Chapter 5

Selene watched the news headlines as she waited for the crew to gather. Alpha and Jay had mentioned something about setup and Wheeler excused himself to contact some ‘people’, leaving her in the sparsely decorated single-bedroom home with a tiny kitchen and main hall. The windowless room attached to the house served as a storage room and a garage.

The owner of the house hobbled out of the kitchen and tapped her shoulder.

“Ragi malt?”  The grandmotherly figure said, offering a glass.

“Sure, Ol’ Bae.” She said, taking the proffered glass of warm beverage.

In the news, the Parliament was having another case of lockdown with no work getting done. The channels put out estimated figures of taxpayer money wasted on one side while the other showed clips of politicians engaging in an all-out brawl. President Saini’s agenda to discuss relaxing the tax limit for the middle class went down the drain.

“I’ve seen dogfights more civilized than this.” Ol’ Bae said with her mouth curling in disgust, her coiffed white hair stayed stiff in her bun as she shook her head with the actions of the people who represented Bantam in front of the world reflected in her steel gray eyes.

Selene hummed in agreement. After their last meeting, it seemed that President Saini was hell bent on having the law passed at all costs. With the open death threats from various terrorist organizations and opposition members over alleged favor to Alchemists and veiled threats from the Federation to topple the government, he was determined to make the days he spent in office as meaningful ones.

The reporters talked about the opposition leader for the Mezzalite National Union, Ayman Jones. He was visibly distinct from the group with his heavyset build and grizzly bearded face deeply lined with anger and hate. His dark brown eyes held no love and his thundering voice echoed the halls of the parliament with hateful speeches and allegations of mistreatment by the government.

She vaguely recollected Julie Myers boasting about her ‘uncle Ayman’ and how he was best friends with his daughter Raima. She felt sorry for the President as he struggled to maintain his composure over the party members slandering each other. They played his speech on moving ahead, setting aside personal differences ‘for men may come and men may go but nations must live forever’.

A knock on the door had both the women on alert.

Ol’ Bae opened the door to Alpha leaning against the wide doorframe.

“You know better than to keep a lady waiting, child.” She fondly said to her charge.

“I was tying up some loose ends.” He said, kissing her cheek. “All caught up, Little Bird?”

Selene rolled her eyes at the nickname. “I was killing time waiting for your playboy a*s to show up. Did your loose ends include a trip to the hookers at Maybar Street?”

“Language, young lady!” Ol’ Bae scolded.

Alpha shook his head. “I’m honored you think so highly of me.” He sarcastically said.

As they walked to the sandstone portal plates, they noticed Wheeler stepping out as he apparated in.

“The preparations are done. Jay’s holding the fort waiting for the two of you to show up and take over.”

Alpha handed him a calling card. “Call us in by dawn.”

With a nod to both of them, he walked away as they stepped on one of the portals with a hexagonal mandala with fine spikes passing through the center.

“Hold on tight.” Alpha said. Selene closed here eyes at the disorienting feeling at not knowing where she would be taken over the portal.

“We’re here.” He said.

The cold wind had her pull up the hood of her woolen jacket.

As she put on her sunglasses and covered her face with a black shawl, she asked “You’re not planning to cover up?”
“To them, Little Bird, I don’t even exist.” He cryptically replied.

They wore identical black clothing, pants and long-sleeved shirts, hooded jackets covering them from head to toe. When they walked in the cabin, she noticed twenty sets of eyes on them as Alpha locked the door, first manually and then by drawing shields on them. With one thump on the door, a crackle of electricity ran through the walls and floorboards, startling the occupants.

“Now listen up, people.” He said, transfiguring a metal rod by charging up the air around him and slinging it over his shoulder. “Anyone who tries to escape will find themselves fried.”

He sauntered across the hall and handed a similarly dressed Jay a calling card. As Jay apparated, Alpha turned back and flung two needles, hitting squarely at the parallel edges of the door.

