Antiphon

by B. L. Roberts

  Over the next two days, he learned the island where the laboratory was located was owned by a company, which in turn was owned by the Swedish billionaire Frederik Sorensen. Sorensen had assets around the world, and was mostly involved in real estate, although he also had other interests. He owned a big factory back in Sweden.

  Findlay’s friend at Harvard, professor Ted Pickering, had told him about professor Wong, the geneticist, who had poached two of the universities brightest young research virologists to work for him.

  “They could hardly resist that offer. A big salary jump, plus free accommodation, and guaranteed work in a new laboratory under Wong, who seems to be running the show. You can’t blame them for taking that up. Wong is brilliant.”

  Wong had apparently hired scientists from around the world, and from what Pickering had said, they were all top notch.

  “I’d love to find out what they are up to. It sounds interesting. I’m guessing it is something to do with viral epidemics, and they need good bacterial control, hence putting it all on an island. That would make it easier to keep nasties from the lab. from getting out.”

  The pieces had all fallen into place. Findlay knew he had to act, but he also recognised the task was beyond him. It was time to enlist the heavy artillery, and after requesting his secretary to book him the flight, he made the call, requesting an audience.

  Several days later he sat in the ante room and sipped coffee, waiting for His Holiness to conclude the prior appointment. At last it was his turn, and after entering the large office and kissing the extended ring, he got straight down to business. When he finished his story, the Pope stroked his chin thoughtfully, while he thought about what he had just heard.

  “I understand why you needed to see me, personally, about this, and I am glad you did. This is bad news, and yes, you are correct, the church cannot just stand by and allow this to happen. We must act.”

  “I agree, your Holiness. I could not see what I could do of any significance, that would stop this devil’s work from continuing, which is why I came here. I think the whole power of the church, will be needed for this.”

  “Quite so my son. You can leave this with me, for now. I will be in touch if there is anything further you can do, to help. I will consult with certain of my Cardinals. We will find a way, God will guide us. The church will prevail, of that I am sure. Is there anything else you would like to do while you are in Rome?”

  After several more pleasantries, Findlay took his leave. He had already decided to spend a week at the Vatican while he was there, would do a little sight seeing, and catch up with one or two of his colleagues, before returning to America.

  The Pope waited until his visitor was clear of the room, then pressed a button to summon his secretary, who soon appeared. He listened to his instructions, nodded, then left. An hour later the Pope received two further visitors, who were responding to his summons. They too listened intently, nodding to show understanding, and occasionally looking at each other.

  “Your Holiness, I would like to consider this further, but from what you have outlined, there does not appear to be any obvious breaches of the law. It is not illegal to conduct scientific experiments, and until such time as this resulted in an attack on human life, we really have nothing to challenge this thing in the courts. It may well be we have to wait until they complete their experiments, and start applying what they have developed, before we can act, legally.”

  “Yes, but by then it may be too late. We don’t know very much at all about how they are going about this dreadful business, but surely, if they are developing some terrible virus that will kill off babies before they are born, we must stop it before it is let loose.”

  “Is there any way to find out more about what is going on, on that island?”

  “I doubt it. This knowledge only came to us accidentally. It was a miracle, really, that we came to hear about it. I will see if it is possible to learn more, but I doubt it. I will leave it to you two gentlemen to put your brains on this, and see if there is any way we can stop it. As soon as you can, report back to me. Personally.”

  The meeting concluded, and the men filed out. Their report came back the next day. They had not changed their opinions from the day before. There was no legal challenge available they could see. Some other form of action would be required, and that was not their speciality, they were lawyers.

  Another visitor was summoned before the Pontiff, soon after he heard the report, this one, a Vatican special advisor to the Pope on international problems. No notes were taken of this meeting, which was unusual, because it lasted for more than two hours.

  As it drew to a conclusion, the Pope put the question, “Should we prescribe boundaries for any action that is proposed? We do not want to be responsible for any terrible acts?”

  “With the utmost respect, your Holiness, I do not think that would be wise. The work of these scientists must be brought to a halt, and we must be sure it does not resume. The people I intend to talk to, have ways and means of doing things, and really, the church should not get involved in those matters. We should leave it up to these people to devise the best way forward, and accept what happens, but we should stay at arms length. The church should not be implicated. Some unpleasant things might happen, but that laboratory must be shut down, whatever it takes.”

  “Yes, absolutely, I agree. So, you say this is going to be expensive. How much do you think this is going to cost?”

  “It will not be cheap. There will be risks taken, just what risks is difficult to say, but the fees they charge normally represent the level of risk, and what is at stake. These people are clever, they will understand the importance of what we are asking, and also the level of difficulty, so they will set their price accordingly.”

  “Any idea?”

  “I would expect it will not be less than ten million American dollars, possibly more than that. Because it is the church paying, they may reduce their price, but not by much.”

