Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(120)

She examined the rest of the results and located several unknown proteins. There was a chance that those proteins belonged to some kind of virus. She wouldn’t know for sure until Besser did a full workup.

But the silicon…

Silicon was a substance used mainly in electronics, and also for some cosmetic procedures. Daniel Houser did not seem like the type to get breast implants.

So what? He has computer chips running through his blood stream?

Dr Clark knew experiments were being done that would produce machines and computers made from silicon that would be small enough to exist on a cellular level, but the technology was still in its infancy. Even getting something down to the size of a pinhead was a vast challenge to most of the scientific community. Nanotechnology was still closer to a pipedream than a reality, but for some reason it was the thing she was thinking of now.

Aren’t they looking at ways of bonding silicon-based machines with bacteria? Trying to find a way to combine biology with technology to make self-replicating, self-sustaining robots that can fight cancer cells and seek out infection?

Science fiction.

But Daniel Houser had silicon in his veins.

Dr Clark scratched her chin. She wasn’t about to believe in nanotechnology just yet, but the presence of silicon in her patient’s bloodstream, along with the unknown proteins, made her wonder if it was something manmade that had caused his condition. The patient had mentioned a possible terrorist attack, after all. It might be time to get someone else involved. She picked up the phone on her desk and dialled in the number for Disease Control.

Someone on the other end answered immediately.

“Oh, hello,” said Dr Clark. “My name is Dr Clark. I am calling from Southampton General Hospital. I have a patient that was complaining of flu-like symptoms about ninety minutes ago, but his condition has suddenly progressed to internal haemorrhaging.”

“Did you run blood tests?”

“Yes. Negative for Ebola and other conditions that would present similar symptoms.”

“Then what is your primary concern?”

“I found silicon in his blood.”

“Silicon?”

“And some unknown proteins.”

The voice on the other end of the line suddenly seemed more interested. “Has the patient been exposed to anything?”

Dr Clark thought about things and then nodded into the phone as she replied. “The patient is a merchant sailor. He was involved with the rescue operation for that cruise ship which sunk in the Mediterranean last week. He also said that some of his colleagues-”

“Isolate the patient and anybody who has been in contact with them.”

Dr Clark rocked back in her chair as if the person on the other end of the phone had punched her. “What?”

“We’ll have a team on site within the hour. You must enforce emergency protocols immediately.”

“What is going on? Who is this man? What does he have?”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, then… “Dr Clark, there have been dozens of cases in the last few hours of people who were involved in the Mediterranean clean up operation becoming very sick. We have quarantined several ships already and the French Navy have currently closed all shipping lanes in the area. Your patient must have fallen under the radar somehow.”

Dr Clark felt the blood leaving her cheeks and making her face pale. “What does he have?”

“We…don’t know. The attack on the cruise ship may have been down to terrorists. They may have released something.”

Dr Clark’s mouth fell open. “I…”

“Just isolate that patient, Doctor, and stand by for our arrival.”

The line went dead. Dr Clark just sat there, holding the phone against her ear in stunned silence.

Then she leapt to her feet and raced for the door. She had to get the situation contained. God only knew what Daniel Houser had brought into the hospital, but she had a duty to contain it. She quickly headed towards the emergency department and made her way to the operating theatre.

We need to quarantine the patient.

Oh God, oh God. What does he have? His blood is all over me.

Houser was still in surgery. Dr Clark pushed through the heavy double doors and entered the theatre. The attending surgeon, Dr Bryce, looked up at her from behind his mask. Both of his gloved hands were covered in blood.

He looked at her over the top of his surgical mask. “Dr Clark? Can I help you?”

She nodded. “I just got off the phone to Disease Control. We need to isolate this patient immediately.”

Dr Bryce and his two attending nurses all shook their heads simultaneously and sighed. It seemed like something they had been prepared to hear. “Great,” said Bryce. “What are we exposed to?”

“I don’t know. They just said to isolate him and ourselves until a team arrives.”

Bryce wiped some sweat from his wrinkled forehead with the back of his arm. “Okay,” he said. “Let me get him sown up. He should remain stable for now, but I don’t see him recovering from whatever has gotten inside him.”

Dr Clark frowned. “What did you find?”

“His organs have liquefied. I knew there would be a story with this man. Let’s just hope we don’t end up in the same condition.”

“I’m sure we won’t,” Dr Clark said hopefully. “He might have been the victim of a terrorist attack. He may not even be contagious.”