Chương 103: Chapter 102 – Viral Overload

"So it's the same viral strain he used the first time?" Elena asked, watching Alex peer through the high-powered microscope. The faint hum of the machine vibrated through the desk, a reminder of how fragile their setup really was. Alex pulled back, frowning.

"It appears to be, but…" He hesitated. Elena felt a tightness form in her chest.

"I don't like that 'but,' Alex," she said, her posture stiffening. He gave her a confused look.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how effective this virus would be on elves or fairies. It seems designed to specifically attack Goblin DNA. I don't know if it would affect other species at all." He ran a hand through his hair. Elena noticed how his fingers trembled slightly.

"But… why would Mordak and his goons send a virus designed to decimate Goblin DNA to the Elven Realm if it didn't serve some purpose?"

"So, you're saying we're missing something?" she asked, trying to piece it together. A dull ache began pulsing behind her temples.

"How do we find out?"

"There's only one way," he said quietly.

"And I'm really uncomfortable with that."

"This is one of those times where not having a medical doctor on staff really puts us at a disadvantage. You know I am just faking it over here, right?"

"You fake it really well. Besides don't cut yourself short. You have learned a lot. You may not think I have noticed you reading those medical books, but I have seen you."

"That is not the same, Elena." Alex sighed.

"I may be a doctor, but I am no MD and you know it. What if there comes a time when we need someone who isn't simply pulling answers out of their ass?"

"Hopefully that time does not come. We have been doing just fine all these years without a dedicated physician on the payroll. We will figure it out Alex."

"Well, I know that there is only one way we are going to figure out what the virus could do to a fairy or an elf…" Alex began.

"What, expose a fairy or an elf and see what happens?" Elena asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer. Her throat felt dry.

"Not directly," he said, taking a deep breath.

"Right now, I just need to see how the virus reacts to their blood." He paused.

"But I'm worried it might mutate again. This virus has already mutated once and became unstoppable. If it changes now, it could infect fairies and elves and maybe even re-infect vaccinated goblins. We could end up creating a multi-realm supervirus, and then it will be all on us, not Mordak," Alex, said before running another shaking hand through his hair. Elena's stomach tightened.

"Do you think that was his plan all along? To make sure we got it and did his dirty work for him?" she asked, rubbing her temples.

"So, what do you propose we do now?"

"Honestly, Elena, I don't know how to proceed. This is why we need a doctor, or a molecular biologist or something. This stuff that I am doing is way above my pay grade."

"You mean you get paid?" Elena asked, a smirk forming on her lips.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. This is serious Elena. We obviously need to find a way to render the virus inert so it can't infect anyone, but based on the complexity I'm seeing, I don't see how that's even possible," Alex said, pushing away from the desk. The chair scraped loudly across the floor, making Elena flinch.

"It's not like we have a state-of-the-art lab or containment facility here. I don't have the equipment or the know-how to run the kinds of experiments we'd need to break this down to its molecular level." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Elena didn't know what to say. The hope they'd had earlier of replicating the vaccine or developing a cure was fading fast. A cold heaviness settled in her chest.

"Well," she said, "we need to find something, or we could witness genocide in not just one realm, but two or more." She paused, taking a slow breath as the weight of the situation sank in.

"What's to stop Mordak from releasing it in other realms as he finds them? If he wipes out the fairies, then he has access to portals in every realm. All he'd have to do is release it once and let nature take its course. We've seen how quickly it spread here."

"Tell me something I don't know, Elena," he said curtly. His voice had a sharp edge that made her shoulders tense.

"You think I haven't run that thought through my head a million times already?" He huffed, folding his arms and shaking his head.

"I'm doing the best I can with the tools and limited knowledge that I have." He stood up and walked to the other side of the room, his shoulders slumped as the weight of the looming disaster grew heavier. Elena opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. She knew it was best to let Alex cool down so he could think. Trying to talk to him about any of this right now would only be counterproductive.

She pushed her chair back and stood up to leave, the legs scraping softly against the floor, when he stopped her.

"No, wait. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. None of this is your fault. I'm just incredibly frustrated with this entire mess. We have a biological ticking time bomb here, and I don't know how to diffuse it." He sighed. Elena noticed the exhaustion in his eyes, a kind she'd seen only in people who had been awake far too long.

"I'm used to being the one with all the answers in situations like this, not fumbling around blind."

"It's alright, Alex. I understand, believe me," she began.

"I'm the one everyone runs to for answers about everything. I miss the days when I was simply an archaeological anthropologist." She sighed.

"I was searching for hidden answers about ancient civilizations, their culture, their beliefs, and yes, sometimes their downfall." She looked at Alex, her eyes filled with empathy.

"Somehow, I became the leader, forced to come up with answers I don't always have. The stakes are higher now, because I have to save not only our civilization, but others as well. You have no idea how heavy a burden it is, Alex. The pressure is crippling some days, but we have to stay the course. The day we give up searching is the day we hand that lunatic the keys to everything. I'm not ready to pack it in, Alex, and I know you aren't either."

"I guess this is how you ended up in charge and not me," he snickered.

"You're the one with that go-team spirit when things get hard."

"Okay, so let's see if we can figure out a solution. There has to be something we've overlooked. We just haven't figured out what it is yet," she said, sitting back down, determined to see what they were missing.

"Here's a solution," he said with hopeful enthusiasm.

"Let's just kill Mordak and be done with it. No Mordak, no problem." Alex laughed. Elena noticed the laugh didn't reach his eyes.

"That's the simplest solution I can think of."

"Oh, Alex, if it was only that simple, we would have taken him out years ago," she sighed.

"It's pointless. Someone else will just fill his seat and take over. You know that. He has a cult-like following. Some in his administration are just as bad, if not worse. The reign will just go to the next dictator wannabe, and then what? No, we have to find a way to take down the entire administration, not just cut the head off the hydra."

"I know, but a guy can dream now, can't he?" he snickered.

"Okay, so the matter at hand is we have what looks like a created virus. That much I've confirmed. There's nothing natural about it." Alex began to pace, his mind careening into places he never thought it would venture. Elena listened to the rhythmic tap of his footsteps, each one echoing the urgency of their situation.

"Oh, my goodness!" Alex exclaimed, rushing back to his microscope. Elena's pulse quickened.

"What?" she asked excitedly.

"I think I just had that Eureka moment," he said, pulling back from the microscope.

"Give me a few minutes and I might have the answers we seek. Well, maybe not answers, but at least a roadmap to the answers." His voice trailed off as he hurriedly leaned over the microscope and adjusted the magnification. Elena watched the intensity settle over him like a storm cloud, her own breath catching as hope flickered to life again.