Authors: Nick Mariano
Dawn of a New Day (4 page)
Patient Zero is defined as the index case, or patient zero, and is the initial patient in the population of a pandemic event, or more generally, the person who is thought to be the first person affected by a particular illness or disease. Unbeknownst to Special Agent Taylor, he would be one of the first people infected with the super virus engineered by the Nazis and the first to leave the United States before authorities later learned about the virus. By that time it would be too late to stop the spread of the deadly virus to several countries overseas.
Agent Taylor arrived at the Wilmington Airport and was scheduled to take a short flight to Atlanta, where he would connect to a Korean Airlines/Delta Flight to Seoul, Korea, and then connected to a flight that took him to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was excited about the trip as he had never been to Malaysia, plus he would be flying on the new Airbus A380, double decker plane. Since the flight was almost 25 hours long, the Government had authorized First Class travel for Agent Taylor, so he would be comfortable and happy during his long trip. The down side was that he had a four-hour layover in Atlanta before heading to Korea. Good thing he had access to the Delta lounge for a few drinks before hand.
Agent Taylor sat in the Delta Lounge at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport snacking on some food and having a beer or glass of wine while he waited for his flight to Korea, departing in about three hours. He thought to himself, “If you’re delayed for 3-4 hours, you have to have the Delta Lounge.” The several drinks started to loosened him up and he hoped he’d be able to sleep on the flight but knew he always had difficulties doing so when he flew. He figured he would eat and drink well in First Class and there were a lot of new movies on the flight that he hadn’t yet seen. He might even sit next to some good looking woman and that would help make the flight go quicker, although he wasn’t counting on that to happen.
The receptionist at the main desk of the Lounge finally came over and told Taylor that First Class would be boarding in about 30 minutes. He got up and felt a little light headed but figured the beer and wine were just starting to kick in. He made his way to the International Departures Gate and by the time he arrived boarding had already started. The First Class passengers were boarding and the seating on the A-380 was divided into First Class, Business and several Economy Class sections. First Class was located on the upper level of the A-380 and besides luxury seating that folded down into actual beds; there was also a cocktail bar for its passengers once the plane leveled off after takeoff. Taylor thought, “This is going to be good!” When he finally sat down he was pleasantly surprised to see that there was an extremely good-looking and friendly woman sitting next to him, and that she had no wedding ring on. “Could this get any better?” he thought to himself.
After takeoff, the bar was opened at the rear of First Class and Taylor asked his travel companion, now identified as Alex Pogue, if she would like to join him at the bar, have a drink or two and talk a while. Alex smiled and said, “That sounds like a plan to me!” They grabbed a table by the bar and Taylor took Alex’s order and returned shortly with a gin and tonic for her and a glass of Merlot for himself. After some small talk, Taylor learned that Alex was the Executive Officer for a U.S. company that did a major part of their business in the Far East. He also learned that she was single and would be traveling onward with him to Kuala Lumpur, where they were staying at the same hotel, The J.W. Marriott-Kuala Lumpur. Taylor thought, “Can it get any better, other than of course, shacking up with her while in KL?”
They drank for almost an hour when the stewardess announced that the dinner service was beginning and they should return to their seats. Dinner was a nice affair of filet mignon with potatoes and vegetables and the flow of wine continued throughout the meal. Taylor and Alex continued their small talk during dinner and Alex said she would like to have dinner with him while they were in KL. They might even hit some of the clubs together. Taylor couldn’t believe that after numerous flights, he had finally gotten a traveling companion as good looking and friendly as Alex. Dessert was a combination of ice cream sundaes and assorted cheeses and after the meal ended, both Alex and Taylor retreated to their lay down beds for some sleep or late night movies.
Taylor awoke several hours later and although he had slept for almost five hours, he felt like shit. His head throbbed and he felt stiff and achy. He thought to himself, “Fuck, don’t let me be coming down with something, especially after getting Alex for a traveling partner.” He popped a few Aleve and hoped he’d feel better soon.
Two hours later he was up again and his throat was sore and he had started to get a slight cough. “Fuck me”, he thought. By the time the flight crew was serving breakfast he was feeling a little better and he had a nice conversation with Alex while trying not to cough all over her. He could feel that he was catching something and they still had almost 7 hours left on this long 18- hour flight. He tried to catch some more sleep but woke up coughing but finally managed to get control of it and was able to spend some talk time with Alex. They were both staying at the same hotel in KL and he hoped he’d be feeling better soon so that he could spend some quality time with Alex when he wasn’t working on his case.
