The Furnace

by Timothy S. Johnston

She continued, “When this happens, it’s called listeriosis. It causes encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.”

  * * *

  I frowned as I pondered this new information. So we had a bacterium that could penetrate cells and was motile enough to infect the brain. And yet there was still something missing in all of this.

  “The infected people don’t have a conventional illness, do they?” I said. “Is there a way we could test for that?”

  Shaheen looked surprised. “I didn’t say they did. I’m just suggesting the possibility that Listeria is one of the bacteria Malichauk used for the nano.”

  Manny said, “Why do you think so?”

  “Two reasons. First, the nano Dr. Malichauk made is capable of hiding from the immune system. The nano can penetrate cells, which not every bacteria can do. Second, there aren’t a lot of things that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Listeria can do both.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said with a shake of my head. “You lost me.” This discussion had now gone beyond my rudimentary academy biology. Shaheen, on the other hand, seemed to be able to read the medical articles and extract a huge amount of information from them. I was lucky she was around to help.

  “The blood-brain barrier, or BBB, is a barrier that protects the brain. It keeps toxins and other substances in the blood from penetrating and disrupting neurons. It’s a crucial component of our nervous system. Even many drugs can’t penetrate it.”

  My brow creased. “What is it, exactly?”

  “The cells that line the vessels in the brain are more tightly packed than in the rest of the body. Endothelial cells. They block everything but the smallest molecules, like oxygen, carbon dioxide, sugars. If that barrier didn’t exist, our brains wouldn’t work. Also, hormones control many of the body’s functions. If these hormones entered the brain, they could cause problems.”

  I mulled it over for a moment. “So the nano that Malichauk created, since it’s partly a bacterium, has to be one that can cross this barrier,” I said.

  “Yes.”

  “Can anything affect the barrier? Weaken it?”

  She grimaced. “You won’t believe this. Hypertension, infection and trauma can affect it.”

  I glanced at her. “Why wouldn’t I believe that?”

  “I’m not done. Radiation and microwaves can also weaken the blood-brain barrier.”

  * * *

  “Radiation,” I whispered.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think that has anything to do with all this?”

  She pursed her lips. “Not sure. Radiation weakens the barrier, but these bacteria can cross it regardless.”

  “What about the microwave beam to Earth?” It seemed too large a coincidence.

  “You’d have to be directly in the beam for it to have any effect, and that would kill you.”

  A silence descended over the clinic. Malichauk kept his gaze locked to a bulkhead; he still refused to participate. The others had frowns on their faces and were listening intently.

  I folded my arms and exhaled loudly. “So you think it’s Listeria.” I had hoped knowledge of the type of bacteria fused with the nano would help, but I wasn’t sure how. I hoped this would go somewhere. I checked the time and grimaced. Not good—we didn’t have much left.

  Shaheen shrugged. “It’s possible. It’s as good a guess as any.”

  I studied Malichauk with the hope that his expression would give something away. “Lars?”

  “You won’t find the bacteria I used,” he muttered.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “You’re not a cellular biologist. You don’t know.”

  I thought for a minute. Clearly we had to learn everything we could about listeriosis. A little more information could shed some light on the nanos and perhaps suggest a test we could use.

  I grabbed my datachip reader and made the request. A number of headings appeared. One in particular caught my eye, and I brought the article into the main window. The title was “Listeria and Cellular Penetration.” I read for five minutes, completely silent, and grew more interested as I paged through the journal. Once finished, I set the reader back down, but couldn’t keep my eyes from it. Something about the article bothered me. I thought for a minute, then picked it up again.

  Finally I said, “There’s quite a bit in this article about how Listeria can push through cellular walls.”

  Shaheen nodded. “That’s how it would penetrate the blood-brain barrier and hide from the host’s immune system.”

  I pursed my lips.

  “What is it?” she asked. She had noticed my expression.

  “I don’t know. Something in here...”

  She brought the article up on her own reader and skimmed it quickly. “It mentions two proteins that the bacteria use to push into the host’s cells. Myosin VIIa and vezatin.”

  I’d heard of those two proteins before. I just couldn’t place the reference.

  I looked at Malichauk. His face was rigid with tension.

  It came to me with a jolt. “Holy fuck,” I whispered. I rose to my feet. “You used Listeria.”

  “Nonsense,” he said through clenched teeth.

  I turned back to Shaheen. “I’m guessing Listeria is rod shaped. Am I right?”

  She consulted her reader. “Yes, it is.” A pause, and then, “Remember Tanner, Listeria is able to hide from the immune system in the host’s cells, but there are lots of bacteria that can do that. Listeria is one possibility, I agree, but you shouldn’t assume that Malichauk used it simply because—”

  I shook my head. “No. There’s more. The day I interviewed the doctor—my second day on SOLEX—he had an article open on his reader. It was about these two proteins.”

  Malichauk jerked his head to me and sneered. “You’re making that up. How can you possibly remember what you saw on my reader a week ago?”

