The Initiative: In Harm's Way (Book One)

by Bruce Fottler

  “Yeah, I heard about what happened.”

  “I wish these things came with two seats so I could take one of you clueless fucks up there with me to appreciate what it's like to shoot blanks.” Eva paused and glanced down to his crotch. “Or is that something you already do a lot of?”

  Walt smirked. “Ordinance development isn't under my division.”

  “You directors always seem to have a good excuse for performance shortcomings,” Eva replied and walked away.

  “Jesus,” a technician muttered after she was out of earshot. “Is she always like that?”

  Walt smiled, leering at her as she walked to the exit. “Fiery temper and the sweetest ass I've ever seen. Damn, she's got to be something extraordinary between the sheets.”

  The technician offered him a disgusted expression. “I wouldn't tap crazy if you paid me to.”

  “Don't take the risk, don't get the reward, my friend.”

  Friday, July 22, 1994

  North Chelmsford, Massachusetts

  Sam sat patiently at a dimly lit table with a window view of a scenic brook. The restaurant was cleverly placed in the outcrop of an old converted mill complex. It featured antique décor with numerous brass fixtures and floor-to-ceiling windows. An elaborate bar occupied the center of the open space.

  He was nursing a dark ale when he caught sight of Susan entering. She was a few minutes late, likely from the extra traffic coming north. She looked around the half-filled seating area and saw Sam giving her a wave.

  Sam lowered his hand and watched her approach in astonishment. She wore a flattering, form-fitting blue dress that stopped just above her knees, high heels, a pearl necklace, and makeup that amplified a radiant beauty he was unaccustomed to seeing.

  “Sorry I'm late. Traffic.”

  Sam could only gawk in silence as she sat down in the opposite chair.

  “What's wrong with you?” Susan quipped as she tried to adjust the bottom of her dress.

  “Wow, look at you. You look incredible. What's the occasion?”

  “It's so I don't get anymore crap from you for looking like a tomboy. Besides, I felt like I should dress up a little for the nice restaurant you picked. Glad I did.”

  “I've never seen you dress up like this before. I'm speechless.”

  “Will you stop it? So I threw on a dress and put on a little makeup. You're looking at me like I'm a freak or something.”

  “You're doing this to get back at me, right?”

  A sly smile emerged on Susan. “It's kinda nice to dress up every once in a while. I even had some men ogling me on the way in. Not used to that, but it was sort of fun.”

  “See? You really do clean up nice.”

  “Okay, can we move on?”

  “I'll try,” Sam replied with a sarcastic chuckle as a waiter came over with a menu.

  “Welcome, can I get you anything to drink?”

  “Water is fine,” Susan replied as a menu was placed in front of her.

  “I'm all set,” Sam said as the waiter turned to him.

  “Certainly, one water.”

  “How was Phoenix?” Susan asked after the waiter left.

  “Not too hot at first, but it didn't disappoint just before we left. We have a huge facility there. I would've been lost in the first minute if Ken hadn't been with me. Other than that, it was work as usual. How's everything here?”

  “Well, just when I thought your little scandal couldn't get any worse, you sent it to depths I didn't think existed.”

  “Yeah, sorry, but the bitch squad forced us to take action. I couldn't let Angela deal with their bullshit any longer.”

  “It was an interesting solution. I don't think anyone saw that coming.”

  “I wanted to put a quick end to all the trouble.”

  “Well, mission accomplished. I know your heart's in the right place, but there's a lot to consider when shacking up with your new girlfriend. I hope you know what you're getting into.”

  “You don't approve?”

  “It's a solution, but one that comes with its own set of challenges.”

  “What else could I have done? Your little church group was going all David Koresh on her.”

  Susan's expression dropped. “I know and I'm sorry.”

  “We've also got to find a way to break it to her parents.”

  Susan smirked. “I've met them before. That should be fun.”

  “Thanks for helping her move her stuff out. Did it cause you any trouble with the roommates?”

  “You know me. I'm always causing trouble, but I'm just too cute to scold.”

  “I sent them a check for the last three months rent, so she's clear of any financial obligations.”

  “Ron was actually impressed with that.”

  Sam rolled his eyes. “Ten thousand and one.”

  “Ten thousand and one what?”

  “The number of shits I don't give about it.”

  Susan laughed.

  Sam smiled. “How's everything with you?”

  “About the same. Trying to dress up a little more these days, as you can see. My roommate thinks I'm starting to get a little too worldly.”

  “Uh oh,” Sam joked. “Look, if you start getting into trouble, I don't have any extra rooms at my place. Besides, Angela adores you, but not that much.”

  “So, are you and Angela being careful? You know, with protection?”

  Sam blurted a laugh. “Did you just ask me that?”

  “Hey, you don't want to knock her up. Because if you think you have problems now--”

  “We're being careful,” Sam interrupted. “We're also looking at townhouses together. There's a big complex just up the road next to the Merrimack River. We looked at a model unit yesterday and really liked it.”

  Susan nodded with a controlled smile.

