Enemy In the Room (33 page)

They heard a car door close outside.

Callie stood up. “Well, I don’t think I’m
ready for a relationship with God just yet. If there
is
a
God, he’d be pretty upset with me right now.” She looked out the
window and smiled. “Alex’s here. And I’d have to change a lot of
what I’m doing. So, for now, I’m pretty starved. How about we just
fix dinner?”

“That’s fine.” Kristen rose as a key opened
the door.

Callie greeted Alex with a hug and a kiss.
Turning, she motioned toward Kristen. “Alex, this is Kristen
Holloway, who I told you about. She works with dad—well, used to.
She’s cool. Kristen, this is Alex Spalding.”

“Great to meet you,” Kristen said, offering
her hand.

“Yeah, me too,” Alex replied, giving her
hand a half-hearted squeeze.

Turning to the kitchen, Callie said, “We
were just finishing a discussion on everything from jobs to God—I
guess that there’s even a Job in the Bible.” She smiled.

“Ugh,” Kristen replied.

Alex looked confused.

The two women went into the kitchen.

“But I do appreciate you sharing all of that
with me. It seems pretty far out. Here, check the directions on the
pasta while I get some water boiling.”

“I know it can seem far out,” Kristen said,
taking the package. “It did to me, too. But once you experience a
real relationship with the God who made you, it goes from being far
out to being deep inside. I know. It’s the only thing that’s given
me the ability to experience true peace.”

Callie turned to put water in a large pot.
“It’s just that I’m still young and not ready for all that
yet.”

Kristen smiled. “You sound like I
sounded.”

Callie shrugged. Alex came up behind her and
gave her a hug.

It was early morning in the Intelligence
Office at the Russian Army Base not far from Arzamas-23. Captain
Boris Rusnak was leaning over a table filled with aerial
photographs and speaking to Lieutenant Mikhail Andryushin.

“Your task is to find a large, isolated
field which is near a suitable road, but also hidden from view to
houses, passing cars, etc., in this general area.” He pointed with
his finger to the large scale map on top of the others. “We must be
able to secure it, set up the launcher, test all systems, fire and
depart, with as little chance of interference as possible.”

“A total of about eight hours,” the younger
officer stated.

“Yes. That should do it.”

“I’ll take Mishkin and Polyakov.”

“Good. You have one week.”

Rather than salute, Andryushin gave the hand
sign of the secret group into which he had been inducted by Rusnak
two years earlier. He then nodded, picked up the photographs, and
left for his car.

An hour later Callie, Alex and Kristen were
seated at the table, finishing their dinner and the wine. They had
planned the next day’s outing.

“Hey, after dinner let’s go out and have
some fun,” Callie said. “We know some great bars with guys who you
might find interesting. You can experience all the stuff that I
don’t want to give up to have a relationship with God!”

Alex smiled and took Callie’s hand. “I’m in.
I don’t need God—you’re all the relationship I need.”

Kristen shrugged. “Well, it’s not my usual
thing. But, hey, when in Rome. Just so long as there are a few
older ones, and you get me home in one piece before too late.”

“Oh, there will be plenty of older ones. But
listen”—she took a last sip of wine—”you never told me what you
said that got you in trouble with Dad’s company.”

Kristen took a deep breath and moved her
plate to the side. Picking up her glass, she said, “Well, actually,
I made some comments to a reporter on two occasions that I’m
opposed to pornography being on every corner and on every TV. And
since USNet owns a lot of adult movie production assets and is
buying more, that didn’t go down too well with Mr. Knox.”

Callie frowned. “You got fired over adult
movies? Why don’t you like adult movies?”

Kristen sighed and leaned forward. “I could
give you lots of reasons—from obsession and addiction to trashing
women to impossible expectations to broken marriages to rampant
premarital sex to pregnancy to the degradation of our expectations
and values in general. A lot of pain and problems for a lot of
people, all caused because we’re not doing what’s right.”

“You really think that adult entertainment
causes all of those problems?” Alex asked.

