December 7, 2020 • 28 mins
Would you sell your life to save another?
Special forces vet, Samantha Jones, is a lowly bodyguard for Ethan Anderson, the biotech billionaire who revolutionized life extension. But at least she’s got a job, unlike most, and won’t have to sell her organs to support her family. Sure, they’re poor, but she’s got death insurance, and a roof over her head. Life is livable...
Until her daughter is kidnapped and sold for parts, and the ex-assassin snaps.
Someone is going to pay.
Grab the rest today FREE with an Audible trial:
deathdonor.com
Special forces vet, Samantha Jones, is a lowly bodyguard for Ethan Anderson, the biotech billionaire who revolutionized life extension. But at least she’s got a job, unlike most, and won’t have to sell her organs to support her family. Sure, they’re poor, but she’s got death insurance, and a roof over her head. Life is livable...
Until her daughter is kidnapped and sold for parts, and the ex-assassin snaps.
Someone is going to pay.
Grab the rest today FREE with an Audible trial:
deathdonor.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Disruptors, the podcastabout the future of all of us,
where we look at the technologies,trends, and societal norms shaping our collective
future. Here, the world's topminds share their insights and predictions on the
convergence, direction, and ethics ofexponential technologies transforming life as we know it.
You can learn more and stay upto date at Disruptors dot fm.
(00:26):
Mere Money Press presents Death Donor byMatt Ward. More information on the author
at matt Wardwrights dot com. Topurchase the complete audio adventure, or to
download the entire techno thriller free witha free trial of audible, visit deathdnor
dot com. Samantha around the conferenceroom, immortal men and women assembled at
(00:52):
the hieroglyphic stone table in the undergroundbunker of Homebase one. They're projected holograms
beaming from similar ultra compounds around theglobe. My boss, mister Ethan Anderson,
the tall tan forty five year oldfounder of Defying Death Industries DDI,
sat at the center of the Egyptianroom, sharp blue eyes emanating competitiveness as
(01:17):
he explained the new legal ruling.DDI's double Infinity logo rippling across his chest.
It means we're going to have tosource donors elsewhere. Inventory will price
this out. Otherwise, there's plentyof bodies in Africa. I sent a
strike team the second the news broke, But Boss, the man across the
table began, wouldn't patients need tofly there? Ethan shook his tough guy
(01:40):
head. That's an option, buta few competitors have set up holding base
stateside. That's our cheapest option,a lock up. It's better than enlisting
more American donors. Minimum age andpalotes being what they are, a few
nods. Killing that many Americans wouldcost a fortune. Besides, stalks up
twenty percent this quarter alone, marketloves us. Who cares if life downers
(02:04):
are local. We've added more qualityyears and saved more lives than anyone except
maybe sli And it's not like we'llface any ballbusters. Half the Senators and
congressmen or lifelong customers, even thePresident herself screw the stock. Ethan its
protests were worried about. Protests comeand go, not like this. If
(02:24):
more Americans starve because they're not gettingdeath donor spots, that could go viral.
The word catastrophic comes to mind.It's not our fault. They're unemployable.
And let's be real, who actuallycares where the dead schmuck on the
slab next to them is from whenthey come to after a rejuve. People
just want to live longer and feelgreat. The cheaper, the better.
(02:46):
He was right. The people hadspoken, that may be. The woman
said, but you need to keeplocal donors happy. Why hadn't she seen
lines wrapping the building day and night, donors begging for a few thousand.
Ethan seemed to agree and laughed,supplies through the roof, and once we
(03:07):
expand, it'll drive prices further down. Donors have zero leverage. He had
better be right, he smiled,Have I ever been wrong? The meeting
wrapped after each of Dedyi's heads reiteratedtheir action items and the company's cheesy mantra,
live long, prosper and profit.Once they had left, Ethan rose
(03:30):
Pacing fifty five million unnecessary deaths ayear. He said to himself, I
was a statue at my post,my back to the Anubis door. Despite
everything being locked down, this wasthe sub basement of Ethan's favorite home,
equipped with state of the art censors, an army of weaponized drones, a
(03:52):
dozen attack dogs, and a threemeter concrete fence surrounding the five acre property.
Money had its perks without warning.Like most things Ethan did, he
spun and left. I followed ata distance like an apex predator. He
liked his space, I could relate. We took the reinforced lift to sub
(04:15):
basement one and Ethan be lined forthe kitchen. His triple espresso infused smoothie
was on the obsidian countertop. Hedowned the disgusting optimized, weakly brown slop
in three gulps before Maria, themouthy Argentinian who did Ethan's red meats and
probably a lot more, emerged fromthe far pantry. Darren would say she
(04:40):
was a looker if he was withthe guise, but I'd kick his ass
and he knew it. My shiftended four hours later after a brief report
to mister Anderson and his head ofsecurity, Vlad, I was more than
ready to leave. Three lifts later, I arrived topside two, sun blazing.
My eyes that had taken getting usedto the security chip in my palm
(05:04):
opened automatic double doors as I strodethrough the first parking garage checkpoint, a
combination of gait analysis and biometric sensors, along with Quintin's O Ka let me
pass to the waiting tesla. Atthe staff's self driving section. The scratched
up dinky two seater opened and Ihopped in, laid back and closed my
(05:27):
eyes. Long day time for aslog home in Atlanta rush hour. My
seat buzzed as we reached my street, and I tapped my temple to activate
my high end display, a perkof the job. A dashboard appeared in
my a r Len's contact retinas,an entire operating system and all the world's
(05:47):
information. It was five forty fivep m. Shit, Darren was going
to kill me. The car droppedme in the gravel driveway of our two
story sub urban rinse and repeat home. No used needles on the sidewalk or
missing persons signs. That was aplus, but the darkening stain on the
(06:08):
water damaged front porch looked worse.Avoiding the creaky step, I grabbed the
newspaper the city insisted on wasting valuabletax dollars to produce, and stepped into
one oh five Abbot Street Southwest,another violent riot in San Francisco slums.
