She sat back in defeat. “Damn you, I was going to construct a nice little argument for saying our vows right here and now and then doing it like bunnies.”
Daniel laughed, a great belly laugh of relief that lasted a long time, leaving his eyes and nose running. “I love you too, you know.” He reached for her embrace and they basked in the shared warmth of their bodies.
“Okay, mister goody-two-shoes. Let’s go get married. Today.” She leapt to her feet, pulling him with her down the trail.
They tried. It turned out that the rest wouldn’t let them. After the girlish shrieking from Cass and Millie, the backslapping from the men, and confused looks from Ricky, everyone made them wait until the next day. But Daniel and Elise insisted on having the wedding outdoors in the sunlight.
It was a short, moving ceremony. After “You May Kiss The Bride” Elise whispered in Daniel’s ear, “Now let’s go up to our ledge and do it like bunnies.”
And so they did.
No doubts remained in either of them as he took her in his arms and their bodies melded together, nothing between them anymore, with the blessings of their friends and, Daniel knew, of God. Time suspended itself as they wrapped themselves in each other. “Stick that in your image enhancers, satellite-watchers,” he muttered as they stared up at the twilight sky from inside the double sleeping bag. He laughed and buried his face in his wife’s sweet hair. If this love was the EP’s doing, he’d given up on his doubts, and on fighting biology, and just accepted things as they were.
-20-
It was days later, after bouts of dreamy pleasure and sessions of hard work for the both of them, that they finally made time for the conversation they had been trying to have before. Daniel dragged Elise back up to their ledge with a picnic dinner and sleeping bags as twilight fell she took his licentious look with good cheer and eagerness. But once they’d gotten there and set out the food, he said, “I need to talk to you about something.”
She looked worried for a moment, then sat back, picking up an apple and taking a crunchy bite. Her freckles danced as her strong jaw worked. “Uh-oh. When the man says that it’s always bad,” she teased, knowing full well it was usually the other way around.
He pushed aside the distraction of her simple natural beauty and plowed on. “Remember what we were talking about here before? When we had the conversation?”
“About doing it like bunnies?” He laughed. “Okay, yes. About the Eden Plague and fixing it?” she asked.
“Yes. I’ve decided something. I’m sorry if it sounds like I left you out of the decision, I don’t mean to,” he put on his most determined expression, “but I really believe it’s the right thing to do.”
“Do what?”
He licked his lips. “To start the Plague going. As soon as we can.”
She sat back, still chewing apple, crossing her eyes slightly as she always did when thinking deeply. She ate the whole fruit, including the core, except that little stem they always leave on to ensure everyone knows it’s really from a tree. Daniel sat and let her think.
Eventually she responded. “You know, if we had a few months, we could probably make it airborne. Graft in some highly infectious influenza. One good thing is, it appears the virus is designed to survive in all sorts of media – blood, saliva, salt water, even chlorinated water doesn’t faze it. And once it’s ingested, it’s very infectious. Kind of like Ebola.”
“That’s good news. You know, they’re going to be watching for people pulling research off the web.”
“I’ll work with Vinny and Cass to make sure we don’t get traced.”
“So…you agree with my plan?”
“Sounds more like a goal than a plan, but yes…I always did.” She smiled reassuringly.
“Even if it causes chaos.” His tone of voice made it a statement, not a question.
She sighed. “Yes. Horrible as it might be, it will make a better world.”
He felt a twisting in his gut. Where have I heard that phrase ‘A Better World’ before? “I bet Oppenheimer said the same thing.”
“Wasn’t he right? After Japan, has there been another use of atomic weapons?” Her gaze was intense.
“No. But a couple weeks ago you were arguing that assassinating enemy scientists was wrong,” he said.
“I didn’t say I had it all figured out. I don’t think there are real parallels anyway. This isn’t a weapon. It’s just goodness that this evil world won’t be able to cope with.”
“But it won’t be just those who accept it that get cured. If you make it contagious, it will be indiscriminate.” Daniel looked at her for approval.
“Good. The faster the better.”
“I think so too. But let me play devil’s advocate for a minute. Aren’t we making that decision for all people? Shouldn’t they decide for themselves? And what if five years down the line we all turn into aliens or zombies or something? What if it does something completely unexpected and wipes out the human race?”
“Come on, Daniel,” she said with exasperation. “I thought you were the risk-taker and adventurer.”
“I’m also the one who took the Hippocratic Oath. First, do no harm. I’m not sure I’m not violating it.”
She shook her head. “If you do surgery, you have to cut. You have to harm to save. But…whatever you decide, I’m with you. I’m your life partner.”
“You’re my wife.”
“Okay mister old-fashioned, yes I’m your wife and you’re my husband. But if I disagree I’m going to let you know. So now you have my views. Let’s practice making the next generation of Markises. Less talk, more do.” She reached for him with abandon.
***
The next day Daniel called a council of war. He termed it “war,” not because they were going to make war on anyone, but because he thought it likely enough their actions would start one.
Against them.
He prepared to explain it all the best he could in the conference room, with computer-projected slides and diagrams. Military briefing habits die hard.
Larry was back, with a whole group of his family members. Daniel wasn’t sure what he had told them but there were about twenty of them, and they were not invited to the council. They were too new and he wasn’t going to risk some kind of schism or budding political dispute in their little community.
He’d made sure that Spooky and Skull got invited back as well. Spooky came, but Skull didn’t. Daniel couldn’t worry about that.
Spooky had brought several family members with him after alclass="underline" the old, and the sick. They were immediately injected with the Eden virus, and started getting better right away.
Daniel was glad they weren’t among those southeast-Asians who didn’t believe in medical intervention. He remembered a big lawsuit in California some years back, with the doctors trying to force a Hmong family to allow their son, crippled from birth, to be operated on. The family won, and the boy stayed crippled. There were eerie parallels with the present situation.
So it was a small group that sat down to decide the fate of mankind: the scientists Elise, Arthur and Roger; Larry, the Nguyens, Cassie and Daniel.
Daniel opened with, “Good something-time, everyone. What, it’s afternoon? Hard to remember in here.” That got a courteous laugh. “I called you here to tell you about some plans I have.”
Everyone sat up a bit straighter, eyes fixed on him.
“I’ve sounded everyone here out so I think we’re all in agreement, but I want to be sure. We’ve got a couple of dozen new people and we need to keep friction to a minimum. That means we need to have a formal structure, for now.
“Spooky said a while back that I should be the new Colonel Zeke. But I don’t feel right about that. I propose this to start: we’re now the Sosthenes Bunker Council. One year from now – and you can tell people this – we can have elections to choose new Councilmen and Councilwomen. I will be the Chairman until then, unless anyone objects or wants to be it?” He looked everyone in the eye one after another. It was obvious he wanted them all to be on board for this critical first period, because he had to be autocratic to get anything done.