Electronic Gags
Page 19
“Wait,” Christopher Ward pleaded. “Please hear me out before you go.”
“Guys, let him speak,” Vice President Daniel Butler said.
“Okay, speak,” Campbell said. “Hurry, we have planes to catch.”
“Where will you go?” Christopher Ward said. “This country is the most powerful in the world. The government that will succeed us will force all countries in the world to extradite you. No country will resist.”
“He is right,” retired General Sanders said. “They will hunt us more than they hunted Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Our best chance is to fight the uprising and regain control of the Ten Districts.”
“Yes, we will go down fighting,” Admiral Cox said.
At first, people were skeptical about the message appearing on their electronic gags but as firsthand witnesses spread the news, the whole country began to believe that Brandon Ward was indeed dead. The more daring ones removed their NASTs and soon the whole country was sawing into the electronic gags. After removing the gags, people went into the streets, brought down Ward’s statues and burnt offices of the National Party. Hooligans took this as an opportunity to loot shops.
Like zombies, soldiers and policemen went to their bases, wearing civilian clothes to escape the wrath of the marauding civilians. Some high-ranking officers ordered the security forces to take action against the crowd but their orders were met with stony silence.
The prisoners in the Ten Districts Maximum Security Prison couldn’t believe their ears when prison guards told them they were free to go. Earlier on, when Kyle’s message reached their electronic gags, they thought it was a prank from the CIB. The prisoners laughed their lungs out when they saw prison guards suffering electric shocks. Some prisoners beat the bemused guards. The cruelest of the guards suffered the most.
Michael only realized he wasn’t dreaming when he met Freddie and Jennifer at the prison gate.
“Welcome to freedom.”
“What’s happening?”
“We will tell you everything later,” Freddie said. “Right now, you are going on national TV to tell the people what the Freedom Front plans for the United States.”
“You are the one who sent the message to our electronic gags.”
“Yes.”
“Is Ward really dead?”
“We saw it with our own eyes,” Freddie said.
“Who killed him?”
“That is not important,” Freddie said. “At the moment we are taking you and three members of your party to address the nation.”
“They won’t appear on TV like that,” Jennifer said. “They have to spruce up.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Freddie said. “This will show the people that the Freedom Front was really in the wars.”
Michael selected three men from his group and they packed themselves in the back of Kyle’s Ford Fiesta. Freddie started the car and drove away. The streets were full of demonstrators and there was no sign of security forces.
“It’s like a dream,” Michael said. “If someone told me yesterday that I will be free and the whole country will be free today, I would have told him to go to hell.”
“Let’s fight the hacker,” Christopher Ward said. “We have to take back control of the security forces from the hacker. It’s our only way out.”
“Let’s go to the NASP computer hall,” the director-general said, leading the way to the elevator.
“We must shut down NASP,” said Christopher Ward. “Without NASP, the hacker has no hold over our security forces.”
“You shouldn’t have adopted Reed’s silly idea,” Collins lamented. “Look what his electronic gags did to us.”
“Perhaps he was working with the rebels,” General Robinson mused. “Perhaps they killed him to silence him.”
“I’m glad they whacked him,” Admiral Cox said.
“Let’s shut down NASP,” Christopher Ward said when they entered the computer hall.
“But we must consider the hacker’s threat,” said Campbell.
“If we just pull the plug on the computers the hacker won’t have time to carry out his threat,” Christopher Ward suggested.
“All the computers have built-in batteries that last for three hours when power is cut off,” Roberts, the head of the computer hall, said. “As soon as power is cut, the system alerts the administrator. If we pull the plug on the computers the hacker will know, and he will have three hours to carry out his threat.”
“Let’s go to the armory, get some guns and blow up the servers,” Christopher Ward said.
“Good idea, Patriot Christopher,” General Robinson said. “Sullivan, this is your turf, lead us to your armory.”
In seven minutes, the vice president, ministers and security chiefs were back in the computer hall, firing guns at the computers.
No one stopped Freddie and his passengers when they drove through the gate of the Ten Districts Broadcasting Corporation.
Freddie’s phone rang.
“Hallo Kyle.”
“The CIB either blocked me from their computers or they shut down NASP.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Freddie said. “We passed stage two. The people received your message. Right now we are going to implement stage three.”
“Okay,” Kyle said.
“You really have this operation under control,” Michael said with admiration. “That reminds me of one thing… I didn’t prepare a speech.”
“We have one prepared for you,” Freddie said.
“Why don’t you read it yourself?”
