Monsters - Matt Rogers (icecream ebook reader TXT) 📗

a media storm right now. They’re pushing Heidi as this deity figure, a super-genius to rival Jobs and Gates.’

‘You sound cynical.’

‘Because I know what’s really going on. You know about the product they’ve patented, right?’

‘I heard a soundbite on the news. Some vape for caffeine-related anxiety. That’s all I can remember.’

‘Yeah,’ Ava said. ‘I remember Mary giving me the pitch, four years ago. It’s a damn good pitch. I still remember the details. Want to hear it?’

‘Sure.’

Ava took a breath. Then she began.

She said, ‘Eighty percent of U.S. adults consume caffeine daily. And I’m not sure if you have first-hand experience with this, given your lifestyle, but there’s a plague of generalised anxiety across the Western world right now. I’m guessing you learned more about that when you uncovered the extent of the heroin problem. But it ends up being a paradox, right? We’re told that the key to happiness is productivity, working and earning more than our neighbour, building a tidy material life. Raising kids, providing for them, giving them everything they want. But that means working harder, longer, so we pump ourselves full of stimulants to get the job done. Ask anyone if coffee sometimes makes them jittery or anxious and I guarantee you’ll get a one hundred percent resounding “yes” across the board. Right?’

Alexis was no stranger to the occasional jitters. ‘Right.’

‘Heidi invented the solution, and it’s about to come to market. Here’s the pitch: you undergo an intensive medical examination at a Vitality+ clinic near you. They’re about to open one in every major city with all the equipment they need for the brain scans. Then you’re administered a vape-like device with a smoke cartridge that is custom-engineered to your exact neurotransmitter imbalances.’

Alexis raised a hand, stopping Ava in her tracks. ‘What?’

‘Neurotransmitter imbalances. They’re what give you anxiety when you’re sensitive to caffeine. It happens because your brain chemistry is all out of whack. Too much noradrenaline, not enough dopamine. Caffeine ups both, giving you energy and that feel-good sensation, but too much energy and you get frazzled, wired, overstimulated. So Vitality+ analyses exactly how your brain’s screwed up, and their custom cartridge corrects the imbalances. It keeps the adenosine receptors antagonised so you still get the energy boost, but it wipes out the crash, wipes out the jitters. You take a single puff after your morning cup of coffee and you’re guaranteed a smooth, stress-free ride on Caffeine Highway.’

Alexis digested it all, clasped her hands together. ‘I’m not going to lie, Ava. It’s a fucking good pitch.’

‘Coffee is one and a half percent of the national GDP. That’s hundreds of billions of dollars. You invent something that makes the experience better, guaranteed, you can charge whatever you want for it. There’s more than just billions on the line. I’m not exaggerating.’

‘I know you’re not. So what’s the problem?’

Ava stared across the table. ‘The problem is it doesn’t work. The brain scans don’t do shit. The smoke isn’t custom-engineered. It’s one enormous lie.’

9

Alexis couldn’t disguise her incredulousness. ‘But you said they’re going to market.’

‘Yes. They are.’

Alexis went quiet, realising the implications. ‘Your niece knows. They threatened her.’

Ava stared over Alexis’ shoulder, gazing into space, and Alexis took the time to study her features properly. The transformation was remarkable. It was hard to believe the horrid cake-faced woman with the bleached hair had ever existed. It reminded her of the power of choice, the fact that a series of consecutive decisions had led to the new woman sitting here, her looks and personality entirely overhauled. And that was six weeks. If Ava stayed on this trajectory, where would she be a year from now? Five years? Ten? All that potential would never have found the light if Alexis wrote her off last month, let her succumb to her addiction instead of stepping in and shaking her out of the spiral.

Anyone can change.

Ava said, ‘I can’t believe I’m telling you this,’ as she hunched forward and closed her eyes. After a beat she opened them. ‘Heidi had a board member killed.’

Alexis raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re sure?’

‘Jack Sundström. He was an old Swedish angel investor. He was close with Mary. She never had an emotional connection with her own father, and she moved away from Louisiana early, as soon as she got her degree. Jack was a mentor to her in those early days, a father figure when she didn’t know what she was doing at Vitality+. He helped her stick it out, got her to where she is now. And Heidi had him murdered. I have to assume it was because he was asking questions she didn’t want to answer.’

‘You know this for sure?’ Alexis repeated, downloading information as it left Ava’s lips. ‘Or has he just disappeared? He could’ve been intimidated into radio silence.’

Ava shook her head, her throat spasming as she gulped. ‘Mary traced his phone to Heidi’s office. She confronted her boss, and Heidi mustn’t have seen any other option. She showed Mary a photo of the body. Beaten to death. Face punched in. That’s the way she described it…’

Ava trailed off.

Alexis was ice. ‘Mary told you all this?’

‘She rang her mother. My sister. Right after she left the building that day. Catherine called and told me everything. She didn’t know who else to turn to, and she could hear from our previous phone conversations that…I’d turned a new leaf. Had a clearer head than…before. I’m not sure if she trusted me fully but she didn’t know what to do.’

‘What day was this?’

‘Yesterday. I called you as soon as I heard.’

‘Have you written any of this down?’

‘No. I just remember.’

Alexis stared. ‘Your memory’s amazing.’

‘It’s better when I’m not pumping myself full of dope.’

‘I want to speak with her. Make sure she’s doing the right things to keep herself safe.’

‘I—What?’ Ava said. ‘I was just maybe looking for advice or something. I didn’t think—’

‘You didn’t think I’d help?’ Alexis said. ‘Really?’

She could see memories flashing behind Ava’s eyes. Alexis had needlessly involved herself in Ava’s