Chapter 9
An Unusual Visitor
It was midnight and the Prime Minister, Ashley Cosgrave was in her office. She was reading reports on the mutant attacks that targeted the evacuation points. The bright orange glow of her desk lamp, made her shoulder length blonde hair seem to glow, as if it was on fire. As she continued, Alana Fawkes stuck her head through her office door, after knocking three times on the door. “You called for me?” she asked. Ashley looked sharply at Alana, who was also had blonde hair but with a tinge of red, she was sleek and quite tall. “What is the progress report with the evacuation?” asked the Prime Minister. “I've been hearing speculation that many of the evacuation zones have been hit hard.”
“They are taking the last loads of people out of Sydney now,” Alana said, as she fully entered the room, with Secretary of Defence Senator Ross Valkyrie.
“Sydney secondary school was the worst. Reports have come in saying that a group of forty-three mutants attacked the school at about eight o'clock tonight. With a massive fifty six girls were taken from Glebe alone, ageing from ten to seventeen, younger than the usual age of thirteen.” Ross explained further, how the military were powerless.
“What does the coalition have planned to counter this attack?” Ashley asked, Alana as she took a seat in a rose red coloured fabric cushioned chair. Ross sat in a blue chair of similar design.
“We decided the best thing to do now that the city is evacuated is to drop a bomb on the city,” Alana answered, “I held a meeting the other members of CAMA and I we decided for the health and safety of the people a bomb would be suffice to wipe out the altered.”
“If you don't mind me butting in here, I think that's a bit of a harsh call, I'd like to try a super solider program, with one of the captive mutants we could have scientist extract the DNA strand, and that gives them there power and give it the best military soldiers.”
“Sorry, Ross but that sounds too risky to me,” the Prime Minister, replied, brushing her hair out of her face. “The repercussions could result in an army of super soldiers against us.”
“So the bomb?” asked Alana?
“Yes, Alana the bomb,” she replied, as she start to pack up her things to call it a night.
“So what are we to do in the meantime?” Alana asked.
“Go home,” the Prime Minister, replied. “I'm only going to make some final calls, and then leaving to.”
Alana and the Senator left the Prime Minister’s office, while Ashley made a call to Brigadier General Chris Grotto. The phone rang out on the first try. Grotto answered the second time, “Sorry Ashley, I was asleep, he said as he rubbed his eyes. “All is good, Chris,” Ashley said, as she drew a flower on her tablet then rubbed it away. “You have a green light, to drop the Bitriunium bomb on Friday, four days from now. I want the military to do a sweep through the city first, find any stranded civilians first.”
“Yes ma’am,” General Grotto answered.
“That is all Chris, Goodnight.” She said, hanging up the phone.
She then left her office, and walked through the huge lobby of the federal establishment. She then proceeds out in the crispy cold night air, to her, black glider that was sporting two Australian flags, on the bonnet of the car. She opens the door, enters the vehicle and starts the engine. Putting the glider into reverse, she turns around as she's about to back out of the parking lot find a mutant, sitting in the back seat staring at her with disgust, and shaking his head. “We have been watching you, your honour,” the mutant said, rather smug. “We know you’re planning to nuke Sydney; don’t you know we have thousands, of young innocent human girls down there? The super solider program would have been a better option.”
“How do you know about all that?” she asked, shocked and a little frightened by his accuracy.
“We have people everywhere, you don't know this but there are mutants amongst your colleagues,” he explained. “But that is irrelevant you can't drop the bomb on Sydney, did you even take in to consideration the thousands innocent lives held captive by Umbrae?”
“Yes, I am aware of the situation, but I have to think of the majority’s safety.” She replied, as the mutant turned off the engine to the Prime Minister's glider.
“You have to think of the majority’s safety, is that what helps you sleep at night? By marking us as the bad guys, and killing innocents? You’re the monster, not us.” The mutant said back.
“How am I a monster, when you’re the ones who kidnap pre-adolescent to teenage girls?” Ashley asked, becoming more startled by his presence. She knew he could kill her right now if he wanted to, no one could stop him. “We have evolved” he began to explain as he lifted his hand towards her. “We find the perfect human girls with a specific evolved gene, to correct our imperfections.” then without touching her he knocks her out.
He then vanished in a thick black shroud of smoke, and the prime minister, came back to. She drove straight home to her husband. She felt funny as she walked through her front door, to find her husband in the lounge room. He noticed the startled look in her face. “Everything ok?” he asked, as he went to embrace her, but out of character, she pushed him away.
“Just don't touch me please,” she told him, as she went to the kitchen for a cup of tea. He followed he was worried, but didn't want to push it.
