Hi! I'm back, finally!
Chapter Eighteen:
Reid:
I watched Nessa closely. She had told me a few days ago she was going to die in March. I was devastated, but I could not dwell in my grief. Too much was going to change soon. We needed to put on a strong front.
"Ready?" Logan asked.
Nessa, Nessa's replacement, Dr. Nathan Hayden, and I nodded.
"Let's go talk to the board," I said.
We stepped onto the stage of the auditorium. The board members were seated there, along with a number of key investors, and stakeholders.
"Ladies and gentlemen," I said formally. "You're going to hear a lot of misinformation soon. I'm here set the record straight.
A new coronavirus was found in China in December. We have received reports from our partners there that this virus is far more deadly and pervasive than the flu. Data suggests it can hang in the air for as long as two days. This is going to change life as we know it, as soon as March.
This gives us a month to prepare. I'm in the business of saving lives. We're going to lose a significant amount of money this year regardless, so let's bring some good from this.
Dr. Lutze is stepping away from her position due to health concerns, and Dr. Nathan Hayden will be stepping forward. His specialty is in bio-engineering. His CV is in the report.
First and foremost, I want every employee to feel safe. I am ordering gloves, masks, and sanitization equipment for everyone, from the custodial staff to the accountants. Next, I am making sure every employee has steady internet access and tablets for all family members so that online learning is fully accessible.
I have ordered Logan to repurpose our manufacturing plants to produce PPE and medical equipment. These are going to be distributed first to hospitals low-income areas of California, and further as needed. I have mandated that we give these to hospitals and clinics for free.
This has nothing to do with whether I like the president or not, this is what I know from analyzing people for nearly fifteen years. The economy will head into a downswing, and the president is going to downplay the severity of the virus, to save the stock market. He withdrew a scientist whose position was to monitor the threat of viruses in China. He disbanded the pandemic panel. I have to no reason to believe this president is capable of handling the virus in a way that will minimize the death toll."
A board member raised his hand.
"Didn't I hear he closed down the border?"
"He also allowed for multiple exceptions," I said. "A virus like this can't be contained to one country. Contact tracing is its earliest stages. Preparedness is essential."
"How do you know so much about infectious diseases?" an investor asked.
"I studied biology in relation to bioterrorism. Let me make this especially clear though: This virus was NOT made in a lab by China! A common name you might here for the virus is the Wuhan virus, as that is where it was first documented. That reenforces Asian stereotypes about cleanliness. China is not being as transparent as it could be, but now is not the time to point fingers. We need to fucus in preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
As the virus transmits easily as an aerosol, I am ordering every employee to start wearing masks at all of our facilities.
I am halting the development of new R&D. We will focus on current projects, and scale back when it becomes unsafe. I plan to hire more health experts to help to develop a public awareness campaign."
"Are we going to have any money when this is over?" a board member asked.
"In the report, I have outlined totals relating to how much we're projected to lose. The number may look disconcerting, but if you read the next few pages, you'll see I've outlined a plan to regain sixty percent of what we lost by the end of twenty twenty-one."
"Thank you, Dr. Reid," the chairman said.
"I'll let Dr. Hayden introduce himself," I said.
Nessa smiled at me. It broke my heart. Nothing about this was easy.
…
"Hey big bro!" Carina said as she logged on to Zoom.
"I am still not used to you being nice to me," I said.
"I thought we had a nice Christmas," she said.
"We did, it's just your screaming is still very loud in my head."
"Dad said I had strong vocal cords. I've been taking singing lessons. You want to hear?"
"No, not right now," I said. "This is a business meeting."
"Right, right," she said. "I've been working with Jensen Tech on styling masks for every occasion. I'm also doing cooking demos, I'm a terrible cook, but it should be fun. I am also doing demos on how to work out remotely."
"You're actually taking this job seriously," I said slowly.
"It's not a job, it's fun! Okay, the masks are kind of hard to breathe in, but you get used to it."
I hired Carina and August so I could spend less money on PIs. Carina is actually, very good at her job as a social media consultant. August is doing entry-level work in the marketing department. I ordered both of them into counseling, and they invited me for some family sessions. With Sophia out of the picture, August and Carina have realized I am the only family they have.
"What's wrong with Nessa, that she's stepping down?" Carina asked.
"She has her reasons, I'm not at liberty to discuss."
"You sound sad, so it must be bad."
I didn't respond.
"Dad's birthday is approaching, I was wondering if we could do a video about how we the Jensen siblings have united, emphasizing our connection to one another as things are about to get tough in the world."
"That's actually a great idea. Talk to Paul about setting it up."
"I hope Nessa gets better. The kids are screaming. I've got to go. Love ya! Bye!"
I put my head in my hands. Sometimes being smart didn't feel like enough. I couldn't save her. Thousands were going to die, even as I put the full force of Jensen Tech into fighting the corona virus. I wish I could do more.