A Woman in Tech
by kiwibat
Chapter Four
Late at night, someone called me from an unknown number. It was my sister's boyfriend. Even though they'd been together for years, it was the first time we'd ever spoken.
Gaby and I don't really get along anymore.
As kids, we were as close as you'd expect twin sisters to be. But then in high school, we started to drift apart. I spent my time having fun, hanging out with friends, and, admittedly, partying. Gaby, however, was always the smart one, the overachiever. It was clear who the favorite daughter was.
She took everything so seriously: her life, school, computers. She was always either on her PC or poring over some massive programming book. She had to be the best at everything she did.
I'll admit, I haven't always been the best sister. So, when I got a call from Gaby's boyfriend in the middle of the night, my heart sank.
"What happened? Is she in the hospital?" I asked, my voice filled with anxiety.
"No, nothing like that."
"Then what?"
"Your sister's in trouble," he said cryptically. "But you can't contact her directly. Please, trust me—her life depends on it."
My mind raced with possibilities. It couldn't be drugs. Gaby would never touch drugs—not super-serious, stuck-up Gaby. The nerdy girl with the ugly, bulky sweaters. She freaked out once when she found a joint in my car.
So then what?
Mark offered to pay for the first flight out, so I packed my bags and headed straight to the airport. The flight was six hours long. When I arrived, Mark was waiting for me. He had big, dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was disheveled. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"There's a coffee shop near our place," he suggested. "I'll explain everything there."
"How about a bar instead?"
Over the next several drinks, he told me everything. About the job in Texas, the harassment, the promotion, the move to Silicon Valley. Vision and her co-workers. Women in Tech. The social mixers. Flynn Parson. Her sensitive breasts. Her out-of-control sex drive. Wet t-shirt contests, her new outfits. Her new attitude, the weekend getaway. Cheating on him with a big tech millionaire (which he kept saying he wasn't taking personally...whatever that means).
It was a lot to take in.
By the end, I had no idea what to think. According to him, a women's advocacy group was involved in a massive conspiracy with several large tech companies in order to brainwash attractive programmers into becoming horny, obedient sex slaves.
He sounded crazy. The whole thing seemed like one of those ridiculous online conspiracies you hear about. It was hard to believe.
Maybe he'd had some kind of mental breakdown? Caught my sister cheating on him and just...lost it. That seemed more believable than the alternative. There was only one way to find out—I had to see things for myself.
"So what's the plan?" I asked.
"To stop them."
"How?"
Even if he was telling the truth, what chance did the two of us against a bunch of tech billionaires?
He stared down at the table.
"That's the part I don't know. I've been sort of preoccupied since I, uh—caught her... I mean, I know I shouldn't—"
"—take it personally," I finished for him.
That was probably the eighth time he'd said that. Why wouldn't he take it personally? Had he been brainwashed too? Or had he just lost his mind?
More than anything, I wanted to show up at their apartment and see my annoying sister in one of her ugly, frumpy sweaters, with her usual stuck-up attitude. I wouldn't even care if she got mad at me for dropping by unannounced. At least then I'd know she was okay. Then we could figure out what to do about Mark.
"So, where am I going to stay?" I asked.
"Oh."
"A hotel?"
"They're expensive," he replied, staring down at his drink. "I could cover it for a day or two, but..."
Money issues? Another red flag. Was that why my sister cheated on him? But Gaby's not like that. She's the furthest thing from a gold digger.
None of this made any sense.
"Well," I sighed. "I guess I'll have to stay with you."
***
We arrived at their apartment. It was small but nice, likely the best they could afford with only my sister working. Mark had mentioned that he still hadn't found a job since the move, aside from a bit of dog-walking.
We switched to tea and continued our conversation. It was already eight o'clock.
"Does she usually stay out this late?"
"She has a lot of... meetings," Mark replied, sounding like he barely believed it himself.
Soon after, the front door opened.
"You won't believe the day I had," Gaby said as she walked in.
I was stunned. My sister was wearing a super low-cut top, a tight skirt, and thigh-high boots. I had never seen her wear anything revealing, so it was a total shock to see her cleavage practically spilling out of her top. She looked like a stripper.
"Steph!" she exclaimed, dropping her bag. She ran over and gave me a big hug. She smelled like perfume and sex. Something was wrong.
She asked what I was doing here. I made up a story about meeting a guy at a hotel for an investment opportunity. She glanced at Mark and rolled her eyes.
We spent the next hour catching up. It had been so long. I hadn't realized just how much I missed her. Despite our differences, she was still my sister. I desperately wanted to ask her what was going on, but I stopped myself.
