PLAN B

10. PLAN B Before Corona Virus struck Mother Earth Janet Kilpatrik, Agastya Iyer, Noah Williams and Marcus Taylor were thick as glue. Over the years their friendship blossomed and the bonding flourished. It was to gather momentum as time flew. The four friends were from various parts of the globe, coming from vastly differing cultures and backgrounds. Janet had her parentage from Australia and New Zealand, while Iyer was the archetypal twice-born from Tamil Nadu in India. Taylor like Janet had a mixed ancestry in a Polish mother and a Scottish father, while Noah traced her roots to a Caribbean mother and an American father. The four friends graduated from the University of Columbia, having majored in STEM subjects. During their time at the University, Agastya and Janet had contested for the Presidency of the Student Council, a bitter contest. The erudite and intellectual Indian lost the polls to the flamboyant Australian. However, Agastya did not take the defeat to his heart and instead renewed his friendship with the victorious lady. Rancour was replaced by rapprochement between the soft-spoken, highbrow and cerebral Indian and the vivacious and sharp-witted Australian woman. Over the next few years, the rapport metamorphosed into something more serious. Iyer got attracted to the alluring Kilpatrik, while Marcus fell in love with the vivacious Noah. Sometime in the year 2030 Economies and healthcare systems were limping back to normalcy after several waves of the corona virus disease and its multiple mutations were successfully tackled. Humanity heaved a collective sigh of relief. Iyer and Kilpatrik had played a singular role in combating the malevolent virus. That was in the year 2026. But the respite had been short-lived. The year 2030 had proved to be a climactic year where a pestiferous virus, quite similar to the novel corona virus had once again surfaced. The lethal virus had swamped and engulfed humanity across swathes of continents. Life was once again hanging tenuously in the endangered planet as millions were afflicted by yet another virulent strain which had swaddled the globe and humans and other life forms were dropping dead. They were like sitting ducks to an ace shooter’s shrapnel. Humans and other animate forms were all engulfed by this vicious microorganism which spared none. The sub-microscopic infectious agent replicated at a ferocious pace inside the living cells of an organism. It was capable of infecting all living bodies, ranging from humans, animals and the plant kingdom. Flora and fauna were all subsumed by the fiendish virus. It certainly seemed apocalyptic as all animate forms were overpowered brutally by the agent. To some Vedic scholars in India and those familiar with the epic Mahabharata it was like towards the end of the blood-letting between the cousins when Guru Guru Droncharya’s son, the ace archer Ashwatthama unleashed the Brahmastra without being fully aware of the disastrous consequences of the weapon. Ashwatthama neither possessed the knowledge nor the prowess to recall the weapon once it was fired from his arsenal. Agastya Iyer suddenly recalled the incident from Mahabharata. “Is this strain and even the earlier ones manmade? The mystery of the origin of the waves of the virus infection will always remain in the alcoves of our minds. It was zeroed upon as to where the catastrophe started, but we were unable to decode whether it was manufactured in some laboratories or by some overzealous pharmaceutical companies.” “This is certainly the wrath of the Gods,” the luminary virologists Agastya Iyer and Janet Kilpatrik Iyer mused aloud. Agastya practised his Brahmanical Hindu faith, while Janet remained a devout Christian. Their commitment towards science never interfered with their religiosity and spiritualism. The strapping young man was an avid yoga practitioner and embraced pranayama and meditation like fish to water. His day however began with a glass of warm water laced with honey and then performing the arduous shirshasana. He felt rudderless and unobservant without these activities. The winsome and curvaceous Janet however darted on the treadmill, worked out on elliptical and did Pilates with regularity. This fitness regimen helped them release toxins and think with clarity while working. Janet Kilpatrik and Agastya Iyer were feted with the estimable Nobel Prize for successfully developing a vaccine in the year 2026. The vaccine had successfully combated the pestiferous novel corona virus disease of 2019, which had apparently originated in the Wuhan province of China. It had afflicted the entire populace across the globe. The microorganism assumed several mutations and became a gargantuan monster on a killing spree. “We were proud winners of the prestigious Nobel Prize, but my mind is cannonaded with demonic and antipathetic thoughts. I keep wondering whether in my earlier research I decoded the genome of the virus in totality. Now there is a massive surge in the scourge, in other life forms too. What also is disconcerting is the failure of the vaccine to arrest the resurgence of the virus. Did we really deserve the prize?” Janet shared with her husband, who could merely comfort her. The eminent scientist Stephen Hawking had predicted during his lifetime that humans would need to scout for a new planet