No Inner Limit

by David Kersey

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE - Joy

  Ankur’s office land line rang shortly after one pm.

  “Mr. Ankur, this is Colonel Baldev Ganesh, Assistant Director of the Research and Analysis Wing in Delhi. It has come to the attention of the Prime Minister that recent activities you and others orchestrated have caused great embarrassment to our country. Captain Khalil has been arrested for the cold blooded murder of Rahul Krishnan. And now I have learned that Ashok Banerjee has been arrested and is under suspicion as a terrorist. The Prime Minister has directed me to inform you that no further activity on your part will be tolerated. Do you understand me?”

  “I understand, sir.”

  “You will cease and desist from any and all efforts that you may have in operation or planned.”

  “Yes sir, I will terminate the search immediately.”

  “I am sure you will.”

  + + + + + + + + + +

  “Oh, my God!” Jackie whispered as she saw, well, Jesus, walking toward her car. Even though Irene Ralston had given her a heads up, the image was nonetheless hypnotic. It took a moment for her to compose herself. Out of the car, still somewhat spellbound, she said, “You must be Joshua.”

  “That I am, and you are Jackie Bingham, I presume? Pleased to make your acquaintance. Come, follow me.”

  Jackie Bingham was shorter than what Joshua had expected. Her rather deep voice on the phone seemed incongruous with her slender stature of about three inches over five feet. Her blonde hair was cut in Dutch boy fashion. Green eyes that were beginning to show the wear and tear of too many exhausting hours without rest. In her mid-thirties, Joshua concluded, and rather attractive. As he expected, she wore no wedding or engagement ring. He assumed she was married to her work.

  “Good grief, Joshua, I didn’t expect this.” Like practically all others who observed the greenery inside the barn for the first time, Jackie was similarly astounded. “So this is it, huh? All twenty-four items right here in one place. I love the aroma in here.”

  “Not all twenty-four are here. I receive some of the ingredients from Arizona. There is an operation out there very similar to this one.”

  She took it upon herself to lead the way, as if she were the hostess. “Ah, this is eucalyptus. No mistaking that. I see peppermint, and fennel. What’s that one?”

  “Those are beets. One of the power ingredients.”

  Jackie looked inside one of the cases of product that were lined up on the pathway and grabbed a jar of NIL. “This is the NIL?”

  “It is, without the peyote. We have over two hundred of them ready to go. Come, let me show you my work area.”

  “Goodness, what an operation you’ve got going here!”

  “When the town folk learned that the CDC was coming, and that we all are facing a flu pandemic, as you can see, they turned out. It’s a community effort. I’m sure even more would be here if they had been contacted.”

  “How interesting. This is truly a good news story that I’d like to see aired rather than all the bad news we constantly are bombarded with.”

  “That’s how I feel too. Up until last Saturday I was the only one preparing the NIL. Now look, would you? This is truly wonderful.”

  “Let’s go sit and talk. I need to ask you some things.” Jackie again led the way, having passed the lounge area on the way to the workroom. Leadership. Obviously she had it, much like the take charge quality of Pat Reid.

  “Would you like to taste the NIL? I think it will give you an alertness for your long trip back to Atlanta.”

  “Sure. I was hoping you’d ask. My technician in Atlanta wants to know more about the kava, as in what part of the plant do you use and how much?”

  “That’s an astute question. Kava, if used improperly, can cause liver damage, and some people may have skin reactions, like hives, for instance. I use a very small quantity, just one gram, and I only use the roots, not the stems or leaves. I could take it out altogether, but I didn’t because it creates a balance. I’m afraid that if I eliminated it that the other items that create energy could cause hyperactivity. Kava is a mood relaxer. Anyway, it is not necessary for fighting the flu, but it does have a calming characteristic. I think you’ll sense it not long after you drink the NIL.”

  “Okay. You’ve told me what the techie also brought up. Don’t use the stems or leaves. Good. She also said that a lot of your ingredients are presumed effective in areas not associated with viruses.”

  Joshua poured into two sake cups. “That is true. I wanted something ‘total body’. For example, the dandelion helps regulate the gastro-intestinal system, and would be ineffective as a flu fighter. Pass the cup under your nose, like this.” He demonstrated the routine.

  “If a person afflicted with the avian flu were to take this, what would be the dosage, do you think?”

  “I’d say one ounce per day. I don’t see the need for more than that. You just swallowed one-half ounce. That’s what I do; a half-ounce in mid-morning, and the same dosage mid-afternoon.”

  “Joshua, what has me intrigued is that there have been no deaths in the state of Kentucky, whereas there have been fatalities in every other cluster area. All the reported cases in Kentucky have additionally had the availability of the NIL. Do you think that’s a coincidence?”

