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Tuesday - September 21

"Well, get Uncle Gerald to pull it up."

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

"Why?"

"Gerald... Gerald committed suicide."

I gaze at the president in total shock, and whisper, "Uncle Gerald... dead?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Bennett. Apparently, he felt that there was no hope to stop the plague. But believe me when I say there is hope, Dr. Bennett. And you are that hope."

"Me? I don't understand. I... I had nothing to do with this. How can I give hope to this ungodly situation?"

"Can you walk?" President Mansoor asks.

"Yes."

"Then come. Let's go to Gerald's office."

I carefully stand, and with the president go to Uncle Gerald's office.

"What is this place?" I ask, as I look around and see people working, wondering if they know exactly what's happening.

"This is the Plaza. It's been in operation for the last twenty-five years. Ever since Dr. Dorsey's discovery, all world leaders and chief medical personnel were informed of the possibility of saving Earth's most precious resource: people."

"People? It seems to me that none of you had "the people" in mind at all. How many more must die President Mansoor because of your error?"

"That, Dr. Bennett, is totally up to you."

"Me? When did I all of a sudden become a key factor in this madness?"

"From the beginning, Dr. Bennett. This madness, as you call it, began with you when you were three years old. Dr. Dorsey and your Uncle Gerald, especially Gerald, could not bear to see his nephew, Jonathan, waste away because of his affliction. Therefore, Gerald decided that you would be the best candidate to test Dr. Dorsey's new serum. Dr. Bennett, you and one other person are the key to annihilating the plague, and the key to start a new beginning for humankind."

I can't believe what I'm hearing. I was the cause of all of this! No, they're not going to blame me for their mistake.

"Here we are, Dr. Bennett. This is Gerald's office." We both enter when I notice a dry, red spot on the chair. I slowly walk over to it, and then realize that it's dried blood. I turn around and say to Madame President, "Is this where Uncle Gerald killed himself?"

The president nods her head yes, and softly says something in Arabic.

I rub my hand over the top of his chair, and though my heart is saddened by his death, I somehow could not bring myself to weep for him. Damn you, Uncle Gerald! You've abandoned me twice, now! Damn you!

"Dr. Bennett, please, if you would get into Gerald's computer. I need you to locate a file and transfer it over to this card."

"What's the name of the file?"

"The name of the file, Dr. Bennett, is Claire."

I quickly look at the president and say, "You've got to be shitting me. Sorry, but, really?"

The president is speechless. I take the card from her and insert it into the computer and begin a search for the filename Claire. It wasn't difficult to locate. While Uncle Gerald did not actually have the file named "Claire", he used a name I recognize. I had a pet named Poncho when I was a boy. He was a long-haired Dachshund, and his fur looked as if he wore a poncho.

"You want the complete file on the card, Madame President?" I ask.

"If you would please, Dr. Bennett," she answers without any facial expression.

I right-click and select copy and send the file to the card.

"There, it's transferred. What now?"

"Please, Dr. Bennett, I need you to step away from the computer."

I'm beginning to feel uneasy. She wouldn't kill me. Would she? Cautiously, I step away as requested, and then with all of the president's might, she picks up the laptop and smashes it onto the floor. She continues to pick it up and throw it down until the laptop is in pieces. The president locates the hard drive and with broken plastic attached to it, puts it into her coat pocket, and then says, "Very good, Dr. Bennett. We can now go back to the CDC."

"Why?"

"So we can end this madness."

President Mansoor and I walk through the silent halls until we reach a garage where a van is waiting. We both enter the van, when President Mansoor says, "I'm sorry, Dr. Bennett, but this is for your own protection."

I feel a pinch in my arm. I turn around and see the woman who helped me in the room earlier removing a needle from me. My eyelids become heavy and then I sleep.