Amazon's profits hit and all time high, and a ridiculous report on same race
(06:31):
death donors increasing efficacy something to dowith genetic similarities, as if dicing the
brains and organs of a Caucasian wouldbe any different than an African or an
Asian. Ethan would be furious.There was still a dent by the weight
rack from a similar story two yearsago. Not that it mattered. I
(06:51):
had twenty more years on the jobbefore I'd earn our death insurance. At
least that I'd buy me more timewith my little girl, Melia if I
made it that long. But gurdduty for Ethan was low key and paid
enough to keep the hospital loan sharksat Bay. Oh you're home. It
(07:12):
was Darren Brown, hair swept back, face, a dimpled smile for good
It's Wednesday, plopping a wet oneon him. I dropped my messenger bag
on the whitewashed linoleum of our cozyat best sized home, the best we'd
ever be able to afford, despitemy lofty salary. Even in death,
Darren's mom strangled our life. Why'dI agree to those last ditch treatments?
(07:36):
We'll be paying off the debt fromnow to eternity? Were still on for
tonight? I asked? He shrugged, you sure you want to go?
Was he kidding? We hadn't hada real date in ages, not since
Ruby Tuesdays, which almost shouldn't count. It's our anniversary, babe, thirteen
(07:58):
years today. To think I almostdidn't go to that army ceremony. I
hadn't thought about Saudi in years,repressing everything. That's what the sike said
after my one and only appointment.Me're right, he said, I'm pissed,
that's all. Oh. He'd alwayshad swings and his mom had been
(08:20):
on SSR eyes for ever, takinghis wiry shoulders. I guided him to
the beat up blue couch in ourlittle living room. It had been a
wedding gift. What's up, baby? Everything okay? At school? He
shrugged? I mean these kids asigh. The prospects aren't great. What
(08:41):
could I say? He was right? Did he? I is always hiring,
I said, in what I hopedwas an encouraging voice. Broke twenty
thousand refreshes last year, company swimmingin cash. If only Darren and Melia
could get moved up the list,I know it's just the door creaked open.
(09:01):
Hey Malia, that you yes,Mom, Here come the sassy teenage
years and she was eleven. Itfelt like yesterday. I touched my iron
forged stomach. Can I sleep overat Karen's. She walked into the kitchen,
opened the fridge and groaned. Payday wasn't until Friday? Now,
(09:24):
baby, it's Wednesday. I said, you can't spend the night. Milia
stepped through the opening and rolled hereyes. Dad, can you help me
with my math homework? We're doingSouthern slave trade economics. I'm having trouble.
I rose. That was my cue. This new Agy teaching was beyond
me. Walking into our ikey up, basic plastic, im plywood kitchen,
(09:46):
I grabbed a cup and turned onthe tap. At least the filter worked,
making the sludge drinkable. Remember tocheck Sunday. Didn't need Milia getting
sick again. An hour to kill. Opening my ar lenses, I outlined
a rectangle on the flimsy table,and a virtual keyboard materialized in a new
(10:07):
browser. The New York Times appearedNYC protests over donor compensation Africans undercutting the
market. At half past six,Darren appeared in a pullover and slacks MESSI
flop combed into something presentable. Finally, standing room seats filled fast, and
(10:28):
we couldn't afford guaranteed ones. He'dbe so disappointed if we missed the movie
Ethan. It had been another oneof those days. The stock on a
tear for years had taken a nosedive. The pseudoscience bullshit was killing our image
on Wall Street. Envisioning Sun Lee'ssmug face and fake deferential smile as he
(10:54):
beat me by two fucking points onour first applied genomics exam, slammed the
heavy bag one last time. Themove to Tunis was the right one.
It was close enough to Europe forflying treatments. Plus we could use seventeen
year olds there, not the absurdeighteen limit here. Cells should have better
(11:16):
performance and longevity. We needed acheaper price to stay competitive stripping. I
walked naked through the fitness center tothe heated sauna at the back. I
cranked it to one hundred eighty degreesfahrenheit and meditated fifteen minutes. No longer
learned that lesson years ago. Aninety second cryo shower and jeans and a
(11:39):
tailored blazer made me ready for datenight. Back to the elevator. Boris
at my six, an invisible ghost, watching my back with those hard Russian
eyes. We rode in silence.A lean blonde stood at the far side
of the living room, by thefireplace in a scandalous blue dress. Which
one was this Tira or was tonightYasmin didn't matter. The fireplace brought it
(12:05):
all back, all those nights Bobby, Mom and I cuddled to stay warm.
So much had changed I couldn't bealone again, not to night.
