The Atlantis Plague(7)
Martin rubbed his temples, then shuffled a few papers. “The plague is different because we’re different. The human genome hasn’t changed much, but our brains operate very differently than they did a hundred years ago. We process information faster, we spend our days reading email, watching TV, devouring information on the internet, glued to our smartphones. We know lifestyle, diet, event stress can affect gene activation, and that has a direct effect on how pathogens influence us. Whoever designed the Atlantis Plague, this moment in our development is exactly what they have been waiting for. It’s like the plague was designed for this moment in time, for the human brain to reach a maturation point where it could be used.”
“Use it for what?”
“That’s the question, Kate. And we don’t know the answer, but we have some clues. As you’ve seen, we know that the Atlantis Plague operates primarily on brain wiring. For a small group of survivors, it seems to strengthen brain wiring. For the remaining survivors, it scrambles it. It kills the rest—apparently those it has no use for. The plague is changing humanity at the genetic level—effectively bioforming us into some desired outcome.”
“Do you know what genes the plague targets?”
“No, but we’re close. Our working theory is that the Atlantis Plague is simply a genetic update that attempts to manipulate The Atlantis Plague. It’s trying to complete the change in brain wiring that started seventy thousand years ago with the introduction of The Atlantis Plague—the first Great Leap Forward. So, we know that the Atlantis Plague manipulates The Atlantis Plague, but there are other… factors. And again, we don’t know what the endgame is. Is it a second Great Leap Forward—forcing us to advance—or is it a great step backward—a large-scale reversal in human evolution?”
Kate tried to digest this. Through the window, a massive fight broke out on the grounds near the closest tower. A line of people scattered and a group rushed the guards. Kate thought it was the same survivors that had been brought in earlier, but she couldn’t tell.
Martin glanced out the window briefly and focused on Kate again. “Riots are common, especially when a new group is brought in.” He held out a hand. “I really do need that sample, Kate.”
Kate scanned the room again—the equipment, the screens, the charts on the wall… “This is your trial, isn’t it? You’re the voice in the room. I’ve been working for you.”
“We all work for somebody—”
“I told you I wanted answers.”
“The answer is yes. This is my trial.”
“Why? Why lie to me?” Kate said, unable to hide the hurt in her voice. “I would have helped you.”
“I know, but you would have had questions. I’ve dreaded this day—telling you the truth, telling you what I’ve done, telling you the state of the world. I wanted to shelter you from it, for… just a bit longer.” Martin looked away from her, and in that moment, he looked so much older.
“Orchid. It’s a lie, isn’t it?”
“No. Orchid is real. It stops the plague, but it only buys us time, and it’s failing. We’re having production problems and people are losing hope.”
“You couldn’t have developed it overnight,” Kate said.
“We didn’t. Orchid was our backup plan—developed by your father, actually. He made us assume that a plague would be unleashed, and forced us to search for a cure in case it ever occurred. We worked on it for decades, but we didn’t make any real progress until we found a cure for HIV.”
“Wait, there’s a cure for HIV?”
“I’ll tell you everything, Kate, I swear it. But I need the sample. And I need you to go back to your room. The SAS team is coming for you tomorrow. They’ll take you to England, to safety.”
“What? I’m not going anywhere. I want to help.”
“And you can. But I need to know that you’re safe.”
“Safe from what?” Kate asked.
“The Immari. There have been rumors that they’ve moved troops into the Mediterranean.”
The radio reports Kate had heard mostly talked of Immari forces being defeated in third-world countries. She hadn’t given much thought to them. “The Immari are a threat?”
“Absolutely. They’ve taken over most of the southern hemisphere.”
“You can’t be serious—”
“I am.” Martin shook his head. “You don’t understand. When the Atlantis Plague hit, over a billion people were infected within twenty-four hours. The governments that didn’t topple overnight declared martial law. Then the Immari started mopping up the world. They offered a novel solution: a society of survivors—but only the rapidly evolving ones, what they call ‘the chosen.’ They started with the southern hemisphere, with high-population nations near Antarctica. They control Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and a dozen others.”