by Owen Grant
“I don't understand it,” Alan said as the waitress was dropping off their beers. “What the hell am I supposed to do to prove this? Even their network seems to be completely clear of all communications about the topic. I have been through everything. I promise you that nothing has mentioned a side-effect of the body literally regressing to earlier states.”
“That's incredible,” Michelle said.
“I'm starting to think that we actually have to find a way to look for information on the premises. I would be happy to do it myself.”
“Oh, you wouldn't be able to do it!”
“You wouldn't be able to do it either with your bad knees!”
“You have a point there.”
“I've noticed the gray streaks in your hair, too. Is that new?”
Michelle's face turned to panic. “Oh, please tell me that there isn't any more damn gray hair.”
Alan didn't mean to hit a sensitive spot with her. “Don't worry about it. It's just a small streak. It's hardly noticeable.”
“Are you serious? I just touched it up. This gray hair is killing me!”
“Relax! It's just hair.”
“It's not just hair! It's my knees. I'm noticing wrinkles. I don't need it to be my fucking hair, too!”
“What? Did you start a new birth control or something? Is it hormones?”
“No,” Michelle sighed. “It's the fucking pill.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I wanted to try the stupid weight loss pill. I knew nothing about Ryan. I didn't know anything about trayleme. All I knew is that if it worked, that would be awesome. I thought that I had an awesome weight loss pill before it was even on the market. I didn't expect to start getting all of these side effects.”
“Wait. You took an unauthorized pill? What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing like this has ever happened to anyone in any of the studies. The worst side effects that I've seen are some headaches and nausea. Oh- and a couple rashes from allergic reactions. Nothing this serious!”
“How do you know it's serious?”
“You can definitely tell.”
“I am so sorry. What the hell were you thinking, though?”
“I don't need to hear it from you. Trust me. I feel dumb as all hell already.”
“Wait- maybe it's not the pill. Ryan's body is reverting in age. You seem to be aging. How could that be the same pill?”
“That's what you're supposed to find out. Something affects what way the drug will react to the patient. We are both young and have similar lifestyles. We even live in the same area. The only difference that we can tell so far is our sex. You haven't seen anything that might indicate what might trigger the different reactions in the drug?”
“It's hard to find anything. I'm glad to have a better idea about what I'm looking for, though.”
Michelle's eyes became dark and low. “Alan, you have to help me,” she said softly.
Her pain was palpable. Alan couldn't imagine growing older than normal. Like was too short as it was. Michelle was going to sleep every night knowing that a large portion of her already short time on earth was being robbed from her. It was such a simple mistake. She thought that she was going to experience the benefit of the newest and greatest weight loss drug in the world only to unknowingly sign away her life. Alan had to help her. And, in case he couldn't, he had to make sure that Michelle experienced the best possible time while she was still here on earth.
“I will do everything that I can to help you.”
“Thank you.”
“Let's do something special. Let's do something fun.”
“And what did you have in mind?”
Alan really hadn't thought this far ahead. “Let's go walk around Lincoln Park Zoo.”
“Wild man!” Michelle teased.
“Come on. It could be fun. Plus, it's technically closed right now. We'll be the only ones there.”
“And you aren't worried about getting in trouble?”
“Please. I'll disable the security from my cell phone. We'll be good to go. Plus, we want to make the best of our time, right?” Alan would have never done this a month ago. He would have been terrified, but Michelle brought out that side of him.
The couple got to the zoo to locked gates. After a couple of quick processes, Alan was able to get into the security system and disable
“Are you good at climbing fences?” Michelle asked.
“I'll beat you!” Alan said, jumping up on a fence before Michelle.
“Cheater!”
Alan got stuck halfway up the fence and Michelle beat him. “I let you win,” he insisted.
They walked around the zoo and found as many animals that weren't sleeping as possible. At one point, they stayed in the lion's den making out. When they left the lion's den, they walked around the zoo some more hand in hand. Until Michelle got a phone call. She took one look at her phone and got a terrified look on her face.
“It's Dr. Watson. I have to get this.” She answered the phone and talked on the phone for a very brief period of time. “I have to go.” She left in a hurry.
Alan was baffled. He decided to walk around the zoo some more until he got a horrible call from Michelle.
“You might want to come to the office. Now.”
Destruction Site
When Alan got to the office, he stood in silence at the horrific scene. The first thing that he noticed was the broken down door. When he walked in, he saw that everything was broken at the small facility. The floor was covered in glass and computer parts. Even the furniture had been destroyed.
Michelle sat on the ground among the mess with her face in her hands.
“What the hell happened?” Alan asked her.
“Baxter found us out. They came in yesterday and destroyed everything.”
Alan went silent for a long time. “How?” he asked. He already knew, though.
“We weren't as careful as we thought when we broke into their network.”
Alan looked at the mess around him. This all happened because of him. He was the reason that the entire operation was ruined.
“Well, call the police! They can't do this!”
“Call the police? What we did was extraordinarily illegal. We would all go to jail. Honestly, this is the best case scenario for us.”
