by Steve Howrie
“What do you mean?”
“Before I tell you that, aren’t you going to introduce me to your partner in crime?”
“Oh sorry. This is Sandi. Sandi, Tony.”
“How are you Sandi? You’ve been through a bit of an ordeal I hear.”
“Oh, Kevin’s driving isn’t as bad as they say.” They all laughed at my expense. The humour warmed everyone to Sandi straightaway.
“So what happened to you two?” asked Tony.
I was about the restart the story when the coded doorbell rang again.
“That’ll be Gareth,” said Kate, getting up to answer the door. The big man entered with a very serious expression on his face. Something was obviously troubling him. But seeing Sandi, he totally forgot about Emily, and the room lit up as they cast eyes on each other. I thought we’d need a crowbar to separate them. But I tried humour instead.
“Gareth’s the one who hit me over the head with a table leg down at the farm,” I quipped. The big Welshman gave me a sort of ‘ha ha very funny’ look.
“Mmm – I’m beginning to like him already,” said Sandi.
“It wasn’t his head, it was his shoulder,” Gareth clarified defensively.
“Well – better aim next time Gareth,” she added.
We all sat down, and Sandi and I finally got to tell everyone our story. At the end of it, Tony’s mood was quite serious. Everyone seemed to know when it was time to listen to Tony.
“What happened to Kevin and Sandi is definitely for the best. Kate and I have been talking tonight about how we need to progress from here. Frank had the right idea in getting the message out – he just didn’t have the backup to do it. If we’re going to make everyone aware of the virus, we’re not going to do it sitting on our backsides. We’ve got to get out there – and that’s bound to mean people coming after us. So far, we haven’t committed any crimes, and we’ll keep things that way as far as we can. Despite the fact that Kevin took Kate out of hospital, he didn’t break the law – providing she wished to be discharged. So there’s no problem there – as long as we all stick together. But if necessary, we will break the law – if that’s the only way. Now, what about accommodation – where are you two staying for the night?”
I hadn’t given that any thought until then.
“We’ll probably check into the same hotel I stayed in last time,” I said.
“No no – you can’t do that,” replied Tony. “It’s not safe for you anymore; and, as I’ve said, we’ve got to stick together now.”
“Sandi can stay with me,” volunteered Kate. “I’ve got a spare room.”
“And Kevin can bunk up in my Penthouse Suite – if he doesn’t mind sharing.” We nodded in agreement and we thanked both Gareth and Kate.
“Good – that’s all arranged then. Let’s get together again tomorrow evening – if that’s all right with everyone. Can we meet here again Audrey?”
“Anytime’s fine with me Tony.” We all nodded and said good night. I gave Gareth a lift to his flat, and Sandi went in Kate’s car. It had been a long day and both Sandi and I were glad to put our heads down for the night.
***
Eight
The next day, things took a turn for the worse. The proposed legislation banning salt in all restaurants and cafés became law with immediate effect. Moreover, all bags of salt sold in shops and supermarkets would have to carry government health warnings. And the government said they intended to bring in further anti–salt measures in the very near future.
At his Minto Street home, Tony sat in his dressing gown in front of the television with a large mug of black coffee – contemplating the news. This wasn’t the government doing this – it was the virus, and it was obviously stepping things up now. To him, the fight against the virus was more like a game of chess than anything else. Only the consequences of losing the game were unthinkable. How intelligent was it? He knew that the virus could influence Man’s thoughts once in the nervous system. And he’d recognized that it was but one entity with billions upon billions of units – each part somehow linked to the rest. But could it know what he was thinking – someone who was, for all intents and purposes, free from the virus?
His mind wandered to Gareth. His closeness to Emily had put him at risk. The virus could jump from one person to the next by close physical contact – kissing would be enough – and Gareth could be in danger if he allowed his sodium levels to drop. Tony was glad Gareth had made the break with Emily, but he needed to be monitored. He made a mental note to ask Kate to check Gareth’s blood for traces of the virus as soon as possible.
