Chapter 2
Ken Buckley stood waiting for his military escort. Driving into the city was no longer advised unless absolutely essential. The Home Secretary had made this journey many times over the last three weeks and had witnessed the various stages of London’s decline. The sights that would soon confront him were familiar and no longer shocked him. Even the burnt out cars and buildings that were left in ruins, producing fumes so toxic it was impossible not to cough and feel nauseous, had become normal.
His vehicle picked him up and drove slowly. The desperation that had caused urgency and panic in the early days of the riots had faded. They now moved carefully in an attempt not to be detected. He could remember the exact position of each object that had been left in the streets before it came into view. Each day he knew they would still be there despite his wishes to return London to normal. They would be a haunting fixture for a long time.
Out of necessity they had become experts at avoiding contact with the rioters. Although they were confident that they would not be targets themselves, the vehicles they used had occasionally been hit by missiles or Molotov cocktails. Side roads were avoided, as were areas which were known to have concentrated rioting. These areas of greater activity had now become the focus of all the government’s attention as reconnaissance reports had stated that the rioting had become clustered in parts of the city. This small piece of information was the first potential pattern that they had found. New or helpful information had been rare since the beginning of the crisis and gave Ken a reason to change his day’s itinerary. This pleased him very much as frustration was growing with each day. He could sense the same feelings within other government members, some of who were less forgiving and more inclined to react without thought. Talk had begun of different tactics than those chosen by the Prime Minister and there was sure to be support as things became more desperate. Ken knew the clock was ticking.
The vehicle pulled up outside an anonymous concrete building of standard governmental architecture. During the crisis, certain buildings with high value had been secured. The building was easily protected and didn’t possess a large number of windows that might attract the rioters. In the worst case scenario, this type of building would house governmental personnel for as long as possible. Today, however, Ken had arrived for a different purpose.
When the all-clear was given, Ken moved out of the car and walked calmly but quickly towards the door. A security agent opened the door sharply so he didn’t need to break stride. He was promptly greeted by Lieutenant-General Bruce Harris, who shook his hand.
“Lieutenant-General, how are you?” asked Ken.
“I’m doing fine, Home Secretary …” he replied, “… London is not doing so well however. If we do not act soon we will have nothing left to salvage.”
“I know it’s hard to watch. All we can do is keep looking for a solution - you and your men are doing a good job.”
“Thank you Home Secretary.”
The two men began to walk through the lobby area of the building and quickly reached the bottom of the staircase. Without hesitation they began their long ascent to the roof. Power cuts had made the lift unusable.
“Since we have time on our side, what new information do you have, Lieutenant-General?”
“As you know we have studied the movements of the rioters in the hope of finding a pattern or possibly a head quarters where they are being given instructions. As the riots have continued we started to notice that many of the rioters have begun to congregate in the city as opposed to being spread fairly evenly over the greater London area. They appear to be moving inwards. Now, there is nothing conclusive in what we have seen, but it is interesting and we can confirm that other cities and towns have noticed similar behaviour; other reports have been inconclusive. I still believe that it is possible that it is a highly organised operation and the apparent randomness is a smoke-screen for a bigger plan. If I am honest, I am inclined to suggest that this is not the case, because the organisation and communication needed for this sort of operation is virtually impossible by anyone without government privileges, but it can’t be ruled out.”
“Many within government are convinced that this is all planned; it would be foolish not to consider it. There are a few accusations towards other nations being cast, but as you say, the organisation and secrecy would be almost impossible. Personally, I think the idea of a planned world attack is only being considered due to the lack of an alternative cause. Do you have any possible ideas why this might have happened?”
“Yes, it’s possible that they have destroyed everything that is near to where they live and are now moving to find new targets, perhaps bigger and more challenging buildings, for example. The city certainly has many that would be appealing. Another is that they are beginning to interact with each other for the first time while rioting. This particular scenario could be catastrophic as I’m sure you can imagine. The proposition of fighting a united force is undesirable for many reasons and would certainly end in massive casualties.”
“I agree. Are there any other reasons?”
“I could have a guess as to why they are changing their behavioural habits, but I know you have your people working on the psychological side of things.”
“We do, but with little or no results.”
“If we continue to find dead ends, where do we go next?”
“Between you and me?”
“Of course, Home Secretary.”
“The Prime Minister is about to break government protocol and invite outsiders into the discussion.”
“That’s a big risk.”
“They are credible in their fields of expertise and have passed all of the security checks, but it will be highly controversial. If they come up with nothing new, it could be disastrous. It is sure to cause resentment and a feeling of betrayal even if they find something; if they find nothing …”
“Do you think he is right to invite outsiders in?”
“We are experiencing something that cannot be dealt with in simple black and white decision-making. We are already taking risks and there are surely more to come. It’s whether the Prime Minister can hold off the calls for stronger action that will be the test and his decision to hold this conference may be the deciding factor on what course of action we decide to take. How do you feel about the use of force, Lieutenant-General? These choices will greatly affect you and your men.”
“I will do what is asked of me.”