Miss America was examining my prized possession, the Peter Clay's masterpiece bleached skull,
beside a dying wax candle in mistyfog. She recoiled at my constant reminder
(12:30):
of the horrors of death and mymission to conquer it. Why hello there,
I strode forward. I'm Ethan,Welcome to my home. We made
idle chit chat until Boris reappeared,leading us past the Grass Tennis center to
the southernmost landing pad. Gonzales satin the vital's cockpit, checking knobs and
(12:52):
switches. He was the best moneycould buy. Ex Columbian Special Forces after
a career running cartel shipment. Thebig Columbian gave me a grin. We
lifted off vertical takeoff and landing andraced over Atlanta's burgeoning skyline toward Dede Arena
and the Knicks. We landed atthe Elite's entrance, and additional security led
(13:16):
us to my tank tested owner's box. The party was under way, bottles
out or d'ruves covering mahogany buffet tables, tuxedoed waiters with polished deference. You
only live once. Senator Evans caughtmy eye and signaled me over. She
was dressed in a becoming pantsuit,matching Prada real leather purse and blood diamond
(13:41):
ear rings, making a statement shewas on several oversight committees. Her next
DDI Christmas card should have a matchingnecklace. You look lovely, Zara,
I offered a hand. She rolledher eyes and gave me a hug.
Always so formally, Ethan, Ashake won't do, not after you reverse
those wrinkles, she added in awhisper, Five treatments he's done for me,
(14:07):
she smiled at Isabella, even beforeI was elected. Worth every penny.
I'm just glad you got reelected sawa few bills you're working on.
Couldn't have write them better myself.Speaking of I need to talk to Senator
Hayes. He's supposed to do somethingabout those news stories we talked about.
Don't let me keep you. Besides, I've got a beautiful woman to take
(14:31):
care of. I put my armaround Isabella's recently rechoeved waist. The game
tipped at seven thirty, and thenight passed in a blur of cannabis,
micro dosing and excitement as the Hawksbeat the Knickerbockers one oh one to ninety
seven in a nail biter to squeakinto the playoffs. Buying the team was
(14:52):
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Sam, Just Sam. The nextmorning was brutal, despite only a
(16:17):
bottle. I rolled out of bedto a hangover and hurried to pee.
Thursday my turn to make breakfast.Stumbling to the kitchen, I slapped my
face and filled old Faithful. Thesputtering espresso machine hissed to life. A
moment later, coffee that was morelike it. The fridge was a sorry
(16:37):
affair, but it was almost Friday. Bacon and eggs would have to cut
it. I guess i'd eat atwork. A door creaked open as I
flipped the eggs. Soft footsteps scamperedmy way. Hey, Malia, hurry
before a dad's up. Woolly socksskidded to a sleepy hug from behind.
How's last night? Did you twohave fun? I told her about the
(16:59):
movie some chick flick. Darren's ideathought I'd like it. Men were hopeless
A poor Indian girl and e commercebillionaire that run off to VR. Really,
she rolled her eyes, lame mommy'slittle girl. I flipped the bacon,
stomach rumbling. You know you're dad, always the idealist. An idealist,
(17:22):
that right, Darren laughed as hewalked into the kitchen. You used
to be an idealist yourself before thewar? Who wants eggs? My hand
quivered as I changed subjects. I'dnever told either much about Saudi Arabia.
Good men and great friends traded fora few barrels. Henry had been nineteen.
(17:45):
As they left for school, Maliaasked, can we volley? Later?
Mom coach said I should practice settingand digs for the game. Sure,
baby, after your homework, you'llhave time tonight, she pressed,
You won't be late again again.Gilt racked me as she gazed up.
I promised to do my best.Only one crazy jumped on the car on
(18:07):
the way to work to day nothingto stop My documentary about it was a
good one. The military coups inItaly and India after the UN's legalization of
life extension l E. Even governmentalreligious alliances couldn't stem the tides of l
E. Before I knew it,Ethan's towering white complex came into sight.
Rogers would be reviewing my security clearance. At the halfway point, the doors
(18:33):
opened and I exited. The car, backed out, rejoining the city sponsored
pool. As Rogers greeted me witha wink, the hairy hulk of a
man with a scar below his eyesmiled, flashing two chipped teeth and gums.
That never got the memo on smoking. How was last night, he
asked with a Boston twanged smirk.Watch a big boy. I hurried to
(18:55):
check in with Vlad, who wasin the command center, a dark room
of desks, two pots of coffeeand testosterone enough to impregnate a grizzly.
The pale Russian with the inverted hammerand sickle on his chiseled forearm, sat
in his haptic chair, hard eyesmonitoring fifteen virtual screens in his augmented view.
Ethan's bin huaitink. Haven't you seenthe news, he asked, yosemite
(19:19):
rum. Two minutes later, Iwas outside the oak paneled door. A
soft knock and I entered. Ethanwas half seated at the head of the
table, ready to pounce three lifesized holograms projected in the seats nearest him.
Is this a joke, Ethan snapped, Tell me this is a joke.
(19:41):
The dark haired woman next to himpursed her lips. We are not
sure it's only the New York Inquirer, but there have always been rumblings from
the church and conservatives, but raisingdonor Age's rumor at best, He asked,
better be I needed this job withoutit? How long till I was
in line? Healthy cells? Thelast things I could sell to feed Melia
(20:04):
and Darren. Also, some prettyin pink could smooth her damn wrinkles.
My skin crawled. The woman nodded. According to the journalists we talked to
good Ethan said, I want thatreport in my inbox tomorrow evening. That
was that. After the meeting ended, Ethan strode to the door. Oh,
(20:26):
Jones, you're here. We're goingto the office today. Something came
up. Can you arrange transport andsecurity? I sprinted off. Six minutes
and three rushed calls later, wewere in the air. Ethan double tapped
his ear, activating internal headphones.What's the situation in London? He listened
for a second. I loved London. HB three was my favorite of Ethan's
(20:49):
compounds, the bustling city, Britishaccents and occasional United Games. A great
change of pace. You're saying itcould be the Chinese, Ethan asked,
eyes narrowing at the mention of SunLee and Shanghai Life Industries as a lie,
trying to short our stock? Shit, how liquid is the market?
