Paradise Burning (The Virtagwalla Series Book 2) (4 page)

              The General put his hat back on, and without saying a word stormed off.

Rove called after him, “General, I am sorry to hear about Admiral Rhodes, and that you got cheated by the Parliament with Ms. Carson.”

The General nodded his head sharply, whispered, “Me, too,” and continued to walk off. Rove looked up at the sky. It hadn’t been the first time threats of violent revolt had been screamed in his face, but it was the first time it was done by someone holding a gun. He took a deep breath, and began moving towards his car. When he got to it, Ray ran over with a slice of lemon cake in his hand.

              Rove turned to Ray, “Let’s go.”

6

              “Its actually quite funny that you mention these new couches,” Larynx said propping himself up, “Susan asked me why I wanted to get these new leather couches for my office when my old ones were perfectly fine.”

              Rachel rolled around on the leather, he naked body sliding gracefully across the smooth material. “Oh God maybe your secretary suspects something,” Rachel said seductively biting her lip, “I don’t care, I love them. They have vastly more room to roll around on.”

              “And they’re softer,” Larynx said threading his fingers through her hair.

              She looked up at him, and he smiled back. She reached around his shoulders and drew his body closer to hers. The warmth of their bodies combined, and Rachel’s mind was electrified. They kissed passionately. Every thought and worry in the world had drifted away. All she knew and ever wanted to know was there, and then – in Eric Larynx’s embrace.

              The afternoon and evening had waned and the sun was barely viewable through the windows of Larynx’s office. The doors had been locked, as Eric discussed confidential things with Dr. Rove, his newest advisor and confidant. Although Rachel joked about Susan potentially suspecting something she knew well enough that if she valued her job she wouldn’t mention one thing to her boss. Regardless Rachel had begun to develop a liking to the secrecy. She would come to Central Station at least twice a week, and he would venture onto campus at least once a week and surprise her in the lab for some true anatomy lessons. They also made a habit of traveling up to the construction site along Everett Pass to examine the newest additions to the power station. It was making great progress, but Rachel could really care less. What she cared more about were the random stops on the side of the road where she would allow Larynx to have her.

              Kissing him again, she felt up and down his toned body. ‘I remember when Xavier had a body like this,’ she thought to herself. Stopping her hand she closed her eyes. It had been one of the first times she had thought about her husband in days, and one of the first times she had thought about the old man while with Larynx since the very early days. She slowly lowered her hand, and Larynx could sense the immediate change in attitude.

              “Is everything alright?” Eric asked picking himself up off of her.              

              “Ugh yes everything is fine,” she said attempting to convince him and herself. She then had a brief thought, “What time is it?”

              Larynx leaned over to grab his watch off the table, “It is just a couple minutes past six.”

              “Oh shit,” Rachel panicked, pushing Larynx off of him, “I need to go. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. I can’t believe I forgot.”

              Standing up with her, attempting to slide his pants back on, “What’s wrong Rachel? Is everything alright?”

              “Yeah, yes, everything will be fine,” she sighed pulling her blouse over her head, “I just forgot we have a state dinner tonight and I needed to be there for it.”

              Buttoning up his shirt, “Just tell them you got held up at the lab,” he said tucking the shirt in, attempting to calm her down.              

              “I know I know I will think of something,” She assured him as she slid on her shoes.

              Grabbing her purse, she adjusted herself in the mirror by the door. “I’m glad you made this little addition to your office. It helps a lot,” she said brushing out her hair.

              Coming up behind her, Larynx slid his hands around her waist and he began to kiss her ear. She turned and grabbed him, kissing him passionately. Leaning her head against his chest, “I am sorry, but I really need to go. Good night Eric.”

              He unlocked the door, and let her out into the lobby. Susan had gone home for the night, and the rest of the office was quite empty. Rachel kissed him again, and slipped silently away.

              Eric walked back into his office, and began fixing up the couches. He sighed, sitting down. He looked out the window, contemplating was he was doing. He was finding it harder and harder to focus on the rail company and more and more challenging to get Rachel Rove off of his mind. He stood up sighing. Looking to his desk he noticed many folders with red tabs hanging out of them. Red tabs in his world were not good. They were negative details that he needed to read about personally. He sat down, after pouring himself a glass of cognac, and opened one of the folders. Closing it, he threw it back on to his desktop, staring at the mirror next to the slightly ajar door.

              Rachel Rove slid into her SUV, and rumbled it to life. She too was finding it more and more difficult to focus on the everyday tasks of her job, and being a mother. Pulling onto the elevated highway and rocketing towards her family’s home in Settlerstown she began to attempt to remember when was the last time she had spoken to Xavier, or ever her son for that matter. Rationalizing that he was consuming his entire life with work, Rachel attempted to avoid the thought that every time she slept with Larynx she was slowly destroying her marriage with Rove. However her stomach didn’t hurt every time she thought about it like it used to. In fact she would think about Xavier and become frustrated. She would think of Mikey and feel nothing. He was a representation of the detachment the family operated with, and to her, he had sadly become a mere symbol of their failed relationship.

