point.
Geoffrey let go of my hand as if scolded, nodding his head like a reprimanded child. “Yes, yes. They’re over, aren’t they?”
Karen frowned at Joshua before she walked out of the room, muttering under her breath. It was obvious that she found his comment unnecessary. I had to agree with her.
Geoffrey lowered himself into the armchair next to Joshua and took a piece of paper from the pocket of his khakis. He unfolded it, then put it on the table. His expression grew wistful as he
smoothed the paper out almost lovingly. I glanced at Joshua for an explanation, but he was busy staring out the window.
“That’s how I looked in my other life,” Geoffrey said in a quiet voice.
I moved to the edge of the sofa to get a better look. It was a cutting from a science magazine. The paper was yellow, its edges ragged. I rested my elbows on the table and stared at it. The man
in the picture was Geoffrey. And yet he wasn’t. The man in the photo was accepting a science award. He was wearing a black suit, his short, black hair slicked back. He looked proud, smug
even. The Geoffrey in front of me was nothing but a shadow of that man.
“It started out innocently. When we began researching rabies, it was just out of scientific curiosity.” He looked up at me and smiled apologetically. I tried to follow his words.
“Curiosity’s a good thing, isn’t it? It brought technology to mankind, it’s essential for progress.”
I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this, what he wanted me to say. But I began to feel uneasy. “You were researching rabies?”
Geoffrey stared down at his folded hands. “I explored the possibilities of the virus, its limits and usefulness.”
This new explanation seemed more confusing than the one before.
“I don’t get it. Useful for what?”
“You have to understand, I didn’t personally create the last version of the virus. But I was involved in the beginnings of the research, like so many others. None of us knew that the
military planned to use the altered virus as a biological weapon. If I’d known…” He closed his eyes and shook his head.
I forced a neutral expression, though I felt sick.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
I’d always thought that the mutated rabies was just a freak twist of nature – that’s what the government had said. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t just bad luck, fate or
God’s punishment. It was man-made. The realization made me dizzy for a moment. The government had lied to us about the mutation. What else had they kept from us?
And Geoffrey?
This man was responsible for the death of millions, likely billions of people. My friends were dead, my hometown destroyed. All because of a few scientists who wanted to play God? I glanced at
Joshua, wondering what he was thinking. He stayed silent, but watched me with an unreadable expression.
“We thought we could handle the virus. We thought it could be destroyed. But we couldn’t stop it. Nobody could. We were powerless.” Geoffrey opened his eyes to stare at me.
They were filled with horror. “Absolutely powerless.” His voice had become so quiet that I had to move closer to hear him.
I swallowed, trying to ignore the pounding in my temples. “What happened to Los Angeles? It looks like it’s been bombed.”
Geoffrey smiled, but something in his eyes changed. “The rabies virus was particularly nasty on the west coast. The infected were prowling the street – more and more every day.
People in parts of the country that hadn’t been affected began to panic.” He paused and looked up at me like a beaten dog. “They screamed for the government to do something, but
the government hesitated. It was only when the virus had gotten totally out of control that they chose to bombard Los Angeles and San Francisco. Their inhabitants were already in bunkers, so they
couldn’t protest. The military and the government were certain that it was the only way to stop the madness. It
Geoffrey let go of my hand as if scolded, nodding his head like a reprimanded child. “Yes, yes. They’re over, aren’t they?”
Karen frowned at Joshua before she walked out of the room, muttering under her breath. It was obvious that she found his comment unnecessary. I had to agree with her.
Geoffrey lowered himself into the armchair next to Joshua and took a piece of paper from the pocket of his khakis. He unfolded it, then put it on the table. His expression grew wistful as he
smoothed the paper out almost lovingly. I glanced at Joshua for an explanation, but he was busy staring out the window.
“That’s how I looked in my other life,” Geoffrey said in a quiet voice.
I moved to the edge of the sofa to get a better look. It was a cutting from a science magazine. The paper was yellow, its edges ragged. I rested my elbows on the table and stared at it. The man
in the picture was Geoffrey. And yet he wasn’t. The man in the photo was accepting a science award. He was wearing a black suit, his short, black hair slicked back. He looked proud, smug
even. The Geoffrey in front of me was nothing but a shadow of that man.
“It started out innocently. When we began researching rabies, it was just out of scientific curiosity.” He looked up at me and smiled apologetically. I tried to follow his words.
“Curiosity’s a good thing, isn’t it? It brought technology to mankind, it’s essential for progress.”
I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this, what he wanted me to say. But I began to feel uneasy. “You were researching rabies?”
Geoffrey stared down at his folded hands. “I explored the possibilities of the virus, its limits and usefulness.”
This new explanation seemed more confusing than the one before.
“I don’t get it. Useful for what?”
“You have to understand, I didn’t personally create the last version of the virus. But I was involved in the beginnings of the research, like so many others. None of us knew that the
military planned to use the altered virus as a biological weapon. If I’d known…” He closed his eyes and shook his head.
I forced a neutral expression, though I felt sick.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.
I’d always thought that the mutated rabies was just a freak twist of nature – that’s what the government had said. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t just bad luck, fate or
God’s punishment. It was man-made. The realization made me dizzy for a moment. The government had lied to us about the mutation. What else had they kept from us?
And Geoffrey?
This man was responsible for the death of millions, likely billions of people. My friends were dead, my hometown destroyed. All because of a few scientists who wanted to play God? I glanced at
Joshua, wondering what he was thinking. He stayed silent, but watched me with an unreadable expression.
“We thought we could handle the virus. We thought it could be destroyed. But we couldn’t stop it. Nobody could. We were powerless.” Geoffrey opened his eyes to stare at me.
They were filled with horror. “Absolutely powerless.” His voice had become so quiet that I had to move closer to hear him.
I swallowed, trying to ignore the pounding in my temples. “What happened to Los Angeles? It looks like it’s been bombed.”
Geoffrey smiled, but something in his eyes changed. “The rabies virus was particularly nasty on the west coast. The infected were prowling the street – more and more every day.
People in parts of the country that hadn’t been affected began to panic.” He paused and looked up at me like a beaten dog. “They screamed for the government to do something, but
the government hesitated. It was only when the virus had gotten totally out of control that they chose to bombard Los Angeles and San Francisco. Their inhabitants were already in bunkers, so they
couldn’t protest. The military and the government were certain that it was the only way to stop the madness. It
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