Worldwide Trouble: Matt and the General Stories

By Harry Katzan Jr.

This is a collection of three stories that center around the worldwide pandemic episode that centers around the COVID virus that paralyzed the world. Many people died. Many people were confined to a hospital bed, and others had to shelter in place. Schools were conducted from hoe using a virtual classroom. Thousands of businesses failed and countless persons were out of employment.

The worlds scientific community came to the rescue and developed an antidote to forestall the virus and return civilization to a meaningful level. We, as a worldwide community, have survived and we will escape as a better world.

The book is a combination of three novels that describe the worldwide epidemic. The main characters are Matt, the mathematician, the General, a worldwide benefactor, and other people, such as Ashley, Anna, and Sir Charles (Buzz) Bunday, all of whom you have met in other novels.

There are three novels: The Virus, Then Pandemic, and the Vaccine.

You will be enlightened and entertained. You can read the novels in any order, without a loss of continuity. This book would be a good beach read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781663249395

Harry Katzan Jr.

Harry Katzan, Jr. is a professor who has written several books and many papers on computers and service, in addition to some novels. He has been a advisor to the executive board of a major bank and a general consultant on various disciplines. He and his wife have lived in Switzerland where he was a banking consultant and a visiting professor. He is an avid runner and has completed 94 marathons including Boston 13 times and New York 14 times. He holds bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Harry Katzan Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

844-349-9409

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6632-4938-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-4937-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-4939-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022923882