to inhabit. He justified his hypothesis on a few possibilities which included a nuclear holocaust, or dramatic climate alterations and pandemics. Man had not learnt from the clanger of the novel corona virus pandemic. No sooner had things normalised, that mankind became rapacious once again. And now in 2030 had landed himself and other creatures in a greater misadventure. Deadlier and different “Janet, do you recall the story about suchika that I had narrated from an ancient Indian text called Yoga Vasistha? While we were working on the vaccine for the COVID-19 virus,” Agastya asked his wife. “Oh yes Agastya, the one about the female demoness who received a boon from Brahma that she could assume the form of a needle and attack the pulmonary tract, spleen and liver of humans to satiate her gargantuan hunger,” Janet recollected clearly. “All that it needed was filth and grime.” “Yes dear ...but this new strain is mephitic. The mutation in its transfigured form is attacking the host as well, besides humans. I fear Hawking’s prophecy may come true. Man will necessarily have to migrate to a fresh planet to survive,” Agastya was to share his thoughts with his wife. “Agastya, that may sound both dramatic and romantic, but evaluate the price. This kind of proposal or plan would only help the superabundant and not the stock individual who depends so much on the state to deliver, especially in a crisis. While I do admire Stephen Hawking, I’m not fully convinced with these utopian models. That’s the reason I had voted for the Obama Care model while you opposed it, just like you had several years back in University,” the prepossessing virologist added. The Janet and Agastya Iyer combination had put in several hundreds of hours in research while collaborating with other estimable and knowledgeable scientists but seemed no closer to deciphering the solution. The Nobel laureates struggled to single out the root cause because of which the virus not only attacked the victim but also the host. The entire scientific community, the World Health Organisation and governments of countries on various continents dreaded to hear the words mission aborted as virologist were forced to abandon yet another track to unleash a possible life-saving vaccine. Nevertheless, they continued to struggle and worked at a furious pace to search a cure for the dreaded pestilence. After putting in several hours of labour the duo of Agastya and Janet, with a heavy heart informed the President of the United States of America that they had to declare mission aborted. Also privy to this information were their close friends Noah Williams and Marcus Taylor, both astrophysicists at NASA. Time was running out for mankind and other life forms. It was time for Plan B to be executed. Plan B Within an hour of receiving the news, the President summoned Noah Williams. “What is the status of Mars Express, Noah?” a visibly agitatedly and yet singularly the most powerful man on the earth, James Patrick Madison Jr. enquired from the ace spaceship designer. A few days earlier the President had already been updated about the likelihood of mission failure as several of the clinical trials on humans, other mammals and flora and fauna had failed. Thus, with time running out Plan B was to be rolled out as soon as possible. This left the virologist couple and Janet in particular, devastated. She was pioneering the study of DNA of the pestilential virus with extraordinary care and a hawk’s eye. She was extremely keen to prove to herself that the early discovery was not a mere bumbling into infinity but an authentic scientific victory. The naysayers, Prophets of Doom and Cassandra’s of doubt had to be silenced. However, she was discerning to realise that her husband was caught between the two the two projects – Plan A and Plan B. “Agastya’s heart does not seem to be in the right place. His mind is gravitating more towards Plan B,” she wistfully contemplated. Noah designed spaceships while Taylor, the eternal dreamer, created colonies in outer space for humanity to survive. It was now a question of “when” and not “if” they would be occupied. Humanity, nay life itself on Earth was in absolute dire straits. At the secret biding of the President and some silk-stocking entrepreneurs Taylor had developed an enclave, a secret bubble on the Red Planet which almost mirrored the conditions on Mother Earth. This was termed as Plan B by the American administration. They realised the costs would be extremely detrimental to the impoverished and there was bound to be collateral damage. Plan B would be the triumph of capitalism at the cost of egalitarianism as only the moneyed and opulent from around the world would be able to hitchhike to Mars aboard the special spacecraft and go on to inhabit the colonies created there. No two ways! This was a project meant only for those flush with funds. Of course, it was rationalised to everyone’s satisfaction. “At least some life from earth could be saved.” “Once the ferocity of the virus abated, humans and other life forms could return.” “Travel to Mars would become cheaper in the future with greater numbers travelling.” “Potentially everyone stands a chance to travel in the future!” one of the more dramatic politicians declared. When that “future” would be, nobody was willing to confirm. Noah