Page 36 of Seductive Secrets

“Good.”

James didn’t wait for anyone else to wake up. He put his hand to the small of Angela’s back and guided her towards the doorway. He was eager to get the information. Whatever Mike had learned about the substance was the missing puzzle piece. His instincts whispered that this was the clue that they needed to make sense of everything.

It took James less than thirty minutes to reach his friend’s lab. It wasn’t the same building they’d visited him at the last time. This place was a bit further out and surrounded by trees and heavy security fencing. Stepping out of the sedan, he and Angela looked around, scanning the parking lot for strange vehicles or men with scary expressions.

“You okay?” he asked, touching her back again. She stepped closer to him, feeling more secure when he was nearby.

“I’m fine,” she replied and glanced up at him. “You?”

He winked at her. “Doing great with you by my side.”

She blushed but didn’t have a chance to respond since he pulled the outer door to the laboratories open for them. Theinner door was locked. They saw a sign that indicated that visitors should ring a bell and show identification for entry.

Angela pulled her wallet, flipping it open so that her driver’s license was visible while James pressed the button.

“Can I help you?” a female voice responded promptly.

James leaned forward. “This is James Rutherford. I’m here to speak with Mike Phillips.”

A buzzer sounded, indicating that the inner door lock had released. They stepped into the lobby and a different woman was sitting at the receptionist desk. “Is Mike expecting you?” she asked.

“Yes. He texted me this morning, asking for a visit.”

She typed in some information into the computer, then smiled professionally and waved towards the chairs. “I’ll let Mr. Phillips know that you’re here. He’ll be out as…”

The door behind her opened and Mike appeared, extending his hand to James. “Glad you got here so fast,” he said, turned to smile and offer his hand to Angela as well.

Angela shook his hand, once again impressed with the man. “Thanks for the quick analysis.”

Mike nodded, seemingly distracted as he gestured for the door. “Come on back. I’ll let you see the results.”

Mike led them through the doorway and into a lab that was enclosed by frosted glass walls. Every door he opened required a security badge. Even once they were inside the lab, Mike had to badge them through to a different area that was sectioned off by even more walls.

Angela looked around, astounded by the bustling activity of the laboratory. Considering the silent lobby, one wouldassume that there weren’t many employees here. But there were at least fifty people working at various tables. From the outside, it definitely didn’t look large enough for this many people. Also, there weren’t many cars in the parking lot. So, where did all these people park?

However, her thoughts were distracted when Mike lifted the glass vial, still full of the blue powder, although there was a bit less of it now.

“This,” he began, shaking the vial gently, “is one of the latest in designer drugs. But the creator of this particular drug has a specific goal: they want to control people’s minds.”

Both Angela and James perked up at that last part. “What do you mean?” James asked, frowning thoughtfully at the vial.

Mike turned to a computer screen. “To start with, the chemical compounds in this drug create the high expected in all street drugs. The initial phase of the drug creates a euphoric effect, forcing the brain to create massive amounts of dopamine. The user will be walking around the city on a high unlike anything they’ve experienced before. It’s brilliant, actually.” He looked at the monitor and pointed to one of the colored spikes on the chart. “But this…” he pointed to another spike, “and this compound have been used, illegally, in hypnotherapy sessions. When combined like this, they make the person much more susceptible to suggestions.”

‘”You mean…?”

Mike continued, “I mean that after someone takes this drug, they are easily influenced. It doesn’t matter who gives a command, someone who takes this drug will do whatever they are told to do. If someone laughingly suggests that they jump off a building, the chemicals here and here,” he pointed, againreferring to the spikes on the monitor, “basically short circuits the amygdala, which is responsible for our fear response, and numbs the prefrontal cortex. That’s the part of our brain that warns us of danger.”

James was working through the details. “If this is illegally used in hypnosis sessions, then if someone works at a bank or for a government agency, then…?” He stopped, the question hanging in the air between them.

Mike nodded. “Exactly. If someone works for a bank and they’ve taken this drug, someone could walk right up to them and tell them to dump a load of cash into a bag. No questions asked, the bank teller would do it. Giving this drug to a bank teller would be a simple way to rob a bank.”

Angela stepped forward, her eyes wide with horror. “And if you give it to a member of a government agency or a secure facility, such as this,” she paused, waving her hand to encompass the laboratory, “the person could hand over information that could harm the entire intelligence industry or reveal business secrets!”

“Exactly,” Mike confirmed. “Whoever takes this drug, they’ll be so influenced by the initial euphoria that they wouldn’t even notice the hypnotic effects. I’m not even sure if they would remember what they’ve done or said once the drug wears off.”

“This is–” James began.

“Bad!” Angela hissed. “Really bad!”

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