Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1)(59)

—Well, I’m sure there’s a lot I don’t know, but…

—This is the second time you allude to the notion that crucial information is being withheld from you. I assure you it is not.

—It doesn’t matter. I knew that when…when I signed on.

—I…

—Just let me finish. As I understand, this device, this robot, it was built by advanced beings from…outer space, in the hopes of defending our planet against some other aliens, is that correct?

—Yes.

—I mean, are you certain it was designed for p…planetary defense?

—That is my understanding.

—Then how could there not be? This thing, the way you describe it, is extremely powerful, and I’m certain it could defend a neighborhood really well, perhaps a city, against just about anything. But what’s it gonna do if the enemy attacks in another country, let alone another…continent? Is it just gonna walk there? It’s not like it can hail a cab.

Without a propulsion system, its mobility would be so limited, it would be com…completely useless. All the enemy would have to do is land more than a few miles away. By the time this thing gets there walking, it would already be over. This would be the s…stupidest planetary defense system ever—not that I know of another one—if it can’t cross an ocean.

—That is a sound argument. One I am surprised no one, including myself, has made in the past. I will endeavor to resume our search efforts as soon as possible. However, as you pointed out, we have covered a significant percentage of all the continents except Antarctica. If such a propulsion system does exist, and we do not find it there, it would most likely be submerged.

The surface we will need to cover is much larger than what we have searched to date, and we currently do not have a reliable underwater-delivery mechanism for the compound Dr. Franklin developed.

—We’ll need to hire someone. I’m a geneticist, not a chemist or an engineer.

—Neither was Dr. Franklin.

—Well, maybe she was a bit of a Renaissance woman…but she’s dead. Your pilots killed her. So we’re gonna have to d…deal with that as best we can. Like I said, I’m a geneticist. I’m already managing…steelworkers and engineers, and I don’t understand half of what they’re saying. With the money we’re s…spending building this place, I don’t think one more salary will make much of a difference. If we need a chemist, we’ll hire a chemist. If the engineers who thought this place up can’t come up with a delivery system for that compound, we’ll hire one more.

Speaking of genetics, that’s another reason I’d like to get the pilots here as soon as possible. If I’m gonna figure out what it is about these two that makes this machine tick, I’ll need access to their…to their bodies. I’ll need samples.

—I can have them send blood samples here by courier.

—I might need a lot of samples, and not just blood. Please just get them here as soon as possible.

—They might object to a lot of physical probing.

—It’ll be real difficult for me to do my job if they don’t co…coo…perate. They’re an uncontrollable variable in this equation. It makes the board real uneasy that a project this big is at the mercy of two people. You and I have already had this conversation. Let’s not have it again. I’d like to get these tests started as fast as we can.

—All I am asking is for you to make these tests as nonintrusive and painless as you can without sacrificing the results. As for the board of directors, you let me worry about them. Your job is to get us back on track, as soon as possible. When we are fully operational, we can work on a contingency plan, should anything happen to either of our pilots. But for now, we have pilots. You should focus on what we do not have, and as of this moment, we do not have a robot, nor do we have a viable work environment to continue training.

—I understand. But I can’t just ignore the b…board of directors. They’re the ones who named me CEO. I understand your implication in this project, but there is an administrative structure in place here, and as far as I know, you’re not p…you’re not a part of it. I have all the respect in the world for what you did for this project, but my obligation is to the board.

—I admire your loyalty and your desire to fulfill your duties as CEO as best you can.

—Thank you.

—If I may offer a suggestion. It would be wise, for a woman in your position, to take some time to get a better understanding of your surroundings, perhaps to revisit some assumptions you may have made early on. Understanding the true nature of the power structure in such a complex enterprise is not something one can achieve instantly.

—Thank you for your concern. It’s very nice of you.





FILE NO. 249


INTERVIEW WITH VINCENT COUTURE, CONSULTANT, BVI COMPANY NUMBER 462753 INC.

Location: Undisclosed location, near San Juan, Puerto Rico

—I hope you are enjoying yourself in this new setting.

—How could I not? I live on the beach! I don’t know where you’re from, but for someone who’s lived in Quebec all his life, this is pretty awesome.

—I am happy that the beach house is to your liking. I was actually referring to this facility.

—I’ve only been here twice. I met with Alyssa—did you know they brought her back?—the day I arrived, and I met her again when I came in for a physical a few days later.