‘Stay with me – please,’ he asked.
She shook her head.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Out your bathroom window, across the wall and then up two floors.’ She slung her bag over her shoulder. ‘I can access the rooftop from there and jump to the building next door. That way I don’t trigger Garner’s perimeter alarm.’
‘You can make that distance?’
‘Just. It’s the landing that hurts. I think of it as my daily strength training.’
‘Daily?’
‘Yes, I like to pop in every day and check on you, sometimes while you’re sleeping.’
He laughed and stood up slowly. He took her hand and placed it against his face again.
‘Thank you for what you did for me today. I know that was you at Anuradhapura.’
Sahara shrugged. ‘There’s a car outside the hotel and outside your balcony window. Plus the cameras in the corridor, elevator and foyer. The hotel manager is on Rajasuriya’s payroll too, even though he looks away for you guys.
‘Everyone has a price or a fear, Noah. See you soon. Get some rest, you look terrible.’
Chapter 25
Noah recognised the sloped silhouette of the man sitting on the bench. The hospital garden was deserted except for the crows that danced around Khan. He threw the fried chickpeas further away and laughed as they fought dishonourably for each remnant.
Noah sat next to him. ‘You seem very popular with the locals.’
‘They’re just using me.’
‘All people use each other, even friends.’
‘I can see why your wife left you.’ Khan laughed and then stopped when he saw the cuts on Noah’s face.
‘Shaving accident. Nothing to worry about. Do you come here often?’
‘I like to sit on this bench.’ Khan studied his face. ‘I feed the birds and organise my thoughts before work. What happened?’
‘I like benches too.’
‘You’re far too young. Bench-sitting is an old man’s game.’
‘I feel old.’ He took a handful of chickpeas. The oil was seeping through the bag. ‘I have a bench in London. I sit there and watch people.’
An orderly pushed a heavy bin through the glass doors into the courtyard. There were three bins in the garden. It wasn’t needed. He brought it out anyway.
Noah scattered the rest of the chickpeas at the birds and stood up. ‘Are you ready to work?’ He dusted the salt from his trousers and watched the orderly, who tried not to watch them.
‘I was born ready,’ Khan replied, laughing.
*
Noah pulled the protective suit on gently. The cuts on his body were healing but stung against the friction of the synthetic.
‘It’s been over fifteen years since you went to the West – do you remember much of it, or miss it?’ Noah asked.
‘I’m old, not senile,’ Khan replied. ‘Of course I remember it. I miss some things – like Italian coffee. And my old colleagues. I’d like to see them again. You might know one – Jack Neeson. We used to call him Neese.’
‘Yes, I know him well.’ Noah was certain now he didn’t know Neeson well at all.
‘Do you work with him?’ Khan’s eyes brightened.
‘I do – he was my mentor and supervisor for my PhD. He’s based at the . . . Bio headquarters in London. He’s done very well there.’
‘Yes, he is a great scientist. We wrote papers together in our youth and shared much of our research. I did an infectious diseases fellowship with him in London. Virology can be a competitive field – there’s money to be made in cures for certain diseases. But Neese was always in it for the science – he enjoyed the exploration, the search for answers as much as I do. I miss him.’
When Neeson had identified Khan as a possible ghost, he had given Noah the Bio file on the man, but no personal insights.
‘He’s a prolific publisher – I don’t know how he finds the time.’
‘Yes,’ Noah remembered something. ‘He’s always sending me papers. I don’t read all of them and then I get in trouble.’
‘You should do as he tells you. Ask him what he thinks about the importance of viruses in ecosystem rebalancing. In fact, he’s probably already sent you a paper on it. He believes in one hundred percent herd immunity but he doesn’t think total eradication is the key – co-existence is.’
‘You mean you’re not the only crazy one?’
‘That’s exactly what I mean. When you see Neese, please do tell him I miss working with him. I have something for him, a gift I think he’d find useful. I’ve been meaning to get clearance for months. Perhaps you could take it back with you?’
