They all sat around the crescent-shaped gray table. Willis dropped his left forearm on the table and, inching his right-hand fingers to the edge of the table, said, “The administration’s plan to eliminate zoos and the animals housed in them initially raised quite a few objections, but their plan to collect DNA samples of each species, ensuring their return once the crisis has ebbed, effectively ended whatever debate there was. The nation moved on as it has done throughout the predicament we find ourselves in.”
Willis raised a forefinger. “That is until Jack Amato singlehandedly shoved it back to the public’s consciousness.” Willis swiveled his chair. “Jack, please explain how you discovered the specifics of the administration’s plan that pushed the story back onto the front pages.”
“As you said, I’d also moved on, uneasily, I might add, until a source of mine briefed me on what was going on.”
“And how did he or she feel about what was being done?”
“We never really discussed it. He just thought people should know what was going on vis-à-vis the processing part.”
“It’d be safe to say that we were all caught by surprise with the revelation that the animals in the nation’s zoos were being processed for human consumption.”
Jack shrugged. “Yes and no, I mean, what did we really think was going to happen with these animals, given the overall situation?”
Francine Bream, President of the Humane Farming Association, said, “I certainly didn’t expect them to be brutally slaughtered, and in unsanitary conditions, to boot!”
Jack nodded. “Well, I have to admit I was taken aback by what I saw. It was shocking, no question, but I checked into how traditional meat and poultry sources are processed, and I’ll tell you, there really isn’t much daylight between them.”
“Buck Regan, you represent the interests of the meat packing industry. Would you weigh in?”
“Thank you for inviting me on. The meat packing industry is over a hundred and fifty years old, and the standards we abide by were developed over time, in partnership with animal rights groups and various governmental agencies. They are humane standards and treat the animals with respect while helping to feed tens of millions of people.”
“I wouldn’t classify treating wildlife the same as domestically raised cattle as humane. The nature of their existence is so different, they shouldn’t be treated the same,” Willis said.
Regan said, “We believe these processes are far better for the animals than what they would experience at the hands of hunters.”
“At least in their natural habitats the animals have a fair chance.”
“Really? First off, the prevalence of poaching and illegally luring animals is far worse, and the cruel, painful deaths they undergo is not even close to how our members handle their product.”
“So, you’re saying how these poor, defenseless animals were massacred at Earle Weapons Base is okay because hunters in some nations are worse?”
“Absolutely not. Look, two of our members were engaged by the federal government to process the carcasses. I am not aware of any of our membership being involved in the putting down of—”
“Putting down—it sounds so quaint.”
The ping-pong match was interrupted by four women in the studio audience who stood with posters and chanted, “End animal cruelty now, end animal cruelty now . . .”
Willis said, “We’ll be back after a short station break.”
Off-camera, the protesters were escorted out and the host remarked, “I couldn’t help notice the picture one of them had, of the shot Jack took of the chimps embracing. Did you have some photographic training, Jack?”
“No, I took it with my phone. I have an attached lens but nothing really special.”
Willis shook his head. “Wow. It was something straight out of National Geographic. I mean, it was a touching personification of the humanity of animals. I think that stirred people up more than the bloody images, if you ask me.”
Buck said, “Mr. Willis, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to put up those pictures when you get a chance.”
“Welcome back, things have cooled down a bit.” Willis smiled broadly.
“Mr. Regan of the North American Meat Institute provided some images he’d like to share. Buck, you want to introduce them?”
“Thank you, Mr. Willis.” He turned to the wall of monitors displaying meat and poultry items packed in plastic-wrapped Styrofoam trays.
“What is shown here are typical foods, uniformly packed by our members, for display and sale to consumers like you and me. Pretty standard stuff, but let me direct your attention to the fourth and fifth packages from the left. These are some of the materials we were asked to process that originated out of the wildlife program. I don’t think, in fact I know, no one could tell the difference.”
Francine sighed and shook her head. “It’s all about the process, not the product.”
Jack said, “Yes, to a degree, but the slaughterhouse business is frankly an ugly one. Look, most people cringe when they see a walk-in refrigerator full of hanging carcasses. It’s a natural reaction.”
“Are you condoning the butchery at Earle?”
Jack shook his head. “What I witnessed was sad, but I’m not sure how dissimilar it is to the hundreds of slaughterhouses around the country. Could the government handle it better? Absolutely. Trying to keep what they were doing secret borders on the criminal, but the fact is we need the food. It’s feeding millions of us.”
“So the end justifies the means?”
“Look, we can get philosophical if you want, but the fact is, all that goes out the window when you’re starving.”
Willis asked, “So it’s about survival of the species?”
“Examples abound of people doing seemingly crazy things, like cutting off your own leg when trapped. It’s almost like a switch gets turned on in human brains, where we go from comfort to survival.”
“I’m not sure I’m following you, Jack.”
