by Don Viecelli
“Do you have any leads on the killer?”
“No, but we’re working on it. Whoever it was, knows how to handle explosives. He used a new compound only available to the military. We’re trying to identify him by his physical profile and background. Sam is searching the police database now. We should have something soon.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“The lab results are very unusual, Captain. Doctor Zheng is running more DNA tests for confirmation. The doctor’s DNA samples show him to be much younger than expected. The doctor was 85 years old according to his ID records, but the test results show the body’s cell tissues to be only 45 years old. It appears the doctor and his daughter was working on an anti-aging drug. They may have made a major discovery, one worth a lot of money. We brought the daughter in for questioning. She confirms the story.”
Captain Black’s expression remained neutral. Jack couldn’t tell if he was surprised or not. Jack waited for a response.
“Do you have any proof of this?” Captain Black finally asked.
“No, not yet. Everything was destroyed in the explosion on Ares. The killer stole around twenty vials of the drugs. The memcards are gone. Someone even broke into the doctor’s home here in the city and stole all the backup files. We think it’s the same person who broke into the lab on Ares. The suspect may be trying to find a copy of the drug formula. We have the memcards we found at the daughter’s place, but she says she doesn’t have a copy of the latest formula, which is what the dead doctor was working on. I need to see what’s on the cards. One more thing, Captain. The daughter looks like she is in her thirty’s. Her ID says she should be 60 years old. Something is going on here. If what she says is true, then this case may be much bigger than it looks. Somebody wants more than just the drug, he wants the discovery.”
“Write up your report, Jack. I’ll review it this morning. I need you and Tom to try and crack this case before word gets out to the media about the drug. Let’s try to keep everything confidential. I don’t want rumors to start before we know what we’re really dealing with here. Make sure Tom understands that too.”
“I understand, Captain. I’ll let Tom know. Is that all?” Jack felt very tired.
“Where’s the daughter now?”
“Tom took her to forensics to see her father’s body and run some tests. Then I told him to take her to a safe place until we decide what to do with her.”
“Sounds good. What are you planning to do next?”
“After I get some rest, I think I’ll visit a man named Ivan Hellstrom. He was funding the doctors’ research. Maybe he can supply us with more information. Do you know him?” Jack watched the captain closely to see his reaction.
Captain Black nodded his head and looked away for a second. “I’ve met him once or twice. Be careful with him. He has powerful connections. Don’t accuse him of anything without proof or I’ll hear of it through the commissioner. You got it, Jack?”
Jack was surprised at the captain’s tone. He sounded fearful of the man. Jack nodded back. “I understand, Captain. I’m just looking for information on his partnership with the doctors. The daughter says he was helping them with the patent on the drug. I think he was planning to produce and market the drug when it gets approved. The drug will be extremely valuable—if what she says about it is true.”
“All right, Jack. Keep me informed. Don’t tell anyone else about this discovery. Let me know how your meeting goes with Mister Hellstrom.”
“I’ll let you know what happens, Captain.” Jack stood up and left the room.
Chapter 9
Ivan Hellstrom strode into the large, executive conference room across the hall from his office in SpaceMed. It was early in the morning. He was the only one present. The lights automatically switched on. Rich mahogany panels enclosed the room from floor to ceiling. There were no pictures hanging on the walls to hide the real wood finish. The only window was hidden behind closed wooden shutters. A circular, polished marble conference table sat in the center of the room. Ten empty leather chairs were evenly spaced around the table. Above each chair hung a virtual hologram device that would emit a beam of light with a three-dimensional image of the person participating in the meeting.
Ivan sat down in the first chair. The control panel was positioned in front of him on the table. It was voice activated. “Control on,” Ivan commanded. The control panel lit up. “Verification code please.” Ivan responded with the proper verification code and continued. “Contact the following names.” Ivan spoke the names out loud and waited. Ivan had requested a special meeting with five people, who were all deeply involved in Ivan’s plan to steal the fountain-of-youth discovery.
The control panel selected the correct sequence of digits. As each call was processed, a transmitter was activated and a hologram appeared over one of the empty chairs. The first link to be established was to the central government office on Mars. As the image materialized, Ivan recognized the current Governorship of Mars, Alan Steed.
“Hello, Alan. It’ll be a moment before the others arrive.”
“Okay, I’ll wait,” Alan acknowledged and shifted his large, solidly built frame in the chair. He had a dark mustache and bushy eyebrows that exaggerated his politician look. Alan lit up a cigar and the smoke billowed up over his head. It looked real enough to smell.
The second image appeared next to Alan. He was a short, stocky man in his late fifties with a dark blue, tailored suit, light shirt and bright red tie. His name was Orlan Reddy and he was the main drug distributor on Mars.
“Hello, Ivan,” Orlan said as he spun around in his seat. “Hello, Alan. Nice to see you again.” Alan responded with a brief, “Hello, Orlan,” and continued to smoke his cigar.
