Peter Norch Chronicles - The Cure

By A.B. Nichols

The Cure, the first chapter in the political fiction saga Peter Norch Chronicles, is a fast-paced maelstrom of events in which the incredible becomes possible.

Apocalypse or reality?

The characters are guided by the illuminated eyes of a "new Eve", and they move at an unrelenting pace against the backdrop of a New World Order. Enigmas in archaic languages return from the past to lead the world into the future, and scientist Peter Norch is the lynchpin in this compelling mechanism. Forces aiming to exploit the destructive potential of the "Cure" clash with those defending its benefits.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Youcanprint
• Release date: Nov 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9788831639934

Book preview

Norch

Prologue

Portside Tower – 30th floor

Cape Town – South Africa

2035

When I look out of the large window in my lounge, I see a sick world. And the root cause of this sickness is called mankind. It is rotten to the core, corrupt even at the uppermost political and industrial levels, and as cynical as those that rule us. Power and a thirst for conquest have altered how we see things, legitimizing the unlawful and immoral. Anyone can fall slave to it, but by the same token anyone can fight back against it.

I am caught in the middle, between those that fought for the good of man and freedom, and those who have thrived on power and notoriety for a long time. My name is Peter Norch. To be honest, I’ve lost any urge to remember my date of birth, but I do know that I hit forty some years ago.

Once upon a time, I was well-known and highly thought of. People all over the world had heard of me; I am the person that changed the laws of science and medicine forever. But now I am just one of the many outcasts that inhabit this new world.

I live in Cape Town, but my origins and facial features reveal that I am American. My homeland is a blurred and painful memory, and I have no desire to return there.

The United States of America, together with some of the world’s most powerful nations, have helped make this planet the post-holocaust world it is today: the result of the terrible events that decimated mankind, wiping out all the principles and values that had separated man from the animal world since the dawn of time.

Now there are just over six billion of us, distributed across the five main areas known as Borders. We felt a need and duty to redesign the geopolitical map in the wake of the disastrous events of the last six years, and the ruinous New World Order enforced between the end of 2020 and the first months of the following year.

The memory of those tragic events is still vivid; nor could it be otherwise, as I am the one who triggered humanity’s decline. That is why I have decided to find a solution. The time has come to change the course of events.

But first I want to tell you my story.

Chapter 1 – Clamming up

Albany University

State of New York, United States

2006

The minute my eyes open, I realize it is the last day of my summer holidays. I’ve been travelling around the last few months, staying with college friends. Dwane has been my buddy since High School, and he has been travelling with me. People say we are joined at the hip, like those tropical birds that can’t live without one another. That’s how it has always been, right from the first day of school. We have always shared a passion for girls and a love of fooling around, even when times were tough. But we’re not just a pair of good-looking guys who like to have fun. We have a dream, something we are passionate about: superheroes.

Superheroes have always been a part of our daydreams. But then, who wouldn’t want superpowers? We are level-headed though, and we know superpowers are out of the question with the level of knowledge and technology at man’s disposal in this millennium. And that is why we are fascinated by nanotechnology, and all its possible, non-utopian potential.

Two years ago, we both decided to sign up for the NanoBioscience faculty to make our dream come true, and bring some superpowers to ordinary people. Tomorrow is the first day of the second semester, and if everything goes to plan I will be starting the third year shortly. More hard work awaits me, but I know it will all be worthwhile.

At six forty-five, punctual as ever, Fly92.3 radio tells me it is time to get out of bed and go to class. But today I take a few minutes to listen to the song being played; it’s the hard rock band, Hinder. But this song, ‘Lips of an angel’ is romantic, almost sentimental. I’ve heard it plenty of times before, but I have never been stopped in my tracks by the words like this morning. It’s about a phone call between two young people who are tired of their lives; it’s about a passionate love affair which can’t be revealed. It is having a strange effect on me; I’m single, and have no intention of getting serious with anyone. In fact the only commitment I have is to get ready in a hurry, because Dwane is about to pick me up. 

I have missed campus life these last few months. I have always enjoyed studying, and if I’m honest, there are plenty of opportunities to meet people and party. Campus is the perfect playground for us, it’s where we can do anything, from going to lectures to having fun. Sport is not my thing; I love basketball and I played at amateur level for a while, but nothing more. I’m nothing like the musclebound jocks the cheerleaders all chase after. If anything, I feel I’m more of a Russell Crowe, or Gerard Butler; in any case, I am far from nerdy.

You might say I’ve always had a way with women. Dwane gave me a pretty dumb nickname, Bumper, which has stuck fast but always makes me smile. It came about because I tend to get turned down often but, as the name suggests, I just bounce right back. And in the end, I almost always come away with a phone number. Not bad, I guess.

