by Greg Rucka
She lowered the pistol and moved back into the room, to where Carrington was leaning against the side of the table, his hands out, gasping for air. She put a hand on his back, concerned.
“Sir?”
Carrington coughed, shaking his head, his eyes tearing from the lack of breath. For a moment, Jo was afraid he was suffering a heart attack, that his system had been unable to withstand the stress and the excitement.
“I’m all right,” he murmured. “I’m all right.”
Jo helped him into one of the still-upright chairs, glancing up to see that Velez had entered the room, was watching them with an almost clinical eye.
“Nice shot,” Velez told Jo.
“Thank you,” Jo said. “Nice throw.”
Cassandra DeVries appeared in the doorway behind Velez, looking down at Murray, who was just beginning to pull himself to his feet. Then she moved her gaze into the room, first to Jo, then to Carrington.
“I’m sorry, Daniel,” DeVries said.
Then she turned back to Murray, still struggling to get to his feet, and shot him three times in the chest with Jo’s Falcon. Murray sagged as if merely sitting down once more, then fell onto his side.
“No!” Jo shouted, the heavy Magnum in her hand snapping to the ready. “Drop it! Drop the gun!”
DeVries dropped the Falcon on the floor with a clatter, looking back at Carrington.
“He wasn’t a threat, Cassandra,” Daniel said, his voice hoarse and tired. “That was unnecessary.”
Velez hadn’t moved, Jo realized, but her posture seemed to have changed, as if she had grown larger, and Jo saw that she was using her body to shield DeVries from her, that she was afraid Jo would use the Magnum and take yet another life.
“Of course he was,” Cassandra DeVries said. “He threatened dataDyne.”
Carrington shook his head. “Cass …”
“I couldn’t let you do it. I couldn’t let you destroy my company.”
“Your company?”
“Yes,” Cassandra DeVries said. “Remember that the next time you move against dataDyne. You’ll be moving against me.”
“We were going to save the world,” Carrington said softly.
“One of us still will,” DeVries said. “It’s over now, Daniel. All of it. Good-bye.”
She turned and disappeared from the doorway, out of sight. Velez didn’t move, turning her head to watch DeVries’s progress for several seconds before turning back to face them. She reached into her jacket, removed a small plastic anti-static bag, and tossed it down onto the table in front of Carrington. Inside, as best as Jo could tell, was a tiny piece of electronics equipment, perhaps a transmitter of some kind.
“She’ll be good for the company,” Velez told them, and then turned on her heel and followed DeVries out of sight.
Carrington reached for the baggie, then made a noise that Jo at first thought was a sob.
“I told her I hadn’t bugged her office,” Carrington said softly.
CHAPTER 34
Carrington Institute—Rooms of Joanna Dark—London, England October 19th, 2020
Jo turned the brand-new DeathMatch VR headset over in her hands, feeling the familiar comfort of the rig, its promise of fantasy where blood and death and pain and loss, no matter how realistic, were never truly real. Carrington had purchased the latest model for her, prohibitively expensive—though she suspected he hardly noticed things like that—as a gift, and she suspected it was his way of saying thank you.
Running her thumb over the double-D diamond logo, she thought that he might even be saying more than that.
Jo sighed, then dropped the rig back in its gift box, carefully replacing the packaging material, once again fitting the top back onto the container. She rose from her chair, tucked the box beneath her arm, and left her room. She didn’t bother to lock the door behind her.
Emily Partridge greeted her with her customary combination of brisk efficiency and muted cheer when Jo reached Carrington’s office.
“Good afternoon, Joanna.”
“Can I see him?” she asked.
“I don’t see why not.” She smiled brightly. “Shall I tell him you’re coming or would you like to surprise him?”
“Oh, surprise him, I think,” Jo said.
Miss Partridge laughed, and Jo headed through the doors onto the long hallway until she reached Carrington’s office. She knocked twice, and heard his characteristic rumble from within telling her to enter. She opened the door to find him seated at his desk, Jonathan Steinberg sitting opposite him, and when she entered, Steinberg got to his feet, saying, “I’ll come back later.”
“You’re feeling all right?” Jo asked him.
“Nothing bruised but my pride. I should have seen it coming.”
“Yes, you probably should’ve.”
Carrington chuckled, and Steinberg looked as if he was about to retort, and then he saw her grin, and instead simply shook his head and left the office, closing the door after him.
Jo waited until he was gone, then approached the desk and set the box down on its edge. Carrington cocked his head, looking at it as if it were some alien object dropped by a passing spaceship, then shifted his gaze to her without much change in its expression.
“No, thank you,” Jo told him.
“You don’t like it? I understand they come in different colors, but black seemed to suit you. We can exchange it.”
“I don’t want it. I don’t need it.”
Carrington frowned.
“But I appreciate the sentiment,” Jo added.
“The problem I’m having,” Carrington said after a second’s thought, “is that I want to say thank you, and I’m no damn good at it. You’re not a girl who goes in for jewelry and flowers, I can tell that about you. And there’s not much else I can offer.”
“You’ve given me plenty.”
“You saved my life, Joanna. Whatever I’ve given, it’s not enough.”
Jo looked down at the box, nudged it lightly with her fingers.
