** Chapter Four: Consciousness is Key **
Twelve days after the start of their gentlemen's agreement, Cromwell came by the lab and asked Victor if he could stay late to help him "run some numbers" on a possible biochemical refinement to the formula. When Denise came over to see what was up, he explained that his chemistry background had provided him with an idea quite out of the blue.
"I've been watching the tapes of Trial 3, and it occurred to me that the immediate drop-off of energy might be controllable. We need a way to minimize the lasting energy-depletion which seemed to result from the extreme levels of sexual arousal and neurological stimulation. If we can level off the metabolic crash, we'll have a much better chance of marketing it as a once-daily maintenance pill. Not to mention, we might be able to undercut the black-market somewhat." This last appealed to Denise, but part of her was irritated that William--whose expertise was somewhat dated, if nothing else--was tinkering with the formula on his own.
Just then, Neda made some kind of exclamation from across the lab, drawing all eyes. Excited by something in front of her, she called out to Denise who hurried over, leaving the men to resume their conversation. Her irritation wasn't really fair, she reasoned. After all, he's a skilled chemist, and it's a good idea, though somewhat impractical. Her irritation at what she'd already subconsciously dismissed as harmless enthusiasm on the part of an envious has-been was swept aside by the promise of a breakthrough.
Resuming their exchange, Cromwell told Victor that he'd added a biologically harmless synthetic stimulant to the compound and wanted to test its efficacy. Eager to pocket a sample of the drug prototype for his own "research" purposes, Victor eagerly agreed to stay late again that night, in the interests of science.
When he came into the observation room, he found that the ex-chemist was already in the room with his wife, who was at that moment naked and on her knees at his feet, trying to claw his belt open and get his clothes off but hampered by waves of tremors that seemed to pass through her every few seconds.
"Please...please...Willy. Let Willy out. Want." She panted between words, all but incoherent.