Lost Immunity by Daniel Kalla (free reads TXT) 📕

is premature. But this? Seattle? Dropping us into the middle of a raging epidemic without any real controls…”

Peter sits up straighter and lowers his mug onto a zebra-print coaster on his desk. “I’ve been around long enough to see that we’re not going to be able to outmaneuver them. The best we can do is get out in front of this. Be proactive.”

Just the thought of the logistics involved makes Nathan’s heart palpitate. His gaze drifts to the floor-to-ceiling windows behind his boss. His office, though not quite as big or as strategically situated as Peter’s, shares the same view. Nathan’s eyes are often drawn to the United Nations’ Secretariat Tower that looms at the river’s edge only a few blocks away. It isn’t one of his favorite buildings in Manhattan, but the simple blue-tinted glass tower has become the visual equivalent of earplugs for him when he needs to drown out the background noise and find his focus.

“Fiona is going to lose it,” Nathan mutters as he turns back to Peter.

“Can’t even imagine. Which is why I don’t plan to be around when you break it to her.” Peter’s expression darkens. “You’re both going to need to be on the ground in Seattle for this. Do we agree?”

Nathan thinks of Ethan and Marcus and their planned father-sons road trip to Quebec. They’re supposed to leave next week. He promised Ethan, who got his learner’s permit last month, that he’d let him drive some of the quieter stretches. “Wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.”

“We’re also going to have to delay Iceland,” Peter says.

By “we,” Nathan knows he means him. “I’ll take care of it.”

Peter reaches for his mug. “Someone told me recently that you should never let a crisis go to waste.”

“Wish I believed that.”

“If this goes smoothly, Nathan, it could be better for Delaware than Iceland ever would have been.”

And if it doesn’t, it’s probably not going to be your head.

Nathan rises from the chair. “I better let them know in Seattle. We’ll also need to get legal to draw up some paperwork.”

As he is turning away, Peter says, “Nathan?”

“Yeah?”

“My hands are tied on this one.”

“I get it, Peter.”

“Good,” Peter says with a small laugh. “So make damn sure nothing goes wrong in Seattle.”

Nathan wishes his boss were only joking. “It’s what I do.”

He heads out of Peter’s office and walks down the hall and around the corner to find Fiona at her desk, typing at her computer. Her office is less than a quarter the size of Peter’s, and the smaller windows peer directly onto the neighboring high-rise.

Nathan raps at the open door. “A word?”

The moment Fiona looks up and makes eye contact, her face falls. She yanks off her reading glasses. “He didn’t!”

Nathan shrugs. “Says he has no choice, Fiona.”

“This will be a nightmare.”

“It’s decided.”

She nods, her expression turning businesslike. “When?”

“Yesterday, ideally. Realistically, how soon could we ship?”

“The supply is already packaged and ready to go.”

Nathan pulls his phone from his jacket pocket. “We might as well let them know.” He taps the phone number and hits the speaker icon so Fiona can hear, too.

“Lisa Dyer,” the public-health officer answers on the second ring.

“Hello, Lisa. It’s Nathan Hull. From Delaware Pharmaceuticals. I’m here with Fiona Swanson.”

“Oh, hi,” she says without sounding the least surprised. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.”

“We’ve been reconsidering your request, Lisa.”

“That’s great.” Her tone warms noticeably. “What have you decided?”

“Under the right conditions, we might be willing to release our supply of vaccine to Seattle instead of Reykjavík. On compassionate grounds, of course.”

“Wonderful! What conditions?”

“First, it would have to be the full distribution of the vaccine as we were planning for in Iceland. Not just targeting the highest-risk group. For the reasons we discussed in person.”

“So we would have to inoculate fifty thousand people?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. And if we still need more doses after that?”

Fiona squints at him, looking as surprised as Nathan feels. “Then we’ll provide it,” he says.

“I think we can commit to the full round of inoculation, yes,” Lisa says. “Providing, of course, we don’t see any significant adverse reactions among the early vaccinated groups.”

“It’s a new medicine.” Fiona interjects. “There will be reactions.”

“And overreactions,” Nathan adds. “And phantom reactions. With it being a vaccine and all, public outcry and social media fallout is inevitable.”

“I realize,” Lisa says. “I’m only speaking of significant and objectively verified adverse events. Not imagined or hysterical ones.”

Nathan glances at Fiona, who shrugs her acceptance. “We can live with that, yes,” he says. “The second condition is that Fiona and I will be present to help oversee the distribution.”

“Oversee?”

“Yes,” Fiona says. “We’ll need full access to the storage facilities, the distribution plans, and any sites where Neissovax is to be dispensed.”

“You don’t trust us to run our own vaccination program?”

“This might be your program, Lisa, but it’s our product and our reputation on the line,” Nathan says.

“We need to be convinced of absolute quality control and compliance,” Fiona adds. “It’s my job. And I take it dead seriously.”

After a slight pause, Lisa says, “All right, I can guarantee that.”

“OK,” Nathan says. “Oh, and one final condition.”

“Another?” Lisa says warily.

“You need to shelter us from the anti-vaxxers.”

Lisa sighs. “We’ll do our best to keep Delaware out of it. We don’t even have to publicize the company’s name until when and if the campaign is a success.”

Nathan knows it’s an empty promise. Delaware’s logo is stamped on every vial. But he doesn’t bother to argue. He shares a despondent look with Fiona, each aware that the release of Neissovax in Seattle is inevitable. “We can be there tomorrow,” he says.

“With the vaccine?” Lisa asks.

“Within a day or two, yes.”

CHAPTER 17

Lisa stops at the kitchen door to view her husband and her niece as they hover over an uncooked pizza, their heads almost touching. Her mood lightens as she watches Olivia carefully distribute slices of pepperoni on top of the grated cheese.

Lisa realizes they’re fortunate to have as much access to their niece