“That’s a good answer, but it’s not what I asked you. Not one member of the British armed forces has fired his or her weapon at another human being for decades. It is not a part of the psychology of our society to ask a person to hurt or kill another person. Our world will change before our very eyes and might never recover.”
“I have considered what you are talking about and will do what I am asked by our government to stop the riots. How I feel and how that changes who we are as a society, as a world, well, I can’t answer that until it happens. I hope it doesn’t come to that, Home Secretary.”
“Me too, Lieutenant-General.”
They reached the door to the roof and a table, on which lay goggles and respirator masks.
“Do I need to wear one?” asked Ken.
“We won’t be out here long, there’s no need,” replied the Lieutenant-General. “We can be out here for hours at a time and the smoke can be relentless.”
They stepped outside into the light misty smoke that was being helped along by a mild breeze.
“We are lucky today as visibility is reasonably good. Because the summer has lasted longer this year we have had hot days with very little wind which has caused the smoke to obstruct any chance of a view ...”
Ken followed the Lieutenant-General to the edge of the building where they had a perfect view of the buildings and streets that surrounded the east side.
“… Infrared cameras are useful at night but are often made redundant because of the heat from the fires. Most of the t
ime we have to be on the ground to get an accurate record of where the rioters are and that can be slow tedious work. But as the reports came back we noticed something different. What you can see confirms that not only have their numbers grown, it appears they are certainly moving towards a common destination.”
Ken looked out through breaks in the smoke and could clearly see large groups of rioters. It was obvious from their viewpoint that the numbers had grown.
“It’s as though a magnet is pulling them towards the centre of the city,” said Ken.
“That’s a good analogy,” agreed the Lieutenant-General.
Both men stood silently and watched. It was a sight that simply could not be explained rationally – and it did not look like stopping.
The Prime Minister had been relocated on the advice of his security team to the tunnels beneath Waterloo Station. At first, it was proposed to leave London altogether and retreat to the countryside where suitable protection could be maintained. Lanegan’s family had been evacuated a week ago to the New Forest National Park for their safety and nothing would have pleased him more than to join them. But Lanegan chose to stay close to the capital and the chaos, and to the people who were left behind.
Since he had three days before the world council convened, Lanegan had made a decision to hold a conference that did not involve any of his cabinet ministers and advisors because, after many meetings, he had been left frustrated and disappointed by their lack of sympathy for the rioters, who he believed were also victims, and their inability to come up with answers. Those invited to the meeting were experts of his choosing who he believed would be free from political motivation and ambitions. Lanegan had raised his hopes, fully in the knowledge that the experts he had called upon had received precisely the same state-approved education as his governmental advisors. Not even in these moments of violence and uncertainty would he have considered listening to a radical thinker, if one could be found. The meeting was certain to be an unpopular move among his cabinet colleagues. Advice that would affect national decisions was rarely taken from anyone except the political elite as it could potentially cause a dangerous return to the pre-crash era. The risk of a backlash was severe, but Lanegan had made up his mind. Of course, Ken Buckley, Lanegan’s oldest friend and ally would be present, along with Jacob Armstrong, Lanegan’s hand-picked intern who Lanegan thought would benefit from the experience.
In the hours leading up to the meeting, Lanegan had attempted to achieve the ordinarily simple task of sleeping. He was in unfamiliar territory, but he knew that to lead an effective offensive against the unknown causes of an angry world he would need to be calm and reassuring, decisive and bold. He would also need his full strength as effective action would soon be demanded.
A knock on his office door woke him out of his semi-sleep. He was confused and disorientated, a state not helped by his unfamiliar surroundings. He had slept little more than four hours at a time for the last three weeks. Because of this he had appeared distant and incapable of making clear decisions. This new condition was a fact that had not been lost on certain members of the government who had shown concern about his leadership. At no point prior to the troubles had he felt threatened in his role as leader. He had led competently and maintained the party’s well established policies. Lanegan, like those before him, had considered himself responsible for keeping the peace and so ensured they did not deviate from a reliable system.
"Prime Minister, the committee of experts have arrived and are waiting for your briefing in the conference room. There is one non-attendee, Sam Corgan. We’re not sure of the reason," called Jenny, his secretary.
"Okay Jenny, thank you. Make sure they have refreshments and I will be along shortly," he replied.
The titles given to members of the government were the only part of the modern political system that resembled the pre-crash era. Elections were considered dangerous and potentially damaging to the peace that existed and Lanegan’s particular title of Prime Minister was no longer won through a process of citizen participation and democracy; it was offered, as was each position within government, by the party members. The concern he now felt towards his position was due to his awareness that he could also be removed by a vote, by the same members who had chosen him to lead. If this scenario was to occur, he would be the first Prime Minister to experience this humiliating outcome.
He began to prepare himself, walking into the en-suite bathroom of his office he slapped himself in the face to try to ensure full concentration, and accidentally knocking a small amount of saliva and coffee onto his shirt; his tired eyes not noticing the stain. Staring at his reflection in the mirror the magnitude of the situation struck him with a fierce blow, momentarily forcing him to shake as his adrenaline soared to levels he had rarely felt before. His confidence had not waned despite their lack of progress in finding a solution, a fact that was now forcing him to think about his legacy. Momentarily overwhelmed, he shook his head in an attempt to dispel the feeling of anxiety he suddenly felt at being considered a failure. If the world was to descend into anarchy, his name would forever be associated with these events and their aftermath. This realisation made Lanegan grit his teeth as he convinced himself that he was still in control.