Williamson had designed the first few sets of spacecrafts to ferry animate life to the bubbles on Mars. This was to be man’s most expensive expedition. The voyage to Mars and the settlements in the specially designed enclaves was to cost trillions of dollars and only the superabundant and extremely powerful were in a position to afford this luxury. Are bosom friends covetous of the success and accomplishments of their pals? This question regurgitated in the minds of Marcus Taylor and Noah Williamson. They did toast the attainment of Agastya Iyer and Janet Kilpatrik on being feted with the Nobel Prize. However, they felt cheated and deprived that their endeavours in space technology were not acknowledged by the US government or even by the larger scientific community; not even within NASA were they given due recognition for the pioneering effort to develop space vehicles. The couple were assiduously working on creating a colony on the Red Planet where humans could exist in a bubble. These were no mean achievements. The miscarriage of Plan A in combating the virulent virus was an opportunity. Plan B, for the space duo was just the elbow room and aperture to arrive on the arena of a revolutionary dive into fame and recognition. “Agastya and Janet now that Plan A has been aborted, we require a dexterous team of medicos and virologists who will be stationed at Point A2 Heights, in our enclave on Mars. This dedicated cadre have will to take care of all those migrating from Earth. And who else better to perform this activity other than you and Janet considering your work in the field of virology,” Marcus and Noah tried to impress upon their friends. “But we have failed on this occasion. In fact, we are even considering returning our award to the Nobel Committee. The surge in the cases and the way the scourge is spreading across the globe, no one, I repeat none will survive,” Janet added. Iyer looked on evasively as his wife spoke. “That is precisely our calculation. It is also the prediction of the WHO and the President. There is nothing fallacious in saving life. We are merely humans. Indeed, there is a divide between man and a reptile, similarly there is a chasm between the opulent and the impoverished. We are bailing out those who can afford the trip to Mars and stay in the colony. After all there is something called price discrimination in economics. Let us not put so much of our weight on these compunctions,” Marcus answered. “Certainly, this is an out of the box dream and so ingenious! But it was our mandate to save humanity, a task that we haven’t succeeded at. That does bother my scruples.” Janet noted that Iyer spoke without complete conviction. “Well, it certainly pricks my conscience. We will extricate only the super-rich who would be able to afford this peregrination and inhabit the colony. Millions of humans and other life forms will perish as catastrophe hits our planet and a few upmarket individuals along with their pets will enter a sanctuary. For heaven’s sake do remember the holocaust of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Janet tersely replied. “What about the destruction of Pearl Harbour?” questioned Marcus. Now a slanging match between the four transpired on the merits and demerits of Plan B. Marcus and Noah felt that Janet was merely vexed and exasperated that Plan A had failed; it was her ego which was acting as a deterrent to the possible success of Plan B. After all she and Agastya were Nobel Prize winners who were talismanic figures in the arena of science. Iyer and Janet were literally worshipped as deities by generations. They were icons who were feted by all. Agastya was offered prominent role in the Government of India which he politely refused, even as his wife became a Senator and it was widely believed that she had Presidential aspirations. But at heart, Janet was authentically guided by the interests of humanity and earth at large and not for a miniscule, prosperous population. The duo of Marcus and Noah managed to convince Agastya that though Janet was a scientist by profession, she was a politician at heart. They reminded him of the election defeat that he had faced years back while they were still students. While Agastya was not fully convinced by the arguments of his friends, he realised that his wife did have strong political ambitions. “Agastya, do not get swayed by tales of my political ambitions. I may or may not run for governorship and beyond; but that would happen only if life exists on the planet. But at the moment as scientists and virologists it is paramount that we remain at battleground zero and combat the pestilence. It is very easy to take a passport out. Think about the millions of humans and various life forms who will have no wherewithal to survive. Does an infantry soldier desert his country and run away from the battlefield in face of an adversary amidst ruins?” she pointedly enquired. “He would be called a traitor,” she added vehemently. “I think your mind has been cannonaded by trepidation, the lucre of money and that’s why you are even considering fleeing. You ought to support me in these trying circumstances and we both need to make a last-ditch effort,” Janet spoke with passion. “I do not wish to be labelled as a quisling in the world of science or in the eyes of humanity,” Janet spoke