Cure

The three red letters loomed large in the background as Tim took the stage. TED meant something. For idealistic young man, it meant legitimacy and all that he and Nick, his longtime friend and business partner had hoped to accomplish in this world.

When he first presented his idea of synthetic neurotransmitters the scientific community had scoffed but that had been over fifty years ago. When the idea of hacking the genome hadn’t been thought of and harnessing the mind invoked visions of LSD, mystics and conspiracy theories of MKUltra.

The world was beyond that now. With the uptick in mental illness and neurologic disease, everyone was open to suggestions. He would lead the way fashioning himself as the messiah for a new generation.

20 Years Later

“Particle size,” he hissed as he poured another glass of whiskey. He turned looking at the others as brought the glass up to his lips and took a long swig. He closed his eyes relishing in the smoothness of the dark amber liquid.

“It’s too small, way too small. The drug is pretty much released upon injection. Hell, a third of it is released when the injection vehicle is added.”

He rubbed his free hand across his eyes.

Michelle ran her hand through her dark brown hair a few strands came loose tangled around her fingers. She quickly stuffed them in her pocket of her blazer.

“We can’t tell that to the congressional committee.” She sighed, “we sure as hell can’t tell that to the FDA.”

Daniel had been hesitant, but decided to speak. He was the newest member everyone around the table had been on the board since the company’s inception.

His seat only came available after the unfortunate home invasion and murder of William J. Preston, suspect still hadn’t been found. Just like everyone on the outside he had heard the rumors and he always chose his words with great care he wanted to avoid being on Tim’s hit list.

“Why don’t we put the project on hold.” He looked around the table, “we can stand another six months of development, and another two to three months of clinical, right?”

Tim spoke, “we already sunk 250 million into this mess. NeuroHack is on the verge of bankruptcy and all of us,” he gestured around the room, “are looking at a minimum of twenty years for falsifying scientific data.”

Under Tim's intense gaze, Daniel leaned back in his chair it creaked under his weight.

Michelle spoke deciding to try and alleviate some the tension. The minimalistic but bright and colorful décor did not match the mood of its occupants.

“How about we spin it? Use the results from last December’s trials? We can re-do the letter head tweak a few things here and there. I can have it ready in the morning.”

Nick stood, “this is…”

Tim tossed his glass onto the table the liquid sloshed and spilled on the documents Michelle had spread over the surface. No one dared move or bother to clean up the mess.

Abruptly he rounded the table stopping inches in front of Nick.

"What is it, Nick?”

Nick swallowed hard he wouldn’t back down not even under Tim’s hard stare. His eyes bore into the tall brown skinned man's.

“I don’t know if I can go along with this. This is ridiculous. You are talking about fabricating data and making tweaks,” he lingered on the last words he hands going up forming air quotes.

“These are people’s lives we are discussing here, Tim.”

His eyes searched those of his business partner and longtime friend. They had a coldness to them; he had known his friend to be pragmatic maybe at times ruthless, but they always operated within the confines of morality, ‘first do no harm’ had always been more than just words to them. Or at least that did in the past.

“I've told you before Nick we are not having this discussion again. You will do whatever I ask you to do, tomorrow you will go before the committee, and you will testify that our C39 viral neurotransmitter works and that’s it’s effective in treating schizophrenia.” He grabbed Nick by the collar of his shirt pulling him close, the tip of their noses nearly touching.

“You will also tell them the phase one clinical trials were successful yielding a 98% reduction in schizophrenic episodes.”

Nick wrestled out of Tim’s grasp.

“I won’t be bullied.” He stood firm.

Jane had remained silent watching the scene unfold.

She stood, “gentlemen please,” she looked at her watch, “the hearing is in twelve hours, we need a plan and a good one. We have two choices, we can either go in there and say results weren’t what we anticipated and hope no one connects the dots on this, or we can save ourselves and say everything went well. That we are ready for Phase III. They approve the contract we can use that funding to reset, try again.”

