'Must be the red wine,' Sheila said with a laugh.
'That might be an important point,' Nancy said. 'If it continues and is not just a random blip on the bell curve and if we can figure out why, it might be useful.'
'Here's the bad news,' Jonathan said, holding up a sheet of paper. ''People with diabetes, hemophilia, cancer, you name it, are dying in record numbers all over the world.'
'It's as if the virus is consciously cleaning the gene pool,' Sheila said.
Jesse carried the pot of chili to the table and told Pitt to move the PC. As he waited to put the food down he asked Jonathan how many research centers he was in touch with around the world the previous day.
'A hundred and six,' Jonathan said.
'And how many today?' Jesse asked.
'Ninety-three,' Jonathan said.
'Wow!' Jesse said, putting down the chili. He headed back to the kitchen for dishes and flatware. 'That's rapid attrition.'
'Well, three of them might still have been okay,' Jonathan said. 'But they were asking too many questions about who we are and where we are so I cut them off.'
'As the saying goes, 'Better to be safe than sorry,' ' Pitt said.
'It's still rapid attrition,' Jesse said.
'What about the man calling himself Dr. M?' Sheila asked. 'Anything from him?'
'A bunch of stuff,' Jonathan said.
'Who's Dr. M?' Jesse asked.
'He was the first to respond to our letter on the Internet,' Cassy explained. 'He responded in the first hour. We think he is in Arizona, but we have no idea where.'
'He's given us a lot of important data,' Nancy said.
'Enough so he's made me a tad suspicious,' Pitt said.
'Come on, everyone,' Jesse said. 'This chili is going to get cold.'
'I'm suspicious of everyone,' Sheila said. She walked over to the table and took her usual seat at the end. 'But if someone is coming up with useful info, I'll take it.'
'As long as contacting him doesn't jeopardize our location,' Pitt said.
'Obviously that's a given,' Sheila said condescendingly. She took the pages from Dr. M that Jonathan held out for her. Holding them in front of herself, she started reading while shoveling chili into her mouth with her free hand. She acted like a high-school student cramming for exams.
Everyone else sat down at the table in a more civilized manner and spread napkins on their laps.
'Jesse, you've outdone yourself,' Cassy said after her first mouthful.
'Compliments are freely accepted,' Jesse said.
They ate for a few minutes in silence until Nancy cleared her throat. 'I hate to bring this up,' she said. 'But we're running out of basic lab supplies. We aren't going to be able to continue working much longer unless we make another run into the city. I know it is dangerous, but I'm afraid we have little choice.'
'No problem,' Jesse said. 'Just make out a list. I'll manage it somehow. It's important that you and Sheila keep working. Besides, we need more food.'
'I'll go too,' Cassy said.
'Not without me you won't,' Pitt said.
'And me too,' Jonathan said.
'You are staying here,' Nancy said to Jonathan.
'Come on, Mom!' Jonathan said. 'I can't be coddled. I'm as much a part of this as anybody else.'
'If you are going, I'm going too,' Nancy said. 'Besides, either I or Sheila should go. We're the only ones who know what we need.'
'Oh my God!' Sheila said suddenly.
'What's the matter?' Cassy demanded.
'This Doc M guy,' Sheila said. 'Yesterday he asked us what we had on the sedimentation rate for that section of DNA which we knew contained the virus.'
'We sent him our estimate, didn't we?' Nancy asked.
'I sent exactly what you gave me,' Jonathan said. 'Even the part about our centrifuge not being able to reach such an RPM.'
'Well, apparently he has access to one that can,' Sheila said.
'Let me see,' Nancy said to Sheila. She took the page and read it. 'My gosh, we're closer to isolating the virus than we thought.'
'Exactly,' Sheila said. 'Isolating the virus is not an antibody or a vaccine, but it is an important step. Maybe the single largest step.'
'What time is it?' Jesse asked.
'Ten-thirty,' Pitt said, holding his watch up to his face to see the dial. It was dark beneath the trees on the bluff overlooking the university campus. Jesse, Pitt, Cassy, Nancy, and Jonathan were sitting in the van. They had arrived a half hour earlier, but Jesse had insisted they wait. He didn't want anyone going into the medical center until the eleven o'clock shift change. He was counting on the general confusion at that time to facilitate getting what they needed and getting it out of there.
'We'll start at ten forty-five,' Jesse said.
From their vantage point they could see that a number of the university asphalt parking lots had been dug up. Lights were strung across some of the open areas created and infected people were busy planting vegetables.
'They certainly are well organized,' Jesse said. 'Look at the way they work together without any conversation.'
'But where are the cars going to park?' Pitt asked.
'That's taking environmentalism to an extreme.'
'Maybe they intend not to have cars,' Cassy said. 'After all, cars are major polluters.'
'They do seem to be cleaning up the city,' Nancy said. 'You have to give them credit for that.'
'They're probably cleaning up the whole planet,' Cassy said. 'In a curious way it's making us look bad. I guess it takes an outsider to appreciate what we've always taken for granted.'
'Stop it,' Jesse said. 'You're starting to sound as if you are on their side.'
'It's almost time,' Pitt said. 'Now here's what I think. Jonathan and I should go into the medical lab in the hospital. I know my way around in there, and Jonathan knows computers. Between the two of us, we'll be able to decide what we need and carry it.'
'I think I should stay with Jonathan,' Nancy said.
'Mom!' Jonathan moaned. 'You have to go to a pharmacy, and you don't need me there. Pitt needs me.'
'It's true,' Pitt said.
'Cassy and I will go with Nancy,' Jesse said. 'We'll use the pharmacy in the supermarket, so while she's getting the drugs she needs, we'll load up on groceries.'
'All right,' Pitt said. 'We'll meet back here in thirty minutes.'
'Better say forty-five,' Jesse said. 'We got a little farther to walk.'
'Okay,' Pitt said. 'It's time. Let's go!'
They climbed out of the van. Nancy gave Jonathan a quick hug. Pitt grabbed Cassy's arm.
'Be careful,' Pitt said.
'You too,' Cassy said.
'Remember, everybody,' Jonathan said. 'Put a big shit-eating grin on your face and hold it. It's what all of them do.'
'Jonathan!' Nancy admonished.
They are about to move off when Cassy grabbed Pitt's arm. When he turned, she gave him a kiss on the lips. Then Cassy ran after Nancy and Jesse while Pitt caught up with Jonathan. They all moved off into the night.
The picture was one of Cassy taken six months previously. It had been shot in an alpinelike meadow with wildflowers forming a natural bed. Cassy was lying down with her thick hair splayed out around her head like a dark halo. She was impishly smiling at the camera.
