CyberStorm by Matthew Mather Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Matthew Mather
what she’d been doing.
“And you didn’t notice all this was going on?”
“No, Mike, I didn’t. The whole world isn’t attached to CNN. When I found out I rushed straight home, but there were no taxis and the Two and Three lines weren’t working, so I had to walk twenty blocks in the freezing cold,” she said defensively. “Have you ever tried running in high heels?”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Everyone’s nerves were on edge, and it wasn’t any use fighting. Sighing, I relaxed.
“Why don’t you try feeding him?” I said, my voice softening. “Maybe if mommy tries feeding him he’ll eat?”
Luke had stopped crying and was sniffling, his face covered in snot. Picking up a wet wipe from a plastic container on our coffee table, I got up and reached over to try and clean his face. He fussed and moved his head back and forth, leaning back out of my reach.
“He really is burning up,” said Lauren, peering into his face and putting a hand to his forehead.
“Just a little winter cold,” I said reassuringly. He looked unhappy, but not that bad.
My cell phone pinged a text message. Lauren’s phone chirped as well, and through the open doorway to our apartment I could hear Chuck’s and Susie’s phones too. Frowning, I pulled my phone from my pocket and swiped the code to open it, clicking open the new text message.
“Health Advisory Warning – Widespread infection bird flu H5N1 New York Connecticut. Highly pathogenic. Advise public stay indoors, emergency closure Fairfield County Manhattan Financial District outlying areas.”
It was from the NY-ALERT emergency notification service that Chuck had joined us up to.
“What is it?”
Reading and rereading the message, I looked up in horror, watching Lauren wiping more snot away from Luke’s face with her bare hand, wetly kissing his bare cheek. I remembered taking Luke out to meet all my clients in the days before. My mind filled with images of him getting kisses from people in Chinatown, Little Italy, all over the place. And then there was that Chinese family down the hall whose parents had just arrived from the mainland. Did I expose him to something?
“What?” asked Lauren, her voice rising in alarm as she looked at my face.
“Honey, put Luke down for a second and go wash your hands.”
The words coming out of my mouth sounded alien, like they were coming from some foreign being. My mind raced while my heart pounded in my chest. It’s just a false alarm, it’s just a cold. The irrational fear I’d felt running back from Whole Foods flooded my veins again.
“What do you mean, put Luke down?” demanded Lauren.
She could sense my fear.
“Mike! What are you talking about? What was in that message?”
Chuck appeared in our doorway, and Lauren looked up at him. I’d crossed over to Luke and Lauren by then, holding a blanket I’d picked up off the couch, and I was wrapping it around Luke, gently trying to take him from her.
“It’s just a precaution,” said Chuck softly, advancing slowly into the room with his hands held out in front of him. “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. We don’t know what’s happening.”
“What don’t you know is happening?”
Lauren looked up into my eyes and, trusting but not understanding, released Luke to me.
“Report of a bird flu outbreak,” I said quietly.
“WHAT?”
“We haven’t heard anything on the news—” Chuck started to say, and just then we heard the TV announcer’s voice floating in from their apartment next door. “Breaking news—reports of an outbreak of bird flu virus have just been reported from Connecticut area hospitals—”
“Give Luke back to me!” said Lauren sharply, standing and taking him out of my arms.
I didn’t resist. She glared at me, and I guiltily shrank back.
“He’s right, Lauren,” said Chuck, continuing to approach to her. “I’m sure this is nothing, but this isn’t just about you or him. We’re all at risk.”
“Then
“And you didn’t notice all this was going on?”
“No, Mike, I didn’t. The whole world isn’t attached to CNN. When I found out I rushed straight home, but there were no taxis and the Two and Three lines weren’t working, so I had to walk twenty blocks in the freezing cold,” she said defensively. “Have you ever tried running in high heels?”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Everyone’s nerves were on edge, and it wasn’t any use fighting. Sighing, I relaxed.
“Why don’t you try feeding him?” I said, my voice softening. “Maybe if mommy tries feeding him he’ll eat?”
Luke had stopped crying and was sniffling, his face covered in snot. Picking up a wet wipe from a plastic container on our coffee table, I got up and reached over to try and clean his face. He fussed and moved his head back and forth, leaning back out of my reach.
“He really is burning up,” said Lauren, peering into his face and putting a hand to his forehead.
“Just a little winter cold,” I said reassuringly. He looked unhappy, but not that bad.
My cell phone pinged a text message. Lauren’s phone chirped as well, and through the open doorway to our apartment I could hear Chuck’s and Susie’s phones too. Frowning, I pulled my phone from my pocket and swiped the code to open it, clicking open the new text message.
“Health Advisory Warning – Widespread infection bird flu H5N1 New York Connecticut. Highly pathogenic. Advise public stay indoors, emergency closure Fairfield County Manhattan Financial District outlying areas.”
It was from the NY-ALERT emergency notification service that Chuck had joined us up to.
“What is it?”
Reading and rereading the message, I looked up in horror, watching Lauren wiping more snot away from Luke’s face with her bare hand, wetly kissing his bare cheek. I remembered taking Luke out to meet all my clients in the days before. My mind filled with images of him getting kisses from people in Chinatown, Little Italy, all over the place. And then there was that Chinese family down the hall whose parents had just arrived from the mainland. Did I expose him to something?
“What?” asked Lauren, her voice rising in alarm as she looked at my face.
“Honey, put Luke down for a second and go wash your hands.”
The words coming out of my mouth sounded alien, like they were coming from some foreign being. My mind raced while my heart pounded in my chest. It’s just a false alarm, it’s just a cold. The irrational fear I’d felt running back from Whole Foods flooded my veins again.
“What do you mean, put Luke down?” demanded Lauren.
She could sense my fear.
“Mike! What are you talking about? What was in that message?”
Chuck appeared in our doorway, and Lauren looked up at him. I’d crossed over to Luke and Lauren by then, holding a blanket I’d picked up off the couch, and I was wrapping it around Luke, gently trying to take him from her.
“It’s just a precaution,” said Chuck softly, advancing slowly into the room with his hands held out in front of him. “I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. We don’t know what’s happening.”
“What don’t you know is happening?”
Lauren looked up into my eyes and, trusting but not understanding, released Luke to me.
“Report of a bird flu outbreak,” I said quietly.
“WHAT?”
“We haven’t heard anything on the news—” Chuck started to say, and just then we heard the TV announcer’s voice floating in from their apartment next door. “Breaking news—reports of an outbreak of bird flu virus have just been reported from Connecticut area hospitals—”
“Give Luke back to me!” said Lauren sharply, standing and taking him out of my arms.
I didn’t resist. She glared at me, and I guiltily shrank back.
“He’s right, Lauren,” said Chuck, continuing to approach to her. “I’m sure this is nothing, but this isn’t just about you or him. We’re all at risk.”
“Then