At the top of the page, the words *Confidential – Investigational Compound Phase I* were printed in bold red ink.

The drug name was listed as ZX-44, followed by a long chemical string.

Underneath, there was a patient progress log.

The name *Eleanor Vance* was written in Nathan’s precise, angular handwriting.

I turned the page, my eyes darting across the lines of typed text and handwritten notes.

*Subject exhibits advanced stage cognitive decline,* one note read.

*Standard therapeutics failing to manage nocturnal wandering and vocalization,* another entry stated.

*Initiated daily administration of ZX-44 via subcutaneous injection.*

I picked up one of the amber vials and held it up to the dim light of the bedside lamp.

The liquid inside was thick and clear.

There was no pharmacy label, no prescription number, and no warning about side effects.

There was only a hand-drawn grid on the glass, marked with dates and dosage amounts.

I flipped to the next sheet in the file.

It was a printout of an email from a laboratory in Switzerland.

The sender warned that the compound was not approved for human use due to high risks of cardiac arrest.