CHAPTER 396: GOOD PEOPLE

The Ice Bucket Challenge spread across America like wildfire, then leaped across oceans to Europe, swept through the Middle East, and exploded across Asia. Every day brought new waves of participants.

The celebrity domino effect was staggering. Taylor Swift shrieked through her challenge, Leonardo DiCaprio took his with characteristic grace, Bruno Mars turned his into a mini-performance, and Justin Bieber somehow managed to make his fans swoon despite being drenched.

Bill Gates elevated the game with his elaborate contraption for the ice dump, challenging Warren Buffett to follow suit. Mark Zuckerberg, not to be outdone, took his challenge in his signature gray t-shirt, the ice water making him look even more like an ordinary tech guy than usual.

The impact was immediate and profound. As awareness spread, donations to ALS charities skyrocketed. Within a week of Lucas’s initial video, contributions had hit an astounding $10 million, with no signs of slowing down.

When ALS patients began posting their heartfelt thanks on Twitter, Lucas’s responses remained consistently humble:

@LucasXKnight: "The real credit goes to the ALS warriors who’ve been doing this challenge already. I just helped spread their message. Please keep supporting their cause."

An ALS patient tweeted: "You gave us a voice when we needed it most."

@LucasXKnight: "You all had the voice already. Sometimes the world just needs a reminder to listen 🙏"

His genuine modesty in redirecting praise to the ALS community only amplified the public’s admiration. Comments flooded in:

"This guy hits 100M followers and uses it to help others? Legend behavior 👑"

"Most celebs would’ve made it about themselves. Lucas Knight different fr"

Media outlets couldn’t get enough of the story, crediting Lucas as the catalyst behind the Ice Bucket Challenge’s massive success. His popularity surged beyond even his record-breaking social media numbers, though he’d never intended to be the face of the movement.

The experience led Lucas to dive deeper into the ALS community, meeting with patients and hearing their stories firsthand.

Their courage moved him profoundly, prompting him to expand LK Care, the medical assistance branch of his charity foundation, to include comprehensive support for ALS patients.

Back at his quiet house, Lucas found himself missing Jennifer, who’d left days ago for her packed shooting schedule.

The silence gave him time to check on his other ventures, particularly LK Research, his secretive research company.

Founded two years ago, LK Research was pursuing groundbreaking work in cellular engineering, developing microscopic biological machines programmed to target cancer cells. The project combined cutting-edge robotics with biological elements, creating tiny mechanisms that could potentially revolutionize cancer treatment.

Lucas had invested millions into the venture, recruiting top scientists who were drawn to the project’s potential. The expense barely dented his growing fortune - his liquid assets alone were estimated at over 400 million, with various investments continuing to appreciate.

Still, it wasn’t about the money. Watching the scientists work with such dedication reminded him of the ALS patients he’d met - people fighting against seemingly impossible odds. If his resources could help push medical science forward, even a little, it would be worth every penny.

"The cellular machines are still in early development," Dr. Jerry Portland explained, gesturing at his computer models. "But we’ve managed to create primitive versions that can perform basic functions. Here, let me show you."

Lucas listened intently as Jerry walked him through the progress. The scientist’s enthusiasm was infectious, despite the project being in its infancy.

"We’ve successfully programmed these microscopic biological units to respond to specific stimuli," Jerry continued, leading Lucas to a sophisticated microscope setup. "Look here."

Through the lens, Lucas could see tiny cellular structures moving in coordinated patterns. Though primitive, it was the first step toward their ultimate goal.

"This is incredible, Jerry," Lucas said, straightening up. "Thank you for staying with this project."

Jerry waved off the gratitude. "Don’t worry about it," he smiled, gesturing at his fellow scientists working nearby. "Money isn’t our primary motivation. For us, knowledge is power. Being part of this groundbreaking concept you envisioned - that’s worth more than any salary."

"Money’s only good for funding the lab equipment," another scientist chuckled from his workstation. "Beyond that, it’s just numbers on paper."

Lucas smiled, touched by their dedication. What had started as his ambitious idea two years ago was slowly becoming reality, thanks to these brilliant minds who valued discovery over profit. Their shared vision of finding a cure for cancer was proving more powerful than any financial incentive.

Jerry led Lucas to their computing center, where an array of high-performance computers worked in parallel. "These machines are essential for processing our cellular data," he explained, gesturing at the screens. "The machine learning systems help us analyze patterns and predict potential cellular behaviors. We’ve modified existing deep learning networks, similar to what Google uses, but customized for our specific research."

The setup, despite its impressive scale, still required enormous processing power and time to run simulations.

Lucas observed the screens of data, thinking about how many billionaires could fund similar research if they chose to redirect their wealth toward such projects. The millions he’d invested had already yielded promising results - imagine what could be achieved with more resources.