A third image appeared in the seat next to Orlan Reddy. He was a tall, frail-looking black man in is late seventies named Wilson Jones. Wilson was a judge on Ivan’s payroll and was still wearing his long black robe from a court case.
“Hello, Judge.”
“Hello, Ivan. I hope I’m not too late.”
“No. I’m still waiting for the others to arrive. We’ll begin shortly.” Ivan continued to wait in silence. The final two holograms appeared almost simultaneously since they were from about the same distance away. In the chair across the table from Judge Jones appeared a distinguished looking gentleman with manicured hair and a gold bracelet around his wrist named George Tillman. He was sipping a cup of coffee. He was a Senator and the ranking member on the World Health drug approval committee on Earth. He flashed a wide smile to Ivan and the others and said, “Hello, gents”. They all responded in kind.
Next to Tillman, one more image appeared. Sitting upright in his chair was a small Asian man in his mid sixties named Fred Wu. Fred was the largest independent drug distributor on Earth. He was dressed in a light-colored business suit and looked tan. He greeted everyone as he turned towards Ivan.
“What’s this all about, Ivan?” Alan Steed asked impatiently.
As soon as all eyes were on Ivan, he began speaking. “I requested this meeting to fill you in on the latest developments regarding the anti-aging drug. There was a recent complication that had to be dealt with.”
“What complication?” Senator Tillman asked.
“Doctor Leif Johanson found out I was selling the drug and threatened to take the discovery to another pharmaceutical company.”
“What happened?” Alan asked.
“He had to be eliminated.”
“For Christ’s sake, Ivan! Was that really necessary?” Alan exploded.
“It was the only solution. He had to be stopped, or we would have lost everything.”
“What about the drugs in his lab?” Fred Wu asked.
“They were recovered. There were limited quantities. You know how long it takes to produce each vial.”
“And the formula?” George Tillman asked.
“I have the original formula for the patent. The doctor was working on a new formula that would speed up
the manufacturing process. I’m sure he discovered the solution, but it wasn’t on the memcards in his lab. I’m still looking for it.”
“Great! How are we going to find it?” Alan responded caustically.
“Don’t worry. I know who has it.”
“Who?” Orlan Reddy asked.
“I’m sure the doctor gave the information to his daughter, Ingrid. As soon as I find her, I’ll get the new formula.”
“You said we could start selling the drug this year,” Fred Wu said.
“Don’t worry. This will be the biggest discovery in history. Once I get the patent, no one will be able to take the drug away from us.”
“When do you plan to seek medical board approval?” Senator Tillman asked, mentally calculating how much time it would take, with his help of course.
“Soon. I’ll give you samples of the drug to test in a few weeks. I have a manufacturing site up and running now.”
“You do? Where?” Alan sounded surprised.
“On one of my space labs. The drug has to be manufactured in micro-gravity chambers. Once I have the new formula, I’ll be able to make as much of the drug as we need.”
“I’m worried about what happened to Doctor Johanson. It’s all over the news. Are you sure you can contain this?” Judge Jones asked.
“Don’t worry, Judge. Nothing can be traced back to me. The local police are investigating, but they won’t find anything. I have everything under control.”
“I hope you’re right,” Alan cautioned. “What about the daughter?”
“I’ll take care of Ingrid. She’ll help me find the latest formula.”
“All right, Ivan. When can we get more of the drug?” Alan asked puffing on his cigar.
“Soon. We should be able to get medical board approval within a few weeks with George’s help. Then we can begin selling the drug on a much larger scale. This is just the beginning, gentlemen. I’ll call another meeting as soon as I have more news. Are there any more questions?” No one responded. “Good. We’ll meet again soon.”
With that everyone, except Judge Jones, disconnected his comlink and the holograms disappeared. The judge waited until only he and Ivan were left in the room.
“Ivan, if you have a moment, I would like to ask a favor.”
“What can I help you with, Judge?”
“I would like more of the drug. I’ll pay you whatever you want.”
“How much do you need?”
“Three vials should be enough.”
“All right, Judge. I’ll have the samples delivered this afternoon. May I ask what you need it for?”
“It’s for my wife. She’s very ill.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Judge. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will. Thank you, Ivan.” Then Judge Jones’ hologram blinked off.
Ivan leaned back in his chair. Everything went as he expected. Now he just needed to tie up a few lose ends and have Ingrid brought to him. With a little coercion, he was sure Ingrid would tell him everything he needed to know.
Chapter 10
Jack walked back to his office after meeting with Captain Black. He was bone tired, but he needed to view Ingrid’s memcards to see what was on them. He sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. He removed the memcards from his pocket and put them on the desk. There were six of them. He found the piece of paper with Ingrid’s security code written on it. The code contained ten alphanumeric digits. It looked random, but he knew it must refer to some sort of mnemonic code, one that Ingrid could easily remember.
