Mini-story: Awake

The younger man looked nervous, and his supervisor was only marginally less so. Their visitor passes read ESA, and bore a small holographic mark which they had both assumed was standard, but it had drawn expressions of quickly-concealed surprise from more than one person they’d passed on their way from the building’s grand entrance to the office on the sixth floor. There was no plaque on the door, but there had been two secretaries and three armed guards in the outer chamber. The office was dark, despite the brilliant blue sky over Brussels on this Tuesday morning. Blinds were drawn halfway down, and all the furniture was dark wood and burgundy leather. The enormous desk held surprisingly few items, the most noticeable of which was a bronze ornament of antique scales, perpetually slightly out of balance. The Director sat patiently behind her desk, exchanging the briefest glance with the thoughtful-looking military general who stood over by the nearest window. The two scientists…