Eryn woke to semi-darkness, the small square of sky visible through their window still a pale shade of early-morning grey. Beside her, Anik still slept, her face framed by a mess of long blonde hair that had tangled during the night. Eryn rolled onto her back, resisting the urge to touch the silken strands.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the peacefulness of early morning and wishing she could lay in bed a little longer. Her sense of duty gradually reasserted itself and, rolling out of bed, she headed towards the bathroom.
A minute of cold, cleansing air was enough to clear the fog from her brain. Dressing quickly, she combed her hair, grabbed her jacket and padded silently across the bare floor.
"Hhmmmornin, Eryn," a sleepy voice mumbled.
Pausing at the door, Eryn turned to regard the sprawling form of her barely-conscious flatmate. "I'll see you tonight, Anik. Sleep well," she whispered. Silence was her only answer.
Slipping on her boots and wrapping her jacket over her shoulders, Eryn left the apartment, locking the door behind her and half-running down the stairs onto the street.
A few stars were still visible low on the horizon although the distant moon had long since disappeared. Her breath formed clouds as she jogged across the pedestrian bridge and made her way up the hill towards the Ministry. The streets were deserted, most of the city's inhabitants catching a few more hours of sleep before the working day began.
As she approached the security gate to the large ministerial complex, Eryn slowed to a walk. Reaching into the pocket of her jacket, she removed her identification badge, attaching it to her chest. The guard acknowledged her presence with quick smile and a mumbled greeting. Returning both, Eryn skirted around the front door, heading instead towards the workers entrance. Other staff members, like herself, filed through the door. Their jobs to either clean the offices or prepare meals for the hundred plus people who worked for the Minister, the leader of their people.
Eryn had been given a position two days before in the hope that she may be able to monitor the movements of the Minister or, at the very least, gain more details of the new technology the Consulate had somehow recently acquired.
Wheeling a trolley from the storeroom, Eryn headed towards her wing, trying to remember the location of each surveillance recorder she had already discovered and looking discreetly for the ones she knew remained hidden.
She moved through her chores quickly, anxious to finish her own section. Being only recently appointed, she had been allocated the rooms of the lower members; her goal was four floors above. Collecting the dirty plates and expensive metallic drinking cylinders which lay scattered over the meeting table, she polished its surface clean. Trained not to overlook any avenue of investigation, she pushed the odd food-stained scraps of paper she found to one side of her waste bin. When the room was spotless, she moved on.
***
Closing the last door in her wing behind her, Eryn headed directly to the service lift. There should still be time to survey the Minister's office if she moved quickly. They needed information on his movements and his plans and she was willing to take this small risk to see that they received that information.
The lift opened onto a wide corridor, large clear panels along the ceiling giving the impression that the building opened onto the sky. An odd-shaped shadow on the floor marked the position of one of the attendants allocated to this section as they cleaned the huge windows. Keeping out of their line of sight, Eryn strode towards the end of the corridor. Muted humming noises from one of the rooms revealed the location of the other attendant as they sang their way through their chores. Still three doors from the first of the Minister's personal rooms, it would be a while before they were finished. More than enough time, if all went well.
Head held low, Eryn stepped into his office. Crossing the length of the polished floor, she moved to the window and, as she dusted the huge pane of glass, looked out over the city. From this height she could see well across the city bridge, but not quite far enough to bear witness to the battle being fought in the next district.
As expected, his desk was spotless. A selection of expensive writing tools lay in an open box in one corner. In the other, a small lamp shed its light on the Ministerial Badge of Appointment, a garish assembly of spiked metal and interlinked chains that gave no clue to its inspiration or importance.
Were the surveillance cameras to catch her intrusion, there would be no way for her to explain having opened his cabinets to clean inside, so instead, she limited herself to polishing the surface of the desk. Cleaning each leg, she ran the cloth down the timber supports to loosen any dust. Touching the hem of her jacket, Eryn released a tiny button, its weight unnoticeable in her hand. Trusting in herself enough to know that it was there, she pressed her palm to the top of one of the legs, hoping the device would wedge itself in the groove her fingers had found.
She would find out if she had been successful tomorrow. For now, all she could do was hope.