Tim stood silently thinking on Jane’s proposal. Several others around the table nodded glade to hear alternative suggestions.

Nick glared at Jane before he looked around in disgust and disbelief, “these are real people,” he walked over to the large screen and pointed at the picture of a young girl.

“She was twelve; she walked in front of a train last week after receiving the first dose of the C39. This man,” he touched the bottom left of the screen bringing up the video from their test facility, “started convulsing and bleeding from his eyes before he walked to the window and started banging his head against it until the front of his skull caved in crushing his frontal lobe! The nurses had been too afraid to stop him!”

Tim placed his hands on his hips, “that’s…” he paused searching for the proper words, “unfortunate, but we know this works, it has to; it’s the release.” He whispered the later part to himself as he brought his hand up to rub the stubble on his chin.

“It’s fine in vitro Tim, not in vivo we knew that before we injected the first dose in a human.”

He swiped to the left bringing up another photo, this one of an elderly woman.

“What about the C10,” he pointed again at the screen. His lips now formed a thin line, Michelle sighed and looked up at him.

She silently pleaded with him to stop too much was at stake and Tim would not lose, not after spending twenty-four years and the bulk of his massive tech fortunate on building the company. They all knew Tim wasn’t above eliminating dissenters, sometimes through intimidation often through permanent means.

“This woman was in the early stages of vascular dementia, three days later she was dead after being given the first dose of C10. The viral mRNA had attached to the myelin sheaths in her brain and started degrading her neurons. The woman spent her final days strapped to a bed having seizures!” He shouted.

“Goddamit Nick!” Tim began to pace, “what would you have me do!”

“The right thing Tim, we started this company to help people, to cure mental illnesses and neurological diseases, not cause people to lose their minds and bash in their skulls!”

Jane slapped the table causing Daniel, Renee, and Heather to jump Michelle held her breath.

“Enough! please, enough.”

“No, Jane, this has gone too far, we have done this for too long. This isn’t adding a few zeros on budget sheets. We are lying to the American people and the government using faulty data and burying bodies. It has to stop.”

He returned to his chair but didn’t’ sit.

“It’s time somebody did the right thing,” he picked up his suit jacket, “I think I’ll be that somebody,” he slowly put it on, “I suggest you get your affairs in order, if I were you, I’d call my lawyers and let them know what's about to happen. In the morning, I will tell them everything Tim.”

The stout middle-aged man looked at his longtime friend, “you would do that? After everything we’ve built. What about everything we believe in, Nick?” his tone almost pleading.

“We need more than belief,” his tone had taken on a sadness, “you’re out of control.”

He grabbed his briefcase from the table and left leaving the heaviness of the room.

Tim sighed and sat.

Daniel rubbed his eyes in an attempt to disguise his relief. He wouldn’t say it aloud, but he agreed with Nick, they were getting too big and taking too many risks.

With the increasing rates of mental illness, suicides, neurological issues and NeuroHack’s promise of a solution all based on fabricated data they were the government’s golden child landing 92% of the multi-billion-dollar contracts issued by the Senate.

They were dangerous.

Present Day

Suicide rates have spike in the last decade within the aging millennial population. There are fears there won’t be anyone left of the last generation to know what Blockbuster and VHS tapes are, the reporter chuckled before once again turning serious.

Mason rolled her eyes before looking over at her parents. Her mother kept looking at her during the news report.

She was working from home, six co-workers three her age, two older, and one younger had all committed suicide within a week of each other. It wasn’t just at her company it was everywhere. In the past month, 20,000 millennials had committed suicide all around the country.

Initially, it had been dismissed as a fad, then rumors began to swirl of a cult. As the numbers rose above three thousand the conspiracy theorists began to report it as the byproduct of chem trails and tainted bottled water some had even pointed fingers at Starbucks causing the company to take a huge financial dip.

