He offers the tray, and Hank and Seb reach out hesitantly, taking a glass each. “Thanks, er…” Hank checks, but the man isn’t wearing a name badge.
The man smiles and says, “Chris. Chris Logan. I’m a final year student here.”
“Hi, I’m Hank. And this is Seb. We just got in. From the States.”
“I know,” Chris says. “You’re the last to arrive. The flights from France and Germany arrived earlier and some people tend to break the journey in Europe, so they’re already here as well.”
“Are you from the US?” Seb asks.
Chris raises an eyebrow. “I get that a lot, but I’m from Canada. I guess my accent is all over the place. My mom says I sound more British every time I call. But hey, when you’ve been here a while, you’ll see that where you come from doesn’t really matter.”
“It sure is a melting pot,” Seb says. “I must’ve heard half a dozen languages spoken since I walked in the room.” He gives Chris a smile. “Bringing all these folks in from around the world—it must take one hell of a lot of effort.”
Chris nods. “The Trust has plenty of resources. But remember, we’re just the lucky few. There’s a ton of students who don’t get this far. They get taken on by the Trust but they stay in their home countries. Sure, they do valuable work, but the other centers…” He pauses and looks around the room. “They’re not Northridge.”
“You like it here?” Hank asks.
Chris turns his eyes on him, his dark eyebrows gathered in a frown. “This is home. There’s no other place like it in the world, and there’s certainly nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Sure. I didn’t mean anything. I was just making conversation.” Hank takes a sip of his drink and looks away. The wine is cold and the bubbles explode on his tongue. He swallows it down and the crisp, dry taste stays in his mouth. He’s had champagne before, or he thinks he has, but this is something else. This must be the good stuff.
“I’d better take the drinks around,” Chris says. “Enjoy yourselves. But I wouldn’t drink too fast if I were you—you’re going to need your wits about you this evening.” He gives them a smile then moves across the room, approaching a group of young men. As the men stand aside to let him through, Hank sees a familiar face at the center of the crowd: Garrick, holding court, waving his hand in the air as he entertains his hangers-on with some story or other. As Hank watches, Garrick puts his empty glass on Chris’s tray and takes another, but he doesn’t even glance at Chris, nor does he acknowledge him in any way.
“That guy,” Seb says, his eyes flicking toward Garrick. “I saw him on the plane. What an asshole.”
“Yeah.” Hank looks at Seb. “Forget about him. Don’t waste your time.” He turns around and studies the food on the table. “This is all kind of fancy. I don’t know what half this stuff is.”
“Beats me. I thought British food was supposed to be plain. But you know what?” He flashes Hank a grin. “I’d kill for a burger and fries right now.”
“Me too,” Hank says. They share a laugh, and when Hank takes another sip of his wine, the bubbles aren’t quite so startling. He holds the wine in his mouth, savoring the taste before he swallows, and already the alcohol is running through his veins. He takes another, longer drink. “You know, this stuff isn’t bad.”
“Yeah,” Seb says, and his cheeks are a little flushed. “I could get used to this.” His eyes light on something on the table and he snatches up a small, triangular sandwich and studies it closely. “Hey, I think this is pastrami.” He takes a bite, chewing it carefully, then he smiles. “No. It’s roast beef or something. But it’s good. You should try it.”
“All right,” Hank says. He grabs a sandwich. But just as he begins to eat, a woman’s voice rises above the background noise.
“Excuse me. If I could just have your attention for a couple of minutes. Thank you.”
