Pandemic: The Innocents: A Post-Apocalyptic Medical Thriller Fiction Series (The Pandemic Series Book 2)

by Bobby Akart

  She then visited ProMEDmail.org, a site created by the International Society for Infectious Diseases. After Baggett had commandeered her email seventy-two hours ago, Mac was unaware of any recent outbreaks that might not have crossed Janie’s desk. She scrolled through the latest posts to view reported disease outbreaks from a number of regions for West Nile virus, cholera, and a report on another new strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as Klebsiella pneumoniae, or K. pneumonia.

  This bacteria acted very much like the C. auris fungus and was one of the newer forms of superbugs. Mac made a note of it and planned on researching it further.

  She then came across an update to the New Mexico plague case caused by the feline. Mac read the update aloud.

  “This case of the plague has been determined to be a vector-borne disease, as it was transmitted from fleas not from the animal itself. The fleas may get off the animal onto another animal or a human being. But the affected animals do not necessarily transmit the disease. The animal is only the vehicle for the fleas.

  “It should be noted that cats can transmit the bacterium via the respiratory route rather effectively. Several cases have been diagnosed as primary pneumonic plague in humans after exposure to a Y. pestis-infected cat.

  “Someone else might be able to quantify the transmission efficiency, but it is important to note that plague-infected cats are a risk factor for human exposure even without fleas present.”

  Mac knew that the average person was unaware of the flea population in their homes if they had small pets. It didn’t matter whether they had a dog, cat, rabbit, or other animals, the fleas inhabiting their home were likely to be cat fleas. Fleas preferred specific hosts, but they could just as easily search for the blood they needed to survive from humans.

  All it took was one bite from a plague-infected flea, and a human became a carrier of pneumonic plague. Mac leaned back on the sofa, very glad that she didn’t have a pet.

  Mac thought of the high-humidity areas of the U.S. like Florida and other southeastern states. The risk of developing a flea infestation in those states was very high, and therefore the possibility of spreading the plague in that manner was astronomical.

  The phone rang and the PRIVATE NUMBER screen appeared. At first Mac hesitated out of habit, but with a new phone number that only her parents, Janie, and Hunter possessed, she decided it was safe to answer. When Hunter’s deep voice said, “Hi, Mac,” she melted into the sofa without a care in the world.

  He’s safe. And then she immediately admonished herself for thinking otherwise. But after their conversation had ended the other night, a kind of apprehension and fear had overtaken her as she worried about the man she loved.

  In that moment, Mac understood what every family member felt when they sent their loved one off on their police tour for the day, or a firefighter’s shift, or a soldier on another tour of duty, or a disease detective into a hot zone. When you heard their voice, the sense of relief was overwhelming.

  Chapter 17

  Day Thirty-Five

  United States Federal Courthouse

  El Paso, Texas

  Judge Albert Swafford waited while the attorneys for Grassroots Leadership and the Department of Justice settled into their seats. Judge Swafford had instructed his clerk to send out an email and text the night before to advise them to appear in court at 9:00 a.m. He was aware that both sides and the news media were anxiously awaiting his decision, but no one was more anxious than the women and children held in detention centers along the two-thousand-mile border with Mexico.

  The case was hard fought, but the optics looked bad for the government. Grassroots Leadership, whose primary stated goal was to abolish for-profit prisons and detention centers, complained when the government outsourced the detention of migrants to CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America.

  The Texas ICE facility in Laredo had been operated by CoreCivic since 1985 with four hundred beds. Grassroots Leadership initially filed their complaint due to overcrowded conditions when the capacity nearly doubled, forcing children of the opposite sex to share a bed at times.

  The solution of the company was to rent abandoned warehouses and retrofit them, complete with cages and portable toilets. The accommodations were unsanitary and quickly reached a stage of overcrowding.

  A 60 Minutes investigation revealed that similar conditions were found at other operations in Dilley, Texas, near San Antonio, Houston, and the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, which was the epicenter of protests against the housing conditions.

