Noble gauged the ssenger's emotions.
'She's serious!'
How bad must it be for the bubbly, eccentric Teddy to be so somber?
Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Noble stood and took the envelope.
She called on her [Lucent Taper] and began to read the docunt thoroughly. It was a single page, yet Noble read it three tis.
"I've been summoned to Governnt Headquarters imdiately."
Noble realized all eyes were on her, even Teddy, who had sat down at the table to begin making her plate.
"Summoned?" Fort struggled to keep a neutral expression.
"Requested urgently," Noble quoted the docunt, "but it's the sa aning."
The governnt couldn't summon a Master. That would not earn them any goodwill, but the aning behind the words was clear: get here now.
"What kind of business would they be up to this late in the day?"
Rain looked out the window at the darkening sky.
"Urgent business, of course." Brock rolled his eyes at his sister. "Does it say anything else, Mom?"
Noble shook her head. "Just that the location of the eting will be sent to my communicator."
"Are you going to go?" Blaze tapped the spoon against his cheek contemplatively.
Using her ability, Noble wiped the food splattered on his face with a napkin.
"I will," the Master confird.
Nothing like this had ever happened to her…except for that ti with Fort and Bee Two.
But that instance was sothing that she had done which caused an ergency. She hadn't been in the Waking World since yesterday and nothing that Noble had done today would have triggered this response.
'I doubt they are that eager to know about my first day in the new facility…'
"Good luck, Master Ma'am!" Teddy dug into her al with gusto.
"I'll walk you out."
Fort rose from the table with a nod. He grabbed his packet from the table where Teddy had left it and followed his wife into the street.
When the two were safely outside, Noble held out the paper to him.
"What do you make of it?"
"Nothing good." Fort opened his daily governnt communication and looked through the pages. "I don't imdiately see anything that would require you. So either they chose not to tell or the request happened after this was compiled."
The second option made more sense. Noble would tell him what was going on anyway as soon as she knew, so there was little point in keeping anything from him.
"They did say it was urgent…" Noble folded the page. "I guess the only way to know for sure is to get on with it."
"Since you're going anyway…" Fort slipped inside and back out with an official envelope of his own.
'So many envelopes,' Noble lanted.
"Can you deliver this to the Chancellor if you see him? I see no reason to hide my findings from him. If he supports the war, then we are all lost anyway." Fort gave a weary smile.
"Is it too much to hope that this ergency and the one in the waking world are the sa?" Noble frowned. "Wait, no…if they are calling , that would an things are moving too quickly. I don't want that either."
Noble wasn't sure what the best-case scenario was, but surely it wasn't a warning that her family might be in imminent danger.
"We won't know until you go." Fort squeezed his wife's hand.
He was anxious too, and he would have to wait even longer than his wife to know what was wrong.
Summoning her storage mory, the Master took the package from her husband and placed it inside. The box dissipated in a rain of sparks.
Noble kissed her husband.
"I'll be back when I can."
Fort headed back into the house while Noble hurried down the street.
Flying was quicker, but she didn't feel like drawing attention to herself.
Fortunately, the twilight and her bracelets lessened the risk of her being noticed. She passed across the Awakened bridge with barely a soul looking her way.
Then, finding the gateway, she slipped into the Waking World without even a whisper.
"Professor Noble?" Bee Two barely exited the alcove to see the blur of the Master rushing up the stairs.
"No ti to talk!"
The android made a tallic sound before closing the hatch once more. "Rude."
Ignoring the remark, Noble headed down the hall and away from the quiet campus of anxious Sleepers.
The object in her hand buzzed as she reached the gate of the Academy. Looking at it, Noble's lips ford a thin line.
Scanning the street, she found a dark PTV.
The window rolled down as she approached.
"Master Noble?"
"That's ." The professor replied.
"I'm Hunt. I'm here to take you to Headquarters."
Noble dipped her head. "So I see. While I'm flattered they sent a ride for , I'd much rather take the train."
"They told you would say that," the driver pressed a button.
Spelltech took over, allowing the car to rise a small amount off of the ground. Hunt smiled.
"Hop in."
'Seems they thought of everything.' Noble wondered how the governnt knew.
Her ride with Cole at the port was the only other ti she had ridden in a craft that could hover, yet soone along the way had made note of her preference.
That was both touching and a little unnerving.
But Noble wouldn't object to the smooth ride.
Climbing in the back seat, Noble settled into the soft cushions.
"I don't suppose you know what this is about," she asked with a small smile.
"I just drive the cars, Ma'am." He answered without looking in the rearview at her.
'So much for conversation.'
The PTV took off quickly, paying little heed to the world as it sped by.
Her communicator vibrated a second ti. Noble took the instructions in with a neutral expression.
'We are eting on the top floor. No surprise there.'
Noble tried not to let her mind wander to what catastrophe might be looming on the horizon. All she knew for sure was that this ti it wasn't her fault.
'At least I hope not. Have I said anything vague to Bee Two lately?'
The android had been accessing a lot of information lately without Noble's knowledge or permission.
What if the assistant had stumbled on sothing even bigger than the Chain of Nightmares in Antarctica?
Noble's imagination, which she had been trying to control, went wild.
Every worst-case scenario passed through her mind in quick succession.
The professor made as many contingency plans as her brain could form, but with each one a new catastrophe ford in her mind.
"We're here." Hunt cleared his throat.
"What?! Oh, thank you," Noble ducked her head as she left the vehicle.
She looked up at the largest building of Governnt Headquarters. The driver had taken her through the front gate without her noticing and deposited her at the doorstep.
The area out front was empty as was the foyer inside. The only person was an agent waiting with her hands folded.
"I'm here to escort you, Master Noble," she said with a slight bow.
Noble nodded and motioned for her to lead the way.
The journey to the top floor felt like an eternity before the elevator asked and acknowledged the occupants.
Noble was led into the Chancellor's office.
Of all the situations she had imagined might have led to her summons, the one she was about to hear wasn't one of them.
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