Clems’ Nightmare. 
To inadvertently attract a collection of followers –
and be wrong…….

E.D.V.

The flawless white fur of number 79 gleams under the laboratory lights. Sedated, it feels no pain from its empty eye sockets. It lays still.
Clem gives the cat the fatal injection. No movement as the last breath leaves its body; another failure.
The tabby on the far shelf cries loudly as number 79 dies, as if it feels the life force go from his fellow feline.
Clem puts the dead animal on the waste bench and moves to Tabby.
Tabby mews and moves towards the bars of the cage as Clem comes nearer.
As Clem opens the cage Tabby pokes her head forward to be petted. Reaching inside, he lifts her out.
Excitement tingles in his fingers as he strokes her shiny fur, then examines her eyes for the second time today for any signs of the virus.
None.
Pupils intact, iris's unharmed.
Everything fine and as it should be, no signs of E.D.V. at all.
'Well then 82, everything's still looking good, I think it's time to show you to Professor Simons.'

***   ***   ***

Clem wonders how Professor Simons always looks so immaculate.
His black wavy hair never seems too long or short; though he never appears to have it cut. His dark eyes and olive skin give the appearance of good health, and Clem had never known the man to take a day of work in his fifteen years of working in the research centre.
Clem watches him examine the cat over and over.
"You're telling me you think you have a cure?" He doesn't lift his eyes as he speaks, but continues inspecting the animal. "This cat has been infected for three months and is still showing no signs of the virus?"
"That's right Professor, none at all." Clem can't hide the smile that lifts the corners of his lips. "I gave her the vaccination two weeks before introducing the virus, the other cats I vaccinated and introduced the virus earlier, and those subjects all developed E.D.V."
Simons thinks of his beautiful Helena, her fern green eyes. He shudders in the warm laboratory. Handing the cat back to Clem he says, "What if the vaccination is given at the early stages of the disease, when the blurred vision starts?"
"From using the progression timescale in cats, and estimating the start of blurred vision in the test subjects, and from test results from the other subjects in this batch…"
"Get to it Clem."
Clem had never before seen Simons lose even a shred of his cool exterior, his impatience surprised him.
"Well Professor, it seems to slow down the progression of the disease, but the subjects still developed full E.D.V, with the virus taking hold and still destroying all the eye tissue."
"But if we had human subjects we could monitor the vision deterioration more accurately. We would be able to establish if we could halt or even reverse the disease."
Clem sensed the excitement in Simons, saw the same look in the man's eyes that he must have shown himself when he realised the vaccination had worked on number 82.
Leaning his hands on the workbench, Simons looked at Clem.
"Helena has Eye Disintegration Virus. It's in the early stages, slight pitting of the iris, no blurred vision yet or disintegration."
Clem stares silently at his Professor. Only three weeks ago he'd been at a charity function with Simons and Helena, how could he have not realised she had EDV? Then again, he reasoned, he'd not been looking for signs of it in her.
"Clem," Simons looked down to the workbench. "I can't bear the thought of watching her eyes melt in her face, and she can't bring herself to have the operation to have them removed and glass ones fitted."
Clem knew what Simons was about to ask, and the thought of a human subject to test the vaccine and possible cure on excited him. But what if he was wrong? The success of number 82 was a great advancement, a huge success, but it was only one small achievement. One successful subject in a sea of failures.
But a human trial?
Clem shook his head. "We won't get approval to test on humans yet, we'd have to wait and make sure the vaccine caused no side effects in the cat. Test it on larger numbers of subjects."
"We can try."
"Not in time to save Helena's eyes"
The Professor moved back from the table. Walked to take the cat from Clem.
"We don't know, it might work, there may be a way."
"The cats I tried the vaccine on late already had pitting of the iris's, they still developed E.D.V. even if the progression was slower."
"But that's in cats. Look at this animal. It was only given the vaccine one week before the others, in humans it could be different. It may work.
"Possibly…"
"But worth a try? Worth trying for Helena."
Clem has sympathy for Simons, he can see the pain in his Professor's face. He knows the effects of EDV more than others, knows the pain Helena will suffer.
"We'd not get permission quickly enough to try and save Helena's eyes."
"A few people owe me a few favours, I'll get us permission."
Clem hesitates; he knows if Simons wants permission for a quick trial, he'll get it. Confident his vaccine is almost ready, but unsure about a human trial. What if it goes wrong?
As if Simons reads his mind he says, "Don't' worry Clem, I'll take full responsibility, anything goes wrong, its my responsibility, it works out right, and I'll see you get full recognition for your work. It's your vaccine if it's successful, mine if it fails…."
And with some reservation, but more excitement, Clem agrees.