The faint buzz of the shields being raised was heard, keeping two groups of ten on the opposite sides of the room. One of them curiously tried to move out of the invisible boundary but stumbled back because of the electric sting.

“Now then….” Alpha started and dragged a man from the left and brought him to the center as he kicked and screamed threatening legal action.

He held on a man from the other group and brought him out but the man remained calm and unmoved and pushed his hand away.

“I’m not some degenerate coward like my contemporary here.” Ayman Jones said.

“We both know you need to be out of this little enclosure and you can’t do it unless you’re in contact with me, Mister Jones.” Alpha smiled. He grabbed his arm and pulled him out to the center to face his political opponent much to his fury.

“Now that we’ll be holed up here all week, I suggest you people come up to entertain us, and I bet I know how….” Alpha said. He effortlessly snapped the rod in two and held it out for both the men. Ayman Jones held it simply while the other gingerly poked at it.

“Now don’t worry, Counselor Mathias. It won’t bite.” Alpha grinned.

“You wretched man.” Counselor Mathias growled. “Just let me get out of here and I swear you’ll wish you were never born.”

“An Alchemist giving death threats �" and here I thought your President was above all that.” Ayman Jones sneered.

“Don’t you dare speak of him, you infidel.” Counselor Mathias said, shakily standing up with the support of the rod. “Sitting on the cold floor takes a toll on these old bones but they’re strong enough for you, Jones.”

“You talk too much, old man. Even in captivity you insist on being stubborn.” Jones said.

“I don’t see you complaining. How do we know this isn’t one of your tricks? You’ve brought the most vocal and strong members of the Alchemist Union Front in the middle of nowhere….”

“Choose your words carefully, Counselor.” Jones growled. “Why would you think I want to bring my men anywhere near your hate-spewing bunch?”

“We speak the truth!” the old man roared. “You’re the ones who sow the seeds of non-existent disparity in the minds of impressionable youth. You’re the one funding that Mezzalite terrorist group that bombed our markets. You sure were vocal in their defense and eliminating anyone who tried to put a stop to them.”

“They’re children acting out against years of exploitation by the Empire that made money off the blood, sweat and tears of Bantam. We’re taking back what’s ours and putting you in your places.”

“Well, maybe your bunch of immigrants would be able to rise above menial jobs if you actually cared about applying yourself instead of clinging on to outdated religious practices, drunk yourself to stupor on the unemployment allowance and bedded anything with a pulse!” the Counselor screamed.

“Deep down, isn’t that what you think of us, Counselor?” Jones said ruefully. “You people think you’re superior just because you can do little magic tricks. Well you’re nothing but an animal in a cage now. With Alchemy all but eliminated from practice, Bantam will be the model republic of the world.”

“Is this how you establish a country, Jones?” the old man thundered. “By killing children’s talents just because you hate their ancestors? Which model of equality allows this, Jones?”

“It’s a taste of your own medicine, Counselor. Now you’ll experience what we felt over the past century.” He fervently said while the people behind him cheered on.

“You’ve deluded yourself with those history books you cram down the schools’ throats, Jones. Those Feds have taken you for a ride, exploiting our natural resources in the name of ‘strategic partnership’. You’re selling away your own community by addicting them to freebies so they vote for you in exchange for hush money from the Feds.” Counselor Mathias said, amidst rumbling applause from his supporters.

“All your Empire ever did was rule over the Mezzalites. That’s your agenda isn’t it? It won’t happen on my watch, you old devil!” Jones roared as his supporters cheered him on.

Alpha started clapping, bringing the crowd to a swift silence.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about! Come on! Fight it out! Pour out ball your hatred, right here, right now! Grab him by the collar! Sock him in the jaw!” he excitedly pushed them.

Selene held back a harsh bark of laughter.

The two men glared suspiciously at Alpha.