  In fairness, Judge Swafford provided the government ample time to rectify the situation. During oral arguments, he all but suggested they expedite their process of returning the detainees to their home countries. However, the government elected to maintain the status quo, and the conditions only worsened.

  Now he was prepared to render his decision. He rapped his gavel on the bench and brought the court to order. He’d instructed the media to be locked out of the El Paso Federal Building to avoid this becoming a media circus. Judge Swafford read his opinion.

  “In the matter of Pablo L. Flores, plaintiff, with an amicus curiae brief filed by Grassroots Leadership, a nonprofit organization, versus Secretary John Walker Johnson, in his capacity as director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, this court finds as follows with respect to the plaintiff’s petition for a permanent injunction.

  “Beginning in the summer of 2016, in response to a surge of Central Americans arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement adopted a blanket policy to detain all female-headed families, including children, in secure, unlicensed facilities for the duration of the proceedings to determine whether they are entitled to remain in the United States. The court notes that this policy has been in effect continuously since that time, including during the pendency of this proceeding.

  “The plaintiffs argue that this no-release policy violates the prior orders of this court in which the government had been ordered to minimize the detention of children and must consider releasing them to available custodians in the area of their detention.

  “Further, the plaintiffs argue that ICE’s practice of exposing children in Border Patrol custody via their contractor, CoreCivic, to harsh, substandard conditions and treatment is in violation of orders of this court and international standards of decency.

  “The duty of this court is to interpret and enforce the law, but to do so in a manner that complies with common decency, especially to the innocents among us. If the United States government is unable to insure a minor’s safety and well-being while in their custody, then it is incumbent upon this court to take the necessary steps to protect them.

  “The government argues that the extraordinary influx in recent months has put a burden on the system, requiring additional time to rectify the situation. However, I’ve been provided no evidence that such steps are being taken or even contemplated. While the court agrees that the influx of migrants crossing the border is a problem, with no end in sight, that does not excuse the government from taking the necessary steps to protect them during the legal process.

  “It is astonishing to me that the government would enact a policy requiring such expensive infrastructure to house and care for these migrants, yet be wholly ineffective at creating the necessary facilities. Let me note further, outsourcing this duty to a for-profit entity was not a solution, but has proven to be part of the problem.

  “Based on the foregoing, I hereby order these detention facilities that are operated by CoreCivic to be closed immediately and that ICE shall take all necessary steps to place these families in custodial homes or place them in private temporary housing such as hotels and apartments.

  “It is so ordered.”

  SMACK!

  The gavel of Judge Swafford pounded the bench and he stood and walked out of the courtroom. Within forty-eight hours, over seventeen thousand women and children walked out of detention facilities from Brownsvil
le to San Diego, over half of which were infected with the plague.

  Chapter 18

  Day Thirty-Five

  Defense Threat Reduction Agency

  Fort Belvoir, Virginia

  Hunter and Khan entered the large conference room at Fort Belvoir to a round of applause.

  The only aspect of the mission that could have produced better results was if the thousand-plus ISIS fighters had been on board when its bow kissed the sky goodbye before it sank into the Gulf of Mexico.

  The intelligence derived from the computer hard drives and the notes obtained from the scientists on board had provided the DTRA the missing puzzle pieces to uncover the ISIS plot against America. Only one man was injured in the firefight, a flesh wound that would heal. The body count for the terrorists was twenty-two, all of whom sank to a deep-water grave with the Tasallul.

  Hunter removed his backpack and set it on the conference table. He unzipped it and threw the ISIS flag on the table. “This is for you guys. God bless America!”

  “God bless America,” the members of Project Artemis responded in unison before they passed the black and white flag around, making a variety of obscene gestures toward it.