But let’s go back to that late-August day and the events that were about to change the course of my life forever.

Courses at the beginning of the semester are always shorter, so students are free after just a few hours, and have most of the afternoon to do what they want. Some kids go down to the Hudson to enjoy a last swim and top up their tans; others, like me, prefer to stay on campus to catch up with friends and gossip about the holidays. That was just what we were doing when a guy Dwane and I knew came up to us, kind of excited.

Guys come and meet the new arrival. Her name is Shauna… That’s all I’m telling you, come and see her for yourselves!

It wasn’t the first time Mike had introduced us to girls, although they were generally way off the mark, where I was concerned. I don’t really have any real preferences, and I don’t stop at physical appearances, either; but every time, it was always the same, pretty blonds with a girly manner. Get it into your head Mike, I prefer brunettes! I told him.

But the girl I saw when I turned the corner was completely different. This time Mike had got it right. Red hair, a scattering of freckles in just the right places, green eyes and a voice that had nothing girly about it. She was poured into figure-hugging jeans, a tight white t-shirt with a print on the front, and white sneakers. Low-key, but at the same time so sexy I felt shivers down my spine.

Peter, Dwane, this is Shauna.

For the first time in my life, I clammed up. So much so that she was the first one to speak. Hi guys, pleased to meet you. It all looks wonderful here. The people are just great! The years are going to fly by here.

Dwane didn’t bat an eyelid, and swiftly bowed, planting a kiss on her hand like a true gentleman. We were both pretty awestruck by the new Anthropology student. We chatted a good half hour until she had to rush to catch the bus to Hudson, a town about thirty miles from Albany, where she lived with her family.

When she moves to Campus, I’ll be able to see her as often as I like! I thought with excitement. We said goodbye, arranging to meet the following day. As I walked away, the song on the radio when I woke up popped into my head; life is full of strange coincidences. I remember that I turned in the hopes of seeing her eyes again, and to my surprise I saw her looking back as she ran off. I’ve never been able to forget that smile, it was for me, and me only…

Chapter 2 – Announcements

Turtle Bay

Kahuku, Hawaii

2008

I had never fallen in love before, but with Shauna everything was so natural, I didn’t even realize it was happening. Of course, to begin with it was love at first sight, but as the months wore on and I got to know her more both on and off campus, I realized that I was utterly bewitched.

For our second anniversary, I decided to take her to Hawaii. It wasn’t the closest destination, I could have opted for the Caribbean or Brazil instead, but in my mind the perfect location for the holiday of a lifetime could only be on those incredible islands in the middle of the Pacific. With its long sandy beaches and unspoilt wildlife, the chief reason for choosing Hawaii was the sheer variety of marine life. The underwater world was just one of the many interests we shared, but it was the one which thrilled us most and made us feel alive.

We spent the week drinking cocktails and swimming, watching the sun set and making love. Then I plucked up the courage to tell her the real reason for going there. I did it my own way, and whilst it might have seemed a little theatrical, it hit the mark. I asked the hotel if we could have dinner on the beach near the shore, a stone’s throw from one of the many reserves for turtles, our favorite animals; and in that part of the world they are truly enormous. I prepared a playlist on my iPod with all the songs that had marked our first two years together. Albert, the resort manager, made sure we could listen to the playlist during our dinner. And it was when Lionel Richie’s ‘Hello’ came on that I found the right moment to tell her just how much I loved her. Shauna was moved, and the smile on her face turned into an expression of astonishment and pure joy. A few seconds later she answered: Yes, Peter, I will! at which we exchanged a long, passionate kiss.

The end of the semester was drawing close, as was Christmas. We had decided to make the official announcement to our families, and there is no better time than Christmas to announce a wedding. As it was, it was only me that had to meet Shauna’s parents; mine died many years ago in a road accident, may they rest in peace. I was 12, and I was in the car with them when a truck heading in the same direction as us lost control and flew into the Jersey. My father had no time to react before we hit it. The crash was sudden and devastating. When I saw the photos of the accident years later, I realized it was a miracle that I had survived that day, although until then I hadn’t seen it that way. For years I would wake crying at night, wishing I could go to them, wherever they were. Manfred and Rosalyn would have loved Shauna. If my dad had met her, he would have said she was a soap-and-water girl, just like my mom. Unfortunately they will never meet, but I know that wherever they are, they are smiling and wishing us happiness in our life together.

Peter, I have to tell you something…

Shauna’s voice that Saturday morning at breakfast sounded strange, worried but also like she needed to confess something. I was intrigued, not least because I had never heard a person as strong-willed and confident as her sound like that.

