Free Alien Virus by Steve Howrie Page A

it
literally didn’t see it coming? It’s a very important question. If
it’s a flaw in the Intelligence, then we’re in trouble because we
never know when we are at risk from unforeseen events. But if the
whole thing was planned and controlled, then whatever happens the
virus can never really win – it can’t spread to other
Universes.”
    “Unless that’s part of the plan,” I
countered.
    “That’s right!” Kate smiled.
    The more Kate talked, the more I fell in
love with her. I was drawn to her innate intelligence and beauty...
where had she been all my life? I asked her what conclusion she
came to regarding Intelligent Design.
    “Frank and Tony were always divided on the
issue, and I tended to side with Tony. We believed that the
introduction of the virus was an experiment – in the same way that
we would introduce viruses in the laboratory. Controlled
experiments where we knew exactly what we were doing, and no harm
could really be done.”
    “Except to the guinea pigs,” I pointed
out.
    “Yes,” admitted Kate a little guiltily. She
continued: “Frank, on the other hand, recognized there was some
sort of Intelligent Design in the Universe, but believed that the
Intelligence might not be equipped to deal with unknown
threats…”
    “Like the virus?”
    “Exactly. And he believed that the
consequences of Man being wiped out by the virus were catastrophic
– and not just to this planet. This was the rift between Tony and
Frank in the end. Whilst Tony was inclined to watch the experiment
unfold, Frank thought the only hope was for us to take an active
role and do whatever it would take to defeat the virus.
    “So that took Frank off to London to do his
bit?”
    “Yes.”
    “And now – who do you think was right?”
    “I know we can’t sit back and do nothing.
Whether it’s an experiment or not, if mankind is wiped out, then
that’s the end for all of us, whatever way you look at it. Where
the virus goes from there – if it is allowed to go anywhere –
doesn’t really matter… not to us anyway.
     
    Arriving in Thurso, we had time for a bite
to eat before boarding the ferry and stopped at a small café before
the short drive to Scrabster. Kate got us a table whilst I ordered
the food. Then I noticed that there were no salt cellars to be seen
in the cafe.
    “It’s started,” I observed, my eyes
indicating the lack of condiments. Kate nodded. The food soon
arrived, and we were glad to stop moving for a while.
    “What’s your angle on all this, Kevin? What
do you think we should do?”
    “I suppose I just want people to know the
truth about the virus. After I met you all in Edinburgh, there was
no question about what I should do. It wasn’t the sort of thing I
could turn my back on.”
    “How did you meet Sandi? Through work?”
    “Yes. You probably know how it is – you work
with someone, and the more time you spend together, the more you
get to like them. It started with just drinks – then a movie after
work. It just happened really. We liked each other, and it seemed
the natural thing to get closer. The next thing I knew, we were
living together.”
    “And now?”
    “Oh, that ended about a year ago. We’re
still friends – but the relationship thing has ended. We won’t go
back now. Too much has happened since then – we’ve moved on.”
    Kate smiled. “Sandi and Gareth seem to be
hitting it off,” she observed, changing the subject.
    “Yes – just like Sandi to find a
toy–boy.”
    We talked about our families for a while,
then finished our drinks and headed off for the Ferry.
    *
    Scrabster is a cold, soulless port, with the
roll–on, roll–off ferry the main feature. A small hotel is located
along the entrance road to the terminal and, on the cliffs above
the road, stands a village. We parked the vehicle in a queue for
the boat, and I left Kate in the car whilst I purchased our return
tickets from the ferry office. To say the staff was unfriendly is a
gross