After the Fall- The Complete series Box Set

by Charlie Dalton

  “How many of the mixed strains stand a chance against the ET-V01 strain?” Beatrix said.

  “By themselves, none,” Graham said. “But we’re hoping that our Frankenstein strain will hold its own.”

  “We don’t need it to hold its own, but to pummel the other strain into submission,” Beatrix said.

  “That’s precisely what we’ve been working on,” Graham said.

  “How close are you to finishing?” Beatrix said.

  “Close,” Graham said. “We’ll be conducting the final few rounds now.”

  The screen flickered, revealing two viral strains placed in a single Petri dish. The strains’ progress was slow, but once they met, there was no stopping them.

  The opening moves were not unlike a fist fight. The modified strain approached the infected tissue, surrounded and sunk into the green of its opponent. It jabbed left, right, back and forth, cell after cell swirling and pushing and striking into the opposing strain.

  Yet for all its energy, Graham could only note with a strange fascination how the green-dyed virus would take the hits but appear untouched. The blue strain’s strikes were less a fist-fighter and more a series of angry wasps attacking a slow-moving machine.

  The green spread and surrounded the blue, and by the time Graham realized what it was doing, it lunged.

  Corrupt green cells rushed in, overwhelming the struggling blue strain. The swift attack made Beatrix reach and grip her fingers around Graham’s arm. She squeezed as they watched the green swallow the blue whole, until there was nothing left but ruined cell structures. A flash of red filled the screen.

  SUCCESS.

  “H1-N12 modified strain,” Dr. MacFadden said. “We have our super-virus ladies and gentlemen.”

  26.

  “THIS is the next super-virus you’ve been working on?” Beatrix said.

  “Yes,” Graham said.

  “You based it on influenza?” Beatrix said.

  “It’s the most adaptable disease on Earth,” Graham said, configuring a few dials in anticipation of the next experiment. “We wanted to build a strain that followed influenza makeup but contained the strength of the most powerful viruses we could compile to date. This will allow it to still be treatable, wreaking havoc on the virus itself and sparing the host.

  “In addition, most of the other strains would destroy the host before they had a chance to destroy ET-V01. In short, we don’t want to kill the rest of the population just for a stance to demolish the alien virus.”

  “And you’re sure this time it will work?” Beatrix said.

  “A scientist is never sure,” Graham said. ”But the science is sound. We can only try and hope.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Graham stepped behind his team with Beatrix at his side. They had done what they could up to this point. Everything was prepared. He met their gazes and saw nerves, concern, and just enough hope to let him smile. They returned it with smiles of their own.

  The first thing Graham noticed was that General Polinski was not the only one in the conference room. Familiar faces greeted Graham and his stomach gave a firm squeeze when he realized they were the same people from the War Room.

  Their meeting couldn’t have been more than a few weeks ago, yet Graham felt like it had been years. In just a few short weeks, their world had collapsed to such a state. It was overwhelming.

  “Thank you for coming today,” Graham said. “What we have prepared for you today is our best weapon against this common threat. A virus to defeat a virus. Our team has worked with the help of the CDC and the NDRI, who will be joining us in a stream of this final experiment.

  “Through means of cellular modification, we were able to combine many of our planet’s most feared viruses to something we could control under a strain of Influenza—an adaptable disease that could be treatable. This, ladies and gentlemen, is our counterattack.”

  The men and women exchanged looks, nodding to one another with narrow-faced expectations and daring hope. It was all Graham could have asked for at this juncture. Despite setting up a military council, they had had little success in discovering a solution, much less a cure. Graham’s team still had the upper hand.

  “Everything is ready,” Dr. MacFadden said after a moment of green lights and thumbs up from the other scientists.

  The image on the monitor shifted over to the conference room table and through the holographic images. The hazmat suits moved with care as they transferred samples of both viruses to a sample of human blood. Multiple camera frames showed the syringes readied over the soon-to-be battlefield.

  “We are using both viruses on healthy human tissue,” Graham said, motioning to the process of the scientists within. “In order to tell them apart, we have dyed ET-V01 green, and our virus, FLU-51N1, purple.”

  The view on the camera switched over to the microscopic view, showing a cluster of healthy human red-blood cells working together in peace.

  The green mass of cells and strains filtered among the red blood cells. It was a small amount according to the camera and at first the movement was slow.

  White blood cells leapt into the fray as soon as they spotted the foreign substance. They surrounded the green mass and attacked it with a series of blows that looked like a thousand punches all at once. The green cells remained still, neither dying nor expanding.

  Graham leaned forward as he watched, eyes wide. This was new. It had never done this before.

  On the other side of the stream the purple virus strain fell within the red blood cells. They, too, swarmed this new enemy, only this time the battle was shorter. FLU-51N1’s cells began spreading and stretching, moving at a slow pace that was, however, picking up speed.

  Graham watched with baited breath, seeing the two viruses stretch and expand into this new territory.

  FLU-51N1 stretched like a languid cat, unaffected by the angry white blood cells’ attacks. ET-V01, on the other hand, remained still, a clumped mass of cells that worked in a pulsing rhythm that teased the back of Graham’s head.

