The Susquehanna Virus Box Set

by Steve McEllistrem

  Chapter 23

  As Rebecca and Tad Blanton moved through the late-night fog in the Silver Spring, Maryland, Sculpture Park, Rebecca found herself in a sort of trance. Had she and Tad done the right thing aligning themselves with the Sallies? She understood the necessity of the Earth Guardian movement and its militant arms. But perhaps she and Tad should have balked when they were recruited by the Sallies last year. True, all they’d done was assist Sally1 with communications, but maybe even that was too much.

  She used her PlusPhone’s mapping system to navigate while her husband Tad used his PlusPhone’s scatterer to create static in the CCTV system. Rebecca maneuvered toward the coordinates provided, expecting to be attacked or arrested at any moment, but she saw no one else about. They appeared to be directed toward the armadillo, the least-visited, least-impressive sculpture in the park. However, as they approached it, her PlusPhone directed her to keep moving forward, past the armadillo to a poorly manicured shrub, under which she found a small canister. She reached down and grabbed it. Then she and Tad hustled away.

  “Two blocks north,” Tad said gesturing to his PlusPhone.

  They saw only a handful of cars, no other pedestrians. Tad’s scatterer kept them largely invisible to the CCTV system—they would register only as a glitch on the vid feed.

  When they reached the abandoned toy store designated on the PlusPhone’s coordinates, Tad tried the metal side door and found it open. Passing inside, Rebecca waited for Tad to seal the door tightly. As he did so, the lights slowly brightened. She looked around, trying to maintain her poise. The room was large, every window covered with opaque plastic. Empty metal shelves stood against one wall and on another she spotted a map of Earth—cities infected by the virus glowing against the backdrop.

  Rebecca moved in front of the map and opened the canister, while Tad set up the network for the next Earth Guardians message—a complicated series of cutouts and hacked systems that would ensure its untraceability. Although the Earth Guardians hadn’t been officially banned by the government, Rebecca suspected they would soon be designated a hate group. So she and Tad kept a low profile, never broadcasting at the same time of day or using the same series of cutouts—alternating frequency and strength and a number of other variables that Tad had worked out, including making subtle alterations to her face and voice to keep her identity secret. No one except Sally1 knew that she was the Earth Guardians’ American High Priestess.

  She examined the canister’s contents and said, “You think this is really the latest antidote?”

  “You believe it’s something else?”

  “It could be the virus,” Rebecca replied, “or some sort of hallucinogen or maybe just a placebo.”

  “Are your visions getting stronger?”

  Rebecca shrugged. “I didn’t want to worry you. I don’t know what they mean.”

  “I wish I knew what to do,” Tad said. “If we ran, we might become infected and die like everyone else.”

  “We don’t know that. Maybe the earlier antidotes we received are good enough to save us. Or maybe they were nothing but herbal drinks too. She likes playing games. She likes us to suffer.”

  Tad nodded slowly. “I do find her unsettling.”

  “Always talking in riddles. She’s no Prophet.”

  “What about her visions of Earth as Eden?”

  “I have those visions too,” Rebecca said. “But mine are sane.”

  “We’re in too deep now.”

  “Maybe.” Rebecca shook her head to clear it. “Let’s get this over with. This place gives me the creeps.”

  “Okay.” Tad gestured to his PlusPhone. “Ready.”

  Rebecca focused her energy and began her sermon:

  “Fellow Guardians, Believers in the Vision, I see a true Eden, a hallowed Earth, where all things balance and only those pure of heart remain to stand watch and proclaim, ‘Never Again’ to those who would despoil the planet. Today we praise and glorify the sacred virus that purges the nonbelievers from the face of the world, leaving only those who truly believe, only those with pure hearts and minds to survive the cleansing fire. But much work is yet to be done.

  “Those who follow the old ways will soon depart. And those of us who have seen the truth, who have witnessed the holy rage of Gaia know that our way of life will soon change dramatically. The day of reckoning is almost upon us. We the Guardians must prepare for that day, taking Gaia’s holy water to ensure our survival in the end times.”

