A few hours later, the flaps of the door parted quietly to the sides, letting in the same familiar officer. He looked at the woman and, without a smile on his face, said:
"Follow me, you are expected." and after waiting for the woman to rise, he led her out of the room. The same convoy of four soldiers in identical, fully encased armour, and rifles in stun mode in their hands. Another reminder and show of force from the Defense Authority.
After traversing several monotonous corridors and taking the lift higher up, they soon reached the wide wooden doors. Unlike many others - these opened the old-fashioned way. With a sign ordering them to stop, the officer stepped inside. A muffled voice came from inside, and he soon looked out of the door, only to say, "Come in".
Once inside, de Lorraine found herself in a spacious room, decorated in warm colours with touches of green and black - Lusignan must have liked comfort if he could afford it on a military base. At a wide T-shaped wooden desk sat the owner of the office himself, on the left side was a long comfortable sofa, and on the right were a row of chairs. The arrangement was incomprehensible to the uninitiated in his private life, but the chairs were usually occupied by ordinary subordinates, and the sofa by those whom he favoured, lavished attention on, and sometimes warmed on lonely nights.
"Have a seat," he said in a pleasant baritone, pointing to the sofa. "We have much to discuss now that fate has put you in my hands, Juliette."
