Ghost Detectives Bk. 02: Virus

Introduction to Ghost Detectives - Virus

Those of you who have read Ghost Detectives -- Discovery, my first submission, will know the locations and the relationship between James, Carolyn and her brother John, and why I have placed it in the Loving Wives section. These are various sex scenes but I've blended them into the plot and have not let them overwhelm the story.

The same main characters in the Ghost Detectives are in this story with their same strengths and weaknesses. There are quite a few new locations and new characters but with some locations staying the same. To get the most out of the story I would recommend you read the first story, Discovery, though it is not essential as this story can stand alone.

My main focus has been on character development and the different relationships and interactions of the main players and how fragile life can be against those who wish to destroy our free democratic way of life.

With a duality of characters with similar characteristics, the plot can appear complex but I assure you, when the gist of duality is accepted, the rest is easy to follow.

This story touches on what we need to guard against and shows the fragility of life and how easy it can be destroyed. I've undertaken a lot of research into the story and it's very topical in today's world. If you enjoy reading it only half as much as I've enjoyed writing it, I'll feel vindicated.

The story will be laid out in different chapters over the next several weeks. Here are the first four chapters.

Chapter One

James and Carolyn, together with their two children, were at the breakfast table. It had been a hectic few weeks, always the same when the children were home from boarding school. Today they had arranged a family day. The morning was to be spent at the museum as Keith, their older child, wanted to look at the Mayan exhibition for an essay he was to hand in when he returned to school. Later, they were to visit an art exhibition. Simone, over the last year, had taken a keen interest in water colours and spent most of her spare time painting landscapes. James had booked lunch at a top-class restaurant and later they would spend the afternoon at the theatre watching a play about a man who had lost his memory which reminded James of how they destroyed the minds of Frank and Sandra in both dimensions by injecting them with a concoction of drugs. Now both were housed in mental institutions little more than mindless zombies.

James and Carolyn's doubles in the other dimension had been investigated but when certain material came to light, which James fed into the system, the inquiry against them was dropped. In the other dimension, Courtney, Debra and Jennie resumed their lives unscathed, owing James a great debt for closing the Sandra and Frank case.

In this dimension, the three women were clueless and that was the way he wanted things to stay. Frank's illicit operation had been destroyed. His wealth first impounded and later confiscated as illegal gains. Sandra remained a mystery to the authorities; they didn't know who she was and that suited everyone and was best left well alone.

James had been back to the other dimension but only to check on his flat and be seen occasionally, deliberately avoiding reading the papers or surfing the internet. After all that had happened, he just wanted to rest, beginning to see his gift of knowing the future more a curse than a benefit and remembered the anguish and hurt he felt knowing his father in law would die and there was nothing he could do about it. To know the future was a great responsibility, and held great power, knowing and not be able to prevent something bad from happening was torture. No matter what he did in his dimension, it would have to mirror what had already happened in the other, the timeline of history was irrevocably written, a distorted mirror, granted, like those seen at a funfair.

They had a comfortable lifestyle. He, a renowned psychologist, his wife a qualified doctor and now a professional profiler working for the government. John, his brother in law, a professor of astrophysics. John and Carolyn were trained in the art of combat having both worked covertly for the government in the past. Together the three were known colloquially as the ghost detectives, a title they had inherited from the media, but for the last few months they'd been quiet and had issued no warnings of what would happen in their world, and the authorities, despite spending vast sums of money looking for them, had come up blank. If the authorities only knew how near they had been to exposure a few months back James reminisced, they'd all be in prison or dead and it frightened them into silence.

Carolyn was head of the taskforce empowered with finding who the ghost detectives were and to bring them to justice, which gave them inside knowledge of what the authorities knew, which wasn't much. They did make one almost fatal mistake when they sent a letter using words cut from local papers and magazines and from that the authorities ascertained the area where they suspected they lived and a house less than a mile away was raided which was a call too close for comfort. This made them hyper-vigilant, and James spent a vast sum of money on spy and detection equipment for their home even building a secret room in the basement where much of their equipment was kept.

