[Contributor 02] - Infiltrator (2013)

by Nicole Ciacchella

  “I do,” he said, his eyes haunted.

  “Why, Raj?”

  “What?” he asked, snapping his gaze to hers.

  “Why do you take them so seriously?”

  He averted his eyes, his jaw working. “It’s… In the past, doctors used to take what was called the Hippocratic Oath. From what I can tell, the person who came up with it lived thousands of years ago. There’s this line where…where doctors promise not to do any harm. It’s an oath all doctors should take.” Anger blazed in his eyes, and he swallowed hard.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I can’t talk about this right now.” He turned his back to her and busied himself with the array of tablets he’d brought. “Maybe…maybe some other time I’ll tell you more, but right now we need to focus on your training. If what you’ve told me about Andersen does indicate that he’s meeting secretly with the Creators, then his project must be moving forward, and we all need to be prepared.”

  Her heart sank at his refusal to answer, and her mind raced, wondering why he’d mentioned the line about not doing harm. What could that mean? Magnum’s doctors might not have done everything for her mother that they could have, but they certainly hadn’t done anything to hurt her, nor had Dara ever heard of such a thing happening. Did Raj blame himself for something that had happened during his training, a mistake he’d made, or a situation he hadn’t been able to control?

  She wished he’d confide in her. It was obvious he was struggling with something, but she decided to drop the subject for the time being. They did need to be prepared for whatever was going on with Andersen’s project, and she felt like she’d done no more than scratch the surface of what there was to know about the Creators and the Free Thinkers. She would have to be content with focusing on her studies. When Raj was ready, he would tell her whatever it was that weighed so heavily on his mind.

  Chapter 20

  “Close the door,” Andersen said as Dara entered his office. She tried not to let her surprise show. Her being in his office wasn’t unusual, but this was the first time he had asked her to close his door with her inside.

  She did as he instructed and he held a hand out, indicating that she should have a seat. Sitting across from her, he folded his hands over his desk and fixed her with a piercing gaze, offering her a reptilian smile.

  “I have a project for you,” he said.

  “What is it, sir?” she asked, stylus held at the ready over her tablet. She braced herself for a stream of complicated instructions, long lists of tasks and materials.

  “I need you to examine Jasmine Shah’s research. She’s come up with numbers that I find quite concerning, numbers I intend to debunk.”

  Hoping her face didn’t reflect the shock she felt, Dara blinked and fought not to let her eyes widen. “It’s no problem to gather those reports for you, sir.”

  “I’ll need more than just the reports.” Staring at her as if she were under a microscope, he sat poised, waiting to see how she would react, and she struggled to keep her face neutral. “You’ll have to dig a bit deeper than that. Your father is in the accounting department, is he not?”

  The question was a front and she knew it. Andersen was well aware of where her father worked. He wanted to force her to draw the connecting line, and it killed her to have to go along with it. “Would you like me to speak to him, sir?”

  “I would.” Satisfaction flashed through his gaze and he sat back, putting a little distance between himself and Dara. She breathed a silent sigh of relief. “See what information you can gather. I’m sure it’s nothing, but I like to be prepared.”

  Reading between the lines wasn’t difficult. He was enlisting her to be his spy, but what was worse was that if she was caught, he would deny all involvement. There was no question about who would be believed in that situation. The power was all in his corner; he was the one who held the keys to her future, and it wouldn’t strike anyone as odd if she crossed a few lines in her attempts to please him. She doubted she would be the first to do so anyway, whether or not the others had done so willingly. She thought about Andersen’s old assistant, the one who had been exiled, and she wondered if that assistant had once been in the same position.

  Every cell in her body longed to tell him exactly what she thought of him and his plan, but she couldn’t. This was her chance to get deeper inside the man’s head, and she couldn’t afford to throw it away. That he was asking her to infiltrate Shah’s systems was enough to tell her he was worried, and it also sparked her interest. What could Shah have discovered that would be a matter of such concern for him? There had to be more to it than a simple cost analysis. Dara doubted he’d ever be this troubled over an obstacle that minor.

  I have to talk to Javier. I need to know what’s going on. I need to figure out why Andersen is so worried about him.

  “How much information would you like me to gather, sir?” she asked. She could tell by the gleam in his eyes that he understood the subtext of her question.

  “Everything,” he said, his voice lowering as a razor-sharp smile spread over his face. “You have one week to gather all the information you can find. Do not disappoint me.”

  “I won’t, sir.”

  “I will have other tasks for you, but this is to be your priority. Oh, and Dara, you are to tell no one about this, not even your father. Find a way to pose any questions to him as innocently as possible. I would be very displeased if I were to discover that I’d shown my hand.”

  “I’ll protect your business interests at all cost, sir,” she replied, injecting some fervor into her voice in an attempt to sell it.

  Andersen appeared to have bought her show of devotion. “That is all.”

  “May I get you any coffee before your meeting?”

