In all her years of service, Chu had never seen the entrance to Order of Chance headquarters so heavily guarded. Two men in Arcanese army uniforms, two in Order combat suits, and two androids stood on either side of the front door alone and many more patrolled the building's perimeter. 

"Commander Chu! What happened to your arm?" one of the Order guards questioned, stepping away from his post to greet her. Chu instantly recognized him as an agent she had trained years ago. That was one of the perks of being the Order's most celebrated teacher- it was hard for anyone around here to treat her badly when she'd seen them hit themselves in the head learning to use their telekinesis. 

"None of your business," Chu said matter-of-factly. She had taken off her jacket and wrapped it around her arm to stop the bleeding. 

"It's not our place to fight this, Commander. The Queen herself has left Arcana," the guard said softly as he opened the door for her. "Best to lay low and wait it out." 

"I wasn't fighting 'this.' I was fighting for my hard-earned right to carry a firearm in this country." 

"Wait, you have a-" 

"Goodbye." Chu walked swiftly through the doors before she could be subject to further questioning. The lobby still contained a few vestiges of its past life as the world headquarters of Nader V. Hesche Financial. The faint imprint of the Hesche logo was still visible on the wall behind the front desk, though a hanging sculpture of the Order's two dice insignia covered it up quite well. 

There were fairly long lines behind each of the four newly installed elevators that led to the underground Order base. Chu glanced at the groups of officers making small talk as they waited for the elevators to arrive before deciding that she wouldn't mind doing this the old-fashioned way. She walked behind the exhausted receptionist's desk into the employee break room that housed the base's old secret entrance. Placing her heels against the wall and pulling her arms in around the torso, she pushed a button that yanked the flooring out from underneath her feet, sending her into a familiar weightless plunge. 

As she neared the end of the long, thin chute, Chu pulled her arms up to her knees and cannonballed into the mini-trampoline waiting for her at the bottom. Standing up and taking a moment to regain her balance, she saw that the other trampolines around her looked like they hadn't been touched in years. Remembering how crowded the elevators had been, she let out a disapproving sigh. Give people an easy way out and they'll take it. 

"Commander Chu! Wait up!" As Chu strode into the main hall, she was accosted by a frantic Hayley. Her messy blond pigtails bobbed as she skipped over Chu with a much less excited Adrian following close behind. Of course. Give it to Hayley Serpentine to be exploding with energy at three in the morning. 

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" 

"What makes you think our new overlord would confide in me?" Chu snapped. 

"I don't know, we just thought... well, we're worried. We thought maybe you might know something," Adrian added. 

"You're looking for answers. I'm a teacher- I often have those," Chu nodded in understanding. "But not this time. None of us are trained for whatever this is. Wait-" She scanned the area around them. "Where's Chase?" 

"He left for Hewkin Manor right after Juliana was sent away," Adrian answered. "He hasn't been answering any of our calls. I think that, for understandable reasons, he wants to be left alone." 

"Well, tell our little romantic that we don't have time for his sulking. The longer Nelson's coup holds, the more likely the world is to legitimize his regime. Something needs to be done, and fast," Chu said. 

"Sulking's over." 

The group turned around to see Chase approaching from the trampoline room. He wore a white printed t-shirt that he must've gotten from some coding camp in high school and wrinkled dark-wash jeans that looked like he'd slept in them. 

"Chase! You're back!" Hayley's squeal was loud enough to draw a few disgruntled looks from around her. She rushed over to him, leaning to whisper loudly in his ear. "Do you know where Juliana is?" 

"My dad's the only one who knows that, and that's the way it's going to stay," he replied matter-of-factly. "Trust me, it's better for everyone that way." 

"Makes sense," Adrian forced a smile. "I'm glad you're alright, man." 

"Oh, I wouldn't say that... " 

"Alright enough to attend a three AM Order meeting's alright enough for me," Adrian shrugged. 

For a few moments, the pair stared at each other, both waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Chase broke the awkward silence. "Looks like everyone's headed to the main auditorium." He gestured to a twisting golden arch that stood over a pair of double doors flanked by two android guards. Surely enough, the crowd seemed to be moving in their direction. 

"I hope Nelson doesn't have a habit of giving mandatory attendance speeches at three AM," Hayley commented as they began to make their way toward the doors. 