A recent opinion poll showed that seventy-five percent of the population were for them and believed they were a force for good while others saw them as evil trying to manipulate the future; a proportion believed they were aliens out to control humankind, but no matter who believed whom or what, when a warning was given with the prefix CBGD299299 the world took the warning seriously and acted upon the information. That evening John arrived and, after the children were in bed, the three sat in the library talking and drinking whiskey.

"I've been meaning to ask you, has everything settled down in the other dimension?"

"Not sure, I've been back there several times but other than the first time I've kept off reading the papers. As for the situation around the Frank Ellis case, that is resolved, we were lucky, now I want to forget about it."

"The Ellis case is old news here; the only loose end is Courtney; she's still anxious about her brother's suicide but is starting to quieten down, so I think we can safely say the Ellis saga is over, but as far as our work is concerned, the Commissioners' Office is not letting up their search for us, in fact, they have added another four profilers to my team."

John took a sip of his whiskey. "I would have thought things would start to ramp the other way. We have given out no further warning for months so why the increased activity in looking for us?"

"This is not going away, John. The discussions are weird but there is a growing school of thought that aliens are responsible and they are following every lead no matter how trivial and are still focusing on this area but I'm not that concerned."

"Why?"

"Why what, James?"

"Not concerned about this area?"

"They know nothing other than words cut out from local papers and magazines and most of the team now believe that was just a ploy to have us focusing on the wrong area which I've encouraged. Give it a few more weeks and that line of reasoning will be dead."

"Sis, have you kept abreast of the two in the Ellis case?"

"Their brains are totally scrambled and we can forget about them."

"I think we should resume giving warnings."

Carolyn quickly jumped up, "no John. James, I don't want you going back there."

"I have been back as you know, love, but we need to decide if we are to carry on with our programme of giving out warnings about the future, and if we are, that means I must go back regularly."

She looked at him then turned to John, eyes pleading, waiting for him to back her stance but knew that wouldn't be the case. She wasn't even sure herself; she loved James with her whole being. No one spoke, eyes on Carolyn. "Look, we don't need money, we don't need anything, we have all we need here in this house. To carry on, the risks are great and will get greater, there are many out there trying to expose us. The rewards for our discovery are running into millions."

"Love, risk is a part of life. I love you as you love me, but there are greater forces at work here and you know it. You don't want to carry on, not because you believe we should not use our gift, but because you fear for my safety."

She looked at him and bowed her head, tears running down her cheeks. "I am sorry, I am selfish, I am afraid, thinking only of myself and my insecurities. Yes, we must use our gift so I won't say another word in objection."

"I understand," said James. "I will go back tomorrow."

Carolyn looked at him and smiled and he nodded his head in acknowledgement as John took another sip from his whiskey glass.

"Sis, on another matter, have you had a chance to look at the information I gave you last week?"

"You referring to the rapes or the Ebola outbreak?"

"Both, but I am more concerned with the Ebola file at present."

"I've looked at the outbreak but I can't see the relevance. Why the keen interest?"

"What's this about Ebola, John?"

"It's a virus with an incubation period around two days but can be as long as twenty-one, the average is around ten days before symptoms start to show. The death rate is high and it is one of the most virulent diseases around, far more so than human immunodeficiency virus (AIV). The death rate can be as high as 90% of those infected."

"Why so keen, John, this is about the fourth time you've asked me about it? We are clear of it in our country and Europe, it's a third world phenomenon," stated Carolyn.

"I have done some research myself but I wanted your take on it. Stop me if you think I've overlooked anything. Ebola is spread by direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids which includes vomit, faeces, sweat, tears, urine and semen, even breast milk."

She looked at him unsure where he was going with what he was saying. "What's your point?"

"Just stay with me, am I right so far?"

