Host Age
The first story takes place in what appears to be the relatively near future. Set in London, it deals with the appearance and spread of a mysterious new plague. The plague defies all efforts to treat it or stop its spread, showing varied symptoms in different victims and mutating rapidly. A sinister aspect soon appears when scientists making progress in fighting the plague are repeatedly sabotaged by unknown persons. Also, the plague seems to be spread by multiple typhoid Mary individuals, found unconscious on trains with large amounts of cash but no identifying information.
Eventually it is discovered that the plague is being spread by human military forces who have traveled through time from several centuries in the future. The head of this group explains that the plague was developed by an aggressive alien species with the purpose of destroying humanity. The plague's effectiveness derives in part from atrophied immune systems resulting from long-term prevention of exposure to any infectious agent. Traveling to the past is a desperate measure to introduce the virus to humans with more robust immune systems in the hope that the survivors will be better able to resist the virus when the alien species creates it.
Read more about this topic: Entry To Elsewhen
Famous quotes containing the words host and/or age:
“Nothing is quite so wretchedly corrupt as an aristocracy which has lost its power but kept its wealth and which still has endless leisure to devote to nothing but banal enjoyments. All its great thoughts and passionate energy are things of the past, and nothing but a host of petty, gnawing vices now cling to it like worms to a corpse.”
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)
“Old age likes indecency. It’s a sign of life.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)