Felicio

The Deeper In You Get, The More Danger You're In

Stephanie

My heart thundered in my chest every moment I was in that building. I hoped they thought it was just nerves, not that I was secretly on a clandestine operation for the city's local superhero. I wasn't sure what I would find in this place but already I knew it was a place of secrets. They had taken us to a small room where there were contracts laid out for each of us to sign. I stayed close to Gina, glad that I had someone in this place I could call a friend. We sat down and read through the non-disclosure agreement. It was a long document with lots of fine print. I started to read.

“What are you doing?” Gina whispered.

“I'm reading the contract,” I said.

“We don't have time for that. We should just sign it. I'm sure that they have covered all the possibilities. We're only interns.”

“I'd hate to see the document they have for their actual employees,” I said. It was five pages long. I scanned it quickly because I always hated to sign anything that I hadn't read properly. I saw some things about taking legal action if any word was uttered about what transpired behind the walls of the complex. We weren't allowed to mention anything about our days and the contract said that if we were found in transgression of these terms then we would be terminated immediately and it could affect our future careers. It sounded very draconian and I wondered just what exactly I was getting myself into for Peter, but I told myself that it wasn't just for him. This was still a wonderful opportunity and as long as nobody found out I was a spy then I shouldn't really have any problems. However, there was a sinking feeling in my heart as I put pen to paper and signed my name.

After this a man wearing black took all of the contracts and then left. We were left alone. I looked at the other interns. The tension in the room was palpable and it seemed as though we weren't allowed to speak. I glanced at Gina, who looked just as concerned as I did. I wasn't sure whether we were supposed to stay in here or wait until someone else came and got us.

The door soon opened again and another person arriving. This time it was a man with graying hair. He wore spectacles and was clean-shaven. His was voice was so soft that is was barely a whisper. He told us that he was going to give us a quick tour and then he would tell us about our assignments. I looked around with wide eyes for I wanted to get as much information as possible for Peter, although at that point I didn't know what I was going to be able to find it. It didn't seem like we were going to have much chance to explore the complex by ourselves and as we were taken down a corridor it was impossible not to notice the cameras that were observing the corridors. We walked past a few other rooms and as we did so I peered in, as did many of the other interns. They were scientists walking around the room but it was difficult to tell what exactly they were working on.

“I'm sure you all have your opinions about the Shaw corporation. You may even have heard some rumors about what exactly we do here, even the more outlandish ones. I have to admit it does amuse me whenever I hear that we're working on some kind of crazy device. Really the truth is far more mundane. We have some government contracts and mainly we research defensive technology in order to keep this country safe. We also have some private contracts. We make hardware, software, and we dabble in pharmaceutical science as well. Our goal as a company is to make life easier and better for the human race. Now, how many of you know the origins of the company?”

I knew the story as much as anyone but I didn't feel confident enough to speak the answer out loud. As far as I was concerned I wanted to fade into the background as much as possible. Few of the other interns had the same problem though. They were eager to make their mark and try to stand out from the rest of us.

“Mr. Shaw went traveling after his parents died and then when he came back he decided that he wanted to use the fortune that had been left to make the world a better place. He chose to pour all his resources into his company and make it a hub for research and learning. Over the years it has held a number of patents and he recruits only the best of the best to work with him,” one of the boys said in a smug voice. He gave a quick gaze at the rest of the interns. Stephanie took an instant dislike to him.

“That's pretty much the gist of it, but there's a little more to it than that. If you step in here there's a short movie about the history of the company. This is shown to all our employees as it's important that everyone in this building shares the ethos of the company. Mr. Shaw is a visionary and he wants all of us to enjoy the same thoughts about the world as he does. It might surprise you to know that he's actually a very spiritual person. Later on in the tour I'll take you to what he calls the jungle room, where he keeps some of the artifacts and knowledge he's acquired over the years. He always believes that it's just as important to look back as it is to look forward and the things we are making today are going to be the ancient artifacts of tomorrow.”

