“Well, it looks like the Vice-Chancellor-to-be, Richard Bacon, is stepping outside of the Headquarters building,” the reporter yelled. There was immense cheering from the crowd. Bacon was smiling, waving to the people and as quickly as he had come out, he went back inside. It didn’t make any sense, until a few moments later. “Now remember, Joy,” the man on TV was saying, “About half an hour back, the General and Mr. Bacon visited the Central Hospital. It has been verified that they visited Jarad Hameed, whom, as we know, has been kept there since yesterday.”
“An interesting turn of events, isn’t it?” Joy, the anchor said, “Yesterday, the very same man who arranged a fake assassination attempt on himself, seemed to be down in the dirt, with his plans backfiring. And now we have Mr. Howe, who, as the Senate has confirmed, had no links to the attack. Mr. Howe is prepared to risk his own political career for the salvation of his people. Ultimately the people have decided. Kyle?”
The reported nodded. “That’s right, Joy. It looks like Alexander Howe, the nephew of the Council Leader, is in fact a hybrid... vampire and human. It seems implausible, but it is so. I spoke to people here earlier asking them what they made of it and some of them said they didn’t really care. Some gave examples of the battles fought in the past side-by-side with the Rebels, a group of vampires led by General Nikolas Gareng, the one who kidnapped Alex yesterday. Some people have made allusions to Aidan, a mysterious prophet who, according to some sources, was a direct son of the enemy, Anaxagoras. And speaking of Rebels, there is a proposal set in motion by John Howe that they be allowed to rejoin their old allies, the humans, on the Regnum.”
“And what do you suppose will be the...the basis of his speech and the major outlines of his proposals?”
Again, as there was an unclear signal, the reporter simply nodded. A few moments after the anchor had stopped speaking, the reporter started, “Right...well, we can only presume, in light of the speeches he has given before, that he will want war. War is good now, people say, and many here with whom I’ve spoken confess that over the years they have felt a longing for existence on their own planet and they feel John will deliver it. He will enforce new laws, as well, if we are to achieve this common goal. There will be the proposal to rescue Alexander and establish the Rebels as an integral part of our society.”
“Okay,” Joy said and the camera focused on her. “There you have it. We’ll be back after a few moments. Stay tuned as we give you live coverage of history in the making.”
The logos of RNN, Regnum News Network, appeared and shifted to a commercial break.
Angel sighed. Ken was reading a magazine and acting like he hadn’t heard anything. Martha came back from the kitchen, with a tray containing three cups of coffee and some scones. She placed them on the table and sat opposite Angel on a cushioned rocking chair. Ken took his cup of coffee and ignored Angel. He felt her watching his every move. Her eyes shifted from him to Martha and then to him again. “That’s it! I have had enough of this,” she said.
Both parents glanced at her, mystified by her tone. “What?” they both said, as if they hadn’t understood.
“You know what!” she said. “You know exactly what I’m talking about!”
Martha said, “Why not finish our coffee first and then we can talk about it?”
Angel sipped her coffee and glared at her mother, but remained silent. The news came on again and this time, all three Stones had their eyes glued to the television as the ceremony was about to begin.
John turned to Richard. “So, how’s the crowd?”
“Ecstatic, as usual. You ready?”
“Yeah...if you are.”
The Senators came out, four by four, waving and smiling. Their names were called out by the announcer as they approached the huge stage at Central Square. After every few moments or so, the patriotic crowd went wild. It was not necessarily the names that excited them; it was more the feeling of being a part of history. Then, the names of the Judges were called out and one by one they entered the stage. After that, the Municipal officials were called out.
The big moment arrived. The announcer gave a very dramatic and anxious pause, in order to heighten the anticipation. The drums rolled and trumpets blared. He called out the name of the Vice-Chancellorto-be, “And now, ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to the public, the adviser to Leader Howe, Councilman Richard Bacon!” Richard strode out gracefully and, as always, waved and smiled to the beloved public. As the crowd roared with adoration, the orchestra played an imperial-themed tune. The music slowly faded and so did the cheers of the people. The Councilman was called onto the main podium, which looked like an oversized church altar, by Justice Nyazika. Richard came forth without hesitation and smiled warmly at the Justice.
He bowed and Nyazika returned the gesture. The Justice said, “Before we begin the oath, I would like to add a few words of mine to commemorate this special occasion.” There was a respectful silence for the gifted and revered political scientist and Court Justice, as everyone awaited his words. “It has been my great privilege and immense pleasure to have known these two fine gentlemen. They have been extremely professional in matters of the State and have a valiant history together as great friends and allies against the vampires...”
Meanwhile, John received a call on the nanophone that was attached to his jacket. He clicked his fingers and a holographic projection of the caller appeared in the air. The caller was a pudgy bald man with a sharp face. It was his butler, Andrew. “Andrew, what is it?”
Andrew perspired and shook vigorously. “Sir...sir! It’s your mother!”
“What? What, damn it?”
The speech continued, “They are the perfect candidates to lead us to victory. They are the embodiment of what we hold dear to our hearts and that secret desire we have always had!” The crowds cheered on.
The phone disconnected and John nervously tried redialing, clicking his fingers, and said, “Redial.”
Justice Nyazika concluded, “I hope that our struggle with these two men at the helm will lead us to our ultimate goal. I hope and pray they will lead this government into a new era of self-existence. I wish them all the best.” Nyazika winked at Richard who gleamed with joy and smiled. “Godspeed!”
The crowd cheered on for the next two minutes.
The phone finally connected and the pudgy man appeared in the air once again, “Andrew, what the hell’s happening?”
“Sir, your mother’s had a stroke.”
“So tell me this once again,” Nikolas said, folding his arms and standing tall as Alex slouched, sitting on his bed. “What exactly happened?” They felt safe now to speak openly since all cameras, sound systems, and guards had been removed. Alex told the story of heaven thrice to Nick who still couldn’t believe his ears.
“How many more times should I tell you?” Alex said. “Don’t you believe me?”
Nikolas nodded. “Of course I do! Usually, when people come back from the dead, they don’t remember anything. Few people have, like Christ and Anaxagoras.” Nikolas contemplated on Alex’s story and after a few moments said, “Okay, so this tells us more about you. It gives us more reason to believe that you are the Falsifier. God has touched you and you’ve begun to develop the powers that previously lay dormant in you. For example,” the door opened and the other Rebels came in, “when we were in the copter, you communicated with me telepathically.”