The Airbus A-380, like all modern day airplanes circulates the cabin air continually while the plane is in flight, and so, even though the air is partially filtered and remixed with fresh air during the flight, some of the germs and microbes still manage to survive and are distributed throughout the cabin. The longer the flight, the more chance that these microbes will eventually reach a passenger and later cause some sort of sickness. The microbes from Agent Taylor’s cough would circulate throughout the Airbus during it’s 18 hours of flight time and by the time the plane landed in Seoul, Korea, over half the 525 passengers that it carried would become infected with the super virus. Many would not begin to feel the symptoms of the virus for several days and several, like Agent Taylor and his traveling companion, would connect to onward flights in Seoul and infect passengers on these flights. The virus would travel like a row of dominoes, once the first domino fell, the others would follow.
By the time Agent Taylor reached Seoul he was beginning to feel a little better and hoped that whatever he was getting had miraculously passed. He and Alex connected with a Korean Airlines flight to KL, flight time approximately 7 hours. Taylor again began to feel achy and the cough returned. Microbes were again spreading throughout the plane and additional people would become exposed to the deadly virus. By the time the plane reached KL, Taylor wasn’t sure he had the strength to make it to the hotel but he discounted his condition to the flu and the long flight. He thought a day or two of rest would have him back to normal. He caught Alex at the baggage pickup and said that he thought he was coming down with something but would connect with her later when he felt better. Alex said it must be from breathing all the recycled air as she too was starting to get a sore throat.
Taylor got checked into a Deluxe Room at the Marriott and decided that a day or two of bed rest would get him back on his feet. He called the Embassy and said he was a bit under the weather but would connect with the investigative team in a day or two. The Legal Attache told Taylor to “get well” and he would check in with him in a day or two. Taylor drifted off into a deep sleep and finally awoke twelve hours later, still feeling bad, in fact maybe worse than when he went to bed. He decided a hot shower might help things and he was shocked to see dark black and blue spots on several parts of his body when he got undressed. He panicked and thought he better get some medical attention immediately and so he called the Legatt at the Embassy and asked if he could see their doctor immediately. A car was dispatched and by the time Taylor reached the Embassy some of the dark spots had begun to swell to the point that pus, or was it blood, was starting to ooze from his body. When the Embassy doctor first saw Taylor the only thing he could think of was the plague, but how Taylor could have contracted this deadly disease was beyond him. He called the local hospital and explained the situation and Taylor was transported to an isolation section of the hospital, which had been constructed and reserved for persons exhibiting symptoms of the Avian influenza, or Bird Flu. The doctor had never seen a skin eruption on a person even close to what Taylor was now displaying. The local doctors quickly discounted the Avian Flu and several other possible infections and finally agreed with the Embassy doctor that it had to be some form of the plague. Taylor was started on a series of antibiotics and saline drips in order to try to stop the progression of the disease. Blood samples were taken for analysis and it would be several hours before the startling results were received back.
Taylor had long since lost conscientious, but several hours later, he came to and felt a strong urge to strike out at someone. A nurse entered the room and while she was taking his temperature, Taylor suddenly grabbed her and as he pulled her toward the bed began to bite into her arm and rip a piece of flesh from it. He sat there in bed with blood running down his face and thought to himself that, “Whatever he was eating really tasted good.” He lunged at the nurse again but her loud screams alerted the staff and nearby security, who responded in force. Taylor by now had managed to get out of bed and actually felt a newfound strength. He charged the now bleeding nurse and again grabbed her. This time he bit long and hard into her neck and severed her carotid artery causing almost instant death. When the security officer entered the room and saw what was happening he immediately drew his weapon and shot Taylor dead. The doctors quickly converged on the room, which was immediately isolated, and tried to rationalize what had just taken place. As they examined the room, the nurse and Taylor, they were again startled when Taylor suddenly opened his eyes and began to stand. Both the doctors and security personnel knew this couldn’t be happening, as it appeared that Taylor had been shot right through his heart. Nonetheless, he was now starting to stand again while making a sort of growling sound. He was almost standing upright when a security officer shot him again, this time through his head. That seemed to do the job as Taylor immediately sank to the floor. Everyone stood there in complete amazement.
Back at the JW Marriott, Alex was beginning to feel poorly and had developed a cough similar to her traveling companion.
Halfway around the world in North Carolina, Harold Strauss was also not feeling his best and besides a nagging cough he had recently developed, he now had some small eruptions coming up on his arms, legs and neck. He wondered if this was the result of the vapor that had escaped from the canister brought up from the U-756. He tried to contact Agent Taylor but only got his voice mail, which stated that he would be out of the office for the next several days.
The telephone rang in the Office of the FBI Resident Agent at the Federal Building in Wilmington, NC. A message played back to the caller advising him that Special Agent Taylor was not available and that they should leave a message. The box that Taylor had placed in the safe room appeared normal, however, a slight vapor had begun to escape from a canister. The vapor rose in the room and would have dissipated shortly, however, the building’s air conditioning suddenly kicked on and the vapor was transported into the AC duct and sent throughout the Federal Building, where several employees worked Friday afternoon before a long weekend.