  Their super virus began to spread and conquer, laying waste to white blood cells with the ease of cracking eggs. Nucleic acid burst and leaked through the ruined cell membrane, and viral strains spread and multiplied without rest.

  Still, the alien strain remained unmoving, pulsing in that peculiar rhythm and looking otherwise unaffected by the angry white cell’s furious attacks. The red blood cells struggled against the large FLU-51N1, spreading ever closer to its intended target.

  But what followed shocked the room and made Graham gasp.

  We created a monstrosity.

  ET-V01 lunged in the blink of an eye, slicing through white blood cells like a bullet through paper. It headed straight for their super virus, stabbing into the purple strains and viral membrane with a precision that was borderline surgical.

  It had struck, like a viper, and swallowed FLU-51N1 whole like a trapped animal. FLU-51N1 fought back, struggling, a doomed animal, purple strains attacking and stabbing back against this new opponent.

  Purple clashed with green in jabs and a swarm of protein strands that broke apart and meshed back together. Yet, the battle wasn’t over. FLU-51N1 held its own against its green enemy, and fought back by attacking green cells until they burst and died.

  A bubble of hope burned behind Graham’s heart as they watched. FLU-51N1 was gaining the upper hand and something cold replaced the hope in Graham’s chest.

  ET-V01 adapted and split its cells and changed their shape. Graham’s arms fell to his sides when he recognized the structure.

  “It. . . It. . .” Dr. MacFadden said, trailing off. “I can’t believe I’m seeing this. It changed its cellular makeup.”

  “To sickle cells,” Beatrix said in a shocked breath. “Is that even possible?”

  “I don’t know,” Graham said.” I thought. . . No. It’s impossible.”

  They watched as ET-V01 received the super virus’s blows with growing impenetrable strength. It must have decided tha
t enough was enough and a second later, the wave of green swallowed up the last of purple until it was left a broken mess.

  Red blood cells died and turned black as the green pulled away. White cells floated around the sludge, lifeless. Graham glanced at the timer near the bottom of the stream. 3 minutes 45 seconds.

  The entire battle didn’t last five minutes. Just like that, it was over.

  “We didn’t even stand a chance,” Beatrix said. “We didn’t know it could do that.”

  The conference room was stuffed with a shocked and stifling silence. No one breathed, save only to turn and look at Graham.

  “Dr. Beck,” General Polinski said, standing. “Please tell us you have something else to offer.”

  Graham couldn’t move, couldn’t bring himself to say anything, to spark another idea, to insist they would keep trying. Instead, Graham pulled his gaze away from the holographic stream.

  “Beatrix, turn the feed off,” he said in a soft, broken voice.

  “Graham. . .” Beatrix said.

  “Do it,” Graham said.

  The holographs flickered, then faded.

  27.

  GRAHAM had lost count of the number of times he had seen the recorded video of the final battle between the virus and their advanced strain. He found himself phasing out, losing concentration and had to slap his face to remain focused.

  There was something about the Rage virus’s movements and pulsing rhythm that plucked at his memory. But what was it?

  His mind spun with questions, seeking answers, but found none. He and his team had checked and double-checked their data, had analyzed countless other strains, but had experienced no breakthroughs.

  They had focused on their weapon and how to build its strength, and then looked for a sign of weakness in the virus, something that would allow them to break through its defenses.

  The two viruses on the recorded feed reached the critical moment, the moment when the Rage virus stood its ground and turned on its enemy.

  This thing didn’t react like a virus, like anything he had ever seen before, save documentaries on Napoleonic tactics.

  “It’s impossible,” Dr. MacFadden said. “There’s no way we can beat this thing. No matter what we create, no matter how hard we work, this thing always has a defense ready.”

  “But we can’t give up,” Graham said. “We daren’t. We need to keep going, keep trying. If we stop now, that’s the only way we’re sure to fail.”

  “It’s perfect,” Beatrix said, marveling at the monitor.

  Graham paused, freezing in place. His eyes moved to the side as if he had an idea.

  “Wait,” he said. “What?”

  “I said it’s perfect,” Beatrix said. “I didn’t mean to sound like I admire it or anything—I know the harm it’s doing to us and the world, but there is no denying the beauty of this thing. No matter how hard we try, I don’t think we’ll best it.”

  “Yes,” Graham said, turning up his nose. “Yes, I think you’re right.”

  “What?” Beatrix said, turning to look in Dr. MacFadden’s direction. ”What did I say?”

  Dr. MacFadden shrugged.

  “You got me,” she said.

  They turned to look back at Graham, who was already heading toward a printout of the information accumulated during the battle between the two viruses.

  “Yes,” he said. “Yes. Now it’s beginning to make sense. . . But how? Who?”

  “Graham,” Beatrix said. “Do you mind letting us into your little world for a moment please?”

  “Yes,” Graham said, distracted. “Yes, of course.”

  He looked up, and in his gray eyes Beatrix caught sight of the look in his eyes he always had when he was onto something. It had been awhile since he had that look, and she was beginning to lose hope that it wouldn’t come this time.

