EARTH 2B

Day 12; 0845 (Morning)

Focus: TL7

SC4: “...hahaha…yes...perhaps…”

The obnoxious sound of SC4’s voice faded in-and-out of TL7’s periphery as he prepared himself for meditation.

The hot tea he had just consumed, radiated soothing warmth throughout his body, releasing all the tension that had built-up from earlier exchanges with his superior.

SC4: “TL7.”

Again, a distant, grating voice called-out to him, but he paid it no mind.

SC4: “T-”

The voice called-out once more, but it had little effect; TL7 had reached a condition where external distractions could no longer bother him. [Ahh...peace and quiet.] He muttered to himself, content with his newfound silence.

Moments pass in tranquility as he purged his mind of all the useless information planted by SC4’s words. [How troublesome.] He complained.

SC4 had spouted so much nonsense that it was difficult for TL7 to filter-out fact from fiction.

It took some time, but once TL7 completed his task, he slowly brought himself back to reality. The mental blockers that he had placed to numb his senses, slowly dissipated, allowing the distant wash of voices to stimulate his reawakened auditory senses. It was like the gentle crash of a calm ocean wave -- growing ever-more violent as he grew closer to exiting his meditation.

Layla: “...e. He’s meditating, not ignoring you, sir.”

Though her voice started-out faint, TL7 gradually made-out the words Layla was saying as his hearing returned to normal.

SC4: “Hmm. Perhaps I should-”

Startled by TL7’s abrupt movements, SC4 completely lost his train of thought.

TL7 had deliberately poured himself a fresh cup of tea, grabbing both of his guests’ attention -- just as he planned.

TL7: “That won’t be necessary. How long was I out?”

Taking a sip of tea, TL7 calmly waited for SC4 to respond to his inquiry.

A few seconds pass, and not a single word is uttered.

Unable to take anymore of SC4’s childish contempt, Layla answered in his stead.

Layla: “Five minutes.”

She replied, with a smile.

Nodding to himself, TL7 leaned back onto his mesh work chair and sighed. [Not bad.] He thought, surprised by the duration.

TL7: “I must apologize for my rudeness, I needed to declutter my mind before we resumed our conversation.”

Hearing the word “declutter”, SC4 snapped back to his senses.

SC4: “Declutter, eh?”

The sarcastic remark instantly angered TL7, who immediately fired back.

TL7: “Is there something you’d like to say?”

Smirking at TL7’s defiance, SC4 waved-off his earlier statement.

SC4: “Oh, don’t mind me, I’ll keep it to myself...for now.”

[Bastard.] TL7 cursed inwardly. [How should I deal with this guy...hmm. Would it be wise to let him lead?] He questioned.

TL7: “Shall we resume where we left off?”

Nodding in agreement, SC4 made himself comfortable in his chair.

TL7: “Then, please, by all means.”

Waving his hand, TL7 signalled SC4 to take the lead. This gesture of good faith surprised SC4, but only briefly -- he was more than happy to capitalize on the opportunity.

Unfortunately, SC4 was still dead-set on uttering nonsense.

SC4: “Ahem. ah, yes. Subject 502. The changes to his physique and genera-”

Layla: “Sir, you know that we can’t divulge that information.”

Adjusting her glasses, Layla scolded her boss.

SC4: “Ah-haha-ha. Right. Nevermind that. Where were we...”

Panicked, SC4 nervously laughed at his mistake.

Unsure how he should interpret the situation, TL7 glanced-over at Layla’s direction -- as-if looking for assistance. When she noticed his gaze, she simply smiled and nodded, like always.

[What a terrifying woman.] TL7 thought to himself.

More time passed as SC4 fiddled his thumbs trying to recollect his talking points. His only saving grace was Layla.

After seeing him fail to recover from her scolding, Layla reached into her blouse and produced a piece of paper detailing several topics of discussion.

It was only after she had handed SC4 the paper, did he regain a small semblance of competence.

SC4: “Let’s see here...arche...hmm…”

Calmly waiting for SC4 to gather his thoughts, TL7 poured himself another cup of tea. [If I’m going to wait, I might as well wait in leisure.] He rationalized.

