Free The Media Candidate by Paul Dueweke Page B

cracks
through which some personal inference could be drawn.
    Sherwood said, “I made the move with COPE to
this new headquarters originally in hopes of working my way into a
field assignment. The electrical engineering degree that COPE
allowed me to pursue seemed to complement the electronics devices I
built when I was younger. It also seemed to be an excellent way to
raise myself from the menial jobs I held with COPE earlier in my
career. In retrospect, it seems to have been a fortuitous choice
since I ended up right in the middle of some very exciting and
challenging programs.” He put the pipe to his lips while studying
the Asp.
    “Your performance in Dagger was most
gratifying,” the Asp responded. “You’ve shown excellent commitment
to COPE and the ability to work effectively under pressure. But
most important, you’ve shown intuition—the ability to choose the
best alternative. I think you have an excellent career ahead of
you, whether you stay in engineering or move into the field.”
    “Thank you for your praise, sir. I have given
some thought to the direction I wish to go, and I think field work
would be best for me.” With spiders, he added to
himself.
    “Most of the investigative work COPE does is
fairly routine,” said the Asp, “the stuff that produces those
boring reports in the newspapers and the endless personal-history
data on millions of Americans. There are some positions in the
field, though, that might be exactly what you’re looking for. Each
of the two major parties has about a dozen regional offices.
Attached to each office is at least one COPE Liaison Officer who
effectively works directly for the Regional Director of the party.
In reality, these liaison officers are on the COPE payroll, but for
appearance sake, they’re party employees with titles like Special
Assignment Manager. COPE found that investigative activities were
more efficiently performed and publicly less onerous when carried
out in the field from within the party at the regional level.”
    Sherwood devoured every word and said, “So the
party is actually a platform from which to perform investigations.
But who is being investigated?”
    “Anyone who might be a threat to the political
freedoms of Americans. And the duties occasionally go beyond just
investigation and data gathering. The liaison officer is sometimes
called upon to work closely with our enforcement division.” He
paused. “So it isn’t a place for pansies.”
    Now Sherwood was riveted on the Asp, although he
fought to give no outward appearance of his building passion.
    “I believe you may go far in a COPE field
assignment,” the Asp said to his protégé. “Since it’s viewed by
many as a steppingstone position, there’s a frequent enough turn
over in these positions that several openings come up every year.
It’s actually an excellent place for someone with strong analytical
talents and an interest in investigation. How does it sound to you,
Sherwood?”
    “I can handle it, sir.”
    “In that case, you’ll probably need some
grooming for the position. Your background in political science may
be incomplete, but that can be easily mediated by a stint at the
COPE Institute. After six months of intensive training in the
history, theory, and reality of politics, someone as bright as
yourself would appear to have spent a long career in the political
arena.”
    Sherwood enthusiastically grasped the
opportunity and opted for the training, which he knew, would lead
him to the cloak-and-dagger world of a field investigator. Just as
he’d chosen engineering as a way to advance in the high tech world
of COPE, he embraced this new opportunity to get closer to his
ultimate niche.
    But he dreamed of more than agents, hidden
cameras, and blackmail. He had spiders on his mind. He had spent
thousands of hours molding spiders into an image he fantasized for
himself. He admired their strength and swiftness, their powers of
memory and focus, their sensitivity