  Rebecca lifted the canister and said, “Receive Gaia’s holy water.” Then she drank of the sweetened brew and passed the canister to Tad before continuing: “Its healing properties will keep us safe from the fire. With each dose, we come closer to the innocent wildlife humanity has ravaged. We pledge ourselves anew to safeguard our fellow creatures from the brutes who rule the world. We dedicate ourselves to the sanctity of the planet as we await the anointed time. Now go with Gaia.” Rebecca bowed her head, kept it down until Tad gave her the all clear.

  Tad drank from the canister, then pocketed it and dispersed the message via his PlusPhone.

  Rebecca said, “Let’s see it.”

  Tad showed her the vid and she noted how skillfully he had captured the essence of her face and voice while still disguising them enough to make them not exclusively hers. The eyes of the High Priestess shone in the light, giving her an intensity that was more than human. Did her eyes really look like that? Tad said they did, though she often wondered if he manipulated the image to make her appear more divine.

  When the message finished playing she said, “Perfect.”

  “I’ve set this one to originate in Cambodia and Vietnam,” Tad said. “From there, it will spread virally. It’ll be everywhere in the next few hours.”

  “Excellent. Let’s get out of here.”

  Tad gestured for her to precede him out the door. As they stepped outside, Rebecca nearly screamed. Someone stood motionless twenty steps away, almost hidden by the fog. It took her a second to realize it was Sally1.

  The old woman kept her right hand shoved deep into her coat pocket as she slowly approached. She walked stooped over, her head tilted to one side, like a crow or a vulture, and Rebecca felt as if she were being dissected, stripped down to the barest skeleton and found distasteful.

  Tad touched her arm above the elbow in support as they waited for Sally1. Rebecca found herself shaking ever so slightly.

  When Sally1 reached them, she glared at them for a moment, her black eyes malignant. Sally1 turned her head, as if listening intently or seeing something no one else could. Rebecca glanced down the street.

  From unlit corners, men appeared—half a dozen tall men dressed in dark colors, their faces covered with what looked like mud. They converged on the three. Rebecca had to fight to keep from screaming. Tad’s grip on her arm tightened. She’d heard that Sally1 kept a cadre of brainwashed bodyguards utterly devoted to her, fulfilling her every desire, but without wills of their own. These men looked unarmed, though they were probably carrying concealed weapons.

  When the men reached them, the old woman said, “Hard rain’s gonna fall. Cleanse the Earth.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Rebecca said.

  One of the dark men said, “You will respect Sally1.”

  “Why?” Rebecca said. “She doesn’t respect me.”

  Another dark man moved toward her. Instinctively, she backed away. But the first man held up a hand to stop him.

  Rebecca said, “Why did you blow up Cole’s Wall?”

  Sally1 said, “Still upset about the bombing?”

  “You killed our friends,” Rebecca said. “Our potential recruits.”

  “Had to be done.”

  The dark man who apparently was the spokesman for the group added, “CINTEP sent agents there that night. One of them—Jones’ son Curtik—beat up Tad. They’
d have learned about you if we hadn’t destroyed the place. Finding you, they would have found Sally1 and then everyone in our organization.”

  “How?” Rebecca addressed Sally1. “We don’t know your real name or where you live.”

  “You know how to contact me,” Sally1 said. “But no longer.”

  “You’re cutting off contact?”

  Sally1 said, “They found me.”

  “Are they tracking you?” Tad asked as he looked up at the sky, as if he might be able to detect a miniature drone in the fog.

  “Probably,” Sally1 said.

  “So you led them to us?” Rebecca said.

  “They uploaded Walt Devereaux’s mind into a robot today—one with an organic computer—with incredible speed and power.”

  “We have to run,” Tad said.

  “He knows me,” Sally1 said, ignoring Tad. She looked past them at nothing, as if caught up in some trance. She’d done this before. A minute passed, the dark men standing motionless behind her. Rebecca glanced at Tad, who shrugged. Then Sally1 said, “Great deal of work remains.”

