"You're a damn fool," Yanni said, and Justin looked him in the eye and said:
"That's no news. It's all there in the memo. Probably you think I have ulterior motives—which isn't the case. Nothing against John Edwards. Nothing against anyone. I don't even know I'm right. Just—" He shrugged. It was easy to go too far with Yanni, and he had probably gone there, high and wide. Time to stage a retreat, he reckoned. Fast. "I'll go get back to my business," he said. "I'll have the GY project in tomorrow morning."
"Stay put."
He sank back into the chair, under Yanni's scowl.
"You think the kid doesn't have enough stress," Yanni said.
"I don't mean that. You know I don't mean that."
"Son, Administration is just a little wrought up just now. So am I. I appreciate the fact you don't hate the kid, you really think you see something—but you know, we're all tired, we're all frayed around the edges, and I really hope you haven't gone anywhere else with this."
"No. I haven't."
"You know what I think you're doing?"
Not a rhetorical question. Yanni left a long, deathly silence for his answer.
"What, ser?"
"Sounds like your own damn craziness, to me, the same damn sink you come back to like a stone falls down, that's what it sounds like to me. Motivations and reward structures."
"I think I have a point."
"And you put it in writing." Yanni picked up the three-page memo and slid it into a slot at the edge of his desk. A red telltale flashed, and a soft hum meant even the ash had been scrambled. "That's a favor, son. I'm not supposed to wipe documents that bear on the Project. I just broke a regulation. As it happens—there are those of us who think you're right on the mark with this. And I like one of your arguments. . . if you don't mind my borrowing it for the upcoming staff meeting."
"Whatever you like. I'd just as soon you didn't mention the source."
Yanni gave him a long slow look. "Sometimes you worry me."
"I haven't got any ulterior motives. I don't want my name on it."
Another long look. "Motivational psych. —You haven't had the Rubin data. Just the structures. I told you I'd keep you off real-time. But I'd like you to do something for me, son. A favor. A real favor. I'm going to dump all Rubin's data on you. The whole pile."
"He's, what, two?"
"Not the replicate. The original."
"Why?"
"I'm not going to tell you that."
"What do you want out of it?"
"I'm not going to tell you that either."
"I get the idea."
"All right." Yanni leaned on his elbows, hands locked in front of him. "You run the problem. I'll tell you what I think about it."
"Is this an exercise?"
"I'm not going to tell you that."
"Dammit, Yanni—"
"You're right about the kid. She's smarter than those scores. You leave that in my lap. You take care of your work. I'll take care of the Project. All right?"