The Traveler's Secret (The Traveler Series 1)
Page 1
Copyright © 2016 Dr. L. Jan Eira
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1530060362
ISBN 13: 9781530060368
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902954
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
North Charleston, South Carolina
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE 1
PROLOGUE 2
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
THE TRAVELER SERIES
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
PROLOGUE 1
The climate had already turned deadly, and the weather bureau’s incessant warnings threatened that the worst was yet to come.
Authorities ordered people to stay indoors for the time being. Roads were deemed practically impassable, and travel anywhere was essentially forbidden. Only in extreme emergencies should people attempt to venture outside their home, and then it was at their own risk. There was certainly no guarantee that emergency medical services would ever arrive, should rescue become necessary, given all the expected catastrophes and obstacles the frigid weather was sure to bring.
For the first time ever, it seemed that the North and South Poles had conspired to freeze everyone on the planet. The temperatures had dropped to unimaginable negative numbers and vowed to continue to plunge, breaking all known records for the whole world. Countries that never faced snowstorms were now witnessing temperatures in the negative twenties, and feet of white chill blanketed and paralyzed their people. Forecasters projected that lands accustomed to winter weather and snowstorms would become buried under several yards of snowfall and face unlivable temperatures.
With these meteorological conditions came frozen water pipes, heaters that no longer heated, water that no longer flowed, and air that no longer gratified but stung when people breathed. Oceans fashioned tsunamis as the seabeds contracted and expanded in response to such wild temperature swings. Small bodies of water froze, severely limiting water delivery to the masses. Snow-topped mountains yielded avalanches of gigantic blocks of ice that left devastation and misery in their paths.
The demand for warm clothing and blankets was overwhelmed within two to three days. People quickly emptied the stores of the basic needs, thus creating a shortage of bread, milk, bottled water, coffee, and such.
Austin Academy Boarding School consisted of multiple edifices on many acres of beautiful greens, all blanketed by white snow. Cassidy Russet Hall, the living quarters where Ellie and William resided, was the oldest of the buildings on campus. Its sturdy walls promised to withstand any storm, no matter how robust and destructive. But the tornado-like northerly high winds gushed frigid air into its windows and walls, swaying the building and producing eerie howls.
“This will pass over the next two to three weeks,” said Ellie, looking out the window. “It’s not going to be like this forever! Brent’s birthday is in five and a half months. I’m sure we can go camping by then.”
“As cold as it is right now, it’s hard to imagine we can go camping ever again,” said William. “But I hope you’re right.”
“I hope Brent is safe at home,” said Ellie. “I wished he had stayed at school with us on a day like this.”
“He wanted to stay here, but his mother insisted he go home and be with her.”
The two teenagers turned as they heard multiple gasps coming from behind them. Down the hall a few yards, the TV room was jam-packed with students, their attention glued to the Weather Channel’s every word. William and Ellie joined them and sat down, their curiosity piqued.
“One thing is for sure, this blizzard will be making the history books,” said the field reporter, his shouts muffled by the thick scarf over his mouth. Behind him, snow covered the world. “Back to Jill at the weather bureau in Atlanta.”
“We have with us Dr. Heather Evans from the University of Chicago,” said Jill, a beautiful blonde with blue eyes and long eyelashes. She sat at a long desk alongside an older woman. Behind them, a large-screen TV prominently displayed an insignia: The Blizzard of 2013.
“How widespread is this polar blast, Dr. Evans?”
“The polar vortices are emanating from the Arctic and the Antarctic, both blasting frigid temperatures throughout the world,” said Dr. Evans.
Jill looked into the camera and then back at her guest. “Has this ever happened before?”
“Not even close! This is the first time in history we are experiencing this phenomenon. This weather system is affecting every continent and every ocean, dropping the temperatures to never-before-seen low levels.”
“What are the expected global consequences in terms of human lives lost?”
“It is expected that tens of thousands of lives will be lost in the US alone,” said Dr. Evans. “Worldwide, this number will be in the hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions.”
PROLOGUE 2
Ellie read the electronic marquis—Human Genetic Engineering—as she climbed out of her car. She gathered her briefcase and coat and began her saunter from the parking lot to the multitude of steps leading to the ornate entrance into the Convention Center.
As she walked toward the conference hall, a cold breeze sent a chill up her spine, and her thoughts swirled around the mess that had been the Blizzard of 2013. She remembered the warnings of the approaching catastrophes, the cold, the snow, the freezing bodies of water, the beyond-frigid temperatures, and all the death these events had caused over a period of a couple of days.
