‘For the sake of interest, Doctor, how would you go about doing it.’
‘Reconstruct the virus? I wouldn’t even consider it.’
‘But if you had to?’
‘I suppose I’d ligate the fragments or maybe start with another pox virus, something like cowpox and try converting it into Variolamajor with appropriate DNA changes.
‘Would that be easier?’
‘Not necessarily but not having tried it I couldn’t say for sure.’
Dewar admired the scientific answer. ‘I take it the authorities would know all about the possibility of altering another pox virus to become smallpox?’
‘Of course,’ replied Wright. There’s not only a ban on any institution having more than twenty percent of the smallpox genome in terms of DNA fragments, there’s also a ban on having any other pox virus in the same institution at the same time.’
‘If I were to tell you that an English lab has admitted to having two more fragments of the virus than it’s registered to have, would you find that suspicious?’
Wright threw back his head and laughed. ‘God no,’ he exclaimed. ‘You know what university labs are like. The only paperwork they’re interested in is the kind you publish to advance your career and get more grant money. Anything else is a pain that someone else will do but no one ever does. When the complaints come in they just scream, “infringement of academic freedom” and it works like a magic mantra. Politicians back off like vampires from a crucifix. They don’t like to be thought philistine’
‘I know how it goes,’ agreed Dewar.
Wright opened his desk drawer and took out a sheaf of papers. ‘I got these together for you,’ he said. ‘Everything you wanted or didn’t want to know about the smallpox virus.’
‘Thanks. I’m grateful.’
‘Don’t be. They paid me a consultancy fee. There’s one more thing they asked me to do.’’
‘What’s that?’
‘Vaccinate you.’
Institute of Molecular Sciences
Edinburgh.
‘I’ve got that list you wanted,’ said George Ferguson.
‘Good,’ said Malloy. ‘Everything check out?’
‘Sure, I’ve been through all fridges and freezers, checked all the fragment stocks. Mind you, there were quite a few tubes and bottles among Ali’s stuff that I didn’t recognise. I don’t know what you want done about these?’
‘I’ll ask Pierre to take a look, see if he recognises anything, maybe clear out what we don’t need,’ said Malloy. ‘Admin sent me down the official fragment record for the lab. Maybe you could do a final check, your list against theirs before we submit it. I don’t need any more shit in my life.’ Malloy rummaged through his desk drawer and came up with a brown internal mail envelope which he flicked open to check it contained the right thing before handing it to Ferguson. ‘There you go. Have you seen Pierre this morning?’
‘He’s in the computer room, working on the sequence data.’
Malloy nodded. He was just about to say something else when the air was filled with the deafening sound of a siren. Ferguson and Malloy looked at each other but speech was pointless until the sound subsided. When it finally did, the noise was replaced by deathly silence. All extractor fans and air conditioning had shut down. The continual hum that no one noticed was suddenly seriously missed.
‘Bio-safety alert,’ said Malloy. ‘First we’ve had. Let’s hope it’s a false alarm.’
Under the terms of a bio-accident alert, staff had to remain exactly where they were until further notice. Doors were sealed so that no one could enter or leave; the windows in the building were designed not to open anyway. The main objective was to contain any infectious agent at loose inside the building.
Five minutes passed before the telephone rang. It had never sounded so jarring before.
‘Malloy.’
‘Paul Hutton here. We’ve had an HIV incident on Level 3. There’s been a spillage in the containment lab.’
‘So what’s the problem if it’s in the containment lab?’
‘The air lock was open when it happened.’
‘What?’ exclaimed Malloy.
‘Two of Cairns’ people had been working in there. When they were preparing to leave one turned back for some reason — maybe he forgot to do something or maybe just to check something but he knocked over two vials of live virus almost at the same moment as the other one opened the air lock.’
‘Sod’s law,’ said Malloy. ‘But it’s been contained within the outer lab?’
‘As far as we know. Cairns’ people seemed to know what they were doing. They stayed where they were inside and sounded the alarm.’
‘You’ve arranged a decontamination team?’
‘There’s a bit of a problem.’
Malloy closed his eyes.
‘Malcolm Cairns and his two post docs are away at the AIDS meeting in Chicago. There are only a couple of first year PhD students left in Cairns group.’
‘Malloy let out his breath in a slow sigh. ‘You mean it’s going to be down to somebody else to clear up the shit?’
‘In a manner of speaking,’ said Hutton, suggesting that it wasn’t his manner of speaking.
‘I suppose volunteers have been tumbling over themselves?’ said Malloy.
‘Well actually, I thought as yours is the only other AIDS lab you might agree to help out?’
Malloy paused before replying, ‘Okay, I’ll do it and I’ll ask for one other volunteer from my people but I’m not putting any pressure on them …’
‘Count me in.’ said George Ferguson who’d picked up the general gist of the conversation, standing beside Malloy.
Malloy looked at him, as if needing a second affirmation.
‘It’s okay. Count me in.’
Malloy, still holding the phone, said, ‘I’ve got my volunteer. George Ferguson has just signed on.’
‘Ferguson?’ exclaimed Hutton. ‘I’m not sure if that’s entirely …’
‘In the present circumstances it’s what I think that’s important,’ said Malloy edgily. ‘Unless of course, you’re telling me that you are prepared to take George Ferguson’s place, Professor?’
‘You know very well that I’ve not worked with live viruses for many years and never with that particular one.’
Ferguson, who had now been listening in to the conversation in the unusual silence of the room, smiled wryly and whispered, ‘Another bugger who learned to swim from a book. He’d drown if he ever hit the water.’
‘It’s George and me then. Perhaps you’ll arrange for the suits and decontamination fluid to be ready for us on Level 3 when we get there. Oh, and is the phone line still open to the two inside?’
‘Yes, I have contact.’
‘Maybe you could close your end so that I can speak to the people inside?’
‘Of course.’
‘Who are they by the way?’
‘Simone Clary and Gregor White.’
‘Post doc and third year student. Okay ready when you are.’
The phone went dead and Malloy allowed ten seconds for Hutton to close the other phone link before dialling the Level 3 lab. It was answered first ring by a woman’s voice.’
‘Hello Simone, this is Steve Malloy. What’s your situation?’
‘I don’t think it’s too bad but Gregor …’
‘What about him?’
‘He’s upset.’
Simone had lowered her voice to say it. Malloy guessed it was so that White wouldn’t hear. He became aware of a whimpering noise in the background and sussed the situation.
‘Okay Simone. I have to ask some questions before George and I put on the noddy suits and come and clean you up. Was the spillage contained within a given area?’
‘Yes, one vial broke open on the floor, the other one survived.’
‘So there is a puddle of liquid on the floor in the containment lab?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did either of you come into contact with the liquid?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘Did you see the vial hit the floor?’
‘Not exactly. when I turned round Gregor had knocked over the vials but he made a brave effort to catch them before they hit the floor. He didn’t quite manage it but he did catch one and interrupted the fall of the other so that the impact was lessened.’