Khan stood up. Noah looked at him expectantly. ‘My wife was very fond of him too. Now, is your precious Western body suitably protected?’
‘Yes, thank you,’ Noah replied, confused.
‘Good – Devi is going to show us something special. Devi,’ Khan called.
‘Good morning, sir. I’ve prepared the samples, just as you instructed.’
‘Thank you.’ Khan turned to Noah. ‘For the last ten months Devi and I have been developing a specific form of gene modification.
‘I’ve had the idea for a while but it was only when Devi arrived that I could catalogue, locate and shape the precise amino acids I needed to create different structural permutations of proteins. Devi has vision and precision, far beyond mine.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ Devi said.
‘No, thank you, Devi – the process might have taken me years which I don’t have.’
‘We’ve done it together, sir. However, the artistry has been all yours.’
‘What does she mean by that?’ Noah asked.
‘I mean, sir,’ Devi answered for Khan, ‘that once I identify the right combination of amino acids, they need to be bonded and arranged in particular three-dimensional patterns. This requires two hands and knowledge of virology, molecular biology, immunology and genetic modification. It requires specific knowledge and patience.’
Khan tapped Devi’s metal hand affectionately. ‘She’s become like a friend to me. Few people share my obsession. I think that’s partly why I was so happy to meet you.’
‘I’m flattered – and confused.’
‘You saw what happened to Baby Karthik. You know how important this work is. But it was largely theoretical until the hospital outbreak took place.’
‘What do you mean?’ Noah asked. Perhaps Hackman had been right – maybe Khan was a threat even if he wasn’t the ghost.
‘I’ve created hundreds of thousands of new antibodies – permutations of potential vaccines. But the WHO and Western Alliance governments won’t allow us access to a live Ebola virus.
‘I’ve never been able to test my antibodies until the hospital outbreak happened and I cultured the Ebola variant from the children and the monkeys.’
‘You know that’s illegal – you said you hadn’t violated the protocol. You said –’
‘I know it’s against the law and I take full responsibility for it. I don’t think Devi would last forty-eight hours in prison.’
‘I appreciate that, sir,’ Devi said.
‘I can understand why the West doesn’t trust us with a live Ebola virus,’ Khan said. ‘But in order to develop better vaccines and cures, I need the live species.’
‘We have a vaccine – our vaccine, EBL-47,’ Noah replied.
‘Yes, but it only creates immunity for Ebola 47 and the strains whose mutation preceded it. Ebola 47 will mutate and improve – we saw that in the hospital outbreak.’
‘Ebola 47 has been eradicated by the Global Vaccination Programme,’ Noah answered automatically.
‘No, it hasn’t. Ebola re-emerges – not just at the hospital. There was a village in Mexico recently, and a lab in India last week. Total eradication of any virus is impossible – you could eradicate a species before you eradicated a virus, and it’s very hard to eradicate a species.’
The lab in India had been the work of his
Wet Team. Hassan and his colleagues, the entire lab had been eradicated. Noah forced himself to focus.
‘The human race has done that to countless species.’
‘None as strong as a virus or the human race itself. But we digress. I haven’t shown you the best part.’ Khan stood at his computer and talked as he worked.
‘Devi, have you prepared the tissue cultures? Face mask on, Noah.’ Khan wore the bodysuit to protect against transfer, but he had refused the head gear and face mask.
‘Of course, sir – all of the samples are ready. Which Ebola strains would you like to use first?’ Her hand moved towards the largest refrigerator in the lab.
‘Let’s use the first three – Ebola A, B and C. I used the hospital Ebola to create new strains. And then I tested our different antibodies against the new strains.’
‘You’ve invented new strains of Ebola?’ Noah would have no choice but to remove Khan now. He swallowed hard.
‘New strains and new vaccines. New vaccines, Noah,’ Khan repeated. He paused to make sure he had his full attention.
‘One test vaccine was particularly effective – it is more important than all of my others.
‘Watch what happens – and stop interrupting. Devi will perform the experiments under the scope but she’ll expand the image up there for us. On the big screen.’
