The International Acid Empire

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of British Scandal ad free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Just a warning, this episode features drugs and lots of strong language. And regrettably hilarious content that will probably make you want to see us live in Sheffield on Sunday the fifth of July. Crosswires. live for tickets, more info in the show notes if you're affected by this issue All right, Alice. How are you? Yeah good offa. Got got some of those new pills' on Dragven man Oh Godd, dont know how I feel about that. what are they best you' try one. No I'm not it's not really my bag. like what will it do to me It just changes things, man. All the cool kids are doing them When you say changes things, I'm just a bit worried about sort of like not feeling like myself No ones themselves after these, but like in a good way. Okay, that sounds pretty profound. Like have you taken them? Yeah, I took them all the time. They're great. ait second boxes Are they antihistamines? Yeah. With these, I can go anywhere I couldn't leave the house during summer. I mean, what are these You could walk through a meadow and your eyes and your nose won't stream at all. What a trip? fourourteenth of april nineteen seventy five, Tragaron, Wales Richard Kemp clutches the steering wheel tight as the rain lashes against his windscreen Squinting through the pitch black night, his eyes frantically scanned the country road for his turn off Gve gotta be careful about Aqua planing. Now I only know about this from doing my theory test for my driving test several times My top tip would be use those gears. They're there. They're your friend. Okaykay? The gears are your friend. The gears are your friend. I've been going wrong. You're also a non driver, so you don't really know what I'm talking about here. Oh, no, I've qualified Oh, Oh, I'm qualified. fourourth time. You're a conscientious objector. I'm a draft dodger On the passenger seat next to him are boxes of baby formula. Inside, one hundred thousand hits of LSD Richard needs to get these boxes to a set of fixed coordinates, bury them, then get clear of the area before midnight. His eyes flick down to the clock on his dashboard, eleven thirty five. He presses down on his accelerator slips his land Rver into fourth gear Glancing up at his rear view mirror, two small dots of light catch his eye Headlights A hot panic grips him He's been warned the police are sniffing around. He should have laid low, called Solomon, told him the pickup was off. But he stupidly pushed ahead. and now he's leading the police straight to the scene of a crime Keeping his gaze fixed on the car behind him, he presses the accelerator down further. Fence posts whizz by. Bumps in the road feel like ski jumps, but no matter how fast he drives, the headlights behind him seem to be gaming. He grabs the gear stick is about to slip into fifth, then he sees it A flash of orange indicator. He stares in the mirror, hot in his mouth, as the car behind slows and turns off down a dirt track Relief slams into him. H shoulders sag. But then, his eyes snap back to the road. Dazzling white light fills his vision Another car headed straight for him. He's drifted lanes. He slams on his brakes, the wheels locking beneath him, But his car keeps gliding along the rain slipped road. I am psychic. I've got a chill running down my spine. I don't want to undermine you bring you down. But the scene did start with him driving at night in the rain. The chances that he was going to ac up a plane were quite high. Jealousy does not suit you eats away at me like an itch His body is thrown forward towards the crunching metal then yanked back by his seatbelt, his head smacking into his headrest Richard comes to with a groan, his neck in agony Through the acid smoke pouring from his bonnet, he sees two people in the car opposite, slumped over their dashboard moving He rips off his belt Cold rain bites at his face as he bangs on the passenger's window. Hello, Are you okay? He gets no answer, sees no movement. Th then spots a line of blood trickling from the woman's hairline. Terror fills his head. He has to do something, Get these people some help. But as he turns back to his own car, he realizes. He can't stay here. He has to move now Because Richard Kemp isn't just a regular drug runner He's the head of an international acid empire. the chemist responsible for ninety percent of the UK's LSD supply and almost half the world's And if anyone finds him here with this much product, he's as good as dead With JBL live headphones, you'll lose yourself in your favorite music. In fact, you can get so immersed, we had to add a few disclaimers. While listening with JBL Lve headphones, do not start twerking in your office break room. Do not begin line dancing at the DMV Do not practice your moon walk while crossing a busy intersection Or if that sounds like a good time, then go ahead Just don't say we didn't warn you. JBL madeade to be heard Find your pair at jbL. com The ventureX businessus card from Capital One, you earn unlimited