  “It would be better if they did not know the church was paying. Isn’t there some way we could arrange for them to be hired by a third party, keep the church well out of it?”

  “We would need to find someone else with a motive to want this work stopped, someone with deep pockets. Just think about what it would mean to say, a multi-national like Coca Cola, if three quarters of their market in Africa was wiped out. They would stand to lose billions. This work could well lead to that, and they would want it stopped, that’s for sure. It shouldn’t be too hard to let my friends believe the sponsor was a big company, without naming names.”

  “Yes, well, that would be desirable. I will leave it to you, you understand what is required. Perhaps we could get one of these big companies to kick in with some money?”

  “Definitely not. The risk of it all becoming public, would be uncontrollable, those companies leak like sieves, and if the target became aware it was under attack, the job would be much more difficult. We have to keep this very much under wraps. No one is to be told, unless it is absolutely necessary.”

  “You are right of course. That is a pity. Those companies have much more money than the church, and we would be doing their job for them, still, I agree we must be discreet if we are to succeed. I will leave it to you to sort it out. How do you think it can be stopped.”

  “I do not know, and I think it better if we do not conjecture. These people have ways and means, and I am afraid we just have to trust them. The less we know, the better.”

  “Yes, of course, you are right again. Let me know how you get on.”

  The meeting was over.

  The Pope sat back in his chair, thinking about what he had just put in train. The church was getting its hands dirty, plotting to have a crime committed, in order to prevent a greater crime. It was regrettable, but necessary. He would try not to think too much about it. He was not sure if what he was doing was a sin, but
he would seek forgiveness at his next confession, just to be safe.

  14

  For the few days after her meeting with father Oriordan, Maria was wracked with guilt. She had promised Georgio that she would not tell a soul about his work. He had explained just how important it was that it be kept a secret, of the people who would try to have the work stopped, if they knew where it was heading, and she had promised.

  Georgio was convinced that what they were doing was vital for the ultimate very survival of the human race. She disagreed. They had argued.

  “I could not see this at first Maria, but when it was explained to me how our world’s population is growing, exponentially, I could see it. Just consider what is happening in Africa, in India, Bangladesh, China, South America, Egypt. In all of these countries the poor are not only getting poorer, they are growing in numbers every year. Feeding them, providing things like education, health and so on, is not keeping up. They are going backwards. Governments are doing almost nothing.

  “In so many of these places, the people in power know there is little they actually can do to help their people, so they do not try, they just look after themselves. Take Zimbabwe for example. The ruling class are living like kings, while the poor starve. It must change, and this is what we are about. This is what Mr. Sorensen has resolved to change, and what he proposes makes sense.”

  “It is against God’s law. You should stop it.”

  “God’s law? You think it is god’s law these situations should continue?”

  “Father says it is a sin.”

  “What do you mean, father says? You haven’t been discussing this with father, have you?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Maria, you know what I said to you. You must not tell anyone about our work, not anyone. If word was to get out, all hell could break loose. There are people with vested interests in making sure nothing changes, who don’t care if the world becomes a dust bowl, if millions starve, or are killed in wars, or species become extinct, who only care about their own interests, getting rich. They would try to stop us. Promise me, Maria, promise you will not saying anything about this to anyone. Promise.”

  And Maria had promised, but now she had broken that promise, she had confided in her priest. She comprehended what Georgio was telling her, but did not accept his arguments. She believed, intensely, that what he was doing was wrong. In his laboratory, her husband was trying to cook up a giant contraceptive, and that was evil. It did not matter what he said, it was against God’s law.

  Maria imagined being married, working to buy a home for a family, then not having that family. Of growing old, with no children to care for her, and pass on her genes to the next generation.

  Her guilt at breaking her promise to Georgio, was assuaged by this thought. He might think that playing God to whole countries, controlling their childbirths arbitrarily, and denying people the right to have a family, was the way to solve this problem. She could never agree. The church had said that it was a sin to interfere with the natural course of events, where children were concerned. God decided if you were to fall pregnant, and if He wanted lots of babies to be born, so be it. God had his reasons. She hoped He would want her to have one soon.

  Yes, she had broken her promise, but it was only to Father Oriordan, and it was in the confessional. He would not tell anyone, so really, she should not feel too bad. The feelings of guilt gradually passed, and after a couple of weeks Maria stopped thinking about it. Then out of the blue, Father asked her something, that took her by surprise.

  “Maria, how is that work of your husband getting along? Is he making any progress? What can you tell me about it?”

  Maria was astonished at the question, and her guilty feelings came flooding back. Why on earth would Father want to know about Georgio’s work? What interest was it to him? She immediately became cautious. She had thought the Father would have forgotten about her anxiety in the confessional, that he would have buried her problem. Did he have a reason for asking the question?

  “Oh, he doesn’t discuss it at all, Father. Never says a word. Sorry, I can’t tell you any more.”

  “Oh well, never mind. I am interested, that’s all. If you hear of anything, would you let me know?”

