Deadly Passage

by Lawrence Gold

Jesse paled. ‘‘Smallpox! Are you sure?’’

  ‘‘I’m positive. I remember my first microbiology class like it was yesterday. They presented one disgusting disease after another. We saw pictures of patients with the plague, yellow fever, malaria, and even incredible things, like elephantiasis, where limbs and even genitals were grossly enlarged and deformed. But smallpox is the one disease I’ll never forget.’’

  ‘‘Why smallpox?’’

  ‘‘The first image they projected was a high resolution color image of a black man with advanced smallpox. Large, bloody, puss-filled pox covered his face, and worked their way into his nose, mouth, and eyes. Little normal skin remained. I thought I was going to vomit.’’

  ‘‘Have you seen a case in person?’’

  ‘‘No. I’m too young. I remember the vivid images when they ran through the slides of adults and children suffering from the full expression of the disease: bodies covered with hard pox spreading everywhere, making faces unrecognizable. The large sores fill with fluid, giving them a central depression that resembles a bellybutton. Next, they break down into open sores, spewing the virus everywhere. It’s a god-awful disease.’’

  ‘‘I thought smallpox didn’t exist in the world.’’

  ‘‘Obviously it does, and our monstrous guests, Ryan and Nicole, are carrying it to the United States.’’

  ‘‘Why would they choose smallpox?’’

  ‘‘Just the name, itself, evokes terror. That’s Al-Qaeda’s raison d’être. Like all biological weapons, smallpox is invisible, and odorless. It strikes at the deep-rooted human fear of being invaded and destroyed.’’

  Jesse’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘‘Destroyed?’’

  ‘‘Yes, and the disease killed hundreds of millions in the nineteenth century. The vaccination eliminated it. The world stopped immunization against smallpox in the late 70’s. Today, like in times past, the entire world lies naked before this deadly disease.’’

  ‘‘How awful.’’

  ‘‘The disease has one additional advantage for the terrorist,’’ Andy said.

  ‘‘Advantage?’’

  ‘‘Yes. Beyond everything else, the extremely disfiguring nature of smallpox elicits a terror reaction. Can you imagine the psychological and public health effects of such a horrifying disease? Health officials will have to deal with a public reaction far out of proportion to the actual number of cases. They’ll have to quarantine millions for periods of at least two weeks, and it will force health authorities to immunize the entire country. Normal commerce would end, as large parts of Florida would be out of business.’’

  ‘‘How long would it last?’’

  ‘‘I’d guess two to three months, at least,’’ he said. ‘‘The economic and social consequences would be huge. The psychological impact of such an attack on the United States would be profound, and, with smallpox, I expect it would be even worse than the attacks on 9-11.’’

  ‘‘We’ve been with them for days,’’ Jesse cried. ‘‘No gloves, no precautions… no nothing.’’

  ‘‘I know. The disease is theoretically infectious from the onset of the fever… I guess that means the virus can exist on the skin, or the mucous membranes. Usually the disease is most infectious with the onset of the rash, and especially when the lesions break down and shed the virus.’’

  Just then, Nicole came up from below. She had scattered pox on her face and lips.

  Andy stared and pointed at Nicole’s face. ‘‘And she’s infected, too.’’

  Nicole rushed below, and stood before the mirror, touching the lesions. She raced back into the cockpit, staring open-mouthed at Ryan, and shook him awake. ‘‘My God, Ryan! What have you done to me… to us?’’

  Ryan glared with hatred at his sister. ‘‘Grow up, Nicole. You knew what you what we were doing.’’

  Nicole lowered her head, and sobbed.

  Jesse stared at Andy. ‘‘What should we do?’’

  ‘‘Lock them up in the portside compartment.’’

  ‘‘What if they need our help?’’

  ‘‘Fuck’em! Those two should rot in hell before we go anywhere near them. I’m tempted to throw them both overboard. That’s what sea captains did in the past with those infected with the plague or typhus.’’

  ‘‘You wouldn’t, would you?’’

  ‘‘Only if you weren’t looking,’’ he said with a wan smile.

  ‘‘What about us? Will we get it?’’

  ‘‘I don’t know. You and I were vaccinated years ago. I don’t know how much protection remains. Rachel has none at all. That scares the hell out of me.’’

