Free Disclosure by Michael Crichton

with new compression algorithms, should shift the industry standard for CD to ful res digitized video at sixty fields per second. And we are talking about platform independent RISC processors supported by 32-bit color active-matrix displays and portable hard copy at 1200 DPI and wireless networking in both LAN and WAN
    configurations. Combine that with an autonomously generated virtual database especial y when ROM-based software agents for object definition and classification are in place and I think we can agree we are looking at prospects for a very exciting future.”
    Sanders saw that Don Cherry's mouth was hanging open. Sanders leaned over to Kaplan. “Sounds like she knows her stuff.”
    “Yes,” Kaplan said, nodding. “The demo queen. She started out doing demos.
    Appearance has always been her strongest point.” Sanders glanced at Kaplan; she looked away.
    But then the speech ended. There was applause as the lights came up, and Johnson went back to her seat. The room broke up, people heading back to work. Johnson left Garvin, and went directly to Don Cherry, said a few words to him. Cherry smiled: the charmed geek. Then Meredith went across the room to Mary Anne, spoke briefly to her, and then to Mark Lewyn.
    “She's smart,” Kaplan said, watching her, “touching base with al the division heads especial y since she didn't name them in her speech.”
    Sanders frowned. “You think that's significant?”
    “Only if she's planning to make changes.”
    “Phil said she wasn't going to.”
    “But you never know, do you?” Kaplan said, standing up, dropping her napkin on the table. “I've got to go-and it looks like you're next on her list.”
    Kaplan moved discreetly away as Meredith came up to Sanders. She was smiling. “I wanted to apologize, Tom,” Meredith said, “for not mentioning your name and the names of the other division heads in my presentation. I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea. It's just that Bob asked me to keep it short.”
    “Wel ,” Sanders said, “it looks like you won everybody over. The reaction was very favorable.”

    “I hope so. Listen,” she said, putting her hand on his arm, “we've got a slew of due diligence sessions tomorrow. I've been asking al the heads to meet with me today, if they can. I wonder if you're free to come to my office at the end of the day for a drink. We can go over things, and maybe catch up on old times, too.”
    “Sure,” he said. He felt the warmth of her hand on his arm. She didn't take it away.
    “They've given me an office on the fifth floor, and with any luck there should be furniture in by later today. Six o'clock work for you?”
    “Fine,” he said.
    She smiled. “You stil partial to dry chardonnay?”
    Despite himself, he was flattered that she remembered. He smiled, “Yes, I stil am.”
    “I'l see if I can get one. And we'l go over some of the immediate problems, like that hundred-mil isecond drive.”
    “Okay, fine. About that drive-”
    “I know,” she said, her voice lower. “We'l deal with it.” Behind her, the Conley-White executives were coming up. “Let's talk tonight.”
    “Good.”
    “See you then, Tom.”
    “See you then.”
    A the meeting broke up, Mark Lewyn drifted over to him. “So, let's hear it: what'd she say to you?”
    “Meredith?”
    “No, the Stealthy One. Kaplan was bending your ear al during lunch. What's up?”
    Sanders shrugged. “Oh, you know. Just smal talk.”
    “Come on. Stephanie doesn't do smal talk. She doesn't know how. And Stephanie talked more to you than I've seen her talk in years.”

    Sanders was surprised to see how anxious Lewyn was. “Actual y,” he said, “we talked mostly about her son. He's a freshman at the university.”
    But Lewyn wasn't buying it. He frowned and said, “She's up to something, isn't she. She never talks without a reason. Is it about me? I know she's critical of the design team. She thinks we're wasteful. I've told her many times that it's not