Doctor Who_ Warlock - Andrew Cartmel [50]
‘Is there a point to this speech? Or are you just trying to put us to sleep without the aid of drugs?’
‘Really, Jack. There is no need to be rude. I am merely trying to explain to you.’ Dieter looked hurt. ‘When a new drug is created in the laboratory, no one can be certain whether it will end up as a therapeutic tool used by doctors or as a piece of contraband bought and sold by criminals. You have Prozac on one hand and ecstasy on the other. Both mediate serotonin levels in the brain. Both started out respectably enough. Ecstasy, or MDMA: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, as it is properly called, was patented in 1914 by Merck as an appetite suppressant. They thought it could help respectable dowagers slim their girths. Instead it ended up as a criminal drug. While in contrast Prozac was allowed to enjoy a prolonged legal vogue. What is the difference? Both alter mood via the same mechanism. But society accepted one and outlawed the other.
‘Of course, this is all equally true for drugs found in nature rather than synthesized in the laboratory. After a new discovery there is always a period of uncertainty as to whether it will be criminalized or permitted.’ Dieter took a small plastic bag out of his pocket. Inside was the small gnarled shape of a dried mushroom. ‘This, for example.’
The liquorice smell suddenly seemed to fill the room.
‘Where did you get that?’ said Jack.
‘Oh, we found it in your vehicle.’ He held the bag up to the light and examined the dried fungus.
Ace recognized it as the mushroom Jack had offered to her by the gate on Allen Road. How long ago had that happened? A few hours. It seemed like years. Ace sniffed; the now familiar pungency was remarkably intense.
‘This is a case in point,’ said Dieter. ‘I’m sure you are familiar with this drug, both in its natural and synthetic forms. It is known by a variety of names, most commonly “warlock”. No one knows how long it has been in use but it has only become widely available in recent years. It is currently illegal but that may change. If it does, my employers are eager to have sufficient data about warlock and its effects. It could be a successful consumer drug on the legal market. This is the project I mentioned.’
‘Are you saying you’re going to give us warlock?’ Shell was staring at Dieter.
‘Exactly. As I said, you are the perfect people. You are experienced with mind drugs. Giving warlock to you will be like using experienced explorers to go into a dangerous place. Instead of using hopelessly inexperienced amateurs, like those farm boys they gave LSD to in the 1950s. They were the wrong candidates. You are perfect. My research associates will gain knowledge of the drug from you and you will be allowed to experience for free a pleasure you normally have to pay for.’
‘And pay quite a lot, too,’ said Jack.
‘We will do our best to make you comfortable and give you a fairly pleasant environment to take the drug in.’
‘Don’t overdo it, Dieter,’ said Maxine. She looked at Ace and the other two. ‘We’ll actually be doing the experiment in a store room.’
‘In a large, airy barn,’ said Dieter. ‘It is pleasant and well lit and clean. We can even provide music for you if you like.’
‘If Tommy ever gets around to sorting out the connections,’ said the other woman.
Dieter shrugged, turning back to Jack. ‘So, you see, your sojourn here may not be as terrible as you imagined. Indeed, we can offer you an experience far superior to what you’re accustomed to. I doubt if you could afford to buy this drug in the purity we have on offer. We have a concentrated form of warlock which is probably