Prodigy (Complete)

Chapter Four

The Leader approached the stage and the crowd erupted in applause. He stood tall, displaying his perfect white smile and chiseled features as he waved to the crowd and absorbed the warm ovation. His confidence was what you would expect from the Leader of the free world. He was generally liked, but even those who opposed him found his charm alluring.

The only ones not cheering were the guardians, who patrolled the grounds, proudly displaying their superior genetics. With over one million people in attendance, the noise was deafening, but when the cheering finally settled, the Leader began to speak.

"Thank you all for joining me on this historic occasion," the Leader said. His voice echoed throughout the crowd, while a ten-metre-tall hologram projected a perfect image of him. Everyone was incredibly excited for what the Leader had to say. In addition to talking about the current state of the economy and some key environmental issues, it was rumoured he was going to make a special announcement. Now everyone tuned in with eager ears, anxious for what it could possibly be.

"As many of you know, this year marks the 75th anniversary of global unity."

The crowd cheered again. It took a moment for it to die down. Alex was unimpressed by the transparent display of political rhetoric – saying some positive message with an overemphasized inflection at the end to get the crowd riled up. It was amazing that after so many years, it was still an effective way of speaking to large groups.

"Throughout our history on this planet, we have been plagued by war, disease, and injustice. But through the tenacity of humankind we have prevailed!"

The crowd began to cheer again. The Leader did not interrupt, allowing the applause to run its natural course. Then he brought the sentiment down.

"I stand here before you today as a humbled man. We are the progeny of many great generations who came before us – who laid down the stones and carried the heavy loads. They made incredible sacrifices so we could be here today and I am forever grateful and truly indebted to them. They fought hard battles, endured famines, and sacrificed their time and energy for new discoveries. They were our benefactors, and through their hard work, we have inherited a world that has been quite good to us. We owe a great deal to them because without their efforts and hard work, none of us would be here today."

The crowd applauded.

"But, they also made some mistakes," he added. "These mistakes nearly resulted in total destruction of our planet, and caused a lot of pain, suffering, and death. I don't ever want us to repeat those mistakes," he said as he took a moment to look around. It was as if he was trying to make contact with a million pairs of eyes. As the Leader scanned the crowd, so too did the giant holographic projection. It could be a little unnerving for someone seeing it for the first time, but nearly everyone in the audience had seen it before and was used to it.

"From the ashes of their turmoil and hardship, we rose. We're a new generation destined to carve our own path and not fall into the same traps that have held humankind back for so long. We have abandoned archaic systems and old ways of thinking and replaced them with common sense, logic, and fairness. Where our predecessors failed, we have succeeded. And since the global unity coup, war and conflicts are only relived through history lessons."

Once again, the entire audience rose to their feet and applauded.

"Our work is not done," he began again, settling the crowd. "This is our leg of the race. What we choose to do will pave the way for new generations. So we must ask ourselves," he paused for effect. "Where do we go from here?" He delivered another gaze out into the crowd, this time shorter than the last. Everyone sensed the rhetorical delivery and waited for the Leader to answer his own question.