“I finished collecting all of your readings,” announced Elysia. She turned to face Cyrus once more, clipboard still in hand. “The doctor will be in here to see you soon. He should have a lot to say. He has wonderful things planned for you.”
Cyrus gave her an aggressive glare, the best he could do to display his displeasure at the lab rat-like way they were treating him. He wanted to cry out in protest, but the drug choked away his ability to do so. He tried to concentrate in the blind hope of regaining his speech.
“Unfortunately,” Elysia continued, the tone of her voice making him cringe, “we’ll need to give you another hit of sedative.”
Viddur moved from where he leaned against the wall. Elysia stepped out of his way as he sauntered over toward Cyrus, a long-needled syringe in his hand.
Cyrus could barely manage a low growl, and spittle flowed from his mouth. He felt bad enough now and didn’t want a third dose.
“Sorry, man,” said Viddur. He gently slid the needle into the vein in his neck, pushing down on the plunger.
“Don’t worry , Cyrus,” said Elysia, giving him a reassuring smile. “This hit won’t be as big as the last two. Your speech should return by the time the doctor needs to speak to you. All of the drug’s effects are temporary, I promise.”
Viddur pulled the needle from Cyrus’s neck, stepping away to throw the spent syringe into a nearby trashcan. He returned to where he had been leaning against the wall.
“You should be unconscious in about 30 seconds. We will be leaving now. That’s all the doctor wanted us to do. Goodbye Cyrus, I hope we see you again soon.” Elysia gave him one final, genuine smile.
Cyrus might have blushed under normal circumstances, but, given his situation, he found her efforts unsettling.
“Come on , Viddur, let’s go.” Elysia nodded her brother toward the door.
Viddur moved away from the wall and went to open the heavy-duty door, holding it open to let Elysia pass through.
“See you later, man,” said Viddur. The door swung shut behind him and closed with a moderate thud.
Cyrus groaned his last, the blinding light of the room overtaking him.
* * *
Cyrus awoke to the sound of hurried footsteps on tile, the noise echoing through an adjacent hallway.
He groaned, opening and immediately closing his eyes, forgetting about the bright lights. He was in the same room as before, still strapped upright to the examination table.
The footsteps continued to grow louder, and the group of shoes moved closer to Cyrus’s room. Just when he hoped they would pass him by, the noise suddenly stopped, replaced by the sound of jingling keys.
“Great,” said Cyrus, startled by the sound of his own voice, grateful he was able to vocalize once again. Much of his sick, nauseating grogginess had vanished as well.
Cyrus found himself now startlingly angry. He decided to hold onto it, as he was ready to give the doctor an ear full. He knew yelling likely wouldn’t do any good given his captor’s use of sedatives, but he wasn’t going to go out without some kind of fight. Cyrus opened his eyes only a crack, letting his retinas adjust in preparation for another encounter with his jailers.
“You two can stay out here,” said an unfamiliar male voice. A key slid into the door lock. “I think it would be best to address the patient one on one this time.” The man spoke irritatingly perfect English.
“Yes, sir,” Cyrus heard Elysia and Viddur reply in unison. A strange disappointment was in their voices.
The man twisted the key and unlocked the door. Cyrus went tense, readying himself for the man’s approach.
The door swung open and then slammed shut.
A short, lab-coated man strode into the room. He took a rolling stool out from under the nearby table and sat down in front of Cyrus. He took a moment to look him over before speaking.
Cyrus squinted down at him and found the man to be of Chinese descent, grey-haired, and middle-aged. His thick, black-rimmed glasses made him look fatherly and authoritative. He held what Cyrus presumed to be his case folder in his left hand.
“Hello, Mr. Blackthorn.” The man’s awkward grin revealed he didn’t buy Cyrus’s act of pretending to be asleep. “My name is Dr. Daniel Shen, and I’m a senior researcher here at CyberGen.”
