Future Pharming Ch. 01

"Mr. Boswell, as you're probably aware," Ling started, trying hard to overcome his Chinese accent. "The vaginal canal is a complexity - a vessel if you will - with more physical and biochemical complications and obstacles than any other part of our anatomies."

"That's an understatement," Noxworthy chuckled, as he interrupted. "It's like putting a petri dish in the middle of a mushroom factory. That vessel can house viruses, bacteria, funguses, and sometimes a good amount of Fentanyl if it belongs to a border jumper working for the cartels."

Noxworthy seemed the kind of man who was enthralled with himself and his quick wit. That stopped when he turned back and saw the expression on my face. His little joke fell as flatly as it deserved.

"In contrast, Mr. Boswell," Ling filled the void, "do you know how many genotypes of male sperm and seminal fluid have been identified?"

I simply shrugged, giving the security men another quick glance. Noxworthy took over. "Fifteen years ago, the answer to that question would have been exactly eight. Today, because of scientists like you, we've identified one hundred-sixty unique markers for both sperm and its delivery system."

"That's interesting," I piped in, impatiently, "is there a point here? Something to do with what my wife hasn't explained to me?"

"Steven," Noxworthy replied more urgently. "On Saturday's jeep tour, you cleverly posed a question about young men on the island. I was assured that Sarah had spoken to you, but your comment and question threw me. It also made me suspicious. That's why I spoke to Mrs. Boswell this morning, and now find myself in the awkward position of doing the explaining, and possibly dealing with the fallout of any... misunderstandings.

"Mr. Boswell," he said after a pause and with a sigh, "There are ten couples on the island, including you and your wife. There are exactly sixteen additional males here and this is our fourth of ten trials."

He paused again, and he looked like he was waiting for me to do the math. Dr. Ling filled the emptiness once more.

"As we told you, via video conference," he said, "we have the chemical piece we need to eradicate this side effect. The drug is stable and viable. These trials are intended to finalize the physiological part. You may be familiar with the term interventional studies. That's what your wife signed up for."

I was out of my seat like a shot. "I need to talk to Sarah," I demanded frantically. "Now!"

The two large men were on either side of me in a flash, still relaxed but with menacing expressions. Men that size shouldn't be able to move that fast.

"Sit down, Mr. Boswell!" Noxworthy ordered.

"I said," I declared less confidently, "I need to see my wife."

"Steven," he said in a quieter, more conciliatory tone. "Dr. Ling and I are trying to explain to you in the most succinct, mature, and sympathetic way. Please, understand, sir, this is equally awkward for us."

I still wasn't ready to sit. I stood there flanked by Stratagem's goons, listening.

"What you should have been told by your wife, is that these trials are the necessary final step needed to take the drug to the FDA. The drug works - but when endometrium builds up and is rapidly expelled, it can cause many complications, only one of which includes major discomfort during sex - intercourse, specifically. Some of the other - let's call them 'side effects - for now, could be caused by the interaction of the drug with the different types of sperm and seminal fluid. All of these need to be identified so that side-effect warnings can be thoroughly presented."

"No," I stated firmly, "I didn't sign on for this. Please get my wife in here so we can discuss this."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Boswell," Noxworthy was going to do all the talking now. "I'm afraid that isn't feasible, and there really isn't anything to discuss. Mrs. Boswell is likely in the middle of her first interventional session as we speak."

I was momentarily shocked, and unable to move. It felt like all the air had been sucked from my body, and as my legs grew unsteady, the two men gripped my upper arms and helped me into the chair.

"Let's stop the formality. May I call you Steven?" at least Noxworthy sounded sympathetic. "I'm... we're sorry you had to find out this way. I'm truly sorry that I didn't know your wife hadn't told you. I'm appealing to you as a scientist, and a biochemical engineer, to hear me out and see if we can come to some sort of agreement to resolve this situation - this impasse."

"We don't want to stay," I was grasping at... whatever, and I knew it. The security guys wouldn't be in the room if there was any wiggle room to put an end to it.

"I can accept and understand the one time, as a misunderstanding, and will deal with my deceitful wife at home."

"That isn't going to happen," he said stoically. "I..."

"Bullshit!" I screamed. "We're going home!" I found my legs, but the men firmly gripped my shoulders and applied downward pressure, giving me only one option.

"The only reason we're sitting here now, Steven," he ignored my demand. "Is because of your chosen profession. I can assure you we are very careful about our process from selection to completion..."

"No!" I interrupted again. "You misled me on the Zoom call. You deliberately didn't tell me about the studies and what kind of trials they were. We're leaving."