  “What?” Sam asked, knowing that particular smile too well.

  “Maybe you should give the brakes a tap.”

  “Well, I can't stay in that company apartment indefinitely.”

  “True, but don't you want to give this living together thing a little more time to see if it'll work out?”

  The waiter returned with Susan's water.

  “Thank you.”

  “Are you ready to order?”

  “I think we'll need a few more minutes,” Sam replied. The waiter nodded with a smile and walked off.

  “Did you ever hear from Carlos?”

  “Nope. It's like he dropped off the face of the Earth.”

  “Well, you sort of left it that way with him.”

  “There wasn't anything more to say.”

  “He was your best friend. It's got to be hard to lose that so suddenly.”

  Sam looked down to his glass in a sad reflection. “We had some wild times in college. Then a slow drift started after we graduated. In hindsight, it was clear we were heading in different directions. It really got worse over the past year. I was growing more impatient with his immature bullshit, when it didn't bother me so much the year before. I guess this break was coming sooner or later. I wish it happened sooner so Angela didn't have to go through what she did.”

  “How's she coping with that?”

  “Actually, she got over it pretty fast. She's, well, had kind of a wild history.”

  “I know,” Susan admitted in a low voice. “It's probably what makes the sex so good between you two.”

  Sam snickered. “I only have so many perplexed looks to offer you, Sues.”

  Susan smiled and raised her glass to Sam. “To our first monthly dinner. May we have many more.”

  Sam raised his glass. “To my mettlesome little sister.”

  Regal Apartments - Lowell, Massachusetts

  “How was dinner?” Angela asked as Sam entered.

  “It was a nice place. We'll have to go there sometime.”

  “How was Sues?”

  Sam stopped as he noticed a look of anticipation on Angela. “You had a role in this, didn't you?”

&
nbsp; “We went shopping while you were away. I helped her pick out that dress. How did she look?”

  “Absolutely stunning. I've never seen her look so good.”

  Angela beamed. “I had so much fun helping her find that. We went through a ton of possibilities, but that blue one seemed like it was made for her. She really is such a pretty girl.”

  “Yeah, I sort of scolded her about that a couple of weeks ago.”

  “She told me. That was a very sweet thing you did. She really needed to hear that. Anyway, she needed some help picking out nice clothes to wear. I felt it was the least I could do after all she did to help me move. It was actually a lot of fun. Now I have a new shopping buddy.”

  “Oh, I see it now. She's your new project.”

  “She's also the only one from the CYA group that's still talking to me.”

  “Thanks for helping her out. Hey, I also wanted to make sure you know that Sues and I are close, but not close-close. She's sort of like family to me.”

  “I know,” Angela replied with a smile as she gave Sam an embrace. “She's your sister, who seems oddly concerned about birth control.”

  Sam laughed. “She has a peculiar way of looking out for us.”

  Wednesday, August 3, 1994

  Blanchard Corporation – Dallas, Texas

  Sam was nearing the end of his first solo trip. He had spent the past two days meeting several members of the location team and reviewing their records. Everyone was pleasant and forthcoming with the information he needed. While some review work would need to be done back at his office, he sat with the team supervisor, Terry Zimmer, to go over the preliminary results of his audit. Terry was in his late forties, overweight, but an intimidating presence who had so far been cordial.

  “So that's all I found,” Sam concluded. “It should be pretty easy to get this back on track. The government auditors will be visiting next week and probably shouldn't notice that anything was wrong.”

  Terry sat quietly as he read through the bullet list of items. Sam patiently waited for him to finish although it was strange that he needed more time to read through it. There was a tense moment before he looked back up to Sam.

  “The government auditors never looked at our redundancy protocols before. Now you want us to waste man-hours chasing this down?”

  “They sent out a memo detailing what they'll be focusing on for this cycle, and this was on it.”

  “They always send those memos,” Terry scoffed. “They never look at half the shit they list on them. I know you're new here, but it's all a ploy to cover their bases. They'll always claim that it's a random audit and then they pick out the same things they always do once they get on site.”

  “Sorry, but how can you be sure they won't pick this?”

  Terry snickered and continued in a condescending tone. “Have you been listening? Because they never do. Look, kid, I've been at this for over ten years. You just got off an airplane on your very first solo act. I know you probably want to be thorough and make a good impression for the boss, but I have to draw the line at wasting our time.”

  Sam took in a deep breath. “Do you remember the GAO auditor who was on site last year?”

  Terry paused and gave Sam a cold smirk. “Regina. She's been our auditor for the last three years. Before that it was Craig. So, you see you little shit, I do happen to know what's going on in my own shop. I'll be damned if a four-year Boston Polytech puke comes around to try to tell me what's what.”

  Sam slowly nodded. He didn't show much reaction as he looked down to his briefcase and retrieved a folder. He removed a single piece of paper and calmly handed it to Terry.

