"I know this is a delicate situation for your department, and I appreciate you would likely want this to go away sooner rather than later. I'll try to be brief and stay to the point. There are just a lot of things we need to get through." The man pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a weary breath. "Your administrator broke the rules and denied my client a right he was entitled to. My client recorded the meeting, fearing that he would be discriminated against because of his class. He was here, in this building, showcasing his capability to contribute to society and your employee figuratively spat in his face. We've listened to the recording together and individually, and it's painfully apparent that your administrator, in no way or form, sought to help my client through this application process." The Nox Holdings legal representative spoke matter-of-factly, stating everything as though it was obvious. His tone sounded both sympathetic and mocking, but with the slightest hint of threatening. James sat to the right of the man, listening intently to his arguments, and fighting the urge to smile at the administrator, who sat with his arms folded across from them. He had clearly been instructed to keep quiet unless asked a question, but it was clear from his expression that he had a few choice thoughts of his own that he'd like to share. Yet, the conversation was happening between the two representatives, with their words practically dancing around the topic at hand. It felt like they were almost testing each other. From James' perspective, the representative from the government office was trying to avoid a shit-storm and mitigate the damage, but the man that had arrived from Nox Holdings wanted to blow the situation wide open. "I appreciate we can sit here and discuss what is right and what is wrong, but there is clearly no remorse on your administrator's face." The Nox representative gestured lazily at the man across the table. "I'm guessing that you think a slap on the wrist will suffice? That the union will back you and that this will all go away because my client is just a small-time E-Classer? Is that what is going through your head right now?" The smile that flickered across the administrator's face confirmed the representative's observations. When the government representative raised his hand to interject, the Nox employee ignored him and spoke across him. "Your employee needs to be fired immediately for gross misconduct. An investigation needs to be conducted on the suitability of this department's administrators and their role in assessing E-Classers going forward. A public apology will be issued by your department to James Sylvester." A laugh finally escaped the government representative as he placed both his hands in the air in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay... I get it, you're Mr. Big-shot over in Nox Holdings. It seems like we've clearly just made the wrong call on your client, and we're owning up to that mistake in this room. We look after our own people, and it would be an absolute shame to punish a tenured individual here over such a minor oversight. Were they wrong in their approach? Absolutely. Should they lose their job? Of course not. Your client clearly provoked mine after their medical history was brought to the fore. Can you really blame my client? How many E-Classers do we process here daily? Countless. Every one of them lies through their teeth to escape their fates, and your client was just a victim of an overworked department. If we had better funding and resources, I'm sure that we would have given your client a smoother transition to D-Class. We'll happily facilitate Mr. Sylvester's move to D-Class, but there will be no acknowledgement of any wrongdoing, as your client was simply a victim of circumstance." "C-Class." James spoke firmly as he stared at the legal representative across from him. "I meet the requirements for C-Class, and that was the goal of my initial application." The Wildcard only paused when the Nox Holdings employee gave him a reassuring smile. It felt as though the man was telling James that he had this. Sitting up in his seat and leaning forward across the table, the Nox representative shook his head slightly. "It really sounded like you wanted a bribe just now. You're under-funded and overworked, so mistakes are just a guarantee under such horrible conditions? Incompetence shouldn't be punished and instead should be left to fester? My client should be guilty until proven innocent? Would you have happily done anything if I hadn't arrived here on Mr. Sylvester's behalf? We both know the answer to that. But the question is... why? Why would you buckle when someone from Nox Holdings appears at your door?" James watched as the expressions on the other side of the table faltered. What had previously looked like pictures of confidence now looked confused? Whatever tactic the Nox Holdings guy was using, his opponents weren't prepared for it. "Would it be anything to do with the fact that Nox owns this building? That all your government contracts are tied up with Nox Holdings? What would happen, hypothetically... if Nox evicted all of you? Sure, there would be breakage fees, but would they really be enforced after it comes to light that you actively discriminated against and targeted her business partner?" The Nox representative's voice turned icy cold. "You've detained the owner of Travesty Holdings, of which Nox herself is an investor. She's currently on the warpath and wants me to tear down this entire institution. Is it beyond the capabilities of an enraged S-Classer to completely reform your government? All she needs is money and contracts, and she can privatise all of this in a heartbeat. What is Nox known for? Money and contracts. So, let me repeat this slowly. He gets fired." The Nox man pointed at the pale administrator first before twisting his hand to gesture at James. "James Sylvester is fast-tracked to C-Class today, and you announce your public apology for how you treated him. You'll also emphasise how you've failed the E-Classers within society and how you're going to investigate all claims of misconduct in your unit. You can even use your speech about how much money you need to