As the numbers hit one hundred thousand the government took notice declaring a national emergency and shut down the country for a much-needed time of prayer and healing. It wasn’t said on the news but rumors of bio terrorism started popping up in the blogs.

The numbers tripled within the first week of the nation’s self-imposed exile, but that was ten years ago. With the passing of Amendment CURE everyone was required by law to undergo genetic testing at first there were the usual, protests, riots, they even tried a boycott.

With the fearmongers and the religious right preaching of the end of days and the numbers increasing higher it was easy for them to come in and pass laws forcing mediations on people in the name of saving humanity and the jumpers from eternal damnation.

10 Years Later

Tired of feeling down? NeuroHack is here to help. Our new line of safe effective naturally derived neurotransmitters are now available.

Mason looked at the billboard the this was the fourth one she had passed in a two-block span. NeuroHack had won the battle of the big pharma companies effectively and officially taking down tHERapies and they had put sleepers in the smaller companies destroying them all from within. Either they chose bankruptcy closing their doors for good or they were acquired by NeuroHack and rebranded as subsidiaries.

The only competitor remaining was BRAINstorm, the war was still waging both companies losing CEOs, founding members and a few lead scientists to unexplainable accidents. Both companies had racked up a significant body count and taking a position at either could end a career, literally.

With the passing of Amendment CURE everyone with a 15% or greater chance of developing a mental illness or neurological disorder were required by law to seek treatment. NeuroHack was sought to be the main supplier soaking up the majority of the multibillion dollar contracts and grants, BRAINstorm came in at a close second snatching what was left.

The whistling of the train drew her attention away from the billboard.

The train reminded her of last week during the PR meeting at NeuroHack, a young woman had received the new HAPIE shot, the latest synthetic neurotransmitter rolled out from the research and development department. The young woman went to work took the elevator to the 22nd floor of her building opened the window and proceeded to jump out.

The PR team and the NeuroHack backed news outlets reported the woman was pushed by someone from the Holdout, a group of antiCURERS and against the State mandated wellness movement. There were rumors in the department that they had been threaten into going along with the story. The woman’s family had been paid off and relocated up state.

Mason had worked there for over four years more than likely they were threatened but she wouldn’t voice that out loud for fear of her own safety.

She was a scientist in Research Development and Innovation, she along with the team of twenty thought it up making small scale batches and sending off samples to the lab along the different phases of the process.

They took the necessary samples sometimes more than required but it wasn’t the sampling that was the problem but the results.

They weren’t good, they were never good always out of specification, particle size too low allowing the drug to be realized too soon into the patient. Under Amendment CURE with sufficient evidence a company could skip the animals. Not that you would have much trouble from the activist. PETA was outlawed in 2032, you can now go straight into human trials.

The week before, Eileen, the lead scientist on Project Voices, wasn’t afraid to voice her displeasure nor her disagreement with the direction of the project. Voicing her opinion wasn't the problem for the woman always produced the desired the result in the end, but she had taken it too far by standing up to Tim doing a presentation to the Board of Directors.

The meeting ended with her making a big fuss about the results even going so far as to refuse to sign off on the proposal to move to Phase II.

That’s all Mason knew when she went on the state required vacation to one of the government ran wellness hotels. She returned that Monday to her collogues passing around a card of condolences for Eileen’s family.

Accidental electrocution was the official cause, but Mason knew. Everyone did. She stood staring at Eileen’s work bench. It was empty now.

“Psst,”

The hiss was whispered but strong and she turned around searching out the noise.

“Psst.” It was stronger now and Mason turned to find Alex standing around the corner near the solvent cabinets. He did a weird jerking motion with his body beckoning her to come near. She looked around; he did the same leaning further into the room but being sure not to cross the threshold into the lab area.

She rolled her eyes as she slowly approached hands in her dark blue lab coat. Once she got within arms reach he grabbed her and pulled her in the small closet and shut the door. Darkness enveloped them temporarily as the overhead shatter resistant lights slowly came on. The light gave Alex’s tan skin a sickly glow.

