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  Andus paused for a moment, allowing the flavor of his Scotch to spread through his mouth, and the aroma to travel up into the back of his nose. He breathed deep, relaxing into the calm atmosphere. “You should probably use that second device,” he told her. “Use the scientist first, as the decoy. Put a second man on the job. Otherwise, it’s just all too… obvious.”

  Jessica glanced back in his direction, a look of admiration in her eyes. She considered his words. “You may have a good point.” She watched him over her glass as she took another sip of her martini. ”I love how it is art to you. Or a game.”

  “Or both,” he smiled wryly. He raised his glass again before taking another sip.

  Andus suddenly turned in his seat and looked around the bar.

  He had been noticing that one of the staff kept coming within earshot. He started talking about an event they had been at the other week, and for the next five minutes they sat and mused about nothing in particular. When the employee came close again, Andus surreptitiously took his picture with his retinal imaging implant, and sent the image to his holo.

  Jessica knew something was off as soon as he had changed the subject, and just sat quietly, playing along.

  Running a facial rec, Andus decided it was nothing to be concerned about. Just an attentive barman wanting an opportunity for a tip, he decided.

  He changed the subject back to the matter at hand. “So how does any of this solve my Molly Bates problem?”

  Jessica smiled. She liked it when she got to be clever.

  “Well,” she began, a little like a child about to tell her father about something that happened at school. “Our newly acquired scientist has managed to fabricate a particularly tricky version of a specific type of toxin that no one in this field has ever done before. There are no other companies investing in this type of R&D, so not only does that mean there is no real competition for that grant, but we can turn that R&D cost we’ve already sunk into this department into a major profit center…”

  She waited, making sure she had Mr. Andus’s full attention. “But the toxin we’re using points straight back to your girl, Ms. Bates.”

  Jessica noticed he leaned in just a fraction. “How so?” he asked.

  She could barely contain her excitement beneath her well-controlled and well-contrived exterior. “Turns out, she wrote her thesis using the exact methodology that created these toxins in the first place. Aaaand” she paused, relishing how perfect the set up was, “no one is going to go on record to claim responsibility for the toxins, because they violated all kinds of conventions by creating them. She’s the only person on record with the know-how to cause this kind of crisis.”

  A smirk floated across Andus’s lips. “Amazing, how it turns out that she wrote her thesis in this area.”

  He paused, considering it from all angles. “Coincidence?” he asked.

  Jessica was pleased that he was impressed. “The media is going to say not. And then of course, that’s what everyone is going to believe.”

  Andus couldn’t help himself. He found power in the details, and now this was a detail he wanted to know - like a fellow magician wanting to know how the trick was done. “But is it? Really?”

  Jessica dared not toy with him longer. She’d had her fun. “Well, slightly. It’s more that the drugs we were developing also work against the kind of toxin she was dabbling with. There were a number of applications we pursued, but the one with the most potential just didn’t have the profit margins we were hoping for. As an antidote to this type of toxin, it suddenly became a worthwhile project again.”

  He nodded, before picking up his drink. “That’s very enterprising of you, Miss Jessica. Very enterprising, indeed.”

  Jessica couldn’t help but smile. “Why, thank you, Mr. Andus.”

  Gaitune-67, Safe house, Basement workshop

  Paige traipsed into the workshop.

  Crash was still sorting through materials and boxes of deliveries. He looked up and waved and Paige waved back at him, en route to the benches where Brock was working, hunched over his holo.

  “Hey, girlie!” he greeted her, his attention still on the holoscreen, voice only half-present.

  Paige pulled up a stool and peered over at the complex array of lines and symbols on his holo screens. “How’s it going?” she asked.

  “It goes good,” he said, leaning back a little but still not taking his eyes from the screen.

  “Nearly done?” she asked.

  Brock lifted his eyes and sighed. “Yeah. I think it’s as ready as it’s going to be. I’ve checked and double-checked it… If I had more time, and the materials, I’d build it myself before sending it on for someone else to build.”

  Paige looked at him, and put her hand flat on the bench for emphasis. “I’m sure it’s going to be just fine.”

  Brock smiled. “Molly ready for it, then?”

  She nodded. “Want to send it up to her?”

