathan would collect his share of canisters and through a combination of trains and buses, disperse the cure in the Western region of USA. Noah would collect his share of canisters on a different date and, using trains and buses as a method of transportation, disperse the cure in Central USA. Jayden would do the same, after Noah but he would disperse the cure in the Eastern region of USA.

Then, most of USA would be covered.

+++

10:00 am

May 25^th, 2020

The Cabinet Room

Washington D.C

The Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Labor were seated in the Cabinet.

The President entered the room and sat down. After greeting each other, the President spoke with a monotonous voice.

“What have you got for me, Jonathan?”

“Mr. President, my team has found out what the contagion is, how it enters the body and how it works. The contagion is a mutant re-engineering gene that takes the place of a person’s immunity system; when there is a physical wound in the body, the gene is able to recognize it and provide whatever is needed for accelerated healing.”

“The mutant gene enters the body though air and blood transfusions. That would mean blood banks in these four States would most probably play a large role in transmitting the gene. As of now, nobody in these four States can fight the gene off, as they cannot stop breathing.”

“Since the citizens of these four States are actually getting cured on their own, we wouldn’t need to worry about people with a cold traveling out of these States as they can’t have a cold.”

The President stared at Jonathan for a few seconds before starting- “Okay. I want you to put more scientists to work and get the Department of Health and Human Services to work on finding a way out of this mess.”

The Secretary of Homeland Security cleared his throat. “I believe the gene has not spread to other parts of the United States. I think the person controlling the movement of the gene has stopped maneuvering it inside America because the enemy wanted only to contaminate the four States.”

“That is a possibility, what we don’t know is the ulterior motive. As of now, jobs in the Health industry have started a rocky decline. Chemists in California are now a scarcity and chemists in Nevada, Oregon and Arizona are rapidly shutting down. Doctors and supporting staff are on indefinite sabbaticals in all four States and hospitals are shutting down completely. Labor strikes have taken place and doctors are demanding an explanation. Medical colleges in the infected areas are as good as abandoned.” The Secretary of Labor spoke.

“The colossal rate of job loss, leads me to believe that this is not stopping anytime soon. The mutant gene is currently in the four States and I suspect no movement on its part. As of now, we should be glad that the situation is contained to an extent and will remain so. As I have said, the Department of Health and Human Services will start working on this gene and I am sure they will be able to crack it soon enough. Right now, our main aim must be to get these four States back on track and to work with their Governors to ensure that whatever the damage is, it should not be permanent.” The President said.

“I guess that’s that. We don’t know the intent of the person who started all this, nor do we know what else this mutant gene could do to the human body and that worries me.”

“Thank you for your exceptional work. Good day gentlemen.” The President walked out of the Cabinet room; all the while silently thanking god the matter wouldn’t spread further.

+++

June 12^th, 2020

Jonathan Waddell was talking to his team when the first report came. From there, things started going under.

+++

June 4^th, 2020

Utah

Derrick Salvador was the quarterback for his football team in high school. He was in the middle of his warm up session when a football hit his head, making him fall down and hit head on the floor.

Everybody gathered around him to see he had a small cut on his forehead which was bleeding a lot.

As they tried getting him up, they watched in wonder when slowly, the cut healed over itself and it looked as good as new. Their team won that day.

+++

June 6^th, 2020

Iowa

Emily, a young victim of Thalassemia-Beta, was lying in her hospital bed when something miraculous happened. She felt lighter and healthier in just two days. Her doctor, Chelsea, was beyond amazed that her patient was completely cured and fit to be discharged. She had gained her lost weight, blood transfusions were no longer required, and her skin was no longer pale or sickly.

Very interestingly, the hospital noticed that all the patients were cured of all their illnesses and were discharged within a week.

+++

June 12^th, 2020

Florida

An old woman with hole in the heart did not have to go through her surgery and surprisingly, her husband’s bones had mended themselves and he no longer required a hip replacement surgery.