Everyone falls silent. Angela is standing near the bottom of the grand staircase that curves elegantly upward at the far end of the room, and she wastes no time, speaking slowly with a clarity that cuts across the room, although she doesn’t appear to be raising her voice. “Welcome to Northridge House. For those of you who don’t already know me, I’m Angela Rosalyn, the head of faculty at Northridge. Our principal, Bradley Cameron, would normally welcome you, but he’s been unavoidably detained this evening. Anyway, I won’t bore you with a long speech, so try not to look too worried.” She pauses as a ripple of restrained laughter runs through the room. “Some of you have traveled a long way, but no matter where you’ve come from, you’ve all made a personal journey to be here today. That step, that bold decision you took to join us, was a huge turning point for all of you. But amazing though it was, it was only the first step—the first step on a path of learning, of discovery, of exploration that will take you anywhere you want to go. Where that path leads is up to you, but the only way you’ll succeed is by working in partnership with each other. I know that a lot of you have what we might call competitive tendencies, and that’s fine with us.” She smiles and there are a few appreciative murmurs in the crowd. “But I want to get this clear right from the outset. The staff are here to support and guide you, but you’re responsible for your learning here, not us. This isn’t a conventional place of learning, and it takes some getting used to. But it will help you to find your feet if you understand that collaboration is at the heart of everything we do here. So whatever your differences, you’ll need to work together.” She looks around the room, and her gaze settles on Hank as if she’s speaking directly to him. “In fact, it’s safe to say that if you can’t embrace that ethos of mutual support, then you won’t be successful at Northridge.” She breaks eye contact and gives the crowd a smile. “But that’s enough of a lecture for today. Tomorrow, we’ll start work in earnest and you’ll see for yourselves how the place works. We expect a lot from you, but we’re not here to push you. You’ll do that for yourselves. We’re a friendly bunch, and you can go to any of the staff here for help at any time. And you’ll also have a mentor, who will introduce themselves to you—they’ll show you the ropes. So in the meantime, enjoy the evening. Mingle and relax. In a little while, we’ll take you through a brief orientation exercise, but before that, we’ll be issuing you all with a goody bag.” There are more murmurs from the crowd. “Everybody loves a goody bag,” Angela says. “And on that happy note, I’ll leave you to enjoy yourselves.” She raises her hand in a friendly wave, then she steps down from the stairs and Hank loses sight of her.
“Hey, Hank,” Seb says, “I wonder what they’re going to give us.” Seb bolts his sandwich and picks up another. “Ten bucks says it’s a tablet. Or a laptop.”
“I have no idea,” Hank says. “Maybe it’s shampoo and toothpaste.”
Seb’s face falls. “Oh man! Seriously?”
Hank laughs and takes another glug of champagne. “I have no idea, Seb. In this place, it could be anything.”
CHAPTER 29
SANJAY TAKES A SEAT AT THE LONG TABLE and stares at its polished surface. The last time she visited this phony boardroom scenario, Sue Derrick dismissed her out of hand. But that isn’t going to happen today. She checks her status indicators. The avatar hack is still working perfectly. As far as anyone else is concerned, she looks and sounds exactly like the player who calls himself Rhombus. And since Sue must know that this avatar belongs to Marcus Holst, she’ll listen to whatever Sanjay has to say. And if Sue has any sense at all, she’ll do what she’s told.
The door opens and Sanjay looks up. Sue walks in then stops dead when she sees Sanjay. “Marcus! What’s up? Why are you using that damned thing?”
Sanjay sits up straight. “What? What are you talking about?”
Sue waves her hand in the air. “Your avatar. Rhombus or whatever you call it. You don’t need that. Not with me.”
Sanjay’s chest tightens. Her mouth is dry. She stands up and walks over to the window, making a show of looking outside.
Sue follows in her
footsteps, standing close. “Are you…are you still mad at me?”
“No. I can use my own goddamned avatar if I want, can’t I?”
“Of course you can. It just seems a little weird, that’s all.” Sue puts her hand on Sanjay’s arm. “The last time we talked…things got kind of heated. And I’m sorry. I’ve been under a lot of pressure. And I said some things I regret. But I’ve been trying to get hold of you. Where have you been?”
Sanjay shrugs her arm free from Sue’s gentle grip and takes a step back, still focusing on the view outside the window. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh. OK. I just wanted to say—”
Sanjay turns on her. “I said it doesn’t matter. Jesus Christ, Sue! You get so goddamned uptight all the time. Just let it go. We have more important things to talk about, all right?”
Sue stands in silence, blinking rapidly. She looks away for a second and her lips twitch as if she’s just about to cry.
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Sanjay moans. “Get it together, Sue. I haven’t got time for this.”
