The Rise of the Cyborgs

Interlude: the leader

The leader sat in his bath while the nurse steadily washed him. He had taken to accepting visits during this time. It was one of the few times you could speak to the leader without having to go through his wife Sade. The nurse could be bribed to organise a chance to speak alone without the entire committee for public safety present.

Duane walked to the leader's wing. The building was relatively new. It had been a Vanity project by his wife. Duane mentally counted to ten as he passed from the sober congress house to the ivory and gold excess. This marked the private area which had been Sade's personal style choice. It was, as Duane's partner had said 'as if the poor girl has a taste bypass operation'.

Duane got to the chairman's personal bathroom, he was used to moving through the Chairman's Palace to this point. He knocked. The nurse answered. Duane stated himself as the under-secretary for communication for the party. The door opened to a tiny slit. The corridor was checked and Duane let in.

"Leader," said Duane as he came in saluting.

"What do you want?" The leader said grumpily. The grey hairs at the side of his head stuck out at all angles. If anyone saw him in this position it would be his last election. Before Duane was a frail old man who couldn't even reach his own feet to clean them.

Duane bowed slightly, "You told me to report about the latest polling figures when they were available."

The leader looked up to the nurse. She got the message and walked away.

"And.." The leader said still in the bath. The grey water in the bath matched his hair and skin.

Duane paused.

"Get on with it." The leader said his voice stunned with age. "the water gets cold quickly"

"The Freedom party have gone up in the polls again." Duane began but ran quickly to the end "but they are still behind us in the polls."

The leader lowered his head "Fools. Ungrateful fools." His shoulders slumped.

"The freedom parties anti-impaired message is.. very convincing," Duane said. "Mason Kane is persuasive".

At this the leader looked up "He is persuasive because he steals our words.  I'll show then persuasive.... how is the project going.. project ... "

"project Liberation Sir" Duane said.

"Yes, that. Project Liberation." The leader said waving a thin, grey arm. His skin was so thin you could see the veins under the folds of flesh.

" That will silence Mason and his lot. More importantly, it will put the impaired in their place."

"It's going well." Duane said, "the first will be available soon."

The leader picked up a sponge and wiped his own flesh.

"Not soon enough. Not soon enough. We need to do something which deals with them. Once and for all. The people must know the revolution was for them. How can the people, how can they dere abandoned us now after all these years? Send me Owen."

"Owen," said Duane perplexed for a moment "Sir, Owen Laffia is dead. He was executed. Five years ago for treason."

The leader squinted for a second. "Yeah, I remember. He was a good man. Except for the treason. I liked him... Before the betrayal...." The leader looked up to Duane "Well as head of the department of information what do you say we should do.?"

Duane looked down. "Any attempt to deal with Mason directly will be counter-productive. It will make him look important, it will get him reported on the news. More importantly on social-rumour factories. "