Quaranteam - Team Tim Ch. 01-06

"So what happened?"

"As I understand it, him and his mates have been breaking into the houses of people who've died to steal things. Except they broke into one where the husband had died but his wife was still alive although ill, coughing and sneezing like a good'un. They all ended up getting the virus and they're all dead now. But they also took it back to their families and killed most of them, too."

"I'm sorry, Sis. I truly am."

"Don't be, he brought it on himself. I'm just sorry for their families who were doing everything right but ended up dying."

"It just takes one person getting the virus to infect everyone in a house. Talking of which, how are Mum, Dad and Mike doing now?"

"Oh, big changes. Dad got a call to do a small job for someone, cash in hand so as not to cause problems with the furlough payments. He sent Mike to do it but when Mike turned up, he couldn't get an answer. Looking through the window, he saw them just sitting there, bloody marks around their eyes, noses, mouths and ears. He had to call it in and I gather he also puked in their flower bed. He was white as a sheet when he got home, shaking so much it's a wonder he could drive the van in a straight line. It took a lot to calm Mike down and to get him to talk. At least a couple of shots of scotch, I think.

"Maybe because it was Mike, Dad totally accepted it. Mike had been asked to take a picture through the window and he showed that to Dad as well."

"Didn't you show Dad the posts for all of those dead school children?"

"Yeah, but that was all on the internet, so 'fake news'. Seeing the state that Mike was in, though, has switched Dad completely and now he's telling us all to do everything we can to keep ourselves safe. I've never seen him change his mind on something so quickly."

"I'm glad he now recognises that it's all real, I'm just sorry that it took what it did."

"So does Mike. I see a look in his eyes sometimes, and know what he's thinking about. Anyway, Dad's used his trade contacts and bought loads of stuff. We've all got a handful of face masks that take these filters and Dad bought a large box of the filters to go with them. He's also got goggles and gloves for all of us. I tell you, If Dad has to go out now, he's so covered up, he looks like Nanook of the North. He was even talking about getting burkas for me and mum until we told him we wouldn't be wearing them, but he did buy new cagoules for all of us."

"So how's Mum taking all of this?"

"Well, a couple of the workers on another shift at Iceland have died and most of that shift are currently off ill. I think this scared Mum so she's accepting everything that Dad is suggesting. Well, not the burkas, but you know what I mean. She's wearing her mask properly, uses gloves and sanitises regularly now."

"Oh, that's good." Tim felt relieved that his parents and brother were now taking the pandemic seriously, but worried at how close it had to come to make them take notice. If they were typical of a fair part of the population, then many more would die needlessly before it was over.

They talked for a few more minutes until Tim's microwave gave a ping and he had to go to retrieve his meal. Sitting and eating his beef stroganoff, Tim felt happier about the future than he had for a long time.

----oOo----

For the next few weeks, Tim and Siobhan were having their weekly catch-up video meeting with Dr. Simon Parker at 3pm on Friday, at which they would explain what they had interpreted from the various information sources that they had reviewed, receiving his feedback, encouragement and occasional guidance or direction. On the fourth week, though, it wasn't Dr. Parker who was on the video meeting. A woman, Dr. Sheila O'Malley, informed them that Dr. Parker was ill. After that, there were no more Friday meetings. Tim and Siobhan continued to review the new data, producing their reports and sending them out and filing them as they had originally been instructed, but with little, if any, feedback.

Over the following months, the number of people working in the facility was slowly reducing. Of the initial 70 or so, by the start of July there were probably only 20 attending each day. On Friday 17th July, Tim and Siobhan both received an invitation to a 11am video meeting with Dr. Sheila O'Malley, their first for many weeks.

Tim and Siobhan connected into the video meeting at their allotted time. Dr. Sheila O'Malley quickly thanked them for the work that they had been doing and then informed them that the facility was to close with immediate effect. Even though the people who had been working in the unit knew about the risks, many had died and there were now so few that it wasn't cost effective to keep the facility open.

"Now I have some information that is specific to the two of you. You are probably aware that the Americans have developed a vaccine for DuoHalo which is, for the want of a better word, unconventional in the way it works."

Both Tim and Siobhan nodded.

