Tesser: A Dragon Among Us (A Reemergence Novel) by Chris Philbrook Page B
Authors: Chris Philbrook
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navy tie. The crease in his slacks looked sharp enough to cut your finger on. He was impossibly handsome.
"Well, some days I think my smile might be my only redeeming quality."
"Nonsense. If that were the case, you wouldn't be in this office right now. You're a gifted scientist. Your eye for detail is impeccable," Alec said as he sat in the chair opposite her desk.
"You know an awful lot about me. It's an understatement to say I'm flattered," Matty said as she took her seat behind her desk.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Alec asked as he leaned forward, snagging a Hershey's Kiss from a candy bowl on her desk.
Holy shit, he just took one of my candies.
"Of course. I signed an NDA."
"You're funny. Miss Matilde, I personally oversaw your hiring, knowing you would eventually be transferred to Project Amethyst. Let that one sit with you for a bit." Alec sat back and unwrapped the chocolate, popping it in his mouth with satisfaction.
"That borders on creepy," Matty said with a grin.
Alec grinned with her. "See? Funny. Fringe benefit of hiring you. Can I tell you another secret? The one I actually intended on telling you when I came in here?"
"Ooh. The suspense. Well, I do suppose that I can keep a secret. You are paying me a fair amount of money to do so." Matty rubbed her hands together greedily and leaned forward on her desk.
"I sign off on your salary, Miss Rindahl; it's more than fair. But you deserve it, especially after today." Alec flicked the wadded-up, metallic wrapper across her office and into the small, round trash bin.
Geez even his aim is perfect.
Alec's voice lowered and took on a more intense tone, "You recall the conversation from the meeting about the discoveries we made in Asia a decade ago?"
"Of course."
Alec leaned in and peered out of the office door before continuing. "That story has more detail to it, as you might imagine. Chief among those details is the fact that we did not discover or collect many species from Asia. We collected a single creature. An entirely new species, undocumented by modern science, known only from the myths of dead civilizations."
Holy shit, I'm tingly. This is like an Indiana Jones moment. He found the Ark of the Covenant. The Holy Grail. The Missing Link. Nessie.
Matty cleared her throat. "What did you find?"
Alec stood. "Walk with me." He gestured to the door.
Matty stood and the two left her office, heading down a window-lined hall. They walked in silence side-by-side, Matty looking out at the lush greenery that Fitzgerald's money grew and maintained. There were dozens of tall, thin birch trees. They looked like spikes of silver and black, covered in greenery. Several coworkers nodded at her and greeted Alec as they walked.
I feel like a rock star.
They turned down a hall she'd never been down.
"This campus is very secure, as you probably have realized," Alec said idly.
"Yes. Fences and guardhouses and all the electronic card locks."
"Not to mention the security teams that are on the roof, as well as staffing the exits and roaming the campus."
"I—I haven’t seen the men on the roof." Matty was suddenly a bit nervous and it carried in the tone of her voice.
Alec stopped and turned to face her. "Don't fret, Matty. It's a precaution. There's far, far too much money to be made here for me not to employ such a robust form of insurance. These people are here to protect you just as much as they’re here to protect me, and Project Amethyst."
I'm gonna die.
"That's reassuring."
Alec turned and continued walking. They took another turn and stopped at the elevators. She'd never seen the building's elevators.
"You'll be issued one of these at day's end," Alec said as he produced a small identification card from his front pocket. It was thicker than a normal ID, and had numerous, strange looking barcodes on the back. After twirling it in front of her eyes, he slid it into a tiny card reader just below the elevator call button. Matty heard the hum of
"Well, some days I think my smile might be my only redeeming quality."
"Nonsense. If that were the case, you wouldn't be in this office right now. You're a gifted scientist. Your eye for detail is impeccable," Alec said as he sat in the chair opposite her desk.
"You know an awful lot about me. It's an understatement to say I'm flattered," Matty said as she took her seat behind her desk.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Alec asked as he leaned forward, snagging a Hershey's Kiss from a candy bowl on her desk.
Holy shit, he just took one of my candies.
"Of course. I signed an NDA."
"You're funny. Miss Matilde, I personally oversaw your hiring, knowing you would eventually be transferred to Project Amethyst. Let that one sit with you for a bit." Alec sat back and unwrapped the chocolate, popping it in his mouth with satisfaction.
"That borders on creepy," Matty said with a grin.
Alec grinned with her. "See? Funny. Fringe benefit of hiring you. Can I tell you another secret? The one I actually intended on telling you when I came in here?"
"Ooh. The suspense. Well, I do suppose that I can keep a secret. You are paying me a fair amount of money to do so." Matty rubbed her hands together greedily and leaned forward on her desk.
"I sign off on your salary, Miss Rindahl; it's more than fair. But you deserve it, especially after today." Alec flicked the wadded-up, metallic wrapper across her office and into the small, round trash bin.
Geez even his aim is perfect.
Alec's voice lowered and took on a more intense tone, "You recall the conversation from the meeting about the discoveries we made in Asia a decade ago?"
"Of course."
Alec leaned in and peered out of the office door before continuing. "That story has more detail to it, as you might imagine. Chief among those details is the fact that we did not discover or collect many species from Asia. We collected a single creature. An entirely new species, undocumented by modern science, known only from the myths of dead civilizations."
Holy shit, I'm tingly. This is like an Indiana Jones moment. He found the Ark of the Covenant. The Holy Grail. The Missing Link. Nessie.
Matty cleared her throat. "What did you find?"
Alec stood. "Walk with me." He gestured to the door.
Matty stood and the two left her office, heading down a window-lined hall. They walked in silence side-by-side, Matty looking out at the lush greenery that Fitzgerald's money grew and maintained. There were dozens of tall, thin birch trees. They looked like spikes of silver and black, covered in greenery. Several coworkers nodded at her and greeted Alec as they walked.
I feel like a rock star.
They turned down a hall she'd never been down.
"This campus is very secure, as you probably have realized," Alec said idly.
"Yes. Fences and guardhouses and all the electronic card locks."
"Not to mention the security teams that are on the roof, as well as staffing the exits and roaming the campus."
"I—I haven’t seen the men on the roof." Matty was suddenly a bit nervous and it carried in the tone of her voice.
Alec stopped and turned to face her. "Don't fret, Matty. It's a precaution. There's far, far too much money to be made here for me not to employ such a robust form of insurance. These people are here to protect you just as much as they’re here to protect me, and Project Amethyst."
I'm gonna die.
"That's reassuring."
Alec turned and continued walking. They took another turn and stopped at the elevators. She'd never seen the building's elevators.
"You'll be issued one of these at day's end," Alec said as he produced a small identification card from his front pocket. It was thicker than a normal ID, and had numerous, strange looking barcodes on the back. After twirling it in front of her eyes, he slid it into a tiny card reader just below the elevator call button. Matty heard the hum of
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