Covert Assignment Read online

  “Yep, see you there,” Clark said before turning back to the CIA guys to shake their hands.

  Elle headed out. The School of Information was located in a series of interconnected buildings. If you were looking at the buildings from outside, you would see the Undergraduate Library which was connected to the Graduate Library by a skywalk. Stonehall was the building that housed classes for School of Information Science as well as Computer Science, which was where Careers met. Stonehall was connected to the Graduate Library via an underground walkway. Then there was the School of Information Building, which was connected to Stonehall via a ground floor walkway that was encased in glass. In the winter, it was nice to have all those connected buildings.

  She debated getting another cup of coffee, since she had half an hour, but decided to stay inside. Besides, she’d probably be bouncing off the ceiling with more caffeine. Elle found a student lounge that wasn’t too busy in the mornings and settled there to turn on her laptop. She could look over the work she’d done before leaving for vacation just to refresh herself before meeting with Clark. Elle was developing search algorithms and statistical models to better understand the online habits of a group of virtual reality game users for a game called Sub Rosa.

  An advertising company had compiled a large dataset from a series of interconnected virtual reality games that included chat rooms, message boards, connected web sites, and other social media networks. Elle didn’t even deal with the data itself: her job was to analyze the metadata (the data about the data) to better understand the communication patterns of the game players. Thousands of people played these games; if advertisers better understood the game players’ online behavior, then they could target their ads more effectively. Nowhere near as exciting as the data the CIA probably analyzed, but it was still interesting. Elle loved the challenge of figuring out the order amidst all the chaos. She had always been into organization anyway. Informatics was the ultimate organizational tool.

  Before she knew it, it was time to head over to Clark’s office. Elle was surprised to find his door shut: Clark usually had his door open when he was inside. But it was definitely their meeting time and this was where they met, so she knocked on the door.

  Clark opened it almost immediately, waving her in. “Good to see you, Elle.”

  “Good to see you, too,” Elle said as she stepped inside. Clark shut the door behind her. His office was large: in addition to his desk and bookshelves on one side was a table where they could look over spreadsheets and such. Today, there were three men already sitting around the table. One was probably one of the best-looking men she had ever seen, like Hollywood handsome with chiseled features, dark eyes, and casually styled dark blonde/light brown hair. His smile was friendly and alluring all at once.

  Beside him sat the two CIA agents.

  Chapter 4

  Elle felt Clark nearly knock into her. She had stopped moving as soon as she saw the three men sitting at the table. What in the world were they doing here for their weekly meeting? Clark moved around her, taking a seat and motioning for her to sit next to him.

  “This is Eleanor Paquet,” Clark told the assembled men. They all nodded at her. The handsome one flashed a megawatt smile that would have put a Hollywood star to shame, while the two men in suits simply nodded. While the Hollywood guy seemed relaxed, leaning back in his chair without slouching or anything, the two men sat straight-backed, almost as if they didn’t need the backs of their chairs for support. Elle nodded back, not knowing what to say.

  “She goes by Elle,” Clark continued. “Elle, you remember Jack Williamson and Henry Smith from the presentation.” Oh, yeah, she remembered. Elle nodded at them, and they nodded back. “And this is-”

  “First we need to take care of formalities,” Jack/Henry interrupted, gesturing to a single sheet of paper on the paper. He held out a pen to Elle.

  What? Elle looked at the paper, which was full of tiny print that looked like legal gobbledygook, and back at the suits. Her father would kill her for signing some type of agreement without reading it first.

  “It simply says you agree not to disclose any of the information we’re about to share to any of your associates: family, friends, significant others,” Jack/Henry explained. “Violation of this agreement could be construed as treason against the United States of America.”

  Elle swallowed and heard herself gulp. This really sounded like something she should read over. All three of the guys’ faces remained neutral.

  “It’s okay,” Clark told her. “It’s limited to the information we’re about to discuss right now: nothing else.” Clark had been one of Elle’s mentors since her sophomore year in college. He was the one who encouraged her to pursue a degree in Informatics. She had met his wife and kids and had dinner at their home.

