Chapter 19 - Cindy

Waking early, I moved carefully out of bed. I didn't dare wake Leon. Once dressed, I headed down to where I found Mila already starting breakfast. "Morning, can you get Piotr and Konstantin, please."

Mila eyed me, then replied as she moved out of the kitchen. "Sure."

She returned with the two men in tow. "Morning, Cindy. Is everything okay?" Piotr asked as he sat down.

"You look like you're going somewhere, are you?" Konstantin added, sitting next to Piotr.

Clearing my throat and smoothing the imaginary pleads on my skirt, I spoke softly. "Yes, I want to help. So, I decided I'm going back to work."

Piotr's mouth fell open, but no words came out. I could see the shock on their faces, but I had made up my mind.

With wide eyes, Konstantin spoke. "Leon's not going to be pleased. I don't think you should do this without talking to him."

Mila shook her head in agreement, but I saw Piotr considering it.

"I know, but I tried talking to him, and he won't budge. This is something I need to do. It's not just to assist you guys, but for my own peace of mind as well."

Piotr stood and came over to me, taking my hand. Looking into his gray eyes, I saw concern and could hear it in his voice as he spoke. "This isn't going to be easy, but if you're sure, we will help you."

I nodded, smiling at him. "I am. This is what I want to do."

He turned to the other two and gave the orders. "Mila, you can show her how to find and download what we need."

"Yes," she replied without hesitation. She took my hand and led me to her office, which I had never seen before.

It was a smaller one than Leon's and a lot fuller, too. There were three desks lining the walls. These were stacked with computers, papers, printers, and other things.

She opened a drawer and pulled out a memory stick. "You know how to use this?" she asked, glancing at me.

"Yes, I know how to use it."

"Right, you need to look for files like these," she said, pointing to folders on the computer screen. "They may have little lock icons on. If that is the case, just see if you can copy them. Okay?"

Once you copied the files, open the one on the stick so it can run on the lab system."

I nodded, studying the folders on the screen. "If I can't?" I asked, needing to know what to do should it be a problem.

"We have something in mind. Put this somewhere safe," she said, handing me the memory stick and walking out.

I followed her back to the kitchen, where Piotr and Konstantin worked on wires and what looked like heart monitor stickies. Piotr handed me a piece of paper; glancing at it, I saw it was a doctor's note.

"It explains where you were and why you didn't contact anyone. Give it to your supervisor when you get to work," he grinned.

"Oh, right, yes, a sick note. Good idea, thanks." I replied, folding it and placing it in my pocket along with the memory stick.

"So, just one more thing," Konstantin spoke from the kitchen island, holding up a small heart sticker with a cable and a little box on the other end. "This is for your protection. Without it, we wouldn't let you go back."

Walking over, I eyed the contraption. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's a bug, or rather a wire," Mila responded, smiling as she took it from him. She walked to me and asked that I undid the top button of my top. She slid it down my chest, placing the heart sticky between my breasts. The other end dangled against my stomach. I gasped as the coolness of it touched my warm skin.

Mila smiled as she lifted the bottom of my top and taped the box to my stomach. "There you go, all ready." She said, stepping back. "We will be able to hear you on this. If there is trouble, just say so, and we will come in for you."

"Right," Konstantin added as he came over. "If you're ready, I'll drop you at work."

I went upstairs and collected my bag. Leon was still sleeping, and I felt relieved that he had not woken yet. Konstantin dropped me at the front entrance and left.

Standing outside the building, I admired the enormous structure. I wondered on what floor I would most likely find what they were looking for. Staring at the fifth-floor windows, I remembered my first day as if it was yesterday. I felt so proud and determined to change the world. I couldn't be sure if I was very na?ve or if they were wrong. But soon we would find out.

Passing through the double doors and security, I saw Kiera in the lobby. Raising my hand as I walked over, I tried to get her attention. Kiera noticed me and came my way.

Taking out the note, I held it ready as she came to stand before me. "Hi there, sorry I was off without notice. I caught some flu virus and ended up in hospital unable to speak." Holding out the note, I continued. "Here's the doctor's note. I am sorry, Kiera."

She glanced at the note as she took it, smiled at me, and nodded. "Hi, don't sweat it. I'm just glad to see you back. I found your notes on the virus and must say the work was well prepared."

Feeling my cheeks heating up, I looked down at my feet as I replied. "Thank you."

"Right then," Kiera said, tapping me on the shoulder. "Seeing that you're back and Jim is off sick, you could accompany me to some other labs today."