double miles on every purchase. pllus big purchasing power means you can spend more and earn more. The Capital one venture X business card. What's in your wallet? Term supply, see capital onene. com for details I name'm Mat Ford, and I'm Alice Levine, and this is British Scandal and Audible Original. The show where we bring you the murkiest stories that ever happened on these odd little aisles. British scandals come in many shapes and sizes. Some are about money, some are about sex, they're all about power. But when we look at scandals a bit closer, they turn out to be stranger wilder, just pling weirder than we remember. So we're journeying back to ask who's to blame for what happened. And when the dust settled, did anything really change What do the letters LSD mean to you? Lead stududent Odgeball team and yes, they did reject me and yes, I do think about it every night before I go to bed Oh, was that a bad trip? trip No, no, I never went on a trip because I never made the team so. I was joking, you know, like a bad trip. Yeah, I didn't go because actually you only got to go on the trip if you were on the first team and sadly, they wouldn't have me. Okay's going be hard work. Alice we're talking drugs, LSD is lergic acid dihlamide. So today I'm taking you to the nineteen seventies British drug scene, Psychedelics hippies I'm gonna expand your mind, man Oh, this sounds very exciting, but obviously British scandal lawyers do require us to stress that drugs are bad and very dangerous and not fun, cool or glamorous. No This story about them is amazing. I'm going to be telling you about the Sy Chemistry prodroigy who became Britain's and arguably the world's biggest LSD kingpin So some of you may already know this But for those of you that don't LSD works by flooding your serotonin receptors and it suppresses the brain's default mode. So essentially the part that maintains your sense of self. So all of a sudden reality becomes negotiable Okay, so usually we do four episodes, but how long is this gonna to last? Yeah, this is going to be like a three year series. But Alex you raised a good point. A lot of people don't know a trip lasts between eight and twelve hours minimum. So you can't just sleep it off. Once you've taken it You are committed to the full journey, whether you like it or not. Which is exactly how I feel about these records. Once you're in, you are in. And there's no antidotes. So buckle up for a series of altered consciousness, revolution tiny mountain villages and an undercover police operation like none seen before in the history of British scandal. Get your tabs at the ready because this is episode one. to not Six years earlier, april nineteen sixty nine, Cambridge. Richard jerks his head up as the projector clicks to the next slide, tries to focus on the professor, explaining serotonin's effect on the cerebrum sensory inhibitors But Richard can't concentrate At any other time, he'd find this fascinating but his eyes keep drifting down to the newspaper on his lap War in Vietnam, racial segregation. Nuclear weapons threatening total annihilation Back in Liverpool, his friends and fellow students were all out protesting, fighting for change. Meanwhile, he's stuck in this dusty conference room t twenty five, he's the youngest person here by decades. a prodigy in the field of biochemistry. But he's beginning to wonder if a PhD is really the best use of his time What a mad time to be a student. It was completely different back then Obviously the backdrop to this is nineteen sixty nine, which is this hugely significant year globally and in the UK and really is the year that student activism as we now know it, is properly born. And it's because of things like the Vietnam War, the economic situation in the UK, the political instability, and things like the sexual revolution, the pill had come in, so things were changing. And in universities, you had this real culture clash then people who are going there to effectively fuel their activism and learn about radical ideas and campaign against people that Richard has sat alongside, which are You know, the stereotype at the time of greatest respect to these wonderful people Dusty old nerds I think they take that Richard puts on his cordroid jacket, attempts to slink off quietly, when a hand clasps his elbow Rich, someone's asking to meet you His heart sinks. It's his lab mate, Nick. I can't. I have to catch a train. I haven't seen Christine in. He's very insistent. He's from California Richard Brow forows. I don't know any American scientists. He's not a scientist. He's a jazz journalist. Jazz Ten minutes later, Richard is stood fidgeting outside a small cottage The door opens to reveal a man of medium height, neatly groomed gry hair, serious spectacles. Whoa. The celebrated Richard Kampp David Solomon, please, come in Richard steps inside takes in the bright psychedelic art, black and white portraits of jazz greats Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie I've been searching for someone of your disposition for some time He offers the joint. Richard looks downam. No