  But this sounded serious. Elle looked at the two men in suits again; the one who had been talking held out a pen. What the hell was she going to do, say no? Would she be shot in the back before she could even run out of the room? Elle took the pen and focused on the paper. It was clearly titled “Non-Disclosure Agreement” and seemed to say what he’d been saying. Pretty straightforward. She signed where he pointed.

  “Your work with the metadata for Sub Rosa has been impressive,” the other Jack/Henry said.

  Elle felt her cheeks flushed. CIA analysts found her work impressive? Damn. Practically simultaneously, she felt her eyebrows raise. The CIA was interested in Sub Rosa? She caught herself. “Um, thank you,” she said.

  “Agent Raddock-” Jack/Henry nodded over to the Hollywood guy, who smiled at her again “- has been the operative using the data you’ve uncovered. He’s made significant progress.”

  Mr. Hollywood held his hand out to Elle. “Preston Raddock,” he said.

  Elle shook his hand back, feeling the warmth of his hand as it held hers. Did she feel a tingle in her hand from touching him? She was losing her mind, Elle decided. Hands did not tingle. She was aware of returning his smile and hoped she wasn’t grinning like a pumpkin. She felt like she was. What the hell was wrong with her?

  The other Jack/Henry guy said, “Anderson Advertising is a shell company for the Agency.”

  Anderson Advertising? Elle gave Clark a confused glance, and he said, “Anderson Advertising is funding the research study.”

  Oh. Elle had surely been told that, but honestly, the only important thing to her was that she had funding for her thesis. It was a small part of a larger study Clark was conducting as a researcher at the university, so he was the one who secured funding.

  “We’re tracking a subset of Sub Rosa players,” Jack/Henry went on. “You’ve done an excellent job identifying these players, but our timetable has been accelerated.”

  Elle tried to wrap her brain around what he was saying. On one hand, she understood it, but it wasn’t quite computing.

  “That’s where I come in,” Preston said with another one of those megawatt smiles. Elle felt as if she had been struck with a lightning bolt, complete with erratic, thumping pulse. “If I’m here, we can keep the data secure while I still get fast access.”

  Elle’s brain still seemed to be in sluggish mode.

  Jack/Henry said, “Agent Raddock doesn’t have your expertise in analyzing metadata-”

  Preston gave an apologetic shrug.

  “-but he knows how to utilize it once you’ve located it,” Jack/Henry finished.

  Oh dear God. She was going to work with the Hollywood guy? Elle fumbled for her bottled water. Her throat felt too dry for her to even be able to talk.

  “I’m hoping I can learn a little about the magic you do with the data,” Preston said with another disarming smile.

  Clark laughed and Elle joined in. People often did think what they did was “magic.” It was actually a combination of cognitive science, computing, and statistical modeling, but that might as well be magic to a lot of people.

  Elle wanted to come up with something charming, witty even, to say. Yet all she could t
hink of to say was, “Of course, I can review my algorithms and models with you.”

  “Be gentle,” Preston said. And that was the witty quip she’d been looking for. Everyone, including Elle, laughed at that.

  “What sort of changes do I need to make to my thesis?” Elle asked.

  “None,” the first Jack/Henry assured her. “This is just about speed and security.”

  “Don’t let me slow you down,” Preston said. “I’m just going to make use of what you find as soon as you find it.”

  Huh. So she got to work on her thesis with a hot guy. This semester was getting more interesting by the minute.

  “Elle is one of our best students,” Clark said. “I have no doubt her work will fulfill your needs.”

  She nodded since all of them were looking at her. Clark looked a little apologetic. Both Jack/Henry’s faces were impassive. Preston looked friendly, approachable. Elle figured she needed to say something. Hopefully a question would do. “When do I need to complete the analysis?”

  “As soon as possible,” the first Jack/Henry said.