(21:10):
A pause, that dirty bastard.Do you have many sources inside? Ethan
curled his lip. Find out whatyou can. He swiped to kill the
call and made three others like itas we zipped towards Deedy Eyes down Town
headquarters, landing on the seventy storyMegalith ten minutes later, the egos of
(21:30):
some men. Fancied company exacs waitedas we touched down. Mister Anderson,
it's good to see you. Thesuits made their best ass, kissing faces,
and led Ethan to a waiting elevator, through blue carpeted halls and passed
dozens of newspaper clippings and civic awardshe and the company had won over the
years in the fight to cure aging. Even a picture of Ethan with a
(21:55):
bespectable droof Patel. The Georgia techgenius who pioneered the Nobel Prize winning breakthrough
were combinant Target specific tissue engineering rtSTE, something to do with injecting processed,
metabolically healthy donor stem cells to resetmitochondrial mutations and clean out cell waste,
(22:15):
or something like that. Ethan hadexplained it at least a dozen times,
given me a copy of his book, too, still sounded like a
word jumble. The boardroom door openedto an army of arguing, red faced
c suites and their underlings. Ethanstepped in and silence fell as he jumped
into a signature hell fire motivational.No one said a word as mister Charisma
(22:40):
outlined his vision for the company riddingthe world of death and suffering, and
the results they were on pace tohit. No wonder he earned the big
bucks and I was stuck at thedoor. Toward the end, a hand
in the back went up. Theguy, whose age was impossible to guess,
eyes suggesting ad as his broad backand smooth skin pointed younger said,
(23:03):
Ethan, where do we stand withNew York Life? Are they pushing for
price parody? Ethan nodded a halfsmile. Want us to go down to
one hundred and twenty five thousand dollarsper in exchange? They're willing to make
DDI their exclusive partner. That's atleast ten billion a year. If these
stories about twenty two year old donorsare bogus, the man remarked what was
(23:27):
his name? Again? His dystopianeyebrows and creeper eyes always distracted me.
They are, Ethan said, withouthesitation. The last three scumbag analysts I
talked to thought this was a ployedby Lee's folks. Any other questions or
things to discuss? No one saidanything, Let's rot this up. The
(23:48):
others repeated the corny company mantra,and one by one sidled out of the
sixty sixth floor conference room, Ethan'sunrelenting mockery of superstitious fate men. Once
they'd left, only le Na remained. Deeedy eye's sharp elbowed Sea, a
foe nicknamed the Eraser for her abilityto make the numbers work. See Na
(24:11):
figuas from Barcelona. She asked,God, Barcelona, it had been forever?
Was a trip in the cards.I wouldn't mind that. Ethan shook
his head. You should, shecontinued. A quarta of patients are demanding
same race Dona's and willing to paymore or go elsewhere. Have you looked
at Dona markets? They are pricingCroatians and Albanians three to four times higher
(24:36):
than Ethiopians. If we lose clientsto Beyond Human or Google Life, we
could be in for a stock hit. Wait, a stock hit. Those
options were a third of my salary, and Darren's job was a joke.
Shit was she serious? Ethan rolledhis eyes. The science is clear,
there's no correlation between. It doesn'tmatter, Lee cut in voice rising.
(25:00):
It's public perception. Numbers don't die. Damn. We were struggling to get
by as it was. Darren hadalways said to take the cash. Okay,
Ethan said, without skipping a beat, I'll deal with it. The
meeting ended, and before the nextone, Ethan looked up Sam. I'm
going to need you to stay latetonight. Okay, shit, I agreed
(25:23):
and stepped into the hallway to letDarren know. While Ethan hopped on a
call with his fixers, he wouldn'tbe happy turning down the empty hallway,
I enjoyed world class views of thetent free blossoming park and lofty skyline below.
Must be nice, hey, babe, housework, I asked, as
(25:44):
soon as his face appeared in myoverlay. I'm glad you called. I
have to stay late tonight, parentteacher thing. You need to be there
when Malia gets home. Crap openingthe door. I laid a paper protector
on the seat. I can't somethingcame up. Us is freaking out.
We're at headquarters. He winced.What happened? Everything? Okay, look,
(26:06):
i'll tell you later. Malia shouldbe fine for a couple hours,
right. His eyes flashed disappointed,daggers, Samantha, you promised we need
this, babe. We can't affordto lose this gig, especially after what
your mom saddled us with my stomachtightened. Mom of the Year. Here
I come. I'd make it upto Malia tomorrow. Okay, Sam,
(26:30):
but promise you'll call her. Iwon't be out until seven. I promised,
and clicked off, finishing my businessand hurried back. Ethan never stayed
late. You have been listening todeath Donor by Matt Ward. For more
information, to purchase the complete audioadventure, or to download the entire techno
(26:52):
thriller free with a free trial ofaudible, visit death donor dot com.
