Noble looked in shock as the wall rippled against the urging of the persuasive Memory.
"It's working!" In her sudden excitement, Noble forgot to control the color of her eyes. They swirled like mist in the morning sun.
But just as quickly as the wall began to give, it suddenly pushed back. The netting of spelltech, which was usually unseen, flashed like bolts of lightning across the transparent polymer.
"No!" Noble pulled back her hand in surprise. She had never seen the chamber react in such a way. Touching the wall, she was relieved to see it was still intact.
The professor examined the [Portcullis Key]. Already it had lost its sheen, returning to its lusterless black hue.
It seemed the ball had not had enough power to pierce the veil of the spelltech.
'Surely it was not fully charged. But how did it get charged at all?'
No matter how much Noble tried, the [Portcullis Key] would not accept her essence.
However, just before the ball grew warm, the professor could feel it–feed?– off of something to gain its power.
The tiny bit of fuel had not been enough to unleash the full power of the Memory. Noble could tell that it had much more left in reserve. 'If only it were fully charged.'
"Did you get that?" Noble called to Bee Two.
"I have recorded the visual and auditory inputs as well as the energy readings. If you like, I can get a projection for you and replay it." The android offered.
Bee Two's voice was exceptionally metallic, and as soon as Noble heard it, she could tell something was wrong. The android was fighting its own protocols to give the professor what she desired.
Exiting the chamber, Noble dismissed the Memory. "We can do that later. I have made you wait long enough. Please tell me what you found from your inquiry this morning."
On the desk, Noble's communicator buzzed.
Bee Two mimicked a human sigh. "It's too late. I did want to warn you."
"Warn me?" The professor wrinkled her nose as she picked up the communicator.
Her face immediately paled.
"Bee Two! What did you do?!"
The android turned up an indignant nose. "Only what you told me to!"
"Walk me through what you think I told you to do." Noble took a deep breath. She felt close to hyperventilating.
Two Bee easily obliged. "When you came in this morning, I informed you of the new gate opening and how it matched the parameters of your query."
"I remember that part." Even in her distracted state, Noble had already known about the gate before the android confirmed it.
"And I asked you if you wanted me to gather as much information as possible. You said that you would look in a little while. You activated the protocol to gather as much information as quickly as possible." Bee Two lectured as if the hall was full of students. "That overrode your previous directive to take things slow."
"Bee Two, please tell me you didn't.." Noble's stomach suddenly felt queasy.
"I flooded the government system with my inquiries. Well, not just the government system, but that is the one that got me in the end. Your lack of subtlety tripped a few alarms. I have been locked out of the system indefinitely. It was only by sheer force of will that I did not get shut down entirely." Bee Two straightened its white lab coat in indignation. No one was putting this android out of service! "You really should be more careful."
"In more ways than one…" The professor bit back her utter frustration. Like it or not, her inattention had caused the problem and then made it worse by ignoring the android when the problem arose.
Noble's communicator buzzed twice more. Glancing down at the screen, the Professor rubbed her cheek. "It just keeps getting better and better…"
"I don't see how," Bee Two cocked its head to one side.
"That was sarcasm," Noble picked up her bag. "I can explain more when I get back. Until then, try not to get locked out of any more systems, ok?"
The android gave an almost human shrug, "That has never been my intention."
"I know," Noble sighed. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
As she headed out of the room, the professor stared down at her communicator, still trying to make sense of what had just occurred.
The first message was an automated notification that Bee Two's governmental privileges had been suspended pending an investigation. That alone was concerning.
But the next two messages…they made her blood run cold. They were from Fort.
"Get to my office."
"Now."
—------------------
Noble left the Academy as quickly as she could to catch the first train across the city. She tried not to let her nerves get the better of her.
The distance for both Fort and Noble to work was not terribly long from their shared home, but the Awakened Academy and the Government Headquarters were in two opposite directions. This meant the professor had quite a long time alone with her thoughts.
As the train whooshed along the various viaducts, Noble wondered just what to expect when she got to her destination. She doubted very much that it would be a warm reception, but by her husband's texts, she couldn't tell if he was worried or angry.
Or both.
Noble had sent him a message that she was on her way, but decided against calling him. Fort was a reasonably paranoid person, as was she, and he wouldn't say anything on the phone that might get either of them in trouble later.
The professor would just have to wait until they were face to face to find out just how much damage she had done.
Reaching her stop, Noble was forced to make the final leg of her journey on foot. Fortunately, the stop was conveniently positioned so that her walk was short.
Approaching a large electrified gate, Noble looked up to view the sleek buildings hidden behind the barrier. They were tall, industrial, and otherwise unnoteworthy.
While there were many government offices scattered across the NQSC, only one facility could boast being this large and in the city center: the Government Headquarters. Noble looked at the sprawling complex with a solemn expression. Inside the unassuming edifices, decisions which impacted the entire world were made every single day.
"May I help you?" The gatekeeper asked Noble politely. It was clear the visitor was an Awakened, and even if she wasn't, there was always the chance she could be some other high-ranking official.
Noble stepped forward to the small window at the front of the gatehouse so that the gatekeeper could hear her better. "Hello, Officer Praised," she read the guard's badge, "I am here to see my husband, Fort. He is expecting me."
The professor provided her proof of citizenship and identification, which was quickly run through the system to be verified. Noble rolled her eyes internally. If she wanted, she could have flown over the gate in barely a moment.
But the guard was only doing a thorough job, so Noble decided to be patient. Anyway, if she had decided to breach the Government facility without permission, the professor doubted very much that she would actually make it into any of the buildings without any number of 'security measures' being unleashed on her person.
A few more clicks on the datapad and Praised smiled brightly. The guard tipped the hat of her uniform. "Everything looks good. Just one moment."
The gatekeeper pressed a button, and a door next to the large gate meant for PTVs swung open. The professor was motioned through.
"Right this way. This is the right way after all." Praised's smile seemed even brighter than before. As Noble passed by the open side of the gatehouse, she saw the guard suddenly holding a small torch. Where had it even come from?
Praised's mouth moved.
Noble furrowed her brow. "What did you say?"
"As a wise man once said–nothing at all." Praised gave a two-fingered salute with the other hand. "Best of luck, Awakened Noble."
"Thank you, I think." Noble flinched as the metal door slammed behind her. 'That's not foreboding at all.'
For the first time in a long time, Noble felt like running away. But she knew she couldn't.
Fort was waiting.