with conviction. Noah tried to prevail upon her friend. “But Noah, we received the Nobel prize to save humanity from cataclysmic situation and develop an affordable vaccine programme to guard millions of people. Certainly, it was not meant to protect a certain class,” Janet was firm. Agastya Iyer was not convinced with his wife’s stand especially when he realised Plan A was conclusively over. It was now imperative to save the lives of those could afford it. His stay in USA convinced him capitalism may have various deformities but was the only economic model where wealth was generated. India had slowly awakened to economic reforms. He made a last-ditch effort to persuade Janet, but failed to transfigure her mind. Finally, Agastya decided to go ahead on his own and join hands with Marcus and Noah. Meanwhile the flotsam and jetsam that constituted the majority were condemned to be swallowed by the nocuous virus. Noah’s husband Marcus Taylor had reached Mars and was stationed at Point A2 Heights to receive the first set of migrants from Earth. All arrangements had been perfected to the T and they were set to receive President James Patrick Madison Jr, members of his cabinet and the select few who had broken into the trillionaire club. With money and connections being the only criterion, the group that would be landing on Mars was variegated to say the least. The motley group consisted of well-heeled entrepreneurs, artistes and novelists, politicians, gangsters, criminals. A few of them carried their choicest pets, plants and aquatic species along. Noah had a weighty problem on her hands trying to make room for a whale which was the prized property of a Sheik from Dubai. Marcus Taylor, the creator of the enclaves on Mars and his virologist friend Agastya Iyer who was deputed to screen all those arriving from Earth, had already landed on the Red Planet. Agastya Iyer marvelled at the ingenuity of the architecture of the enclave. Taylor had showcased all his talent and knowledge in creating the bubble. “You are like God himself ... who has developed this atypical home far away from home. Our plenteous humans will colonise this planet,” Iyer added. Meanwhile Janet Kilpatrik had not given up hope and was still assiduously working to trump out a vaccine. Much to the consternation of hundreds of nations and those bereft of deep-pockets, precious funds were now being diverted from developing the vaccine to project Plan B. There were uproarious scenes in various capitals, outside Capitol Building, Central Vista, 10 Downing Street, Kremlin, UNO, IBRD. China was the lone exception, as the PLA had clarified that all decisions that had been taken were in the interests of the Motherland and the welfare of the Chinese people; no protests would be tolerated. Social media, news channels reported little else. Activists and the unfortunate masses deprived of the luxury of escape to another planet thronged these places to register their angst, enveloped as they were by uncertainty and darkness. They laid a siege at vantage points and during the protests thousands succumbed to the pestilence. *************** The firestorm killed the lights and knocked the ship deep into space. Somehow, the instruments were still alive, but there was no specialist crew to read them. Far below a red crescent shone along the edge of the burning planet silhouetted by the curve of a wing. It would be a lonely trip. She gazed through the porthole at the wavering stars as all other crew members had perished. She took in the death all around her. Her mind gravitated to her friend Janet. In the strange way that the mind works, she was thinking of epitaphs for the of two them. Certainly, hers would read like an elegy rather than a eulogy. Several heads of states and stinking rich entrepreneurs and a host of movers-and-shakers had been travelling. But the voyage was extremely arduous and several of them could not survive the shock. It was a traumatic experience for the prosperous and affluent passengers, as they were used to a life cushioned with all possible comforts. Noah Williams was numbed as disaster struck the robust spacecraft. Both she and Marcus had revisited their repository of knowledge and juggled to fit-in all missing pieces. They had imparted training to humans on how to live in inhuman conditions in an alien planet. It was not merely a text book, question and answer sessions. Humans and monkeys were made to live in simulated conditions for days together. Noah rattled her brain to remember any nugget of information that might help. The Mars Express seemed to be heading towards a precipice as Noah Williams desperately tried to navigate the ship. All that she had was a damaged ship, no crew and all communication channels snapped. She saw death in the darkness. There was absolute stillness and she could hear the roar of the Universe as the spacecraft seemed to be dangling in space. She tried every combination she could think of, made frantic attempts to reach out to the NASA control centre and her husband Marcus. She was sending distress signals to all fervidly hoping that someone or the other would respond. Marcus Taylor and Agastya Iyer appeared harried in the control room of the enclave, trying to guide the ill-fated spaceship to land but could not establish any contact. They could see the