The RX Factor (34 page)

Ryan carefully removed one of the minicassette players from his jacket, while the other one remained concealed, recording the conversation that was to follow. He began playing back McNally's incriminating conversations with Mendel. The tape played for ten minutes, with Ryan fast-forwarding through some insignificant dialogue, highlighting the exchanges between the senator and Dr. Mendel that involved incriminating evidence. By the time Ryan had stopped the recorder, it was clear that McNally was caught, on tape, instructing Commissioner Mendel to bury FDA submissions, delay various drugs, and generally do whatever he could to slow progress on the drug-research front.

"You're going to jail for a long, long time, Senator."

McNally didn't blink. "Do you know why FSW was willing to pay such a huge sum for Immugene when your fledgling company only had one promising drug in the pipeline, a drug that hadn't even made it into human trials yet?"

"Of course," Ryan said. "So FSW could gain control and make sure Tricopatin never received FDA approval."

The senator chuckled. "There are literally thousands of drugs that show success in animal studies but go on to fail miserably in human trials. If FSW and the other major pharmaceutical companies paid one hundred and fifty million dollars to acquire every little start-up biotech company that developed a potentially promising drug, they would be out of business in no time. You know better than I do that only one out of one thousand drugs that enter human trials earns FDA approval. Now I admit it could be a lot more, but twenty or thirty out of a thousand would be the best-case scenario, even if certain forces didn't exist to make sure they were rejected. No, FSW and the others only offer to buy the ones they know are going to actually pan out."

Ryan narrowed his eyes at the senator. "How in the hell would FSW—or anyone else for that matter—know if a drug works unless it has been tested on humans?"

"That's why companies like FSW have espionage departments that rival the CIA. Do you think the billions they spend on research and development each year are actually spent on scientists wearing white lab coats and running around with test tubes in laboratories? That may be a small piece of the puzzle, but the big bucks go into espionage and human testing, typically conducted in Third World countries."

Ryan thought he had heard it all from Craven, but McNally's revelation was one that he was not yet ready to fully comprehend. "What are you saying?"

The senator offered the same smile he used to woo voters and media. "Whenever one of these little start-up companies has a promising breakthrough, the boys in cloaks break in, steal the formula, and ship it off to some developing country. From there, another team finds a crop of volunteers who either have the disease or who are unknowingly
given
the disease. Then they test the drug on the infected, and if it works, they make the small start-up company an offer they can't refuse. If it doesn't—and most don't—they bury the dead and move on to the next drug and unsuspecting crop of guinea pigs."

Ryan was barely able to choke out a response. "Why in the world would you ever allow something like this to go on? Taking campaign contributions and doing illegal favors for big companies is one thing. But you're talking about endorsing mass murder. You're talking about turning a blind eye to the kind of ethics-free science practiced by the Nazis and the Communists. That's sick. That's . . ." He searched for a word that might have currency with the senator. ". . . un-American."

The senator shook his head. "Absolutely not," he said. "My responsibility as a U.S. senator is to protect the greater good of our country and her citizens. While I'm sorry for the people whose lives are sacrificed, I can't let their suffering distract me from the big picture."

Ryan was tempted to throttle McNally, but since the man was spilling his guts, he decided to continue to egg him on and see what else the now-doomed senator might reveal. "You talk of the greater good, Senator, but you go to unheard-of lengths to suppress drugs that would be of tremendous benefit to the American people. And all in the name of corporate greed." He shook his head, disgusted. "You're full of shit. You can't say this is done to find cures and then arrange to have those same cures suppressed just to protect the bottom line of your corporate masters, who would rather keep the people hooked on maintenance drugs than simply cure them."

"Yes, the pharmaceutical companies are oftentimes the beneficiaries of my efforts. But they don't set policy, and they have no idea of the greater goal. As far as they know, I'm nothing more than a dirty politician who's willing to get things done for a price."

"You're going to fry for what you've done, Senator."

Ryan expected a defiant response, but McNally remained calm.

"Do you know what the average life expectancy for an American citizen was just twenty years ago?" he asked.

"Seventy-two," Ryan answered. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"And do you know what it is today?"

Ryan sighed impatiently. "Seventy-eight, eighty, I'm not really sure. I get that people are living longer, no doubt thanks to better medicine.

But they could live even longer and healthier lives if these cures weren't being suppressed."

"Indeed," the senator said. "You still don't get it, do you? Your wonder drug was not only a cure for ovarian cancer. Other researchers could have worked from your findings and developed cures for numerous other cancers. There was another drug we killed a few years back that promised to rejuvenate human organs. Hell, with just those two drugs on the market, it wouldn't be long before every disease known to man was cured and people were living one hundred and fifty years or longer."

Ryan was incredulous. The senator was beginning to wear him down. "And what would be so awful about that?"

"What do you think would happen to the American economy, and by extension the world economy, if people began living to one hundred and fifty? The Social Security system is already bankrupt. It wouldn't be long before the entire world was bankrupt, and we'd return to the Middle Ages. There wouldn't be enough food to feed the people or housing to house them or jobs to employ them or caregivers to care for them. The entire world would slip into anarchy, and the world as we know it would cease to exist."

"Everyone has the right to life and the best medical treatment available. I understand that increasing life expectancy rates could cause economic issues, but the picture you're painting is the worst-case scenario."

"If you have a solution to the problem that would not lead us down that path, I would love to hear it. Of course, you have been thinking about this for all of a few minutes now while I have spent the past decade studying the problem."

"Enlighten me, Senator."

