Mark of the Beast

by Adolphus A. Anekwe

  “He is going to need a West Coast assistant, and I will personally nominate Detective Pinkett for the job.”

  “That’s your detective from San Diego, right?”

  “That’s my girl,” Dickerson agreed with glee.

  “This is all looking even better.”

  3

  BAPTIST GENERAL HOSPITAL, AT the corner of Broadway and Interstate 30 in Merrillville, Indiana, boasted a newly renovated and vastly decorated doctors’ lounge with a new high-definition plasma television. Every day at noon, a freshly catered lunch attracted a vast majority of the surgeons and a good number of the primary care doctors and specialists to the lounge. Frequently the doctors would take this opportunity to discuss various issues and express their opinions.

  On the television, a cable news network was discussing the centers chosen for the HLA testing and was interviewing administrative personnel at the various centers.

  “Hi, Nsi, how did the case go this morning?” asked Dr. Mahatma Gupta, the cardiologist who performed the angiography on Mrs. Elaine Worjorhowski.

  “Excellent, the bypass went well, although it took a little longer than I expected. The mammary artery was a little difficult to harvest.”

  “She pulled through, yes?”

  “Oh, yeah, she is in the recovery room, and her vitals are great.”

  As if on cue, both men turned to watch the program on television.

  “What do you make of that nonsense?” asked Dr. Gupta. “I think that’s a whole bunch of hogwash.”

  “You don’t think those doctors are up to something?”

  “They are up to something, all right. It’s called lining their pockets with money.”

  “I guess you don’t believe in the HLA theory either.”

  “How can these doctors make us believe that an HLA test, which is experimental at best, can predict who is a criminal?”

  “But won’t the testing bear them out?”

  “I bet you my bottom dollar they cooked and forged some of those numbers just to get federal dollars.”

  “I don’t know,” Dr. Obum Linton, a gynecologist, said. “These are two independent, highly respected physicians and researchers. I would not dismiss them casually.”

  “You know, and I know, that statistics can be manipulated to obtain the results we want by carefully eliminating the ones we don’t want,” Nsi explained.

  “But they were able to convince the Senate of the United States to fund a hundred-and-fifty-million-dollar national testing program,” noted Dr. Nathaniel Weitzman, the endocrinologist, who hardly ever expressed an opinion.

  By now, the entire staff in the doctors’ lounge had voiced one opinion or another about the discussion. Dr. Nsi knew, deep in his heart, that some of these doctors were just jealous of his success, and he also knew that some were blaming him for the disappearance of Nurse Fisher, even though her body had not been found.

  Many doctors knew of the liaison between Dr. Nsi and Ms. Fisher, and also between him and the two previous nurses at Munster who died mysterious deaths. He logically surmised that some of his colleagues had indirectly voiced the opinion that he was involved in their tragedies.

  Another prominent cardio-thoracic surgeon, Dr. Emeka Nwazobia, from Nigeria, had quietly confided to friends that Dr. Nsi was not telling all he knew.

  “I tell you what; I’ll challenge them to do a testing of all Americans, and I’ll be the first to volunteer,” said Nsi, as all eyes turned to him.

  “They do want to test all Americans,” Dr. Weitzman hinted.

  “I know, but they should just do it, to prove how bogus the test is,” said Nsi.

  “I can’t stand that man,” Nwazobia whispered to Linton as Nsi continued to converse with Dr. Weitzman.

  “Who are you talking about?” Linton asked.

  “Dr. Eat … you know what; or D.E.S., for short,” Nwazobia again whispered.

  “Why do you insist on calling him that name? That’s terrible,” asked Dr. Linton, with an almost-identical whisper.

  “Because that’s exactly what his full name translates to in the Ibo language of Nigeria.”

  “You mean Lee Kwon Nsi is in the Ibo language also? He is, after all, Korean.”

  “It’s actually also an Ibo word. Lee Kwon Nsi in the Ibo language literally means, eat … you know what.”

