“How loyal of him. Speaking of which…”
“Around here, it’s under control. The press release just needs our approval, and we have called in everyone who has been screened so far. To be sure we’re on the safe side.”
“We need to make the correct information available to everyone, quick, and give them a chance to apply.”
Marc nodded. “Eventually, the application process will be available to the public. I suggest we start with something employees can access with a code.”
“Yeah.” Hilary sighed. “We need to hurry. Some might change their minds, or some of which we didn’t yet screen. Do you mind?” she asked with regard to the podium.
“No, not at all.”
“Good. Frances is not too thrilled about the idea, by the way, but I think if we fly in Kaylee from time to time, we’ll be fine.”
Frances made a face. “That’s not what I said.”
“We’ll talk about it and see what we can do, I swear. Marc, did the Governor’s office call yet?”
“Which governor?” he asked, only half-joking. “King—no. I expect her call though. She’ll have some questions.”
“Well, we do have answers,” Hilary said. “How much placating does everyone need?”
“Give it your best.”
She wasn’t sure whether or not that was meant to be reassuring. Marc and Frances left the room through a side door, and she took the podium, waiting until everyone was seated again and looking at her expectantly.
“Good morning,” she said. “I imagine most of you were caught off guard by the news, and even if you have been in screening talks this week, you might still wonder about some of the specifics. I’ll try to answer your questions in more details later, but I’d like to give you some guidelines for your work today. The media on both sides has already gotten hold of this, so expect some jealous and some hate tweets.” She saw some smiles in the audience. Looking around, it became even more evident to Hilary why they had to act fast. They didn’t want this deal to look like some elite game, but she needed the people assembled here to act first—it would be up to them to do a big part of the explaining and managing the practical aspects of the idea. Strategy. For it to work, they needed employees on all levels, both men and women, to be with them.
“You are all aware of our philosophy. You bring it to work every day. You wouldn’t have applied for a position with us if it didn’t mean anything to you. I want you to know that the screening is only the beginning. It meant you fit a certain profile that would make it easier for you to do the move. Those were the jobs we need to be done over there first, to get started, and to expand. Leaving you a choice in the matter is just as important to us though. Not everyone screened will want to leave. You might not have been part of the screening, but still want to join. Let us know. We’ll make it happen.”
“What about our families?” a forty-something-year-old woman asked.
“We have a wide range of company-owned housing available and are building more as we speak. Our real estate department will find you something according to your needs.”
“What if we’d like to move later? Will all spots be gone at some point?” a young man from Sonia’s department asked.
“At the moment, we’re talking about property that is either already owned by Greene Industries or land being developed. Of course, at some point, there’ll be a limit as to which the state of California will be happy to let us do that, but we’re far from reaching that point. Within the next few years, you should be safe.”
Hilary had to admit that they would hit some kinks and flaws of the Exodus project soon, but knowing this was all the more incentive to tackle them and work them out. She welcomed a young, privileged man who was willing to join the cause, now, or in a couple of years, though he certainly hadn’t been on her radar as priority.
She wanted the ones who were rightfully angry, help those who had lost hope and, primarily women whose freedom had been deeply impacted in a negative way by Miller’s policies. Like Kerry had told her, they couldn’t just put all those women on a plane and fly them off into the Californian happy ending. They needed a foundation first, and the close-knitted group that made up their staff was the best way to start.
“Speaking of which.” Damn it, Kerry, I need you here. What would people say, and not just the evil, mean-spirited ones, when one of the creators of the original idea wasn’t on board with it? “You should know that the community we will build over there is not the endgame, it’s the start. We want to live a culture of respect, toward achievements, toward the truth—and that’s what we need to get out there. Today, I want you to make sure that every single employee has the information necessary, and has a possibility to sign up. I need the forms to be in place so eventually they can be made available to the public. I see Human Resources here. I need an office set up that can handle applications, especially for when they come from the outside.”
The woman in question nodded.
“I’ll let you know when it’s all done.”
“Good. Stay in touch with programming so you can efficiently time the launch.” Hilary halted, reminding herself that the woman knew what to do. She was starting to feel better. Greene Industries had never been a favorite of the ultra-conservatives, and there would always be attacks in the media. With everyone in HQ on board, they were on the right track.
“I have a question,” one of the attorneys present asked. “I understand that it’s up to everyone’s individual decision, but once we go public—how do we turn anyone away? Will there even be such an option? Hiring people is one thing, inviting them to a utopia…” He shrugged. “At some point they’re not all going to be employees. This is highly unprecedented.”
“That is pretty much the answer,” Hilary admitted, “unprecedented. We assume that those who don’t agree with our philosophy won’t be interested in joining. Those who do join, will follow some rules as detailed in the brochure we gave you. All of those are within the law of California and adhering to private property law. The land and the buildings belong to either us or business partners who are already on par with our values, and eventually, participants.”
