Prologue

October 2019

John Delamont looked at his friend incredulously. He ran his fingers through his dark hair for at least the third time in the last five minutes.

“Bryan, are you kidding me? You made super hamsters? Is this some kind of joke?”

“Laugh all you want, but one day, you’ll be saying that you knew me when.” Bryan swept his bangs out of his eyes. His dark wavy hair constantly needed to be trimmed, but he rarely made time for it. “Come with me, and I’ll show you.”

“Do I need protection? Can your hamsters hurt me?” He winked one of his bright, blue eyes at Bryan.

“Dr. Delamont, always a comedian. My hamsters are very well behaved. Now, right this way.”

They made their way down the hall to Bryan’s lab. It was the weekend, so the building was virtually deserted. Bryan directed John to turn to the right and unlocked the second door. He flipped on the lights causing both men to blink in the brightness. The back of the room was a wall of cages, each with one hamster inside.

“How many hamsters do you have here? Forty?”

“Precisely, John. I knew you were good at something other than being funny. Now, look at this one.” Bryan pointed at a hamster on the far right.

“It’s asleep. Wow.” John mimed yawning.

“This one over here is from the same litter but has been given a different type of nutrition. Watch closely.” Bryan pointed at the hamster in the cage next to the first one. The hamster was running in its little wheel, which Bryan had hooked up to a speedometer. The digital screen read nine miles per hour. “Impressive, right?”

“If I had any inkling how fast a regular hamster could run, it might be more meaningful, Bryan.”

“The average hamster can run three to six miles per hour.” Bryan’s dark eyes sparkled with pride.

“What’s the secret? Did you make hamster steroids?”

“No! They are certainly NOT steroids. Nothing of the kind. It’s pretty complex biochemistry. Are you sure you want me to explain?”

John sighed. “I’ll do my best to keep up, Dr. Hartfeld. Lay it on me.”

“Okay, so not too long ago, the genes that make fast twitch muscles were identified, as were the ones for larger and stronger muscles, the ones that make you jump higher, etcetera. I was able to identify a gene that helps balance these more powerful genes; it’s kind of like a suppressor. I hypothesized that it keeps people or animals from being, well, superheroes, you know?

“I found a way to mute that gene with just a small dietary supplement. This hamster running in its wheel can run this fast for much longer than a regular hamster can run at all. It’s stronger and more agile too.”

“Why aren’t you a gazillionaire then? People would pay a lot of money to have this and be the best in their field. Does it not work in humans?”

“I would never dream of testing it in humans, John, though the gene is the same, so in theory, it would behave the same way. However, if everyone is taking the supplement, no one has any sort of advantage. This isn’t something I’m studying to get rich. It’s like my pet project; pardon the pun. I was just curious if it would work.”

“What’s the harm in testing it in humans? I’m sure tons of people would be interested. I mean, are the changes permanent, or do you have to keep feeding them the supplement?”

“First of all, it’s not permanent. I only give them a very small amount once a month. I found that if I stop, the hamster is very close to average again within two months. Testing in humans is so much more complicated, John. You don’t know how various metabolism differences might affect someone or if someone has an underlying health condition that hasn’t been identified. It could be very dangerous. There are numerous metabolic disorders that go undiagnosed for years in people. No, I won’t be moving this over to humans.”

“Does it affect their lifespan at all?”

“No, there is virtually no difference. It’s fascinating, right?”

“I think it has great potential to be fascinating. Are you at least publishing your results?” He raised his eyebrows.

“No, I haven’t published it in its entirety. Too many people out there are too greedy to see this as a gain for the scientific community instead of an opportunity for financial benefit. Well, enough show and tell for today. However, one reason I wanted you to see them was because I need someone that I trust to take care of them while I’m on Sabbatical next spring. I’m going to be a guest lecturer over at Oxford, but I can’t take my hamsters, of course. As you quickly observed, this treatment that I give them could be rather dangerous in the wrong hands. I don’t allow anyone to administer it from my lab. Would you be able to come by on the first Saturday of every month to give the indicated hamsters their dose? I’ll give you a key and make sure you have access to the building.”

“This suddenly sounds all top secret, like an undercover government project.”

“It’s nothing of the kind, John. Please don’t be dramatic. Someone else will be taking care of the animals’ food and water while I’m gone, but I’d like to continue with the supplement program while I’m away. Everything is set up to record their activities. You just have to add a half teaspoon to the water bottles of each of the cages that have a red dot. Once a month, that’s it.” He removed his glasses and cleaned off a smudge with his shirt.

“Sure, man. I can do that. Just let me know the dates, and I’ll get them into my calendar. Where do you keep the powder? Does it have a shelf life, or will it last the whole semester?”

“It lasts for decades, John. It doesn’t change at all. Fascinating, right?”