“Not by itself, but the men I work with now
feel it’s ‘normal’ to spend the evening looking at naked women
dancing on tables as part of business. And that’s just a tiny
sliver of it. Anything you read on the subject will tell you that,
like alcohol and tobacco and drugs, for many people it’s easy to
become addicted. And it used to be that, like alcohol and drugs, it
was difficult to find, particularly for a kid. But now we’ve sort
of become numb, and it’s everywhere…in our homes, on the internet,
in the movies. Another powerful lie that derails lives and causes
pain.”

Alex sat back, looked at Callie, then said,
“You really
do
have an opinion! You believe that all of that
is caused by some movies?”

“I’m not naive, Alex, to think that all our
problems are caused by adult movies, or any other one thing—of
course not. But I’m sure that all of that sex being pushed at us,
and at our kids, creates the kind of environment in which I felt
that it was ‘OK’ to have an affair with a married man, because he
wasn’t ‘understood’ at home, or didn’t have a great sex life, or
some other excuse. It was reinforced by all the supposedly free and
wonderful sex with no consequences that’s portrayed in every porn
movie and on every adult TV show. But what we did caused
real
pain. I got hurt. But also Janet, his wife, and their
kids got hurt. We almost created a divorce, maybe even a child. Of
course affairs happened long before there were adult movies. But
they’re just part of the pattern that makes people think it’s OK,
when, believe me, it isn’t.”

Callie stood up and headed for the kitchen.
“I think I need something else. Would you like some tequila? I
don’t even have to ask Alex.”

Kristen smiled. “Sure. A little. Listen,
when was the last time an adult movie or TV show ended with the
partners being diseased, the woman unable to have children, the
kids left with one parent and suffering on less income, or at an
abortion clinic? I mean, is that what the adult movie industry
portrays for us?”

Callie put a bottle and three glasses in
front of them. “No, I guess not.”

“Well, that’s what
really
happens,
among other painful things, when people have sex like in those
movies. So…” She smiled again and raised her water glass. “That’s
why I had a thing or two to say—though I didn’t quite say all of
that, nor did I mean for it to be publicized in the way it
was.”

Alex poured for each of them. Callie took a
long sip and put down her glass. “I see. Yeah, I can imagine that
those views would not sit well with the big guns at USNet. But,
listen, since we’re on this, I think I ought to tell you that…
well, Alex and I have actually made some of those adult movies. And
we might make more. The pay is pretty good.”

Kristen nodded. “I know.”

“You do? How long have you known it?”

“Well, I guess since before I met you a few
weeks ago.”

“Wait. All this time you’ve
known
we
did those movies?”

“Yes. Your dad told me.”

Callie glanced at Alex, her face turning
red. “So all of your coming here and pretending to like me and
coming back has all just been my father’s idea? To send in a
religious nut to make me think I like her and then brainwash me
into ‘doing good’ and dumping Alex? I can’t believe you!” Her arms
were folded, tears were forming in her eyes.

Kristen shook her head. “Callie, you’re
wrong. Your father did ask me to come to see you the first time.
But the friendship I have for you, and the fun we’ve had is
real—it’s not fake. I like you for you, no matter what you do.”

“Wait a minute. Let me get this straight.
You’ve just lectured me on how bad adult movies are, and yet you
like me, even though I’ve made two of them? Come on!” She reached
forward and took another long sip.

“Yes. Of course. You’re a wonderful,
talented young woman. You won’t always make these movies. You have
talents far beyond them. One day you’ll understand how destructive
they are, see the pain they’re causing. But that’s not a condition
for our friendship, any more than my supposed perfection ought to
be.”

Callie stood, and Alex followed her.
“Whoa…this is like really heavy! You hate the movies we made, but
you like me?”

“Yes. On both counts.”

“I…look, I gotta, like, figure this out. I’m
sorry. I think you could be trying to trick me or something. Why
don’t you chill out here and—read the Bible or something—and Alex
and I will go hang out at the bar with some friends? I doubt you’d
like them anyway. And I gotta think. OK?” She, picked up her drink,
turned and walked to her bedroom.