"Keep focussed,” he said to himself, “and the solution will present itself to you. There is no option but success."
Lanegan left his office and met Ken Buckley in the corridor on their way to the conference room.
“Ken, how was your meeting with the Lieutenant-General?” he asked.
“Informative, but without progress on a cause,” answered Ken. “There appears to be an establishing trend across the country of the rioter’s movements. They are clearly starting to move towards the city in groups and the numbers are visibly increasing. We don’t know why. He also informed me that the evacuation to the national parks is complete, it is a good job we were so organised. We have encountered a small number of people who are refusing to leave. I don’t see that we have a choice but to leave them here. How are Ella and the kids coping with their temporary home?”
“They’re doing fine. They wanted to stay, as you know. Moving to the forest was not exactly Ella’s first choice of venue. Do we have any figures on the current numbers of rioters?”
“I’m afraid not. We know they are in the tens of thousands, but it’s impossible to be accurate because of their previous random behaviour. Maybe now we can gauge a more accurate figure. What is certain is that there are too many to contain in any effective manner. We would need ten super-jails and we simply do not know how to look after them. The military and police forces are at full stretch providing for those that haven’t turned. Is there a reason why Toby wasn’t invited into this meeting? He is loyal and has supported us in every twist and turn as this has progressed.”
“I did consider it. But I would rather keep it to a minimum number of us in there. He has done brilliantly with the media so far in averting a panic and I didn’t want to take him away from that. I would like him to be a key player if we can find a solution, however. He is in my thoughts.”
Lanegan looked at his watch, took a deep breath, then looked towards the conference room.
“Before we go in, Tom,” said Ken, “I must say that I’m not convinced that this meeting is a good idea. There are those in the cabinet who may see this as an opportunity to push themselves forward. This may backfire in terms of how you are supported in the future. Any slips and your opponents will be ready to pounce. The talk of alternative action is already flowing through the party.”
“I’m going to assume you mean Bob. He likes to think of himself as a leader, but nobody would realistically consider him as PM, surely?”
“Just be careful. He is ambitious and smarter than you give him credit for. His work is the reason we are even remotely organised with the humanitarian aspects of this situation and we don’t know what he is truly capable of. We have kept him on a leash so fa
r, but he can be very persuasive and forceful.”
“Then let us hope we find some answers – and quickly.”
Lanegan nodded to Ken and walked into the conference room with purpose.
"Good afternoon everyone. I hope you have all found the coffee because you will not be leaving this room until we have collectively exhausted all of our ideas in the hunt for a solution to the great disaster of our time,” he began. “We have not witnessed anything similar to this for generations. It took everyone by surprise. Our reliance on the internet and its collapse meant a great catastrophe plagued our planet for many years. It took a lot of time and work to regain a level of normality where people could continue with their lives without fear and with hope and optimism. I personally believed I was continuing to achieve that goal, but something has changed; or possibly we became complacent. You are all aware that we are overwhelmed in terms of the numbers of rioters and are not in a position to defend property without the use of force. Since we do not have the facilities to imprison the number of people rioting and they are not intentionally hurting other people, we will not use force until absolutely necessary because I believe that nothing will be changed by that course of action. You know I have made the very difficult decision to evacuate people from the worst affected areas, in the hope we can stop this quickly. Something caused this to happen and we need to find out what it is. You have been selected because you are experts in your fields and may be able to suggest some reasons for the current troubles. With that part out of the way, let’s get down to it. Such is the scale of this problem I would like you all to feel free to express your ideas. Because of the restraints that this government puts upon itself, this freedom does not normally exist. This is a one time deal between those who are present. I am open to all theories.”
Lanegan looked at the group in front of him. The room was smaller than he would have liked and it made everyone feel slightly uncomfortable. The vast rooms of his Downing Street and Westminster office would have been ideal, with space, windows and daylight. This room was a good reflection of the situation they were experiencing.
“So,” Lanegan continued, “who would like to begin?”
The room was momentarily quiet before Dr James Harris stood up.
“Prime Minister, the behaviour we are witnessing is clearly similar to, if not precisely the same as, that of temporary psychosis …”
“Sorry to interrupt, could you tell everybody your name please, James?” interrupted Lanegan.
“Of course, apologies, it’s Harris, Dr James Harris, and I am a consultant psychiatrist.”
“Thank you, James. Please continue.”
“Every person who has ‘turned’ shows personality changes accompanied by unusual behaviour. This results in periods of time in which he or she commits acts of destruction while avoiding social interaction. They don’t appear to hallucinate or hold delusional beliefs, but clearly lose some sense of social control. I don’t believe it is a physical illness as they seem perfectly fit and healthy in the majority of cases. It seems to me that the prolonged psychosis they experience must be caused by a psychological malfunction.”