  Jablonik patted Hunter on the back and motioned for him to take a seat. “Okay, listen up. We still have a lot of work ahead of us. Based upon our analysis of their hard drives, they intend to systematically spread the plague to a number of venues throughout the country. The director of Homeland Security has been informed and the White House will assess the information accordingly.”

  “Will they raise the threat level to red?” asked one of the Project Artemis analysts.

  “They should,” responded Jablonik. “We may have destroyed their base of operations and their laboratory facility, but any of the plague bacteria they produced is gone, and so are the jihadists. Based upon the frequency of boat runs between the ship and the coast, these losers have been in America for about a week.”

  “They’ve already begun,” added Hunter.

  “Yes, I mean, people, we may have been too late,” said Jablonik.

  “What’s the next step, sir?” asked Khan.

  Jablonik picked up his notepad and flipped through the pages. “My list of assignments is long, so we’ll have to bust up the team considerably. We need to send a couple of you to Atlanta to coordinate with the FBI on establishing a field HQ. The Olympics weren’t found anywhere in the data we analyzed, but it’s too big of a target to ignore. The rest of you will be assigned to field offices across the country with concentrations along the border and major international airports.”

  “Sir, may I speak to you about my assignment following this briefing?” asked Hunter.

  “Sure, we’re done for now anyway. Everyone see my assistant on the way out to get your assignment packages. Listen, kiss your families and tell them you’ll be back as soon as you can. This may be the single biggest challenge the DTRA and Project Artemis has ever faced.”

  The group began to file out and several stopped by to offer words of praise to Hunter as they exited. Interestingly, nobody wanted the ISIS flag, so Hunter crammed it back into his pack.

  “Okay, what’s on your mind, Hunter?” asked Jablonik.

  “Sir, I’d like to talk to you about Dr. Hagan with the, um, formerly with the CDC.”

  “Yeah, I heard. She got a raw deal, but that’s how politics works. What are her plans?”

  Hunter shifted his feet nervously. This was going to be an unusual request. “She is very knowledgeable and, in fact, nobody at the CDC knows more about the potential of this bioterror attack than she does.” Hunter hesitated.

  “Go on,” interrupted Jablonik.

  “Sir, I know we have the covert facility in Fort Collins, the closed-down CDC lab and offices,” started Hunter.

  “Right. It’s a joint operation between the DTRA and the CIA. Very dark, black ops stuff. How do you know about it?”

  “The Internet. Infowars, to be exact,” replied Hunter sheepishly. “Alex Jones mentioned it in the unedited version of his interview with Megyn Kelly.”

  “Infowars? You can’t believe that conspiracy BS,” said Jablonik laughingly.

  “Well, our use of the CDC lab is true, isn’t it?”

  “Um, yeah, I guess it is. So what do you have in mind?”

  Hunter was confident in his request now. “Let’s bring Mac, um, Dr. Hagan on board to work out of Fort Collins. She’s our best hope of finding a cure for this strain, because you know there isn’t a vaccine.”

  “Hunter, I know about your relationship with her, but if we bring Dr. Hagan on board, it’s gotta be one hundred percent black. I’m not even sure I can put her on the payroll.”

  “Forget the payroll, title, etcetera. I’ll pay her, but that’s not what this is about. She’s part of the solution, not the problem, as the media suggested. I’ll absolutely vouch for her, sir.”

  Jablonik studied his notes for a moment. “I’d planned on assigning you to the Atlanta Olympics detail with Khan, but let me send you to Denver. The special agent in charge of the FBI field office there is an old buddy of mine, Carl Sanders. Smart guy—law degree, assistant chief to the Gang/Criminal Enterprise Section, and worked in San Antonio during the height of the migrant influx a couple of years back. You’ll like him.”

  “Thank you, sir, I’ll make the arrangements.”

  Hunter started for the door when Jablonik stopped him. “Hunter, seriously, great job in the Gulf. You took a heckuva risk for your guys and they know it. If circumstances were different, they’d pin a medal on ya for it.”

