"I did as you suggested. I followed them home on Friday." She paused for effect, watching satisfied as he drank in her cleavage.
"And…"
"They are an item. They went back to his place. I watched them go in and afterwards ran inside to see what floor the lift stopped at."
"Smart girl."
"He lives on the top floor. I ran back outside, and watched the lights go on." She paused for effect again.
"Get on with it, girl."
"I also watched the lights go out, and Kiera didn't leave. I went back early the next morning just in time to see them emerge together. They went off and had breakfast at a nearby café." A brief flash of rage swept across Williamson's face only to disappear again. Its intensity frightened Melanie, and she wondered just what Williamson might be capable of. She didn't want to think about it. She hoped he'd finished with her and that she could leave.
"So, I was right. Thank you, Melanie, your bonus will appear in your first pay packet next month. So off you go now." He waved his hands in a shooing motion.
She leapt up and darted out the door, sighing with relief as she pulled it closed. The things I do for my job. She didn't care about the extra money, but at least it hadn't turned out like last time.
#
The smile Williamson gave Melanie instantly vanished the moment she shut the door. He picked up a glass paperweight from his desk and hurled it into the corner. It made a satisfying sound as its broken pieces scattered along the tiles. He got up and carefully crunched all the pieces underfoot, imagining it was Luke. It would give him great satisfaction to break him into a thousand pieces and grind him underfoot to dust. He took a deep breath. He needed to think. A stiff drink might lubricate his thought processes. He went to the drinks cabinet, took out his expensive, well-aged, malt whiskey, and poured himself half a tumbler full. He sat down at his desk and sipped thoughtfully. The amber liquid warmed his throat and cooled his temper.
He had a complicated dilemma here. He needed to separate Luke and Kiera, because he wanted Kiera all to himself. But the two of them were making such rapid progress, and he knew it was because they were collaborating. What should he do?
He leant back and downed the remaining whiskey. Over the past week it had dawned on him that Kiera could be even brighter than he and possibly Luke, too. He wanted to get Luke out of the picture, but there were advantages in keeping him engaged in the project. His priority should be to advance the project as quickly as possible and with minimum cost. Luke and Kiera were doing just that, he realised. He was just tweaking their work, and it wasn't requiring a great deal of effort on his part.
He leant forward and pressed a button on his console to summon the swisper-bot. It would take care of the floor. As he relaxed back in the chair again, an idea occurred to him. He smiled.
Chapter 11
Kiera arrived at work on Monday with some trepidation. She knew Melanie would report what she'd witnessed. They'd now have to play a waiting game to see how Williamson reacted. Luke and she had spent most of the weekend on their computers, and they were as prepared as they possibly could be given the circumstances.
She made her way to the research lab after making several wrong turns and having to backtrack. She paused at the door. This is risky, she thought, but I think it will be worth it. She went in and proceeded straight into the gowning room. All kitted up, and after navigating the airlock, she marched into the main laboratory and looked around. God, it's difficult to recognise anybody when they're all dressed in white. She approached the nearest worker and tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, he jumped and spun around. Good choice, Carlson first up.
She smiled, "Sorry if I frightened you. You're just the person I wanted to speak to."
"I'm…busy, can't it wait until teatime?"
Kiera noticed the fear in his eyes. She stepped in close. "I've never actually seen you at teatime, and besides I don't want this to be overheard by anyone."
He glared at her. "What exactly do you want, Miss…I'm sorry I've forgotten your name?" He shifted uneasily.
"It's Kiera. I'll get straight to the point. I saw the way Williamson treated you on my first day. He seemed pretty angry. I've come to the conclusion we were never meant to see what we did."
"What exactly is this about?" Carlson asked, irritably, moving slightly away from her.
"During the time I've been here, I've had the chance to observe Williamson's interactions with his employees. It's clear everyone is afraid of him. I won't mince words, he's a bully and he rules by fear and manipulation. If I'd known what he was really like I would never have taken this position, but since I am here I now have to deal with the same behaviour myself. I won't stand for it, and I'm about to do something about it—something that will probably benefit everyone in the long run. I've come to you because I, and my friend Luke, need some help. Will you help us?"
"Absolutely not! Now please leave, or I'll have to call security." His frightened eyes darted around the room.
Kiera sighed. "In that case I'm afraid I'm going to have to implicate you in the illegal activity going on in this laboratory."
Carlson took another step back and eyed her suspiciously. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now please leave."
Kiera stepped in close to him again. "I'm talking about the illegal use of sexual stimulants, the pheromones you're somehow incorporating into your sex androids."
Carson gasped, and the colour drained from his face.
"I want you to help me blow the whistle on Williamson. No, let me clarify that. I want you to help me threaten to blow the whistle on him. I won't implicate you directly, I will simply say I have evidence that this is occurring and am prepared to give it to the appropriate authorities. I assume you're not getting kickbacks to do the work. Am I correct?"
"Yes. We all work under the threat of dismissal if we don't toe the line. Everyone knows what goes on here, but nobody is willing to do anything about it."
"Until now," Kiera said.
"Yes, until now."
"Will you help us?"