  “I think you’re making that up just because you don’t like the man.”

  “I am very serious. Go ask Dr. Bernadette Acheta, the internist. She is also Ibo.”

  “That’s really strange.”

  4

  THE POPULAR TIMES OF Northwest Indiana headline read: “Local Doctor Volunteered for HLA B66 Testing.”

  The story also dominated other northwest Indiana and Chicago newspapers. Rumors abounded, but the principal questions among local residents were, “Why would a popular doctor volunteer for HLA B66 testing? What was he trying to prove?”

  To Dr. Nsi, it was quite clear. If he tested negative, it would prove to his critics, especially Dr. Nwazobia and the others, that he was not the monster they thought he was. If he tested positive, it would validate his claim that the tests were bogus.

  Why would a successful physician like me with no criminal record, or even any traffic violations, test positive? he reasoned.

  “You shouldn’t do this,” urged Moheri, calling from his Whiting, Indiana, office as soon as he learned of Nsi’s intention.

  “Why shouldn’t I?”

  “I don’t know, but I am leery of this whole thing—a little spooky, don’t you think?” said Moheri.

  “Relax, Mario. I have a plan to discredit this whole testing nonsense.”

  “What if you test positive?”

  “That’s it, then.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I will be famous, because that will make me the leader of the opposition.”

  “I really don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “In due time you’ll see, but I wouldn’t worry about anything if I were you.”

  “Okay, just be careful.”

  “Trust me, I will.”

  “What we need to focus on now is to start looking for vendors for the M&M juice, especially after that successful testing,” urged Moheri.

  “That’s what I’m talking about. With the fame that I’ll gain if I test positive, I’ll be able to find vendors for our M&M juice among others who may be as angry as I am.”

  Why is Doc Nsi advertising the fact that he may test positive? Moheri queried. That’s scary.

  * * *

  Even though Abramhoff tried to dissuade Nsi from testing, Nsi signed the no litigation agreement and a waiver of the nondisclosure rules and scheduled his testing.

  About five days later: “You tested positive.” Abramhoff called Nsi to inform him personally of the test result.

  “There must be a mistake,” said Nsi, expressing no emotions—neither shock, nor anger.

  “No, there was not. We tested it several times just to be sure, and then sent a sample to Dr. Dickerson in San Diego. All the tests were positive,” Abramhoff responded.

  “What does that tell you, Dr. Abramhoff? What does it tell you? Personally, it tells me that something is wrong with your HLA B66 theory. How can a physician like me test positive?”

  “Frankly, Dr. Nsi, I am as surprised as you are,” Abramhoff said, sensing the challenge. “What we do know is that the test is very accurate, and it correlates well. You might be one of those rare findings that invariably show up in every test.”

  “Dr. Abramhoff, thank you anyway, but personally, I think this whole thing is a farce.”

  “I don’t think so, Dr. Nsi.”

  “We will see,” concluded Nsi.

  When Abramhoff hung up with Nsi, he called Dickerson immediately.

  “You will not believe this.”

  “Believe what?” asked Dr. Dickerson.

  “That John Doe specimen we sent you that came back positive…”

&n
bsp; “Yeah, I remember, what about it?”

  “It actually belongs to a famous cardio-thoracic surgeon in northwest Indiana.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I just got off the phone with him.”

  “What did he have to say?”

  “Well, he wasn’t too pleased, to say the least. He called our findings a farce, and it sounded like he’s about to do something with it.”

  “What can he do? Because, actually, he needs to be watched, or closely examined for any past criminal activity or behaviors, cardio-thoracic surgeon or not.”

  “This is a prominent surgeon. His reputation travels all the way to Chicago and beyond.”

  “So? Does that give him immunity from criminal behaviors?”

  “Not really, but he is one of our own.”

  “That technically will argue in favor of the objectivity of the test, when it goes national.”

  “I agree. Anyway how is the national testing coming along?” asked Abramhoff, wanting to change the subject tout de suite.

