DECEMBER TWENTY-EIGHTH
East Room of the White House
For the first time since she had accepted President Stephen Kellar’s invitation to serve as the surgeon general of the United States, Renatta Brickell felt no apprehension stepping up to the lectern. To the contrary, she was bursting with anticipation at the prospect of addressing the press corps. Even with the president in attendance, standing a few feet from her, she felt completely confident.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My statement this morning is one of profound national importance.” She waited for the murmur to die down before going on. “I understand the rumors regarding GNS have reached enormous proportions. My hope is to dispel all of them today.” She paused long enough to allow her comments to be well seeded in the minds of the reporters. “Several days ago, a patient with GNS underwent a bold treatment to cure her disease. It involved both a surgical procedure and an innovative new therapy. I am extremely happy to report that she is now well on her way to making a full recovery. She is alert and responding to questions, and almost all of her symptoms have disappeared.” Renatta stopped just for a few seconds and raised her eyes, expecting a barrage of questions. Instead, the room was overtaken with a ghostly silence. She went on, “It is the opinion of the Presidential Task Force on GNS that this disease is being caused by the interaction of three factors, and that all three must be present for a woman to contract the illness. The first is an unusual genetic profile termed chimerism; the second is the altered hormonal state of pregnancy; and the third is the administration of a specific type of flu vaccine. The combination of these factors creates an illness that is quite similar to lupus or rheumatoid arthritis where abnormal antibodies attack the brain. Several days ago, researchers at Southeastern State were able to formulate a multifaceted treatment plan that reverses that process.”
The end of her remarks met with a flurry of hands. She recognized Edmond Carlisle from the Associated Press.
“What about the babies? Will you be recommending termination for those under twenty-six weeks?”
“No. We believe once the mothers are cured, the babies will follow suit.”
Renatta next gestured at Larry Jensen, representing Reuters.
“Since the beginning there have been rumors that GNS might be the result of a terrorist act. Are you saying that possibility no longer exists?”
“After doing an exhaustive investigation, it is the firm belief of the FBI that GNS is categorically not an act of biological warfare.”
Jensen then asked, “Can we assume the same is true for some type of environmental toxin?”
“Based on the research done at Southeastern State, we are comfortable we have identified the cause of GNS, and it’s not in any way related to an environmental toxin, be it an e-waste product or nanotoxin.”
“Do you anticipate having enough of this special strep injection?”
“We prefer to think of it as a vaccine. We presently have twelve separate facilities manufacturing the product. We do not anticipate having a shortage.”
“In that case, when do you expect to complete treatment on a national level?”
“Obviously from a logistical standpoint, we’re looking at a monumental project. Our latest projection is to have every woman treated by the end of the second week in January.”
“Have you determined what’s wrong with the flu vaccine?”
“We don’t believe there’s anything wrong with the vaccine. The process to manufacture vaccines changes all the time. Our theory is that there’s a complex interaction between these two particular vaccines and the chimera cells that makes certain pregnant women susceptible to GNS.”
“Any idea what that interaction is?”
“At this time, no. But our scientists are already at work trying to answer that question.”
Renatta again scanned the room. She pointed toward the back at Alice Quay of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
“Assuming this outbreak of GNS is now cured, what’s to prevent another outbreak in the future?”
“The only way to prevent another outbreak is to develop a test capable of predicting if a particular vaccine will trigger the body to produce toxic proteins. The development of such a test will of course be of the highest priority.”
“Is there any way of knowing if there’s been any long-term injury to the babies?”
“The simple answer to your question is no. However, our perinatologists continue to advise us that the babies appear to be holding their own. Obviously, we expect to have a lot more information as the women recover and begin to deliver.”
For the next thirty minutes, Renatta answered questions. What followed when she finally brought the press briefing to a conclusion was unprecedented. With her first step back from the lectern, every reporter in the room came to their feet and participated in a jubilant display of applause and cheering. Renatta watched for a few seconds and then returned to the podium. With her signature smile, she raised her hands high over her head in a gesture of absolute triumph.