  ‘‘What about vaccination for Rachel?’’

  ‘‘If I had it, I’d give it to her. I think the CDC has a Vaccinia Immune Globulin (VIG). I’m not sure how effective it is, but hell, I’d give it.’’

  ‘‘What about the Coast Guard?’’ Jesse asked.

  ‘‘I know. I’ve been thinking about it.’’

  ‘‘Thinking what? We must let them know.’’

  ‘‘Yes, but let’s consider their reaction for a moment.’’

  ‘‘Andy, what’s to consider? They need to know.’’

  ‘‘What would you do if you were the head of the Public Health Service, or even Homeland Security? Would you allow smallpox into your country? They may decide to keep us out.’’

  ‘‘They wouldn’t do that.’’

  ‘‘They shouldn’t. Logic tells me that they have procedures for dealing with infectious diseases in arrivals to the states, but smallpox… smallpox carried by terrorists… smallpox that may have been modified to change its characteristics to make it more dangerous. If I was on the receiving end in the states, I’d have lots of questions and more than a few concerns.’’

  They put on gloves and masks to move Nicole into the upper berth of the compartment, and then dragged Ryan below, and placed him in the lower berth. Andy mounted a barrel bolt on the outside, and shoved it into the locked position.

  Andy shook his head. Talk about locking the barn door after…

  He went to his single sideband radio, and switched to the United States Coast Guard’s hailing frequency. He identified his vessel, its longitude and latitude, and the number of passengers on board.

  ‘‘What can I do for you, Skipper?’’ The radioman asked.

  ‘‘Are you sitting?’’

  ‘‘Yes, sir.’’

  ‘‘We have terrorists on board: a man and a woman. You’ll see we called in when we picked them up from the adrift sailing vessel, Adios. More than that, they’re Americans… American terrorists.’’

  ‘‘One second, sir, I’m putting Captain Adams on.’’

  After twenty seconds, the commanding voice said, ‘‘This is Captain Barney Adams.’’

  Barnaby Adams was a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. As an expert in search and rescue, he moved rapidly through the ranks to Captain. Those who served with him knew him as tough, fair, smart, and as iconoclastic as possible, for a military officer.

  The Coast Guard nearly threw him out for an unauthorized rescue of a foundering Haitian raft with 20 aboard. He appealed the reprimand from his commanding officer, and when the press and the international community praised the USCG for the rescue, they not only dismissed all charges against him, but they made him a hero.

  After 20 years, Barney taught at the academy, but demanded to return to sea whenever possible. He was happily married with three daughters; one was getting ready to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy.

  ‘‘Skipper,’’ Barney said, ‘‘Say again your message.’’

  ‘‘Listen, Captain. We have two terrorists in custody. They were on their way to Miami. Both are infected with smallpox and should be considered highly contagious.’’

  ‘‘Smallpox! You’re out of your mind! Smallpox doesn’t exist.’’

  ‘‘I beg to differ, Captain. It exists and it’s right here on Prophecy.’’

 
Adams stroked his chestnut-red beard and shook his head. ‘‘That’s one hell of a mouthful, Skipper. How do you know it’s smallpox? It’s not the first thing you think about when someone has a rash.’’

  ‘‘I understand, Captain, and you’re right. Don’t think I’m crazy, at least not yet. First, I’m a physician. Second, I happen to be a specialist in infectious diseases. Trust me, these people have smallpox.’’

  The radio remained silent for nearly a minute. ‘‘Are you there, Captain?’’

  ‘‘Listen, Skipper, important people are about to get involved in this situation. Please standby for instructions.’’

  ‘‘We’re about a day and a half from Ft. Meyers, so we’re heading in that direction.’’

  ‘‘That’s a negative, Skipper. Hold for one second.’’ When Barney returned, he said, ‘‘Make your way to a point 7 miles off Point Sable, that’s 25° 05.45 and 81° 10.53.’’

  Andy moved his electronic chart to that area. ‘‘That’s one hell of a choice, Captain. It’s in the middle of nowhere. What’s up?’’

  ‘‘You asked for trust, so I’m asking you to trust me in return. That position gives us the flexibility we need to help you, as well as protect the country. We’ll meet you there. Please monitor this frequency for further instructions. Do you copy?’’