***   ***   ***

Four weeks into human trials, Clem feels more excited by his vaccine, the test group of Helena, Josh, Mikey, Rebecca and little Lou, are all doing well. Clem still carries more reservations about Little Lou than the others. Clem at first refused to treat Josh's six-year-old daughter, but Simons overruled him because Josh was a good family friend.
Walking into the segregated EDV ward, Clem's patients laugh and play a board game in the centre of the room.
Helena calls to him. "Hey Clem!"
He automatically scans her eyes. Yes, the pitting is still in remission. Helena stands and motions him to come over to the window.
Immediately Clem worries something is happening with her eyes. "What is it?"
"It's Andre, he wants to go public with the vaccine. If we are all fine after two more months."
"But that's far too soon, the medical board would never allow it."
"Under normal circumstances no, but this is such a evil disease, any hope for a cure will have the public baying. Andre is working on getting a special order so that anyone wishing to take the vaccine is agreeing to a extended trial, that way more people will be able to get access to the vaccine."
Clem shakes his head; Helena sees the concern in his eyes.
"I know Clem, I would have said it was too soon, but how could I deny other people the chance your vaccine has given me and the others here. Look at Lou, a child with EDV, how can we deny other children the chance of a cure?"
"Even if it is only a chance Helena? We don't know if you're cured, all we know is that EDV is in remission. The pitting in your eyes has stopped, but not reversed yet. We don't know of any long term side effects yet."
"Clem, our little group here has talked and talked about all the things that could happen to us. Even if the vaccine gave us tumours, or any other life threatening illness. We are all still prepared to have taken the vaccine. All still grateful for the chance."
"And what about Little Lou?" Asks Clem. "What choice did she have in this trial? Just because her father is a trial subject? Just because he's a childhood friend of Andre? What right do any of us have to use a six year old child as a guinea pig?"
"But she has a chance Clem, and it was Josh's decision. He takes responsibility for his daughter."
"I don't know Helena, I'm not sure about going public with the vaccine."
Helena takes his hand, squeezes his fingers tightly. "Please Clem, I know Andre wants your consent to go public. He wants your support on this."
"I don't know Helena, I can't say."
"There is one more thing Clem, one reason why you will get permission for the trails."
"Yes?"
"The Premier has E.D.V. He needs the vaccine, he's prepared to say the trails have taken place for longer than they have."
"But that's insane! How can he do that? How can he betray his position in that way?"
"People in power can do as they please Clem, that's why they are there."
"This is out of control, I don't like it."
"And how do you think the rest of the world will react to the news that the Premier has EDV? Think about it Clem, the stock markets, world economies, we're one of the most influential countries in the world."
Clem feels the niggle in the back of his head, its out of his control.

