A Chancellor Encounter

As Fort followed Venster through the building, the deputy director tried to play out the coming scenario in his mind. 

What his wife found, she had discovered without the assistance of the government. That didn't make the information less dangerous, but for the most part, Noble's knowledge was purely theoretical. 

Surely the government wouldn't punish the professor for her theories, no matter how sound they might be. 

'On the other hand, the Chancellor doesn't summon people for polite chats.' Fort grimaced. 

Arguments and counterarguments volleyed back and forth in Fort's head, creating a never-ending game he was bound to lose. Eventually, Fort gave up trying to make sense of what was about to happen. 

If only he had a diviner to let him know how things would go!

Fort turned to Noble to remind her to mind her words in front of one of the most influential people in the NQSC–no, the entire world!—but his wife was looking down at her communicator. It was probably for the best, Fort reasoned. 

It wasn't wise to say something suspicious anyway with the Chancellor's chief-of-staff leading them forward. Venster was fiercely loyal, and if he sensed anything amiss, he would certainly report it to his superior.

At the end of the hall, the trio stopped in front of an imposing alloy elevator. Venster placed his hand on a rectangle on the wall, and the spelltech embedded in the panel whirred to life. 

"Identity confirmed. Awakened Venster." 

A moment later, the doors parted. "After you," Venster motioned for the other two to enter.

Fort and Noble moved to the back wall, which was entirely made of glass. Venster took his place beside the deputy director before the doors gently closed. As the capsule lifted to the top floor, the group had a clear picture of just how high they were. With real estate being limited in the NQSC, building up was the only viable option to get the space needed. 

"There must be thousands of offices below us. So many people in one place," Noble whispered, her mind racing. 

Fort had never really considered just how many people were around him. It was just normal. 

Looking to his left, Fort admired his wife for a moment. She was so calm and collected. He drew some sense of strength from her unruffled demeanor. Feeling a slightly warm sensation, he allowed her aspect to aid him in quelling his residual nervousness. 

Back in his more analytical state, the Deputy Director turned to the other Awakened on his right. Fort noticed that the higher they went, the more Venster's demeanor changed to take on a professional air.

It would make sense for Venster to need to be serious around his superior. He was barely recognizable as the same man who gave Fort messages from his wife when passing in the hall. 

At last, the elevator came to a stop with a soft thunk.

Turning his back on the window, Fort folded his hands in front of him and straightened his back. He checked one last time on his wife before the doors opened. She gave him an encouraging smile. 

Venster took a step forward to engage with the system's protocols. 

"Name?" an electronic voice asked. 

"Awakened Venster, Awakened Noble and Deputy Director Fort," Venster answered authoritatively. 

There was a brief pause. "The Chancellor is expecting you." 

The doors opened. The two men stood still. Thinking they were being gentlemen, Noble moved to exit, but Fort and Venster both held up their arms to stop her. "Wait." 

A soft hiss released before the men relaxed. Noble realized that although the security in her husband's office was robust, the Chancellor's floor was even more extreme. 

"Out of curiosity, what would have happened if we hadn't waited?" the woman asked innocently. 

"Something that even your Awakened body would have had a hard time withstanding," Venster answered. "Now please, follow me."

They passed a large conference room and a couple of other offices, including one with Venster's name etched on the gilded plate. 

Venster was almost always in the halls completing some task or other. That was the only reason the two men crossed paths so frequently. Fort doubted the Awakened spent very much time behind that door. 

At the end of the forbidding hallway, the final office had a massive alloy entrance. It needed no nameplate to indicate its occupant. 

Placing his palm on another security panel, Venster pressed a button with his other hand. 

He turned the knob and pushed open the door, "The Boss is expecting you." 

By Venster's words, the couple gathered that although the young man had been asked to find them, he was not invited to the meeting.

"Thank you for escorting us, Venster. I will see you soon." Noble bid the Chief of Staff farewell. 

A moment later, the door closed behind them and shut with an impressive click. And like that, Noble and Fort found themselves in the Chancellor's office without an easy means of escape. 

Hopefully, they wouldn't need one.

Fort had only been to this floor before to use the large conference room. He had never been to this office. The times he had come in contact with the Chancellor had always been in a group setting, which made this attention extra worrisome.

But for all his worry, he couldn't help but be fascinated by what surrounded him. For all the power and prestige that the Chancellor had, the office itself was very large but not at all opulent.

One wall was like the Deputy Director's, a full panel which could project any image. Instead of a beach, it looked like a historical image from before the Dark Ages. Surrounded by hibiscus, the red arches of the ancient structure in the foreground were austere but beautiful. 

The opposing wall held more screens than Fort could easily count. Some were news outlets. Others were camera feeds. A few were online meetings the Chancellor was nominally attending and one, Fort noticed, was displaying duels from the Dreamscape. The amount of information contained in the single wall was staggering. 

Other than that, the room was sparsely furnished. It had an obligatory couch in the corner and an ovular table that could seat six by the wall of screens. But each piece of furniture seemed to value function over form. The Chancellor was clearly a man of practicality. 

The only part of the room which could have been considered elegant was the real wood desk, behind which a lone figure in a grey suit sat staring at a combination of synthetic paper and even more screens.

The man at the desk was mundane but muscular. The dark hair on his head was matched by a luxurious, trimmed beard. 

The imposing gentleman was intensely focused on a particular piece of information. At last, he typed in the datapad, rubbed his forehead, and pushed the electronic device away.

If Fort had to describe the person in front of him, he would have said the Chancellor looked ready to be done with everything. 

And who could blame him? The weight of the world was on his shoulders each and every day. 

The man had to be exhausted. 

But as he peered up at them, the look of lassitude faded, replaced with the intense conviction of a stalwart leader.

"Awakened Noble and Deputy Director Fort." His deep voice echoed his commanding presence as he stood.

Even if Fort had never met the man before, he was sure he would have no doubt about the identity of the powerful man before him. 

This was Chancellor Gui.