Sam asked.
“It’s more profitable to treat cancer than to cure it,” Tony said. “That’s how Big Pharma operates. All they care about is money.”
“I’ve heard this theory. I believe it’s wrong.”
“Why?”
“Steve Jobs died. He had cancer.”
“You mean the Apple guy?”
Sam nodded.
Tony thought for a long moment and then said, “You may be right, man.”
Although Sam didn’t believe Big Pharma was hiding the cure for cancer, he was sure that the people running pharmaceutical companies were corrupt enough to hide the cure when it was discovered.
Two days ago, on October 23, Sam had signed a lease for a five-hundred-square-foot office, which was available for immediate occupancy. Yesterday, he and Jeff had gone to an Office Depot store and bought furniture, computers and other equipment for their office. Two guys Sam had found on craigslist (their names were Kevin and Omar) assembled the furniture and set up the equipment. While Kevin and Omar were unpacking the computers, Sam received a call from Leticia, a nurse at Beacon Cancer Center that had agreed to provide him with information about patients for a fee. She told him that Charlotte Stryker, Gordon Stryker’s mother, was scheduled for chemotherapy on October 25. Sam decided to catch Gordon Stryker at the cancer center and try to talk to him about his proposal. If Charlotte came to the center without her son, he was going to call Stryker and make an appointment.
At nine-fifty, an old woman and a middle-aged man entered the waiting room. The man was Gordon Stryker; Sam recognized him from his picture he had seen on the website of his company, Alliance Group. Sam figured the old woman was Charlotte Stryker. They sat down across from Sam. Stryker whispered something to his mother and grabbed a magazine from the table.
Sam was glad that Stryker had come to the cancer center with his mother: it meant that the guy loved his mom very much and would pay a lot of money to save her life.
Five minutes later, a nurse took Charlotte to the infusion room. Sam waited half a minute, then got up and sat next to Gordon Stryker.
“Excuse me, is your name Gordon Stryker?” Sam asked.
Stryker looked at him and said, “Yes, it is. And you are?”
“My name is Jake Ford.”
“Do I know you from somewhere?” Stryker closed the magazine and dropped it on the table.
“I can help your mother, Mister Stryker.”
“What do you mean?”
“She has cancer, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does.”
“I can make it go away.”
Stryker’s round face became serious. “Do you know what kind of cancer my mother has?”
“Let’s talk in the hallway.”
“Okay.”
They stood up and went out into the hallway.
“My mother has Stage Four ovarian cancer,” Stryker said. “How are you going to make it go away?”
“We’ve developed a procedure that can permanently cure Stage Four ovarian cancer.”
“Is it a surgical procedure?”
“No. It doesn’t involve surgery, drugs, or radiation. It’s an experimental, highly effective procedure.”
Stryker adjusted his glasses. “Do you work for Beacon Cancer Center?”
“No. I work for New Horizons.”
“Is it a cancer center?”
“No. It’s a technology company. This is a totally risk-free offer, Mister Stryker. If we don’t deliver, you don’t pay.”
“How much does this procedure cost?”
“It’s not cheap. Ten million dollars.”
Stryker raised an eyebrow. “Ten million?”
“Yes. Your mother’s cancer will be gone for good. She’ll be completely healthy. Healthy and happy. I believe it’s worth much more than ten million.”
“Do I have to pay anything upfront?”
There seemed to be genuine interest in Stryker’s voice.
“No, you don’t.”
“If the procedure fails, I pay nothing?”
“That’s right.”
“How does this procedure work?”
“We replace malignant cells with healthy ones.”
“Is it risky?”
“No, it’s totally safe. And it has an
“It’s more profitable to treat cancer than to cure it,” Tony said. “That’s how Big Pharma operates. All they care about is money.”
“I’ve heard this theory. I believe it’s wrong.”
“Why?”
“Steve Jobs died. He had cancer.”
“You mean the Apple guy?”
Sam nodded.
Tony thought for a long moment and then said, “You may be right, man.”
Although Sam didn’t believe Big Pharma was hiding the cure for cancer, he was sure that the people running pharmaceutical companies were corrupt enough to hide the cure when it was discovered.
Two days ago, on October 23, Sam had signed a lease for a five-hundred-square-foot office, which was available for immediate occupancy. Yesterday, he and Jeff had gone to an Office Depot store and bought furniture, computers and other equipment for their office. Two guys Sam had found on craigslist (their names were Kevin and Omar) assembled the furniture and set up the equipment. While Kevin and Omar were unpacking the computers, Sam received a call from Leticia, a nurse at Beacon Cancer Center that had agreed to provide him with information about patients for a fee. She told him that Charlotte Stryker, Gordon Stryker’s mother, was scheduled for chemotherapy on October 25. Sam decided to catch Gordon Stryker at the cancer center and try to talk to him about his proposal. If Charlotte came to the center without her son, he was going to call Stryker and make an appointment.
At nine-fifty, an old woman and a middle-aged man entered the waiting room. The man was Gordon Stryker; Sam recognized him from his picture he had seen on the website of his company, Alliance Group. Sam figured the old woman was Charlotte Stryker. They sat down across from Sam. Stryker whispered something to his mother and grabbed a magazine from the table.
Sam was glad that Stryker had come to the cancer center with his mother: it meant that the guy loved his mom very much and would pay a lot of money to save her life.
Five minutes later, a nurse took Charlotte to the infusion room. Sam waited half a minute, then got up and sat next to Gordon Stryker.
“Excuse me, is your name Gordon Stryker?” Sam asked.
Stryker looked at him and said, “Yes, it is. And you are?”
“My name is Jake Ford.”
“Do I know you from somewhere?” Stryker closed the magazine and dropped it on the table.
“I can help your mother, Mister Stryker.”
“What do you mean?”
“She has cancer, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does.”
“I can make it go away.”
Stryker’s round face became serious. “Do you know what kind of cancer my mother has?”
“Let’s talk in the hallway.”
“Okay.”
They stood up and went out into the hallway.
“My mother has Stage Four ovarian cancer,” Stryker said. “How are you going to make it go away?”
“We’ve developed a procedure that can permanently cure Stage Four ovarian cancer.”
“Is it a surgical procedure?”
“No. It doesn’t involve surgery, drugs, or radiation. It’s an experimental, highly effective procedure.”
Stryker adjusted his glasses. “Do you work for Beacon Cancer Center?”
“No. I work for New Horizons.”
“Is it a cancer center?”
“No. It’s a technology company. This is a totally risk-free offer, Mister Stryker. If we don’t deliver, you don’t pay.”
“How much does this procedure cost?”
“It’s not cheap. Ten million dollars.”
Stryker raised an eyebrow. “Ten million?”
“Yes. Your mother’s cancer will be gone for good. She’ll be completely healthy. Healthy and happy. I believe it’s worth much more than ten million.”
“Do I have to pay anything upfront?”
There seemed to be genuine interest in Stryker’s voice.
“No, you don’t.”
“If the procedure fails, I pay nothing?”
“That’s right.”
“How does this procedure work?”
“We replace malignant cells with healthy ones.”
“Is it risky?”
“No, it’s totally safe. And it has an
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