Virus Hunters 2: A Medical Thriller

by Bobby Akart

  “She’s fine. Well, she’s not hurt or in any kind of danger. It’s just, um—” Spangler searched for the words.

  Joe illuminated his phone and studied the display. There’d been no phone calls or text messages. He retrieved his emails as he spoke. “Spit it out, Andy. What is it?”

  “Harper’s in Vegas, as you know. Governor Rickey called out the Nevada Guard to quarantine downtown Las Vegas.”

  “Quarantine? I’m surprised Harper wouldn’t give me a heads-up.”

  “Joe, she didn’t know about it. I got a call from her boss, Reitherman. He said the CDC wasn’t consulted. Well, they were, sort of. One of the governor’s people called Reitherman, and he said it wasn’t necessary yet because they were too early in their investigation.”

  “Why’d they do it?” asked Joe. He went around his office and turned on more lights. He closed up his sleeper sofa to allow the two men more room to conduct their conversation.

  “Apparently, the president summoned Harper to Air Force One when her plane landed late yesterday. Somehow, the conversation got turned around and used by the governor to lock down Fremont Street.”

  Joe flopped in his chair and scrolled through his phone to find Harper’s number. “This reeks!”

  Spangler raised his hand to stop Joe from calling his wife. “I know you want to talk to her, but before you do, we need to look at this for a moment.”

  “I wonder why she hasn’t called me,” mumbled Joe.

  “She’s very sharp, Joe. My guess is she put two and two together and figured the governor was acting as President Taylor’s do-boy.”

  “He did all of this to get at me?” asked Joe.

  “Think about it. Nevada is always a swing state. If the governor can cause an uproar, lay the blame on the CDC—and Harper in particular—all roads lead right back to this office. They’ll use it in the budget battle with you as well as a hammer in our future political plans.”

  “Cut me off at the knees before I even get started,” Joe surmised.

  “Exactly.”

  “Unbelievable!” shouted Joe as he pounded his fist on the desk out of frustration. He was furious that his wife was being used as a pawn in the president’s political games. “Taylor’s that desperate?”

  Spangler, who’d remained standing throughout the conversation, nodded. “He is, and so are his political advisors. That’s the way it works, Joe. As soon as the label rising star is attached to any DC politician, the opposition goes into high gear to destroy them.”

  “And all of this is because of Herbert Brittain’s support?”

  “In part,” replied Spangler, who sighed and finally took a seat. “Listen, this is why we started discreetly keeping up with Harper’s activities. Unfortunately, the families of politicians, especially the proverbial rising stars, become the target of their opponents and the media.”

  Joe exhaled and leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. “I never wanted her to become entangled in the dirty world of politics. I should never have opened myself up for other options besides the one I have right here in this office.”

  Spangler was empathetic. “Joe, it would’ve happened eventually. Maybe not something of this magnitude. But your involvement in budgetary and oversight matters would naturally bring heat because of Harper’s job.”

  “I can’t ask her to quit,” said Joe.

  “No, nor should you. First, we need to diffuse this situation. Then we’ll need to spend some time with her so she understands how vicious DC operatives can be.”

  Joe shook his head and rolled his eyes. After a deep breath, he phoned his wife.

  Chapter Four

  Gold Palace Hotel

  Fremont Street Experience

  Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada

  “I’m so sorry, Joe. I knew it was out of place for him to drag me into Air Force One. It’s not my place to have conversations with the President of the United States. But, honestly, I didn’t feel like I was in a position to say no.”

  Joe comforted his wife and reassured her she’d done nothing wrong. Harper had been trapped, and regardless of what she did, the president and the Nevada governor would pin the quarantine decision on her because she was in charge of the CDC team in Las Vegas.

  “No worries, darling. Listen. They may have overplayed their hand. Andy is already working on something that might expose them. Leave that to us.”

  “Okay, I will,” said Harper, who was still remorseful for her unintentional contribution to the lockdown. “In the meantime, I have a room full of epidemiologists who were exhausted to begin with. We have a lot of work to do here, and they need some sleep.”

  “We’re working on that as well, but let me mention one other thing to you,” said Joe.

  “What is it?”

  “Andy suspects they’re keeping you locked in there for another reason. He thinks they’re gathering a media scrum to confront you when the doors are opened.”

  “Aw, shit, Joe. I don’t wanna deal with that after what’s happened tonight. I’ll probably blast every last one of them.”

  “You have every right to be incredulous, and Taylor’s people know that. You have to keep your cool and try your best to muzzle your attack dog. While I’d enjoy seeing Becker take a bite out of the media’s asses, it won’t help us this go-around.”

  Harper glanced at her watch. Becker had been gone for nearly an hour. She’d already become concerned her loyal assistant might be trapped in the HVAC ducts. She wasn’t sure how to respond to Joe’s suggestion, so she changed the subject.

  “Honey, I love you and thanks for calling. I didn’t want to bother you with this.”

  Joe tried to remove any doubts or fears from her mind. “I’m always here for you, no matter what. Those guys play dirty, but we have our own playbook. Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

  Harper smiled. That was one of her grandmother’s favorite phrases. She wondered if Joe used it for that reason. “Okay.”