thanks. I have a paper to submies in the morning. Solomon smiles Kind of a square thing for a young radical to say Richard Stiffens He hasn't come here to be insulted I didn't realize the revolution required sitting around in a dim room listening to jazz either He glances at his watch He could still make his train Solomon takes a langorous drag. I agree we need more systemic solutions. But I happen to think the answer lies in your chosen field. Richard looks up, surprised biochemistry We're in to fight for hearts and minds, Richard. The world is burning But what our hearts and minds, if not chemical reactions in living organisms Richard's face crumples, perplexed You think biochemistry is our way to world peace. Solomon chuckles. Richard studies Solomon as he inhales again. He's never met anyone quite like this man. I simply believe nature has already given us our answers If only we know where to look. Richard glances at the joint. Solomon hands it over. Richard puffs gently, letting a warm fuzziness fill his head, as Solomon leans in and puts his arm around him. Tell me, Richard What do you know about LSD B One week later, Cambridge. David Solomon lowers the needle on his record player He relaxes as the grateful dead fill his living room takes in the array of guests he's invited. Cambridge academics, neuroscientists, activists and writers All united in a belief that LSD has the capacity to unlock the mind and change society. But his star guest is yet to arrive. He glances at the door anxiously Solomon's been convinced, ever since he met his former mentor Timothy Leary, that his mission is to bring the psychedic revolution to Britain But finding a chemist with the exact skill set and shared sensibilities has proven near impossible talk me about Tothy Leary. So Timothy Leary was a Harvard professor turned psychedelic evangelist who came up with the phrase turn on tune in drop out. veryery famous phrase. and he believed that taking psychedelics would dissolve the ego that led to things like war racism and even capitalism He finally hears the knock he's been waiting for Relief floods him as he sees the familiar shaggy haired young man dressed in a thick woolen jumper and brown cords, an intense analytical gaze on his face, a petite pretty blonde at his side. Richard, I'm glad you could make it He reaches out his hand This is Christine, Chris, my partner He ushers the couple into the living room, sees Christine's eyes scammning the room Oh my go. Is that Alan Ginsburg I edited a piece of his work for an anthology. He's just come up from Apple Studios with Paul McCartney. Keen to get Richard alone, he ushers Christine over to Ginsburg before returning to Richard. What was the anthology? He pulls a title from his heaving bookshelves Richard turns the book over to reveal the title LSD, the consciousness expanding drug Richard's shoulder slump. Solomon, I I'm sorry. I wanted to come personally today. I've been chatting with Chris and well I don't think I can take up the offer of work. Richard hands the anthology back. I'm a chemist, an academic, not William Bloody Borroughs But Solomon cuts him short. I know. That's why I invited you. I'd like to introduce you to someone He shouts through to the kitchen. Francis A Talline man with striking bushy eyebrows appears Richard's eyes widen at the sight of the Nobel Prize winning scientist, Francis Crk Imagine having Francis Crick waiting in the wings and being like, And I introduce you Fanda. And he's just been like hiding in the kitchen. This is like one of those dream dinner party scenarios where they all actually turn up So this is Mrter DNA, well, one half of Mrter DNA, the duo. Yes. And there is a theory. He discovered the double helix or visualized it Whilst on LSD. No. It's known to produce geometric shape forind That is incredible, if true. He also did have a spiral staircase leading to his office That is true. Is it really there? No. And a lot of people are like, well, it just picturing a thing that you walked up every day Richard, I hear from Solly you're the future of chemistry Richard struggles for words. Professor Creig, it's an honor. I read your paper on Deoxy Ribbao's nucleic acid as a student. Francis is about to study consciousness at the Salk Institute. Consciousness Yes, I'm fascinated in how LSD can liberate the mind from certain preconceptions. Solly tells me you're also interested in the subject. Richard looks at Solomon in confusion. I u well, I have been talking to As a voice wats across from the kitchen, Francis shrugs. Sorry. I must go and see my wife. Solomon leans in, whispers Some say Francis actually relied on LSD for some of his greatest discoveries He can see Richard is piqued. He wraps his arms around him. Richard, I know you have concerns But you don't even know what the mind is really capable of. What the scientific community is experimenting with He pulls out a handful of small capsules. Each of these contain a single drop of liquid acid Before he can object, he tucked him in Richard's pocket. All I ask. is that you keep an open mind He sups Richard on his back. Come