“Our security team knows not to confront interns who break a few rules.” Merak leaned back in his seat, his arms folded, the picture of relaxation. “We don’t want you to do anything harmful, of course. We send interns home if they get into fights or vandalize property. However, the most successful corporation in the world needs employees with curiosity and determination. My goal is to convince you to focus such admirable character traits on improving Merak Technologies, rather than whatever your original motive was.”
“That makes sense, I guess, but . . .” Ellin let out her breath in a whoosh. “Actually, no, it doesn’t make sense.”
“You may wonder why I’m the one confronting you in the middle of the night, rather than one of our excellent security staff.”
“Yes. Yes, I was wondering that.”
“I always keep apprised of what the current class of interns is doing. When talent comes our way, I want to put it to good use quickly before we lose that person to our competitors.” Merak unfolded his arms and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. “You’ve set yourself apart with your work in the Press Office. Over the last several weeks, you’ve made it to the top of Tereza’s shortlist of the most promising interns.”
Ellin’s eyes widened. After the initial training session, she’d hardly seen Tereza. Apparently the head of the intern department was still keeping close tabs on them.
Merak continued, “When I realized the talented journalist I’d heard about was the same person they’d caught sneaking into the Screening Department, I asked to be notified if you were caught in any other clandestine activities.” He chuckled. “I flew back in town last night—perfect timing, wouldn’t you agree? I got the call from Security and jumped in my glidecraft to meet you here.”
“How—great.”
His expression, which had remained lighthearted until then, turned serious. “Ellin, why did you break into a Screening Department workstation?”
Break in. She immediately felt the same band that always tightened around her chest when she got in trouble—not that it happened often. She swallowed. Telling the truth had never steered her wrong before. She’d stick with that tactic as long as she could. “My boss wouldn’t tell me what was on that floor. I was curious.”
“How did you get a security code?”
“I, uh—I’m friends with an intern who has friends who are hackers.” She immediately regretted the words. Okay, maybe telling the truth isn’t always the best plan.
Oddly enough, Merak was smiling. “Too bad your friend’s not the hacker; we can always use more of those.” His cheerful expression disappeared, and his gaze, suddenly flinty, met hers. “Tell your friend we’ll be watching network traffic from all the interns much more closely from here on out.”
“Okay.”
“Good.” Cheerful Merak was back. “I want to hear about you. You’re highly intelligent but not averse to breaking a few rules. It’s an intriguing combination.”
Ellin wanted to laugh. If only Merak knew how much she hated breaking rules. “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me about your life.”
“Only if you’ll tell me about yours too.” She didn’t know where that demand had come from.
Merak’s eyebrows rose, and his mouth dropped open. He recovered his smile quickly. “Fair enough. You go first.”
She told him the truth about her parents’ deaths and about being raised by her sister. His mouth dropped as she spoke, and then he looked off to the side, wiping one eye. Ellin swallowed back her own emotion and pushed on, describing her scholastic achievements. However, she told him she’d graduated a year before, a story that lined up with her age on her fake ID.
When she finished, Ellin looked up at Merak. He was studying her, his brow furrowed.
“What?” she asked.
“Well, first—I don’t know what to say about you losing your parents, except that I’m genuinely sorry.”
All she could do was nod in response.
Merak cleared his throat, and his mouth broke into a gentle smile. “Second, I’m just trying to figure you out. The nerd who spent all her time studying comes to Merak Technologies and breaks into a building.”
“I guess it was time to live a little.” She laughed, hoping it didn’t sound as forced as it felt. “Your turn. What’s your story?”
“You saw the video and heard Tereza’s presentation. You know my story.”
“I know the version of your story you want interns to hear.”
“True.” His smirk told her he appreciated her pushing him. “You know I grew up with a single mother. What that video didn’t disclose is who my father was. Mind you, this is something we’ve kept out of the media.” He looked toward the lift. “Third floor, you know.”
Ellin nodded, though his nonchalance about the Screening Department made her a little queasy.
Merak continued, “My father was a member of Vallinger’s legislature. Don’t try to identify him; you won’t succeed. He was a rich, powerful, terrible man.
“My mother was one of his aides. When she became pregnant in an encounter I’m convinced was rape, the illustrious legislator fired her and paid her just enough each month to keep her alive.” Merak paused, locking his gaze on Ellin’s. All his lightheartedness had fled. “He used his influence to ensure my mother never got a decent job, and he prevented her from receiving public assistance. Between her meager wages cleaning hotel rooms and his tiny contribution, she barely managed to care for me.
“In the meantime, my father used his power as a legislator to line his own pockets and systematically abuse his staffers. He also attempted to roll back environmental regulations and put a halt to many public assistance programs. Thankfully, his efforts in those areas were ineffective. But he had a fantastic smile and a wonderful speaking voice, so the public reelected him over and over. Until . . .” Merak stopped talking and pressed his lips into a tight, closed-mouth smile.
“Until?” she asked.
“Until I had enough power to get him out of office.” He leaned back, folding his arms. Several seconds later, he cleared his throat. “You okay, Ellin?”