  “I’ve got your back, Harper. Know that.”

  “I do. I’ll sit tight and keep my opinions to myself. I love you!”

  “I love you back. I’ll be in committee at nine. Text me or call Andy if something comes up. Promise?”

  “Promise!”

  Harper disconnected the call and turned to observe the group. Several of the epidemiologists had succumbed to their exhaustion and curled up on the floor next to the walls to sleep. She glanced around the room in search of the light switches. Perhaps the group could sleep through this nightmare.

  Ding!

  Her iPhone notified her of a text. It wasn’t Joe, because she’d assigned a musical notification to his incoming messages. It was Becker. The text was succinct and descriptive.

  Becker: Bedlam!

  Chapter Five

  Underground Great Wall

  Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

  In land size, China is approximately the same size as the United States, while its population is almost five times greater. Its major cities were extremely overcrowded, while its rural areas were sparse. Scholars have often referred to the tale of two Chinas—the provinces versus the autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Tibet. The provinces were more tightly controlled by the Beijing Communist government, whereas the autonomous regions, which have a disproportionately higher number of minority ethnic groups, have maintained some semblance of control over their local governments.

  Human rights violations had come to light against the native Tibetans since the 1950s when the Chinese military sent thousands of troops into the region to enforce its claims. During this period, known as the Chinese Cultural Revolution, most of Tibet’s monasteries were destroyed.

  A lesser known human rights issue centered around the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group that populated Xinjiang. Beginning in 2018, and for years thereafter, the Uyghurs were the victims of genocide. Via leaked Communist Party documents, the world learned of internment camps being built throughout Xinjiang that coincided with Chi
na’s brutal crackdown against the Uyghur Muslim community. The Beijing government called them voluntary education centers, which had a stated purpose of cleansing the Uyghurs’ brains.

  As whole families disappeared in the middle of the night, university-age Uyghur students took to social media to spread the word of China’s genocidal activity. They also went into hiding—in the massive aqueduct system under Xinjiang, nicknamed the Underground Great Wall in defiance of the Communist Party.

  Urumqi was the largest city in Western China and was quite famous for its claim of being the most inland major city on the planet because of its distance from any ocean. It was also located in a geographic location that was mostly desert.

  For over two thousand years, a system of water harvesting and underground transmission via elaborate aqueducts provided sustainable water supplies throughout the desert regions of Western China. Known as a karez, the Uyghur word for well, it was a marvel of ancient engineering. The thirty-three hundred miles of tunnels crisscrossed the region, bringing water to communities and farms in even the most remote parts of Xinjiang.

  Many scientists believed the karez was more impressive than its aboveground brother—the Great Wall of China. The aqueducts connecting the wells spanned a distance equal to that between New York City and the Pacific Ocean. It was dug by hand with primitive tools and had to be done with a precise slope so the water would flow in the direction the ancient engineers required.

  Over time, China modernized its water systems in the cities, and the karezes were mostly abandoned. They were used, however, by the dissidents during the Uyghur uprising, and now by China’s citizen journalists.

  Symbolically, the naming of the hidden tunnels by historians as the Underground Great Wall gave inspiration to the Uyghurs during the period of genocide, and now to the dissidents. The Great Wall of China, built to protect the Chinese dynasties from attack, spanned the entire border of the Communist nation for thirteen thousand miles.

  The Underground Great Wall was a symbol of Uyghur ingenuity, and during the period of harsh crackdowns, it became a place of safety from those who’d destroy their way of life. The success of the Uyghurs in using the underground tunnels to evade capture frustrated and angered the Communist Party. They were unable to close off the aqueduct system because it was still used as a water source by parts of the community.

  Instead, they attempted to marginalize it with a project of their own beneath Beijing. As part of its nuclear weapons program, Chinese military experts conceived a massive underground system built in a series of subterranean silos connected together by tunnels. The steel-reinforced structure could withstand the strikes of the most destructive weapons on Earth, including the massive ordnance penetrators possessed by Russia and the United States.

  To divert attention from the Uyghurs’ use of the karez system to hide from oppression, the Beijing government prominently referred to their new missile defense project as its Underground Great Wall, co-opting the more accepted use of the phrase from Western China.

  Now, the Chinese government officials were facing a larger problem—a small army of citizen journalists were shining the light of transparency on Communist tyranny, and they were hiding underground in the ancient karez aqueducts.

  Chapter Six

  Underground Great Wall

  Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

  Dr. Zeng Qi and his wife, Ying, instantly embraced when they saw one another. It was a rare show of affection between the two in a public setting, even if it was in the underground labyrinth of tunnels. Their nephew, Zeng Fangyu, turned to his fellow citizen journalists and encouraged them to turn away in order for the older couple to have a moment of privacy. Their reunification brought tears of joy to their eyes, but soon thereafter, apprehension swept over them both.

  Dr. Zeng broke their embrace and motioned for his nephew to join him. He hugged the young college student as well and thanked him for all he’d done to keep his wife safe.