As she emerged from the parking lot, she looked up from the ground and noticed the masses. Today, the passageway into the facility was bordered with ropes reinforced by a line of policemen. Ellie attempted to prepare mentally for her lecture, which was to start in a few minutes, but the noisy chants from the protesters made it hard to concentrate. Shouts from both sides competed for annoyance and loudness. She avoided eye contact with anyone and focused on her hurried steps instead. A multitude of people bunched up behind the ropes separating the demonstrators from the conference attendees, who were trying to gain entrance into the conference hall. A variety of overhead signs peeked through the crowds: Let God Decide, Don’t Interfere, Create Healthier Babies, and Don’t Create Mediocrity.
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��Dr. Januardy,” said a reporter standing by the main entrance door. “What’s your opinion? Should mankind genetically redesign the human race?”
“My opinion doesn’t really matter,” said Ellie, continuing her stroll toward the door. “This is a societal issue. What do you think mankind should do?”
“Dr. Januardy, I’m not the world’s most prominent geneticist. Society needs your guidance and—”
“Step aside,” said a security guard. “Let the doctor through.” A burly man dressed up in a dark-blue police uniform and brandishing a permanent scowl guided Ellie gently up the last few stairs and into the building. The outside chants of the protesters and the morning chill ceased as fast as the door closed behind her. The conference hall’s anteroom was cheerful and elegant. Overhead, a large chandelier sparkled stunningly in all directions. Violins harmonized softly in the background.
“Dr. Ellie Januardy,” said an older man approaching her, his accent a bit singsong and nasal. “I’m Gustav Ericksen from Geneva. We met in New Barcelona last year.” He was a rotund man with a spherical face and scant brown hair. The buttons on his blue suit were nearly busting at the seams. His eyes were simultaneously cheery and weary.
“Yes, yes,” said Ellie. “At the…” She couldn’t think of the name.
“Genetics of Heart Disease Conference.”
Ellie nodded. “I remember now. You’re a PhD in ethics. You wrote the book on medical ethics.” She smiled. “How are you?”
“Well,” he said. “I’m looking forward to your presentation today.” He sneezed and then blew his nose into a handkerchief. “This darn cold doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”
“I’m looking forward to joining the discussions. I’m sure they’ve been lively.”
“Oh, that they have,” he said. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you.”
“Go register, and I’ll fetch me some water.” Gustav sneezed again into his handkerchief and clutched his chest. Tiny beads of perspiration appeared on his immense forehead.
“Are you OK?” asked Ellie. “You don’t look well.”
“This upper-respiratory viral infection,” he said, his head shaking slightly. “A new virus.” He coughed into his handkerchief. “Discovered for the first time only three weeks ago. Discovered here in Lisbon. They’re calling it influenza GK-9. A twenty-four-hour thing I’ve had for two and a half days now. I’ll be fine.” He tossed a wan smile.
The two walked into a large hall and toward a large sign: Registration, Human Genetic Engineering, 2058, Europa United Consensus Conference. Gustav gestured toward one of the screens inside a kiosk. Ellie approached the terminal, and the unit came alive.
“Good morning, Dr. Ellie Januardy,” said a pleasant woman’s voice originating from the computer terminal. “Your first conference today—Gene Design and Fabrication: We Can but Should We?—will begin in seventeen minutes. Your presentation is loaded on channel seven. I will register you now and assign you a conference badge.” Ellie took a deep breath and straightened her back. She smiled as she noticed the electronic badge appear over her left breast, with her picture and name. The voice returned. “You’re all set, Dr. Januardy. Have a great conference, and enjoy your time with us. If we can be of any help, please do not hesitate to double tap your badge and speak your request.”
“It’s almost time,” said Gustav, appearing from behind her.
“Ready for day number three?” asked Ellie.
“Even with more than three hundred geneticists, researchers, scientists, and ethic scholars inside this building for about twelve hours a day for two blessed days, it doesn’t feel like we’ve accomplished a thing.”
“These are difficult issues,” said Ellie. “There’s no right answer, necessarily.”
“Well, the world is counting on all of us to tell them what the right answer is.” Gustav grimaced as he swallowed. He placed his hand on his chest. “We better come up with it!”
“Are you sure you’re all right? Your face is turning red.”
“I’ve been having indigestion. You need to get ready for your presentation. The break’s almost over. Let’s talk later, shall we?”
The soothing violin music ceased, the room lights flickered several times, and a pleasant woman’s computerized voice made the announcement from everywhere in the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way to your seats. Dr. Ellie Januardy is our next speaker. Her lecture will begin in five minutes.”
