by Alex Siegel
"Then maybe he should do fewer interviews. We don't need the publicity. Soulfriends sells itself very well. At this rate, we'll dominate the United States by the summer."
"He's the CEO of a rapidly growing company," Conway said. "If he blows off the media, it will look suspicious."
Ice sighed loudly. "What questions is he having a problem with?"
"Reporters want to know about the secret algorithms that make Soulfriends so successful."
"That information is proprietary. They have no right to ask about it."
"Yes," Conway said, "but it doesn't stop them from doing it. Terman is supposed to be the genius founder of a high-tech company, but he comes off like a boob whenever the conversation gets technical. The whole charade isn't working very well. You should've picked a guy who at least had an engineering degree."
"I chose him because he's charismatic and easy to control. His world revolves around money. He just needs to learn his lines better."
"People have limitations. You can't just order them to be smarter."
"I'm painfully aware of that fact," Ice said angrily.
"You're not perfect, either. You needed help to create Soulfriends."
Marina leaned forward. This is interesting, she thought.
"A little help," Ice admitted quietly.
"What was her name again?" Conway said.
"Rebecca."
"I can't believe she never came forward and asked for a piece of the action. You could end up as one of the most influential men on the planet, and she'll get nothing but a warm, fuzzy feeling. Even you have to admit that's unfair. She contributed the key ideas. She's the real genius behind the real genius. Without her, none of this would've happened."
"She's busy with graduate school," Ice said. "She doesn't have time for the corporate rat race right now. She has bigger things on her mind than money. After she gets her doctorate, I'll give her a nice, cushy job and a big pile of stock options. I won't forget what she did for me."
"I've never seen you show gratitude before."
"Rebecca is different. She understands me. I like her."
"But you've never actually met her," Conway said.
"We communicate electronically."
"You'll need to actually meet her in person at some point, certainly before you hire her. Stanford University is just down the highway. You could have lunch together."
"It's not necessary," Ice said.
"Are you afraid to meet a woman?"
"No! It's just not necessary. Intellectual communication doesn't require physical proximity. As the CFO of a social media company, you should understand that."
"Yes," Conway said, "but sometimes a little physical proximity is useful. When I negotiate with a guy, I like to look him in the eye."
"That's a stupid attitude. This conversation is over. Bye."
Marina heard footsteps.
The tape clicked.
She smiled at Ipo and Hanley. "Bingo."
She got up and walked across headquarters. Min Ho had already gone home, and she couldn't blame him. It was ten o'clock at night. Jia was still working though, and Marina went straight to her.
"Thanks for sticking it out with us," Marina said.
"No problem, ma'am," Jia said.
The Chinese girl was wearing a cute, yellow dress suitable for a teenager instead of a grown woman. Yellow plastic barrettes shaped like bowties held her hair back.
"We're looking for a graduate student at Stanford named Rebecca."
Jia typed on her computer for a minute. Ipo and Hanley joined the conversation.
"I found three, ma'am," Jia said. "One in the Department of History, one in the School of Education, and one in the Department of Psychology."
Marina furrowed her brow. "No engineers?"
"No, ma'am."
"That's odd. I suppose the psychologist is our best bet. Do a quick background check."
Jia typed some more. Her fingers were remarkably quick and light on the keyboard.
"Rebecca Barnes," she said. "Twenty-three years-old. Grew up in Las Vegas. Went to Rice University as an undergrad."
"What degree?"
"Computer science."
Marina grinned. "A psychologist and a software developer. Just what we're looking for. Go on."
"She's been a straight 'A' student her whole life," Jia said. "Otherwise, nothing jumps out. No criminal record. She lives in an apartment in Palo Alto."
"We definitely want to talk to her." Marina turned to Ipo and Hanley. "Let's go."
"Now, ma'am?" Ipo said. "But everybody else has gone home. We can't leave Jia alone in headquarters at night. She can barely handle a gun, and there is no security system. Just abandoning the place doesn't seem right, either."
