THE MAHABHARATA QUEST:THE ALEXANDER SECRET (10 page)

21

PRESENT DAY

DAY THREE

A strange interview

Radha studied the spacious lobby of the India headquarters of Titan Pharmaceuticals, as she waited for her meeting with the CMO. She consciously avoided looking at Imran, who sat a few feet away on another leather sofa. They had arrived at the same time, but in separate cars. Radha had been assigned a field agent from the IB to drive her here and back.

The building itself was a nondescript six-storey structure, much like many corporate offices in Gurgaon, all steel and glass. The interiors were well appointed with marble floors, a granite counter for the reception and a fountain in the centre of the lobby. It was clearly a profitable and flourishing business.

She sat up as a tall, gaunt man with salt and pepper hair approached. He was wearing a laboratory coat and his air of authority indicated that he was Dr Varun Saxena. Radha was impressed. She hadn’t expected him to personally greet her in the lobby and escort her upstairs. But then, he had been told that she was a journalist covering the recent fire at their medical facility and she guessed that the company was keen to avoid any bad press. That also explained the alacrity with which he had responded to and confirmed the meeting.

‘Hello, Seema,’ the gaunt man greeted her using her assumed name. He wore a smile that was perceptibly forced. Clearly, he wasn’t too happy about this meeting and was conscious that he didn’t have a choice. ‘I’m Dr Varun Saxena.’

She greeted him in return. ‘Thank you for meeting me at short notice,’ she added. ‘We’d like to run this story tomorrow, if there is anything of substance in it.’

Saxena grasped at the opening she had provided him with. ‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll see that there isn’t much to talk about. I’ll be happy to provide you with all the information you need, but I don’t think you’ll have enough masala for a story.’ He made a show of smiling at his attempt at making light of the situation. ‘Shall we go upstairs and talk?’

Radha nodded and they made the trip to the fourth floor in silence. When they were seated in the meeting room and Saxena had ordered coffee for them, Radha decided to get straight to the point.

‘I’ve heard rumours regarding the fire at your facility in East Delhi,’ she began, ‘and I thought the best way to clear them up was to speak with you.’

‘Oh, absolutely,’ Saxena flashed a toothy grin at her. ‘That’s a very good idea. So, what rumours have you heard?’

‘Well,’ Radha paused as if deliberating what she should say, ‘I’ve heard that some of the clinical trials were not approved by the DCGI. That people were being experimented upon using deadly microbes.’

Saxena emitted a forced, nervous laugh, as if he had been expecting and dreading this question. ‘Wherever did you hear that? It is absolutely untrue. All the clinical trials Titan was conducting at that facility are above board. All approved by the DCGI. I can provide you with papers supporting my statement. And using deadly microbes is out of the question. That’s not the way clinical trials work, you know. And, at Titan, we have a rigorous work ethic which we’re proud of. As a virologist, I would immediately get to know if there was any hanky panky going on.’

‘And the bodies found in the facility? How do you explain them?’ Radha knew that Imran had decided not to make the discovery of the corpses public yet, since the media glare and publicity might hamper investigations. She was sure that Saxena believed that no one from the media knew about them and wanted to catch him off guard.

Saxena looked surprised. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting this question. His eyes narrowed. ‘Where did you get that from?’ he asked. ‘That’s just not true. No one was killed in the fire. There was a lot of damage to the property and equipment, but there were no casualties.’

Radha took a deep breath. ‘Dr Saxena, I’m sure you know that we journalists have sources in different places. Even in the police. What I’ve heard doesn’t match what you’re saying. According to my sources, there was no one in the building when the fire tenders reached. No staff, no lab technicians, no researchers. Everyone had vanished. Except for the bodies which were found in a hidden basement, in hi-tech cells, locked from the outside. And I’ve also heard that those poor people had been shot dead. They didn’t die in the fire. I guess that’s the only thing you were right about.’

Saxena’s shoulders slumped and a look of dismay crossed his face. But it was momentary and he recovered his composure almost immediately. Apparently he was either very well trained or had tremendous experience in handling difficult situations like this one.

