Chapter 2: Volume 1. Chapter 2. Alicia Dunn

December 23^rd, 2046

     Alicia checked that the biosynthesizer from Udo was on its way to the UK. It was safely tucked away on a cargo ship, taking some stress off. She hadn’t heard from Udo since he ended the interview on Thursday. She was on her way to the lab to check her biosynths and their progress on the microplastics. She grabbed a coffee at the nearly empty coffee shop before heading to the lab. The only people still on campus were the poor undergraduates who had an exam on the last day before break.

     She flicked open the office door, backing into it to force it open, and heard shuffling behind her. She turned around to see Xander fiddling with the coffee pot. “If I knew we were both going to be here, I wouldn’t have grabbed this,” she said, holding up her coffee and shooting him a friendly smile.

     Xander jumped with fright, and his vial of biosynths broke open in his hand. “Alicia…... what’s up? Why are you here?” He was soaping and washing his hand profusely.

     “Just checking on my little guys before I head home for the holidays. Is that going to be okay?”

     “Yeah, no big deal. I was too cheap to buy a coffee.” Xander said as he indicated at the coffee pot. Xander continued to rub at his hand.

     “You sure you’re okay?” Alicia asked.

     “Yeah, you just scared me. Since I’m making it, do you want one?”

     “No, this one should be fine.” Alicia set her coffee down on her desk, flicked her way into the lab, and started checking on her biosynths. She was finishing up her checks when her phone started vibrating.

     ‘Hey, honey. Your dad and I got here early. We’re at the coffee shop on the first floor,’ read Cathy Dunn’s text. Alicia decided everything looked good before Christmas and tore out of the lab.

     Xander was in the office, “Hey, you forgot your coffee. I topped it up for you!”

     “I’m good. I got to go. Merry Christmas!”

     “You too.” Despite being one day away from a long holiday break, Xander looked disturbed, but that wasn’t her problem. She made it back to the coffee shop in fifteen minutes and, within twenty-five, was in the backseat on her way home for a holiday break.

 

December 24^th, 2046

     Alicia stretched her back out catlike as she woke up. Safe, at home with mom downstairs cooking sausage and eggs. The drive had been long, with snow everywhere. Everyone was rushing home at the last minute. She laid back and shut her eyes. ‘Just a few more minutes.’ She was drifting back to sleep when her phone alert went off.

     She checked it, and a comment asked when the interview with Dr. Udo Musa would be uploaded. She explained that Dr. Musa had rescheduled for a later date but did not explain why he had done so. She posted a similar note on the main page since some people didn’t get holidays and would ask her all day. Dr. Musa had been pretty sick. She plucked her phone off the dresser, snatching a handful of tablecloths with it and almost tumbling the lamp onto the floor. The light landed with the bulb right in her face blinding her. A flick sent to the lamp’s processor with a command prompt shut it off. Just then, another notification went off. ‘I need to turn those off.’

     After blinking away the phosphenes that appeared every time she shut her eyes, she picked her phone up. It was a personal IM from one of her regulars with a link stating, ‘this was crazy. Alicia opened the link to a news article describing the death of Dr. Udo Musa. The cause was unknown, but he had stopped breathing shortly after coughing up copious amounts of blood. The report was dated December 23^rd. Stunned, Alicia lay down, unable to comprehend what she had read. It lasted until her dad came upstairs telling her breakfast was ready.

December 27^th, 2046

     Alicia received a call notification. It was her advisor, Stephen Lech. Steve was good about keeping work and home life separate, especially over the holidays, so she picked up “Hello?”

     “Alicia, hi. I need to talk to you for a few minutes. Xander just contacted me. He’s started coughing up a storm this morning, and I’m in the same boat. I just thought I’d let you know so you can quarantine.” After the pandemic fifteen years ago, personal quarantines for minor illnesses had become the norm rather than the exception.

     “Sounds good. Thanks for letting me know. Everything okay?”

     Steve coughed quickly before answering, “Just a tickle. Probably nothing. Enjoy the rest of the holiday. Goodbye.”

     “You too, goodbye.” Alicia let the call end before heading downstairs. Her parents would already have whatever she might have—no point hiding upstairs.

December 29^th, 2046

     Knock, knock, knock. Cathy made her way to the door as the knocking started again in a three-round burst. Before she got there, a third loud bout of pounding started. She approached the door but pulled back the curtain covering the window instead of opening it. “Catherine Elizabeth Dunn?” asked a man looking at her through an enclosed faceplate. It took her a moment to place it as a hazmat suit from the movies.

     “Yes,” she stammered. Cathy was alarmed, but the man seemed remarkably calm.

     “My name is Jasper White. I work for Health Canada. Are your daughter and husband home?” Jasper was poking away at a touchscreen device.

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     “Yes, what’s happened? Do we need to evacuate?”

     “No. We’ve prepared a quarantine around the house, and no one is allowed to leave until further notice. These restrictions are legal under the Pandemic Prevention Act. Do you understand?” Cathie’s alarm bells were ringing, and a panicked mania overtook her. Luckily Alicia walked up behind her and took over the conversation.  

     “Is everything okay?”

     “Alicia Leanne Dunn?” Alicia nodded in the affirmative. “My name is Jasper White. I work for Health Canada. You and your family are under quarantine?”

     “May I ask why?”

     “Have you had any recent contact with your graduate mentor Stephen Lech or coworker Xander Cory?”

     “Steve called me two days ago. He and Xander were sick, and he suggested I quarantine. We haven’t left since then. I haven’t seen them in person since December 23^rd.

     “I have some news. Stephen Lech and Xander Cory are dead. The cause is unknown, but they stopped breathing shortly after coughing up blood.”

     “The same thing happened to Dr. Musa.”

     “We’re in contact with the US CDC. A separate Health Canada team is working in Calgary. The members of the Smith lab group have also died.” Katerina Smith’s group was the other research group granted a biosynthesizer by Udo.

October 7^th, 2992, CE

     “Did that happen?” asked Renee. She didn’t quite believe her mother, who had a habit of embellishing details.

     “Absolutely. Word for word. It turns out Xander was part of a small group of Neo Luddites. They had discovered the work of Udo Musa and decided it would end human civilization.” Alicia leaned back in her chair and tried to sip her coffee. “Let’s get some more of this before we continue.”

     Alicia led Renee back into the kitchen. The stovetop flicked on as Alicia’s compt arrived at its processor. Alicia took the previously prepared manual espresso maker and set it on top while preparing a kettle. “Why don’t you just use the synth?” asked Renee.

     “I can do it better. The synths never get the flavor right,” replied her mother as she mucked about in the kitchen.

     Renee knew this argument was unwinnable, so she switched to the previous topic. “I think I know what happened at the end of that story. Do you want to explain it, though?”

     Alicia sat down on a barstool, looked at Renee, and said, “Yes, the vial Xander spilled contained a biosynth designed to kill anyone who ingested it. His contemporaries did the same at the Musa and Smith labs.”

     “You got lucky.” It was a statement, not a question.

     “I did. Not many others, though.”

     “Do you mean the scientists in 2046, or you know?” Renee shrugged.

     “I meant my friends in 2046,” Alicia responded flatly.  

     “What about the biosynthesizer? Did it make it to the UK?”

     “Yes.”

     “Why didn’t you destroy it with the others?”

     “I thought it had been. I should have confirmed it.” Alicias’ response was flat. Devoid of all emotion or energy.

     “Do you regret it?”

     Alicia opened her mouth, closed it, and paused for a second before speaking. “Yes.”

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