  ‘‘Okay, Captain. You’re not going to abandon us, are you?’’

  ‘‘No way, Skipper. Semper Paratus, Always Ready. That’s our motto. One thing more, Skipper: Agnes has become a category 1 hurricane, and she’s heading your way. She’s a nasty looking storm building in intensity. You’d better get moving.’’

  ‘‘Prophecy’s not a sport fisherman. We’ll raise all sails, and keep them up as long as it’s safe. We’ll keep our RPMs as high as possible. You won’t mind if we check in with you every hour?’’

  ‘‘No problem. Anything else?’’

  ‘‘Do me a favor and call the Center for Disease Control. They’ll obviously want to know about this. Ask them if they can make VIG available for my daughter.’’

  ‘‘VIG?’’

  ‘‘They’ll know. It’s a treatment for smallpox.’’

  ‘‘Will do, Skipper. Anything else?’’

  ‘‘Yes.’’

  ‘‘Go ahead.’’

  ‘‘Can I trust you, Captain?’’

  ‘‘You don’t mince words, do you, Skipper?’’

  ‘‘I want to trust you with something more, but we’ve never met. I don’t know you, or anything about your character.’’

  ‘‘I swore to uphold the constitution, and my oath as an officer, and I consider myself a man of principle.’’

  ‘‘Okay, Captain.’’ Andy hesitated, trying to frame his words. ‘‘I’m not a specialist in biological weapons, but I know virology and the techniques available in dealing with viruses. If I were an amoral bio-weapons researcher, dead set, pardon the term, on destroying as many of my enemies as possible, I wouldn’t be satisfied with ordinary smallpox.’’

  Adams felt his pulse rise. ‘‘What do you mean ‘ordinary’?’’

  ‘‘I mean, if possible, I’d modify smallpox to make it either more infectious, more deadly, or both.’’

  ‘‘My God! Is that possible?’’

  ‘‘More than possible. In the hands of a first rate virologist, it’s likely.’’

  Andy’s comment stunned Barney Adams. He paused for a moment in thought. ‘‘What I’m about to say resonates for people in the military, but not always to civilians. You’re a patriot, Skipper. We won’t forget that.’’

  ‘‘Thanks, Captain, we all need to do our part.’’

  ‘‘United States Coast Guard, out.’’

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Barney was at his desk at Coast Guard headquarters. He dialed and waited. ‘‘This is Captain Barney Adams, United States Coast Guard. I’m trying to reach Herb Goldberg.’’

  ‘‘You got him, Captain. What can I do for you?’’

  ‘‘You’re the DHS point man for terrorist activities in Latin America?’’

  ‘‘I have that dubious privilege.’’

  ‘‘Have you heard of the sailboat, Adios?’’

  Herb’s pulse increased. ‘‘Is it okay if I get Claire Cousins of the CIA on the line? We’ve been looking for that boat.’’

  ‘‘Sure, go ahead.’’

  In a moment, Herb had Claire join them. ‘‘I have a USCG Captain Adams on the line with information about Adios.’’

  ‘‘Good afternoon, Captain,’’ Claire said.

  ‘‘I understand you’ve been looking for the sailboat, Adios.’’

  ‘‘You bet,’’ Claire said.

  ‘‘Are you guys sitting?’’

  ‘‘Go ahead,’’ Claire said.

  ‘‘The United States-flagged sailing vessel, Prophecy, with a husband, wife, and daughter aboard, came upon the vessel, Adios, four days ago. A storm had dismasted her, and set her adrift.’’

  ‘‘Why didn’t you tell us about Adios, Captain?’’ Herb said. ‘‘We’ve been searching for that boat for days.’’

  Adams took a deep breath.’’ You must be kidding. How in hell are we supposed to know when you’re looking for a vessel? We’re good, but not psychic.’’

  ‘‘Wait a damn second,’’ Herb yelled, ‘‘we…’’

  ‘‘We what?’’ Barney shouted. ‘‘I’m not holding you two responsible for this screw-up, since you don’t make policy, but some asshole at CIA, DHS, or both, needs to tell us when they’re looking for a vessel at sea, in port, or any other damn place. If you recall, we have an interest in those areas.’’

  ‘‘I’m sorry,’’ Herb said. ‘‘You’re right, of course. You’d think we’d have learned something from 9-11, where shared information might have stopped the attack.’’

