Manipulating the Research

(I wrote this up for today's writing prompt over at Creative Copy Challenge. I feel like I'm getting back into a little groove. And as always, the words in bold were today's challenge words.)

Sam hated the idea of having to share her new discovery. The other researchers wouldn't care. She knew that. Her labors were over and beyond theirs. But she knew she had to tell someone else. Just the though of it put a that-pineapple-was-too-sour look on her face. After she worked her face back to normal, she walked subtly over to Russell's workstation.

"Russell, you won't believe it. What I just found will crush all of the previous theories we ever had," she whispered, so as to not get the attention of the numerous other researchers in the room.

Russell laughed. "Do you remember the last time you told me that? You told me you found a way to clone a pterodactyl. How well did that work out for you?"

Sam looked longingly at Russell. maybe if she gave him the puppy-dog eyes, he'd have a little more sympathy and be more willing to believe her.

Russell chuckled a little and gave in. "Ah, you look so blue. Ok, what is it? I'm all ears."

"Do you remember Bring Your Child to Work Day last week?"

"How could I forget? There were so many kids in here. I couldn't get anything accomplished."

"Exactly. Well, the thing is, Henry's daughter stole something from my desk."

"What did she steal?"

"A little thing I've been working on. I had totally forgotten that it as Bring Your Child to Work Day, and I left it out on my desk. I was hoping the children would be a little bit more mature than that."

"But you're not telling me what she stole," said Russell, getting a little agitated. he was more of a straight-to-the-point type of guy.

"It's a compound that slows down your metabolism. And the problem is, it would have looked like jawbreakers when they were just sitting on my desk. But they're down in the vaults now."

"Are you certain she took some?" asked Russell, now sitting at the edge of his seat.

"I'm positive. I could see it on her lips."

"How?"

"They usually enlarge a little after one takes the tablet. And her lips were double normal size."

"Well, what can we do then?"

"I could go down to the vaults and excavate my own tablets and find a way to reverse it. Or I could go to an even more fancy facility in Switzerland and see if they can help."

"Why don't we just keep it here. We don't want it getting out that we're testing children now."

"But we're not," said Sam.

"But we could."

"Ok, I'll go downstairs and see what I can do then." Sam turned around and smiled. She knew Russell would see it her way; she just needed to test him first.