Unity

47. Check In

CHAPTER 47: CHECK IN

Stewart popped his head through the bedroom door.

"Crystal?"

"Come in, Stewart. Brian will be happy to see you today. We missed you yesterday."

"I went fishing to clear my mind. And then I had some correspondence to catch up on."

He stood next to me as I sat in a hard back chair next to the bed. "Hello, Brian, my friend."

"So tell us, what's new? What's up?"

"I came with some good news. Several small pieces of good news."

"Great! Brian and I need some good news."

"First, currencies are stabilizing. The World Bank has come up with a plan to keep countries from defaulting on loans. It's a complicated scheme, but the brightest economic minds in the world think it will work. Only a handful of countries have had currency collapses so far – a few identified by Jack way back."

"So the dollar is stronger, too?"

"Yes. In fact, part of the plan is to make the dollar the world's single currency. It was a bitch to get Russia and China on board – and only with the stipulation that it will no longer be called the American dollar. Soon it will be the Global moneta – 'moneta' coming from Latin for money."

"Nice compromise. You hear that, Brian? People are adulting. Compromising. Saving their asses."

"Yea, you could look at it that way... or, you could say they finally realized we're all in this together."

"Nah," I shook my head. "Most people in power are too greedy."

"Well, maybe I'll get you to smile yet. Ready for more good news?"

"Oh yes!"

"No more war between Iran and Iraq. Hot heads have cooled off. But there will be a big price to pay – as in with the new Global moneta.

"Both countries had big inflation issues, and they will be the first to convert to the moneta, backed by the dollar. They will get a fantastic rate – so good they couldn't say no. But only if they made peace."

"That's great news. The last thing we need is war – conventional, proxy, or nuclear."

"Indeed. But there are still pockets of fighting that threaten to swell in the mideast. Negotiations are underway with all other nations at war, or in a civil war."

"Are you saving the best news for last, Stewart?"

"Nope. Saving the most personal news for last."

"I"m glad there's more. I'm starting to feel better. I bet Brian, is, too."

"And now, about E5."

"Do I really want to hear it? Maybe if there's a cure."

"No, no cure yet – but – two things. First, scientists figured out E5 is not really a variant. It's a new virus. And they've got most of the genome sequenced."

"You're shitting me."

"It's the original Virus mixed with another Virus somewhere along the transmission. The two viruses exchanged DNA information, and created a new virus. That's called a recombination. It's how the original Virus started, and then it mixed with this other new Virus.

"So technically, now it's called the E5 virus."

"When can we get a cure?"

He looked down and clasped his hands. "There likely won't be a cure, Crystal. Not in our lifetime."