  “Her name is Allison, senior GAO auditor who was just assigned to us. From what I hear, she's one tough bitch. So you can ignore my recommendations and then explain to Ken why she shredded us over something I already brought up to you. Your shop, your choice.” Sam closed his briefcase and rose to exit. “Your many years of experience should tell you what to do.”

  Saturday, August 6, 1994

  North Chelmsford, Massachusetts

  “So, as you can see, the framing is pretty much done,” Brenda, the realtor explained as she showed Sam and Angela through an unfinished townhouse. “Just like the model, it has three levels including the basement. This one is a colonial-style unit, so the square footage is exactly the same as the model. As you can see, this is a two-unit set. I just took a deposit on the other unit. That means if you want this one, the builder will be able to move forward to complete both units.”

  Sam nodded as he walked through to the back. There was a large opening for a set of glass french-doors that would lead to a deck that still needed to be constructed. But it was the view that captivated him. Angela stood next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “That's beautiful,” Angela remarked while looking through the trees in back. They half obscured the Merrimack River beyond them.

  “There's a walking trail down there that goes the length of the complex,” Brenda continued to explain. “It's a gorgeous walk, particularly on a cool summer afternoon like today.”

  “Do you mind if we stay and look around a bit?” Sam asked.

  “Please, take your time. I'll leave you guys alone and you can find me back at the model unit if you have any questions.”

  “Thanks,” Sam replied as Brenda made a polite exit.

  “Oh, Sam. It's a great view.”

  “I'm already sold.”

  “Really? Don't you want to look over the floor plan a little more?”

  “Location, location, location. That's what my dad always said was the only thing I needed to know about real estate. But a great view helps, too.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Monday, August 8, 1994

  Blanchard Corporation - Chelmsford, Massachusetts

  “Hi, Sam,” Ken greeted from his desk. “Please have a seat. How did it go over the weekend?”

  Sam smiled as he sat. “I'm signing offer papers on a condo tonight.”

  “You found one?”

  “Yeah, at that big development along the Merrimack in North Chelmsford.”

  “I know that place,” Ken replied as he reclined. “Haley in accounting used to live in one of the early phases. Very nice.”

  “I grabbed one of the last units overlooking the river.”

  “Good for you. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Switching gears,” Ken said as he leaned forward and picked up a printout. “I read your report on your trip to Dallas. Nice catch of those redundancy issues. It's exactly the type of stuff I need you to sniff out.”

  “Everything else looked to be in order, but I still have to review their progress charts.”

  “Good. Oh, I also heard about your little skirmish with Zimmer.”

  Sam grew apprehensive. “Really?”

  Ken smiled and chuckled. “Relax, Sam. You did good. Zimmer got in your face and you didn't let it throw you off. I'm even more impressed that you didn't mention it to anyone. You let it roll off without trying to turn it into office gossip. Handled it like a pro.”

  Sam quickly relaxed. “Thanks, but how did you hear about it?”

  “Because unlike you, Zimmer likes to turn everything into office gossip.”

  “Look, Ken, I really don't want to make any trouble for him. We need to be able to work together.”

  “That won't be a problem. He's been let go.”

  There was a period of silence while the realization sunk into Sam. “He was?”

  “Sam, I have zero tolerance for that sort of bullshit. Zimmer showed you a shocking lack of respect and I can't have that in my organization. It'll also send a clear message to anyone else in case they have thoughts of being a little too important. This project is what's important. You okay with that?”

  “I don't know. Won't something like that give me a reputation?”

  “That's exactly why I did this. Your position needs a certain boost in reputation so no on
e will get any ideas of messing with you, or me. Trust me, it'll make your job a lot easier going forward.”

  Sam tried to smile, but he couldn't shake a distressing notion that it would somehow come back to sting him.

  Thursday, August 18, 1994

  North Chelmsford, Massachusetts

  “So, this is it,” Sam's voice echoed through the bare inside of an unfinished townhouse. He stood in the doorway with Susan and gestured her to continue inside. “Don't worry, it's safe.”

  “It's nice, I guess,” Susan replied as she inspected the exposed studs and wiring. “I'm having a hard time picturing how it'll look after the walls go in.”

  “The insulation and drywall installation starts tomorrow. It'll look a lot different after that. Much more like a home.”

  “When do you pass papers?”

  “Next month.”

  “Is Angela going in this with you?”

  “I'm keeping it under my name. She just started a new job up here and lacks the credit rating.”

  Susan stepped over and patted his back. “Wise.”

  “Wise? Trying to tell me something there, Sues?”

  “Please don't get me wrong, because you know I like Angela a lot. It's just that I like to see you keep things real, at least until a ring goes on her finger.”

  “Probably a while before that happens,” Sam replied in a resigned tone as he turned to walk further inside.

  “How are things going between you two?”

  Sam hesitated and looked down. Susan waved him over as she sat on the staircase. He followed and sat down next to her. She playfully punched the side of his arm.

  “Okay, pretend I'm one of the guys you used to talk to about your girlfriend problems.”

  Sam sighed. “Carlos was that guy. How pathetic is that?”

  “So I'm a step up?”

  “More than just one.”