Untold Deception

by William Staikos

  “How’s it going, Salan? I guess early retirement isn’t going to be an option for this teacher?”

  “It’s so good to see you! I have so many questions. What happened to Chaska? What happened to Haiba? Are they OK?”

  A Hymer from the shadows turned from black to red with a bottle in his hand. Some other red Hymers appeared from upstairs, including their leader, Kiongozi. I didn’t recognize the rest.

  “Miss me?” slurred Haiba.

  “Kiongozi! Haiba! Mr. Finch! I’m so glad you all made it! But where are the others? Where’s Chaska?”

  No one talked or made eye contact.

  “I see. Chaska didn’t make it.”

  “Some Hymers are still in jail from that meeting, including Kiongozi’s wife,” said Mr. Finch, changing the subject.

  I approached Kiongozi. “She will be free, I promise you. I’m sorry I left,”

  Kiongozi started to cry and smile at the same time.

  “It ain’t your fault Salan, don’t worry,” sobbed Kiongozi.

  “I’m guessing Chaska wasn’t arrested?”

  Mr. Finch waited as if deciding whether he should tell me or not.

  “No, Salan. He survived the first riot at the trial. Later he was beaten to death by an officer due to being Felis. He was alone at night,” recited Mr. Finch.

  No more people are going to die! I vowed to myself.

  “Is the equipment set up?” I asked angrily.

  “Yes, it’s ready when you are,” replied a Minyades.

  “Then let’s go. I have a speech to make.”

  20- Had A Dream

  “You never stood in that man's shoes or saw things through his eyes or stood and watched with helpless hands while the heart inside you dies. So help your brother along the way, no matter where he starts for the same God that made you, made him too, these men with broken hearts.”

  ― Elvis Presley

  We all walked up the stairs, except for Smith. He stayed back to lock the metallic door. He then tipped over a wooden cabinet and put other pieces of furniture behind it. When I walked up the stairs, there was a small broken-down hallway with eight doors, four on each side. The third-floor stairs had been blocked with a pile of furniture.

  Smith caught up and addressed his squad. “As planned, one covers the upstairs. Since this is a close-quarters hallway, that’s you, Sara. Clora, you have room downstairs. Keep your distance and if they come through, pick them off. Just give us four minutes. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir!” they replied in unison, rushing to their positions.

  “Room 203, that’s the room. It has a balcony and faces the town square. There is a radio, and everything is set up there,” Smith explained as we approached towards the door.

  “We have an electric field like the one that stopped the reporters. We set up five of them, so it will take a while to break through. The electric nodes are too big to set up inside, so we used furniture instead. I’ll adjust the electric field strength if it comes to it. It will make a pretty dazzling show when fully activated.”

  When I entered the room, there were several cords attached to heavy machinery, and a pink rubber mat around the floor covering some of the electrical equipment.

  “The is a safety precaution. The lines took a while to cross-connect to the capital’s underground system. We predict they will catch on and cut you off in no more than four minutes. There are speakers built into the outside wall. They’ll make your voice boom over the square, so don’t worry about being heard,” explained a Minyades as he took his position.

  “OK,” I said to no one in particular, trying to wrap my head around my situation.

  I was getting worried, so I drew several deep breaths, letting my mind wander. With closed eyes, I heard Mr. Finch call out softly and calmly:

  “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.”

  I looked gazed through the windows that led onto the balcony. There was an orange construction tarp draped over the top of the balcony exterior. This had been used to cloak the installation of the radio equipment. I could see the electric nodes already in place. I walked onto the balcony, noticing how much bigger the electric field was compared to the ones in Atral. One exceptionally large node stuck out overhead to create a protective electrical sphere when activated. The microphone was right beside my lips. I took out the sheet, reread my lines, and readied myself.

  I can do this!

  One of the Minyades behind me was sitting in a chair listening to a broadcast. Smith was looking at the energy field with a Hymer. The wall into the other room had been knocked down to provide more space. There was not a single Felis on our crew.

  “Aren’t Felis part of this revolution too?”

  Mr. Finch spoke, “Salan, this country has barely given the Felis an opportunity for freedom, let alone a proper education. They couldn’t help here. It takes years of training to handle this type of electronic equipment.”

  This made sense, but it’s still an ugly reminder the way Felis had been treated. Haiba took a swig from a bottle with one hand while grabbing my shoulder with the other.

  “Kid, let me tell ya somethin’. If there were Felis here, we’d be out of—hiccup—milk.”

  I couldn't help but laugh. Haiba always knew how to cheer me up.

  Kiongozi had the rope to pull down the orange tarp in his hand. But before he could yank it, Smith yelled out, “Hold it!”

  He wiped off the makeup over my eye scar, took off the contact lens, and brushed my hair away from my ears.

  “There! They have to know it’s you…Now; are you ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  We tested the radio once for volume control, and I got the thumbs up. Smith raised his hand. This was it – the moment given to me to call an entire country to task for its sins.

  “We’re live in three, two, one,” and Smith dropped his hand.

