Sir Moses left the phone to ask his friend to wait for the call to end, but returned swiftly.
‘Dr Ashe?’
‘Sir Moses, it seems you’ve something here with this retroviral penetration concept that could be turned into a weapon.’
There was a pause. ‘Anything can be turned into a weapon, Toby. That’s true. And very frustrating it is for we scientists who prefer to remain moral virgins.’
Ashe laughed.
‘I wish it were so funny, Dr Ashe. So many of our revelations turn into nightmares. But as regards your question, well, I suppose the problem here would be delivery. How do you get the virus to the target? Still… if that wasn’t a factor… I mean, yes, if you can change genetic factors for health, then you can change them for… But it’s so hit and miss.’
‘Like many weapons, Sir Moses. But what… what if you, for the sake of argument, wished to annihilate a race?’
‘Use a bomb! Much quicker!’
‘That’s not what I mean.’
‘Of course. Have you heard that old chestnut that some Israeli politician was harping on about some time ago? A race-targeted weapon.’
‘Is that… is that really possible?’
‘Well Ashe, if you do more homework on the subject, you’ll soon find that race is a very complex thing and not really a question of say, a single genetic pattern. Certain races have things in common, like certain families or individuals. But there’s no common racial genetic pattern that defines a person genetically as being a member of an ethnic or racial group. We’ve pretty well all got a bit of each other in us, if you go back far enough. What’s that line of John Lennon’s? Remember him? Mad but brilliant too. Can’t recall exactly but it went something like: “I am he and you are we and you are me and we are all together.” Wasn’t he saying that from a cosmic perspective or something, he could have been a walrus? Who knows? But it kind of sums it up in a surrealist way. I mean, the idea’s preposterous really. Not just the walrus, I mean, but this whole idea of targeting a race from the inside, so to speak. And quite devilish too.
‘But whichever way you look at it, Ashe, it’s totally impracticable. Many Jews have some genetic components shared, as it were, with Arabs; many Arabs have Jewish or other characteristics. I mean, you might be waving different flags on the outside, but wrapping yourself up with the same one on the inside – and that flag is probably nothing like the one you’re waving! I mean, genetics does have something to say about all divisions in the world.’
‘A mixed message, I think.’
Sir Moses laughed. ‘Yes, of course. But, seriously, a race-based weapon would be no weapon at all, really. I mean, why use genetics? Hitler used gas.’
‘But in principle—’
‘Well, now you’re talking principles again. Philosophy. All right, just for you. A second of speculation. Don’t quote me! You’d need… oh I don’t know, some kind of control – control specimen – or template. An original genetic map: a primary pattern from which the diversity proceeded. Then I suppose you could track the fundamental mutations. That would, in theory, be like having the key to a safe. But after the Tower of Babel, as the Bible story pictures it, all the races got mixed up.’
‘Don’t you mean separated, Sir Moses? Whereas before they’d been more or less a single entity, the story says after Babel – or Babylon – the peoples could no longer speak the same language.’
‘My dear fellow, are we discussing theology here, or science? My point is that since some unknown primordial time, gene pools have been shared around. Everyone’s been swimming in everyone else’s pool. Gets a bit murky. Our current ideas of race came very late in the day. I mean the Jews weren’t even a race before… what is it? Moses? Abraham? It was a belief that separated them, not a skin type. Now I’m only prepared to say another word if the question is strictly scientific and not speculative. My friend is in his eighties – seconds are precious.’
‘As they are to me, Sir Moses, believe me. If you had the template – a kind of original genetic template – of a major gene system that is fundamental to a number of races that have stemmed from it, would you be able to learn from it what constitutes the deviation from the original?’
‘If you had the template… it’s feasible.’ Beerbohm paused again. ‘Big question… I mean, you might then be able to target families, clans, micro-groups. But, my dear fellow, I suspect it’s quite impossible. Where could you get such a template from? It was all too long ago.’
‘Thank you, Sir Moses. You’ve been tremendously helpful.’
‘Well, I can’t see how, but good luck!’
Ashe replaced the receiver gently, a swell of pride welling up inside him.
‘Karla!’
‘Yes, maestro.’
‘Tell Melissa I’m available. I suddenly feel better about life.’
‘Too late. Told her you couldn’t speak to her. Said she was going to Dublin with friends and had no idea when she’d be back – as far as you’re concerned, that is.’
‘Me and my big mouth.’
‘Depends where you put it. I told you not to play around with that particular young lady. You may have lost her forever.’
‘Lost her? I never really found her.’
‘Too bad.’