Chapter 1: Conspiracy

Variola

by Judith Espedal

"I asked you here so that Leonard could share some information with you. Anyone not willing to commit to an extremely dangerous proposition should leave now. Once you hear Leonard out you are either with us -- or dead."

The other four young men had the impression that it was already too late to back out without courting death. No one made a move to leave. The white-haired businessman smiled and continued to speak.

The Northend of Central City was an area of brown space, cheap bars, one-hour motels, and exotic bookstores. On chilly nights the homeless gather around barrel fires. Drug deals are transacted in dark alleys. Pimps send underage ladies out to work the bars and street corners. Into this area has come D'Autremont Enterprises to clear out old eyesores and develop a modern industrial park. By August much of the proposed industrial park site had been demolished, creating an area of open space within the urban jungle.

Within this redevelopment area, on Sixth Street, is a warehouse that was sound enough to renovate rather than demolish. Niall Mac Aedh, importer of fine wines, purchased it to store his wines. He hired a couple of men to handle the wines and a night guard to watch the place.

On the Saturday before Labor Day Lord Niall met five members of the radical environmental group called Sons of Gaea in this Central City warehouse. Lord Niall sat on a sturdy chair at a walnut desk. The five visitors sat on plain office chairs.

Except for the thirty plus bespectacled man who called himself Leonard, the visitors were young, not yet out of their twenties. Eric Johanson was a naturalist intern at the Crystal Lake Wildlife Sanctuary. Jimbo MacCoy was a bartender cum bouncer at one of the area's cheap bars. Bearded Greg Brown was unemployed, as was short plump Clyde Barrow. The young men wore faded jeans and tee shirts bearing angry environmental messages. The owner of the warehouse, a slender middle-aged man who wore his long white hair in a ponytail, wore an expensive suit, royal blue shirt, and a pale blue tie with a black dragon on it. His startlingly green eyes regarded the five Sons of Gaea members with an intensity that sent shivers down their spines. His soft voice was somehow menacing.

"Eric and I have been discussing this planet's ecological and environmental problems. We've come to the conclusion the only way to save this world's ecology is to drastically reduce the human population - to give Mother Earth a chance to recover from the pollution and wildlife destruction. I am told you all have come to similar conclusions."

There was a nodding of heads and a murmuring among the Sons of Gaea members.

"We've discussed the idea of a biological attack to reduce the human population," Jimbo admitted.

"What if I told you we have the means at our disposal for a biological attack that could accomplish that aim?"

"Are you crazy? What do we have that could do that?" Clyde demanded.

"Leonard, please explain," Niall Mac Aedh said, turning the meeting over to the thirty plus member of the group.

Leonard spoke in a soft monotone. With his bookish looks he looked like he should be lecturing in a college classroom, not planning a terrorist attack on the whole human race.

"Until recently I worked in a very secret government biotech lab that specialized in the engineering of biological weapons. They developed a genetically altered strain of Variola - that is the smallpox virus -- that has the potential of unleashing a nightmare plague.

“Don't suppose you know much about smallpox. None of you has ever seen a case. Only humans get it. No animals are affected by it. The common smallpox virus has an incubation period of 12 to 14 days, then lasts for about three weeks in those who survive. Thirty percent of those who get it die, and the survivors are left scared for life. It's not contagious until the rash appears but stays contagious until the last scab falls off. Once you get it there is no cure, but good hospital care will increase your chances of survival. Since 9/11 they've been again producing the vaccine. As a terrorist weapon common smallpox might make a statement but would not reduce the human population enough for our purposes.

"There is a more severe form of smallpox called hemorrhagic smallpox. It is almost always fatal once contracted. It is spread easily through the air and is resistant to the vaccine. It was this form of smallpox our great government started with to develop a bio-weapon. What they ended up with was a GMO form of variola that has a two to four day incubation period, is not affected by current vaccines and is nearly 100% fatal. Victims die horribly. Their connective tissues break down leading to seizures, high fever, and rapid death. The few who survive long enough do develop the telltale smallpox rash but few live that long, making it harder to diagnose. Before I left that biotech company I smuggled a small vial of that virus out of the lab. All I need is a deep culture vessel with bio-hazard protections, an isolated lab, and a few people to let out the virus once it is grown. We could start a world-wide epidemic. And Mr. Mac Aedh has expressed a willingness to provide us with the facilities to do this."

