213 Fleidenburg (2)

They entered an office clearly more than twice the size of Green's. Its exquisite furnishings reflected its owner's status.

Behind the broad desk sat a beautiful blonde woman wearing a lieutenant colonel's insignia. Her slightly tight Anomalies Bureau uniform hugged her rather extravagant bust.

"Hello, Mr. Wilson, Ms. Claudi. Welcome back. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia, chief of the Equipment Department at the Anomalies Bureau's Northwest Province Headquarters. We'll be working together from now on."

Green and Lola were a little surprised. Both had previously served in the Operations Department, so they had never expected to be assigned to the Equipment Department upon arriving at Northwest Province Headquarters. This department was famous within the Anomalies Bureau as a place to coast toward retirement or pad one's service record. There was no fieldwork, no danger, and access to abundant resources, making it quite a lucrative posting. With their former backgrounds and experience, Green and Lola would have had almost no chance of getting in. This time, however, things were different. The Northwest Province Anomalies Bureau had lost virtually all its finest personnel and was essentially being rebuilt from scratch. All twelve survivors from Faerun City had been assigned to relatively safe departments such as Equipment, Intelligence, and Logistics.

Meanwhile, the Anomalies Bureau's newly reconstituted Operations Department, which also wielded the most authority, was staffed with new recruits from Saint Tower Academy. In effect, they were all Director Nikolayevich's trusted people.

Neither Green nor Lola was slow-witted. They quickly grasped the reasoning behind these arrangements, stood at attention, and saluted solemnly. "It's an honor, Chief Cynthia!"

Cynthia nodded with a smile, then pressed the bell beside her. Soon, a young female second lieutenant knocked and entered the office. "Chief, what are your orders?"

Cynthia said, "Woody Silk, these are Major Wilson and Captain