“Well, pretty much human thinking is based on the premise of making things easier for ourselves. How do I make myself more comfortable? Then when we are threatened, instinctively we are consumed with survival, and comfort is thrown out the window.”
“So we should turn a blind eye to this inhumanity?”
“Look, I’ve said it, and it’s not like I’m defending these policies, but in the context of what’s going on and what other countries have done, at least we collected DNA to repopulate.”
“You believe that? Why should we believe it if they lied about the rest?”
The rest of the show did nothing to melt the polarized views of those concerned with the humane treatment of animals and those who believed the program was validated by the need to feed humans.
***
Garland was uneasy as he was shown into a drawing room that was draped in red velvet. As he took a seat on a tasseled chair, the escort said, “His Eminence will be with you shortly.”
The escort closed the door behind him, and Garland was struck by the feeling this was the only time he was glad his mother wasn’t alive. He surveyed the religious paintings hanging in the room. A glance at an icon had Garland instinctively recite a Hail Mary.
His palms began to perspire and as he wiped them on his pants, a pair of ornately carved doors opened. Garland jumped to his feet and bowed his head, “Your Eminence, thank you for seeing me.”
“Mr. Garland, it is my pleasure to receive you this afternoon.”
The cardinal sat opposite Garland and smiling said, “His Holiness is looking forward to coming to Washington.”
“To be perfectly honest, Cardinal Wilcroft, I’m surprised the pope is traveling with all the, uh, turmoil.”
“It’s important that His Holiness preach the good news. It’s needed more now than at any time in my life.”
“This seems to be the worst period in the church’s history.”
The cardinal shook his head. “The early church faced much more oppo
sition. Remember, the apostles all lost their lives defending Jesus’s message. I am confident God will see that his church overcomes this challenge as well.”
“How are the church’s finances? With all the closures, collections must be substantially off.”
“This phenomenon has had a significant impact on the church’s ability to carry its message of love and redemption. That’s why the Holy Father’s travel schedule is so critical. His visit will heighten awareness and rally the faithful. Meeting with your president provides an excellent opportunity to spread the word.”
Garland shifted in his chair. “I’m really sorry, Your Eminence, but the president’s schedule is completely booked, and he will unfortunately be unable to meet with the pontiff.”
“I’m sure the pope’s schedule can be adjusted to accommodate the president’s schedule.”
“Perhaps a meeting in private could be squeezed in, but I’d have to check on that.”
The cardinal paused before saying, “That’s unfortunate. The Holy Father was looking forward to seeing the president again, but we certainly understand how busy he is. Will we see each other at the congressional address the pope is giving?”
“I don’t know how to put this, Cardinal, but congressional leaders have informed the White House that they are rescinding the invitation for the pope to address Congress.”
The cardinal flinched. “Oh my, that is rather embarrassing.”
“I’m truly sorry, but perhaps we can arrange a quiet tranche of aid to assist the church in its time of need.”
“That is generous of the president. Please tell him we are appreciative.”
“The president is happy to assist the Vatican.”
“Thank you. Well, you better be going.”
“I appreciate your understanding of the political situation here, and I’d like to give you a heads-up on something.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“A bill is about to be introduced in Congress to remove the words In God We Trust from the nation’s currency.”
***
Laura was chopping homegrown vegetables for a soup.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, I just read your new article on the ban on births. Depressing, but it was good. But I have to tell you, it seemed like more of a commentary than reporting.”
“Banning childbirth? That was yesterday’s paper.”
“I know, I left early to get our rations and had to stand in line for five hours. I was tired and totally forgot about the paper.”
“Exactly, that’s why I wrote what I did.”
Laura took a bottle of water that had been purified by sunlight and poured a good dose of it into her soup.
“What do you mean?”
“My wife waiting in a line for five hours for our miserly rations. That’s just one example of how serious this whole thing is. I certainly don’t want to bring a child into this mess, nor should anyone.”
Laura frowned.
Jack said, “The birth lottery was just a setup. It lasted, what, three months before it started falling apart?”
Laura’s lips quivered. “We wanted kids. Now what can we do?”
“I don’t know any more, Laura. I’m starting to believe we’re not gonna survive this.”
“What? Oh, my God!”
“Shh, you’ll wake Grams. Look, we can’t panic, but I think the public needs to be educated on how bad things are. Everyone, and I’m no exception, gets crazy every time a new program is announced, even though they’re necessary.”
“Yeah, I know most are necessary, but I’m not sure how I feel about what they did with the prisoners.”
“I know some decisions seem off base, but we’ve never faced anything like this. The fate of the human race is hanging in the balance. It’s all about survival, and when survival’s the name of the game, anything goes.”
“I don’t know if it’s worth living then if anything goes. What are we going to do next, resort to cannibalism?”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Jack shook his head. “Anyway, what I was trying to do with the piece was explain the government’s policy, you know, in a clinical way. In a ‘just the facts, ma’am’ type of way, so people could see they’re justified even if distasteful.”
