The Reality Plague
by Doug Welch
The year is 2071. Society has barely survived a pandemic, a major biological catastrophe that decimated the human population. People cannot touch and make love to each other for fear of a plague that threatens humanity with extinction. In an effort to provide some semblance of human contact, they try to live and love in virtual worlds.
Jake Harrison, an engineer, and Olivia Carlson, a mysterious fugitive, struggle to maintain their physical humanity in a real world that seems to have become hostile to both affection and love. In an accidental physical encounter, they discover each other, and find they feel a growing mutual affection even though it is impossible to physically express it.
Does Olivia know the secret to the cause of the disaster and its possible solution? If so, can Jake find the strength and courage to help her? Can they remove the barrier that prevents them from really loving each other, and end the threat of the Reality Plague forever?
Jake Harrison, an engineer, and Olivia Carlson, a mysterious fugitive, struggle to maintain their physical humanity in a real world that seems to have become hostile to both affection and love. In an accidental physical encounter, they discover each other, and find they feel a growing mutual affection even though it is impossible to physically express it.
Does Olivia know the secret to the cause of the disaster and its possible solution? If so, can Jake find the strength and courage to help her? Can they remove the barrier that prevents them from really loving each other, and end the threat of the Reality Plague forever?