[ WP ] A new drug hits the clubbing scene - cheap , very addictive , a great high and seemingly safe .

Youth, they say, is wasted on the young. Whoever `` they'' is probably never saw a corpse like this. 
 
 At first, it was just another way to get high. The kids called it `` Burst'' for that burst of energy and euphoria. Like a lucid dream, Burst gave you control over the Universe, and did n't kick so hard as you came down. 
 
 `` Jesus, what the fuck is that?'' I turn toward the voice, and see a fresh-faced rookie choking back vomit while the tech is lining up photos of something sticky. It's an eyeball, but I do n't feel a particular need to share that with anyone. 
 
 The fellas in narcotics still do n't know who started making those little red pills, but it was n't long before every chemist in the greater Miami area started synthesizing knock-offs. In six months, it had completely replaced Ecstasy as the go-to club drug. In a year, sales and possession charges were almost entirely Burst-related. That was 10 years ago, and I ca n't remember meeting anyone on anything but Burst in the decade since. 
 
 Of course, now they call it Fountain, and now it is n't just club kids. 
 
 The rookie excuses himself. He's not going to make it to a bathroom. Does n't make a difference to the clean up crew, just one more thing to mop up. The landlord is probably contemplating striking a match and letting the building go up in smoke. Ca n't say I blame him. Leave a body like this long enough and the smell seeps into the concrete. 
 
 Eight years ago, all other addictions disappeared. Crack, meth, heroin, all pretty much dried up overnight. Even sales for cigarettes and booze plummeted. No withdrawal, no jags or fevers. Some doctors thought it might be a miracle cure. Others were convinced that Burst was simply more addictive than anything we'd ever seen. The politicians started running victory laps for winning the War on Drugs. Some of them were more spry and energetic about it than others. 
 
 About the same time the cartels were trying to figure out where their customers were going, the burst-bums started noticing the other side effects. It's funny how you do n't notice yourself aging until you start going the other way. Word spread quickly. Prices soared with demand, and scientists around the world started a scramble to figure out how a little red pill was making junkies younger. Pretty soon, some researcher managed to isolate and remove the stimulants and hallucinogens, and the club-drug Burst was rebranded as Fountain. Rebranded, like it's fucking Sierra Mist. Still gets me. 
 
 The tech motions to me that he's done taking photos. I can tell he's in no mood to talk, and I watch him leave without saying a word. I step closer to check things out, but I already know what went down. Only two things do this to a person, and any acid that strong would have burned a hole in the floor. 
 
 Telomerase became a household word. I still do n't understand what it does, but I sure as shit know what happens when it does n't. First, your skin gets smoother and tighter. Your muscles rejuvenate. You feel energized. You might not feel it, but your organs begin to rejuvenate as well. Breathing gets easier, your metabolism speeds up, your eyesight improves. You do n't just look younger, you feel younger. You *are* younger. 
 
 I notice a picture on the desk. Cap, gown, two proud parents, and in the middle a pre-liquefied Danny Vargas. Probably an early burst-bum, although it's hard to tell without knowing how much he was taking. The de-aging process affects everyone a little differently, but it always ends the same. I call it `` Terminal Youth,'' but nobody else seems to think that's clever. 
 
 The older you are, the longer you have. Someone else might call that irony, but I'm not feeling particularly wry today. As Fountain goes to work on your genes, your cells get younger as they multiply. The older your genes, the longer it takes before the cells start to revert to whatever they were before. You get younger, but your body does n't get smaller. You do n't get to climb back into the womb. 
 
 `` They'' also say you can never go home again. 
 
 First, the connective tissues turn to stem cells, followed by the larger organs. Your skin starts to break down, and your nervous system starts to fall apart. Sometimes the lesions come first, sometimes it's the shakes. Once the memory goes, you've got maybe a week to set your affairs in order, if you can remember where they are. It's a painless way to go, at least that's the theory. 
 
 I pull up the file on my tab. Danny was young, 32 according to his license, so terminal youth came quickly. Bank records seem to indicate that he's been hooked for about three years. I was wrong about being a burst-bum. He must have been taking a ton of Fountain. His social record has an increasing number of photos that document his de-aging progress. I flip through a recent series of selfies, drinking with friends, shirtless on a beach, one with a girl on his arm, and another with a different girl, all within the last 6 months. I wonder if he had heard the rumors, if he knew what was coming and just did n't care. Terminal Youth has n't hit the mainstream news feeds yet. I should probably ask my therapist why I care so much about getting to name this. 
 
 The rookie is back now, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. I do him the courtesy of ignoring him, but the silence seems to bother him. He blurts out, `` Man, I thought I'd seen some shit, but this is a whole'nother level of fucked up.'' I nod and mutter that it comes with being a cop. He seems to take offense. `` I saw a convoy hit an IED in Fallujah. Never saw no goopy shit like this.'' 
 
 It takes a minute before it hits me. Fallujah? How old are you? His jaw tightens, and he just glares at me. He looks down at the stain formerly known as Daniel Vargas, and I think I can see the rookie's hand tremble.