"I have the Zoom call recorded, Steven," he said sadly. "Allow me to play it for you."

He pushed a button on the remote, and our recorded call came onto the screen. It was queued to the exact part of the conversation.

"Besides the clinical sex, we understand it's a lot to ask couples - significant others, married or otherwise - to forego intimacy for an extended period.

Besides our mandate that this study involves couples, we did some research, and a warm weather island seemed the best way to allow couples to reconnect."

"You're splitting hairs, Noxworthy," I told him, "or you're playing games. I took that to mean exactly what my wife led me to believe - that the clinical sex was going to be between her and me - or I would have told her to forget it from the start. If I find out you or Stratagem coerced her, or intentionally withheld important information from me, I'll..."

I stopped, realizing I was up shit's creek without a paddle. My wife blatantly lied to me; why I was unsure at that moment.

Noxworthy had me right where he wanted me. My job, maybe even my life, could be on the line here. If the Feds were treating moving medicines from one location to another, like a military operation, there would be no reason to suspect a study like this was any different.

Noxworthy noted my conceit and began in earnest, "I'm sorry, Steven," his authoritative tone returned. "Your wife signed a contract. Even if I were so inclined to let her... and you, out of it, I'm on a major deadline here. Losing one of the clinical participants scraps this entire study. We'd have to start over from scratch, and lives are at stake. Women are dying, Steven and the clock is ticking."

"Stop saying that," I grumbled. "And I know you always have backup participants for just such emergencies. Get one of them."

"That would have worked, yes," he replied. "Had it been a week ago? Remember, this didn't come to my attention until late Saturday afternoon and was confirmed on Sunday morning."

"Is that why you summoned Sarah?" I asked in shock. He only nodded.

I thought for a moment. Then mostly on instinct, I resumed. "By not allowing me to see her now," I said, "you're destroying a marriage. How's that going to play in the press, when we get home because I won't lie for you or Stratagem."

"It isn't," he sighed heavily. "These are your options. You can accept what your wife is doing for the greater good, and for her own good, by the way. You can deal with her deception once the trials are completed, or you can start working them out here on the island over the next thirty days. We have three couples counselors on staff here, and I'm offering the best of the three to you, here and now, exclusively until the day you both leave."

"Yeah, I bet," I spat. "I'll bet plenty of husbands have a problem with what you're doing here."

"Not like you think, Steven," he responded gleefully. "Yes, the therapists are here to assist with any intimacy issues that may arise with the women's partners. But all of those partners, except you, of course, knew what they were in for before arriving here.

"Now," he continued, "Stratagem is also willing to pay for therapy beyond your time here, for both of you. That would be standard for ongoing intimacy issues, not for trust or respect issues, which is the case here. I believe you can both overcome those issues too and have a stronger marriage in the future. Regarding negative press, there won't be any. That was in the agreement you both signed."

"Explain the sessions," I demanded, not knowing why. I already had bad visuals.

"Well. Uh," he seemed put off by my interruption. "The sessions start with interviews where we determine each individual's state of mind that day. Your wife was given a low-level dose of experimental medicine before you came here. She'll also receive another low dose each week. As the trial progresses, she'll be asked questions in follow-up to the previous session, so we can document anything that might prove abnormal. Pain, discomfort, and additional natural fluids in the vaginal tract will all be discussed. Then we do a pre-screen OBGYN exam. The two volunteers engage in clinical coitus until the male partner ejaculates. Then a post-exam is conducted to extract a sample of combined fluids. Then, the female participant is given a douche product of her choice and released to the showers."

"I can't understand a husband or significant other being all right with this," I told him.

"And I assure you, that they are." Noxworthy was becoming impatient but remained confident. "All of the male partners are fully aware and supportive of the procedures. During the four weeks on the island, all couples have Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday to themselves, and to the amenities offered here. Those days used to be Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday, but we learned after the first study, that having those two weekend days together, helped the couples reconnect and lowered any feelings of inadequacy... that might arise. This study has six married couples and four long-term relationships. You're welcome and encouraged to talk to the other men, maybe take up some activities with them on the days Sarah is in trials."

"Well," I said sarcastically, "you've got it all figured out then."

"We think we do," Noxworthy smiled, but without any smugness in his voice. "I guess what I'm... what we're asking you, as a loving husband and a fellow man of science, is to stay, despite what has been heaped on you this morning. By all means, make it clear to your wife that there are definite issues in your marriage that need to be dealt with, here and upon returning home. While maintaining an even balance here, support her, try to work through some of those issues in a romantic, tropical setting, and support us as well. You'll be helping to save two-hundred thousand lives over the first twenty months."

