| General Fiction posted January 6, 2025 | Chapters: |
...19 20 -21- 
|
Work continues fighting Dipraxa and a chance encounter
A chapter in the book The Devil Fights Back
The Devil Fights Back - Ch. 21
by Jim Wile
| Background Three intrepid women team up to conquer medical challenges. |
Recap of Chapter 20: The final member of the team, the computer expert Patty Mattson, joins the rest. Brian explains the goals to Patty and elaborates his plans for stopping Dipraxa to the group.
They will invent a spray, which will be applied by an airplane, that will blanket the entire island. The spray will alter the genetic structure of the Balanga plant's enzyme, a component of Dipraxa. This, in turn, will stop the euphoria that Dipraxa produces and, in addition, make people nauseous who take it. Since Gunagua Island is the only place Balanga can be found, this should effectively stop Dipraxa.
Chapter 21
Fran
It was a week later that I returned to Brian’s house. I arrived at 9:00 AM bearing coffees and Krispy Kreme donuts. Julia greeted me at the door. After we hugged, she took my coat, and we chatted for a minute.
“Well, Jules, how are the three brainiacs doing in your estimation?”
“Brian assures me they’re making progress, but it’s slower than they would like. I’m afraid they aren’t going to be done before Christmas, and we’re going to have a houseful through the holidays. My mother is also returning for a few days, so every bedroom will be in use.”
“This must be running you ragged?”
“Not at all. They are all so easy to care for. They pretty much take care of themselves. Abby and Patty are such sweeties. It’s quite an incredible team you put together for this project.”
“Thanks. Now where is that nephew and godson of mine?”
“We were playing in the family room. Come on in and see him.”
I followed Julia in to find Johnny holding a plastic cow while sitting next to a farmyard scene he and Julia had been building.
Julia said, “Johnny, say, ‘Hi, Aunt Fran.’”
“Ha, Fan.”
I looked at Julia. “Pretty good! Isn’t it fun hearing that speech develop?”
“Everything about him is fun.”
“Hi, Johnny.” I bent down, picked him up, and gave him a squeeze, but he wriggled in my arms to get down again. He had things to do.
“I’ll let you and Momma get back to your farm while I go down and visit with Daddy and his friends. See you later.”
Before heading down to the lab, I said to Julia, “Are y’all set for this evening in terms of a sitter?”
“Yep, no worries. Got it covered.”
“Great. Mike and I will meet you at the restaurant at 6:00 PM.” I headed down to Brian’s lab then with the coffee and donuts to find three bedraggled-looking souls hard at work.
“You three look like you could use some caffeine and sugar. What time did you begin work this morning?”
Abby said, “Is it morning already? We lose track of the time down here.”
“You mean you’ve been up all night working?”
Brian said, “It wouldn’t be the first time. We kind of get on a roll and just keep going.”
“Well, if you can’t get this to work, it won’t be for lack of trying. Maybe y’all need a little break.”
“Ah need me a Johnny break, ah know that,” said Patty. “Seein’ that little cutie recharges my engines.”
“He’s up playing with Julia now if you want to go see him.”
“See y’all later, then,” she said as she headed for the stairs.
“Okay,” I said, addressing Brian and Abby. “Is there an end in sight?”
Brian said, “I think it will be at least another week. Perhaps by New Year’s we’ll have cracked it. Would you agree with that, Abby?”
“I think so. This is far more involved than I would have guessed. Patty has been fantastic and is able to translate my genetic modeling algorithms perfectly into code, and she’s even suggested improvements to them.”
Brian said, “I truly would not have been able to do this myself without their help, even if I had a year. They’ve been a godsend, Fran. We’re not out of the woods yet, and still a bit in the weeds, but I think we’re on the right track now, and there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Hmm, let’s see how many more cliches I can come up with.”
Abby and I laughed. “Yeah, I think I get the picture.”
“Have you been updating your boss?” Brian asked. “And will we be ready to move on production of the chemical soon? We won’t be able to produce it in the quantity needed down here.”
“I have, and as soon as you can provide me with a list of the materials we’ll need, the quantities required, and the fabrication methods, we can make sure the vendor we choose to manufacture it is adequately supplied.”
Abby asked, “Will we need permission from the Philippine government to spray one of their islands, or will we attempt to do this in secret?”
“The President is fully aware of our plans and has undoubtedly gotten permission, or soon will have, from the Philippine government to do this. I have no fear that he has the clout to make it happen. The military will provide the plane to spray the island. I’ve been assured of that.”
Brian said, “That’s great. By the way, I plan to go with you to the island when it’s time.”
“Do you think that’s really necessary?”
“You never can tell what will come up. I’d really like to see it all the way through.”
“Alright, that’s fine. We’ll go together.”
When Patty had rejoined us, I said, “Julia and I have cooked up a little plan for this evening to give y’all a bit of a break. I’m going to treat y’all to dinner at The Capital Grille followed by a Christmas Pops Concert by the Charlotte Symphony at Belk Theater. You may want to take a nap or something between now and then, though.”
“Oh, bless your heart,” said Patty. “That is so nice of you, Fran. Ah think we could all use that kind of break. Ah haven’t put in all-nighters like this since college.”
“Well, you deserve it. Julia’s made arrangements for someone to sit for Johnny, and Mike and I will meet you at the restaurant at 6:00. Take a nap! All of you!”