Hanley nodded. "I have to agree with Ipo, ma'am. We need some sleep if nothing else. I respectfully suggest we wait until morning. Rebecca will still be there."
Marina clenched her jaw. The next step in this investigation was right in front of her, but her legionnaires were correct.
She sighed. "I suppose I have no choice. We'll wait until morning. Everybody can go home. I'll stay here tonight in my nice, new bed and guard headquarters."
"While you're asleep?" Ipo said.
"If somebody breaks in, the noise should wake me up. I'm a very light sleeper. It's better than staying up all night and being a wreck tomorrow. Dismissed."
"Wait," Jia said, "before I go, I have something else to say. I've been doing a lot of research on the Soulfriends Network."
"I hope you haven't been actually using the site."
"No, ma'am. Just reading what other people say about it. The key to the whole thing seems to be the matching algorithm."
"Which is what?" Marina said.
"The Soulfriends Network picks your friends according to your psychological profile, but the details of that algorithm are top secret. There is a lot of speculation on the internet about how it works, but nobody outside the company knows for sure. It seems to work amazingly well though. Everybody on the network raves about how much they love their new friends."
"And that's the problem. Those new relationships are destroying existing ones. We'll definitely ask Rebecca about the algorithm tomorrow. She should know the secret. Now go to sleep. We all need some rest."
"Yes, ma'am." Jia stood up. "Good night."
* * *
Marina looked around. "I love this campus," she said. "It's so... academic."
She, Ipo, and Hanley were walking through the Stanford University campus. Bright, morning sunlight drenched immaculate lawns and lush, old trees. The wide pathways were paved with bricks or flagstones. The buildings were made of big stones which reminded Marina of an old church. Broad archways invited pedestrians to walk along the shaded galleries.
"Did you go to college, ma'am?" Ipo said.
"Yes, Illinois State, which wasn't nearly as nice as this. I got a degree in civil engineering."
"Really?" He smiled. "It's hard to imagine you as a civil engineer."
"I wanted to try something new. I graduated, but I wouldn't say I was a star pupil. I fought with my instructors a lot."
They entered Jordan Hall where the Psychology Department was located. The hallway inside was clean, wide, and well lit. Marina felt a little jealous of the students who were privileged enough to study here.
The team went up to the second floor, and after wandering for a while, they found Rebecca Barnes' office. Rebecca was seated at a desk, and she looked like a pleasant, young woman. She was wearing a green pant-suit which was a bit formal. Dirty blonde hair framed a pale, thin face. Her glasses had wire frames.
Another female graduate student was in the office, but Marina ignored her.
"You're under arrest," Marina said. "Come with us quietly."
The Spears had put on the Santa Clara County deputy costumes again. The uniforms were dingy from all the hiking and sweating yesterday, but there hadn't been time to clean them.
"What?" Rebecca
said in a high voice. "Why?"
"We'll explain at the station. Let's go."
Ipo went forward and yanked Rebecca out of her chair. He quickly cuffed her hands behind her back. The girl looked terrified and close to tears.
Ipo and Hanley bracketed Rebecca on both sides as she was hustled away. Marina trailed a couple of paces behind and watched for trouble. Rebecca was sobbing openly by the time they left the building. Bystanders watched her curiously.
The group walked briskly to a nearby parking lot. Getting a real police car had been too much trouble, so they had brought an ordinary van instead. Ipo got into the driver's seat, Hanley sat in the middle with Rebecca, and Marina went to the back.
The commander drew her gun in case of trouble. "Drive," she ordered.
* * *
Another interrogation, Marina thought, another visit to the Santa Cruz Mountains. This investigation had grown very tiresome, but she was hopeful they would finally get some answers.
The four of them were walking through the woods high in the mountains. The trees were particularly tall and impressive in this area. She recognized some as redwoods, and they overshadowed the rest. The scent of pine tickled her nose. The heavy tree cover had the nice benefit of limiting the vegetation on the ground, making it easier to walk, but the trees also blocked the sunlight, and Marina was chilled. In her eagerness to get to Stanford quickly, she had forgotten to bring a coat.