“Why didn't they just call the police?”
“They must be hiding something, too.”
Alan sat down next to Michelle. “I'm so sorry.”
“Yeah. Me too.” The once strong Michelle broke down in tears. “I just wanted to find a way to fix what's happening to me.” Alan could see wrinkles under her eyes. This whole situation was literally draining her.
Dr. Watson arrived with fire in his eyes. “Alan, what the hell happened here? I thought that we were safe.”
“I thought that we were. I would have never intentionally done this to the operation. I would have never intentionally done this to Michelle.”
“Your carelessness is going to ruin all of the work that we have done. We are back to square one. Do you realize that?”
“I do.”
“And do you realize that Michelle and Ryan are going to be stuck with their conditions for longer than they anticipated?”
“Trust me, that's the last thing that I wanted! I'm so sorry.”
“When we hired you, we hired you because you were talented and gutsy. We trusted you.”
“I was under a lot of pressure.
“Well, you are terminated effective immediately. However, I expect you to help clean this mess up. Literally.”
Alan spent the rest of the day cleaning up the office. There was broken glass, broken computer parts, shredded papers, and broken furniture everywhere. Michelle and a number of other people helped. Michelle hardly talked to him the entire time.
Alan couldn't let Michelle down. He didn't know what to say with her when they were done cleaning, so he left without saying good-bye. He then took the train to h
is old office building.
The office was very different after work hours. There weren't people bustling in and out. It also seemed darker. Alan could see that there were some lights on in the building, though. He had to at least try to talk to them and explain the circumstances. Surely, the company would understand. They may even have a cure! He easily saw that Baxter pharmaceuticals was located on the 14th floor of the building. When he got off of the elevator, he realized that Baxter had the entire floor to themselves. Alan was surprised that Dr. Watson thought for one moment that they could fight a company with resources this great.
An older woman sat at a large desk by the front door. Alan tried to walk in, but the office doors were locked. He pounded on the doors, but the woman would not respond. Alan continued to pound on the doors. He needed to get in and talk to somebody.
After about three full minutes, he saw the older woman look up. She mouthed “Closed” and went back to the work on her desk. Alan continued to pound on the door until the woman, obviously annoyed, finally got up to talk to the desperate man.
“I'm sorry. We're closed right now. The offices will reopen tomorrow at nine a.m. tomorrow. Have a great night.”
Alan wasn't going to take no for an answer. He placed his foot in the door frame, preventing the woman from shutting the door.
“Excuse me, but I need to talk to somebody about some negative side effects of one of your medications.”
The woman responded in a robotic tone, “You are welcome to contact the complaint department via e-mail or regular mail. You can look at the contact page of our website to get that information.”
“No. This is a little more urgent than that. I need to talk somebody immediately. Do you have a phone number that I can use to contact somebody now?”
“No, sir. I do not.”
“I hate to bring this to litigation.”
“If you must bring this to that point, you can contact our legal department tomorrow during regular office hours. I apologize for your dissatisfaction, and I assure you that we will take your case seriously. Unfortunately, I am not a part of the legal team. This will have to wait until tomorrow.”
“It's about Wynelta!” Alan screamed. He screamed the name in a last attempt to be acknowledged.
The woman momentarily wore a shocked expression, but she quickly regained her composure. “I'm not sure what you're talking about,” she said. “I will have to ask you to please leave the premises. You may contact the proper departments during normal business hours. I wish you the best”
The woman tried to shut the door, but Alan's foot remained in the way. “I'm not leaving until I get some more information.”
“Look. I will have to call the police if you don't leave.”
“I will have to tell the police exactly what's going on here,” Alan threatened.
“I will be forced to call the police at this point. You will be arrested for harassment. You might be arrested for trespassing.”
Alan tried one more time, “I'm with Dr. Watson, Ryan Larson, and Michelle Marcella.”
“I don't know who those people are. I also don't know why that should matter. I'm calling the police.”
“Don't bother. I'm leaving,” Alan was defeated. He went back downstairs to go home and plan on how to handle everything the next day. Luckily, as he was walking toward the elevator, a man ran out of the office building. He was in a doctor's coat, and he had a gleeful expression on his face.
“Excuse me!” he said. “Did you say that you were with Dr. Watson?”
Alan stopped in his tracks. “Yes.”
“Well, tell that bastard that I hope he likes how we redecorated.”
“Wait! That was you? Why would you do that? Do you know what is happening to the people who are taking Wynelta?”
“You mean the drug that he stole for profit? His lackeys deserve everything that is coming their way.”
“So you know what the drugs do to people?”
“Yes. And it's our job to prevent those evil fucks from being able to control it.”
“Please. You have to help me. My friend is having really bad side effects from the drug. All I want to do is help.”
The man laughed. “Is that the new plan? To send someone here looking pathetic so that we hand over information? It won't work. Oh, and next time, be sure to get a hacker who knows what he's doing.” With that, the man shut the door. Alan couldn't get the man's words out of his head. Could it be true? Could Dr. Watson actually be the one trying to sell the drug for profit? Or was he just trying to make himself and his company look innocent? Alan knew that he had to find out. He had to find out in order to help Michelle.
