Contributor (Contributor Trilogy, book 1) (14 page)

Letizia's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you, sir."

"I trust I'll see you both bright and early tomorrow. We have a great many details to discuss before we meet with Zhang."

"Of course," Letizia responded coolly.

The instant he walked through the door, Letizia seized Dara's arm.

"You should have told me about that argument in the park between LeTour and Gutierrez," she snarled. Though it wasn't exactly painful, Letizia's grip was uncomfortably tight.

"How did you hear about that?" Dara gaped at her.

"Knowledge is power, Dara. Never forget that. I shouldn't have had to hear it third hand. You should have told me at once."

"I...I'm sorry."

"Don't let it happen again—ever."

Dara could do little more than nod dumbly as Letizia also strode out of the room, leaving Dara alone.

Chapter 18

Dara took extra care as she dressed on the day of the Zhang meeting. When she finished, she eyed her reflection critically. Her role was minimal, but she was still a representative of Magnum. Any mistakes on her part would reflect badly on Magnum, which would mean the end of any future with the Job Creator.

Not too bad,
she thought, pleased with what she saw. She wasn't a beauty like Letizia, but this didn't bother her.
Today I'm happy to let Letizia shine while I blend into the background.

Shifting her gaze, she looked at her back, reflected in the mirror on the opposite wall. The previous night, she had spent more than an hour pressing her blazer and skirt, until she had eliminated even the slightest crease, and then she had meticulously brushed every speck of lint from the fabric. A half hour's worth of polishing ensured her shoes shone with a high gloss and, though she wore a new pair of stockings, she contorted her neck to make sure they hadn't snagged.

At least they can't fault me for how I look. Hopefully Andersen won't see any reason to fault me for my notes and organization either.

Her anxiety would continue unabated until she knew that Andersen was pleased. When she was honest with herself, she knew that she was likely not the front runner for the position as Andersen's assistant. Though her work had been acceptable, she had made disastrous mistakes, and her projects had not always scored the highest. Couple this with her sense that, ever sense her mother's accident, she could barely keep up, and things looked rather bleak. Winning this spot on the joint project was her best bet to lock up the position.

Her father hadn't seemed to notice her anxiety, but he was so caught up in his own worries that she was neither surprised nor insulted. Jonathan, however, had sensed it immediately.

"You worried?" he had asked the night before, as they said good-bye.

"Yes," she had answered bluntly.

He had taken her hand and studied her with a sympathetic expression. "You've been through so much lately, but this is your time to shine, Dara. Seize it."

After years of unwavering faith in her, there had been doubt in his voice. He had tried his best to conceal it, but she knew him too well to miss it. The realization had made her sick. Would he stand by her if she failed her apprenticeship? After all, her success or failure was also his.

Joshua sat waiting at the table, breakfast ready. Though the strain of the last week had left its mark on his face, his expression of pride lightened her heart.

"Today's the big day," he said.

"Yes, it is," she agreed, sitting down and reaching for her orange juice. It would be a long day, but she wasn't sure she could manage anything other than the juice.

"Are you nervous?" He pushed his own plate aside. Apparently, he wasn't all that interested in food either.

"Yes."

"You're going to amaze them," he said warmly, reaching across the table to take her hand.

She squeezed his weakly. A part of her longed to spill all of her troubles, to lay her head on his shoulder and sob out her fears as she had when she was a little girl, but she didn't want to add to the burden he already had to bear. "I hope you're right. I'm lucky to have this chance."

"They're also lucky to have you. You were the brightest, most innovative student in your class. You've always been focused on what you can do for Magnum. I have no doubt that you'll be successful."

"Thanks, Dad." Truly touched by his faith in her, she clung to his hand while she fought off tears.

"You're such a brave, wonderful young woman, Dara. But don't think I haven't noticed how worried you are. I wish I'd been more help to you over these last few weeks," he said, his voice a little thick. She realized he was fighting back tears of his own.

"Oh, Dad," she sighed. "You've had so much on your mind lately. I didn't want to worry you."

"When you're a parent, the worry never stops." A gentle smile lit his face and his eyes went soft. "But I want you to know that I've always been proud to be your father, and I'll always be proud. You can do this, my Dara. I know you can. You're a fighter, just like your mother."

"I'll do it for her. For both of you," Dara vowed.

"No, sweetheart. Do it for yourself. You have nothing to prove to either me or your mother."

He rose from the table, opening his arms, and she hurried over to embrace him. He hugged her fiercely and then kissed the top of her head, careful not to muss up her hair.

"You are an extraordinary person, Dara."

"I love you so much."

"And I love you forever." He squeezed her one last time and then released her, frowning slightly. "I hope I didn't wrinkle your suit."

"No, it's fine," she reassured him, smiling. As if he'd cast a spell, she could feel her worry ease. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

The video com let out a low tone and she hurried over to answer it, the screen showing Jonathan's smiling face.

"It's time!" he said.

"'Bye Dad!" Dara said.

"Knock 'em dead."

"You're going to be great," Jonathan said, as she stepped outside.

"I'm going to give it my all."

"You always do. You have to promise to do something for me, though."

"What?"