***
Like the rest of her team, Anik stood quietly at her station as Professor Regarni entered the room. Two junior research assistants followed in his wake, pushing a lab trolley between them. She felt her stomach lurch at the unmistakably familiar lines of the trolley's contents and she knew without question that this was what she had come for. The equipment had been damaged, no doubt from previous attempts to understand its function. The fact that it appeared as it did suggested that they had been unsuccessful.
The sound of the professor's voice bought her attention back to the room around her and Anik forced herself to concentrate on his words.
"The Automatic Construction Device was the greatest achievement of Professor Ingard's career," he announced, indicating the violated machinery that lay silent on the trolley. "We fear that it may have been damaged in the explosion that robbed the professor of his life. Its repair has been designated Priority One by the Minister himself," he paused for a moment, allowing his team to fully grasp the significance of his statement.
"Some of you have been shown recordings of this device in action, that is all the guidance the facility can offer. That, and the knowledge that this invention will turn the tide of the war in our favour." His gaze swept around the room, resting on each of the six team members.
"I will receive daily reports on your progress and conduct. I suggest you get to work," he finished. His assistants trailed behind him as he left the room. The click of the door locking in place the only sound as six silent technicians regarded their assignment.
Finally, Mared stepped forward, circling the device as he studied it from each angle. "I want everyone in full protection suits," he ordered, coming to a stop in front if his team to add ominously, "I've seen what this thing can do."
***
Anik held the image recorder over the trolley, capturing three-dimensional views of the device for further study. Her team members remained behind the protective barrier at the far end of the room, content to allow her to be the first to expose herself to the unknown dangers the invention offered.
With her back to the spectators, she leaned in closer to the machine, positioning the image recorder to shadow her actions from the security cameras. After a quick flick of her fingers, she captured a series of images. Each one showing a tiny gap at the top of a smooth cylinder, if anyone cared to look closely enough.
Increasing the pressure between the fingers of her left hand, the blonde technician rolled the digits together. Smiling behind her face mask, she brushed the tiny dust particles on leg of her suit. Having completed her task, she entered the decontamination alcove that separated her from her team and waited while the wonderfully efficient air cleansers destroyed the final remnants of the phase initiator.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the peacefulness of early morning and wishing she could lay in bed a little longer. Her sense of duty gradually reasserted itself and, rolling out of bed, she headed towards the bathroom.
A minute of cold, cleansing air was enough to clear the fog from her brain. Dressing quickly, she combed her hair, grabbed her jacket and padded silently across the bare floor.
"Hhmmmornin, Eryn," a sleepy voice mumbled.
Pausing at the door, Eryn turned to regard the sprawling form of her barely-conscious flatmate. "I'll see you tonight, Anik. Sleep well," she whispered. Silence was her only answer.
Slipping on her boots and wrapping her jacket over her shoulders, Eryn left the apartment, locking the door behind her and half-running down the stairs onto the street.
A few stars were still visible low on the horizon although the distant moon had long since disappeared. Her breath formed clouds as she jogged across the pedestrian bridge and made her way up the hill towards the Ministry. The streets were deserted, most of the city's inhabitants catching a few more hours of sleep before the working day began.
As she approached the security gate to the large ministerial complex, Eryn slowed to a walk. Reaching into the pocket of her jacket, she removed her identification badge, attaching it to her chest. The guard acknowledged her presence with quick smile and a mumbled greeting. Returning both, Eryn skirted around the front door, heading instead towards the workers entrance. Other staff members, like herself, filed through the door. Their jobs to either clean the offices or prepare meals for the hundred plus people who worked for the Minister, the leader of their people.
Eryn had been given a position two days before in the hope that she may be able to monitor the movements of the Minister or, at the very least, gain more details of the new technology the Consulate had somehow recently acquired.
Wheeling a trolley from the storeroom, Eryn headed towards her wing, trying to remember the location of each surveillance recorder she had already discovered and looking discreetly for the ones she knew remained hidden.