iUniverse rev. date: 12/22/2022

CONTENTS

BOOK ONE: THE VIRUS

Prologue

Characters

PART I: EMERGENCE OF A PROBLEM

1     A Casual Morning Of Golf

2     Ashley Appears Unexpectedly

3     The Coronavirus Project

4     Lunch Meeting

5     Matt And The General Meet Harry

6     Staffing The Team

PART II: GATHERING RELEVANT INFORMATION

7     Recruiting The Team

8     Getting Started

9     Recruiting Ashley And The Accident

10   Discussing The Accident

11   Anna’s First Report

12   Amelia Is Picked Up In Dc

PART III: EXECUTING THE PROJECT

13   Amelia Robinson Comes On Board

14   Preliminary Activities

15   The First Team Meeting

16   There Is Always Time For Golf

17   The Flight That Didn’t Happen

18   Matt And Ashley Team Up

PART IV: MEETINGS IN LONDON

19   Security For Matt And Something For Ashley

20   Travel To London

21   Matt And The General Talk During The Flight

22   The Palace Breakfast

23   Colonel Bunday’s Team

24   Matt’s Team

PART V: FINALIZING THE PROJECT

25   Important Conversations

26   The Report

27   Knighthood, Travel, And The Final Result

28   Matt And Ashley

Afterword

About This Book

BOOK TWO: THE PANDEMIC

Characters

Prologue

PART I: MEETINGS WITH THE PRESIDENT

1   Amelia Robinson Meets The President

2   Matt And The General Are Called To The White House

3   Travel To The White House

4   The President’s Meeting

PART II: AMELIA AND THE SUMMIT

5   On The Subject Of Amelia

6   The President Puts The Project Back On Track

7   Preparation For The Meeting At Camp David

8   Travel To Camp David

9   Camp David Summit

10   Amelia Is Back In The Game

PART III: TRAVEL TO ZÜRICH

11   Organization And Planning For The Zürich Trip

12   Preparation For The Trip To Switzerland

13   Arrival At The Meeting

14   Preparation For The Meeting

15   On The Trail Of The Virus

16   Working Towards A Solution

17   Planning After The Trip To Switzerland

PART IV: THE SOLUTION

18   Amelia, Ashley, And Matt Have A Dinner

19   Matt Wakes Up Ashley

20   The Final Solution

21   The Story Is Not Over Until Its Over1

Afterword

The Green Room

About the Book

BOOK 3: THE VACCINE

Prologue

Characters

1     Early November

2     The Next Day

3     Visit To The Pentagon

4     Discussion At The Pentagon

5     Return From The Pentagon To New Jersey

6     The Flight Home

7     Getting Ready

8     Preparing For The Math Conference

9     At The Math Conference In Zürich

10   The General’s Vacation

11   At And After The Math Conference

12   Return To The States

13   After The Russia Trip

14   Home In New Jersey

15   Back To The White House

16   At The White House

17   Back In New Jersey

18   Matt’s Plan

19   The Plan

20   Arrangements For The Trip To Moscow

21   Pathogens

22   The Flight To Russia

23   Meeting With Dr. Dimitri Aplov

24   The Flight Home And After

25   Making Final Arrangements

26   Final Report

27   Visit To Klosters

A Brief Afterward

About This Book

For Margaret, as always forever

A TROUBLESOME INTRODUCTION

This is a collection of three stories that center around the worldwide pandemic episode that centers around the COVID virus that paralzed the world. Many people died. Many people were confined to a hospital bed, and others had to shelter in place. Schools were conducted from hoe using a virtual classroom. Thousands of businesses failed and countless persons were out of employment.

The worlds scientific community came to the rescue and developed an antidote to forestall the virus and return civilization to a meaningful level. We, as a worldwide community, have survived and we will escape as a better world.

The book is a combination of four novels that describe the worldwide epidemic. Che main characters are Matt, the mathematician, the General, a worldwide benefactor, and other people, such as Ashley, Anna, and Sir Charles (Buzz) Bunday, all of whom you have met in other novels.

There are three novels: The Virus, Then Pandemic, and the Vaccine.

You will be enlightened and entertained. You can read the novels in any order, without a loss of continuity.

Enjoy your read.

The Author

2022

Book One

THE VIRUS

PROLOGUE

Matt Miller and Ashley Wilson had been friends from the day they met in Dr. Marguerite Purgoine’s creative writing course. They commonly met at Starbucks to discuss life’s never-ending set of problems. Matt was an established mathematician and a prize winning golfer. Ashley had been a person seeking celebrity status. Dr. Purgoine, known personally as Anna for some unknown reason, was a distinguished professor and award-winning author. Matt’s grandfather, Les Miller, was a retired general in the U.S. Air Force, and subsequently the founder of an influential political polling company. He was referred to as the General, because of his collection of major accomplishments. The General was wealthy and liked to help people. This led to several keen adventures for Matt and the General.

Ashley, on the other hand, was frequently the subject of Matt’s and the General’s adventures. Ashley had married, at least from a Royal view, Prince Michael of Bordeaux, an accomplished astrophysicist and most recently the director of the local university’s astrophysics lab, and Ashley was a professor of drama at a community college. But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Here is what happened.

Matt was sitting at his favorite window seat at Starbucks drinking a caramel macchiato and reading a math book, which was his customary pastime. Today he was reading about non-Euclidean geometry, a subject in which Matt had forgotten a few details. He looked up and there was Ashley.

I hoped you would be here, said Ashley. The meeting was cordial since the two people liked each other. There relationship was not romantic, but more like brother and sister.

It was then that Ashley described the problem. Michael was gone. He had traveled to England for a conference and decided to stay and return to his position in the Royal hierarchy. The Queen was recently retired as head of the country, and the position of King of the United Kingdom was give to the next person in the hierarchy, who in this case, was the Queen’s son, the Duke of Cambridge. The retired Queen was now known as Catherine Penelope Radford, thanks to the efforts of the Royal Lexicographer. The retired Queen was a friend of the General and visited the States as a private citizen of the Royal Kingdom. As is the custom among celebrities, Prince Michael, who retained a position in the Royal Hierarchy, was seated next to Catherine at a welcoming dinner hosted by the General. The lavish dinner was a social success, but from the viewpoint of Ashley, Matt, and the General, it turned out to be an unfortunate event, as there was some question as to what had transpired between Catherine and Michael concerning Michael’s future in the British system.

The General contacted his World War II Army buddy Buzz Bunday, subsequently a member of the British Security Service (BSS), concerning Prince Michael and was informed that Michael had gone bonkers resulting from the stress of his U.S. position, and British government people were considering putting him into an asylum.

The General proposed a dinner meeting between he, Matt, and Ashley to iron out the difficulties, and when Matt went to a pre-arranged meeting at Starbucks, Ashley did not show up.

The story continues from there.

CHARACTERS

The General – Les Miller. Former military General and Humanitarian. P-51 pilot and war hero. Has bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees.