  Rebecca said, “We just sent out a message to the true believers. Telling them the time is almost at hand.”

  “Did you tell them it’s time to die?”

  Rebecca shook her head, then cleared her throat, preparing for Sally1’s anger. “My visions don’t require us all to die.”

  Sally1 said, “You steal my vision.” Her shoulders twitched. Rebecca fought the urge to flee.

  “I preach the truth,” Rebecca said. “But you—your vision only gets darker. My vision is of a world full of light.”

  “Your vision?”

  “I see the future you once saw,” Rebecca said. “Your ideas won’t work any longer. No one but your faithful dogs will follow you to death.”

  The dark men inched closer, but did not attack. Sally1 kept them on a tight leash.

  “She’s right,” Tad said. “Recently you’ve made it sound like we all have to die. That’s not what you said before.”

  The dark man said, “We changed our minds.”

  “And who are you?” Rebecca said.

  The dark man said nothing. Sally1 faced Rebecca, her eyes twin black holes, pulling her in. She felt a chill, the sweat on her back making her shiver.

  Tad cleared his throat, drawing Sally1’s attention, for which Rebecca was grateful. “How do you know your visions are correct?” he asked.

  Sally1 said, “How do you know the sun will rise?”

  “We believe in your message,” Tad said. “That’s why we had the genetic surgery. That’s why we take the antidote. We must rid ourselves of these corrupt governments and greedy corporations, the weak sheep who allow them to destroy our world and the gluttonous individuals who put themselves ahead of everyone else. But not every human on the planet deserves to be killed. And our friends at Cole’s Wall should not have died in vain.”

  Rebecca said, “The Earth Guardians can no longer tolerate your negative thinking.”

  Sally1’s hand twitched inside her coat. Her eyes seemed to absorb all the light of the world. Rebecca could almost feel the old woman’s loathing.

  “Contact everyone immediately,” the dark man said. “Tell them to disperse all their supplies of the virus. Malls, train stations, office buildings, sporting events.”

  “That’s dozens of canisters,” Rebecca said. “Those were supposed to be held in reserve, only to be used as a last resort.”

  “Do it now,” Sally1 said.

  “Why did you come here?” Rebecca said. “You don’t trust us. You wanted to make sure we gave the order and you couldn’t do that except in person.”

  Sally1 smiled.

  The dark man said, “Give the order now, and send a copy to my PlusPhone.” He touched his PlusPhone to Tad’s, linking them together.

  Tad looked at Rebecca, who shrugged. She saw no way out of this.

  “Very well,” Tad said. He pulled up his PlusPhone and pushed icons while Sally1 stared at Rebecca.

  “While we’re waiting,” Rebecca said, “perhaps you can tell me whether you even believe in the Gaia Manifesto or the Earth Guardians. Or are you just an angry old woman?”

  “You understand nothing.”

  “Enlighten me,” Rebecca said. “Please.”

  Tad looked up from his work, one eyebrow arched.

  “We inflict gaping wounds,” Sally1 said. “We humans disturb the balance.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Rebecca said. “That’s what we aim to fix.”

  The dark man pointed at Rebecca. “Silence.”

  “We pollute our air and water,” Sally1 said, “with chemicals and nano-particles, wipe out entire species. We cause global warming, then global winter. And we justify the devastation to our planet as necessary. We claim that we’re blessed by God and given dominion over all His creatures.”

  “That’s what I’ve been saying,” Rebecca said. “Have you seen my broadcasts?”

  Sally1 said nothing. But the dark man said, “Gaia will win in the end. She will have her revenge. Humans will die out eventually. We cannot continue fouling our world, consuming our resources, and hope that some scientific breakthrough will allow us to mitigate the damage at some future date. We’re merely accelerating the transition so that Gaia will be able to recover from our infestation more quickly.”

  So he wasn’t a mindless drone. Even though he’d been conditioned to protect Sally1 and die without fear, he could still think independently.

