Ambrosia PT. 1

[SK41219]

Hm, I think this is my first official post here. lol



Anyway, this is a story I'm working on. It may end up getting long, but hopefully not too long. :P This first chapter is pretty much just set-up. Sorry if it's long, but I like to make sure the story develops nicely before the muscles do. Next part will have growth, I promise.



?Dammit, Ray, I need the rent!? Andrea slapped Ray upside the head with a gentle but firm hand. Ray sighed and ran his fingers over his scalp, separating the unkempt strands of brown hair. He inched away from Andrea and shook his head a few times.


?I just need a few more days,? he said.


?It?s already a week overdue! I can?t keep doing this, Ray!? Andrea tossed his hands in the air and grumbled beneath his breath. Ray managed to make some of it out, though, having been in Italian, he couldn?t understand what it meant. ?Every month it?s like this. Ah, my mother??



?Listen, I mean it this time. I?ll have it,? Ray said, turning to Andrea. He placed his hands on the shorter, older man?s shoulder and gripped. ?I promise.?


?You always promise. You always look at me with those puppy dog eyes like it?s going to get you something. I?ve been too nice already. I need that rent by twelve o?clock tonight, or else you?re gone by tomorrow morning, understand?? He pushed Ray?s hands away from him and strode out the door, feet pounding against the hardwood flooring.



?How the hell am I??


?I don?t care,? Andrea growled. ?Figure something out, or you?re gone.?


The door slammed shut. Ray let himself fall against the wall. He slid down until his rear sat against the floor. Folding his legs, he tilted his head back and tried to think.


Money? Money? He?d been fired from his job two weeks ago and hadn?t been able to find one since. His mother had an apartment; if he couldn?t find money then he could move in with her, as much as she?d hate the idea. She was the one who kicked him out in the first place. But she wouldn?t deny him if he had nowhere else to go, would she?



She?d have to be a last resort, or else she?d never take him in. He could lie, of course, but lying to your mother was almost as bad as killing a man.



Take a walk. Maybe there?d be some help wanted sign somewhere. Maybe someone needed a tutor. He wasn?t in school anymore?he?d dropped out last year after just one semester?but he wasn?t stupid. He?d always been partial to history and English. But, of course, the opportunity would first have to present itself. Though, he?d never know just sitting here.


?Get off your ass,? he mumbled to himself, and he did.



New York City had been praised as an expanse of opportunities. Though, perhaps that was only a legend now, a legend from better days. That was not to say the city was poor or unkind, but the economic climate had been particularly sour as of late, and it had made finding a job?a decent job that would pay the rent?fairly difficult. But there was always something. There had to be something.



For the first hour Ray made sure to take note of every little flier he came across. They were taped and stapled everywhere, it seemed, and whenever you ripped one off you?d find another revealed just beneath it. Good deals of them were advertising bands and shows and other little events that took place all over the city. None of them, however, mentioned jobs. There were no ?Help Wanted? signs either. There were several instances when he slipped into a store and inquired about a position, but nothing was available.


The sun had set a few hours later, and with all of his walking and searching, nothing had come up. Cursing to himself, Ray stumbled over to the side of a building and lightly bumped his forehead against it. ?This can?t be real.?



Shuffling?


Ray turned to see what had made the sound. It was a lone flier scraping across the concrete sidewalk. The wind was kicking it about. Frowning, Ray decided to give it a shot. Plucking the paper from the air, he uncrumpled it and held it up to the nearest streetlight.



It was an advertisement for a clinical trial. He?d heard of them before; they paid you to test out a drug, or something of that sort. The address was a legitimate university medical center, so it couldn?t have been a scam. And he?d get paid. Granted, he was getting paid for being a drug lackey, but he wasn?t so prideful that he?d let that get between him and a dollar. Rather, a thousand hundred dollars. The thought made his mouth water. That was enough for rent, at least for the next month, and maybe he?d be able to go back, do some other things for them, make some more cash.


He was getting ahead of himself, but he didn?t care. He just needed to call them. The trial was tomorrow morning. Maybe there was some room left for him.



When he returned to his apartment he made sure to notify Andrea, who, while still slightly frustrated, allowed for Ray to take the time to go through with everything.



?Don?t take too long,? he said. ?I?m happy for you, but I still need to have that money soon.?



?I?ll get it to you. I promise. And this is a real promise,? Ray said.



?Good.? Andrea shooed him off and closed the door with a thud.



The next thing Ray knew he was on the phone with the clinic.


?There are two spots left, actually. We?re glad you?re interested. There?ll be a more in-depth explanation when you come in tomorrow,? the voice on the receiving end said. ?We look forward to meeting you.?


?Thanks. Can?t wait,? Ray said, and bid the voice good night.



That morning Ray set out for the medical center. After a brief train ride and even briefer walk Ray found himself in the center of a perfectly white medical center. He asked for directions and soon came upon a small conference room. There was a large rectangular table in the center, surrounded by at least twenty cushioned chairs. Most of them were occupied, forcing Ray to take one wedged between two rotund men. He tried to edge himself away, but it was difficult to move the chair over the carpet, so he gave in and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible.



After a few minutes two men in lab coats?both of them looking well into their forties, perhaps even their early fifties?strode in. They were carrying clipboards and wore thick-rimmed glasses, fitting the stereotype perfectly. They both stood at the front of the room and loudly cleared their throats to garner the attention of the room?s occupants.