"That's far enough," she said. "Nobody will hear us."
Rebecca was shivering. Her hands were still cuffed behind her back, and Ipo and Hanley guarded her on two sides. She wasn't going anywhere.
"What do you want from me?" Rebecca wept. "Are you really the police?"
"It doesn't matter who we are," Marina said. "We have questions, and you're going to provide the answers. Tell us about Soulfriends."
"What?" Rebecca's eyes widened. "The social media company?"
"Yes."
"I've heard about it. Some of my friends use it."
"According to our information," Marina said, "you helped create the company."
Rebecca shook her head. "No. Why do you think that?"
"We got it on tape. You know Ice Crusher, right?"
Rebecca stared blankly.
"Don't give me that look." Marina nodded to Ipo. "Hurt her."
The big man grabbed Rebecca's thin arm and squeezed.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" she screeched. "You're breaking my arm! I don't know what you're talking about!"
Ipo released her.
"You're a psychologist and a computer scientist," Marina yelled in Rebecca's face. "That combination of skills is exactly what was needed to create a monstrosity like Soulfriends. Ice Crusher mentioned you by name." Marina drew a knife from her sleeve and placed the sharp tip against Rebecca's throat. "Talk to me."
"I can't," Rebecca blubbered. "I wish I could help you. Please, don't hurt me."
Marina smelled fresh urine.
She stepped back and nodded to Ipo. "Again."
He punched Rebecca in the stomach. She doubled over and wheezed like an old man. Then she vomited onto the dirt.
"I'm still waiting for answers," Marina said. "Tell me about the matching algorithm."
Rebecca looked up, and Marina saw pain, terror, and innocence on that pale face. There was no possibility of deception.
Marina sighed with frustration. She knows nothing. Marina put Rebecca to sleep with a quick shot of venom.
"Pick her up," Marina said. "We'll take her back to civilization and leave her someplace safe."
"Then what?" Hanley said.
"I suppose we'll go back to headquarters. We need a new plan. This investigation is such a pain in the ass."
Chapter Twenty
Marina walked into headquarters and looked around. Min Ho and Jia were back at their computer workstations. Corrie was analyzing samples using some chemistry equipment. Marina didn't see Imelda, but a hammering sound was coming from the far side of headquarters. It seemed Imelda was working on the new bathroom.
Katie was seated on the couch in front of the television. She still had a huge bandage on her left shoulder, and her left arm was in a sling, but otherwise, she seemed healthy. Her shooting hand still worked which was the important thing. She was responsible for protecting headquarters.
Marina walked over to see what Katie was watching on television. It was a recording of the tournament that had happened at the recent Society convention in Wisconsin. Marina had fought in that tournament, but she had lost in the second round.
Ipo and Hanley also came over. The group watched a match between Jennifer, a legionnaire from Oklahoma City, and Jermaine, from Boston. Jennifer was a ferocious fighter, and she also had the gift of vomiting black, sticky tar. She could cover her opponents with the stuff and effectively immobilize them. Jermaine had the ability to refract light with his skin like a human prism. He could instantly change his skin color at will and also blind his enemies with focused bursts of light. On top of that, he was a huge, tough man.
Marina remembered this fight, but she enjoyed seeing it again. Jermaine danced around nimbly to avoid blasts of tar coming from Jennifer. When she paused to recharge, he shot beams of intense white light at her eyes. Then he took her down with a spinning kick which sent her sliding across the floor.
Marina noticed Ipo and Hanley staring with expressions of disbelief.
"Oh," she said, "you guys never saw this. It was an amazing tournament. We'll all watch it together after this mission is done."
"He almost killed her!" Hanley said.
"We were playing very rough. Two supernatural healers patched us up after every fight. Smythe and Odelia. They're the guys who healed your knee, but I doubt you'll ever meet them again. Smythe is in Chicago, and Odelia is in Los Angeles."
