The Babel Tower

by J. B. Simmons

“I guess I have worried about how much power Liz is giving Katarina. She could be some kind of corporate spy for all we know.”

  “Or worse.” Jax met Owen’s eyes. “The government is monitoring this. The professionals. We need to be careful. No need to show that we know anything…yet.”

  Owen studied Jax’s expressionless face. “Who are the professionals?”

  “The engineer, Hunter Black, he’s one of the agents. I don’t know who else. But you know the types we work with at FireSpy.”

  “CIA? FBI?”

  “That’s the idea. I’m giving you this video so that you can be on the lookout. See if you can learn anything more about Katarina, and try to protect Liz. Just be quiet about it.”

  Owen could be discrete, but he still didn’t understand what was going on. Something about Jax’s tone made his heart beat faster. “What do you think Katarina is trying to do?”

  “I think she wants the data. She may have others working with her. A few people on my team have reported suspicious things.”

  “At FireSpy? Like what?”

  Jax nodded. “One of my engineers found someone dressed as a janitor trying to install cameras in our office.”

  “Why target you?”

  “Who do you think controls access to the data?”

  “You.”

  “Exactly. And if Katarina becomes CEO, Liz and I may be the only ones standing between her and the data.”

  “What about Liz? Does she know about this?”

  “I told her that I’m worried about Katarina and the data, but not about Hunter.”

  “We have to tell her,” Owen said.

  “It’s safer if she stays out of this for now, and I don’t know what’s actually going on yet. No one is being watched more closely than her with the IPO coming up. Think about what happens if she’s not around anymore. Who takes over Babel?”

  “Katarina. It’s not a secret.”

  “Maybe not, but what if things don’t go the way Katarina wants? There’s one clear path for a new CEO.” Jax paused, a look of concern in his eyes. “The former CEO disappears.”

  “You think Liz is in danger?”

  “The government is not taking this lightly. You keep doing your job on the legal front, okay?”

  Owen shivered in the cold. “Do you know what Katarina wants to do with the data?”

  Jax shook his head. “I don’t need to know the details. I’m just trying to do my part to keep that from happening.”

  “What’s your part?”

  “The coding.”

  They said goodbyes, and Owen found his way back to his room in the construction housing. He pulled out the memory drive and played the video from Jax.

  It started with Dylan and Katarina sitting together on a bench, under cover of the night. He could hear every word they said. When the video finished, he booked the next flight back to San Francisco. He needed to talk to Dylan.

  32

  Owen tightened his tie, the only tie in sight. The elite design school where Dylan taught seemed to have a dress code: jeans and hoodies. Owen stuck with his suit. Students eyed him warily as he passed, his wingtip shoes clicking loudly on the concrete floor. The ceiling arched high above, supported by interlaced white beams. There were no signs of individual offices. It was a vast expanse, filled to the brim with students and post-it notes covering massive white boards.

  Owen approached two students huddled over a cardboard formation, maybe a molecule. “Do you know if Dylan Galant is here?”

  They looked up, neither hiding surprise. “Dr. Galant?”

  “He teaches here, right?”

  “Absolutely, man.” One of the guys rubbed his week-old stubble. “I took intro to medical design with him. Blew my mind.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “Yeah.” The guy turned and pointed to the far corner of the room. “He’s teaching the newbies over there.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  A cluster of students surrounded Dylan. Owen slipped into the back of the group—maybe twenty strong, enough so he didn’t think Dylan had noticed him.

  Dylan held up one finger. “If you remember one thing from today, remember this: human values are at the heart of our approach. It’s collaboration, not cubicles. We want to give you a spectacular experience. You should lose your breath every day. You should be transformed. Along the way, you’ll think outside the box and solve the hardest challenges facing our world.” He paused, studying the group, spotting Owen, smiling. “Any questions?”

  A girl near the front raised her hand.

  “Yes?” Dylan asked.

  “I just want to say, Dr. Galant, thank you! This is so amazing. My only question, and it’s silly, I know, but you didn’t say anything about how you’ll be grading this class.”

  Dylan grinned. “Let me guess. Harvard undergrad? Or Yale?”

  The girl smiled. “Yale.”

  The group laughed.

  “Well, look, no offense to them and grading and all that, but if you thought that I would be telling you if you learned something, you might focus more on me than your own creative self, right?”

  “I guess so.”

  “So we’ll cover this more later, but basically, your fellow students will be grading you. It’s how we ensure everyone works for collaboration. If we’re not building together, we’re not building at all. Okay?” Dylan clapped his hands together. “Great! Now I see a friend is paying a visit, so we’ll wrap up a few minutes early. See you tomorrow.”

  The group scattered and Dylan approached Owen. “To what do I owe this surprise visit?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “Go for it.”

  Owen glanced around. The concrete floors amplified the sounds around them. “Somewhere private.”

  “There are no walls here. It’s an open community.”

  “I’m serious, Dylan. Maybe outside?”

  “Alright, no problem.”

  Dylan led Owen out through wide glass doors into a courtyard. They found an open bench overlooking the fountain in the middle. The sculpture rising out of the water looked like the solar system, each planet connected by thin metal bars.

