Thursday, 26 July 2012

9:00 PM, July the 6th, The Future

K.

The fog is so thick it feels like rain frozen still. The smell of sewage is overwhelming - everyone just dumps their failed E. coli wherever they fancy. That’s one thing I learned about the black market quite early.
- 'Sup Alex, got anything good this week?
- I've got that alcohol dehydrogenase part you asked for. It's pretty old but definitely viable.
- That's even better, more chance to tinker with it. A restriction site here and there and it will work just fine.
- Exactly - he grins - I've also got some more... funky stuff. LSD, used to be the most valuable compound produced with synthetic biology. Interested?
- Heh, yeah I remember how it made the news. But it's not my kind of stuff, plus I probably don’t want to compete with the mob, they are a bit touchy. I'll drop you some plasmids if I get the dehydrogenase working. Same time next week?
- I'll see you then, mate.
I walk away with the small tubes safely stashed in my coat. The cops know it's a better deal if they stay away from this part of the city but you never know. I turn around as I hear someone coughing out their lungs. The moment I see blood, the diagnosis is clear - tuberculosis. She is asking for drugs but I know that there are no drugs that could help her. You either get your immune system augmented or you're done. It’s supposed to be free but there are always people left behind. There’s nothing I can do for her...

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