“Such as what?” asked Lanegan.
“This can be caused by different forms of stress such as bereavement or a traumatic experience.”
“Do you know if this has ever happened before on this scale? Or if it is even possible on this scale?”
“The diagnosis is undeniable in my opinion, but the cause is unclear. To answer your question: no, I have never seen any records of it happening to this many people at once. It is unprecedented.”
“Do you think it is possible that this many people could experience a particular form of stress, or a traumatic experience simultaneously?”
“As I said, it is unprecedented. But I think we should assume that one thing has caused this. It’s clearly all related.”
“So, we have a large portion of the world’s population, possibly experiencing brief psychosis without an obvious cause – can anyone help with a cause?”
“Hello, my name is Tony Hendrix and I am a Professor of Social Sciences at Leicester University. I am not totally convinced Prime Minister that it is simply a psychological issue. It is possible that there was a contamination of some sort – or there could be a new disease or virus that is unknown to us. As far as I am concerned, after examining all of the empirical evidence shown via media outlets and government reports, I believe these people must have been infected somehow, causing them to act violently.”
“Do we know of any cases of people being infected that can cause this sort of behaviour?” asked Lanegan.
The room remained quiet.
“I believe the word Professor Hendrix is looking for is ‘zombie’, said Ken.
“Zombie?” questioned Lanegan.
“Yes, it is an old word that describes a person who has changed into a sort of non-human, human. Some cultures believed them to be real, but they were mainly used in the past for entertainment to scare people. They are described in the ‘Risks to Society and National Well-being’ document.”
Lanegan jumped to his feet and leant on the table.
“That does seem to be a good description of what the rioters become,” he said. “However, I must insist that nobody uses the word zombie, especially in public. I’m not sure whether anyone is still familiar with the concept, but we don't want these things seeping back into the public conscience. As it stands people are not attacking each other and while this lasts we need the non-rioters to feel as safe and reassured as possible. Who's next?”
“Hello, my name is Stephanie Jones and I am a Criminal Psychologist with the Metropolitan police.”
“Very glad to have you with us, Stephanie. I know you have been very busy these last few weeks,” interrupted Lanegan.
“Thanks,” she said. “I have been involved in interviewing the prisoners that were detained in the first few days of the riots. We have had very mixed results. What is clear is that there is not a definitive motive or cause for their actions that I can find. They all appear sincere in their inability to give an explanation, and yet it does not seem possible that an international situation, involving people of many different ethnicities and nationalities, could have begun without a common cause, Even though they appear to act individually. I have been able to talk with them quite normally; in fact, when they are not rioting, you would not notice anything different in their personality or behaviour.”
“What condition do the prisoners seem to be in?”
“They are as expected. Sometimes angry; they are easily distracted and restless, some of them have shown regret and remorse but make no attempt to convince me that they will not continue if they are released. They are simply not prepared to make that false promise.”
“So, this leaves us none the wiser as to a cause.”
“Well,” Stephanie continued. There is a pattern which may help us …”
“Go on.”
“The rioters are not attacking people – at present. They are attacking buildings - or property if you prefer. Historically, when riots were more common, property was the main focus for people protesting against the government or state or a particular system. If I had to hypothesise I would say that this is the case here. However, as we are all aware, it doesn’t appear to be an organised demonstration, like an anti-government movement for example, because of the apparent randomness of their targets. But there is a historical comparison we can at least investigate.”
“Very interesting Stephanie; let’s all keep that at the front of our minds. Okay, for everybody’s benefit, why don’t we have a recap of important recent world events that occurred around the time the riots began? – Brian, if you would.”
“Hi everyone, my name is Brian Richards and I am a media analyst. I have created a dossier of events that happened in the weeks leading up to the riots that may be of some use. Of course, the big story that consumed the news was the Russian President, Andrei Gagolin, an
nouncing he was seriously ill. I won’t go into details as I am sure you all already know the ins-and-outs. This was of course forced upon him after he suffered a series of episodes in public. This was expected to ignite some unrest in Eastern Europe as the search for a new leader began with no clear successor. Not surprisingly, the Russian people have rallied around a very popular leader and enthusiastically backed him to stay in power until he was deemed incapable to rule …”
“Yes, let’s hope they can begin the transition to a new leadership sooner rather than later. He deserves all the credit he is getting, but change is inevitable,” affirmed Lanegan.
“Other events include the ongoing conversations between nations about how aid money should be provided and by whom for international disasters. Many nations are unhappy with how combined multi-national resources are allocated and how it seems to favour certain continents. As we all know, until the riots every nation contributed a percentage of its national GDP for international support willingly. Nobody has expressed a desire to leave this agreement and it is generally considered to be a success. Hopefully this will all be sorted out after the current crisis. It also coincided with thousands of deaths caused by a bad wheat crop. You will have all heard about and seen this in the news. The crop has failed in many parts of the world because of a fungal disease which is more common than many realise. The importance of wheat to certain parts of the world cannot be overstated. However, there seems to be no relation between this and the rioting. In fact, the areas that depend on the wheat crop and struggle to pay for alternative foods to be imported are more likely to be unaffected by the rioting as they tend to be the less advanced parts of the world."