"I’ve decided to increase funding for the project," Lucas announced. "We’ll expand the lab space, bring in more equipment, and hire additional researchers."

The scientists exchanged pleased looks. "That would definitely accelerate our progress," Jerry nodded, his voice measured but clearly positive. "Especially with the computing power we need for these simulations."

"We’ll make good use of the additional resources," another researcher added quietly.

Lucas watched their restrained but genuine enthusiasm. These were people who’d dedicated their lives to pushing the boundaries of medical science. With expanded resources, they might actually achieve what seemed impossible - creating cellular machines that could target and eliminate cancer cells.

Looking at these brilliant scientists, a random thought hit Lucas - these guys could probably create some scary biological nightmare if they wanted to. The kind of revenge-driven scientist you’d see in movies, targeting greedy billionaires and corrupt politicians. He had to smile at the thought. Instead, here they were, working overtime on minimal pay, trying to cure cancer. Sometimes the good guys were just good guys.

***

Lucas left the LK Research facility tucked away in the quiet hills of Thousand Oaks, a secluded area northwest of Los Angeles.

The drive back to his house gave him time to decompress from the morning’s scientific discussions.

After a shower, he settled in to review his preparation for "La La Land." Though he’d already spent considerable time in his Mind Workshop perfecting the role, his concentration was broken by a call from Neil.

"Lucas, got something interesting," Neil said. "Oprah wants you for a special interview. She’s doing it for ’Super Soul Sunday’ on OWN."

"Oprah’s still doing interviews?" Lucas asked, genuinely surprised.

"Different format now," Neil replied. "She’s moved away from the daily talk show, but she does these in-depth conversations for her network. They’re more intimate, hour-long specials. After your Ice Bucket Challenge went viral, she’s particularly interested in talking about your charity work and what drives you. This would be for her ’Next Chapter’ series."

Lucas sat back in his chair, considering the opportunity. An Oprah interview, even on her cable network, still carried significant weight in the industry.

"Alright, I don’t see any problem with being interviewed by Oprah," Lucas decided. "Got some free time before the next project anyway."

"Perfect timing then," Neil replied. "The interview’s set for December 20th, gives you about two weeks to prepare. They want to cover your charity work, social media influence, and recent projects."

"Speaking of projects," Lucas shifted topics, "anything else interesting coming up?"

"Actually, yes. Christopher Nolan reached out through his team," Neil’s voice carried a note of excitement. "He’s working on this massive war film set during a critical military evacuation. It’s going to be shot on IMAX cameras, minimal CGI, focusing on three interweaving storylines across land, sea, and air. He specifically asked about your availability."

Lucas fell silent, memories of working with Nolan on "Inception" back in 2010 flooding back. Their collaboration had been intense but rewarding. The thought of reuniting with the director after five years sparked his interest.

"Been a while since we worked together," Lucas mused aloud. The prospect of another Nolan project, especially one as ambitious as this, was intriguing.

"So, what do you think? Are you interested?" Neil prompted.

"When’s he planning to start filming?" Lucas asked. "Need to make sure it doesn’t clash with anything else."

"I’ll check the specifics," Neil replied. "But I think Christopher’s pretty keen on getting you. Your name carries a lot of weight these days."

Lucas chuckled. "I just happen to be in the news lately. Once the Ice Bucket Challenge dies down, things will quiet up."

"You really think so?" Neil’s amusement was clear. "Even after the buzz settles, you’ve got Oprah coming up. One controversial question from her and you’ll be trending all over again."

Lucas couldn’t argue with that logic. After wrapping up their call, he headed to his home gym for his daily workout routine.

Post-exercise, while cooling down, he checked on Christopher’s progress as Marshmello. A satisfied smile crossed his face as he saw the view count on "Joy" - the music video had exploded, racking up millions of views. The masked DJ was carving out his own space in the industry, exactly as Lucas had hoped.

’Looks like Marshmello’s star is rising right on schedule,’ Lucas thought, remembering the trajectory from his previous life.

***

Two weeks later, at OWN’s Lot 3 studio in West Hollywood, Lucas found himself in the green room being prepped for his interview. The makeup artist’s hands trembled slightly as she worked on his face.

"I can do it myself if you’re nervous," Lucas offered kindly, noticing how she nearly dropped her brush for the third time.

"No, no, I’m fine," she insisted, though her voice wavered. "It’s just... I’ve done makeup for hundreds of celebrities, but there’s something different about doing it for Lucas Knight."

Lucas chuckled, trying to put her at ease. "I’m just another actor getting pancake on his face."

His casual response seemed to help - her hands steadied as she continued her work, though she still couldn’t quite meet his eyes in the mirror.

The room buzzed with pre-interview activity, producers checking schedules and equipment, while Oprah’s team made final preparations for the intimate one-on-one format they’d chosen for this conversation.