Mini-story: The Ministry

In London, only a few minutes’ walk from the Ministry of Defence, Downing Street, and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, there is a building which blends in perfectly with those around it. The same white stone and grand but anonymous frontage. The same brass railings, polished periodically but not obsessively, framing the four wide stairs up from the pavement. The same windows mostly obscured by blinds. The same secured entrance. Those who work there are divided into two groups. The first group is employed by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as an annex office for that department. They believe utterly that, upon entering the building, the primary corridor takes a sharp left turn, leading to their office space. They also believe that the uppermost two floors of the building are vacant and sealed. The second group is employed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, as an annex office to that department. They believe utterly that, upon entering the…