“And this must surely be a clue,” said Lanegan. “It’s clear none of these recent events have directly caused the riots; but the fact that lesser developed areas aren’t witnessing the same levels of violence must have relevance.”
“Everyone recognises the trend Prime Minister, but nobody can provide a reason for it,” said Stephanie.
“Good health care and clean cities – these are the sorts of things that are common to the nations that are experiencing the problems; they do not cause people to burn cars and throw bricks. We live in a time of co-operation between nations; nations do not compete against each other anymore, they work together for the good of all people. People are living longer and healthier and we have more economic equality worldwide. It should be better for everyone, not worse,” said Lanegan.
“One thing that has been brought to my attention,” said Ken, “is the re-emergence of certain religious groups. Agencies have noticed a lot of activity in the last couple of weeks, as they appear to have seen this as an opportunity to show their faces publicly, possibly for recruitment. Now, we have known about their existence and have monitored them, and we will have to decide how to react after the riots have been dealt with. For your collective benefit, and with the prime Minister's consent, I feel I should give you a brief description of our policy towards this sort of group.”
Ken looked to Lanegan, who nodded enthusiastically.
“This government doesn’t allow religious practice of any kind. It has been this way since the crash occurred. We treat religion the same way we treat what used to be called the arts and competition, such as sports: the state strictly forbids it.”
“And we consider them coming above ground as a threat?” asked Lanegan.
“Yes, potentially in a few ways,” added Ken. “Firstly, if they get an audience we may have a problem. As hysteria grows, people will increasingly look for answers. If we cannot offer one, they may turn to religion. Religions tend to believe they can answer a lot of questions without evidence and in the past were very influential and powerful. Secondly, if we lose control completely, other groups may exploit the situation for their own benefit. And these groups could be much more dangerous.”
“Would you tell everyone which groups specifically?”
“We have knowledge of criminal gangs that operate on a small level. Without proper policing they could potentially gain control of parts, if not entire towns and cities. Other countries have much bigger problems with this than we do. In terms of religion, I think we should work with the principles that we have followed since the crash and should not allow any attempts at a religious explanation.”
“Does anyone have any objections to that? asked Lanegan.
The room remained quiet.
“I would also like to mention that we have received reports that certain activities are becoming more common at some of the evacuation sites. There are witnesses that have seen groups of people singing and dancing and even musical instruments appearing. We don’t consider this as a great concern considering what we are dealing with, but we will obviously have to monitor it. This sort of thing is not as uncommon as you all might think. It is known to us that outside of the cities people still possess musical instruments. Now, the constitution strictly forbids the playing of these instruments publicly or in the home as you all know and there has only been a few cases of this actually happening, which we have usually managed to stop quickly. What is a greater concern to us and is probably not something you are aware of is what we call listening parties. Before the crash music was a big industry and could be accessed very easily. Most of the methods of listening to the music have been destroyed or are too old to work. Previous governments instigated programmes and incentives to eradicate this dangerous element from our past, by asking the public to voluntarily hand over anything that was illegal. Obviously not every piece of equipment was destroyed and clearly it is out there and being used in these secret meetings. Our investigation into this illegal activity has been postponed until the riots are dealt with.”
Lanegan noticed that revealing of this piece of information had surprised the room bringing a high level of concentration. He thought that maybe he was undervaluing the possible repercussions of allowing these activities to continue, but quickly pushed on.
“I should add that we don’t consider any of this as relevant to the cause of the riots,” said Lanegan. “Right, shall we look at health and genetic conditions for a while?” he said hastily. “Christine, anything you would like to begin with?”
“Hello everyone, my name is Dr Christine Abbott and I am a genetics specialist for the University College Hospital, here in London. I have considered some conditions that can produce the symptoms we are seeing in the rioters. The first and most likely diagnosis is intermittent explosive disorder. This at first may seem primarily like a psychological issue, but it has strong genetic connections. This disorder causes explosive outbursts of anger, and on the surface it appears to be a good diagnosis. My main concern with this explanation is the length of time the rioters are violent for. Typically sufferers of intermittent explosive disorder have outbursts for relatively short periods of time. The rioters can be active for hours and this is increasing. Also sufferers of the disorder can often recognise signs that anger is rising within them as they start to become emotional. Causes can often be sociological factors that we associate with depression and stress, similar to James’ explanation earlier. These factors could be work, financial problems, poor living conditions or alcohol and drug abuse. As others here have indicated, those that have turned can give no explanation for their destructive behaviour. This is common with intermittent explosive disorder, but normally the cause can be found. If we are looking for a universal cause, we must state the obvious, that all those suffering do not have the same mental state or living and social conditions. What is relevant however, is the number of people becoming violent. This disorder can affect people of any age and has been estimated, in a recent study from America, to affect up to eight percent of the world's population. This figure isn’t far away from the numbers we are witnessing now, but I think I’m right in saying that the number of people turning is rising and will soon be above these estimations. It is also commonly related to other disorders, such as bipolar, which is obviously not common in the majority of p
eople. I understand young children are not presently affected, which complicates the diagnosis also. One thing I should add is that this condition is commonly treated with cognitive behavioural therapy. The obvious issue with this if it is an option, is treating this number of people, but it may be worth conducting tests on a sample of known cases, to see if anything can be achieved.”