Meanwhile, the FBI Legatt at the American Embassy in KL telephoned his headquarters in Washington, D.C. and conveyed the course of events as best that he could reconstruct them. FBI Headquarters would in turn notify the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, and request their assistance on behalf of the Government of Malaysia.
Harold Strauss awoke early in the morning and his condition had not improved despite taking his usual cough medicines the night before. His throat was sore, he had a nagging cough and when he climbed out of bed he saw that he had black and blue sores starting to erupt on his arms. Later in the day when he took a shower he saw that his entire body was beginning to get the same sores as his arms. He knew this was no normal illness and his mind flashed back to the other day in his office when the mysterious canister dispersed its vapor into the room. What could have been in that vial? What he did know was that he better get to the hospital, as whatever this was, it wasn’t anything good. He quickly dressed and drove to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center where he decided to forego the normal appointment route and go directly to the Emergency Entrance. Once the nurse saw him she immediately contacted the duty physician, who decided this could be something contagious and had Strauss placed in an isolation room. A quick examination by the admitting doctor revealed swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, and black and blue bruises over the entire body, some of which appeared to be oozing fluids of some sort. The doctor’s initial prognosis was the plague, as just yesterday a young girl out west had been diagnosed with the plague after an infected flea bit her. He contained the room and all personnel entering the room were required to wear special suits and masks to prevent being contaminated. He also decided to call the CDC, as notification of such cases was required by all hospitals. Just as in the case of Special Agent Taylor, the hospital began a series of antibiotics and saline drips to help reduce the infection. Strauss was scared and still didn’t feel very good despite the care he was receiving. As the day wore on he began to feel irritated and strange thoughts swept through his mind. He thought he was being held captive and that he had to escape his confines. When all hospital personnel had vacated the room, Strauss pulled out the IV lines and made a dash for freedom. Dressed only in a hospital gown he raced down the hall and actually felt a quick surge of energy. Halfway down the hall a nurse spotted him and shouted for him to stop. Strauss continued his dash for freedom and finally a security officer confronted him and said he had to return to his room. Strauss lunged for the officer and before he knew what his mind was registering, he grabbed the officer and bit him in the face, ripping his nose off in one bite. The officer screamed in pain and Strauss continued his run for freedom. A nurse appeared in the hall and Strauss stopped and eyed the pretty woman before he grabbed her and bit hard and deep in her throat, ripping a large chunk of fresh and bone from her. The nurse sank to the floor and Strauss stopped and decided to feast for a moment. He knelt and began to bite and chew pieces of the young nurse who had since passed out. Meanwhile the hospital’s security personnel had been alerted and were responding to the area in force. When they arrived they saw Strauss still kneeling and eating the young nurse. They shouted for him to stop but he merely smiled and suddenly stood and made a lunge for the nearest security officer. The officer wasn’t expecting this and so was caught off guard. He tried to fight off Strauss; however, Strauss felt renewed strength and began to bite the officer on the arms and face. Finally, one of the other officers withdrew his 9mm pistol and fired at Strauss hitting him three times in the chest. Strauss sunk to the floor while the security officer lay on the floor bleeding and screaming in pain. The hospital staff quickly attended to him while others tried to revive the injured nurse and security officer but it was determined that she was beyond help. For the moment everyone ignored Strauss since they were sure that he had been killed by the three shots to his chest. Five minutes passed while staff attended the wounded when suddenly Strauss appeared to be rejuvenated and slowly began to stand up and turn to the attending hospital staff. He moved slowly toward them when finally a security officer unleashed three more shots to his chest, which appeared to have no effect on Strauss. He finally fired three more shots to Strauss’ head, which brought him down instantly. Everyone stood in amazement and thought they were watching some horror movie where the zombies take over the world and start killing people. The original attending physician called the CDC back and said that they better get some people up to Wilmington immediately as something they couldn’t explain had just happened.
Howard Mathews, a chemical/biological specialist and the day’s duty officer, received the call to the CDC. When he heard the chain of events that had taken place in Wilmington his mind flashed back several months to similar events that had occurred in upstate New York. He had been part of the first responders to New York and, after several weeks of investigation, it was determined that the virus used by ISIS terrorists had been developed by the Germans toward the end of World War II. This information remained highly classified and the actual cause of the virus was never made public. From what he had just heard it seemed like the super virus had reoccurred, with one major exception, people didn’t come back to life after they were shot in New York. The only explanation he could think of was that the virus had somehow mutated and was different from the New York strain. He also knew that only a few days before the CDC had been contacted by a hospital and the American Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, reporting a very similar incident. He knew this was not good, as it would appear that the virus had somehow crossed the ocean to other parts of the world. He immediately contacted his supervisor who instructed him to activate the CDC’s Global Rapid Response Teams and get them moving ASAP to both Wilmington and Malaysia.