Just a Couple of Days Read Online Free PDF Page A

thinking about them just to make them itch again.” He tossed the bottle into the air and caught it. “But poison ivy is an entirely different type of itch. Did you know it’s one of the most potent toxins on Earth?” He shook the jar ponderously, speculating on his unholy botanical alliance,
and his voice took on a tone resembling that of a necrophiliac singing the praises of rigor mortis. “What’s in this bottle, one ounce, is enough to give every human on this planet a rash they’d
never
forget. Can you imagine that?” He chuckled and appeared to be lost in reverie, no doubt carried away by his fantasy of a global orgy of orgasmic itching, and perhaps slapping. After a few moments his faraway grin fell slack, and he abruptly changed his demeanor. “Anyway,” he hissed, “I have an assignment for you.” He led me to the far side of his poison palace in silence, to the Ping-Pong table. He tossed a paddle at me, apparently expecting me to play.
    â€œGenetics,” he began, serving the ball with a vicious spin on it. I succeeded only in swinging my paddle clumsily through the air after the ball sailed past me and across the room. “I have a client who is interested in genetics,” he continued as I chased after the tiny plastic orb.
    â€œWhat about genetics?” I grunted as I reached under the pool table to get the ball.
    â€œI’m getting to that,” he growled. “My client is interested in viruses and their utility for altering biological processes, specifically brain chemistry.”
    I tossed the ball to him. He gave me the same serve again. This time the ball bounced across the refinished hardwood floors and landed in the Jacuzzi.
    â€œBefore I got into administration,” he continued, “I studied neuropsychology. It’s a fair statement to say that the mind, thinking, perception, everything that goes on in your brain can be reduced to electrochemical reactions. Electrochemical reactions, Doctor, are occurring in my head right now as I explain this to
you, and in your head as you understand what I’m saying. We call these electrochemical reactions thinking, or dreaming, or whatever else. The point is that such electrochemical activity produces the consciousness you experience. Psychotropic drugs like antidepressants, for example, alter the electrochemical environment and consequently change your perception of the world. Now, there are also viruses and bacteria that alter the electrochemical activity in your brain. Syphilis, if left untreated, can leave you insane. A simple fever can make you hallucinate. Our client is engineering a virus, a truly remarkable virus, to work as a sort of gene therapy.”
    I retrieved the bobbing ball from the swirling whirlpool, wetting my sleeve in the process, and tossed it back to him after drying it off. He caught it and served immediately, before I even got to my side of the table. The ball bounced away toward the door. I paused, not wanting to chase it, and hoping he would just continue with his exposition. Tynee looked at me with incredulous hostility. “Get the goddamn ball already! The score is three-zero. Play to five.”
    I retrieved the ball once again, feeling more like a dog playing fetch than an opponent. This time it lay nestled on a velvet cushion on his antique sofa as if it were a Fabergé egg. Tynee continued with his explanation of my assignment, which, in spite of everything, was beginning to intrigue me. “Our client has been attempting to create viruses that elicit predictable psychological effects.”
    â€œWho’s the client? And what are the effects of this virus?” I waited until I reached my side of the table to toss the ball to him this time.
    He caught the ball and paused, frowning. “Everything you need to know is contained in the memo you will receive. Rest assured that this research is proceeding according to established protocols. As