Z1N1: The Zombie Pandemic: 2012 Was Just the Beginning

by Mitchell Layne Cook

  “Yes, sir,” Karl said almost embarrassed.

  “Sir?” Michael spoke.

  “Yes?”

  “Why not ship all of the vaccines to Lebanon then?”

  “Because, young man,” Donovan said, “I think the North Koreans will come to their senses as soon as throngs of their people start dying. They will want to buy our product, but a little economics lesson will unfold right before their eyes – less supply and more demand equals a higher price. Now get to work. Your plane leaves for Idaho tomorrow at 6:00 AM. Don’t be late…it’s a long walk home.”

  Karl and Michael stared across the table at each other in disbelief. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people would die and Donovan only cared about making money. What kind of monster would do something like that? Both men realized that they too would be responsible for the deaths, but saw no way out of the catch-22. Do as their boss says now and withhold needed supplies from North Korea or stand up to Donovan? If they stood up to their boss, surely they would be fired and the IPPC would more than likely take control of their facilities back in the States. They were indeed stuck between a rock and hard place.

  Both men left the office contemplating the gravity of their current situation. As they opened the door, they were accosted by two of the original four men that had been in the SUV with them earlier. Karl and Michael followed the agents to the far end of the warehouse to the west wall. Karl was correct in his earlier assumption regarding the covered objects. Two helicopters were now fully exposed. An older gentleman skillfully guided his overloaded forklift to the side of the first helicopter.

  “Don’t just stand there,” Gerald said, “these crates won’t unload themselves!”

  The two agents left the area and Karl and Michael began unloading the heavy crates from the forklift to the belly of the helicopter. Gerald Tarkanian hopped down from the forklift and lit up a cheap cigar. He leaned against the helicopter and watched. He knew that these cubicle cadets, accustomed to an easy, non-physically demanding office schedule, would soon run out of steam. There was no way that they could unload all of the crates.

  “Pathetic,” Gerald said through gritted teeth as he puffed on his cigar. “I’ve seen one-armed women work faster than that.” Michael and Karl heard the comment but continued to move as fast as they could – both ready to leave this facility as soon as possible. After about two hours, Gerald mercifully radioed in some additional help. A little before eleven that evening, all the crates bound for Labboune, Lebanon were loaded.

  Karl and Michael were escorted out of the facility and driven to a local motel close to the airport. They were exhausted but glad to be away from the warehouse. They checked-in with the front desk and were given a key. They entered a small, poorly lit room and prepared for sleep. The room smelled like old people’s feet but the tired men didn’t care. Two twin beds were separated by a small nightstand with a lamp and a Bible placed neatly in the middle. Both men plopped down into their respective beds, kicked off their shoes and within minutes were sound asleep. Karl’s phone rang around 12:17 AM.

  Karl fumbled around in the darkness to find his Blackberry. “Hello?” Karl said half asleep.

  “I’ve been trying to reach you all day, Mr. Timmons.”

  “Who is this?” Karl said angrily as his exhausted body demanded sleep.

  “It’s Theo. You told me that you would contact me on Monday and it’s now Tuesday. Like I said, I’ve been unable to contact you all day. Did you have your phone off?”

  “Get to the point, Theo.”

  “It’s regarding the resource allocation to the Rochester office. I have it ready and can discuss my reasoning for my choices with you now,” Theo said.

  “Just do it. You have my authorization. Good night.” Karl angrily slammed down his Blackberry and buried his head in his pillows. He would of course apologize to his “baby” later…there was no need to take his anger out on his favorite toy.

  Theo was a bit perplexed by the conversation, but spent the next few hours finalizing the paperwork for the trip to the Rochester office. He was ready to lead the small group and more importantly, he was ready to show off to upper management his ability to get the job done. As he finished up his tasks, he hoped that his new “subordinates” would be as happy about the temporary relocation as he was at this point. If he didn’t know himself better, he would almost guess that he was “giddy” with anticipation. It was his time to shine.

  Karl and Michael slept soundly – too soundly in fact. The alarm clock failed to wake them and they missed three wake-up calls. Michael awoke around 7:00 AM and woke his boss. Both men hurried to check out and then hailed a cab to the airport, but it was too late. Frustrated and tired, Karl booked a flight for them back to Idaho. The earliest flight to Boise was at 10:00 AM. They went to their terminal and waited. Both rested but never fully slept – they didn’t want to miss a second flight.

  February 5, 2013: Tuesday, 8:22 AM – Boise, Idaho, -Conference Room 307A, Illumination Pharmaceuticals…

  “So how long are we going to be stuck there?” Craig asked.

  “I don’t think ‘stuck’ is the right word,” Theo responded. “Look at it as more of an opportunity to impress the corporation and to get our sister facility back on track. We’ve estimated this process will take about six months.”

  “Six months?!” Craig exclaimed.

  “So why did you pick the two of us? Unlike you, we have family to consider. What about them?” Julie asked. “They can’t just pick up and go with us. They have responsibilities here.”

