Infiltrator

Serena elegantly shrugged one trim shoulder. 'I deliberately kept a very low profile. There are times when the obvious cop on the corner is a good idea and others when it's not. Some corporate spies are incredibly clever. I find it's much easier to catch them if you've convinced them that you're not even around.'

She offered him a pleasant but impersonal smile. He hadn't reacted well to her so far. She wondered if that ignoring-the-interviewee-while-you-read-their-CV ploy ever worked. And if it did, what good was it? As far as she was concerned all they'd accomplished was to waste twenty minutes.

The job was hers if she wanted it, he had to know that. If he turned her down she would hit Cyberdyne with a very noisy discrimination suit, which she would almost certainly win. Something she was willing to bet Mr. Tricker knew. And she was also willing to bet that the last thing he, or Cyberdyne, wanted, now or ever, was noise in their vicinity.

But she could be vastly more patient than this fellow could imagine. So she'd play his little game, answer his questions, fill out more forms, and take a battery of tests if required. She'd win in the end.

'Your career is remarkable,' Tricker said, rubbing his chin. 'But your stay at each company was also remarkably short. Care to comment on that?'

No, she thought.

This is where her apparent age was a problem. It had required her seemingly to hopscotch from one job to another in an alarmingly rapid manner. But there was no help for it, she was going to appear to be twenty-five for a very long time, so the dates were close together. Eventually she would pretend to be a young-

looking thirty, once there she'd worry. For now, she had to get this position.

'I was acquiring my skills,' she said, crossing her legs. 'Once a position had taught me all I thought it could, I moved on.'

He noticed her legs, as she'd meant him to. Very nice. This woman would be a cat among the pigeons here at Cyberdyne. Some of these computer geeks would sell their souls just to have coffee with her. And she'd implied that some of her upward mobility had come about from her 'horizontal agility.' Problems like that he didn't need.

'What we're looking for here at Cyberdyne is someone who will be with us for the long haul,' Tricker said, closing the folder on her application. 'I don't feel it's in our best interests to hire someone who might be lured away by the candy of a new experience.'

Serena was annoyed. Clearly she'd misread this man, but everything so far had been so easy. That's no excuse for getting sloppy, she scolded herself. For once a human had reacted to her sexually and yet kept that response separate from his reasoning faculty. She hadn't been here in the early years of the century for long, but she hadn't found that capacity to be common among men.

'But a job like this one is exactly what I've been honing my skills for,' she said.

'An opportunity to establish a security system from the ground up is less common than you might think. I have a lot of ideas for Cyberdyne that I believe will keep it, its products, and its scientists safe and happy.'

'Nothing like a happy product,' Tricker said brightly.

Serena grinned. 'Happy scientists then—or at least contented. These geniuses are very touchy and genuinely hate anything that might restrict them or smacks of Big Brother. But obviously the company has to keep them safe from such threats as kidnapping'—she paused significantly— 'or murder. I think I've got a way to please everybody without rocking the boat.'

Yeah? Tricker thought cynically. Well, you may be super-babe, but even you can't sleep with all of the people all of the time. 'Do tell,' he invited.

Serena shook her head. 'That wouldn't be in my best interests.'

Tricker nodded affably. 'Maybe not,' he agreed. 'But it wouldn't be in our best interests to hire someone who might be gone in six months.'

'Hire me,' she said, leaning forward, her gaze locked on his. 'If I leave in under two years I'll agree to pay you a kill fee, substantial enough to cover your search for a new applicant. If you decide to fire me after six months you won't even have to pay me a severance check. I want this job, and I can make a difference here.'

Serena leaned back, still exuding a confidence she didn't quite feel. For some reason this human had taken a dislike to her and she couldn't think why, or exactly what to do about it. The obvious solution, killing him, might not be the best in this case.

Though his attitude did make it tempting.

Tricker looked at her, taken aback. That was quite an offer she was ponying up.

Still… 'We'll certainly take that into consideration,' he said brightly, patting her

file. He rose and offered her his hand. 'We'll be in touch, one way or the other.'

Serena shook his hand, taking brief pleasure in knowing she could crush it to a wet pulp. 'Thank you, Mr. Tricker.'

'Just Tricker,' he said.

She nodded. 'I'll look forward to hearing from you.' On that note, she picked up her briefcase and left without a backward glance.

As Serena walked to the parking lot she reran the interview, Tricker's image making a faint overlay on the scene around her. She was looking for the exact moment when she'd blown it. For blown it she had. If he'd been undecided before meeting her, he was no longer. From this point on he'd be actively opposed to hiring her.

'We had some interesting times while I was with them,' the recording said, her voice sounding dreamy. His face remained impassive, but he blinked. That was the moment, she decided. That implication had worked very well with Colvin and Warren, but to Tricker it had sent up a warning flag.

She frowned; failure loomed, and all over an offhand remark made to the wrong person. Now she could only hope that the president and CEO's support and her impulsive offer would sway him in her favor. For she felt with certainty that Tricker had the final say here.

Perhaps I can think of some way to eliminate my rivals, she thought. Preferably in the form of better job offers rather than assassination. Things are so complicated here!

'I don't see how you can object to her,' the CEO complained. 'Ms. Burns is perfect for this job.'

'Hey, Colvin,' Tricker said, his eyebrows raised, 'what she is is a perfect thirty-eight, twenty-four, thirty-six, and a natural blonde, or I miss my guess.'

'I was referring to her resume,' Colvin said through his teeth.

'Sure you were, Roger.' Tricker sneered.

'Is her body your only objection?' Warren asked with a curl of his lip.

'Hey, guys.' Tricker leaned forward. 'Why don't we pretend our dicks are in the cafeteria huddled over cups of coffee and sniggering about Ms. Burns's assets and let our brains take over this discussion?

'Have you two actually considered those glowing recommendations, or the scant time she put in to earn them? Doesn't it seem the least bit suspicious to you that only one or two people at these places seem to have even been aware of her existence?'

Warren and Colvin glanced at each other, then at Tricker.

'Well, don't you?' Tricker's blue eyes fairly bulged with frustration. 'Are you trying to tell me that you'd forget working in the same building with that woman?'

'Nooo,' Colvin said thoughtfully.

'Tricker'—Warren folded his hands before him—'you can't refuse to hire someone on the suspicion that she might have slept her way into a good recommendation. If you can't prove that'—he spread his hands— 'it's irrelevant.'

'And she has given us a very generous out if things go wrong,' Colvin pointed out.

'Do you know how much damage someone in that position could do in a month?' Tricker demanded.

'Do you know how much damage a discrimination lawsuit could do this company?' Warren countered.

'No one who applied has a better resume,' Colvin pointed out, tapping the table with one finger. 'And no one else has offered us a virtual guarantee of satisfaction.'

'I'll bet.' Tricker's expression made it clear what he was thinking.