Mahadi nods and walks on. "And will you defy the plans and desires of MetaHuman's sinister founders and former leaders, if necessary? Will you turn the company away from its dark designs?" Mahadi takes a sip of wine and changes course. "You know, I met Anaru Katariki just a few weeks before her disappearance."
"Oh?"
He averts his inquiring gaze. "We only talked about the job. He didn't give me any indication that he was going to disappear the way he did. Specifically, we talked about Pentifrome Five."
Pentifrome Five is a malaria vaccine developed by MetaHuman that is currently undergoing human trials and looks set to be released for sale in the near future. It has the potential to significantly reduce the number of malaria cases in the poorest regions of Asia. It makes an individual immune to malaria with just one injection, although you are aware that there are other variants of Pentifrom that require regular booster doses to maintain immunity.
"Mr. Katariki spoke very persuasively about the effectiveness of Pentifrome Five," says Mahadi. "So much so that I am willing to place a substantial order right now on behalf of the agencies I represent. A single, effective vaccine for malaria is an attractive proposition. Of course, your company would make a lot more money if you were to supply a less effective drug, which required regular purchase of the booster treatment. Perhaps I could forget all about Pentiome Five and instead inform the agencies I represent about some less efficient product. Of course, I would expect a small percentage of all future transactions as a fee brokerage firm to establish such a business..."
Ahmed Mahadi is asking you to help him cheat his employers. If you conceal the existence of Pentifrome Five, you can secure repeat sales of the less effective malaria booster treatment in the future. Of course, you'll also be exploiting various health agencies in Asia and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to undergo regular injections rather than a quick, one-off vaccine.
"Did you talk to Anaru Katariki about this?" you ask. "And he was in favor of providing the less efficient variant of Pentifrome?"
"He was, yes."