The Potion: A genetic engineering thriller!

Chapter 11

Melanie sat cross-legged on her bed, staring at her laptop screen while sipping on a huge glass of wine.

It had been a hell of a week at work, but really, things had been different ever since she met James. Scratch that, things had been different ever since he told her about the serum. No matter how many times he had tried to explain the unusual circumstance, she was blindsided by all the heartache and sleepless nights crying over the fact that her father was dead. The summers they spent camping in the mountains, the trips to the ice cream store when it was hot out, family trips to the movie theaters whenever a new movie came out. All these wonderful memories were now tainted somehow, and it was all James’s fault.

“Why, why did you have to tell me,” she mumbled to herself. “Things might’ve actually worked out between us.”

She guessed the only good thing was that he told her sooner rather than later. She couldn’t imagine having spent months, or even years with him knowing he was carrying around this dark secret. If she was being honest with herself, Melanie didn’t quite understand what the serum did, or what Ronald’s research entailed. All she knew was what James had told her, and that was limited. She had a sense that he didn’t quite understand it himself.

Why would he willingly volunteer to be this man’s guinea pig if there was a chance he could die?

None of it made sense.

Finishing off her glass of wine, Melanie placed it on her nightstand and leaned back onto her bed frame, pulling her laptop up and propping it on a pillow. She needed more information, but she wasn’t about to call James up and ask him herself. She had to do this on her own, think for herself without him trying to convince her otherwise.

First, she started with the only name she knew. Dr. Ronald Clark.

Several searches popped up on Google, most of which were academic articles he’d been featured in. She found the company he worked at, and by the looks of it, he’d been there for over twenty years. Diving further, she came across their “About Us” page and after reading a few paragraphs, discovered they were a medical facility that focused on constructing pharmaceutical products.

“‘Project Director, Dr. Anna Marissa and Lead Research Scientist, Dr. Ronald Clark head a team of expert scientists currently in the developmental stages of a vaccine for chemotherapy patients. It is designed to elevate symptoms that are a result of the intense treatments’,” she read out loud.

That sounded nothing like the serum that James had been injected with. Obviously it was something that he had been working on by himself, as James suggested. There was no point in trying to look that up since there was no chance he would’ve posted anything about it online. Based on James’s reaction, Ronald sounded a bit paranoid about his research.

Trying something new, she just did a general search about a healing serum. First, only fictional books and hypothetical articles popped up, none that sounded remotely useful. But 87 then, just as she was going to give up and binge-watch a new show, she came across an article with a few keywords flagged. But what caught her eye was the company name, Big Pharma. How odd that they would adopt a name that was meant to be insulting and derisive of the corrupt practices of the “big pharmaceutical” industry. It smacked of corporate arrogance.

But it did sound promising. With a few clicks, she found their most recent work.

The synopsis read, “Big Pharma is an up-and-coming pharmaceutical company that is independently-owned.” Hmmm. Mocking the big boys, eh? “Their small team of research scientists have been pursuing the elusive magic silver bullet vaccine that would regenerate human cells in the body back to their initial unblemished developmental state, repairing any damaged organs (presumably to include the brain), bones and skin. There will be no need for heart transplants, blood transfusions, or chemotherapy for those suffering from cancer. If someone were to get into a car accident and suffer from internal bleeding and broken bones, a dose of this magic potion will heal the body over the course of just a few days. As of right now, it is still just a gnawing hope, but with anticipated breakthroughs, millions of people who suffer from fatal diseases and diagnosed cancers will get the treatment they need. Unfortunately, Big Pharma has reached a standstill. Not only are they missing key components to their formula and require additional scientists to take on this project, but the organization lacks funding and support from other companies to keep the research. going. In the meantime, Big Pharma has begun reaching out to recognized scientists in the medical field to be a part of this revolutionary drug.”

Melanie stared at the article for what felt like hours until she slowly closed the laptop and pushed it to the end of her bed.

She was in a state of shock after reading the company’s statement, or rather, cry for help. They needed people like Ronald to get this serum up off the ground, but he had already done it. All he needed to do was team up with them and they could change so many people’s lives. She wished she had the guts to talk to James’s friend in person. She had so many questions, she wanted to know why he had started this project in the first place.