“Well, come on! Don’t stop on my account! Isn’t this what you people go on and on about in Parliament? Obviously your differences are so important that the country’s functioning comes in second. Go ahead �" there are no nasty cameras here to show your bad side to your voters and no irritating journalists asking you why you won’t do the jobs you’re appointed to do. Come on! Fight! Fight!” He roused the crowd to shout out but the two leaders gave them a sharp look to remain silent.

“I knew this was one of your tricks.” Jones said. “How do you plan to make us look bad now?”

“Unlike you, we fight head on. This underhanded method seems something you would employ �" using paid hooligans to incite mobs into fighting each other and propagating false videos with deplorable statements I wouldn’t dare repeat.” Counselor Mathias glared.

Alpha, seemingly tired of their rants, dragged them by the collar of their coats and brought them together as if in a huddle.

“Now you two listen to me and listen well. If I don’t see a full-blown physical fight in the next minute, I’m incinerating the whole lot of you no-good turds.” He pushed them back and dusted his hands. “No holds barred. Now, what happened?” he grabbed Ayman Jones from behind, holding his rod-wielding arm and maneuvering it stiffly to strike his opponent. “Didn’t you once say you would kill him if you met him on the street?” the Counselor remained surprisingly agile to ward off their shenanigans. When Alpha moved towards the Counselor, Jones raised the rod to strike him behind the head.

Before Selene could react, Alpha turned back and caught the rod. A flash of lightning went through the rod and over Jones, who let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched scream and fell to the ground convulsing. The Counselor looked on in horror, the rod trembling in his hands as he slumped to the floor slack-jawed.

“It was a bad thing you did there, Mister Jones.” Alpha said, eerily calm. He dragged the body and flung it over to his group, which jumped away from the body as if it were a live grenade. He dragged an older man out of the group.

“Well, your nephew didn’t last very long, Senior Jones �" care to take his place?” Alpha said.

“You’re a monster.” Senior Jones said in a gravelly voice, beads of sweat rolling down his bald head. “We’re civilized people who talk it out unlike you who resorts to kidnapping people in their sleep and torturing them to cage fights.”

“Why, of course you are!” Alpha said with fake gallantry, throwing the rod at him to catch. “You don’t do the dirty work of arson, looting, murder and rape. You poison people’s minds and turn them into unfeeling, unthinking mobs that hurt their own kind. You don’t fight directly but you rip people’s lives apart with your underhanded methods and divide the loot among each other.” He turned to the Counselor who shrank back as he was grabbed by the lapel. “Do you remember your loyal friend, Senior Jones? He had introduced you to that wealthy business associate from the Federation when you wanted to fill your coffers after the election. You happily signed away the license for a mining operation that has nearly destroyed half the forest cover and polluted the one river this country lives on for water. Coming to our greedy friend, the Counselor here, what did you do when your ungrateful friend didn’t give you your share of the money for getting them together in the first place? You staged a protest against the ‘ecological impact’ of the project.”

He pulled Senior Jones to him with a maniacal sneer. “While all this happened, your dear nephew went and got himself caught in a hate crime �" raping and murdering an Alchemist teenager. The scandal could ruin his career and topple your government. The Feds were already bringing in the heat for the delays. So you called your dear friend the Counselor to your home at midnight and hashed out negotiations in exchange for hushing up the family and eliminated the journalist who tried to investigate the whole affair and bring it to light.”

He let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Well aren’t you all just chummy! You brainwash people to maintain your charade and party together on their hard earned money. The games end here. Nobody leaves this place until we have a bloody battle right here.”

He addressed the groups. “Fight it out till the last one of you remains or this place goes up in flames. Nobody can grab the President’s chair if they’re dead now, can they?” he smiled with a wide deadly grin.

“Now what’s it going to be? If I don’t see some moves in the next five seconds, I’m burning up the place.” He snapped his fingers, bringing up a flame between them and started a countdown from five.

When he reached three, Senior Jones swung his rod at Counselor Mathias.

Selene thanked the fact that her face was covered and nobody could see the fear she knew reflected on it.