Chapter 152

The nurse nodded at Leslie's remark and motioned for another woman to come forward. Her nametag read Dr. Wilma Scott. The group knew she was the former starlet who had opened AMS in the early 2000s.

"Who is it?" Adam asked the doctor.

"I can't say," the woman replied. She cringed when she saw the look of anger that flashed on Adam's face. The men of Five Friends were the ones who primarily worked outside the group. If one of them contracted the deadly disease, everyone had it.

"How in the fuck are we supposed to know if we've worked with someone if you won't tell us who it is?" Adam asked. His voice was tightened by fear and frustration. "You wanna track this thing but you keep it a God-damned secret. Who can tell me?"

"We've contacted the agency heads," the doctor answered.

"Not ours, you didn't," Adam asserted.

"Well, we didn't call performers individually," the doctor said. She acted as though she was speaking to a dull child.

Adam sighed.

"Look, lady," Allie said.

"Doctor," the woman corrected.

"Whatever," Allie continued. "You are looking at three-fifths of the ownership of Five Friends Casting. We have received no calls from this clinic. We are a registered casting agency with certified agents who work for us.

"Furthermore, you are looking at one-quarter of the ownership of Looker Lass Productions. I can assure you, we have not agreed to a voluntary quarantine, nor were we contacted about it. We also have half of the ownership of 'Sweet Things' web site in this room. We did not and do not agree to a quarantine unless you can give us a valid reason to think one of us is infected. The easiest way to do that is to take the exam we came here to take or to tell us who is involved."

The woman bristled at the tone of Allie's voice. But the rest of the group was nodding furiously so she didn't say anything. Meanwhile, the nurse was typing furiously at her computer.

"She's right, Doctor," the nurse said. She could barely suppress the look of contempt she gave the woman in charge. "They are certified and registered with the state. They should have been contacted."

"I can't call every piss ant group with a business license and a certified agent," the doctor hissed.

"Why not?" Adam asked, looking around dramatically. "It doesn't appear that you're doing much of anything else. In fact, this is the first time I've ever seen you here. Incidentally, we represent more than 20 people in this industry and we gross more in a month than most agencies do in a year. I wouldn't exactly describe us as 'piss ant.' Now, I will return to my original statement. Who is it? If you wish to tell me in private, I can assure you it will remain known only to my ownership group. But you are doing a disservice not only to the industry but to the reputation of this clinic by keeping it from those it potentially affects."

"It's covered by HIPPA laws," the doctor asserted. It was every doctor's standard reply to anything they didn't want someone to know.

"Incorrect," Adam said. "The patient's real name is covered by HIPPA laws. His or her pseudonym is not. I would have supposed you learned than in 2007. After all, the lawsuit nearly bankrupted this place. Incidentally, even if it were covered by HIPPA, you've violated that already by contacting what I assume to be the larger houses and releasing the name to them. You can't cover yourself under the umbrella of confidentiality when it is convenient to you. If you wish for us to consider the voluntary quarantine, you'll have to let us know who it is.

"You are way behind the times, anyway. A majority of the industry works outside the major studios and larger agencies. They represent themselves and have their own web sites. Contacting the guys who used to be the big boys gains you nothing. They will do their best to keep it quiet – not to benefit the performers or to maintain the individual's privacy, but to protect their profits. I think you should take a few moments to reflect on how the industry has changed in the two decades since you were a performer and then give us the name before you find yourself back in court. This time, we won't stop until you're gone."

The doctor shook her head defiantly.

Adam gave a brief nod and pulled out his cell phone.

"Celina, it's Adam," he said. "I need you to seek a court order compelling AMS to release the professional name of the performers who have tested positive for HIV in the last week. It has already been released to the major houses and agencies, so there is no legal reason for her to keep it from us. Maybe Judge Barrett can help you."

He paused for a moment to listen to Celina.

"I can't tell you if one of us could be infected," he said. "I can't get the woman to tell me who is infected or who he or she might have worked with. We're a piss ant group, according to the good doctor. Besides, every panic she creates plays into her ultimate goal of being the person who decides which studios can work without condoms. If she would simply release the information, people wouldn't run around like chickens with their heads cut off and she couldn't force the industry to march to her tune."

He hung up the phone and let Celina get to work. She said since the information had already been given out, there was no way the doctor could refuse to release it to anyone who asked. Adam had his doubts.