do your fucking job. Is that clear?" What was once a composed government counsel was now a shaking mess. The mixture of poise and defiance had been replaced with a look of desperate self-preservation and fear. It was clear that he was thinking as fast as he could, and the look he gave the administrator practically sealed the man's face. Someone needed to take a fall to avoid a certain catastrophe, and the victim was practically laid out in front of him. He gave the Nox representative an apologetic nod of understanding and attempted to steady his voice. "I would be able to approve the dismissal and the fast-track of Mr. Sylvester's class change. I... I'm afraid I don't have the authority to approve a public apology, but I can send the request for board approval." The Nox representative placed his fingers down on the table in a claw like pose, each of his fingers taught as though he was restraining his annoyance. "I will leave here in one hour with my client. If he isn't a C-Class citizen, and our requirements aren't met, then we'll be holding a press-conference. I understand you don't have the authority to make this go away right here and now, so you better hurry to get us the answer that we want." Finally, a wide smile broke out on the Nox employee's face. "But to be very honest with you? I hope you fail. I'd love to see what Nox could do in the government space. Imagine it? Your entire workforce being replaced by competent advisors, and state-of-the-art assessment tools! There would be no bribes from private companies, keeping the E-Classers down... no quotas to hit, and no souls to crush. Wouldn't that be an interesting future for all of us?" James turned his head at those last words, curious to know how much of it was true. Were the corporations controlling how many E-Classers advanced up to D-Class? He always knew it was a flawed meritocracy and horribly balanced, but to know that it was corrupt at such a high-level, was absolutely sickening. Maybe it was the expression that he made at the realisation, but the Nox representative caught sight of it immediately. Turning back to the government representative, he changed his conditions. "We're going to be leaving in thirty minutes. You better hurry." The administrator that caused all of this was white as a sheet as he whipped his head around to catch sight of the escaping legal representative. Time was precious, and he didn't want to be the second person fired that day. James was practically dumbstruck by the time they exited the government buildings. He had expected something much more drawn out with maybe an appeals process or a panel deliberating on his future... but instead, he had been told by an out of breath and terrified man that he was getting his apology and that he was officially C-Class. There was no fanfare, no ceremony, it was just a man that had been put through his paces by one of his allies. Nox Holdings was a terrifying institution, and he truly was Nox's business partner, in a sense. It took him a few moments to realise that the representative was still talking to him. "... which should be fine and resolved soon. Monitor your messages and forward me anything that doesn't look right. They'll have to reinstate your tax credits and I want to make sure they're not cutting corners by resetting everything. You were C-Class before, so they should reinstate a lot of your previous benefits rather than restarting them. You'll get better rates and premiums that way. Any caps you come across or blockers, you tell me immediately." Despite the weary tone and the speed at which the man spoke, it was clear that he was conscientious about his job and was clearly sharing a lot more information than he was supposed to. Suddenly a thought popped into James' head and he found himself asking the question straight away. "Were you serious back then about what you said? The E-Classer reform?" If the question fazed the man in the slightest, he didn't show it at all. "About Nox coming in and changing everything for the better? Yes, I was serious... but I'd be a hypocrite if I was to say that I always thought that way." James didn't let the topic slide and instead pressed for more answers. "What was it that changed your mind?" The look of incredulity that he got was almost enough to make the Wildcard laugh. The Nox representative eventually gave a rueful smile as he thrust his arms wide and loomed forward, mimicking the villainous flair of the Dread Pirate. "Remember me?" He spoke in an uncharacteristically deep voice, before laughing at his own terrible imitation. James was surprised to see this light-hearted side of the man, having seen him rip apart his opponents only a few moments ago. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Your story, background... everything about you was just incredible. I nearly dislocated my arm volunteering to come down here to bail you out of this shit-storm. But to answer your original question, though, it's not very realistic that Nox would reform this place. She didn't approve of our plan to strong-arm you out of there." James couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at hearing those words. He had this impression of Nox in his head, of someone that wanted to protect him at all costs and was willing to go to war for him. Hearing that she didn't want them to do that on his behalf wasn't enough to make him upset, but made him reevaluate his own value. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself and thinking too highly of his achievements. It was only a game, and it was only a single encounter... why would people treat him that differently? The representative laughed as he continued walking down the steps of the government office. "... her plan was way fucking worse. She wanted to mobilise her private security group to break you out of the place. Hobbs eventually talked her down, but she was apparently furious. Now, that is something I'd really, really like to see. Can you imagine the look on their faces when an extraction unit comes in for an E-Classer?" Both men chuckled to themselves at the thought as they descended the steps. James couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he thought about the first thing he would do as a C-Classer in the city.