He moved two stools over for them as though they were at the movies. Noah couldn’t sit.
‘The tissue culture has been given my new vaccine – can you see it?’ Khan asked.
Noah nodded.
‘Now watch – Devi will transfect the tissue culture with the new strains of Ebola. These three are the strongest. They don’t need an incubation period. As soon as they come into contact with the host they begin attacking it. Watch, watch, watch,’ he clapped his hands together in delight.
The vaccine began expressing antibodies and counterattacked Khan’s engineered viruses.
‘You’ve created a powerful multi-strain vaccine,’ Noah said.
‘No – keep watching the vaccine.’ Khan smiled behind his mask. His hand gripped Noah’s arm, his eyes were on the screen. ‘EBL-47 is multi-strain – it vaccinates us against Ebola 47 and all of its ancestral strains. This one is better than that. It vaccinates us against all of Ebola’s future strains.’
Noah watched the vaccine change – as each Ebola strain attacked the tissue culture, the vaccine rearranged the structure of the antibody to protect it. The vaccine was evolving.
‘Oh my G–’ Noah stopped himself.
‘It’s incredible, isn’t it? The vaccine is sentient. It adjusts to the virus mutations and changes its own structure to fight it. It has a life, a will of its own – it is conscious.’
‘That’s impossible.’ Noah shook his head.
‘All organisms have a consciousness. Why not then, the vaccine too?’
‘It’s impossible,’ Noah repeated. ‘How did you . . .?’
‘I don’t know. At first I thought it was an accident – so much of scientific discovery is accidental. But these last few months have been incredible. I am a different man – guided and changed by what is happening to me.’
‘What is happening to you?’
Khan ignored him, mesmerised by the sight of the vaccine on the screen in front of them, changing, adjusting and manoeuvring the structure of the antibodies it expressed, constantly regenerating its protein base.
‘I call this one the Devi Vaccine – she is all-powerful. She is the mother of all my vaccines. She can protect us from unforeseen mutations, even weaponised ones.’
‘The mother . . . what about the babies?’ Noah asked suddenly.
‘What?’
‘The babies at the ICU ward here – the outbreak. Baby Karthik,’ the words tumbled out. He needed to slow down.
‘It was too late,’ Khan said simply. ‘By the time I got to them, the virus had already carved a path of destruction through all of their major systems. The vaccine is not an antiviral cure. It’s only a vaccine. It slowed the virus down a little but that’s all. I tried so hard. Baby Karthik’s antibodies helped me improve this vaccine though. His death was not in vain.’
‘What will you do with it, Amir?’
‘I’ll share it, of course. It still needs to go through a live trials process. I’m not sure how to do that. The WHO and the East – we are not always honest with each other, I think.’
‘How do you mean?’ Noah asked.
‘We are dependent on the WHO and the Western Alliance to provide us with our vaccine – our Immunity Shield. I trust the WHO to always act in our best interests as long as our best interests are aligned with their best interests.’
‘The WHO safeguards global health,’ Noah replied.
‘Ebola had been killing people for years, since the first outbreak in 2013. Black people, people who were going to die anyway. The West only took notice of Ebola in 2022 because the virus had devoured Africa and was seeking a host in Europe. The West put its money and its best minds into developing a vaccine to protect itself. And still there is no cure. Some things can’t be cured.
‘I trust in scientists like Neeson to keep inventing vaccines – but I trust the virus to keep inventing itself. One day there will be an Ebola 48, 49 and so on. I want to be ready for it when it comes again.’
‘So you want to share all of this,’ Noah pointed to the images of the Devi Vaccine on the screen, ‘with the world?’
‘Yes, indeed – why else?’ Khan asked, confused. And then he realised. ‘Is that why you’re here? To discover if I am a criminal and a killer? Perhaps you thought I was responsible for the deaths of those children?’
‘No – I never thought you hurt those children. I don’t think you want to hurt anyone.’
‘I want to help people, Noah. You know me now. Let me show you – Devi,’ Khan called out again. ‘Put up Abre de Libre’s vaccine, on maximum magnification.’