  “Mr. Pellagrini and Ms. Pinkett are hitting it off well. They’ve almost finished the organizational process with the centers. Everything is now computerized, phone banks are all set up, and I think they’ll be ready to go in a week or so.”

  “Thanks.… take care.… I will be talking to you.” Abramhoff hung up the phone, sat down on his desk, and whispered aloud, “This is getting more complicated than I thought.”

  5

  ALL FIVE CHICAGO TELEVISION stations announced in special news briefs that a local northwest Indiana physician who volunteered to be tested for the HLA B66 was found positive. The next morning, reporters crowded the front entrance of the Indiana University Medical Hospital Administration Building, where Dr. Nsi had agreed to make a brief statement. After a noisy forty-five-minute wait, Dr. Nsi appeared. He only read his statement, and he took no questions.

  “Ladies and gentleman, it is true that I tested positive for HLA B66, a test that is absolute nonsense, manufactured by reputable scientists with a questionable agenda. This is pure science fiction, but the sad part of the whole thing is that they have succeeded in obtaining federal government funding. I am a cardio-thoracic surgeon. I have transgressed no laws and have no criminal record, not even for a speeding ticket. I have no intentions of leaving my lucrative medical profession for a life of crime. To that end, I will dedicate my energy and resources to launching a national campaign against this nonsense called HLA B66. We are developing a Web site, www.antiHLAB66.com, and I urge everyone to visit the Web site in a few days for more information. Thank you very much.”

  Pellagrini and Pinkett’s national testing program launch occurred two days after Dr. Nsi’s television appearance. Both detectives were in daily consultations, and had gotten medical logistical support from Dr. Abramhoff and Dr. Dickerson. A total of about 2 to 2.5 million inmates were slated to be tested.

  To obtain an age-matched normal population for comparison, monetary incentives and strict confidentiality were promised.

  There were long lines of volunteers at all the centers. Two weeks into the recruitment process, all the blood samples had been collected from about 2.2 million inmates and approximately 2.3 million volunteers.

  Chicago and San Diego were designated as national centers for statistical analysis, but with final review at the National Institutes of Health and Public Safety. It would take about seven to ten days for the official results to be made public.

  Meanwhile, Dr. Nsi took to the airwaves, denouncing the testing and urging for the total boycott of the test centers. Ten days after all the blood tests were accounted for, the National Institutes of Health and Public Safety scheduled a noon news conference to announce the findings.

  Drs. Abramhoff and Dickerson, and Detectives Pellagrini and Pinkett, were all scheduled to be in attendance, with a question-and-answer session to follow. The director of the National Institutes of Health started the news conference by acknowledging the heroic efforts of Drs. Abramhoff and Dickerson.

  “Let’s also not forget the gallant work done by Detectives Pellagrini and Pinkett, who gathered all the information with very short notice.”

  Applause followed.

  “After multiple reviews and several statistical analyses using different methodology as designated by the Senate funding bill,” continued the director, “the results showed that among the hard-core criminals, the psychopathic killers, and the mass murderers, there are indeed positive results to the tune of 92 percent. There is no doubt that the HLA B66 does indeed correlate well with these crimes.

  “The other interesting finding,” the director said reluctantly, “is that about 2.68 percent of the matched population classified as ‘average Joe’ and ‘average Jill’ also tested positive for the HLA B66.

  “We will now entertain questions,” he ended.

  “Who are those 2.68 percent?” asked a reporter.

  “Because of strict confidentiality and HIPAA regulations, we are unable to comment on that.”

  “But why don’t we have them all arrested if the correlation is true?” asked another reporter.

  “Because we don’t even know who they are, and besides, they have committed no crimes.”

  “Dr. Abramhoff, you subscribe to the predestination theory. Are these 2.68 percent people predestined, therefore, to commit heinous crimes?”

  “Strictly following my theory of predestination, you may conclude that they are predestined for that.”

  “So would you therefore classify them as criminals-to-be?”