‘Okay, fine,’ he smiled at her. ‘I thought no one knew about that. I’m sorry I lied to you. But I’m sure that you also realise the enormity of this situation and the impact it can have on our firm.’ He shook his head. ‘We have no idea how those bodies came to be there or why they were there. Believe me, Titan is a company with firm values and principles. Our founder and Chairman, Kurt Wallace, is a highly principled and respected man not just in the US but across the world. I’m not saying that we don’t stray. We do make mistakes. But this was no mistake. Our theory is that the owner of the facility, Suman Pahwa, was running a clandestine operation. If you want to know why, it is best that you speak to him. When the police find him, that is. I’m sure your sources can help you with that.’ He emphasised his last words.

So he doesn’t know that Pahwa’s body was found today.
Radha decided not to enlighten him.

‘But the centre was exclusively running Titan’s trials.’ Radha wasn’t giving up.

‘Oh yes, absolutely. I don’t deny that at all.’

‘Why would you need cells in a facility that conducts clinical trials?’

Saxena sighed. ‘You’re looking for dirt where there isn’t any. As I just told you, these clinical trials, like most trials, were outsourced. The lab carrying out the research was Aryan, who owned the facility. While we did send a representative to check the facility before we signed on the dotted line agreeing to sponsor the research, there was no way we could have known about the concealed basements. One doesn’t go looking for hidden rooms when one is doing a site inspection, you know. You’re asking the wrong man the wrong questions. I’ll say this again. Ask Pahwa. He’s the guy you should be digging up dirt on, not Titan. We’re as shocked as you are about what was discovered at the facility.’

‘The other strange thing,’ Radha responded, almost ignoring Saxena’s words, ‘was that only three storeys of the facility were gutted. Coincidentally, these were the three floors housing the IT centre and all medical records for the facility. Don’t you think it is a bit odd that only those floors were burnt down? It certainly seems that there was a deliberate attempt to destroy all records and stored data on the trials being conducted in the facility.’

‘My answer is the same.’ Saxena’s tone was curt now. ‘We have no idea who or what caused the fire. An inquiry has begun and, doubtless, we shall have more information when it is completed. All we can do for now is conjecture; and our opinion is that Suman Pahwa was behind this.’

Radha nodded. It was time to go out on a limb. ‘I also heard that the bodies found in the facility were infected with an unknown bacterium and virus. How do you suppose Pahwa, if he is the one responsible, got his hands on not one but two new microbes and conducted clinical trials on over one hundred people in your medical centre without anyone knowing about it?’

Saxena’s face hardened. Clearly, this question had struck a nerve. ‘I’d really like to know who your sources are,’ he said grimly, now making no effort to appear pleasant. ‘You certainly seem to know a lot of unsubstantiated things. You are levying serious allegations against Titan, which are unsupported by any evidence. Unfortunately, what this tragic episode proves is that somewhere our controls failed. The staff at the centre were only carrying out their duties, conducting tests and taking samples and so on, in the mistaken belief that they were officially approved. We are looking into our internal systems and will ensure that we have a failsafe process to ensure that this is not repeated. Of that, I will personally assure you.’

He leaned towards her, his face stony and dark with suppressed fury. ‘And I know you will not run this story, Seema. Do you know why?’

Radha said nothing. Something in his tone was unnerving. Had she gone too far?

‘Because,’ Saxena continued, ‘you have no evidence. If you run a story like this, slandering Titan Pharmaceuticals, we will sue your newspaper for every rupee it has. And I’m sure your editor is not going to take that risk.’

Radha found her voice. ‘What if we do find the evidence?’ She gazed back at the CMO defiantly, even though her heart was in her mouth.

Saxena smiled unpleasantly at her. ‘You won’t. And I will suggest that you don’t even try. It could be dangerous.’

‘That sounds like a threat to me, Dr Saxena,’ Radha fought to control herself. Her lower lip quivered slightly.

