Professor Tur, Nakar, and Bara climbed the stairway to the second-floor library, where a window wall along the right wing allowed observers to watch the activity and hologram inside.
The professor turned to the two, clasped his hands, smiled, and said, “Nakar, I wish to welcome you and your audience to the second-floor library!” He looked at Bara. “I don’t believe you have ever had your cameras here before.” Turning to the windows, he lost his smile. “Ordinarily, one can look through these windows and observe the Sit Room. However, as you can see”—he leaned forward as if to get a better look—“someone blocked our view with scarlet curtains.” He scratched his head. “This is very unusual, as I do not remember ever having curtains on these windows.” His smile returned. “No matter. When we get inside, we will discover exactly how busy everyone is and exactly what’s going on.” He led the way to the door.
Reaching for the knob, his hand made the motion to turn it. Although the knob turned, the door failed to open and the professor’s momentum caused him to run into the non-yielding door.
Looking at Nakar, the professor tried the door again. “Except the door is STUCK!” He banged on the door. “Hey! What’s going on here? Why is this door blocked? Let me in! Can you hear me, Paras?”
A whistle, then a voice came over the com link on his wrist.
“Quiet please, Professor.” It whistled again. “We are very busy in here. All your yelling and banging is distracting us. Please allow us to concentrate.”
The professor talked into his wrist. “What? Who is this? Where did these curtains come from? Why is this door blocked? Who authorized these things?” He paused, shook his head, and asked, “How did you install these, and when?”
“My name is Naal, Professor. I apologize for not communicating with you earlier concerning these upgrades, but you were rather busy when I arrived. I also apologize for not being able to allow you to enter just now. Come back later, in a couple of weeks, when we are not quite so busy. On second thought, I’ll call you.”
“What? Who are you, Naal? What’s going on in there? Let me talk with Paras.”
“The name means ‘Locked.’ I am head of security. Again, I must apologize for keeping you out, Professor. Paras is extremely busy right now. My orders are to not allow anyone in until after the first four hours have transpired. This includes the relief and the cooks, and it includes you.”
“Naal, how is it possible to lock this door? We never had locks
on these doors before! Where did they come from?”
“Magnetic locks, sir. Easy to install, controlled by just this one switch here. Again, Professor, I apologize. Current events are such that we fear any traffic might break someone’s concentration. Thus, the order to secure this room. You will also notice that we deactivated the com links to everyone in here. They are not to be disturbed. You will thank me later. I know you do not wish to lose any of this information. You may still communicate with Nakar’s crew.”
“We? Is Paras available?”
