Read 2041 Sanctuary (Dark Descent) for Free Online Page B

person in the centre. The automated scanner hummed into life. White light illuminated Joiner from above, the beam emanating from an integrated fitting sunk into an overhang from the building’s entrance. Joiner and the mat he stood on were situated within an inconspicuous two inch wide square metal border that had been set into the floor and which now rose up to reveal itself. The scanner produced a high-pitched drawn-out whine as the metal structure swished up, down and around Joiner’s body in short, sharp motions, intense, ice-blue lasers sending short arcs of light over his whole frame.
    After ten seconds the security device sank back into the floor. Joiner stepped forwards, passing beneath a strong, continuous jet of hot air and into a warm, brightly lit foyer. When the rest of Joiner’s team had been similarly swept they boarded a short escalator which whisked them to a row of gold doors, each embossed with the GMRC logo. At the edges of the room six well-armed soldiers stood to fixed attention, their grey-clad forms virtually invisible to the flow of VIPs passing by them on a regular basis.
    A pair of the plush doors opened and Joiner’s group entered the lift’s glass interior. After descending a number of floors, Joiner emerged into a massive, open atrium. Bustling with orderly activity, the large, internal expanse consisted of a grand airport-style check-in system, the one hundred foot oval desk at its centre manned by a veritable army of administrative staff and encircled by row upon row of seating.
    Joiner’s primary aide and his assistant collected up the party’s overcoats and deposited them at the counter. Further clerical security checks were actioned and passes handed out, with the appropriate clearance levels assigned to the embedded digital architecture. They were then ushered through a gate built into the desk itself and accompanied by an administrator down another escalator, two more lift shafts, two more security check points and, at last, into the joint largest council chamber in the world, the twin of which was located in the GMRC’s near identical sister HQ building in Shanghai.
    The huge, domed room’s functional design consisted of circular rows of polished mahogany desks and comfortable blue and grey upholstered seating. The simplicity of the décor was not to be misconstrued for cost saving, however, as the area bristled with conferencing technology on a mind-boggling scale. Hundreds of active holographic computer displays and a multitude of interface devices adorned each table. Large OLED screens hung from the ceiling at regular intervals, while even bigger displays encircled the central hub of the summit chamber, this focal point acting as the main stage of interaction between council members and their guests.
    Proceedings adhered to a strict schedule and a specially produced handbook and guide to the summit was duly handed out to every person of every delegation that attended. Joiner had been to such summits on many occasions over the years, but since the arrival of AG5 in 2040 the world was now a very different place. The buzz in the air from the ever-growing number of people congregating in the chamber was noticeable to Joiner as he made his way through the throng. He shook hands and spoke to world leaders and other influential dignitaries, whilst all the while extracting and storing information for future use. He was always on the job, a master of manipulation and deception; it was what he did, what he excelled at, amongst other considerable talents.
    Finally Joiner made his way to a segregated area raised above all other seating except that of the Council’s Chief Chair, who sat at a similar level in the central hub. Joiner enjoyed sitting in his elevated position amongst the elite GMRC Directorate. It was a public display of his global power and influence for the benefit of those that were not previously aware. Joiner settled into his seat, his retinue close behind although at a