"Yes, but it's not as simple as that, it can also be spread by other methods. I agree the disease is mostly spread by blood, faeces and vomit with entry points being the nose, mouth, eyes, open wounds, cuts and abrasions but recent research has stated it can be caught by direct contact with the skin but I have not seen conclusive evidence to convince me of that yet. I know it can be spread by body droplets but the plus is, and it's a small plus, it can only be spread by a person who is very sick. The main danger, and this is important, body droplets, including body waste and other fluids on open surfaces, even inanimate objects, can become contaminated by the virus. Needles and syringes can easily transmit infection and the virus is able to survive on items for a few hours in a dried state and can survive for as long as a few days within bodily fluids. Dead bodies are highly contagious and anyone handling a body is at high risk of catching the disease and should always wear protective clothing. I mean waterproof clothes, boots, mask, goggles, gloves. No part of the body should be exposed when near a contaminated body, and even then, protective clothes should be sprayed with disinfectant before being removed and a shower taken immediately. Look John, I can go on for longer but what is the relevance?"

James was growing impatient with Carolyn's long explanation. "I fail to see it as well. I think we should focus on the rape, at least it's in this country and relevant to what we are trying to achieve."

"I agree, and I think that is what we'll focus on next but just clarify something for me. Animals become infected when they eat fruit partially eaten by bats carrying the virus, so am I right in assuming that fruit production, coupled with animal behaviour, could trigger an outbreak amongst the animal population?"

Carolyn started to get irritable. "It's feasible; infected animals can include monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, baboons with a few others. John this is getting us nowhere, lets focus on what we've set out to do and close this down."

"Stay with me just a little longer. I have seen evidence that domestic dogs and pigs can also be infected by Ebola."

Carolyn stared at him and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, so what. "I've haven't come across that but yes, I suppose that could well be the case. The virus mutates at quite a speed and there are several different strains."

James took a large mouthful of whiskey. He knew when John was this focused, come what may, both would have to hear him out and he sat back in his seat and looked at Carolyn as if to say, let him get on with it or we'll be here all night.

"Let me take it a stage further. Dogs do not appear to develop symptoms when carrying the virus so we have no way of knowing something is wrong."

"Agree!" They both shouted.

"Both dogs and pigs on the other hand, can transmit the disease and cross the barrier, like other animals, to us. Especially so pigs, they snort and dribble over everything, leaving the virus on objects or even in the air from their sneezing and coughing. The symptoms are what?"

Carolyn puffed out her breath in frustration. "Usually symptoms begin with a sudden influenza-like stage of tiredness followed by fever and weakness with a decreasing appetite, muscular and joint pains, sore throat and headache with a high temperature. Within a few days, maybe up to a week, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pains. A shortage of breath, chest pains, body swelling, bloating and, in some cases, internal and external bleeding with a final stage of disorientation, confusion, and death."

"One hell of a way to die."

"One of the most contagious diseases known to medical science. I think no one will disagree with that and the frightening part is, we have no known cure."

"My last word on the subject for the present. This virus is a destroyer of civilisations."

At last thought James. "We all agree, John. Left unchecked this disease could run rampant and could well destroy populations and a country's infrastructure, causing chaos. We have been on this subject for most of the night. Now will you tell us your reasons?"

John finished his whiskey, placed his glass on the table and stood. "No, not yet. I'm off to bed, see you in the morning."

James stared at Carolyn opened mouthed. "What was that all about?"

"Not sure, but I haven't seen him that focused for quite a while."

"Something about this disease is obviously troubling him."

"He has definitely done his research into Ebola but why?"

"I haven't a clue. It's very much a foreign disease and I can't see how it'll impact on us in any way. My team is continually identifying threats to our country. Ebola has come up and we've spent time assessing the threat and concluded that providing we send medical staff where there is a breakout with the correct clothing and hygiene safeguards and medical checks of suspects, the threat level to us is low."

"Do you think John knows something we don't?"

