So Troy hasn’t been conquered because its walls hold firm. But Crispinidas comes to a realization, “The enemy of my enemy, is my friend”. He makes a pact with Agamemnon to help him take over the city. He does this by weakening the City’s defenses from the inside. He starts raiding food stores to starve the army, burning military arms caches and causing enough of a ruckus to cause some military attention to turn to him, thereby stretching the army thin and barely adequate to keep the Greeks at bay. So in an attempt to quell a rebellion, the Trojans will weaken their army in the fight against the Greeks. Cancer also does same. Cancer cells create their own blood supply and feed on the nutrients meant for the upkeep of the body, making it insufficient to meet bodily needs. Cancer can also invade the bone marrow which causes the weakening of the immune system that is the body’s defense team. This leaves both the immune system and the patient thin. Some cancer treatments like chemotherapy have also been known to weaken the immune system. Rebellions are really difficult to stop.
This is surely an insurmountable position and the Trojans suffer through it. Crispinidas’ forces succeed in opening the gates, allowing the Greeks to enter and sack the city, after smashing through the now depleted army that is. After your body’s immune system is weakened, many dangerous pathogens gain access and wreak their own havoc in your body. Ultimately, the Greeks conquer Troy and leave Crispinidas, their close ally to rule. This would take away the sovereignty and beauty of Troy, a city symbolic of defiant beauty and freedom. Essentially killing its legend and the city along with it. Cancer eventually gets to very important areas like the heart, liver and the brain, rendering them woefully inadequate to function, leaving the body with no other alternative than to shut down and die. Cancer wins.
Sad, isn’t it? Let’s hope science eventually finds a cure. I might talk a bit about how close we are later. Till then, it’s been your friendly neighborhood Kaizer Man.
PS: Another route I could have taken with this story was to use the “Trojan Horse” as the introduction of a virus or radiation that goes to alter vital cell function, weakening the immune system and cause the body to suffer. Of course in the Trojan equivalent that would mean they would attack the palace, open the gates and allow the rest of their warriors to come in and sack the city. Well maybe next time...
