by H. D. Gordon
Sam leaned forward across the table and placed a hand over mine. She kept her voice low. “Relax, okay?” she told me. “We’re going to figure this all out. We’re going to stop the beast, and save the city.”
I appreciated the sentiment, but I pulled my hand from hers and ran it down my face, as if I could scrub the stress away. I nodded at the screen. “That was a lot to swallow,” I admitted. “One day, I’m the villain and the next, I’m a hero, but only if I go throwing myself between the beast and the city.”
“You sound a little bitter,” Sam observed.
I snorted. “Because I am.”
Sam decided to change the subject. “Where’s Matt? Wasn’t he going to meet us here?”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot to tell you. Rose hired him part time at the flower shop.”
Sam’s eyebrows lifted over the rims of her glasses. “I didn’t know he was looking for a job.”
I shrugged. “He mentioned he wanted to make some money and I said I’d ask Rose. It’s only like fifteen hours a week, but this way he can take my shifts when I have to go out… doing what I do.”
My head tilted as I watched something like jealousy go through Sam’s aura. I knew Matt had a serious thing for her, but I didn’t think she’d felt anything but friendship for him. As I looked at her now, I wondered if maybe that was changing.
The heads of all the females in The Grind swiveled toward the entrance, and a little smile tugged up my lips, because without turning to look, I knew who had entered.
Caleb took a seat beside me at the low table Sam and I were sharing. He gave us both hugs in greeting, but his lips were turned down, his customary smile whenever he saw me absent.
I met his blue eyes. “We don’t have to do this, Caleb,” I said. “I won’t hold it against you. It’s really and completely your choice.”
Sam nodded. “She’s right. This isn’t something we expect of you. We know it’s not an easy thing to do.”
Caleb let out a slow breath and ran his hands through his coifed up hair. His aura was shifting uneasily, a kaleidoscope of color that went from one extreme to the next, the indecision clear. He shook his head. “We have to,” he said. “People are dying, and if it’s because of something my father is doing, I want to know.”
Sam gave a single nod and reached into her bag. She placed a USB device on the table between us. “Okay, all you have to do is plug this into one of the main computers,” she said. “But it has to be the right computer, not the ones that normal employees have access to. Once you do, leave it in for a full thirty seconds, then you can remove it. After, I’ll be able to get into the system, and if there’s anything to be found, I’ll find it.”
Silence hung between the three of us for a moment, and we just looked at each other the way travelers might when they’ve come across an old, rickety bridge, the sturdiness of which is questionable. We needed to get to the other side, but doing so could have some serious consequences, and there was also the possibility of getting caught.
I didn’t want to ask my next question, but the words left me anyway. I kept my voice low, barely above a whisper. “And what if we do find out something terrible is going on, and your father and his company are behind it? What then?”
Caleb lifted his crystal blue eyes to mine, smoothed his hands down the front of his expensive shirt. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He paused, as if he’d read my thoughts. “If we come to it,” he corrected. “For now, I’m just going to hope that we don’t.”
“Okay, so we’re going in, then? You’re sure?”
Caleb nodded. “We’re going in.”
CHAPTER 27
The Cross Corp building was easily the most impressive in Grant City. Parts of it could be seen from almost any vantage point. It was not shaped like a typical skyscraper, but rather like a giant glass cube that was tipped up, balancing on one of its corners.
An architectural feat, for sure. On cloudy days, the tip of the cube that was up in the air disappeared into the sky, and on sunny days the glass surface reflected light like a prism, casting squares of gold over the city that moved slowly with the turn of the Earth.
Beside it was a parking garage that also bore the name CROSS in gigantic letters. In an effort to lighten the mood, I turned to Caleb where I sat in the passenger seat of his Beamer. “You ever get tired of seeing your name all over stuff?” I asked.
Caleb smirked, a single dimple appearing in his cheek, but his aura continued its dance of unrest. “Not really the part that can get annoying. It’s the paparazzi and the hordes of money hungry women that can sometimes exhaust.”
