“CRASH!”
“I've got it,” said Jones as she knelt beside the broken beaker. “Don't worry. It was empty. Ouch!”
Kyle and Luanne watched as Paula sat on the floor, her hands and arms twitching involuntarily. She slowly looked up at the two of them as her eyes seemed to glaze.
“Grab her,” said Luanne. “I'll get a syringe.”
....................
“What was in that syringe,” asked Kyle. “She went out like a light.”
“A powerful neurotoxin.” said Luanne. “Help me get her on the gurney. We've got to get her to Nuclear Imaging immediately.”
“Should I strap her down?” asked Kyle.
“She's not going anywhere for a while,” said Luanne. “Push. We've got to hurry. Every minute counts.”
....................
“Everyone leave the room,” said Luanne as they entered the imaging room. “We have a plague victim here.”
“Who's going to operate the equipment?” asked Kyle.
“I am.” said Luanne. “Help me put her in the chamber.”
“Get the lights on your way out,” said Luanne. “I'll call you when I'm done.”
“I'm not leaving,” said Kyle as he turned off the lights. “Let me help.”
“Just don't get in my way,” said Luanne. “You can watch the monitor but stay behind me.”
“Which color are the radioactive areas?” asked Kyle. “Never mind. It's green, like her lungs. Isn't it?”
“That's right,” said Luanne. “Hush. Let me do my job.”
“The hippocampus,” said Kyle. “Can you zoom in?”
“I see it,” said Luanne. “Hang on.”
“Are those acetylcholine receptors?” asked Kyle. “The viruses have attached themselves to them.”
“They're preventing the production of dopamine and other neurotransmitters,” said Luanne. “That explains the symptoms. Kyle. Your mask is glowing in the dark..”
“What?” asked Kyle as he pulled off the mask and looked at it. “It glowing on the inside. How did they get through the mask?”
“They didn't,” said Luanne. “They came from your lungs. You're infected. But I didn't hear you cough. Let me look at that under a microscope.”
“Well?” asked Kyle. “What do you see?”
“They're all dead,” said Luanne. “But how?”
“Put me in the machine,” said Kyle. “And don't let me out unless you're sure I'm okay. Hurry.”
....................
“Come on out, Kyle,” said Luanne. “You're going to be fine, and so are the rest of us, thanks to you.”
“What did I do?” asked Kyle.
“You told me how to look for the virus and you showed me how to fight it,” said Luanne.
“When did I do that?” asked Kyle.
“On the train,” said Luanne. “When you lit up that cigarette.”
“Of course,” said Kyle. “Nicotine attaches to those same receptors and produces dopamine.”
“And being a smoker, you had a lot more receptors,” said Luanne. “The virus couldn't block them all and it couldn't block any that were already being used by the nicotine.”
“But why did they die in my lungs?” asked Kyle.
“Cyanide and other chemicals in the smoke,” said Luanne. “We need to wake up Paula and offer her a cigarette.”
“What about you?” asked Kyle. “Want a cigarette?”
“I think I'll try to get mine second hand,” said Luanne. “She needs a heavy dose right now.”
“You'll have to hang around with a heavy smoker,” said Kyle.
“That won't be so bad, compared to the virus,” said Luanne. “Know any heavy smokers?”
THE SEED
“S ir, I think I've found another one,” said Joanna as she entered the office. “I can't believe he's gone unnoticed this long.”
“How long?” asked Walter. “It hasn't spread too far, has it?”
“A year and a half,” said Joanna. “He's exposed a couple of thousand people at least, and who knows how many they've exposed.”
“That's not good,” said Walter. “How sure are you that this is a case of alien contamination?”
“There's no other way to explain it,” said Joanna, “assuming he's even remotely correct in his theory.”
“Well, let's have it,” said Walter. “What's he come up with?”
“A unified theory,” said Joanna. “He calls it A Theory of Everything.”
“The Holy Grail of physics,” said Walter. “Well, someone was bound to come up with it sooner or later. What makes this theory so special that you think he's been contaminated?”
“It goes against everything we've been taught,” said Joanna.
“Then what makes you think he not just some crackpot?” asked Walter.
“He shows all the signs of contamination,” said Joanna. “Just like all the others. And if you look at his theory with an open mind, as you've taught me to do, it has the ring of truth to it.”
“What other signs have you detected?” asked Walter. “Is he a big Scifi fan?”
“He writes Scifi stories, dozens of them, all different.” said Joanna. “I wouldn't be at all surprised if most of them were influenced by contaminated memories.”
