Escape to Canamith

by Richard Friedman

  The monitor was approximately fifteen feet high and twenty feet wide.

  “If you take a look to the left side of the monitor, you’ll find several clocks that give the correct time across many time zones. You don’t want to wake your spouse up in the middle of night.”

  A small chuckle and nodding heads greeted that remark.

  Lila and Aldo watched Taft handle the crowd with aplomb.

  “He can be firm when required, but he knows when to ease back on the throttle,” said Lila.

  Aldo agreed. “I betcha there aren’t a lot of men who could step into this situation and keep their cool while the world is heading into madness.”

  Taft continued, “If you look on the right hand side of the screen you’ll find a GPS system that will enable you to find any of your constituents and their exact location in the hotel. Each of you has your own coded number key card with a GPS tracking identification number embedded into the card. If that number on the screen is red, that indicates that you have left the perimeter of the building.”

  “Some of you have excursions scattered around the city. Dr. Massey and his famed ABC team are headed to the zoo. Dr. Stitt and his team are going to the hospital later today. Finish your business and then head straight back here. Please remember to return to the hotel as quickly as possible. Our resources are stretched to the max. This is the one place we can guarantee your safety.”

  Aldo whispered to Lila, “Oh, like the guarantee to get us here in one piece? We almost died… he can’t guarantee squat.”

  Gen. Taft continued. “We’ve set up hospitality suites on floors two, four, and six for your comfort. Please, if you need to take a break, visit one of those areas for a few minutes. I think that covers the basics. If you have questions, and I’m sure you will, let one of my staff assistants help. Like I said, we’ve got computers, printers, maps, phones, and scanners, whatever you want. At this point I’m turning the meeting over to Dr. Carlin Massey, our distinguished animal behavior specialist. Dr. Massey, it’s all yours.”

  A round of applause greeted Massey as he approached the podium.

  Massey prepared his notes, reviewing them to make sure they were in the proper order. That gave Lila enough time to nudge Aldo.

  “Did you read the biographies of people in this building? It says in there that Drake was from DCE. Drake and Rothschild? Working together? We should dig deeper into that relationship.”

  Aldo blistered away on his computer, searching for articles from his giant database that linked the two men.

  Massey’s voice interrupted his work. “Thank you, General Taft. Hello, ladies and gentlemen. The bizarre incidents started two years ago. At first, it was a few unusual events happening here and there. More recently, animals have been accused of premeditated attacks on man and our infrastructure. Disaster has worked its way around the globe. We’ve been unable to explain to the general public what is happening. They’re afraid to leave their homes. Absenteeism is up twenty-five percent at work and thirty-three percent in the school systems throughout our country. These numbers are increasing daily and are a common problem throughout the world. Hospital admissions are up eighteen percent, and on and on. We must prevent a worldwide panic. We cannot have a population gripped with fear. We’ve seen the beginning stages of it. We must act quickly to preserve the flow of energy and food. Disruptions in a few key segments of our economy could mean a worldwide calamity of epic proportions. As an example of what we’re dealing with, I’d like you to please focus your attention to the monitor. Mr. Drake, please start the video presentation… As you can tell, we’re watching a horse race.”

  The monitor showed a slightly grainy film of the third race at an unnamed racetrack. At the halfway point of the race, the horses formed into two distinct groups. The four leaders bunched together, and led the second group of fillies by three or four lengths. A horse named Lucky Lady stole the lead by a nose and then threw her jockey. The miniscule man came to rest on the muddy turf. The other leading contenders followed suit and hurled their jockeys from their mounts. The trailing horses were close behind and stepped on the fallen men.

  A groan went through the hotel as the crumbled bodies of the jockeys lay mangled on the ground. The videotape stopped as the camera zoomed in tight on Lucky Lady.

  Lila turned to Aldo and whispered, “I could swear that horse was smiling.”

  CANAMITH COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT

  Update #264

  Rampaging Animals Claim 38 Lives

  Thirty-eight people were killed yesterday while they were watching the annual wildebeest migration in the grassy plain states.

  Witnesses said that ten sightseeing buses were flattened during the annual movement of the black wildebeest. Numbering close to half a million animals, wildebeest migrations have been observed for years without incident. Scientists that spoke to the National News Network say the wildebeest is not an aggressive species and there are no records of such attacks previously.

  One witness described the scene: “It was horrible. Those animals are huge and they made a low, groaning sound and some of them were snorting as they rampaged through us. They rammed right into the side of the buses! Can you believe that? Our bus tipped over and the next wave of them trampled over us. I climbed under the seat for protection. The man next to me got a hoof right in the stomach, tore him open…went right through him. I’m sure he’s dead.”

  CHAPTER 18

  The forty members that made up the conference participants buckled down to the work at hand while gulping down fresh muffins and coffee. While the video monitors and press reports rushed in from around the world with more devastating news each hour, Massey’s group veered from their job at hand and began arguing about science and faith.

  Lila loved to discuss these matters. Nettled by her peers’ inability to see her point of view, she continued to drive home the scientific point of view with Dr. Goldman.