When he had first heard about the virus through Frank Peters, Tony had thought his friend was crazy – as most people did. An alien invasion of microbes that could – and would – destroy Man. It was too far-fetched. Then he read an article in Nature about organic matter from earth being found on other planets in the far reaches of the solar system. If it could work that way round, why not the other? Western diseases had been transmitted to Asian and South American Countries in the fourteen and fifteenth centuries by seagoing Europeans. Entire populations were decimated by these alien diseases, for which they had no cure. And in more recent times, Asian bird flu had threatened Western populations.
Bird flu was nothing more than the virus, of course. And immunizations against it were useless because the immunizations contained the virus. The idea was naturally to administer a tiny amount of the disease so that your immune system would go into overdrive, wiping out the soupçon, and then memorise how to control or destroy the disease when you were exposed to it in large quantities.
But there was no vaccine to combat this virus. The only thing to prevent it was to stop eating or drinking anything that contained it, and ensure that your sodium levels did not drop too low. But with the new government regulations, passed by people controlled by the virus, it was increasingly difficult to get the salt they needed.
Tony washed and got dressed for work. He didn’t know how much longer he could continue teaching at the University. But for now, he needed the money – as did the others.
*
Sandi slept well and didn’t wake until after eleven. Kate had left a note saying she’d gone to work and left some breakfast out for Sandi. The flat was bright and modern, situated in Corstorphine – not far from the Botanical Gardens. Sandi thought a walk there later would do her good.
She helped herself to Muesli and soya milk – which suited her fine. She’d grown up allergic to dairy products, and her mother used to buy soya for her when she was a child. She’d tried a few times to conform and drink cow’s milk – and even goat’s milk at one time – but she always had the same reactions: sickness, headaches and rashes. So now she knew to stay away from it for good.
I was thinking about Sandi when I woke up at Gareth’s place. On the drive up to Scotland, it had crossed my mind that because we were getting on so well, perhaps we should try getting back together. But seeing Kate in Edinburgh again, I knew that I had to move on and let go of the idea of Sandi and I reuniting. And that had strangely drawn me closer to Sandi. Our relationship now felt more like brother and sister than ex-partners. The situation in London at the hospital had made a difference too; now we had a common enemy.
Gareth stirred in the next room. I heard him go into the bathroom and turn on the shower. I wondered how he got involved in the group and made a mental note to ask him later. Then the phone rang.
“Shall I get it?” I called towards the bathroom. He didn’t hear me, so I picked up the receiver anyway.
“Hello…”
“Who’s that?” I didn’t recognize the voice. I obviously didn’t want to say who I was – not after the media reports on Sandi’s abduction.
“A friend of Gareth’s. Who’s speaking?”
“It’s Emily. Is Gareth there?” I put down the receiver and opened the bathroom door, knocking first.
“It’s someone called Emily on the phone for you Gareth.”
<
br /> “Oh shit! Tell her I’m on my way to work – I’ll call her back later.” I did as directed. She didn’t sound very pleased, but said ‘all right’. Gareth came out of the shower, dried his hair in a hurry and dressed quickly.
“Sorry, ex-girlfriend. I’ve got to run now – I’ll see you at Audrey’s tonight. Help yourself to breakfast – if you can find any. I don’t usually have the time.” And he was gone. I got dressed myself and looked at the newspapers lying around. Gareth had circled quite a few articles – nearly all about salt and the government’s new legislation. Things were getting tougher.
I thought Sandi would be up by now and called her mobile.
“Hello..”
“Sandi, it’s me.”
“Oh, hi Kevin – I was just on my way out.”
“Where to?”
“The Botanical Gardens. Kate’s flat is very close. I thought the walk would do me good.”
“Would you like some company?”
“Yes – if you think it’s safe.”
“I’ll wear a hat – and dark glasses,” I replied.
“Okay – hope I can recognize you!”