+++

In such obscene ways, all sicknesses and physical wounds were cured starting in Utah, and then, following no pattern at all, took place in Iowa and Florida. In the next two days, other States were affected and Jonathan Waddell was beyond perplexed.

+++

On July 16^th, the President of the United States met with the Secretaries of Treasury, Commerce, Homeland Security, Labor and Health and Human Services and the Chair of Treasury to discuss the now, growing problem.

“The issue is bigger than anticipated. I am under the impression that this was a Pilot, as I had previously expected. We need to do something and we need to do it fast.” The President said.

“Mr. President, many States in the United States are affected and we are unable to contain it. We are not seeing a pattern in the epidemic. It seems to be almost untraceable.” The Secretary of Health and Human Services continued, “If this continues, we expect people to live longer and healthier lives and they would not need to visit chemists and hospitals.”

“Jobs are going down and I predict massive shut downs in the near future. Doctors have been reaching out to me and Jonathan demanding explanations. There will be a huge unrest across the State. We need to do something about this immediately.” The Secretary of Labor said.

“The major Sectors affected will be that of the pharmaceutical companies, medical suppliers, hospitals, chemists and surgical manufacturers who supply mainly to America. Other Pharmaceutical companies will be impacted and I foresee that companies into health and wellness will possibly be doomed.” The Secretary of Commerce spoke.

The Chair of Treasury, Lucy Huffman looked down at her notes before she spoke- “This is not only an impact on the health industry, but on the economy of America, hence the economy of the world. Due to major unemployment, the demand for hospitals, goods, real estate and other services will reduce. The stock market will face major changes, and the stock prices for the health industry will fall.” She paused.

“The Pharmaceutical Industry funds R&D at leading Universities; if this Industry fails, major funding for the Ivy League Schools will dry up. The demand for education on medical and related studies will drastically drop. The Pharma Industry is a rich Sector; there will be a strain on the economy. Investment companies will be impacted by the failure of the Sector on the stock market and failure on their investments in the Healthcare Sector. Banks will be saddled with bad loans and bankruptcies. This will have a wide reaching impact on the stock market.” She continued.

“The value of the Dollar will reduce; this would be a major impact on the economy and foreign trade. This would impact all Companies importing goods or services, severely. If this is not contained, I foresee a repeat of the 2008-2009 depression.” She finished.

“It will put immediate pressure on the government because of unemployment doles and lower taxes due to reducing revenue. The government healthcare costs will drop. If this continues, we better find a way to overcome this deficit.” The Secretary of Treasury spoke.

“I’m going to get the FBI, CIA and the NSA into action immediately. This certainly is a grey and grim situation we are facing. Good day to you.” The President concluded.

+++

8:33 pm

June 16^th, 2020

Docke and Kay Pharmaceuticals

South Dakota

The CEO of Docke and Kay pharmaceuticals sat in his office while pondering over a file placed on his desk and munching on a sandwich.

He heard a knock on his cabin door and called for the intruder. In walked a short, plump man with a scarcity of hair on his head. The man wiped his eyebrow which was drenched with sweat.

“It’s ready” he said with an air of decided confidence.

“Then launch it. Let’s see them recover from something like that.”

+++

10:00 am

June 20^th, 2020

The Oval Office

Washington D.C

The Secretary of Defense, Sebastian Morra walked into the Oval Office with the Director of the NSA next to him. Dennis Capriati was the Director of the NSA, reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense.

Dennis Capriati, if someone else were to sum it up, was a man with an iron fist. His cool intellect and quick thinking landed him his fancied job. He had the best digital code-breakers and hackers in America.

Dennis Capriati had many reputations to uphold, but his promise to deliverance was the most proved one yet.

The Secretary of Defense and the Director of the NSA sat down after greeting the President with affable words.

Next in, Evan Brown, the Director of National Intelligence walked in with the Director of the FBI and the Director of the CIA.

Evan Brown was a man of high understanding with very alert senses. Extra chairs were placed in the Oval Office to occupy everybody; Evan Brown sat on one of those chairs followed by the Directors of the CIA and the FBI taking a seat on either side of him.