  “I do not, other than it is coincidental that the cluster in Kentucky happened in close proximity to here. Some of the people up in Somerset were already familiar with the NIL. If the outbreak had occurred in Louisville, there may have been deaths, since the awareness of NIL hasn’t spread that far yet. I don’t want to forget to tell you that I am grieved to hear of the deaths in other areas.”

  “How much will a case of NIL cost us?”

  “How much do you envision you will need? That will have a bearing on the total cost.”

  “Well, a case of six jars is not all that space consuming. I’m thinking about how much I could take in my car. What would a dozen cases cost?”

  “Regular retail for seventy-two jars would be $1,440.00. I could reduce that by 240.00 dollars, and even a larger percentage reduction if you order more and I don’t have to pay the shipping costs.”

  “My agenda is that I want to interview the recovered patients in Somerset. I don’t want to commit until I talk with them. If I hear what I think they will say, I will call Atlanta and seek an approval. I can’t commit to a dollar amount without that.”

  “Understood. Call me after you’ve done your investigation. But first, before you leave, grab a jar of NIL for yourself, and another one, both free of charge. Use the first one for your own consumption, if you wish, and then you will have the second one for your lab personnel to examine.”

  “That is very kind of you, and much appreciated.” Jackie rose to leave, but took another look around the room. “If you don’t object, I’d like to take some pictures with my cell phone. Smile!” She continue to snap pictures while walking through the foliage. “You have really got something going here. Yes, it is a small time venture, but I can see you doing something wonderful with it. I congratulate you. By the way, you have got a powerful ally in Irene Ralston. She couldn’t say enough good things, and she told me about her nephew’s bout with cancer. I will definitely follow up with her on that.”

  Joshua walked Jackie to the car and they said their goodbyes, with the promise of a follow-up conversation. She snapped another picture of Joshua with the barn as a backdrop. She smiled as she drove the car down the mountain, giddy in the realization that this little blind pig may have just found an acorn.

  Before he re-entered the barn, he heard a ruckus coming from the valley. He walked to the side of the barn to take a look. He laughed aloud as he saw eight teenagers playing tag. Namanda was having a grand old time, laughing, running, enjoying kids of her own age. This had truly been a wonderful day. He wondered why he had had premonitions of an ill wind, when today, so far, had been a welcome breeze from Heaven. He didn’t know that the best possible news would occur in just over an hour.


  He walked back through the workroom. Everyone had quit. The room was totally barren of a breathing soul. Out the back door, he saw the adults conversing and also watching the kids at play below them in the valley.

  “You are starting to run low in drawer six and drawer fourteen. We thought we’d better stop before you run out of something and shut down the whole line.” Annemarie said.

  “Yes, I knew with the speed you folks had attained, it would start to run out. I’ll make some more this evening. Listen, folks, I so appreciate what you’ve done today. You make me proud to know you. I can’t pay you much today other than take a jar of NIL for yourselves.”

  Pastor McMillan piped up. “Shoot fire. This is Tuesday and I’ve already got my sermon done for Sunday. Normally it takes me all tootin’ week. I sure am glad you put a jar of that stuff in the offering plate.”

  “And I am too.” The pastor’s wife agreed with a huge grin.

  The Sheriff’s deputy was the first to leave. It wasn’t long after that others began to trickle out. By three pm all had left, and it was back to a semblance of order again.

  Joshua, Shreya, and Namanda were seated in the Adirondack chairs when the sound of Autry’s big old diesel engine could be heard complaining up the mountain. The three walked around the side of the barn, then Namanda screamed. She saw that her dad was driving the purple Dodge Intrepid behind Autry’s SUV. She ran to greet him, squealing all the way. Joshua, perplexed in that this was not part of the plan, was nonetheless relieved to see that Amit had arrived safely. He also noticed that Shreya had tears in her eyes. It was obvious she had great reservations as to the wisdom of the plan Amit and Joshua had concocted. Tears of relief, and gratitude.

  Autry bellowed, “Ya’ll sit down in dem chairs in the back. I got an announcement to make.” Once they were seated, he began again. “Seems like the NSA just called off the dogs. Got a fax from HQ a couple a hours ago sayin’ as much. They ain’t looking’ for ya anymore. You folks is safe and sound an’ can git on with your life. An’ that’s why I told Amit to bring his car on up here, ‘stead of leavin’ it with me.”

  “Woohoo.” Namanda shouted. Group hugs ensued. Namanda embraced Joshua, looked up at him with puppy eyes, and said, “Can we stay? Please say yes.”