?Before we begin we?d like to thank you all for coming,? the right most one said. ?And, not only that, but we?d like to make a quick announcement.? They both smiled, and the one on the left tapped his fingers against the back of his clipboard. ?In order to participate in this trial, and in order for us to gain the most successful results, we require that our patients meet certain criteria. For instance, if any of you are currently taking drugs, be they illegal or prescribed medicine, you cannot participate. We must ask you to leave.? Silence spread over the room. A few people looked around, and after about thirty seconds at least five of them stood and made their way out, grumbling all the way.



?Excellent,? the left one said. ?Also, if you are either over-weight, we must ask you to leave, for health reasons.? Ray sighed with relief as the two fat men slid their chairs back?after some struggle?and made their way through the door.



?Why did you mention that now?? One of the remaining occupants asked. Ray glanced over to him. He was young, younger than Ray, even. He couldn?t have been more than eighteen. ?You could have had a bigger group to test on.?


?We have done that in the past,? the right one said. ?However, people don?t like to believe things unless they?re told by someone who looks official. If someone is desperate for money they?ll convince themselves of anything, even if our advertisement tells them they?re not eligible.?


?Besides, we can?t dedicate our entire flier to explaining why they can?t partake,? the right one said. ?Anyway, if that?s all, we?d like to introduce ourselves. I?m Doctor Hammet.?


?And I?m Doctor Rackley,? the left one said. ?We?ll be giving you a brief explanation on what this trial is all about before we get into the good things.? He chuckled and took one of the empty seats, dragging it to the front of the room before plopping down in it. Hammet did the same. ?To start, we?d like to state that the purpose of this trial is entirely scientific. We haven?t found the cure for cancer, and we haven?t solved poverty. However, this drug trial can be a step in that direction.



?A few months ago an archeological dig in Greece discovered something quite interesting. Flowing beneath the ruins of an ancient city was a river of thick golden fluid. At first the archeologists didn?t know what to make of it. They studied it for a while, and finally found something quite earth shattering. When consumed, this nectar substance increases a human being?s physical prowess exponentially. If anyone is familiar with the fabled substance called ambrosia??


?Nectar of the gods, a gift from the Greek pantheon to the mortals,? Ray said. ?It?s mythology.?


?Not entirely so. We?ve come to believe that, through the eyes of a young civilization like ancient Greece, they would believe that the physical augmentations provided by the ambrosia turned men into gods. In reality its effects aren?t quite so dramatic. But still, they?re impressive nonetheless, impressive enough to send over to here, and several other places around the globe, to see what we can learn from it,? Rackley said.


?We?ve been doing our best for the past few months, and we finally came up with something interesting,? Hammer added. ?It?s a pill version of the ambrosia, one with what we hope are magnified results. The kind of physical improvements this pill can provide should strengthen the body to a point where disease and hunger become irrelevant. The pill should do what the myths claimed actual ambrosia could do.?


Rackley chuckled. ?Perhaps not that?s a bit of a dramatic statement, but you get the idea. This trial is to determine if blood type or genetics play a part in how the pill affects people, or if there are certain people who are unaffected. None of you will be given placebos. We?re quite sure that the pill can work. We just want to see how it will affect different people. Doctor Hammet, if you could bring in the bottles?? Hammet nodded and went outside for a few seconds, returning with a crate of twenty bottles in his hands. Setting it down on the table, he picked out ten?the number of people remaining in the room?and handed them out.



?Gentlemen, good luck,? Hammet said.
****



Ray stood outside the medical center, turning the bottle over in his hand. Tossing it up, he caught it and shoved it into his jacket pocket. He began to walk toward the subway, but a voice stopped him.


?Whaddya think??



Ray wheeled around on his heels and came face to face with the boy from before, the one who had spoken out. He was a good two inches shorter than Ray, which was still decently tall, seeing as Ray was just over six feet. His hair was red and wavy, and long enough to show the waves off without being excessive. Freckles dotted his pale cheeks.



?What do you mean?? Ray asked. He began to walk again, and the boy followed alongside him.



?About the pills,? he said. ?Nervous??


?Maybe? a little,? he said. ?I don?t care, though. I?ve got my check, and I can pay my rent.? He chuckled as he hand dug into his pocket, feeling the little slip of paper pressed between his wallet and the innards of his jeans.



?Was it just money, for you?? the boy asked.



?Yup,? Ray replied. ?Though, it certainly sounds like a nice thing??


?That?s why I came,? the boy said. ?I don?t need the money.? Ray felt a pang of jealousy, but when he turned to face the boy again he was met with a folded slip of paper. ?Take it.?


?Take it?? Ray lifted his hand hesitantly. The boy nodded, and Ray took it. ?Thanks.? He smiled and paused for a moment. ?My name?s Ray.?


?Thomas, but my friends call my Tommy.?



?It was nice meeting you,? Ray said. ?And thanks again. You don?t know how much this means to me.? He laughed and stuffed the check in his pocket. ?How can I thank you??


?You don?t need to,? Tommy said.



?But I want to,? Ray said. ?I actually have enough money for that now.? He chuckled. ?I just need to cash these checks first. I?ll buy you some coffee, or something.? For a moment Tommy looked like he was going to argue, but he finally submitted and the two went off.

[dinjin]

I'm loving the development!
Can't wait till the next part.

[arpeejay]

I'll be interested to see how this develops -- promising start!

xoxo

Richard

[muscl4life]

That was a really great chapter, the story plot was neatly introduced with enough details to make it interesting, and still simply enough to make the reading clear and objective. This is really promissing and I'm looking foward to know more about this 21st century Ambrosia.

Cheers