"What's in it for us? Can you guarantee our jobs? Can you guarantee that he won't blacklist us?"
"No, I can't, but what I can do is take away some of the fear, so everyone feels more comfortable because they're no longer working on illegal stuff. This is not the only matter I'm going to raise with him. I'm going to use my full armoury, and believe me I have a lot on him and I have proof. I've just spoken to my father. He's a retired detective and well connected. I have clout. So, how about it?"
"Let me talk to the others."
"As long as Melanie doesn't get wind of it. She's his spy."
"We already knew that, there have been incidences in the past. She doesn't work in this lab anymore, so she'll be kept well and truly out of the picture. How soon do you have to act?"
"We thought there would be a showdown today, so I have to be ready," Kiera said.
"Okay, I'll talk to everyone now."
"I'll give you my mobi number, don't call me on the internal system."
Kiera wrote down her number for him before she hurried out. I hope to hell this doesn't come to a head before I've heard back from him. She was prepared to go ahead without Carlson's support, but the more ammunition she had the better.
#
Williamson ambushed Luke on Tuesday morning. Luke was summoned to his office about an hour after he arrived at work. He took a deep breath and stood tall before knocking on the door.
Williamson boomed a response.
Luke went in and sat down. He was not reassured by Williamson's wide smile. Neither of them spoke.
Finally, Luke broke the silence, "What did you want to see me about?" He fought the urge to flick a strand of hair out of his eyes and tried to stay calm.
"Well, Luke, I'm sorry to say that things aren't working out too well. I've thought long and hard about it over the weekend and have come to a decision."
Zark! He's going to fire me. Luke wriggled in hi
s seat and clenched his fists. Oh, for Zarks sake, get it over with.
Williamson, his smile still plastered on his face, said, "I feel that you would be more useful in our Sydney office. There is a problem there that your…limited expertise would be more useful in solving. I think you're well and truly out of your league here."
Luke felt his mouth go dry. "You can't make me go to Sydney."
Williamson's smile deepened as he steepled his fingers. "Oh yes I can, it's in your contract, your five-year contract. It's always wise to read the fine print, Luke. Oh, and before you go, may I remind you that you cannot default on the contract. That's in the fine print too. So, if you should think about resigning, I will take you to court. I also have powerful connections and I'll make sure that you never work in AI again, ever. I'd think very carefully before you make any rash decisions that you may later regret." He sat looking smug.
Luke wanted to wipe that look of Williamson's face. He wanted to…easy Luke…think…think. My best option before I say something I really will regret, or I actually thump this guy, is to get up and leave.
It took all his willpower to swallow his anger. He got up from the chair and said, "I'll have to take some time to consider what you've said. I'll come back later in the week to let you know my decision." He strode out of the office slamming the door satisfyingly behind him. He headed straight for Kiera's room with his mind swirling. Kiera. Great Universe, I will have to leave her, he thought. I can't…I won't. He knocked on her door and without waiting for her reply opened it and went in.
"What's happened?" Kiera stood up, came around her desk, and put her arms around him. "You're as white as a sheet, and you're trembling."
"He's…he's…"
"He's what, for God's sake? Tell me."
Luke could feel the tears brimming in his eyes. "Williamson's transferring me to Sydney."
"Surely he can't do that." She held him tighter, burying her face in his chest.
"He says it's in the fine print in my contract." He paused for breath before continuing, "I can't break the contract either. He said, if I resign, he will sue me."
"I read my contract. It says nothing of the sort." Kiera stood back from him. "Luke, Luke…he's bluffing. Come on, you're stronger than this, remember we have our own leverage now, and I'm quite prepared to use it. Come and sit down."
Luke allowed her to lead him to the chair. He sat down feeling defeated.
"I rang my father before I came to work this morning. He is going to contact an old colleague, a detective in the Special Crimes Unit who will be able to help us. We've already got some solid proof of Williamson's criminal activities; this will just add an extra bow to our armoury. I've already placed a call to Detective Sergeant Harrington, and I'm waiting for him to ring me back when he gets out of a meeting."
She reached up and patted his face. "What did you do with your contract?"
"It's in a drawer in my office," Luke said, in a low voice.
"Okay, go and get it and we'll have a look just to make sure so we know exactly what we are dealing with."
Luke got up slowly and without saying anything further headed out the door.
#
Luke slumped in his chair and pulled out his drawer, rifling through its contents until he found his contract; all ten pages of it. He pulled out his confidentiality agreement as well.
He kept running his fingers through his hair as he read through the document. And there it was, on the final page. 'The company may, at its discretion, relocate an employee at any time during his employment to another office in Australia, or overseas, if it determines it necessary, for the employee to perform at his optimum level. A relocation allowance will be paid if it is warranted.'
Half way down the page he read, 'This contract is legal and binding for a period of five years and may not be broken under any circumstances other than terminal illness. The employer, in the event of the employee resigning, has the right to take legal action to recover costs.'
Luke felt sick. Zark. Why the hell didn't I read this before signing it? But Kiera said she had read hers and that it contained nothing of the sort. Surely her contract was the same as his? His hands shook as he picked up the confidentiality agreement and read it carefully. No surprises there, thank the Universe. Although it couldn't get any worse than it already was could it?