I shook my head, rolling my eyes while smiling. “Rich people problems, huh?”
He laughed, but the tension didn’t loosen in his shoulders. “I guess so.” He looked over at me, his handsome face furrowed just barely at the brow. “I guess it’s all relative, right?”
I agreed, and we pulled around to the back of the building, where only a handful of parking spots sat behind a gated parking lot complete with a guard that sat within a little rectangular guardhouse. Caleb rolled down his window as we pulled to a stop.
“How’s it going, Tito?” Caleb said, sticking his hand out the window.
The guard, Tito, bumped Caleb’s fist with his own. “Going good, Mr. Cross,” he said. He leaned forward on his stool and peered at me over his sunglasses. “Got a guest with you today?”
Caleb smiled. “This is Aria. I’m going to show her around.”
Tito eyed me in the appraising way that men sometimes had. He gave me a grin that revealed a large gap between his front two teeth. “Right on, brother,” he said, and pushed the button that raised the gate.
We parked the car and walked the short distance to the rear of the Cross Corp building. I couldn’t help but recall the last time I’d been here, which was a few months ago now. The Scarecrow—a psychopath Warlock who’d escaped his prison—had taken a child to the top of the building and dropped her down the side of the cube. I’d climbed up after them along with Nick Ramhart, who’d come along to help capture the Scarecrow. We’d crashed through the glass windows and escaped just in time to avoid being arrested.
I craned my neck and saw that the damage we’d done had already been repaired, no sign of us ever having been here, save for the memories in my mind.
Caleb held an arm out to me, and I slipped my own through his. He scanned a key card to gain entry to the building, and then we were inside.
It had been the middle of the night when I’d chased the Scarecrow to the top of the building, and because of all the commotion, I hadn’t really gotten a chance to look around, but I saw now how extravagant the place was, how it spoke of big money without uttering a word.
We entered into the large foyer, the ceiling rising and up and up, as if to meet the sun, which shined down through the endless glass windows to make for a glow that was almost heavenly. A guard sat behind a glass desk, and he greeted us with a nod, referring to Caleb as Mr. Cross, same as Tito had done a moment ago.
The inside of the structure reflected the outside, like walking into a giant, hollow cube. Around the perimeter, which first widened and then narrowed, were balconies that wrapped all the way around, and people in business attire were roaming here and there. At the very tip-top, directly overhead if one stood in the center of the cube, was Caleb’s father’s office, the floor transparent, allowing for a view inside.
“He can close it, though,” Caleb said. “He believes in transparency.” His voice lowered. “But only when it suits him.”
Despite the fact that I suspected Caleb’s father was into some evildoing, there was no way not to be impressed by the Cross Corp building. Transparency did seem to be the theme, as even the escalators and elevators that served the upper levels were encased in see-through material, the inner workings, cogs and gears turning and rotating visibly.
Gentle music, classical and soothing, played throughout, and because of esthetically place
d potted flowers, the cool air even smelled good. Beyond this, depending on which way you turned, views of the entire city could be caught, and I’d bet that when it rained, all that water gently striking the never-ending windows was something to be seen.
Caleb led me over to an elevator that looked as though it was reserved for higher-ups. He let out a short laugh. “Aria Fae,” he said, “I could be wrong, but you almost look impressed.”
As he said this, the elevator doors slid open, and Dr. Christian Cross himself stepped out. He looked surprised to see us. “Caleb,” he said. His eyes flicked to me, and for whatever reason, my stomach gave a twist. “Aria. It’s good to see you.”
Caleb’s brother, Chris, and his girlfriend, Gail Golden, stepped out as well. Dr. Cross clapped his hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “Ah, it looks like we have ourselves a party,” the Doctor said. “We were just heading to dinner. Why don’t you both join us?”
Since we couldn’t very well say we already had plans to spy on the inner workings of his company, we agreed.
