"They would be quarantined until such time as we were satisfied beyond any doubt that they were free of the disease." Lutz leaned forward, eyebrows raised, his neck thin and veined like an ostrich's. "I can categorically assure the assistant secretary that we have provided for all eventualities, unlikely as they may be. Believe me, sir, anyone infected with the virus will be in no fit state to travel."
Devanney gnawed his lip, still uneasy. "It can't travel by air? I mean carried by the trade winds?"
Eyes closed, Lutz shook his head.
One of the State Department officials said, "But it can travel by water. Presumably there's a considerable runoff from the infected bodies that will find its way into the oceans eventually. What happens to it then?"
It was Madden who said brusquely, "Nothing happens to it. The concentration is minute to begin with, only a few parts per million. In the oceans it will simply dissipate until it's ineffective."
"You've carried out tests to show this," Hansom said.
"Of course." Madden reached for his crystal glass and took a sip of Perrier water. "The matter of containment has received the most careful and thorough investigation at Starbuck. I can give you gentlemen an absolute assurance. You need have no qualms."
Whatever qualms Jim Devanney might still have entertained he kept to himself. He listened to Major Jones, who went on to talk about the Secondary Plan. The Soviets had cooperated fully in the Primary Plan while knowing nothing about the Secondary. They had helped in the extermination of three quarters of the global population by taking care of China, their traditional adversary, but would play no part in the recolonization of the Designated Areas by the mutant breeds now being developed in Zone 4. Though as Major Jones was at pains to make clear, whereas the Primary Plan had taken five years to come to fruition, the Secondary might take fifty years or even longer. Genetic experimentation on pollution and anoxia victims was not only difficult and highly complex, but by its very nature long-term.
"There seems no way of speeding up the breeding cycle of the human species," Jones explained regretfully. "Even mutants take the usual span of time to reach adulthood. Unless we can adapt our present stock so that it can exist in a redundant atmosphere--that is, with less than five percent oxygen content--we have no choice but to wait for their offspring to reach maturity. Or at least puberty," he added with a wry smile.
How close are you to producing a mutant breed that can survive in those conditions?" asked one of the State Department officials, a middle-aged woman with dyed red hair and eyebrows shaped like sea gull's wings.
Major Jones looked apologetic. "I'm afraid that that information is under strict security classification, ma'am. I'm not at liberty to divulge it, even to the present company, with respect."
Madden didn't miss the look of outrage creeping into the woman's eyes. He said smoothly, "For obvious reasons all material relating to Zone Four has to be restricted, as I'm sure you'll appreciate." He glanced in Hansom's direction. "But 1 don't see why we couldn't stretch a point in this instance. Mr. Secretary?"
Hansom waved a condescending hand.
"I won't go into the technicalities, because they're pretty formidable, but we are making excellent progress," Madden informed them. "We've been working on this for the past seven years and we're getting to the point where we can breed suitable specimens in the laboratory using sperm and ova from anoxia victims and genetically manipulating the DNA structure to encourage certain characteristics and eliminate others. The main problem, as Major Jones has already told you, is that it's going to take at least a generation before we can start to breed in bulk. Starbuck's director, Dr. Rolsom, has also been conducting experiments in surgical adaptation, but we don't yet know whether this will be successful. It could possibly be a shortcut to producing the mutes we need for our recolonization program."
"Mutes?" queried Devanney with a frown.
"The Starbuck term for mutants," Madden elucidated. "Molecular biologists have their own slang, like all closed communities."
"The TCDD virus was created by genetic means, isn't that so?" asked the red-haired woman. When Madden nodded she said, "Then why not use the same technique to produce these mutes of yours? Isn't the process similar?"