“So who do you want to keep out, besides Governor Miller?”
His question caused some laughter.
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Do you really think Governor Miller would have any interest?”
For now, she had diverted that subject, but Hilary was uncomfortably reminded of how the idea had gotten out in the public. If somebody tried to infiltrate, how would they stop them? She straightened her shoulders as if in answer to that thought. They answer was they wouldn’t. If they had nothing to hide, any spy wouldn’t have anything to tell.
Transparency was the key. It had served them well so far, both in their private lives and in making Greene Industries one of the biggest companies in the world.
Chapter Eight
Kerry had double-checked with the lawyer and the judge, and the puzzling facts remained the same: Vivien was not supposed to leave the house until a hearing would decide her implication in the rally getting out of hand. Neither of them could believe it. Kerry had tried to call Hilary regarding their planned dinner, but couldn’t reach her.
She had to go in to work. If Vivien did as much as getting a coffee and bagel from the market at the end of the block, she could have her bail revoked.
Enough. She was sure Dana was already planning on a new strategy. Together with other organizations, there had to be something they could do, collect signatures for a recall vote maybe. She wondered if, given the election results, it could work. Maybe, yes, because the full impact of putting Miller into power was hitting more and more people, like Tasha who they had believed to be on the safe side. Women weren’t safe, yesterday’s events had been just more of the mounting evidence.
Today, she was faced with more, horrible proof. She’d been worried sick about Vivien yesterday, but the doctor had cleared her within minutes. The woma
n Kerry was talking to today had an extensive list of injuries that would require her to stay in the hospital for several days. Experience told Kerry that shame had made her hold back on details of the ordeal she’d suffered from her ex-boyfriend. The doctor’s resume was as chilling and revealing as it could get. Kerry was grateful that at least she sided with her patient, allowing her to have emergency contraception without making a fuss.
Miller had been open about his crusade against the FPCs, not just because of abortion services, but their mission to make family planning and information on safe sex widely available. However, he’d been clever enough to abstain from the poisonous comments of some of his loudmouth supporters. The memory made her breathless with anger. Kerry wanted to bring one of those men with the little conceited smile into this hospital room, have them look at the woman who had been beaten, and judging from the doctor’s report, worse. She wanted to ask them how this woman could possibly exaggerate things, at what point they thought any human being could somehow deserve this kind of violence. Kerry hoped to God that Joanie Vincent wasn’t pregnant. The good for nothing ex could sue for child visitation rights.
“He can’t find you here,” she promised. “There’ll be an officer outside your door until we find him.”
“…and then what?” Joanie Vincent asked bitterly. Even talking, and the movement of facial muscles, seemed to cause her pain.
“We’ll find you a safe place.”
“Can’t you get me to go with this new group in California?”
“What?” Kerry asked, baffled for a moment.
“I heard it on the radio, before—” She sank back into the pillow, unable to hold back the pained yelp. The flash of hope was gone within a heartbeat. “It’s probably nothing. They are taking their employees first, and I bet after that they want more people in engineering, computer science and construction—not someone on sick leave.”
That would be somewhat of an explanation as to why she hadn’t been able to reach Hilary. Kerry hadn’t known that the launch was planned for today, which filled her with a mix of concern and envy. It had been her idea too. She couldn’t believe Hilary would actually do this, so there was only one explanation. Someone had leaked the Exodus project.
On the bright side, if there was one, they wouldn’t mind taking a rain check on dinner.
“Forget about it,” Joanie said. “Nothing’s ever going to change.”
“This time, it will.” It was for women like Joanie that this project was designed, to give them a safe environment to start over, and eventually, create a society that shunned rape culture and everyone who stood for it.
“How do you know? I can’t go hiding in a shelter forever, and that Exodus stuff…it’s just a dream. There is a catch for sure.”
“Well, why don’t I find out and get back to you on that?”
“You would?”
Kerry could see she was struggling. When you always expected the other shoe to drop, hope was dangerous.
“Right after we bring in Rob, I promise you. I know a bit about that project.”
“Thank you,” Joanie whispered.
“You’re welcome.”
Counseling services, therapy, hospitals—Kerry’s mind was reeling. How would Marc and Hilary pull that off especially now that the cat was, rather prematurely, out of the bag? Building houses, office space, factories, that was a given, but the people who occupied those needed a lot more—schools, libraries, supermarkets, clinics. The police. Would they use those outside the “circle”, and if so, how would people react?
First things first—she had to get another menace off the streets. The call came in a couple of minutes later: Rob Brenner’s car had been spotted in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.
“Put your hands in the air where I can see them, now!” Brenner finally complied, and the officer put the cuffs on him.
“Good job,” Kerry said. “Perfect timing on my side too.”