***   ***   ***

"Dam it Andre! I can't even leave the building without fighting my way through a sea of bloody reporters!"
Clem turns from the window to see the Professor holding up no. 82, now renamed E-Dee by the media.
"Ahh but it's this little baby they want to see you with Clem, she's as famous as you now."
"I never wanted all this. I wanted the vaccine to be a success, but I wanted proper trials, I never wanted all this media madness invading my work."
"Come on, we're needed at the Press Conference now Clem." Andre Simons holds out the cat to him. "It's you they want to see with E-Dee. Take her."    
All Clem feels is irritation as they make their way down to the first floor conference room. Since the news broke two days earlier about the vaccine Clem feels like public property, and he's sick of it. Never before would he speak to Andre Simons the way he just had. Even though over the last six months they have become very close friends. Even though Clem still did not agree that the Premier should be a trial subject for EDV Vaccine.
Entering the room the knot in Clem's stomach twists tighter, bile threatens to come up through his throat. He swallows hard to keep it down. Nervous at the prospect of answering questions he may not have the answers to.
E-Dee twists in his arms. "Hey come on E-Dee," he says stroking her head. "Settle down, its only cameras, you've dealt with those before." He moves behind the desk to take his seat next to the Professor.
"I won't lie Andre,"
"No one is asking you to lie Clem."
"Yes they will." Clem sits E-Dee on the desk before him. "They'll want to know when I discovered the cure. How I discovered it."
"Okay fine Clem," Simons replies, his coal eyes fixed, his manner composed. "You give them the hows, and I'll give them the whens."
Cameramen take places behind equipment, light engineers and sound technicians make final adjustments to microphones carefully arranged on the desk.
"Are you ready Professor?" asks a T.V. Executive.
Simons turns to Clem, his eyes ask the silent question.
Clem swallows again, nods his head. "Yes, we're ready."
Clem imagines he feels the relief in Andre surge through the chair to the floor beneath them.
"Let them in," Simons instructs.

