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Authors: Gill McKnight
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one night?”
“Yes. No. I was working for you.”
“As your employer, all your ideas concerning my business operation are mine. You, as the developer, get credited and handsomely recompensed through our bonus scheme, but the code belongs to the company. It’s perfectly legal.”
“Well, if I say you stole it then you stole it. I got no compensation or credit. I got fired. You burned me, Victoria Gresham, and I wanted to get my own back.”
“A million bucks’ worth of compensation? That’s what your ransom note asked for. Must have been a really awesome idea for you to deserve that much. What was it?”
“Code FX90.”
Victoria stilled. That little bit of programming had proved invaluable and given her company a real edge over their competitors. It ran a calibration that gave out predictive statistics, plus damn good trend factoring and forecasting. All in all, a little honey of a tool, awesome indeed. Still, it never merited a million bucks, not in anybody’s money.
“I was never made aware that FX90 was the work of one employee. Who did you submit it to?”
“My supervisor, and then I was told it went straight to your office. They said you loved it and I was gonna get a big fat bonus, then bam! I was out. Turned up one morning and couldn’t even get in the door. You conspired against me.”
“Look, I have no idea who you are. I’d never even heard of a Michaela Rapowski until you swooped into my kitchen and snatched me. FX90 was good, but it’s just a little in-house tool, likes dozens of others we developed over the years.” Victoria spelled it out. “I think someone stole your idea, and with it your bonus money, too, and got you kicked out before you knew what was happening. But be assured it wasn’t me. I would have kept talent like yours onboard. Did any of your former colleagues know what you were working on?”
“No. Didn’t mix much. We were a quiet bunch.” Victoria rolled her eyes. Geeks . “So you have no witnesses. And I bet your machine has been rebuilt. Any other evidence the code’s yours?” She picked up her old discarded blindfold and tied it around Mickey’s eyes.
“Only on my own home machine. Hey, what’s with the blindfold? I already know what you look like.”
“You’ll see soon enough. Come on. Let’s go get lunch.” She led her toward the door. Three feet out into the hallway she let go, and Mickey walked straight into a wall.
“Ow. Hey, what did you do that for?”
Victoria sighed. “I could walk the entire floor plan of this place in a blindfold and bump into nothing. You can’t even find your own kitchen. Remember that if you ever decide to wander off.”
“I’ve never had to walk around the damn house blindfolded before, now have I?”
“And whose fault is it you’re doing it now, hmm? Let’s ask ourselves why you are in this predicament, Mickey.”
“Is this why you did it? So I’d knock myself stupid if I tried to run?”
“There’s no way you’ll ever knock yourself smart.” She grabbed her arm and redirected her toward the kitchen. “Not even with a ten-pound hammer.”
❖
Victoria watched Mickey slowly chew her sandwich. Her face was a mask of concentration and then she suddenly turned to Victoria, a plan obviously fixed in her mind.
“I think I know how to retrieve your money. You’re the one who knows where to start. Free me and I’ll find your lost funds.” She announced her cunning deal. “Bet you one ransom and a head start I can.”
Victoria smiled; she had been prepared for this offer. “No ransom. You get your original owed bonus and your freedom. Take it or leave it.”
“What? Two hundred and fifty thou? But you’re losing millions even as we speak. And here you are trying to bargain me down.” Mickey looked insulted.
“This is your chance to break even. You get the money you claim you were always owed, and you get to make things right with me. I think it’s pretty damned generous of the universe
“Yes. No. I was working for you.”
“As your employer, all your ideas concerning my business operation are mine. You, as the developer, get credited and handsomely recompensed through our bonus scheme, but the code belongs to the company. It’s perfectly legal.”
“Well, if I say you stole it then you stole it. I got no compensation or credit. I got fired. You burned me, Victoria Gresham, and I wanted to get my own back.”
“A million bucks’ worth of compensation? That’s what your ransom note asked for. Must have been a really awesome idea for you to deserve that much. What was it?”
“Code FX90.”
Victoria stilled. That little bit of programming had proved invaluable and given her company a real edge over their competitors. It ran a calibration that gave out predictive statistics, plus damn good trend factoring and forecasting. All in all, a little honey of a tool, awesome indeed. Still, it never merited a million bucks, not in anybody’s money.
“I was never made aware that FX90 was the work of one employee. Who did you submit it to?”
“My supervisor, and then I was told it went straight to your office. They said you loved it and I was gonna get a big fat bonus, then bam! I was out. Turned up one morning and couldn’t even get in the door. You conspired against me.”
“Look, I have no idea who you are. I’d never even heard of a Michaela Rapowski until you swooped into my kitchen and snatched me. FX90 was good, but it’s just a little in-house tool, likes dozens of others we developed over the years.” Victoria spelled it out. “I think someone stole your idea, and with it your bonus money, too, and got you kicked out before you knew what was happening. But be assured it wasn’t me. I would have kept talent like yours onboard. Did any of your former colleagues know what you were working on?”
“No. Didn’t mix much. We were a quiet bunch.” Victoria rolled her eyes. Geeks . “So you have no witnesses. And I bet your machine has been rebuilt. Any other evidence the code’s yours?” She picked up her old discarded blindfold and tied it around Mickey’s eyes.
“Only on my own home machine. Hey, what’s with the blindfold? I already know what you look like.”
“You’ll see soon enough. Come on. Let’s go get lunch.” She led her toward the door. Three feet out into the hallway she let go, and Mickey walked straight into a wall.
“Ow. Hey, what did you do that for?”
Victoria sighed. “I could walk the entire floor plan of this place in a blindfold and bump into nothing. You can’t even find your own kitchen. Remember that if you ever decide to wander off.”
“I’ve never had to walk around the damn house blindfolded before, now have I?”
“And whose fault is it you’re doing it now, hmm? Let’s ask ourselves why you are in this predicament, Mickey.”
“Is this why you did it? So I’d knock myself stupid if I tried to run?”
“There’s no way you’ll ever knock yourself smart.” She grabbed her arm and redirected her toward the kitchen. “Not even with a ten-pound hammer.”
❖
Victoria watched Mickey slowly chew her sandwich. Her face was a mask of concentration and then she suddenly turned to Victoria, a plan obviously fixed in her mind.
“I think I know how to retrieve your money. You’re the one who knows where to start. Free me and I’ll find your lost funds.” She announced her cunning deal. “Bet you one ransom and a head start I can.”
Victoria smiled; she had been prepared for this offer. “No ransom. You get your original owed bonus and your freedom. Take it or leave it.”
“What? Two hundred and fifty thou? But you’re losing millions even as we speak. And here you are trying to bargain me down.” Mickey looked insulted.
“This is your chance to break even. You get the money you claim you were always owed, and you get to make things right with me. I think it’s pretty damned generous of the universe
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