“I think,” she said, “that maybe you’ve saved mine, too.”
“So you should be giving me a gift, then.”
“Well, I have this lovely DeathMatch VR set …”
Carrington laughed and Jo felt herself grinning again, unbidden. She liked making him laugh, and she seemed to be finding a talent for it.
They shared the silence for a moment, until Daniel sighed and said, “It isn’t over, you know. dataDyne takes care to cover its tracks, and to ensure its survival. With Cassandra at the helm, they’ll be even more dangerous than before.”
“Good,” Jo said.
He looked at her, curious. “How so?”
“It means you’ll have to keep me around for a while longer.”
“Joanna,” Carrington said, “I’ll keep you around for as long as I possibly can.”
FORMER R-CIBOWMAN CEO PLEADS GUILTY
Grosse Point, MI
The former CEO of Royce-Chamberlain/Bowman Motors, Paul Sexton, pleaded guilty in Federal court this afternoon, and faces up to thirty years in prison for his participation in numerous acts of industrial espionage and sabotage. Further charges of illegal accounting practices and corporate malfeasance are pending, but Federal Prosecutor David Shephard has indicated that the investigation into Sexton’s role in “Bowman-gate” is ongoing. Additional SEC and Internal Revenue Service investigations are also pending.
“Mr. Sexton has a great deal to answer for,” according to Shephard, “and I assure you that he will be brought to justice for all of his crimes.”
Vancouver Online Clarion MILESTONE
October 18th, 2020
The Nobel Prize-winning CEO of pharmaDyne, Dr. Friedrich Murray, was found dead today after a tragic boating accident on Lake Louise. A medical pioneer, Doctor Murray achieved worldwide prominence for his discovery of a vaccine for the “superflu” that ravaged Canada in 2016.
Murray, and his adopted son, Laurent Hayes, were lost when Dr. Mu
rray’s boat sank due to navigational error.
Dr. Murray leaves behind no survivors.
For Immediate Release to approved news outlets:
Doctor Cassandra DeVries Named dataDyne Chief Executive Officer
October 22nd, 2020
After a long and thorough evaluation process, the dataDyne Board of Directors today announced the unanimous appointment of DataFlow Director Doctor Cassandra DeVries to head dataDyne as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Doctor DeVries is a world-renowned expert in computer sciences, with ample experience in the global workplace and a demonstrated ability to locate and capitalize on potential markets. Her dedication, devotion, and socially minded policies have made DataFlow the world’s most trusted software provider and will be put to excellent use in her new position, where she will lead the corporation to a bold, new future that continues to honor and expand upon the legacy left by company founder Zhang Li. dataDyne is proud to have Doctor DeVries as our leader and looks forward with excitement to the visionary growth she will bring to the company.
“dataDyne has been my life for over sixteen years,” says Doctor DeVries. “My hope, my goal, is that by more tightly integrating the various companies under the dataDyne banner, we will make dataDyne what it is meant to be: a company dedicated to improving the quality of life for all our customers.
“I am humbled and honored by this appointment, and I will passionately pursue what is best for dataDyne in all things. I cannot replace my honored predecessor, no one could, but I can serve his vision as if it were my own. Together, we will build the future that Zhang Li envisioned.
“Zhang Li’s motto for our company—‘Your life, our hands’—was meant to highlight our commitment to the betterment of all mankind. Not just in terms of product quality, or innovation, but in genuine, humanitarian terms. Under my leadership, I pledge to show the world just what that commitment means.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The effort, time, and goodwill of several people went into making this novel possible. Of the many, here are a handful deserving of special mention.
Eric Trautmann, who had the big idea in the first place and who persevered to see it come to pass.
Eric Raab, at Tor, for having the stomach for the big idea and the nerves to stay at the wheel.
David Hale Smith, who thought it wasn’t such a big idea in the first place, but that it might be worth doing anyway, and what would it hurt? If he had only known.
At Microsoft, the members of the New Media and Franchise Development Team (notably, Edward Ventura, Sandy Ting, Steve Schreck, and Nancy Figatner) for making it all come together; Peter Moore; Shane Kim; Ken Lobb; Jim Veevaert; John Dongelmans; and, singled out for conspicuous gallantry, Chris Kimmell.
In Olympia, thanks to Gabi, and if she doesn’t know why, nobody should tell her until she figures it out.
In Portland, Jennifer, Dashiell, and Elliot.
And finally, at Rare, who gave us not only Jo, but her world, special thanks to the following: Duncan Botwood, Dale Murchie, Richard Cousins, Lee Schuneman, Tim Stamper, and Chris Stamper.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously.
PERFECT DARK: INITIAL VECTOR
Copyright © 2005 by Microsoft Corporation
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
www.perfectdarkzero.com
Microsoft, the Microsoft Game Studios logo, Perfect Dark, Perfect Dark Zero, Rare, the Rare logo, Xbox, Xbox 360, and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation or Rare Limited in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license from owner. Rare Limited is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation. Copyright © 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
eISBN 9781429914529
First eBook Edition : January 2011
ISBN 10: 0-765-31571-8
ISBN 13: 978-0-765-31571-7
First Edition: October 2005