  The orange curtain dropped, and the show began. The electric field went up. The radio buzzed, and the speakers were functional. I saw poor people milling around the fountain, as well as the regular guards. Shops that were once full of life were now empty. The statue of the Axis Alliance destroyed.

  I began my speech, “My name is Salan, and I am the half-blood son of the King of Faslow. I am alive, and I have some things that must be said. The queen is responsible for the death of my Felis mother. She rules over you with an iron fist. She plans to not only destroy Atral, but to start another Great War. We do not need any more suffering! We do not need any more discrimination! The world has enough wounds already!”

  People started to gather at my feet. The homeless were shuffling toward me with solemn faces. Some came running from houses around the square to see what the commotion was about. Others merely stepped outside their doors. The guards seemed uneasy but had taken no action so far.

  “I have seen how cruel this world can be. I was born an Abomination, a terrible word to use on a child. When I look around at this world, I want to wake up and tell myself it is all just a dream.” I paused, “A horrible nightmare. My mother was murdered near this very spot by the queen. And all because the dead king is my father! No person of any race should ever feel like they don’t belong. I demand freedom for my people! No one should ever be enslaved, either by iron chains or by discriminatory wages that amount to slavery!

  As a new king, I need your help. I need your strength; this is a task that no one can do alone. I’m begging you. What will it take for some people to accept me? If I hacked off pieces off my body to appear more Human, would that make people listen? Is that the world we’ve come to?”

  The crowd of people kept growing larger. Some were already cheering. Guards started to move hesitantly toward our position, but many in the group were impeding their progress. The confused guards couldn’t find the hidden entrance.

  “Now let me address the Mendaxia believers. Yes, I have a best friend who is a bastil, but she wouldn’t hurt a fly. Mendaxia believers! If your religion claims to accept all, t
hen show it! Show your faith by understanding the priceless value of a person’s life. Religion should be no more than a guideline to moral behavior. It should never be an excuse for the government to murder someone for being different! We’re better than that!”

  Golden soldiers started to appear. The royal guard was now visible in the distance. They were armed with bows. Some began to shoot arrows at the electrical field. Faslow citizens started to turn against them. I heard the door burst open downstairs. Despite the chaos erupting around me, I kept on with the speech.

  “These are my laws for Faslow. My first law as King is this: No person shall be called a slave any longer!”

  The Felis in the crowd roared at my words. Some were crying tears of joy.

  “My second law is that the queen and her children shall be—”

  Some people started to yell horrible things, “Burn her! Kill her! Let her hang!”

  Tora was right. If I had said what I had written initially, it wouldn’t stop the riots. These people wanted blood.

  “ENOUGH! I know more than anyone what that evil woman is about! She will be exiled along with her children. She will be stripped of any position of power, along with all of her royal guard followers who were there on the day of the trial!”

  This seemed to quiet the crowd momentarily.

  “Listen people: hate just breeds more hate! This country, our country, needs to heal. Look around you. We don’t need any more riots. We don’t need any more hate. We need to work together and rebuild this once great country!”

  The crowd began to cheer again.

  I can do this, I thought, taking in a deep breath. I glanced back, and Mr. Finch was giving me the thumbs up. He left the room to help fight off the guards. The man working the radio gave me a sign for two minutes.

  Caltron guards started to hack at the electrical field poles. Their swords were conductive, so some got shocked enough to drop their weapons. They did some damage, but the electric shield was still holding up.

  “They can take some damage, keep going!” I heard someone say behind me.

  Some Caltron guards were flying up to the rooftop.

  “My third law is for all soldiers along the borders of Atral. Be near your families; we don’t need you to die! You have no business being there; our country needs as many hands as possible to fix buildings, not burn them down!”

  The crowd roared. Some of the guard members did nothing while others seemed to be joining the crowd.

  “My fourth law is: All Abomination labels, separate schools, and race-based discrimination shall be abolished! No person will sit at the back of a carriage for being different!”

  The crowd was getting bigger and bigger.

  “Now, my fifth law is this: Abundans will be allowed to go to school and pursue their own dreams as free agents! Whatever their dreams may be, Abundans shall have the ability to choose what they want to do!”

  The crowd did not seem to see this as a big deal, although some of the royal guard soldiers stopped fighting. They began to listen to what I was saying more closely. Still, others looked unaffected, continuing their efforts to break into the building. Their auras were trying to take out the electric poles, but the electricity was holding up for now.

  “My sixth law is this. Since soldiers will soon be back here helping to rebuild Faslow, the high military budget will be slashed to fund homeless shelters for the less fortunate.”

  The homeless cheered. Some were crying out of pure joy.

  “My seventh law is that the country’s new government shall assume complete control of health care. No company should be allowed to cut corners on the people’s wellbeing. Public health care is a basic right and should be free for all who need it!”

  Some of the wounded members and sickly people cheered louder than ever. At this point, the crowd filled the area, and most of the guards had stopped fighting. One person punched a guard, this lead to a riot. I had to improvise my speech.

  “STOP IT! Stop the hatred for one another! We must all stop fighting each other! I’m asking you to take the first step toward peace. I know some of the guards and others have wronged you in the past, but most of them were following orders! I know you’re in pain but put it aside for a better future!”

