Xbola: A Science-Fiction Action Story

By Mehdi Alem

Rebecca is accepted for a PhD program in one of Southern Californias universities. Her main research works for her doctorate thesis is working on two different microorganisms wherein one of them has symbiotic life cycle and the other one is a flesh-eating bacteria. She wants to do some genetic engineering and produce a new species of living creatures that can convert very cheap organic materials to food, which is needed for humans future. Tom, who is another student in the same university and is her boyfriend, dies due to a very mysterious new disease that has no cure and is extremely dangerous. No one in the medical community can easily understand the complications associated with the newly emerged disease.

Several months later in Mexico, a similar disease appears and, for some unknown reasons, spreads among people with low hygiene. Since the symptoms of the disease are similar to what caused Toms death, Rebecca becomes interested in it. The mysterious disease has some characteristic similar to Ebola, so later, authorities name it Xbola. It creates a lot of national attention.

Similar to what is going on with Ebola, there will be many problems associated with this subject especially because the United States is close to Mexico and authorities in the United States are afraid if sick people illegally move in and bring the cause of the mysterious disease.

Rebecca gets involved in the disease that caused her boyfriends death. By contacting CDC and doing lots of epidemiological works and investigations, she soon realizes that, weeks after the death of her boyfriend, a flight stewardess and a cleaning lady in a hotel in Atlanta also died due to the similar disease, which is 100 percent deadly and incurable.

Soon, the news spreads, and a very threatening situation happens in the United States. At the same time, several people who purchased food from two supermarkets in San Antonio and Houston show the symptoms of the disease. People with minor medical issues rush to medical centers, and many problems affect peoples ordinary lives.

As the FBI does a lot of investigation, finally, authorities find out that the origin of the newly emerged microorganism is Rebeccas own works, and the disease actually spread through her boyfriend. Authorities also soon realize that the disease, if not controlled, could wipe out all humans on the surface of the earth. Authorities find out the people who got their hands on the microorganism and wanted to take it out of the United States for terroristic reasons and, by very complicated and exciting stages of the story, people behind the terrorist act are arrested only hours before it gets too late.

It gets the most exciting when Alex and Rebecca prevent the transfer of the germ after Rebecca is kidnapped by the ISIS.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524586133

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 by Mehdi Alem, M.Sc., Ph.D.

ISBN:      Softcover            978-1-5245-8612-6

                eBook                 978-1-5245-8613-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 02/22/2017

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Contents

The Story

Synapsis:

Log line

This book is dedicated to:

My Family

The Story

Scene Description: Sept. 19, 2013, Fort Collins, Colorado: Rebecca Jones talks to her mom in the kitchen.

Rebecca Jones:

Mom, I will be late tonight and will not come home for dinner. Tom is accepted to the University of California at Irvine (UCI) and will leave Fort Collins on coming Saturday. I want to help him pack and then we go to dinner.

Mom:

This is a good news. What is he going to do there?

Rebecca:

He is accepted for a 4 - year Ph.D. program in the management.

Mom:

So, what will happens to your relation?

Rebecca:

A job at the department of Microbiology at the Colorado State University starting Dec. 3, 2013 is offered to me. This date is a day after I complete my master degree. Did not I tell you that I also applied for a Ph.D. program at UCI?

Mom:

I hope you get the admission soon and join Tom.

Scene Description: Sept. 19, 2013, Rebecca Jones and Tom Smith at dinner table in a restaurant in Fort Collins.

Tom:

Darling, I hope you get the admission from UCI too and join me soon. Although I got a scholarship, but there I have to find a part time job too. I also have to share my residence with someone to lower the cost. Expenses in California are much higher than here.

Rebecca:

I hope too. I am expecting response from UCI in a month or two. This is why I am still not sure if I accept the position in our department or not.

Scene Description: Sept. 19, 2013. Around 10 p.m., outside restaurant. Tom kisses Rebecca.

Tom:

Goodbye honey.