As Ellie entered the large lecture hall, she noticed the tired faces of all the attendees, along with multiple bouts of sneezing and coughing sprouting here and there. She concentrated on her steps as she walked down the center aisle toward the stage, where her podium was located. Amid the noisy background chatter, she noticed a weird, high-pitched, crisp sound from somewhere in the auditorium. She looked around, trying to hone in on the reverberation. She had never heard anything like it before. It seemed as if someone with a super-high-timbre, scratchy, guttural voice were whispering the words koo eeky. Was it electronically created? What does it mean? As these questions arose in her mind, she noticed a very young girl sitting on the edge of the platform, her feet dangling. The girl was maybe four or five years old with a strikingly innocent and beautiful face, in spite of her albino hair and skin tone. Her nearly colorless lips were full, and her perfectly white teeth were flawlessly placed. The child sat emotionless and still except for the slight movement of her swaying legs. She wore a bright-red dress, knee-high white socks, and black shoes, a sharp contrast to her own pale complexion. Despite being out of place in a large conference room filled with hundreds of scientists, the girl seemed completely at ease. Ellie made eye contact with her and instantly felt an inexplicable, overwhelming sense of well-being and peace. The child was a small island of purity in the midst of such a stormy sea that was this conference—that was this place.
A loud, muffled thump and several gasps interrupted Ellie’s contemplation. A woman screamed. Ellie turned to see that a crowd of people had gathered around an older man who had collapsed. She rushed toward the group. A man and a woman knelt at the fallen man’s side. The woman loosened his tie.
“Please stand back, everybody,” said the assisting man, now on his knees. “Give him some room to breathe.” The mob retreated a few feet. “Silence, everyone! Please.” His attention turned back to the fallen man. He touched his own name tag once and then again. “Computer, assess Dr. Berezniki’s present health status and provide differential diagnoses for his condition.” A hush overcame the room.
“Scanning,” said the emotionless computerized woman’s voice coming from his badge. “Dr. Boris Berezniki, from Moscow, is experiencing a massive acute myocardial infarction. I will monitor his heart rhythm and vital signs and advise you of any changes. Would you like me to summon for emergency medical care?”
“I knew it,” said a silver-haired woman nearby. “A goddamn heart attack.”
“Computer, call for help, now!” yelled the assisting man. He got up on his feet.
“I thought heart attacks were a thing of the past,” a man said from behind Ellie.
“Practically, yes,” said another an older man. “Heart attacks have practically been eradicated for—”
A woman screamed several yards away, causing all eyes to shift in her direction.
“Two more people collapsed here,” a short man with thick glasses yelled.
Ellie rushed in that direction.
“Computer, assess current health status for Dr. Vallejo and Dr. DuPont and provide diagnosis,” said a man kneeling beside the two fallen individuals.
“Scanning.” Almost all breaths in the room were now on hold. “Dr. Juan Vallejo, from Madrid, and Dr. Adrienne DuPont, from Paris, are both experiencing massive acute myocardial infarctions. I will monitor their heart rhythms and vital signs and advise you of any changes. Wou
ld you like me to summon for emergency medical care?”
A man near Ellie clutched his chest and began to perspire and gasp.
“Are you—” Ellie began. He suddenly grabbed her arm and slid down to the floor, unconscious. Ellie got on her knees next to him. “Give us some room, here. Please, step back, everybody.” She loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt.
“Not another one,” a man said.
Ellie double tapped her badge. “Computer, assess current health status on doctor”—she opened his jacket to reveal his name tag—“Dr. Khedira.”
“Scanning.”
Ellie looked from person to person around her, puzzled.
The calm computer voice continued. “Dr. Klaus Khedira, from Stuttgart, is experiencing a massive acute myocardial infarction. I will monitor his heart rhythm and vital signs and advise you of any changes. Would you like me to summon for emergency medical care?”
“Computer, yes. Get help, stat!” Ellie felt a cold hand on her shoulder.
“Ellie,” said Gustav right behind her. “I think I’m—” He collapsed at her feet, his head propped up on the legs of the previous heart attack victim.
“Computer, lock all exit doors,” Ellie shouted, getting up on her feet. “Nobody enters or exits this facility. Computer, advise local authorities this building and all in it are to be quarantined immediately!”
CHAPTER 1
The three teenagers later confessed that until that point in their outing, they had been the happiest each could ever remember being. The fish appeared eager to bite, the laughs were hearty, the snacks were finger-licking good, the forbidden beer was cold and plentiful, and the company couldn’t possibly have been any better. What could be better than to spend this time in the woods with the best friends ever? This was certainly a time the kids would never forget.
“I caught another one!” said William. “Look!”
“Reel him in,” said Ellie. “Great big one. This one’s a keeper.”
The friends worked for several minutes to bring in the large bass from the river. William did the lion’s share of the reeling and pulling. Finally, their efforts paid off.