  Maria spluttered some sort of reply, but as she returned home, her mind was racing. Father seemed genuinely interested in Georgio’s work, and that could not be good. Georgio had explained to her how the church would not want to curtail the birthrate in countries where it was growing, never mind the social consequences of too many people being born. The church was one of the “vested interests” who would oppose his work.

  She couldn’t very well tell Georgio of the priest’s curiosity, her husband would know she had broken her word to him, but she fretted about Father’s questions. Actually, this time she had not lied to the priest. Georgio had decided not tell his wife any more about his work, of the week by week slogging with repeated experiments, searching for the key that would unlock the mysteries of the virus world. As intelligent as she was, Maria did not comprehend the complexities of the world in which he moved. He was uncomfortable anyway, trying to explain it to her, knowing he was supposed to be keeping this work of his secret, so it was better to keep his mouth firmly shut.

  Those fascinating, tiny organisms, barely visible even under the most powerful microscopes, were ingenious, but they were not for Maria’s world. Georgio never ceased to marvel, as he further understood how his viruses worked, how they replicated, and how they looked for targets to attach to. Their ability to change, to mutate, to keep adapting to all sorts of interferences he introduced into their microscopic lives, continued to surprise him. It was this ability to modify their behaviour, that was the key to their survival, and to his work. He knew he was making progress.

  The laboratory was making progress, real progress. Georgio had succeeded in isolating several viruses that had a predilection for those genes associated with reproduction, that sought them out, then latched onto, and attacked them., and his team was excited about the developments. Professor Wong had congratulated him, and the team was now focussed on these new discoveries.

  Wong was able to tell Frederik Sorensen of the progress, and the Swede could sense the enthusiasm in the professor’s voice. It was encouraging. When his laboratory first began to function, Frederik somewhat naively expected that it would be weeks, or perhaps months at the most, before they would have an answer to his problem, and Wong had had to educate him, on just how these things required time.

  “My dear Frederik, as I have mentioned before, we are scientists, not magicians. We cannot wave a wand, and have an answer. It is all trial and error, trial and error. We see something promising, we develop a theory around this thing, then set out to prove, or disprove, it. Each step requires tests to be carried out, experiments, to show if we are on the right track. Some of these experiments can take weeks, even months. The bugs have to grow, and mature, before they start to replicate, and that takes time.

  “We set in train a course of action, then have to step back, and see what happens next, and we are dealing with living organisms, which have life cycles. Sometimes we have to wait for eggs to hatch, for our specimens to grow and develop, and we cannot hurry up this process, no matter how good our equipment may be.

  “So, much as I would like to be able to give you good news all the time, I cannot. When we have good news, you will be the first to know, of course, and Frederik, this is only the first step we are taking. When we find the tool, the means of stopping the reproductive cycle from kicking in, that is the first step. Then there comes the next step. How do we apply it? How do we actually get this out there into the world, where it will work? We have to solve that one as well.”

  Now, Wong said there was indeed light at the end of the tunnel, that their experiments looked very promising, and they were on the cusp of a breakthrough. Frederik’s enthusiasm was rekindl
ed. He pondered about the problem Wong had mentioned, a problem that had occupied his mind for some time.

  How to distribute the virus, could not really be addressed, until they had the virus. Would it be in the form of a powder? A pill? A cream? A liquid? Would it require tons of material, or just a few drops? What form this material took, how tough it was, would dictate how it could be spread.

  Where would they introduce it? That, in itself, presented an ethical dilemma. Would they aim to reduce the populations of, say, the Asian sub continent, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and also Africa, perhaps China as well? Then, there was South America to consider.

  There would, in time, be the dawning of a new world order, arising from the changes this would bring about, a slimmed down world, with fewer human inhabitants, and hopefully more room for wildlife, which would, over time, require enormous social and business readjustments. There would be losers, and not just the women deprived of motherhood. Companies, profiting from large populations, would need to readjust, perhaps tighten their belts, look for other ways to make money, and organisations, growing their size by the ever increasing birthrate of their members, would need to re-evaluate.

  He knew the focus of Wong’s work had been twofold, the first directed at the genome, getting a better grasp of how the reproduction genes worked and inter-related, what triggered them, and how the body responded to that trigger, and the secondly, how they could distribute the whatever-it-was they came up with, to make it effective. That was where the virologists played a role.

  Viruses appeared to be the medium, and Sorensen knew little about viruses, other than they could be spread by mosquitoes, also by sneezing, or by poor hygiene. Once communicated, they could be devastating; the Aids virus, still rampaging throughout Africa, the Sita virus in South America, and Malaria, which killed a person every two minutes in the world, despite the extensive research in trying to eradicate it. Devilishly tricky things viruses, once they got out. They could be clever, mutate quickly in response to threats, adapt to changes. If a virus was used as a carrier, its distribution would need to be controlled, and how it behaved, clearly understood..