The Fungus

“Bit risky, isn’t it?” Wilson asked him. “All you need is for one mutated cell to get out and you’ll have brought the plague here as well.”

“Those people you see in there are all volunteers. They never come out. They have a separate living area sealed off from the lab but the whole complex is cut off from the outside world. Nothing comes out of there. Air is recycled, waste products are stored. not a single molecule of anything gets out of there.”

“Still risky, though. What if there’s an accident? A faulty seal? Or someone just makes a stupid human error?”

“We have to take that risk, Dr. Wilson,” said Hehnan. “The only labs where research is being carried out on actual samples of the fungus are all located in this country. No one yet wants to take the chance of importing samples into other countries, for the very reasons you’ve just listed.”

“You still haven’t isolated the cause of the plague?”

“No. But thanks to you we’re now following up a new line of attack.”

Wilson frowned. “Me?”

“Your information about the enzymes. It was passed on to us from Belfast. And to every other lab working on the problem. I’ve no doubt one of us will crack it sooner or later, but “later” is something we just can’t afford. That’s why it’s vital you get your hands on the precise chemical breakdown of the agent.”

“You don’t have to remind me,” said Wilson brusquely. If one more person told him the fate of mankind rested on his shoulders he’d go berserk.

“Has any progress been made in finding ways of killing the stuff?” he asked.

“Oh, killing the fungi is easy,” said Helman. “It’s stopping it from spreading that’s the problem. The army and air force have been dumping all kinds of things on the infected areas — everything from napalm to Agent Orange — and have had a lot of success, but only temporarily.

“When it was clear that London was a write-off they created a mile-wide barrier right around the city. Everything in that zone was razed, burned and sprayed with poison. Planes and helicopters continually sprayed more poison over the area but still the fungi got out.”

“How far has it spread now?” asked Slocock.

“It’s covering most of southern England. It’s reached the coast from Southend all way round to Torquay. Cornwall and parts of Devon are still uninfected but probably not for much longer. Northward it’s as far as Warwick. It’s moving on a curved front that stretches from southern Wales through Hereford and Worcester, Warwick, Northampton, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.

“But there are other, smaller, areas of infection further north. In Derby, Yorkshire. there’s even one in Scotland.”

They were all silent for a time. Then Kimberley said, “What success have you had in treating victims of the fungus?”

“Practically none,” admitted Helman. “Come, I’ll show you.”

He led them into a different room. There the observation panel looked in on a section of the laboratory that contained a number of cages. Things were moving in the cages but Wilson couldn’t tell what they were. They appeared to be shapeless, fuzzy blobs. One of them was simply a cluster of spherical white toadstools that staggered blindly about the cage.

“What are they?” he asked.

“Cats.”

“I wish you hadn’t told me that.”

“Each one is infected with a different species of fungi. We’ve tried everything but we can’t kill the fungus without killing the host.”

“What about radiation?” asked Kimberley.

“Yes.” Helman nodded his chubby face. “We have had some good results with that, but the level of radiation needed to kill all of the deep-rooted hyphal strands is inevitably fatal for the host. And even if you could find a safe way of killing the fungi, the infestation leaves the host in a pretty ravaged state. Large sections of skin eaten away, serious damage to the internal organs from the penetrating hyphae, and so on.

“It’s only really in the area of prevention that we’ve had any real success. Megacrine is our star performer.”

He took them into another section. Through the thick glass they saw a middle-aged man wearing jeans and t-shirt, lying on a bed reading. “He’s been exposed to fungi infection for several days but so far there’s been no sign of it in his body,” said Helman.

“He doesn’t look too hot,” observed Slocock sourly.

“Apart from the side effects of the drug he’s also dying of a tumor in the brain. That’s why he volunteered for this.”

“I understand you lost two of your four volunteers who took the drug,” said Wilson.

“Uhhh, yes, but that was before we realized that individual tolerances to it varied greatly. I’m confident we can treat each of you without endangering your lives. However, the side-effects. “ he paused and looked inquiringly at Kimberley.

“I’ve told them it won’t be pleasant,” said Kimberley.

“Well, I suppose we’d better get on with it then,” said Helman apologetically.

“How about a bite to eat first?” asked Slocock. “I’m bloody starving.”

Helman looked uncomfortable. “I don’t think food would be a good idea,” he said.