The Five Barred Gate

"Sir, I suggest you calm down." The Official was calm. If there was one thing Officials were known for, it was their composure. 

"That badge means nothing," Jacob Andrews taunted. ''You didn't earn it. You're a glorified hall monitor." 

The Official smiled. His demeanor never changed. But Jacob was on the ground with a knee in his back before he could take a breath. His arms were wrenched behind him; steel cuffs engaged around his wrists with a sharp click. 

''You are under arrest for violation of article JSI2399 of the Federal Speech Act," the Official informed him. 

Jacob broke free and started to run. Something hit him in the back, a charge pulsed through his body, and everything went black. 

When Jacob regained consciousness he was sitting in a chair with his hands cuffed behind his back. A cigar smoldered in an ashtray on a table that supported a lamp without a shade. A man stepped from a dark corner and into the light. It was the Official who had arrested him. 

"I wondered how long it would take you to wake up. I am Official Nathan Edwards, and you, my friend, are in a great deal of trouble."