Strikers Instinct

by A. D. Rogers

  Luke nodded.

  “He was so proud when I graduated and even prouder when I joined the family practice. Sadly we didn’t have too much time to work together. You were a good friend back then – back when dad became ill. I’ll never forget your support.”

  Luke’s face clouded at the memory. It had been so unfair. Dr. Green senior had been a great doctor, caring, popular and very clever. However, things changed almost overnight when he was struck down by Alzheimer’s Disease. He quickly became unrecognisable and although Harry and his mother bravely took care of him – he deteriorated rapidly and sadly died at a relatively young age.

  Harry continued. “It was after dad became ill that I decided that if possible I was going to try to specialise in Dementia care and research. As you know – since then – I still keep my hand in as a GP but I also spend a lot of time at the hospital helping with dementia sufferers. Over the years I have managed to study with doctors from around the world and we are slowly building up a database that we hope will be helpful in the future.”

  “We all know how hard you work Harry,” Luke said, “in fact you work too hard – you need to take some time out for yourself occasionally – you won’t be any use to anyone if you burn out.”

  Harry smiled. “Don’t worry about me,” he said, “I still have mother keeping me on the straight and narrow!”

  Luke smiled – it was true that they joked about Harry still living at home with his mother in his forties but it worked well for both of them.

  Harry suddenly became serious again. “However, there’s also some other work I do – and that’s what we need to talk about now. Did I ever tell you exactly how Ed and I came to meet?”

  Luke suddenly realised that he had never asked that question before – for the last 10 years or so Ed and Harry seemed to have been colleagues if not exactly bosom buddies. He shook his head.

  “We met for the first time when Ed’s father was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.” Harry revealed.

  Luke was slightly surprised but given that Ed was about 10 years younger than both he and Harry, he realised that he didn’t really know that much about him.

  Harry went on. “I had started working with dementia patients at the hospital and Ed’s father was brought in. We did our best to make him comfortable and Ed and I started to become acquaintances – if not exactly friends. A few weeks after Ed’s father finally passed away I received a phone call asking me to meet up with Ed. I went along and we had quite an interesting conversation.”

  Luke grimaced. “I’m betting that Ed must have wanted something.” he said.

  “Absolutely correct!” Harry replied with a grin. “But there was also something in it for me. Ed proposed we set up a research trust in memory of both our fathers. He would put up most of the funds and I would provide the technical expertise.”

  “And what did he want from you in return?” grunted Luke.

  “Ed asked me to become involved with medical matters for the whole of Tierney Enterprises.” said Harry.

  “With no salary I suppose?” ventured Luke.

  “Exactly!” agreed Harry. “But he did offer me something a lot more interesting – and that’s the main reason I can’t walk away from Ed at the moment. Also – a few years later he bought Wishton Clough and Ed asked me to join the board and become Chief Medical Officer.”

  Luke was intrigued. “Well I already knew about the research facility and the involvement in the club but are you saying that there’s something else?”

  Harry nodded.”Yes,” he replied, “I also do some work for Ed at the canning factory.”

  Luke seemed puzzled. “Well we knew that you spent time there but we all assumed that you used the laboratory for research purposes looking into Dementia?”

  “That’s true,” answered Harry, “but there’s a bit more to it than that. The TxT drink makes millions of pounds a year for Ed but you can’t stand still in that industry – they are always looking for new product lines and that is where I came in. I agreed to be a sort of link between product research and the medical authorities. As you know – all drink additives have to be thoroughly tested and approved before they can go on sale and I became involved in looking for new additives. I viewed it as more of a hobby really – it provided some distraction from the dementia research.”

  “And once again I suppose Ed got you to do it free of charge?” asked Luke.

  “No,” replied Harry, “for this service he actually pays me quite well and I plough the money back into the research trust.”

  Luke frowned, “Seems like a pretty sweet deal – so what’s the problem then?”

  Harry hesitated before he spoke again. “Luke – what I have to tell you next is completely confidential – no-one else can know.”

  Luke seemed slightly offended but Harry held up his hands “I know, I know,” he said, “I feel ashamed even saying the words but I just need to stress how important this is.”

  “OK,” Luke seemed to accept what Harry said, “go on.”

  Once again Harry seemed to hesitate – as if he was unsure where to start. Finally he began again.

  “Most of the ingredients in so-called “power drinks” are very similar,” he said, “the main component is caffeine – because people need the rush, the buzz, usually to keep themselves awake. However, can you imagine what would happen if something was discovered that was completely natural but had no side-affects?”

  Luke stiffened. “Are you saying that you’ve found something?” he asked.

  Harry nodded. “Well – it wasn’t me who found it but I’ve been chiefly instrumental into developing the ingredient. We actually test loads of different things every year – some of them are weird and wonderful. A lot of what we look at is from the Amazon – there are thousands of plants, blooms, trees etc. that could hold the answer to many of the world’s health problems and we have barely scratched the surface. A few years ago we started looking at a fruit we found in the Colombian part of the Amazon basin – in a region called Putumayo.”

