Chapter #1 - Directives & Threats

As part of my creative endeavours, I'm thinking of writing a short(ish) story [ideally about 15,000-20,000 words].
Currently I wrote just this one chapter, and based on how interested you guys are, I could write and publish additional ones. So without further ado, here's Chapter #1 - Directives & Threats. Enjoy

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The main hall was flooded with tiresome bureaucrats. Some heading for their cubicle. Others for meetings planned far ahead with each other.
A new directive was issued, in the chemistry department. It wasn't insignificant in it's applications. And logically, the office was overwhelmed with appeals.
Chlorine gas is decent at bleaching paper, but it's also pretty darn good at sending people to the pulmonology ward, sometimes with permanent damage. And as always, businesses and their employees are at odds with each other.

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A group of well suited individuals barged in through one of the entrances, mildly slamming the door when they entered.
A few bureaucrats noticed this.
Most of them have frozen in place. Gazing at the "suited ones", their eyes showing either worry or despair.
The suits walked confidentially towards the round desk near the elevators. The lobby stayed mostly silent. Only a few whispers accompanied their footsteps.
They approached the clerk. Forming an arch. Surrounding her from all sides. The entirety of 5 of them. 4 men and one woman. The woman stood in the middle.
She started talking:
"Alex Hoffman, Bruce Miller, and Jerry Parker. Second floor. 3rd conference room. NOW."
The clerk started typing frantically. Her computer beeping every several seconds. She picked up her earpiece. Still typing frantically.
"Bruce... I'll send you a kit myself if you don't respond...", She muttered.
"3RD ROOM, 2ND FLOOR. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR JOB, JERRY!"
"YES, WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE?"
"BYE."
She looked at the furious woman in front of her, trying to remain calm, albeit unsuccessfully.
"They're waiting for you now, I'm sorry it took so long."
Before walking away, the woman looked at her name tag. The quantet stepped away from the clerk.
She asked her subordinates, "remember that Syrian minister on the news?"
The 4 men uh-hummed collectively.
"Ask the banker to wire some funds. There shouldn't be more than one Nina on this floor."
"It really took TOO LONG."
They walked towards the elevator. A bureaucrat pressed the ^ button, stepping away quickly.
A digital bell rang, and the doors opened.
The quintet of lawyers stepped in, on their way to the 3rd room on the 2nd floor...

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Alex, Bruce & Jerry sat on the northern edge of an elliptical table. It was a fine table. From dried oak. With a varnish finish. About 6 feet long. And about two & a half feet wide. 3 chairs were placed near each edge. One on each rounded corner. And two between said corners.

Bruce was the most agitated among them. Frequently wiping sweat of his forehead and his recently shaven scalp. Jerry was blankly staring at the wall. Alex erratically tapped on the table, using a different finger each time.
Bruce pushed back his chair, a bit too close to the wall. He stood up, and quickly walked towards the door.
"I need to relax", he said, louder than he should have, and closed the door behind him.
Jerry broke his silence: "What the hell is going to happen to us?"
Alex stared at him, processing the seemingly uncomplicated question.
"We'll have to take a risk for them, like last time", She replied.
"And what if we don't?" He asked.
"Then they'll arrange us something much worse. And judging by what Paul did... It's way, way, worse... I've heard he sent letters, by the way."
"Huh, letters?"
"Yeah, explaining everything. Trying to expose them. He sent them to everyone. News outlets, Congress, wikileaks, even to the Minister..."
"And yet they're still bullying us."
"Nothing new under the sun..." Alex replied.

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"Gentlemen! Al...", the leader of the quintet bursted in "where's the bald one?"
"He stepped out...", Jerry said, practically whispered.
She turned her head, "Go to his office, drag him out if you need to."
"Yes, Veronika," One of her subordinates replied, "I'm on it."
She went towards the other edge. Nodding at one of her subordinates, then at the other. Two of the men & Veronika sat down, the other stayed standing, near the door.

Veronika rose up, leaned forward, she put both of her hands on the table, similar to the popular stance of the notorious fictional Frank Underwood. Showing both impatience and hostility.
"Now... Do you need a briefer?", She asked, with a mild tone of contempt.

"Since we're in the chem department, I'm guessing it has something to do with the chlorine leak?"
"Very good, Alex" "and do you know how much this new directive is going to cost us?"
"More than your boss is willing to pay?"
"Quite... The... Contrary...", Veronika leaned further, separated from Alex only by 6 feet of dried oak. "It's not going to cost us anything, since you're going to be our rubber stamp again."
"I'm going to be your what?!"
"Just like last time... you're going to be our signature giver.", She leaned a few inches closer, "on the bleaching form... we're gonna fill them out, and you're going to sign them."
She waved her head, getting hair out of her face, and leaned back slightly.
"You should be thanking us. We're saving you all those pesky strips to the mill, who knows what kind of gases you could breathe in, in there."

She tilted her head a bit, leaned back,
"Then why am I here?", Jerry decided to speak.
"You're our insurance policy. And so is the bald one."
"Huh?"
"Our replacement... Our other stamp... Another signature we can use, if we choose to..."
The door slowly opened. A couple of inches at a time. Bruce has entered and with rigid careful steps walked towards the empty chair near Alex. His pupils covered almost his entire iris. His breathing was shallow yet paced. His scalp and forehead were dry, reflecting some of the fluorescent light from the bulb. He looked at the lawyers, his face seeming somewhat sad, and somewhat indifferent.
"Lovely...", Veronika said, "brief him on his new duties..."
She straightened her back, clenched her palm into a fist, and held it close to her mouth. She coughed loudly. Her subordinates stood up, and they all exited through the door. Veronika saying "Somebody go get Steve before I stab someone..."
Alex, Jerry & Bruce sat frozen at their edge of the table.
Bruce slowly saying, "what, did, I, miss?"

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If you've read this far, maybe I haven't done such a bad job writing my first chapter, after all.

Since I can't know how many people read this post in it's entirety, I can only rely on upvotes/comments/resteems to gauge how much interest there is in my writing. So if you would like me to write chapter #2, please do any of the mentioned above.
Even a bunch of 1% upvotes will indicate to me that there's significant demand for my works, so keep on Steeming folks!

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