[Contributor 02] - Infiltrator (2013) (27 page)

“Once we put all the pieces of the puzzle together, we go public,” Mal said.

“Go public?” Gaping, Dara stared up at him.

“It’s what we’ve been working toward all along,” Raj said.

She tried to picture it, tried to imagine what would happen when the information went public. How would people react? “But you can’t… You don’t know what people will do.”

“Don’t you think they have a right to know?” Mal asked.

“Well, yes, of course I do! Do you think I threw Letizia’s life away for the sake of something I hoped you’d sit on forever and do nothing about?” The fury returned, and this time she didn’t try to hold it back. “But this could cause riots, could make the Creators come down even harder on everyone! You can’t just throw a match on something this flammable, walk away, and hope nothing burns!”

“Your concerns are all valid, but the time has come to let people decide,” the woman who’d come in with Mal said, catching Dara’s full attention for the first time. She was about Joshua’s age, a few silvery strands mixed in with her straight black hair. Her eyes were dark as well, shrewd and focused on Dara, measuring her up. She was dressed like Mal and the other Free Thinkers, in dark pants, black boots, and a black T-shirt and jacket, but something about the way she carried herself told Dara this wasn’t an ordinary woman.

“Who are you?” Dara asked.

Mal opened his mouth to say something, but the woman held up her hand. “It’s time for her to know. I think she’s more than proved her devotion to the cause, don’t you? I know how hard you’ve worked to protect me, Mal, but that time is coming to an end. Sooner or later, I will be revealed. We both know that. We’ve always known that. You’ve been strong every day for the past five years. It’s okay for you to be weak now.”

Closing his mouth, Mal folded his arms over his chest, his face going slack, the full extent of his grief exposed to everyone. Tasha put her arms around her brother as tears streamed over his cheeks.

Dara hadn’t felt him take it, but she found her hand clasped in Raj’s, his grip strong, as if he was trying to brace her for what she was about to hear. “Who are you?” she repeated.

“My name is Mingyu Zhang.”

Shock knocked the breath from Dara’s lungs, and the floor tilted beneath her feet. Joshua gasped. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around Raj’s, and he sheltered her hand between his.

“You’re the Head of Zhang Agritech Systems,” Dara said.

The woman’s only response was a small nod of acknowledgment.

Sheer terror overwhelmed Dara, and her hand felt trapped between Raj’s. So this was it. She had thought she was escaping Magnum, only to find herself ensnared by Zhang’s Head Creator. Her muscles tensed, preparing for flight, and she cast a frantic glance at her father, surprised to find he appeared more puzzled than anything. She snapped her head to the side, met Raj’s steady gaze, and suddenly everything made sense.

Of course. How could she not have seen it before? The equipment the Free Thinkers had, their uncanny connections, their ability to hack into the Creators’ systems with apparent ease, she had wondered how it was all possible. Mingyu Zhang couldn’t have provided it all, of course, and it was obvious that the Free Thinkers had salvaged a great deal, but the scope of their operation made sense at last, now that she knew they had someone in the highest levels on the inside, working for them.

“I don’t understand,” Dara finally said. “Why are you working with the Free Thinkers?”

“Because of my great-grandfather, Liang Zhang,” Mingyu said. “That may sound cryptic, but you’ll understand soon—if you choose to understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve asked a great deal of you, and it’s up to you if you’ll continue. This is only the beginning, Dara, and we’ll need all the help we can get, but if you want out, we’ll understand that too. First you have to make a choice. Should you choose to help, you’ll be brought fully on board, be told everything that Mal, Tasha, and Raj know.”

Dara pulled her hand from Raj’s and shifted away from him. It might have been petty of her, but she felt betrayed. He’d been her mentor, and she’d thought he trusted her, thought he’d told her everything. It hurt to find out this wasn’t the case. It hurt to know that Letizia had been keeping secrets from her.

“Forget about all that for a minute,” Dara said. “What about Letizia? Isn’t there something you can do, some leverage or influence you can exert?”

“I’m sorry, I truly am, but there isn’t.”