  “It’s called Beyond the Planet,” Dylan said. “It reminds the students to not get stuck on normal models of thinking.”

  “How long have you been meeting alone with Katarina?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know you’ve been meeting with her.”

  “And? What’s it got to do with you?”

  “I’m Liz’s friend, like you, but I’m also Babel’s lawyer. I need to make sure Katarina and Liz are on the same page.”

  “What makes you think they aren’t?”

  Owen sighed. “I know Liz is okay with Katarina succeeding her at Babel, but they’re very different. Katarina has been meeting with important people, major investors.” Like that prince in Dubai. Owen had been urging Liz to visit the Babel servers and check what Katarina had been saying and hearing in all these meetings. But Liz had been too focused on the tower.

  “Liz asked Katarina to take all these meetings,” Dylan said, relaxed. “You know that.”

  Owen formulated his question carefully, staying focused. “Why have you been meeting with her?”

  “It’s not a big deal. It’s personal.” Dylan looked away, to the sculpture in the fountain. “What’s this all about?”

  “Look, I want to believe you,” Owen said. “But the pieces don’t add up.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and held the screen out to Dylan. “What am I supposed to make of this?”

  The video began. It showed two figures approaching each other on a dark street in San Francisco. It was late at night. No one else was around. The sound was pristine, revealing even the shuffles of their feet. The two met almost exactly in front of the camera.

  Owen felt Dylan tense beside him. The video played their conversation on the bench, then showed Dylan taking a package from Katarina. After a while they st
ood and walked off together.

  “What was in the package?” Owen asked, pocketing his phone.

  Dylan met Owen’s eyes. “It’s like I told you. We have a thing going.”

  “A thing where you meet on the street in the middle of the night and exchange a package?”

  Dylan shook his head, smiling. “She’s into some weird stuff, man.”

  “Like sabotage? Corporate theft? What?”

  “It’s not what you think. It’s…kinky. And yeah, you caught me, but everyone has their romantic thing, right?”

  “I’m celibate for a reason.”

  Dylan shook his head, sighed. “You can understand why I wouldn’t broadcast this kind of thing, right?”

  “Because it’s illegal?”

  “Lighten up! We’re consenting adults. There’s nothing criminal about it. But it’s pretty weird, and I have a reputation to keep up.” Dylan’s tone had turned sheepish. “Promise you won’t leak this? For a friend?”

  Owen didn’t buy it. “You’re mixed up in something bad.”

  “Katarina’s…different, but she’s good. I swear.”

  “Good for who?”

  “Look, I’m telling the truth. It’s been a secret. You caught me, and I’ve confessed. What else do you want?”

  “What was in the package?”

  “Something to spice up the love life, that’s it. Seriously.”

  Owen shook his head. “Fine. But as your friend, I have to say, you’re playing a dangerous game.”

  Dylan flashed his most convincing grin. “That’s what makes it—makes her—so exciting. I wouldn’t expect you to understand. Trust me, she’s amazing.”

  “Anything else you’re going to tell me?”

  Dylan shook his head. “Nothing more to say.”

  The two of them stood and said their goodbyes. As Owen began to walk away, Dylan called after him. “Hey, how’d you get that video anyway?”

  Owen smiled. Jax’s fire hydrant. “You have your secrets, and I have mine.”

  As soon as Owen had reached his car, he fired off a text to Liz. We need to talk. ASAP.

  * * *

  Once Owen was out of sight, Dylan dashed inside. He ignored the students who tried to stop him. He went to his workstation and tried to slow his breathing. He didn’t want to tell Katarina, but he had to. This was too much risk.

  He texted her. A friend knows about the package, but not the contents.

  The reply came within moments. In meeting with Liz. Talk tonight?

  Yes. Dylan tried to think of a safe location. Not outside. Your place?

  Fine. 10 pm. Keep your hood up.

  See you then.

  33

  “I can’t believe we’re meeting here.” Liz sat beside Owen in a wooden pew in the huge church.

  “I wanted privacy,” he said. “This is important.”

  Liz glanced around the room, feeling small. A few people sat scattered around the room. The place hardly had the feel of a real church. It was like those European cathedrals that hosted more tourists than prayers. She didn’t like it. She shifted in the hard pew. “Let’s make this quick.”

  “You know this church is named after St. Ignatius?”

  Liz nodded.

  “Ignatius started somewhat like you. He was talented and ambitious. He rose quickly in fame among the Spanish elite. At the time, this required serving in a royal court and…”

  “You said this was important.”

  “Is your Babel on?” Owen asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Turn it off.”

  Liz raised her brow.

  “Please?”

  “Fine.” Liz pulled off the earpiece and held down the power button. The device’s faint blue light faded. She laid it on the wooden pew between them. The clean metallic lines looked alien on the old, grainy surface.

  “The point,” Owen continued, “is that St. Ignatius later experienced a conversion. He developed spiritual exercises that are still used today. It’s why he has churches like this named after him. He’s remembered, like you want to be.” Owen paused, but Liz didn’t react. “Anyway, I’ve talked to Rachel about all this, and about the Tower of Babel. And then came this farmer.”

