Sixteen Hours to Die, Part 2
"Steve, thank heavens you’re here. Jonathan Kaye’s been all over me like ugly on an ape. Something about territorial jurisdiction, concerning some top-secret military equipment."
"Governor, I don’t know where to begin," McGarrett sat across from the Governor’s desk, feeling drained. "Apparently, some kind of dangerous substance – capsules containing a virus – washed up on our shores. Two of the capsules were recovered by Dan Williams and Che Fong. They’ve since been confiscated by the United States Navy."
"Who do these capsules belong to, Steve? ‘Them’ or ‘us’?"
"I don’t know yet, sir," McGarrett rubbed his palms on his knees. "Governor -- a civilian has died as a result of being exposed to the virus. I asked HPD to close Makaha Beach immediately, until we’re sure there’s no further public danger."
Governor Jameson nodded his approval. "Do we have anything more to worry about, Steve? Is anybody else at risk?"
"Well, Danny and Che are under quarantine at the Naval Air Station, along with the wife of the victim, Charlene Nalowale," McGarrett said. "From what I understand, Mrs. Nalowale was not directly exposed. Danny and Che were."
"So what are we talking about, Steve?" The Governor looked concerned. "What’s their prognosis? What can we expect?"
"I’m still waiting for the answer to that question, sir," McGarrett said quietly. "The first victim died within a few hours of his exposure. Danny and Che haven’t shown any signs of illness – yet."
"We’ll get the answers we need, Steve," the Governor said reassuringly. "Jonathan Kaye is coming here – tonight."
***
Under armed guard, Danny and Che were checked in at the Naval Air Station at 8:30 pm. McGarrett and Kono waited outside as masked Navy doctors poked and prodded the two men, taking samples of saliva, urine, and blood.
They were escorted to their room by a unceremonious man wearing a space suit, who led them in, put a clear plastic water pitcher by the sink, and sealed the door. On the way to the room, Danny searched for some sign of Mrs. Nalowale. He didn’t see a trace of her anywhere.
Several Navy officers stood outside the sick bay door, looking in at them through a glass partition. Danny guessed this must be what the animals felt like at the Honolulu Zoo. Finally the doctors cleared off, talking in hushed tones among themselves. Only Steve and Kono remained. Kono looked unutterably sad.
"Danno, Che," McGarrett tapped the glass. "Don’t worry about anything. Admiral Jenkins will make sure you’re well taken care of."
"That’s what we’re afraid of," Che said. They all managed a smile.
"So far, the docs can’t figure out why you’re not sick yet," McGarrett said. "So that’s a good sign, hanh?"
"I guess," Danny said glumly. "Steve – I don’t want to be doom and gloom here, but – will you call my Aunt Clara? Tell her what’s happened?"
"Of course, Danno." McGarrett nodded. "And Che, I’ll call your wife."
"Don’t be too hasty, Steve," Che said. "I’m kind of enjoying the vacation."
They chuckled again. Try as he might, Kono couldn’t join in the levity. He looked at his friends solemnly and said, "I’m praying for you guys."
"Thanks, Kono. That means a lot."
"All right, gentlemen," McGarrett said. He seemed reluctant to go. With a sad expression on his face, he tapped the glass again. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah," Danny muttered. "See you tomorrow."
Steve and Kono left, under military escort. When their footsteps died away, Danny looked around the room bleakly. Four white walls, two small bunks, a table, a sink, and a urinal. In one corner, a small television set jutted out of the wall on a metal arm, hospital-style. Danny sighed. He bet it was black and white.
Che sank down on one of the bunks and shrugged out of his white lab coat. "Boy, what a long day," he said.
Danny smiled. "Pretty lousy birthday, huh?"
"If I’d known it was going to be my last one, I would have enjoyed it more," Che said wryly. "I hope my wife takes the news OK."
"It’s gonna be a shock," Danny stretched out on the other bunk and let a long breath whistle through his teeth. "Aunt Clara’s gonna flip when she finds out."
"That her favorite nephew’s been exposed to a deadly virus? Yes, I imagine she’ll take a dim view."
Danny chuckled softly. It helped ease the overwhelming sense of dread that hung in the room.
"Che, what’s gonna happen to us?" Danny wondered aloud. "Joe Nalowale – I don’t think you saw him, but … he really died hard."
Che looked glum. "You’re not making me feel any better, Danny."