  “No. I have important business to attend to and am not to be disturbed before then. I’ll let you know if I require anything else.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Leaving the office with crisp steps, she sat at her terminal and began to gather preliminary data. It wouldn’t look strange for her to access the accounting reports. Everyone would expect Andersen to prepare a rebuttal to them. No matter how small the project, it was something of a game for Contributors to engage in these skirmishes. It was important that each Contributor marked his or her territory, and life in the domes was a constant battle for one-upsmanship. She needn’t worry about doing her homework in this area.

  However, conducting the other types of research he wanted would be impossible from inside headquarters. Getting beyond the firewalls would require basic hacking skills, and by asking her to gather information for him, Andersen provided himself with an opportunity to gather additional information on her. The interviews were one thing, and as odious as it was that he encouraged his assistants to use their friends and family for information, she knew he harbored more sinister hopes. He would be pleased if she dug up dirt for him, but he would know how she had obtained it, and he would store the information away as future insurance.

  She was walking a tightrope, and if she wasn’t careful she’d take a plunge. She needed him to believe she was his devoted servant, so she would have to gather some of what he wanted. But she also had to be sure that whatever she did was in keeping with the naive image she’d been cultivating. If what she gathered appeared too clever, too shrewd, he would know that she was playing him. His finding out that she had more going on in her head than he’d suspected was unacceptable. She needed him to continue to think of her as guileless and easily manipulated.

  Afraid to show any outward sign of stress lest someone in engineering notice, she chewed on her already ragged inner cheek. She didn’t intend to keep her father in the dark about what she was doing, and he might have suggestions for her, but she would need to speak to Letizia as well. Letizia would know how to handle this in a way that pleased Andersen but also maintained Dara’s cover. Letizia always knew what to do.

  Chapter 21

  “You don’t think anyone
saw you?” Dara asked as Letizia hurried into her apartment later that evening.

  At their last training session, Raj had provided her with a device she could use to exchange brief messages with Letizia. They still had to be careful, still had to use a code in case their devices were found, or in case someone stumbled across the signal, but it made communicating a lot easier than the methods they had been employing up to that point. The Free Thinkers’ array of handy tools and toys startled Dara, and she knew there was more to the group than anyone had told her, but she pushed the thought aside temporarily. She had to attend to the more pressing issue of Andersen’s request.

  “I don’t think so, but that doesn’t mean no one did,” Letizia said.

  “I’ll say she was here to speak to me, if anyone asks,” Joshua said. He sat on the couch in the living room, tea things spread out over the table, surrounded by tablets. He and Dara had been scouring accounting reports for the past hour. “Adams needed some numbers from your group, so it would give me the appearance of being proactive.”

  “I’ll get those numbers to you either way. It’s best if you seem as though you’re wholly absorbed in your work.”

  Joshua nodded. “I know there have been rumors about me.” Letizia didn’t deny it, and he winced. “I should have done a better job of keeping my feelings about Leona under wraps.”

  Anger heated Dara’s cheeks. “You’re not a robot, Dad.”

  “I know, and that’s what’s going to get me into trouble. It’ll get you into trouble too.”

  She opened her mouth to protest but Letizia cut her off. “Your father is right. Your position is far more precarious than mine or his. You have to be careful.”

  “I have been, believe me. You have no idea how many times I’ve been tempted to punch Andersen, but so far I haven’t been taken in for assault, have I?” Dara shot back.

  “Let’s keep it that way. And I do have some idea, you know,” Letizia said, the corners of her mouth quirking.

  Shoulders slumping as the tension ran out of her, Dara waved her hand at the living area and Letizia took a seat in a chair next to the couch. Joshua offered her tea, which she accepted in a gratified tone. She looked worn out, and Dara felt a flash of guilt that she hadn’t even asked her former master how she was doing.

  “I can’t stay long,” Letizia said, setting the tea aside. She glanced at the tablet Joshua was holding and he handed it to her. “Financial reports?” she asked, raising a brow.

  Including any details about the purpose of the meeting had been too risky, so all Dara had written was, “Have you had a productive day?” It was a code Letizia had used with the Free Thinkers, and Raj had been right when he’d told Dara that Letizia would understand it meant Dara had an urgent need to see her. Dara had sent the message just before she and her father had settled down with the financial reports.

  Giving Letizia a brief recap of her conversation with Andersen, Dara showed her former master what she and her father had so far gathered. “I need your advice about what information I should give him. I don’t want him thinking I’m too clever.”

  “That’s smart. Andersen has always underestimated you, despite that he knows you’re a crack engineer. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but I’m glad that’s the way it played out when you were my apprentice. He knows I represent a possible threat, but he has no idea that you do as well. I’d have known if he did.”

  The oblique praise provoked an absurd burst of pride in Dara. As much as it might chafe her to know that Andersen thought she was his pawn, it made her feel better to know Letizia had confidence in her abilities.

  “I’ve told Dara what I know,” Joshua said. “It’s little enough, but there are a few tidbits Andersen might find interesting. I thought it sounded innocent enough.” He handed Dara’s work tablet to Letizia, and she read over the notes Dara had made about her questions to her father.

  “Shah has met several times with Javier, and Shah has also had a closed-door meeting with Head of Accounting Adams,” Letizia said, her voice musing.