on, there are other scientists I want you to meet He pulls Richard into the fray Solomon is sure that Richard is his man And he isn't gonna to rest until he's tried acid himself Richard will see its true potential, and once he does, this really could turbochge the LSD revolution in Britain To days later Christine's bedroom Richard lies on Christine's bed, staring up at her ceiling LSD is supposed to induce immersive hallucinations. But so far, he's not sensing anything Since his last meeting with Solomon, Richard's done his research. Discovered the compound is completely non addictive. Taken in a safe environment, you should experience nothing but euphoria But he's starting to wonder if the pills Solomon gave him are duds ress? You give anything? His voice sounded strangely distant, as if he'd left his mouth downstairs Christy Ch see He rolls over and sees Christine's frozen face staring back at him, horror in her eyes. His heart lurches forward in his chest. Christ, what's the matter? Her feature starts to quiver He grabs her shoulders, tries to shake a response from her, then lets go, springing back as she bursts into tears A sickening trickle of guilt washes over him. He has done this. She jerks upright, scrambles off the bed, flees the room, vanishing in a glittering trail of pink orange vapor. Confusion swarms him, his pulse quickening. He stumbles down the stairs after her runs out through her open front door The pavement dazzles in, glaring silver, lit by a kaleidoscopic lampplight. Christine Christine. As his eyes adjust, he spots something at the end of her road. A body Lying down, face first in a grassy bank. Christine Chr Christine. He runs, the tarac bouncing and billowing beneath his bare feet. He collapses at her side, falling deep into the grass It feels like catfur against his cheek. Thick, snuggly Serenity descends as he sees Christine is smiling It's striking a small patch of ground over and over Yeah Richard takes her hand. Chrisis, what She turns to him It's Mother Rich She's crying She's sick. But we can he She presses his hand to the grass, driving his fingers deep into the soil until he feels him connect with the roots. Tendrils of pure energy rush along his arm. Pulses of bright light shooting straight to the center of his skull He scrunches his eyelids shut, tries to stem the intensity of it, but it doesn't help The light gets whiter, hotter, until it's searing the very core of his brain Then his eyes first open and he sees it all In a slow tranquil dance, symbols and letters swim before him. the infinite chemical complexity of the universe unlocking in front of his eyes To be honest, this is after one glass of red wine for me. I know this feeling. Two, terrible, but one, it's this Youve just gott to stay at that nice warm first tyab of acid. It's just about knowing when to do the second one. Maybe with a cheese course Actually that would be double one, you get phenomenal dreams. Can' you imagine LS D and a mature Stilton. LS Bmore like. He's looking at the source code of life. and what it's telling him is unmistakable. LSD doesn't just heighten sensation It can completely rewire human consciousness Solomon was right. The answers are already here, in nature. If only other people could see this, realize how connected we all are at an atomic level. There'd be no fighting, no injustice, no war Just resonance He looks down at his fingers. A huge smile breaks across his face Because he knows this isn't just an experience, it's the answer. He wants in, and he thinks he already knows how he can be part of the revolution. Two weeks later, Liverpool University Richard presses his body to the brick wall Peps his head around the corner of the chemistry block He halts his breath as the night watchman pauses, sweeping his torch around the darkened courtyard He waits until the security guards's footsteps fade Then he scurries along the wall, Soft foots it up the steps and into the building, then rushes through the darkened corridors, headed to his lab Safely inside, he opens the fridge retrieves his chemicals. The cold light spills across the bench as he sets up his workstation Ever since that first trip, he's been changed Solomon calls it the turn on Richard doesn't have the language for it yet Only that it's an expansion of his consciousness, and a rejection of conventional capitalist thinking In a way, although it feels manipulative, there really is no way for Solomon to verbalize what it feels like or how it might change Richard's thinking without him taking it I love the fact that the whole thing apparently makes you reject capitalism But you're going to scale up production to run at a profit Don't worry about that. Isn't Mother Nature the first capitalist? Yeah, man Every night for the last two weeks, he's been here, trying to recreate that first trip, synthesizing his own LSD The process is long, intricate, involves multiple volatile chemicals with constant threats of explosion. So far, he's botched every batch Each at a different stage, but tonight, he's close Holding his breath, he unscrews a bottle of dichloramethane, pulls