Extinction Level Event (12 page)

After sleeping through the entire flight McCarthy is
jolted out of a dreamy sleep by the captain’s landing announcement.
The captain manages to make a relatively smooth landing into
Washington Dulles airport, leaving McCarthy with the other
passengers at the terminal in the middle of the dark night. While
the passengers disembark in a slow disorganized bunch, McCarthy
rushes through the terminal to baggage claim. After taking his bags
he hails a taxi and is soon at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel.
Since the Recall Committee meeting is at 1:00pm, McCarthy decides
to continue his nap until 9:30am. After the second nap of the
–extended day- McCarthy wakes up, showers, dresses, picks up his
business folder with the USDA analysis and conclusions and heads
towards the EPA headquarters building on 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Even though it is only a quick three block walk -
perfect
!,
the streets are still full of the various government employees,
congressional aides, analysts, executives, administrative staffers,
waiters, cooks, bouncers, bodyguards, and lobbyists who work in the
District of Columbia. The street resonates with political authority
and a sense of direction as McCarthy strolls down the last block to
the EPA building. Finally reaching the massive stone masonry of the
headquarters, McCarthy walks up the stairwell and into the main
hall.

After passing through a brief security checkpoint
McCarthy asks for directions to the conference room. The guard sees
him off to the conference room, where a technician turns on the
lectern and gives McCarthy free reign to do as he likes. McCarthy
takes out his USB which Laurie uploaded with all the files from the
previous two days during the drive from Alameda to Stockton.
McCarthy begins to review the reports from the worm-die out
phenomenon documented within the past few days. The latest
conclusion reports that an agent in MalSanto’s Groundup SuperPower
is responsible for systematically wiping out earthworms on land
sprayed with the herbicide. Peter LaJoy concurs, placing the blame
particularly on isopropylamine salt-Glyphosate. McCarthy still
disagreed with his position, citing that Glyphosate, while toxic,
has been used in previous products without nearly as much
detrimental effect as has the new Groundup SuperPower. He intends
to bring the discrepancy of opinion to the table when the meeting
begins.

He continues reading Laurie’s and Mark’s reports,
along with Phillis’s report which was e-mailed to him yesterday.
No significant traces of isopropylamine found in worm cavities
or extremities.
FSIS concludes that isopropylamine has
nothing to do with the worm die-out, but that the worms died of
internal temperature irregularities, lack of moisture, and
veritable lack of immune system response. . . -what? Lack of immune
system response? –to what?

The last report in the folder is from Gonzalo
Rodriguez, outlining effects that SuperPower may have on local worm
populations and local agriculture. McCarthy is given little more
time to go over the reports as committee members slowly start to
walk into the room to shake his hand before taking a seat at the
conference table. Mike stations himself behind the lectern and
begins putting his papers in order for his presentation. Checking
his watch, it reads 12:53am just as the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency, Janet Sczepanski, walks in. At
12:57am the second Cabinet-level official at the conference,
Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Onassis, who also happens to be
McCarthy’s top boss, steps through the door and takes a seat.

An aide closes the door at 1:03pm, and McCarthy takes
the cue to begin. Seeing that he has his audience’s complete
attention, McCarthy clears his throat. “Ladies and Gentlemen, these
past several days we have seen some rather unusual events unfold in
the state of California. According to the information that we have
currently, we believe that this phenomenon began when Groundup
SuperPower, the latest in the MalSanto Corporation’s line of
Groundupherbicide products, hit the shelves and were bought by
local consumers. Field research led by myself and others has so far
determined that application of the herbicide SuperPower causes the
majority, if not all the earthworms in the affected region to die
out within a matter of hours. The herbicide is designed to kill
unwanted or harmful plants through toxic chemicals but should have
little to no effect on native species in the affected area. This of
course, has not always been the case in the past and there have
been documented cases of herbicides killing native organisms
unintentionally through their application.”

