Invasion

"That's what we believe," Sheila said, "provided our initial impressions are correct. The virus's potential to express itself is in our genomes, sort of like an oncogene has the power to express itself as a cancer. We already know that bits and pieces of regular viruses are nestled into our DNA. This just happens to be a humongus piece."

For a few minutes the room was dominated by an awed silence. Pitt took a potato chip. His chewing sounds seemed abnormally loud. He glanced at the others when he became aware they were staring at him. "Sorry," he said.

"I have a feeling that these so called mega-viruses are not content just to take over," Cassy said suddenly. "I'm afraid they have the power to cause organisms to mutate."

All eyes turned to Cassy.

"How do you know that?" Sheila asked.

"Because I went to see my fiancé, Beau Stark, today," Cassy admitted.

"I hardly think that was wise," Sheila said angrily.

"I had to," Cassy said. "I had to try to talk to him and get him to come back and be examined."

"Did you tell him about us?" Sheila demanded.

Cassy shook her head. Thinking about her visit, she fought against tears.

Pitt got out of his chair and sat on the arm of Cassy's. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"What made you think about mutation?" Nancy asked. "Do you mean somatic mutation, like his body changing?"

"Yes," Cassy said. She reached up and took hold of Pitt's hand. "The skin behind his ear has changed. It's not human skin. It's like something I've never felt."

This new revelation brought another period of silence. Now the threat seemed even greater. There was a monster lurking in everyone.

"We have to try to do something about this," Jesse said. "We have to do it now!"

"I agree," Sheila said. "We don't have a lot of data but we have some."

"We've got the protein," Nancy said. "Even if we don't know much about it yet."

"And we have the discs with the preliminary analysis of their composition," Eugene added.

"The only problem is we don't know who is infected and who isn't," Sheila said.

"We'll have to take that chance," Cassy said.

Nancy agreed. "We don't have any choice. Let's put all our data together in a more or less formal report. I want to have something in hand. A good place to do it is in my office at Serotec. We won't be bothered, and we'll have access to word processing, printers, and copiers. What do you all say?"

"I say time's a'wasting," Jesse remarked and got up from the couch.

Eugene put the Tupperware container with the two black discs into a knapsack that also contained printouts of the various tests he'd run. He slung it over his shoulder and followed the others outside.

Everybody squeezed into the Sellerses' minivan. Nancy drove. As they pulled away from the curb, Jonathan looked out the back window. A few of the many pedestrians were watching them but most ignored them.

Within an hour the entire group was hard at work. They divided the task up according to abilities. Cassy and Pitt were busy typing on computer terminals with Jonathan's technical assistance. Nancy and Eugene were making copies of their test results. Sheila was collating the patients' charts of hundreds of flu cases. Jesse was on the telephone.

"I think you should be the one to speak," Nancy told Sheila. "You're the medical doctor."

"No doubt about it," Eugene said. "You'll be much more convincing. We can back you up by providing details as needed."

"That's a lot of responsibility," Sheila said.

Jesse hung up the phone. "There's a red-eye to Atlanta that leaves in an hour and ten minutes. I booked three seats. I assumed that just Sheila, Nancy, and Eugene were going."

Nancy looked over at Jonathan. ' 'Maybe Eugene or I should stay here," she said.

"Mom!" Jonathan whined. "I'll be fine."

"I think it is important that both you people come," Sheila said. "You're the ones who have done the tests."

"Jonathan can stay with us," Cassy said.

Jonathan's face brightened.

Several cars pulled up to the front of the Serotec building. Pedestrians stopped their wanderings and walked over. They helped open the doors. From the first car emerged Captain Hernandez. His driver got out on the other side. It was Vince Garbon. From the car behind emerged plainclothes officers as well as Candee and her parents.

The pedestrians stood in front of the captain and pointed up to the lights in the fourth-floor windows. They told the captain that all the "unchanged" were up there. The captain nodded, then waved to the others to follow him. En masse they entered the building.

Cassy had finished her typing and was waiting by the printer as it spewed out the pages. Jonathan moved over so he was standing next to her.

"I still don't understand why Atlanta," Jonathan said. "Why not just go to the health authorities here?"

"Because we don't know whose side the local health people are on," Gassy said. "The problem is here in this city, and we can't risk spilling all we know to somebody who might be one of them."

"But how do you know it's not happening in Atlanta?" Jonathan asked.