Kristen spoke to her back. “Yes, whatever
you say. But I don’t want you to go out upset with me. I just told
you the truth when you asked.”

Alex waited a moment then said in a low,
angry voice to Kristen, “Don’t push your religious ideas on her. We
don’t need them.” Then he followed Callie upstairs to their
bedroom.

Kristen took her dishes to the sink and
rinsed off the plates and glasses. Callie came out wearing a
low-cut, tight-fitting dress with slits up both sides, and moved to
pick up her purse. “I know, I heard. But…well, I’ll see you in the
morning. We’ll probably still go shopping, but I really gotta get
out and think and talk with my friends. This has been a
really
heavy night.”

Kristen walked to the center of the room as
Callie ran a brush through her hair and renewed her lipstick in a
mirror by the door. “Callie, listen. You can question why I came
the first time. But ever since then I’ve just wanted to be your
friend, and I’ve truly appreciated your advice on clothes. Your
father
fired
me, but I still wanted to come back and see
you
. So I hope that tells you something. I’ll stay here and
read and go to bed, but I hope you’ll realize that my opinion on
adult movies, or any other issue, is not the same as my opinion
about you. The two of us will never solve the issues. But the two
of us can be friends.”

As Alex came down from the bedroom, Callie
said, “Yeah. That sounds good, but I just want to talk with Alex
and check it out in my head tonight. So I’ll see you in the
morning. Lock the door, but don’t click this latch, so we can get
in. See ‘ya.” She turned and walked out into the southern
California night. Alex turned to leave with her, looked back at
Kristen, shook his head, and followed Callie out, closing the
door.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1ST

Early the next morning Todd was in his hotel
room, utilizing the special encrypted laptop with headphones that
Mustafin had loaned him during training to handle the calls and
emails that the RTI system intercepted. It was fascinating to see
and hear what so many people thought they were writing and saying
in private. It gave him a rush every time he clicked online and
thought about how they were using this information to get ahead of
everyone else.

Hopefully at the next level I’ll be able to
move from raw messages to decisions. It’ll be interesting to see
what our competitors are planning and to check out other people’s
deals. But at USNet we really shouldn’t be putting sensitive
information in emails or cell phone calls—this group, whoever they
are, will instantly know all our plans, and alert our competitors.
We should go back to land lines and conversations. What if I
started writing business letters, like people used to do? I hope
David reads the letter I sent him.

Near the end of his first hour he clicked
for a new message and up came a cell phone call that appeared to be
between a husband and wife, or boyfriend and girlfriend. The only
reason he imagined it was captured was because at one point the
woman used the word “earn” in berating the man’s poor performance.
But at the end of the call the man threatened to harm her and was
heading to her home.

Todd couldn’t remember anything from his
training about this situation, and he couldn’t find an icon on the
screen for an emergency. So he forwarded the message up to the next
level, the role he would play next week, with an email message
asking whom they should call.

A minute later, as he was handling another
message, the email reply came back: “We don’t call anyone. Not our
business, and it could compromise us. But we save the message in
case he really does something and we can use it later. Thanks.”

Todd was momentarily stunned.
We do
nothing to help this woman?

He was a little less enthusiastic for his
last hour.

Kristen awoke early that morning in
California. Making as little noise as possible, she brewed a pot of
coffee and fixed a bowl of yogurt. She was afraid to turn on the
television. So she read and then turned on her cell phone to
retrieve messages from her home voice mail.

Ten minutes later her cell phone rang, and
in the quiet of Callie’s home, it startled her. She quickly
answered it, talking low.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Kristen. It’s Janet Sullivan.”

“Oh, hi. It’s great to hear your voice. I’m
talking low because Callie is still asleep. How are you?”

“Fine. Has any of what we talked about been
useful to you with her?”

“I thought so last night, ‘til I blew it. I
came on too strongly about the consequences of adult movies, and I
guess I offended her—and her boyfriend.”