  Liz felt her cheeks flush. “What about him?”

  “Did you know he’s Rachel’s cousin? She thinks it could be a sign.”

  “Her cousin? Seriously?” Liz knew Rachel had a big family from Nebraska, but this seemed like too much.

  “That’s what she said.”

  “Well, you know I’m not worried about her warnings.” But maybe she’d give Rachel a call to see what else she could learn about Jake. They hadn’t spoken in months, ever since their meeting in San Francisco. She almost felt bad for not even calling Rachel when she was within a stone’s throw in Chicago. Rachel would only have complained about the tower… “Don’t tell me you’re on her side now.”

  “I’m on your side,” Owen said. “That’s why I’ve been in here, thinking. I’ve been worried. I didn’t know what else to do. I went through the spiritual exercises that St. Ignatius developed. They’re supposed to help us discern the spirits, to determine the path forward.”

  “Super.”

  “I’m serious, Liz. And I’m not telling you to stop building the tower.”

  “The company’s name is no coincidence, you know. Babel is undoing the mess God started because of that tower in the old story—giving everyone the same language.”

  Owen smiled. “So modest.”

  “You know my favorite book, right?”

  “The Fountainhead.”

  “Yeah, my dad gave me a copy when I turned twelve.”

  “It’s the books we read early that leave the biggest impact.”

  “I didn’t read it until the year after my dad died. I decided he was Howard Roark. The world didn’t understand his genius.” Liz paused. “They’re starting to understand now.”

  “You haven’t been paying much attention to the company,” Owen said. “Our legal team, including the DC lawyers, we have everything on track for the IPO. But the board wants you more involved.”

  “I’m involved enough. It’s not like I’m leaving the company.”

  “Yet.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Owen’s eyes dropped to the device. “I think Babel is under attack.”

  “We have a lot of competition.”

  “I mean, from the inside.”

  “Really?” Liz felt the first grip of surprise. This was not what she expected. Stop building the tower. Get more exercise. Give more money to the poor. Owen would say all those things. He would not point fingers at people. It wasn’t his way. “Attack by who?”

  He leaned closer to Liz and whispered a name into her ear. “Katarina.”

  “Oh, a Russian spy?” Liz mused. “Is that what you dragged me here to tell me?”

  “You already know something?”

  “Yeah, I know she’s been doing a great job for me for years. The company’s performing better than ever. Revenues are up. Costs are down. I work closer with her than with anyone else. Don’t you think I’d notice if she were doing something against Babel?”

  “What if she’s helping Babel, but not in the way you think?”

  “Like what?”

  “I’m not sure, but did you know she’s been meeting with Dylan?”

  “Jax mentioned it.”

  “Well I’ve looked into it more. They’ve met many times, and every time it’s in some dark place…and they both turn off their Babels.”

  That’s odd, Liz thought. She hoped it wasn’t some kind of tryst. They weren’t each other’s type. And why turn off their Babels? Katarina knew the policy. Everyone inside the company was supposed to keep their device on, at all times. They had to show how easy it was, and how they believed the company would protect their privacy.

  “What else?” Liz asked.

  “The first time they met was the night before Katarina flew to Dubai
. Remember that, last summer? Guess what happened to the projected stock prices after that.”

  “They went up?”

  “Look.” Owen pulled out his phone and brought up a chart. He pointed to a sharp little downturn, followed by a much larger jump. “This was the day after she returned from Dubai. There was a press release about Babel’s earning projections. They had dipped and so the price dipped. Then, within minutes, guess who bought a billion stock options?”

  “A competitor?”

  “The sovereign wealth fund of Dubai.”

  “Okay?”

  “It’s the slush fund that the ruling family uses. You can imagine what would happen if Dubai had a controlling interest in Babel.”

  “It’s a free world. Why should I care if they buy it?”

  “It’s free for now.” Owen picked up his Babel. The metal gleamed in his hand. “But what if they used all the data collected by these devices?”

  “You know it’s encrypted. Only Jax and I can access it, and we don’t. Our security is better than the CIA’s.”

  “For now, but it all depends on you. I worry Katarina is planning something, something bad, once you’re out of the picture.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s being groomed to take your job, Liz. I think she’s courting investors, like that prince in Dubai, to buy the company and give her complete control sooner than we think.”

  “I’m not leaving Babel.”

  “You’re going to lose control of the company when it goes public.”

  “But Jax and I will still control the data.”

  Owen’s voice dropped to a whisper. “As long as you’re alive.”

  Liz kept her face steady, but then she laughed. “Seriously? This again? You’ve got to be kidding…”

  “I’m not,” Owen said. “Just think about it. If you or Jax were out of the picture, then whoever was in control of Babel could access the data. They could know most of the words spoken and heard on earth. People have been murdered for far less. And now you could have the Russians and Middle Easterners involved. What if you’re the only thing standing in their way? Can’t you see the risk?”

  Liz had stopped laughing. “I guess so, but I’m still not convinced. What would I do about it, anyway?”