***
The shackles around Sydney’s wrists provided a foreign pain. The unforgiving metal provided no comfort against his bones and tore his flesh. For the first time in his life, he wanted his father. The door that sealed him in his cage creaked upon Gordon opening it, accompanied by Jake.
“So you’re the one who tampered with the samples,” Jake said.
“Look, I can give you the original results. I still have them. I can show you what they’re doing, what they’ve done.”
“We already know what they’re doing,” Gordon said. “We just need to find it.”
“Well, now you have the authority to do it. Everyone in that community had high nutrition levels. One man in particular. I can give him to you.”
“You might be able to give him to me,” Gordon said, “but you can’t give me the work he’s done.”
Sydney wept. Snot and tears dribbled down his face. “P-please. I c-can try. Or you can just force him to give it to you. You can make him.”
“This guy isn’t going to let anyone force him into anything,” Jake said.
“If you get enough of the research that he’s done to create the soil, can you replicate it?”
“Y-yes. If I h-had his original work, I could do it. Right now there’s just too many holes, too many variables. But if I had enough of it, then I could finish it. I could solve it,” Sydney answered.
“For your sake, Sydney, I hope you can,” Gordon said.