***
“So have you decided which college you’ll be attending, Miss Fae?” asked Caleb’s father.
We were sitting on the terrace that ringed one of the edges of the Cross Corp building, in a restaurant that made me feel as though I were terribly underdressed.
I took a sip of water and cleared my throat. “Not yet,” I said. “I’m still trying to decide.”
“But you are going to college, correct?”
“Dad,” Caleb groaned, his aura glowing with embarrassment.
I gave his hand a little squeeze beneath the table so that he knew it was all good.
“Yes, I intend to.”
Dr. Cross nodded, as if this was the only acceptable answer. “Do you have the money?”
“Jesus, dad,” Caleb said.
Dr. Cross shot him a look like this was a completely appropriate question. “What?” he said. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with this lovely young lady, and I’d like to get to know her. You don’t mind, do you, Aria?”
I forced a smile. “Not at all,” I lied. “I’m hoping to get a scholarship for lacrosse, and if not, I’ll probably take out student loans.” I shrugged.
Dr. Cross rubbed his chin, his watchful gaze flicking between Caleb and me. “Why didn’t you tell her about the scholarship fund we have, Caleb? Sounds like she could use it.”
Poor Caleb looked like he wanted to melt into his seat, and I concentrated on feeling sympathy for him rather than getting worked up over his father’s almost rude questions and comments.
“I like to earn things on my own, sir,” I said, and Caleb gave me a simultaneously grateful and apologetic look.
Dr. Cross sipped his wine and sat back in his chair, folding his hands over his mostly cleaned plate. “I like that,” he said. “I came up from nothing, you know?” He spread his arms wide, as if to encompass the entire city. “I built all of this from the ground up. Started out with nothing but lint in my pockets.”
“That’s very… inspiring,” I said.
There was a moment of silence before everyone at the table broke out into laughter.
Gail reached across the table and patted my hand. A conspiratorial smile lit up what I begrudgingly admitted was a very pretty face. “I like her, Caleb,” Gail said. “She’s quick.”
Chris, Caleb’s older brother who’d been in a coma only a few short months ago, had barely said two words since we began the meal. I’d only encountered him a few times, but I was beginning to suspect that his default mode was ill tempered and brooding.
Around us, the night was beginning to fall over the city, a cool breeze blowing over the balcony on which we sat. This high up, I could see for miles, and it was almost easy to understand how when this was your constant view of the world, it was nearly inevitable that you felt above everyone else.
Almost was the key word there.
“Why did you come?” asked Chris, speaking for the first time. “When we ran into you, I don’t think you mentioned what you were doing here?”
His eyes, the same blue as Caleb’s, but colder somehow, barely flicked over me before pinning his younger brother. There was no way to miss the accusatory tone in which this was spoken.
Caleb played it cool, reclining in his chair and tipping his head back a touch. “I wanted to show her all the things father’s company has accomplished. I’m proud of it.”
It was obvious that this answer pleased Dr. Cross, and had the opposite effect on his eldest. Dr. Cross stood from his chair, tossing his linen napkin on the table and waving a hand at me. “Wonderful,” he said. “Come, then. Let’s give Miss Fae the official tour. What do you say?”
I gave my most amicable smile. “Sounds like a plan,” I said.
***
The tour was not boring. I had to give Dr. Cross that much. In fact, the technology was so high-tech that I was made to leave my cellphone at the front desk. From Gail, I learned that all the employees who worked in the Cross Cube (as it was known to those who frequented it) were forbidden to even bring cellular devices into the building, for fear that one might snap a picture of some cutting edge tech that was worth more than their combined pay grades.
Gail had linked her arm through mine, as if the two of us were the best of friends, and would lean in and whisper little tidbits while winking at me and giving me little nudges.
“The first time I came here,” she said, “I saw an employee get fired on the spot for bringing in his cellphone.”
