After a garbled telephone call to Darsbury, Eddie found himself the same night in the presence of Professor Jensen – ChemiCorp’s most eminent scientist in their High-Risk Sector. After Eddie had undertaken a number of tests, questions and medical examinations, Professor Jenson decided to proffer a diagnosis.

“Well, Mr Colburn – I’ll be straight with you. From the results I have received from the tests, medicals and your description of the symptoms, I can only conclude that you have somehow come into contact with a substance known as ‘BZ-501’. God alone knows how!”

Colburn looked totally nonplussed. “BZ-what? W-what is it?”

The Professor paused as if contemplating what would be the best course of action at this tentative point of the proceedings. He gave Eddie a cursory and rather uncomfortable glance, sighed wearily and decided to expand on his diagnosis with an explanation.

“It’s a substance known as ‘BZ-501’ – a little known nerve agent which was being tested around 1965 on an undisclosed number of human guinea pigs – and only in allocated laboratories in Britain. The guinea pigs – or rather, army recruits – showed exactly the same symptoms as you’ve described and have been displaying. ‘BZ-501’ can come in gas or liquid form and when absorbed through the skin, it enters the bloodstream. Within a relatively short period of time it attacks the nervous system and-”

Hysterically Eddie pleads, “Professor Jensen! Tell me the truth – can I be cured? What will happen to me? For God sakes man – can you HELP me?”

“Well, I personally haven’t worked with this particular agent to a substantial degree and most of the records after the experiments in 1965 were either deleted or destroyed, however I believe there’s still a good chance that I can help you. An antidote is undergoing development by an old colleague of mine – if the antidote’s perfected they should be able to cure you. Here, I’ll give you their name and number…”

Professor Jensen scribbles down the details with a biro onto a scrap of card which he then hands to Eddie, who on reading the scrawl promptly collapses to his knees, his entire body racked with pain-ridden, heavy sobs. Tears blurred his blepharitic, swollen eyes and streamed down his face, stinging the gnarled and raw flesh of his cheeks. Eddie cried inconsolably, howling like a baby.

Wouldn’t you if you’d just murdered the only person who could have saved your life?