Both the dinner and the pops concert were terrific and helped put us in a festive mood. Following the concert, we headed back to the 7th Street Station parking deck where Brian and Mike both had parked. The restaurant and the concert hall were within easy walking distance and were right in the heart of downtown Charlotte. Brian and Julia led the way, followed by Abby and Patty in the middle, while Mike and I brought up the rear.
Up ahead, sitting on the sidewalk with his legs outstretched and leaning against a building, was a disheveled, rail-thin, homeless man. As Brian and Julia pulled even with him, he shouted out, “You still play da violin, pretty lady? Julia wadn’t it?”
Immediately, Brian and Julia stopped and looked closely at him. Brian appeared baffled, but Julia said, “Alphonse? Is that you?”
“Das me.”
“Brian, you remember Alphonse from rehab? Jeez, it’s been almost 17 years now.”
The rest of us stood around uneasily, looking down at this poor man. Apparently, he was not doing very well this many years later.
“I do remember. You and Henry, as I recall, were quite the cutups back then.”
“Yeah, Henry. He ain’t wit’ us no mo’. You two look like you doin’ well. You wouldn’ happen to have a little sump’m for ole Alphonse, would’ja? Don’t s’pose you got any Dip you could spare, does ya?”
Brian said, “I’ll tell you what; why don’t we go across the street to that McDonald’s over there, and we’ll get you something to eat?”
“Well, awright, I guess.”
Brian reached down and gave him a hand up. He turned to the rest of us and said, “Guys, this is Alphonse, who was in rehab with Julia and me in Winston-Salem. Jules and I are going to take him for a bite to eat.”
Julia took Alphonse by the arm and started across the street with him.
I said softly to the rest, “Why don’t y’all come join us, and maybe you’ll hear what we’re expending all this effort for?”
We followed Julia and Alphonse as they headed towards McDonald’s.
Alphonse didn’t seem to care much what he had to eat, so Brian just got him a Big Mac, small fries, and a Coke.
He took a few small bites and a few sips, then just sort of sat there staring.
Brian said, “So, it appears things have been a little rough for you lately. Care to talk about it?”
“Yeah, dey kinda rough right now. Wadn’t always so; just mos’ly since dat Dip come roun’.”
“I assume you mean Dipraxa?”
“Dat be da one. You ever try any?”
“As a matter of fact, I have, and I can tell you it’s next to impossible to stop once you start it. What were you doing before you started taking it?”
“I had me a good job. I was foreman at a warehouse. Had about 12 folks workin’ under me. One day some guy come roun’ after work, and he handin’ out free samples of sump’m he call Dip. No one ever hear of it befo’, so we try it out. Neva felt anything like it. I aks where I can get some mo’, and he tell me he sell me some right den. I jus’ got paid de day befo’, so I pretty flush, an’ I bought me some. I ain’t been back to work since.”
“So, what are you living off now?”
“I borrowed da max on my credit card, den on da wife’s too, but she find out what I doin’ and dat I ain’t goin’ to work no mo’, and she thowed me out da house. I been livin’ on da street ever since. Now, I tell you all dis, cuz I figger it be worth sump’m. So, what y’all got fo’ me?”
Julia put her hand on his arm and said, “Alphonse, all we’ve got for you is some advice. It’s possible to turn your life back around, but you’ll need help. It starts with not buying any more Dipraxa, though. You won’t have to worry about going through any physical withdrawal, and the craving for it will soon pass. I’m going to give you my card that has my number on it. Why don’t you give me a call soon, and I’ll let you know of some places you can go that can help you?”
“Das all you got fo’ me is a card? I’s hopin’ fo’ a little re-muneration fo’ my life story. Need to get me some mo’ Dip. I don’ wants to stop takin’ Dip. It feel too good. Bes’ I ever felt in my life. Well, thank you fo’ da food, but I think I be goin’ now. Y’all have a good night.”
He stood then and shuffled toward the door. On his way out, he dropped Julia’s card in the trashcan.
We all sat there silently for a few moments before we got up and headed back to the parking deck.
Abby took Julia’s arm. “That was very sweet what you tried to do for Alphonse.” Julia just nodded.
What a depressing way to end an otherwise wonderful evening.
Fran Pekarsky: One of three narrators of the story. She is an FBI agent from the North Carolina field office in Charlotte.
Dana Padgett: One of three narrators of the story. She is the assistant marketing director for a Big Pharma company.
Brian Kendrick: Fran's younger brother. He is the inventor of Dipraxa and Glyptophan.
Julia Kendrick: Brian's wife. She is a world-class violinist who now plays in a bluegrass band.
Johnny Kendrick: Brian and Julia's baby boy and Marie's grandson.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother. She is the third narrator of the story.
Cedric (aka Cecil): The doorman at the apartment house where Marie lives.
Lou D'Onofrio: Fran's boss at the FBI.
Patty Mattson: A hacker friend of Fran's. The programmer on Brian's project.
Abby Payne (nee St. Claire): A girl from Dana's past, who she used to bully but has befriended during their adulthood. The mathematician on Brian's project.
Mike Pekarsky: Fran's husband. He is a DHS agent.
Willy Stubblefield: The leader of Julia's bluegrass band.
Shannon Stubblefield: Willy's wife and the drummer in the bluegrass band.
Steve Griffin: Dana's husband.
Alphonse: A smart-ass kid Brian and Julia met in rehab when they were 16. He's now a homeless man.
Picture courtesy of Playground-v3
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