by Leslie Wolfe
“Good, good,” the man said, grabbing Randy by the back of his head, gently, as if to pet him like a parent would stroke a child. “You did really good.”
“Great, so I get my money now?” Randy asked, turning around to look at Helms.
Suddenly, the grip on his neck became forceful, not allowing him to turn his head any farther. He kicked around, flailed his arms, tried to grab something, but he was almost paralyzed.
“What...? The fuck...?” Randy managed to say as the grip turned to steel.
“Yes,” the man said, “you did good.”
With a rapid twist of his right hand, he gripped Randy’s neck rendering him helpless. His left hand then grabbed his chin and executed a sudden right-to-left movement. Randy’s legs turned to jelly as loud cracks marked the multiple fractures in his cervical spine. Before glossing over, Randy’s eyes continued to express the utmost disbelief.
Helms dropped the body to the floor gently to avoid making too much noise. He closed the window after looking around and checking for any unusual activity. He grabbed the laptop, slid it under his overcoat, and left, closing the door behind him without a sound.
...Chapter 51: The Replacement
...Monday, February 15, 10:14AM EST (UTC-5:00 hours)
...DCBI Headquarters, Sixth Floor Conference Room
...Washington, DC
Robert fidgeted before settling down at his conference room table. He was about to enter a new phase of this madness, a phase in which he had to involve his team. To some extent. They’d be ignorant players, manipulated into taking certain actions by a man they had learned to trust. The thought made him sick to the stomach; he hated lying to his people, or to anyone for that matter. Making things even worse was knowing that someone was watching his every move and listening to every word being said, waiting for the tiniest misspoken word or hint of betrayal to kill Melanie. It was a very fine line to walk, but he felt determination replacing his anxiety. They were going to pay for everything they had done. Soon. He was working on it, and he was no longer alone.
The conference room seemed too big without Laura and Jimmy; it was just Ellen, Eddie, and Brad now. But today was not the right time to think of those departed. Today was the day to start focusing on fixing things, on finding out who had killed two members of his team. Focus on preventing a disaster of immense proportions.
He finally settled into his chair and opened his portfolio, extracting some papers from it.
His team followed his lead and took their usual seats. Ellen sipped some of the steaming coffee in her mug, holding it with both hands. Eddie looked a little absent, lost in his thoughts. Brad, his normal professional and focused self, waited for him to start the weekly staff meeting.
“All right, guys, it’s time we get going on finding replacements. I know how painful this is, believe me, I know. I sometimes feel like no one else can ever take their places, like we’re betraying their memories if we replace them so soon.” He paused, checking their expressions. All of them nodded in approval, sadness written on their faces. “But it’s time to move on, because we have a contract of historical importance to handle, and we must handle it well.” He handed them each a copy of a three-page stapled document. “This is the résumé of a highly qualified contractor, currently working for our number one competitor, Innovatix Consulting in Texas. Her name is Alex Hoffmann. We could employ her for the right amount of money of course. Please take a look and let me know what you think.”
They read through the résumé quietly for a while.
“I like that she has a lot of experience in quality,” Brad opened. “And she did some offshoring too. In technology. I think she’d be a great fit, very solid.”
“I like her too,” Ellen offered. “You’re right; it’s hard to think of bringing someone new on board, but we have to. Currently, there’s almost no time or resources available for vendor performance management. My guys generate the reports, but we don’t have the capabilities to spend enough time studying progress and performance and to act on that data. I say let’s move on with this; let’s give her a shot.”
“She’d be a contractor,” Eddie said, “that means we have very low risk bringing her in, and we get to bypass certain delays that normally happen with fulltime employees. Yeah, let’s go for it. We need someone onsite at this level.”
“She’d need to relo, right?” Brad asked. “How long would that take?”
“Yeah, she’d need to relocate, but with contractors you know how it works,” Robert said. “We can offer her assisted temporary living, get her a furnished apartment or a long-term hotel room, and we’re there. She’d be working offshore for the majority of the time anyway, so there’s no reason to actually mover her at this time. Not with the time pressures we’re currently under.”
“Sounds a bit insensitive,” Ellen said.
“Yeah, it does.” Robert agreed. “We can always ask her if that poses a problem and manage from there. But if you like her profile I’ll hand it over to HR to start the process and schedule our interviews.”
“Yep, let’s get started,” Brad said, “we can’t afford to wait any longer.”
Robert smiled faintly. Brad’s statement held true from many different perspectives.
...Chapter 52: A Terrific Interview
...Wednesday, March 2, 9:01PM EST (UTC-5:00 hours)
...Flash Elections: At a Glance
...Nationally Syndicated
The colorful opening credits faded, leaving only the smiling, charismatic image of Phil Fournier to fill the screen.
“Well, he’s done it again! Doug Krassner had a terrific interview late last night, answering tough questions with completely unexpected answers and somehow managing to hit homeruns every time. Let’s watch together.”
The screen shifted to show Krassner in a heated conversation with the one of the top political show hosts, Al Bernstein.