Matthew (Matt) Miller – Professor of Mathematics. Has PhD degree. Grandson of the General.

Ashley Wilson Miller – College friend of Matt Miller. Former Duchess of Bordeaux. Married to Matt Miller. Receiver of the National Medal of Freedom.

Amelia Robinson – Citizen of the United States and former mole working for the United States and Russia. Has a PhD from studies in Russia.

Marguerite Purgoine - Retired creative writing Professor and an associate of the team. Has PhD degree. Known as Anna for some unknown reason.

Sir Charles (Buzz) Bunday – P-51 pilot. Army Air Force buddy of Les Miller. Member of the British Security Service. Knight of the United Kingdom.

Harper (Harp) Thomas – Professor of Mathematics at ETH. Buddy of Matt’s in graduate school. Has PhD degree in mathematics.

Kimberly Jobsen Thomas – Consultant to a Swiss Bank. Married to Harper Thomas. Has masters degree in business.

Sir Prince Michael (Davis) – Duke of Bordeaux. Professor of Astrophysics. Knight of the United Kingdom. Has PhD degree in astrophysics.

Others

Kenneth Strong – President of the United States.

Alexi Belov – Russian mathematician.

Dimitri Alapov – Russian virologist.

Part I

EMERGENCE OF A PROBLEM

1

A Casual Morning Of Golf

It was a bright balmy Saturday in New Jersey, and both Matt and the General looked forward to their usual 18 holes of golf. They normally played on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, since they were usually busy during the week. Matt had been practicing with his new titanium shafted MAX driver with adjustable weights in the head of the club. He had spent some time with it on the driving range and was anxious to try it out on a golf course. The General was a scratch golfer with years of experience. Matt was a NCAA champion and had won the amateur Master’s a few years earlier. Both golfers were tall, straight as an arrow, and tanned. They looked like golfers. After the ninth hole, the General initiated a conversation on an interesting subject.

Have you heard from Ashley lately? asked the General.

Not a single word, replied Matt. She didn’t show for our planned meeting, so I kind of dropped the subject. How about you?

I called Buzz, and he said that the Prince had gone bonkers, because of the stress of his U.S. position. I thought he had some PhD helpers, said the General.

I never asked around, Matt said. I didn’t want people to be saying, ‘Why is he asking’? You know the drill.

I do, and it’s the same for me, continued the General. Things like this normally don’t concern me, but I’m not comfortable with subjects like Royalty and Astrophysics. By the way, what in the devil is Astrophysics, anyway?

Actually, it is a combination of math, physics, and astronomy. Normally, we associate Astrophysics with galaxies, comets, cosmos, and subjects like that. But, physicists have recognized that there are forces out there in space that affect entities that we can’t even see. We can’t see those forces and the entities and we call it ‘dark matter,’ but we know it’s there. Black holes are dark matter, for example. Some astronomers have observed galaxies that are far away, such as many light years. I know you are going to ask what a light year is. I’m a teacher. A light year is the distance light can travel in one year. It’s a measure of distance. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, so a light year is approximately 6 trillion miles. Actually, a light year is 5.879 times 10 to the 12th power miles. I had to learn this information for a college course that I took. Astrophysicists have discovered comets, for example, that travel through several distant galaxies and we see them only once per year.

It all seems very complicated said the General.

If a person can handle the math, then it is not so bad. said Matt. If a person can’t handle the math, then he or she is in trouble.

The General just smiled.

There is a lot of equipment involved with looking into space and doing the calculations, said Matt. There are three ways of approaching Astrophysics. The first is experimental, wherein scientists study operational phenomena. The second is observational, wherein scientists examine actual space hoping to find something that hasn’t heretofore been seen. The last is theoretical where scientists use math to relate astronomy and relative physics. The latter category, for example, is concerned with the origin of the universe.

I can now understand how it might make someone go ‘bonkers’. Said the General. I talked to Prince Michael at the dinner and he seemed stable to me."

He seemed normal to me also. Said Matt.