She sighed, “what is this about Alex? I got a lot of work to do.”

“Shhh, keep your voice down.” He placed his finger to his lip his eyes going wide.

“What?” she hissed leaning closer.

He breath deep and he firmly gripped her upper arms.

“I have proof they killed Eileen.”

Silence.

There was nothing to say and Mason tore out of his grasp reaching for the door handle. Another trick, NeuroHack wasn’t above deploying spies and Mason was determined not to fall for one of their schemes. She wouldn’t be another on the job accident, Shawn came to mind causing her to push at door harder.

“No, no, Mason please! I have proof, real proof!” He raised his voice slightly causing her to pause and look at him.

“I don’t believe you. You are some type of spy, I have worked here four years, I know their tricks.” She hissed looking around the tight closet.

“No, I am no spy, you know me!” The tall Asian man blocked the door his eyes pleading; he looked on the verge of tears.

She sighed and lightly bit down on her bottom lip. It was insanity but she agreed to meet him after work.

She drove to the man’s apartment in a daze and disbelief. Not at the accusation of his claim to have proof that their boss was murdered but that she was entertaining him by coming to see said evidence.

It could be a trap and one that she was willing walking into.

She drove up to the gate punching in the code he had written on the post it note. He had passed her the damp square as he was leaving pressing it into her hand along with the sample she had requested.

Mason arrived to the floor of the small loft apartment the chime of the sterile elevator made her jump slightly. Mason had half a mind to hit the door close button and return to the parking garage but her curiosity wouldn’t let her turn back.

Slowly, she walked down the long hall searching out the number 3111 each step felt heavy, and she couldn’t help but wobble slightly despite the fact she was wearing platform sneakers.

The number 3111 seemed to melt, and it felt as if the brightly lit hall was spinning. Mason quickly knocked when he didn’t immediately, answer paranoia got to her, and she turned and started to hurry down the hall.

Halfway to the elevator she heard a loud and harsh psst behind her. She stopped and debated whether to turn around or keep going. She glanced at her smart watch; it wasn’t too late to hit Trader Joe’s and grab a bottle of wine. She could drown herself with the mild liquid as a movie she didn’t care to see played in the background. That’s how she spent most Friday nights now.

She turned slowly finding Alex’s head sticking partially through the threshold of his apartment. He stuck his long arm around the doorframe and began to frantically wave her over to him. Her legs moved before she could think, and she didn’t fully comprehend her actions until she was in his apartment heading over to his computer.

Alex took her coat and purse from her and threw them on the small love seat the coat slide to the floor her purse landed on its side spilling out a few of its contents.

He stood mumbling to himself as he walked to the window pulling peeking out of the thick black curtains. The room was illuminated by several lamps and there was folders and papers littering the room. She turned her attention back to Alex he had stopped and was staring at her, he looked worried which caused her to worry. Mason was beginning to think this was a bad idea and that she needed to leave.

He sighed, “I need to show you this. I have to show somebody what I saw. Follow me.” He headed just a few feet to the large desktop that seemed to be the center point of the room. Alex had anticipated she would come and had put a second chair next to the desk.

Alex sat bringing up the folder where he had the video saved. Fear gripped Mason as the voice and images began to come across the screen. It was a man, he looked like those shadowy figures you saw on some true crime show and head of the company Tim.

“I need her gone.” Tim stood and walked around the large desk and sat on the corner.

The man standing with his hands behind his back spoke.

“When?”

“Today preferably but if you don’t have any availability then tomorrow at the latest. I just need her gone before Monday. I need it to look like an accident.”

The tall man cut Tim off and from the tone of his voice he sounded agitated.

“A job this fast is going to cost you.”

Alex had watched her as the video began to play he paused it when her hands flew to her mouth.

She slowly face him.

"You have to delete this. NOW."

Alex looked back at the screen before turning his attention back on her.

"No, I can't, it's time someone took him down and you are going to help me do it."