As Alan left, he got a phone call from Dr. Watson. Alan was nervous, but he had to answer it.
“Hello?” Alan's voice was shaky.
“Are you fucking kidding me, kid?”
“What?”
“You went to Baxter? What the hell do you think that you were going to accomplish?”
“I honestly don't know. I figured that I would at least give it a try.” How the hell did he know that he went to Baxter?
“And you thought that they were just going to let you in and give you all of the information that they had?”
“I don't know!”
“Look, kid. Your help is no longer needed. Let it go.”
“I want to help Ryan. And Michelle.”
“Well, the only way for you to help at this point is to let it go. Stop. Go home and beg for your old job back tomorrow. Or start applying at other places. I don't suggest using me for a reference.”
Alan simply hung up. He couldn't pretend that he was going to stop trying.
Dangerous Questions
The office opened at 9:00 a.m. Alan was dialing the office at 9:02 a.m. Every time he tried to explain what the issue was, he was transferred to another department. While he waited, he wrote an e-mail explaining his problem and sent it to absolutely everyone. He added that he was not afraid to go to the media if his concerns weren't handled promptly. After one hour, thirty-eight minutes, and twelve seconds, someone finally spoke with him.
“Baxter Pharmaceuticals. How can I help you?” the voice said.
Alan assumed that he was going to get the same treatment as he had been getting all day, so he started with his script.
“Hi. I need to talk to someone about the drug Wynelta or the ingredient trayleme. I know people who have been experiencing quite unusual side effects. I need to know if there is anything that I can do to stabilize the patients.”
“Well, that drug isn't in our database as authorized. How would these people have obtained the drug?”
“It was a mistake. But we need to know how to counter the effects.”
“A mistake? How does somebody mistakenly take the medication?”
“Former employees were able to obtain it. I understand that it was wrong of them to do that, but we need a remedy. I'm sure that you're aware of how unique the effects of the drug are.”
“Sir, all information on this drug is classified due to a theft in the office and another breach of security. I couldn't give you any information if you wanted it. A little piece of advice, though- avoid Dr. Watson and his associates before they corrupt you, too.”
Alan realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere. He had to continue to try, though.
“Look, all I want to do is help a friend. I'm worried that she is dying. Can't we help?”
“Not only would your friend spend a very long amount of time in jail, we still won't be required to provide any assistance in this manner. I hope that you have a great day.”
Alan felt helpless. He wanted to call Michelle with some positive news. However, he got off of the phone with the people at Baxter Pharmaceuticals and called Michelle anyway. He had to check up on her to make sure that she was okay.
Michelle was cold when she answered the phone.
“I'm so sorry,” Alan started.
“I know that you are. I just wish that
we could have found what we needed before the whole operation went up in flames.”
“I tried all day to talk to Baxter. They weren't exactly helpful.”
“You were talking to them all day? Why? They don't want to help. Do I have to remind you of what they did to the office?”
“I know. I thought that maybe they would listen to reason. Hey, how long have you been working for Dr. Watson? The people at Baxter seemed to imply that he was looking to make a profit off of the drug.”
“You know, Alan, I'm trying very hard to be understanding. You are making this impossible.” “It was just a question.”
“You saw what the damn drug was doing to me. And to Ryan. They are the ones who will not help.”
“I guess I'm just trying to understand why not. You'd think that they would want to help the most that they can. Sure, you might have taken an unauthorized drug, but the publicity would be horrible.”
“We can't go to the public with this.”
“I'm trying to help. I'm going to help.”
“Look. Just don't bother.” Michelle hung up.
Alan painfully went on with the rest of his day. He e-mailed his old boss, sent his resume to other companies, and he tried to focus on anything but Michelle and Wynelta. That would only last for a short amount of time until he got another phone call from Dr. Watson. Every time the doctor called, Alan would become nervous. He knew he had to answer the phone, though.
“Hello.”
“Alan, it's me. I'd like to meet with you tonight to talk. Michelle tells me that you were saying some uncomfortable things.”
“Um-”
“It's ok. I can understand. I just want to make sure that we clear everything up between us before we part ways. I wouldn't want to leave on bad terms. I also want to convince you to not pursue the matter anymore. I'm hoping that if I clarify a couple of things for you, it will make the divorce of our relationship that much easier.”
“I'd be happy to meet with you.”
“Alright. I'll text you the address. We will get some coffee and talk. Be there in an hour. See ya then.”
Alan was not nearly as excited as he was the first night that he met Michelle. Everything seemed so dangerous and fun when it started. Now, it was ruining his life and killing the people around him. He wasn't sure if he was going to help Michelle or if he was going to satisfy his curiosity, but Alan got ready and left immediately. If he could get any answers, he would be happy. He made a huge mistake by infiltrating Baxter's network too soon. However, it seemed like there was something about the situation that was being hidden from him,