My first month at Bucklow Tech is about to come to an end, and I’ve got a strange feeling about it. There’s something in the code that isn’t fully translating, and neither Max nor Nathan have looked into it. They’ve been hard to get a hold of lately; they’re always busy for me, but never busy for others within the company. I’m still getting snickers behind my back in the kitchen, too. Sure, I’m a solitary creature and don’t feel like talking to everyone all the time, but I don’t think it should make me into some kind of pariah here.
Yet that is precisely how they’re making me feel.
I’m wearing different clothes, but I’m still not sporting the latest trends like the women in marketing. That much Alina has said to me, along with the mention that she never had to jump through these societal hoops in Bucklow Tech because she’s been by Will’s side since the beginning. I’m smiling more and even bothering to entertain small talk by the water cooler now and then, but I’m still not going to lunch with the other engineers, nor am I interested in Friday-night prosecco at Guido’s with the girls in sales. So… all I get are crooked looks and pitiful smiles and an overall cold shoulder.
I thought Nathan and Max were different, but I’ve been sensing a similar vibe coming off them lately. Just before the demo presentation—one of six I’m meant to be giving to mark each milestone of Asclepius’s development—I head over to the engineering corner to see if I can get Nathan and Max to have another look at the system before I show it to Will and his executive board.
“Hey, guys,” I say, smiling as I walk into their section. Eyes turn on me, but I can’t feel anything friendly in the atmosphere. “I was wondering if you could have a look at—”
“We’re busy,” Nathan replies, not even bothering to lift his gaze from the computer screen. “Just go in there with what you’ve got, and we’ll sort it out later.”
“But that’s not okay,” I tell him. “I’m trying to deliver the best of Asclepius with every milestone, and what I’ve got right now doesn’t qualify.”
“It’s not our problem,” Max cuts in. “It’s not even our project.”
“I don’t get it. What’s going on?” I reply, unnerved. “We used to work so well together. Did I do or say something to offend you? What’s this about?”
Nathan shakes his head, giving me a hard look. “We’ve been trying to get Will to take a look at our projects for years now. Then all of a sudden you fall out of CalTech with those big doe eyes and that tight ass and boom, Asclepius is the next great thing for Bucklow Tech.”
“Wow,” I manage, my throat feeling dry and scratchy all of a sudden. “Tell me what you really think, boys.”
Max exhales sharply. “Listen, we didn’t think you’d be coming around all the time to ask for our help. We figured we’d give you a hand and be done with it. We’d go back to our stuff, you’d crash and burn like most prodigies do, and then we’d all get on with our lives. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got a pretty cool thing going on there, but I don’t think you have the experience or the maturity to see it through. You should’ve co-opted an engineering specialist before you went ahead with your slideshow at SanFranLabs.”
“Again, wow. Your confidence is really inspiring,” I decide to stick to sarcasm since it’s the only approach that gets a reaction out of these two. “I really thought I was working with a team here, but it seems it’s every man for himself. Thanks for your input, guys. I’ll remember it in the future.”
I walk away, unwilling to let my simmering blood throw me off task. I still have an early version of Asclepius to present, and just because the engineers have suddenly decided to be jerks about it doesn’t mean I’m going to allow anyone to push me back. Mom would say I need to be friendlier and more open to people, but… I don’t know. My performance is what matters. Getting along with Alina or Max or Nathan or anyone else in this company does not. Not really.
And I don’t see why I should have to change when I’m getting such a frosty reception in the first place. “Be friendly with us or we’ll shun you,” I mutter to myself as I walk over to one of the meeting rooms. Some of the execs are already there and seated, with more coming in from the elevator. “The boss likes your stuff more than ours so we’ll be pricks about it and let you hang… Then they wonder why nobody wants to hang out with them… Ridiculous.”
I wonder if the culture is the same everywhere, or if Will somehow managed to gather only the most obnoxious people under his roof.
Speaking of, there he is, waiting at the head of the conference table, clad in dark green and soft grey—it’s the first time I’m seeing him in a suit, but I like it. I’m also increasingly nervous as I realize he’s gone the extra mile for this meeting. The executive board’s opinion about him and about his products clearly matters. It makes my entire delivery all the more important.
It also makes me hate Max and Nathan with the fire of a thousand suns, but the last thing I want to do is blame others for my shortcomings. I’ll do what I can with what I’ve got and hope to God that no one notices. It’s the so-called first draft, anyway.
“Hand over the stick,” Will says as soon as I enter the conference room. The overhead lights are a clinical, cold white. It makes everyone’s attention all the sharper, particularly when it’s focused on me, the promising newbie. “You’ve got the demo on it, right?”
I nod and give him the USB key, which he then plugs into a laptop connected to the large-screen projector that covers an entire wall. It’s hard for me to focus when Will’s every move carries the grace and the strength of a tiger. There’s something about his frame, something feral and exciting that I haven’t picked up on before. This, of course, is the least appropriate moment for such observations, especially the potential nosedive I’m about to take with this demo, but I suppose my mind has a way of coping with impending disaster.
“Everyone, you met Olivia MacArthur during your visit last week,” Will says as he stands beside me in front of the projection screen. “She’s our most promising talent, and the work she has already done on Asclepius is likely to push Bucklow Tech eons farther than any other developer in the state.”
“So, we’re seeing a first demo today, right?” one of the execs asks. He looks to be in his mid-fifties, and I wonder if he’s been in this field for his whole career or if he was brought into it somehow. He doesn’t strike me as a tech geek, but rather as a financial shark from the East Coast. There’s even a tinge of Providence in his accent. “With the final delivery in five months, if I remember correctly.”
“That is true, yes,” Will replies. “You’ve all been given detailed brochures on the project, and on what the development steps will be. I hope you’ve read them.” He turns to look at me, and the intensity of his gaze makes my breath falter for a second. “The floor is yours, Olivia. Knock their socks off.”
I offer a meek nod and take the lead, using the laptop to run the Asclepius demo. The main platform appears on the screen, and it’s a sight for sore eyes considering how much time I spent on each of its core functionalities and how little I managed to devote to its design. “You’re going to have to forgive the rugged looks,” I say. “We’re focused on function not on form right now, but I promise it’ll look snazzy when I’m done with it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Will says. “Carry on.”
I do just that, taking each of the main options in detail, testing buttons and tabs, trying different databases before I run a 911 simulation call between two computers. Max and Nathan were supposed to help with that, so this is where it’s gonna get tricky. Beads of cold sweat cover my face as I look at Will and see his encouraging smile fade as he recognizes the clear faults in my program.
“I’m sorry. It’s supposed to patch right through, but I’ll do a manual adjustment here, and…” I pause, pressing several keys to restore the original paths. “There we go…”
The execs don’t seem happy about the glitches, either. The finance dude raises a hand, prompting me to stop the demo. “Yes?” I ask.
“It’s pretty hinky for a first demo. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?”
“Says the one guy who has zero programming experience,” another exec scoffs. This one’s a bulky ginger-haired man with beady green eyes.