“That’s a very good idea, Christine. We’ll get that done. So, we have psychological and genetic diagnoses that are good, but not quite fulfilling the criteria needed. Okay, let’s make this a more open discussion. Would anyone like to speak first?"
"Yes Prime minister," said Tony Hendrix. "We haven’t considered an option that has just struck me as fairly obvious."
"Which is?" replied Lanegan.
"Since it is a global issue and it appeared to begin within a small window of time, it must be something that is within many of us, or that is common to us all."
"I like your mode of thinking Tony, so what do you think this could be?"
"If you don’t mind I would like to state the obvious for a moment; we all breathe - but if it was something airborne then it would surely affect everybody. We all eat, however throughout the world different nations have different eating habits and diets and there has been no link found in the eating habits of the rioters so that is not the answer. Forgive my ignorance, but is it possible that a genetic issue have arisen due to an increasingly mixed gene pool?”
"We are dealing with something new,” said Christine. “It is similar to the disorder that I have mentioned, but it is not entirely the same. That being said, we shouldn’t rule out a sudden change in a particular genetic condition.”
“An evolutionary jump of sorts,” said Lanegan. “That is interesting. And you’re absolutely right it is a new explanation. Your points are all valid, but currently we do not have the man-power or the facilities to conduct the necessary testing for new genetic conditions. For large parts of the day we don’t even have the power available to light the laboratories. Unfortunately, it is simply not an option so we must find another route to the cause.”
Lanegan sat down. He was emotional but remained composed. This had become his trade-mark in tense situations, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
Silently they considered the situation. Was it possible that one thing could be the cause of all the pain and suffering, or had the aggression built up over many years and accumulated into a collective outpouring of destruction?
Time passed and the discussion continued. Coffee was being consumed as quickly as it could be made and for the first time Tom Lanegan was beginning to question himself; his qualities as a leader, as a decision maker and a problem solver, were now in doubt, and more importantly he began to truly feel the weight of the hopes of the nation and his family bearing down on him. This feeling was most upsetting to him and had only occurred once before. His career was always his priority. He had been seen as a leader from an early age and relished the praise and encouragement he received from his seniors in government. The consequences of this dedication and commitment meant that he had missed many moments with his children that form everlasting memories that could be called upon during the tough times. This had troubled his conscience and made him question whether a job that demanded placing the people of Britain first and his children second was the right course. This, however, became his justification for continuing: by making the country and possibly the world better, he would be doing something more than most parents could do and he was willing to make the sacrifice.
The suffocating and claustrophobic feeling of being underground was mirrored by the lack of progress and made the air feel close. As a sense of hopelessness filled the room, the air conditioning turned on and a brief moment of relief came through in the form of a cool breeze that made everyone take a deep breath. This brief distraction gave everyone in the room a moment to pause and switch off to think of places they would rather be. Just as quickly as the thoughts came, they were disrupted by a loud voice from outside the room.
"Oh dear," said Lanegan.
"Prime Minister," bellowed Bob Bukewitz, the Secretary of Defence.
His giant arm swung the door open without warning, nearly knocking Jacob, the intern to the floor. His look towards Jacob and the posture of his large frame clearly stated that he was unapologetic.
"Why am I not involved in this meeting? Why are none of the government involved in this meeting? Why did I not even know about this meeting?”
Bob Bukewitz was a Royal Marine before being discharged after receiving an injury to his head, which had caused damage to his eyesight. His metamorphosis into a politician was easy as he had not actually fought in a real war due to the unprecedented length of time the world had been without conflict. This had given him the opportunity for further education, as it had many other servicemen and women, at the best universities the country could offer. However, due to his privileged access and keen interest in military history, he had specialist knowledge of previous wars and secretly wished he could be involved in one.
"Bob, the reason for not inviting you or anyone else in the government was that I wanted to hear opinions from people unaffected by political considerations. And so that if there was blame towards government ministers, which could easily still happen, this meeting would not turn into an argument. Our meeting as you know is scheduled for tomorrow, where I will report on what we have discussed," said Lanegan, calmly.
"I am afraid that it has come to the point, Prime Minister, where we need to take action of a more forceful nature. Reports say that the rioters' numbers are rising and …"
"Whoa there Bob, you know damn well we have an international agreement that states no nation will use force while civilians are not attacking civilians. That was my recommendation to the council and I cannot go back on it now."
"I must state for the record that I disagree with you. And I insist that if no solution is found by the time of the world conference in two days, there will be a vote to decide whether to move things in a new direction. You can be part of that or not; but I assure you, people are becoming increasingly concerned about your ability to protect our citizens."
"I don't like threats Bob. As far as I am concerned I have the full backing of the government on this and we must proceed with a culture of not automatically meeting violence with violence."
"Well, we will see how much support you have when citizens begin to be attacked and we are not in a position to act. Don't underestimate how quickly opinions can change. Since I am here, do you mind if I hear what you have come up with so far?" asked Bukewitz.