2

Ashley Appears Unexpectedly

Matt was a good sleeper, especially after two rounds of golf on Saturday or a day of classes at the university on Monday and Tuesday. He normally retired at 10:30 pm and awakened to an alarm at 6:30 am. It was clockwork to Matt. He lived a very normal life. So it was unusual for him to be awakened from a deep sleep at 3:30 in the morning. He opened his eyes and thee standing at the end of the bed was Ashley, who said, I hoped you would be here.

Matt closed his eyes and shook his head. He opened them again, and she was gone. He turned on the light on his nightstand and checked the bedroom and the rest of the house. There was no Ashley. He drank a glass of water and returned to the bedroom. Am I going bonkers like Michael was supposed to be? I don’t think so. It was nothing more than a dream.

Two nights later, the same event took place, and then again the following night, the vision of Ashley appeared again.

The next morning, Matt called the General and asked for a meeting at the Green Room. Matt described the situation, and the General was quick to respond.

Matt, there is nothing wrong with you, said the General, just give me your house key and I’ll take care of it, while you are at the university.

Two days later, the General called Matt at the university. Matt can we get together today, after your last class? Come to my office. What time will that be?

My last class ends at 2:50, so I’ll be there at 3:15.

At 3:15 to the minute, Matt showed up at the General’s office. The General had a smile on his face. He handed Matt a photograph taken with a military night camera. It needed no light or sound when taken.

It’s Ashley, said the General. It is actually a real life photo of Ashley. Let’s take a look at that house of yours.

Matt and the General took a quick ride to Matt’s house. They went over the meticulously decorated house until they got to the attic. In a corner, behind several boxes of books and travel suitcases, they found a rudimentary bed and some women’s clothes.

Here is the place where she lives, said the General. She probably dresses, cleans up, and eats at her college, said the General. "I’ll be back this evening at about 1:00 am.

At 1:00 am, Matt let the General in the back door. He had a powerful flashlight.

Are you ready, Matt? said the General. Let’s take a look at the attic.

Ashley was awakened, and when she realized the game was over, she started to cry. The General was not at all nice. Let’s go Ashley. We’ll take care of you. Don’t be afraid.

The General drove, and Matt sat in the back seat with Ashley. They stopped at Dr. Purgoine’s apartment building on Nassau Street and escorted Ashley to the professor’s apartment.

All Dr. Purgoine said was, I’ll take care of this situation, gentlemen. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Have a good sleep.

Matt and the General drove around until they found an all night waffle house to have coffee.

Matt was the first to speak, How did you know what the situation was? asked Matt.

The General laughed, The most obvious solution is often the correct one. Isn’t that what Ashley says. I simply took everything into consideration, and I really mean everything. There was only one problem and one solution. We will see what Anna, you remember Dr. Purgoine’s nickname, comes up with. I’d say that Prince Michael is not an honorable guy. I’ll connect with Anna and see what she says and let you know tomorrow at 6:30 in the Green Room. Is that okay with you?

Matt nodded yes and thanked the General.

*        *        *

The next evening, Matt was early. He was confused why his friend Ashley would invade his privacy in that way. Why would anyone do that, he thought.

The General got there at exactly 6:30 and was ready to go. He started to explain before he was completely seated. Anna had spent the entire night with Ashley, and here is a paraphrase of what she said to me.

That young woman is remarkable for putting up with what happened. It was nothing but misery. Her relationship with Michael had deteriorated until it did not exist. He walked the house in all hours of the night. It was like a house of horror. First, she hated the house she lived in. Second, she hated Michael’s colleagues. They treated her like dirt and even treated each other in the same manner. Her only pleasure in life was the classes she taught at the local college, but the students’ behavior was not much better than her husband colleagues. Michael is a theoretical astrophysicist, and the experimental and observational results did not match his theory. He took all of this out on her, saying if it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have all of this trouble. Then, at the Queen’s dinner, Michael sat next to her and she – the Queen – was so comforting that he wanted to go home and assume his position in the chain of Royalty. And he did just that. He left without telling Ashley. Ashley was devastated, and that led to her strange behavior. Just be nice to her and enjoy your caramel macchiato and other drinks, and in a few weeks, she will be back to normal. I’ll have a secretary – sorry, an admin – take care of the details. She will live and sleep in my apartment until other living details can be worked out.

That’s about what Anna told me, said the General.