Should I be worried? I answered with a wry half-smile.

I don’t know yet, but we’ll soon find out, she said, and in doing so placed a small plastic case in my hand.

Open it, she said nervously. Without waiting, I resolutely pulled out what was inside the case; it looked like a thermometer though I didn’t recall having seen it at home before. I could see the excitement in her eyes, and a few seconds later my expression mirrored hers. It wasn’t a thermometer, but a pregnancy test, and the digital display showed: Pregnant/ 3+ weeks.

It was only after the first gynecological visit that we discovered she was 7 weeks pregnant, and that the birth was to be at the end of July.

We’re going to have to tell your parents this news as well. Let’s hope they don’t think this is the only reason we’re getting married, I said to Shauna as we left the gynecologist who would be taking care of her until the birth.

Don’t worry, you’ll see… they’ll be over the moon… at least I hope they will…

We exchanged looks before both bursting into fits of laughter.

I love you Peter!

And I love you too. Thank you for this wonderful news, you’ve made me a happy man!

Our lives were suddenly changing; in fact they had already changed. Shauna’s religious, conservative upbringing meant she was already a woman in spite of her young age. But things for me were quite a different matter. Not that I was immature, but losing my parents so early and at such a critical age had made me very independent. I had learned to look after myself long before I got my driving license, and in the States you can drive at the age of 16…

Looking back, I think Shauna was afraid I would react badly, and I can’t say she was wrong. Since we had met, she had seen every aspect of my character. She knew everything there was to know about my attitude to my life, and about my past. I had done it all in those years: parties, beer, girls, travelling.  In her eyes, I was probably the worst guy to give news like that, and perhaps I thought the same, too.

But these last few years have allowed me to cast my mind back to my past. I realize that what I was missing more than anything else was a family, the one that had been taken from me when I was barely a teenager. Shauna and the baby allowed me to take my fate in my own hands; they were my future.

Chapter 3 – Perspectives

Albany Medical Center

State of New York, United States

22 July 2009

In less than three months, I will be graduating. Over the last few years I have thought about this moment a lot. I have worked hard to get the highest grades and achieve the best possible results. It has always been my goal, a starting point for doing something with my life. But it is just the first step, and I want to keep going. The next step is a PhD in Nanoscale Engineering, the greatest ambition for those like me with a dream to fulfil.

I was offered the chance to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, probably the world’s most important research  university. Both Dwane and I had applied. We were excited about the idea of entering that temple of science, that magical place which for decades had been turning out the illustrious figures whose ideas and discoveries had revolutionized technology and our way of life. I can still remember the day when we received the reply letters. Dwane called me, barely able to contain his excitement.

It’s here, Peter, it’s here!

I got it too! I replied enthusiastically.

We decided to meet up to find out if our lives were about to change for the better. See you at the usual place. Be quick! he said, then hung up.

The usual place was Cafe Hollywood near Washington Park, just over a mile from my house. It was a friendly place where we would meet up every afternoon to hang out with friends and spend a few hours taking a break from our books. When I arrived, my friend looked nervous. I hadn’t even crossed the road when he caught up with me, walking fast.

You haven’t opened it yet, have you?

No Dwane, the envelope is still sealed.

I was smiling. I knew just how badly Dwane wanted to go to MIT, not just because of its reputation but because he wanted to move out of his parents’ place. His relationship with them was a complicated one.

We walked in, the café was still empty. Pete, the owner, knew we would order the usual mango and banana milkshakes. Without even asking, he started making them.

How come you’re already here guys? he asked curiously.

Pete, the answer from MIT arrived, can you believe it?

What are you waiting for, read it! he said, walking over to the table.

I could hardly contain myself any longer. We plucked up the courage and, taking care not to damage the letters, we pulled them out of the envelopes.

I couldn’t believe my eyes, the most prestigious university in the scientific world had accepted me. I couldn’t hold back my smile, the joy was written on my face, like I was being lit up from the inside. But it only lasted an instant. I looked up at Dwane, but his expression was not the same. He was fighting back the tears, his head low in defeat. My best friend hadn’t managed to get in.

I moved closer to him to give him some support and a hug of encouragement. You’ll see, we’ll work everything out. You can try again next year, I’m sure they’ll accept you then. I’ll help you!

But we both knew it wasn’t possible. It would have meant missing a year of college and there was no way his family would accept that.

I spent that week lost mulling over all the major decisions that needed to be taken. It was my future at stake, my life, everything I had ever believed and hoped for. One morning, I woke up knowing I had made my decision. Without wasting a moment I called Dwane and invited him over.