Bukewitz was confident they had nothing. He could see in Lanegan's eyes they were drawing blanks and that he was trying to buy time. Bukewitz decided to push ahead with planning his military intervention, hopefully with similarly-minded nations following his lead.
"As I said,” replied Lanegan, calmly. “Anything we find will be reported tomorrow in full. I am not going to repeat myself and we still have much to discuss - and, don't you have a meeting with the police board and the military chiefs on the progress of the evacuation of our nation’s citizens?"
Lanegan was attempting to deflect the question back to Bukewitz without admitting their lack of progress. As unconvincing as he was, Lanagen thought he had done enough. That was until he saw the smug grin on Bukewitz's face. He turned to leave the room and scowled one last time at Jacob. Not watching where he was walking, Bukewitz bumped into a woman who was just entering the room. With a grunt for an apology he left.
Jenny shut the door and Lanegan looked towards the newcomer.
“Sorry I’m late Prime Minister. My name is Isabelle Franklin and I’m from the Philosophy Department at Oxford University. I’m here as a replacement for Sam Corgan, who is the head of my department. He had a problem this morning and is unable to attend, I hope this is acceptable.”
“What sort of problem, Mrs Franklin?”
“He turned I’m afraid to say.
”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Well, now you are here you are welcome to stay.”
“Thank you, Prime Minister.”
Lanegan looked at the faces around the room.
"We are in a crisis and the wolves are at the door,” he said. “The more time that passes, the bigger the calls will be for stronger action; possibly with a heavy handed warmonger like Bob Bukewitz in control.”
Lanegan looked down at a half empty piece of paper. He was aware that the meeting would not be a secret for long after Bukewitz’s visit and that a decision on how to progress would be demanded by his party and by the people of Britain. Bukewitz had an aggression that was imposing and stubborn. His methods would be hard to challenge if nothing could be presented the following day.
“I suppose it would be no great shame to accept our impotence in finding a cause,” said Lanegan, in a moment of self doubt. “We will never give up looking for an answer, but we have to face facts that we may have to rely on others this time around. Maybe I put too much pressure on you and myself. We can present what we have discussed and then we will see what else comes up at the leader’s conference.”
Lanegan sat down and sank into his chair.
"Excuse me - may I speak Prime Minister?" asked a quiet and nervous voice.
"Of course you can Jacob," replied Lanegan. "Everyone in here who has something to say will be given their chance, please introduce yourself first."
"Hello everyone, my name is Jacob Armstrong and I'm an intern with the Prime Minister"
Jacob’s youthful face and floppy hair made him stand out amongst the group and his fragile frame left little wonder as to why an imposing figure such as Bukewitz’s was so intimidating. Jacob was not convinced he should have been in the room at all, but Lanegan had insisted it would be good for him to witness a meeting with a group of non-politicians, to see the difference in atmosphere and how much could be achieved without any bickering or one-upmanship. The results so far were disappointing.
"I have an idea that may be a little hard to understand at first, but will hopefully become clearer as I continue to explain."
"Don't be nervous Jacob, take your time," said Lanegan, reassuringly.
"Okay.”
He took a deep breath and walked away from the wall he had been hugging since he entered.
"Firstly, what I am about to say may cause concern as I will be speaking about a subject that is forbidden. I hope I am not seen as a trouble-maker after this and that …”
“Jacob,” Lanegan interrupted, “it’s a free floor; please, speak your mind.”
“Okay – Prime Minister, you talked earlier about the last time we experienced violence that could be compared to what we are witnessing now. I don’t know how much any of you know about the crash or even know it happened, but I think it is worth examining some of the things that happened around that time.”
“It’s probably best if you assume that there is complete ignorance, Jacob. Everyone here knows it happened and have seen the footage that warns us of what could happen if things did revert back to those dark days, but many of the details are not commonly known,” said Lanegan, cautiously.
“Yes, Prime Minister,” said Jacob, suddenly aware of how sensitive the subject was. “A lot of time has passed since the crash occurred and how we lived before it has almost entirely disappeared. We have all been told about the events that surrounded the crash and we know that there was a definite cause. What resulted was certain preventative actions being implemented to stop it happening again, such as the banning of activities seen as detrimental to the well-being of society. Ken spoke earlier of the key elements: art and religion. But it could also be the freedom to hold any belief, or the right to choose our own path in life and how we live our daily lives. As time has past since the crash, these things have been eradicated from public discussion, with the vast majority of people being completely ignorant of their existence.”
“I’m beginning to wonder how you know so much about them, Jacob, but carry on,” said Lanegan.
Jacob was now certain he was taking a great risk. He had not thought of the consequences of what he was about to say and could sense Lanegan was becoming suspicious of what he knew.