"Sorry, Che. Hell, we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?" Danny got up and walked around the room, feeling like a caged animal. He saw several periodicals lying on the table and shuffled through them. A Hawaiian Airlines flight magazine, a two year-old National Geographic, and the latest issue of Readers’ Digest.
Danny laughed out loud. "Boy, they’re not making it easy on us! If the virus doesn’t get us, we’ll die of boredom."
Che smiled. "We might as well make the best of it, Danny. We might die a horrible death – but in the meantime, at least we can increase our word power."
Danny grinned and handed Che the Readers’ Digest. "Here – I’ll take the National Geographic. Who knows – it might be the chance I’ll ever have to see naked ladies."
With a bow to the inevitable, they settled back on their beds to await their fate.
***
It was midnight when Jonathan Kaye arrived in Honolulu aboard a U.S. Air Force jet. Kono brought him immediately to the Governor’s Office, where the lights were still burning brightly despite the late hour. Kono showed Kaye into the meeting room where the Governor, Steve, and Admiral Jenkins were waiting.
"Jonathan." The Governor got to his feet.
"Hello, gentlemen," Kaye set down his briefcase and shook each of their hands. "Well, we’ve got an unexpected problem on our hands, don’t we?"
"Who’s ‘we’, Jonathan?" McGarrett asked testily. "We still don’t know whether we’re dealing with a public health emergency, a Navy screw-up, or an enemy attack."
The Governor glanced at McGarrett warningly. "Easy, Steve. Let’s let Jonathan tell us what we need to know. Jonathan, I assure you, nothing that is said here will leave this room."
Kaye nodded, opened his briefcase. "The truth of the matter is, gentlemen, that the Red Chinese have been putting resources into biological warfare – a new breed of weapons designed to kill or incapacitate large segments of an enemy population."
He took out some papers and passed them around the table. McGarrett studied the line drawing on the top sheet. It looked vaguely familiar.
"This is an airborne capsule designed by the Red Chinese. It’s designed to be dropped from a plane over a populated area. It’s filled with a virus-causing agent that creates an instant reaction in those who come into contact with it," Kaye said.
McGarrett let out a breath. "Epidemic in a can."
"Exactly, Steve," Kaye nodded. "The capsule is supposed to burst before it hits the ground, spreading the virus over a large area. Depending on what’s in it, those who are exposed can catch everything from acute diarrhea to a bad cold. And what’s worse – the virus is highly contagious."
The Governor leaned forward. "Jonathan, are you telling me that the Red Chinese have been using these biological weapons – in Hawaii?"
Jonathan Kaye and Admiral Jenkins exchanged glances. "No – and here’s where I must ask for your complete confidence," Kaye said.
The Governor nodded. "You’ve got it."
"To counter the actions of the Red Chinese, we’ve been working on our own version of these weapons. The effort is being spearheaded by the CIA, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. To test the efficacy of our efforts … we needed a controlled population on which to experiment."
McGarrett looked at the Governor, then at Kaye. "Do I read you right, Jonathan?" he exclaimed. "Are you telling me the U.S. Navy has been using the people of Hawaii -- as lab rats, in some kind of crazy experiment?"
"Well I wouldn’t put it that way, Steve," Kaye said calmly. "But yes, we have deployed some of our experimental weapons here in Hawaii. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone exactly as planned. Our capsules so far have been defective – instead of bursting in the air, they’ve fallen to the ground intact. But with your help, we’ve accounted for all of them. With any luck, there won’t be any more damage beyond those subjects who are already exposed."
McGarrett glanced around the table. The Governor looked flabbergasted. Admiral Jenkins stared down at his hands.
"I hope to God you’re right, Jonathan," McGarrett said. "But what about my men? And Mrs. Nalowale? What’s going to happen to them?"
"Steve, I don’t want to get your hopes up," Kaye said quietly. "When exposed to the virus at a high level of concentration, no test subject lived more than sixteen hours. But it’s not a sure thing, either. We don’t know exactly what they were exposed to yet."
"Sixteen hours," McGarrett repeated in disbelief. "Who’d you test it on, death row inmates?"
"That’s classified," Kaye replied.
"Jonathan … if your prediction holds up, Dan Williams and Che Fong will be dead by 8:30 tomorrow morning."
The room went quiet. Everyone looked at Jonathan Kaye. He lifted his shoulders, then nodded a silent acknowledgement.
***
Danny put down his National Geographic and rubbed his eyes. His watch told him it was just after 1:30 am. Che was still awake and absorbed in his magazine.