it carefully into a fresh beaker, then lights the Bunsen burner From the fridge, he takes his flask of working solution. Insert a pipette and stops Something is floating in it His heart sinks. It's another contaminated batch. But Dus he brings it closer to the flame. tilts it slightly He sees it's glistening Holding it right up to his nose, he gasps in amazement. It's a tiny cluster of crystals A giddy rush of exhilaration ricochets around him, crystals of pure LSD The next morning, he sat in Solomon's kitchen accross from him, Solomon uses tweezers to pick up a crystal and inspect it Richard can't contain his grin. ninety nine percent pure Solomon splutters. And that's from refrigeration alone I could purify it even more with Solomon's splutter becomes a chuckle more. Rich, you should have seen the sludge they served up at Woodstock. Bather than Hobo piss. Richard beams with pride, as Solomon turns the crystal in the light And you can do this again? Richard's smile falters If my advisor finds out what I've been doing Solomon's head snaps up Fuck your advisor. Do you have any idea what you're set on here This is the fucking caviar of psychedelics. and we're gonna turn the world on with it Richard shakes his head. I can't. If they catch me, they'll kick me off my course So quit Come work with me Richard's focus switches from the crystal to the face behind it He goes. His throat suddenly dry. He can't really just quit, can he Everything he's built Academia' is all he's ever known guarantees him stability, respectability, prestige Radical change requires radical action, Richard Richard takes the crystal from Solomon's grip If he truly wants to make a difference to society, perhaps this is his opportunity He takes in the white shimmering light This single crystal holds enough power to alter the consciousness of a thousand people Perhaps ten thousand It isn't just chemistry. It's alchemy. He feels himself start to grin as he looks up at Solomon, eyes wide Well, then Let's bring on the revolution Richard isn't just gonna to change minds, he's going to change societies. He's going to change the world I'm Raza Jaffrey, and in the new season of The Spy Who, we open the file on Benedict Arnold, the spy who betrayed the American Revolution America is fighting to free itself from the British Empire, and one of its foremost generals is Benedict Arn He's a smuggler turned battlefield hero and admired for his aggressive tactics But when a war wound, a new wife, debts and politics test his loyalty to the max He turns spy and devises a plot to shoutatter the revolution and help Britain capture rebel commommander in chief, General George Washington. And that plot would make him the most infamous traitor in US history Follow the Sy Wh now, wherever you listen to podcasts You can also listen to the full season of the spy who betrayed the American Revolution early and ad free on Audible As Americans, we're constantly grappling with the fundamental question, do we settle for the world as it is? or do we strive to create the world as it should be? Our answers tend to ebb and flow through the decades, but once Just after a war that nearly tore us apart, we came as close as we've come to answering it. And it's a story worth a closer look. I'm Michelle Obama, and I'm proud to announce Higher Ground's new podcast, Reconstruction The unfinished promise Guided by bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell, and featuring my husband, Barack Obama, this limited series uncovers the untold stories of recconstruction what they mean for us today, and how our past can shape the future we choose to build. Reconstruction, the unfinished prromise is available now on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. july nineteen seventy two. Broadstairs, Kent Richard pulls his jacket tight, wincing as the bitter coastal wind whips around him He follows Solomon along the deserted Beachfront, ducking down a narrow back alley. Heed towards the back door of a grey, featureless boath house Richard is here to meet a contact of Solomon's He's been cooking test batches. His latest was ninety nine point seven percent pure, and he needs to secure a distributor But Solomon's been vague with the details, and Richard hasn't pressed. I'll take the lead And if he mentions the Brotherhood, just play cool, okay? Richard Reels. He's involved with the Brotherhood Since tossing out his textbooks, Richard's been studying the psychedelic scene instead. He's devoured the works of Albert Hoffman, Timothy Leary, Aldus Huxley, all brilliant men. But the Brotherhood of Eeternal love The guys who supplied Charles fucking mananson. Aren't they a cult? Now I'll be honest, I don't know much about the Brotherhood, but if you judge somebody on their patrons or customers, that doesn't look great. No, it doesn't. They werear a Californian outfit who also believed that LSD could spark a revolution, but they also supplied Charles Manson and his cp with LST that did not end well They're basically a massive drug trafficking syndicate. Door inches open A gruff bearded figure looms behind