Manual - Pandora: First Contact - Proxy Studios

The secretary bowed his head, servile. “Because you yourselfare suspect, and the Chairman so ordered it, before his owncorruption was discovered. My apologies. Now, to business.Until I can guarantee which of you is the traitor, we will remainhere. Does anyone have any information to share?”The six men looked around the room. Lives spent in the morassof party intrigue had hardened each of them but, still, it was apsychological blow to be so accused at their triumphal moment.Each of the six scanned the room for weakness, racked theirmemories as to who might be the traitor – or traitors.A moment. Another. The secretary cleared his throat. “So,no ideas? Not one. Let me prompt you. Hmm. Zhang Xi. Youare party secretary of the National Committee of the People’sPolitical Consultative Conference. As the head of our advisorylegislature, you must be aware of dissent in the ranks?”Zhang, a older clone with a face lined from smiling andscowling, seemed distressed. “I know of no such dissent!” hebarked. “The legislature is free of counter-revolutionaries. “The secretary looked down, playing with a pencil. “And yet thereis dissent,” he said “according to this report from the DisciplineInspection commission headed by… hmm, Xi Dejang? So whois the traitor?” The two older clones glared at each other acrossthe table, instant enemies. And the secretary smiled.—An hour later, and the calm, smug atmosphere of the roomhad transformed. From the secretary’s gentle prompting, eachof the men had accused every single other, with old secrets orshared crimes or allegations of counter-revolutionary intent orsimply flung dirt, and the room was a raging, ongoing row.45