The other members of the Sons of Gaea stared at the soft spoken man in silence. Finally Greg spoke.

"Won't such a lethal virus destroy us all?"

"I will provide you with a safe haven to ride out the epidemic," Lord Niall assured Greg. "If the six of us release the virus in six major cities simultaneously, it still has to spread from there. During the incubation period we could release it in six, maybe twelve more cities. Once they realize what they are dealing with there will be panic, but also efforts to isolate and quarantine affected areas. And I 'm sure the military has a vaccine. They will manufacture more for the rich and powerful at least. Some people will survive. But our polluting high-tech society will have been dealt a fatal blow and the population pressures on the environment will be gone. And no animals will suffer as a result of this plague.

"I can set you up with a biotech lab here in my warehouse. I will provide the latest in biohazard material handling equipment and a device for spreading the disease without endangering ourselves. Once the attack's been launched I can provide you with an isolated haven."

'I could do that, it is true. Anyplace in Faerie could be set up as a safe haven. But there is only one human I would bring to such a place and she is an innocent teenager. No way will I use Faerie to save you fanatics - so willing to betray your own kind.'

Lord Niall could not imagine even the most unseelie of elves trying to destroy all of their own kind. But many of the Sidhe would breathe a sigh of relief if the vicious xenophobic humans were wiped out altogether. The others just weren't willing to act on that thought.

An early morning thunderstorm followed by dreary rain ruined most outdoor Labor Day plans. The rain continued all night and into Tuesday morning, the first day of Tanya Swift's senior year at Crystal City High. Her mother got up at some ridiculous hour to drive her father to the airport for yet another business trip, so Tanya made do with a breakfast of cold cereal, bananas, and peanut butter on toast. Her mother returned from the airport in time to insist that Tanya dress in conservative mother-approved clothes, which consisted of a dark blue skirt and a pale blue blouse. That and the dreary rain did nothing to improve Tanya's first day of school mood as she awaited her ride.

"Other girls wear jeans and tee shirts to school. I don't see why I couldn't."

She was relieved, however, that her mother had ignored her nose ring and the four pairs of earrings that climbed her earlobes.

Loretta Swift had long since given up on doing anything about Tanya's gold spiked hair or the snake tattoos that climbed up her slender arms.

"You are not other girls. You are my daughter and you will wear proper skirts or slacks to school. No jeans. No provocative tee shirts. No arguments."

"I hope the Dananns can make it across Willow Creek to pick me up. The radio said there's flooding everywhere," Tanya said.

"It's bad but they'll make it OK. Coran has that four wheel drive truck. I sometimes worry they are doing too much for you, but today I'm glad they offered to take you to school."

"It is silly for me not to ride with them when Connla is a student there and his brother is a teacher. I'm taking Driver's Ed this semester so soon I'll have my license. You guys could get me my own car."

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that."

In spite of the dramatic progress Tanya had made under Coran Danann's counseling, Loretta Swift was nervous about the idea of getting a car for her daughter, who had a history of serious emotional problems.

The front doorbell chimed. Tanya swallowed a last gulp of orange juice, checked one more time to make sure her pets -- a rosy boa, an iguana, and several turtles --- were OK, then grabbed her notebook and an umbrella. By the time she returned to the kitchen Loretta was chatting with her science teacher and counselor, Coran Danann, and his younger brother, Connla.

Both of the Danann brothers had brilliant green eyes and long red-gold hair tied back into demure pony tails. Except for the long hair they were conservatively dressed in dark tan slacks and tan knit shirts that had the Danann unicorn and gryphon crest over the pockets. They held dripping umbrellas over their arms.