She realized she’d been staring at him, trying to decipher him the same way she’d analyzed all the Cellerin Project research. She released another awkward chuckle. “Sorry. So . . . is that why you do so much charity work? To utilize your influence better than your dad did?”
“Yes.” He uncrossed his arms, leaning forward again. “I want to prove to the world that it’s possible to gain great power and use it in truly good ways.”
“But—” Ellin sighed. “The Screening Department. It doesn’t seem ethical.”
Something flashed in Merak’s eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately behind a mask of control. His voice was steady and friendly when he answered her. “It’s not my goal to offend you, Ellin, but I think a fifty-three-year-old man who’s spent his adult life making the world a better place knows more about ethics than a nineteen-year-old barely out of school.”
She lifted her chin. “I’m not sure what age has to do with it.”
That flash in his eyes again. It was sharp and dark, and it fled just as quickly as it had before.
“Do you know why we kill or modify newsorg stories?” Merak didn’t give her a chance to respond, continuing, “My corporation and my foundation have both made our society healthier and happier. In the last twenty years, the average lifespan has increased from ninety-five to one hundred and six years old. Much of that is due to research supported by Merak Technologies and outright funded by the Merak Foundation. We’ve also inspired half a billion people to volunteer their time to help others.”
He reached out. Ellin stiffened, thinking he was going to touch her shoulder, but he withdrew his hand before making contact. The intensity in his eyes didn’t wane. “Ellin, we influence the media when we know the information they’re about to release will harm this world instead of helping it. That’s the only reason we ever step in.”
Ellin couldn’t keep herself from asking the question at the front of her mind. “Why would it have hurt the world to know about the dangerous radiation at the dig site in Therro?”
Merak stood from his seat and walked a few steps away, then turned back toward her. “Because the radiation isn’t dangerous!” His voice had tripled in volume, and his hands gestured emphatically. “It will make our world a healthier place with medical advancements you can’t even imagine. And we haven’t announced this publicly yet, but I also have scientists researching how to convert it into a safe, immensely powerful source of energy. It’s beneficial radiation, Ellin! I’m well aware that a few conspiratorial kooks want to get their names into news stories, but the world doesn’t need to hear such nonsense!”
Merak had stepped closer to Ellin as he spoke, and now he stood over her. She combatted her twinge of intimidation by standing to face him. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, meeting his gaze. “I take it you read my article.”
“I did. It was an extraordinarily well-written pile of rubbish.”
Her mouth dropped open. My research is sound! she wanted to say. But how was she to convince the leader of the most successful company in the world that she understood the science of his pet project better than he did?
Ellin had been so convinced that if she worked hard, she’d stand out, and she’d earn enough respect to have clout. Then people would listen to her, and they’d cancel the dig. She’d succeeded her entire life through determination and by following the rules. Why wasn’t it working now, when the stakes were higher than they’d ever been?
Merak inhaled deeply, released his breath, and, to Ellin’s surprise, smiled warmly again. “Why don’t we sit back down?” When they’d done so, he continued, “I apologize for my frustration, Ellin. I recognize you don’t have access to all the available information. I’d like to share something with you.”
He stood up just long enough to pull a folded flexscreen out of his back pocket. It was thinner than any Ellin had seen before, and when he firmed it, she leaned over to get a closer look. The screen resolution was incredibly sharp.
“Newest model, still in testing.” Merak’s eyes sparkled as he held his index finger over his lips. “Top secret, of course.”
“Of course.”
“M-Flex, open the interactive Tona sent me yesterday,” Merak instructed the device. Then he handed the flex to Ellin. “Look at that and tell me if it changes your mind about the dig.”
When Ellin tapped on the icon that had popped up, a three-dimensional diagram of an atom seemed to rise out of the screen. “Whoa!” she said.
With a delighted grin, Merak said, “This model uses small-scale Threed technology. Now, before you complain about the diagram, I know atoms don’t really look like that. This is an oversimplification that any member of the public can understand. Play around with it; you’ll get the hang of it.”
He was right; the interface was remarkably intuitive. Ellin manipulated the atom diagram, looking at it from all sides. As she did so, a friendly, intelligent voice explained that it represented the beneficial radioactive isotope scientists expected to find at the Cellerin Mountain dig site. Then the interactive took her through a presentation on the capacity this little atom had to change their world. The whole thing was slick and accessible, something the public would go wild over.
“We have a two-dimensional version of this for articles, as well as a non-interactive video version,” Merak said. He quieted until Ellin met his gaze. “Do you see why we declined your article?”
“Yes.”
She did see, but not in the way Merak meant. She was still confident in the research she’d done. Yet if she didn’t know about the prophecy, she might have seen things differently. Merak honestly didn’t know that the scientists advising caution were right—that they would, in fact, be horrified to know how accurate they were.
This pretty, three-dimensional interactive didn’t convince her that the Cellerin Project’s work was safe. It did, however, show her who Merak was. He wasn’t just rich enough to pour money into technological research and charitable work. He was rich enough to purchase truth, or at least a counterfeit good enough to fool the world and himself.
