Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (27 page)

Adira ran up to her father and hugged him.
“Please let him go.” She sobbed and looked directly at Guy.

“What's he doing?” My fingers sought
Brody's, and I squeezed.

Guy signaled a couple of the soldiers.
“Bring him along,” he suggested. “Let him see all the people he
murdered. Bring him too.” He nodded toward Minister Brackaby.
“Since he's the one who managed to activate the detonator.”

Raquelle brought up earlier footage. We
watched as Prime Minister Armstrong threatened everyone and as
Minister Brackaby finished the job. Now it was Brody who was
squeezing my hand.

The screen returned to a live feed. The
group was in the hallway. They moved toward the stairs and
descended by twos and threes. Once again, we saw the bodies and the
cases along the walls, but this time the reactions of the people
added an element of truth to the horror.

The group was instructed to look but not
touch. They began to spread out. There was a cry, and the vid
turned to hone in on the source. A middle aged woman had found
someone she recognized, a man of similar age, her husband perhaps
or a brother.

“Matthew?” she cried. “Oh, Matthew!” She
threw her arms around the body. A soldier moved forward and pried
her away. Some of Matthew's blood had seeped into her white
sweater.

A few other people also found loved ones.
Others studied the cases along the walls.

Prime Minister Armstrong stared straight
ahead, with no expression at all. Adira stood at his side and clung
to his arm. She was pale, but she held her chin high.

Alexis prompted him. “Prime Minister? Don't
you have anything to say?”

“These people were all volunteers. They knew
the risks.”

“They knew they were going to die?” Alexis
pushed. “That you were going to harvest their organs?”

“They offered themselves for the betterment
of the realm. They will be remembered as heroes.”

“Heroes? Please explain.”

“See the cases along the walls?” the Prime
Minister said.

The vid'recorder zoomed up on one of the
cases. Beneath it a label stated, “Cordova, G. Age: 29.”

“They didn't survive the treatment, but
their organs are stronger for it. These organs are fit for
transplant, and the recipients will live long lives.”

“What treatment?”

“That's confidential. Until our tests are
concluded...”

“Oh, I think your tests are concluded.” She
cut him off, her voice like a razor. “You've killed your subjects.”
She waved her arm at the room full of corpses. “And you mentioned
transplants?”

“Yes, what happened to these...people...was
unfortunate, but the transplants can go ahead as planned.”

Alexis appeared to look right at us through
the vidscreen. “As Prime Minister Armstrong has just explained,
these organs from Working Class citizens will help Elite patients
who need transplants.”

“Yes,” the Prime Minister agreed. The vid
centered on him once again. “Terene needs strong rulers if it's to
continue to prosper.”

“Prosper?” Using her transmitter, Alexis
spoke to Raquelle. “Cue up the footage of Mediterra.” Then she
addressed the Prime Minister and the viewers. “I've been to
Mediterra, and I'd like to share some footage from my most recent
trip just this past month.”

The images that appeared next showed it all.
The vid panned across green countryside, farmland as far as the eye
could see with fields full of crops: yellows, various shades of
green, specks of red and orange. Then rolling hills and flowing
blue rivers flashed by, dotted throughout with small villages and a
couple of larger cities. This footage had been taken from the
air.

The next images were of an airport. People
smiled, hugged and kissed as they greeted one another. Techno
gadgets were abundant, and both the people and the setting were
clean. Outside the airport, hovercars and maglev trains stood
waiting to take passengers home. The images shifted. We appeared to
be riding in a hovercar. In time, the palace emerged in the
distance. Alexis even shared a short interview with the
President.

I smiled and leaned my head on Brody's
shoulder. “He's a good man.”

“You know him?”

“Sort of. Scott works at the palace. I had
lunch there once.” I sat up straight. “Scott! I wonder if he
knows.” I stood up and looked around.

“What are you doing?”

“There has to be one! Do you see a
transceiver?”

Brody reached into his pocket. “I still have
mine. I guess it doesn't matter anymore whether or not anyone's
listening.”