Had he also lost someone he loved to illness? Or was he just dedicated to the scientific process and had no experience to go off of?

Her phone dinged, snapping her from her thoughts. Reaching over and grabbing it from the nightstand, she physically deflated after seeing his name pop up on the screen.

(9:24 p.m.) James: I know you said you needed time to process everything I’d told you, but there’s still so much I have to tell you. Please call me so I can explain it all.

Melanie tapped her fingernails on the back of her phone. She felt like she was being pulled into two separate directions. On the one hand, she couldn’t help but feel like she and James had some otherworldly connection. There was no other way to describe it. Melanie knew he was still mourning the loss of his wife, but there was a fire that had ignited between the two of them, and she wasn’t sure if she could go on ignoring that for the rest of her life without having regrets. But on the other hand, she felt as if it would dishonor her father’s life and legacy if she just pretended like none of this ever happened. Her family meant the world to her, even if she wasn’t always around to show them.

(9:31 p.m.) Melanie: I’m sorry James, I just need more time to think about all this. It’s a lot to process. I hope 89 you understand. Until I’m ready, please respect my decision and give me the space I need.

9:33 p.m.) James: I’ll be here if and when you’re ready. Even if it’s a year from now, I’ll be waiting.

A tear rolled down Melanie’s cheek, and she was about to turn off her phone and cry herself to sleep when her phone started to ring. Anthony’s name flashed on the screen and she quickly wiped her face and put it on speakerphone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mel, how are you?”

“Tony, it’s 9 o’clock at night, this better be an emergency or I’m going to drive to your house and kill you.”

“I had a feeling you needed someone to talk to,” he said.

“Oh really? You had a feeling, did you? I didn’t realize you were a psychic and a wanderer.”

“There’s no need to be hostile just because I’m more in tune with my soul than you,” he grunted. There was a moment of hesitation before he continued. “Call it intuition if you must, but I couldn’t sleep unless I check in on you.”

“How very paternal of you,” Melanie sniffled.

Her dad had always been the same way. Maybe it was because he was her parent, but he always knew when something was wrong. It seemed Anthony was channeling their father now, and she wasn’t about to dismiss it frivolously.

“I have a question,” she blurted. “But you have to take it seriously. Promise?”

“Promise. What is it?”

“If you found out there was some way to prevent people from getting sick, would you tell people about it?”

“Uh, I’m going to need more information than that.”

“Say, for example, there was this vaccine that could cure someone of everything wrong in their body, but they were keeping it a secret, would you go to the authorities and tell them?”

“I’m not sure,” Anthony admitted.

“What do you mean you’re not sure?” Melanie raised her voice at him. “How can you say that after what happened to dad?”

“I don’t think people should play God,” he said.

“It’s not playing God; it’s using medicine to heal people of illnesses that are killing hundreds of thousands of people across the planet.”

“Listen, you might think I’m some soul-searching weirdo, but from what I’ve learned, there are just some things that are meant to be. Yes, it sucks, and it hurts, and it’s not fair when you lose someone you love, but death is a part of life. Without it, we don’t have a purpose. That’s just the way the world works, Mel. Some people die from car accidents, some people die from cancer, some people die from old age, some people die from overdoses. You can’t go changing fate’s design, because, at the end of the day, it’ll find a balance one way or the other.”

“Even if it could bring dad back?” Melanie murmured.

Dad’s not gone, Mel. He’s with you wherever you go. You might not be able to see him, but he’s there, watching over you.”

Melanie brought her knees to her chest and hugged herself. “Thanks, Tony. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now get some rest, by the sounds of it you need it.”

“Chat soon,” she said before clicking the end button.

Slowly, she curled underneath her blankets and pulled them right underneath her chin. She didn’t even bother to turn the lights off.

“Dad, if you’re here and you’re listening, give me a sign. Tell me what I should do.”

Right then, her phone lit up again and she picked it up to look at it.

(9:54 p.m.) James: Goodnight, Melanie.