“Where am I, and why have you taken me?” Cyrus snapped, mounting a feeble attempt at retaliation. He’d make them wish they had given him more sedative. “I deserve some freakin’ answers! You can’t just steal a person away like this! I have rights!”
“And for that, I offer my deepest apologies.” Dr. Shen was utterly unfazed. His features softened as though he were empathetic to Cyrus’s predicament. “I assure you, I will answer whatever questions you may have in a moment.”
“I could care less about your idiotic apologies!” Cyrus fired back. “None of this is right! I demand you unplug me from all of these machines and take me back home immediately!”
“Feeling vulnerable? I would presume a person in your physical condition would be.”
“Of course I feel vulnerable, you moron!” Cyrus snarled, his voice increasing in volume. “I’m freakin’ half-naked and strapped to a table!”
“There is no need for name-calling,” Dr. Shen chided, though his tone remained the same. “We’re all friends here. I assure you, there is no reason to feel scared or vulnerable here. Our intentions for you are irreproachable, though I can’t argue that our procurement methods are, arguably, reprehensible. We felt our need for a human subject in our research far outweighed society’s ethical perceptions. We’re still going to give you a choice in the matter. All I ask is that you calm down and let me make you a proposal, one I believe you will find very pleasing. Should you chose to reject it, and I don’t think a man as desperate as yourself would, we’ll take you back home.”
“What do you mean? Frickin’ human test subjects?” Cyrus shouted, his rage replaced by panic. “What are you going to do to me?”
“If you will just stay calm, Mr. Blackthorn, I will tell you everything we have planned.”
Dr. Shen slowly reached into his lab coat pocket with his free hand.
Cyrus suddenly felt a strange sense of tranquility wash over him, as though he had drifted into a pleasant dream, his feelings of anger and fear significantly diminished.
“OK, whatever,” sighed Cyrus. His new, more relaxed state hadn’t taken away his irritation with Dr. Shen. “I really could care less about what you have to say, but I suppose I’m kind of at your mercy. What is your proposal?” His new, found complacency surprised him. His drowsiness from earlier was slowly beginning to return, making him wonder if his grasp on reality was starting to slip as well.
“Very well, Mr. Blackthorn.” Dr. Shen crossed his legs and opened the folder. “I just need to verify your personal information.” He removed his glasses, wiping them on the bottom edge of his lab coat before sliding them back on. “Your name is Cyrus Blackthorn, you are 26 years old, and you currently reside in Springfield, Missouri. Is your information correct so far, Mr. Blackthorn?”
“So far.” Cyrus frowned, unimpressed by the presented information.
“You have Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy?”
“That is correct.”
“Very interesting.” Dr. Shen raised the folder into the air for a better look.
“What?” asked Cyrus, concerned by the doctor’s scrutiny.
“You are well educated for someone with your physical deficiency.” Dr. Shen looked directly at Cyrus, putting the folder down. “You have a Master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Missouri State University.”
“Sure do,” said Cyrus, almost sarcastically. “Lot of good it does…”
“Unemployed thus far, Mr. Blackthorn?” asked the doctor, ignoring his displeasure.
“Yes,” Cyrus managed to growl at him, fighting through his muddled mind. He wanted to be angry but was incapable, given his state of induced relaxation.
“Your employme
nt status won’t matter in this instance.” The doctor squinted, understanding Cyrus’s intended hostility. “The fact you are unemployed will make things easier. Fewer people will know of your disappearance. Your degree helps, though. You will be able to understand everything I need to tell you.”
“Whatever you say.” Cyrus gave him a sardonic smile.
Dr. Shen continued to flip through the file, silent as he read.
“You donated your body to science?” Dr. Shen asked, still looking down at the file.
“A couple of weeks ago.”
“Very good.” The doctor studied the file for a moment longer before closing it. He looked up at Cyrus with indifference.
“What is your proposal?” Cyrus was growing tired of the doctor’s game.