To Loretta they were attractive young men, Coran in his late twenties, Connla a teenager the same age as her daughter. Tanya's “Faerie sight” eyes saw two inhuman but beautiful Sidhe, with exotic cat eyes and pointed ears.

"It's really bad out there, Tanya. Flooding everywhere. I hear North Riverroad is impassable due to the river flooding its banks", Coran said as they prepared to go outside.

"Do be careful, Coran," Loretta said.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Swift. My truck can handle it. I'll get Tanya and my brother to school safely," Coran replied as they left the cozy house to brave the downpour.

"My mother is a bit over protective."

"Just means she loves you," her counselor replied.

Even with Faerie magic and a 4 by 4 truck driving was treacherous. There were pools of water that might be 1/2 inch or one foot deep. Twice Coran had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting a car that spun out of control ahead of them. Tanya spent the ride chatting with Connla who had been forced to ride in the cramped back seat.

"Tomorrow you can sit here, Tanya," he complained. "Your legs are shorter than mine. You'll be less cramped than me."

"It was your brother who insisted I sit up front," Tanya said.

"That's cause you're the gues,t" Coran said as he again hit his brakes.

There was an accident, complete with the flashing lights of a sheriff's cruiser, up ahead.

Tanya held up her right hand with its elf-silver ring bearing the Danann crest.

"I'm not a guest anymore. I'm almost family."

Coran who was inching his way past the accident laughed and chimes sounded.

"Since you're almost family you can sit in back tomorrow," Connla said. "So --- What's your schedule like this year?"

"Crowded. French III in the morning -- Creative Writing third period. Fun but a lot of work they say. ---"

"I'm in that creative writing class too. And we're both in big bro's Advanced Biology class. We'll have two classes together."

"Great. We can help each other with our homework. I've also got Pre-calculus, Driver's Ed, and chorus, cause I need an arts credit to graduate and I can't draw worth a darn. Then there's volunteer work at the wildlife center every Tuesday after school and counseling with your brother on Thursdays. -- don't think I'll have time to get into trouble this year."

"Good!" Coran said as he accelerated, having finally negotiated the mess around the accident. "The last thing we need is for you to get yourself into trouble this year."

Tanya was officially under the protection of the Danann family. If she got herself into trouble they'd feel obligated to help get her out of it.

The first day of school was not as bad as Tanya had anticipated. There was the confusion of finding classrooms and negotiating crowded hallways but she was used to that. Her classes seemed like they might be fun even if a lot of work.

At lunch time Tanya saw that the only vegetarian item on the menu was macaroni and cheese. The cafeteria's macaroni and cheese was nothing to write home about. She sighed, bought a serving of the macaroni, some limp green beans, and a cola, then looked for a place to eat in the crowded cafeteria.

"Don't even think about it, Snake-girl," a cheerleader said when she approached an empty seat at a table full of cheerleaders and jocks.

Tanya didn't want to sit near the snob crowd but she had to sit somewhere.

"Over here. I saved a place for you, Tanya."

Tanya looked to where Connla was eating his usual hearty lunch. As she made her way to his table eyes followed her. Even though Connla was a computer geek, his athletic good looks, easy charm, and the fact that he had long ago beat up every bully who had ever tried to hassle him had earned the teenager a slot among the school's in-crowd. Tanya was aware that the new friendship between the popular Connla and the school's candidate for "weirdest student of the year" would set kids to gossiping big time. Most of the gossip would not be true but Tanya was enjoying the chance to initiate it.

'Maybe this school year won't be so bad after all.'

Reviews

[Barbara Tennyson]

"Are you crazy? What do we have that could do that?", Clyde demanded. --the comma after the closing quotation marks should be omitted: the question mark is punctuation enough.

"Leonard, please explain", Niall Mac Aedh said -- here, the comma goes within the quotation marks.
Lynne Truss has written an amusing book titled _Eats Shoots and Leaves_ which every author should have.

If, in your writing program, you could manipulate the line spacing of the text for a little more separation, the appearance would be more inviting. 'Spacing' is usually under 'formatting'.