"Of course not, if he did, he would tell us, remember our motto all for one and one for all. I will admit he has something on his mind but he's not yet ready to share it with us but he will when he has completed his research. Still, I can't think why he's so interested in Ebola."

"Let's leave it lie and wait for him to come to us, he has his reasons. I'm more concerned about the rapes. We can stop what has happened in the other dimension happening here, he is a serial rapist so stopping other rapes and child molestations must be our priority, so when I have the information, we'll sit down and see what's needed to be done. You know I'll be going into the other dimension tomorrow night."

Carolyn looked at him as if he were a gourmet meal and she a sexually starved nymph. "Let's leave anything controversial or work-related well alone until tomorrow but now..."

He pulled her onto the sofa, took her into his arms and kissed her on the lips; she opened her mouth, tongue fighting tongue as a warm up of what was to follow; she clasped her hands around his neck and shoulders. He rubbed his body into her, firm yet gentle, light yet nimble. She responded to his dainty movements; tonight would be sensually relaxing but that would be for later while in bed. Shuffling his hands down her back, finding the outline of her bottom, he drew his hands over her firm buttocks. Pushing himself into her, pressing his hardness into her body in little circular movements as she manoeuvred her empty moist pulsating vagina towards his stiffness begging him to seal her with his throbbing extremity as their sex touched over clothes - both jerked - startled, yet not shocked, the tingle heightening into a pulsating ache as their heated desire for each other shone through their eyes but keenly felt between their legs. They were ready to join in mind, body and soul.

As their movement grew so did the noise, kissing ears and cheeks, eyes and nose, nibbling lips and neck, tension building, breath labouring. She moved her hands downward needing to feel what she desired, undid his zip and started to pump his penis in short sharp jerks. She fell to her knees in worship of her god, taking it into her mouth, experiencing its warmth between her lips, tasting the saltiness, smelling his maleness, her senses alive and dancing, singing the age-old song of musky lust while craving for what her vagina desired from her man, a soldier to her needs.

Holding one hand around his testicles she put the other between her legs. Fingers working, circling her clitoris, fingers penetrating, her heat burning her with desire as she fed on his hardness. She could feel his body stiffening and knew he was close to delivery. He tried to pull away but she would have none of it.

"My mouth, James, into my mouth," she mumbled without stopping her own ministrations.

He held her head with both hands, pulling her into him, shifting her head as if a moving doll nodding for acceptance, enjoying the play, batteries on full charge. "I'm there," he screamed, releasing his life-giving fluid into her eager mouth. He lay on his back, his sperm warm against her tongue. The piquancy, his smell, she smiled. Pulling her head back she discharged his love into her hand and rubbed it over her face, His smell mixing with hers, their own unique perfume of ardour shared. The naughtiness of the moment heightening further her sexual anticipation, wild for her orgasmic release as she gushed her passion over her fingers.

She stood, turned, bent and rested her hands on a chair without saying a word. She didn't need to, James knew exactly what she wanted and how to deliver. He followed, lifted her skirt, removed her panties and filled her with his penis. Arching her body lower, accentuating her bottom, legs apart opening her womanhood to him. Holding her by her hips, he knew she wanted it hard and fast; slow and languid would be for later but for this moment, her currency was raw, hard, brutal sex, no finesse, no loving words, just the straight act of copulation. Caveman claiming his cavewoman in lust, and she loved the claiming as she found what she craved and fell back exhausted.

"Come, James, it's time for bed."

Chapter Two

In the other dimension Abisali was resting after an eventful day. He closed his eyes and dreamt of the time when the true Prophet would take his rightful place in a corrupt world where now the infidel and kaffir ruled. He, a true warrior of Islam and loyal follower of his jihad teachings, felt he was chosen by Allah to implement change. He had studied the Quran, Hadith and Sunnah and believed with a passion that the only way forward was for the world to follow these honest truths and to execute Sharia Law and what was written in the Quran to the letter. He would be the flagbearer to bring the world into his concept of religious reality.