  “Thank you, sir. No medal necessary. You just gave me everything I need to do my job.”

  Chapter 19

  Day Thirty-Five

  H-E-B Grocery

  Corsicana, Texas

  Sandy Vance led her six-year-old son and their new charge into the H-E-B grocery store in Corsicana, Texas. She’d just picked up Peanut, as her son was called due to his small size for his age, and young Pedro, one of the migrants recently released from the Brownsville ICE facility. When the government announced tax breaks and food vouchers to families who would take in the women and children released from the detention centers, Sandy and her husband jumped at the opportunity to supplement their income. Her husband was a truck driver and they’d just been blessed with a surprise in the form of twin baby girls. Pedro’s mother, Josie, would be a big help around the house, and Pedro and Peanut had become two peas in a pod.

  “Now, boys, don’t wander off when we’re in the store,” Sandy admonished the youngsters. “Peanut, you explain it to Pedro, okay, hon?”

  “Okay, Mama.”

  Sandy pulled a shopping cart from the row near the entrance and then tugged one of the complimentary sanitizing wipes from the dispenser. She quickly wiped off the handle and tossed the wipe into the trash.

  The trio entered the store together and shopping went smoothly as Sandy picked through the fruits and vegetables. The boys poked fun at each other, using bananas as toy guns, and began to pick up their energy level.

  “Boys, get back over here,” said Sandy authoritatively. “Put down those bananas. You know we aren’t supposed to play with guns, right, Peanut?”

  “Yes, Mama.”

  Pedro picked up an apple and turned to Sandy. “Manzanas, por favor?”

  Before Sandy could respond, Pedro sneezed twice, using the arm holding the apple to cover his nose.

  “Oh, honey, come here. Put that apple down and let me wipe your nose.” Sandy retrieved some Kleenex from her purse and wiped the young boy’s face. “Now, keep these handy in case you sneeze again.”

  “Yes, Miss Sandy,” he replied. Pedro took the Kleenex and the three of them continued shopping.

  While Sandy had a conversation with the butcher in the meat department, the boys wandered off into the aisles, where Pedro sneezed further, drawing the rebuke of a young mother and a toddler who waddled down the diaper aisle. Pedro’s sneezes became more frequent, and h
is Kleenex quickly filled with mucus. Eventually, he discarded them on a shelf near the stuffed dog toys.

  Sandy caught up to the boys and grabbed them both by the hand, leading them back to her cart. When they reached the ice cream aisle, she offered to buy the boys Neapolitan ice cream if they promised to behave. Pedro and Peanut exchanged high fives as they agreed to the deal.

  By the time Sandy Vance, Peanut, and Pedro exited the H-E-B grocery store in Corsicana, Texas, young Pedro, who was a carrier of the plague, had sneezed on nine people, including an infant, and touched seven pieces of fruit and more than a dozen surfaces, where the plague bacteria resided for another seventy-two hours, waiting on their next customers.

  PART TWO

  WEEK SIX

  Chapter 20

  Day Thirty-Six

  Park Place on Peachtree

  Buckhead

  Hunter and Mac wasted no time in greeting each other. They didn’t compare notes, discuss the status of the disease, or even discuss where Hunter had been. They only showed how much they’d missed one another.

  It was approaching midnight when Mac woke up and ventured into the dark kitchen to pour a glass of orange juice. For years, it had been a refreshing end to each day for her. She was deep in thought when Hunter snuck up on her.

  “I’m powerful hungry, ma’am. Ain’t ya got no yummies around here?”

  “I’m all the yummy you need, mister fake Southern boy. Just ’cause you’re in Atlanta doesn’t mean you can talk Southern.”

  “Hey, I was born in Virginia!” protested Hunter.

  “Doesn’t count.” She laughed, punching his chiseled chest.

  “Where were you born, Mac?”

  “Born and raised at Denver Health,” she replied with a chuckle. She topped off her glass and offered one to Hunter, who declined.