SC4: “The Kingdom of Colesty…we must mend our relations in a timely manner in order to regain favor with Countess Saren. She is our best and only option for establishing contact with the Teroseribe family -- whom, without proper introduction from the Countess, are completely averse to conducting business, especially with outsiders.”

“Establishing a robust intelligence network using brokered information provided by this family of legendary seers will take us one step closer to achieving our goals.”

TL7: “And you’re pushing this agenda onto me?”

Sensing push-back, SC4 attempted to persuade TL7 into accepting his cause.

SC4: “Are you neglecting the information I offered you regarding 513?”

Of course, his method of persuasion was off-putting.

TL7: “I’m neglecting nothing. I’m still unconvinced that my involvement in all this is necessary. First off, neither 502 or 513 are under my purview. You should speak with TL1 and TL3 if you want something done officially. Second, you aren’t being completely forthright with your proposal. You have chosen to keep certain aspects undisclosed, which makes me doubt the legitimacy of your intentions. The last thing I want to do is get involved with something I will regret later. Third, aside from Bernard Miller, which is my responsibility...my request for a private audience was purely out of personal interest for 513, nothing more.”

“As for your information, it is speculative at best.”

SC4: “TL7! This is much bigger than your personal interests! We MUST secure ties with the Teroseribe family to...”

Outraged, SC4’s diatribe came dangerously close to exposing withheld information. Lucky, Layla acted quickly.

Layla: “Sir!”

With Layla’s plea reaching his ears, SC4 cut his tirade short and calmed down.

SC4: “Ahem, dealing with this is important TL7. Important for the entire project. We need this to happen.”

TL7: “Have you approached the other team leaders with your proposal?”

SC4: “...”

TL7: “I take your silence as a ‘NO’”

SC4: “...”

TL7: “Why come to me first? Did you mark me as someone that would easily be swayed? Did you cater to my personal motivations hoping that I’d feel indebted to you?

SC4: “...”

Seeing that his interrogation of SC4 was going nowhere, TL7 went straight to the point.

TL7: “Drop the scheming and tell me what you really want.”

SC4: “I am not at liberty to divulge such information.”

SC4 replied in a serious, almost monotone voice -- the air around him was vastly different, almost as-if he was another person.

[Something’s changed.] TL7 noted. [Was this a test?]

The two men stared at each other in silence, as their tensions rose. Layla, who had been quietly observing on the sidelines, drank from her cup of tea and occasionally smiled at TL7 whenever he would sneak glances at her direction.

Growing tired of the stalemate, TL7 forced the ending to their meeting.

TL7: “In that case, I’ll show you to the door.”

SC4: “What gall, to treat a superior-”

Layla: “Sir, it would be wise to leave now and return when conditions are better suited for you.”

SC4: “I’ll be back TL7.”

SC4 threatened, as he stomped his way towards the door.

[Aaand he’s back. So much for being hopeful.] TL7 lamented.

TL7: “Return when you’ve convinced the other team leaders of your plans, SC4. Until then.”

Standing-up from his chair, TL7 quickly escorted SC4 and Layla out of his room. Once they had gone, he immediately closed the door and activated the soundproofing.

TL7: “Haaah. Fucking hell...what a pointless waste-of-time.”

Exhausted, he complained aloud.

As he walked back to his desk, several scenarios ran wild inside his head.

Was he being tested? Was there any truth behind what he was told? What type of information was being kept from him? Why was he the first team leader approached with such a proposal?

Endless questions with unfilled answers.

He continued musing as he walked, but all of that stopped when he passed-by the guest chairs. There, he noticed a piece of cloth jammed underneath one of the seats -- one that Layla sat-on.

Naturally, TL7 investigated. [How curious. This was left on purpose.]

Carefully removing the cloth from the seat, he inspected its contents.

TL7: “...what’s this?”

He blurted aloud, surprised by the message on the cloth.

TL7: “Land acquisition? What is that bastard scheming?”

---Chapter End