Майкл Крайтон - The Andromeda Evolution

These newcomers had been solely approved to handle weapons loading.

This was much to the consternation of the regular-duty group of navy ordnancemen. The veteran “ordies” were full members of this elite fighter squadron and felt a sense of ownership over not only their airplanes but also their pilots. Orders were orders, however. So the disgruntled men and women had stood at the base of the flight control tower in their red shirts, grumbling to each other and sneaking cigarettes while mysterious outsiders did their jobs for them.*

Each bullet-shaped payload was designed to fit seamlessly into an underwing weapon station. The jets were quickly outfitted with a full complement of four payloads on each of their inboard hardpoints. Complete with boosters, the total weight was nearly six thousand pounds of pure cellulose-based Andromeda inhibitor, in liquid form. Existence of this prototype substance was officially classified, and its weaponization into a standard combat loadout a closely guarded secret.

The delivery team stood guard on the flight deck for the rest of that day, working in shifts. Wearing mirrored aviator sunglasses and with arms crossed, none of the newcomers seemed capable of speech. Meanwhile, word of a new launch had gone out in the combat direction center.

Felix squadron had been put on alert posture from midnight until six a.m.

While on alert, the squadron of Super Hornets was primed and ready to roar off the carrier’s steam catapult at a moment’s notice—specifically the bow-cat, due to wind conditions. Given the word, they would be launched one by one onto a covert journey east over the depths of the Amazon. Their presence would break a dozen treaties in force, including the founding Treaty of Peace and Friendship between nations signed in 1828. Despite any altruistic intentions, an armed sortie onto a foreign nation’s soil without permission would be viewed as nothing less than an act of war—the clandestine mission being in clear violation of the definition of aggression as set out in the Charter of the United Nations.

The hope was that it wouldn’t come to that.

Maximum clean wing speed for a Super Hornet is Mach 1.6, but with weapons on, the squadron faced increased drag. Estimated flight duration to target at a maximum velocity of Mach 1 was three hours forty minutes. At dawn of the next morning, Felix squadron would be in position to unleash hell.

This last-ditch attempt to contain the anomaly via aerial bombardment with the Andromeda inhibitor was deemed necessary by Wildfire protocol, despite the high likelihood of triggering an international conflict. The hope was that coating the structure surface with inhibitor would stop its expansion. The associated risks were deemed acceptable in the face of the most likely alternative scenarios of Andromeda infection if the threat was not contained.

The following eschatological taxonomy was introduced in classified reports commonly associated with the Andromeda incident, describing non-nation-centric outcomes of the potential spread and dissemination of the Andromeda microparticle.

Scenario A (65%): Regional Disaster

Similar in scale to severe weather incident or minor asteroid impact. Contagious particles spread but are contained to quarantine zone. Death rate: 100 to 1,000s.

Scenario B (21%): Global Human Dieback

Similar in scale to global thermonuclear war. Microparticles spread globally, but either through preparation or luck, survival rates hover well above zero and governmental institutions continue to exist. Death rate: 1M to 100M.

Scenario C (9%): Civilization Extinction

Similar in scale to severe asteroid impact or volcanic eruptions contributing to sudden global warming events. Traumatic die-off worldwide on a scale that destroys government infrastructure and plunges humanity into pretechnological phase. Death rate: Billions.

Scenario D (4%): Targeted Human Extinction

Similar in scale to biowarfare plagues. Likely a human-engineered outcome resulting from the weaponization of the Andromeda microparticle and the failure of an aggressor nation’s prophylactic vaccines. Resulting in total or near-total human extinction, while possibly not harming other biological organisms. Survival rate: 10,000 to 100,000s.

Scenario E (<1%): Biosphere Extinction

Similar in scale to an astronomically adjacent gamma-ray burst. A rampant Andromeda microparticle, engineered or in its “natural” state, absorbs enough energy to disseminate globally, feeding impartially on biological organisms of all forms, effectively sterilizing the planetary biosphere and reducing Earth to a lifeless rock. Only nonplanetary humans (ISS, other orbital vehicles/structures) with samples of life could survive, though likely not for long. Human survival rate: 10s to 100s.

Scenario F (<.01%): Total Planetary Extinction

Unprecedented in scale, other than the eventual envelopment of Earth by the dying sun as it expands in approximately 7.6 billion years. Theoretically possible as the “gray goo” scenario of expanding nanoparticles. Experimentally, the Andromeda Strain has been seen to adapt to consume different materials in a pure energy conversion. If this process were to repeat unchecked, the entire mass of the planet Earth could be consumed. Survival rate: Zero.

Indios Bravos

REALIZING HE HAD BEEN SEEN BY THE SHOCKED WILDFIRE team, the boy decided to come down from his tree. He carefully descended from his hiding place, poised to run away. Hesitantly, he stepped into a gap between tree roots and faced the scientists from a distance.

The boy was perhaps ten years old, barefoot and brown-skinned, black hair chopped close to his skull. He carried a hand-made length of rope twined over both his shoulders like bandoliers. Standing proudly, red dust still clinging to his cheeks, he thrust out his small chest. He held a blowgun in one hand like a staff, nearly twice as tall as himself, with one end planted firmly into the muddy ground.

Shouting in his fiercest voice, the boy moved his free hand in a clear gesture of “Go away.”

The four scientists, alone in a foreign jungle, clearly had no idea how to respond. Still standing over the body they had been examining, they did not take their eyes off the child. On instinct, they moved slowly and spoke calmly, keeping their hands visible.

“He’s not infected, as far as I can see,” said Stone.

“Probably too young to have handled the contaminated weapons,” said Peng.

Harold Odhiambo began to step backward, his palms flashing as he raised them. A sad smile had surfaced on his face. “We should move away from here for the moment,” he told the group.

“Why?” asked Vedala. “He’s only a little boy. He’s not a threat.”

“I believe it is likely we are standing over the body of someone he knows, perhaps a father or uncle,” replied the Kenyan, gently.

As a group, the team backed away.

The boy crept toward the fallen man. Kneeling beside the corpse, he placed his forehead against the ground. Tears had sprung to the child’s eyes, and his chest shuddered. His lips curled down in a pure expression of grief.

The scientists watched from a short distance.

“We shouldn’t let him touch the body,” said Stone.

“How do you propose we stop him?” asked Vedala.

“I have an idea,” said Stone.

“You always seem to,” retorted Vedala.

Stone called out in a gentle voice, but only evoked a cringe and another shout. Crouching over the body protectively, the boy was tugging on a limp hand, trying to drag the corpse without success.

Palms up, Stone advanced a few slow steps. Alert and afraid, the boy stood suddenly. Stone ever so slowly reached around to his backpack and plucked a canary drone from its recharging perch.