  Being a homicide investigator requires an excellent memory. You have to absorb the details of a crime scene and investigation. The smallest, most inconsequential-looking fact can reappear later and break a case wide open.

  Just like this.

  I placed my hands on the table and leaned toward the man. “You were reading an article titled ‘Myosin VIIa and Vezatin Protein Production in Cellular Biological Processes.’”

  Shaheen’s eyes widened. “Are you sure, Tanner?”

  “Absolutely.”

  The scientists stared at us, their faces drawn. They had held their tongues through most of this, thankfully. Now, however, they seemed barely able to keep their mouths closed.

  “It can’t all be a coincidence,” Shaheen whispered. “Listeria can penetrate cells, even into the brain, which few bacteria can do. He attached flagella from some other bacteria for locomotion. Then he programmed the nano and set it loose in Brick Kayle.”

  I was still glaring at Malichauk. He refused to meet my eyes. “Admit it, Doctor,” I growled. “We figured it out.”

  * * *

  Malichauk now had a dark look on his face, but still he refused to say a single word. I studied his expression for long minutes, finally convinced that we had discovered the truth. He wouldn’t confirm it, but I felt inside that we were right.

  I brought up a picture of the Listeria bacteria and frowned. “These are definitely rod shaped, but they already have flagella. Why would he have to attach—”

  “Listeria only has flagella when grown under thirty degrees Celsius,” Shaheen said. “Our bodies are thirty-seven degrees.”

  Lingly stepped forward. “Tanner, way back when I was doing my studies, I did take a biology class. It was just an introduction to the field, and we definitely didn’t get into great detail. But I do remember something important.”

  “About Listeria?”

 
; “No. About proteins. I’m pretty sure that you can test the blood.”

  “For the Listeria?” I asked. “But Malichauk told us it clusters in the brain and sometimes the fingers and wouldn’t show up in the—”

  She shook her head. “No, not the bacteria. The protein! We could do a blood sample and look for myosin and vezatin!”

  My jaw hit the deck. Silence fell over us once again. I spun on Malichauk. “That’s it! That’s the test—you’ve already invented it!” I stared at the others. They looked as shocked as me. Just like that we had it, and all it had taken was a little research, and maybe some intuition too.

  And, of course, a little luck.

  I studied Malichauk, wary. With the test, we could tell once and for all who was infected.

  Myself included.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze until he died. A morbid thought, perhaps, but his “plan” had killed six people already, and more were sure to die. We had only hours left, and if the test didn’t work, or if we couldn’t find a way to eliminate the nanos inside those infected, then we were in grave trouble.

  Malichauk offered a look of condescension. “Pathetic,” he sneered. “Neither of you know what you’re talking about.”

  I ignored him; it was a weak attempt to throw us off, and I knew we were on the right track. “Is it easy to test blood for a specific protein?” I asked the scientists.

  They pulled their eyes from the doctor. “It’s done all the time,” Katrina said. She actually looked hopeful. “Doctors diagnose a lot of diseases that way. Cancers, liver disorders, kidney dysfunction.”

  “Bacterial infection?”

  “Sure.”

  “How is it done?”

  She frowned. “No idea.”

  Lingly and Sally both shook their heads.

  I turned to Malichauk and felt an immediate surge of anger. “You created the test long ago, didn’t you? You held it back from us, made us go through all this, and did nothing as time counted down!” I knotted my fists. The doctor’s expression was fixed. I continued, “That’s why you were reading about those two proteins!”

  The others now stared at me. They still didn’t understand the enormity of the deception.

  “You think Lars already created a test?” Manny asked. “When he was in here earlier with Balch and Anna?”

  I snarled. “No. Probably when he invented the nanos.”

  “But why?” Lingly asked.

  “He created the infection. He wants it to spread around and off the station. Why not create a test so he can periodically check on the personnel to see how his plan is proceeding?”

  Rickets looked shocked. He glared at the doctor. “Is that true? Were you keeping tabs on it during regular physicals?”

  Malichauk’s face remained blank.

  “It’s no use,” I said. “He won’t help.” I considered the dilemma. We needed some medical advice on how to test for protein in the blood... Who could I ask?

  I turned to Manny. “I need to make another call.”

  “What?” he said.

  “In the command center. You can come with me.”

  * * *

  Katrina took a step forward. Her expression was hard. “You can’t leave with him, Manny. I still think he’s infected.”

  I threw my hands up, exasperated. “I’m not infected, for Christ’s sake! Why would I be working so hard to develop the damn test?”

  “To throw us off, probably. It might not even work.”

  I shook my head. “Ridiculous. Captain, I really need to make a call to Mercury. It’ll help us.”

  He studied the faces surrounding us. Finally, “Shaheen and I will go with you. That will leave Avery, Katrina, Sally, Lingly and Malichauk here, in the clinic. How’s that, Katrina?”

  She pressed her lips together. “I guess it’s fine, but be careful.”

  We left the anxious group behind and stalked through the dim corridors to the command center. As we moved up the ladder, a shadow at the end of the module caught my attention. I could have sworn that it had moved as I stepped onto the deck. I stared at it for another few seconds, watched for any sort of movement at all.

