"How can this team be given priority!"
There were various reactions as soon as people heard from the speakers that simple announcement. The announcement had been made by the Representative Leader. Many people exclaimed and made space for the mentioned team to pass through.
Frank and his teammates were equally lost. They looked at one another. Muro walked slowly towards them as they stared at him. When he reached them he didn't even glance at them. He simply walked into the hall towards the chambers. The others silently watched.
"Zu Shi, at least tell me what my authority allows concerning this matter!" Frank almost pleaded.
"Team AAA5 make haste into the chambers!"
The voice of the Representative Leader came again more loudly this time and harsh!
Frank jolted back to reality and quickly followed Muro. His teammates also followed. The sudden turn of events was putting them in a lot of pressure.
Outside a spectacle was building up too.
"You saw that fifth team just now? Something is not right with them!" A man said to his colleague.
"Yea I noticed that they first came only four of them, and they seemed really worried!" the colleague added.
"You guys did not see how they stared at their teammate who arrived on that bird! I tell you these guys had a treacherous plan over that poor man! They were shocked to see he had survived their ploy!" A third man standing not far from them added.
"Do you mean to say they had planned to kill their team mate?" the second guy asked.
"Isn't it obvious? They probably pushed him off a cliff or buried him alive only to be rescued by the government. That was a government vehicle that brought him! Why else would he be riding that eagle!" the third man seemed to be so knowledgeable and his colleagues looked at him admiringly.
Meanwhile, Frank and his team reached the door with bold golden prints "Chamber 2". Hesitantly, they passed through the automated doors and walked into the dreaded chamber two.
Muro appeared quiet from the outlook. Frank gauged him to see if he could find any information.
"What is more special about him? What danger did he encounter to warrant the government's involvement?" he debated with himself.
The hall was huge with a conference table at the centre. Many executive seats surrounded the table. At the other end of the wall two of what appeared like communication or scan booths stood Imposingly. Frank quick gazes darted at those machines and concluded that they were going to be scanned. He couldn't guess the reason.
At that instant lights flickered and a hologram of a man appeared from a glass panel. He stood in front of the two booths and addressed the team.
"Before you submit your goals of the assignment, we find it necessary to do an emergency analysis on you. The N.U.R.O Government has determined with absolute certainty the penetration of an unwelcome character in this cluster. The presence was more strongly felt within the BlockFarm Forest where your team was assigned. We are here to ascertain that none of you came into dangerous levels of contact with this terrible presence."
The man in the hologram spoke calmly but authoritatively. He maintained eye contact with each one of them, making the team feel really scared.
Frank was processing the information received from the Representative Leader and he could not help but turn to Muro. If anybody had come across any strange thing it must be him. Why then subject all of them to this scanning? He felt a surging anger boiling up within him. He was even shocked by his own feelings towards Muro. They were now even worse than while they were in the field.
"Kindly step into the booth one after another, males use the right booth while ladies use the left one."
After the instructions, Linda quickly stepped forward into the scanner, ignoring the scared look from Claire.
"Remain standing until the lights turn green!" A machine voice said as she stepped in. A blue ray of light scanned her from head to toes and back. The procedure repeated three times before the light turned green. Linda then stepped outside the booth.
"Citizen ID 302780090 proceed outside the chambers," the Representative Leader said looking at Linda. She halted, she held back not wanting to leave.
"Now!" The leader spoke sternly and Linda obediently walked out of the room. All the others looked on in surprise. Frank who was being scanned at that very moment gasped too! His scanning had also come to an end with the lights turning green.
"Citizen ID 302710000 proceed outside the chambers," the Representative Leader spoke again.
"Just like that?" Frank felt like asking, however, knowing that he would be yelled at like Linda he immediately walked out too. In the female booth Claire timidly presented herself for the scan. As soon as the lights turned green, she stormed out if the room not waiting for the RL to speak up.
Joe stood looking at Muro. Muro seemed to be in lost in his own world. Joe felt urged him under his breath to step forward but Muro didn't show any signs of noticing his beckoning. At the end Joe was forced to rush into the scan. He was similarly asked to step outside the chambers.
The moment Joe came to the outer chamber he saw his teammates submitting their eggs at the counter on the other side of the hall. They were all wearing puzzled expressions on their faces.
"Move out of the way, you rat!" Joe turned to look at Muro. He had already finished the scanning and also brought forth his eggs.
"At least he submitted them. Now we don't have to worry about loosing the reform quarters," Linda whispered to Frank as they watched Muro in silence.
{CONGRATULATIONS N.U.R.O TEAM AAA5, Your task is successfully completed and are hereby rewarded accordingly}
Ding!
While the others looked at their wristwatches to see what rewards they had gained, Frank walked up to Muro.
"We need to talk!" he said to him.