"Good. It was hoped that a more conventional vaccine would have been developed by now, but this hasn't happened, and is now looking less and less likely. Therefore, the UK has entered discussions with the Americans with a view to acquiring sufficient doses of their vaccine to save as much of our remaining population as we can. As a good will gesture and as a recognition of the special relationship that we have with the US, the UK has received an advance consignment of the vaccine, which has been provided to enable an initial small-scale evaluation to better understand and document the unconventional nature of the vaccine.

"Also, I've been asked to inform you that you have been chosen to be part of this initial UK trial. I have very little information other than this, but an email will be shortly sent directly to each of your Uni email accounts with instructions. When you receive the email, you should forward it to your personal email address and then go home. We are planning to lock the doors to the facility you're currently in at midday. Also, I understand that you'll need to use a couple of the combined virus lateral flow self-test kits; so if you don't have enough, then you should take a box and these will be available in the reception area as you leave. Don't forget to take all of your personal possessions with you as you won't be able to get back in later."

Tim and Siobhan had already been using the combined virus lateral flow self-test kits on a regular basis as part of their current protection and prevention regime. Provided by NHS Test and Trace, these self-administered tests were provided free in boxes of seven.

After the meeting on Microsoft Teams concluded, Tim and Siobhan just sat for a while to take in what they'd been told. Whilst they had been in the meeting, the email had arrived in each of their in-boxes. The email, which had been sent from a .gov.uk email address, told them no more than Dr. O'Malley had, but there was an attachment. They each forwarded their email to their own personal email address. Quickly gathering up their things, Tim and Siobhan left to go home, each collecting a sealed box of the self-tests on their way out.

When they were both back at their flats, Tim rang Siobhan as they'd agreed and sat to read the attachment. The document provided similar information to the email, stating that they had been invited to be part of the initial trial of the DuoHalo vaccine that had been developed by the US Air Force and that, accordingly, coordination for the vaccine trial was being undertaken in the UK by the RAF. The document went on to inform them that they would need to leave their current accommodation and that they should pack all of their personal possessions and take them with them. The document further described how they should put their tenancy agreement together with the keys into an envelope that would need to be handed over. They were directed to make their way to RAF Wyton, home of the Joint Forces Intelligence Group, that was around 15 miles north-west of Cambridge by mid-day the following day, where they should ask for Squadron Leader Reginald Fortescue. There was also a section that detailed what they should do if they didn't have their own transport, or if they couldn't fit all of their belongings into their own vehicle. The documents were specific to each of them, as each included a unique identifier; Tim's was AA-0016M and Siobhan's was F-A00058. Tim wrote both of their idents down in his notebook.

Siobhan was concerned as she had an eight-year-old red 3-door BMW Mini One and had bought a new hybrid bicycle for getting around Cambridge but had no way of carrying it. Also, she was unsure whether she would be able to fit all of her possessions in her small car as she really didn't want to leave anything for others to pack and forward to her as was described in the document. Tim had a larger car, a slightly older metallic blue Ford Focus estate, and decided that he'd be able to get all of his possessions into his car with room to spare, so would probably have space available for Siobhan's overspill, although he was unsure about her bike. Tim's own bike, a 29er mountain bike, would be mounted onto the roof of his car using roof bars and a Thule ProRide bike carrier.

That evening, Tim decided to ring Professor Mackay. They had chatted by phone over the intervening weeks, but only occasionally.

Tim felt a sense of relief when the phone was answered. "Hi Professor, are you free to talk?"

"Hey Tim, I've always got time for you. And as I've told you before, please call me David, you're not my student any more."

Tim smiled at this. "OK Prof ... er ... David."

"Anyway, how are things going? Staying safe, I hope."

"Yeah, still here and still healthy," Tim replied.

"Good, good. I hear on the grapevine that the facility that you've been working at has closed. Do you know what you'll be doing now?"

"Well, funny you should ask that. Both Siobhan and I have been told to go to RAF Wyton for vaccination, and it doesn't feel like we have much choice in the matter. I've spent most of my afternoon packing. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"

"Er ... maybe. Without going into great detail, I can tell you that the UK has acquired a small number, relatively speaking, of DuoHalo vaccine doses from the Americans for evaluation purposes, as it comes with ... how should I put it ... a number of peculiarities. A larger batch, which the Americans are calling 'stabilisation doses', has been promised and these are mostly destined to protect our politicians, heads of the armed forces, captains of industry and the like to keep our country running but, as you can imagine, they are unwilling to be the guineapigs for this. Therefore, these initial doses are to be used for evaluation by clinicians, doctors and others with the necessary knowledge and experience, and in this I've included you and Siobhan, Tim, so that the men with the big hats can be confident that they will not be adversely affected."