“Research done by the USDA FSIS so far has concluded
that glyphosate nor ispropylamine salt is responsible for causing
the worm die-off. As of this moment, we do not have conclusive
evidence as to the exact source of the toxicant. Over a hundred
sites, as of 8:00am this morning, throughout southern California
have already been identified as having been exposed and have lost
over ninety-five percent of their earthworm populations within a
matter of twenty four hours. Due to the virulent nature of this
toxin many of the teams involved in this phenomenon strongly
recommend that we remove Groundup SuperPower from the market until
the cause of the earthworm die-out can be determined. Earthworms
are overall very important in converting dead organic matter in the
soil to humus, thus contributing to soil fertility. Earthworm
castings are five times richer in nitrogen, seven times richer in
phosphates, and eleven times richer in potash than the top six
inches of average soil. Earthworms also keep the soil structure
open by burrowing tunnels, allowing aeration and drainage to take
place. All these characteristics make the earthworm an essential,
if not invaluable, part of any garden or farm. By allowing this
die-out to persist, many farmers in California and potentially the
entire US may eventually suffer from an acute and severe shortage
of earthworms in their soil, resulting in poor soil quality and
subsequently poorer produce.”

“The fact is that”- Onassis interrupts McCarthy with
a wave of his hand, “Dr. McCarthy. You stated that this toxin of
yours has a virulent nature? Do you believe that it is caused by a
virus, and not a chemical as you suggest?” McCarthy takes a breath,
before answering his boss, “It is a possibility, sir. Again, we
simply haven’t conducted enough tests yet to make a reasonable
assessment. Most of the research done so far has been on-site with
minimal equipment and time. We do know that so far every area that
has had its worm populations die off was treated with Groundup
SuperPower prior to having the worms die out. Right now all the
evidence would suggest that some miniscule inactive ingredient in
Groundup SuperPower is causing the worm populations to implode.”
“Thank you, Dr. McCarthy. Please continue.” “Farmers who expose
their crops to the element in question will be inviting catastrophe
upon their earthworm populations. It is projected by worm
ecologists that affected farmers will need several weeks to regain
the lost populations in the areas around Bakersfield, California.
This could caused a lower quality of crops to be produced, meaning
lower sales on the markets and subsequently lower income for the
farmers involved.”

“In conclusion, it is the opinion of the USDA
research team at FSIS and LA that the herbicide Groundup SuperPower
be immediately recalled and its products removed from markets until
a full inspection can be facilitated and their safety can be fully
realized.” McCarthy waited for a moment before the directors and
agency chief broke the silence and started to debate amongst
themselves what the next course of action should do. McCarthy
silently hoped that they would heed his recommendation and those of
the research teams, but he also realized that some of the people
present at the committee meeting had many ties to companies such as
MalSanto and Dupont and would be reluctant to take actions that
would put those companies’ products in jeopardy. Mike takes the
opportunity to take a seat at the end of the conference table and
sip a glass of water. Sczepanski catches Mike’s eye and asks him,
“Dr. McCarthy, how badly do you think Groundup SuperPower can
damage farmers across the country in one week?” “Mrs. Sczepanski, I
can’t say for sure.” Smiling at the evasion, she interrupts him.
“Dr. McCarthy, you are used to working with farm-related chemicals
and procedures. Give it an estimate.” “Taking into account the
damage this toxin has done in 2 days, coupled with the number of
farms already affected, I would say that we could potentially be
looking at billions of dollars in damage if it remains in farmers’
hands for over two week. Who knows how many sites and how many
earthworm populations will be lost. We may be able to see thousands
of farms needing months to recover.” “Thank you Dr. McCarthy”, she
replies as she turns away to speak with the other committee
members. The rest of the committee is bogged down in intense debate
between the members, some arguing for immediate recall while others
are in favor of waiting for more research before taking any
action.

