by Lynn Watson
‘Ooh, ouch, that’s not great news. I didn’t want my intuition to be right, although I kind of knew it would be. Did they identify what it is, the synthetic drug?’
‘No, it appears to be something new. It has some similarity to the drugs people are currently taking to enhance cognitive ability but it’s a novel combination, which is the way the system works. Each new product has its own unique mix of substances and the components are constantly altered to evade and keep ahead of regulation. Even if we found out exactly what it consists of, the make-up of the Junoco formula could change again in the coming weeks or months.’
‘I get it; that all figures with what I’ve unearthed myself and what I’ve learnt from you and Fred. I was fumbling forward but at some level I understood it had to be a double act to make it unique – one thing to release the imagination and another element to focus it and make it purposeful.’
‘Yes, it mirrors the psychological studies of creative individuals, when they tackle a problem. They begin by letting their mind wander, allowing spontaneous association that encourages new and unusual thoughts. They play around with the concepts and then switch to analytic mode, focusing in on the most promising idea and starting to refine it.’
Fran watched the excited children as she walked, realising they had chosen the best possible setting and activity for their conversation: strolling side by side without any particular destination, surrounded by nature, water and human activity and not constrained by directly observing the other person’s mood and reactions. She sensed Alice wanted to add something else and waited until she was ready.
‘When I woke in the early hours last night, I was thinking about the research project we’re carrying out for the government, the one led by Professor Fred, Bright Minds. I’m taking it on trust that the brain nutrients and supplements we’re planning to use in the study are safe for the children and their effects, if any, will be beneficial. I’ve left this to Fred and his team of neuroscientists, but after this lab analysis on Junoco I’m wondering if I should ask some questions, or even do an investigation of my own – not at the university, obviously, but I have other contacts with access to lab equipment.’
Fran’s mind was racing. She had been hoping for reassurance about Junoco, that it was as wholly natural as she’d been told. The idea that it might not be true had deeply unsettled her, because it made her question her trust in Daniela and the whole venture. However, now that Alice was giving the facts in her measured, academic way, she felt excited, elated even. Okay, she knew she was naive but as it turned out, not completely gullible. And what was the problem, anyway? Was it a deal-breaker, a reason to cut and run?
She thought of her powerful bond with Judi and Andy, her friendship with Vicky that grew closer by the week, the other promising relationships. And now here she was, walking along beside Alice and forging another new attachment over Junoco and the Bright Minds project. Daniela had good reasons for holding back on information, as Vicky had often reminded her. The customer feedback was strongly favourable. Junoco could turn out to be a magnificent gift to the world.
They were distinctly chilly by now and decided to head to the Science Museum for a coffee. In the museum café, Alice broadened their conversation by talking about recent discoveries relating to the networks of genes that might lie behind the inherited aspects of human intelligence and cognitive ability.
‘Once the genes are identified and their various roles understood, it may be possible to modify them to help people who have learning disabilities, schizophrenia or epilepsy. The spin-off, as usual, will be potential cognitive enhancement for people without any health problems and conditions. It’s a long way off but I suspect the work on gene editing and stem cell research is more significant and will ultimately reduce demand for cognitive-enhancing substances. There’s a world of difference between using drugs to stimulate or inhibit natural brain processes and making fundamental alterations to our genes and cells. Having said that, unregulated substances and modified food and drink will still be easier to get hold of and self-administer, for someone who doesn’t have any recognised medical need, so maybe there will be a long-term future for them on the black market and in the dark recesses of the internet, or whatever may replace it in the future.’
Fran responded by gesturing towards the museum shop, with its high stacks of toys, books, games and gadgets. ‘Then what about artificial intelligence, the onward march of the robots? Today’s one-trick toy robot will be tomorrow’s captain of industry. Maybe we won’t need to enhance our brains because intelligent machines with advanced learning systems can do it all for us. Stuff like Junoco will be old hat, surplus to requirements. It’s a horrible thought but we might not even need chocolate any more, it will all be about pills or patches.’
‘Not quite yet, thankfully, but things are moving so fast in robotics, we can’t predict very far ahead. It’s all too much to think about and I have to concentrate on my work with Fred and his team…’ Alice paused and looked directly at Fran. ‘If you’re up for it, we can put our heads together and tackle both dilemmas, if that’s what they are – Bright Minds and Junoco.’
‘I’d love to, Alice. I have to think about my position and who I can trust, besides you. There’s Ned and Vicky… Yes, let’s go away and think about it. Would you like to try the chocolates? I have a box in my bag and I can brief you in a couple of minutes on how to take them.’
‘I’ve already tried them, remember: you handed me two boxes for testing. I slayed dragons all night and the next morning I wrote a brilliant paper on the appeal and value of cognitive-enhancing substances, except it was more of a polemic than a reasoned argument, far too biased and spacey!’
They parted outside the museum and Fran made her way back to the tube station, her mind brimming with new connections. The second chocolate, the gold one, contained more of the synthetic drug. However, the natural berry seeds were possibly the more dangerous part, being hallucinogenic and unstable if taken on their own. It was like with the CIA programme Alice had mentioned, where they experimented with LSD as a mind-control weapon and eventually decided they couldn’t control the drug or rely on it to behave as they wanted. Perhaps they had solved the issue now, because hadn’t she heard on the radio recently that new research was going on into using LSD for medicinal purposes – for depression, was it?
