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“You undervalue yourself, Monsieur Beauvoir. We have plenty of engineers already. They’re thick on the ground. Eh bien, another engineer was the last thing we needed.”
“What did you need?”
“A skill set. An attitude. A leader. You convinced men and women to follow you into life-and-death situations. I’ve read the reports. I’ve seen the online videos.”
Beauvoir bristled at that. Those stolen videos should never have been posted. But they had been, and there was no undoing the damage.
“You’re not expecting me to do the same for you,” he said, managing a smile.
“Lead us into battle? I hope not. I’d make quite a target.” She laughed and put her hands on her substantial body. “No. You’re heading up a new department, created to provide another level of scrutiny. Each project is carefully evaluated before we choose to bid on it. It must be both profitable and have some benefit to the larger population.”
He had noticed that. It was one of the reasons he’d accepted to work for GHS. As the father of one child with another on the way, he was waking up to certain frightening truths about the state of the world.
GHS designed dams and highways, bridges and planes.
But at least half of its projects were water treatment plants, anti-erosion methods, reforestation. Alternatives to fossil fuels. Disaster relief modules.
“But,” said Madame Gossette, breaking into his thoughts, and leaning forward, “it’s always wise to have disinterested observers making sure all is going according to plan. That’s your department.”
“Then nothing’s wrong?” he asked.
“I didn’t exactly say that.” She was choosing her words carefully now. “It’s one thing to have a philosophy. It’s another thing to follow through. That’s what we expect from you. Not to come up with the plan, others will do that, but to make sure it doesn’t … what’s the word? Corrupt.”
“You suspect corruption?”
“No, no, not that sort of corrupt. Our concern is that, with all good intentions, some project managers might start cutting corners. It’s easily done. Don’t be fooled by the trappings.” She glanced around the cabin of the corporate jet. “This sort of success comes with a lot of pressure. There’re deadlines, penalties, bank loans, violent regime changes. And our people are stuck in the middle. Priorities can become muddy. It would be natural for some to feel that pressure and choose speed over quality. And try to hide it when something goes wrong. Not because they’re bad people, but because they’re people. That way lies tragedy.”
“Which isn’t good for business,” he said.
She spread her hands. It was a simple truth. She reached for her tea. Then, after taking a sip, she said, “Are you familiar with the poet Auden?”
Oh, shit, Beauvoir thought. Not another one. And here he was, trapped at thirty thousand feet. What was it about bosses?
“I’ve heard of him.”Her?
“And the crack in the tea-cup opens / A lane to the land of the dead.”
“Is there a crack in your cup?” he asked.
She smiled and put it down. “Not that I know of. If one occurs, it’s your job to find it.”
He understood then what she meant. And, miraculously, what Auden meant.
“But how can I tell if something’s wrong if I don’t even know what’s ‘right’?”
“That’s why you have a department full of engineers, including Séverine Arbour. She’s a first-rate engineer. Use her.” Madame Gossette’s eyes held his. “Trust her.”
Beauvoir nodded, but quietly wondered why, if Arbour was such a great engineer, she was in his department instead of working on actual projects.
“So ‘Quality Control’ is a bit misleading. It’s really policing. I’m an enforcer?” asked Beauvoir, cutting into his profiterole.
“You must’ve suspected that when we gave you those brass knuckles in your welcome basket.”
He laughed then.
“No, you’re not an enforcer,” she said. “You’re our safety net. Our last hope if things go wrong, to stop something horrible from happening.” She held his eyes, deadly serious. “I don’t expect it, don’t suspect it. But I need to be sure.”
It was interesting, thought Beauvoir, that she said “I,” not “we.”