Be the change you want to seein the world. That's something I strive
towards and fail towards every single day. If you enjoyed this podcast, if
you think the world could benefit fromconversations like this, the greatest compliment you
can give us is referring to theDisruptors to a friend or talking about us
(27:14):
on social media. Please take thirtyseconds to do so. It would mean
the world to us, and ifwe're lucky, help us build towards a
better world. Thanks so much forlistening, Thanks so much for helping us
spread the message, and have agreat day. If you want more of
the Disruptors, you can subscribe tothe podcast on iTunes or go to disruptors
dot fm, where you'll find tonsof audio and video interview stories with leaders
(27:34):
in the fields of genetics, cryptocurrency, longevity, AI, space, VR,
and much much more. You canalso follow me on Twitter at Matt
ward Io. If you enjoyed theshow, please leave a quick review on
iTunes at disruptors dot fm slash iTunesto help more people discover the podcast and
help us make a bigger impact.
Welcome to the Disruptors, the podcastabout the future of all of us,
where we look at the technologies,trends, and societal norms shaping our collective
future. Here, the world's topminds share their insights and predictions on the
convergence, direction, and ethics ofexponential technologies transforming life as we know it.
You can learn more and stay upto date at Disruptors dot fm.
(00:26):
Mere Money Press presents Death Donor byMatt Ward. More information on the author
at matt Wardwrights dot com. Topurchase the complete audio adventure, or to
download the entire techno thriller free witha free trial of audible, visit deathdnor
dot com. Samantha around the conferenceroom, immortal men and women assembled at
(00:52):
the hieroglyphic stone table in the undergroundbunker of Homebase one. They're projected holograms
beaming from similar ultra compounds around theglobe. My boss, mister Ethan Anderson,
the tall tan forty five year oldfounder of Defying Death Industries DDI,
sat at the center of the Egyptianroom, sharp blue eyes emanating competitiveness as
(01:17):
he explained the new legal ruling.DDI's double Infinity logo rippling across his chest.
It means we're going to have tosource donors elsewhere. Inventory will price
this out. Otherwise, there's plentyof bodies in Africa. I sent a
strike team the second the news broke, But Boss, the man across the
table began, wouldn't patients need tofly there? Ethan shook his tough guy
(01:40):
head. That's an option, buta few competitors have set up holding base
stateside. That's our cheapest option,a lock up. It's better than enlisting
more American donors. Minimum age andpalotes being what they are, a few
nods. Killing that many Americans wouldcost a fortune. Besides, stalks up
twenty percent this quarter alone, marketloves us. Who cares if life downers
(02:04):
are local. We've added more qualityyears and saved more lives than anyone except
maybe sli And it's not like we'llface any ballbusters. Half the Senators and
congressmen or lifelong customers, even thePresident herself screw the stock. Ethan its
protests were worried about. Protests comeand go, not like this. If
(02:24):
more Americans starve because they're not gettingdeath donor spots, that could go viral.
The word catastrophic comes to mind.It's not our fault. They're unemployable.
And let's be real, who actuallycares where the dead schmuck on the
slab next to them is from whenthey come to after a rejuve. People
just want to live longer and feelgreat. The cheaper, the better.
(02:46):
He was right. The people hadspoken, that may be. The woman
said, but you need to keeplocal donors happy. Why hadn't she seen
lines wrapping the building day and night, donors begging for a few thousand.
Ethan seemed to agree and laughed,supplies through the roof, and once we
(03:07):
expand, it'll drive prices further down. Donors have zero leverage. He had
better be right, he smiled,Have I ever been wrong? The meeting
wrapped after each of Dedyi's heads reiteratedtheir action items and the company's cheesy mantra,
live long, prosper and profit.Once they had left, Ethan rose
(03:30):
Pacing fifty five million unnecessary deaths ayear. He said to himself, I
was a statue at my post,my back to the Anubis door. Despite
everything being locked down, this wasthe sub basement of Ethan's favorite home,
equipped with state of the art censors, an army of weaponized drones, a
(03:52):
dozen attack dogs, and a threemeter concrete fence surrounding the five acre property.
Money had its perks without warning.Like most things Ethan did, he
spun and left. I followed ata distance like an apex predator. He
liked his space, I could relate. We took the reinforced lift to sub
(04:15):
basement one and Ethan be lined forthe kitchen. His triple espresso infused smoothie
was on the obsidian countertop. Hedowned the disgusting optimized, weakly brown slop
in three gulps before Maria, themouthy Argentinian who did Ethan's red meats and
probably a lot more, emerged fromthe far pantry. Darren would say she
(04:40):
was a looker if he was withthe guise, but I'd kick his ass
and he knew it. My shiftended four hours later after a brief report
to mister Anderson and his head ofsecurity, Vlad, I was more than
ready to leave. Three lifts later, I arrived topside two, sun blazing.
My eyes that had taken getting usedto the security chip in my palm
(05:04):
opened automatic double doors as I strodethrough the first parking garage checkpoint, a
combination of gait analysis and biometric sensors, along with Quintin's O Ka let me
pass to the waiting tesla. Atthe staff's self driving section. The scratched
up dinky two seater opened and Ihopped in, laid back and closed my
(05:27):
eyes. Long day time for aslog home in Atlanta rush hour. My
seat buzzed as we reached my street, and I tapped my temple to activate
my high end display, a perkof the job. A dashboard appeared in
my a r Len's contact retinas,an entire operating system and all the world's
(05:47):
information. It was five forty fivep m. Shit, Darren was going
to kill me. The car droppedme in the gravel driveway of our two
story sub urban rinse and repeat home. No used needles on the sidewalk or
missing persons signs. That was aplus, but the darkening stain on the
(06:08):
water damaged front porch looked worse.Avoiding the creaky step, I grabbed the
newspaper the city insisted on wasting valuabletax dollars to produce, and stepped into
one oh five Abbot Street Southwest,another violent riot in San Francisco slums.