  “But, doctor,” Lila said, “we’ve had problems before. We’ve had great minds sit down and discuss them until we establish a clear, concise cause for the crisis, then man adapts his technology and resources to fix the problem. I don’t see where ‘faith’ or ‘belief ’ comes into play.”

  “Professor, do you think it always works that way?” countered Goldman. “How do you explain the miracles that are reported on the news? I’ve seen television reports where a child is found alive after being buried in the rubble of a flattened building for days. Or when a horrific storm sweeps in and sends debris flying everywhere and the wind picks up a small baby, and tosses the poor innocent youth upwards and then hurtles the child down to the ground and the child lives, sometimes without a scratch. Do you think science can explain that?” asked Dr. Goldman.

  They drew a crowd as they traded ideas and philosophies. Neither woman allowed herself the possibility of being incorrect.

  “Dr. Goldman, I understand what you’re saying, but isn’t it more likely that if you, and please forgive the ghastly analogy, but you were the one to bring it up, isn’t it possible that if you place enough babies in the path of storms of the magnitude that you described, once in a while, using the scientific method, or as I would say, ‘All Things Explainable’, that one baby would survive? And out of ten of those babies, one might be fortunate enough to withstand the storm, the debris field, and come through without a mark on his or her precious little derriere?”

  “Professor, I can’t deny you the possibility that your scenario could occur…I choose not to believe it would happen that way. It’s too much of a reach, even for me.”

  “Dr. Goldman, do you give credence to the thought of a ‘higher power’ protecting the child we described?”

  “Absolutely, professor. Failure to allow that possibility is as foolish as you insisting it must be explainable. I’m not saying which one of us is right. I’m giving you another viewpoint for you to look at the world through. I’m a woman of science myself and I can accept that there are many forces in the world. Science is
one of them. What about love? Is that science? You don’t have to be raised by the intelligentsia to understand these concepts. Millions of people are clinging to their faith and praying for us to help them. What if we made an announcement that we are stumped? No solutions. Good night everyone and good luck. You better have a couple of hundred cans of food in your pantry and a few thousand gallons of water stashed away somewhere too! Oh, and you better not get sick, because you won’t be able to find a doctor anywhere, and your medications will not be available anymore either. Can’t we consider ‘prayer’ a viable choice in this desperate hour?”

  “That’s a bleak picture you painted, doctor,” said Dr. Morales. “Do you think that’s where we’re headed?”

  “That’s an unequivocal ‘yes’. If we can’t stop the degradation of the food supply, the rest of my message is moot. You can’t live if you can’t eat,” replied Dr. Goldman.

  Lila was unfaltering in her beliefs. She shook her head. “No. No. No. I’m not buying your argument. You can’t sit here today and make those doom and gloom predictions based on today’s information. I’m telling you—I’m telling all of you—there’s a scientific reason why this is happening! And we’re going to figure it out. My daughter is counting on me. Do you know what Sophie asked me as I left the house?” Nobody ventured a guess, not even Aldo, although Lila expected one of his poorly timed attempts at wit. She pressed on without waiting. “She said, ‘Mommy, I want to be a mommy someday. Do you promise you can fix the world?’ I’m determined not to let my kid down. I don’t know about the rest of you. You have the right to your own opinion about my views or Dr. Goldman’s, but I didn’t fly here to discover the best solution we can come up with is to pray that a higher power ‘spares us’ because he or she thinks we’re worth saving. If there is a higher power, perhaps that entity has instilled in us the knowledge to fix this. I’m counting on myself to do the best I can. I’ll take a little help from anywhere, but my ship sails with the belief that we will fix this, not the man or woman up in the sky.”

  Dr. Goldman looked at Lila with disdain. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

  “Folks, I’m sorry to interrupt the discussion.” Taft made his way into the area: clean boots, pressed uniform, and tightly fitted cap, complete with decorations of valor earned from conflicts with other humans, not nature.

  Drake stood and grabbed the General’s hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

  “General, we’re going to do our best,” said Drake. “We won’t let you down. I’m flattered that you’ve included me in this prestigious ABC team of yours from the west coast. I anticipate being a vital cog, as the ‘D’ in the group will make things happen.”

  Lila, Goldman, and Morales weren’t aware that Drake assumed he was part of the team. When Drake said that he was the ‘D’ in the group, it showed his unfamiliarity with their accomplishments.

  “I trust you all slept well?” asked the general. He didn’t break his thought to listen or look for an answer and pressed, “I’m glad to see we’re here ready to go. Very well then, finish your breakfast and I’ll be in touch during the day.” He held up a folder. “Here is your briefing for today. Call me if you find out anything interesting or make any breakthroughs.”

  “Absolutely, general. Right away, sir,” said Drake.

  The general exited the building and hopped back into his truck. The large blue envelope that Taft had set on the table waited for someone to open it. Every member of the team stared at the envelope like it was the check from an expensive restaurant and nobody seemed too interested in picking it up. Drake, the oldest member of the team, was still contemplating grabbing it when Morales swept in. He chuckled a bit when Drake’s lame half-hearted attempt to grab the package came up empty.

  “Ah, Mr. Drake, let’s hope your mind is sharper than your reflexes.”

