Read a sample of the Noah Gene…

Monday, March 6, 2006

In the dark, just after midnight, and as usual, Patricia McKenzie, Ph.D., checked her email when she couldn’t sleep. She was startled when she came across a breaking news alert in her inbox that immediately caught her eye.

“At approximately 11:30 PM last night, an apparent explosion killed the United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Ling Chao in California. The justice was a passenger on a Golden Gate ferry traveling between San Francisco and Larkspur when an explosion in the engine room caused the vessel to sink. Hundreds of people were on board at the time of the accident. The number of dead and missing remains unknown.

Due to the late hour, the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay, and high winds creating severe swell and chop conditions, hope for additional survivors is dwindling. Local fire, police, and Coast Guard units are on the scene, deploying boats and helicopters in search of survivors. The injured are being transported to Marin County General Hospital and several other medical facilities in the area. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation District manager issued a statement assuring that every possible effort was being made to aid the survivors.

The district will also begin notifying the families of those lost in the tragedy as soon as possible. No names of the injured or deceased have been released, except for Justice Chao. Her family has confirmed to the media that she was among those lost.”

Tish was now fully awake and shocked. How could something like this happen? She had ridden the Golden Gate ferries many times before and had even taken the late-night boat recently. On that trip, she had been accompanied by her son, and they were aboard the very same vessel that had just sunk. Tossing and turning in bed, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Eventually, realizing there was nothing she could do, she dozed off, her last thoughts drifting to her son, Jake. She had just gotten back into deep sleep when, at 4:30 a.m., the phone's shrill ring shattered Tish’s sleep. Groggily, she picked up the phone, only to hear her best friend, Anna Gillette, screaming hysterically.

“Oh, my God! My God! What am I going to do? I can't believe this happened! Tish, you have to help me. I don’t know where else to turn!” Anna was frantic and nearly incoherent.

Shaking off the fog of sleep, Tish tried to focus on what Anna was saying. “Hank was working late last night. He planned to take BART from Alameda to San Francisco and then take the ferry to Larkspur Landing. He never came home, and he hasn’t called. He’s never done this before. He always calls if he’s going to be late!”

“Anna, I’m coming over right now. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” As soon as she spoke the words, she heard Anna’s breathing slow slightly.

Hanging up, Tish dressed, grabbed her purse and another change of clothes, scribbled a quick note for Jake, and rushed out of the house. She knew her son could get his own breakfast and be ready in plenty of time to catch his bus to school.

Speeding toward Anna’s home, Tish’s mind raced. If this story were all over the internet, Jake would read it. That caused her to worry. She had always been concerned about online predators and misinformation spreading through various websites and chat rooms. It made her uneasy, so she resisted letting Jake have his private email account. She didn’t, however, block him from using the internet for homework assignments and other school-related activities.

But, on the other hand, there was nothing Jake couldn’t do when it came to computers and data processors. He'd built her home desktop computer from scratch, and when she mentioned it at work, even the tech people were impressed. His hardware setup was better than most commercially available systems.

Tish was jolted back to the present as she turned onto the street where Anna lived. Two local police cars were parked in the driveway. A sinking feeling clenched her stomach. She parked on the street and ran to the front porch. One of the officers answered the door. Before he could say anything, Tish pushed past him into the hallway, where she found Anna sitting on the stairs, her head in her hands.

Through her sobs, Anna and the deputies delivered the devastating news: Hank had drowned in the ferry accident. His body had been recovered and was currently at the morgue in San Francisco. Ignoring the police officers, Tish wrapped her arms around Anna and guided her into the family room. The local news was blaring yet another unsettling report:

“As many as 100 people may have perished following an engine explosion on a commuter ferry between San Francisco and Larkspur. More details on the morning news at 7.”

Tish turned down the sound on the television before letting the officers out. Then, she held Anna close. “Oh, dear. This is truly heartbreaking. I’m so sorry, Anna,” she whispered, rocking her best friend gently.

She didn’t seem to know anything else to say at the moment. This was something all of her training really never prepared her for. This was a tragedy that hit very close to home.

Anna didn’t respond—she just sobbed, her chest rising and falling in shaky gasps. She was, in all respects, inconsolable. The love of her life was dead. “Breathe,” Tish urged. “Just breathe.”

The national news flashing on the screen wasn’t much better. It was amazing that the death of 100 people would get so little attention from the national media. The reporters had already moved beyond the tragedy, shifting focus to the political implications of Justice Chao’s death.

“President Oliver Hughes’s advisers are now searching for two new Supreme Court Justices following the untimely passing of Associate Justice Ling Chao. Chao was killed in a ferry explosion while visiting California to attend a reunion at her alma mater, Stanford University. Associate Justice William Henry Davis recently announced his retirement due to ill health. Insiders speculate that the President is looking for candidates who will help shape his legacy.

With the appointment of ultra-conservative judges aligned with the President’s conservative Republican Party platform, he hopes to make a lasting impact on the bench. The liberal Democrat party as expressed fears that the balance of power on the court will be dramatically shifted White House officials have been preparing for the nominations, compiling lists of candidates, reviewing old case files, and weighing various factors, including their age and judicial philosophy. A highly conservative legal society is assisting in the search.

On the short-list are three apparent front-runners—Judges David O’Bannyon, 41, Celia Whitcomb-Hopkins, 36, and Barbara DeMoretti, 39. They are among the youngest individuals ever considered for a Supreme Court seat. If appointed and serving their full life terms, their influence on the court could be historic and last for decades.”

Tish sighed and turned to Anna. “Anna, I have called your sister, and she will be here as soon as she can. Unfortunately, I must go to work in a few hours, but I will stay with you until your sister arrives. You need to rest. There’s nothing else we can do for now.” She slowly led Anna up to her bedroom and tucked her in. Anna closed her eyes, but really didn’t sleep. She was exhausted but still overcome by emotions.

As she walked back downstairs, Tish’s thoughts drifted to Anna being alone without Hank. The weight of the tragedy and her isolation felt overwhelming. She forced herself to push the thoughts away, distracting herself with fleeting fantasies of companionship. She didn’t know where those thoughts had come from and pushed them away.

Returning to the living room, she finally fell asleep on Anna’s sofa. She didn’t know when Anna’s sister had arrived, but was grateful for the fresh cup of coffee. Tish explained as much as she could and said that she had to leave for work. She really didn’t want to go, but felt that with the sister there, she could do so.

“Try to stay focused,” thought Tish to herself as she drove away from Anna’s house, heading to work. She hadn’t woken Anna when she left. She knew her lifelong friend needed her sleep, and Anna’s sister was there now to watch over things. “Worrying about Anna won’t do either of us any good.” She would return to the house later in the day. Hopefully, by then, more information will be available.

Just after arriving at her office at the genetic company where she worked, Tish made a quick call home to check on Jake. When her call ended up going to voicemail, she smiled at herself. “Why did I do that? Of course, Jake is not there. He must have already left for school.”

She sat at her desk and turned on the office computer, thinking that this was her life. She realized that everything was as it was supposed to be. She was secure in her job, her home was paid for, her son was healthy, and she had everything she could ask for. Well, almost everything. She really would like to have a life partner to share everything with.

Tish logged on to the company website and began her day. While she waited for the computer to finish booting up, she looked through several notes she had left on her desk before she left the last time. There wasn’t anything that demanded immediate attention. She checked her email and looked at the schedule for the day. It appeared that everything was going to be just another normal day at the office. She smiled and thought I am so lucky, I get paid to do this.