GA Writing Prompts - 74. Neural Boosters

“What about the data? Do we have results?” Professor Evans asked upon entering the room.

Sharon and Max looked up and Professor Evans gave them a cheerful nod. Max stared, then and turned his eyes back to the screen. Sharon took off her glasses.

“Uhm, the analysis is not yet finished,” she said. “The results are contradictory so far.”

Max took a handful of peanuts from a bowl. Sharon seized the bowl and frowned at Max.

“Contradictory?” Evans asked while checking his email account. He looked up. “Sharon?”

“You know the diet had no significant effects on the baboons and the macaques,” Sharon said. “And I fear it’s just the same with the bonobos.” She nodded her head at the wall. Behind the wall was a lab where a young bonobo was kept. “The diet has positive effects on health in general, but I fear it does not improve brain power. The test results simply don’t point to it.”

She glanced at Max. He resumed working through the testing modules. They had experimented with the bonobo for months. All in vain. The synthetic diet had no effect at all. It was exactly the outcome he had expected. He had wanted to change the bonobo’s diet, but Professor Evans had been enraged and had not talked to him for a week. Max focused on the screen. He felt deeply insulted and thought he’d better not get involved in the conversation.

Sharon closed the document with the test results and rose from her chair. “Professor, can I have a word with you?” she asked with another nod at the wall.

“Of course, Sharon,” Evans said, slightly irritated.

He followed Sharon into the lab. They stopped in front of the cage with the young bonobo. The animal was sleeping.

“Well, Sharon,” Evans said. “You are disappointed by the results, but you have not even finished the analysis. We’ve worked with various synthetic diets for a couple of months. We’ll change the diet and try again. These are experimental studies. I’m sorry you feel the work is tedious.”

Sharon shook her head. “That’s not the problem, Professor Evans.” She took a breath. “I want to talk to you about Max. We can’t have him hanging around here any longer. We need someone qualified here. Think of the monthly visits. The next visit is due at the end of next week.”

Evans crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You know very well, Sharon, that the faculty director asked me to do him the favor,” he said. “His aunt Maureen goes through a lot of trouble, her husband died, her eldest son had an accident and her daughter Linda divorced. She needs a little help.”

“I can see this,” Sharon said. “I just don’t think hiring Linda as an office assistant and placing Max in the lab is the proper help.”

“I don’t think you’re in the position to make such decisions,” Evans said angrily. He straightened. “Linda is an ambitious young woman and Max is good with animals.”

“He changed the bonobo’s diet. He fed peanuts to him. You treat him like an animal care attendant, but he’s not. We need someone qualified here,” Sharon insisted.

“Do you think I didn’t see you eating peanuts all day long?” Evans snorted. “We’re experimenting with synthetic and genetically modified food here. We want to change the neural circuits. We don’t experiment with what you can find on the internet, like ten foods to boost your brain power, nuts, dark chocolate, oily fish and what else. It will only make you put on weight.”

Sharon lowered her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Sharon,” Evans said quickly. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

The bonobo woke up and got to his feet. Evans and Sharon turned to the cage.

Max had overheard the conversation through a gap in the door. He went back into the room, stopped at Sharon’s desk and opened a drawer. It was filled with peanuts bags. ‘Stupid bitch’, Max thought and emptied the drawer. Stealing her food was just the proper sort of revenge. He stuffed the bags into his pockets and sat down at Sharon’s desk. A desktop icon attracted his attention. It was subtitled ‘Internal Report - Not intended for public consumption’. Max opened the document, brushed through the content and for a split-second stared in shock. Then he acted quickly. He saved the file to the server, went back to his desk and dragged the file to his computer. He had just finished the file transfer when Sharon and Evans reentered the room. Max watched them out of the corner of his eye. Sharon smiled artificially and Evans gave him a cheerful nod.

‘Treacherous pack,’ Max thought. They made plans to get rid of him. No wonder. He could reveal their shocking plan to the faculty director. The man would visit next week, together with other interested scientists. Max stared at Sharon and Evans who had each bowed over sheets of paper. Max screwed up his nose.

Sharon looked up. “Why did you stop typing?” she asked, irritated.

Max mustered her. Sharon brushed back a strand of hair and turned back to her studies. Max opened the shocking document and read it thoroughly.

Professor Evans had authored it. He admitted that the tested synthetic diets didn’t have significant effects. The diets didn’t change the neural circuits and hence didn’t improve brain power. Evans planned to improve the results by directly stimulating parts of the brain.

‘Electric shocks. What else does it mean?’ Max thought. He closed the document and stared into the room. Professor Evans was right. He had learned quite a lot here, but he was not qualified. He was hanging around here. He didn’t do anything useful. It was time to do something productive. Max pulled a peanuts bag out of a pocket, tore it open and stuffed the peanuts into his mouth. He was thinking. He could send the internal report not intended for public consumption to a news magazine perhaps. Max was tapping his fingers on the desk.

Sharon looked up. Her face was red. She glanced at Evans, then turned to Max. “I know you read the document. Access to the file is logged, you know,” she whispered.

Max mustered Sharon, long and thoroughly. Sharon shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She winced when Professor Evan’s smartphone rang. Evans got up and went into the lab to have a private talk with someone on the phone.

Max and Sharon’s eyes met.

“You must leave before they visit next week. Evans can’t see it, but others could. I know you are up to something, Max. It shows in your eyes.”

Max was surprised. He’d been convinced he could hide his thoughts.

Sharon pushed the bowl towards Max. “Food for thought,” she said. “I know the peanuts diet worked wonders on you. I’ll get you to a place where you will be save. Do you trust me, Max?”

Max folded his hands and grinned at Sharon, baring his teeth like all chimpanzees do.

“Yes,” he said the first word he’d ever spoken aloud, with a little effort and after clearing his throat.