“You look thoughtful,” Merak said.
She handed the flexscreen back to him. “This is incredible,” she said with perfect honesty.
Merak’s smile told her he’d interpreted her words in the way most beneficial to him, just as she’d known he would. “I knew you’d be on my side—on the side of Merak Technologies and the side of the world—once we had a chance to talk. And I’m glad, because I want to bring you to Cellerin Mountain. I want you to be my press representative there.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I haven’t even been interning for a month.”
“I know. I also know you’ve got what it takes. You’ll have this whole Press Office behind you.” He grinned. “Plus, if I transport you to the other side of the world, another company is less likely to recruit you.”
“Okay, um—” She stopped, gathering her wits, not wanting to sound like the eager teenager she was. Merak was a businessman. Surely he admired tough negotiators. “I’m honored. I want to bring Trett with me. I’ll be happier if he’s around, and he’s at least as smart as I am.”
Merak responded, “Well—”
Ellin cut him off. “My friend Rona needs to come too. She’s amazing with numbers; I know you could use someone like that in Therro.”
Merak nodded slowly. “Rona’s on Tereza’s shortlist of effective interns, not too far below you. You’re right, we could use some help on the accounting end of things in Therro. I’d be happy for her to come along.”
“And Trett?”
He looked thoughtful. “Normally I’d say no. I don’t want you to be distracted, but I get the feeling that’s not a problem for you. Am I right, Ellin?”
She allowed herself a short laugh. “You could say that.”
“Good.” Merak sat up straight, all business. “I’m flying to Therro in two days. You and your friends can hitch a ride with me. My staff will em you the details.” He stood. “I’ll walk you out.”
Ellin blinked twice. So this was how the owner of a massive company got things done. She might have trouble keeping up with him. She rose and followed Merak to the front door.
As Ellin walked toward the dorm, her eyes were pulled inexorably toward the tall fence, but it was lost in the blackness. She wrestled with an uncomfortable twist in her gut. Something told her that despite Merak’s seeming openness and her own dissembling, he knew her far better than she knew him.
16
MONDAY, CYON 11, 6293
-26 DAYS
It was still the middle of the night when Ellin, Trett, and Rona arrived at Merak Technologies’ private airport. Alvun Merak stood next to a solarplane, waiting for them.
Despite the hour, Merak greeted them with a cheerful “Good morning!” After introducing himself to Trett and Rona, he gestured to the plane. “Shall we go?” He pressed something on his flexscreen, and a section of the plane’s side collapsed and reformed itself into a set of stairs descending to the runway.
Ellin’s eyebrows lifted. “Nice.”
Merak smiled. “Come on in.”
The plane’s interior was set up like a living room, though it was more tastefully luxurious than any home Ellin had ever visited. Merak sat on one end of a sofa and invited the rest of them to settle themselves wherever they felt comfortable. When they were all belted in, the plane took off.
Merak leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. With a wide smile, he asked, “What do the three of you know about Therro?”
“It’s the birthplace of Anyarian civilization,” Trett said.
Merak nodded. “I’m sure you can see why we were so excited to get this dig approved. We know there must be unfathomable archeological treasures, particularly around the mountain.” He pulled out his flexscreen, firmed it, and said, �
�I’m sending each of you some information on the area and on the Cellerin Project. It’ll keep you busy on the flight. I know you probably want to sleep, but with the time change, you’ll be better off tonight if you don’t.”
By the time Ellin pulled her flexscreen off her arm and firmed it, a notification was waiting for her, informing her of the items Merak had shared. She glanced at Rona, whose screen showed the same files. Trett was already scrolling through his.
Somehow, Merak had access to all their flexscreens. Ellin pushed away the disturbing thought, then pulled up a video. She was about to play it when she realized she didn’t have any earcaps. She didn’t want to use the device’s speakers in this relatively small space.
Rona didn’t have any such qualms. She started a video, and the sound blared through her flex’s speakers.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Merak said. He handed each of them a pair of brand-new, high-end earcaps. “My gift to you.”
Ellin thanked him, placed the caps on her ears, and settled into her seat, starting up a documentary on the history of the Cellerin Mountain area. The video focused on cave dwellers who’d lived in the sides of the mountain thousands of years before. Some experts believed most of the dwellings hadn’t even been discovered yet. No wonder Merak was so excited to dig there.
The Cellerin Mountain region of Therro was a welcome relief after the desert they’d been living in. There were green trees and grasses, and the temperature was mild. It was raining, but Merak had tossed a pop-up rainblock in the air above them as soon as they’d disembarked. The thin membrane hovered over him and his three guests as they walked from the tiny, private airport toward a group of buildings surrounded by open land.
Two caynins loped up to Merak, forked tongues lolling out of their mouths. He petted them both and said, “We have several guard caynins on the property. There’s too much valuable information here not to protect it. Since you’re with me, they know you’re trustworthy. They’ll take your scents back to the rest of the pack.”
The Seer’s Sister: Prequel to The Magic Eaters Trilogy Page 12