  “There’s something more, though,” Rebecca said. “We Earth Guardians say the same things. We plan a future where humans are controlled. You used to talk about that too. But you’ve changed. Now you only talk about death. I think you have some personal animosity toward people. Like now, you bring your death squad with you.”

  Tad drew in a sharp breath.

  “What is it,” Rebecca asked, “that drives you to want to kill everyone on Earth?”

  “Does it matter?” Sally1 asked.

  “No. I’m just curious. After all, you and your hit men can kill us whenever you wish.”

  Sally1 laughed, as if at some inner joke. “Kierkegaard,” she said.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Unintended consequences,” the dark man said.

  “I still don’t understand.”

  “Nothing is completely pure,” Sally1 said. “I lost my medical license after euthanizing a suffering woman. And society treated me like a pariah. Now I’m just a river—a cleaning lady at CINTEP. That’s how I’ve been able to stay a step ahead of them. Even Elias Leach, who was once my friend . . .”

  Sally1 laughed again, a cackle that trailed off, and Rebecca hugged herself tightly, her eyes flicking between Sally1’s pocket and the dark men.

  “But that’s not why I did it,” Sally1 whispered. “We’re evil. All of us. Cannot be redeemed.”

  The dark man said, “How many dictators and tyrannical governments have promised change? How many have said this time they mean it? This time, they say, they’ll do what’s right and fix the problems that have plagued us for decades. And yet they never do. They consolidate their power base. They crush those who oppose them. Our government is no better than any other. They’re all corrupt.”

  “President Hope seems better than President Davis,” Tad said in his most soothing voice—the one he used when trying to calm Rebecca during an argument.

  “A few degrees,” the dark man replied. “Occasionally they bandage a problem. And they sell their ideas with fancy words. They create a program that pollutes our rivers and call it the Clear Waters Initiative—and we fall for it. We’re tired of that nonsense. They won’t act. They’ll never act. They will never make the hard decision because they’re afraid they’ll lose their power. These scum—”

  Sally1 placed her hand o
n the dark man’s arm and he stopped talking. Then she said, “I’ll crush them all.”

  “But not everyone,” Tad said, trying to keep his voice level, though Rebecca could sense the tension behind it. Glancing at Rebecca, he reached up and wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. “Some are worth saving.”

  “The best of humanity,” Rebecca said. “We can build again, create a better society, one that respects, even worships our world, one that does not place ourselves above Gaia’s creatures.”

  Sally1 smiled briefly. “You think you deserve to survive?”

  “I don’t know,” Rebecca answered, “but I believe I will. Otherwise why would I do this? I don’t have a death wish.”

  Sally1 removed her hand from her pocket. Rebecca had been expecting her to have a weapon, but it was just a closed fist. Then she opened her fist and pointed at the center of Rebecca’s chest, her black eyes dead, her hand steady. Her dark men leaned forward, as if waiting for a signal to attack.

  So this is it, Rebecca thought. We’re going to die at the hands of this mad woman, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

  “You still need us,” Tad said.

  When Sally1 glanced at him, he said, “I haven’t finished sending out your orders. I still have a few security systems to breach.”

  Sally1 stood quietly, her eyes flickering between Rebecca and Tad. Rebecca saw no hint of indecision, only implacable determination in the old woman’s eyes. I will not flinch, she thought. I will die with dignity.

  But Sally1 lowered her hand and the dark men relaxed.

  “You’re afraid,” Sally1 said.

  Rebecca said, “Damn right.”

  “Good. I want you afraid. Help keep you safe.”

  “Now send that message,” the dark man said.

  “Almost there,” Tad replied.

  A few seconds elapsed, then Tad said, “Okay. The message went out to every Sallie organization.”

  The dark man reached into his coat pocket and removed a slip of paper, which he passed to Tad. “This is the location of the lab and the access codes that will get you inside. You’ll find the newest strain of the virus there in two canisters. Get over there and grab those canisters. Activate the time-release mechanisms on them and carry them with you everywhere. You’ll be immune to the virus. It won’t harm you. But as you travel to a new hideout, you’ll be infecting everyone you encounter.”