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They can test it outside the lab and send back reports. It would be incredibly helpful data and unlikely to damage our reputation. In fact, it could speed our progress so that we could put out an even better beta than intended.”
    “Give me a timetable.” Tamura was already pulling up a new document, quickly writing notes with one sharp nail.
    Kathleen, feeling a little overwhelmed, attempted to run numbers. “Okay, so we choose a tester by next Monday, give them two months—”
    “Four weeks, maximum.”
    Kathleen grit her teeth. “All right, four weeks. If they send weekly detailed reports.”
    “Daily.”
    “
Daily
reports. Then we can simultaneously develop the real beta in … oh, probably two months?”
    Tamura looked up at her, eyes still unrelenting. “You have six weeks. That is my final offer. You will take charge of this pre-test and I will cover with PR.”
    Kathleen’s head was swimming.
God, six weeks.
At least it wasn’t next week.
“Okay, I’ll find someone to test—”
    “No, you will perform the pre-testing.”
    It took Kathleen a moment to register what she meant. “Wait, no. I will find a suitable tester. Possibly Fukusawa-san.” She threw out the name. “I know his work ethic. He would be a very good candidate for … ” She trailed off.
    Tamura was ignoring her. She finished writing her note and tapped the edge of the document, storing it. She stood up, the polite fake smile back in place. “No, Kathleen. If you insist that this product isn’t ready, then you will be personally responsible to make sure it is within my graciously extended deadline. Please make an appointment with Medical by Monday so the prototype can be fashioned for you by Wednesday.” Her eyes glimmered. “I expect your first report to be forwarded to my secretary by Thursday.”

chapter FOUR
    Tamura had to be punishing her. She was probably pissed that Kathleen was just about the only subordinate that dared to speak against her. Kathleen knew her other Japanese coworkers could be stubborn. But they tended to have that silent, passive-aggressive attitude. Kathleen was anything but passive, was probably why most of her review meetings had ended up being sort of a disaster.
    At least they hadn’t fired her yet.
    Before Kathleen came abroad, the PLC project had been falling way behind schedule. When she arrived three months ago, the beta stage had been slated for two years away. She thought they had been impressed with her six-month improvement. She had slaved away for that result. Countless nights bringing code up to par, arguing with and Engineering. During that time, if Kathleen wasn’t in her apartment sleeping, she was at work.
    Kathleen pressed her thumb against the lock, and her door snapped open. Despite the modern lock, it was an old metal door, heavy and loud whenever it opened or closed. She leaned against it, stepping into her apartment and kicking off her shoes at the entry. It felt way too good to feel the hardwood floor through her stockings. She only took enough time to grab a can of beer from the fridge before she practically skated over to the low table, falling to her knees beside it.
     Living in the company housing meant she hadn’t needed to buy furniture. But it also meant that everything was a little more Japanese than she was used to. Her table, which she kind of always thought of as a coffee table even though it was probably closer to a dinner table, was low to the ground. She’d been given flat cushions to sit on, but even after so long, she still wasn’t quite used to eating and working on the floor. She had a TV, which she barely used, considering she couldn’t even properly pronounce the few words she knew in Japanese. She would kill for a couch.
    Her kitchenette was only separated by a counter, but at least it was sizable with a fridge, oven, and four burners. She was grateful to have a separate bedroom with a proper “western” style bed. She probably would have cried in that