“But why was he interested in creating a theory?” asked Walter. “You don't just sit down and decide to create a unified theory, even if the seeds of the theory have been implanted in your mind.”
“I read all of his Scifi stories,” said Joanna. “He toyed with some alternative explanations for phenomenon to make his stories more unique and interesting. I think he just came up with an alternative explanation that simply explained too many phenomenon to be ignored.”
“So how bad is it?” asked Walter. “What would be the impact on the economy and the scientific world in general if the theory gained support?”
“It could be disastrous,” said Joanna. “Of course, in the long run, it could be the greatest advance science has ever known.”
“So it needs to be controlled,” said Walter. “We don't want this new theory to stop all research just because the research was based on the wrong assumptions. Ninety five percent of all great discoveries are accidental anyway.”
“I think he'll listen to reason,” said Joanna. “We've just got to convince him before the aliens find out or someone else discovers the truth in his theory.”
“I was kind of hoping this one had a theory about what the aliens wanted when they probed our minds,” said Walter. “Oh well, there's plenty more where this one came from.”
“Should I contact him, Sir?” asked Joanna. “Maybe he has some ideas about that too.”
“Make it your number one priority,” said Walter. “If he checks out, have our people try to verify some of his more bizarre theories. We all want progress, but we can't just release it all at once. Besides, you know what will happen if the aliens find out what he knows.”
“Fortunately he hasn't released any of the information through the normal channels,” said Joanna.
“Well, get to him before he does,” said Walter. “This one could be very useful if we can get to him before the aliens recontaminate him.”
“Maybe they already have,” said Joanna. “Some of his theories are really out there. They may have already recontaminated him with false memories and ideas to discredit him.”
“Thank god they don't kill us to cover up their screw-ups,” said Walter. “They can't erase the contamination, but they can confuse the issue with false contamination.”
“Unfortunately that's not always harmless,” said Joanna. “The psych wards are full of examples.”
“Be careful with this one,” said Walter. “You can't let him know what you're up to until you know you can trust him to keep our secret. Take as much time as you need to gain his trust.”
“I'm gonna have to learn how he thinks if I'm going to figure out what part of his theory was contamination and what w
as extrapolation,” said Joanna. “Do I have your permission to use the mind probe?”
“If you can convince me that he's been contaminated and he's really onto something with this new theory,” said Walter. “He sounds like a prime candidate but we'll need more proof before I can allow you to use the probe. I can't risk you getting cross contaminated unless the benefits outway the risks.”
“I've already checked his medical records,” said Joanna. “He complained of a tender spot in the back of his head that was very sensitive to touch. It persisted for a couple of years.”
“Sounds like he may have been probed,” said Walter. “But is there anything to this theory or has he already been recontaminated?”
“He's happily married and old enough to be my dad,” said Joanna. “The only way I can get really close to him will be in his dreams. I've got to use the probe.”
“If you can find one of our people who will back you up,” said Walter. “Or would you prefer that I take a look at this theory?”
“Would you Sir?” asked Joanna. “If you could just see the potential.”
“I'll look it over this weekend,” said Walter. “In the meantime, find out everything you can about this …?”
“D.T.Yarbrough,” said Joanna. “I'll get right on it, Sir.”
....................
“You wanted to see me, Sir?” asked Joanna as she entered the office.
“I think you've got something here,” said Walter as he gave her back the copy of the theory. “I read it over the weekend. Do whatever you have to do to find out how much of this is true.”
“I communicated with him via email,” said Joanna. “He seems really nice but he can't really remember just how he started out with this theory. It was like I said. He wanted something to make his stories unique and ended up with a theory he couldn't disprove. But it's like the chicken and the egg. He can't remember which part came first.”
“Well, use the probe to sort it all out,” said Walter. “You designed it. Now you can put it to the real test.”
“He has a saying I think you'll appreciate,” said Joanna. “If it doesn't make sense, you've got it all wrong.”
“That would mean I've been all wrong about women all these years,” said Walter. “Makes sense to me. I'm starting to like this guy already.”
....................
“Carolyn, you didn't erase any of my e-mails, did you?” asked David as his wife entered the room.
“No, Dear,” said Carolyn. “Were you expecting one?”
“I've been discussing my theory again,” said David. “This guy seems to be pretty interested.”
“How did things go at the dentist?” asked Carolyn.
“Okay,” said David. “I think I slept through most of the cleaning. I must have been more tired than I thought.”
“I could never sleep in a dentist chair,” said Carolyn. “Is that a drop of blood?”
“Ouch!” said David as Carolyn touched the back of his head.
“Is that tender spot back again?” asked Carolyn. “You need to have your head examined.”
