Carl Emmerich did not expect three dozen books to fall on his face when he pulled out the copy of the book Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook from his bookshelf in his new office.
This was a good event, he thought. He finally figured out where he put the darn textbook on European History. The fat book was currently located next to his side after it hit his foot on the way down.
Oh, and there was that Marquis de Sade. He probably shouldn’t have brought that one into the office.
The cell-phone rang. Carl’s ringtone was that of a fire truck screaming by. He pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket and answered it before it caused a panic. “Yes?”
“Hey Carl!” the voice on the other line said. “I heard that you quit the company!”
“Hey Zoe,” replied Carl. “Now may not be the best time to call me.”
“Oh, are you seriously training to be a teacher right now? That is cool, you know, training the minds of the next generation. So how does training feel like?”
“Hell.” Carl answered. “I feel buried in books for some odd reason.”
“Cool,” Zoe said. “Hey, do you want to hang out later? I need to show you this girl I met…”
“No, I have a date today with the beautiful Katherine Voigt,” Carl said.
“Whaaaaat? Her? Consorting with the enemy already Carl? You know how much trouble she causes the company these days.”
“Yeah, I know. But she happens to be the major sponsor for the academy,” Carl moaned.
“Yeah, I know too. I’m just screwing with you. Oh shoot, got to go bye!”
There was a clicking noise. Carl sighed and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Another book, In Active Services in Peace and War fell on his face and knocked him out.
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“Mr. Emmerich,” Katherine Voigt said as she stood next to the buried body of Carl. “You seem deep in your studies.”
“No problem, madam,” Carl managed to breath out. “Here… could you help me out of this pile?”
“Are you sure,” Katherine said, picking up the book by Marquis de Sade. “That you are allowed to bring this into the Academy?”
“…Yes?”
“I’ll put it in your desk,” Katherine said. There was a large creaking noise and something heavy being dropped inside a wooden container. “And what do you think you are doing under the pile of books?” Katherine said. “Clean this area up immediately.”
“I think I broke a rib, madam.”
“You are fine,” Katherine said simply, lifting Carl out of the rubble. “I do wonder, however, why the academy is not being finished as scheduled.”
“Madam, I am a history teacher, not a…” Carl never finished that sentence. He died a little inside and let out a small whisper after Katherine gave him a short stare. “I will go and look for a reason immediately, madam. But this extra time does give other teachers more time to be trained…”
“Excellent. I will be eager to hear your reports,” Katherine said. “Speaking of reports, what are you teaching the students? Not Marquis de Sade, I hope.”
“My lady! Do you think me such a… such a man?” Carl looked mockingly shocked. “No, I will simply be teaching them advanced United States History.”
“Ah, slightly better,” Katherine said.
“In any case,” Carl said hurriedly. “You do realize that there are some people in the Spiegel Corp that are bitter that, instead of a Spiegel Corp employee, you have been chosen to…”
“Let them bicker. It does not matter in the end. There always will be whisperings, but with time, those whisperings will move on to different topics of interest.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, it’s a pretty big thing, mein fuhrer.”
“Miss Voigt,” Katherine corrected Carl. “I have no desire to be called by that title more than I need to, Mr. Emmerich.”
“Well, it’s a good title, no? And quite a fitting one as well considering…”
Carl reeled back as Katherine slapped him once in the face. “Alright I probably deserved that. I apologize, Miss,” Carl muttered.
“If you are done fooling around,” Katherine’s face was expressionless. “We have more important matters to discuss.”
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“I would have thought that Spiegel Corp would send one of their own employees into King’s Court,” the guard captain grunted.
“Spiegel Corp does not speak for the ETC or people of Bavaria. I am the representative of the ETC, and thusly I am the most suited for the task.”
“Well, come this way, please,” the guard captain muttered.
“If possible, I would like to enter unannounced.”
“Why, are you shy, ma-” the guard captain asked. Katherine Voigt remained expressionless. 5 black-suited sunglass wearing men stared daggers at the Guard Captain through their tanned glasses.
“As you wish, madam,” the guard captain said with a voice of a withered old man.
“Thank you,” Katherine said. She walked past the guard captain and into the court.