Failing to pick up the subtle nuances in his ex-professor's sentence, Tim asked "What about yourself, then? Are you to be protected by this American vaccine as well?"

"I already am, Tim. Let's just say that I now share my life with a number of people who have been vaccinated. I'm sure you'll understand that better in a few days' time. Oh, and give Reg and Hillary my best when you see them."

After ending the call, Tim thought about what he'd been told, knowing that the Professor had given him only a fraction of what he knew.

Chapter 3.

Saturday, 18th July 2020

Tim woke earlier than normal at 6am that Saturday morning when the alarm on his phone sounded. He quickly completed his morning bathroom routine and dressed in his running gear. By 6.45am, he was running his normal route around Midsummer Common for the last time, thankful that there were very few dog walkers this early in the morning. Returning to his flat, he showered and changed before having his usual breakfast.

After his breakfast, Tim took the time to look around what had been his home for nearly two years. Stripped of his personal possessions, it was looking quite bare. The Government document had informed him that he didn't need to dispose of any uneaten food as a team would come in to clean and seal his flat. Although he'd known that his tenure there would only be for a short time, he was now stepping into the unknown, both figuratively and literally shutting the door on another chapter of his life.

Tim packed the last of his possessions into his car and set off for Siobhan's flat, his guitars laid over the other items across the back seat with the three rear seat belts being used to keep everything in place. On his dashboard was his first self-test now sealed into a Ziploc bag, showing a strong 'T' (test) line, but neither the 'C' (Covid) nor the 'D' (DuoHalo) line was visible, a clear indicator that he didn't have either of the viruses. On the front passenger seat was his overnight bag with a couple of changes of clothes, washbag, etc. together with the envelope with his tenancy agreement and keys.

Ten minutes later, Tim was pulling up behind Siobhan's Mini One outside her flat in another part of Cambridge, noting that it retained its original Irish number plates. Tim could see that the Mini was looking very full and that there were still a couple of carrier bags plus the bicycle to be loaded. Tim climbed out of his car and went to look at the self-test on the Mini's dashboard, seeing the same single line as his own. Just as he was stepping back, Siobhan came out of her building carrying her own overnight bag and envelope. Tim just stood and stared at her, drinking in how good she looked wearing skin-tight jeans, a thin pale blue tee shirt and her mustard-coloured denim jacket, which contrasted with the blue of the nitrile gloves she was also wearing. Siobhan proceeded to lock the door, dropping the keys into the envelope before sealing it. Turning around, she saw Tim standing there and waved to him, catching the look on his face.

"How are you feeling?" Tim asked, keeping his gaze on her face.

"A bit nervous," replied Siobhan, putting her overnight bag on the pavement by the other bags.

"Here too. Hopefully we'll get some clarity soon."

"Have you still got room for a few bags?"

"Yeah, there's plenty of room left. What would you like me to take?"

"Can you take all of the remaining bags including my overnight bag?"

Tim collected the two carrier bags and was able to fit them into the footwell behind the front passenger seat. Then taking Siobhan's overnight bag, he stowed it in the front passenger footwell.

"How are we going to manage my bike?"

"I've been thinking about that and I should be able to do something." Tim retrieved a couple of ratchet straps from his car and proceeded to lift her bike up reversed against his own with the gear mechanisms to the outside. He used the straps to hold the frames together, separated by a couple of old tee shirts wrapped around the tubes, and then used a couple of double hooked bungee cords to hold the wheels in place. It wasn't perfect, but it should do for the short trip to RAF Wyton.

"We'll take it slowly. It shouldn't take much over half an hour to drive there and we have plenty of time. I've already put the postcode into my satnav. Do you want to follow me?"

"Sounds good. We don't need to be there before mid-day."

After starting his car, Tim phoned Siobhan using the hands-free fitted to his car. Siobhan's Mini didn't have hands-free, but she put her phone on speaker and placed it into her windscreen-mounted phone holder.