Amazon's profits hit and all time high, and a ridiculous report on same race
(06:31):
death donors increasing efficacy something to dowith genetic similarities, as if dicing the
brains and organs of a Caucasian wouldbe any different than an African or an
Asian. Ethan would be furious.There was still a dent by the weight
rack from a similar story two yearsago. Not that it mattered. I
(06:51):
had twenty more years on the jobbefore I'd earn our death insurance. At
least that I'd buy me more timewith my little girl, Melia if I
made it that long. But gurdduty for Ethan was low key and paid
enough to keep the hospital loan sharksat Bay. Oh you're home. It
(07:12):
was Darren Brown, hair swept back, face, a dimpled smile for good
It's Wednesday, plopping a wet oneon him. I dropped my messenger bag
on the whitewashed linoleum of our cozyat best sized home, the best we'd
ever be able to afford, despitemy lofty salary. Even in death,
Darren's mom strangled our life. Why'dI agree to those last ditch treatments?
(07:36):
We'll be paying off the debt fromnow to eternity? Were still on for
tonight? I asked? He shrugged, you sure you want to go?
Was he kidding? We hadn't hada real date in ages, not since
Ruby Tuesdays, which almost shouldn't count. It's our anniversary, babe, thirteen
(07:58):
years today. To think I almostdidn't go to that army ceremony. I
hadn't thought about Saudi in years,repressing everything. That's what the sike said
after my one and only appointment.Me're right, he said, I'm pissed,
that's all. Oh. He'd alwayshad swings and his mom had been
(08:20):
on SSR eyes for ever, takinghis wiry shoulders. I guided him to
the beat up blue couch in ourlittle living room. It had been a
wedding gift. What's up, baby? Everything okay? At school? He
shrugged? I mean these kids asigh. The prospects aren't great. What
(08:41):
could I say? He was right? Did he? I is always hiring,
I said, in what I hopedwas an encouraging voice. Broke twenty
thousand refreshes last year, company swimmingin cash. If only Darren and Melia
could get moved up the list,I know it's just the door creaked open.
(09:01):
Hey Malia, that you yes,Mom, Here come the sassy teenage
years and she was eleven. Itfelt like yesterday. I touched my iron
forged stomach. Can I sleep overat Karen's. She walked into the kitchen,
opened the fridge and groaned. Payday wasn't until Friday? Now,
(09:24):
baby, it's Wednesday. I said, you can't spend the night. Milia
stepped through the opening and rolled hereyes. Dad, can you help me
with my math homework? We're doingSouthern slave trade economics. I'm having trouble.
I rose. That was my cue. This new Agy teaching was beyond
me. Walking into our ikey up, basic plastic, im plywood kitchen,
(09:46):
I grabbed a cup and turned onthe tap. At least the filter worked,
making the sludge drinkable. Remember tocheck Sunday. Didn't need Milia getting
sick again. An hour to kill. Opening my ar lenses, I outlined
a rectangle on the flimsy table,and a virtual keyboard materialized in a new
(10:07):
browser. The New York Times appearedNYC protests over donor compensation Africans undercutting the
market. At half past six,Darren appeared in a pullover and slacks MESSI
flop combed into something presentable. Finally, standing room seats filled fast, and
(10:28):
we couldn't afford guaranteed ones. He'dbe so disappointed if we missed the movie
Ethan. It had been another oneof those days. The stock on a
tear for years had taken a nosedive. The pseudoscience bullshit was killing our image
on Wall Street. Envisioning Sun Lee'ssmug face and fake deferential smile as he
(10:54):
beat me by two fucking points onour first applied genomics exam, slammed the
heavy bag one last time. Themove to Tunis was the right one.
It was close enough to Europe forflying treatments. Plus we could use seventeen
year olds there, not the absurdeighteen limit here. Cells should have better
(11:16):
performance and longevity. We needed acheaper price to stay competitive stripping. I
walked naked through the fitness center tothe heated sauna at the back. I
cranked it to one hundred eighty degreesfahrenheit and meditated fifteen minutes. No longer
learned that lesson years ago. Aninety second cryo shower and jeans and a
(11:39):
tailored blazer made me ready for datenight. Back to the elevator. Boris
at my six, an invisible ghost, watching my back with those hard Russian
eyes. We rode in silence.A lean blonde stood at the far side
of the living room, by thefireplace in a scandalous blue dress. Which
one was this Tira or was tonightYasmin didn't matter. The fireplace brought it
(12:05):
all back, all those nights Bobby, Mom and I cuddled to stay warm.
So much had changed I couldn't bealone again, not to night.
Miss America was examining my prized possession, the Peter Clay's masterpiece bleached skull,
beside a dying wax candle in mistyfog. She recoiled at my constant reminder
(12:30):
of the horrors of death and mymission to conquer it. Why hello there,
I strode forward. I'm Ethan,Welcome to my home. We made
idle chit chat until Boris reappeared,leading us past the Grass Tennis center to
the southernmost landing pad. Gonzales satin the vital's cockpit, checking knobs and
(12:52):
switches. He was the best moneycould buy. Ex Columbian Special Forces after
a career running cartel shipment. Thebig Columbian gave me a grin. We
lifted off vertical takeoff and landing andraced over Atlanta's burgeoning skyline toward Dede Arena
and the Knicks. We landed atthe Elite's entrance, and additional security led
(13:16):
us to my tank tested owner's box. The party was under way, bottles
out or d'ruves covering mahogany buffet tables, tuxedoed waiters with polished deference. You
only live once. Senator Evans caughtmy eye and signaled me over. She
was dressed in a becoming pantsuit,matching Prada real leather purse and blood diamond
(13:41):
ear rings, making a statement shewas on several oversight committees. Her next
DDI Christmas card should have a matchingnecklace. You look lovely, Zara,
I offered a hand. She rolledher eyes and gave me a hug.
