"We are working on clarifying those unknowns, but for now that is all we know. Thank you." Less than half a second after she'd concluded speaking the crowd of reporters lurched forward. They thrusted their microphones at her - over and under each others' shoulders - as they shouted their questions into the shared noise. Robyn amused herself by picturing the mass as some gigantic hedgehog shuffling towards her.

She turned away and hurried back into The Prism. The necessary evil of the statement to the press was completed; and the cabinet and Alexander were still in conversation in Conference Room 1. After the video had been played, there hadn't been a beat of silence. The simple questions were met with long-winded answers, the trickier questions were met with long-winded excuses. She figured the hopes of having a full day's discussion on the Summit and wedding were certainly gone.

Those two elements were already occupying all of her efforts and the majority of her waking thoughts. And now someone had thrown a third and much more volatile element into the mix. However, she didn't feel overwhelmed by the sudden disruption of Void Dancer. Maybe deep down she expected the issue to be resolved soon and without any more mess. Or maybe she had reached the saturation point of stress where other problems just bounce off. Like a sponge that has taken on all the water it possibly can.

She started down the hallway which led to the conference room but hesitated. As much as talking to the press was annoying, it was nice to step outside the heat of the cabinet's discussion. To breathe some air that wasn't thick with speech. She decided to delay re-entry for a while longer and swung open the door to the women's bathroom.

Inside, soft and calming music was playing, but it didn't work. Robyn needed something fast and noisy. Walking over to the mirrors, she had to watch her step, there was no Grip in bathrooms. She planted her hands wide in front of a sink and stared downwards, letting her head hang unsupported by her neck and shoulders. Her head felt heavy, and she wasn't even under full gravity yet. Motionless, she just breathed for a few seconds, before running her wrists under the cold tap. The pleasant coolness travelled up her arms, through her chest and across her face.

A latch clicked behind her, and a stall door creaked open. A short, red-haired woman stepped out, and was half-way to the sinks when she met Robyn's eyes in the mirror. She froze. She looked between the sinks and the exit. Seemingly debating fleeing the situation versus being seen leaving without washing her hands - by the President. Robyn smiled and looked away, moving to dry her hands and not cause anymore stress. The woman moved slowly to the sinks and started to wash her hands, her eyes fixed on the process.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Are you new here?" Robyn asked. The woman's eyes widened and a smile of bewilderment spread across her face.

"Uh- Yes. I started about a week ago." Her voice was light and bouncy in a way that reminded Robyn of musical theatre.

"What's your name?"

"E-Everybody calls me Pen."

"Are you enjoying working here at The Prism?"

"Oh I'm loving it. It's a bit weird to admit but it's the happiest I've been in years." She coughed and laughed nervously as if she'd revealed more than she'd hoped. Robyn for the first time noticed a small red birthmark below her eye that resembled a teardrop.

"I'm very happy to hear that." Robyn said, her tone as comforting as possible. "Any problems? Anxieties?"

"No, not really. Well there's- no nevermind."

"There's what?"

"Well, you know Kry?"

"Ahh, the nightclub. The one in Red?"

"Yeah. There's some traditional thing for newbies there tonight."

"Not your thing?"

"Absolutely not my thing."

Robyn laughed. "Look at it this way, Kry is the go-to choice of club for politicians... you have nothing to worry about."

Pen grinned, and some weight seemed to lift from her face. Robyn didn't want to keep her any longer, despite how much more pleasant this conversation was than the one she was returning to.

"Nice to meet you Pen."

"Y-You too." She heard as the door swung closed behind her. Robyn savoured the fleeting warmth of the genuine human interaction, before plunging again into Conference Room 1.

The men were still in animated discussion. She caught the gist as she walked back to her chair: Appearances were what was at play. An unusual and maybe delicate situation was set out before them, and the whole world was watching. Every nation would scrutinise every move. Every newspaper would publish every mistake. This was going to be tricky.

She sat again at the head of the table, Alexander Manning was on her left.

"I believe you should remain principally focussed on the Summit, Madam President." He said. "Others will deal with... this."

"What is your plan Alexander?" She asked.

"I'll leave soon to coordinate the investigation. I'll dedicate a section of military personnel and set up a team from law enforcement squads."

Robyn nodded. "We both know who's going to want to be a part of that."

"Actually, from what I hear, Dom and his team are already onto something."