force of gravity was sucking the machine towards a black hole and were frantically trying to coax the spaceship to life. Marcus’s eyes welled-up and he was choked with emotions. He was quite certain that his wife’s spacecraft was hurtling to disaster. Noah Williams moved around the Mars Express in a feverish manner, willing her mind to find a solution or seek out any one capable of assisting her. As she walked around the belly of the spaceship, she stopped in her tracks all of a sudden. Stowaways!!! Right in front of her eyes! She was shell shocked. How they had succeeded in breaking the impregnable security ring and entered the spaceship, she could not imagine. This was something unpardonable and inexplicable. Among them was John Newton, a bright scientist who was frantic to travel by the Mars Express, but did not possess the financial wherewithal to be a part of the mission. He hankered to land on Mars and not merely salute and wave at the spacecraft as it departed from earth. These were fugitives who managed to sneak in while the all-powerful boarded the spacecraft. John had worked alongside her team during the design phase of the project at NASA. John Newton had tested positive for the deadly virus and appeared frail and ill. John did not fulfil a single condition to be aboard the spacecraft. Not only was he suffering from the pestilence, he had not been in quarantine for a month prior to the journey. Any potential traveller, upon completion of the quarantine period had to undergo a battery of tests, including testing negative for the virus. And finally, the passenger had to cough up billions of dollars to board the spacecraft. Noah was well aware that this stowaway who was one of understudies during the trials at NASA did not meet any of these parameters. But in these perilous circumstances she was left with no choice but to seek his assistance. He was the only specialist available. “John Newton, you and other stowaways are in the wrong place. You sneaked in spite of the security. Obviously, you have bribed them. I have known you for years now,” Noah spoke angrily. “But I need your help to retrieve this space craft. There is so much at stake. Will you help me? Though I feel ashamed to seek the assistance of someone like you,” Noah added. “I will certainly help, provided you allow me passage to Point A2 Heights at Mars,” was expectedly the condition stated by the stowaway. Noah thought for a while and finally gave in to his condition. Noah Williams and John Newton with dexterity managed to keep the Mars Express afloat in space and could finally establish contact with the Mars Control room and the NASA control room much to the consolation of the control centre on Mars. Had it not been for the skills of the pestilence-afflicted John Newton, Mars Express would have hurtled to certain death. A Few Years Back Janet, Agastya, Noah and Marcus raised a toast, when the two virologists were honoured with the Nobel Prize for successfully developing a vaccine against the novel Corona virus currently afflicting humanity. The duo was awarded in an online function. “Janet, what if there are multiple mutations of the virus and host, and has a DNA of the virus emblematic to the one it attacks, what would be the consequences?” Marcus enquired. “Well, that is tricky and needs far greater research to develop a solution,” replied Agastya. “I'm sure at the moment neither Janet nor me or any other scientist or virologist has any panacea for such an eventuality,” Iyer was to add further. “Let us savour this moment for now,” Janet Kilpatrick added. “Hey guys, let us celebrate this moment and be joyous that we could discover an affordable vaccine which will arrest the noxious microorganism.” “I think we would, in such an eventuality, have to think out-of-the- box if no cure is found to trace and grapple with the roots,” Marcus ventured. “May be transport population to a safer sanctuary,” Noah added. “But such a place or an enclave cannot be on earth,” was the considered opinion of the quartet. It would be verily impossible to identify a sanitized location, since all forms of life would be infected, and no PPE suit or mask would be able to guard humans and other life forms. “This is indeed a scary scenario. Let us hope such a situation never arises ever or it would be extremely cataclysmic,” Janet added. “In my opinion, the only possible colony could be on Mars,” Marcus Taylor added. “But it would be frightfully expensive to set up such a colony,” Noah opined. “Marcus has been tasked with creating the architecture of such a colony.” “I understand that such a colony is being funded by superabundant entrepreneurs and some sterling pharma companies,” Janet inquired. “To me, all this sounds extremely sinister and extremely lop-sided,” Janet added further. The power and money hungry had apparently designed a dangerous ploy. These thoughts returned to cannonade Noah’s mind as she was left with the infected John Newton. Plan A of developing the vaccine had torpedoed, Plan B was also in trouble now. Perhaps the Universe did not quite approve of this sinister and lopsided plan. This strategy did not have the stamp of approval of the Gods. As per the mandate, she could not navigate or land Mars Express on the Red Planet with stowaways, definitely not with infected stowaways. Those