[ WP ] A new drug let 's you live a lifetime in one dream

“ Yes, Paul, I ’ m absolutely sure I want to sell. I want my legacy to be more than this company. For the past forty-three years I ’ ve worked tirelessly to build this firm into one of the most venerable investment banks on Wall Street, but what else have I done? No, Paul, I don ’ t want to be remembered as someone who just moved money around to make more money. With the days that I have left, I ’ m going to do something that truly matters. Just get it done. ” Robert Burrows hung up the phone and stepped out of his Maybach and onto the tarmac at Teterboro airport, just a short drive from his Manhattan office. He was greeted in front of his Gulf Stream V by Captain John McClendon, an Air Force veteran who had completed two tours in Vietnam. Robert knew he was in good hands, as always. 
 
 As the jet took off on the rainy December evening bound for Heathrow, Robert took stock of his life and sighed. He had accomplished what most men could only dream of, and yet he felt empty. Born to a Steven and Jane Burrows in the Bronx, Robert had a rough lower-middle class upbringing. His father, a high school biology teacher, was an alcoholic and an abusive father. His mother, a secretary, was caring, but never had the good sense to leave her husband, even when he hit them both, which was every time he drank. Robert Burrows would not let his circumstances define him. He worked hard in school, eventually earning a scholarship to Princeton where he studied economics. After graduation, Robert received an offer from Goldman Sachs and went to work as a derivatives trader. After a few years, he left Goldman to start his own firm, Burrows Capital, which he grew into one of the largest on Wall Street. 
 
 Robert ’ s net worth began to grow, and with it, so did his ego. The life of a billionaire is filled with great privilege, and the luxuries of wealth distanced Robert mentally from his humble roots. Influencing heads of state, shaping global economic policy, buying and selling companies, basically doing whatever he desired while surrounded by an army of personal assistants, advisors, and analysts made Robert feel as though nothing was out of reach for him. And, it was true. He could buy anything, go anywhere, and meet with anyone. There were no limits for Robert Burrows, and it showed in his attitude towards the world. 
 
 Then, one day, it all changed. Robert was older now, and alone. He never had a family. A personal life was not a luxury that he had time for, and he wanted to change that. Robert summoned Paul Stanley, the President of Burrows Capital and second in command to only Robert himself. It was time to sell. Robert was getting out, and Paul would make it happen. The rest of his time on Earth would be spent doing all the things that he never made time for. He wanted love, but he also wanted to use his vast wealth to do some good in the world. Robert would die knowing that he made a real difference in people ’ s lives, and that would be his enduring legacy. Or so he thought. 
 
 Robert was flying to London to meet with Bertrand Hargrove, the Chairman of Alliance Capital, and the man who would get Robert out of this life. All he had to do was sign the papers, and it would all be over. He would finally have time, and with it, accomplish something truly real and worthwhile. But, just as Robert Burrows finished that very thought, somewhere over the Atlantic ocean, something went wrong. 
 
 The Gulfstream V descended rapidly in an almost vertical dive. Robert was thrown against the back wall just as his pilot shouted, “ We ’ re going down, hold on! ” As soon as the plane crashed into the water, Robert ’ s world went black. 
 
... 
 
 Robert woke up with a gasp. He screamed for help. Soon after, his mother Jane turned on the light in his room. Robert looked around, confused. Was he dead? Could he have survived the crash? No, that would have been impossible, yet, here he was. But, just as he was trying to make sense of the crash, something else perplexed him even more. Why was his mother there? More importantly, why was he wearing dinosaur pajamas? Robert looked in the mirror, and was shocked by his reflection. He was a child! No, that can ’ t be right. He was Robert Burrows, sixty-four years old, Chairman of Burrows Capital, and the most important player on Wall Street. That is the life he knew, and that ’ s all he could remember. 
 
 Robert ’ s mother hugged him close, trying to comfort her very confused and disoriented child. As Jane Burrows stroked her son ’ s head, Steven Burrows walked into the room. 
 
 “ Are you alright? What ’ s going on? ” Steven asked his son. Robert explained everything, from his college days at Princeton to his knowledge of derivatives and other complex financial instruments. Every aspect of Robert ’ s life was recalled and recounted in vivid detail. After Robert finished, Steven laughed nervously. “ You just had a bad dream, that ’ s it. I ’ m sure you ’ ll be fine in the morning, just try and go back to bed. ” Steven slipped a sleeping pill into a glass of water, handed it to Robert, and watched him gulp it down thirstily. Without another word, Steven Burrows left his wife and son in the room and went downstairs to his office. As he walked down the hall, Steven could hear his son shouting at his mother, “ Get my god damn assistant Marcy over here. And get Paul Stanley on the line, I need to sort out this fucking mess! Don ’ t look at me like that, accomplish something, god dammit!'' 
 
 Steven closed the heavy doors to his mahogany paneled office. The massive fire place still burned dimly and cast the room in a warm orange glow. He picked up the phone and dialed. “ Paul, it ’ s Steve. CR-379 works. Yeah, he just explained to me what a fucking credit default swap is. He ’ s ten years old, incredible. ” With that, Steven Burrows hung up the phone, got dressed, woke up his driver, John, and got in his car. Paul Stanley would meet him at the office. The two co-founders of Alliance Pharmaceuticals certainly had a lot to discuss. The Phase 2 trial would be interesting indeed.