"Watch the bikes and if you notice anything, just shout out. I'm pulling away now."

"Will do. Take it slow, it's not like we're in a hurry."

There was next to no traffic on the roads. Tim took it carefully, negotiating his way out of Cambridge and onto the Huntington Road. They encountered no problems and, in slightly over 40 minutes, they were both pulling up in front of the gates to RAF Wyton. Here, they were stopped by the guard just beyond the English Electric Canberra gate guardian. Tim ended the phone call to Siobhan as they approached the gate.

Tim wound down his window as the guard, a young female RAF sergeant, approached to stand over two metres away from his vehicle.

"Have you business here today?" she asked.

"Yes, we've been directed here to meet with Squadron Leader Reginald Fortescue."

"Can you give me your names, please."

"Yes, I'm Dr. Timothy Fletcher and behind me is Dr. Siobhan O'Sullivan."

The young NCO went into the guardhouse and Tim could see her talking on the telephone. After a few minutes, she returned.

The guard looked at Tim's combined virus self-test stick on the dashboard. "Have you got a second test? If so, you should use it now."

The guard then went back to talk to Siobhan while Tim completed the second test which, after the requisite wait, gave the same negative result.

Tim could see Siobhan getting flustered. After a minute, she rang Tim's phone.

"Tim, my second test is in the end pocket of my overnight bag. Do you think you could get it for me?"

Tim retrieved her second test and, after checking Tim's second test, the guard took the test from him in her gloved hand and placed it on the ground close to Siobhan's car before stepping back. Siobhan retrieved the test and returned to her car.

After Siobhan's second test had also shown negative, the guard returned to the gatehouse to raise the barrier, having given Tim precise directions to one of the buildings on the base.

----oOo----

It was still only 11.45am and, as they pulled up and parked at the front of the identified building, a gentleman in his late 30's or early 40's walked out in full RAF officer's uniform including his peaked cap. He also sported a moustache, looking like a large furry caterpillar, on his upper lip.

Tim and Siobhan exited their cars and stood wondering what to do. The gentleman came up and shook both of their hands, the most physical contact with another person that either of them had experienced in quite a few months, even though they were still wearing their blue nitrile gloves.

"Good morning, I'm Squadron Leader Reginald Fortescue. Please bring your overnight bags and envelopes with you and leave your keys in the ignition."

"Er, will we be together wherever we're going?" enquired Siobhan. I've a couple of bags in the back of Tim's car and my bike's on his roof."

"We're hoping that you'll be together, that's the plan anyway. If things go awry, then we'll sort it later, but I don't think it's likely. Just follow me please." As they followed the Squadron Leader, Siobhan's hand found Tim's, giving it a squeeze.

The Squadron Leader led them into a large room and ushered Tim and Siobhan to a couple of chairs on one side of a table, taking a seat himself on the other side. He was soon joined by a woman in civilian clothes and wearing a white lab coat. Tim noted their lack of facemasks and other protective equipment that he and Siobhan were still wearing.

"I think you can dispense with your PPE, you won't be needing it here," the Squadron Leader informed them. Tim and Siobhan found it strange to be removing their gloves and facemasks, but they both did so.

"Good morning I'm Dr. Grainger, but please call me Hillary. Would either of you like something to drink? Anything for you Reg?"

Both Siobhan and Tim asked for coffee, whilst the Squadron Leader asked for tea. Dr. Grainger left and was soon back accompanied by an orderly pushing a trolley with the drinks, milk and sugar and also a plate of digestives. Soon, everyone had their drink and a biscuit.

"OK, let's get started. I'm Squadron Leader Reginald Fortescue; but you should call me Reginald or Reg. The UK has been provided with an advance batch of the American serum for the DuoHalo virus that has recently started to be rolled out in a controlled manner in parts of the US. We expect to receive a larger 'stabilisation batch' in a few weeks' time and those doses are destined to protect our politicians, civil servants, senior military personnel and industrialists and will most likely be handled by other teams within the RAF. The current small batch that we have received, though, has been put aside for evaluation, and this is what I've been tasked to oversee. We need to take this opportunity to understand the American serum to the best of our ability as our very lives may depend on it. How much do you two know about this virus."