Series 9 Rumours & Speculation

[femaleBertieWooster]

(26-10-2010 10:03 PM)Quill Wrote:  In 1995, UK was deeply invested in Nigeria after oil interests. Local activists against a UK/Dutch oil deal there were arrested and executed. There were allegations that they were falsely accused and the local government was just trying to smooth the way for the oil deal. See more here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...539561.stm

Let's suppose that Maya was an a doctor involved with some NGO working there at the time. And that John/Lucas was another idealistic Brit. Being young and naive, he may got involved in the whole political mess, maybe against British interests and the results were catastrophic. People died and he felt responsible. The only way to not bring Maya down with him would be to disappear and end this chapter of his life. And then, the perfect way to expiate for what he perceives as his crime presents itself as a recruitment into MI-5. This is why he's so dogged loyal to the service until now.

China has invested a lot in Africa recently, looking for energy sources for its exploding growing economy. If the Chinese have done their research better than MI-5, they might be after Lucas because of his past activities. He might still have valuable contacts in Africa and the Chinese may think that he would be easy to turn.

I know, I know, there are holes in this theory the size of the Chunnel: the MI-5 vetting process must be really terrible, Maya must be more than fabulous, Harry is an idiot, Lucas is a fantastic idiot... Kudos writers are really driving me bonkers!

Thanks. I was asking about this on the episode 6 thread.
Edit to add, this is the kind of event that would merit the story we're now getting on Spooks. Your theory is quite good. It would have been some kind of mission gone bad, ending in the nightmare in your link.
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Not going to click on the spoiler link below your post. Maybe the photo below should be a link in spoiler tags also. Did not want to hear or see that.

-----------------------------Edit for another thought

I didn't know if I should ask this in the episode 6 thread even though we've talked all around it a good deal. Going to spoiler tag it anyway.

Spoiler: show

Do we all accept that the real Lucas North is yet languishing in a Russian prison, elsewhere or dead? Harry must have known it was John not Lucas when they exchanged prisoners way back when. Did the Russians know?