Applied Science

Chapter 4
The Offer

Chapter Description: A deal is broken between the protagonist and the scientist.

“Oh yeah? Applied science? What offer is this? You want to pump me full of drugs and zap my brain or some shit?” I replied to the stern faced man sharply.

“Not quite, I am the head of a department that specializes in bioscience. We have been experimenting with a serum that could not only halt aging but totally reverse it. We need test subjects and I am offering you the chance to be a part of our program” He replied sternly enunciating every consonant in his speech like some sort of old time radio presenter.

“You must be taking the piss! You want to fucking shrink me back to being a kid? There are millions of needy cunts who would kill for the chance to be young again and you are offering this shit to me? I’m a convicted murderer and drug dealer for fuck sake!” The man seemed shocked by my blunt response. Slowly walked over and sat down next to me. He softly spoke to me.

“listen some of our funding comes from the government who want to know if this could be used to rehabilitate people like you. You are still a young man and I’ve read your file. You spent most of your childhood on a missing list and being a hoodlum. This way you get a chance to grow up properly in a stable home and maybe you can become a functioning member of society”

“fuck that. You want me to play around like I’m a fucking kid and go through the care system again? You have no fucking idea how hard it was the first time round? Fuck your serum and fuck society! All it ever did was shit on me anyway!” I replied harshly.

“I’ll put it to you this way son. Either you go through with this and for once in your life do something that might better the world and humanity, or you can go to jail and spend your entire life there only getting out as an old man if you are lucky! I am offering you a massive opportunity here” The man seemed serious.

I rolled it over in my head. On one hand this seemed like a wind up or some way to get me to sign over my body to be used and abused. I had been the plaything of one old man before I sure as shit didn’t want to go through that again, in any way shape or form. But honestly this David cunt was right. Either I agreed to this or I spent the rest of my life in the clink on bread and water. I had not touched a bump in days and I was still suffering withdrawal and my whole body felt cold and I shivered from the prospect of jail. I made my decision.

“Fine I’ll agree to this shit. But I want details about what the fuck is involved in this experiment and I want them now!”

David stood up and reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out his smartphone and began reading me off the details.

“You will be taken from here to our facility where you will be prepped for the procedure. It involves intravenous injection of our experimental serum which should reduce the age of your body to somebody of around 9 years old. You will be under anesthetic while the procedure runs it’s course. You should retain all of your memories but I cannot promise you will retain all of them. It will weaken your emotional state and your physical body will lose your sex drive and all your hormonal changes from puberty. For all intents and purposes you will be a kid again. You will still have to deal with your withdrawal afterwards which may be difficult but help will be there should you need it” He stared at me hoping I would be partial to this.

“Then what? I get given to some fucking foster family to beat and shit on again? Grow up around the same shit I did the first time? Why bother wasting my fucking time! Besides people know my name now I’m a fucking murderer who the fuck would take in a fucking murderer?” I replied.

“you will not grow up around here at all. Once the procedure is complete you will be held at our facility here where upon 2 weeks of observation you will be transferred to the USA. Once there you will be given a new identity and placed with a family who will adopt you. Once you are there you will not reveal your old identity and you will become a new person, hopefully a better one. You will attend a school there and you will grow up otherwise normally”

The states? I had never been outside this same shitty city my entire life and now I was offered essentially an all expenses paid holiday to live with some yank family. I had been swayed if this was what was promised this might be good for me and I was curious.

“done but I have one small condition”

David looked at me intently.

“I want one of my fucking suits. I don’t want to be wearing this shit any longer and I want my fucking cigarrettes”

David nodded and produced forms for me to sign. I could read but not too well and I sure as shit couldn’t write well. Not going to school and running drugs isn’t exactly the best way to gain the ability to read and write. I scrawled my mark on the forms and looked up.

“when do we start?” I asked.

“Straight away, let’s go and get your suit”