“Thanks.” I hurriedly punched in Scott's
number and activated the vidscreen. Seconds later, Scott's image
appeared.

“Aimee!”

“Yes, it's me. You'll never guess what's
happened.”

“You've taken Parliament. It's all over the
news. I've been calling you guys for hours!”

“Oh, we got rid of our transceivers. The Gov
was after us.”

“I understand. I'll be flying out in a few
hours. The President wants me to check things out firsthand.”

“What about Dani and the kids?”

“They're staying here, at least for now.
Look, I have to go. Can someone meet me at the airport at
1900?”

“That soon?”

“Time change, remember?” he said.

“Oh, yeah. I'll see what I can do.”

“Is this your new number?”

“It's mine,” Brody said, “and we'll be there
to pick you up.”

“Who's that?” Scott asked.

I handed the transceiver to Brody so he
could speak with Scott directly. “Brody Delaney. Nice to meet
you.”

“Guy's told me about you. Thanks for all
your help.”

“Thank you for starting the Resistance.”

Scott smiled. “No problem! See you
later.”

Brody closed the connection and moved to put
his arm around me. This time I was prepared, and I didn't pull
away. I looked at the large vidscreen on the wall. The group had
returned to the front steps of the Justice Center.

Eberhardt found us a few minutes later. I
turned off the vidscreen.

“We were wondering where you'd gone. Food's
been brought into the main conference area. You hungry?”

“Yes, but can't we eat in here?” I said.

“This room's not big enough for the crowd
we're planning to feed. Why don't you want to join us?”

“The ministers make me uncomfortable,” I
explained.

“They're gone. While everyone was distracted
by the tour, we moved them. Well, all except for Armstrong and
Brackaby, and they're leaving right now.”

“Where did you take them?” Brody asked.

“The military is escorting them to a high
security prison where they'll wait for trial.”

I heaved a sigh of relief.

I reached for a sandwich and sat down to eat
and think. Keira did the same. Everything was moving so fast. What
if I made a mistake? Terene couldn't afford that, not now.

How much should I share? I looked around.
David Harlow stood talking to a small group of soldiers by the
window while Alexis and her vid crew reviewed some recent footage
on the other side of the room farther away from the glare of the
sun. Just then, Eberhardt walked in with Aimee and Brody. I trusted
everyone here. I had to. How could we proceed otherwise?

When everyone was settled, I set my plate
aside. “I need your help.” The room quieted. I paused and looked at
my friends, my allies, at Keira. She reached for my hand. It was
all the encouragement I needed. “The people are ready for a change,
and we need to decide how to best make that happen.”

“We?” Aimee asked.

I smiled. “I'm no dictator, and frankly, I'm
feeling a little overwhelmed, so...any ideas?”

“Scott's on his way,” Aimee said.

“Really? We'll need to send someone to pick
him up. When is his flight due?”

Brody draped his arm around her shoulders.
“Don't worry about it. We'll get Scott.”

I took deep breath. We can do this. Together
we can do this. I stood up and continued, my voice grew stronger.
“Change is never easy, but the citizens of Terene are ready. And we
have allies in Mediterra who can help us get to where we want to
be. If we're open to change, we can learn from them.”

***

Hours later, we returned to Keira's
apartment and settled on the sofa. She leaned against me, and we
watched a replay of the day's events on the teleview. From the
front steps of the Justice Center, I addressed a crowd of
thousands.

“The military is in charge until we elect
new representatives. They'll keep order. Remember, this will take
some time. But if everyone agrees to do their part, and we all help
each other, things will get better for everyone.”

“How do you plan to help?” a voice called
out, over the murmurs of the crowd.

“Me? I'm moving out of my apartment and
turning it over to the military. The soldiers assigned to keep
order will need places to stay. If you have any spare room, I urge
you to do the same.”

The crowd fell silent.

“They're only here to keep order, and many
of them have been on your side all along. We need to learn to trust
each other, to depend upon one another.”