"We could see this coming after the mapping of the human genome back in the nineties. This was a revolutionary medical breakthrough, and the entire scientific community was abuzz with the possibilities for new cures and new treatments. I was put in charge of a special committee by our last president to find a solution to the problems that could result from rapidly increasing life expectancy rates. We spent several years in think tanks with some of the brightest minds in the world. But the project was disbanded by the new administration after we failed to come up with even one viable solution after all our work. The only solution we offered was to limit the right of women to conceive. A national lottery system was suggested, but of course that meant the luck of the draw would determine the gene pool—and that was not going to happen, never mind the political consequences of trying to regulate the propagation of our species."

Ryan took a few steps back from the senator. "You're signing off on the wholesale slaughter of who-knows-how-many innocent people, you're suppressing cures to cancer, you're risking your career as a senator, not to mention your life as a free man—and based on what? A bunch of crackpot theories. Even if we find cures for every cancer known to man or learn how to grow a human liver, there's still Alzheimer's and AIDS and flesh-eating bacteria and a million other ailments that will keep us mortal, not to mention war, natural disasters, resource depletion, overpopulation— you name it. But my, how you talk! You'd think people were suddenly going to start living to one hundred and fifty tomorrow."

"Not tomorrow Matthews, but over the course of the next generation it would be possible if exponential revelations are made in medical science, which I am one hundred percent convinced could happen if left unchecked. Even if life expectancy increases to ninety over the next decade, Social Security is bankrupt under the current legislation. Unlike other politicians who only care about the next election, I am looking out for this country for the generations to come."

Ryan shook his head. "And how the hell are you going to control what goes on beyond our borders? China, Russia, Europe, India—they've got their own scientists and their own politicians. Please tell me you're on your own here."

The senator stuck his chin out. "You're the one who has his head in the sand. I'd rather be out front facing the world's problems than denying them. And I'm sure you'll be sorry to hear that I'm not on my own. I have a very powerful team behind me. You would be amazed to find out who all support the cause."

"Amaze me then. I'm all ears."

The senator laughed aloud. "Afraid I can't divulge that information. Of course, if you're ready to reenter society, we'd love to have you on our team."

Ryan had heard enough. "You're nuts. Get in the car, Senator. I'm taking you in."

McNally stood his ground. "I don't think so, Matthews. We were really hoping you would see the big picture and join our cause. But it's clear—"

"We? What do you mean
we?"
Ryan reached for his gun.

The impact came a fraction of a second before the blast, and before he knew what was happening, Ryan found himself on his back, the wind knocked out of him, his left ear ringing. He reached over with his right hand and gingerly touched his left shoulder. Warm blood oozed from a small but painful wound.

Confused and disoriented, he looked up just in time to see the smoking barrel of Jordan's gun staring down at him.

Ryan lay on the ground, bleeding and bewildered
. He searched for his gun and spotted it ten feet to his right. No chance at retrieving it from his position. He turned back and focused on the gun in Jordan's trembling right hand.

"I'm so sorry, Ryan," she said. "But we can't allow you to expose our mission. We're trying to save the world. I know it sounds crazy, but . . ." She wiped at her cheek with her free hand. "Please join us, Ryan."

The sight of Jordan towering over him with a gun in her hand felt surreal, and he briefly flirted with the notion that he was dreaming. For the second time today she'd surprised him, first by gunning down Stedman and now by turning her gun on him. The only thing keeping him tethered to reality was the pain in his right shoulder. He would need to stall for time, although he wasn't sure what he'd do with a few extra seconds.

"So you've been involved from the beginning?" he asked, unable to hide the disbelief in his "Yes," she said, "but—"

"But nothing. What about your aunt and uncle? They were killed by Stedman's people. And what about the other attempts on your life? If you were involved the whole time, why have they been trying to kill you?"

Jordan wiped another tear from her cheek, now stained with streaks of mascara. "I know what it looks like, but Stedman and the senator were not on the same page. They were working at cross-purposes. Senator McNally tried to keep Stedman and his people away from me, but Stedman wouldn't listen. All he cared about was getting rid of me and my clinic. He couldn't afford the competition and was willing to kill me and my aunt and uncle—and you—to protect his bottom line. But even before we figured out that it was Stedman and his people who were trying to kill me, I couldn't tell you everything I knew because I would have exposed my role in the senator's secret project.

"The truth is that my clinic is being set up to ensure a long, healthy, and vibrant life for the high-powered supporters of our mission. We want those people who understand and support our work to be around a long, long time." The expression on her face morphed from regret to bitterness. "As far as Stedman is concerned, I took great pleasure in killing that greedy son of a bitch."

Ryan shook his head. It was tough to figure out a plan while digesting Jordan's story. It didn't help that his shoulder was bleeding profusely and radiating pain in all directions. "I don't get it. When I first met you, you surprised me—hell, you shocked me—when you said the FDA wouldn't recognize a real breakthrough drug if it drove up and parked in its ass. Did you really mean that? Or was that just a lie to get my attention?"

"It was not a lie," Jordan answered adamantly. "The FDA is one of the most manipulative governmental organizations out there—and that's saying something. I figured that out early on in my career. But it wasn't until I started having detailed discussions with the senator that I learned what I was up against. It's more than red tape. There are so many powerful forces—most of them regulatory but some of them within the industry—aligned against any real progress. I had no choice but to hear out the senator. And what he said made a lot of sense."

The sun had dropped below the tree line and darkness was looming. Ryan, still sprawled out in the dirt, brought himself upright into a sitting position, careful to prop himself up with his one good arm. With Jordan still waving her gun at him, he didn't dare rise to his feet. He looked down at his bleeding left shoulder and quickly assessed the wound. It didn't appear fatal, but it was likely serious, and he might go into shock if he kept bleeding at such an alarming rate. He glanced past Jordan at Senator McNally, who clearly had her back. McNally was unarmed but obviously had no intention of stopping her from pulling the trigger a second time. He looked bored by Jordan's tearful confession.