“I don’t know, I guess it’s good, but it’s not investigative journalism like you want to do.”
“Well, it kind of is. I’m looking deeper into an issue, kind of like the A Closer Look show. Anyway, guess who called me today?”
“I don’t know, someone from the Iowan?”
“No, Pete Garland.”
“Garland? What did he want?”
“He saw the ban article and wants to meet up next week when the president’s at the UN.”
“You’re going to meet him?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“After what he did to you?”
“I know, but we’re still getting the rations, and I don’t want to stir anything up.”
“Come on, Jack, be honest. It’s got nothing to do with the rations. What you really want is inside info. You hate being out of the loop.”
Jack grimaced.
“You better be careful,” Laura said as she shut the cooktop off.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jack came home to muted greetings.
“What’s going on? Feels like a funeral.”
“See what I mean, Grams? Jack’s like a clairvoyant,” Laura said.
“John John, you should’ve seen those poor kids.”
“Okay, is someone gonna clue me in?”
Laura glanced at Jack’s grandmother first and said, “Well, Betty asked us to babysit the Miller kids. Joe’s grandmother, was, you know, taken to the End of Life . . .”
“How old was she?”
Jack’s grandmother wrung her hands as Laura answered, “Eighty-six. The new rules put her over. I mean, the poor woman, one day she’s got like five years to live, then they change the rules. It’s horrible.”
“The poor kids, they took it hard. Me and Laura tried to cheer them up. We even gave them an extra treat with some of the shrimp.”
Jack’s eyes bulged. “You did what?”
“Jack, they’re kids, for goodness sake, and besides, they’re way too thin.”
Laura said, “She’s right, Jack, they didn’t look too good to me.”
“But we can’t be giving away what little we have.”
“It’s just one meal, Jack, we’ll be fine. Betty said the kids have been having diarrhea from drinking dirty water.”
“Why are they drinking dirty water? Don’t they have a kit?”
“Yeah, but apparently they didn’t wait till it was fully purified.”
“They’re only ten and I think twelve, right, Laura?”
Laura nodded. “They’re really good kids, so well behaved.”
“Cute little bunnies.”
“Well, it’s the parents’ responsibility to make sure they have clean water.”
“It’s not easy boiling enough water for drinking, bathing, and eating. And there’s four of them.”
Jack frowned. “We do it.”
“We? Your grandmother does it all.”
“That’s okay, please don’t argue over it. It’s the least I can do.”
“Thanks, Grams.”
“Oh, Jack, when Joe came to pick up the kids, he said he wanted to ask you something. Said to give him a call when you came in.”
***
The president was pinching the bridge of his nose when Garland entered the Oval Office.
“You okay, sir?”
“Other than my head feeling like it’s gonna explode, I’m fine.”
“Don’t misunderstand, but you look a bit tired. Are you getting enough sleep?”
“Sleep? What’s that? It’s been whack-a-mole for what, two, three years?”
“It’s certainly been chaotic.”
The president shook his head. “Anything come out of the meeting?”
&n
bsp; “Well, we batted around a few ideas, some of them pretty far out, but . . .”
Rogers swung his feet onto the desk. “Let’s hear them.”
Garland took a seat in one of the wing chairs opposite the president’s desk.
“What do you want to hear first, starting a so-called controlled war, poisoning a reservoir or two?”
“Tell me you’re kidding, Pete.”
“Wish I was, but the reality is most of the ideas tossed around were ones that looked to reduce the population . . .”
“Reduce? You mean killing our own people.”
Garland nodded. “Unless another meteorite saves the day, it maybe end up being the only way.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
“I hope so, but if we have to go down that road, one idea was releasing a virus.”
“Who the hell came up with that?”
“I promised confidentiality, you know, to get everyone thinking. I wouldn’t want to stifle ideas.”
Rogers sighed. “Okay, okay. So what’s this irrational idea about?”
“Look, I know it’s crazy, but they tell me a virus could be engineered to self-destruct after a certain period of time.”
“And after a certain number of innocent citizens are killed by their government. No way I’d sign off on that.”
“You’re right, sir. I’m sorry, but it’s my duty to keep you informed.”
“What are we gonna do?”
“I know you were against it, and at the time I agreed you were right, but, compared to everything else, launching Remedy back into space seems harmless.”
The president said, “I don’t know. There are so many issues, it’s like a six-headed monster. How are we going to control and protect it? I mean, how the heck do we even know if it’s going to work? And how or who determines when to bring it back?”
“It’s complicated, no doubt, but I’ve been working on it.”
“Working on it behind my back?”
“Absolutely not, sir. You’d be surprised how many things I check out that never even make it to the table.”
Rogers asked, “What do you have?”
“I put together a top secret white paper on it with input from NASA, the Pentagon, Justice, and even the religious community.”
The Final Enemy Page 18