  “Even with predestination, individuals have been known to miss obvious opportunities,” Abramhoff responded.

  “Dr. Dickerson!” shouted another reporter. “Your theological research showed HLA B66 translated to the number 666, the mark of the devil. Are these 2.68 percent individuals who tested positive transforming into the devil’s advocates?”

  “Based on the interpretation I suggested before, you might say that.”

  “They, therefore, possess the stamped image according to the Book of Revelation, if I follow your theory.”

  “Theoretically, you may conclude that.” Dickerson showed a rare smile. “Realize that the theory is based on my personal interpretation aided by religious education. If, therefore, you look at it purely on religious grounds, yes, you would conclude that they have the stamped image and are therefore followers of the beast.”

  “Detective Pellagrini, you are quite versed in bizarre behaviors, demonic possessions, witchcraft, and the occult. Why would you not arrest these people, since they’re given to you on a silver platter?”

  “Like the doctor said, sir, they have committed no crimes,” Pellagrini replied.

  “So are you gonna wait for them to kill two, three, ten, or fifty people before you arrest them?” asked a female reporter.

  “The United States of America’s laws are clear, ma’am,” Pellagrini said. “You cannot prosecute or even arrest an individual for a crime he or she did not commit.”

  “But we have proof now that they are going to commit a crime someday.”

  “Sir,” Pellagrini said in exasperation, “we are law enforcement officers, not law enactment officers.”

  6

  CHANNEL FIVE, A CHICAGO television station, somehow managed to arrange an interview with Dr. Nsi in his office in Munster, Indiana.

  “What do you make of those positive HLA findings?” the reporter asked.

  “First of all, what’s your name again?” asked Nsi.

  “Warren,” the reporter said.

  “Let me say this, Warren: the only disease that has shown greater than ninety percent association with HLA is ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic back condition seen mostly in middle-aged men. Now, do you want me to believe that murderers are diseased?” Nsi asked. “Some authorities have made that association, yes, I grant you, but without any scientific proof.”

  “Okay, let�
��s, for the moment, assume that they are correct,” the reporter responded. “Maybe someday, somebody might manufacture a medication or come up with an operation to cure this disease.”

  “Not all diseases have cures,” Nsi said abruptly.

  “Yes, but they can be curbed or controlled.

  “Well, locking them up in prisons can be labeled as that curb or control, wouldn’t you say?” the reporter added, flipping through his notes, “Just like we did in the early days of tuberculosis.”

  “Fine.” Nsi showed signs of infuriation as he stroked the right side of his hair. “But where do we come off telling the public that these criminals are devil’s descendants?”

  “You are talking about Dr. Dickerson’s assertion that HLA B66 is in fact the number 666 in the Bible,” verified the reporter.

  “Yes,” Nsi answered with a sarcastic laugh. “Coming from someone who calls herself a scientist, Dr. Dickerson should be ashamed of herself.”

  “Why?” asked the reporter, eyes wide open.

  Nsi leaned forward and eyeballed the reporter. “For one thing, that’s total hocus-pocus.… One plus one does not equal ten. Do you believe that?”

  “You have to realize that the Bible sometimes is hard to interpret, and she did her best to shed some light on this phenomenon,” the reporter said, nodding his head.

  “Well, I have my own religion and beliefs, but science speaks a universal language.”

  “Are you so repulsed by this because you tested positive?” ventured the reporter, avoiding eye contact while writing on his note pad.

  “Would you not be, especially when they claim that HLA B66 predestines behaviors?”

  Looking directly at Nsi, the reporter cautiously asked, “Are you absolutely sure you have not committed any crimes in your life?”

  “What are you getting at, mister?” responded Nsi with obvious irritation.

  “I mean, if the premise is true, and you tested positive … I am still at loss for an explanation.”

  “That’s because the premise is not true,” Nsi answered, almost shouting.

  “I guess we have to wait for more scientific evidence,” suggested the reporter, as Nsi attempted to rise from his chair.