              Pulling into the driveway, the National Guardsmen that were securing the premises said hello to her as she dashed around the house to the back door. Entering through the backdoor, and up the back staircase to the master bedroom, she quickly changed into a very form fitting dress. She looked into the mirror and watched as she gracefully slid in the new earrings she had purchased for the dinner a couple days prior. Pausing for a moment she stared at herself.

              ‘What are you doing Rachel?’ She thought. Thoughts of Xavier, their wedding, Mikey’s birth, her first day of teaching, when she met Eric, and their first time making love. Her thoughts changed from about her family to all about Eric, and their affair. She leaned against the dresser and took a deep breath, her head aching.

              Slipping on shoes, she whisked away down the stairs and into the dining room.  The group stopped speaking when she entered, and Xavier’s eyes, although tired, looked at her with a fury he rarely showed. He stood and introduced her to the Prime Minister of Australia and his husband. Shaking their hands and charmingly welcoming them to her house, Rachel without a doubt still had the first lady touch. Assuming her seat next to Rove, she politely explained she got held up at the lab and apologized for rudely showing up late. Regaining control of the conversation, Xavier went back to work discussing things of their upcoming vote for statehood. Rachel smiled a dubious smile, reveling in the thrill she got from lying about her whereabouts, and living the double life.

7

The people of Villaggio were always the quiet ones. Generally, the mentality of the Villaggian people was to not be swept up with the trends, but to let them go and, maybe, every once in a while, adjust. It was a slower lifestyle on the western part of the island. Agriculture was king, and anything that had to do with technology scared the older population. However it did have Villaggian College. The campus of VC was not nearly one fourth that of the University on the other side of the island, however its students were just as smart and passionate about their Alma Mater. The majority of VC student body was comprised of kids raised in the city or in the fields surrounding the small coastal city. Surprisingly the college’s students were extremely liberal for being surrounded by a steadfast conservative city. Worst yet, the city was hit hard by the declining economy. Many of the manufacturing fabrications on the island were in Villaggio, and the city unfortunately was watching as its unemployment population grew more rapidly than its big sister to the east.

              Subsequently students at the college were being forced to withdraw from classes to help support heir families. Life on the Villaggian side was becoming significantly more difficult to survive. Kel Goldberg found it nearly impossible to keep the City Council together and he too was nearing the end of his rope. His passion and fight for the city he loved was slowly being weakened by the depressing economic situation of the region. The doors of city hall seemed to never close as more and more desperate citizens came to him as Mayor to help fix their problem. Since losing control of the ability to regulate the rates for the RPC, they also lost a fee that went along with the service. That fee helped to subsidize the budget of the small city. Thus the city was plummeting towards bankruptcy. What Kel realized was that he needed money to get his city back on its feet, but didn’t know where to find such funding.

              It was for those reasons that when such an opportunity arose he had to take it. ‘For Villaggio’ he justified, ‘I must do this to save my city.’

              The sky was a quivering grey the day that Kel Goldberg stepped onto a platform on the college’s campus. It brewed with anger, threatening rain upon the crowd of nearly a thousand citizens, mostly students, to rally with their mayor. Many people held up signs that called for Virtagwallan sovereignty, or for Villaggio to break away from the rest of the island. Goldberg, in his mind, played through how this event would turn out. He didn’t know why his contact had asked him to put together this rally, to excite his people, but he clearly saw the value in it. ‘We must distract the citizens for the moment, and rally them behind a common frustration.’

              The crowd erupted when their elderly mayor stepped up and put his hands in the air. He took a deep breath and rose his palms higher attempting to calm the crowd. Without a microphone, Goldberg began to bellow. “Good people of Villaggio, we gather here today not in celebration or in good times – but instead for a good reason. We are facing some challenging times. Our jobs are disappearing, our students are leaving, and worst yet this city’s hands continue to be bond by the dirty politics being played on the other side of this nation!” his words excited the crowd as they jumped in unison to his cries.

              He paused and took another deep breath, “We are facing a foe that we can not touch. We are facing adverse pressure we cannot, legally, push back against. My people we are being led, blindly and foolishly into a love affair with another nation that wants us for nothing more than our blood and treasure. Well let me tell you, I don’t play those games. Our blood and treasure should remain OUR BLOOD AND TREASURE!” The crowd again erupted. Goldberg knew what he was saying and believed it.

              “Down with Ponchertrain!” some crazed citizen demanded from the mob, which was received with great applaud and support from the fellow crowd members.

