[Contributor 02] - Infiltrator (2013) (4 page)

Studying Dara with an appraising gaze, Letizia asked, “What have you noticed about Andersen?”

“He’s regimented. I think this is partially driven by his personality. He likes to feel in control at all times, so I think he finds comfort in his neatly ordered universe. It also allows him to project a carefully crafted image, which makes him immune to suspicion because everything he does appears so above board and so predictable. He seems like the ideal drone. The flip side of this is that it provides him with perfect cover. No one knows what goes on inside his head except for Andersen himself.”

Letizia nodded. “The current system is perfect for Andersen. Having a new assistant every year means no one has the chance to get to know him too well. I know him better than most, and even I have no real idea who he is on the inside.”

“Do you think the apprenticeship program was set up that way by design?”

“We don’t believe so. What we’ve been able to cobble together indicates that, in the past, most high-level Contributors to the Job Creators had longterm personal assistants, including the Creators themselves. There was the occasional spot of trouble, but we get the impression that what ultimately drove the implementation of the apprenticeship program was the Creators’ need to make the system appear to be a meritocracy. They want to give Contributors the impression that their hard work has the potential of leading them somewhere, to reinforce the idea that faithful service to the Creators is rewarded. In reality, the system keeps Contributors in their place. It doesn’t seem as though this was entirely intentional, but it certainly provided the Creators with happy unintended consequences.”

Dara stared at Letizia. “You know a lot about the history of the Creators. Some of it sounds familiar, but it’s not exactly what we were taught.”

Darting a glance around the park, Letizia shuffled her weight from one foot to another. “This isn’t the place to discuss it. It’s a topic we can get into in more depth at another time.”

Curiosity ate at Dara, but she knew Letizia was right. Had anyone overheard their conversation, they’d have had grounds to report Dara and Letizia to the Authorities. Nowhere inside the dome was safe for such talk.

“Do you have anything for me?” Dara asked, changing the subject.

“Not yet. I passed along the information about Javier, but I haven’t had a response. Be sure to let me know right away if you hear anything more.”

“I will.”

“You’re on the right track, Dara. I know you’ve felt frustrated and constrained, but you needed to draw your own conclusions. We all do. For the most part, we’re all just grasping at whatever bits we can.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Dara let out a tired sigh. She did get it, even if it left her feeling less than satisfied. Whatever she’d expected, it hadn’t been this slow, crawling process. Still, now that her thoughts had cleared, she realized how foolish her expectations had been. Carrying out anything big, bold, or daring would have drawn attention not only to herself but also to the other Free Thinkers. Taking part in Mal’s movement meant she would have to learn to be patient, and that was what worried her more than anything. She didn’t know if she could learn to temper the urge driving her to get back at Magnum for what they’d taken from her, but she would have to try.

“Unacceptable. I can’t go into the meeting tomorrow with this. You’ll have to redo it,” Andersen said, thrusting aside the tablet, his lip curling in disgust.

“Of course, sir, right away. I’m sorry to have disappointed you,” Dara said, lowering her eyes and speaking in groveling tones. Inside, she felt coiled as tightly as a spring, but she would not allow the tension to be visible in her body language.

He had been like this for days. Dara had spent hours working on the presentation, putting it together precisely the way he had instructed, but he’d never take the blame himself, not when he could chalk it up to a failure on her part. She was certain he was still testing her, but there seemed to be something more going on beneath the surface. He wasn’t taking as much pleasure from this encounter as she would have expected, and it made her think something else was on his mind, something that was distracting him, though she wasn’t quite sure yet what it was.

“Should I gather your things for the meeting?” Dara asked, checking the time. Andersen was due in a conference room on the other side of headquarters in fifteen minutes, and he’d take it out on her if he was late.

“Yes, yes,” he said, waving his hand in dismissal. His attention was fixed on his own tablet, and as she walked past him to get his bag, she stole a glance at the screen. It was a report from accounting.