Clem deals with question after question, leaving the ones he doesn't want to answer to Simons.
"Hey what about E-Dee, what will you do with her now?"
"E-Dee lives with me now," replies Clem, stroking the cats gleaming fur.
"She's a happy cat then?"
"Yes she's a very happy cat, one of the happiest cats on the planet." Clem scratches behind E-Dee's ear, the cat bends her head down to his fingers.
"Well she sure looks it," the reporter continues.
Clem smiles, looking at the reporter; he doesn't see E-Dee turn sharply.
Needle sharp teeth sink into his fingers without warning.
Nerves carry pain signals like rocket fuel.
He stands and yells. But E-Dee doesn't let go of his hand, instead she sinks fangs in deeper, claws dive for his arm, sinking into flesh, digging their way in like fishhooks.
"Get her off me!"
"Turn the cameras off now!" yells Simons
But cameras roll, reporters don't' give up an opportunity like this.
"Turn them off!"
Simons is running for the cameras, pulling plugs and wires from equipment. Not knowing or caring at this moment why E-Dee turned nasty. More determined to close down the cameras than he is concerned with getting the cat off Clem.
Clem hits the cat in a desperate attempt to free himself from the animal, but the claws still embed in his arm, the teeth tear into flesh, ripping chunks of raw meat, spitting them to the ground only to rip back into Clem's arm.
"Someone help me get this dam cat off!"
Finally Simons runs to Clem's aid, grabbing the cat by its body and yanking it quickly from Clem, taking good portion of skin from his forearm. Tissue hangs from the cats' claws like tattered bloodied parchment.
Clem looks at his destroyed arm, bile rises from his gut and spews out of his mouth to drench a reporter who is sticking a microphone to his mouth, asking a question that Clem can't even rationalise.
Wiping his mouth on the back of his intact right arm, Clem rushes from the room, making his way to his lab. People shout behind him, but adrenaline moves him faster than his pursuers and he takes the stairs two steps at a time, running down the corridor and flinging the lab door open before his followers even reach the landing. Locking the door behind him he once more looks at his arm.
Blood drips to the floor, splashing on the tiled surface like heavy raindrops on glass.
"Clem! Clem let me in!"
Clem ignores the pounding on the door.
"Clem it's Andre! Let me in! Before they follow me!"
Simons. It's only Simons.
Clem turns and unlocks the door, allowing Simons entrance before anyone else can follow. He relocks it quickly.
"I thought it was the reporters following me. Didn't stop to check."
Andre reaches for Clem's injured arm. "God Man, what on earth happened there? Did you do anything to E-Dee to make her react like that?"
Clem shakes his head, his eyes dart sharply at Andre. "What on earth do you think I could do to make her react so violently? You've seen that cat take injection after injection and not even flinch. She's the most docile lab animal I've ever had. There was nothing I could have done to make her react in such a vicious way."
"Well at least let's get this mess cleaned up and bandaged. We have to go back out to that press conference and give them some reason for her behaviour."
Clem allowed Simons to lead him to the sink and clean up his arm; grinding teeth hard as antiseptic burns his torn flesh.
Water involuntarily stings his eyes, but Clem bares the pain, his eyes avoiding the damage until Simons finishes ties the bandage. Only then does he look.
He asks the question they'd both pondered silently while Simons had been cleaning up his arm.
"What if it's a side effect of the vaccine?"
"Can't be."
"What if it is?"
"None of the human subjects have shown any signs of aggression, it can't be the vaccine."
"The cat was vaccinated much earlier than the people, and what about Little Lou?"
"Lou is just a kid."
"Yes, but her school work's been suffering over the last few weeks. She can't seem to rationalise very well."
Simons sits down on the bench, not wanting to hear Clem's arguments.
"We'll tell them the cat got her tail caught on your watch strap, her fur got caught and she retaliated."
"But that's a lie Andre."
"Well half of what I've told the public is a lie anyway. I've told them the trails have been much longer than they have. I've told them we've had successful results with human subjects for much longer than we have."
"And you've created a worldwide fanfare for me and a cat that just tried to take out half of my arm."
"Well you didn't' complain when the worlds press were hailing you a miracle worker. The miracle cure for EDV."
"But I never wanted all this attention." Clem snapped. "I never wanted all these people to believe in me before I had a chance to prove it to myself that everything was successful. That there were no side effects"
"There are no side effects."
"So what about this?" Clem yells holding up his bandaged arm.
"Oh I don't know," says Simons shaking his head. "How do I know what sent the dam cat crazy?"
"Where is she?" Clem suddenly asks. "Where is E-Dee?"
"Don't panic. I shut her in a stationery cupboard and gave instructions to John Melling not to let her out or let anyone into the cupboard until we've figured out what to do with her."
"And what about Little Lou?" Why are her reasoning skills deteriorating?" Clem moves over to the bench, anger replacing the pain in his blood. "What if I cured EDV and destroyed peoples reasoning? What if it causes aggression?"
"No. No, you're overreacting Clem. Lou is just a kid, she's fed up being cooped up in a hospital environment for so long, she's just bored with nothing to do but school work and television."
"Might not be. What if that aggression in E-Dee transfers to the human subjects?"
"Don't refer to Helena as a 'subject'!"
"Why not Andre? Why not? She is a human subject, she is an experiment. An experiment you wanted let's not forget. An experiment you insisted on."
Simons, slams his hands down on the workspace before him, forcing his body upright. "No! She's my wife, how could I let her develop EDV when you had a vaccine?"
"You should have waited. I always said we should have waited."
"What? Watch her suffer, watch her in pain until her eyes melted in her face in front of me?"
"Yes Andre. Yes, you should have. God knows what will happen now."
"Nothing will happen. E-Dee was just scared of the cameras."
"Rubbish! She's been in front of cameras ever since the story broke."
"Well it was a one off. She'll be fine when we go to get her. Placid as ever."
"Yes Andre?" Clem walks slowly, lowers the tone of his voice. "And what if she's not? Never forget. We gave the vaccine to the Premier. How do we know how it will affect him?"
Simons sinks slowly back down to sit on the bench, and Clem sees the realisation reach the surface of the man's face. Fear in his eyes as they both imagine the consequences of their actions.
"Yes Andre. So now what?"
"I'm a Professor, they'll believe whatever I say. Let's recall the press conference."
Clem nods. Knowing Simons will try to cover up the afternoon's events. Knowing Simons will talk the public into believing whatever he wants them to believe. Clem must go along with the deception.
"The advance from the drug companies will give us enough time to try and get things right. It will be okay Clem."
"Ahh money. It always comes down to money in the end doesn't it Andre?"
"You know that's not true. I started this for Helena."
"But the money helps doesn't it?"
The pain in his arm travels up to his shoulder as Clem follows the Professor out of the lab and back towards the conference room. He tries to blank it out of his mind. It's the least he deserves for whatever is to come.