“What good are you then?” Rising from her seat, hands balled into fists at her sides, Dara spat the words at the other woman.

Something flickered in Mingyu’s gaze, but she didn’t budge an inch. “You’re angry, and I understand that, but you must know that there are much larger plans in motion. The loss of every Free Thinker wounds us more than you can know. You think you have a right to your indignation because you’ve known Letizia for the past two years. Do you think you were her only friend? Everyone in this room with the exception of your father knew Letizia better than you could ever possibly know her.”

It felt like Mingyu had slapped her across the face. Dara gasped and stumbled back a step. Tasha pulled away from Mal, her eyes widening as they darted from Mingyu to Dara and back again. She no longer looked like she wanted to hit Dara.

“Mingyu, that was uncalled for,” Raj said angrily, standing as well.

“It’s the truth,” Mingyu said sharply. “Dara, you’ve helped us a great deal, but you’ve caused us problems as well. What we’re doing here is about more than just you.”

“Answer this for me, then,” Dara said, taking a step closer to Mingyu and jabbing a finger at her. “You’ve been using me as a pawn, all of you.” She gestured around the room, and she didn’t miss Raj flinching as her gesture encompassed him as well. “How does that make you any better than the Creators? From where I stand, it’s the same game played on a different board.”

“I won’t bother giving you the usual speech about the greater good. You’re clever enough to figure it out for yourself. Arguing won’t get us anywhere anyway. You’ll simply have to decide if you want to continue to help us or if you’d rather live your life out somewhere in one of the residential areas. Either way, you’ve earned your place.”

Turning her back on all of them, Dara went to her father, taking his hands. “What do you want, Dad?”

He cradled her cheek. “I want my family safe. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Honestly, Dara, it’s all I’ve ever cared about. If that makes me a selfish person, so be it. I’m not indifferent to the suffering of others, but your safety and the safety of your mother are the most important things to me. I’ll stand by whatever you decide and help you however I can, but I don’t want to be a part of this…this…whatever it is. It’s not my battle. The things I’ve fought for, I have them. That’s all that matters to me.”

She leaned into him. It would be so easy to walk away, so easy to go live in a residential zone with her parents, try to cobble together the semblance of a normal life. They were free of Magnum’s restraints, and they could all live together again. Wasn’t that what she’d wanted as well? She hadn’t gone into this to overthrow the Creators, she had wanted to protect her family. Her job was done.

Then again, wouldn’t that kind of life be a lot like her former life? She could be with her parents, yes, but they’d be living in underground bunkers, always fearing discovery, having to be ready to flee at the drop of a hat. What kind of life was that?

And what about all the other people like her? What about all the other daughters who had to sit back and stay silent while their mothers were ripped away? What about the children who had to denounce their own parents in order to maintain their positions?

But it wasn’t pure idealism that drove her. Hatred of the Creators burned within her, and she wanted to avenge her family, avenge Letizia. She’d tear Magnum apart with her bare hands if she were able. Could she walk away from the chance to bring about its downfall? Magnum had used her, the Free Thinkers had used her, but now she could use them both to achieve her own ends. She had used Andersen to get to the data, and she could use the Free Thinkers to help her see him and every other calculating Magnum Creator destroyed.

“I need to end this, Dad.”

He nodded. “I had a feeling you’d say that. I understand, and I’ll do anything I can to help you, but only you, and you.” Joshua raised his eyes to Raj, who squirmed uncomfortably. “I still owe you for saving my wife.”

“Neither of you owes me anything,” Raj mumbled.

“I want in,” Dara said, addressing Mingyu. “But I want all the way in. I’m not going in blind anymore. Keep secrets from me again, any of you, and I’m out.” She glared at Tasha, Mal, and Raj in turn. Tasha lowered her eyes, abashed, while Mal pressed his lips into a firm line. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, his face stricken, Raj nodded, meeting Dara’s gaze. There was an apology there, but she wasn’t ready to accept it.

“Very well,” Mingyu said. “You’ll resume training tomorrow, at which time you’ll receive a full briefing. You’ll be assigned quarters with the other operators, and we’ll arrange housing for you, Mr. Morrow.”

