by Barry Rosemberg

"Six months ago, with my appointment as leader of the Green Welfare Alliance, it seemed that at last social and environmental welfare issues would be able to forge ahead. But no. Viable projects on wind and wave power have met unaccountable hindrances. Reviews on cancers and other electro-magnetically induced illnesses have been ignored. I promised that Green Welfare would tackle these issues. Me, you, all of us have had enough of words. It is now time to take action!"

There was a murmur of agreement. Even the Opposition seemed muted. Ein, however, was aware of tiny movements within the structure of the Defense Minister's face that, on anyone else, were the equivalent of tectonic stresses. At one point, Quint raised his right hand to his jaw. He stroked it momentarily as if considering a debatable point. The Green Elf was now talking action. Loans to first home buyers. An end to negative gearing. Quint's hand came down. It knocked his notebook. With a cascade of pencils, it fell to the floor. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the noise. At that moment, all hell broke loose.

A lone figure rose from the audience. He pointed a long stiff finger. There was a bang, a puff of smoke and a slowly drifting acrid smell. The round figure of Wally Su collapsed over the podium. Another shot threw him backwards. Simultaneously, two waves of motion broke out. One surged towards Wally, formed a protective barrier and shouted for medics. A second wave came from the assembly. It broke upon the shooter. Strangely, it did not attack him but fought against security! Chairs were broken. Wires were disconnected. Heads were bashed. In the midst of the chaos, Ein ran forward.

"Quiet!" he roared into a mike. "Quiet!" There was a small lull in the cacophony. "The King is dead! Long live the King!"

"What! What did he say?" people said.

"Quiet!" Ein boomed. A gradual quiet rolled over the hall. Again, he shouted, "The King is dead! Long live the King!"

In an amazed hush, Ein made a big arm movement, indicating stage left. A round, large-as-life Wally strolled onto the stage. There was a communal gasp. A security man took that opportunity to dive upon the shooter. Two of Ein's men managed, however, to intercept him.

Wally raised his hands. "Thank you," he cried. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Democracy will live. I declare this session closed."

He marched off, stage right. Security quickly followed him. Quint, eyes ablaze, hurried towards an exit. Ein halted him.

"Quint, you're to come vid us."

"Out of my way. I have matters to attend to."

Unceremoniously, however, four security men took hold of Quint and bundled him into a nearby room. Wally was already there. He wore virtual helmet and gloves.

"Checkmate," he said softly removing the helmet. "You killed a synthetic body."

"What's the meaning of this? This… this insolent behaviour!"

"Insolent? I thought attempted assassination of the Prime Minister might count as insolent."

"My men tried to apprehend the shooter."

"To kill him?"

"If necessary."

"To keep him quiet."

"Why would I want that?"

"You organized the assassin. You promised him a rich pay-off. Rich in the afterworld, I guess."

"Why…? This is preposterous! Why would I do that? What proof do you have?"

"Proof?" Wally laughed. "I made sure that you chose one of my men. The shooter was a double agent." He placed the virtual gloves on a table. "I don't want to ruin the appearance of democracy by publicizing your scheme. You'll resign, of course. Ill health or family matters."

"If I resist."

Ein pulled out his biro. Quint flinched. He relaxed when he recognized it. "Ve haf notes in your hands," Ein said. "Ve also haf this."

The pen went into a machine. A video showed an interplay of glances between the Minister of Defense and the shooter. Then there was the dramatic moment when Quint touched his jaw, knocked his pad and then the shooter fired.

Wally rose and looked down with disgust. "If you don't resign, you'll become a pariah. It has taken many years for democracy to recover from the battery given it by the old Coalition. People will hate you if this comes out." The Tin Man seemed to shrink, The Green Elf to grow. "You'll go? Good. People are tired of the fear of fear and the fear of terrorists and the fear of war. From now, we can return to the arts, to the sports, to all the old freedoms."

The Green Elf remained true to his word. Hardly a child had to suffer from poverty. Schools acquired teachers. Hospitals acquired doctors and nurses. The military set up stalls in markets and sold lamingtons. But only the die-hard bought them. Miraculously, renewable energy sources increased yet greenhouse gases reduced. Unmiraculously, cybers still needed humans to drive them.

* * * THE END * * *