  “Arrangements have been made that you will be allowed to travel back home every second weekend if you choose to do so. In addition, the company is offering to pay three months of your expenses at home and your pay will be doubled during this period.” Theo felt his presentation was spot on…It was a great plan and opportunity. What was the hold up?

  “Can we discuss this with our families first?” Craig asked as he took a long drink of his hot coffee.

  “Sure but we need your answer by noon on Thursday. Should you choose not to partake in this career growth opportunity, we would have to contact our second choices and they would need ample time to make arrangements as well. Our plan is to be in the Rochester office no later than one week from today.” Again, Theo was unsure where the resistance was coming from. Craig and Julie were two of the top researchers/technicians in the company. He had done all his research and chose very carefully. The young man began to second guess himself. His “Plan B” was to choose less experienced but more readily available employees without immediate family to hinder their decisions. Theo genuinely wanted the top tier talent from the Idaho facility on his team…that’s why he had chosen these two.

  Julie and Craig left the conference room and went to their lab on the fourth floor. Both technicians knew the Rochester gig would be a huge boon to their career. However, neither one really wanted to spend that much time away from their loved ones.

  “So?” Julie inquired.

  Craig pressed random buttons on his computer to appear busy. He shuffled around one messy pile on the corner of his desk to another less messy spot. He opened and closed his desk drawers as if searching for a lost treasure.

  “I know you heard me, dummy!” Julie joked.

  “Hmm? Did you say something?”

  “What do you think Amanda will say about Rochester trip?”

  Craig already knew Amanda would be fine with the trip. More appropriately, she would be ecstatic about the double pay and the house expenses being covered for three months. They needed the extra cash. The lack of a second job had caused them to have to dip into savings recently.

  “She’s going to be OK with it,” Craig answered. “We need the funds. We’ve had too much month left at the end of our money…”

  “I told you that if you needed some extra money…”

  “I’m not taking your money!” Craig snapped at his friend.

  Julie looked hurt but she knew her friend was q
uite stubborn. She didn’t let his multiple refusals hurt her feelings. She loved this man like a brother and Amanda like a sister. She only wanted to help and she knew that Craig understood that.

  “I mean thanks. Sorry for yelling,” Craig said. He looked over to his friend and smiled. “I know you are only trying to make sure that I don’t end up in a cardboard box under an overpass.”

  The two friends laughed at the imagery. They began working on the day’s assignments but the six month Rochester relocation played heavily in their heads. Lunchtime came quickly and so did the end of the day. They had accomplished very little but it was time to go home. They hugged each other in the parking lot and drove to their respective homes to explain the deal to their significant others.

  By the deadline on Thursday, both Craig and Julie reported back to Theo that they had accepted the six month relocation offer. Thursday was also the first day that Karl had been back in the office. Theo discussed all the pertinent info with his boss. The plans were finalized and on Saturday – Theo, Craig and Julie arrived at Rochester. Monday morning would come quickly and the team had a lot of work ahead of them.

  Living arrangements were made ahead of schedule; personal belongings from both employees were transported on separate flights. Everything went very smoothly, a testament to his great leadership abilities – well at least that is how Theo viewed it. The three member team would coordinate with onsite Rochester division leaders to lay out the framework for improving the warehouse facility in New York.

  By the end of the second full week of February, vaccines were delivered to Seoul, South Korea through official IPPC means. Thousands of infected citizens were treated each day. The sickest were treated first. The distribution method was less than adequate to deal with the influx of those in need. Military personnel had been dispatched earlier to ensure the safety of the patients and of the medical professionals. No one wanted a riot. An orderly method was the only logical choice for the country to distribute the cure to those in need.

  The people of Labboune, Lebanon received their vaccines through not-so-official means, but the reaction and distribution of the product almost mirrored that of the Koreans. People were sick and needed help. They heard of the vaccine and rushed to the hospitals. Donovan Bryant and the Prime Minister had correctly gauged the riot-like response and skillfully deployed the vaccines to six different hospitals around the country to lessen the burden on each facility. Still, the sick flocked to every clinic and hospital looking for the vaccine.

  Unruly citizens were arrested and some even killed by the military during more intense encounters. However, calm soon overtook the citizens. They too realized that a more orderly approach would ensure that the vaccine would be distributed more quickly.

  By the end of the third week of February both countries had distributed every vaccine in their inventory. Unfortunately, more new cases of H1N1 began to trickle in at first, then a deluge of infected once again clogged the hospitals. Both countries put in additional requests for the vaccines. Donovan Bryant gave orders to both the Idaho and New York facilities to move to a twenty-four hour production schedule. He also made sure that Karl and Michael were siphoning off appropriate amounts of the vaccine to the Florida facility.

  The last week of February 2013 saw a ten percent increase in the number of reported H1N1 cases compared to the previous month’s totals. IPPC officials worked diligently with the World Health Organization, NATO and individual charter countries to stem the tide of increasing cases. Charter and non-charter countries alike watched the reports of the increasing cases. Governments enacted policies and procedures to limit the interaction of those infected with severe cases of the flu. Minor quarantines were set up as needed in heavily infected areas. Some travel restrictions were enacted to keep people from traveling to and from at risk nations.