  Dr. Massey made two loud attempts to clear his throat before speaking.

  “Pardon me, this dang throat of mine. I see we have disagreements. I’d prefer we set our different philosophies aside and work as a cohesive unit.”

  Nods from around the table gave Massey his opening. Morales hadn’t opened the briefing package and decided to hand it over.

  Massey grabbed the envelope and carefully opened the top, then pulled out several sheets of crisp paper neatly placed in a clear plastic binder. He reached in a second time and found a duplicate copy. “I guess the powers that be don’t have much confidence in us not to misplace the original. They must know you, Aldo.”

  Lila shot Aldo a glance of reassurance, but Aldo had grown used to the insults. He barely blinked.

  “Joking, son,” said Massey, trying to cut the tension, but it didn’t work. “At 10:00 a.m., the transport vehicle takes us to Capital Zoo for a review of animal behavior and study of collected tissues. It’s already a few minutes shy of ten. I have a feeling it’s going be an interesting day at the zoo.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Four weeks ago, the screeching of the tires pulling into the zoo would have sent guests fleeing for safety. The park had closed two weeks ago. A skeleton crew maintained the bare essentials to keep the animals alive. There was no direct interaction with any of the animals. Food was tossed into the cages from a safe distance and zoo officials forbade entrance into any cage, for any reason. Flowers once decorated the pathways between habitats. The fragrance permeating in the zoo today was feces and urine emanating from the cages.

  The first stop for the team was the chimpanzee habitat. Six months ago, the entire living quarters of the chimps were transferred from the southern part of the zoo to the northern end. Several of the oldest chimps had stopped eating. They were gaunt and their odds of survival were slim.

  Lila made the first observation. “A move from one side of the park to another may not seem like much of a change. Humans change habitats from time to time. We move to a new apartment, or a new house, or even move the furniture around in the house we’re living in, but for these animals, some of them had been living in the same spot for years, and it can be traumatic. The sights, the sounds, especially the smells of their old habitat are gone.”

  Aldo forgot the suggestion about not speaking much and blurted, “My grandmother had a heck of a time adjusting to her retirement home. She lived in her old house on Blanche Avenue for forty-six years.”

  “That’s right, Aldo. Older people are especially sensitive to a change in their living areas, or their habitat.”

  Drake rolled his eyes with boredom and then stole a glance at his wristwatch. Lila chose to disregard him and continued. “There are new sounds, smells, the view of the rest of the zoo is different, everything has changed, and it’s not surprising that these older chimps require time to adjust to their new setting.”

  “I agree with, Professor Jenkins. It can take time… but according to the report we received, even the younger animals are acting with peculiarity,” said Goldman.

  Lila nodded. “That’s because they are taking their cues from the elders in the group. Our species acts in a similar manner. How often do you see an old person who has lived in their home for decades and after you ship them off to an assisted living dwelling and they lose their zest for life? They seem depressed, and when their children come to visit, they’re despondent on their way home, wondering if they have done more harm than good by moving their loved one. It’s the same thing in the animal world. Somebody had a great idea to move these animals, and now look at them.”

  “That’s true, but what about the rest of the zoo?” asked Dr. Goldman.

  “I guess that’s why we’re here,” said Lila. “To try and figure it out.”

  Morales peered around the grounds. He raised his right hand and blocked the sun from distracting his view of the area.

  “It’s beautiful,” he said, “but it’s all wrong. It’s too quiet. The animals aren’t making any sounds. Listen.”

  The team sat still while a minute passed without a sound. No birds, no elephants, no people.
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  They loaded into the zoo tram vehicle, and toured the green, lavish grounds, but none of them had ever visited a zoo that was this quiet.

  They passed the lion habitat. One of males, lying on his side, his mane matted down with dirt, opened one eye and sat motionless as the group went by.

  “Keep driving,” said Aldo. “He looks hungry!”

  “Don’t worry. We’re not stopping till we get to the lab. That’s where I am expecting to review the tests I requested from the staff here,” said Dr. Goldman.

  As they entered the laboratory, one of the zoo assistants greeted Dr. Goldman with her requested materials. “Thank you. Hey, guys, I’m going to find a quiet spot in the back of the building somewhere and review the documents.”

  Morales got to work aligning his portable microscope to take a peek at the slides the zoo had prepared for him. “Hey, wait a minute, doc, let me come with you. I’ll be quiet as a… hey, I’ll be as quiet as this entire zoo!” Morales joined Goldman and that left Drake hanging around looking for a task.

  “I’m afraid this is not my field of expertise,” said Drake. “I’ll give it go. Whatever you need, please, just ask.”

  Massey cleared his long-suffering throat. “Mr. Drake, you’re an invaluable member of this team. Why don’t you take a walk around the park? We’ll be here for a while studying various animal behaviors. Can you get a sense of how the animals are acting differently using your communication skills, not the technology side of it, but the human side? We tend to look at everything as science and everything must have an explanation. Correct, Professor Jenkins?”

  “Definitely; you know my motto: ‘All Things Explainable’. I couldn’t think of a better test of that theory than right here.”