“I am not a politician, Michael. I was only at the wrong place at the wrong time when the CIB arrested you. You are the politician, read the speech.”
“Okay Freddie. After what you did for me, I will do anything for you.”
They entered the building and found the employees of the national broadcaster sitting in confusion, waiting for instructions. Ward had fallen and the journalists knew they could no longer play National Party propaganda programs.
Freddie and Jennifer took out their guns.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, the Ward regime is gone,” Freddie said. “Democracy is taking over. We want to make a live broadcast to the nation, now. Who is in charge here?”
A fat, short man raised a hand. He was a celebrity, having worked as a TV presenter for more than ten years. Freddie was surprised to note how short the man was in real life.
“We want to address the United States of America,” Freddie demanded.
“Okay sir,” the station manager said, looking at Freddie’s gun. “Please follow me.” He turned to his colleagues. “Everybody, take your positions, we are making a live broadcast.”
He quickly took them to a newsroom.
“Look confident,” Freddie whispered. “Don’t say anything about me.”
“Okay.”
“Sit here,” the manager said. “Tell me when you are ready.”
“ Michael nervously looked at the camera. “I’m ready.”
“Look at the screen. When you see yourself on that screen, you are live on TV.”
Michael froze for three seconds after seeing himself on the screen. He began to read the speech, nervously at first, and gained confidence when he realized that the speech was good. In the speech, he urged the nation to celebrate their freedom, unite, forgive each other and work for common good. He also promised the people elections as soon as possible and appealed to the international community to help the United States of America return to democracy. He invited the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other traditional allies of the United States to send peacekeeping forces to monitor the situation in the country. He told the American people that giving them a choice between two parties with the same ideologies was not true democracy. There should be more parties other than the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Freedom Front was one such party.
“Go into the streets and film the American people celebrating the fall of fascism,” Michael ordered the manage
r when he was off camera.
“Yes sir.”
“From now onwards, stop playing Ward’s national anthem or any of his propaganda programs,” ordered one of Michael’s comrades.
“Okay sir.”
“We shall be back with more updates,” Michael said.
“That was a nice speech,” one of Michael’s comrades said. “You should be in politics, Freddie.”
“This is the last part I have played in the politics of this country,” Freddie said.
Jennifer looked at him with bewilderment. They had freed the country and they deserved a place in government… they deserved power.
“Come on, Freddie,” Michael pleaded. “All this wouldn’t be possible without you.”
“To thank Jennifer and me for what we did, you must promise us that if you get in government you won’t be like Ward and his gang.”
“We promise,” Michael and his comrades chorused.
“One more thing… don’t mention my name or Jennifer’s name.”
“But reporters will ask us about the whole thing,” Michael protested.
“Don’t tell them my name or Jennifer’s name. Just tell them it was team work.” He took Jennifer’s hand. “See you guys. My girl and I are going away to live happily ever after.”
As Freddie held her, Jennifer forgot about power. Having political power was nothing compared to living one’s life with such a wonderful man.
“What do we do next?” Jennifer asked.
“I promised to take you round my wildlife refuge after the death games, remember?”
“I would love that.”
He kissed her. “I also plan to exercise and lose weight.”
“Really? Why now?”
“Exercise increases life expectancy. Under the Ward regime I had no desire to increase my life expectancy. Now that the evil regime is gone and I have you to keep me happy, I have every reason to want a long life.”
Jennifer kissed him, imagining how handsome he would be when he shed excess weight.
After shutting down NASP, the security chiefs in the CIB headquarters phoned their junior commanders and ordered them to send men to take people off the streets. All the commanders said the same thing. It was impossible to take people off the streets. The people had tasted freedom and now knew the full extent of their power; and the servicemen had tasted defeat and now knew they were not invincible.
“We have no choice but to go out of the country,” General Robinson said. “I’m going away and I will have plastic surgery and pray they won’t catch me.” He waved. “Wish you good luck my friends.”
“You are right, Robinson,” Retired General Sanders said. “We have no choice but to escape. I will also consider plastic surgery.”
They all packed themselves in an elevator and went to the ground floor.
“I wish I had listened to Gardner and Hunt,” Lieutenant-General Palmer lamented when he looked outside. A growing crowd of protestors surrounded the CIB headquarters. There was no escape.
THE END
About the author
I live in Harare, Zimbabwe, where I was born. I write fiction for children and adults and I have one non-fiction book. I enjoy corresponding with readers if you have anything to say about my books, please connect with me on line.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10