Darnell Price sat at his desk at Cascade Aqua Company, scrolling through the local news. He started with the Oregon Public Radio news feed, then checked the Bend Bulletin and Bend TV news channel. “Bingo!” he said, although there was no one in his office to hear.
As he read, his mind quickly cataloged the pertinent facts. Twenty-five patients as of two days ago. All showing symptoms of orchitis, a painful inflammation of the testes. No response from the CDC or the Oregon Health Authority. Experts are viewing the outbreak as a weak form of the mumps, most likely very localized. Bend resident and businessman, Peter Savage, condemns the lack of action by the CDC as yet another example of the federal government discriminating against Native Americans through neglect. A similar outbreak in Bend or Portland, he asserted, would bring an immediate response from state and federal Agencies.
Price leaned back in his chair. Peter Savage. This man could cause problems. He dialed his phone. “Corbett,” the voice replied.
“Did you see the news?”
“Yes. Our plan worked. The contagion has performed exactly as expected.”
“We may have a problem. Someone is advocating for the people of Warm Springs.”
“We discussed this possibility,” Corbett said. “The reservation offered both benefits and risks as a test population. You’ll recall that you made the decision to proceed over my warnings.”
“You wanted to target a homeless population. We’d never have captured the results if we’d done that. Homeless people don’t go to the doctor. And if they sought emergency care, it would have never captured any media attention.”
“I thought you wanted to run the test at Warm Springs exactly because few would care, being predominantly a Native American population,” Corbett countered.
“I stand by my reasoning. And I was right. The virus has raged unchecked for two weeks. Because the patients sought medical care, we have access to the data, albeit a limited data set. We’d never have had this opportunity anywhere else. If we’d selected a mainstream test population, the Oregon Health Authority and CDC would have descended upon the outbreak within forty-eight hours. The reservation, on the other hand, is a sovereign nation, outside state jurisdiction and too far away from Atlanta, or Washington D.C., for anyone to care. If it wasn’t for this Peter Savage drawing attention, I doubt the media would have even picked up the story.”
Corbett couldn’t care less about the politics. As the Director of Security at Utopian-Bio, his concerns were more immediate. He decided to move on. “What are you suggesting I do?”
“Nothing, specifically. What is the status of the culture?”
“Utopian-Bio has designated it an experimental contagion. As a result, access is restricted. My authorization is required before anyone can withdraw samples.”
“And you will deny such authorization.”
“Of course. We can replicate the virus in 2-kilogram batches within seventy-two hours of notice. It can be stored indefinitely as a dry powder under refrigeration between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius.”
“Have your scientists determined the virus’s lifetime in water?”
“Not exactly, but we know it’s at least several weeks,” Corbett replied.
“All we need is a month. That’s plenty of time to expose a large population center.”
“My understanding is that the experiments are in progress and will continue as long as the results remain encouraging. So far, the virus appears to be very stable in water at temperatures less than 20 degrees Celsius.”
“Excellent. It sounds like Dr. Ming’s scientists have achieved a remarkable breakthrough. I will let you know when to provide a dosing sample again, although that may not be necessary.” Price ended the call.
The pieces were falling into place. And soon, he would implement the final phase to save humankind from itself.
s
Peter recognized the voice right away as Lee Moses. “Well, my friend, you really know how to poke a stick into a hornet’s nest.”
“Oh?”
“I just had a long conversation with the CDC—a Ms. Julia Zhong. She made it clear she was reaching out based on recommendations from higher up. She didn’t sound at all regretful that my prior phone calls had been disregarded.”
“That’s all well and good, but what really matters is the action they take going forward. What did she commit to do?”
“She’ll be on a flight today to Portland, then by car to Warm Springs. I gave her the names of a couple hotels. She’s bringing along an investigation team. I don’t know how many. Guess we’ll find out when she arrives. She said she would call me tonight when she gets to the hotel.”
“That’s great news. Are you ready?”
“Yes. Lucy has compiled all the data, including the latest results from the interviews my team has conducted of the patients and their close family and friends. It’s everything we have. I hope it’s a good starting point.”
“Look. You’ve done everything you can do to protect your people. Every investigation starts with the facts. Where it goes from there—well, who knows? But you should feel good. You did the right thing.”
“Peter Savage, you are a true friend to my people. We are indebted to you.”
“Ah, forget it. When someone asks for help, you do what you can. But I am curious. Have you heard anything from Captain Meadows about the two people who attacked me?”
“Oh, yes. I spoke with the captain this morning. He said that the young man, Tommy, is a suspected drug dealer. He and his friend Travis have been ‘persons of interest’ with the Tribal Police for close to a year. They are searching their home and hope to gain useful evidence for the prosecution.”
“Did Captain Meadows share anything about a contract on my life?”
“No,” Lee said. After a pause he added, “Is that what prompted those two to try to kill you?”
“That’s what Tommy said. Supposedly something they read in a chat room. Look, if there is anything suggestive of this from their computer, please let me know. I understand it may be a breach of procedure, and I’ll be discrete with any information you can share. But if there is any truth to this…”
“Then you must know,” Lee said. “I pledge this to you.”
“Thank you, Lee.”
“In the meantime, may I make a suggestion?”
“Of course.”
“Carry a gun. I’ve read about you. And I know you can use one.”
“You know too much about my history, but that’s not me. I’m not looking for a fight. I don’t want to hurt others.”
“Sometimes, it’s not our choice. Throughout our history, my people only wanted to live in harmony with Nature. Harvest only what we needed to survive, no more. Then, the White Man came to our land. He always wanted more. Whatever we freely gave or surrendered, it was never enough. Eventually, we resisted and fought back. Not because we wanted to, but because we were forced to do so.”
“This is not a life I choose. I never forget the faces.”
“You mean of those you have killed?”
“They’re burned into my memory.” Peter paused. “At night, I see them.”
“You do what you must, just as my ancestors did. Choice is a luxury reserved for only a few. And that short list does not include you and me.”