“Because I’m busy or to apologize?”
“Both, actually. I had no idea that my most recent media acquisition was so virulently anti-alien. Steps have already been taken and people have been fired. And if you’ll allow it, I’d like to send you an apology gift, as well.”
Thought about this. “You want access you know I’m not going to give you.”
He chuckled again. “Well, I hope that you’ll change your mind. I don’t want us to be enemies, Missus Martini, if I may speak to you in a familiar way. We started off as friends, and I’d like us to remain that way.”
The way Tobin was talking you’d have thought that I’d worked under him when he was building his fast food empire or something, as opposed to my having met him at the start of Operation Infiltration, after he’d been chosen by the Board of Directors to take over YatesCorp. Considering when we’d met, and how, only an eternal optimist or a lying sack would have considered us pleasant acquaintances, let alone friends. And I knew he wasn’t that level of optimistic.
I also wasn’t going to willingly let him send me a “gift” that would contain bugs, bombs, or both. “No gift is necessary, and we’re not chummy enough for you to get the pass to be so familiar. My friends call me Kitty. People I don’t know well but who I like get to call me Missus Martini.” Or White, when we were kicking butt. And Tobin was absolutely not in White’s special category. “Madame First Lady will do for you right now, Mister Tobin.”
“As you wish. I’d prefer that you call me Amos. It breaks my heart that strangers have caused a rift between us, but I’ll be doing everything I can to repair it.”
“Sure you will. Amos, what is it you actually want?”
“Other than to apologize? I’d like to ask that news crews be allowed in to interview those involved in the firefight above Pueblo Caliente.”
Hit the mute button. “Jeff, how have we managed to hold off media from getting close to what’s happened?”
He shot me the “really?” look. “I told you. The CIA, the FBI, Secret Service, and our Field agents. We may have evacuated Caliente Base, but we didn’t all leave the area in general, and Chuck and Serene are here running point. I pulled in more Secret Service to ensure that the FBI would do what we wanted and just to have more bodies. Why are you even asking?”
“Just trying to find out what’s going on that I didn’t know about.” Unmuted my phone. “Sorry, Amos, but right now, no press of any kind will be allowed in.”
“Not even your Mister Joel Oliver or the Tastemaker?”
There was something in the way he asked that made me be very cautious in how I replied. “Why would you be asking about them specifically?” Noted the four Secret Service agents communing and looking worried and pissed.
“Oh, I just purchased the outlets they work for,” he replied cheerfully. “So they now work for me. Therefore, I’m asking on their behalf if they can come in and get the scoop.”
Hit mute again. “It’s worse. Jeff, you need to contact MJO and Jenkins and see if they know that YatesCorp just bought their outlets. And Ev, what’s going on with you guys?”
Jeff growled as he pulled his phone out and made a call.
“We can’t track this,” Evalyne replied. “The device is working, but it’s blocked. And that should be impossible.”
“Nothing, in my experience, is impossible. Check in with Chuckie and Malcolm.” Unmuted and went right back to my new dear friend who appeared to have a lot of stealth under the hood. “I’m hoping you’re about to give both men a raise, Amos. They’re the best.”
“Well, if increasing their salaries would make you feel more kindly toward me, consider it done.”
“That was an off-the-cuff comment, Amos, not my asking for a bribe in any way, shape, or form. Frankly, I’m sure every employee you have could use a pay increase and more paid time off.” If he was going to try to trap me then I was going to go all Norma Rae on him. “I think it’s time big business stopped treating its employees like cogs in a wheel. Corporations aren’t people—people are what make up corporations.”
“If you say so.” He didn’t sound nearly as happy. Presumed he was recording this call, too, and while he could take me out of context, since I was also recording, he’d lose that battle. Assumed he was assuming I was recording as well. Stopped this line of thought before it made my head hurt.
“I do. Raises for all, not just top management. All the way up and down every business you own, from the top dudes and dudettes down to the people doing the worst-paid jobs and all stops in between. Everyone gets more than a cost-of-living increase and more paid time off, regardless of who they are.”
“Ah, while I applaud your support of the working man and woman, why do you want me to do that?”
Ensured I sounded shocked and completely sweet. “Why, so that I know that you only have this country’s best interests at heart. Our country is only as strong and prosperous as her people, Amos. You know that.”
“I was hoping to serve the war effort in other ways.”
War effort. Meaning he knew that there had been some kind of fight between armed forces here. And/or that he knew that we had aliens arriving. No time like the present to find out.
“What war are you referring to?”
“The one that just began.”
Not enough to go on. “Which one is that?”
“The one that started over your hometown when foreign forces attacked an American Centaurion base.”
Hit mute again. “Lorraine, need to know if the dudes in the Apaches were foreign or not.” She nodded and made a call. Claudia started texting. Unmuted. “Amos, my understanding was that the attack was perpetrated by our homegrown terrorists, Club Fifty-One True Believers.”
“Ah, how interesting. But, you see, no one is allowed in, so we can’t verify that. Or anything else.”
We were playing verbal chess, and he’d just moved his piece and called check.
Jeff nudged me. “Oliver and Jenkins have no idea and are verifying what’s going on.”
“James and Malcolm both confirm that the DUI Dudes and the living crews from this attack are working for Club Fifty-One True Believers,” Lorraine said.
“I’ve verified that we have no interference,” Claudia added. “The tracker should be working. Dulce shows the tracker to be online and functioning, it’s just not getting any readings.”
So much information, so little of it helpful to my current situation. “Amos, the people in charge do feel that the attacks were perpetrated by Club Fifty-One True Believers. You can roll with that story. Otherwise, they don’t feel that press will be helpful at this time.”
“So you’re saying that the Office of the President doesn’t want press in at this time?”