Novel Full 295 The Junket
A week after the GAIA Tech presentation in Eden, Aron was laying in a beach chair on a gorgeous white sandy beach in Hawaii, with Rina laying on the chair next to him working on her own suntan. When he had told her he was headed to Hawaii for their next presentation, she’d offered to show him around the islands, as he’d never been there before. Besides, he was still due to meet with her father, and now that GAIA Tech had gained some traction and cachet in the global marketplace, it was high time to keep that promise.
Meanwhile, Ryan Walker, the newly minted president of Asclepius Biotechnology, Inc., was settling things for an upcoming medical conference hosted by him. He had rented out the entire Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki as the venue for the conference, and invited all of the top names in the biotech industry, as well as some representatives from Big Pharma, and even some TV hosts like Dr. Oz, who was famous for pushing products to a wide audience.
Meanwhile, over the past week, the marketing department executives from Asclepius had been busy laying the groundwork to have the new Asclepius products on store shelves everywhere around the globe.
It was the afternoon of the start of the conference, and everyone had arrived. All of the keynote speakers had accepted their invitations—a week-long vacation in Hawaii’s top luxury resort was hard to pass up, after all—and they were wandering around the banquet room, where Ryan was hosting a brunch and handing out brochures to draw interest in the new startup company. That evening, he was scheduled to introduce the products Asclepius Biotechnology had developed, as well as some of their more interesting research results.
Soon, the clock struck 7:30 PM and the conference room Ryan was to speak in was filled.
“Good evening everyone, I’m Ryan Walker, the president of Asclepius Biotechnology, Inc.” As he finished the self-introduction, the stage dimmed and an introduction video started playing on the projector screen behind him. Since no one knew the company at all, an introduction was in order.
“In a world where possibilities are boundless and science meets imagination, there emerges a beacon of innovation,” came the voice of Nova, who had produced the intro video and done the voiceover narration for it.
The video cut to a state-of-the-art laboratory bustling with scientists in white lab coats. The audience recognized the cutting-edge lab equipment, and some even grew jealous; just how much money did this upstart company have, anyway?
Nova’s voice continued, “Introducing Asclepius Biotechnology, a company that will shape the future of healthcare and beyond. We are pioneers, driven by a shared vision to unlock the mysteries of life and harness the power of biotechnology to transform our world.”
The scene changed from the cutting-edge lab to a bed of plants and showed them grow from sprouts to maturity in time-lapse videography, then to a doctor drawing an injection from a vial and injecting it into a hanging bag of saline that was attached to a smiling child.
“From agriculture to medicine, genetic therapies to sustainable solutions, we are pushing the boundaries of possibility. At Asclepius, innovation is in our DNA.”
The video cut to a shining Asclepius logo, then Nova continued, “Asclepius Biotechnology—where tomorrow meets today.”
After the introduction video came polite applause from the attendees. Medical professionals were much more subdued than tech enthusiasts, so to get any applause at all for a brand-new startup company was already surprising enough.
Ryan took to the stage and began his prepared remarks. “I hope our introduction gave you all a general idea of what we’re all about at Asclepius. And to show our commitment to making the world a better place, I’d like to introduce to you our first product: Pneuma, a complete and lasting cure for asthma.”
The attendees were stunned into silence, not knowing whether they should applaud or storm out after such an outrageous claim.
“Right now, we’ve applied for fast-tracking through the approval process through the regulatory bodies around the world, and we expect our products to be offered to all of you by your regular drug reps. If you’re curious about the detailed information, there’s a brochure in the packet we handed out to everyone when you came in the room for my presentation. But to summarize, we’ve seen a 100% cure rate in asthma in every age range and across both genders, and the side effects are mild and comparable to those from vaccinations, such as pain and swelling at the injection site, mild fevers, and so on. Basically, it’s no more harmful than a flu shot, which is where our confidence in the regulatory approvals comes from.
“Pneuma will be available for prescription in all countries the moment it’s approved by those countries’ regulatory bodies. And we have much more in store than that as our trials are completed and products developed to a safe level.”
He gave the attendees a minute to look over the Pneuma brochure in their welcome packets, then continued, “Now on to our next product. This is categorized as a supplement, and as such, it’ll be available starting next week in stores and pharmacies around the world, as well as for online ordering.
“I present to you the Biogen product line. Biogen was developed to combat a problem faced by 39% of the global population: obesity.” Murmurs came from the attendees, who were wondering why such a rich company would be so shameless as to market a “supplement” that did absolutely nothing to slim people down, but everything to slim their wallets.
After the murmuring died down, Ryan continued, “Many weight loss products put the user in a very difficult cycle of binge and diet, because they need to stop eating their favorite foods. And even after succeeding in reaching their target weight, they have to change their lifestyle and continue that behavior for the rest of their lives. But not Biogen.
“Biogen is a series of nutrient-dense food additives in a variety of flavors with different delivery methods. For those on the go, they can use it as a shake. For those eating out, they can sprinkle it on their food at the restaurant, much like salt and pepper. For those who prefer meal prep, they can either rehydrate or cook one of our frozen meals. There’s something for everyone, and unlike traditional diet plans, the only lifestyle change is bringing it with you wherever you go.”
Ryan continued introducing Biogen and its benefits, and by the thirtieth minute since starting his presentation, he began wrapping it up. “I know that all of you are anxious to get on with your paid vacation,” he said, eliciting a chuckle from the audience, “so I’ll let you get to it. If you have any questions, the conference will be running all week and you have my assistant’s number in your welcome packet. Feel free to contact her with any concerns or questions you have after taking a look at our documentation, and one of our researchers will reach out to you with answers. I’ll see you all later at the cocktail party….”