QUAESTIO

Gabriel

I was standing off stage when he was shot, no more than fifteen meters in front of me. The president was giving the same speech he had given on every planet since we’d managed to defeat the Others. It was about resilience and strength through positive relationships. But most of all it was to encourage people to rebuild what the aliens had destroyed.

I had flown the president to Lutum that morning. Menacing grey clouds had gripped at Air Ship One with ghostly fingers as I steered the ship to the capital city’s dock. I flew low over the city skyline and landed the ship in the VIP spot. The President had walked out of the ship to the flashes of cameras and shouting reporters - and I had stretched wearily in the cockpit and taken a nap. When I woke up I left the ship with Tom, the ship’s engineer, and headed into town to listen to the President’s speech.

The air on Lutum was thicker than I was used to, and very humid. By the time I reached the town hall I was dripping with sweat. The mayor was introducing the President when I arrived. They had a small stage set up on the sweeping stairs that led up to the town hall. The President walked onto the stage and faced the crowd. It was at that moment that I saw the bodyguard. The stranger.

Suddenly, without any warning at all, he had drawn his gun. It was a sleek black semi-automatic handgun.

It all happened so fast that I had no time to shout. The crowd jumped as the shots echoed throughout the plaza. A mist of blood wisped out of the Presidents face and chest before he plunged to the ground. People started screaming and backing away in any and every direction as they realised what had happened.

The bodyguard turned and raised his handgun at the other three bodyguards. He shot one through the throat but before he could let off any more shots the remaining guards riddled him with bullets.

Meanwhile I just stood there. Gaping at the scene unfolding before me. The remaining bodyguards rushed towards the President. One of them touched his finger to his ear and spoke quickly. People screamed. The mayor was rushed inside by a police officer. Then guns appeared in the crowd. The screams grew louder. Gunshots washed over the sounds of the screaming.

I snapped to my senses. There were gunmen in the crowd! The President had been shot. I had to get out.

I turned around and looked for somewhere to go. There was nowhere to run to. The gunmen appeared all around the plaza, pointing their guns at the crowd. My eyes widened and my heartbeat rocketed. Desperately I spun around once more. There. Under the stage.

The stage looked solid, but as I watched the fabric hanging off of the edge of the stage shifted. It was actually just a frame! That meant there would be a hollow bit inside. Or at least I hoped it did.

Quickly I ran the couple steps to the stage and ducked underneath. I had been right. The stage was a metal frame with a solid floor placed on top. The decorative fabric hanging over the edge hid me from the gunmen outside. I lay under the stage, eyes wide, hands shaking, and drenched in a cold sweat. Timidly I leant forwards to peak out the bottom of the fabric. Then a gunshot, directly above me, stilled my hand.

Something thudded to the ground just on the other side of the fabric. I took a sharp intake of breath. Judging by the size and shape of the shadow it cast on the fabric it was definitely human. Carefully I peeked underneath the fabric and saw the unmoving body of one of the bodyguards, and in his hand he still clutched his handgun.

I took a deep breath and slowly reached out and pried his fingers off the weapon. Once I’d drawn it back into my hiding spot the gunshots and screams outside came to a sudden stop.

Was everybody already dead?

I was given my answer a moment later. A deep unfamiliar voice suddenly blared out of the speakers to either side of the stage.

“People of Lutum. I free you from your weak and corrupt government. As I speak my counterparts are freeing every inhabited planet in the Quaestio sector. Do not try to fight us. We are here for your protection and we are strong! We will provide a line of defence from the Others and we will protect you from yourselves. Things are going to change for the better!”

Then more quietly the voice muttered something about the mayor. One final gunshot split through the air and I heard someone thump to the ground above me.