{+}+{+}+{+}+{+}+{+}+{+} CH 5
December 1994
Gary groaned, stilled his body and fought back a wave of nausea.
This was worse than any hangover he'd ever had, he thought.
He lay, eyes closed, and tried to remember what had happened.
He had gone to the office to meet with that Gen-U-Tech rep and fill out the paperwork. There, he met with a gentleman in a white coat. The stitching on the coat pocket said "Gen-U-Tech" and a name below it.
Sevoras? Sevaris?
Damn, he should have paid more attention.
The guy had congratulated Gary on being accepted into the drug trial, ran him through a short list of possible side effects, grilled him on his health history, then sent Gary on his way with an advancement of $200.
The remaining $600 would be paid upon the completion of the trial tomorrow, and if no side effects happened, he would be asked back for the rest of the week.
He had felt so optimistic that he'd splurged a little. He had stopped at the large department store and bought the kids their Christmas presents on the way home from that appointment. He had even taken the time to wrap them and tucked them under their artificial tree.
Early that morning, he had left before anyone in the house had even stirred, and met with the same man at the office. From there, he'd been led into a room in the back and to one of those medical beds with wheels.
"Now then," the man had said, handing Gary a small cup with three pills in it, and a glass of water. "Down the hatch."
Gary took the pills and prayed that he'd have none of the side effects. None of them were severe, so to speak, but if he experienced anything, he wouldn't be able to continue with the trial.
Tossing them back and using the water in the second cup to wash them down, he laid down on the bed and prepared for a nice long nap.
Judging by the blinding headache he was experiencing, he was having a reaction to the drug and mentally cursed.
Maybe, if he didn't tell them about the reaction, he'd still be able to keep this up until he found another job…
He tried to raise his hand to rub his temples, thinking to ease the ache, only to find out that something was holding his arm down.
He tried to move the other one, much to the same effect.
His eyes flew open, his vision blurry, and he looked at the restraints on his wrist.
"What is…" Gary began, his voice scratchy and his throat almost painfully dry.
"Ah, so you're awake," came the voice of the Gen-U-Tech guy. He strolled into Gary's view, but was no longer wearing the lab coat. He now wore a men's dress shirt, tie, and sport coat. "It won't do you any good to struggle," the man said, sounding almost bored. "The restraints are quite sound, I assure you."
Gary felt the first thread of panic, and he began to truly struggle then.
The man sighed. From the pocket of his coat, he produced a long syringe filled with a milky white liquid.
"I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this," The man said, injecting the drug into Gary's arm. "We're almost to our destination, however, and I can't afford for you to raise a fuss."
"Destination?" Gary asked blearily, the drug already taking effect as his struggles became sluggish.
"Yes, my good man," The Gen-U-Tech man said. "Welcome to New York City."
'I'm really going to have to remember this man's name,' Gary thought, a little drunkenly. 'I've always wanted to see New York…'
It was his last thought for a long time.