Danny felt hot, restless. He got up and paced around in the small room. About 30 minutes ago, a masked technician had come in to draw blood, take their vital signs, and bring them some dinner. Danny peeked under the metal serving tray. The meatloaf hadn’t been good when it was hot, and the sight of the lukewarm leftovers made him feel queasy. Neither he nor Che had been very hungry.
Bored, Danny punched the TV’s on-button and started flipping through the channels. There wasn’t much on at this time of night. On Channel 2, KHON was showing old Mighty Mouse cartoons. Danny smiled and settled back on his bunk.
Pearl Pureheart, Mighty Mouse’s girlfriend, was once again in the clutches of the dastardly Oil Can Harry. She was bound hand and foot to a raft that was about to plunge over Niagara Falls. Danny chuckled as Mighty Mouse took to the air for a daring rescue. The cartoon mouse carried on operatically: "Here I come to save the day! Mighty Mouse is on his way!"
Danny’s reverie was interrupted by a loud sigh from Che. Che looked distastefully at the TV screen and asked, "How can you watch that drivel, Danny?"
Danny shrugged. "It relaxes me -- takes my mind off my troubles."
"Well, I’m glad one of us is enjoying it."
Danny lost his temper. "OK, Granny, have it your way." He jumped to his feet and flicked the TV off. He felt unreasonably annoyed with Che. "What are you reading that’s so interesting, anyway?"
Che held up his Readers’ Digest. "’Six Ways to Improve Your Sex Life.’"
"Aw, Che!" Danny said angrily. "After today, we’re probably not even gonna have a sex life!"
"Not necessarily, Danny," Che said calmly. "It’s a good sign that neither of us is showing any serious signs of illness."
"I guess," Danny replied. He didn’t want to tell Che, but he thought he was getting a fever. He went to the sink and poured himself a big glass of water under the harsh fluorescent lights. He was tired and thirsty. And he had a headache. The stress and fatigue were beginning to get him down.
Danny had downed his second glass of water before he noticed Che staring at him with big, worried eyes.
"What?" Danny demanded. "Why are you looking at me that way?"
"No reason, Danny," Che said quickly. "It’s just … you’ve been drinking a lot of water. Didn’t they say one of the symptoms of the virus was ‘unquenchable thirst’?"
"You’re right," Danny muttered. He sank down on his bunk. "Jesus, Che. I’m parched. I mean, I feel like the Sahara Desert."
"I’m feeling a little thirsty, too," Che admitted. "But there’s no reason to panic. It could be nothing, Danny."
"That’s what you said the last time." Danny lay over on his side. "Che, has it dawned on you we’re in serious trouble?"
"Yes," Che said, and fell silent for a long moment. For a minute Danny thought Che had fallen asleep, or maybe just decided he didn’t want to talk anymore. Then he heard Che say: "Danny?"
"Yeah."
"I’m feeling guilty."
"Why, Che?" Danny couldn’t imagine what this gentle man might have to feel guilty about.
"This morning I – I had a fight with my son. Over something really stupid. And now I’m afraid his last memory of his dad will be me yelling at him."
Danny almost smiled. "What was the fight about?"
"Well, you know, my wife and I are pretty traditional," Che said. "We believe in good old-fashioned Chinese values, like education and hard work."
"And Mom, and apple pie," Danny filled in. "So what’s the big deal?"
"Well, Michael … he’s pretty American. He’s a lot more interested in surfing, music, and hanging out with his friends."
"Sounds pretty typical," Danny said. "What is he, fourteen?"
"Fifteen," Che replied. "This week, he’s supposed to sign up for his classes for next year. Eleventh grade. His mom and I want him to take advanced math. He wants to take Jazz Band! Danny, math is something he’ll need for college. I feel relatively sure he’s not going to grow up to be Benny Goodman."
"So you fought about that?"
"Yeah – we had a pretty serious disagreement."
Danny couldn’t imagine it. "Che, I’ve never even heard you raise your voice."
"You’d be surprised," Che said wryly. "Just ask my kids."
"Che, I have a feeling he’s not that mad," Danny said. "If you die wanting him to take math, I doubt it’ll tarnish his memory of you."
Che sighed. "I hope not." He lay on his bunk, brow furrowed with worry.
Danny was silent for a while. Then he said, "Che, can I tell you something?"
"Of course."