Still sure that Kiera was innocent and that they had it wrong, I felt glad that I could prove it. Feeling Kiera staring, I looked up.

"Come on, grab your coat and join me at the elevators, or would you rather go back to the lad and work on analysis?" she asked, raising her brows.

"No, yes, yes, I'm coming. Thank you. I'll meet you in the elevators," I replied hastily as I walked quickly to our lab. I was overjoyed at the opportunity. As office gossip went, only people who have been with the company for more than five years got such an opportunity.

This was a big step for me, and I felt sure she could see my potential. Pulling on my lab coat and clipping my name tag to the pocket on the left side, I scurried towards the elevators.

Nearing Kiera and two other scientists standing at the elevators, I wondered if Leon and the others had it all wrong. Kiera was such a nice person. She wrote a paper on revolutionizing recycling with the aid of harmless chemicals. She was sweet and always friendly, more like me than a criminal.

"Ready for bigger things?" Kiera said as we stepped into the elevator.

I smiled broadly and nodded, feeling my stomach turning and twisting with excitement and a little fear. Deep down, I kept hearing Leon going off about the dangers. But now I would see for myself.

We headed down a couple of floors, and I thought back to that night when I saw Leon in that back room. The other rooms were dark, and I couldn't see inside. What if there was something horrible hidden there?

Shaking my head, I cleared the invading thoughts. We walked out to a well-lit room. "This is where we work on my recycling project," Kiera said, sounding proud. And why shouldn't she be? It was a major project.

Looking around, I scanned the room. There were large containers of chemicals, some blue and others yellowish. There were squared containers filled with what appeared to be rubble, some tables, chairs, and many computers.

I had seen two of the scientists present on some of the upper levels before. Kiera introduced me to everyone and told me their names, but there were too many to remember. A stocky, balding elderly man came wobbling over, lifting his cane into the air.

He looked like a cartoon character that had just received a starring role. His smile exposed his broken and dirty teeth, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"We have done it!" he proclaimed excitedly as he reached Kiera. Grabbing her hand, he almost pulled her over as he shook it.

"Okay, okay, calm down, Stieger." Kiera huffed, pulling her hand free from his bony fingers. "Show me the results."

The man she called Stieger turned on his heels and wobbled back to a table in the second row. He picked up a heap of printed papers and held them out to her. Kiera took them and studied the formulas and results.

I noticed a smile stretching across her face as she went from page to page. I swore it went from ear to ear when she placed the stack of papers down. Everyone in the room stood watching her. One woman was chewing her nails, another was rubbing the back of her neck. Another man paced up and down. They all seemed stressed, waiting for her to finish.

"We have done it. The results prove it. Excellent work, everyone." Kiera said. "We'll have a celebration upstairs."

I noticed Stieger's keycard lying on the floor. Bending down, I picked it up and placed it in my pocket. I was sure his card would have access to most of the floors, seeing that he was one of the leading scientists here.

Kiera approached me, still smiling. My heart beat quickly as I thought she may have noticed me picking up the keycard. But she didn't. "This is what you can look forward to if you keep working as hard as you did the first week."

"Thank you, I will do my best," I replied as we started back to the elevator.

Stepping out on the main floor, Kiera turned to me as she spoke. "I'm going to make arrangements for the party but will see you soon. You must join us for the celebrations, okay?"

Nodding, I stood frozen momentarily, watching Kiera walk out to the lobby. The rest of the day I spent with my head down. I kept expecting someone to come looking for the card I had swiped. Every time someone entered the lab, I froze. My heart clawed at my ribs, and sweat covered my body in fear.

By the end of the day, I felt tired and unsure if I could go through with it. My nerves were shot; I had pulled out strings of hair during the day and couldn't stomach any food.

Hanging up my coat, I went to the ladies' room and rinsed my face. Staring at my reflection, I spoke softly. "Get a grip, you got this, come on, Cindy."

As I entered the lobby, it was already filled with people. There were many faces I had seen around, but a lot more I had never seen. Taking a drink from the waiter as she passed, I hoped a drink or two would help me calm down.

Kiera waved at me from across the room, indicating that I should come to her. She was standing with two elderly women, seemingly chatting up a storm. As I came closer, Kiera introduced me. One woman was a board member, and the other a new investor.

Kiera asked me to discuss the project I had just completed with them as she was attending to something else. The ladies listened as I explained the basics of generic altering. After a while, I realized they didn't quite comprehend what I was discussing. The one left in search of her husband, and I was left chatting to the investor about business capital.