“Senator,” Bernstein asked, “your opponent, Bobby Johnson, stated that almost 30 percent of all new patents filed are authored by new immigrants or H-1B visa holders and that we should open the gates wider to capture more innovation. If you’re looking to limit immigration to protect the American labor force, wouldn’t your proposed measure jeopardize progress and innovation?”
“That is a very good question, Al. I’m happy you asked. Before answering, I have to ask another fundamental question: why aren’t Americans bringing innovations on their own? Why aren’t they authoring more patents, making breakthrough discoveries, and pushing the boundaries of science and technology? Well, the answer is a sad yet simple one. Let’s take software development, for example. Let’s say my kid is about to choose a career. If he chooses a college program that prepares him to be a top-notch software developer, he’d leave school with roughly $150,000, maybe even $200,000 in student debt. When he graduates, he would get job offers that have the pay levels set by the constant wave of immigrants bringing the same top-notch skills for only about $60,000 a year. That would mean a lifetime of fighting debt, not having much of a future, and always running the risk of having his job snatched from underneath him by some new offshoring program, or by the cheapest H-1B worker of the day.
“Then what does he do? He chooses a different career, where he has a chance to have a decent, stable future. That career won’t be in software development. It will be in business, medicine, finance, or anything else we haven’t figured out how to offshore or H-1B yet. What does that mean, besides his broken dreams to pursue software development? That he, and others like him, won’t be bringing innovation to the American world of technology. The H-1Bs will. So my answer to you, Al, is that we have to create the possibility for Americans to innovate and win in the highly competitive global knowledge market. We have taken that opportunity away, and now we have to bring it back. We have to decide whether we’d like to invest in our future as a people, make a commitment, and then execute.”
“Senator, you’re essentially saying we’re suffocating our own innovat
ion ourselves?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. In business, America’s innovation is second to none in the entire world. But there aren’t any H-1B business immigrants who jeopardize the career choices of our kids by limiting their income potentials. Same with medicine. Our healthcare competes with top healthcare in the world and wins almost every time, for the same reasons. In medicine, there are researchers who come as H-1Bs or permanent immigrants, and so are in business or finance. They help us gain an edge in those fields. But they don’t compete with the college grads or bring job instability to their fields. They are the brains we want to have among us, to teach us what we haven’t figured out on our own and to develop our graduates into inspired, knowledgeable professionals who can do research and innovate. That’s why I’m not saying we should eliminate immigration, not at all. I’m saying that we should restructure our immigration programs to bring more of the researchers, the thought leaders who can teach our kids, instead of bringing a competing workforce that replaces them for a cheaper labor cost. If we change our approach to immigration, we all win and win big.”
“Senator, you’ve got a lot of people talking, I can tell you that.”
Krassner smiled and nodded gently as an unspoken thank you to Bernstein’s compliment.
“Change of topic, senator, if you will.”
“Sure, fire away, Al,” Krassner responded in his naturally calm manner.
“Despite numerous talk shows and campaign speeches you have given, the electorate has little understanding of your views on abortion. Where do you stand on this controversial issue that has brought serious media attention to numerous Republicans? As you well know, abortion remains a heated controversy across the country, transcending party lines and genders lines equally.”
“I don’t consider it a priority in my platform and here’s why: at any given time, roughly 3.4 percent of all American women of childbearing age of our country are pregnant. That means abortion is an issue for less than 1.2 percent of the population overall, including women, men, and children of all ages. Considering that abortion is an issue only during the first trimester of the pregnancy, that number goes even lower. Keeping those numbers in mind, I have decided to focus my platform on issues that affect more significant percentages of the population. Poverty claims 22 percent of the population. Uninsured Americans who need access to healthcare they can actually afford is higher than 10 percent. Unemployment, in some areas, exceeds 10 percent as well. Childhood poverty scores a whopping and highly disturbing 27.5 percent. So yes, I have made a strategic decision to focus on issues that have a bigger impact on the country’s well-being and stop wasting time and resources on abortion. For now.”
“Interesting point of view, senator. Where do you personally stand on the issue of abortion?”
“Abortion is a side effect of poverty and hopelessness, in my opinion. If we want to curb abortion, we should fix the reasons why women are desperate enough to act against their own beliefs and instincts and terminate their pregnancies. We should tackle the real reasons behind their difficult decisions.”
The screen shifted to the in-studio view, centered on Phil Fournier’s portrait.
“Yes, homeruns every time, in my opinion and in the electorate’s as well,” Phil commented excitedly. “Krassner’s ratings picked up another seven percentage points in the polls after last night’s show, bringing his ratings to almost 50 percent. While elections are still eight months away, and technically anything can still happen, many are already calling Krassner our future president. We will continue to keep you informed with any news and reactions to Krassner’s soaring campaign. From Flash Elections, this is Phil Fournier, wishing you a good evening.”