***   ***   ***

Every day Clem looks at his left forearm he thinks of E-Dee. Of the worst mistake of his life.
The ward before him contains his work, the results of his wonder vaccine. Five People once happy and in recovery. Now at varying levels of deterioration.
Little Lou, once a bright six year old, now sits in the corner of the ward, beautiful sapphire eyes stare at the wall. Nothing behind them.
Josh shakes his daughter. Knows something is not right with her, but no longer has the skill to understand why. The man cries constantly, red rimmed eyes with perfect vision.
Mikey sits at the table as always, drawing circles with a black ink pen. He won't' use any other colour. He thinks any other colour will poison him. He drinks only water. Skin hangs on bones, he won't eat. Just sits and draws, and draws.
Rebecca sits in front of the television, not watching the news report, but playing with a Barbie doll. Plaiting and re-plaiting the dolls hair.
Clem walks up to her. "Rebecca, how do you feel today?"
Rebecca turns watery blue eyes to him; do they hold an answer?
"Well Rebecca? How do you feel?"
Her lips smile, but it can't reach her eyes.
"Still not talking to me then? I wonder if we'll ever hear you talk again?"
Clem glances at the television. Not caring if the news report of the war gives hope or despair.
He walks out of the ward and makes his way to Andre's private apartments at the west side of the building.
Andre sits with Helena. She doesn't look up as Clem enters the room. Doesn't acknowledge he is there.
Does she blame him? Does she blame Andre?
They should have told people before things went so far. They should have admitted earlier what they'd done.
"I've made a decision Andre."
He sits on the chair opposite the silent pair on the settee.
Andre nods, resignation clouds his face.
"I know what you've decided. I knew you would sooner or later. I wanted to wait until she'd gone, but maybe she won't die. Maybe she'll stay like this for years."
"Look what our silence has created so far. A war between four countries, and we as good as caused it. We have to put a stop to this, we have to go public now."
"Admit that our vaccine caused the Premier to start a war. Cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and it's our fault Andre."
"I know."
"His advisors know there's something wrong, how long till he becomes as ill as Josh, or Helena?"
"I know."
"You begged me for more time to try and reverse the process in him. Couldn't bear the public to find out what we'd done."
"I know"
"You know. You know? Pity we didn't let other people know. Pity we didn't just forget Patient Confidentiality a hell of a lot sooner and maybe this war wouldn't be happening now.
"I know"
Clem leaned back in the chair, folding his arms on his lap.
"Well I know that I've called a press conference for 3pm this afternoon. I know that I'm going to tell the world that our Premier started a war because of lack of reasoning caused through my vaccine. Maybe then the peace talks will take a new turn. Maybe I can put a stop to what we both started."
Andre shook his head. His once gleaming hair greasy through lack of interest in life.
"It's too late Clem."
"No, it's not too late. I can stop this today, or at least start the ending of it all."
"News report five minutes ago. Everything is escalating, Warheads armed and ready."
"No, that won't ever happen. It can't happen. It's suicide for everyone."

***   ***   ***

Khamsin and her brother hide behind the sewage pipe, listening for the bandits to pass. When the vibration on the ground is little enough to be sure they are gone, they creep out from the pipe and make their way back to the bunker.
Touch guides them back to safety. Life after the war is almost as dangerous as the war itself.
Cuddling up to her father Khamsin asks.
"Is Joey old enough now Daddy?"
"Yes Khammy, Joey is old enough."
"But you never meant to do it did you Daddy?"
"No Khamsin, I never meant to do it." Replies Clem
"Tell Joey why no one has eyes anymore Daddy."

And Clem repeats the tale, as he has so many times before. He tells his children why they have no eyes. Why their mother was killed by Bandits.
His motherless, sightless children, his eternal punishment.

© L. Kelly 2000