Danny took a deep breath, paused, began again. "When I was a kid, my old man and I never got along," he said. "We fought about everything – my clothes, my schoolwork, the kids I hung out with."
"Really, Danny?" Che asked. "I always thought you were an all-American boy."
"Yeah, well, my dad didn’t think so," Danny said. "All through high school, he was on my case. But the worst time was when I decided to go to Berkeley, to finish my college degree. Dad didn’t want me to go. He thought I couldn’t make it away from home. He was so sure I’d screw up. We had a big argument about it, just before I left."
Che was silent for a moment. "But you didn’t screw up, Danny."
"Naw, I didn’t," Danny said. "But you know what? A few months after I left home, I got a phone call from my mom. Dad was in the hospital. He’d had a massive heart attack. I got on the next plane back to Honolulu.
"But I was too late. By the time I got here, Dad was gone. I never even got the chance to say goodbye." Danny looked down and swallowed. "Sure wish I could talk to him now."
Che was quiet. Out in the corridor, footsteps came and went. The faucet dripped.
"Aw, let’s get some shut-eye," Danny said hoarsely. He turned his back on Che, curled up on his bunk, and tried to sleep.
He could feel the fever overtaking him. In the next bunk, Che started to cough.
Neither one of them knew if they would ever wake up again.
***
In all the years he’d known him, McGarrett had never seen the Governor so angry. For a minute, Steve thought he might punch Jonathan Kaye right in the mouth.
"Jonathan, I consider this a terrible betrayal," the Governor said heatedly. "I think I’ve been more than cooperative. Using Kahoolawe as a bombing range, I can put up with. Atomic testing in the Pacific Ocean, I can tolerate. But using the Hawaiian people for clandestine biological experiments?"
"Calm down, Governor," Kaye said. "The capsules that were dropped on Honolulu were meant to be duds – placebos. We were testing to see if the capsules would burst as expected. Clearly, they didn’t."
"What about Joe Nalowale?" McGarrett demanded. "He didn’t die from a placebo, Jonathan."
Kaye glanced at Admiral Jenkins, who looked embarrassed. Jenkins stammered, "There was a slight mix-up on the part of some Navy personnel."
"I had to call one man’s wife and tell her he might not be coming home. I had to call another man’s aunt and tell her she might never see her nephew alive again," McGarrett yelled, voice rising. "I’d say that’s a hell of a mix-up!"
"I’m not denying it," Kaye said. "But considering, the damage was minor."
"Minor!" McGarrett shouted. "Tell that to Dan Williams and Che Fong! And to a young mother-to-be who will have to raise her child alone!"
The Governor interrupted. "Jonathan, I want your personal guarantee that this experimentation will cease. Immediately! Frankly, we didn’t fight so hard for statehood to become guinea pigs for government experiments!"
"Governor – I can’t promise that," Kaye said. "This is too important. These weapons must be tested, until we can match the Red Chinese in deployment capability. All I can promise is that mistakes like what happened yesterday won’t happen again."
"You’re damn right they won’t," McGarrett said. "I’ll take it to the Star-Bulletin."
Kaye glared at him coldly. "Steve, if you’re a patriot, you’ll keep your mouth shut."
"Patriot?" McGarrett sneered. "Jonathan, do you even know the meaning of that word?"
"Gentlemen, please," the Governor pressed his hands palm down on the table. Steve was amazed to see he was near tears.
"Jonathan, I fought for my country," the Governor said. "And so did Steve. We know what’s involved in fighting a war. We know the kind of compromises that have to be made."
He cleared his throat. "But what we are talking about here is different. You and the United States Navy are testing dangerous weapons on civilians – who happen to be citizens of the United States. One man is dead, and several more innocent people may pay the price for your mistake. As the Governor of the State of Hawaii, it is my responsibility to protect the people of this state. And I’m telling you, these experiments will stop.
"I’m going to call the President, as soon as it’s morning on the East Coast. And, if I have to, I will go to the national press and reveal publicly what has happened here in the past few days."
Jonathan Kaye felt grim. The jig was up. McGarrett was one thing, but the Governor was the chief executive of a sovereign state. Between the two of them, they couldn’t be muzzled easily.
Due to sheer incompetence of the Navy and just plain rotten luck, his show was being shut down – at least in this venue. He shrugged his shoulders, sighed, and silently admitted defeat.
As they all rose to leave, the Governor called him back.
"I never thought I’d say this, Jonathan," he said, "But for the first time in my life, I feel ashamed to be an American."