Saxena’s tone changed immediately. The mask of pleasantness was back. ‘Oh no, not at all,’ the forced smile returned to his face. ‘All I am saying is that if someone was using our premises to run illegal clinical trials, and they were able to hide it from us for so long, they may not stop at anything to ensure that they and their nefarious plans remain concealed. They may not take too kindly to a reporter sniffing around, trying to unearth their secrets.’ He stood up, indicating the meeting was over. ‘You’re a nice young lady,’ he concluded. ‘I would hate to see anything happen to you. So please do be careful.’

Radha nodded, dumbfounded. She had no illusions about what she was hearing. She quickly shook hands with Saxena and left.

After she had gone, Saxena sat back in his chair and studied the ceiling lights for a few moments. Then he sighed and pulled out his mobile phone.

‘Saxena here,’ he said when the call had connected. ‘There’s something you need to know.’

22

The secret journal

‘Sure,’ Vijay cleared his throat. ‘Let’s see. It is a bit confusing. Different sources say different things about Eumenes. But from what I could glean it seems that he was one of Alexander’s generals who got caught up in the civil war that followed Alexander’s death. He also supported Olympias in her efforts to retain the Macedonian throne for her grandson, eventually losing his life in the process. It also appears that he was a scholar and maintained the royal diaries for Alexander on his Asia expedition.’

‘That’s a pretty good summary considering you didn’t have a lot of time to research both Callisthenes and Eumenes,’ Alice observed. ‘Eumenes had also been the secretary for Alexander’s father, Philip II. And, after Philip died, Eumenes became the chief secretary for Alexander, in addition to being one of his key generals. After Alexander’s death, his generals fought bitterly over the division of the kingdom. Eumenes has been acknowledged by most sources to have been a very able general, but it seems luck was never on his side. It’s a long story but I’ll give you a quick synopsis. He escaped death once, having been sentenced to be executed by the generals who rebelled against Perdiccas, who was Alexander’s chosen successor. But death pursued him in his battle with Antigonus, another general of Alexander. Despite defeating Antigonus, Eumenes was betrayed by his own satraps and was executed by Antigonus in 316
bc
. It is said that he destroyed all his documents and journals before the battle with Antigonus. There’s no mention of a secret journal in any historical record available, though.’

‘You think this is a fake?’ Vijay asked, a bit fiercely. Colin raised an eyebrow at the note of aggression in his tone.

Alice was studying the journal now. She didn’t seem to have noticed. ‘Doesn’t seem like it,’ she muttered, half to herself. ‘According to the introductory note by the translator, Lawrence Fuller, he acquired a set of papyrus documents in pretty good condition from an antiquities dealer in Egypt in 1954 when he was part of a team involved in an excavation near Cairo. Fuller has also added extensive notes and annotations. But I don’t understand how or why this journal would end up in Egypt. Eumenes died in modern day Iran.’ She looked up at Vijay. ‘Where did you get this from?’

Vijay explained how he and Radha had unearthed the journal earlier that day. ‘My parents were historians,’ he concluded, ‘working with the Archaeological Survey of India.’

‘Fascinating,’ Alice murmured, turning her attention back to the journal. ‘It seems that the papyrus documents were in pretty good condition but there were fragments missing. Fuller, whoever he was, has done his best to translate in a manner that the meaning is not lost, but it makes for difficult reading with all the missing words.’

‘I wonder how your parents came by this journal,’ Colin wondered aloud. ‘They must have known this Fuller guy.’

Vijay shrugged. ‘I was too young,’ he admitted, ‘and, unfortunately, not too interested in their work at that time. I have no idea who their friends were or if Fuller was one of them. I wish I knew, though. It would have been nice to be able to contact him and talk to him about my parents.’ A wistful note entered his voice.

‘Okay, I don’t have the patience to go through the entire journal right now,’ Alice concluded, her voice betraying her excitement. ‘Tell me the gist of it.’

‘According to Fuller, the journal is actually in two parts and there’s a letter as well in there,’ Vijay began. ‘The part about Callisthenes seems to be written by Callisthenes himself, but was apparently excised from
The Deeds of Alexander
by Eumenes, who then made it part of his own journal. According to Callisthenes, Alexander had sent him on a secret mission during the expedition to the Sogdian rock. There’s a lot missing in this story because this part of the journal was pretty badly damaged. So it isn’t very clear exactly what the objectives of his mission were. But there is quite a bit about his wandering through the forests of Bactria, examining trees and leaves. It didn’t make any sense at all.’