“Now that we have verified your information, I feel I need to tell you about our organization. I believe it is essential for you to fully understand the gravity of what you would be participating in.”
“Go ahead.” Cyrus rolled his eyes and frowned. “The sooner you explain it, the sooner I can reject your proposal and go home.”
“CyberGen is a biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, and applied robotics research company that seeks to better humanity’s quality of life.” Dr. Shen went on, ignoring him. “We are heavily involved in the manufacture of biologically derived pharmaceuticals, and in recent years we have become involved in the field of robotics, with a great emphasis on nanobot development. By far our greatest achievement has been in the area of gene therapy. We are the first to use nanobots to deliver a genetic material payload to specific somatic cells for the purpose of gene editing. When our research comes to full fruition, humanity will finally be able to cure essentially all genetic disorders. It is our aim to create a world without cancer, Alzheimer’s, congenital heart disease, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, and all the rest.” Dr. Shen smiled enthusiastically when he mentioned Cyrus’s disease. “Surely a person with both your academic background and physical difficulties can appreciate an organization such as ours.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised.” Cyrus grimaced, agitated at the casual mention of his disease.
Though he didn’t care for Shen’s manner, the doctor’s words still sparked his interest and made him want to hear more. It had been a while since he last spoke to someone about anything even close to molecular biology. Cyrus found himself surprisingly willing to listen to Shen. He had no choice, restrained as he was.
“I admit that all sounds just wonderful, but why haven’t I heard anything about this research before?” Cyrus’s voice was full of cynicism. “I mean, sure, I’ve heard of CyberGen, but all of that’s new to me. I would think that anyone who developed a successful gene therapy technique like that would have been all over the news at some point. Even if your research is in its beginning phases, it would seem that I would have heard or read something about it.”
“We’ve been very quiet about our accomplishments. I, for one, don’t see the need for media involvement at present. We can’t risk anyone becoming overexcited. Our research is still in its early stages after all.”
“But why would you do that? Even if the research just started, you would surely want to release something, you know, to draw investor interest. You’d be crazy not to want a piece of that. It’s the holy grail of medicine. Why would you stay quiet?”
“I suppose I should disclose the details to you to answer your questions fully. We haven’t revealed our research to the public because we have yet to fully perfect the technique, and we have encountered a few minor problems. Our technique has been very successful, but further development is necessary before we publish in an academic journal or release any information to the public.”
Cyrus frowned, feeling Dr. Shen was holding something back. He was certain nothing the doctor said was an outright lie, but it made him suspect Shen was dancing around the truth.
“Wait, you have been using lab-grown cells and rodent specimens in order to test your techniques, right?” asked Cyrus as realization began to dawn on him.
“Well, of course, we did in the early stages,” Dr. Shen nearly snickered. “What else would we use?”
“Exactly why am I strapped to a table then?” Cyrus lost his composure once again, overriding his strange compliance.
“If you’ll remain calm, Mr. Blackthorn, I’ll tell you everything you could want to know,” the doctor reassured him. “The reason you are here is because we have a need for human test subjects.”
“What?” Cyrus’s voice suddenly went hoarse, and he was unable to maintain his volume. He felt so stupid for not grasping the reality of his situation immediately. “The reason you don’t publish or have a press release is that you don’t want anyone to know about all the psycho stuff you do!”
“That is indeed correct, at least after a fashion.” Dr. Shen scrutinized the ground, rising from his seat to stand. “I apologize for my dishonesty, Mr. Blackthorn, but I do very much agree with you. This method of specimen acquisition is indeed highly unethical. We didn’t have much choice. Our research has been highly successful in cell and rodent test subjects, but we needed to arrive at human subjects as soon as we could. It’s crucial that we see success in humans as soon as possible. The reason we chose you specifically is because of your plans to donate your body to science. That’s what made it so easy for us to abduct you from your home in the way we did without raising too much suspicion. Everyone will believe that you are deceased and will not be concerned. Your death won’t be at all unexpected. A man of your age and in your condition could be expected to expire at any time. There will be no body associated with your burial, as donation results in cremation, so there will be no need for anyone to look for one. All we needed to do was supply the proper paperwork and a pile of ashes.”
