"Just make it happen," David said into the phone, voice carrying throughout the room. "I don't care what their attorney says. Tell them I said the terms are non-negotiable."
Finn felt his hand tighten into a fist. David didn’t acknowledge the interruption or even glance at Paul, who stood awkwardly with his administrative recitation halted mid-sentence. The display of casual arrogance was so perfectly, predictably David that Finn almost admired the consistency.
"Yes, continue." David waved dismissively at Paul whilesettling into his chair, still not bothering to end his call. His leather briefcase landed on the table with a thud.
Paul cleared his throat, a flash of annoyance crossing his features before his professional mask slipped back into place. "As I was saying, researchers will be notified of decisions within five business days."
David continued his phone conversation, ignoring everyone in the room. The board members shifted uncomfortably but said nothing.
Only when Paul reached the last item on his checklist did David end his call. "Sorry about that. Merger negotiations. You know how it is." He directed this comment only to the board members, who offered polite smiles.
Finn glanced at Elena, finding her gaze already on him. She met his eyes with quiet determination.
Paul cleared his throat again. "That concludes the administrative portion. Dr. Herrera, you may begin your presentation."
David leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of him.
The projector hummed to life, casting their research presentation across the screen. The recording light blinked red on the conference room camera. There was no going back now. Elena stood up with quiet confidence, her shoulders square. Finn held his breath as she began speaking.
"Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to present our findings on the neurofeedback protocol for traumatic brain injury recovery." Elena advanced to the first slide. "As you'll see, our results suggest significant improvement over conventional treatment approaches."
She navigated through the presentation, each data point explained with clinical precision. "Our patient improvement metrics show cognitive function increases averaging sixty-one percent across the patient set. We saw significantreductions in the most common symptoms of TBI’s such as insomnia, mood swings, concentration issues, and migraines."
Finn watched the board members lean forward, interest piqued. Then Elena's expression shifted.
"However, I need to be transparent about our limitations." She clicked to the next slide. "Because of our compressed timeline, we don't have complete data for our full patient set. Many participants haven't been in treatment long enough to show measurable improvement."
Finn's eyes cut to David. His posture shifted and a hint of a smile played at his lips. There it was. The ammunition he had been waiting for.
"That said," Elena continued, her voice steady, "eighty-three percent of patients who remained in treatment for six weeks or longer showed significant improvement across all measured outcomes."
Elena let the number settle before advancing to the next slide. It was a photograph of a man who looked like he hadn't slept properly in years. Dark circles, hollow cheeks, eyes that held a haunted quality even through the screen.
"This is Eric Hayes, taken three months ago before beginning our protocol." Elena paused. "Rather than relying solely on numbers and data on a chart, I thought it would be helpful to bring him out."
She looked at David, her gaze unwavering. "This treatment affects real people, after all."
The door opened. Eric stepped in, and the contrast was immediate and undeniable. The man in the photograph might as well have been a different person. Put simply, he looked like a typical healthy man in his thirties.
He took his place beside Finn, addressing the board with a directness they weren’t accustomed to. "Before these two came into my life, I was hanging on by a thread. Couldn't sleep morethan three hours a night. Migraines constantly." He paused, his voice roughening. "I finally feel normal again. Like I did before my deployment. I never thought I'd feel like this again." He looked at Elena, then Finn. "These two saved my life. It's that simple."
“Thank you for being here, Eric,” Elena said warmly. “Please have a seat.”
Eric nodded and settled into the chair beside Finn. Elena resumed her presentation, moving through information on their methodology, their safety protocols, and their recommendations for an expanded trial.
"Thank you for your attention," Elena concluded, her voice confident and clear. "We believe these results demonstrate not only the efficacy of our protocol but its potential to transform treatment for thousands of patients currently without viable options. We're happy to address questions."
David didn't wait for anyone else to speak. He leaned forward, elbows on the table, attempting to project authority and reasonable concern.
"Very impressive presentation, Dr. Herrera," he began with a smile. Then his tone shifted to something artificially innocent. "However, I couldn't help but notice you provided results for only a portion of your patients. What was the success rate for the entire patient set?"
Elena met his gaze. "Thirty percent."
The answer seemed to catch David off-guard. He'd clearly expected defensive justifications and excuses. Instead, she'd given him the number without flinching. He recovered quickly, leaning back with an expression of concern.
"Thirty percent." He let the number settle. "Now, I don't claim to be a scientist, but even I know that's not a good number. It strikes me as odd that you would suggest expanded trials, which would inevitably cost millions more in funding.All for a treatment protocol that had, to put it bluntly, such an abysmal result."
He wasn't finished. His attention shifted to Eric, still sitting beside Finn. "And don't get me wrong, I'm glad you could see improvement in this... individual. But I don't believe it's ethical to bring one of your patients to a medical presentation. I assume you brought him here to invoke an emotional reaction from myself and the board." David's voice took on an edge. "To be frank with you, Dr. Herrera, it's unprofessional."