  Harry paused to sip his beer. “This fruit has largely been ignored by the natives because they find it more profitable to grow other – erm, more commercially viable products.”

  Luke grinned – he knew exactly what Harry meant.

  “Anyway,” Harry continued, “we started work with this fruit and the results have been remarkable. They have passed all our stringent tests and it will be the main ingredient in Ed’s new power drink – TxT Plus. We are checking and re-checking all our data but we are confident that we will be able to launch the new drink next year and Ed will make a fortune.”

  Luke didn’t know what to say. “Well,” he began, “that sounds great but it doesn’t really explain why you can’t walk away from Ed – unless he has you tied up with some kind of confidentiality clause?”

  Harry shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that,” he said, “the problem is that I think that the Putumayo fruit could eventually lead to a possible cure for Alzheimer’s!”

  CHAPTER 26

  Luke was stunned. “I don’t know what to say – you’ll have to tell me more.” he stammered.

  Harry smiled, “I was hoping for that kind of reaction!” he said. “Let me tell you the full story.”

  This time it was Luke’s turn to take a large swig from his bottle of beer.

  “I worked on the fringes of the team who were developing the new drink and I could see how excited they were about the new fruit,” said Harry, “so I took some samples away with me to the Dementia research facility. Although it’s fairly basic and we only have a small team we began to run some tests and the results were amazing.”

  “Amazing in what way?” Luke broke in.

  “Well – unexpected may be the better word.” replied Harry. “We found that the animals we tested it on reacted slightly differently but there was a general pattern to their behaviour. They all seemed to become more aware of their surroundings – more intuitive somehow. In certain tests th
ey seemed to be able to sense danger before it happened and they began to sort of predict when things would happen.”

  “That sounds weird.” said Luke uneasily.

  “Not at all.” said Harry. “We weren’t giving them something they didn’t have – it was as if their existing senses had been slightly heightened – and different animals had slightly different actions. The drug didn’t make them faster or stronger but seemed somehow to heighten their perspective or sharpen their instincts.”

  Luke nodded as if he understood but in reality he was just confused.

  Then Harry became more animated, “But the real breakthrough came when we gave the fruit extract to humans!”

  “Whoa!” said Luke, “You tried this out on people?”

  “Of course.” said Harry. “We’ve proved it’s a non-toxic plant extract with no side effects – I knew it wouldn’t cause any problems.”

  Luke couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “Well,” he asked, “what happened?”

  “I tried it on some patients who were showing severe signs of early-onset dementia,” said Harry excitedly, “and the results were amazing!”

  “You mean it cured them?” cried Luke.

  “Course not you idiot!” grumbled Harry, “but it did give them temporary relief and in some extreme cases for a couple of days they seemed more like their old selves.”

  “So what happened next?” asked Luke.

  “Well for the last couple of years I have been running extensive tests on different patients using different dosages. I’ve mostly kept the research to myself – the staff involved are very encouraged by the results but they think that I am using a combination of traditional drugs and therapy.”

  “And now?” asked Luke.

  “Well the big problem always has been that I can make a temporary improvement but I can’t make it last – but during the last six months I have been trying a new approach. What do you know about Nanotechnology?”

  Luke grunted. “Well I probably know a little bit more than the average bloke in the street but it wasn’t something we used too much – although it was becoming more popular in areas such as Artificial Intelligence.”

  Harry tried to explain. “I suppose what we have actually been trying to use is Nanomedicine – which is an extension of Nanotechnology. In its most basic form Nanotechnology refers to working with material that can be delivered in very small amounts to hopefully achieve improved results. The size of nanomaterials, therefore, hopefully means that this can be useful for biomedical research and applications.”

  Luke seemed lost.

  Harry went on. “New commercial applications in the drugs industry these days include advanced drug delivery systems, in other words – several companies have been experimenting with this kind of technology to deliver drugs in a new way. Targeted drug delivery will reduce side effects but also we can hopefully deliver them straight to the intended treatment area without being absorbed by surrounding material.”

  “Still not fully with you mate.” apologised Luke.

  “I thought you had a Masters Degree?” Harry grumbled.

  “I do,” argued Luke, “But I’m not Stephen Hawking!”

  “OK.” Harry smiled. “Simple as possible – I use tiny robots to carry the plant extract to the brain and attach it there permanently.”

  “Is that it?” asked Luke incredulously.

  “More or less.” said Harry. “In conjunction with the injection we still have to use regular doses of the plant extract in the traditional way but that’s about it.”

  “And that cures Alzheimer’s?” asked Luke incredulously.

  “Course it doesn’t!” said Harry angrily “How could you think that?”

  Once again Luke seemed totally baffled.

