They didn't stay in the lobby much longer.
Nyra led them deeper into the building, past offices and meeting rooms. The clamor of the entrance faded behind them, replaced by the steady rhythm of footsteps and the distant drone of department machinery. No staff member dared question their presence after Nyra's earlier declaration, but Joren could still feel the stares trailing them down every corridor.
They arrived at a tall, double-door chamber marked with silver script: CHAMBER THREE
Inside, the room looked like a doomsday room. Half a dozen holo-displays hovered over the central table. Lighted panels tracked recent crime reports, threat assessments spotted near the nation, and maps of the capital streets. A few figures were already present, mid-discussion and lacking sleep, but they fell silent the moment Nyra entered.
A man with a sharp jaw and long, silvery hair straightened from his seat at the head. What perplexed the four of them the most was his long ears, however. His badge read: Assistant Director Marseth.
He stared at Nyra like he'd seen a ghost.
"...You're alive," he said quietly, relief starting to wash over his face like his worries were over.
Nyra stopped in front of him, hands folded behind her back and a warm smile forming. "That's what I've been told."
He stepped around the table slowly, as if afraid she might vanish again if he moved too fast. "Where did you go, Nyra?"
She tilted her head slightly, cheeks starting to blush as she remembered. "I was ambushed in the Glassward District. I was... uh... doing a little field work."
Marseth's brow arched. "Field work? Without notifying anyone? How many times have I told you that you can't leave without a few guards at all times?"
Nyra cleared her throat, standing on business and doubling down. "It was meant to be a short observation run to see how their district was doing. I didn't think it warranted a formal request."
"You left without an escort. You must understand the importance of your position, Ms. Braye." Marseth said, a twitch beginning from his left eye. "We have been in chaos as a department trying to find out what happened to you."
Nyra's shoulders tensed, but her voice stayed steady. "I understand, but you know how much I hate sitting around. I wasn't expecting to be attacked in broad daylight, in one of the busiest districts of the capital. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone alone."
That stopped Marseth cold.
"…Attacked?"
The whole room shifted. A couple of officials looked up from their screens.
Nyra nodded once. "Mhm, three agents attacked me last evening. Masks, black cloaks, no insignia to suggest any affiliations with outside organizations. They were like ghosts, or hitmen, I guess."
"You were attacked in Glassward?" he said slowly, voice flattening under the weight of implication. "And no one saw anything?"
"Not until I already hit the ground," Nyra muttered. "They moved fast, like they were waiting for me to be alone. I was screaming, but that barely did any good."
A tense silence followed.
One of the analysts at the table murmured, "Glassward is full of people at all hours, how did three people find a way to attack you in broad daylight?"
Another voice, older and skeptical, added from across the table, "Was it another department? Perhaps the Trade Department?"
Another analyst spoke up. "But how could they know that she was there? We didn't even know she left until it was too late."
Nyra let out a breath, sharp but controlled. "I don't know who sent them, but they weren't amateurs. They were asking for documents about the king, and they also said they would kill me because I said I didn't have any."
That sent another ripple through the room.
"They were after documents? About the King?" Marseth repeated, his voice low now, not out of disbelief, but alarm.
"Then that would imply that another department is likely behind this." The skeptical older analyst said. "We don't have any reports of rogue organizations targeting our officials outside of a few loners. The only one that comes to mind right now is Stigma, the guy who took out the Karencene Headquarters last month."
The other analyst retorted. "Yeah, but as you said, he is the loner type. He has never worked with any accomplices before. That still doesn't explain how they knew about Ms. Braye's whereabouts. The Trade Department is three whole districts away."
Marseth's jaw tightened. He didn't respond immediately. Instead, he turned to the central display and tapped one of the displays, pulling over the overhead map of the capital with a sweep of his hand. "The only way that could be explained right now," he said slowly, eyes scanning the overlays, "Is if someone saw her leaving from here."
One of the analysts blurted out. "But no one was supposed to know she was gone. She didn't file an exit log or tell anyone."
"Exactly," Marseth said, his tone sharpening as he zoomed in on the map, eyeing the distance and time it would have taken to learn about her leaving. "Which means we might have a mole in our upper command."
That landed like a dropped hammer.
The air in Chamber Three thickened. Everyone in the room glanced around subtly, as if each person was reevaluating the others with fresh suspicion. A shift in weight here, a furrowed brow there. No one dared speak up at this news.
Nyra's jaw tensed. "It is the likeliest conclusion. However, it's hard to say who, as I had left through one of the lesser monitored entrances."
Marseth gave a slow nod, though his expression darkened. "Then they didn't just get lucky. They either had eyes on you already... or access to surveillance systems around the city. Possibly both, if I'm being honest."
Another analyst muttered, "If they had both, that means we're not just looking at a mole, we're looking at one or more departments trying to do something big."
Nyra's eyes narrowed. "That still doesn't explain why. If it was just to eliminate me, they would've done it quickly, but they asked about the King's files."
Another analyst spoke up for the first time since the conversation started. "What if they are trying to stage a Coup?"
The words hung in the air like a crack of thunder.
No one laughed. No one dismissed it. Even the hum of the machinery in Chamber Three felt quieter.
Marseth didn't blink. "If that's the case, they're testing the waters and gathering intel before they make their move. By removing Nyra and getting classified information on the king, they would be removing the two most notable figures to the public."
An uncomfortable silence followed, broken only by the soft flicker of one of the overhead displays.
"They're setting the stage," one analyst said quietly. "First shake trust in Continuity. Then destabilize the throne."
Nyra folded her arms. "And whoever's behind it thinks they've bought themselves time to plan the next strike before we put the pieces together," She began to laugh a little. "But they don't know what I have in store for them."
Marseth gave her a look that hovered somewhere between concern and approval. "We should discuss any plans in private. If there is a mole, then we need to be far more cautious moving forward."
Willow let out a breath and whispered to Gus, "I like her when she's terrifying."
"I don't," Gus added, folding his arms. "She's like a damn General of an army. That's far scarier than she was last night."
Marseth sighed and gestured toward the far doors. "We'll discuss in a bit, but first, who are these four?"
Everyone in the room turned to them, as if they were acknowledging them for the first time since they arrived. Joren didn't care for the constant staring that was going on today. Nyra turned slightly, glancing over her shoulder at the group behind her.
"They're the reason I'm alive," she said plainly. "They found me mid-attack in an alley and intervened before the situation turned fatal."
Marseth's eyes scanned over them, assessing. "Civilians?"
"Yep." Nyra said, deciding now would not be a good time to mention their powers. "They scared them off by running up. Those three were cowards, to say the least."
Marseth sighed, clearly rethinking several life choices. "Well, they've seen and heard more than their fair share of classified information. So for now, they stay in our trust, but I'll be assigning one of my subordinates as a liaison for communication going forward. No more surprises. No more disappearances"
Joren crossed his arms. "We didn't ask to be in this mess."
"No one ever does," Marseth replied, already walking towards them. "But that doesn't mean you aren't now."
Bartholomew raised a hand like a student. "Do liaisons come with snacks, or is that department-specific?"
Nyra muttered something under her breath about regretting everything.