He glanced around and then dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You have to promise to tell me if the Zhang Contributors all have hay sticking out of their hair, and if they wear straw farmers' hats."

Dara burst into laughter, startling several groups ahead of them. As the others turned around to look curiously at them, she tried her best to smooth her expression.

"You're an idiot," she told him affectionately.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "I've always wondered about that, and now's my chance to find out."

"Well, I'll be sure to give you the full report tonight, then."

"Great. And don't forget to make a note of what color their hats are."

It was difficult to stifle her giggles, but they had just arrived at the outside of headquarters, and she could see Andersen and the senior engineers waiting inside.

"You're a true professional," Jonathan said. She could hear the admiration in his voice, and it made her hold her chin up a bit higher.

Once inside, she introduced him to Chen, Walters, and Andersen. Chen fidgeted, looking over Jonathan's shoulder as if waiting for someone more important to come along. Walters greeted him with a warm smile and a firm handshake, and Andersen was very cordial, which Dara took as a good sign.

"We should head for the transports. We don't want to be late," Chen said, the moment Jonathan walked away.

"I'm never late," Andersen replied. Chen's mouth twitched and he seemed to be on the verge of responding, but Andersen began walking toward transport, Walters on his right. Chen hurried to position himself on Andersen's left.

"Remember, now is your time," Letizia told Dara under her breath as they followed.

"I won't let you down," Dara murmured.

"Don't." Letizia picked up her pace, forcing Dara to scramble after her.

Despite her annoyance, Dara's excitement got the better of her and she couldn't be bothered to worry about Letizia's off-putting behavior. Never in her life had she left the Magnum dome, and she had always been curious about the other domes. Did they look just like Magnum's? What were the people like?

When Dara and her classmates were younger, they had posed such questions to their instructors, who were of little help. Many of the instructors had never been outside of the domes, and those that had quickly reprimanded the students, calling their curiosity ungrateful. Did they think another Job Creator might be superior to Magnum? This question always immediately made the students back off. None of them wanted to risk offending Magnum.

Fortunately, the weather proved reasonably cooperative. The sun hung low on the horizon, vaguely visible through the haze. Dara watched the parched earth stretching before them, bearing the remnants of the old civilization: obsolete black asphalt roads crumbled beyond repair, collapsed houses in which single families had once lived. Some of these houses bore the traces of backyards that had obviously been pleasure grounds. Dry, crumbling pool walls mingling with rusted poles and the desiccated remains of fallen trees.

"As I reviewed Zhang Agritech's schematics last night, I noticed that..." Chen's voice broke into her thoughts, and she realized with a jolt that she had been so focused on the shattered remnants of the world outside that she hadn't been paying attention to the conversation. Her throat constricted as she darted a couple of quick glances around, trying to discern if anyone had noticed her lack of attention. Fortunately for her, it didn't appear that anyone had.

Unable to help herself, she glanced outside one last time. What had it been like to live in those days, back before the Job Creators had saved them all from themselves?

Chapter 19

It was difficult not to gape openly as a smart-looking blond woman clad in the Zhang Agritech Systems uniform led them on a tour of the dome. Dara eyes roamed over every inch. Though the domes' exterior structures were all the same, their interiors were unique to each Job Creator. When contrasted against the innumerable shades of green draping Zhang's interior, Magnum's sleek lines and high-tech machinery seemed to belong to an alien planet.

Row after row of crops stretched off into the distance, and their guide pointed out various public experiments the Creator was conducting. They were all so spectacular that Dara couldn't help but wonder what the top secret experiments looked like. Her eyes felt like they would fall out of her head as she took in the sight of tomatoes in every shade of the rainbow imaginable, some growing from vines planted in plots of earth, others hanging upside down from elaborate planters, and still others growing in hydroponic gardens that created the illusion of fruit floating in midair. Dara didn't think she'd ever look at tomatoes in the same way again.

By the time they reached the conference room, Dara had a serious crick in her neck from craning it in every direction, trying to take in all the sights she possibly could. She could hardly wait to tell Jonathan that, while the Zhang Contributors suffered from a serious lack of straw hats, their dome was certainly something to see. Even their conference room left her gaping, its walls decorated with murals of various Zhang products. A variety of potted plants covered the surface of the conference table, and a rich, earthy smell suffused the air. It could not have been more unlike the austere glass and steel conference rooms at Magnum.

The meeting was cordial but serious. Andersen gave a presentation detailing how Magnum's innovations could enhance Zhang's experiments, and the Zhang Contributors seemed impressed. However, the best was yet to come: as Andersen smoothed his suit and sat, he glanced over at Dara and gave her an approving nod. She lowered her gaze and, out of the corner of her eye, saw that Letizia looked pleased.

The meeting extended into dinnertime, but Dara could hardly eat a bit of the lavish dinner Zhang provided, she was so busy taking notes. At midnight, the details still hadn't been entirely resolved, and Andersen and his Zhang counterpart agreed that a couple of Zhang's Contributors would go to Magnum's dome, where they would be guests for the next two days.

They were delayed at transport because the addition of the two Zhang Contributors necessitated a second vehicle. Unfortunately, all other transports were in use, and none would be available for at least an hour. Andersen was visibly annoyed, and the Zhang Contributors didn't look any happier.