That was when I told him I wouldn’t be going to MIT, that I preferred his friendship to the big university. I would never have forgiven myself for leaving him alone. Dwane did everything he could to convince me not to take that crazy decision, but there was nothing for it: I had made up my mind.

Let’s enroll at Albany, it might not be the same thing but at least we can graduate together, I said without a trace of regret. My house is big enough for both of us, you can come and live with me.

When Shauna discovered she was expecting, the most obvious decision was to move in together. After four years, the time had come to change perspective and priorities. Dwane moved to the campus and Shauna moved in with me.

A few months before I would have said that the degree, the PhD and friendships were all-important. But being here in the hospital, knowing I am about to become a father, I realize it is far and away the biggest and most exciting goal any human being can achieve. My life is about to change forever. Just three days ago, I blew out twenty-two candles on the cake my friends made when I came back from university. It was a surprise organized by Shauna and Dwane, my last birthday as a rebellious dreamer, and the first as an almost-father. But the greatest surprise of all will be meeting the baby coming into our family.

We told the gynecologist we do not want to know the sex of our baby, preferring instead the thrill of the first cry and of what we will see for ourselves. It was a tough decision, no doubt about it, but a more exciting one. We decided on the names a month after finding out about the pregnancy. It was easy, usually couples argue about what to name their kids but for us the opposite was true. If it is a boy we’ll call him Eamon, and if it is a girl we will call her Maeve. They are both Celtic names, and nor could it have been otherwise. I have always been drawn to the mysticism of the Celtic people, and Shauna, well, she originally hails from Ireland.

It’s just after three a.m. and the contractions are getting closer together, which means Shauna has gone into labor. In a short space of time, we will become parents. I look nervously out of the window, staring at the sky, or what I can make out of it. The astrologists say there is going to be a total eclipse, and that the darkest moment of all is about to occur. Popular lore has it our child will be born under the magical influence of the stars; altogether it’s a pretty magical night. My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by Shauna calling out: My waters have broken, tell the doctor!

We are rushed to the birth room where everything is ready for the big moment. I hold her hand while the doctor tells her to push, push harder. I look into those eyes, exhausted by the pain, and she squeezes my hand hard as she pushes and pushes until a cry is heard in the small room.

It’s a girl, Barnes says, with all the pride of someone who has just brought a new life into the world.

Shauna bursts into tears of happiness, and I’m not far behind. The scissors clip the cord and the Professor announces: Shauna, this is your little girl. Would you like to hold her?.

It is 3.37 a.m. on 22 July 2009, and our Maeve has come into the world. I look up at the sky once again. The astrologists were right: the eclipse was total, and the night has been a magical one. I welcome my daughter into the world.

Maeve: People with this name have a profound inner desire to inspire others to a higher cause, and to share their opinions on spiritual issues.

Chapter 4 – Being parents

Albany

State of New York, United States

2014

I had no idea just how many sacrifices we were going to have to face when Maeve was born. Not just financial sacrifices, though of course there were plenty of those; but how tough it would be to both study for our PhDs whilst working and, of course, looking after the family, with all the compromises that involves. I would do it all again if I went back in time, I wouldn’t change a thing. Having a child is a constant source of wonder, a surprise that catches you off guard every day.

Maeve is a real force of nature. She is nearly five and she is a chatterbox. She behaves more like a teenager than a child. We began noticing she was different, special even, when she turned one. In the beginning, we were inexperienced like all parents and didn’t notice just how bright she was, and just how quickly she learned right from when she was only a few months old. We thought it was natural for a little girl her age. I must admit, we conceitedly thought it was down to our genes; after all, it’s a well-known fact that parents who are achievers can have very intelligent children. In any case, when she was about three, partly out of curiosity and partly to put our minds at rest, we decided to see a specialist. Luckily, Maeve was merely found to be a very lively, hyperactive child. One thing is clear though: our daughter is a very gifted little girl with considerable potential.

Nor could she be otherwise with a mother like hers. Shauna is incredible, she juggles being a mother with studying and work, and she does it all so easily. She started university the year after I did, but when she found out she was pregnant, she decided to catch up with me, and ended up graduating four months after becoming pregnant with Maeve. She is a brilliant Anthropologist and is studying for her PhD in Contemporary History. People say she is a rising star in her field. She has been working for the university as a researcher these last two years and thanks to her latest work on the proliferation of diseases through infection, the Department of State has offered her a job once she finishes her studies.

We feel ours is a very normal family although our closest friends keep telling us we are anything but ordinary. Not a day goes by without Dwane reminding me how I was when we were young and carefree, and of the man I am now. I’m never sure if it is envy, or if he misses his old friend. One thing is sure: so many things have happened in the last few years, it was to be expected that our friendship would suffer. He will always be there for me, and he will always be my best friend. I hope that is how he sees it, too.