Always so formally, Ethan, Ashake won't do, not after you reverse
those wrinkles, she added in awhisper, Five treatments he's done for me,
(14:07):
she smiled at Isabella, even beforeI was elected. Worth every penny.
I'm just glad you got reelected sawa few bills you're working on.
Couldn't have write them better myself.Speaking of I need to talk to Senator
Hayes. He's supposed to do somethingabout those news stories we talked about.
Don't let me keep you. Besides, I've got a beautiful woman to take
(14:31):
care of. I put my armaround Isabella's recently rechoeved waist. The game
tipped at seven thirty, and thenight passed in a blur of cannabis,
micro dosing and excitement as the Hawksbeat the Knickerbockers one oh one to ninety
seven in a nail biter to squeakinto the playoffs. Buying the team was
(14:52):
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Sam, Just Sam. The nextmorning was brutal, despite only a
(16:17):
bottle. I rolled out of bedto a hangover and hurried to pee.
Thursday my turn to make breakfast.Stumbling to the kitchen, I slapped my
face and filled old Faithful. Thesputtering espresso machine hissed to life. A
moment later, coffee that was morelike it. The fridge was a sorry
(16:37):
affair, but it was almost Friday. Bacon and eggs would have to cut
it. I guess i'd eat atwork. A door creaked open as I
flipped the eggs. Soft footsteps scamperedmy way. Hey, Malia, hurry
before a dad's up. Woolly socksskidded to a sleepy hug from behind.
How's last night? Did you twohave fun? I told her about the
(16:59):
movie some chick flick. Darren's ideathought I'd like it. Men were hopeless
A poor Indian girl and e commercebillionaire that run off to VR. Really,
she rolled her eyes, lame mommy'slittle girl. I flipped the bacon,
stomach rumbling. You know you're dad, always the idealist. An idealist,
(17:22):
that right, Darren laughed as hewalked into the kitchen. You used
to be an idealist yourself before thewar? Who wants eggs? My hand
quivered as I changed subjects. I'dnever told either much about Saudi Arabia.
Good men and great friends traded fora few barrels. Henry had been nineteen.
(17:45):
As they left for school, Maliaasked, can we volley? Later?
Mom coach said I should practice settingand digs for the game. Sure,
baby, after your homework, you'llhave time tonight, she pressed,
You won't be late again again.Gilt racked me as she gazed up.
I promised to do my best.Only one crazy jumped on the car on
(18:07):
the way to work to day nothingto stop My documentary about it was a
good one. The military coups inItaly and India after the UN's legalization of
life extension l E. Even governmentalreligious alliances couldn't stem the tides of l
E. Before I knew it,Ethan's towering white complex came into sight.
Rogers would be reviewing my security clearance. At the halfway point, the doors
(18:33):
opened and I exited. The car, backed out, rejoining the city sponsored
pool. As Rogers greeted me witha wink, the hairy hulk of a
man with a scar below his eyesmiled, flashing two chipped teeth and gums.
That never got the memo on smoking. How was last night, he
asked with a Boston twanged smirk.Watch a big boy. I hurried to
(18:55):
check in with Vlad, who wasin the command center, a dark room
of desks, two pots of coffeeand testosterone enough to impregnate a grizzly.
The pale Russian with the inverted hammerand sickle on his chiseled forearm, sat
in his haptic chair, hard eyesmonitoring fifteen virtual screens in his augmented view.
Ethan's bin huaitink. Haven't you seenthe news, he asked, yosemite
(19:19):
rum. Two minutes later, Iwas outside the oak paneled door. A
soft knock and I entered. Ethanwas half seated at the head of the
table, ready to pounce three lifesized holograms projected in the seats nearest him.
Is this a joke, Ethan snapped, Tell me this is a joke.
(19:41):
The dark haired woman next to himpursed her lips. We are not
sure it's only the New York Inquirer, but there have always been rumblings from
the church and conservatives, but raisingdonor Age's rumor at best, He asked,
better be I needed this job withoutit? How long till I was
in line? Healthy cells? Thelast things I could sell to feed Melia
(20:04):
and Darren. Also, some prettyin pink could smooth her damn wrinkles.
My skin crawled. The woman nodded. According to the journalists we talked to
good Ethan said, I want thatreport in my inbox tomorrow evening. That
was that. After the meeting ended, Ethan strode to the door. Oh,
(20:26):
Jones, you're here. We're goingto the office today. Something came
up. Can you arrange transport andsecurity? I sprinted off. Six minutes
and three rushed calls later, wewere in the air. Ethan double tapped
his ear, activating internal headphones.What's the situation in London? He listened
for a second. I loved London. HB three was my favorite of Ethan's
(20:49):
compounds, the bustling city, Britishaccents and occasional United Games. A great
change of pace. You're saying itcould be the Chinese, Ethan asked,
eyes narrowing at the mention of SunLee and Shanghai Life Industries as a lie,
trying to short our stock? Shit, how liquid is the market?
