[ WP ] A serum is invented that brings you closer to God when injected

Their anger was no more or less real than their epiphanies. Each one of them, faces contorted into grotesque imitations of what they thought they should be feeling. Anger, red-faced and swollen. Denial, mouths hurling curses to drown out the truth silence brings. Sadness, eyes searching for something, anything to return the world to its proper state. It took him some time to find the emotion he was looking for amid the chaos. Then he saw it. Fear. Eyes darting between those around him. Shifting feet. A few partial moves in as many directions. 
 
 Of course, enlightenment never comes easily. 
 
 … 
 
 He had concocted it in a stroke of genius, really. Some would call it a gift from God. He would n't, at least not publicly. It helps to maintain a veneer of skepticism about one's work. He had to remain a passive agent in the eyes of everyone around him. Simply the man whose chemical prowess allowed the government to bring their needs to fruition. 
 
 Some of his more religious colleagues resisted at first. The first few weeks of trials were so effective. Many nights, angry arguments could be heard echoing down the deserted corridors of the facility. “ God does not respond to man's beck and call. ” “ People will reject it after the novelty wears off. ” “ It will fail the tolerance testing. ” Many quit, but those who stayed eventually quieted. They were steeling themselves for what they thought was the biggest moment of their lives as chemists, biologists, and neuroscientists. They were only partially right. 
 
 … 
 
 The government approved the drug immediately. They were desperate. A country with a waning working population and an almost non-existent desire to work had them fearing for their international interests. It was no secret among the trade commission that the dynamics had changed. The government of the country in question did n't want that, even though their population did n't care. Most in the government were 
 
 The drug itself was simple. A concoction of visual stimulants and inhibitors to give people the impression of disassociation from reality. A balanced hyperdose of vitamins to stimulate the brain and give people many of the nutrients they lacked in their heavily-rationed diets. It may have been in pill form, but the delivery method was by far the most important part of the process. The government understood this, and did the necessary public relations work to give the drug the gravitas it needed to succeed. They called it Epiphane. 
 
 The first patients were easy. They were older, or educated, or disillusioned with society. They all shared one thing in common: ambition. They wanted something, although none could answer that question if asked. They took the drug and found what they were looking for. Then they sang the drug's praises. In a world based on entertainment and information, word travels fast and the choruses stay in tune. 
 
 … 
 
 Everything had gone according to plan for the government and its contractors. The drug was taken at nearly ubiquitous rates nationwide. People were spending less time entertaining themselves, and more times doing whatever it was the drug told them. Happiness metrics were skyrocketing. Then he changed everything. 
 
 Perhaps the government did n't think anyone from the inside would talk. It's possible they thought they could discredit any individual, dissenting voice. Maybe they did n't care; progress was too important. The government could do nothing, he made sure of that. Meeting records, molecular models, approval documents, it was all there. The drug did n't bring anyone closer to God, or at least not the God they were thinking of. But it worked. 
 
 … 
 
 He sits looking at his monitors, still broadcasting from major cities all across the country. It's not quite a riot. Perhaps vestiges of the mass apathy the country had “ miraculously ” shaken from itself. A smile does n't crack his heavily-wrinkled face. His eyes flit across each of the six screens. Unsurprisingly, the footage focuses on the wildest acts of violence and human suffering. Fear is a much harder emotion to capture in a.56-second cut. 
 
 After a few hours, he shuts each screen off, one by one. The enlightened were there. He has seen their fear, and in some cases repulsion. They are n't many, but they exist. His inevitable death no longer matters to him, because he has succeeded in his ultimate experiment. For those few, He has given the gift of God.
