by Terry Morgan
Kevin found it impossible to sleep after his conversation with Tunje. He would almost drop off but then hear the voice of Mohamed El Badry echoing in his mind.
"I have been following your work, Kevin - may I call you Kevin? Tell me, Kevin, do you have a personal view on a solution to the problems of overpopulation? And what would you say if there is a solution being developed that could bypass the political debate that we all know is going nowhere and makes things actually happen?"
And he'd then hear his own voice:
"I'd say that there is no political debate taking place, Mr El Badry. There hasn't been any since Thomas Malthus raised the matter way back in 1798. I and members of my groups have been wanting the debate for a very long time. But then we want a solution not yet more talk."
And then he was back to El Badry's voice again:
"We have a solution, Kevin - meaning my company, my associates, my researchers, my agents and my distributors. We are ready to move. We have the means to cause a pandemic. But what we also have is a treatment. If you work with us, Kevin, the treatment will be made available to you."
And then Kevin's own flippant response: "Will it be free? My university salary only goes so far."
But this was no longer a joking matter. A hundred deaths? The World Health Organisation on the case? A place in northern Nigeria called Dala? Did WHO know about El Badry? He, Kevin Parker, had always advocated direct action but what he had always meant was some form of action to force governments to listen, to take the problem more seriously and then to act. Threatening to do something was one thing. Deciding who to test out a disease on in order to start a pandemic was another.
To Kevin, tossing and turning in his bed at three in the morning, it sounded more like an act of terrorism. At four in the morning he called Tunje.
"Tunj, it's me."
"Hey Kev, where are you man? If you're in and around St Albans right now, I'm at a party. Come and join us."
"Sorry, Tunj, I'm far away. Home in bed to be precise - where you should be. Aren't you working tomorrow?"
"That's six hours away, Kev. Cool it."
"I've been thinking," said Kevin. "I need to speak to that American doctor - the one your friend, Joseph works for. Got any names or phone numbers?"
"Hang on...........," Tunje went quiet. There was a sound of laughing, shouting and general hilarity in the background but Tunje still, apparently, had his wits about him. He was back on in less than thirty seconds. "Here we are, Kev. USA Embassy, commercial section, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. Here's the number - just texting it. Speak to Joseph - commercial section, healthcare. His boss is one guy called Larry. Doctor Larry what I don't know. OK?"
"Thanks, Tunj. I don't know how I'd manage without you. Have a good night."
The office was empty when Larry arrived at 7.30 but as the flight he'd booked to go to Kano wasn't until 11am, he sat down with a coffee to read a paper he'd bought on the way in. But he had hardly got past the front page headlines when the office phone rang. He got up to answer it and recognised an English accent.
"May I speak to Doctor Larry something or Joseph please."
"Sure," said Larry, "Who's calling? Perhaps I can help."
"Yes, my name is Kevin Parker. I'm a lecturer at Bristol University, England. I understand Doctor Larry was the person who reported the Nigerian deaths from a respiratory virus to the World Health Organisation."
"I believe so," said Larry.
"Then I'd like to discuss this with him, please."
"OK, right. Well, as it happens this is Doctor Larry speaking - Doctor Larry Brown to be precise. How can I help?"
"Firstly, I understand Joseph works for you. Has Joseph spoken to you about this yet?" Kevin asked.
"Joseph? No. Should he have?"
"Can I suggest you ask him what he knows about a request he took from someone wanting to conduct a customer survey on a new medicine as it may be relevant to the deaths you reported."
Suddenly, Larry was interested. If anything he had a bone to pick with Joseph about his communication skills. Kevin was still talking.
"I understand from a Nigerian friend of mine in London that Joseph suggested that a place in Kano called Dala Hill might be suitable. "
"Go on," Larry said.
"Well, I also understand that Joseph suspects that Dala was the centre of the outbreak where the deaths occurred."
Being about to fly to Kano but with no real idea what he might do or where he might go when he got there, Larry's interest grew.
"Has Joseph discussed this with you?" asked Kevin.
"No, goddam it. Listen, Mr Parker............."
"Kevin."
"Listen Kevin, what more do you know? Who the hell are you? What's more do you know? What the hell's going on here?"
Kevin already knew he'd sleep better for sharing something. This was the American Embassy and he was speaking to the Doctor who had reported the outbreak. In a strange way, Kevin felt partly responsible for those deaths. Direct action was supposed to be influential leading to a modicum of democratic accountability, not like this.
"I think you should speak to Joseph first, Doctor, uh Larry. Ask him to confirm the name of the man he spoke to about the customer survey. If he says it was Mohamed El Badry then there's something going on."
"Mohamed El Badry, you say? And do you know this guy, Kevin?"
"I met him once, Larry. And I'm very worried about his motives."
"And how did you meet him?"
"He invited me to his palatial apartment overlooking the River Thames in London," said Kevin and then went on to explain a little about the Malthus Society and its aims.
"................to spread the message that politicians the world over need to wake up to the consequences of overpopulation and the burdens that overpopulation places on the environment.......yes, they talk endlessly about environment, environment, environment but that's because it gives them endless opportunities to raise taxes. But at the bottom of it all is the need not only to control population but to reduce it. And the only way............ " Kevin knew it was always a bad question to ask him anything about population control , but once he'd started he was sometimes unable to stop.
"Hey, hold on Kevin," Larry eventually interrupted. "Let me tell you I agree. One hundred percent I agree. I wish I'd known about the Malthus Club or whatever it is. I might have signed up. But what about this guy, El Badry?"
"You want to know what his last words to me were, Larry?"
"Go ahead, Kevin." Larry said, sensing the concern coming over the phone line from England.
"He asked me what we, the Malthus Society wanted. I said, and these were my exact words - I know because I've used them many times before.- I said there is no political debate taking place, Mr El Badry. There hasn't been anything serious since Thomas Malthus raised the matter way back in 1798 - perhaps some debate after Paul Ehrlich's book - but I and members of my groups have been wanting the debate for a very long time. But then we want a solution not yet more talk. That's what I said, Larry."
Kevin went on: "And then he said to me, 'We have a solution, Kevin - my company, my associates, my researchers, my agents and my distributors. We are ready to move. We have the means to cause a pandemic. But what we also have is a treatment."
"Jesus," said Larry, "You sure this guy, El Badry, is serious?"
"Would I call you from England, Larry, if I wasn't concerned. Someone somewhere needs to get to the bottom of this guy. Who is he? Where has he come from?"
"You say you met him at an apartment. Larry?"
"Yes, Chelsea Embankment."
"Aren't there ways to find out who owns the place - a local registry or something?"
"I can try," said Kevin thankful for something that sounded sensible.
"Kevin, let me tell you something," Larry said. "Yes, I'll ask Joseph. But I'm about to leave to fly up to Kano right now. Let's stay in touch."