"I see," my answer more subdued. "Just accept it. Be a good little cuckold and suck it up for humanity."

"Something like that," Noxworthy said with that edge returning to his voice. Picking up the remote control he followed, "I'm going to show you something. It's a personal interview with your wife, and we don't share these, even with your significant other. They're done to protect the participant and the study from possible legality. In this case, I think it's important for you to see it."

On the screen, Sarah was sitting in a chair, hands nervously in her lap. She was looking at something straight ahead of her, not the camera.

"Can you tell me briefly," a male voice off-camera asked her, "In your own words, why you volunteered for the study?

"Well," Sarah replied a little askew. "I'm a healthcare professional - a chief nurse in Columbus - and our facility was contacted about your study, saying volunteers were needed."

"Other than that, Mrs. Boswell," the voice asked. "Did you have any other reason for wanting to participate in this active comparator arm?"

"Yes," she said, sitting up straighter. "My mother had ovarian cancer. She and my father went to Europe for experimental treatments and later died in a terrorist attack. I know she was in remission during that time. I've had the tests done, and I carry the same marker, although I worry with the vaccine, that it could end up as cervical or uterine."

Sarah had broken my heart, in one short morning, and the hits just kept coming.

Why would she keep this to herself, and keep me, her husband, in the dark? Now I knew more about her parents and why they went to Europe in the first place.

"So you have a personal stake in the studies?" the voice asked.

"Yes," she tried to regain her composure.

"And your marital status, please?"

"I'm married," she answered.

"And your husband's full name?" the voice kept prodding her. "And your length of marriage and ages?"

"Steven Boswell," she said. "He's thirty-three and I'm thirty-two. We've been married for nine years, and no children... yet."

"Is the relationship monogamous?"

Sarah tilted her head slightly. "Yes, of course," she said confidently. Her surety seemed to fade, as she considered the question. "Uh, I mean, on my end it is."

She paused, trying to consider her next remark. "And I'm 99.9% sure on his end too. We're deeply in love."

Noxworthy paused the video. "As you can see, Steven," he turned off the monitor. "Sarah has a very good reason for being here. If you love her as much as she loves you, why not stay? Support her, while making sure she understands that secrets in your marriage will no longer be tolerated. Work through your problems. Then grow old together. Everyone likes a happy ending, and we're prepared to help."

It was all too much. I loved Sarah with all my heart. I'd just learned that she could suffer her mother's fate. Well, not exactly. Oh, and she was having unprotected intercourse, as I stupidly sat there. The visual of that hit me, and my mouth filled with my stomach's contents. One of the security guys handed me a wastebasket. After I'd finished, someone handed me a box of Kleenex.

In those few moments, I made some decisions. I couldn't, no wouldn't stay there, knowing what Sarah was doing. Knowing what she would be doing for an entire month. That alone would certainly kill our love and our marriage.

It didn't matter what Noxworthy was offering. He had his agenda. Stratagem wasn't as 'careful' as they claimed to be. The reality of how blind I'd been sunk in.

I'd been so worried about how the drug company was going to screw my wife over, I'd never considered it might be Sarah jamming the knife in my back. I needed to be alone so I could think. There were too many questions and too many variables. I didn't like being backed into a corner either.

"No," I finally answered. "I don't think I will."

"All right, Steven," Noxworthy said with a deep sigh. "This is an unfortunate development. I had thought a husband - and a man in your line of work - would be able to see things more... objectively. So, I suppose we need to talk about option two.

"My security," he began, "will escort you back to your room so you can pack. It will take about two hours before our pilot can return to retrieve you, so you'll have at least an hour to change your mind - if you wish. Otherwise, once back on the mainland, you'll be met by two federal agents to escort you home. They'll remain with you until the study has been completed, and Mrs. Boswell has returned to your home."

"What would federal agents have to do..." I ran out of words, as things gelled in my mind. Noxworthy confirmed the rest without filling in any blanks.

"As I'm sure you are aware," he stated. "The government and the pharmaceutical industry are now completely interwoven. Our goals are their goals. This study cannot be tampered with or put on public display. I won't have some disgruntled husband interfering with our critical work. There's too much at stake."

Noxworthy then turned away, and Dr. Ling followed him out onto the terrace, dismissing me like a child. The security men followed me to the elevators and up to my room.

Stay tuned for "Future Pharming - Chap 2"