The memcards were numbered from one to six. He picked up the card marked number 6 and inserted it into his computer. The security code request appeared on his screen. He entered the code. The file screen opened. There was a list of files in various formats. He selected a file named ‘Draft Report’ and opened it. It was a word file describing the new discovery, production process, test procedures and trial results. This must be the report Ingrid was working on for publication.
Jack began to skim through the document. It began with the doctors’ research and how long it took to get to the final discovery of the anti-aging drug, a period of about five years. It was very technical, but Ingrid’s writing was clear and concise and she summarized their findings at the end of each topic. Everything seemed to confirm what Ingrid had told him and Tom during questioning.
The next part went into great detail how the drug was manufactured and why. Apparently, there had been many false starts and dead ends. Finally, they had found a formula that worked. They had tested it on live cells, both animal and human. The test results were positive. The cells regenerated. Then they tested the drug on live animals and showed how the animals became younger looking. The drug appeared to have regenerative powers. They had turned back the aging process. The only real problem remaining to be solved was how to produce the drug in larger quantities in order to make it affordable for the masses.
Then things got more interesting. Jack selected a file labeled ‘Human Trials’. It was a multimedia file with live participants. Ingrid appeared on the screen holding a microphone. She looked much older than she did now. Her hair was longer and whiter. Her face had more wrinkles and her skin was not as smooth. She was still good looking, but the vibrancy and beauty of her youth were missing. It was incredible. Jack noticed the resemblance, but the age difference was unmistakable. Ingrid introduced herself and said she was going to show the effects of the drug on human participants, starting with her father and herself. She had documented the results and had included them in this report. The first pictures were of Doctor Leif Johanson. He was in a different lab. Jack did not recognize the room. The doctor was much older. This was obviously before he had taken the drug. He looked excited, but professional, and took the time to explain what he was about to do.
“Hello. My name is Doctor Leif Johanson. I’m 85 years old. My daughter, Ingrid, is recording these pictures to document what we plan to do over the next several weeks. By now, you know about our discovery and how it works. Our purpose during this phase of testing is to show the drug’s actual effects on human subjects, in this case, me. I plan to take the drug to show how safe it is and how it works. I will take enough of the drug to regenerate the cells in my body and reverse the effects of aging by at least forty years. The process should take five weeks. I shall begin by taking the first dosage of the drug.”
Jack was amazed. Doctor Johanson really had taken the drug. The video jumped to the next scene, which was a week later. The doctor didn’t look much different. He took more of the drug and described how he felt. The scene changed again. Another week had passed by. The changes had become noticeable. The doctor looked healthier. His skin was smoother, tighter. He had less wrinkles on his face and hands. His hair looked fuller and less gray. Each week showed more changes in the doctor’s appearance. By week five, the doctor’s physical appearance had changed dramatically. He looked no more than forty-five years old. He seemed taller, more physically fit. He smiled at the camera, commented on the changes and said he felt wonderful. All the tests they ran were positive. They switched roles. Now it was Ingrid’s turn to test the drug.
Jack reflected for a moment. He wondered how it really felt to be young again. Doctor Johanson looked younger than his own daughter. This discovery could have unimaginable consequences. Parents could become younger looking than their children. One spouse could choose to be younger than the other. People could choose never to grow old again. It was mind-boggling.
Ingrid smiled and explained the process again. She planned to reverse thirty years of aging. “I really don’t want to be twenty again,” she joked to the camera. Jack watched as she took her first dose of the drug. The scene skipped forward one week at a time and documented the changes. The transformation was just as dramatic as her father’s. After four weeks, she had transformed into the beautiful woman Jack had just interviewed. It was almost beyond belief. There would be many who would demand more proof.
&n
bsp; Ingrid continued with a detailed explanation of how the drug worked and what genetic changes occurred in the body. It was way over Jack’s head and he jumped to the end of the video. Ingrid explained how they had tested the drug on other subjects with very similar results. They were currently working with a major pharmaceutical company in order to bring the drug to market as soon as possible. Ingrid summarized their findings and ended the video by saying the discovery would change the path of human development forever.
Jack believed her. This was a major discovery in the scientific community and it would have a profound impact on people everywhere. This just reinforced Jack’s feeling that Ingrid was in danger. Somebody wanted the drug bad enough to kill her father for it. Jack pulled out the memcard and put in the next one.
Card number 5 contained more test files. The first file was a report with a lot of medical terminology that Jack did not understand. Someone else would have to look at the data and interpret it for him. Maybe Doctor Zheng? Jack closed the file and opened card number 4.
It was another video, this time using other test subjects. Ingrid was in front of the camera. Ingrid explained the purpose of the trial and what they hoped to achieve. The participants were individually screened and selected. More than physical characteristics were required. They had to be emotionally and psychologically stable. Ingrid explained that most people would want to be young again, but not everyone would be able to handle it without counseling.