Chapter 35 Chapter Thirty-Three

We met in the same conference room at the White House, and it reminded me of the night after the president's speech a few weeks ago.Baba, Mary, Rexton, and Martinez were present, and none of the cabinet members were present, replaced by the general of the laboratory, Dr. Hazelhurst, and Colonel Gibbsey.Knowing that he had been sidelined from the big operation, Martinez was eager to save some face. No one paid him any attention.Our eyes are on a map that covers the entire wall.Four and a half days had passed since Project Fever's airdrops began, and the lights were still flashing red in the Mississippi Valley.

The airdrops have been successful and we have only lost three aircraft.But I was still terrified.According to the equation, all the slugs within the direct meeting range should have been infected three days ago.Calculations show that in the first twelve hours, eighty percent of the slugs must be exposed.Most of these slugs are concentrated in big cities. Soon, if we're right, the slugs will die much faster than the flies. I forced myself to sit still, wondering whether those red lights represented millions of dying slugs or just two hundred dead monkeys.Did someone miss a digit?Or was it a secret?Could it be that our reasoning is seriously failing and we don't realize it?

Suddenly, a light in the center flickered and turned green.Everyone sat up in shock.Although there was no picture, a voice came from the stereo above the board: "This is Dixie Station in Little Rock," said a weary Southern accent. "We need help urgently. Anyone who hears the call, put The word goes: Little Rock, Arkansas is in the midst of a dire epidemic. Inform the Red Cross that we are under the control of--" The voice faded away, not sure whether it was the speaker's excessive weakness or the signal Something went wrong with the transmission. I was so excited that I almost forgot to breathe.Mary patted my hand, and I consciously relaxed and sat back.What a delight!That's when I discovered that the green light wasn't in Little Rock, but farther west in Oklahoma.Two more lights turned green, one in Nebutoska and one up north in Canada.Then came another voice, a nasal New England accent.I don't know if this person entered the red zone.

"It's kind of like election night, isn't it, boss?" Martinez said earnestly. "It's sort of like that," the president agreed, "but it's not usually possible to get votes in Mexico." He pointed to the board.A pair of green lights showed it was in Chihuahua. "Indeed, you're right. I think when this is over, the country should start to straighten out international affairs, right?" The president didn't answer, so he had to keep his mouth shut.It was a relief to me.The president seemed to be thinking about something secretly. Seeing that I was paying attention to him, he smiled at me and said loudly:

"'It is said that fleas bear young fleas, Crawls on its back and bites fleas. Little fleas beget little fleas, Never ending bites. '" I thought the prospect of this nursery rhyme was a little too bleak, but I smiled politely.The President glanced at the others and asked, "Anyone want dinner? Feeling hungry for the first time in days." By late the next afternoon, there were more green lights on the board than red lights.Rexton had two more signalers installed, which were connected to the command center of the new Pentagon. One showed the percentage of preparations for a large-scale airdrop, and the other showed the time of the planned airdrop.The time figures are constantly changing, with ups and downs.But for the past two hours, the numbers have been steady at around 17:43 ET.

Finally, Rexton got up and announced to everyone: "I plan to lock the time at 17:45, Mr. President, I'll take a step first, can I?" "Of course, sir." Rexton turned to my father and me and said, "Mr. Don Quixote, if you want to go, now is the time." I stood up and said, "Mary, you stay and wait for me." "Where are you waiting?" she asked. The problem of her not going had been solved—not at all peacefully. The President interjected: "I recommend that Mrs. Nivens stay. She has long been part of our family." He smiled and graciously kept Mary, and I thank him for that.

Two hours later, we entered the target area.The skydiving hatch has been opened.My dad and I were last in line, behind the boys who were actually doing the work.My hands were sweaty, and I reeked of the fear I was terrified of before the curtain opened.I was terrified - I never liked skydiving.