“I’ll wear a red carnation too. There’s a small tearoom in the gardens – I’ll meet you there if you like.”
“Okay, bye.”
I didn’t think it would be too dangerous to be about in Edinburgh, but I did take my sunglasses and one of Gareth’s bobble hats I found lying around. (A green and red one that proclaimed ‘Wales Forever’). It was much too big for me, but did the trick. I didn’t think even my own mother would recognize me in that.
*
It was years since I’d been in the Botanical Gardens. The last time was when I was with a student girlfriend call Sarah, a music student who showed me a lot more than the tropical plants. Sandi was waiting for me in the tearoom as arranged, with a cup of green tea with lemon.
“Mmm – that looks good. Think I’ll have the same.” I ordered the tea and sat opposite her.
“How did you sleep?” I asked.
“Great – how about you?”
“I slept like as baby… cried all night and wet the bed.”
“Hope Gareth changed your nappy,” she said.
“Actually, I didn’t see him ‘till this morning. He had a phone call from someone called Emily and rushed off to work.”
“Emily?”
“Yes. Apparently it’s his ex-girlfriend – so don’t worry. She’s history.”
“There’s nothing between me and…”
“Oh, I saw the way you looked at that big, strong Welshman…”
“So? At least I didn’t ogle him like a lovesick schoolboy. Isn’t Kate rather young for you?”
“Not for a schoolboy like me.” We enjoyed the banter. Well, I did. After the tea we looked around the glass houses, and then the gardens outside.
“You know, looking around here, Sandi, you’d never know that the planet was infected with a deadly virus, would you?” She looked at the beautiful trees, bushes and plants – the gorgeous colours and designs.
“No, you wouldn’t. And I must admit, I’m still not convinced. I mean, I know we’ve had bird flu in the past, but that was nothing to do with aliens or anything like that. I know the Government could be involved in a cover up of this avian flu, as they call it. They could even be experimenting with biological warfare – that wouldn’t surprise me. But intelligent viruses from other universes?”
There seemed little point in trying to convince Sandi, despite what she’d been through in London, and after spending a good couple of hours in the gardens, we headed off to the City to get some food. I knew a place in the Grassmarket where we could get a decent pub lunch – and where the clientele were mainly students, who would be unlikely to recognize us, or even care who we were anyway.
We enjoyed our meal with a glass of wine, and it was late afternoon by the time we left the pub. We took the bus to Audrey’s place for the meeting with the rest of the gang. As we drove up Bruntsfield Place towards Morningside, Sandi asked me about Tony.
“As far as I know, he lives on his own, teaches at the University, and found out about the virus through Frank Peters. They went to University together.”
“He seems very sad at times,” she observed.
“I know what you mean. I think he feels the burden of being the leader. Everyone looks to Tony for direction – him being the first to find out about the aliens – after Frank.”
“Does he have anyone?” she asked.
“No – not that I know of.”
*
Audrey had prepared a little supper and the usual cups of tea and coffee. We made ourselves comfortable in the lounge – Tony, Sandi, Kate, Audrey and myself. Gareth had not yet arrived. Tony waited ten minutes, then suggested we made a start.
“I’ve got some news,” he started – just as the doorbell rang with Gareth’s code. Audrey opened the door to an out-of-breath Welshman.
“Sorry I’m late – I had a bit of bother…”
“Emily?” enquired Kate. He nodded. Tony continued.
“No worries Gareth. I just started to say that I’ve got some news – and it’s not good. I heard today that the government’s tightening up its legislation on salt. The ban of salt in cafés and restaurants is now in effect…”
“Already?” quizzed Kate.
“I’m afraid so. But it gets worse. By the end of the month, all salt packets must contain government health warnings. And by the end of the year, the sale of salt in shops and supermarkets will be completely outlawed. We’ve heading for a salt-free state. On top of that, with the new strain of bird flu on the loose, the prime minister wants to introduce a programme of immunizations for the whole country – starting with schools and colleges and hospitals, then going on to workplaces and old folks homes. They’ll be no choice in this: it’s immunization or deportation. And the laws are expected to be worse in other countries.