“You’re such an asshole, Marcus,” Sue says quietly, then she looks up. “I’ve been worried sick about you, and you treat me like this. My God, what an idiot I was to waste my time on you. I thought you had a vision, Marcus. I thought you were going somewhere. But ever since you switched projects, you’ve been like a different person. You know that? We were supposed to be a team, Marcus, but you spend every waking minute with Kwan or Eileen. And all I get is lame excuses. It’s pathetic.”
Sanjay stares at her. Eileen? Eileen Barber? Her mind reels, but a stone cold shiver of certainty runs through her body: Eileen Barber is Scarlett. It’s insane. It’s unbelievable. But it’s true. It has to be. Eileen must’ve picked Marcus out in her class, then used her Scarlett avatar to draw him in. Marcus must’ve been flattered, imagining that the glamorous Scarlett singled him out for his skills. But he was just a patsy, and too conceited to put the real picture together. Sanjay shakes her head. “Shut up, Sue,” she snaps. “You have no goddamned idea what you’re talking about.”
“No? Is that right?” Sue puts her hands on her hips and stands tall. “You’re so full of shit, Marcus. When we set up the Beta Program, we wanted to push the boundaries. But then you got caught up with all that cyberwarfare crap, and you just dropped off the map. It’s like all our hard work counts for nothing. And it’s not right, Marcus. It’s not right at all.”
Sanjay holds up her hands. “OK. OK. I get the message.” She takes a deep breath and gathers her thoughts. She needs to get Sue back on side, but she mustn’t stray too far from Marcus’s character, or Sue will be suspicious. She bows her head as if stung by Sue’s words, and when she speaks, she keeps her voice level. “I know I haven’t been around much, but I’m here now, aren’t I? And it’s the Beta Program I came to talk about.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes. Really. I wanted to make it up to you, but I guess we got off on the wrong foot.”
“You think?”
Sanjay tries an apologetic smile. It’s time to get things back on track. “Listen, I haven’t been there for you, Sue, and I’m sorry. So I wanted to do you a favor. I wanted to tell you about that girl. What’s her name—Sanjay?”
Sue stiffens. “Sanjay? What about her?”
“I looked over her stats and she’ll be a real asset to the Program—just what we need. It’s like you said—we want to push the boundaries, and we need players who can beat anyone. And you’ve only got to look at her last mission. She nailed it. And with players like that on the team, we’ll rock the world.”
“I don’t know. I looked over her record. Didn’t it seem too good to be true? I’ve got to tell you, it rang alarm bells for me.”
“OK,” Sanjay says slowly. “You’re right to be cautious. But how about we give her a trial run? That way, you can see how she performs. And you can watch her every step of the way. If anything isn’t right, you’ll spot it straight away. I know you will.”
Sue hesitates. “Maybe you’re right. But why is it up to me to watch her? Won’t you be there too?”
“Sure. Maybe. If I can make it, I’ll be there. But you know, I have an assignment and the deadline’s pretty close so…”
“You never change, Marcus. You’re hopeless. When are you going to get yourself organized?”
“I don’t know. I’ll do OK. But what do you think about Sanjay? Will you give her a chance?”
Sue purses her lips. “All right. One mission. But no more. Not until we can be sure she checks out.”
Sanjay smiles. “Great. Thanks, Sue. I knew you’d be cool about it.”
“I just hope I don’t live to regret it. I’ll arrange a meeting and I’ll give her the good news.”
“No need for that,” Sanjay says quickly. “I’ll tell her in person. After all, we’re in the same time zone over here so it’s easier.”
“Suits me,” Sue says. “But listen, Marcus, be careful what you say. Make sure you tell her it’s just a trial run for one mission only. But don’t give too much away. I still don’t trust her. Not yet.”
“OK. I’ll be careful.” Sanjay hesitates. “And I’ll tell her you’ll be in touch shall I?”
“Yes. Tell Sanjay I’ll send her a message with instructions, and we’ll take it from there. She’ll hear from me when I’m good and ready, and not one second before. But lay it out for her, Marcus. Make sure she knows who’s in charge.”
“I’ll do that, Sue,” Sanjay says with a smile. “I’ll make that very clear indeed.”
