Angela’s company was a great idea, but she was a fool to think that it could
last. This reality is not her home, and she doesn’t want to stay here any
longer than she has to. This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t care about what
happens to it. There’s some decent people here, and if she can help lift
those voices, she will feel more comfortable walking away when the time
comes. It’s unclear when that might happen, if ever, so she has come up with
a continuity plan. She will keep working as long as she’s around to do so,
but she’s also going to have a line of succession, and one that does not
rely on friends which might follow her through the dimensional exit. She was
already looking to expand the team, so she had a short list of candidates,
but one in particular has been on her mind, so this morning, she set up a
same-day interview for the afternoon.
Her name is Derina Torres. She’s young and active on social media,
advocating for more government community support programs, and less reliance
on individual religions to help the impoverished and disenfranchised. She
actually built her own platform, which is impossible to control with a dogma
filter or region block, allowing oppressed peoples to vocalize their needs,
and reach out for help. She would be perfect for the job, if she were
willing to take it. She was apprehensive of Angela and her intentions during
the interview, and clearly has trust issues, which is understandable. Even
so, her responses were respectful, considerate, and open-minded. Some of the
questions were a little unorthodox, but she never flinched, and she’s
clearly as passionate about social change as her persona appears. Her
answers reminded Angela of herself in her younger days, in the time before
she died, but after she met Ed Bolton. She has great potential, but she
would never be able to do this on her own. She needs a partner; preferably a
realist with experience. That might be a harder ask.
After Derina’s interview, Angela started researching business people who are
particularly known for integrity and high ethical standards. It’s a short
list too, based on what she’s already seen so far, except one that she’s
going to have to build from scratch, because there is no database with such
information.
“Yes, there is,” Leona tells her.
“There’s a database of good people?”
“Pretty much, yes. It’s not Winona’s department, but the government has
curated a list of every member of the country’s labor force. It uses a
rudimentary artificial intelligence to rank them according to tendency
towards dishonesty and corruptibility, as well as level of import within
their current company, and social status in general.”
“Why would they have that? Why would they make that?”
“That’s how they know who to exploit or turn into assets.”
“There it is, that makes more sense.”
“Yeah, so all you would have to do is sort it in reverse, and all the good
people will suddenly be at the top of the list.”
“That’s all, huh?” Angela asks sarcastically. “I suppose this list is a
matter of public record then?”
“Not quite, but I’m sure I could get you access to it.”
“I don’t want you to burn a favor. At some point, they’re gonna get sick of
you.”
“Let them try. They know they don’t want me as an enemy.”
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