He turned to Shelly and Allie.

"I think Subarctic's next order of business is putting this place out of business for good and replacing it with something apolitical," he said.

It took Celina only three hours to secure a court order for AMS to release the alias of the infected performers and those of anyone known to have worked with the performers to Five Friends Casting and Looker Lass Productions. It took the threat of arrest, two U.S. Marshals and the threat of a press conference to get the doctor to comply with the order.

The nurse had slipped outside for a cigarette a few minutes after the group stalked off and slipped Adam a piece of paper. It had the known first-, second- and third-generation performers so the doctor's histrionics were wasted.

The entire Subarctic ownership group – including Mike Cunningham – had been contacted and everyone voted to continue through with the court order. AMS needed to rethink its allegiances to the larger studios. They had done nothing to ensure the safety of their workers. Non-condoms scenes sold better so they bullied the females into working without them, just as they bullied their stars into working for sites such as "Teen Reeducation."

"It's your life, not hers," the nurse had said as she offered the paper. Besides, this group had always been good to her. They had run out to get her lunch once when she was swamped and they never insisted something be done that exact second. They understood it took time to run the tests and they always treated her courteously. "I don't think any of the kids who come in with you are in danger. This is mostly low-grade stuff. Still, when you're talking about HIV, it can spread easily in this environment."

"Thanks," Adam said sincerely. He didn't open the paper up until the nurse walked back inside. He didn't recognize the first-generation performer, a male. But Allie knew one of the group who had worked with someone who had worked with someone who had worked the guy – or the third-generation of the outbreak.

"Damn, Suzy Star," she said. "I did my second, no, my third scene with her."

"I worked with Clark Rigid once," Leslie said, standing on her tiptoes to peer over Allie's shoulder. "Thank God that was two years ago."

Anya was also trying to see the list. There had been only two performers outside the Five Friends group that had worked with the European talent in Los Angeles, but all the Europeans had worked with different performers in Las Vegas and Miami.

She didn't recognize the names but she would make sure to mention it to Vaclav when she called him that evening.

"We need to get everyone together," Adam said, folding the paper and putting it in his pocket. "We need to decide if we are going to abide by the quarantine."

It was a somber group that sat down at the house that evening. Tate and Ben Benedict had come over – as had Jerry Goldsmith and Melody Schott. Anya called Vaclav Nagy and had him on speaker phone.

Everyone had spent the afternoon going over who they had worked with outside the group in the past 30 days. Thankfully, it was a small list. It pissed Adam off that every small web site owner was waiting on pins and needles to learn who had been infected and who they had infected. Sites like "Bountiful Assets" and "Sporty Spinners" would never have been called. Even Alonzo Cruz, who ran one of the biggest sites in Miami, hadn't heard for certain until Lucy gave him a call.

They all knew the list they had in their hands wasn't complete by any means. In the next week, more performers would test positive. It was a fact and there was no way around it. The biggest fear was that one of the handful of people from outside the group – women like Cassandra Curtains, Margo Catchings or Angel Pretty – would pop up as having worked with someone who was verified as having contracted HIV.

"I think we have to let this play out," Adam said. He was worried less about himself than the others. If he had somehow brought the devastating illness to those he loved – or even liked a lot, he couldn't live with himself.

"See, I think we're safe," Katey replied. "Besides, if we're not, there isn't a fucking thing we can do about it now."

"You're not guaranteed to get it if you have sex with someone who has it," Lucy said. "Sure, it's likely but the likelihood goes up the more times you do it. I think I agree with Adam on this. I mean, I agree with him if I get a vote."

"You get a vote," Allie said firmly. "We all get a vote. It is not majority rule, either. If 18 of us want to continue and three don't, those three sit this out without any repercussions."

"I think we should plan to go to the hospital tomorrow and get tested," Sean said. "After we make sure we're all safe, you guys can make a more informed decision."

The group of performers turned to him.

"Adam cut his hand two weeks ago," Sean pointed out. "I rubbed a blister on my foot playing softball and I know Leslie is menstruating. We're all at risk because of our proximity to one another. I do agree with Allie, though. This is a personal decision for everyone. Timm, what are your thoughts?"

"I have no thoughts other than to be scared to death," he said. "Melody, Tate, no offense, but I'm probably going to be very reluctant to work with someone I don't know really well for a while."