(21:10):
A pause, that dirty bastard.Do you have many sources inside? Ethan
curled his lip. Find out whatyou can. He swiped to kill the
call and made three others like itas we zipped towards Deedy Eyes down Town
headquarters, landing on the seventy storyMegalith ten minutes later, the egos of
(21:30):
some men. Fancied company exacs waitedas we touched down. Mister Anderson,
it's good to see you. Thesuits made their best ass, kissing faces,
and led Ethan to a waiting elevator, through blue carpeted halls and passed
dozens of newspaper clippings and civic awardshe and the company had won over the
years in the fight to cure aging. Even a picture of Ethan with a
(21:55):
bespectable droof Patel. The Georgia techgenius who pioneered the Nobel Prize winning breakthrough
were combinant Target specific tissue engineering rtSTE, something to do with injecting processed,
metabolically healthy donor stem cells to resetmitochondrial mutations and clean out cell waste,
(22:15):
or something like that. Ethan hadexplained it at least a dozen times,
given me a copy of his book, too, still sounded like a
word jumble. The boardroom door openedto an army of arguing, red faced
c suites and their underlings. Ethanstepped in and silence fell as he jumped
into a signature hell fire motivational.No one said a word as mister Charisma
(22:40):
outlined his vision for the company riddingthe world of death and suffering, and
the results they were on pace tohit. No wonder he earned the big
bucks and I was stuck at thedoor. Toward the end, a hand
in the back went up. Theguy, whose age was impossible to guess,
eyes suggesting ad as his broad backand smooth skin pointed younger said,
(23:03):
Ethan, where do we stand withNew York Life? Are they pushing for
price parody? Ethan nodded a halfsmile. Want us to go down to
one hundred and twenty five thousand dollarsper in exchange? They're willing to make
DDI their exclusive partner. That's atleast ten billion a year. If these
stories about twenty two year old donorsare bogus, the man remarked what was
(23:27):
his name? Again? His dystopianeyebrows and creeper eyes always distracted me.
They are, Ethan said, withouthesitation. The last three scumbag analysts I
talked to thought this was a ployedby Lee's folks. Any other questions or
things to discuss? No one saidanything, Let's rot this up. The
(23:48):
others repeated the corny company mantra,and one by one sidled out of the
sixty sixth floor conference room, Ethan'sunrelenting mockery of superstitious fate men. Once
they'd left, only le Na remained. Deeedy eye's sharp elbowed Sea, a
foe nicknamed the Eraser for her abilityto make the numbers work. See Na
(24:11):
figuas from Barcelona. She asked,God, Barcelona, it had been forever?
Was a trip in the cards.I wouldn't mind that. Ethan shook
his head. You should, shecontinued. A quarta of patients are demanding
same race Dona's and willing to paymore or go elsewhere. Have you looked
at Dona markets? They are pricingCroatians and Albanians three to four times higher
(24:36):
than Ethiopians. If we lose clientsto Beyond Human or Google Life, we
could be in for a stock hit. Wait, a stock hit. Those
options were a third of my salary, and Darren's job was a joke.
Shit was she serious? Ethan rolledhis eyes. The science is clear,
there's no correlation between. It doesn'tmatter, Lee cut in voice rising.
(25:00):
It's public perception. Numbers don't die. Damn. We were struggling to get
by as it was. Darren hadalways said to take the cash. Okay,
Ethan said, without skipping a beat, I'll deal with it. The
meeting ended, and before the nextone, Ethan looked up Sam. I'm
going to need you to stay latetonight. Okay, shit, I agreed
(25:23):
and stepped into the hallway to letDarren know. While Ethan hopped on a
call with his fixers, he wouldn'tbe happy turning down the empty hallway,
I enjoyed world class views of thetent free blossoming park and lofty skyline below.
Must be nice, hey, babe, housework, I asked, as
(25:44):
soon as his face appeared in myoverlay. I'm glad you called. I
have to stay late tonight, parentteacher thing. You need to be there
when Malia gets home. Crap openingthe door. I laid a paper protector
on the seat. I can't somethingcame up. Us is freaking out.
We're at headquarters. He winced.What happened? Everything? Okay, look,
(26:06):
i'll tell you later. Malia shouldbe fine for a couple hours,
right. His eyes flashed disappointed,daggers, Samantha, you promised we need
this, babe. We can't affordto lose this gig, especially after what
your mom saddled us with my stomachtightened. Mom of the Year. Here
I come. I'd make it upto Malia tomorrow. Okay, Sam,
(26:30):
but promise you'll call her. Iwon't be out until seven. I promised,
and clicked off, finishing my businessand hurried back. Ethan never stayed
late. You have been listening todeath Donor by Matt Ward. For more
information, to purchase the complete audioadventure, or to download the entire techno
(26:52):
thriller free with a free trial ofaudible, visit death donor dot com.
Be the change you want to seein the world. That's something I strive
towards and fail towards every single day. If you enjoyed this podcast, if
you think the world could benefit fromconversations like this, the greatest compliment you
can give us is referring to theDisruptors to a friend or talking about us
(27:14):
on social media. Please take thirtyseconds to do so. It would mean
the world to us, and ifwe're lucky, help us build towards a
better world. Thanks so much forlistening, Thanks so much for helping us
spread the message, and have agreat day. If you want more of
the Disruptors, you can subscribe tothe podcast on iTunes or go to disruptors
dot fm, where you'll find tonsof audio and video interview stories with leaders
(27:34):
in the fields of genetics, cryptocurrency, longevity, AI, space, VR,
and much much more. You canalso follow me on Twitter at Matt
ward Io. If you enjoyed theshow, please leave a quick review on
iTunes at disruptors dot fm slash iTunesto help more people discover the podcast and
help us make a bigger impact.
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