"I saw you fight, ma'am," Katie said. "It was insane."
Marina smiled. "It was an interesting day. Turn off the TV. We need to have a meeting."
She and her legionnaires sat on plush couches and chairs in the living room area. Marina leaned back against the soft, blue fabric.
"What happened with Rebecca Barnes?" Katie said.
"It was a waste of time," Marina said. "We let her go. I don't think we have many options at this point. We have to go back to Soulfriends and tear the place apart until we find the truth."
"I think that's a bad idea, ma'am," Hanley said. "We don't know what we're looking for, and if we saw it, we might not recognize it. None of us are software engineers. We could spend all day there and still come up empty, not that they would let us. Soulfriends has tight security. We don't even know if Ice Crusher is there. He could be working remotely."
"I hate it when you destroy my fun with a reasonable argument."
"Sorry."
She snarled. "I have to point out another inconvenient fact. We don't have any proof an enemy of God is behind this, so we have to tread lightly. What we did to Terman probably crossed the line or at least smudged it."
"What kind of proof is acceptable?" Hanley said.
"Scientific is best. Supernatural entities generate a special kind of radiation which leaves residual traces. If we suspect one appeared, we can collect evidence and test it in the lab. A positive result is conclusive proof, but unfortunately, it's not always possible. Often, they don't manifest in an obvious, physical way."
"Then what do we do?"
"Talk to the people directly involved," Marina said. "Ice Crusher, in this case. We find out what he saw and heard, and we use our judgment. My experience with other missions tells me this one is real though. The song may change, but the dance stays the same. If we keep looking, I'm sure we'll eventually prove I'm right, but until then, the body count must be kept to a minimum." She paused. "Wait. I remember something Bill Conway said on one of the tapes. Soulfriends is a miserable place to work."
"So?"
She stood up and hustled over to Min Ho. The hacker was tapping away on his keyboard.
"Hey," Marina said.
He twitched and looked up at her. "Oh! Hi, ma'am. You're so quiet."
"We downloaded a ton of data from Soulfriends the other day. Did that include personal emails?"
"Some," he said.
"Great. Find the unhappiest engineer in the place. We're looking for one who might be willing to sell us inside information because he hates the company."
"Just give me a little while," Min Ho said.
Marina smiled and returned to her legionnaires.
"What was that about, ma'am?" Ipo said.
"We're going to get what we need the old-fashioned way," she said. "We're going to buy it. We should've done this earlier. While we're waiting for Min Ho to produce a name, let's spar."
* * *
Marina watched Ipo and Hanley settle into fighting stances at opposite ends of the blue mats. The two legionnaires were wearing white karate uniforms with gray belts.
"Go!" Marina said.
Ipo flew forward. He was obviously using his gift to make himself much lighter and therefore quicker. Hanley was ready and braced himself for the onslaught.
Ipo came in with a flying kick aimed at Hanley's head. Hanley ducked underneath the attack and tried to sweep Ipo's supporting leg. Ipo had anticipated this response and was already reaching out to grab Hanley and pull him down. Hanley twisted nimbly to avoid being grabbed. Ipo landed and rolled back to his feet with an expression of surprise. The entire exchange had taken two seconds.
"Nice," Marina told Hanley.
"Yes," Ipo said. "I thought I had you."
Hanley smiled and bowed slightly.
He's learning very fast, Marina thought. His training won't take long at this rate.
"Ma'am!" Min Ho yelled from the other side of headquarters. "I have a name for you."
She jogged over to him.
He pointed at a window on his computer screen. "Jim Liu. He's a very talented software developer and a very unhappy employee of Soulfriends. His personnel file lists several disciplinary actions for violating the company's strange rules."
"What rules?" Marina said.
"For example, lunch can only be eaten between noon and 1 PM. Only three trips to the restroom are allowed per day. All meetings must be between twenty-six and twenty-eight minutes long."