  Well that was helpful. Since the data was being generated by people playing the game Sub Rosa, who knew when that would be?

  “My cover is that I’m working with Anderson Advertising,” Preston said, handing her a business card that read, appropriately, Anderson Advertising. “I’m here to work on this assignment with you.”

  Damn, he had a cover. Elle nodded, trying to be nonchalant.

  “We’re leaving this project here, rather than transferring it to Langley, because of the work you’ve been doing,” Jack/Henry said. “We hope you’ll seriously consider… extending your association with us. Your skill set would be a great asset to the Agency.”

  Association? Elle didn’t know what to say and was relieved Clark spoke up for her. “Elle is applying to graduate school: joint programs that offer the law degree along with the MBA.”

  “Oh.” Both Jack and Henry eyed her for a moment before one continued talking. “The corporate world does offer attractive salaries. I can assure you, however, the intelligence community is at the forefront of data analysis and the management of metadata. You will never get bored with us.”

  What? The CIA wanted her? Elle made sure her mouth didn’t actually fall open, but she couldn’t even think of anything to say, so she nodded. As they continued to look at her, she realized they were looking for her to say something. Telling them she and her father had been planning her application to joint JD/MBA programs since before high school didn’t seem fitting. Instead she heard herself say, “I’ll think about it.”

  As Clark and the CIA agents discussed some other logistics about another part of the project, Elle took the opportunity to try to get a grip. She was going to continue doing a project she had started with Clark two years ago. Nothing had changed, really. Elle looked at Preston. Just everything.

  Chapter 5

  Elle didn’t even feel the cold as she walked over to The Purple Pig for lunch. She even slipped on a couple of patches of ice. She’d grown up in the Midwest: keeping her footing on ice was nearly as natural as walking. After her second slip and slide, Elle stopped and shook her head to clear it. Her brain was still sluggish, trying to take in all that had happened. How did life just explode in 24 hours? Elle didn’t know how long she’d been standing there when someone gave her a shake.

  “Elle? What happened? Did you have another run-in with that jackass?” Marni was standing right in front of her face.

  Elle blinked. “What?” Preston sure as hell wasn’t a jackass. And Marni didn’t even know Preston. “No. No, I haven’t seen Adam since this morning.”

  “Come on, let’s get inside where it’s warm.” Tina seemed to have materialized at Elle’s side as she took her arm. She gave her a gentle tug to get her moving.

  The drama with Adam felt like it had happened a lifetime ago. Elle let Marni fill Tina in on all the details of their encounter at the coffee shop that morning. They had gotten to the restaurant just before noon, so getting a table was easy. Elle was relieved to be able to focus on the menu. She remembered Jack/Henry’s reminder, “No one can know you’re working for the Agency or applying for a permanent position.” Of course, she hadn’t actually committed to applying for a permanent position anyway, but talking about it was out unless she decided not to apply. Unless the non-disclosure agreement held even if you chose not to apply. It held for the project regardless, but could she tell anyone she had thought about applying for a position with the CIA but opted not to? She didn’t know, but as things stood right now, she couldn’t talk about it.

  Maybe it was best she couldn’t tell them about Preston. Technically, she was still with Adam. Not that her being with Adam had anything to do with Preston. All she could do with Preston was drool from afar, right? Elle shook her head again. What in the world was her problem? She did not drool over guys. Besides, Preston probably dated fashion models who wore sleeveless tops and didn’t eat carbs.

  “Earth to Elle.” Tina and Marni were both looking at her. Elle looked at them, then at the server standing there with her pad. Time to order.

  “I’ll take a coffee,” Elle said, “and the spinach salad with grilled chicken.”

  “Coffee with lunch?” Tina asked. She viewed coffee as poison.

  “I need to warm up,” Elle explained. She needed to clear her head, but she wasn’t interested in trying to explain why. Her phone beeped. Adam. She checked the text.

  Plz have dinner w/me 2nite.

  “He wants to have dinner tonight,” Elle said. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do less over dinner than hear him explain why he cheated.