it. Pace off was shot We have an appointment David Solomon There's a moment's silence, Then the door swings slowly open Richard steps tentatively into a caverous workshop At the far end, a short squat man with straggly black hair is elbow deep in a san up surfboard, reaching around for something inside it With a grunt, he yanks out a small parcel. Orange capsules barely visible in the dim light. Ron G Good to see you. This is my associate, Richard Kemp. Rich, this is Ronald Stark. Richard holds out his hand, but Stark ignores it, wiping his palm on his shirt instead. So what do you two gents got in mind Solomon holds out a small baggie. Stark takes it, crunching the tiny crystals between finger and thumb. ninety nine point seven percent purity Made by a goddamn artist. Speaking as a connoisseur, I've never known a trip like it Richard, feeling emboldened, leans in. A two hundred microgram dose of my acid is calibrated perfectly to unlock whole new planes but stark cuts across him. Why are you charging? Richard falters, blinking Charging. green. Gravy, money I understood his conceptually Elabeth's own because Dosh, wonga, loot, dough. Yeah, and not cheese, ched. R what Solomon interjects. Our priority is getting the product out there and the hands of the people Stark Cackles. Fuck me boys. I'm in the fucking money business. Richard Bristles He wants to ignite a revolution, not line the pockets of some false prophet He watches Stock toss the bag down carelessly onto his desk Put me down for her five hundred F hundred hits is barely worth the trouble of making up a batch Richard could distribute that himself But Stark leans in close F hundred thousand your fucking amateur. Richard's jaw falls slack. Half a million heads. His brain begins to spin. But Solomon steps forward. We'll be ready in a week Richard feels a flush rise up his neck. He leans into Solomon, whispers, Solomon I can't me, but Solomon raises his hand Richard doesn't want to turn down the opportunity to turn on half a million new recruits But if he's going to have any hope of working to that scale, he's going to need an entire production overhaul And he's going to need a new lab partner Tw days later, Solomon's house David Solomon snaps on a pair of latex gloves lookooks down at the makeshift lab on his dining room table and wipes his brow This has all gone very breaking bad very quickly. If you thought a local school teacher and the town's druggie was an odd couple, then try an academic prodigy and a Californian hippie Solomon has been amazed at Richard's abilities and evangelism But he himself has never made one drop of acid before. He's an editor, an organizer, a psychedelic proselytizer He's not a chemist Right, what am I doing? Richard doesn't look up I've already synthesized to crystal LSD. I've measured out everything for you to make a run of a thousand hits Solomon picks up a flask of distilled water. First, you need to dissolve the crystal LSD. Pour and stir Solomon does as Richard instructs, a slight tremor in his hand and tenses as Richard snaps. No. Gently I'm not a fucking chemist If the crystal LSD touches your skin, you'll be bedridden for a week, or worse Solomon wipes the condensation from his eye mask, slows his hand. Better. Now you need to use the pipette to add a single drop into each plastic capsule. Solomon looks at Richard in disbelief. What For each capsule Fuck, Richard, we've promised five hundred thousand. It'll take a year Solomon stares at Richard. I tried to tell you There must be another way. I thought you were a prodigy or something. Richard grabs a container of white powder. Try this. Solomon watches as Richard scoops a small spoonful of a white powder called calcium lactate, spprinkles it into his dissolved crystal LSD. It'll start to thicken. It should start to set He follows Richard's lead, carefully starts to knead the mixture into a paste He works the white featureless blob until his thumbs ache How do I know when it's fully mixed? I don't know. It has to be evenly diluted. Solomon peels off his gloves, walks to a cupboard and retrieves two small bottles. Food coloring Do these interfere with any chemicals? Not meaningfully no. Solomon taps out a single drop from each bottle, one red, one blue, on either side of his bowl, then slips his gloves back on. There's a trick Talld to me by the guy who mxes for the Gateful dead Richard Fs, a drop of each, opposite sides. It's impossible to see things when they're all the same color. But with two, it's possible to see when it's fully mixed Richard steps behind him as Solomon needs Looking over his shoulder as the blue and red food colourings start mixing into a psychedelic swirl. His thumbs keep working, flipping the paste over, folding it in on itself until the two colors finally combine into a rich consistent purple He picks up the blob of brilliantly colored putty from his bowl. Halt it out for Richard's inspection Richard proms it insspects his finger. it comes away clean. Richard rolls out the putty and slices it into tiny two millimeter squares They wait for it to dry After a few minutes, Richard