Is this related to Javier, or is he upset about the projected figures for his latest project?

The latter seemed more probable. What Andersen was proposing was bold, and she had heard the whispers making the rounds in engineering. Some thought his plans were too ambitious. For as much as the Creators liked to project the idea that they were constantly making strides, most of them had an aversion to taking any real risks, afraid it might upset the system. The potential payoff for Magnum was significant, but he had his work cut out for him in convincing others of his vision.

This was his big move. It had to be. Andersen’s ultimate goal was to ascend to the level of the Creators, but there were few avenues for making such a climb, and he would need something enormous to propel him into the upper echelons.

He’s vulnerable,
she realized.
If he’s going to make mistakes, it will be now, while he’s worried about his project.

She needed to be ready. Gathering up the things he needed for the meeting, she took careful stock of his office. Spartan and neat as ever, she didn’t see anything that immediately jumped out at her, but then she wasn’t looking for any real evidence. Instead, she took the chance to try to determine what, if any, hiding spots he might have in the room. His walls were undecorated, so there wouldn’t be anything as obvious as a safe concealed behind a wall hanging. She doubted he would keep anything top secret in his apartment because he would want it with him at all times. Since he spent far more time at headquarters than he did at home, his hiding place—if it existed—was probably somewhere in his office.

There wasn’t time for a full-fledged search. Dara had no access to Andersen’s office unless he was in it, and she couldn’t break into it without attracting attention. Every hour of every day at least a few engineering Contributors were in the immediate vicinity. Even if she’d wanted to try to pick or force his lock, it required his biosignature, which would be all but impossible for her to obtain. Mal might have a trick, a device she could use, but it wasn’t the sort of thing he’d give her anytime soon. If she was caught, she’d end up in one of the secret rooms, and he didn’t trust that she could resist interrogation.

The thought caused an icy shiver to race through her, but she ignored it. She wouldn’t do anything that might get her caught, not now. It was as simple as that. She was too unskilled to take any significant risks, and she would make her peace with that. What she could do, though, was keep her eyes open and her mind sharp so that if an opportunity arose she could seize it. Recognizing that Andersen was less likely to be on his guard because of his preoccupation was one step toward maintaining her own vigilance.

“Do you have any other instructions for me, sir?” Dara asked as she handed Andersen his bag.

Rummaging through it, he said nothing when he verified that she hadn’t forgotten anything. He slipped his tablet into the bag and zipped it closed. “That presentation is your only priority.”

That coupled with the fact that he did not want her to attend this meeting was significant. This was the first time he’d left her without an extensive list of tasks to complete, and he was going to take his own notes at the meeting, which meant this presentation was of the utmost importance to him. “Understood, sir.”

He ushered her out the door ahead of him, and she was already in her seat and working on his presentation before he had disappeared down the corridor. Her attention needed to be focused on getting the presentation done and polished to a high shine in time for his meeting the next day, but she wanted to analyze his notes in more detail, to see if she could discern anything from them. She slipped a memory stick into her terminal and saved a copy of the presentation file, preserving his notes about what he wanted changed. When she was finished she’d save a copy of the finished product as well, so that she could compare the two.

After her first week, she’d given up on expecting to leave headquarters at the appointed end of her shift. Sometimes Andersen allowed her to finish her work at home, but he generally preferred her to stay until she had completed everything he had assigned her. She knew without question that he would not allow her to complete the presentation at home, so she braced herself for a late evening.

He shut himself in his office when he returned from his meeting, ostensibly to handle the series of conference calls that were scheduled in his calendar. Dara’s eyes were burning and her head pounding by the time she finished the presentation. She sent Andersen a short message letting him know she’d finished, and she checked it one last time as she waited for his reply.

Ten minutes later she was in his office, standing in front of his desk with her hands folded while she waited for him to review her work. He took his sweet time, and she tried not to sway on her feet from a combination of fatigue and hunger.