He turned to Noah. ‘Devi has shown me its two components. Look, look . . .’
Another image flashed on the screen – Noah knew it well. It was EBL-47-E.ALL, the vaccine given to the East, with the core vector EBL-47 and the Faith Inhibitor strand.
‘This section –’ Khan pulled the Faith Inhibitor off the screen and turned its 3D image over in his hands.
‘This is damaging the brain, Noah. It’s taken me a decade of study but with Devi’s help I have finally worked it out.’ He clapped his hands shut, returning the image to the screen.
‘It damages the brain, here,’ he tapped the front of his head. ‘It damages all of us who take this vaccine – we are affected, possibly beyond repair. It’s reducing us in some way. The vaccine is trying to help us but it is also hurting us. This place,’ he touched his head again. ‘It contains so much of value, son – so much of who we are is right here. And so much of that has been taken away from us.’
‘Why don’t you remove the strand from the vaccine if it adds no immunity value? You could engineer a vaccine with just the EBL-47 vector.’ Noah’s throat felt dry and tight.
‘No, I tried that. The Haema Scanners are looking for Ebola antibodies and this strand – the WHO or Bio or someone wants it there for a reason.
‘When Devi and I engineered the Devi Vaccine, we included a shadow or passive strand – it exists in the body but doesn’t hurt it. It’s a placebo – I used a gene-mining technique an old friend taught me.’ He paused to look at Noah, placing a hand on his arm.
‘My vaccine and I are trapped – we are samples on a Petri dish, struggling to find a way out; a way to reach the people who need us. I want to help – surely you can see that?’ he asked with his sad eyes. ‘I feel something inside me – something strong that has helped me answer these questions I’ve had for so long. In the last year, I’ve had greater clarity than ever before – I am being guided to help others.’
‘Yes, it’s the strangest thing,’ Noah answered, more to himself. His chest was starting to ache.
‘Strange tha
t I should want to help people? Most of us want to help each other. Most of us see that we are more alike than we are different.’
Noah shook Khan’s hand away. ‘When my father was dying, most people refused to come near our home. I couldn’t take him to the hospital without help. The neighbours – people who had known and loved him for decades – wouldn’t open their doors to me. I lined up in endless queues for nothing better than paracetamol to ease his pain. Yes, we are more alike than we are different – we are weak and selfish. You said before that this virus is an act of evolution, a necessary and natural cull – perhaps you’re right because I have no doubt that we deserve it.’
‘I’m so sorry, Noah. I never meant to say that your father or his death was . . .’ Khan’s voice faltered.
‘I know you didn’t. His death was . . . despite the horror of it, he never lost his . . .’ Noah stopped.
‘He never lost his what?’
Noah didn’t know what to say. What word described faith better than faith? What word could he use in this country where faith had been prohibited and then eradicated?
‘I need to check in with my team.’ His head was spinning. He could feel his shirt, damp against his wound. He couldn’t tell if it was blood or sweat.
‘Yes, yes – and you should rest. You look more tired than usual. Sri Lanka is a good place to close your eyes for a while.’
‘Thank you, Amir. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Noah left the lab, grateful for the mask that hid his face.
Chapter 26
Noah opened the door to his hotel room with his right arm, his left held tightly against his throbbing side. He took off his shirt awkwardly and wiped the sweat from his body with it, assessing the bandages in the mirror – there were three small patches of blood seeping through.
‘You said sometimes you just take the intel and make a decision yourself. What would you do now?’ Noah didn’t even look for her as he spoke.
‘I would still wait.’ Sahara stepped forward and began unwrapping the bandages.
‘Wait? Khan’s super-vaccine doesn’t carry the Faith Inhibitor, at least not an active form of it.’
‘I heard the same thing you did, Noah. His vaccine also provides full immunity against any number of Ebola strains. So he could breach the Immunity Shield against the Sixth Virus – without risking herd immunity to Ebola.’
The Barrier Page 20
