| |
Markis found himself once again, as far too often these days, in front of his teleconference equipment, talking to the world. In fact, he found himself talking to the open meetings of world leaders more than the Free Communities Council. So far, no one had challenged him from running things his way; even the most pugnacious of governments seemed to be relieved to have someone else to blame for any problems. And blame they did.
“Everyone please listen up. Ladies and gentlemen...Ladies and gentlemen...” He held up his hands, hoping this would help. Slowly the motion and dialed-down chatter ebbed until Markis thought he had most of their attention.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is now three days until the Demon Plague Two probe is due to release its biological weapons. Our analyses indicate that no more than half the Earth’s normal, non-Eden population has been given the vaccine. Some nations are doing well, with more than eighty percent of their people immunized and still increasing, but some of you have barely started. Don’t you understand that anyone who had Demon Plague One that contracts Demon Plague Two, will reduce their intelligence to that of an animal?” Markis voice was almost shrill, and he controlled himself with difficulty. He poked his finger at the icon for France with relief, not trusting himself to say more.
“I would like to point out,” the French Prime Minister said, “that the great French people is skeptical on the whole, and also individually, about this vaccine. With no time to test it or see what its long term effects are, many have exercised their rights and refused the injections. I believe many in other nations, particularly in the United States, have done the same. How can you expect us to take this all on faith, the word of this alien being and the word of the one who started this entire, what is the word, this fiasco in the first place!” The Frenchman sat back and mopped his brow, as if this outburst took all his energy.
Markis raised his voice. “If you do not immunize, your people will turn into savages! They will act like wild apes and worse, they will loot and rape and steal and kill. If you do not wish to force these people to take the vaccine, then give them the Eden Plague and hide, stay indoors in quarantine.”
The Frenchman shook his finger at the camera, Markis and the rest of those watching. “Like you forced the Eden Plague on the world? You are just doing it again, you are playing God and no matter how much it seems good, you cannot save people by force. It is their own decision.”
Dear God, is this how you feel every day, watching us squabble down here, yet still respecting our choices to ignore You? What a pain in the ass.
Markis ground out, “Three days, ladies and gentlemen. Three days. The Free Communities have used the nanobots to immunize key Eden personnel, and everyone else has been moved out of the infection path or will ride out the initial plaguefall in sealed shelters. All normals in Free Community nations have been immunized, by force if necessary. I know that is morally questionable. No one feels that more than I do, but you know what? Out of a billion or more people in the Free Communities, we only expect to lose a few thousand. Some of you will lose millions, and may never recover. May God have mercy on your souls.” Markis stabbed the mute button angrily. There was no mercy in his heart at all right then. “Fools. Fools with power.”
“Power is a funny thing, isn’t it, Daniel? Kind of warps your perspective.” Cassandra rubbed her thumb along the arm of the chair, her face hidden in the waterfall of her hair. She threw it back over her ears to reveal an angry pinch across her nose.
“You’re mad about this too; don’t tell me you’re not.”
“Of course I am. But I’m just angry with you sometimes.”
Daniel stared at her in surprise. “What, at me? Why?”
“For the same reason everyone else in the world is angry with you! Because you upset the applecart ten years ago, and everything that has happened has proceeded from that like dominos! And no matter how much the logical part of me says that you saved millions or billions of lives, these changes have also caused, or instigated, or whatever you call it, many more horrible things. The road to hell is paved with good intentions! Causality...one thing leads to another, and it’s unpredictable, but at least back then we thought we had a handle on things.” She shook her head as if trying to shake off her thoughts.
“Mom...that’s not really fair.” Rick looked back and forth from his mother to Markis.
“I know it’s not fair. I’m just venting. I’m frustrated. I’m afraid for Elise and Shawna and the team, out there playing doctor and trying to sell the vaccine to people that don’t know which way to jump. I’m also afraid of the next unknown unknown.”
“You mean the Demon Plague Two?”
“No,” she answered. “Raphaela is pretty sure about that one and what its structure will be. In fact, we are ahead of the game for a vaccine – if the people will accept the first one. This is just shadows and echoes of the vaccine scares of the twentieth century – people thinking they caused autism, or refusing to be treated for AIDS in Africa, or the Taliban forbidding polio vaccines – madness. No, I’m actually more afraid of the Black Swan.”
All the people in the room stared at Cassandra – Rick and Daniel and Millicent and several techs and staff members. “Black Swan?”
“Yes, what that old SecDef called the ‘unknown unknowns.’ It was one of the few things he got right – what mathematician Nassim Nicholas Taleb called ‘Black Swans.’ Events so unpredictable that we can’t even conceive of their existence, much less figure how to calculate them into our risk models. Eden Plague. Demon Plagues. Aliens showing up. Nuclear War. Vesuvius and Pompeii, Krakatoa, Tunguska – whatever.”
A moment of silence passed. “Wow, Mom, that’s kind of depressing,” Millicent said.
Cassandra shrugged. “What it means, I’m sorry, but what I think it means is that we just have to realize that nothing will turn out as well as we hope, and we better be ready for more bad news. Daniel, that means you. You’re the glue that’s keeping things together right now. Without your leadership – symbolic or real – it will get a lot worse.”
“It’s going to get a lot worse,” Daniel sighed. “I’ve been preaching hope but the numbers don’t lie. Half the Russians are going to be turned into mad dogs because their government won’t take any sort of leap of faith. Ditto with smaller pockets around the world. And what happens then? A lot of them are going to be gunned down by people defending themselves. If they’re lucky they will be rounded up like ‘Planet of the Apes,’ voiceless animalistic humans in cages. If they are really lucky we will be able to cure them of the combined Demon Plagues and re-teach them how to be people again.”
The conference room fell silent, all grim with their own thoughts.
Markis sighed. “Come on, people. Plug me back in again, Rick. Someone bring me some strong coffee, and let’s...let’s do what we can.”
“No. Go to bed, Daniel,” Cassandra ordered. “You’re about to fall over.”
“How can I sleep while millions more are...devolving, and dying.”
“You just lie down, close your eyes, and count sheep, that’s how.” She led him by the elbow to his office and his sofa. Guiding him down, she threw a jacket over him. “Come on, sleep. You’re useless right now.”
