“I hear it got its start in paramilitary units overseas but moved into the consumer market like schnell, man. And lemme tell you, whoever’s marketing this shit is another kinda whiz. They’re selling it in all shapes and sizes, with names geared to specific target markets. If they’re going after the gangbangers and such, they call it Berzerk—that’s their most popular brand—but it’s also called Terminator-X, Eliminator, Predator, Executioner, Uzi, Samurai, Killer-B, and so on.”

“How big a market can that be?”

“Not huge, but just the tip of the iceberg, it turns out. Once it caught on with the jocks and the suits—”

“Jocks and suits?” Jack said. “What the hell do they want with it?”

“Aggression, man. Aggression! You can be the new Air Jordan or John Elway or Warren Buffet or Bill Gates. All you need is an edge, and this stuff—in the right amount, of course, in a fine-tuned dose—gives it to you. The jocks are buying Touchdown, Goal, Slam-Dunk, Victory, Ninety-Yard-Dash, and TakeDown—different names, same shit. The stuff’s replacing anabolic steroids as most abused substance in scholastic and professional sports. You heard about what happened at the Knicks game last night, right?”

Jack shook his head but saw Abe nodding.

“Can’t believe you missed it, man. Leon Doakes, that new wide-body forward for the Knicks? He took the Pistons’ little point guard—can’t remember his name but he was driving the lane and floating past Doakes all night, making him look like a lead-footed jerk. Anyway, Doakes finally has enough so he just picks up this guard and tosses him into the stands. Tosses him! Guy landed in the sixth row!” Another cackling laugh. “I flipped around to all the news shows; caught the replay five times, man. It was awesome. And I’ll bet you anything they were both ripped on Slam-Dunk.”

“You said suits too?”

“Yeah. They get the mildest forms—I’ve heard of names like Success, Prosperity, CEO. Yessiree, lots of white-collar types are bringing it into the boardrooms. The stuff is spreading like wildfire. It’ll be everywhere soon. The ultimate growth market. I’d love to hitch a ride on that train but it’s just too tough a molecule for a small operation like mine.”

“Who is making it, then?” Jack said.

Tom Terrific shrugged. “Don’t know. I tried to find out, see if I could maybe get a line on its molecular structure, but I ran into a wall, man—a Serbian wall.”

“Dragovic?”

“You got it. And that’s when I stopped poking around. Lemme tell you, I ain’t lookin’ to mess with him.”

Another piece falling into place.

“No other players?” Jack said.

“Dragovic’s organization seems to have a lock on the supply. Near as I can gather, the source is in Europe somewhere. Makes sense, since that’s where the stuff first appeared.”

Here was a piece that didn’t fit. If Monnet and his company were behind Berzerk, it seemed logical they’d be making it here in the U.S. where they had a plant. What better cover for illegal drug manufacturing than a legal operation?