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either
completely restore her sight, or provide her with a less cumbersome prosthetic
device than the PERSuit.
    “Hey,” Clive said. “I didn’t mean to bring you down.”
    “No, not at all.” Justine smiled to show she wasn’t upset.
“But while you’re in a generous mood, maybe I can get you to do me a very
special favor.”
    He raised an eyebrow.
    Justine said, “Maybe you can help me with Alex Manez.”
    Clive made a gruff sound in his throat. “Not this again. Since
Quantum Resources is under full Canadian ownership, I don’t even have clearance
to ask if they have any Kinemet, let alone get them to allocate any for—”
    Then he suddenly figured out what Justine was getting at.
    “No way.” Clive’s face turned red and he dropped his voice.
“I seriously hope you’re not suggesting we smuggle any of our Kinemet off that liner.”
    Justine shook her head and clicked her tongue. “Clive, you
know I would never ask you to do anything like that.”
    “Then … what?”
    “How about the exact opposite?”
    Clive stared at her for more than a few seconds, confused.
    “But—” Then he sighed. “Oh, I see.” He sounded reluctant,
but said, “Yes, I think that can be arranged.”

11
    Quantum Resources :
    Toronto :
    Canada Corp. :
    Toronto was
vastly different from Ottawa, both in architecture and culture. While the
city planners in the nation’s capital tried to keep the city’s expansion spread
out over a large area, Toronto was home to some of the most impressive
skyscrapers in the country. Where Ottawa was a hub for politics, Toronto’s
focus was commerce.
    When Quantum Resources was first chartered, its mandate had
been to develop Kinemet into a usable fuel source for interstellar flight.
Since the Quanta missions had consistently failed, and Alex’s mission
had turned into a public relations disaster, Quantum Resources’ ability to
capitalize on the new technology had been severely hampered. After Canada Corp.
bought all outstanding shares and put Quantum Resources under the umbrella of
the Space Mining Division, the Director of SMD had changed QR’s mandate in
order to put the company back on a profitable basis.
    In their early years, Quantum Resources had attracted some
of the best thinkers in the field of astronomy and physics, and it would be a
shame to put their collective brain-power to waste. While some of the company’s
resources were reserved for analyzing what they knew about Kinemet in the hopes
of one day turning it into a viable fuel, the main thrust of their efforts was
to improve existing technologies and increase their efficiency.
    As a former employee, Michael was still subscribed to their
quarterly meshmail reports. In the last two quarters, and for the first time
since its incorporation, Quantum Resources was in the black.
    When the autotaxi dropped Michael off at a high-rise office
complex he didn’t recognize, he rechecked the destination he had entered into
the navigation screen. The directory confirmed this was the location for
Quantum Resources.
    It had been several months since Michael had spoken to
Calbert, but at that time his former colleague had not mentioned any upcoming relocation.
    Michael authorized the debit charge, and with his overnight
bag in hand he stepped out of the vehicle and entered the building.
    In the foyer, he approached the reception kiosk and skimmed
the list of companies. Quantum Resources offices were on the thirtieth floor.
    When Michael got out of the elevator, he stepped out into a
scene of chaos. Construction engineers and electricians were putting up walls,
stringing power lines, and setting up computer workstations.
    Stepping up to a foreman, Michael said, “Hello, I’m not sure
if I have the right place. Is Calbert Loche here?”
    The foreman pointed down a half-built hallway. “Yeah. His
office is back there.”
    “Thank you.” Michael smiled and let him get back to work as
he picked his way through the piles of ceiling tiles,