  “Have you thought about what you want to say to him?” Tina asked.

  “What is there to say?” Marni demanded.

  Tina shot a quelling glance her way, although they all knew there was no quelling Marni.

  “Let’s get real,” Marni continued. “He got drunk and cheated, not that getting drunk makes it any better. The question here is what Elle wants to do about it. To hell with what that dickhead has to say.”

  “People make mistakes,” Tina said.

  Elle huffed. “This is more than just a mistake. A mistake is forgetting my birthday or not getting candy for Valentine’s Day.”

  “Damn straight,” Marni chimed in.

  “Of course it’s a big mistake,” Tina said. When Elle and Marni both looked at her, she amended. “Huge. But you guys have been dating for over two years. You were talking about marriage.”

  “There’s no ring on her finger,” Marni pointed out.

  Because Elle hadn’t wanted one. Not yet. Her phone beeped again.

  At least let me explain.

  “He wants to explain,” Elle said in response to the querying looks she received.

  “Nothing he says will make it okay,” Tina said. “But couples do stay together after cheating. Sometimes their relationships grow stronger.”

  Elle knew that was true, but she had always been determined not to be the woman who looked the other way. When she and her mother had talked about cheating and affairs, her mother insisted it wasn’t as straightforward as splitting from someone after an affair. Elle didn’t see what wasn’t straightforward about it but knew her mother had no intention of going out and getting a job. It was the main reason she was determined to have a career: so she wouldn’t have to put up with crap from guys to “maintain her standard of living,” as her mother put it.

  “I’ve always said cheating was a deal-breaker for me,” she said to Tina and Marni, who were still looking at her.

  “Hells yeah,” Marni chimed in. “Why should you take that shit? It’s not like you’re married with kids.”

  “Of all the couples I know, you and Adam were the two I actually thought would get married. Are you ready to break up with him?” Tina asked.

  That was the question. A lot of things were the plan. She had had a damn good plan for their graduate education, careers, and p
ersonal lives. Now Adam was screwing around with a whore and the CIA wanted her to work for them. She already WAS working for the Central Intelligence Agency. Was she ready to just throw their plan out the window?

  “Adam wasn’t supposed to be an asshole,” Elle finally said. Another beep with a text that merely had:

  ???

  The server came with their drinks, which gave Elle a chance to focus on stirring sugar into her coffee.

  After a few moments of trying to avoid their pointed gazes, she said, “I wish I could design a model that told me what to do.” Like designing a search algorithm based on a model she developed for meta-data. It’s what she did for her master’s thesis and was doing it so well even CIA analysts were impressed. Why couldn’t she do it for her own life?

  Both Marni and Tina looked stunned for a moment before they burst out laughing. Tina shook her head as Marni said, “Only you would think of mathematical modeling at a time like this!”

  “I’m not kidding,” Elle said, which only made her friends laugh more. A thought occurred to her. “Maybe I can’t actually develop a model, but I could consider the variables.” Elle pulled out a notebook and pen. Tina didn’t even try to hide her skepticism

  “Seriously?” Marni asked as Elle opened up the notebook to a blank sheet of paper.

  “I can consider the variables and how important they are,” Elle explained. The variables basically fell into two groups: reasons to somehow forgive Adam and reasons to kick his cheating ass to the curb.

  “Like a pros and cons list?” Tina asked.

  Elle nodded. “Exactly.” She uncapped her pen. “Adam and I have been together for a long time.” She wrote down “Long-term relationship” in one column. “We’re compatible.” They were both unabashed geeks. Elle wrote down “compatibility” under “Long-term relationship.”

  “He’s a cheat,” Marni pointed out. “Write that down on the other side.”

  Elle wrote down “Cheating- trust issues.” Why did she want to write down “Preston” underneath it? He was out of her league. Hell, he was out of her stratosphere. The agent was strictly fantasy material, so he carried no weight in her model. Right? Did she want him to carry weight in her model? Hells yeah.