  But now that he had it, it meant not all was lost, that there was at least some chance they might achieve what they had set out to, and if there was anyone in the world who could do this, it was Graham.

  “Look at this thing,” Graham said. “Look at the genetic code. Every code has bugs, has discrepancies, errors and mistakes. ET-V01 has none, so far as we can tell. Which is why it’s capable of creating such powerful defenses against anything we throw at it.”

  “It’s Superman’s DNA,” Dr. MacFadden said.

  “Aptly put,” Graham said. “It’s like it was designed by a superior being, a master, by someone who really knows what they’re doing, making our attempt look like a child’s finger painting. But in doing so, the creator made a mistake. He had made something without fault. It is perfection.

  “I’m certain that anything we throw at it will be effectively countered. Every defense will be dealt with. But who was capable of creating something such as this? Everything adapts. That’s what evolution is.”

  “So, we’re being beaten by a genetically modified virus that is perfectly designed to destroy human beings,” Beatrix said. “Graham, this sounds insane.”

  “I know how it sounds, believe me,” Graham said. “And do I have any real evidence to support my claim? No. But it makes sense, don’t you think?”

  “Sure,” Beatrix said. “In Tales of the Unexpected. But this is the real world. Look, I admit there is some logic to your theory, but how does this help us?”

  “It doesn’t,” Graham said. “It just means we were outmatched from the very start. This thing was designed to destroy us, specifically us.”

  A haunted hush consumed the room.

  Before anyone could say a word, the main doors to the lab slid open to reveal General Polinski and a team of armed soldiers. They spread out, securing the area and began putting things into boxes.

  “Hey!” Beatrix said.

  “General, what is the meaning of this?” Graham said.

  “Your lab has been shut down, effective immediately,” General Polinski said. “It has been decided your work here is putting people more at harm, not less. I’m sorry about this, I really am. I think you’re on the right lines and I’ve issued orders for my own research team to continue your investigations

  Unfortunately, you will no longer be spearheading it.”

  “You can’t do this!” Beatrix said.

  “I’m sorry,” General Polinski said with a shrug. “It’s done.”

  28.

  SHANGHAI, CHINA

  LI NA awoke with a start, an inch from falling out of her office chair. She glanced around the small office in confusion before locating herself. She glanced toward the black clock set over the wall by the door and spotted the time: 4:45 pm.

  The social worker glanced away from her work clock to her slim watch. It was a couple of minutes behind, but that didn’t ease the disappointment in Li Na’s heart. She leaned her elbows on her raggedy desk and rubbed her fingers against her temples.

  Min was often late, but not this late. There had been a series of emergency evacuations recently to counter the spread of the virus. Perhaps she had gotten swept up in one of those? She wasn’t sure if she wanted that or not.

  A soft knock at the door startled Li Na.

  “Yes?” she said.

  The door opened. Li Na’s smile fell as a co-worker, Fu Han, popped his head inside.

  “Li Na?” he said.

  Li Na tried her best not to let her disappointment show.

  “Fu Han, hello,” she said.

  “They called the evacuation order on this street ten minutes ago,” Fu Han said. “Why are you still here?”

  “Just wrapping a few things up,” Li Na said.

  “You need to hurry,” Fu Han said.

  Li Na nodded, but there was no disguising her disappointment.

  “Are you alright?” Fu Han said.

  “Yes,” Li Na said without thinking.

  She cleared her throat and turned to gather what few things she had packed into her single overnight bag. They had been told they could take only the barest of items.

  Li Na locked the door
of her office. She didn’t know why she did that—she was unlikely to return to it anytime soon—but it created the illusion in her mind that she might coming back, at least some day.

  She turned and walked off without a backward glance. Fu Han fell in step a few feet behind her, sensing the older woman needed space. Desperation was a state of being that couldn’t be avoided any longer.

  Stepping out of the building, Li Na witnessed a large gathering occurring in the streets. People covered in plastic raincoats and face masks walked past, eyes downcast, keeping loved ones close, shooting wary glances at anyone who ventured too close.

  The tide headed in the direction of the grand barricade situated several blocks down the road. A series of helicopters zoomed above them and overwhelmed the sound of an automated announcement over the public speakers.

  “A Code Red Evacuation is in effect,” the harsh voice said. “Please maintain calm and evacuate in an orderly fashion. Please refrain from carrying any non-essentials into the quarantined zones with you. . .”

  Li Na hugged her baggage close. The walk was filled with worried thoughts of Zhang Min and her potential whereabouts. She remembered the tales Zhang Min had told her about the gangs who had tormented her. Fear always washed over Min’s face when their meetings came to an end.

  Something hard shoved Li Na to the ground. She had enough time to gasp and throw her hands out before her palms struck the ground. Pain shot up her arms and legs. The contents of her purse spilled across the street. Feet trampled her important documents; a work permit, an apartment lease, and a welfare ticket.

  Li Na snatched the papers up before another foot could trample them. To her relief, no one else did. Li Na stood up with ample space to move again. She bit down on her lip when her knees throbbed in pain and her palms burned. Li Na was glad the documents were safe.

  A voice erupted from ahead of the crowd through a megaphone.