uses the tip of a pencil to lift one of the squares from the table. It's tiny, smaller than a match head He smiles Call it the Microdot. a revolution in LSD delivery, easy to make, easy to take, and easy to replicate at scale. Solomon takes it, staring in wonder at the miniscule purple pill It's the most beautiful thing he can ever remember seeing And he's going to see to it that the microdot becomes this summer's hottest cellar One year later, august nineteen seventy three, Windsor Free Festival Richard trudges up the treree lined slope, following the distant sound of the music, the hot sun beating down on him, sweat soaking his collar. Officially, he's come to this festival with Solomon to check on Stark's distribution, meet buuyers At the crest of the hill, he stops lookooks out across the meadow in front of him and feels the breath leave his body. Christine stops alongside him too. My God Just look at them all He can't believe his eyes. At last year's festival, there were three hundred people here. This year, there's eight thousand Their movement is growing faster than they ever imagined Don't lose your head, kids. A crowd this size will be crawling with undercover cops. Richard winces. You got any dots on you? Last thing we need is you getting thrown in a paddy wagon. Richard feels his arm being turned Come on, I want to see Hawkwind He looks at Solomon, who grins. Go, you've earned it Christine pulls him into the crowd, a writhing mass of young, radiant people, L hair flowing, clothes shedding. It's beautiful. Everyone appears to be at warm with nature. A new communal fluidity, a true alternative to the oldld worldorld order, a heightened place of consciousness. Okay, Hory Richard surveys the crown. Eyes landing on a slender man in a cordroid waistcoat milling around the edge palming a small bag of purple micro doogs. Pride swells in his chest, seeing his product out in the wild. The dealer catches him staring. Purple' pand a hit. Richard slips two notes from his pocket takes two dots, hands on to Christine, and with a kiss, they pop them back. But thirty minutes later, Richard's getting restless. By now he'd be expecting to feel something, but he's still not connecting Chris, have you hit? She shrugs U kind of. There's a slight luminescent glow at the edge of his vision. H bace gently tickles his bones. But that's it Richard scans the field picks out the dealer in the crowd. Hey, you. The dealer turns, his face clouding. Hi man, I'm not looking for any trouble, all right The Richard marches up to until they're chest to chest I'm not here for trouble I'm here to buy you out. He pulls a wadt of cash from his jeans, thumbs off twenty, stuffs the notes into the dealer's hands, then snatches up his final few microdots, storming towards the exit The crowd hums around him oblivious, but Richard knows something has gone very, very wrong, and he intends to find out exactly what One week later, University of Liverpool Richard feeds the dissolved microdot into the liquid chromatograph Sweat prickles the back of his neck, as he swivels his head around to check he's still alone He's had to sneak into his former university lab to accurately analyzsee the microdots from the festival. He glares at the indicator strip, an indigo streak slowly diffusing up it He turns as hears footsteps, echoing down the corridor focuses back on the results It's the third test he's done, and he can't understand it. He grabs up the lab phone Hello? So, every microdotucts only a hundred micrograms. He hears silence on the other end of the line Solomon Silence. Do you know about this? Solomon? No, but what? Christ's soul He must be cutting it. St. Having the doses It's so mad that a drugs kingpin would be doing you dirty. Can't believe the head of that criminal network didn't tell the truth Richard feels his back stiffen Stark is diluting the acid He's just meant to be selling it for us Solomon cuts in He must be making twice the dots he's supposed to. and making twice the profit Richard pulls the mouthpiece closer I didn't give a shit about the money. He's messing with our product. My product Again, silence Right, but I suppose it's getting to twice as many people. I think if we ask for our money. Richard clutches his forehead. twow hundred micrograms is transformative. one hundred is just junk. Bullshit, Richard Even a half dose of your acid is ten times better than the shit the other dealers are out there slinging. I'm not a fucking drug dealer. I'm not lining the pocketets from cult leader. Fucking he Soloman. Richard, the revolution needs to be funded there's more money to be made. If that's all this is to you Richard pauses Then you can find yourself another chemist Richard's blood boils. He sacrificed his career for this, given up ten years of studies. The microdot was supposed to be his life's work, his legacy He's not gonna let some greedy shifty criminal like Stark ruin it And if Solomon can't see the issue, then that's a problem in itself. He was wrong to trust either of them. And there's only one solution If the revolution's gonna to happen He's just