The Emerald Virus Read Free

Northern Hemisphere would be infected first. However, the Southern
Hemisphere would not be far behind. 
        
The Emerald Virus itself was what you would expect of a filo virus, except
unlike the Ebola virus, found in Africa and named after a river in the Republic
of the Congo, or the Marburg virus, named after a village in Germany, the Emerald
Virus was transported by vegetation. It is believed that the Ebola and Marburg filo
viruses were zoonoses, i.e., transmitted by animals to humans. The Emerald
Virus did not infect plants, birds, fish or animals. However, it would prove to
be extremely efficient at killing people.
     
        
Once it infects the human host, the Emerald Virus inserts its genetic material
into the DNA of the host, and directs the host to begin copying the viral DNA
code instead of the host DNA code. The Emerald Virus attacked internal organs
in general, but this virus also seeks and attaches itself to the cells of the
heart. The virus stimulates these cells to grow uncontrollably fast. In fact, unlike
a cancer that could take months or years to grow large enough to become fatal,
as a filo virus, the Emerald Virus could do the same thing in a matter of weeks.
        
The other difference between the Emerald Virus and other known filo viruses
that can infect humans is that the Emerald Virus is a long-feared airborne filo
virus. Up to now people had to come in contact with an animal that carried the filo
virus, or another human who was infected by the virus, in order to become
infected. With the Emerald Virus contact with infected individuals is still an
efficient way for the virus to spread, but it isn’t the only way. Breathing in
airborne particles of the Emerald Virus works just as well, and airborne
particles can be spread around the world by the winds, by victims, as well as
by birds, fish and animals. There is no way to isolate the population from the
virus. It is here and spreading itself. Worse yet, this virus can be up to 100
times smaller than bacteria, a problem for any known filtering system in the
world.
     

Chapter Two:  Reaction
     
    Friday:
Washington D.C. (Flashback to events Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
        
Jack Sweeney was a well-built man with dark curly hair. He was six feet tall
and he worked out often in the basement gym of his office building. He did his
best to maintain good health, but found leaving field work for a desk job six
years ago had made that task difficult.
        
Jack worked for Dr. A.J. McCloud, the Assistant Secretary of Health and Safety
and the Chief Medical Official for Homeland Security. Dr. McCloud and Jack had
worked together for the past six years and she had long since given up asking
Jack to call her either Alice or A.J. Alice McCloud was twenty years his
senior, and he considered her the pre-eminent microbiologist in the world. She
was a professional that he had long respected, and he was not about to diminish
his respect for her by becoming too familiar.
       
 Jack had known about the Emerald Virus for three days now and he was still fighting
denial. On Tuesday morning he had received a call from Harry Skipperton, an
American microbiologist currently on leave from Jack’s staff to spend a year on
staff at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The University was one of the
best research facilities in Europe in the area of microbiology, and four months
later Jack was still excited that one of his staff had been given this
opportunity.
       
Harry had called Jack first not because of their friendship, but because Jack
was the head of the Bio-Terror Countermeasures Unit within the Department of
Homeland Security. When Harry informed Jack that he was calling about a
potential biological threat the fear in Harry’s voice was unmistakable. More
than anything Harry said, this fear told Jack how serious this call would be.
Harry Skipperton tended to take all things in stride, and he did not panic.
        
Jack responded by