Chapter 7
Lanegan called a recess in an attempt to bring calm to the room. He felt it necessary to clear his head and allow the party members to process the intended course of action. He invited Toby and Ken back to his office and poured them both a drink.
"How are you feeling, Tom?" asked Toby.
"To be honest, I feel good. The last two days have been liberating in many ways. Jacob opened my eyes a little to how closed off we have become from outside ideas. The answers don't always come from where you most expect and we should start being more open. That is if we are right, of course."
"If it's all we've got then we'll run with it,” said Ken. “We will soon find out if another nation has an alternative explanation."
"Are you prepared, Toby?" asked Lanegan.
"In what sense do you mean?" he replied.
"This is your area; you may be required to tread into territory that is unknown to any of us. We will need to read the history books to fully understand the role the arts and culture played within society. If I’m honest, I always dreaded the idea of confronting religion and was glad and confident that time would never come. If people attempt to bring it back to its former influence, we will certainly have a clash of ideas on our hands. As far as the arts are concerned, we are not just talking about a few people enjoying music here, the arts used to generate huge revenues and its production was responsible for the employment of millions of people world-wide. But more than that, it was a way of life for many people. If we get results and decide to proceed with this we have our work cut out. I’m not sure you can simply reinstate such an important part of our cultural past.”
“Jacob has had quite an effect on you hasn’t he?” said Toby.
“He has, and I don’t know why,” agreed Lanegan. “Part of me wants us to find some evidence and prove Jacob right, but I also have many concerns about how this would affect us. It has crossed my mind that a complete reversal on this policy would be a terrible mistake. But how could we possibly deny it, if it is true. I’m sorry to ask this Toby, so soon after you hearing it, but do you have a vision for any possible and necessary changes?”
“I can think of a few initial problems. We have the archives and collections that our main party donor pays the upkeep for. Without them we would have very little to show for a large part of our history. Apart from that, there is only have what people have kept privately without our knowledge. We all know what a poor state the museums were allowed to get into, they were neglected for years and became obsolete. Buildings dedicated to public entertainment were left to rot, empty and unloved. Eventually they were reused for different purposes. Nobody wanted to destroy our heritage forever, but they have different uses now. We converted many of them into hospitals and hotels.”
Lanegan took a deep breath.
“I still believe we are taking a risk here. A part of me cannot be convinced that this could be real, I just can’t believe it. The people of the world were forced to substitute the freedom to explore the unknown for safety and familiarity - and we have encouraged it to continue. This I know is true. If nothing else, Jacob has opened my eyes to what was truly sacrificed for the first time, but I still believe it was for the best. Just the thought of the things Jacob spoke about existing is so alien to me that I can’t imagine it as a concept, let alone part of our daily lives and the focus of an entire governmental department."
Lanegan, Ken and Toby had no idea what experiencing art, religion or sport felt like. This part of history was erased from state education and open discussion decades before they were born. They, like most other people were aware of the effects these elements used to have on society, but didn’t consider it as anything more than a part of history; a period of time that came and went. They had always considered them to be a sacrifice worth taking, everyone had. It was a policy adopted almost world-wide without hesitation so that peace could be achieved. And it had worked. Was it possible that in an attempt to contain the emotions of the world they had been building them up to a devastating end?
"I need to speak to Jacob," Lanegan said suddenly. "He didn't think he did very well today and could possibly do with a reassuring arm around him. Do you have any idea where he went?"
"Jacob and Isabelle went somewhere together," answered Ken, "I’m not sure where, sorry."
"Excellent. I think they are good together, they have a - certain rapport; Isabelle supports him well and clearly believes in his idea. She'll look after him."
Jacob and Isabelle had found a quiet area on ground level. The view showed a once great city in the midst of chaos. They both felt strangely lucky and excited to be involved. But these feelings also brought guilt. Many people were still in the city with food running low and no public services. The smoke that covered the streets and buildings grew daily. It was unavoidable, affecting the eyes and throat.
"Where do you come from? Originally, I mean," asked Isabelle.
"Cambridge," replied Jacob, "Are you from Oxford?"
"Oh no, I'm from Cambridge also. I moved ten years ago. I would have been happy to stay, but when you are offered these positions you don’t really have a choice. There isn't a great deal of difference between the two to be honest and it’s where I met my husband. Do you like London? Or did you like London, rather?"
"It's never what you imagine. I thought I would be in a melting pot of ideas, inspired by great people. The party are set in their ways and don’t accept any kind of radical thought. The job’s a great opportunity though, and I feel I am learning a lot from Tom. I think he has too much heart for the role, but he is strong in other ways. He’s a good man who is never too busy to help or advise. Where are your family?"
"They were evacuated as I left for London - they’re safe. I think they understood why I had to come. Can I ask you something personal Jacob?"
"Of course, anything you like."
"Why do you think you haven't been affected? You must have thought about it."
"I believe it comes down to the individual - it obviously comes down to the individual. Maybe the area of the brain affected is fulfilled in me and you by something else."
"This has bothered you for some time hasn't it?"