“It will do,” he pronounced at long last, and she forced herself to smile as if he’d bestowed the highest of praise upon her.

“I’ll arrive an hour before my shift tomorrow, in case you would like me to make additional changes.”

“See that you do.”

“Is there any other way I may contribute before I leave?”

“That’s all.”

“Good night, sir.”

He didn’t bother replying, and she made as quick an exit as she could, pressing the back of her hand against her mouth to conceal a yawn. Shift change had taken place hours ago, and the thoroughfares were deserted.

Her father was waiting for her at home. “Let me get you something to eat. You look ready to keel over,” he said, frowning in concern.

“Thanks.” She sank down on the couch, grateful to rest her head against its back as she kicked off her shoes and flexed her pinched toes. The relief was so pleasurable she couldn’t hold back a low groan, and she closed her eyes and let herself doze until her father woke her.

“So what was it tonight?” he asked, sitting across the table from her. He pressed his lips together in a firm line.

“Don’t worry, Dad. Andersen hasn’t killed me—yet,” she said, the joke coming out as humorless as she’d feared. With a tired sigh, she shook her head and dug into her dinner, speaking between bites. “He has a presentation first thing tomorrow morning about that project of his.”

“The infamous project.” Joshua’s contempt was plain, and he folded his arms over his chest.

Dara pushed food around her plate, debating. One of the worst things about having agreed to work with the Free Thinkers was the heavy weight she felt whenever she spoke to her father. She and her parents had often talked around the dinner table, sharing stories about what had happened that day, but what had once seemed like idle gossip and chatter had taken on a far greater significance. She didn’t feel right about taking to Mal any information she’d gathered from her father. It smacked too much of dragging him into her decision.

Reading her mind, Joshua said, “I know what you’ll need to do with any information you gain, and it’s okay with me.”

“Are you sure?” She met his gaze, seeing the steely determination in his eyes.

“Yes. I want you to make sure you get it to the right people.”

“Dad, if anyone—”

“I know what the penalty is, and I don’t care. If I can prevent someone else from having to go through what I did after your mother was injured…” His voice trailed off as his jaw worked, and he turned his head away, but Dara saw the gleam of tears.

“All right. But if you change your mind, tell me.”

Joshua nodded, swallowed, and looked back at her. “Andersen’s project is expensive. Too expensive, some people are saying.”

“I thought as much.” She told him about the split-second glance she’d had at the accounting report on Andersen’s tablet. “I bet I know who in accounting is being the most vocal about how expensive the project is.”

“Bingo.”

Frowning, she ate more of her dinner without tasting it. Whatever was going on between Jasmine Shah and Andersen seemed to be escalating, and Javier was caught in the middle. Was is possible he did have something on Andersen?

“Do you know anything about the Gutierrez family?” Javier had never discussed his personal life, not even when they were in school.

“No, I don’t.”

There was something there, she could feel it. She would have to figure it out, but for now her primary concern was Andersen’s project.

Arriving an hour before shift the next day proved to be a good idea, as Dara spent the whole sixty minutes making additional changes to the presentation. There was no time to make a copy, and she concentrated on committing Andersen’s notes to memory so that she could transcribe them later.

He hovered over her the entire time she worked, reprimanding her whenever she made a mistake, and making barbed comments about the state of her work and his opinion of it. In all likelihood she would have finished faster had she not had to deal with his imposing presence, which made her so nervous she could barely function. It was a relief when she finished, and he left to gather his things while she made backups and sent the presentation to the relevant personnel.

Her mind wandered as she completed her menial tasks, and she chewed over one of his notes. He’d wanted her to include supplemental data justifying the cost of one aspect of the project, as per a request from Jasmine Shah, giving Dara the evidence she needed to confirm her suspicions that Shah was the fly in Andersen’s ointment. Shah seemed to have embarked on a personal quest to discredit his work, but was she doing so out of spite or because she stood to gain something from it?