We left Minsk National Airport in the most luxurious taxi I had ever seen. As we sped along the immaculate blacktop between the airport and city with the air-con blasting, I relined the front passenger seat and hit the massage function.
"I can't believe we're being paid for this. Business Class flights, chauffeured transfer...at this point, I'd be disappointed if our hotel room didn't have a hot tub and its own butler."
"We're not staying in a hotel, John. It's a residential drug trial, remember? I'm guessing it'll be more like a hospital," Julia replied from the back of the taxi. She's my only close friend from work, and one of the few people that make my time there bearable.
"Well, if we're going to be cooped up with a bunch of quacks for the next seven days, we better make the most of our last few minutes of freedom."
"I still have no idea why they, like, brought us all the way out here, though?" said Kristina. She was relatively new at work, but Julia and I were happy that she'd decided to come with us.
"I think It's got something to do with development costs," I replied.
"Still a little fishy if you ask me. I didn't even know where Belarus was. I had to look it up on a map."
"Oh, come on, where's your sense of adventure?"
At that moment, several ramshackle buildings flashed past the window and, instead of replying, Kristina simply raised her eyebrows. I half-shrugged and went back to fiddling with the taxi's large assortment of buttons and dials. Julia and Kristina chatted away quietly in the back.
I tugged open the vanity mirror and shook my head. The face reflected back at me had clearly seen better days. My think, brown hair was scooped over to one side, almost meeting the prickly stubble that I ambitiously referred to as a beard. The sharp, hazel eyes that I had long considered my best feature were dulled somewhat by lack of sleep. Depending on your point-of-view, I looked either rugged or scruffy.
We arrived at the drug company's headquarters sometime later. It was an imposing building of glass and steel, rising to at least six stories. It sat at the centre of its own compound, ringed by a tall security fence and heavy concrete bollards. Access was controlled by a toll booth and uniformed guard.
After a brief exchange in a language I didn't understand, we were waved through and the taxi deposited us outside a bank of slowly rotating doors. We thanked the driver, exited the car and stepped inside. The huge, clean atrium was clinical and efficient, as was the lady behind the reception desk. She spoke with only the slightest hint of an accent.
"Can I help you Mr - "
"Morris, John Morris. Yes please, I'm here about a drug trial," I riffled through my pockets until I found a tatty-looking flyer recovered from the notice board in the break room at work. "Err...this one."
"Thank you," she took the flyer and scanned the page. "The Oxymelodrin trial. Have you been preapproved?"
"I think so. The guy on the phone went through a few questions, then told me I'd be an ideal candidate. I think it was the same for my colleagues over there," I gestured towards Julia and Kristina. "Before I knew it, we'd all been booked on a flight and told to come straight here from the airport."
"I see. Well, it's a little unusual, but Dr Anissa does have her own way of doing things. Your name is on the list, please take a seat and someone will be with you shortly." She gestured towards a collection of plush chairs encircling a glass coffee table in the corner of the atrium. "Next please."
Once my friends had gone through the same process, they took a seat next to me. I had picked up the first magazine from the top of a neatly arranged pile and tried to absorb myself in the latest news from the world of orthopaedics.
"Does this feel a bit odd to you?" asked Julia.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"Well, aren't drugs companies supposed to test people before a trial? You know, to make sure they're not on medication or suffering from a heart condition, that sort of thing?"
"I guess. I'd pass with flying colours though; I'm the literal peak of physical health. Not so sure about you though," I said with a smile.
"I'm serious, John. They're offering us ten grand each for this trial. What if they're cutting corners and doing it here to get around health and safety? What happens if we get injured?"
"You're worrying too much, it's only a week. We'll be in and out in no time and then all we've got to do is think about what to spend all that money on." said Kristina.
"Besides, it's a bit late to back out now. Didn't you think about this before getting on the plane, Jools?" I added.
"I suppose I did a bit but, now we're here, I've just got this feeling -"
Our discussion was interrupted at that point by the hurriedly approaching footsteps of a young lady in a lab coat carrying a clipboard. Her blonde hair was neatly parted in the centre and a pair of thin framed glasses rested on her freckled button-nose.
"Mr. Morris, Ms. Dakin and Ms. Steel?" she asked, slightly out of breath.
"That's us," I replied.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Hannah," she held out her hand and I shook it gently. "Please follow me,
Dr Anissa would like to meet our newest recruits."
She walked towards a set of double doors at the rear of the atrium and paused to swipe an identity card through the scanner. We followed a few steps behind.
"She seems keen," said Kristina in a hushed tone.
"Probably on the grad scheme; you know how they are," replied Julia. "Give it ten years and she'll have all that enthusiasm crushed out of her."
Kristina smiled, pointed at me and said, "looks like she's got one fan, though."
"Don't know what you mean, I hardly noticed how tightly that lab coat clung to her lithe young body."
"Too far John, too far."
The double doors opened into a wide, blindingly white corridor with an elevator at the far-end. We walked towards it in silence, save for the click-clacking of Kristina's high heels on the ceramic tiled floor. Once Hannah had reached the elevator, she paused again for another card swipe.
"Security is a pretty big deal here, huh?" I asked.
"Dr Anissa insisted, she takes her work very seriously. I find it inspiring. She's so awesome and I just know you're going to really help with her research."
"And what sort of research might that be? Nobody's actually told us what this Oxy stuff is," Julia interjected.
"I'd prefer to allow Dr Anissa to explain that in person. It's nothing to worry about, I promise. She's a Behavioural Scientist; one of the best," said Hannah with genuine admiration.
"So, how did you end up working here? you don't sound Belarusian," I asked, changing the subject.
"People come here from all over the world, it's one of the top medical research facilities in Easter Europe. I studied microbiology at Dublin, then got offered a position here straight out of university. It's taken a bit of getting used to, but the job makes it totally worthwhile."
The elevator doors pinged open and we stepped inside. Without pressing a button, the backlit elevator panel indicated we were travelling to floor UG3. The card swipe must have pre-programmed it.
"We're going underground?" asked Julia with some concern.
"-So let the boys all sing and the boys all shout, for tomorrow -" I sang quietly. "Didn't know you liked The Jam, Jools?"
"Shut up John. Why are we going underground?"
"All I can say is the research is highly confidential and being underground gives us extra security.
It's not at all claustrophobic down there but, if you feel uncomfortable, you can leave at any time," Hannah replied reassuringly.
After a short, humming descent, the doors slid open to reveal a bizarre scene. Directly in front of us was a central atrium, not dissimilar to the one upstairs, complete with a reception desk, ample seating and several vending machines. It was two-stories high, with a mezzanine, and lined by countless doors leading away in all directions. It seemed large enough to accommodate hundreds of people, but it was eerily empty. No signs of life anywhere.
"OK Guys, now please tell me how this isn't creepy?" asked Julia.
"You've got me there," I replied, stepping out behind Hannah.
"Sorry, I know how this might look. We've just started the programme and there's only around a dozen of us working on it right now. We're trying to recruit like crazy, but Dr Anissa is very selective."
"Look, thanks for the offer and everything, but I think I'm going to go back," said Julia.
"Please don't do that," Hannah pleaded. "Just meet Dr Anissa and decide afterwards."
Kristina glanced around the atrium. "It can't do any harm, Jools, and they're offering a lot of money."
