him for his looks.” Reaching over, Sommer keyed the right-hand screen for a scanning of the detectors that had studied Everly on his way down the hallway leading to Rita’s desk. X-ray, infrared, metal detector, explosives sniffer … “Looks clean enough,” he told Sands. “Shall we go in?”
Even without looking, he could sense that Sands was bracing herself. “Might as well,” she growled.
He nodded and began unlatching the deadlocks that sealed the lab from the inside. By the time he had the door open, Everly was on his feet again. “Mr. Everly,” Sommer greeted him, crossing the room to offer his hand. “I’m Adrian Sommer.”
“Pleased to meet you, Dr. Sommer,” Everly nodded. His grip was the kind Sommer liked in a handshake: firm and clean, with a strength behind it that the owner felt no need to demonstrate. “You too, Dr. Sands,” he added, releasing Sommer’s hand and taking Sands’s.
“Likewise,” she said with noticeable coolness. “Please, sit down.”
“Thank you.” Everly resumed his seat.
“You’ve compiled quite an impressive resume for someone who’s barely reached his forties,” Sommer commented as he and Sands took seats opposite. “CIA, FBI, security adviser to the Secret Service, head of security for Apple’s Brainchild Project. And that’s just the high points.”
Everly shrugged slightly. “I’m good at what I do.”
Beside Sommer, Sands stirred. “You have a high opinion of yourself, Mr. Everly.”
Everly cocked an eyebrow. “Would you prefer false modesty, Dr. Sands?” he asked calmly, with no trace of irritation or defensiveness that Sommer could detect.
Her lip twisted, just a bit. “No, I suppose not,” she admitted.
Everly turned his attention back to Sommer. “You’ve seen my resume, and probably sifted through whatever dossiers on me you could get hold of, so I expect my credentials really aren’t in doubt here.”
So Everly was the direct type. Sommer liked that, too. “True enough. I suppose the only real questions are why you’d want to work for Soulminder, and what you think you can do for us.”
“Second one’s easy enough.” Everly waved a hand back toward the reception area. “For starters, I’d toss out that stop-gap hallway detection gear you’ve put together and install a real system. I could name you at least five weapons, right off the top of my head, that your net wouldn’t catch.”
“I thought our little gauntlet was reasonably unobvious,” Sands said, a touch of challenge in her tone.
Everly shrugged. “It is. Reasonably. I just happen to know what to look for. Second, I’d run a fine-tooth over the rest of the building—with emphasis on your main lab back there—and see what else has to be done to make this place secure. Third, I’d take a look at the plans of your new building and correct any problems now , before it actually starts going up and you wind up having to knock out walls to fix things. Fourth, I’d get some people in here to start a complete—and I mean complete —screening of all current and prospective employees. Especially those who’ll be working with the main Soulminder equipment itself.”
“Sounds like a lot of work,” Sands said. “Especially when you’d be doing it all for considerably less than Apple’s already paying you.”
He looked at her. “True,” he agreed. “Which leads us back to Dr. Sommer’s first question. The answer’s simple: I want to work here because I think what you’re doing is a hell of a lot more important than anything else going on in the world today. I can see the possibilities you’ve got here—some of them, anyway—and some of the ways all the good parts could be killed outright or perverted or bureaucracied to death.” Something behind his eyes seemed to harden. “I’ve seen all of those happen, and to projects that weren’t anywhere near as ambitious as yours. I don’t want to see Soulminder go down that road.”
For a long moment
Even without looking, he could sense that Sands was bracing herself. “Might as well,” she growled.
He nodded and began unlatching the deadlocks that sealed the lab from the inside. By the time he had the door open, Everly was on his feet again. “Mr. Everly,” Sommer greeted him, crossing the room to offer his hand. “I’m Adrian Sommer.”
“Pleased to meet you, Dr. Sommer,” Everly nodded. His grip was the kind Sommer liked in a handshake: firm and clean, with a strength behind it that the owner felt no need to demonstrate. “You too, Dr. Sands,” he added, releasing Sommer’s hand and taking Sands’s.
“Likewise,” she said with noticeable coolness. “Please, sit down.”
“Thank you.” Everly resumed his seat.
“You’ve compiled quite an impressive resume for someone who’s barely reached his forties,” Sommer commented as he and Sands took seats opposite. “CIA, FBI, security adviser to the Secret Service, head of security for Apple’s Brainchild Project. And that’s just the high points.”
Everly shrugged slightly. “I’m good at what I do.”
Beside Sommer, Sands stirred. “You have a high opinion of yourself, Mr. Everly.”
Everly cocked an eyebrow. “Would you prefer false modesty, Dr. Sands?” he asked calmly, with no trace of irritation or defensiveness that Sommer could detect.
Her lip twisted, just a bit. “No, I suppose not,” she admitted.
Everly turned his attention back to Sommer. “You’ve seen my resume, and probably sifted through whatever dossiers on me you could get hold of, so I expect my credentials really aren’t in doubt here.”
So Everly was the direct type. Sommer liked that, too. “True enough. I suppose the only real questions are why you’d want to work for Soulminder, and what you think you can do for us.”
“Second one’s easy enough.” Everly waved a hand back toward the reception area. “For starters, I’d toss out that stop-gap hallway detection gear you’ve put together and install a real system. I could name you at least five weapons, right off the top of my head, that your net wouldn’t catch.”
“I thought our little gauntlet was reasonably unobvious,” Sands said, a touch of challenge in her tone.
Everly shrugged. “It is. Reasonably. I just happen to know what to look for. Second, I’d run a fine-tooth over the rest of the building—with emphasis on your main lab back there—and see what else has to be done to make this place secure. Third, I’d take a look at the plans of your new building and correct any problems now , before it actually starts going up and you wind up having to knock out walls to fix things. Fourth, I’d get some people in here to start a complete—and I mean complete —screening of all current and prospective employees. Especially those who’ll be working with the main Soulminder equipment itself.”
“Sounds like a lot of work,” Sands said. “Especially when you’d be doing it all for considerably less than Apple’s already paying you.”
He looked at her. “True,” he agreed. “Which leads us back to Dr. Sommer’s first question. The answer’s simple: I want to work here because I think what you’re doing is a hell of a lot more important than anything else going on in the world today. I can see the possibilities you’ve got here—some of them, anyway—and some of the ways all the good parts could be killed outright or perverted or bureaucracied to death.” Something behind his eyes seemed to harden. “I’ve seen all of those happen, and to projects that weren’t anywhere near as ambitious as yours. I don’t want to see Soulminder go down that road.”
For a long moment
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