"For many generations we have been denied something that could be so exciting and fulfilling. I know it was in exchange for a peaceful society, but it should be a choice - it was so easily accepted. It happened at a time when the world was at war with itself and I believe people just got tired of the constant chaos. Life at that time was unpredictable with no stability. People lived in constant fear or in extreme poverty. You can't blame anyone for wanting a way out. The problem is, after a system is bedded in it's very hard to change it, especially on a global scale. If we could just find a balance between the two … If I'm right, and this is happening because of the reasons I have given, then at least we know that the human race cannot survive with absolute restrictions on our actions and thoughts and how we express ourselves, even if they are normal for us now – I can’t help but want to feel what it is like."
Jacob paused for a brief moment as he battled to contain a deep secret.
“Can I tell you something?” he asked.
“Of course, anything.”
“I feel as though I can trust you, Isabelle.”
“You can, what is it?”
“I lied about the reasons for taking up this position – well partly anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have been involved in the sharing of illegal documents since I was sixteen years old. My parents had in their possession certain things that they thought I didn’t know about. I read the papers and looked at the items that were locked away out of sight and quickly realised they would have been considered dangerous. I don’t think they were involved in an underground group or something similar, they weren’t the types to take open risks. I knew that I couldn’t keep taking them so I began to copy them by hand. And then by chance at university I found a small group who had similar items. I couldn’t be
lieve what I was reading, it was beyond my imagination. The way that those people described music, paintings and architecture made me think of what we could have had – or could have.”
Jacob looked at Isabelle after his last words to see her reaction. She looked back with a mixture of surprise and admiration.
“That’s insane, Jacob. I’ve never heard of anything like this. Do you hate how we live? What about the peace? Why would you want to disrupt it?”
“I know it’s hard to understand, but I believe we would be happier; we should be allowed to experience and make our own choices in life.”
“Jacob, if you felt this way then why did you join the government? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense to me. I came to realise that it is impossible to change things from outside the circle of power, so I decided to join it.”
“You joined to try and change things? Do you know what could have happened to you if you were found out?”
“I waited a long time for this opportunity. Its unfortunate I had to wait for such an extreme event to put the idea out there. Have you wondered why certain parts of the world aren’t as affected as us?”
"Of course, it’s a mystery to me. How do you explain it?" asked Isabelle.
"It’s possible that in certain areas of the world traditions haven’t changed greatly. Maybe that’s how they managed to achieve a level of happiness that is uncommon here today. Maybe because throughout our history we have tried to constantly progress we have programmed ourselves to need constant change to be satisfied? Since the crash, very little has changed. People turning and the riots may be a progression from that. I’m really just plagiarising really. Maybe the things we are missing can help people. Other factors may also be involved here that I’m not remotely qualified to talk about.”
"Give me an example."
"I mentioned the supposed spiritual side of music, its transcendent powers. Some cultures have non-artistic ways of escaping the limited range of human understanding. Some cultures encourage the use of meditation or hallucinatory substances and consider them essential for finding guidance and meaning. Maybe art and religion have the same effect on us? – I honestly don’t know."
"I think you are a rare person, Jacob. You have awoken a few people downstairs. You may have started a whole cultural and behavioural revolution in the way people look at the arts, politics and aspects of their personal lives. I wish you had come along sooner. I'm thirty four years old and this is the first time I have had a conversation like this one. It’s hard to now think of all the experiences we could have had. After hearing you talk I thought that even if you’re wrong about all of this, you’re still right about our lives being deprived of something important. It’s a shame it took this to happen for you to feel comfortable enough to say it openly. I’m convinced you’re right. I can see changes happening, thanks to you."
Jacob blushed. As they looked out over Westminster, they both contemplated how their lives would be different if the situation ever returned to normality. But as they looked at the smoke-filled streets without a person in sight, it was hard to imagine anything being normal again.
The sound of a door closing made them both turn sharply. Their heart rates returned to normal as they saw Lanegan walking towards them, undoing his tie. Stepping outside instantly relaxed him and brought a smile to a face that had almost forgotten how. He put a hand on each of their shoulders.
"What happened out there?" he asked. "It all seems so meaningless. I always thought I could talk to anyone - arrogantly perhaps, or at least show both sides of an argument. I wouldn't be Prime Minister unless I had a gift for negotiation and diplomacy – right now I'm as useless as anyone. What do you do with thousands of people who cannot be talked to? We need a new method of communication or I fear the damage will be irreparable. Civilisation as we knew it will be lost forever."
"We have resilience Prime Minister. We have faced and beaten disasters before, natural and man-made. One thing we know is that we won't give up; people won't give up. Our family and friends are out there, we have to try for them," said Jacob.
"You’re right, Jacob. I wouldn’t mind you reminding me of that from time to time. Shall we go and find out who is up to the challenge? I hope they all have the spirit that is present in both of you - they will need it."
Jacob and Isabelle walked back towards the entrance to the tunnels. Lanegan waited a moment to remind himself of what they were trying to save. Jacob was right he thought; people wouldn’t give up, and that he could rely on.