Authors: Dominick Fencer,Baibin Nighthawk
81
At 8:30 am Mark entered Marshall’s office with an extremely stiff neck; he still had the outline of the keys of his keyboard on his forehead and he had slightly nicked himself while shaving.
"Wow! Hard night, eh? David Marshall asked with a smile. “You look really cute. If I press the button in the middle of your forehead, what happens? Do you stick out your tongue?"
"All things come from…a long night of strife, David. Before you find your handsome prince, you have to kiss a lot of toads, and tonight a damn toad!" Mark said, laughing.
"How about an Italian cappuccino? And a slice of chocolate cake? Et voilà." David lifted the lid of a cardboard box and a chocolate cake appeared in all its glory, then he dialed a phone number.
"Mario? Good morning again. Marshall here, could you arrange for the delivery of another two? Yes, please, with cocoa," he said into the phone.
Then, turning to Mark, he said, "Mario’s makes the best cappuccino in Dallas. It’s time for you to taste it!"
"For sure you're a gourmand, and this cake, who made it?"
"Mario’s wife," David replied, smiling happily at the sight of the cake.
When they had finished drinking the warm and fragrant cappuccino, Mark stood up and began wandering nervously about the room. He needed to get his neurons moving and find answers; he couldn’t sit still.
"I cannot deny that this issue makes me nervous,” said Mark, stating what was clear as he paced the room. “I'm afraid that not only is this not a temporary side effect, but that it’s going to cause us many sleepless nights. I've never seen so many people have the same reactions at the same time without apparent triggers," he said, now walking with his hands in his pockets. "Last night I downloaded the entire week’s database and, if necessary, we’ll manually check all the data. Unfortunately, it seems your co-workers were not mistaken. Have you asked other "Transtem 1.1" project accredited institutions in other states if their patients have brain wave alterations?"
"No, it didn’t come to my mind, Mark."
"Our patients live in Texas and that is the only condition in addition to the transplant they have in common. There weren't any particular climatic or cosmic events; the last event occurred about a week ago, but since then nothing has happened."
"Cosmic Events?"
"I was referring to electrical storms caused by solar flares."
"Ah! Why? Do you think they could interfere with humans in some way?"
"No one knows for sure today, but if you want my opinion…yes. Solar wind is a plasma of charged particles; however, this is certainly not the path I intend to follow. Don't worry."
"What do you suggest doing?"
"First of all check if it is happening only on a local basis or if it is a global phenomenon occurring in all accredited centers simultaneously. We should ask your colleagues if they can add behavioral data and reaction times to stimuli on the five senses and especially to verbal stimuli.
“If you consider it appropriate, considering how easy it is in these cases to fall into misinterpretation and false presumptions, I could visit our patients every day with your neurologists to ensure there is no erroneous data. You have to take into consideration that Brad Foster doesn't show any alteration and at the moment we don't understand why that is."
"I fully agree with you,” replied David. “I’ll speak to my staff tonight, and as of tomorrow you'll be officially in charge of the matter. You’ll be in charge of organizing the emergency recovery plan. Meanwhile, I'll call Jack Harris in Colorado and Frank Baker in California. I know them well and I know that they are very experienced."
"David, while you call Harris and Baker, I'm going to visit Brad Foster. What do you reckon? Maybe there have been some developments in his case."
"Okay, I'll wait for you here in my office," replied David.
When Mark returned to David Marshall’s office half an hour later, the neurologist was standing and staring into space.
"Even Biosketch Technologies Inc. has asked for the detection of behavioral data,” Mark asked. “I think they’ve noticed the side effects, too. Any news?"
"Depressing,” replied David. “Both my colleagues report the detection of the same problem and in all the patients. At this point, I’m going to call Ransley Bain, the Scientific Director of the project for Biosketch Technologies Inc."
"Foster’s situation hasn’t changed: his brain waves are normal and their frequency as well," said Mark.
David looked at him, shaking his head, and dialed the number of the company in New Mexico; Bain had left him his direct number for emergencies.
"Dr Bain? Good morning, this is David Marshall of the Southwestern County Medical Center in Dallas. I'm calling you because I’ve found significant alterations in the brain waves of the patients and I wanted to talk to you about it." Then he pressed the button of the speakerphone so that Mark could be a silent listener of the conversation.
"Good morning, Dr. Marshall. How may I help you?"
Marshall spoke on the phone with him for about ten minutes, he summarized the new data, and then Bain took the floor.