Keira and I held up our hands. Our fingers
were intertwined.

“It's time to close the Divide. Reliance on
citizens makes us great! Working Class and Elite together as one.
We will be the change we want to see.”

I turned to Keira. “Did that sound
stupid?”

“Just the end part.” She shrugged. “But,
hey, you were winging it.”

“Gee, thanks.” I leaned over and kissed her
on the forehead. She grinned at me.

Alexis began to take requests. We watched as
a queue formed, and citizen after citizen offered what they could.
Most offered a room, bed or couch for military personnel. Many
restaurant owners said they would provide select menu options for
soldiers. Others offered meals for Working Class citizens. One man
said he would provide free clothing from his second hand shop for
any children in need. Keira shuddered when she saw him.

“You know him?”

She shook her head, unwilling to share, and
I decided not to press the issue. If it was important, she would
tell me.

Alexis filmed throughout the afternoon while
Raquelle continued to broadcast live to every city in Terene. It
wasn't until Scott arrived that I learned she'd been able to send
the signal much farther than that. When the signal grew weak, other
techno experts in other realms picked it up and kept it going.
Worldwide, people knew what was happening in Terene, and because of
that, Ricky was my new hero.

“Hello everyone!”

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

“Look, it's Zuri!” Keria pointed at the
vidscreen.

A tall, dark skinned man in a bright yellow
shirt with ruffles faced the vid'recorder. “Many people don't know
this about me. My mother, rest her soul, was Working Class which is
why I am too, but my father is Elite. So, I guess I'm somewhere in
the middle.”

“Friend of yours?” I asked.

“He did our hair for the benefit, mine and
Aimee's.”

Zuri said, “Thursdays are my day off, but
until further notice, I'm offering a special: a free wash, trim and
style at our downtown salon for the first eight people to
arrive."

“Every Thursday?” Alexis asked.

“Every Thursday.” He grinned.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
“It's nice to see all the different ways people are chipping
in.”

“And you started it all,” Keira said.

“Well, not me alone.”

The front door opened. Scott entered first,
followed by Aimee and then Brody. Keira rushed to her brother for a
hug. I stood and waited my turn. It had been far too long since I'd
seen my old friend.

“Where should I put my things?” he
asked.

“You can put them in our room and sleep on
the couch. It's right this way.” I started to turn, but Aimee
stopped me.

“No.” She turned to Scott and smiled. “No
one is sleeping on the couch.” She took a deep breath. “You'll have
my room. Brody's invited me to stay with him.”

Keira hurried over, and I was close enough
to hear her whispered words. “You're sure about this?”

Aimee shrugged and nodded. “I trust
him.”

-Scott-

Geoffrey tapped my arm. This would be his
fourth question in an hour. I ignored him and focused on the
ceremony, anxious for the new Gov to officially take charge in the
western city of Vanover and relieve me of my duties here. Geoffrey
cleared his throat. I scowled and swiveled my leather
executive-style office chair to face him. It wasn't like this was
our first, third or even fifth Exchange of Power, and Geoffrey
Baines had been at my side since the beginning; he knew the
process.

My team observed as 10 men and women dressed
in business suits saluted two flags and recited the new Oath of the
Realm, guaranteeing to protect and honor all citizens equally,
something that hadn't been done in Terene in over a generation. Our
next task would be to escort one of the ministers now standing
before us to the capital city of Tkaron. He or she would represent
the realm as a member of the main branch of Parliament. In this
way, all eight territories would be represented. No one knew who
the next Prime Minister would be. The ministers would offer a list
of three candidates, and the citizens would vote. This short but
important ceremony deserved some respect.

Geoffrey pointed at the transceiver clipped
to my belt. It silently glowed, announcing an incoming call. I let
out a breath, brushed my suit coat further aside and unclipped the
small device, ready to hit 'cancel.' Whoever it was could call back
later or leave a message. Then I saw the number. Keeping my eyes
and most of my attention facing forward, I lifted the small device
to my ear and spoke quietly so as not to disrupt the ceremony.