“Yeah, you’re sweeping in to steal all the glory.” Officer Elsa Banks still had the same flirty tone and cordial smile Kerry remembered. They had once dated for a week, but conflicting schedules and interests had come in the way quickly.
“You want to interrogate him? I don’t mind. Spending my Saturday afternoon in a tiny room with that…not my idea of fun.”
“Great, let gets rolling.”
Kerry thought that they might catch a break. Brenner was obviously over-confident, cocky, not counting in that Joanie Vincent would file charges. He’d be in for a surprise. On the way to the station, she still couldn’t reach Hilary, so as soon as she’d parked the car, she sent her a quick text.
A few minutes later, Hilary texted her back.
It’s a madhouse here, but we still need to eat. Since V can’t go out, would you mind if we came over later? Don’t worry, I’ll think about something for dinner if you don’t have the time.
That wasn’t such a bad idea, because Kerry wanted to discuss the possibility of giving Vincent a job in the community. She’d been an office worker for over ten years. Kerry supposed that she fell into the large pool of employees they would need.
Vivien didn’t pick up the phone. Tempted to turn around and check in on her, Kerry aborted the impulse. Vivien was safe. She had to make sure Joanie Vincent would be too.
* * * *
When her cell phone rang, Vivien jumped, her heart hammering instantly. She sat, frozen, unable to turn away from the screen, afraid to answer. Vivien remained in that exact position, immobile, until the ringing stopped. Minutes later, when a bling indicated the arrival of a text message, she picked up the phone with trembling fingers. Kerry was alerting her that Marc and Hilary would come to dinner tonight.
Vivien pulled the blanket tighter around herself. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see anyone tonight. A few hours ago, after Kerry left, she had done whatever work she could from home, checked in with Dana to have some files emailed she could work on. Her options were limited though. She would have needed to go to the office, but couldn’t. Dana had been understanding in spite of the whole mess and assured her they would find a solution. After that, Vivien had slipped into mind-numbing boredom.
Her reaction was completely irrational, she knew. In the past few months, she had craved some time to just sit back and read a book with a cup of tea, or watch some TV. Nothing could hold her interest. There was a feeling of foreboding, impending catastrophe. Frankly, she had had that feeling since election night, but she’d been better at pushing it away. Over the years, there had always been comments, emails, words meant to shame and demean, because of her work. She couldn’t let any of that get to her.
It had been easier in those days when she’d still had hope. Vivien remembered when Kerry had introduced her to Hilary and Marc, two people with incomprehensible wealth who had made it their mission to do good in the world with what they’d been given. She had no idea how many charities they were involved in, but there were many. If they were about fighting child abuse and human trafficking, supporting women’s choice and LGBT organizations, chances were the Greenes had at some point contributed and still did.
For Vivien, this had been a game changer—she didn’t envy the Greenes their riches, but they were a proof to a theory Vivien had held for a long time. You couldn’t step out of the system just like that, pretend it didn’t exist, but if you were lucky, you found ways to use it. They might not have been lucky with the governor’s election in their own state, but their money had been instrumental in other races.
It all came down to the present moment, a decision to be made, stay or go, determine if there was any chance things could still change to the better.
At the moment, Vivien found it hard to believe.
For the last ten minutes, she’d been staring at the picture of a mangled fetus, sent to her by someone who might or might not have been present yesterday.
This is what you stand for, bitch, the message said. You deserve to be raped. And: We know where you live.
It didn’t change her firm belief that another person’s opinion didn’t outweigh her right to complete bodily autonomy, a right every woman, everyone should have. With women, everyone, politician, commenter on the internet, benevolent, or malevolent sexist felt like they had the right to trample right over those boundaries.
Her home was beginning to feel like enemy territory. They weren’t refugees though. They had the chance to leave on their own terms. Maybe they should simply take it. If she was terrified already, what would it be like when they’d have a child of their own—and when that child could become a target of the fanatics?
* * * *
“Yes, Governor King, I understand. All information is available on our website. You access the application form with a code. Yes, Ma’am, we appreciate that. Tuesday is perfect. Thank you. We’ll see you then.”
“She’s with us.” Marc hung up after what had nearly been an hour on the phone with Governor Charlene King, who was basically the host for their venture, and apparently, Miller’s antics had convinced her that Hilary and Marc had a point with what they were doing. Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief, Marc, Hilary, Aimee and Josh. Frances was still sulking, because they had decided it was better to postpone the sleepover at Kaylee’s at the moment. It was hard to say if the media interest would calm down soon—or ever—and she was smart enough to have figured that out.
“So basically I have permanent house arrest because you want to change the world to the better.”
She understood the dimension of the undertaking though, like Hilary had known she would. She had gone to public schools for the first six years, knowing well that not everyone, especially girls, were given the same opportunities she was, not here in her hometown or in other places in the world. She knew why it mattered.
The Exodus Strategy Page 9