              Goldberg pulled back; it was headed in the direction that he was told to take it. Now just to channel it in the way he need it to go, “Ponchertrain is not the issue. The vast majority of the souls of that city know nothing of what those in the seats of power are doing. Many of those people are no different than you or I. They are hard working people, trying to feed their families and produce for their children a better life. Those are not the ones we wish to call before this crowd to answer to their crimes of plunging this nation into poverty and ruining our economy and culture. It is instead those that call themselves the ministers of this land, the Prime Minister of this nation, and let us not forget our beloved President,” the group chimed up again, thrusting their pickets into the air, “Where is he as the world slowly falls apart? As our paradise is burning!”

              “My friends we must see all of this coming together. The economy is crumbling, our way of life is disintegrating, our companies are failing, and no one is coming forward to fix them. Well someone has to make a stand, someone has to say that enough is enough!” Goldberg bellowed to the crowd as a clap of thunder erupted above, “We must rise up and make a bold stand. We must burn that sentiment into the mind of every leader on this island that we are not going to go down without a fight! That we will not let this paradise burn to the ground!” And with that the crowd erupted. Goldberg watched as the National Guard’s hummers rolled onto campus and the gathered mass began to panic. A leader emerged from the clan, and began to speak, building on what Goldberg had already started. The tension of the crowd grew, and brewed as the armed men of the Guard surrounded them.

              Goldberg descended from the stage quickly and hurried back into his car. He watched as the crowd finally boiled over, breaking the perimeter established by the men in the humvees. The mob spilled off the campus green and into the city of Villaggio. Goldberg left the car and followed the mob. He knew not of who was leading them, but he was confident of where they were headed. The horror of the scene was epic. Amongst the dark sky’s background, swirling and quivering with rain and thunder, the crowd had dispensed from a peaceful gathering to a ransacking, out of control riot that not even the Guard could control. The animosity of the scene was deafening.

              The mob had converted their signs calling for Virtagwalla’s sovereignty into torches, and whenever the Guardsmen would attempt to approach the mob, they would detach and overpower the hummers and the police. The scene was unfolding like something never before seen on the island of Virtagwalla. Civil disobedience would be a polite term for the pure hatred and anger that the crowd was emitting. From what Kel could tell as he attempted to battle his way through the screaming people was that the crowd was only getting bigger. It was flooding through the streets towards the town square. More and more torches were thrown into the air, and a uniform chant had taken over. Since they couldn’t burn the entire city of Ponchertrain or make it quite to Capital Tower they would physically attack the only vestige of Ponchertrain’s influence on Villaggio.

              The crowd surrounded the site where the University of Virtagwalla was beginning to lay down its roots. The brutality of the mob and the grit of the situation made Kel stop for a moment and question what he had done. It was a poetically vivacious way for him to save his city. He watched as a young man climbed a light pole, and began bellowing to the masses, “My Villaggian brothers, let us burn their influence. Out with the gold hands!”

              The torches sailed through the air. Kel gazed in painful silence as the torches landed behind the fences erected to protect the new building’s foundation. Within moments the flames grew to engulf the entire plot of land behind the fence. Destruction was eminent. Climbing the fence, they began to rock it back and forth tearing them down. Kel gasped painfully for a breath. Over his years of leadership he had never done such a thing, and although he may have excited the group he neither completely organized it, nor pushed for their destructive actions. Looking up, a chill went down his spine as a dozen National Guard helicopters swooped in over the mob. The thundering of the blades was deafening, and screams could be heard from the chanting crowd as the helicopters began to drop tear gas into the crowd. Kel had to get away, so he stumbled from the group as it exploded with panic.

              Goldberg staggered into an alleyway just outside of the town square, frantically pulling out his phone. He was overtaken with fear and regret as he could hear people screaming at the National Guard’s actions. Gunshots could be heard from the crowd. More and more people were screaming, as Goldberg watched to his horror the crowd throwing flaming bottles of alcohol at the helicopters. They exploded along the sides of the ships. Guardsmen began to repel from the helicopters and into the crowd, threatening the protestors with their armed weapons. The scene had gone from demonstration to absolute destruction in a matter of minutes. The city of Villaggio had erupted into chaos.  Goldberg’s sense of civic pride had melted away and was supplemented drastically by guilt. Putting the phone to his ear a man quickly answered, and Kel hastily uttered, “The deeds been done. It should have been completely destroyed.”

              The man on the other end simply said, “Good, the money will be promptly deposited in the Villaggian City’s bank account. Thank you.”

              Shaking his head, “I don’t understand, who are you and why-” but before he could finish asking the phone went dead. Kel looked around him and watched in horror as people scattered in terror. Guardsman began rushing into the crowd on horseback, and the helicopter’s circled from above. Unrelenting rioters were being beaten by guardsmen and arrested. Kel stumbled against a wall of a building, and dropped his phone breaking it. Slumping against the wall he began to cry. Kel Goldberg never felt so ashamed in his life. “What have I done?” he shrieked, watching the revulsion unfolded all around him.