‘That’s it?’ Alice thought this was a bit anti-climactic.

‘That’s all there is to that story. Callisthenes returned, his mission successful, and Alexander professed his undying gratitude for his service.’

‘And then he executed him shortly thereafter,’ Colin chuckled. ‘Talk about mood swings.’

‘Does the journal say exactly what Callisthenes found in Bactria?’ Shukla spoke up softly. He had been sitting quietly all this while, studying the ivory cube and listening to them talk.

Vijay referred to his notes and shook his head. ‘There’s nothing here in Fuller’s translation. Unless it was in the original papyrus documents and that part was damaged.’

‘That does sound plausible,’ Alice remarked. ‘Callisthenes did go on several scientific missions during the invasion of Asia by Alexander. But it is surprising that there isn’t more to this story. What he was doing in the forests of Bactria, for example.’

‘The Eumenes story is a bit more interesting. Brace yourselves.’ There was a twinkle in Vijay’s eyes. ‘According to Eumenes, Alexander had been given a parchment with six verses, by his mother, which would help them find what he calls “the secret of the gods”. Eumenes doesn’t disclose what the secret is, but he says that the verses on the parchment were instructions to help Alexander locate the secret. The two of them left the army one night, carrying a small leather pouch and an oilskin bag, the contents of which Eumenes was not privy to. They found the secret location, which was inside a rock shaped like a serpent with five heads. Alexander left Eumenes behind and was gone for quite a while. When he returned, his breastplate and the leather armour were wet, as if he had been splashing around in a pool. Eumenes didn’t know what happened that night, but he ends by saying that Alexander had found the secret of the gods and from that night onwards, he, too, had become a god.’

There was silence when Vijay finished.

‘That’s some story,’ Alice spoke up finally. ‘It certainly ties into what the historical record says about Alexander proclaiming himself a god and wanting to be worshipped. But the story itself sounds a bit like something out of the Alexander Romances.’

‘I’ve heard about those,’ Colin said. ‘See, I’m not quite ignorant about Greek history. Isn’t that a collection of stories about Alexander?’

‘Well, I wouldn’t quite call it Greek history, Colin,’ Alice smiled at him. ‘The Greek Alexander Romance
was written by an unknown Greek author who is today referred to as
Pseudo-Callisthenes
. The Romances survive in three versions, each more fantastic than the other and the earliest manuscript dates from the 3
rd
century
ad
. They contain stories about Alexander that are too fantastic to be believed. More fantasy than history, actually.’

Colin grinned. ‘Of course I knew that,’ he protested. ‘Seriously.’

Alice was mulling over what Vijay had just told them. ‘The only quest that Alexander embarked on was conquering the world. That’s pretty well established in history.’ She was still unmoved. ‘And even if we assume, for a moment, that he was on some mysterious quest to find this “secret of the gods”, Eumenes doesn’t describe anything valuable that was found. All he says was that Alexander went into the rock alone and came back with his armour wet.’

‘Maybe he found the swimming pool of the gods,’ Colin grinned. ‘That would be pretty exclusive, no?’

Alice made a face at him. ‘That’s funny, Colin. But seriously, this really sounds like the farfetched tales in the Alexander Romances. Painting Alexander as a god was commonplace in all versions of the Romances. Maybe that’s why Eumenes didn’t include this narrative in his official records. It was just too fantastic to be true.’

Shukla cleared his throat and addressed Vijay. ‘Does Eumenes say what the six verses were about?’ he enquired softly.

‘I thought you’d never ask,’ Vijay’s expression revealed that he was about to disclose something momentous. ‘He’s actually recorded each verse in the journal and Fuller kindly translated each one. Some of the words are missing, but you’ll get the gist of each verse anyway. Here goes.’

He turned a page in his notebook and began reading.