Chapter 18 - The Board That Never Met
A loud electronic chime interrupted the silence.
One of the archive doors unlocked automatically.
Beyond it lay another room Richard had never seen.
A boardroom.
Elegant.
Modern.
Far newer than the rest of the underground complex.
At the center stood a twelve-seat conference table.
Each chair carried a bronze nameplate.
Chair One.
Chair Two.
Chair Three.
No names.
Only numbers.
Richard walked around the table.
Exactly twelve chairs.
The same number that had appeared on the Founder records.
Daniel examined the walls.
Large portraits hung in perfect alignment.
None showed complete faces.
Each image had been deliberately damaged.
Eyes scratched away.
Names removed.
Only fragments remained.
Edward quietly explained,
"The official board never knew this room existed."
Richard touched one chair.
"It has been used recently."
Coffee cups still rested beside several seats.
Fresh notebooks lay open.
One chair had a warm reading lamp.
Someone had been here only hours earlier.
Daniel suddenly pointed toward the far wall.
"There."
Hidden behind a decorative wooden panel sat an enormous digital display.
It awakened automatically as Richard approached.
The screen listed dozens of active meetings.
Every entry carried the same title.
Meridian Circle Executive Session
Dates stretched back more than thirty years.
Richard opened the latest meeting record.
Instead of minutes...
Only one sentence appeared.
Founder One has resumed movement.
Time stamp:
This morning.
Before Richard even reached the hotel entrance.
Daniel frowned.
"They knew you were coming before you arrived."
Richard nodded slowly.
"They've been monitoring me for years."
Edward corrected him.
"Longer."
Richard looked toward him.
"How long?"
Edward answered without hesitation.
"Since the day you left the hospital."
Silence returned.
Richard opened another meeting record.
It contained a voting summary.
Motion Approved:
Continue Operation Replacement.
Votes:
11 in favor.
1 absent.
Richard stared.
"Twelve founders..."
Edward nodded.
"Only one seat has remained empty."
Richard looked down at Chair One.
His own chair.
It had waited untouched for twenty years.
Before anyone could say another word...
The chair slowly rotated by itself.
A sealed envelope rested on its leather cushion.
Richard picked it up.
May you like
Across the front someone had written:
For the Founder Who Finally Came Home.