  “Uncle, I would like you to meet my friends. Come with us, please.”

  Fangyu instructed the young people who’d gathered around the newcomers to disperse, reminding them the new entrance they’d constructed through the basement floor of the apartment building could be compromised as a result of its recent activity.

  He led his aunt and uncle deeper into the aqueduct system, using a small flashlight to illuminate the way. Periodically, one of his acquaintances would stop to take up a position near a cross tunnel. Fangyu indicated they were part of an elaborate system of human monitors who’d notify the rest of intruders.

  They walked for nearly twenty minutes, Fangyu leading the way through the unmarked tunnels. He never hesitated as he made turn after turn, occasionally into broad aqueducts, at which time he’d pick up the pace. Following a route he appeared to know very well, he led them through cramped side tunnels that were full of water, with thick planks of wood used as walkways.

  Eventually, they came into a cavernous opening that was well lit. The space was full of tables, chairs, and even a small kitchen complete with a refrigerator and a microwave. Scattered throughout the large karez were dozens of college-age citizen journalists. When Fangyu entered with Dr. Zeng and his wife, they stopped their work on laptops and computer tablets to assess the newcomers.

  “Everyone, this is my uncle, Dr. Zeng.”

  Spontaneous applause erupted throughout the space. Dr. Zeng was taken aback by the odd reaction to his introduction. He didn’t know these young people, nor had he done anything to warrant the ovation he’d received. At least, he didn’t think so.

  “Nephew, I don’t understand. Why are they clapping?”

  “You are a hero, Uncle.”

  He was puzzled. “I have done nothing.”

  “You took a stand and risked everything, including career and life, to warn others. Now we have a purpose—to protect our countrymen from the secrecy of the government and a new disease.”

  It was a universal principle held by college-age youth. People go through a period in their lives, often following their teenage years and into their late twenties, when they view themselves as idealistic, activist agents of change. Later, they grow up and get jobs, have families, and pay the bills. In other words, they become adults and their priorities change.

  In China, campus activism was not allowed to rise to the surface. It was tamped down by parents, teachers, and civic leaders. If that didn’t work, the full weight of the People’s Liberation Army was used like a twenty-pound sledgehammer against a porcelain doll.

  The stories of dissidents being silenced were broadly disseminated as a deterrent against future activity. Unlike the Western world where campus activism was something to cheer, in China, it resulted in people disappearing.

  As a result, following the lead of the Uyghurs before them, the young citizen journalists of Xinjiang went underground to spread the word to those above. These enterprising students were so committed to their task that many found a way to live in the karez aqueducts.

  After the demonstration of applause subsided, with Dr. Zeng smiling and waving his hand to everyone in thanks, the young people returned to their workstations.

  Dr. Zeng took a moment to observe his surroundings. The young people appeared haggard and disheveled, an almost unrecognizable shadow of the energetic young people he’d observed in Fangyu’s dormitory.

  “Uncle, at this moment, we are directly beneath your First Affiliated Hospital.”

  The old doctor looked upward and pointed to the fluorescent light fixtures and hundreds of wires strapped to the rock walls of the large karez. “Are those all electrical wires?”

  “Yes, and communications lines also. Some of the wires lead to portable antennas in nearby apartment buildings, which allow us to access the internet via satellite.”

  “Where are you pulling the power from?” asked Dr. Zeng.

  “The hospital,” he answered with a smile. “As you know, the government has stopped delivery of electricity to all nonessentia
l buildings in Urumqi in the past. During the Uyghur uprisings, this was a regular occurrence. Also, during the threatened solar storm of 2026. However, they did not disconnect the power to the hospitals. Those systems are not only independent of the business and residential power grid, but the wiring is hardened and supplemented by the solar array generators.”

  “I am aware of that,” added Dr. Zeng. “I could see the generators from my office window. The solar panels are on the roof, correct?”

  “Yes. When the hospital was built, the access of this karez was sealed off, and the construction superintendents thought this large opening was buried by rubble. The Uyghur opened up the tunnels into it using the plank boards stolen from the construction as a walkway.” He took his aunt by the arm and led them around the cavern. He stopped by the refrigerator and provided them both a bottle of water.

  While they drank, he continued. “Years ago, university students found a way to access the hospital’s electrical system by slowly boring a hole through the fragments of rock that filled the previous aboveground access. Over time, more lines were run to power all of these workstations and other karezes like this one scattered throughout the city. Also, we tapped into the hospital’s communication and internet system, which has enabled us to create thousands of social media accounts without being detected by the government.”

  “Ingenious,” commented Dr. Zeng.

  “Yes, Uncle. You see, China’s brightest young minds no longer wish to serve the oppressive Communist Party. We want freedoms like the West, and to effectuate this change, we have to fight with our keyboards because a gun battle is a losing battle.”

  Dr. Zeng studied the group of dissidents and nodded his approval. In a way, he considered himself one of them, and now he understood why they’d given him the applause. However, he was still puzzled by something. “How does my investigation into this mysterious virus help the cause of freedom?”