CHAPTER 30
HANK STANDS IN LINE WITH SEB. In the grand hall, the tables have been cleared of food and now the new students are standing in orderly lines, according to their country of origin, chatting in small groups as they wait.
“How long do you think this will take?” Seb asks.
Hank shrugs. “Not too long. All they’ve got to do is hand out our welcome pack and tell us which group we’re in for this exercise everyone keeps talking about.”
“Yeah. I wonder what they’ll get us to do.” Seb gives Hank a sideways look. “Do you think we’ll be in the same group?”
“I have no idea. I just wish they’d get on with it. I’m ready to hit the sack.”
“Me too.” Seb hesitates. “Looks like they intend to work us pretty hard.”
“Yeah,” Hank says. “I guess it can’t all be champagne and fancy food.”
Seb laughs until Hank nudges him with his arm.
“Look out, Seb. We’re up next.”
As the students in front of them stand aside, clutching black leather cases, Seb and Hank step forward to the long table. Sitting opposite, a middle-aged man with close-cropped hair raises his head. “Now, who have we here?” He consults a tablet on the table in front of him, mumbling under his breath, and from his accent, Hank guesses the man must be from somewhere in the Midwest.
“Hi,” Hank says, but the man holds up a hand to cut him off.
“OK,” the man says. “I met Sebastian earlier, so you must be Hank.” He holds out his hand to Hank for a shake. “Nice to finally meet you, son. I’m Jed Norman.”
Hank shakes Jed’s hand uncertainly. “Thanks. But, how do you mean, finally?”
Jed smiles, and though his expression is genial enough, his sharp eyes lock onto Hank’s with a laser-like intensity. “What’s that, son?”
Hank pauses, thinking, Man, it’s like I just got called into the Principal’s office. But he has to answer, has to say what’s on his mind. “You said finally like you were expecting me or something.”
Jed’s smile doesn’t falter, but neither does his piercing stare. “Just a turn of phrase, young man. Just making conversation with a fellow countryman. Nothing to get in a sweat about.”
“Sorry,” Hank says. “I didn’t mean…I’m just kind of jet-lagged I guess.”
Jed purses his lips then turns his attention to Seb. “Did your friend here sip a little too much cha
mpagne?”
“No, sir,” Seb says. He smiles and holds out his hand. “Nice to see you again, sir.”
Jed shakes Seb’s hand. “Likewise. And just so you know, while I always like to meet young folks with such nice manners, the deal around here is that we’re all on first name terms. All right?”
“Oh, sure,” Seb says. “Sorry, I forgot.”
“No need to apologize, young man,” Jed says breezily. “No need at all.” He looks down at his tablet. “Right. Says here you two are meant to go your separate ways, but if I just…” He breaks off then swipes his fingers across the screen. “There. I’ve put you two in the same group for the time being.” He gives them a smile. “Normally, we’d expect you to work with anyone and everyone, but hey, this is your first day, and sometimes it helps to see a friendly face.”
“Thanks, Jed,” Seb says. “Appreciate it.”
Jed waves his thanks aside. “You’ll need to hotfoot it across to the main buildings.” He points across the room to the main entrance. “Someone will be waiting at the door and they’ll take you over. But just in case you get lost on the way, the place you need is called the Learning Hub. You can’t miss it, but if you hear bagpipes and see a guy in a kilt you’ve gone too far.”
Hank and Seb exchange a look, unsure what to say.
“Just a joke, boys.” Jed gives them a dry smile. “The Brit sense of humor starts to rub off on you after a while.”
“OK,” Hank says. “So, assuming we don’t wind up in Scotland, what do we do when we get to this Learning Hub?”
Jed glances at his tablet. “Go to room four, that’s on the ground floor, and you’ll be running through an orientation exercise, so you’ll be needing these.” He reaches down into a plastic crate at his side and sorts through it. “Here’s yours, Sebastian.” Jed hands a slim leather case to Seb then looks back down and sorts through the crate again. “And this one is for you, Hank.” He slides a leather case onto the table and gives Hank a thoughtful look.
The Trust (The Downlode Heroes Book 2) Page 23