The air was tense, the crisis large and the wall between the two most important Directors in the room causing strain.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services walked in, immediately easing the unspoken disagreement. Jonathan Waddell greeted everyone in the room with amiability unmatched and yet, his tone was somehow withdrawn.

The Secretary of State, Adonis Mills walked inside the room with a blank face. He was a quiet and withdrawn man with round glasses and a tall stature.  He greeted the people present and seated himself near the Secretary of Defense.

To the surprise of the other Secretaries, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Dylan Floyd walked in with Commissioner Richard Knight by his side.

Richard Knight was the Head of U.S. customs and border protection; he was a short man with a gruff voice. He took his job very seriously and never gave away anything from his face; his face had an emotionless façade and he had a lack of friendliness. For him, everything came before relationships and emotions.

The two of them took the remaining seats and waited for the President to talk.

“Good morning everyone, we are here to initiate another round of operations and teams to get to the cause of this mess you must all be aware of. We will go over all points of interest and set tasks for everyone. Are there any questions?” the President asked with an air of undecided emotion.

No one had anything to say, which encouraged the President to go on.

“As of now, the crisis focuses mainly on the Health Industry and fields surrounding it. If we are unable to contain it, the entire Health Care Industry will be wiped out, pulling down with it, the banking Sector, the Stock Market, the Dollar value and the economy as a whole.” The President looked at the people seated in the room.

 

 

“It has been established that the root cause is the re-engineering of the genes and not a pandemic. The intent, perpetrators and the motive have still not been discovered, but whether it is malicious or not can be determined only by this team.” This time, the President eyed Dennis Capriati.

“We have no leads as to who the people behind this are or how they got it to be so malignant; who funded it and why, and where, if they will, will they strike next, and what they will strike with.” The Director of the FBI, anyone could tell, was far from calm. There seemed to be a kind of spark that had ignited inside him which had caused anger for the offenders of the powerful Nation.

“This new technology, it could be programmed to perform an ‘ethnic cleansing’ in America and other targeted areas in the world; this would be met with a completely unprepared and non-existent health care system, infrastructure, insurance sector, fund houses and doctors.” The President said.

“America is at war!” He paused before he spoke again.

“The NSA, the FBI, the CIA and the Department of Health and Human Services will be expected to work together under the name Operation Black Hawk. As it is such a big operation, the NSA is given permission to perform a Covert Operation. The CIA is also expected to perform a Covert Operation. Gentlemen, I am not going to remind you what your jobs are and what you have to do to give me end results; but I give you permission to take whatever information is needed from our sources and I expect weekly reports.” He paused.

“You have permission to do whatever is needed, but I need results. I have requested Richard Knight to collect any records and reports he has from the last three years; please use this information to your advantage. Mr. Matthews, you and Mr. Mills are expected to work together with equivalent agencies like the SIS, KGB and other similar organizations across the world to conduct covert operations worldwide. Adonis, reach out to all Heads of State across the world and facilitate their involvement with the CIA.” The President looked at everybody seated.

The seriousness in the room was growing every second; everybody could agree that the President had never been so troubled by something. It was clear to everyone that the United States was saddled with a huge problem and they were going to do everything in their power to contain it.

“Due to the wall, I am aware that the FBI and the CIA are not co-operative with each other. I need you to work around this with as much patience as possible. The NSA will take information from each of your sources and aid in Cyber Surveillance. The Department of Health and Human Services is expected to work closely with the FBI.” The Presidents voice was now booming with power untold.

“If any permission to carry out something that is necessary to your investigation is needed, it will be granted. If information of a threat is received, please send it straight to the Secretary of Defense, in the Pentagon and also to Leigh Decker, the Chief of Staff of the Army, Stan Larson, the Chief of Staff of Naval Operations and Lamar Carlson, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.” The President paused to take a breath.

“The NSA, the FBI and the CIA must be aware of it, regardless of who found out. I must also be notified, and so must Mr. Adonis Mills. Protocol must be ignored as we need all our agencies working together to protect the United States of America.”