  “Of course you can stay.” Joshua replied with a smile. “This has been a great day, but your freedom is the best possible news. What a relief!”

  “haHA.” Namanda ran full speed down into the valley, and since it was only her and not a teenage gang this time, the deer joined in the romp.

  + + + + + + + + + +

  Jackie Bingham, unable to get an answer at the front door of the barn, walked around to the back. “There you are. I was afraid you had left to go out to eat, or something.”

  “Hello again. Come sit with us. You didn’t get a chance to meet anyone before when you were here. This is Amit Mehra, his wife Shreya, and that’s their daughter Namanda down there in the valley exciting the deer.”

  After the greetings were exchanged and she took in the wonderment of seeing wild animals frolicking with a human, Jackie sat down.

  “So what did you find out in Somerset, Joshua asked?”

  “All I needed to know. I interviewed with two doctors and two nurses, one of which was a daily user of NIL. To tell you the truth, Joshua, those medical professionals were just as bamboozled by the quick recovery from avian flu infection as I have been. Prescriptions meds, like Tamiflu for one, don’t act as quickly as the NIL did with Charlie, and Cecil, and the others. Two patients are still in the hospital but they are no longer symptomatic. Charlie Mayes is already back to work, and so is Cecil Habersham at the convenience store. I spoke with both of them. Charlie won’t come right out and say it was the NIL, yet his recovery was almost immediate. Down in Cleveland, Tennessee, the flu stayed with those that eventually recovered for days before they were on their feet again. Two people died down there from the respiratory failure the virus causes. There is two sets of parameters at work, it’s as plain as day. The ones who ingested the NIL survived and recovered quickly. The ones who didn’t ingest the NIL either recovered slowly or succumbed. I talked with my boss, Larry Ward, like a Dutch uncle, and was able to persuade him. So, I have the clearance to write you a check for as much product as we can load in my car. How does that sound?”

  “Fantastic. I think you will be elated in the long run with the results you’ll see. I suppose we should take advantage of the daylight and start loading your car. Amit, would you care to help me for a bit?”

  Shreya explained to Amit what was asked, then volunteered to help as well. Namanda noticed what was happening and joined in the endeavor. After twenty minutes there were twenty-two cases of NIL jammed into the drunk, back seat, and front floorboard of Jackie’s car. Grand total: 132 jars of NIL.

  Back in the Adirondack chairs, Joshua leaned over toward Jackie and whispered, “Watch this. Namanda I need to determine the price of 132 jars of NIL at twenty dollars per jar, discounted by thirty percent.”

  “haHA. One thousand, eight hundred, forty-eight dollars. American, of course.”

  Jackie attempted to punch in the numbers on her phone’s calculator. A minute after Namanda’s reply, Jackie saw that the young girl was exactly right. “How did she do that?”

  “For Namanda, that was a simple problem. Jackie, you are looking at one of the most gifted minds on this entire planet. She is truly an amazing specimen. Over this past weekend, there were two well-known psychologists here to observe her. Both of them left in utter amazement. I should also mention that the Mehras came all the way from India because they had heard of the NIL.” Joshua thought best not to have Namanda read Jackie’s thoughts.

  “Uh, is there something missing I should know about? That’s a long way to travel. What am I not hearing?”

  “Namanda and I both suffer from a rare form of high functioning autism. It is our hope that the NIL can create a nursery of embryonic neurons in our brains. I don’t know that it will happen, but that is what we both are hoping for. Time will tell, but I think I already see some of the chains that bind the autistic mind being broken in Namanda.”

  “Whoa, Joshua, I mean, my God! My area of expertise is in infectious diseases, but the CDC is vitally involved in coming up with a remedy for autism. So far, not much progress has been made. You must promise to keep me informed about this. Oh my, I am so full of energy yet so relaxed. How can that be?”

  “You are most welcome to spend the night here. I could use your help chopping up more of the ingredients, and I could talk about the benefits of each ingredient all night long. Oh, forgive me, I didn’t mean for that to sound fresh.”

  “Jackie chuckled. “I know you didn’t. No, I must get back on the road, but your offer is so tempting. It is so beautiful and laid back up here in the mountains. What a welcome change from the choking exhaust and excruciating traffic of downtown Atlanta. Let me write you a check and then I must go get back into the grind. I also want to make another stop in Cleveland, Tennessee and give out two cases of NIL, so I’d better not waste any more time. You’ll be hearing from me.”

  After waving goodbye, then watching Jackie’s loaded car disappear down the mountainside, Namanda whispered into Joshua’s ear. “You know why I’m not jealous, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I know. She is not into men.”

  They both laughed, then returned to the workroom. There was work to do.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR – 180 degrees