Dr. Cross looked back at us over his shoulder. “Security is very important,” he agreed. “Some of the things we are working on here are going to change the world, and when you’re creating things that change the world, there is always someone aiming to steal it from you, to beat you to the punch, so to speak.”
Caleb and I met eyes briefly in a silent exchange before looking away. I rubbed my hand over my jean pocket, feeling for the little bulge of the USB device Sam had given me to plant, both relieved and anxious to find it was still there. This task was proving to be more difficult than I’d anticipated.
First, we visited a square-shaped room with no windows. It was a floor below ground, and to get there we rode in an elevator that moved with such fluidity one could hardly detect the change in altitude.
As we entered the square room, the walls so clean a white they were almost translucent, I saw Caleb’s aura spike with concern. After hearing an explanation of the room’s use, I understood why.
“Step up onto the platform there, Miss Fae,” Dr. Cross said, and gave a smile that reminded me of a serpent. “If you please.”
The platform in the center of the room was the only feature to speak of, just a step up onto a raised surface that was similarly white. When the walls lit up like the screen of an enormous, four-dimensional computer, I swallowed.
“Hold still,” said Dr. Cross. “It’s going to scan you. Don’t be alarmed. You won’t feel a thing.”
I watched with bated breath as a light ran over me from all sides, scanning me like an item at the grocery store. It only lasted a handful of seconds, and then data began to appear on the wall-screen just ahead.
It showed my weight, my approximate age, my body-fat ratio, my center of balance. It was monitoring my heart rate, my blood pressure, and my temperature. It took every ounce of control I had not to run from the room like a rabbit with a fox at its tail.
“Hmm,” Dr. Cross said, looking from the stats to me, and back again. He tapped at a part of the wall that served as a control panel. “It says your temperature is one-hundred and eight, but that can’t be… and your blood type…” He looked at me the way only a scientist observes. “I guess I’ll have to have tech look into it… but you see, this room can tell you in a matter of seconds a person’s overall health. How likely they are to develop heart disease, diabetes, and a whole other range of things.” He looked over the numbers and readings again. “Other than these… abnormalities—glitches in the system, no doubt—y
ou’re remarkably healthy, Miss Fae.”
I forced a smile and stepped off the platform, trying not to appear eager. “That’s good to know. This is some really cool tech you’ve developed here,” I said, knowing I sounded lame but anxious to take the attention off of myself.
“Thank you,” Dr. Cross said. “Come, let’s continue.”
We went from one modern wonder to the next, and after nearly two hours, we finally reached the top of the building, the very tip of the cube, where Dr. Cross’s office looked down over the rest of the place like the dwelling of a deity. From what Caleb had told me, the best bet was to plant Sam’s device on Dr. Cross’s computer. Now that we were entering the office, the only thing left to do was to plant it without being noticed, and then blow this Popsicle stand.
My palms were sweating. I didn’t think Dr. Christian Cross was a good person, but it was impossible not to have some degree of reverence for what he had built here. With this came only a modicum of the confliction Caleb must be feeling toward our little deception.
It occurred to me then that it would almost be worse if we planted the thing and Sam hacked into the system only to find that there was nothing sinister about the Cross Corporation. Everything I’d seen thus far displayed a company that was on the up and up. Dr. Cross treated his employees kindly and with respect. He fed them breakfast every morning because he believed it was the most important meal of the day. There were several break rooms containing comfortable recliners, snacks, coffee, reading material, and taking a break was encouraged if the employees felt they needed one. I learned that every Cross Corp worker received full medical benefits, and those who wanted to further their education did so on the company’s dime. They donated hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to charities, provided daycare and paid family leave, invested money back into the community.
Basically, from the outside, Cross Corporation seemed to represent the absolute best of democratic capitalism, and those who had landed a position here had little to worry about as long as they followed protocol and worked well. So, either way, no matter what dirt Sam did or didn’t dig up, there was no outcome that wouldn’t suck at least a little for Caleb.