Eternity's War

Book 1: Chapter 6

Adam walked down the hallway with haste, offering a slight nod each time he passed one of his colleagues. He was impeccably dressed, wearing a dark suit and tie, and a pin of the red and white Athenian flag fastened to his lapel. He carried a thin tablet computer under his arm.

He stopped outside a set of double doors with six men and women standing around it. All of them wore thick armour and held large automatic weapons. To an outsider, they looked to be an elite battalion preparing for a covert attack, but this was the normal attire for members of the Presidential Guard.

Upon seeing Adam arrive, one of the men stood aside and allowed him access to the room they were protecting. Adam opened one of the doors and closed it tightly behind him. A confused look spread across his face when he saw two unfamiliar people sitting at the table.

"Adam," the newly elected president said, surprise in his voice. He was an elderly man with grey hair, dressed just as exquisitely as Adam. He sat in his chair, facing the mysterious duo. "Perhaps this isn't the best time."

Adam looked cautiously at the two guests who sat in front of him. On his left was a large tattooed man with bulging muscles and cold eyes. On his right was a young woman with piercings in her face, who looked to be no older than twenty. Her long scarf loosely touched the ground. Neither of them were dressed appropriately for the president's chamber.

"Sir, who are these two?" Adam asked, a sense of fear evident in his voice.

"Who are you?" the girl retorted.

"I'm Adam Price, the president's chief counsel," he proudly declared.

The two ominous faces glared at him. A chill ran down his spine.

"Sir," he continued, looking away from the duo, "I've just been informed that you've given the order to relocate to a private villa in Dongtan Qu until further notice. I must advise against this. You'll be much safer if you stay here in Government House."

"Adam, please," the president requested, "we'll need to discuss this later."

"How did you gain clearance to this room?" he asked the strangers. He tried his best to intimidate them, but his lack of tenaciousness was far too evident.

The girl stared back at him. "You should leave," she whispered.

"Tell me your names at once," he said as he opened a document on the tablet. When neither of them uttered a word, he asked his leader. "Sir, who are these two? What are their names?"

Archibald pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked down awkwardly. He knew his staff would eventually run into the strange pair, but he had hoped it would not be until after his impending inauguration. "Their names are Sabina and Aurelius."

Adam stared at the screen. It only took him a few seconds to confirm what he already knew. "You're not listed on the manifest. Tell me how you gained clearance to this room or I'll have you arrested."

"Adam!" Archibald hissed, warning his counsel to cease the interrogation.

Sweat began to bead on Adam's forehead. He looked nervously back and forth between the two pairs of unrelenting eyes. The looks on their faces told him that they were very dangerous, whoever they were. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that they wanted him dead for interrupting their meeting.

Adam cleared his throat. "Excellent weather outside today, isn't it, sir?" He stared at his leader, intently waiting for his response. It was standard protocol among high-ranking Athenian officials for the question to be used when duress was suspected. If a president was to respond with a remark about the weather being cloudy, it would secretly inform his or her staff that the leader was in danger.

The president took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment. "The weather is lovely," he agreed.

Adam stared at his leader momentarily, half expecting him to change his mind and give a different response. When only silence followed, Adam nodded and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

He looked at the members of the Guard, who stood poised. "Who are those people in the chamber?" he asked anxiously.

The men and women stared back at him blankly. "Sir?" one of them asked.

"Those people," he repeated. "That man and girl in the chamber. When did they arrive?"

"Sir, no one but the president has entered. We've been stationed here all morning."

Adam's expression became further perplexed. "You haven't seen anyone enter apart from the president?"

"Correct, sir."

The counsel rubbed his jaw, trying to piece together what was happening. All visitors to the chamber needed to be pre-approved. Worse still, he'd never seen the two in his life, and he didn't trust the response to the duress signal. He didn't have the time to be dealing with such an odd situation, but was determined to uncover the truth nonetheless. He walked back down the hall, shocked and confused.

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