  Brock shook his head, said “Yeah,” and then quickly mouthed “no!” still shaking his head.

  Paige laughed.

  Brock flicked to a different screen. “Okay. Lemme just add in a few notes to whoever is going to be building it. I’m sure there are probably some pieces that can be streamlined as they go.” He scratched the back of his head in a fast movement looking at the screen. “And I’m sure I’ve probably over-engineered it.” He shook his head. “I’ll get it up to her in two ticks of a whisker’s tail.”

  Paige raised one eyebrow at his bizarre expression.

  He felt her looking at him, looked up, grinned, and then went back to work.

  Paige got up. “Okay. I’ll let her know. Two ticks of a whisker’s tail.”

  Brock was immersed in the screen again. “Thanks,” he mumbled as she left to report back to the lab.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Newstainment offices, downtown Spire

  It was late.

  Much later than she expected Bob to be around. Yet something told her to head in, anyway.

  Walking through the dimly lit corridors her motion activated the lights to come on, one section at a time, all the way to the open-plan office.

  She strode past her desk, throwing her atmos jacket on the back of the chair, barely breaking her step on her way up to Bob’s office.

  His light was still on, and yes, he was at his desk. As she approached, she realized he was looking up, into the corner. Through the windowed glass, she got a little closer and saw a figure of a woman. She wasn’t dressed in normal clothing. No atmos protective gear. Almost like she didn’t go outside ever. Her coat was big and cloth-like… not the dust resistant suits everyone else wore.

  Maybe she was rich, thought Maya. And important. The way she held herself, certainly said something. Plus she was native Estarian, so it was entirely plausible. Her back was to the window, so she couldn’t see her face.

  Maya ducked back a little, hoping that her arrival didn’t draw their attention. She couldn’t hear anything from where she was on the newsroom floor, amidst the empty desks and cubicles.

  She hesitated, trying to decide what to do.

  Maybe she should just go in? But then, she wasn’t really meant to be here. And it was obvious they were in a meeting. And perhaps meeting this late at night meant they didn’t want anyone else to know.

  She took a few, careful steps backwards, and then paced quietly back to her desk. Head down, so as not to be seen over her cubicle partition, she opened her holo so that it looked like she was working.

  She flicked a daylight lamp on and then carefully adjusted the luminosity and temperature right down… just in case she had to explain her presence. Sitting in the dark looked more suspicious than sitting in the half light working.

  Who is that woman? she asked herself. And why does she look familiar?

  Maya, ever the investigative journalist, couldn’t resist it. It was none of her business.

  Heck, Bob might have a girlfriend.

  Or something.
r />   She shook the trailing notion from her head before it had a chance to form fully, and to lead her to images she did not want to be imagining.

  Some things you just can’t unthink, she warned herself.

  But…

  She pulled up the security cameras on her holo. She didn’t have privileges, but she’d learned Bob’s passwords long ago. Typing in his ID, she clicked through to get a better look.

  No audio.

  Just video feed.

  Drulludeli, she cursed to herself.

  But maybe she could find out who this woman was from her image. She spun the view round to capture an image of her face, then took the screen shot on her holo.

  Engrossed in the hunt now, she pulled up the facial rec software, and ran the face as an analysis sample. It would be quicker working with just ten points, rather than the full twenty-two.

  She just needed a clue…

  She waited.

  The holo pinged softly.

  Five results.

  She opened each profile.

  Two were too old.

  And one was a criminal, and probably in prison still. She swiped them away.

  She zoomed in on the other two options and compared them by eye. Yep, that was the one she was looking for, and this definitely made sense for her to be in Bob’s office.

  Jessica Newld, head of Iantrogen. She also sits on the Medical Association Board. If she knew what was going on with these outbreaks that probably linked with the toxins, then the odds were her company was behind it.

  So why would she be here? In person? And risking exposure?

  Maya stealthily peeked up over her cubicle partition. The woman was looking like she was about to leave. Maya sat down again, and looked at her holo screens.

  Jessica, Jessica, Jessica, she thought. What are you up to?

  She heard the office door open. Swiping her holo screens closed, she pulled up some insignificant random files in case anyone came past this way. She could hear the sound of Jessica’s high heels tapping along on the floor between the two departments in the sea of cubicles.