She moved through her chores quickly, anxious to finish her own section. Being only recently appointed, she had been allocated the rooms of the lower members; her goal was four floors above. Collecting the dirty plates and expensive metallic drinking cylinders which lay scattered over the meeting table, she polished its surface clean. Trained not to overlook any avenue of investigation, she pushed the odd food-stained scraps of paper she found to one side of her waste bin. When the room was spotless, she moved on.
***
Closing the last door in her wing behind her, Eryn headed directly to the service lift. There should still be time to survey the Minister's office if she moved quickly. They needed information on his movements and his plans and she was willing to take this small risk to see that they received that information.
The lift opened onto a wide corridor, large clear panels along the ceiling giving the impression that the building opened onto the sky. An odd-shaped shadow on the floor marked the position of one of the attendants allocated to this section as they cleaned the huge windows. Keeping out of their line of sight, Eryn strode towards the end of the corridor. Muted humming noises from one of the rooms revealed the location of the other attendant as they sang their way through their chores. Still three doors from the first of the Minister's personal rooms, it would be a while before they were finished. More than enough time, if all went well.
Head held low, Eryn stepped into his office. Crossing the length of the polished floor, she moved to the window and, as she dusted the huge pane of glass, looked out over the city. From this height she could see well across the city bridge, but not quite far enough to bear witness to the battle being fought in the next district.
As expected, his desk was spotless. A selection of expensive writing tools lay in an open box in one corner. In the other, a small lamp shed its light on the Ministerial Badge of Appointment, a garish assembly of spiked metal and interlinked chains that gave no clue to its inspiration or importance.
Were the surveillance cameras to catch her intrusion, there would be no way for her to explain having opened his cabinets to clean inside, so instead, she limited herself to polishing the surface of the desk. Cleaning each leg, she ran the cloth down the timber supports to loosen any dust. Touching the hem of her jacket, Eryn released a tiny button, its weight unnoticeable in her hand. Trusting in herself enough to know that it was there, she pressed her palm to the top of one of the legs, hoping the device would wedge itself in the groove her fingers had found.
She would find out if she had been successful tomorrow. For now, all she could do was hope.
***
Like the rest of her team, Anik stood quietly at her station as Professor Regarni entered the room. Two junior research assistants followed in his wake, pushing a lab trolley between them. She felt her stomach lurch at the unmistakably familiar lines of the trolley's contents and she knew without question that this was what she had come for. The equipment had been damaged, no doubt from previous attempts to understand its function. The fact that it appeared as it did suggested that they had been unsuccessful.
The sound of the professor's voice bought her attention back to the room around her and Anik forced herself to concentrate on his words.
"The Automatic Construction Device was the greatest achievement of Professor Ingard's career," he announced, indicating the violated machinery that lay silent on the trolley. "We fear that it may have been damaged in the explosion that robbed the professor of his life. Its repair has been designated Priority One by the Minister himself," he paused for a moment, allowing his team to fully grasp the significance of his statement.
"Some of you have been shown recordings of this device in action, that is all the guidance the facility can offer. That, and the knowledge that this invention will turn the tide of the war in our favour." His gaze swept around the room, resting on each of the six team members.
"I will receive daily reports on your progress and conduct. I suggest you get to work," he finished. His assistants trailed behind him as he left the room. The click of the door locking in place the only sound as six silent technicians regarded their assignment.
Finally, Mared stepped forward, circling the device as he studied it from each angle. "I want everyone in full protection suits," he ordered, coming to a stop in front if his team to add ominously, "I've seen what this thing can do."
***
Anik held the image recorder over the trolley, capturing three-dimensional views of the device for further study. Her team members remained behind the protective barrier at the far end of the room, content to allow her to be the first to expose herself to the unknown dangers the invention offered.
With her back to the spectators, she leaned in closer to the machine, positioning the image recorder to shadow her actions from the security cameras. After a quick flick of her fingers, she captured a series of images. Each one showing a tiny gap at the top of a smooth cylinder, if anyone cared to look closely enough.
Increasing the pressure between the fingers of her left hand, the blonde technician rolled the digits together. Smiling behind her face mask, she brushed the tiny dust particles on leg of her suit. Having completed her task, she entered the decontamination alcove that separated her from her team and waited while the wonderfully efficient air cleansers destroyed the final remnants of the phase initiator.