Read Online [Contributor 02] - Infiltrator (2013) by Nicole Ciacchella - Free Book Online Page A

we’ll be able to get to anything on that end, but we’ll try.”
    “There’s one more thing: Javier Gutierrez, who was one of the other contenders for my position, transferred to Accounting, reporting to Jasmine Shah. He might know something, something he’s passed along to Shah. It could make him a target for Andersen’s wrath.”
    “Why would he take a risk like that?” Tasha asked.
    “I think his sister is sick. I wasn’t able to find anything solid, but I read between the lines of things I saw posted on the social networks.”
    “I’m on it,” Raj said, handing the tablet back to Mal at last. He seemed shaken. “I’ll see if I can confirm that she’s sick, and, if so, try to figure out what’s wrong with her.”
    “You are not to say anything to Javier, nor are you to attempt to question him,” Mal said, and Dara bristled at the command. He must have noticed, because he fixed a piercing glare on her. “You cannot afford to blow your cover, especially not now. I need you on this, Dara. I need you to be fully committed.”
    “I am,” she swore.
    “Mal, it’s time to bring her inside,” Raj said, staring at him with a challenging gaze.
    Pressing his lips together in a firm line, it was obvious Mal wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea, but he didn’t argue with Raj either.
    “Raj is right,” Tasha said. “There are things Dara needs to know, bits of information that will give her a better idea of the big picture. You can’t have her going into this blind.”
    “I’m sitting right here,” Dara said in a tight voice.
    “All right. You two might have a point,” Mal said, the expression on his face suggesting he didn’t like how the words tasted.
    “We can’t afford to blow this,” Raj said.
    “No, we can’t. Very well. Dara, I think it’s time to give you a better idea of who the Free Thinkers are and what we know. I hope you’re truly ready for this.”
    She hoped so too.

Chapter 12

    “The Free Thinkers were originally a group of people who were meant to serve as watchdogs of the Creators, to ensure they didn’t overstep their bounds,” Mal said. “The retreat to the domes was an act of desperation, a last-ditch effort to try to save as many people as possible, and there were those who recognized that the arrangement represented a potential power imbalance. The Creators’ ostensible mission was to save humanity, but a few of the original Free Thinkers recognized that this gave the Creators enormous power over those they claimed they wished to protect.”
    “Don’t make them sound so benevolent,” Tasha said. “The Creators played a large part in the problems that caused the Great Famine in the first place. It was their greed, their desire to control all the wealth and concentrate the power, that was instrumental in causing the food system to collapse.”
    “I was getting to that,” he said, giving his sister a look.
    Dara threw her hands up and shook her head. “Wait a second, how can that be? I was taught that the Great Famine was a result of unavoidable environmental disasters.”
    “Environmental problems did cause the Great Famine, but they weren’t unavoidable, whatever the Creators may claim,” Raj said, his voice gentle. He glanced at Mal, who pressed his lips together more firmly and sat back, letting Raj take over. “What you need to understand, Dara, is that what happened, what caused the collapse of the food system and the environmental destruction of the planet, wasn’t a concerted effort to destroy, but a combination of unintended consequences and unfettered greed.
    “For instance, Zhang Agritech Systems developed lines of what they thought would be beneficial genetically engineered seed, along with pesticides and herbicides designed to increase the effectiveness of the seed. They were aware that the success of the products would mean huge profits, but the original intent was to increase yields while simultaneously making life easier and more profitable