  ‘‘Shit.’’ Adams said, ‘‘Wait until you hear the rest.’’

  The line remained silent as Herb and Claire waited.

  ‘‘Prophecy took two Americans on board: a teenage girl, and her older brother. At first, Andy Reiss, the skipper, and a physician, thought they were suffering from dehydration and exposure, but soon, it was clearly something else.’’

  ‘‘I’m going to wring your neck, Captain, if you don’t get it out,’’ Herb pleaded.

  ‘‘Before they became too ill, the pair tried, but failed, to take over the boat, and take it to Florida, where they planned to infect Miami’s population with smallpox.’’

  ‘‘My God!’’ Claire said.

  ‘‘Are you sure it’s smallpox?’’ Herb asked.

  ‘‘As the fates have it, the skipper is not only a physician, but he’s an expert in infectious diseases. And yes, he’s sure.’’

  ‘‘Think of what would have happened,’’ Claire said, ‘‘if they’d managed to come ashore in a highly populated area like Miami.’’

  ‘‘Let me get this straight,’’ Herb said. ‘‘Smallpox carried by two young Americans? Homegrown terrorists? I’m getting too old for this shit.’’

  ‘‘Me, too,’’ Barney said.

  ‘‘What’s the status of Dr. Reiss, his wife, and their daughter?’’ Herb asked.

  ‘‘They’re fine, but it’s too early to know if the virus has infected them. Dr. Reiss, Andy, asked us to call the CDC for something he called VIG, an immune globulin, he wants to give to his daughter.’’

  ‘‘Where are they?’’ Claire asked.

  ‘‘They’re about 36 hours out from a position we gave them off Point Sable, Florida.’’

  ‘‘What are you going to do, Captain?’’ Claire asked.

  Adams laughed. ‘‘What are we going to do? I can’t make this decision alone. You’d better get to your superiors ASAP. They’ll have this at the level of the National Security Advisor before you know it, and maybe to the President.’’

  ‘‘I don’t know that much about smallpox,’’ Herb said, ‘‘But I do know that quarantine and immunizations are highly effective. Maybe we shouldn’t panic. Maybe we s
houldn’t bring our leaders to the point of making rash decisions.’’

  Adams smiled. ‘‘I hope that’s a pun.’’

  ‘‘An inadvertent one, but the point is to not panic.’’

  ‘‘I agree,’’ Adams said, ‘‘But let me add Dr. Reiss’s thoughts. What if this isn’t the smallpox we know and love, but a strain altered to make it more deadly and more infectious? That’s what the scientists in bioterrorism labs strive for, isn’t it?’’

  Herb jotted notes on his iPhone. ‘‘I’ll get to the director of DHS when I get off. Do you have any other good news?’’

  ‘‘Yes,’’ Adams said, ‘‘Hurricane Agnes is bearing down on Prophecy. We don’t have much time.’’

  As Claire and Herb were about to hang up, she said, ‘‘Hold on for a sec, Herb. They just handed me an urgent message.’’

  ‘‘Quick, Claire.’’

  Herb counted the seconds.

  ‘‘If you’re into irony, Herb, you’re going to love this.’’

  ‘‘What?’’

  ‘‘We just heard from the embassy in Islamabad. Sabeen Yamin, the wife of the Al-Qaeda biological warfare expert, Kamal Yamin, came to the embassy to expose his plot to deliver a virulent virus to Miami.’’

  ‘‘The fates are screwing with us, Claire,’’ Herb said. ‘‘This is stranger than fiction.’’

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  After Andy signed off with the Coast Guard, he turned to Jesse. ‘‘We can do this, you know.’’

  She walked over, placed her arms around her husband, and held him close. ‘‘Maybe we can, but it’s Rachel that I’m worried about.’’

  ‘‘Me too… but she’s young and healthy. If we can get her immunized, or get the antiserum, then she should be fine.’’

  ‘‘Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,’’ Rachel said.

  Jesse caressed her hair. ‘‘Some day, when you’re a parent, you’ll understand.’’ She then motioned her head toward the portside compartment. ‘‘What about them?’’

  ‘‘I don’t give a shit about them. They’re murderers, cowards, and traitors to their own country. They deserve exactly what they’re getting.’’