I’m certainly pleased that this unusual situation has been resolved, said Matt. I should have been more resourceful, but for some reason, I wasn’t up to it. I thank you for your assistance.

It’s what people do to help each other, answered the General. I have to tell you that there is more to it. Anna said that she thinks that Ashley has the mannerisms of a high-class person. She gave a few good examples. When it is a matter of right or wrong, the high-class person is always right. That is the impression they give. To continue, the high-class person always pays the restaurant bill. The high-class person always has an answer. There were others. I guess it comes from a career in creative writing, that is, recognizing it. I think you are a high-class person.

For sure, you are also, replied Matt.

Both Matt and the General smiled, relieved of a problem.

While we are together, I have an unrelated question. What model of Tesla do you think is best? asked the General.

The model 3 is kind of small, so I think the Model S is the most appropriate for everyday driving, answered Matt. You should also get all-wheel drive and 21-inch wheels. The color is important, and I think the light-blue metallic would be best for you. Most upgrades are included in the price of the Model S. When do you plan on getting your new toy?

Oh, it is not for me. It’s for your birthday, said the General. I’m going to keep the SUV for big projects, and I need something smaller to knock around in. I was thinking of a Porsche Taycan, but I need – well, would like - a trade-in and I thought perhaps we could use your Porsche 911 as a trade. The dealer says he can give me a better price if I have a Porsche car as a trade-in. The Porsche 911 is a popular used car. I don’t know whether the basis for the better price is from the company or the dealer. It is probably the latter. I don’t exactly follow cars."

Are you serious about this? asked Matt. This idea of yours is going to cost you a pretty penny. You can use my Porsche 911 as a trade-in, and I can buy a Chevy or a Ford. They are good cars.

No deal, replied the General. I thought you liked the Tesla. Besides, these electric cars are the automobiles of the future, and furthermore, they are good for our ozone layer."

You are going to need a charger in your garage, and if I go with the Model S, I would need one also. Moreover, I’ve read that we need something like a 480 volt charger, said Matt. I’m not sure that that number makes sense, but it would take a long time to charge one of those cars on normal household current.

I checked on them, and can get a good price on two charging devices, said the General. Are you interested? It would take a week to get the Tesla Model S, and they can have it delivered directly to your house. The Porsche dealer is expecting his first Taycan in one week. It is already in the port of entry.

This is going to take a lot of money, said Matt. Are you sure you want to do it?

That is what money is for, answered the General. To use. The well known former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller says that money is a tool.

Well, okay, said Matt. I really like the Tesla. Thanks. My birthday is going to be better than my graduation.

In a week, Matt and the General took a test drive in each other’s new car. Life is good.

3

The Coronavirus Project

The General sent a message to Matt asking if he was available for a business meeting the next day in his office. Matt replied that it was his day off, and he was free.

The next day, Matt entered the General’s office and seated there were the two men from the U.S. Government, Al Black and Peter Johnsbury. They stood and gave an elbow bump to Matt. They all, including the General, sat around the coffee table. Matt initiated the conversation.

Are you gentlemen packing heat? asked Matt, with a grin on his face.

They looked at each other and laughed. Al Black responded with, No, we’re clean.

They all laughed, so Matt continued, I see you guys are wearing white shirts and have new shoes. You are in for a promotion, with a big smile on his face. The ice was broken, and they were in a good mood, although the General didn’t exactly know what was going on.

Al and Peter, can you tell us why you are here, asked Matt.

Al started the discourse. The people in authority are very concerned over the recent pandemic. They are seriously under the suspicion that the coronavirus is not a biological accident. They are convinced it is a bioweapon, or its equivalent, and they want to know who and why they did it. Unfortunately, if a big project is made of their inquiry, the enemy – and indeed they are an enemy – will cover up until the inquiry is over.

You have an unlimited budget and all of the information and physical resources of the country, added Peter. You have complete freedom in this regard. Additionally, you have Intelink information and supercomputer facilities at your disposal. This is the highest priority project in the government domain, and you will be protected in all regards by the United States Government.

Many people in control of the situation feel very strongly that the integrity of the country is at stake, added Al. "They say the project will eventually have the same impact on the nation as the Manhattan project did. The thinking is