ears, Mr. President.”
“Here’s how things stand now … when a human is bitten by one of the forms that we generally refer to as a Spinner, he or she is immediately incapacitated by a viral infection that leaves the victim conscious, but unable to move. At that point the stink spins a cocoon around the individual, who remains conscious throughout. A fate that’s truly worse than death.
“After an excruciating incubation process the person is transformed into a Grim or a Menial, depending on how long the changeling is allowed to mature. At some point the newly formed Chimera bursts out of its pod and begins to serve the hive-mind, or to roam the countryside killing everything in sight in the case of the Grims.
“Now,” Voss said, as his eyes took on additional intensity.“Here’s my announcement. Thanks to a staff of brilliant scientists, and a brave soldier named Nathan Hale, a new vaccine has been developed. Prior to his unfortunate death, Hale was part of a top-secret government program to inoculate our soldiers with the Chimeran virus. And now, using antibodies taken from his blood, we’ve been able to develop a vaccine for use by the
entire
population.
“That means that if a vaccinated human is bitten by a Spinner they
won’t
be incapacitated. In fact they will be able to fight back, much as such a person would if attacked by a dog. So once the population is vaccinated, a major battle will have been won and the stage will be set for a coast-to-coast uprising.”
Truitt was clearly impressed, but a frown came over his face. “That’s wonderful news, Mr. President. My listeners will be thrilled to hear it. But shouldn’t you keep the program secret?”
“There’s risk in making the announcement,” Voss admitted. “But people need to know that the vaccine exists, and what the benefits are, so that they will agree to be inoculated. With that in mind, I think the benefits of releasing the information outweigh the need for security.”
“How effective is the vaccine?”
“It’s 97.6 percent effective,” Voss replied. “I took part in a field test in which people who had been inoculated allowed themselves to be bitten by a captured Spinner. And you’ll notice I’m still here,” Voss said levelly, as he pushed a sleeve up out of the way. “You can see the scar on my arm—and there were witnesses.”
“You’re a brave man,” Truitt observed. “So you have the vaccine, and it’s effective. But how are you going to develop sufficient quantities—and get it to a population that is in hiding?”
“Production was already under way when we attacked the tower in New York,” Voss replied. “And since that time Dr. Malikov has been able to help improve our methodologies. So we have more than a hundred thousand doses on hand.
“But I admit that informing the public about the program and getting the vaccine out to citizens are major undertakings. At this point I suggest that we adjourn to the lab, where you can speak with Dr. Malikov regarding the production process—and Chief of Staff Aklin about distribution.”
Truitt reached in to turn the recorder off. Then he looked Voss in the eye. “You may be the acting President in the legal sense, but insofar as I’m concerned you’re the
real
thing, and I plan to tell my listeners that.”
That was music to Voss’s ears. “Thank you. Is there anything you need before we visit the lab?”
Truitt grinned. “Yes, there is. I want another cinnamon roll. And a vaccination would be nice, too.”
To protect it from falling debris, and to keep potential contaminants out, the lab had a peaked roof, plywood walls, and no windows. Workstations were positioned around three sides of the facility, all of them equipped with microscopes and a variety of lab ware. Most of the facility’s two dozen scientists and technicians were busy carrying out quality control tests, working on ways to increase output, or tending the so-called production line at
“Here’s how things stand now … when a human is bitten by one of the forms that we generally refer to as a Spinner, he or she is immediately incapacitated by a viral infection that leaves the victim conscious, but unable to move. At that point the stink spins a cocoon around the individual, who remains conscious throughout. A fate that’s truly worse than death.
“After an excruciating incubation process the person is transformed into a Grim or a Menial, depending on how long the changeling is allowed to mature. At some point the newly formed Chimera bursts out of its pod and begins to serve the hive-mind, or to roam the countryside killing everything in sight in the case of the Grims.
“Now,” Voss said, as his eyes took on additional intensity.“Here’s my announcement. Thanks to a staff of brilliant scientists, and a brave soldier named Nathan Hale, a new vaccine has been developed. Prior to his unfortunate death, Hale was part of a top-secret government program to inoculate our soldiers with the Chimeran virus. And now, using antibodies taken from his blood, we’ve been able to develop a vaccine for use by the
entire
population.
“That means that if a vaccinated human is bitten by a Spinner they
won’t
be incapacitated. In fact they will be able to fight back, much as such a person would if attacked by a dog. So once the population is vaccinated, a major battle will have been won and the stage will be set for a coast-to-coast uprising.”
Truitt was clearly impressed, but a frown came over his face. “That’s wonderful news, Mr. President. My listeners will be thrilled to hear it. But shouldn’t you keep the program secret?”
“There’s risk in making the announcement,” Voss admitted. “But people need to know that the vaccine exists, and what the benefits are, so that they will agree to be inoculated. With that in mind, I think the benefits of releasing the information outweigh the need for security.”
“How effective is the vaccine?”
“It’s 97.6 percent effective,” Voss replied. “I took part in a field test in which people who had been inoculated allowed themselves to be bitten by a captured Spinner. And you’ll notice I’m still here,” Voss said levelly, as he pushed a sleeve up out of the way. “You can see the scar on my arm—and there were witnesses.”
“You’re a brave man,” Truitt observed. “So you have the vaccine, and it’s effective. But how are you going to develop sufficient quantities—and get it to a population that is in hiding?”
“Production was already under way when we attacked the tower in New York,” Voss replied. “And since that time Dr. Malikov has been able to help improve our methodologies. So we have more than a hundred thousand doses on hand.
“But I admit that informing the public about the program and getting the vaccine out to citizens are major undertakings. At this point I suggest that we adjourn to the lab, where you can speak with Dr. Malikov regarding the production process—and Chief of Staff Aklin about distribution.”
Truitt reached in to turn the recorder off. Then he looked Voss in the eye. “You may be the acting President in the legal sense, but insofar as I’m concerned you’re the
real
thing, and I plan to tell my listeners that.”
That was music to Voss’s ears. “Thank you. Is there anything you need before we visit the lab?”
Truitt grinned. “Yes, there is. I want another cinnamon roll. And a vaccination would be nice, too.”
To protect it from falling debris, and to keep potential contaminants out, the lab had a peaked roof, plywood walls, and no windows. Workstations were positioned around three sides of the facility, all of them equipped with microscopes and a variety of lab ware. Most of the facility’s two dozen scientists and technicians were busy carrying out quality control tests, working on ways to increase output, or tending the so-called production line at
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