going to have to lead it himself I suppose at this point it's really landing for me that for Richard, although there are lots of people, I assume who are taking LSD, having an amazing time at a festival and not thinking too much about how that has transformed their outlook on the world for Richard He really believes in the transformative power of this drug. to such an extent, he feels like it could change humanity. It could change the way that individuals interact, but also the way that systems work, the way that societies work and He's sort of seing the light and so interacting with people who are just thinking about making a quick buck I mean, It must be profoundly troubling to him Whether you're exploring your current fascinations or discovering new ones, Audible has all the stories that'll introduce you to your most fascinating self. Tap into a whole new world of heated conversations with a Sucy romantasy series. Become your friend group's sci fi expert on the latest blockbuster book to screen adaptation Or find unexpected reveals through the exclusive episodes of a viral true crime podcast. However you choose to listen, Audible keeps you fascinated, so you can be just as fascinating. 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But when a war wound, a new wife, debts and politics test his loyalty to the Max, he turns spy and devises a plot to shatter the revolution and help Britain capture rebel commander in chief, General George Washington And that plot would make him the most infamous traitor in US history. Follow the Sy Wh now, wherever you listen to podcasts You can also listen to the full season of the spy who betrayed the American Revolution, early and ad free on the Audible Six months later, february nineteen seventy four Ladbrook Grove, London Christine bolts up from the sofa, heart hammering She was supposed to be on lookout, but she's drifted off again. This is the fifth flat they've rented in as many months Christine has been using her professional title of Doctor to secure short term lets in neighborhoods all over London. She and Richard move in, assemble a makeshift lab, brew a batch of his signature acid, then leave without a trace But it's been exhausting. Taking things in house has meant production is nonstop. Distribution is bottleneck They're relying on street pushers to shift it in tiny amounts, thugs who don't share their values. Worst of all, is the city. The whole point of LSD to her mind, is to connect with nature Instead, their business has got them holed up in a dirty, noisy hellhole, at the mercy of noisy neighbourors and dangerous dealers Sorry I'm not sure you can comment on the neighbourors. You guys are creating A math lab in your rented flat. We're just trying to run a nice little village LSD lab and you not are beving like animals. She dashes through to the kitchen. Richard's in full protective gear and respirator, midway through a new batch She hates dealing with callers, but Richard's in no state to answer, so she's going to have to. H Oh Her heart leaps to her throat There's two men on her doorstep in dark blue uniforms. Good evening, Miss. The officer stops Everything alright in there? Christine's body flares with panic. I u I accidentally left the gas on. I've opened the window. We're responding to a call about suspicious youths loiting around outside the building Have you seen anything at all? I mean only our drugs run She gos She has a horrible feeling she knows who they were. But checks her head dumbly. Well, keep an eye out. maybe get some fresh air Miss. You look pale Out on the street below, away from Richard's volatile fumes, Christine's head starts to clear This isn't the life she imagined after seven years of medical training. holed up in a bedsit in London, helping her dropout boyfriend make LSD at their kitchen table. Lying to the police. This isn't sustainable She marches back upstairs to find Richard peeling off his gas mask Who was at the door? The police Richard eyebrows rock it up Jesus Christ, Chris, You're supposed to be on lookout A well of resentment erupts inside her. Don't you dare fucking shout at me? She slumps on the sofa herer head falling into her hands U I can't keep living like this She clenches her scalp tries to keep tears at bay. We just need to get established. Christine leans forward, softens her voice. I found a cottage in the Welsh Mountains. N were a commune where they Oh Christ, not this again. We have to stay close to the market What market? Richard was selling to kids. Richard bolts to his feet. Fuck you We are We don't have to We could move out to the country, away from all this. live in harmony with people who share our values A community who appreciate your work I can't, I can't give up, not now. Christine stands, sighs and shakes her head I'm sorry, Richard. She can't wait around forever. Not for him, not for anybody Christine opens the property brochure, points to the lush green landscape pictured, points to the small holding nestled in the Welsh mountainside It's your choice Because she's getting out of the city, whether Richard joins her or not