New Title 1 by Steven Lyle Jordan

the attractive swell of her chest as she did so. Below the glass surface of the desk, lines of text appeared. “Lambert is trying to force Verdant into accepting some of his tired, poor, huddled masses.”
    “Undiplomatic… but well-put,” Calvin replied. “Julian wants me to prepare a counter-report to the data the President sent to the U.N. to support his emigration position. I wanted to start with your office.”
    “Yes, well,” Silver replied, “you have access to the GLIS.”
    “Of course,” Calvin nodded. “But I want more than straight data. They have that same data. They’ve already figured out how to spin that data their way. I need an effective way to spin it back to our side of the table.”
    Silver considered his suggestion critically. “Mmm.” She pushed off of the desk and walked around it, seating herself back at her chair. “‘Spinning data’ isn’t exactly the kind of thing we do here, Doctor.”
    “I know, I know,” Calvin said. “Practical application.” He had used a phrase he had heard her use many times to describe the type of work that went on in the science section. Dr. Silver nodded:
That’s exactly right.
“But we both know there are ways to present data… and ways to present data. All I’m looking for is some help identifying the best ways for us, so that our… presentation… is effective.”
    “Sure, I get it,” Silver said, though he had the impression from the tone of her voice that she was not thrilled about it. It was not that hard for him to believe that this career scientist would rather accept shiploads of refugees than spin scientific data… even if it would mean the ruination of Verdant.
    But she extended her hand. “Why don’t we start with their report? See what there is that we can easily refute. And maybe go from there.”
    “Sounds like a plan,” Calvin agreed, and pulled the data chip from his pocket.
    ~
    When President Lambert and Chief of Staff Thompson returned to the compound, they spoke little as they passed through the diplomatic offices and up to the Executive floor. It was obvious from the looks on their faces that their meeting with the Verdant leaders had not gone as well as they’d hoped.
    They had talked over the results of the meeting on the way back, and were unhappy about the fact that their bluff had failed to break down Ceo Lenz’s convictions about the immigration quotas. “Perhaps were a bit heavy-handed,” Thompson admitted to Lambert. “But if nothing else, they are aware of how serious we consider this situation… and how much pressure they’re likely to see because of it.”
    “But the minute they examine the report data,” Lambert stated, “they’ll know how empty our hand is. That data is obviously skewed in our favor, and I’d bet their scientist, Rios, can concoct a report that skews it right back.”
    “But ours went to Geneva first,” Harley had pointed out. “That counts a lot in our favor… it puts Verdant on the defensive, and any data they send to Geneva will be colored by that perception.”
    “That won’t be enough for Geneva,” Lambert had lamented. “We’ll need more.”
    Now, back at the compound, Thompson disappeared into his office, while Lambert went to his own office and settled in at his desk.
    A few minutes after he’d arrived, there was a knock at the door. The door opened, and Shay Vaughn poked her head in. A quick glance confirmed that she was welcome to enter, and she pushed the door open the rest of the way. Unlike the revealing dress she’d had on the day before, Shay now wore a tailored pinstriped business suit that still managed to highlight the best aspects of her sumptuous figure. She strode in on scandalously high heels and took a seat at a chair adjacent to the desk… from there, the desk did not block Lambert’s view of her, and she crossed her legs casually as he took her in.
    “I take it,” she said, “that your meeting didn’t go as well as you’d