“Mr. Waddell will add to his team of scientists and work on the problem at hand. As I have already stated, gene re-engineering is what is causing this drastic change in the people; his Department, along with carefully chosen scientists, will work on finding out how to remove the mutant gene.” The President looked at the team.

“Please ensure that all non-priority operations must be put on hold. I’m sure you all understand that this is a massive operation, not only within, but across the world. We don’t have time on our hands and we definitely don’t want to see the economy failing. Please get Operation Black Hawk on the go immediately.”

“Good Day Gentlemen.”

+++

2:00 pm

June 20^th, 2020

Nebraska Avenue Complex (Department of Homeland Security Headquarters)

Dylan Floyd stood facing all the heads of all the sectors in his department.

“The United States is going through a tough time. We are to do anything we can to aid investigations. Five of our best Cyber Surveillance men are to work with the NSA. We are to aid the FBI in any possible way. The Customs and Border Protection division will work with the FBI and the CIA and will give them any records or reports they require.” He paused and looked at his men.

“Border protection must be doubled; immigration must be done with great caution. If there is suspicion over anyone entering or leaving the United States, report them to the FBI immediately. That is all. Please identify the teams that are going to work on this operation. I need daily updates.” Dylan Floyd then went to his office; all the while making mental notes.

+++

2:00 pm

June 20^th, 2020

Langley (CIA Headquarters)

Jake Matthews cleared his throat before he spared a glance at Victor Dutch; he then started speaking with authority boundless.

“Some time ago, we worked on figuring out if the United States was under attack; we found that that was not the case. The President has ordered a covert operation named Operation Black Hawk, with a lot more clarity and a wider base. Despite the wall between the CIA and the FBI, we will have to work together.” The obvious dislike for the rival agency was not driven out of Jake Matthews’ tone.

“A massive combing operation will be carried out. We will be working with the Secretary of State, who will reach out to Heads of State and seek the help of their equivalents of the CIA and the FBI.” The Director of the CIA spoke with a light edge to his voice.

“Any intelligence acquired will be passed on to the NSA who has been granted permission to perform a covert operation. We will be reaching out to our agents outside America. This case will require a lot of fieldwork.” He took a glance at the men assembled and let out a small breath.

“I want our agents to also reach out to whistleblowers.”

“We cannot afford a mistake, however small it may be. Don’t let anything slip by. We will be working with the SIS, KGB and equivalent agencies. A massive combing operation will be done through a large amount of proven or disgruntled genetic scientists or engineers belonging to secret societies.” The Director paused.

“I want all the CIA agents working outside America notified of the situation and I want them working on this case ASAP. Good day, gentlemen.” The Director of the CIA bowed his head once and started walking towards his office. As soon as he entered his office, he saw a file placed on his desk.

He opened it to come face to face with the Presidents seal.

+++

2:00 pm

June 20^th, 2020

Harry S Truman Building (Department of State Headquarters)

Adonis Mills sat facing his secretary Daley Cart. He looked at the younger and more ambitious man with an unreadable look.

“I immediately need to contact all Secretaries of State and all their equivalents across the world to facilitate my talking directly to all Heads of State.” He spoke.

“I shall get the team to start reaching out to your equivalents across the world. Protocol cannot be ignored in other States for our sake. I shall be leaving out the rogue nations.” Daley said in a thoughtful voice.

“You know what to do.” The Secretary of State replied in a worried voice.

+++

2:00 pm

June 20^th, 2020

Hubert H Humphrey Building (Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters)

Jonathan Waddell stood with his small team of four, facing his colleagues.

“We are working alongside the FBI and will be catering to their every need; we will do and deliver what we must.” The speaker paused to cast a quick glance at all who were present.

“Earlier today, the Director of the FBI reached out to me requesting for us to reach out to non-profit organizations that hold strong voices in the public’s eye. We are to reach out to these organizations and groups having strong voices that fight for preservation of ecology and cheaper healthcare. We need to provide the FBI a list of all scientists in the genetic engineering field who have made major breakthroughs recently. We’ll need to compile the names and telephone numbers of these people and hand it over to the FBI this week.”