“Yeah, you guys are pretty twisted. What happens if I reject your proposal like I plan to? How are you going to get me back home and into the world of the living after all of this? Do you even plan on taking me home at all, or are you just going to ‘put me down’ as soon as I reject it?”
“I assure you that we will find a way to bring you back home should you reject my offer. It may very well be difficult to correct all the paperwork, but I’m sure we can find a way. I don’t anticipate your rejection, though.” Dr. Shen looked back up at him.
“Pfft… we’ll see about that.” Cyrus’s eyes narrowed. “If I actually have a choice in any of this, I need you to answer a few questions first.”
“I did say I would answer whatever questions you might have, Mr. Blackthorn.” Dr. Shen shrugged.
“OK.” Cyrus paused, thinking up his next move. “How do you plan on eventually making any money from what experimentation you intend to use me for? I mean, once anybody figures out how you obtain results, you’re done. No one will want to touch CyberGen after that.”
“We have had little difficulty in acquiring both clients and investors, so much so that it is highly improbable that CyberGen will experience any significant monetary issues in the near future.” Dr. Shen rattled off the rehearsed words.
“But how are you going to keep them? The government will shut you down.”
“By far one of our greatest clients is the United States government. We have been very open with them, and they support our methods for the most part. So long as we remain devoted to the greater good, they will allow us to operate. We are trying to cure all disease after all.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?” Cyrus scoffed. “Though I guess when you said you would answer all my questions with the truth…”
“Mr. Blackthorn,” Dr. Shen stopped him, ignoring his blatant slight. “If you have no more questions, I suggest we move on. I still have not made my proposal. The sooner you allow me to continue, the sooner you will be removed from your present situation. I need you to listen closely to what I have to say so that you can give what I’m offering you your utmost consideration.”
“OK, I’m listening.” Cyrus dreaded what the doctor had to say
, thousands of possibilities
floating through his head, nearly all of them terrible.
“Very well. My proposal is simple. Since we’ve already spoken about CyberGen’s need for human test subjects, I think you could potentially guess what it is. I’m asking you to volunteer to be one of our test subjects.”
“Why even bother asking me that?” Cyrus gave Dr. Shen a look of exasperation. “It doesn’t sound as though I have much of a choice.”
“I believe you made at least a slight underestimation regarding CyberGen’s ethical convictions.” A smirk appeared on Dr. Shen’s face then vanished immediately. “Our methods of procurement are indeed questionable, but we are still willing to give you the final choice. Before you make a decision, let me inform you of what’s at stake. If you choose to decline, you will be taken back home, and we will think up some kind of convoluted reason as to why you are still alive and not dead—as is presumed at present. If you accept and agree to be a part of our experiment, there is a very high probability that you will be relieved of your disorder. This is another reason as to why we chose you as a test subject. You have the most to gain from our experiment. If everything goes as it should, you will be fully cured of your disorder.”
Cyrus wanted to hit the doctor with a retort but remained silent, unable to think of anything clever. The doctor’s proposal hit him like a bag of hammers, the offer so amazing that it was difficult for him to comprehend. It was something he had wanted since childhood and had never entirely given up on, no matter how hopeless his predicament became. Still, he remained cautious, unwilling to trust the doctor on his word alone. He needed to know more.
“Sorry, but I think you need to clarify a few things.” Cyrus tried to return to his senses so that he might fully comprehend what Shen would tell him. “So you plan on infusing me with these nanobots that are really gene-altering vectors so that the DNA within all my affected cells can be repaired and my disease cured?”
“That is essentially what we have planned for you, or at least that’s the idea.” Dr. Shen’s awkward grin made Cyrus uneasy.
Fall Prey: The Hunt Page 8