  Harry calmed a little. “So far I have managed to partially arrest the condition of patients with early-onset – and that is a massive step forward but we are still a long way from a full cure. We may never actually get there but this new treatment could be the biggest breakthrough for years. If we can treat people as soon as they start to show signs of dementia then we could change millions of lives around the world.”

  Finally Luke understood. “Harry that’s fantastic – you must be so proud.”

  Harry still seemed troubled.”I’m really pleased with the progress so far but hopefully now you see my problem?”

  Luke immediately understood. “Ed?” he asked.

  “Ed.” Harry agreed. “If he makes a link between my research and the main ingredient in the new drug then he may try to claim Intellectual Property which means he will try to license the treatment.”

  “That could be a big problem.” Luke agreed. “Intellectual Property is a big issue in the IT world at the moment. Under intellectual property laws, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works, discoveries and inventions. I guess Ed could claim that it was his company that made the discovery.”

  “Exactly.” said Harry. “I reckon I need at least twelve more months to cover my tracks so that Ed doesn’t get his hands on my work. That’s why I can’t afford to walk away from him at the moment – I don’t want him to close down the research facility and I also don’t want him to become suspicious.”

  “So what are you going to do?” asked Luke.

  “Nothing.” said Harry. “Well as far as Ed is concerned I’m going to do nothing but I’ll continue to cover my tracks and also I need to keep on with my research. And that’s where you may be able to help me. You did say that you would do anything to help?”

  “Wait,” said Luke, “hang on a minute – I’m not becoming some kind of guinea pig!”

  “Calm down.” said Harry with a grin. “I wouldn’t do anything to you that I haven’t already tried myself.”

  “You’ve tried this extract yourself?” asked Luke.

  “I told you it was harmless.” said Harry. “I’ve been taking it since we made the break through and it hasn’t done me any harm – in fact it has some interesting, beneficial side-effects.”

  Luke seemed more than sceptical so Harry continued.

  “As I said a few minutes ago,” explained Harry, “this new treatment won’t turn anyone into a super hero but there are other advantages. As far as I am concerned it has really helped me concentrate and I seem to be able to multitask much more easily.”

  “But you could do that before?” broke in Luke.

  “Exactly!” replied Harry excitedly, “But now I seem to be much better at it!”

  “So what you are saying is that it will just heighten existing instincts and talents?”

  “Eureka!” cried Harry, “By Jove he’s got it!”

  “OK,OK,” grinned Luke, “you’re still not too big for a slap!”

  Both men laughed and then Luke sat back to consider what Harry had just shared with him.

  “So what do you want from me?”

  “Pretty straightforward,” Harry answered, “I want you to become part of the study group. You will receive the initial nano-drug – which may or may not be a placebo – and then each day you will top it up with the new drink.”

  “How many are in the study group?” asked Luke.

  “Don’t worry about that,” answered Harry, “just remember that all of you will be doing vital work. In fact some of the group have already been taking the treatment for 18 months but I am always looking for new members.”

  “But you may not even give me the initial nano-drug?” asked Luke.

  “That’s correct.” answered Harry. “A valuable part of the study deals with the comparison between the two groups.”

  “But what about the football team?” asked Luke.

  “What do you mean?” replied Harry.

  “I know that I’m only really pretending to a footballer but I am a registered player and it could happen that at sometime in the future I may be asked to take a random blood test.” Luke explained.

  “Don’t w
orry about that,” replied Harry, “I told you that everything about this plant is completely natural – there are no stimulatives or sedatives so nothing would show up on a blood test. In fact – just to be doubly sure we will register you as an official member of the TxT Plus test group – then even if the plant extract does show up then you are fully covered.”

  Luke still didn’t seem sure. “If I agree to go ahead with this then what can I expect?” he asked.

  Harry shook his head. “We don’t really know.” he answered honestly. “In some cases nothing at all happens. In others there have been some interesting results. One person looked forward to having a bet on the horses at the weekend and he was always moderately successful – after he took the treatment, things improved dramatically!”

  “What do you mean?” asked Luke.

  Harry laughed, “Don’t worry,” he said, “it’s not like some kind of crystal ball – he just seems to look at the horses before a race and occasionally one just literally jumps out at him. He doesn’t win every time but his win ratio has certainly improved. As far as you are concerned I’m interested to see how you would react on the football pitch.”

  Luke stared at Harry.

  “We both know that some of the greatest goal scorers of all time haven’t been the most skilful players.” explained Harry. “They just seemed to know how to be in the right place at the right time. You are a decent footballer and even at your age I’m hoping that the plant extract will make you more aware of your surroundings – and now you are in the ideal environment to test it.”

  Luke nodded. “But it may not even affect me at all?” he asked.

  “Exactly,” agreed Harry, “but there are one or two things that I will guarantee. First of all – not a single person who has tried this product has had a problem – not one person. Secondly – the one thing I am sure about is that you will always get a good night’s sleep! That’s a great side effect! Finally – and probably most importantly – you will be helping us work towards perhaps conquering a cruel illness that destroys individuals and families alike.”