“I had encounter with a Sydney mutant,” she stated as she as she filled her teacup, with hot water from the water purifier.
“How is that possible, why here in Canberra? He asked. “What happened?”
“Just don't worry about it, Ben. I'm tired and I just want to have a cup of tea, shower, and sleep.” She snapped at him, as she walked out of the kitchen. She then finished her tea and went upstairs to the ensuite bathroom attached to the bedroom, where she undressed and got in to the steam shower. After her shower, she got herself dressed in pyjamas and laid down under, the pink, purple, red and blue floral patterned doona cover. Her husband did the same snuggling in beside her. Again, out of character she kicked him to the couch.
She sleeps restlessly tossing and turning, she couldn’t stop thinking about what the mutant had said to her. The words, “you’re the monster,” continued to echo through her head. She peered through her eyes at her bedside clock, 5:30am. “Great,” she said. She heads to ensuite bathroom attached to the west wall of her bedroom. Turning on the steam shower, and stepping inside. Once finished she brushed her teeth, and got ready for her meeting with the cabinet.
She headed towards the lounge room and turned on the Holovision to the sky news network. Her husband was snoring away as the news reported on last night’s attacks in Sydney. “A record of fifty six girls, were taken last night between the hours of seven and midnight; from Sydney secondary school. This horrific incident will not be forgotten, we are waiting on the Prime Minister’s word about the tragedy,” The news reporter said though the Holovision.
Ashley then went to her computer and starting typing up a speech that will be shown on news networks around the globe. She has already given the green light for the bombing of Sydney, to eliminate the mutant threat, but she didn’t include that in the speech just yet, as she knew it would cause mass hysteria from parents whose daughters are still being held prisoner. However, it can be shut off only under the written order signed by the PM herself.
She turns off her Holovision as the file for her speech, was converted to a PDF and transferred it onto her tablet. She kissed her waking husband and apologised for how she acted when she got home. He accepted her apology, and just blamed it on work related stress, before leaving for the parliament house, no more than a fifteen-minute drive from her home.
She parks in her reserved parking location, and goes inside to her office. On the way to her office, she’s greeted by the premier of South Wales, Terry Kruger. Terry was somewhat short; I’d say about five foot four inches, kind of plump build, with a grey moustache, and had a baldhead from what I’ve seen of him on the news. “Hello, your honour,” he said, with a polite smile, she just looked at him and politely smiled before asking him into her office.
He followed her into her office she sat in her black leather chair, the premier took the blue chair facing her. “We have a few hours before the meeting, but there are a few things I need to address you with directly,” Ashley said, giving him a stern look over her the top of her glasses. “I have given the green light to drop the Bitriunium missile on Sydney, on Friday evening. I need you, to order the remaining New South Wales police and military personnel, to clear out of Sydney. I also want you to address to the state, that a nuclear strike on Sydney is a must to eradicate the mutant threat, but only after I have announced it which I’ll do Thursday.”
“Yes ma’am, I can do that.” Terry replied.
“Thank you, well I’ll see you at the meeting.” She replied, with a smile. Terry then got out of the chair and left Ashley’s office.
Once the premier had left, Ashley made a phone call though the holophone to Commissioner Cutter who was sipping coffee and eating a meat pie, he got from the local bakery. “Hello, Gary, it's Ashley here. Have you got any prisoners for evacuation?”
“Yeah we have eight in the cells downstairs, but we are about to release one due to bail being paid,” He replied.
“And their crimes?” she asked curiously as she toyed with the bit of peeling plastic protecting the screen of her tablet
“One male and one female, both in their mid-teens, they were apprehended for breaking and entering and being out after curfew. One male early forties also the father of the boy, his infringement was disobeying a direct order from military personnel,” He replied without hesitation. “The rest are just petty thugs.”
“You said you’re about to release a prisoner? Which one are you releasing?” Ashley asked.
“The young male, his mother paid bail, five minutes ago,” Cutter said.
“So not the girl?” she asked. “What are you doing with her?”
“No ma’am, she’s not. We’re holding her for further questioning.” He said,
“Very well,” She said back picking up her files and putting them into a suitcase, as Alana walks in to the PM’s office after knocking softly on her door. “I have to go, talk soon Gary.”
She hung up the phone and looked up at Alana sternly “What is it?” she asked, in a harsh tone.
“I’m just here to let you know the meeting is starting in twenty minutes.” Alana replied
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Ashley said, as she readied herself for the meeting, getting out of her chair and fixing up her glasses, as Alana left the room.