The streets were full of shoppers and day trippers streaming in and out of the galleries and museums. A gathering crowd waited to cross at the traffic lights, which turned green for pedestrians while she was still some distance away. She speeded up and reached the edge of the pavement with the green man flashing and the bleeping sign warning of three seconds to get to the other side, now two. People were still crossing beside her and she stepped forward, her mind elsewhere. When she was halfway across, with the cars, taxis and motorbikes revving up to race through the lights, her feet got entangled and she tripped up, one foot catching on the bottom of her other trouser leg.
She fell in slow motion, throwing both hands out to protect herself and hitting the tarmac of the road with her open palms, inside wrists and the end of her chin. She heard the squeal of brakes but was temporarily stunned and didn’t react, simply failed to move. Then she was aware of loud voices, shouting and waving. A young woman was helping her up, half-dragging her to the kerb and out of danger. Others had clustered around now, asking if she was all right, but she could see only the fair-haired young woman who was about to turn and melt into the crowd. It was Marina, exactly as she had drawn her in her early twenties: the flowing curls; the kind, open face; the same nice physique as their mother Eleanor had in the photos from her youth, as Fran had herself. It matched perfectly, no shred of doubt.
‘Marina!’ she screamed. ‘Come back!’
A middle-aged woman bustled forward with an air of self-importance. ‘Keep calm, it’s all right, I’m a nurse. Let’s see; look up for a moment. You’re going to need a couple of stitches under your chin. Can I examine your hands
?’
Fran held out her hands, still looking ahead through the crowd but yielding in her sudden and mortifying helplessness to the nearest undisputed authority.
***
She had to rest at home for a few days after her fall. Her shins were grazed and bruised from her forward slide across the road and both wrists hurt, as they had taken the force of the jolt. The three small stitches under her chin were minor and would be taken out next week. She felt grateful to have got off so lightly, remembering the noise of the motorbike – she was sure there had been a motorbike – revving up at the lights as she lay directly in its path. That young woman had been her guardian angel, whether she was actually there or was a figment conjured up in the shock of the moment.
The enforced pause and time alone gave her space to reflect on her experience in London so far and to mull over the issues and decisions that confronted her. There was Andy, for a start. She had hoped to drop in on him after her family visit at Christmas, but he had failed to return her first two calls and then said he had Judi’s daughter Zoe to stay for several days and it didn’t feel right for Fran to come at the same time. It could be the emotional blow of his first Christmas without Judi, but if that were so, she felt he should want to share it with her, either in spending time together or at least talking to her rather than stalling any attempt at conversation, as he seemed to be doing. Judi had been her best friend forever and Andy was so wrapped up in himself that he wasn’t acknowledging her feelings at all.
Then there was Ned; less complicated emotionally, in fact not at all in that respect. He was ridiculously attractive, both physically and in the mystique and aura of intrigue surrounding him. Ned, Judi and Vicky all had it, in their different ways. In Ned’s case, it was magnified by his material success and the easy way he carried it – his offbeat humour, madcap schemes and readiness to make fun of himself at every turn. She loved falling into bed with him and she adored him for his attention to her as a prospective partner, not in life but in all kinds of unlikely enterprises.
And as for Vicky, she was to Alice what Andy was to Ned: more complex, more likely to stir unsettling emotions. It was a premature judgement, as she hardly knew Alice yet, but despite what she had said to Vicky about their friendship being ‘more even, mutual’, she had recognised early on that Vicky had the same captivating quality as Judi and was dangerous, in terms of the balance of power in the relationship. Her manner was generally mild and reassuring but there was steeliness behind it, an assumption that other people would go along with her and she would get her way, always win her case.
These trains of thought were fuelled by her regular use of Junoco, she was convinced about that. She was so much more curious about human nature now, what made people tick and especially what qualities and traits drew her to them. She had worried about being lonely in London but here she was after ten months, reflecting on her new friends. There were the neighbours too. Lily was definitely a friend, despite being eleven years old. She felt she could talk to her about her experience with the animals, Guacamole and so on, although she wasn’t ready to do so yet. And Marcus next door, he was an artist and a free spirit who was never going to judge her. She hadn’t been able to push him on why he had shut down their conversation about the Bright Minds project, but she hoped the right occasion might soon arise. And then Kwesi, who was courteous and kind and loved to come over and make music, despite his desperate situation as an asylum seeker awaiting a decision on his appeal.
This was all fine, very affirming, but she had to confront the urgent issue of how to handle the knowledge Alice had passed on about Junoco, the added element in the form of a synthetic drug. Should she keep it to herself? Or if she told someone, who would it be? Was it wise to confide in either Vicky or Ned, both of whom were intricately tied up with the business? Which of them would help to clarify her position? And if they were too risky, would any of her other friends be useful as a sounding board, perhaps one of her long-term girlfriends that she had been neglecting completely since her move? This idea was quickly dismissed, as she simply couldn’t imagine any of her old friends coping very well with the information. They were more likely to think she was going round the bend.