  A bit of good news spread quickly through the twenty-four hour news outlets. Top scientists from Britain, the United States and France reported that the solar activity of the Sun had returned to normal levels. Apparently the recent outburst of gamma radiation and solar flares was over.

  Unfortunately the damage had already been done to much of the communication and power infrastructures throughout the world. These things could be repaired but it would take time. Certain less industrialized nations had been almost completely cut off from communication with the outside world. Even the highly advanced nations suffered structural issues. Spotty communication, loss of cell phone signals, lost emails and even loss of radio transmissions were not uncommon. The world governments assured their citizens through less fickle communication sources that these issues would soon be corrected.

  There was no need to panic.

  Chapter 8

  March 14, 2013: Thursday, 11:27 AM – Rochester, New York – Secondary production site of Illumination Pharmaceuticals …

  “Can you believe that we’ve already been here for close to a month now?” Julie asked her friend as she finished off her status report entry for the day.

  Craig busied himself watching the news. The lab partners had ordered roast beef sandwiches and fries from a local BBQ joint. Most lunches for the past month had been eaten on campus. There was very little time to do anything else due to Theo’s strict work schedule. The team had made significant strides in productivity, but the stress had begun to affect everyone. The company barely met the throughput demands of the IPPC officials, but they were keeping up. The hectic schedule had drained the entire staff mentally, physically and emotionally.

  “A month? Already?” Craig haphazardly answered.

  “You’re not even listening to me,” Julie continued. She picked up the largest fry from her plate and hurled at Craig’s head, hitting him directly in the left ear.

  “Hey! Don’t waste those fries!” Craig picked up the fry from its final resting place on his desk and ate it.

  “Yuck!” Julie stuck out her tongue and shook her head in disbelief. “You know those germs will kill you, right?

  “Maybe I’ll create a vaccine to inject into fries to ward of all types of germs. Then there would be no ‘five-second’ rule to worry about. You could pick up fries from anywhere and eat them!”

  “Why don’t you focus on some meaningful tasks instead?” Theo stood at the doorway holding his ever present clipboard. “Don’t you have enough work to keep you busy today?”

  “No need for an attitude, Theodore,” Craig snapped. “I’m on a break anyway. Besides, Theodore, you are not really our boss so stop pretending like you are. It got old the first week. It’s not any better now.”

  “Guys, please – this is not necessary,” Julie pleaded.

  Julie had tried since the end of the first week to keep the men civil to one another. Theo had indeed overstepped his boundaries and Craig had been downright snotty to Theo. They were not getting along – not even close. Like oil and water.

  “Do I need to call Mr. Timmons again?” Theo asked in a threatening tone.

  “No, Michael... I mean Theo.” Craig started to giggle and Julie almost did the same, but she held her composure. Theo stormed off out of the lab down the hallway to his office.

  “You know he’s only trying to get the job done, right Craig?”

  “Take his side why don’t you…”

  “Don’t make me hit you in the face with this whole plate of fries. I’ll do it, mister!”

  A special news bulletin flashed on the TV screen. “This just in to our news headquarters in New York,” the TV anchorman said. “We have confirmed reports that North Korea has amassed a large number of its military regime on the southern border of its country. Let’s send it to our on-the-scene reporter, Trish Maloney in the capital city of Seoul, South Korea for more details.”

  “Turn it up, Craig,” Julie said.

  “Thank you, Jonathan,” Trish began. “I can confirm at this time that the report you received is indeed accurate. As of forty-five minutes ago, the North Korean military made hostile movements to the edge of its count
ry. The reason given, or at least what we’ve been able to uncover, is that the North Koreans have demanded the potent H1N1 vaccine for its own citizens. If their demands are not met, North Korea will cross the DMZ and invade South Korea, taking the medications by force.”

  “Trish - why don’t they just get the vaccines like the other countries?” Jonathan asked.

  “Well, we contacted IPPC officials who refused to comment. However, we were able to obtain a copy of the charter between the nations that make up the official IPPC conglomerate. North Korea is not one of those members.”

  “So what does that mean, if you don’t mind explaining it to our viewers?”

  “Certainly, Jonathan,” Trish said. “The IPPC was created, sort of like a League of Nations, to combat epidemic and pandemic outbreaks. Twenty-four original members came together, mostly supplying funds and medical knowledge, to create the vast corporation. Each charter member would in turn receive specific, rapid deployment and help should the need arise in the future dealing with mass sicknesses.”

  “Like the recent and still continuing H1N1 outbreaks?” Jonathan asked.

  “Precisely, Jonathan. By our own reports, although not verified, estimates have about twenty percent of the North Korean population suffering from some version of the flu, whether it’s the seasonal flu or the more potent H1N1 virus has yet to be determined. We’ll keep you updated as the story progresses. This has been Trish Maloney reporting for Action News Eight.”

  “Please keep the channel right here,” Jonathan said, “well be right back after these important announcements.”

  Craig turned the volume down and looked at Julie. Her face most likely mirrored his. Neither one of them had any idea that the situation had become so volatile. They finished their lunch in silence.