He picked up his contract and headed back to Kiera's office. She was on her mobi when he knocked so he came in and sat down. She locked eyes with him momentarily to acknowledge his presence before continuing to write furiously in the notebook in front of her. He continued to watch her as his thoughts ran wild. Great Universe! She's so vibrant, positive, assertive, intelligent and loving. Just about everything I'm not. I won't survive without her. She's the love of my life, my soul mate. I'll curl up and die…
Kiera put her mobi down and smiled broadly. "We've got the bastard, by the short and curlies."
Luke leaned forward. "We've still got a major problem. The contract says exactly what he told me."
"Show me." Kiera opened her drawer and pulled out her own contract.
They were both right. The reference to relocation appeared to be missing from Kiera's contract, but it did contain the clause about resignation. Kiera's face wrinkled in disgust. "The sneaky bastard, so he's had this safety valve in place all the time. Well, it's time for some well thought out blackmail. Now, let's talk strategy."
Chapter 12
Kiera knocked on Luke's door, opened it, and stepped just inside.
"Is it time to go home already?" Luke said.
"Almost, I just wanted to let you know I won't be coming home with you tonight."
"Oh?" A look of disappointment flashed across Luke's face.
"I've got some urgent business to attend to, so I'm heading off a little early." She turned and slipped out the door before he had time to reply. She knew it was mean. But he would want to know why, and at this point she didn't want to tell him. He wouldn't approve. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him. As she went out the building's doors her stomach clenched. God, I hope I'm doing the right thing. She checked her watch. Plenty of time, no need to rush.
Kiera detoured on the way home to do some last-minute shopping. She added a salad platter for one, some feta cheese, a container of orange juice and a small carton of skim milk to her purchases. Since she'd been going home with Luke, almost living with him in fact, little food remained in her apartment.
She sat and mulled over the evening's plans while slowly eating her meal. She wished she'd included some bread. She was ravenous, must be stress.
After she finished, she cleaned up and threw the empty containers in the bin. She took the bag out and tossed it in the garbage disposal chute opposite her door. When she came back she took a leisurely shower to help her relax.
For camouflage purposes Kiera had ferreted out all her black clothes and had laid them out on the bed before showering. She donned a polo necked skivvy, tracksuit pants, black socks and matching sneakers. She took the balaclava she had bought that afternoon from its wrap and stuffed it, along with a pair of black gloves, into the back pockets of her tracksuit pants. She pulled her old jacket off the hangar and laid it on her bed next to a polar fleece jumper.
Kiera sat at the desk holding her computer and printer. She systematically worked through all the evidence she'd accumulated in the past couple of days. After finishing the summary, she copied the file onto the half dozen memory sticks she'd purchased for the task. With shaking hands, she packed these carefully into containers for postage. She'd been given access to the Police Airgap Server's evidence locker by Detective Inspector Harrington and would take a copy with her to save there when she saw him tomorrow.
She emailed copies to the people she had spoken to, including her father. They had all agreed to publish in the event of her death or disappearance. With her insurance taken care of, she sat back and tried to calm herself, but anxiety erupted inside her and gnawed away like a plague of mice in a grain
silo. God, I hope I know what I'm doing.
She printed off the material she intended to present to Williamson the next morning. It had been gathered via various websites, although the majority of it came from the RFA group. The most important thing would be the uplink memory stick that Detective Inspector Harrington would give her, but the printed material would give her something to make and impact with, something substantial to wave in that bastard's face. She took a deep breath and unclenched her fists. She turned her palms over. Deep imprints showed where her nails had dug into them. I've got to relax. This is only the beginning. If I keep going like this, I'll have a nervous breakdown by tomorrow. She took several deep breaths and managed to calm her thoughts.
When she'd finished all her tasks, she glanced at her watch; still another hour to go. She went downstairs and posted the packages. That's that, she thought. She shivered in the cold night air and stared up at the moonless, starlit sky; at least it wasn't raining.
She took the stairs instead of the lift. The exercise will help me calm down. It did. By the time she got to the top she felt strong and determined. This would work.
Right on eleven o'clock, her door buzzer rang. She ran to the door and flicked the talk button.
Jack's familiar voice said, "Kiera, are you ready?"
Images of him flooded into her mind; his dark-brown, close-cropped, military style haircut and his short, slightly tubby form. Dear Jack, why had she lost contact with him? They'd been like brother and sister during uni days.
"Yes Jack, I'll be right down." He sounded no different. She couldn't believe seven or eight years had gone by since she'd last seen him. A pang of guilt surfaced. They'd never fallen out; they'd just gone their separate ways.
"I need to come up, so you can put your contacts in."
"Oh, I'd forgotten that." She pressed the door open button. "Come on up."
She'd already put on her fleecy jumper. She picked up her jacket and her black bag and set them down by the door. She jumped when the buzzer rang.
"How the hell are you Kiera?" Jack said, stepping inside and embracing her warmly. "You look like Cat Woman."
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