  Nothing. I was seeing things. The situation was getting to me.

  I turned my back and ascended the ladder to level three. Minutes later, I marched to the communit console and sat before it.

  “Remember the batteries,” Manny warned.

  “Keep it short, right.” Only thirteen hours of life support remained. We were cutting it close.

  A few minutes later, Dr. Higby’s face appeared on the static-filled viewscreen. He looked bewildered as he strained to see the image. His hair was tousled and there were bags under his eyes. “Is that—oh, hello again, Lieutenant Tanner,” he said. “What can I help you with?”

  * * *

  Back in the clinic, I gestured at the cabinets against the bulkhead. “Where are the keys, Doctor?”

  He folded his arms. “I don’t have them.”

  “So you don’t think the test will work?” I growled. “Why keep us out of the cabinets then?”

  “This is my clinic,” he said obstinately.

  Lingly asked me, “What did you find out?”

  I faced her. “It’s simple. We take a vial of blood from everyone here. The diagnostic machine that’s part of every procedures table will analyze it.” I marched to Anna’s corpse and pointed to the aperture in the side of the table. “That’s where we insert the vial. All we have to do is program the diagnostic to look for the two proteins.”

  “Sounds simple,” Rickets said with a frown. “Easier than I thought.”

  “Well, we had to know what to look for. There’s a lot of protein in human blood, according to Dr. Higby.”

  Rickets guarded Malichauk while the rest of us programmed the diagnostic device. It was a relatively simple task: we selected the blood-test option on the diagnostic, and in the drop menu there was a complete list of proteins. We chose myosin and vezatin.

  We each took a step back and studied one another in the gloom of the clinic.

  My heart pounded.

  “Who wants to take the blood?” I asked.

  “Not you,” Katrina spat. “I don’t want you touching me.”

  “Come on,” Manny said. “You know how infection occurs. It takes—”

  “Fifteen minutes, I know. But all he has to do is prick me with an infected needle and boom, I’m history.”

  Her statement dropped like a bombshell. No one said a word for quite some time. She was absolutely correct: the blood didn’t have to sit on the skin for fifteen minutes—if ingested or injected somehow, it would accomplish the same task.

  “Does it really matter?” Rickets asked. “There are less than thirteen hours of battery power left.”

  “Still,” she responded in an angry tone.

  I glared at her. Her attitude had grown tiresome; she had replaced Grossman as my biggest detractor on this damned station. “So who do you trust to take the blood?” I finally asked.

  A shrug. “Only one person. Me.”

  I frowned. “You want to take your own blood?”

  “Sure. Doesn’t it make sense? And I’ll take a clean needle from the cabinet, one that you haven’t touched.”

  * * *

  Five minutes later, after we had forced the cabinet open, there were eight labeled vials of blood on the procedures table next to Anna’s shrouded corpse. Katrina had taken her own; the rest of us had let Sally perform the procedure. She’d had some experience with animals in a biology class almost forty years earlier.

  None of us trusted Malichauk, the only one among us actually qualified to take blood. He didn’t even offer.

/>   Manny faced us with a grave expression. A flood of emotion cascaded over his face before—

  He leveled his pistol at Rickets.

  “What the—” Rickets shouted. “Do you really think—”

  “Drop it, Lieutenant,” he said between clenched teeth. “Now.”

  * * *

  He made us sit in a line facing him, hands on our knees, palms down.

  “If anyone lifts a hand or makes a move to stand up,” he growled, “I’ll shoot. I don’t care who you are. I know I’m not infected, and this is the safest way, as far as I’m concerned.”

  The thought to confront him, knock the pistol away and put myself in his position crossed my mind. Shouldn’t I take charge in order to conduct the test on the others? After all, I knew I was human.

  Did I?

  Was I clean? Not a single nano inside me?

  I realized with a burning pit in my gut that I couldn’t be sure. His way was better. Let him control the situation for now. I nodded at him. “Let’s do this,” I whispered.

  He glanced at me.

  “Manny could be infected,” Katrina said, looking at the rest of us beside her. “We can’t let him have that pistol. Someone else needs one too, just in case.”

  “Be quiet,” Manny said. “This is the only way. I can’t trust anyone.”

  “You could be infected!”

  “What if I let someone infected have the pistol?” the captain barked. “As soon as the test comes back positive, he or she starts shooting.” He shook his head, stubborn. “This is the only way.”

  I had to admit it sounded reasonable. The only problem was, what if the only armed person here also happened to be one of them?

  * * *

  Manny tested my vial first. After all, I was the investigator sent to manage and decipher the mystery on the station. I needed to regain my position of trust with these people.

  He inserted the vial into the opening in the procedures table. “What do I do now?” he asked. He kept his eyes and pistol aimed squarely at me.

  “It’s all set up to run the blood test,” Shaheen answered. “It’s fully automatic. Just press the button marked Scan Blood.”

  He glanced down quickly and positioned his finger over the button. He looked back to me. His face was hard, uncaring. His trigger finger twitched.