Quadra

"R̶̤͔͈͙͇͔̒̈͋̕͜ͅͅe̶̗̫̫͛̕à̸̬̠̫̰͜l̷̢̳͎̝͖͙̼̘̿ḭ̷̦̥͍̯̼̝̖̰͆̔t̷̢̹̼̰̒̐̏ẙ̷̺̹̘̝̀̽ͅ ̵̜͔̦̫̖̬̌̐͛͝ͅh̴̟̳̼̜̺͓̠̩̹̄̅̊̚͝a̸͕̮͔̦̤̣͖̯̎s̴͚̾͂̍ͅ ̶͕̌͋͠b̶̡̖̙̽̓̍̚͝e̴͇͖̒́̀̽̆̋̚ě̸̤̹͙̲̌̑̎̚n̴̢̧͉̩͙̰̯͓̳̉̂͗̀̈ ̷̢̙̙̦̋̈͑̈c̴̢̭̝̪̟̜͎̤̫̈a̴̛̦̬͙͕̞̭̅̍ņ̵̈́͂̆̂̑c̵̣̺͙̮͙̯̪͖̑̈́̈̿͂ẽ̸̢̡̫̝̐̌̍̿̌̚l̴̨̻͍̟̼͓̝͙̋͒͌͒́͜ę̸̛̱̘̦̮͊͛̈́͌͠͝͝ͅd̷̻͍̤̐̈́͠.̷̗͍͇̘͇̬͈̝̆̄̀̄"

4-Y-DEZ, commonly known as Quadra, is a powerful research chemical with largely unknown properties.
Although not much is known about this mysterious substance, the general public view of Quadra is that of an extremely potent psychedelic drug. The tales of "the world's strongest trip" are many, and some do at this point consider the drug (or at least most stories about it) to be the result of urban legend. On the very rare occasions that 4-Y-DEZ has reportedly been found (more below), it has been stored in small black gelatinous orbs (not unlike tapioca balls), containing uncertain amounts.

The elusive chemical - history

The first mention of 4-Y-DEZ dates back to 2043, in a now declassified document from former government research centre Shamrock Institute of Chemical Sciences. The document describes having synthesized and animal-tested a number of substances with similar molecular structure, among them the 4-Y variety. It briefly mentions "highly unusual brain activity, not seen in any other DEZ-type compound" and requests further experimentation opportunities.
No more scientific papers on 4-Y-DEZ came from Shamrock, but nearly five years after this first mention the chemical made its first real appearance in the public eye. A post on a drug forum detailed an out-of-this-world trip, and the disappearence of the poster's friend after they both had consumed "cosmic insanity in drug form". This post got widespread internet and media attention:

"They were black pearls, like little toy marbles. Dealer had no idea, and he didn't want to disclose where he'd gotten the stuff from. But we were high, dumb and curious, so we agreed to something I now regret deeply. I only dared half a dose (splitting the pearl made the weirdest sound as well), while my friend (now missing) took a whole pearl. [...] After only half a minute, everything melted. The world, existance itself, ceased to exist. I've tried it all - LSD, DMT, other weird research shit - this trip isn't possible to put into words. Think of the most insane fucking patterns, colors that don't exist, entirely new senses we don't have words for: everything was there. I was in that space for maybe 4-5 hours, and it felt like eons. Spacetime broke in six different dimensions, God hit reverse gear going lightspeed, and I was in the backseat the whole time. Woke up on the floor, spazzing the F out. Dealer and friend were nowhere to be seen, and I still haven't been able to contact them. If anyone can help me with this in any way, please try."
- User "molekvl555", October 2047

A debate over whether this entire story was pure fiction or not erupted, with several other users giving (unconfirmed) accounts of similar experiences. In May 2048, an IMSurance squad raided a large drug stash belonging to a dealer network with Yakuza connections. Forensic photographs from the scene were leaked, one of a package marked "QUADRA 8003" containing little black orbs. Prompted by this interesting discovery, hacker group "freed00m" managed to leak most of the forensic analysis. Chemical analysis of the orbs showed the presence of the experimental compound 4-Y-DEZ, in doses from 400 to 700 µg per "pearl". IMSurance did not make any public comments about this incident.

Other uses and theories

After the ties between the forum post, "Quadra" and 4-Y-DEZ was made, people have thoroughly researched the substance in hope of uncovering its mysterious origins. A popular speculation is that the drug has strong connections to the secretive Church of Heph, stemming mainly from the fact that a property owned by the organization (one of the few public locations) was subjected to burglary a few weeks before the drug bust. The Church of Heph is known for hosting closed "educational sessions" of unknown nature, and many think that Quadra trips might be a part of these.
Another theory is that it has been tested by Q Group or older military institutions as a psychological or chemical weapon. This is also unconfirmed, and mostly relies on some Quantum branches working together with Shamrock Institute, for (official) reasons unrelated to chemical warfare.

Item type

Drug / Narcotic / Medicine

Rarity

Prohibited substance, class 1. Mentioned briefly in the Chemical and Biological Weapons Act IV of 2058. Extremely rare.