  Maya kept her head down.

  She smelled Jessica’s perfume waft past.

  Maya noticed it smelled expensive.

  And bitchy.

  Carefully she started to stand up to peek over the partition, to see if Bob was still there.

  “Working late?”

  Maya jumped out of her skin.

  It was a woman’s voice.

  And there was Jessica Newld right in front of her. Maya, frozen, her eyes breast level, peeled her eyes upwards to confront Jessica’s commanding stare.

  Maya’s mouth dried instantly. “Hi,” her voice cracked. Her holo was still live and, though she was doing nothing wrong, she felt guilty as all fuck.

  Chill the heck out, she told herself.

  She swallowed.

  “I said, are you working late?” Jessica asked her question again.

  Maya stuttered, still taken aback by the sudden appearance of Bitch-Perfume at her cubicle. “Er… Y-y-yes.” She forced herself to breathe. “No rest for the wicked!”

  Of course, she thought, Jessica the evil queen of Iantrogen would know about that, though.

  Jessica raised one eyebrow and looked down her nose at the young thing in front of her. “So I see. I admire your tenacity. Careful it doesn’t wear you into the ground, though.”

  Her casual comment somehow sounded completely like a threat.

  Maya nodded, completely flummoxed.

  The ice queen tilted her head slightly upwards in disregard. After a brief pause she then turned and walked away, the sounds of her heels clip-clopping in the wake of her presence.

  Maya breathed out.

  Fuck me. Bitch perfume, bitch face, and bitch threats, she thought to herself. This motherfucker is definitely up to something.

  Gathering her wits with the herald of Jessica’s shoes confirming she was now out of the office and onto the carpeted corridor, Maya closed off her holo and marched up to Bob’s office for some answers.

  She knocked on the door.

  Bob had disappeared behind his desk drawer, pouring a drink. “Come in…” he called wearily, as if he assumed it was her. He sat up at his desk, tumbler in hand, and placed it on top of an old paper leaflet he kept just for that purpose.

  Maya looked at the glass. “You know you can get antigrav tumblers now. Means you don’t need to keep old fashioned relics around to protect your desk surface.” She smiled, trying to lighten his mood.

  He looked exhausted. His eyes were dark, and baggier than usual. His normally deep blue skin was now gray from fatigue.

  She checked her holo. It was 02:07.

  “So what does the head of Evil Corp want with you - the editor-in-chief of our capital’s most influential media outlet - at two in the morning?”

  Bob sighed. “I don’t suppose there is any point in lying to you?” he asked her, already knowing the answer.

  “You know me, boss,” Maya grinned despite her own tiredness. “Trained by the best.”

  He nodded, knowing full well she would dig until she found the truth - whether he told her or not.

  He took a deep breath before looking down at his whiskey glass, eyeing it like foul medicine. “She had information about why this toxin is out.”

  Maya moved over to the guest chair, sitting down quietly to let him tell the story.

  He nodded. “And yes, you were right. It is a toxin. That’s what’s been causing the violent outbreaks.” He waved his hand. “Though some fuck-head over in entertainment had already taken that theory on a rumor and released it to the mainstream as some random piece.”

  Maya frowned. “Did you ask them to pull it?” she asked.

  He shook his head, and took a slurp of his whiskey. “It’s not worth the battle. Those guys already think they single-handedly provide the material for the whole company. But it went onto a channel where hardly anyone will see it… so…” he waved his glass a little, one finger gesturing, “like I said. Not worth the air time.” He took another sip.

  Maya sat quietly, letting him catch her up on whatever he needed to get off his chest.

  “Apparently this toxin though, is a strain that is known in the research world. It’s based on a paper written by some girl that was kicked out of the military recently. Miss Newld,” he paused, saying her name with a degree of contempt, “has explained that this person has it in for the government. But Miss Newld’s company has an antidote!”

  His tone indicated his mock surprise at the prospect of them coincidentally having an antidote ready.

  Maya nodded. She understood exactly what he was telling her, without him having to spell it out.

  He continued. “They just don't have the funding to get it made before it becomes an issue. She was hoping that a little help from the media might help inform the decision makers and get her company the funding they need to head this off at the pass.”