“Thank you,” her father said, his voice stiff.

“I’ll give you a few minutes with your dad and then take you to your quarters,” Raj said.

When everyone else left the room, Joshua pulled his daughter into a tight embrace. “I don’t trust these people,” he told her.

“I don’t either,” she said with a weary sigh. “Not even Raj.”

Joshua nodded. “That’s smart. I’m sorry things are the way they are, Dara, but maybe you can help change that. Maybe once this information goes public, things will change for the better.”

“Or they might change for the worse.”

“That’s possible too. I wish I could tell you something different, but I can’t shelter you anymore.”

“It’s okay, Dad. I can take it.”

“I know, but that doesn’t stop me from wishing I could shelter you.” He gave her a gentle smile and she hugged him tightly.

“See you soon.”

“I love you, Dara.”

“I love you too.”

They parted at the door, Joshua following the man who’d been in the room with them, while Dara trailed along behind Raj. He tried to talk to her, but she refused to say a word, and when they reached the operators’ quarters, she went into the room without a backward glance at him.

She found herself in a common room, a couple of battered couches and armchairs scattered about. There were a few small tables as well, their scarred surfaces littered with cups and cards with numbers and symbols on them. Dara picked the cards up and examined them. She had no idea what they were for, and the thought made her tired. Sinking into a chair, she rubbed her hands over her face. Would she ever live in a world that made sense to her?

“Fancy meeting you here,” a familiar voice said as someone entered the room.

“Javier,” she said, surprised. She hadn’t quite believed he was one of the Free Thinkers, but here was the proof staring her in the face. He made her just as wary as the others did, and she could see he knew it.

“Listen, I know you don’t trust me, and I get it, I do. You know how I feel about trust.” He shrugged one shoulder and gave her a crooked grin.

“I’m starting to doubt trust even exists.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Looking for the ladies’ bunks? They’re through that door and to the right. Mens’ are to the left.” He hooked a thumb, indicating the door through which he’d entered.

“Thanks.”

“You look like hell.”

“Letizia was captured.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.” He sat down across from her, folding his arms over the table. “She was so damn smart. What happened?”

It shocked her, but she told him, even though she’d thought she’d never tell the tale again. Maybe it was because he was the only other person she knew who was more or less in the same boat as her.

When she’d finished, his face looked pained. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

“Tell me about it.” She let out a dry laugh, wishing she could lay her head down on the table, close her eyes, and wake up to find everything completely different.

They sat in silence for several minutes, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Convinced as she’d been that stopping would be more painful than trudging forward, she was surprised to find it was actually a relief. Thinking about Letizia hurt, and nothing would change that, but she could learn to deal with it. She wasn’t running for her life, her mind wasn’t reeling with images of dire scenarios. For the first time in longer than she could remember, the moment was quiet and she didn’t really have to worry about what would come next. There were no more roles to play, no more masks to wear, and it relieved her of a burden she hadn’t quite been aware of bearing.

“So you joined up?” she asked, breaking the silence.

Javier started, his eyes unfocused for a second as he turned his gaze on her. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Same reason you joined, I’ll bet: I want to bring Magnum down.”

“Do you think they’re different from Magnum, from the other Creators?”

“They’re definitely different. Is it a good different? I don’t know that. I’ll have to see. But it’s different, and that’s what counts at the moment.”

“Have they told you everything? Do you know about—”

“Our esteemed Creator compatriot? Yeah, I know about her.”

“Good. They weren’t always honest with me.”

“And now?”

“They’re probably still not being honest, her least of all.”

He nodded. “You may be right about that.”

Sighing, Dara propped her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand. “You think she has a hidden agenda?”

“I don’t know. Could she be doing all this out of the goodness of her own heart? Anything is possible, but I’ll bet she stands to gain something.”

“Yeah.”

“It doesn’t mean that what we’re doing here is wrong, though. Someone’s going to gain, no matter what we do. The real question is: Who do we think should gain?”

“Not Magnum,” she said, her words dripping venom.

“I agree.”