The Sins of the Fathers

Chapter Eight

Broomwaters

Meadvale

Surrey

"We have to assume they can prove what they say?" Charles Montague suggested as he leaned forwards in his chair, making sure that David Harrington could hear him. His old friend was ailing with age. Not much more than that, but he was increasingly frail. Harrington was ninety-four, recently confined to a wheelchair and fitted with a catheter, like a Daughter of Eve he had joked, but his mind was still working as long as you could make him hear what you said, as he refused to be equipped with hearing aids. "And this investigation is not going before any court of law...politicians sometimes have to take a position regardless of the evidence...like George Bush and Blair invading Iraq...or the entire western world supporting Ukraine against Putin..."

"You think they might invade us?" Harrington gasped, which made him cough. Montague handed him his water.

"No...at least, I would hope that would be the very last resort...but if they believe that we were complicit in Drew releasing Covid and then profiting from the deaths of one billion people...not to mention the accusation that we had Hycanil tested and all ready to go some time before we released it...they are not going to be very happy, David?" Montague sighed at that thought, sitting back again, trying to be realistic. "Genocide charges are possible...vast reparations could be demanded...with menaces...in the end, we are still a pretty small island and they could cut off our supplies, sanction us...starve us out...if they want to...and if we really give them no other choice?"

"You make it all sound so easy?" Harrington grumbled, and Montague grinned, because it was easy, or at least, it would be if the UN all turned against them. He could not really see the Chinese intervening in those circumstances, because Sean Fletcher was rather cleverly not accusing them of anything more than a little bit of incompetence. The lab the virus was supposed to have been released from was owned by SHR, Symonds-Harrington Research PLC, and there was no apparent direct Chinese government involvement, other than a lack of oversight.

"David...if the rest of the world turn on us, it would be easy...they don't even have to put boots on the ground...just stop food coming in? And I know you haven't read the long list of allegations, but they are all going to hurt us? We are not going to have many friends left if this case is proven?"

"Have you told Drew and Michael this...and the President?"

"Yes...but I am not sure that any of them are listening to me?"

"I think they are hoping that the investigation will be inconclusive?"

"Yes...I got that impression...and waiting is fine...but if the media get hold of this, there is going to be a fire we might never be able to put out...I personally believe that we need to get out in front of this one?" Montague suggested as Harrington coughed some more. David had met Symonds and Winstanley on the first day of infant school, when they were five years old. All of them were ninety-four and although Montague was not aware of any serious health problems, they were not the men they once were. "I think Drew should fall on his sword and absolve everyone else of blame?"

"Give back his Nobel prize, you mean? Ruin his legacy? He'll die first?"

"Well, I have to say that would be very convenient...if he's dead, we can all just blame him for everything?"

"Charles? Honestly..."

"David...this is not Forbes and all his dodgy deals and sordid little brothels...this is murder and then using the profits to fund our revolution? And the rest of it is a full-blown assault on the pillars of the modern renaissance...if we don't throw Drew overboard, we risk losing it all...and standing in a dock with him?" Montague said forcefully. He was a mere eighty-four and in reasonable health, certainly fit enough to stand trial. Radcliffe and Trevor were dead and gone, the three old men, the real power behind Reformism, would probably not survive a trial, and Forbes had got a bullet in his head before anyone could get him near a court, so he was the last man standing. And ironically, he was the only one who had resigned his post the moment he found out about Andrew Symonds and his dubious activities in Wuhan, but more specifically about the deliberate delay of the vaccine release. "And he is as guilty as sin, David...we both know it?"