  “I’m worried about this, Letizia. Andersen has Jasmine Shah in his sights, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I understand they have a long-standing feud. But if I continue to implicate Javier, Andersen will try to take him down as well, and I’ll be partially responsible—for both of them,” Dara said, spitting the words. She pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear with trembling fingers.

  “I know this isn’t easy on you, Dara, but trust us, okay? You know Mal is keeping an eye on all this. He won’t let anything bad happen. If you want out, say the word.”

  Blowing out a breath, Dara got up from her chair and paced the room a couple of times. “I know. It’s just… I knew I’d have to do things that wouldn’t sit well with me, but now that I’m dealing with the reality of it…” She raised her hands in a helpless gesture.

  Joshua’s face hardened, and he stared Letizia down. “I’m grateful to you and your friends for helping my wife, but I’m concerned about what you’re asking of my daughter. Are you aware of the toll this is taking on her?”

  “I am, Mr. Morrow. I’m even more aware than most.” Letizia’s voice was gentle, and consciousness flickered in Joshua’s eyes, but his face didn’t soften.

  “It’s okay, Dad. I chose this, remember? I know you want to protect me, but don’t take it out on Letizia. It’s not her fault Andersen asked this of me. At least I have someone to turn to. Imagine what this would have been like if I’d had no one to help me out.”

  “You’re right. I’m taking my frustrations out on the wrong people.” Her father sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face.

  “We have to deal with this situation. There is no other choice. Agonizing like this will get us nowhere, and doing so makes us run the risk of letting our emotions show. We can’t afford that,” Letizia said, sounding more like the master Dara remembered.

  “All right, then. Let’s get to it,” Dara said, taking her seat again.

  Focus on the data, and maybe you can get through this.

  Chapter 22

  After a week of digging, it became clear what Shah’s angle was. She had somehow gotten hold of details Dara hadn’t yet seen, and she had run different reports and scenarios until she came to the conclusion that what had been presented was only a small portion of what Andersen had planned. The numbers didn’t add up and were too far off to be the result of a simple miscalculation. Shah had also managed to gain access to some of his personal records, and she seemed to believe that he was double-crossing Magnum. According to her speculations, he had given Magnum enough information to entice them, but not enough to reveal the full scope of his project. She had made a detailed accounting of how many times he had been in contact with other Creators, and had come to the conclusion that he was making the same offer to Fosset Tech, hoping to jump from Magnum to Fosset as a high-ranking Creator.

  “It’s absurd,” Letizia scoffed when she first read Dara’s report. They analyzed the information Shah had gathered, ran her numbers themselves, and tried to follow her logic. Still, for as much intel as they’d managed to obtain, there were gaps in their knowledge. No matter how deeply they dug, they were unable to fill them.

  “Will the data miners be able to find more?” Dara asked. Shah was way off base, she was sure of it. Andersen was merciless, but was he mercenary? No doubt his own self-interest was first and foremost in his mind, but his own self-interest had always involved doing everything he could to make himself a shining star at Magnum. Could he really be planning to betray his Creator?

  “I hope so.” Letizia frowned. “If this is his plan, it can’t be new. He had to have been working on it for years, and I should have seen the signs. What if I missed something? What if I misread him?”

  “I guess anything is possible.” Dara didn’t want to compound Letizia’s fears, but there was no sense in lying about it. They had to allow for the possibility that they’d been headed in the wrong direction as far as An
dersen was concerned. “But it’s also possible that none of this is true. Maybe it’s all a setup, Shah’s gambit at taking him down.”

  “That’s possible too.” Sighing, Letizia set her tablet aside and rubbed her forehead. “There’s nothing more we can do. We don’t have all the information we need. We’ll have to hope the data miners can uncover more, and that they can do it in time. We need to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late.”

  Dara tossed and turned that night. It had been on the tip of her tongue to ask Letizia what the Free Thinkers would do with the information, but she knew the answer. They would observe and gather information, but they couldn’t afford to expose themselves. If they suspected Shah and Javier were dirty, the Free Thinkers would let them take the fall. Relocating someone like Javier, someone they suspected might have an agenda, wouldn’t be an option.

  Knowing this was what the Free Thinkers had to do didn’t make her feel any better. The deeper she got, the more difficult it became for her to separate the good guys from the bad guys. Implicating Andersen for something he wasn’t doing was reprehensible, but he wasn’t a good man. She supposed it would be justice of a sort if he were taken into custody, even for a crime he hadn’t committed, but how was that any better than what the Creators did? Was this the only sort of justice that was possible in the domes, and what did it say about the Free Thinkers if they sat back and allowed it to happen?

  The next morning she had to drag herself from her bed. I could leave, she thought. I could ask to be relocated with my family, live out my life without getting involved in any of this. It was hard to resist the temptation.

  When she got to headquarters she submitted her report to Andersen, poking her head into his office after she’d sent it to let him know it was ready, but he’d obviously already received it. His eyes gleamed as he studied his tablet, his grip on the device telling her he was riveted. He raised a hand in acknowledgment of her but was too engrossed to answer, and she withdrew, closing the door behind her.