...Chapter 53: Deployment
...Tuesday, March 8, 3:31PM PST (UTC-8:00 hours)
...Tom Isaac’s Residence
...Laguna Beach, California
The war room was getting more and more cluttered every day, and yet there was a feeling of comfort about it that helped Alex think clearly. Maybe it was the timeline wall, a web of colored yarn, sticky notes, and pictures. Maybe it was the essence of Tom’s spirit that had impregnated the room with feelings of security, confidence, and courage. Maybe it was the fresh smell of French vanilla coffee, just dripped into her mug by the Keurig machine.
She took a sip of fresh coffee without taking her eyes off the wall, where the notes and images related to the Vermont transplant clinic were connected with colorful yarn. She needed to adjust a couple of things, add a few notes and pictures. Doctors Hager and Kanellis were not yet represented on that wall.
Chatter disrupted her thoughts.
“Nope, that’s not true,” Steve said, walking through the door. “You cannot assume either alternative is true without verifying it, without getting some kind of proof.”
“All I’m saying is we need to conduct a side-by-side study before we conclude, to that I can agree,” Brian argued. “I’m not maintaining that one method is absolutely better than the other. I just have my preference, that’s all. A very strong preference.”
Tom chuckled but didn’t say anything.
“But if you do both studies at the same time, you’ll contaminate the test samples,” Steve continued supporting his point.
“What’s this about?” Alex asked Tom.
“Steak marinades,” he replied. “Specifically, the effect of onions on the steak marinade.” Tom’s eyes were filled with laughter, despite his serious answer. “Kids these days, they don’t trust our wisdom. They want to verify everything.”
“OK, guys,” Alex said, “let’s work through our agenda for today, and then we’ll conduct as many experiments as you’d like. I am getting hungry.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Brian answered and sat down. Steve took his normal place, leaning against the wall by the window.
“Main topic, deployment,” Alex said. “Robert has completed his task, and I have an interview scheduled for next week. It’s a phone interview, the initial phase with the DCBI Human Resources person. I’m not overly concerned, but I am painfully aware we don’t have CEO support on this, so I have to be extra careful. Claire did an awesome job on my résumé, and I’ve learned it by heart. I am ready.”
“Would you like me to sit in with you when you interview?” Brian asked. “I could help you in real time if they throw you a curveball.”
“Always appreciated, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Thank you, nevertheless. I have a high level of confidence at this point.”
“After the HR interview, what’s next?” Tom asked.
“Robert made them agree to go straight into team interviews and the final interview with him, all in one day at their HQ in DC. Very typical for relocating executives.”
“Do you know your future title yet?” Steve asked.
“Yeah. I’ll be replacing Jimmy Doherty, the one who died of a heart attack,” Alex replied, walking toward the timeline wall and pointing toward a picture lined up underneath an area titled DCBI. The man in the picture was serious and grim, his eyes revealing internal turmoil and high levels of stress. “I will be the director of Vendor Quality.” She took another sip of coffee. “That means I’m looking at a start date a month or so away from today, followed by another month spent on orientation, training, and all kinds of corporate crap we have literally no time for. We are cutting it very close from a timing perspective. By the time I’ll be able to start my deployment onsite at the first vendor it will be summer already. Way, way late.”
“I agree,” Tom said. “It will put our backs against the wall from a timing perspective. What can we do to crash this schedule?”
“Nothing, really,” Alex replied. “One of the issues is that DCBI is not officially a client. We don’t have the full support of the CEO. Then there’s the fact that the office is under intense, nonstop surveillance. The UNSUB is watching every move, every change. If we push the matter, someone will comment on it, and the UNSUB will be on to us immediately. We cannot creat
e any ripple effects or rock the boat in any way. Everything has to seem normal.”
“It’s very tight,” Brian said. “Let’s see if we can do any preliminary work before that.”
“Like what?” Alex asked.
“Like deep background checks on the vendor companies, their senior executives, their financials, their former clients. Anything we can gather as preliminary intelligence would help.” Brian checked his Breitling watch impatiently.
“Don’t lose your patience, I’m here,” Sam said, entering the room. “Lou’s right behind me, parking the car.”
“Hey, good to see you,” Alex said, enjoying his bear hug. Sam had been a great asset for their small team, and for her personally. She was learning a lot from this guy. Between Lou, with his endless Krav Maga and target practice sessions, and Sam, with his CIA 101 special training, as she liked to think of it, she was learning a lot of new things. How to sweep a room for bugs discreetly, so no one would be the wiser. How to figure out if she’s being followed. How to “lose that tail,” by Sam’s own definition. How to enter a character’s story without getting confused about details and risk making mistakes. How to use her cover story as a second skin, feeling natural and appearing natural. How to not hesitate, no matter what she had to do. She was still learning that part; she wasn’t there yet, not 100 percent. That was still work in progress, her kind nature posing issues for her at times.
However, she hadn’t expected she’d love spy training so much. She had enjoyed her work with The Agency since day one. It was stimulating, mentally rewarding, and kept her highly intelligent brain from getting bored. Puzzles to solve, people to figure out, scenarios to be constructed, validated, and played out. But with Sam’s CIA 101 she felt supercharged. She was aware she had barely scratched the surface of what the man could teach her, and she was constantly looking to get more, absorbing everything like a sponge, dreading the day their roads would part.