with the deadly virus could not stay on Mars. Noah was gripped with several emotions; she was feeling weak and had caught an acute cold and fever. In all likelihood, John Newton had transmitted the virus to her. Noah’s conscious finally pricked her. She paused for the longest moment of her life and heaved a big sigh of relief. She had come to a decision. James Patrick Madison Jr, President of America rose like Rip Van Winkle. He could barely speak. “You have been magnificent Noah. If we are alive today it is your singular effort. The moment we land at Point A2 Heights, the USA and the entire comity of nations will decorate you for this feat and your remarkable valour. Well, when do we land?” he enquired. “Mr President, this spacecraft will not enter the territory of Mars on a couple of grounds. Based on the damage caused to the engine and other segments, the spacecraft is heading towards self-combustion. Second, we probably do not have fuel left to get to Mars, and finally there are a couple of stowaways afflicted with the virus who cannot land on Mars and I cannot abandon them,” Noah Williamson was upfront with the President. “But then what happens to the surviving individuals who have spent a fortune to travel on this mission,” the President demanded, an incredulous look on his face. “I once again reiterate my earlier statement. The choice is yours. Either the spacecraft returns back to our planet or enters the darkness of space which is nothing but certain death,” Noah was even more forthright. The President was left with zero option. He looked gravely into the eyes of Noah and allowed her to take the final call as the surviving rich travellers created a pandemonium. Plan C Squaring her shoulders, she firmly changed the course of the spacecraft back to Earth. Her husband, Marcus Taylor and friend Agastya Iyer, were taken aback as they found the fading lights and final trail of Mars Express heading away. It was heading back home to Mother Earth. Desperate distress and frantic signals were transmitted, but remained unanswered by Mars Express. John Newton felt cheated but had no option available. He could do nothing as he was not in a position to navigate the space craft. He guided Noah into an oxygen bubble in the spacecraft where a couple of medicos attended upon her. After some resuscitation she was back to steer the spacecraft back to earth. “You successfully trumped my plan,” Newton who was now in PPE suit to prevent further transmission of the malignant disease. “I learnt the Art of War and Art of Chicanery from individuals like you,” Noah remarked. “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near,” she quoted an ancient Chinese strategist. Janet Kilpatrick who was closely following the course of the spacecraft after taking the solitary and intrepid decision of staying back alone, saluted her dear friend for daring to take such a brave decision, one that was fraught with strong emotions. Janet was inspired and ramped her facilities in order to work with greater zeal to develop the vaccine. As news filtered on Earth, there was large scale jubilation among the survivors in various capitals of the world. Noah’s conscience had finally pricked and she realised that Plan B was absolutely skewed and displayed the inhuman side of capitalism. Her Caribbean roots stared at her viciously. Several of her brethren who faced racism in the world’s oldest democracy, had no finances to migrate to Mars. And there she had taken the easy road out, like a snake in the grass. Her adoration for Janet rose manifold. And soon Mars Express began its descent rapidly to Earth. As news filtered on Earth, there was large scale jubilation among the survivors in various capitals of the world. Noah Williams and John Newton survived the journey back to Earth and the pestilence as Janet was able to create and develop a fresh vaccine for trial. After the clinical trials were conducted, with results still to be collated, Janet administered the new vaccine which she called Noah 2.0 on herself and on Noah Williams. “You have saved my life and my soul,” uttered Noah, giving her friend a warm hug. “And you have bolstered my strength and belief in my ability to develop the vaccine.” Noah Williams had seen termination from such close quarters that the very meaning of life had lost significance. She had spent time in a spacecraft which was filled with corpses of the elite and silk-stocking individuals who thought they were on their way to Mars to escape; they seemed to have met their nemesis. Nobel Prize 2032 The Nobel Prize for virology and work in outer space was awarded to Janet Kilpatrick, Noah Williams and John Newton. Janet received the award for the second time. The vaccination programme was launched with vigour and speed across the globe and a new, egalitarian social order was created and balance was restored. Senator Janet Kilpatrick was elected as Governor of Maryland and rumours were rife that she would run for Presidency with Noah Williams as her Vice-Presidential nominee. Point A2 Heights Marcus Taylor and Agastya Iyer had perished in the bubble along with others as they were left waiting for fresh supplies of medication and rations which never arrived. There had been no Plan D envisaged. Such a turn of faith, such a show of humane behaviour had never been anticipated.