“The unique epoch we live in …” Jacob continued, “… an epoch defined by the fact that the world has not seen conflict for generations, was initially attributed to the eradication of these activities and beliefs. The fact that the demise of these factors from society has run in parallel with a time of peace was claimed to be directly related and has justified its continuation. The transition from a species that took pride in, and celebrated those cultural factors, to one that accepted a life without them, happened gradually and mostly peacefully. People wanted to stop the suffering and accepted there was a cost …”
"Wait, wait, wait …" Lanegan said, waving his arms. He was in two minds about whether to stop Jacob and take him aside to ask where he had received his information or to allow him to continue. His curiosity and the promise of an open discussion made the decision for him.
"What has this got to do with why we are here and what's happening?"
"Very basically - these two related components that define our time: peace and the demise of certain freedoms have occurred side by side. The ideology was devised and justified by governments as an alternative to the chaos that the crash caused – and was eventually used partly as the blame for it. The world became peaceful without them; so in a twist of clever propaganda, they became the cause. I am not an expert on this subject, I know as little as anyone in this room, but I don’t believe that any consideration was given to the consequences of forbidding these parts of our cultural past. It was simply a reaction to a problem.”
“Tell me Jacob, where did you get these ideas from? This isn’t common thinking that you are expressing.”
“I began to become interested in this when I was given documents written by a Professor Kilmister, who had doubts over these restrictions on our freedom. I tried to find records of his whereabouts but came up with nothing.”
“Who gave you the books?”
“I acquired them at University, from a friend.”
“Jacob, tell me, who gave you the books?”
Jacob looked at Lanegan, paralysed with fear of what would happen if he revealed his secret.
Lanegan saw Jacob’s reluctance to share any information and decided it could be dealt with at a later time.
“Okay Jacob, you will have time to explain later,” he said. “But tell me, were they newly printed documents? I must know if people are producing illegal material for mass distribution.”
“They were hand-written and well used,” replied Jacob. “I’m not sure if they had been replicated or if they were originals.”
Lanegan looked over to Ken with a look of great seriousness. After a moment he relaxed a little and breathed out deeply.
“Why don’t you continue? I see no sense in stopping now,” he said.
Jacob composed himself.
“Professor Kilmister was unconventional and certainly had ideas that were considered dangerous. I’m not sure how his documents survived. His theory was that without constant stimulation people became apathetic in their approach to debating, arguing and creating change. He also believed that we would experience detrimental changes in our behaviour, because we were starving ourselves of what he described as ‘nourishment for the mind,’ claiming that the mind contributed as much to our happiness as a healthy body or living in a peaceful world. He was shunned and eventually he disappeared without an explanation.”
“So what you are saying is that by taking these things out of our lives, we have somehow caused a negative reaction within us,” said Lanegan
“Yes, possibly,” replied Jacob.
Lanegan looked at the faces in the room to try and gauge their response. Although nobody looked convinced, he wanted to press the idea further.
“Even if all of this was true, and it does so
und interesting, improbable, but interesting, why have people begun destroying things? Why now? And why does it not affect everyone?"
"I believe that we are all fulfilled in different ways. For everyone here I would guess that it mostly comes from our professional lives. Before the crash, there was an abundance of ways that people could find a way to express themselves and release positive and negative energy, such as listening to and writing music, joining a boxing club or travelling on a religious pilgrimage. As I understand it, these were ways of expressing our emotional needs that we can no longer imagine. I don’t know the answers to your questions, but I think that for the riots to happen seemingly without explanation and motive, there must have been a big change within us. Why could that change not have been caused by a huge cultural shift? Ultimately, I think it is possible that there is a link to the riots and the eradication of these factors.”
"It sounds like a stretch of the imagination to me and makes me feel slightly uncomfortable. Is there any way it can be proved?"
"I’m not sure. But in reply to your comment about stretching our imagination, that is a good analogy. It seems to me that, as a society, we don’t do that enough. We, as a society, as a world, have pushed the things I have mentioned to the side and replaced them with – nothing."
"We have peace, Jacob – but, are you implying that by somehow reintroducing these things, we can solve all of this? Because it wouldn’t be that straightforward, Jacob, the vast majority of people don’t know they exist."
"I don’t think it would be quite that simple, but I think it's possible. I have heard of some communities in remote parts of the world where music is still a part of their daily existence. It could be playing an instrument or dancing, singing or clapping. These are the people who are not affected in the same numbers. I am personally aware of a few illegal radio stations in this country that play music at random times of the day to avoid detection. Maybe we could use these somehow, to test the reaction of someone who has turned."
"I don't quite know what to make of this. I still have a problem with it causing a reaction in people simultaneously; it sounds completely improbable. Let’s have a small break two so we can all think about what Jacob has just said. Any counter-arguments will then be heard," ordered Lanegan.
What Lanegan had just heard was beyond anything he expected or could have imagined. Just as he was ready to dismiss it completely, he turned and looked at a picture on the wall. It was a photograph of modern London. He considered for a moment how it was a conscious decision to hang a photograph instead of a painting of the same scene. Paintings were considered as more open to interpretation and therefore discouraged from public buildings. The policy was correct, thought Lanegan. It would be a quick descent back to a society of violence and crime if the laws were relaxed.
For a moment the photo was his window in a room with none. He knew it was also now inaccurate as the streets and buildings above him stood defenceless, under attack from bricks and fire. He was ready to consider any option.