“That's what they all say,” said David. “I had it examined five years ago and they didn't find a thing.”
“I thought it went away,” said Carolyn.
“So did I,” said David. “Well, it's obviously nothing serious.”
“But it was bleeding,” said Carolyn. “That blood came from somewhere.”
“Keep an eye on it,” said David. “If it happens again, I'll see the doctor.”
“I'm going to bed,” said Carolyn. “Don't stay up too late discussing your theory.”
....................
After a few more minutes and no new e-mails, David turned off the computer and went to bed. As he slowly drifted off to sleep, he wondered about the person with whom he had been discussing his theory. It wasn't often that he had the opportunity to discuss it with someone as intelligent as this person seemed to be. He wondered why he hadn't returned his last e-mail. Maybe he had decided it wasn't worth his time. Maybe he had found a flaw in the theory.
....................
The teacher stood at the front of the class as the papers were passed out. “Did anyone get their own paper?” asked Miss Humphreys. “Raise your hand if you did. Okay then. You may all begin grading the papers. You'll be checking for spelling, punctuation and proper grammar. Put your initials in the upper left corner of the first page. Part of your score will be determined by how accurately you grade the papers.”
David looked at the name in the upper right corner of the paper. Joanna Helms. She was the new girl in school. He had developed a crush on her the first day he saw her, but being shy when it came to girls, he had not yet gotten up the nerve to speak to her. Now he would have to grade her paper. He hoped she hadn't made many mistakes. He didn't want to give her a poor grade. But he couldn't just ignore mistakes. It would cost him points. Slowly he began to read the paper.
“Wow!” thought David as he read the paper. “Aliens and UFOs. I didn't think girls believed in that stuff.” Then he saw the scribbles on the back of one of the pages. There were several hearts and the letters JH+DY. Joanna Helms loves David Yarbrough. David tried to calm his beating heart. She must have thought she was using a blank piece of paper. David pulled out his eraser and began erasing the notes. It wouldn't do for the teacher to see this. It wouldn't do for Joanna to realize he had seen this.
“Mr. Yarbrough!” said the teacher. “You know very well you're not allowed to correct the papers. Pass that one forward and go stand in the corner until the class is over.”
David handed the paper to Miss Humphreys on his way to the corner. He had erased the evidence. He hoped he hadn't cost Joanna any points. As class went on, he glanced in Joanna's direction from time to time. Most of the time she seemed to be engrossed in her studies, Then their eyes met and David felt weak in the knees. His heart pounded. The most beautiful girl in the world liked him and to make it even more exciting, she liked science fiction. He couldn't wait till class was over. He was determined to speak to her.
Finally the class was over and the students began to file out of the room. Just as David reached the door he heard, “Mr. Yarbrough. Would you please stay after class?”
“Yes, Miss Humphreys,” said David as he took a seat in the front row and waited for her to finish what she was working on.
“Just exactly what did you change on this paper?” asked Miss Humphreys.
“I erased some scribbles from the back of one of the pages,” said David. “There were no mistakes in the paper that I could see.”
“Why did you erase them?” asked Miss Humphreys. “Were they your scribbles?”
“I don't remember doing it,” said David, “but there they were, just the same.”
“So you erased them,” said Miss Humphreys. “I trust you, David. But don't let this happen again.”
“Yes, Miss Humphreys,” said David. “Can I go now?”
“Yes you may,” said Miss Humphreys.
David hurried out the door and down the hallway in an effort to catch up with the other kids. As he rounded the corner, he ran directly into Joanna, sending books flying. “I'm so sorry,” said David. “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine,” said Joanna. “I was waiting for you. I wanted to thank you for correcting my paper. What did I misspell? I can't see where you changed anything.”
“Your paper was amazing,” said David trying to change the subject. “Are you really interested in science fiction?”
“It's only fiction till it actually happens,” said Joanna. “Science is what I'm really interested in.”
“Let me help you with those,” said David as he began picking up the books. “Wow, Einstein's Theory of Relativity. That some heavy reading for a seventh grader.”
“You should read it,” said Joanna. “It's not all that difficult to read. Making sense out of it? Now that's a whole different story.”
“It's hard to unders
tand?” asked David. “In what way?”
“It doesn't make a lot of sense,” said Joanna.
“If it doesn't make sense, you've got it all wrong,” said David. “Maybe when you're older and wiser. Can I carry your books for you and walk you home?”
“No, you don't understand,” said Joanna.
“I can't walk you home,” said David with a disappointed look on his face.
SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORIES VOLUME IX Page 15