After talking, Jonathan Waddell walked back to his office and took a seat behind his desk. Things were about to get a lot more complicated.

+++

2:00 pm

June 20^th, 2020

J Edgar Hoover Building (FBI Headquarters)

Ben Duran sat facing the heads of various departments in his agency.

“We are going to be working on Operation Black Hawk and closely with the NSA and the CIA. The Department of Health and Human Services will be providing us with a comprehensive list of all genetic scientists and other organizations that could be involved. They will also be providing us with their contact details. We will need to get access to any communications from and to these people on the list from telecom companies. We shall pass on this list to the NSA for Cyber Surveillance operations.”

“Necessary records from the CBP division and the Department of Homeland Security will be sent to us and we will be working with them. Updates will go to the NSA and the President. The CIA will be performing a massive combing operation worldwide and will pass on any leads to us.” Ben looked at his men and gave them a serious look.

He went on talking about the necessary details.

+++

2:00 pm

June 20^th, 2020

Fort Meade (NSA Headquarters)

Dennis Capriati glanced at the heads of each department in the NSA in front of him; he felt electricity cackle through his body as he took a step forward and cleared his throat.

“A team of Cyber Security will be arriving from the Department of Homeland Security to work with our Cyber Surveillance experts. We are to work on this case along with the FBI and the CIA. We will be getting information about target groups from the FBI and the CIA. We shall conduct covert surveillance on this list of people.” He paused and took a look at the people present.

“All emails, chats and telephone conversations of people from this list must be checked. This will be a massive operation. Please reach out to the best hackers in the U.S to work with our team. Please get all our Cyber Surveillance agents on the job. If I’m right, we should be getting this list from the FBI in the next three days.” Dennis had confidence oozing through his voice along with a small hint of authority.

 “If something hints to a war, Mr. Leigh Decker, Mr. Stan Larson and Mr. Lamar Carlson, the Chiefs of Staff for the Army, Naval Operations and the Air Force respectively, must be notified. Special Hackers will be carefully selected by me from the Hacker of Hacker awards. Blackberries, one of the hardest to hack phones, are probably what our enemies are using.” He paused to send an undecipherable look at all of them before going on with a steady voice.

After he was done, he walked back to his cabin with Landon Quinn on his tail.

Landon Quinn was the Deputy Director of the NSA. He had worked with Dennis Capriati for six years and was more than capable to carry out orders given to him. He had a lithe frame and a booming voice.

 When they were seated, Landon proceeded to question his senior.

“What do you think?” He knew that his senior would understand what he was talking about.

The Director smiled.

+++

8:30 am

August 29^th, 2020

Utah

‘USA’s sixth biggest pharmaceutical company shutting down; the fourth and fifth biggest companies worried.’

“So that’s what dad was so worried about. He may be out of a job soon!” A young girl stated.

“Why would dad be worried? He doesn’t work in a pharmaceutical company.” The voice of a male, this time, spoke.

“Silly boy; he works in Selene and surgical! They make Selene Surgical medical instruments! Hospitals are shutting down, pharmaceutical companies are shutting down, what do you think comes next?” the girl said defensively.

“Sarah Wilson you will not talk about your father that way; apologize!” her mother’s voice interrupted her rant.

“But dad isn’t here! I’m sorry though. I really am” Sarah said, glaring at her brother who was chuckling.

“And you too Damien! You both have no respect for your father” their mother called out again, this time the Sarah’s twin Damien.

“Sorry Mom.” Damien said, looking down at his sister before going to his room.

+++

Sarah Wilson was indeed right; the next day, her father, Aaron Wilson was indeed out of a job. The company had released a statement announcing their decision to close the company three days later.

+++

10:00 am

September 1^st, 2020

Fox News Set, New York

New York

‘To conclude, the Secretary of Education has put a hiatus on schools until they are able to figure out what is happening. On another note, the owner of Selene and Surgical issued a press statement today announcing the close of their company. He made no further comment; what do you think the reason for that is, Elaine?’ the anchorman for the evening news spoke, fake curiosity adorned his face.

