Binary Love (18+)

Tripping Blue

Nova became a woman possessed. Every second, every minute, was spent gathering as much data about the new drug. She trawled through every inch of the Galactic Network in a frantic attempt to absorb any useful piece of information.

So far, all that she had uncovered was that Blue had hit the markets a few month ago. Rare to get a hold of, it was extremely expensive, but was already making a name for itself. Users described the feeling as euphoric and claimed that it made them feel super human. To be fair, they weren't wrong, as reported cases stated that users could become stronger, more intelligent or hyper vigilant. It was injected directly into the blood stream, similar to old earth opioids, and was blue in colour.

There was no information about the chemical formula of the drug. Presumably, this was because of how rare and expensive it was. With Blue also being new, it was unlikely that any IA doctors would have had a chance to get their hands on it to publish their findings. It also seemed that the drug could no longer be found in the user's blood stream after the high had passed.

Nova rubbed her face in frustration. Even in the more shady parts of the GN, she couldn't track down any information on dealers, cooks or gangs involved in the distribution of Blue. If they were going to find out where the Beta had got his drugs, they would have to wait until they could question him. After what she had found, she wasn't so sure whether that would be likely; it seemed that the drug had a high fatality rate, and the Beta had looked like he had gone on a 'Blue Binge', judging by his symptoms.

What didn't make sense was how a terra forming worker was able to afford this stuff. Only the richest could get their hands on it, so it made no sense that someone on average pay got even one dose, let alone enough to binge on.

Although that little mystery would certainly bother her for some time, there was little she could do about it without more information. She would have to wait until Harou dug something up.

Nova looked away from the holo screen, towards the small sample of Blue to her right. Placed neatly on the desk, the little test tube of fluid cost more than her entire company, even if it was half used.

Delicately, she picked up the sample and stared at the sky blue liquid. There wasn't much, so she would be limited on what type of testing she could do. Because of the price, there was also no way she could buy further samples.

She went over the microscope and began setting up her equipment. Nova hoped that a closer look at the substance could steer her in the right direction. A slide also wouldn't use up much of the drug.

Grabbing a mask and goggles, she quickly adjusted them on her face. It felt a bit strange to her, sitting in a lab again, but she knew it wouldn't take long to get back into the swing of things. Reaching for a set of gloves, she pulled them on with a quick snap, before handling the slides and pipette. Slowly, she drew in a touch of the drug into the pipette, then vigilantly put one drop onto the flat slide. She waited for a moment to let the liquid spread, determining whether she would need to add another drop. When she was happy with the result, Nova put the cover slide down at an angle, careful to not add any pressure.

When she was ready, she placed the slide under the microscope.

At first, she couldn't quite understand what she was seeing, but as time went on a growing sense of horror overcame her.

"Rosa!" Nova shouted to her friend, getting up and away from the microscope, as if she could distance herself from what she saw. "Rosa, I need you to come see this!"

The electronic door to the lab glided open, allowing a flustered Rosalind to come through. Her sharp eyes settled on Nova, then to the microscrope.