Read A Sword Into Darkness for Free Online Page A

personal weakness of mine.  But if this is business, I’ll have the chicken, which I’m sure I could eat with a bit more couth.  I’ll just need to know, is this lunch or is this the interview?”
    “Yes.”
    Nathan shook his head, reached up, and loosened his necktie and shirt collar.  “Ribs then, if you please, sir.”  He removed his blazer, deciding his casual interview attire was not quite casual enough in the face of the oncoming heat of the day and the apparent mood of their meeting.
    Lee served up two plates of ribs, along with half a chicken breast each, and added healthy portions of potato salad and cups of frijoles rancheros.  As both men sat, Lee also passed Nathan a freshly opened bottle of beer and held it up in a silent toast.
    Nathan clinked the proffered bottle with his own and took a swig, letting the ice-cold brew wash away some of his own anxiety and confusion.  “I’ve got to tell you, sir.  This is not what I expected.  Then again, almost every step of this process has defied my expectations.”
    Lee nodded and had a spoonful of the spicy bean soup.  “And what do you think of the process, thus far I mean?”
    “It’s been frustrating, Mr. Lee.  I haven’t exactly known why I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing.  I’ve had five interviews, physical exams, background checks, psych tests, IQ tests, knowledge exams, and just about everything else, and it all seems a bit much for a simple systems engineering management position.”
    Lee laughed.  “Of course it is.  You’re absolutely right.  No company would spend this amount of time and expense on hiring some faceless engineer … but it makes a lot more sense when you consider the job you were actually interviewing for.”
    “Pardon me?”
    “Oh, yeah.  You had the Systems Engineer job after the second interview.  We kept the process going for you , though.  It was partly out of a sadistic desire to watch you squirm, but mostly, or almost mostly, it was because we had to see if you were qualified for a far more important job.”
    Nathan was quiet for a long measure as he considered the implications.  He had hoped, and feared, for something like this.  He took a bite of the succulent, sweet ribs, and wiped his mouth.  “I don’t know whether to be flattered or pissed.”
    “Too early for either, I’d say.  After all, we’ve already filled that Systems Engineering position with someone else and you haven’t gotten this other job yet.  You still have more than enough opportunity to screw things up, and then you can be both flattered and pissed.  How’s that sound?”
    Nathan took another bite of his meat and a swig of his beer.  “Sounds like this is the best barbecue man has ever put to plate.  And have I mentioned how handsome and youthful you are in person, sir?”
    Gordon Lee laughed harder that time and touched his bottle to Nathan’s.  “Funny!  Clever boy.  I have indeed hired some obsequious morons in the past, and it was always a mistake.  But you’ve got a genuine sense of humor on you, Nathan, even if it does tend toward the smartass end of the scale.  So why don’t I ask you what I brought you here to ask?”
    “Suits me, sir, but I think I’ve already been asked and answered every possible question in the book.”
    “I doubt that, but here it is.  Ready?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Mr. Kelley, how would you go about stopping an alien invasion?”
    Nathan almost giggled, but stopped himself with a supreme effort.  He took a bite of potato salad to cover any further inclination to laugh, though he could not stop an incredulous smirk as he thought about Lee’s question.  Eventually, after a long pull on his bottle, he cocked his beer toward his potential boss in a quasi-salute.  “That’s quite the zinger.”
    “A zinger?  What’s a zinger?”
    “You know.  A zinger’s the big ‘out-of-the-box’ question you get during the interview:  If you were a plant, what kind of