Still pondering Elizabeth's words, you stride down the sleek, corporate hallway of RHS's headquarters. You pass by glass-walled meeting rooms and offices, relative oases of tranquility at this hour, as the clacking of your heels on the polished floor activates the automated cleaning nano-machines from their dormant state. They invisibly hum to life, consuming the stray dust motes that you've disturbed with your passing. Unrelatedly but concurrently, the floor's LED lighting system changes its tone from a cool blue to warm, soothing orange, matching the time of day. You reach the end of the hallway and the automatic doors release to let you through, revealing an atrium.

Not just any atrium, however. Modeled after a particularly imaginative designer's take on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the circular, multi-tiered atrium forms the heart of the building, a luxurious space for its office-bound denizens to escape their cubicles. A series of waterfalls tumble down the levels, each successively wider than the last, before arriving at an underground mechanism that funnels the water back up by some means you haven't yet determined. Vibrant grass and South American trees and flowers cover the upper tier where you currently are, forming an extravagant garden.

Though not particularly convincing reminders of the company's ostensible mission, statues of Sts. Luke, Cosmas and Damian, and Jérôme Lejeune overlook the scene from their positions on a marble platform in the center of the fountain, which spills over the edge in a shimmering curtain of water, while above and around you, five stories of clear glass create an otherworldly effect.

You can see vague, ghostly reflections of people as they move about in their offices above you, surreal and obscured by the rising mist from the fountain in the center of the massive room, while even further above the building's transparent ceiling naturally transitions to a darkling blue as twilight falls over the city. Knowing that you aren’t particularly pressed for time for your double date with Zuleyka and her new partner, you pause at the railing and lean on it, looking down.

As you contemplate one of the wider lower levels, you see a lone woman with a dark skin tone slowly strolling through it, wearing standard RHS attire. Her even darker hair is pulled up into a bun, but a few locks have been allowed to hang loose. She pauses and interrupts her walk to admire a batch of Amazon lilies that peeps out amidst a profusion of exotic foliage. From afar, you could almost be tempted to mistake her for Zuleyka.

Almost.

Zuleyka isn’t the type to stop and smell the roses; she’s the type to crush them beneath an elegant heel—unless they’re given to her, that is. Zuleyka, you have learned during your time with her, is passionate about three things: first and quite possibly foremost, as a real estate agent she is passionate about the houses that she sells and showing them in the best possible light. Second, as a woman with refined aesthetic sensibilities, with everything that is beautiful. Third, as a human being she is passionate about…well, you. Sometimes it would startle you just how strongly that last one would come out.

You can’t imagine that she still feels the same, after your lurch towards retrograde ideologies. And yet, for what other reason would she contact you…?

The woman reaches up and plucks a small flower, bringing it to her face and inhaling its scent. Then, she tucks it behind her ear. You can all too easily imagine Amie doing the same, and the thought brings a faint smile to your face. It vanishes as you remember Amie's lack of humanity, and now you find yourself wondering whether the woman below is human or android. Turning away from the railing, you continue on your way toward the main elevator.

There, to your surprise, you see the COO conversing with a secretary. You draw closer, not wondering what it is that they could be talking about, but hoping to slip into the elevator unnoticed. Powell notices you and says something to the woman that you do not catch as you approach. She smiles at you briefly before turning on her heel and walking away, leaving you to conclude that he was waiting for you all along. As if in confirmation of your suspicions,

You're mildly surprised to discover that Powell is lingering by it, as if waiting for you. Though he's conversing with a female secretary, you're not fooled by his act. He's waiting for you, and sure enough, as the COO catches sight of you he dismisses her with a wave of his hand and turns, his spectacles catching a ray of waning sunlight. "Mr. Brennan. Can I trouble you for a moment of your time?"

"Of course. Do you have another query about the project?"

Powell shakes his head. "I do not, but thank you. No, I simply wished to say..." He pauses, searching for the words. "Look, I overstepped myself earlier. I had no right to lecture you on your design. It's your field of expertise, not mine. I just..." He sighs. I'm worried about the future of this company. If we don't adapt with the times, we'll be left behind. I'm looking out for the best interests of everyone here. Of our patients. We run over two hundred hospitals and directly employ over one hundred thousand people. If something isn't done soon, we could see all of that ruined. I apologize if you received the unfortunate impression that I was seeking to undermine you."

"No, it's quite alright. I may have spoken out of turn myself; the future remains undecided."

"That’s certainly true." He smiles at you a bit, though there's still an underlying tension to it. You decide to revise your opinion of Powell from 'eschatological neophyte' to 'high-strung company man.' The man still leaves you with an odd impression, however. Tasked with overseeing the smooth operation of a multi-billion dollar company though he is, and undoubtedly highly skilled at what he does, you find yourself all too easily able to imagine him being dragged along by a rambunctious poodle on walks, or spending his weekends at model train conventions.

You expect the COO to bid you a brisk farewell, but instead he pauses. "I'm... going to be honest with you, Mr. Brennan."

You wait for him to continue. "In truth, none of your words surprised me. All along, I've been convinced that something big is coming. Something bigger than either of us can comprehend. Maybe I'm just an old man in a hurry to die, looking for portents where there are none, but something in my gut tells me that the world is going to soon change forever, and that we need to be prepared." "Does the board feel the same way?" Powell looks at you, his eyes wry behind their spectacles. "I'm sure some of them do. Whether or not they'll muster up the courage to act on those beliefs, well... That's another story." The COO sighs as the elevator arrives in response to a mental command, then lets you enter first. "I suppose we'll all have our answers soon."