‘I would suppose the reason for this has something to do with the closing of the sixth biggest pharmaceutical company in the States and the closing of many hospitals.’ Elaine spoke, her voice strong and confident, a perfect contrast for her meek stature.

‘And the close of all these…. Companies and hospitals, they are closing because of the uncanny ability citizens of the United States seem to have. It’s impressive, really. If I had told you this would happen in the future, three years ago, would you have believed it? If someone told me that, I wouldn’t believe it.’ The woman finished, leaving no room for the man to speak, before continuing.

Jonathan Waddell switched of the television and placed the remote by his side. He wondered how silly the reporters had become of late. It was unnerving. In his career, he had never faced too many hardships, but he was facing one right now- he was dealing with an extremely healthy nation.

+++

Meanwhile in September:

The President was seated in the Oval facing Adonis Mills. They were talking about the progress when Mills asked.

“Mr. President, the economy would be in a shambles and we would be having a very healthy nation by the time we find them.”

“There are just two outcomes to this combing operation. Either the perpetrators have had a malicious intent or, they’ve not.” He paused before continuing.

“The question is, are we going to get this reversed and revive the impacted Sectors, or, do we live with a very healthy nation and a completely restructured economy?”

The President looked at Mills and said- “I think we need a drink.”

+++

Over the course of two months:

‘The fourth and fifth biggest pharmaceutical companies merge.’

‘Former investment banker Julian Kyle comes out of retirement.’

 ‘Investment banker Chandler Miles makes ten million USD in two months.’

 ‘Three investors pull out of Docke and Kay pharmaceuticals- stock price falls by 13.35% in twenty four hours.’

‘Over thirty thousand lose jobs in two months.’

 ‘Biggest investor for Docke and Kay pulls out- stock price reduces by a further 20% in one week. Three board members quit.’

‘Fourth largest Pharmaceutical Company Docke and Kay shuts down US operations.’

‘Banks refuse to fund medical operations and prop ups. Silicon valley medical start ups shut down.’

‘Economy falling- value of the USD down by 13%’

‘USA’s finest Oncologist forced to quit.’

‘United State’s youth pulling out of medicine- taking up other courses’

 ‘Medical institutions shut down, ex- doctors unite.’

‘Revenue of reaming Pharmaceutical Companies drop substantially.’

The newspapers threw headlines after headlines, shocking the citizens of America.

‘The President is yet to comment.’

+++

 6:00 am

December 8^th, 2022

The Oval Office

Washington D.C

The President of the United States paced behind his desk in his office. Jonathan Waddell and his team along with the director of the FBI and the NSA were expected any minute. They had called and informed him that it was a matter of urgency.

After some time, the President sat himself down behind his desk and smoothened out his suit. He was getting anxious.

Five minutes later, there was a resounding knock on his door.

His secretary showed the men into the Oval office; the President smoothened out his suit.

He looked up to see Jonathan Waddell and his team walk in headed by the director of the FBI with the Director of the NSA next to him.

“Mr. President” they all greeted him together, their voices harmonized.

“Gentlemen” the President greeted back; he was growing impatient.

Then, the Director of the FBI stepped forwards just a little and cleared his throat. He looked at everyone in the room and spoke.

“Mr. President, I think you need to meet someone.”

+++

10:30 pm

December 7^th, 2020

San Jose

Jayden, Noah and Nathan sat in the dingy bar; it was a Friday. Noah was just getting them their second round of drinks when a tall man walked up to him and held out a badge; a silent threat.

Noah stopped all movement and dropped the glasses he was holding, resulting in them falling and breaking on the hardwood surface.

Noah walked towards the table where his friends were seated, with the man in tow. Stopping at the table, Noah sent a fearful look at his friends, alerting them of what was to come.

The man pulled out his badge once again and placed it on the table.

“Let’s have a chat, gentlemen.”

THE END