sure, be overruled in Victor's favor.
Meanwhile Victor Tremont was worrying about Jon Smith and his two friends. He had heard no news about them from al-Hassan since the fiasco in the Sierras. As he thought that, he brought himself back to the present. He had a brave gesture in mind that he hoped would convince the surgeon general and, through him, President Castilla. But he had to time it just so.
As he looked up at Petrelli and Oxnard and their clouded faces deep in thought, he knew the time had come.
He must break the impasse. If he could not convince Surgeon General Oxnard, it was possible everything he had striven for over the past dozen years would be lost.
Inwardly he nodded grimly. He would not lose. He could not. "The only way to be sure is to test it on a human." He leaned toward them, his voice commanding and grave. "We have isolated small quantities of the lethal monkey virus. It's unstable, but it can be preserved for a week or so." He hesitated as if wrestling with a great moral question. "There's only one way to proceed. And please don't try to stop me--- there's too much at stake. We must think of the greater good, not just what we as individuals risk." He paused again and inhaled. "I'll inject myself with the monkey virus---"
Surgeon General Oxnard flinched. "You know that's impossible."
Tremont raised a hand. "No, no. Please let me finish. I'll inject myself with the virus, and then I'll take the serum. The monkey virus may not be exactly the same as the one that's spreading, but I believe it's close enough that we'd see any adverse side effects when I self-administer the serum. Then we'll know."
"That's absurd!" Nancy Petrelli exclaimed, playing the devil's advocate. "You know we can't possibly allow you to do that."
Jesse Oxnard hesitated. "You'd actually do that?"
"Absolutely." Tremont nodded vigorously. "If it's the only way to convince everyone that our serum can stop what is rapidly becoming a horrible pandemic."
"But---" Nancy Petrelli began, playing out her opposition.
The surgeon general shook his head. "It's not for us to decide, Nancy. Tremont is making a magnificent humanitarian offer. The least we can do is respect that and put his suggestion before the president."
Petrelli frowned. "But, dammit, Jesse, we have no assurance the two viruses and the serum will interact the same way in the human body." She saw Tremont again frown at her curiously, as if he doubted he had heard her accurately. "If Dr. Tremont is going to offer himself as our guinea pig, he should be infected with the real virus. Or, at least, we should test the two viruses to see if, perhaps, they are identical."
Inside, Tremont seethed with rage. What the hell was she doing? She knew damned well the serum wasn't 100 percent effective--- no serum or vaccine was. He had this contingency covered, yes, but she didn't know that. Outwardly he continued to nod. "She's right, of course. That'd be best. But taking the time to compare viruses would be an unnecessary delay. I assure you I'm quite willing to be infected with the real virus. Our serum will cure it. I'm certain."
"No." The surgeon general slapped his knees in disagreement. "There's no way we can let you do that. But the families of the victims are already clamoring to be helped, so it makes more sense to ask them if they'd be willing to let their sick relatives try it. That way we'll find out what we need to know and maybe save a doomed life, too. Meanwhile, I'll have Detrick and the CDC compare the viruses."
Petrelli objected, "The FDA will never approve."
Oxnard countered, "They will if the president tells them to."
"The director would probably resign first."
"That's possible. But if the president wants the serum tested, it will be."
Nancy Petrelli appeared to think about this. "I'm still against using the serum without the usual series of thorough tests. However, if we're going to go ahead, then it does make more sense to try to save someone who's already sick."
The surgeon general stood up. "We'll call the president and present both suggestions. The sooner we start, the more lives we'll have a chance to save." He turned to Victor Tremont. "Where can we phone in private?"
"I have a line in the conference room. Through that door." Tremont nodded to a door in the right wall of his office.
"Nancy?" Jesse Oxnard asked.
"You make the call. No need for both of