Gaby yawned. "Well, it's getting late. We should hit the hay."
"Let's do something tomorrow," I suggested. "You can take the day off work, and you can show me around. What do you think?"
"I can't," said Gaby.
"Why not?"
Mark and Gaby shared a look of amusement, as if to say, 'Can you believe what she just said?'
"Women in Tech should be team players," she stated.
Mark nodded. "Women in Tech need discipline."
"Women in Tech need discipline," Gaby agreed.
What the fuck...
Why were they talking like that? It was...so strange. I wasn't sure how to respond.
"Women in Tech...need discipline," I found myself repeating, trying to decipher its meaning. "Women in Tech should be team players..."
I mean, sure, it seemed like reasonable advice. Discipline and teamwork were important parts of any job. But it wasn't just about what they said—it was the strange way they said it.
I felt uneasy. What if Mark was right? What if she really had been brainwashed by a tech company? It seemed ridiculous but something was off with her.
"I'll make up the guest room," Gaby said.
As soon as she left, I pulled Mark away from the door. "Oh my God. What the fuck happened to my sister?"
She'd become some kind of oversexualized caricature of herself.
Mark looked confused.
"Well, I have good news for you. You're not crazy. Or if you are, it's contagious, and it's spread to my sister as well."
"But what did she do?" Mark asked.
"What did she... everything! The way she's dressed, the way she smells, the way she talks about work..."
"She's always loved her job," Mark protested.
"Yeah, I know, she's
my
sister. She's always enjoyed the challenges of work, but it's always been a job. Right now, she sounds like she's... like she's... drunk the Kool-Aid. She needs help. She needs us."
Gaby poked her head out of the guest room. Well, calling it a guest room was generous. It was a small office with a blow-up mattress.
"Almost done. I'm so glad one of us was home when you came by," she said.
"Uh huh," I replied, trying to force a grin, "but I'm glad you're working so hard..."
Trying to ease the awkwardness, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind: "Women in Tech need... need to be team players."
They both smiled and nodded.
"Maybe just call ahead next time," Gaby added in passive-aggressive tone. She glanced over at Mark. "Anyway, I'm going to crash. Can you make sure my sister has everything she needs?"
"Of course, sugar tits," he said, giving her a playful slap on the butt.
Whoa...Sugar tits? My sister would have
never
let that slide. The old Gaby would've slapped him and set him straight. I couldn't decide what was stranger: him getting away with calling her 'sugar tits' or her seemingly enjoying it. Maybe Mark was onto something...
After my sister went to bed, he took a seat next to me on the couch.
"So... I have questions. Lots of them," I said.
"We have all night. Ask whatever you want to know."
***
We spent hours going over everything, asking every question I could think of about Vision, Flynn Parson, and Women in Tech. We'd covered the broad strokes at the bar, but now I wanted every little detail. When I asked Mark how he felt about seeing my sister cheat on him, once again he told me that he "wasn't taking it personally."
I didn't understand why he kept saying that.
I wanted to know how the hell he got away with calling my sister 'sugar tits'. He told me Women in Tech love pet names.
Women in Tech love pet names.
I asked about her new clothes—when she started dressing like that and why. Gaby had always dressed conservatively, so to see her like that was shocking. He told me that Women in Tech need to look their best.
Women in Tech need to look their best.
So Gaby finally realized how important her appearance was. I know she always wanted to be taken seriously at work, be praised for her intelligence not her body, but that's just the way it is.
I kept repeating his answers out loud, trying to understand. Everything he said made sense in a weird way, but something still felt strange.
Mark showed me something he noticed about Vision and Women in Tech. Not only were both companies created on the exact same day, but they were also made just a few minutes apart. I stared at Flynn Parson's picture. It gave me an uneasy feeling.
He was the link. Whatever was happening,
he
was behind it all. I just knew it.
"I don't think he's involved," Mark suggested. "I did at first, but I met him. I think he's on the level."
I wasn't sure what to make of that. It seemed pretty obvious that this Flynn Parson guy was connected. So then why was Mark defending him?
"So where should I look first?" I asked. "Women in Tech?"
"It has to be."
I asked about the meeting he went to. He told me about how Gaby had reverted to wearing her old bulky clothes. We talked about the new girl, Angela, and the other women he talked to.
"Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues?" There was something... strange about that, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Why did they keep saying that phrase?
"Nothing about that... strikes you as odd?"
Mark looked confused. "Of course not. Women in Tech
should
save their energy for serious issues."
"Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues," I replied.
"Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues," Mark agreed. Another wave of dizziness clouded my thoughts.
"Women in Tech should save their energy for serious issues," I repeated, this time with more confidence.