"I understand, Dr. Marshall. I have received your details and in fact we’re asking all the centers for further details concerning behavioral changes. But we believe it is a temporary and isolated phenomenon, linked to the change of season, temperatures have increased significantly in Texas and at the same time last week sunspots obscured satellites for half an hour. The other centers have reported very small, short-lived and low intensity phenomena; they didn't have to alter the dosages of the drugs being administered."
"Please excuse me for contradicting you,” interrupted David, “but I just spoke to Jack Harris at the Colorado center and Frank Baker at the California center and they confirmed that they have the same problems..."
"That's funny," said Bain quietly. "A couple of hours ago they reported that the behavioral data had returned to normal with a decrease in brain wave deviations. Are you sure?"
"It seems to me that they had problems, but if you have identified a normalizing trend...maybe I’ll call them tomorrow to get some clarification. It’s certain that our data is troubling..."
"How are you going to proceed?" asked Bain.
"First of all, we're collecting behavioral data and reaction times to sudden stimuli, then we’ll carry out analysis and keep you informed of any developments. In reality, I think that for now we have a low-risk situation of Adverse Drug Reaction and that’s why I’m calling you."
"In fact, you did well,” said Bain. “Biosketch Technologies Inc. make no compromises when it comes to pharmacovigilance and, I agree with you, that we should investigate the phenomenon in more depth. If it's okay with you, I’ll come to Dallas on Monday with Jack Harris, who is already following the development of the situation, for an audit. Harris will act as the investigator in accordance with standard operating procedure, and then we’ll evaluate whether to proceed further with the investigation into the Adverse Drug Events."
"Perfect!” said David. “My neurologist’s colleagues at the Southwestern Medical Center County will be at your disposal."
"Very well, Dr. Marshall. See you Monday, goodbye."
"Goodbye, Dr. Bain."
Mark looked at David Marshall quizzically. "Were you convinced by Bain’s response there? How could he say that it’s a temporary and isolated phenomenon if he doesn’t say what it actually is and why it has evolved like a Gaussian model? Besides, you told me that Harris and Baker had confirmed the same problems and that the situation wasn’t returning to normal."
"Maybe I misunderstood them,” replied David. “On Monday I'll call them again."
"Why don't you call them now?" suggested Mark.
"Because otherwise it would seem that I don’t believe Bain; they’d tell him for sure."
"So what?” said Mark impatiently. “At least we can be sure that everything is transparent."
"Why…do you have doubts?"
"Yeah, I mean, in this whole story there are too many curious factors; mind you, this doesn’t surprise me given that Colonel Walton I. Reed, who happens to be the number three in the CIA, is behind it all."
"Ah! Here’s the secret agent getting the upper hand on the doctor: conspiracy theory? Are you sure? You guys like to read what no one has ever written, but you reckon they definitely thought between the lines."
"Our neurologist is shrewd,” laughed Mark, “but so what?"
"I'll call them Monday, tomorrow’s Saturday."
"Do it now," said Mark bluntly.
"No, it is out of the question. I’ll call them Monday."
"You are giving them time and advantage when we have neither time nor advantage. I don't understand," replied Mark through gritted teeth, knowing that he could not, for the moment, force Marshall’s hand.
"I’ll keep you informed of what they tell me. But you, next Monday, Dr. Stearman, will be at home with a fever of 103°, a cough and chills. I don’t know if Bain is CIA or not, but it’s better to take no risks."
"Yeah..." agreed Mark reluctantly acknowledging the point.
"See you tomorrow for a jog in the afternoon?"
"Count on it".
82
“Baker? Who the hell authorized you to talk to strangers about the protocol?" Ransley Bain shouted on the phone without any preamble.
"David Marshall is part of the project, I don’t see anything strange. He asked me if I had found any problems with brain waves and I answered him."
"You should have stayed vague and informed me right away."
"But it is true, the situation is inexplicable and disturbing," said Frank Baker with a humble tone.
"That's Biosketch Technologies Inc.’s business, not yours!" Ransley Bain reiterated.
"Actually, it’s also my business, taking into account the fact that I have the responsibility of the patients," Baker said, raising his voice.
"It's your business, just because all your projects and I mean all of them, depend on the generosity of Biosketch Technologies Inc., so shut up. When Marshall calls you again on Monday, and he will call you for sure, you’ll tell him that you're having clear remission phenomena, or else you can prepare your bags for Europe. Is everything clear to you?"
"I understand,” replied Baker, quietly. “I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, it wasn’t my intention."
"I expect you to solve the problem on Monday. Call me when you're finished."
"Of course, but what do I do with the patients?"