No, the first port of call had to be Vicky, who would reinforce and justify her desire to stay with Junoco, to enjoy the roller-coaster ride and reap her share of the potential rewards. And anyway, she was missing Vicky as they had exchanged Christmas greetings but hadn’t got together socially for weeks, due to one thing and another.
The response to her invitation was immediate and positive. Vicky was free and turned up at Fran’s house at seven on the dot. They spent the first few minutes making their choices for a Thai takeaway and then moved on to Fran’s accident.
‘For heaven’s sake, Fran, why did you make light of it in your last message? I’d have been right over to look after you, you know that.’
‘No, I was fine, really, just bumps and scrapes and I felt embarrassed about it, I suppose. I needed to hibernate for a while, stay out of sight.’
She wanted to mention Marina, her guardian angel, but the hesitation persisted too long and her cautious side won out. Perhaps a day would come when this was unlocked, when she was allowed to talk about Marina. Maybe when her mother opened up and explicitly or tacitly gave her permission, or when she died and left Fran as the only witness, inadequate as she was.
They talked instead about their respective Christmases and Fran recounted the tale of Junoco and the excessively inquisitive mouse. This led Vicky to ask if she had been in touch with Andy and found out any more about his Junoco experience.
‘No, he’s said nothing, except that he doesn’t blame me for it. I wanted to visit him on my way back, or possibly spend New Year with him, but he put me off. He’s not picking up my calls and I think he’s being evasive, cooling off. Honestly, Vicky, he’s not what I want. I don’t want to be with him, it’s not meant to be, but still, he doesn’t half turn me on and I can’t get him out of my head. It’s all mixed up with my feelings for Judi, loving and losing her, and the cocktail of emotions and my naked lust for Andy have unbalanced me, made me obsessive about what he’s up to. It’s not in the deal, feeling jealous like this, but that’s the way it is. I should get out now, while I can still do it with a modicum of grace and dignity. Advise me, Vicky, please!’
She raised her hands to her cheeks, pulled an ugly face and wiggled her fingers in imitation of a monster. Vicky waved it away, laughing.
‘Okay, let’s look at the options. Judi hoped you two would go on holiday together. Those were her exact words, I believe. So, you can propose a little trip, say, a quick winter break in Austria or Switzerland, and resolve to draw the line after that. Or you can decide that the holiday has happened, it was her way of saying it should be a brief, passionate fling, and find the strength to end it now, before you get hurt.’ She looked fondly at Fran. ‘You have a hell of a lot going for you, a lot to be excited about, including your gorgeous London lover, Ned, I might add, and you need to preserve the wild and wonderful memories of your time with Andy. It’s for Judi too, for her sake and her memory.’
Fran stood up, walked to the window, opened and closed the blind and turned round. Her words came out with a resigned sigh. ‘Yes, you’re right, Vicky, always the cool thinker. Whether I can actually find the willpower and hold to it is another matter, but you’ve helped me to put it in perspective, so thank you. Now, where’s that takeaway? It won’t be nearly as good as Ned’s fragrant Thai curry, but that’s too much of a tall order.’
When the food arrived, they moved through to the kitchen for dinner. She owed it to Vicky to tell her about Alice and the result of the Junoco lab analysis, but she was nervous and unable to gauge how Vicky would respond. Ned was different. He managed to turn everything into an adventure or, more specifically, a business prospect. She began to wish she had talked to him first, but Vicky was here now and she had to go ahead with it.
‘I went to see someone, V
icky, about Junoco, the truffles. You know I’ve been a bit concerned and I met someone at a lecture, she’s a psychologist and, to cut a long story short, she had the Junoco formula analysed for me. It contains a synthetic drug, as well as the chocolate and the berry seeds. It’s not any of the ones that people are already using to improve attention, alertness and intellectual performance. It’s a new compound, a mix of natural and synthetic.’
The words had tumbled out in a breathless rush. She leant back and wiped her mouth with her paper napkin, watching Vicky’s fast-changing expression as she stopped eating and laid down her fork.
‘You did what? I don’t believe it, that you would spill the beans like that, with someone we don’t know. It’s an incredibly stupid thing to do, can’t you see?’
Fran’s stomach was tightening into a knot. It was true; she had gone right off-piste. She was so fixated with the truth of the ‘wholly natural’ claim that she had forgotten the big picture: the betrayal of Daniela and the risk to the whole operation. And in wondering how Vicky would respond, her mind had been hooked on Daniela’s deception, the lies she had told them about the magic formula. She thought Vicky would understand, even share her concern.
‘I’m sorry, Vicky, please don’t get angry. I didn’t see it like that. Alice won’t say anything to anyone, I promise you. We made a pact.’
‘I’m trying not to be angry, believe me, but does it matter what’s in it, that’s what I’m trying to get across to you. The business is taking off, people love it and it’s going to soar to great heights this year, I’m sure of it. Plus, you keep saying how much you’re enjoying Junoco and getting a benefit from it, with your drawing and insightful daydreaming and your awakened interest in people. Who is this psychologist anyway? What made you go to her?’