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59.
"What on earth is that?" The President of the United States made a face as he pointed to the projection screen on he wall of the Situation Room at the White House.
POTUS was watching an unfolding disaster in San Diego along with two dozen government officials including the Surgeon General and other health experts. On the screen, official Navy and Marine Corps footage, as well as up to the minute CNN and MSNBC reporting, featured a kind of fuzzy cloud covering the 32nd Street Naval facility. "We believe that this Fuzzy Cloud, as it's being called, is made of fungal spores, Mr. President." So said the Commander of Naval forces in San Diego from his emergency office at NAS North Island.
"Is it spreading?" POTUS demanded.
"It's possible. Wind could carry it inland," said the Air Force meteorology colonel in the room.
"How fast?"
The top Army mycologist, a brigadier general, said: "Not much is known yet about the characteristics, the life cycle, the DNA map, of this organism. We believe it's fungal in nature, and spreads spores on the wind. That said, it could take generations for it to actually get beyond the city."
"Generations?" POTUS asked. "You mean years?"
"Nossir. I'm talking mushroom generations. They can pop up overnight. I'm talking days. In other words, picture this, Mr. President. From each origin, a ring spreads out, or an oval, whatever the wind pattern happens to be. That's how far the spores radiate in all directions. Let's say it's 100 feet per gust of wind. Maybe 1000 feet per day. Some number of the spores land in a damp, dark spot and flourish. If conditions are right, a new mushroom springs up overnight. Remember, we've heard from Dr. Nolan that person or persons unknown were crop dusting with an Accelerator fungus that gets the other fungi all worked up so they produce bigger, faster, sooner. Each new mushroom dumps two million or more spores per minute and becomes the origin for new circles. Now you have dozens of new origins. Each of those spreads its spores in a circle around. Well, you can see, Sir, that within a few weeks the circles are going to cover many square miles. And that's just the simple picture without a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo."
"What do you recommend, General?" POTUS asked.
"Honestly? I'd evacuate San Diego. Go in and bug bomb the area until nothing can possibly survive, especially not the fungi."
"With what?"
"A cocktail of detergents, fungal infestations, rots that kill other fungi and then self-destruct—whatever we can throw at it."
An admiral reminded him: "Don't forget we have several atomic submarines tied up at Point Loma, just across the harbor. We have aircraft carriers sitting at North Island."
"Sail them out, get them out now," POTUS said.
"Sensible idea, Sir," said several senior admirals and generals. Within minutes, couriers ran from the room to send official orders signed by the Chief of Naval Operations.
"What else?" POTUS said.
"Tens of thousands of hotel workers, local residents, people working downtown—it will ruin their economy."
"We'll deal with tourism later," POTUS said. "Get everyone out in an orderly fashion while there is still time. Listen to this." He flicked a button on the intercom before him.
A woman's voice spoke. "Am I on, Mr. President?"
POTUS said: "This is Louise Trost, regional chief of the anti-terrorism task force of Congress in San Diego. Tell them about the casualties, Louise."
"Mr. President, over 100 persons have now died from the initial dusting of Yellow Fungus, as we call it. I'd say another 1000 are sick and will probably recover. However, the city is becoming increasingly infested with huge, overgrown mushrooms that are filling the air with spores that can only be toxic in many cases when breathed or ingested. My specialist here, Dr. Shaun Nolan, has estimated that over 50,000 persons have already been exposed, and an unknown number of those are in danger of dying. The emergency rooms are already filled to capacity with respiratory problems, secondary infections, blood disease, and other problems. If we don't evacuate, it will mean not only a medical catastrophe, but a public relations nightmare. You can carry the implications from there."
"Thank you, Louise." POTUS raised his eyebrows and looked around. "Comments?"
"Evacuate," someone said. Soon a chorus of voices rose, saying the word over and over. It was a voice roll call for not only medical realism but also political survival.
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