"Just keep on sending us the data and keep me posted every two days, we'll take care of the problem, and let you know as soon as the situation is more clearly defined."
"Okay Dr. Bain, I’ll wait for your feedback. Goodbye."
Ransley Bain who had had Colonel Reed standing in front of him throughout the call, now looked him in the eye and said, "We must always remind them that they depend on our generosity, the proverb “Once ashore, we need no longer pray” is true. Now I’m going to call Jack in Colorado and organize a visit to Marshall, before he causes damage, too."
"Good morning, this is Ransley Bain at Biosketch Technologies Inc.. I would like to speak to Jack Harris please, thank you."
"Hi, Jack. How are you? What a mess, huh? Of course, we’re in constant contact with all the centers and we’re working night and day to understand the origin of the deviations. The thing that troubles us even more is that it’s happening to all the patients in all states, and at the same time regardless of how much time has passed from the tissue transplantation. It’s a real headache.
“We’re also checking to see if there are any drugs with incorrect dosages. It would be very serious, but it would solve the issue immediately without leaks and without having to bribe the press, as we are the manufacturer… Yes, I am cynical, no doubt. Why? Do you still believe in Santa Claus?
“The screening has to be carried out full-circle, we cannot exclude any risk factors and the peaks are worrying, the frequencies are continuing to rise. I hope they will decrease; if not, shortly, the patients will begin to suffer severe seizures, like the effect of an engine seizing up in a car.
“I know that David Marshall called you and he’s aware that you also have the same problem with your patients. That’s the very reason I called you: Marshall has mentioned the possibility of Adverse Drug Reaction and we cannot risk an alert arriving at the FDA. You can imagine the media response if by chance there was a leak, we would all be ruined and for what? For a phenomenon that is surely temporary?
“It's true that Marshall pioneered the procedure, and has never received a penny from us, but we’ll convince him to change his mind, and you’ll be the one to do convince him.
“Colonel Reed wants you to be our investigator on this case, and he realizes that this type of service is not at all pleasurable for you. He remembers you have renovated your house in the mountains. Do you agree to take this on? Thank you, working with you is always a pleasure. See you in Dallas at 11:00 am Monday morning at the Southwestern County Medical Center.
“Bye for now, Jack. The Colonel says to tell you goodbye, in the meantime he’s sending a nice message to your Caymans’ account. Voilà. Well, all is said and done! The man, the myth!"
Bain hung up and turned to Colonel Reed: "OK, it’s done, now we just have a day to disassemble the case of the brain waves and get it across to that cry baby Marshall."
"You're a real shit, Bain, but you're still the best shit we have."
"I have a great shit-master, sir! Whatever shit he ends up in, he always lands on his feet. Are you coming to Dallas with me, sir?"
"Bain, forget it. I'd rather ride a bike without a seat than change Marshall’s diapers!"
While he was finishing his sentence, Walton I. Reed's cell phone rang.
"Hello dear, how are you? I'm happy for you, ah, are you leaving? Of course, I'll be glad to see you, and afterwards I'll introduce you to Ransley Bain. He’s the Scientific Director of the "Transtem 1.1" project. Come in without knocking. I'll be waiting for you."
"That was Anaïs Degann, my best special agent. She may also like you," said Reed to Bain.
"Do you want me to get married, Colonel?"
"I'm sick of seeing you wasting your time with lobotomized whores who are all legs and fake boobs, Bain. This is one of the most intriguing women I've ever known, but I could be her father."
After about two minutes, Anaïs entered the Colonel’s office.
"Hello, Colonel Reed.” Anaïs turned to Bain coldly, “Good morning, I’m Anaïs Degann."
"Bain, Ransley Bain, enchanté..."
"Anaïs, Ransley is the Scientific Director of the "Transtem 1.1" project. I trust him blindly and he’s the best researcher in the United States. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"
"No, thanks. I'm really in a hurry, sir."
Ransley Bain appeared silly when Anaïs met his gaze again and she decided to leave quickly.
"I have to go, I’ll be in Little Rock tomorrow Colonel. As usual we’ll speak to each other in the evening. It's been nice to meet you, Dr. Bain!"
Anaïs left from the room like a meteor, while Bain still had a dazed expression stamped on his face.
"Look, if you don’t act, you’ll stay like this forever."
"Forever how?"
"A dumb ass, Ransley! A dumb ass!"
"She's beautiful."
"I told you that… Now put your eyes back in their sockets, try being a normal person and get the fuck out of here. I'll see you tomorrow.”