Rebecca:

Goodbye, I will be busy tomorrow. Will come to your apartment early Saturday before you leave to help you pack.

Scene Description: Saturday Sept. 21, 2013. At Tom apartment. Rebecca is helping Tom, transferring Tom’s books to a rental car.

Rebecca:

Where are you going to stay tonight?

Tom:

Do not know yet, it depends on how tired I will get. I may stay somewhere close to Los Vegas.

Scene Description: Saturday Dec. 3, 2013. 5.00 p.m. Rebecca comes home from work.

Rebecca:

Hello mom. I had a very hard day today. I like to go out for dinner. What time is dad coming home? Shall we go out tonight?

Mom:

Your dad will be at home in about 10 minutes. Let him come home and then we decided about the dinner. You had a letter from UCI, I left it on the counter in the kitchen.

Scene Description: Dec. 3, 2013. 5: 05 p.m. Rebecca goes to the Kitchen open the letter and start reading it.

Rebecca:

Oh my God. This is a good news. Mom, I got the admission letter from UCI for the Ph. D. program. I can start in Feb. 2014. You cannot imagine how happy I am!

Mom:

I am so happy for you. Now certainly we should go out and celebrate your success.

Scene Description: Dec. 3, 2013. 8: 00 p.m. Rebecca, her mom and dad at a restaurant having dinner talking about different subject.

Rebecca:

Dad, I am very happy for the admission news. I will join Tom soon. We talk over the phone every day. He is very happy there and rented a two-bedroom apartment close to the University. Now, I can go and share rent with him. He also got a part time job in a restaurant close to the university and works 3 night per week.

Dad:

Your mom and I are also happy to hear the news. When do you want to leave for California?

Rebecca:

For my research works, I have to work with Dr. Welsh who is a very-well know Microbiologist.

In the letter it says Dr. Welsh will go to a meeting in Feb. 1st. I like to have a meeting with him before he leaves.

Scene Description: Jan. 14, 2014 p.m. John Wayne Airport, Tom expecting Rebecca’s arrival.

Tom:

Tom kisses Rebecca. How was your flight?

Rebecca: It was OK, no delay.

Scene Description: Jan. 14, 2014 p.m. John Wayne Airport, Tom takes Rebecca’s luggage to his car. In the Car they talk about the weather in Southern California and how good it is.

Tom:

I have to work tonight from 6-9. We go home, you take a shower, I show you the University campus and then we go to the restaurant where I work. We will have dinner there. The name of the restaurant is Hot Hot.

Rebecca:

Sounds good to me. Do they serve hot foods?

Tom:

No, it is only a name.

Scene Description: Jan. 15, 2014, Dr. Welsh office.

Dr. Welsh’s secretary:

May I help you?

Rebecca:

Yes please. My name is Rebecca Jones. I have been accepted for a Ph.D. program by Dr. Welsh and am her now to see him.

Dr. Welsh’s secretary:

Yes, we were expecting you. Please wait for few minutes.

Scene Description: Jan. 15, 2014, Dr. Welsh office.

Dr. Welsh:

Hello, this Dr. Welsh. Come in please.

Rebecca:

Thank you. This is Rebecca

Scene Description: Jan. 15, 2014, in Dr. Welsh office.

Dr. Welsh:

As you know I will go to a meeting on Feb. 1st and wanted to talk to you before I leave.

Let’s see. You have a master degree in Microbiology form CSU at Fort Collins. Most of your graduate works have been on genetic engineering and molecular biology. This is exactly what we do here. Most of what you are going to do during the next 3-4 years are already done by myself. I want you to continue my works and finalize the project. You may start reading the background about my project today and start your works as soon as you can. You know that you should take a number of courses too. These courses will be presented in June.

Rebecca:

Yes, I know

Dr. Welsh:

Generally your works will be on a new strain or better to say a new species which is altered version of E.coli. You know that in coming year one major problem which humans will face is the real shortage of the foods. You also know that a major group of animals, herbivorous animals, take nearly all major foods that they need from plants. Simply