"Paul Levinson - The Consciousness Plague" - читать интересную книгу автора (Levinson Paul)

"So, I see you're feeling better," I said, and took Jack's extended hand.

"I feel like a million bucks now," Jack said. "How you'd know ... Oh, I guess Sheila told you I was sick?"

"RightтАФ"

"I tell ya, this was a nasty one. I tried to fight it on my own as best I couldтАФI hate taking antibiotics and
those new flu medicationsтАФbut it got to the point where I was up all night coughing. The commissioner
was pretty sick, tooтАФhe picked it up from me, I picked it up from him, who knows?тАФbut his doctor
told him about some new antibiotic or something, ninety-five percent guaranteed not to upset the
stomach. That stuff gives me the runs, you knowтАФ"

"YeahтАФ"
"So anyway." Dugan gestured to the available chair. "Have a seat, Phil. What brings you to this exalted
office?"

"Well, I've decided to accept your offer," I replied.

"My offer?" Dugan looked puzzled.

"Yeah, you know, what you told me last week, about the task force."

Dugan looked at me as if I were putting him on, or confusing him with someone else. "I haven't the
vaguest idea what you're talking about."

I HAD LUNCH the following week with a friend who was up from the Centers for Disease Control in
Atlanta. "The thing is, I think Dugan was completely sincere about not remembering our conversation," I
said, as I sipped the last of my tea.

I had told Andy Weinberg what had happened in Dugan's office. Andy was in New York for a
conference about the flu or whatever it was that was making everybody cough. Jenna had it full-throttle
now. I was beginning to feel a tickle in my own throatтАФbut, who knows, maybe that was just the power
of suggestion.

"You sure?" Andy responded. "You've been telling me for years how the Department supports you one
day, acts like they have no faith in you the nextтАФyou sure this isn't just more of the same? Hell, I've been
telling you for years that a forensic detective with your verve would be much happier down in Atlanta,
haven't I?"

"Yeah, but I like New York, even this cold weather in March."

Andy shook his head in resignation. "Well, at least you seem to be holding your own against this new
bug. Better than I can sayтАФhad me sick as a dog last month."

"Any chance it could cause some kind of memory loss?"

"Nah, not very likely," Andy answered. "It's some kind of fluтАФdefinitely nothing worse. We haven't quite
figured out the exact strain. It's popping up all across the countryтАФwhich means it's almost certainly a
natural occurrence, not a biowarfare hit, thank God. But it can open the gate to bronchitis and
pneumonia, like any fluтАФthat's what we're concerned about. Of course, antibiotics can take care of the