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“Yes! It’s a success.” I exhaled, beaming with pride. “We have a formula that works.”
I pulled back from the microscope, and Cody and I grinned madly at each other.
“I need to tell the board of directors,” I said.
“Congratulations, Layla. You did it.” Cody rested his hand on my shoulder and released a massive sigh as if the weight of the world was finally off his chest.
“Thanks, Cody. But it was both of us.Wedid it.” My heart swelled with relief and joy. “Let’s do another test. Prepare more skin.”
Cody strode to the refrigerated cupboard.
“So, you really have a formula that works?” Neville’s foul body odor wafted over me.
Reluctantly, I pushed back from the microscope. “Check for yourself.”
As Neville peered into the microscope, Cody scorched the pig skin, filling the room with another foul odor.
“Huh. It looks like it’s working,” Neville said.
“That’s because itisworking. I had the formula right for months, but I didn’t realize the berries needed to be freshly picked to work. That was the missing piece.”
“Well done.” His voice oozed insincerity and his smile made my skin crawl. But when his eyes sparkled, I shut up. I didn’t need nor want his accolades.
Cody handed over the second piece of scorched flesh, and my hands trembled as I lathered the ointment onto the test sample. I positioned it beneath the microscope and peered through the lens. The tissue began to heal before my eyes.
“Amazing,” I whispered, awestruck by the sight. A surge of optimism swept over me. The sacrifices, the long days, and the sleepless nights—they had all been worth it.
We’ve created a natural remedy that could change lives.
Neville vanished out the door, and I hoped he was getting us something to eat. At least that was something he was good at.
Working together, Cody and I tested sample after sample, timing our tests to twenty-minute intervals so we could accurately measure how long it took until the berries were no longer viable. We recorded our results with video footage of the ointment in action, and carefully documented the quantities and success. My stomach grumbled, and my brain just about hurt with the intensity of my focus.
It wasn’t until we’d had four failed tests, which we documented on our timeline, that Neville returned to the lab carrying a tray with bowls of spicy pork stew and rice.
“Yum, I’m starving.” Cody reached for a bowl and spoon.
“Thanks.” I nodded at Neville, accepting a meal.
Neville stepped back. “So, when are you going to report this to Blakely?”
“As soon as I’ve eaten this and had a shower and changed. I need to get these boots off.” The rubber boots were great for outside in the mud but way too hot to wear much longer than that.
“Oh, so soon? You don’t need to do more tests?” Neville’s eternal negativity shone through his tone.
“No need. We have all the data we need. Right, Cody?”
“Absolutely.” Cody beamed and his excitement was contagious.
“The stew was great, Neville. Thank you.” I placed my bowl on the tray. “I need to use the bathroom, then I’ll get my report on the go.”
Leaving the lab, I walked down the hallway to my bedroom, unclipped my gun holster from my thigh, and stored both in the top drawer of my desk. I grabbed my clothes to change into and my mind was all over the place as I stepped out the back door into the darkness.
I pulled my headlamp up from my neck and turned it on. After I’d been in the air-conditioned lab, the humid air outside had my cotton shirt sticking to my skin. The generator was housed in its own insulated shed, yet its thumping metallic heartbeat still drowned out the jungle insects that would be a boisterous ruckus at this time of evening.
I placed my clothes in the shower cubicle, then gagged at the foul stench as I stepped into the outside toilet. The toilet was well overdue for emptying, but I was grateful that job was not mine. After checking for spiders or giant centipedes, I did my business and got the hell out of there.
When I’d first arrived at this jungle lab, showering in the open air had been a fun novelty. That quickly wore off. A hot shower was one of the few things I missed.