"Man's still on American time," Adrian snickered. Probably for the first time in his entire life, no one laughed at his joke. 

Chu and the three Project PROB members snuck through the doors as quickly as possible and took their seats in the poorly-lit back section of the colossal Order auditorium. It was a recent construction, built to accommodate the influx of new Order members seen over the past few years. Despite all her love for the Order's old ways, Chu had to admit that it was impressive. A huge pair of dice coated with solid gold hung from the ceiling by a silver chain, and two layers of balconies ensured that even when the hall was packed, everyone would have a clear view of the stage. 

"Greetings, leaders of the Order of Chance. Thank you so much for coming under such short notice." A petite Indian woman stepped out onto the stage, taking her place at the podium. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Anusha Dev, and I'm a commander in the Order of Chance's scientific research division. As you're all undoubtedly aware, this country has experienced significant changes over the past few days- changes that will have a profound impact on this organization. In order to help with the transition, our new leader, Regent Nebulik, has decided to personally address you. Everyone, please welcome Lord Alan Nebulik." 

The senior agents of the Order of Chance were much too polite to boo, but there was nothing forcing them to applaud, either. The claps of Commander Dev's hands echoed through the silent auditorium. 

"Of all people, I never expected her to be a rat," Hayley nudged Adrian, whispering into his ear. 

"I know," Adrian clenched his jaw in disgust. "Juliana adored the woman- she helped her build our suits." 

"I'm sure that she feels exactly how we feel," Chase said confidently. "But she's a scientist, not a warrior. We have to remember that for every one of us who fights, there are thousands who can't. Thousands who have no choice but to be silent in the face of injustice. That's why we fight." 

"I hope you're right," Hayley squeezed Chase's arm, a sad look coming over her eyes. 

"Thank you, Commander Dev." Nelson stepped out from the wings and took his place at the podium as Dev exited. The animosity in the room toward him was almost palpable, but it didn't seem to affect him at all. He wore an immaculate black vest and his hair was slicked back to neatly frame his head. Chase found himself marveling at the former ambassador's ability fill up the stage with his presence in seconds. 

"I understand the tepid welcome- I really, really do." His words dripped with false sympathy that was completely at odds with the crazed threats he'd made to Project PROB a few days earlier. What a sociopath, Chase thought, staring in disbelief at the aspiring dictator who somehow looked like he wouldn't hurt a flea. 

"Here I am, taking over your country and your Order and forcing you to come here at this ungodly hour to listen to me bloviate. You must really hate me- you have every right to. I'm not going to try to convince you to change your opinion of me... I'm a good politician, but not that good," he chuckled. 

"Here's a story that all of you know and love. A thousand years ago, Arcan VanderSchee and Latimer-Kuri Nebulik founded the nation of Arcana. Which one of them got to ascend the throne and have the country named after him was literally determined by a coin toss. Of course, Arcan won, which is just as well. The Kingdom of Latimer-Kuria doesn't fit quite as nicely in the mouth."

He was making jokes. He was comfortable. He was happy. How could he be so pleased with himself after everything he had done? 

"Today, I am here, not to convince you of my virtues, but to remind you that we are on the same side. We want the same thing- prosperity for Arcana, the Order, and the world- which means we have no reason to be enemies. By my logic, that means we might as well be friends. Arcana has flourished under the VanderSchees- now, I ask you to imagine what would've happened if that fateful coin toss one thousand years ago had gone the other way. Perhaps, Arcana's fate would've been even better. There's only one way to find out: give it a chance. Give me a chance, and I promise I will atone for my ancestor's grave mistake. I will lead the Order of Chance into a new chapter of greatness, and then I won't have to give speeches about who I am and what I stand for because you'll see it. You'll know it."

"I never thought I'd say this about anyone, but... he's a better speaker than Juliana," Adrian shook his head. None of the other members of Project PROB spoke. They knew he was right. 

"On your phones, you will find a revised version of the Order of Chance member contract. Go ahead and open it, and read it carefully. You will see that what I'm asking for is very simple. It's something I should have already: legitimacy. Give me that, and my lucrative contract with Thornton Technologies, my years of political expertise, my connections around the globe- all of it will be applied wholeheartedly to the betterment of the Order of Chance. So let us not sit on old enmities. Let us instead embrace the future."