You are Doctor David Markham, a passionate pediatrician. In an effort to combat America's obesity epidemic, you are attempting to develop low-fructose corn syrup. However, it has become clear that one of your lab assistants is sabotaging your work! Are they working for corporate candy? Do they have some kind of sick hatred of children? Something else entirely? You have to uncover the truth! Just don't let them know you're onto them! *** "Well?" I asked, as my assistant, Emily, walked out of her office and closed the door behind her. "What did you find?" Emily looked at me with wide eyes. Emily holds up a picture of Jason from AIPD angrily grimacing. "This is him," she said. "He's been doing this all week." I sighed. "Okay, so he's sabotaging our research. But why?" Emily shrugged. "It could be anything. You drive over to Jason office to confront him. "Jason, what the hell do you think you're doing?" "You have no right to talk to me like that!" He shouted back. "I'm just trying to help you guys get ahead in life. You feel shamed by his outburst and storm out of the building. You take a moment to compose yourself before returning to your car. As you start the engine, you hear a noise coming from inside the office. It sounds like something breaking. You return to Jason's office, only to find passed on the floor. There is a shattered beaker next to him. The room smells strongly of ethanol. "Jason?" You ask. "Yeah?" He replies, looking up from the ground. "How did you get past security?" You demand. "Security? You realize Jason is about to burn down the factory and in an attempt to save it you push Jason in a vat of chemicals. "Whoa!" He shouts. "What the hell was that for?" "Jason, you need to stop this now! We can't afford to lose our funding because of you!" "But I'm not hurting anyone!" Jason yells "It burns, but its strangely invigorating" as he walks away from the vat. "Jason!" You shout after him. "Stop this!" "No one will ever notice. Besides, if I want to go out with a bang, I should do it on my own terms." The liquid that Jason is covered in is flammable. Jason goes to light a barrel of trash on fire, and ignites himself. "Damnit, Jason! Stop this!" Jason falls to the ground and begins to laugh uncontrollably. His laughter quickly turns into a cough and then a gurgle. "Oh, shit." Fearing Jason is dead, you flee the scene. You call 911 and wait anxiously for the paramedics to arrive. When they finally show up, they inform you that Jason has suffered severe internal injuries. They cannot resuscitate him and pronounce him dead at the scene. You try to explain the situation to the paramedics, but as you turn back around, Jason's body is gone. You gasp in shock. *** I was furious. Jason had been fired, but not before he'd set the whole place on fire. If I hadn't pushed him into that vat, he would've burned down the entire building. The cops think you're crazy, and commit you to Markum Asylum, named after your grandfather. While you're there, you decide to write a letter to Jason's family, apologizing for what happened. "My name is Dr. David Markham, and I am writing this letter in hopes of reaching out to the family of Jason Carver. I am sorry for the loss of their son, but I hope that you will forgive me. Jason was a good man, but he was also very troubled. He had a hard time dealing with the world around him, but I always believed he was a good person deep down. He was also a great chemist, and I am proud to say that he helped develop a new low-calorie sweetener that will soon be available to the public. Unfortunately, he was never able to deal with his problems, and eventually he became too much of a risk to the company. Jason's parents ask you to name the low-calorie syrup Jaygo in his honor. "Thank you, Dr. Markham, for everything you've done. We're glad to know that Jason wasn't a bad person deep down. I'm sure he's happy knowing that he helped people." Next time on "Candyman: Marking Time": Jason's ghost is still haunting you. You must figure out how to get rid of him once and for all. *** "I'm sorry, sir," Emily said. "We can't find any records of a Jason Carver working here.
EP 431 – Story #1
Posted under Episode 431, Story On By Chief