“For goodness sake, the world’s gone mad,” exclaimed Audrey. Can’t they see how utterly ridiculous this is?”
“Unfortunately not,” answered Kate. “What are we going to do Tony?” Tony took a deep breath.
“I have a few ideas, but I want to hear what you think first. We need to put our heads together – it’s the best way of working things out. So who’s going to start?” Gareth was the first to speak.
“We either run or fight. I can’t see the point in fighting a losing battle, but I don’t want to just run away either. A strategic withdrawal would be better. Live to fight another day, that’s what I say. But I don’t know where to go.” Then Kate added her voice.
“I agree with Gareth. I know we could go for the ‘salt is good for you no matter what they say’ promotion. But with the way things are going, we’re just going to be (a) shot down in flames, or (b) taken to prison or deported.”
“What do you think Kevin?” Tony asked me.
“I must admit, I can’t believe what I’m hearing. What’s happened to the fight you used to have? Gareth could have broken my skull when I first met him. Now he seems so timid he’d run from his own shadow.”
“Then what do you propose we do?”
“Join with other groups – get the message out there. You said yourself there’s groups like us all around the country – all round the World maybe. They can’t all just be twiddling their thumbs – or running to hide under rocks – hoping it won’t get any worse. What if it does? Let’s at least go down with a fight, for god’s sake.” Then Sandi spoke.
“As I see it, there’s seven billion people on this planet. If we could trigger just zero point one percent of these people into positive action against the aliens, that’s seven million people on our side. If we do nothing, we know, ultimately, we’re going to lose. By running away we’re just delaying the inevitable. If we fight it, we at least have a chance of winning, however small.” With the atmosphere charged up with feelings, it was Kate next to speak.
“There’s other places where it’
s not so bad as here or America – isn’t there Tony? Places like Scandinavia.” Tony nodded.
“Yes, there are,” he conceded. “Sweden and Norway in particular.”
“I don’t fancy going there,” said Gareth shaking his head. For a big man, I couldn’t believe he was so weak.
“I’m not suggesting that you do Gareth,” continued Tony. “Though if it helps our cause, I’ll go there happily.” Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement. “What I was going to suggest is this: we set up a website – telling the World about the virus. Everything about it: where it originates from and all its effects – particularly on the mind; how it spreads; and how it can be neutralized.”
“By salt?” added Sandi.
“Yes, exactly. But it wouldn’t be safe to set up the site over here or in the States. Even though the Internet was pretty much control free when it started, the government’s been using anti–pornography and anti–terrorism laws as an excuse for policing the net. Can you imagine any UK site promoting the virtues of salt being given free rein just now?” We all shook our heads. “Exactly. But if we were to register and control the site in a more liberal country – Sweden say – then we could be in business.” Gareth was quiet after his rebuffs by both Tony and myself. So was Audrey.
“What do you think about this Audrey?” I asked.
“Well, to be honest, when people get talking about computers and the internet, it may as well be Scandinavian. I’ll have to leave these decisions with you young folk. But I can tell you one thing: I agree with Kevin. If Frank had had more support, he might be alive today. I’m not saying he was right, and I’m not saying you were wrong. He had his path to follow, and so did you. But I tell you this: if we can’t stick together against this plague, whatever it is, then we may as well give up and go home now.”
Tony turned to look squarely at the old lady. “Sound words Audrey – very much appreciated. I want you to know that I would do anything to bring Frank back. Apart from being a wonderful human being and a great friend and teacher to me, Frank was invaluable in our task, and things are going to be so much harder without his passion and drive. I can only say that from his efforts, we now have Sandi and Kevin – two people whom I know, with certainty, are going to be a great asset to our cause and will do whatever they can in any way possible.” Gareth, like the other was nodding soulfully in agreement.” There was a pause, a respectful silence for Frank, and then Kate spoke.