  The noises of fighting in the hallways died down, and Caltrons stopped hitting the barrier. They did not know who to follow. No one was fighting; thousands of faces were lifted expectantly toward me. I paused It was time to finish the speech – the eighth and final law.

  But before I could speak, the queen made an appearance on her palace balcony. The crowd booed, others were apparently shocked. Some of the royal guards went to protect her; other guards were bystanders.

  “I am your queen. How could you be swayed by an Abomination! He is only 19 years old. He’s not old enough to understand!” shouted Queen Mammon.

  The crowd stood silent, and I seized the opportunity to end her.

  “And that is a perfect lead to the eighth and final law that I proclaim. Faslow will no longer be a monarchy! Power eventually corrupts anyone who holds it, even me. Atral has a council of 12 members who are elected by the people and for the people. I believe in moderation and equality. Voting booths shall be set up, and two people from each race will be elected to the council, one male, and one female. If you are an Abomination, you already understand both cultures and shall be allowed to claim the race you choose. In any case, Faslow will have a total of 14 members. No law shall be enacted without a majority vote in its favor. From now on, no individual shall be able to enact laws—certainly not me. I am only 19 years old, and I do not have the wisdom to be your ruler. But this murderous queen is even less fit!”

  I glanced back, and the radio guy mimed “kill it.” I had just finished the speech by the skin of my teeth. A confused voice was bleeding into the broadcast:

  “Hello? OK…Royal News network is back. We were experiencing some technical difficulties….”

  I tuned the radio out. The electric field stayed up. The queen glared at me with pure hatred. I smiled at her.

  “LIES!” she roared. “The royal family is hand-picked by God Himself! I am a messenger of God; to defy royalty is to defy God!”

  I glanced back and saw Mr. Finch mouth, ‘Say something!’

  There were enough people in the town square to carry my words far and wide.

  “And how many more must die in the name of God? How many must suffer? If this is the definition of God, it’s a joke!”

  “And what would you know, hanging out with the devil worshipers. He’s a heathen! Kill him already!”

  More arrows flew at the electric field, while some in the crowd began to throw rocks at the queen. Chaos was breaking out again, so I turned around to my crew.

  “Deactivate the shield and go help the others,” I ordered.

  Smith spoke, “Salan you could die. This is—”

  “Do it, Smith! I’m not running anymore!” I interrupted.

  Smith held me back, I elbowed him in the stomach and threw a smoke bomb. I then used my abundan black energy to form giant angel wings and soared across to the four royal guards protecting the queen. Flying fast, I grabbed all five of them with a giant black hand of aura. None of them had their swords out to slice through it. Some guards still had their bows drawn, others did nothing, and one guardsman lets loose a poorly aimed arrow. I was now positioned beside the queen on the balcony. She was directly in the path of the arrow. With a second to spare, I blocked the arrow with my aura.

  “CEASE FIRE!” I shouted.

  Some of the people stopped throwing rocks. The crowd fell silent, and all eyes were on me again.

  “The queen and her children shall be exiled from this country! Is that understood? No more killing, no more death! She killed my mother, so I know how you all feel!”

  The crowd calmed down a bit, and I still had the guards and queen wrapped in my other hand. The queen tried to wriggle out of my grasp.

  “Let go of me! I should�
�ve killed you back on that day! You Abomination! You’re just an animal, pretending to be king! Who would let a house cat rule a country?”

  I raised her over the top of the shattered Axis Alliance statue. The way the statue was broken it formed a marble spike.

  “If you keep talking, I’ll let my hand slip.”

  I wanted to crush all of them. My hand shook with hatred. If I just tightened my grip, she would be gone. My suffering would be gone. I remembered how it felt to murder. Revenge provides a brief, fierce moment of fulfillment. But then it makes the hole in your heart larger. I thought about how my mother died here, and that her last words. How she told me not to become a monster.

  “Mom, what am I supposed to do without you,” I whispered to myself.

  The crowd gasped. Through my aura, a ghost emerged from my left hand. It formed a clear image of my mother. With her words ringing in my mind, I waited for a moment until I realized what had to be done.

  “Everyone listens to me! For us to rebuild this country, we must learn to forgive. No matter how hard it may be! Being cruel is easy! It takes effort to be kind! Let these people go! Escort them to the train station for deportation. Any guards can follow her if they want, but no one shall ever allow these traitors to return to Faslow!”

  I paused, remembering what had happened to all the Red Skins.

  “And all red-skins who were accused during my mother’s trial shall be released from prison without a record. They were all wrongly accused! They did not murder anyone; they were a group that had to steal to survive during desperate times!”

  Hymers cheered as I said this. Some went red, not hiding their true colors. I confronted the queen.

  “I will release the queen and her royal guards into the crowd. No one is to touch her under pain of exile!”

  I saw two children looking through the palace doorway. They were her daughters.

  “Her children will be exiled with her. No one is to harm them, either!”

  I laid my hand down gently near the Axis Alliance fountain. Everyone avoided her like the plague.

  “Walk to the train station and don’t ever come back!”