Melody nodded. She had been through two major outbreaks in the past 10 years. She had not known any of the infected performers personally but if she was in some way responsible for causing harm to this group she wasn't sure what she would do.

"Look, I'm not trying to be an ass but it comes naturally, I guess," Ben said. "This disease is the main reason we're so tight about testing at Daystar. I know the sites this group works with. They all follow the same procedures we do. In fact, I'm positive one of you probably suggested it. If we don't know the performer we all require same-day testing. Only once since 2003 has Daystar allowed a performer to work with an old test. I won't mention names but I can assure you it was someone we trust absolutely."

Tate turned to his son.

"We let someone work with an old test?" he asked. "Did I know about this?"

"No," Ben said. "It was my decision. The performer informed me that the test was dated. I decided that, given what I knew of the performer, it was not a safety risk. The card was well within the standards established by the rest of the industry."

"Which doesn't matter to me one damned bit," Tate said angrily. "I told you from the beginning that if I ever found out a producer accepted a card that we deem out-of-date, I would fire them on the spot."

"I'll resign if you want me to," Ben said simply.

"I did the same thing," Melody put forth. "If I had to guess, it was the same performer and the same day. It was probably for the same reason."

"It was me, wasn't it?" Adam asked, recognition dawning on him.

Ben nodded.

"And you used a condom, too," Ben added. "Part of it was because you didn't know the performers you were working with. But another part of it was because you knew your test didn't meet our standards."

"True," Adam admitted.

Anya and Katya exchanged looks.

"That was the day with us," Anya said. Adam looked guilty but nodded.

"You acted as though one of us might be ill and you were working out of date?" Anya asked, clearly angered. "I remember the conversation we had. How far out of date was your test? I think we deserve to know."

Adam tried to remember but couldn't. So he went to a desk drawer and pulled out his list of expenses.

"I tested on Thursday afternoon, June 1st," he said. "I worked a scene for 'Bountiful Assets.' We worked together on Monday, June 5th. That would make my test two days older than it should have been."

Anya started to speak but Katya silenced her by putting a hand on Anya's arm.

"We need details," Katya said. "Europe, 14 days is still good test. Is four days too old to work here?"

Rebecca leaned forward.

"In some places, yes it is," Rebecca said. "The studios we consider reputable require same-day testing in many cases and nothing older than 48 hours in others. That is one of the biggest problems we face – there is no real standard. Some places let you work with a 29-day-old test. They don't require a fresh test if you've done something high-risk. Most women are pushed aside if they demand condoms for a scene. The studios will refuse to work with men who insist. We simply are too stupid to police ourselves in this area."

"Adam, I wish to apologize," Anya said. "I misunderstood what 'out-of-date' meant."

"You don't need to apologize," Adam said quickly. "I do. I worked with an unknown performer four days prior to working with the two of you. I wore a condom for vaginal insertions in all cases but it is unfair that I placed your safety at risk. I also compounded my stupidity by acting superior when I saw some of what Katya had done in the past.

"It doesn't matter that I didn't know either of you. I made sure your tests were acceptable to me. I discussed this very situation with Judy and Ben before I agreed to perform. Please rest assured I had a fresh test before working with either of you a second time. But I'm sorry that I didn't when we first met."

"We did not test again," Katya pointed out. "I had no test until Friday last week."

"I did not retest until I return to Prague," Anya said. "I see what Rebecca is saying. I do not consider my time in Los Angeles high-risk. My time in Las Vegas was risky. But my contract rules were understood. The male did not like them but I did not care. The same is true in Miami. I do not worry that you worked four days after testing. I took the conversation to mean it had been more than 14 days. But we need to have standards."

"It's not just the testing times," Allie said, sighing loudly. "HIV is our biggest worry but it isn't our only worry. A lot of workers are IV drug users. That means they share needles. That increases their risk of not only HIV but also Hepatitis-C."

"Then there are the guys who go back and forth from gay to straight work," Cameron said. He was clearly worried because he had been the one who worked outside the group most often – with the exception of Adam. "They take a test on Friday, go to Brazil and do three gay or bisexual scenes, turn up back in the States 10 days later and work a straight scene with no new clearances. That out of the country shit is off the books. No one knows about it until it turns up online."