I didn't know if this guy believed everything he was saying or if it was just made to make the Shaw's sound impressive but it sounded like a load of crap to me. The worst was the movie, which was propaganda of the highest order. The movie spoke about how Albert Shaw lost his parents and everything he had so he went looking for the meaning of life in the darkest reaches of the world. Then he returned and met his wife. They grew the company into what it is today. The movie related the story about many of the products that the corporation had invented. Listening to it you'd think that they were basically responsible for the standard of living we enjoy but it all seemed false to me. What I found interesting were all the things they didn't say, like why there was such a need for secrecy, or the fact that the film didn't comment on any of the scandals that the Shaw corporation had been involved in. It also made Albert Shaw out to be a grand adventurer when his reputation was as a ruthless man who would stop at nothing to see that his business was the only one that succeeded. For all the patents they had claimed many of them had been stolen from other inventors who simply couldn't afford the legal fees it would take to challenge the Shaw's. And now their daughter was dead and there didn't seem to be any signs of a memorial around the place. In fact I couldn't remember her parents coming out in the papers and talking about her at all. I had been worried that Felicio would be hounded by them but they didn't seem to care. It made me wonder about Emma's home life. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be the heir to the Shaw throne. Her life must have been filled with secrets. I had to wonder if it all became too much for her. Maybe she just had too many things inside her head.

After the movie we were taken deeper into the facility, although we weren't even scratching the surface. Even the elevator had its secrets. There was one panel of buttons that was visible but the floors shown weren't nearly enough to carry us to every floor. I looked around and noticed that there was another panel covered up, needing a special key to open it. I wished I could know what was in those floors. The building held so many secrets and I needed to know them all, and then I needed to break the promise I made to the Shaw corporation but keep the one I had made to my friend. I was playing a dangerous game but I knew that Felicio would protect me if I needed him.

Ariel Blake

I waited patiently outside the huge building that towered over the city. It was like some kind of Dark Lord's tower. I had only ever made it as far as reception before I was unceremoniously told to leave and never come back. Apparently they weren't a fan of the articles I had written. I suppose I should have been flattered that they knew about me at all. I waited for a long time for the interns to leave the building, and at one point I wondered if they were going to be held there for the entirety of the internship.

But then, eventually they poured out in a line. They were all escorted to black cars that went back into the city in different directions. I chose one at random to follow and waited for them to be dropped off. The two girls were not taken directly to their doorstep, just back in the city. I checked my notes. Their names were Stephanie and Gina.

As soon as they were dropped off they exchanged some words and then went to go their separate ways. I glanced around me to make sure that nobody from the Shaw corporation was lurking and then skipped over to them.

“Excuse me!” I called out. They turned to face me. They looked worried. I grabbed my ID card out of my pocket and showed it to them. “I'm Ariel Blake and I'm from the Bulletin. I'm a journalist and I'm working on an exposé. I know that the two of you are involved in an internship program. I need someone on the inside to tell me about the inner workings of the corporation. I'm sure you've heard of some of the negative rumors about the Shaw corporation and I can assure you that they're true. I want to tell the world about them and I need your help to do it. Will you help me? I promise that I'll protect you and any information you give me will be credited to an anonymous source.”

I had to speak quickly to make sure that they listened to me before they walked away. Stephanie rolled her eyes. “I'm not going to be involved in this. It's not worth the trouble. They had us sign non-disclosure agreements and from what I read they're not going to be friendly to us if we break them. You'll have to find someone us,” she said, looking flustered, and then strode away quickly. That left me with Gina.

“She has a point,” Gina said. The girl was evidently nervous, wringing her hands together and chewing on her lower lip.

“She does, I can't deny that, but you must have heard the stories. The Shaw corporation is responsible for a number of horrible things and they need to be taken to justice. I can't get in there by myself and the only way the truth is going to come out is if brave people go into danger and do what is right. Please, I need your help in this. I want to tell the world about everything that goes on in that building but I need eyes and ears inside to do it. You'll be doing the city a favor.”

“How would it work?” she asked, her voice wavering. From that moment I knew that I had her.

“You'll observe and then we'll meet secretly. I promise I'll keep you safe. I won't let anything happen to you. Can I count on you to do what's right?”

“I suppose so,” Gina said.

I thanked her but inside my heart was leaping for joy. I had my way in and this was the beginning of the end for the Shaw corporation.