I can’t wait to finish my studies so I can dedicate myself completely to my passion: nanotechnology applied to science and medicine. I have plenty of plans and cherished dreams I hope to fulfil one day. People in the faculty jokingly call me the visionary. They aren’t far off the mark; the research I’m doing is pretty leftfield. I am pushing the boundaries far beyond the scientific programs I should be sticking to. So much so that my professor has been trying to dampen my enthusiasm, urging me to keep my feet firmly on the ground. There has already been one Einstein, focus on what is possible and leave the big discoveries to those with more experience than you, he says, pulling me down a notch. Luckily, I won’t have to listen to him much longer: next term I will finish my PhD and be able to concentrate on all my crazy projects, the very reason why I embarked on this university career in the first place.

Chapter 5 –Biotech

Corporate Circle Area

Albany, State of New York, United States

2017

These last three years have been tough, and I imagine the next years will be even worse. Not that I’m complaining; quite the opposite. But events have been moving at breakneck speed. Shauna and I both got our PhDs and since then, plenty of things have changed. As a result, the logistics of our family have become more disjointed. Last year, Shauna accepted a position at the Department of State and moved to Washington. She comes home at weekends, although sometimes she manages to bring her work home and stay with us a few more days. Maeve is the one suffering most from this separation. I miss her too, but we knew from the outset that, once our studies were over, there was a real chance we would have to live apart some of the time. Neither of us would ever ask the other to sacrifice professional gratification. Our daughter is intelligent enough to understand, though I must admit that being apart from the person you love is tough. Even if she is far away, Shauna is an attentive mother and wife, and we always catch up on the phone or webcam. Seeing Maeve leap up from the sofa, or race out of her room when she hears the Skype ringtone announce that mom is calling, is always touching. The first thing she says is: Hi Mom! So, what have you done for the nation today?.

Some days, however, she looks sad and shuts herself away in her bedroom, talking to her soft toys and gazing out of the window, asking somebody to bring her mother back. That’s when my heart aches to the point I nearly ask Shauna to work closer to home. But when the moment passes, I think it over and realize it wouldn’t be fair; instead, I call some of Maeve’s friends over and throw a surprise pajama party.

On one or two occasions, Shauna has stayed away for longer to do field research. The first time, a few weeks after she took the job, she was sent to the Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon. It is one of the wildest, most unspoilt places in the US. It is also famous for the settlements of a native tribe called Alsea, whose roots go way back before America was discovered by Europeans. But the trip that has had the greatest effect on Shauna, and on me indirectly, was to Ireland, the land of her forefathers. Last September, the Department of State received a call from the British government, which had in turn been contacted by Irish counterparts. They asked if Dr. Prescott, namely Shauna, could bring her team to offer their consultation on a discovery local researchers had stumbled across in southern Ireland. No other information was proffered but, given how unusual it is for two governments to ask a third for help, everyone concerned thought it must have been something important. I heard nothing from Shauna the whole time she was in Ireland, but she took two weeks’ vacation when she returned. I was happy, thinking it was to spend more time with us after being away more than a month. But a few days after she came back, I realized there was something else behind that break. She was often lost in thought, and had trouble playing with Maeve. I decided it was time to talk to her, and find out what had happened on that trip.

One evening, I asked a family friend to babysit Maeve for the night; leaving her at a classmate’s home was the easiest solution. I switched off our cellphones and unplugged the landline to avoid any interruptions during dinner. No sooner had I sat down than Shauna irritably blurted out: Don’t ask me any questions please. That really got my back up at first, and made me think she was behaving strangely because someone she had been with or met over there.

Is there someone else? I asked coldly.

How can you even ask? You know I would never do that. No, Peter, it’s about what was found there.

Selfishly, I felt relieved to hear her answer. She has always been an honest person, but those last years had been tough going, and it wouldn’t have been a great surprise.

Come on Shauna, you know you can talk to me about anything. Open up a bit. What did you see over there that’s made you all confused and worried?

You know I’ve never had any problems telling you about my work, but I really can’t this time. I’ve been asked not to discuss it with anyone. I’m sorry.

I didn’t get up. No way. You’ve been away a month, and you’ve been ignoring us ever since you came back. Maeve needs you, and so do I. If you’re going to keep behaving like this, it’s fine by me, but as far as I’m concerned, our family now has a problem to deal with! I retorted. I got up from the table and headed for the door.

I came back a couple of hours later to find the house in darkness; only the outside lights were on. I started