【Prologue】S01E0……
t iernoon sun, whereas this young n cealed a sharp edge, like a blade sheathed.
"You... uh..."
Charles''''s voice was still caught in his throat; the shoentarily froze his thoughts.
The young n nodded alst ierceptibly at Cyril, who iediately uood and quietly retreated half a step to the side and rear.
"Wele to the Departnt of Synergy Coordination, Minister."
He stepped forward, stopping before Charles, extending his right hand, his gaze eting Charles''''s startled, uain eyes.
"Allow to introduce self."
His voice was steady and clear, as if rehearsed tless tis: "Alistair dish, y Per Secretary."
"Please accept apologies for the delay iifying the earlier suanding."
Charles stared at hi reining silent.
The "friend Victor" whose lazy nasal voice had predicted his long iersion in "the art of discretion" just two days ago, and the ieccable, quietly iosing "Ag Per Secretary Lord Alistair dish" before hi– two utterly distinct iges clashed violently in his nd, atteting te, and finally exploded into a dizzying blur.
The world seed to slow down by half a fra; he alst instinctively reached out, shaking the hand that had been suspended in the air.
The nt the handshake ended, Charles abruptly found his voice, tinged with incredulous dryness aed realisation.
"Ah… Not protocol…" He gave a short, huurless laugh. "But red tape all along."
"Minister. Protocol is the protocol that ehe red tape is correct; red tape is the red tape that ehe protocol is observed. The one is indispensable to the other; together, they forthe lubrit of this e." Alistair withdrew his hand caly.
"So, dear ''''Observer''''," Charles''''s voice sharpened abruptly, aepped forward, closing the distance. He could alst feel the rhythof the other n''''s breathing. "You knew all along I''''d tule into this Synergy Coordination ''''rabbit hole'''', yet you took such keen delight in watg play the fool on the phone, guessing riddles? Is that your noble ''''protocol''''?"
He lowered his voice, iued with a dangerous, probing edge, "All those predis, all those perfectly tid suggestions... were they all written down in your ''''red tape''''?"
Cyril held his breath, subtly shifting further back, atteting to extract hielf frothe invisible force field.
Alistair stood perfectly still, not even a flicker in his eyebrow. He rely tilted his head slightly, his grey-green eyes fixed ily on Charles, as if ticulously weighing every syllable of Charles''''s words, that posture as elegant as if sav a difficult Latin poe
Silence lasted for a few seds, so heavy that the distant huof traffi Whitehall could be heard through the window.
"Minister," he finally spoke, his voice still steady, "Protocol is the protocol that preserves proper procedure. It ensures order and process, allowing regulations to be intained and correctly executed. Red tape is the red tape that regulates right regulation. Sotis it is a necessary path to achieving objectives, and sotis it is a byproduct of the e''''s owion. I khis door would open. The choice to step through it is yours, Minister."
"''''Protocol preserves proper procedure; Red tape regulates right regulation''''?" Charles repeated in an aria, leaning fain, his voice treling with the absurdity of the situation. "Ha! What a fine dialectic. So, Victor... or rather, Lord dish—"
"Are y to , proclaing that the suffog, intricate s of bureaucracy are, in fact, the sacred eodint of procedural justice? And that we frontstage s, our only value being to obediently cooperate as the necessary party in your ticulously chraphed backstage puppeteers'''' show?" His sle vanished.
The air seed to drain frothe roo leaving only the oppressive silen the carpet fibres.
Cyril stood tionless at the side, his gaze dartiween his two superiors, like a bird cautiously the wind on the edge of a stor
"You... uh..."
Charles''''s voice was still caught in his throat; the shoentarily froze his thoughts.
The young n nodded alst ierceptibly at Cyril, who iediately uood and quietly retreated half a step to the side and rear.
"Wele to the Departnt of Synergy Coordination, Minister."
He stepped forward, stopping before Charles, extending his right hand, his gaze eting Charles''''s startled, uain eyes.
"Allow to introduce self."
His voice was steady and clear, as if rehearsed tless tis: "Alistair dish, y Per Secretary."
"Please accept apologies for the delay iifying the earlier suanding."
Charles stared at hi reining silent.
The "friend Victor" whose lazy nasal voice had predicted his long iersion in "the art of discretion" just two days ago, and the ieccable, quietly iosing "Ag Per Secretary Lord Alistair dish" before hi– two utterly distinct iges clashed violently in his nd, atteting te, and finally exploded into a dizzying blur.
The world seed to slow down by half a fra; he alst instinctively reached out, shaking the hand that had been suspended in the air.
The nt the handshake ended, Charles abruptly found his voice, tinged with incredulous dryness aed realisation.
"Ah… Not protocol…" He gave a short, huurless laugh. "But red tape all along."
"Minister. Protocol is the protocol that ehe red tape is correct; red tape is the red tape that ehe protocol is observed. The one is indispensable to the other; together, they forthe lubrit of this e." Alistair withdrew his hand caly.
"So, dear ''''Observer''''," Charles''''s voice sharpened abruptly, aepped forward, closing the distance. He could alst feel the rhythof the other n''''s breathing. "You knew all along I''''d tule into this Synergy Coordination ''''rabbit hole'''', yet you took such keen delight in watg play the fool on the phone, guessing riddles? Is that your noble ''''protocol''''?"
He lowered his voice, iued with a dangerous, probing edge, "All those predis, all those perfectly tid suggestions... were they all written down in your ''''red tape''''?"
Cyril held his breath, subtly shifting further back, atteting to extract hielf frothe invisible force field.
Alistair stood perfectly still, not even a flicker in his eyebrow. He rely tilted his head slightly, his grey-green eyes fixed ily on Charles, as if ticulously weighing every syllable of Charles''''s words, that posture as elegant as if sav a difficult Latin poe
Silence lasted for a few seds, so heavy that the distant huof traffi Whitehall could be heard through the window.
"Minister," he finally spoke, his voice still steady, "Protocol is the protocol that preserves proper procedure. It ensures order and process, allowing regulations to be intained and correctly executed. Red tape is the red tape that regulates right regulation. Sotis it is a necessary path to achieving objectives, and sotis it is a byproduct of the e''''s owion. I khis door would open. The choice to step through it is yours, Minister."
"''''Protocol preserves proper procedure; Red tape regulates right regulation''''?" Charles repeated in an aria, leaning fain, his voice treling with the absurdity of the situation. "Ha! What a fine dialectic. So, Victor... or rather, Lord dish—"
"Are y to , proclaing that the suffog, intricate s of bureaucracy are, in fact, the sacred eodint of procedural justice? And that we frontstage s, our only value being to obediently cooperate as the necessary party in your ticulously chraphed backstage puppeteers'''' show?" His sle vanished.
The air seed to drain frothe roo leaving only the oppressive silen the carpet fibres.
Cyril stood tionless at the side, his gaze dartiween his two superiors, like a bird cautiously the wind on the edge of a stor