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“Chick?” I echo flatly.
My stomach clenches as I take them all in. I realize with bitter, but unsurprised disappointment, that I’m the only woman who’s been brought on to the interning team. I can’t say the scenario is new, either. It’s a well-known and unfortunate fact that there are significantly fewer women interested in the field of computer sciences—and STEM in general. I tell myself it’s fine. These guys don’t intimidate me. In fact, I really hope we can all get along and do great work together. At the end of the day, I just want to do my job and earn my keep, squirreling the excess away into my savings account.
The sooner I can save up to find my father, the better.
“What a lively bunch,” a man says as he steps out from around the corner. He’s tall, roughly six-foot-something with dark brown hair and equally dark brown eyes. The man is dressed in a sharp looking suit, complete with sporty charcoal blazer and polished leather shoes. “What do you think of the fresh meat, Pyotr?” he asks the man tailing him.
In many ways, Pyotr looks just like the first guy. Hell, the longer I stare at them, the more I wonder if they’re twins. There are slight differences in their appearance. Pyotr’s hair is cropped shorter, and he sports a thick, well-trimmed beard. Their eyes are the same, though, as well as their lean physiques. But unlike the first guy, Pyotr is dressed more casually in a white button down, his sleeves rolled up to just below his elbow.
“You shouldn’t call them fresh meat, Dimitri,” is his flat reply.
Dimitri rolls his eyes. “You’re no fun. I’m only teasing.” He turns to our group and hits us with a charming smile. He oozes confidence. “Hello, everyone. My name’s Dimitri Antonov, head of PR. This is my brother, Pytor. He’s in charge of accounting. And Luka…” Dimitri looks around and frowns. “Where’s that little shit?”
Pyotr sighs. “Luka is our youngest brother and the head of research and development. You’ll be working closely with him over the next year. He’s currently in a meeting with our CEO, but he’ll be out shortly.”
One of the interns, Lincoln, raises his hand. “Are we going to meet him, too?”
Dimitri snorts. “You don’t have to raise your hand. This isn’t elementary school. But yes, Mikhail will be out to introduce himself, too. For now, though, hit us with any questions you might have. We’ll give you a tour, too. We’ll be hooking you all up with company-issued laptops once we get down to operations.”
A murmur breaks out amongst the interns. I share in their excitement. CyberFort might not have been my first choice, but I’m still excited to learn the ropes and get my hands on the latest tech. I’m itching to find out what sorts of projects they have on the go here. Now that I’m officially playing in the big leagues, I’m going to make sure I give my all.
Dimitri checks his watch. A silver Rolex. If he’s head of public relations for one of the top five cybersecurity companies in the world, I have no doubt he’s swimming in cash. “Luka’s taking too long. We’ll get you set up with your ID badges and take you on that tour. Stick close, everybody. Try not to get lost.”
We move as a group, though it’s difficult for me to ignore the way the other interns group together. I don’t fit in, easily pushed out of their circle. I have no choice but to follow behind. I try not to feel discouraged. I was the last to show up, after all. They’ve probably already bonded overHalo 3or whatever it is tech bros bond over. We’re going to be working as a team for a whole year. I’ve got plenty of time to grow on them.
The tour is impressive. Once we each receive our ID badges, all of which are encoded to unlock various doors throughout the building, Dimitri and Pyotr show us the server rooms.
I marvel at the intricacy.
“We have an open-door policy here,” Dimitri continues. “We encourage all of you to stop by if you have any questions. CyberFort prides itself on its lateral leadership. That’s what sets us apart from other big tech companies.”
He’s been doing most of the talking. I get the sense that Pyotr doesn’t really mind. I don’t think I’ve seen him smile once. I’m starting to worry the effort might kill him.
Eventually we return to the forty-fourth floor and circle back to the beginning. We’ve all been gifted brand-new MacBooks, our login information already filled in for us. When we return, we find a third man waiting. He’s by far the most casually dressed, in a simple pair of dark blue jeans and an oversized black hoodie.
“Luka!” Dimitri says with a hearty chuckle. “Finally came out of your dungeon down on ninth, did you?”
The third Antonov brother gives Dimitri a glare. He’s paler than the lot of them, with dark circles under his eyes. He’s still quite handsome, though, with similarly striking features and a broad chest. I catch a peak of a tattoo sneaking up the side of his neck.
“Figured I’d introduce myself,” he grumbles. “I’m Luka. I’ll be your immediate supervisor. I’ll be dishing out project assignments within the next couple of hours. I don’t tolerate mistakes, so be sure to ask for clarification if you have questions.”
Dimitri laughs, patting his brother on the shoulder. “You need to spend less time with Misha. You’re starting to sound like him.”
My heart skips a beat. Misha? Surely, it’s a coincidence. Or maybe I’m so bone tired I’m hearing things. There’s absolutely no way I’m ever going to run into him again.
“So, these are the new recruits?” a familiarly deep voice floats into my ear.
I freeze.Oh, good God,no.
“Everyone,” Pyotr says. “This is the CEO of CyberFort, Mikhail Antonov. Try not to piss him off and you might last the year.”
I dare to peek at him out of the corner of my eye and immediately regret it. It’s him. My mystery bidder. Not only is he my boss, he’s coming this way.
“I expect great things from you all,” Mikhail says without a smile. He looks tired. Stressed, even. I wonder if it has something to do with our little almost tryst last night. He scans the line of interns and stops when he spots me.
And then he stares.
It’s unnerving. I’m not sure if I should say something. Smile, maybe? Do I have the balls to play it off like I don’t remember him? If someone could pull the fire alarm right about now and cause a distraction, I’d be immensely grateful.