Finally after two minutes of increasingly loud
debate, Onassis slams his hand down on the conference table
bringing the discussion to a sudden, deafening halt. The room
quiets down immediately. “We are going to be issuing a recall of
product number AG765892. Groundup SuperPower is to be recalled from
the market effective immediately and an investigation will commence
regarding MalSanto Corporation’s research and development of this
product. That is all, ladies and gentlemen.” A stunned silence
ensues in the room, only to be broken by a committee member getting
up and leaving the room. The rest of the committee start to leave
their seats and trickle out of the room as well, while McCarthy
smiles inwardly to himself as he places his speech papers back into
his briefcase. Onassis’ aide is furiously typing on her Netbook as
Onassis gathers his notes. McCarthy nods to Onassis as he gathers
his briefcase and heads to the exit. “McCarthy, a moment.” McCarthy
stops, spins and approaches his boss of bosses. “Good speech. You’d
make an decent addition here if you’d work in Washington.” Not
knowing how to respond, McCarthy replies with the obvious. “Thank
you, sir. I don’t know what to say.” “Say nothing, then. I know
that you’re interested in returning to California, but you’ve got
one last assignment here and then I promise you’re going back.”
“What is that, sir?” “You’re coming with me and my team to look
over MalSanto’s research and development of SuperPower. They better
have a good explanation for this barely-averted fiasco.” McCarthy
sensed that he was in a unbreakable glass box, but he tried to
break it anyway. “Sir, I don’t know, my ticket says a return this
afternoon,” “A return to work!”, exclaims Onassis jovially, patting
McCarthy on the shoulder in a stereotypical boss-to-employee
manner. “It’s no big deal. You were there, you know this better
than any of us here. You’re going.”

Having nothing else to say, McCarthy reluctantly
offers a “Thank you, sir”, as he shakes Onassis’s hand and leaves
the room. “We will be meeting in the Main Hall in one hour”, calls
out Onassis to the departing McCarthy who is already halfway out
the door. McCarthy uses the restrooms and heads to the bottom floor
Main Hall where a clerk gestured for him to come over. After
leading McCarthy through a side hallway they enter a large room
full of cubicles, computers, and assorted equipment. The Clerk
types something on one computer and prints several sheets of paper.
He then turns to McCarthy and hands him yet another set of airline
tickets.
Darn, just what I need today. More plane trips.

Trying not to let his body’s weariness and
disappointment show on his face, McCarthy gives the clerk a smile
as he takes the documents. On the paper ticket it reads: United
Airlines Flight 709- Washington IAD–St. Louis STL. Behind the first
ticket was an item that gave McCarthy a smile- another ticket for
Saturday with the destination being San Francisco, California!
I’m only going to stay in St. Louis for two days!
That
might even make this trip more enjoyable!
The only downside is
that Stefanie will have to be called and told that Jake will have
to stay at her house for the weekend.
Hmmm, she’s not going to
like that very much.
Deciding to call his ex-wife from the
airport, McCarthy heads outside the EPA building to find some lunch
to eat. Going through the throngs of the equally-hungry lunchtime
crowd on the street, he finds a Subway using his Iphone. McCarthy
enters, orders an Italian sandwich with no onions and tries to
enjoy the fifteen minutes spent eating it. After wrapping up lunch,
he heads back to the EPA headquarters and sits on one of the
waiting benches. Soon a crowd of a about half a dozen well-dressed
people congregates near him. Figuring that this is the team going
to St. Louis, McCarthy grabs his briefcase and heads over to join
them. In five minutes he is proven correct when Stephen Onassis
joins the group, and a limousine shows up outside. The EPA
leadership and McCarthy pile into the long, black car with tainted
windows as it pulls off the curve taking them on their trip to St.
Louis.

04 PROPAGATION

UN Headquarters, New York

For the past two hours delegates and representatives
had taken the podium and been rattling off their list of
complaints, accusations, and recommendations to the executives of
the World Food Programme. A long line of Ambassadors to the United
Nations had been going over their governments’ critiques of the
World Food Programme in front of the Panel. Speeches varied from
praise to outright claims of racism, from ten minutes to thirty.
Manjak sat through the tiresome tirades and the self-helping praise
mostly because he had nothing better to do. He also realized that
all of the information given at this meeting could be very useful
in the context of understanding Bao’s alleged large corruption
underneath the surface. Feng was naturally situated at the head of
the committee listening to the representatives’ speeches.