The Sunshine Dame of Doom (24 page)

“Yes madam.”

“Let me know when the hostages are dead. I need to start a campaign to blame it all on the rebels. Now, if you excuse me, I got an errand to do.”

Seven o’clock in the evening.

Soldiers wearing masks began pumping cyanide into a protective chamber on the roof. From there, the gas proceeded to the hangar ventilation system. The poisonous substance quickly spread around the interior.

Frightened men, women and children stumbled on each other with anguished looks on their faces, minds lost in bewilderment and dreadful fear.

Some people started to cough. Others fell on the ground, fighting asphyxiation. The ones who were still standing definitely surrendered to panic and cried in despair. The toxic gas was taking its toll, flooding each and every corner.

A thunderous metallic roaring startled the few souls who could still breathe. From a small tool shed attached to the hangar, a truck burst through the walls like a giant shark.

“We crossed those things like they were made of paper.” Clark gasped in the passenger’s seat “How come?”

“I also don’t know how we did that.” Lily replied. “I guess we should thank my dad for this too.”

The new door torn by the vehicle made the air inside a little more breathable.

Vince opened the side door and screamed:

“Alright, everybody inside, suck your bellybuttons and get ready for some squeeze.”

Aaron and Maria jumped out of the truck and helped those who could no longer walk. But even they were getting dizzy. Maria brought a hand to her mouth.

“Try not to breathe.” Lily advised.

“That’s a little hard to comply.” Clark responded.

Soldiers came and shot at the intruders. The truck blocked the bullets and worked as a natural barrier, but the military men flanked the vehicle, walking around it.

“I have to close the shop!” Vince announced, also getting nauseous. “Please hurry, folks!”

“Alright, almost there” Hector whispered to himself.

He watched his program loading on the screen, the percentage increasing in a very slow pace.

“Like in any telecom site, they really cut edges around here.” Hector thought.

“I don’t really see any need for processor speed. All these computers do is communicate with machines.” Shane said, surprising Hector.

He stood up and took one step back in an instinctive gesture of self-defense.

“How did you get in here?” Hector asked.

“I just opened the door.”

“I can see that! But the keypad outside is broken.”

“A very expensive piece of equipment by the way, but it doesn’t matter. The point is I own this town. I have the key to everything here.”

“Wait a min… how come you answered my cutting edge comment? I’ve just thought that, I’ve never said it.”

“Ah!” Shane smiled. “A natural gift of mine, enhanced for the common good.”

“I see.”

“Well, I don’t think introductions are necessary. If you watch TV like any average American, you know who I am. And you are Hector, right? I’d recognize this face anywhere!”

“Yes, especially after you trashed my face on this same TV you mentioned.”

“Oh, nothing personal, just a little response to you and your group after you destroyed property, left several blocks without electricity, got twenty workers killed…”

“What do you want?”

Shane walked to him. Hector stood his ground, but a chill came down his spine. To show determination, he looked her in the eyes, which was actually a mistake, for he could no longer dodge her look.

“You got a lot of stamina, Hector. You’re a lousy strategist, but brave anyway.”

She turned to the side and noticed the guard on the floor, tied up and gagged, staring at her with puppy dog eyes.

“Oh, that’s a nice touch.” She removed the gag and untied him. “I need to have a private conversation with this gentleman. Get out.”

Miller staggered out the door.

She fixed eyes on Hector again to his despair, although he disguised it well.

“You proved your value.” Shane said. “You surely got a strong heart. All you need now is some reasoning. You’re such a worthy foe. Imagine the things we could do as allies.”

“Are you trying to recruit me?”

“No. I’m proposing a partnership.”

“And it doesn’t bother you anymore the fact that I’m black?”

“I guess we can put our differences aside and see the big picture. Let’s end this madness and work together.”

“Do you really expect me to join you when I know you run a vacation resort powered by the blood of slaves?”

“
Powered by the blood of slaves
, I love it! You’re really a man of many talents, somebody who once benefited so much from the gears of capitalism, yet partial to Karl Marx!”

“You know what I’m talking about!”

“Indeed I do. But some people call it organization.”

“Well, I call it segregation!”

“Segregation… So that’s what I am, a bigot, a racist pig.”

“That’s right!”

“Uh-huh. You ran a business if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yes.”

“Then, let me ask you something. Let’s suppose there’s an opening in your company and two candidates are disputing the position. Both can do the job real well, only one is married with children while the other is a confessed homosexual who lives with another man. Now, which one of them would you choose?”

Hector didn’t answer right away. Shane grinned.

“That’s what I thought.” She said. “You don’t even have to say it. I’ve already read your mind.”

Hector growled.

“And I send gays to the Industrial Zone…” Shane spoke “How awful of me!”  

“Hey, I could always change my mind, this
don’t
mean
nothing
! You and I are not alike in any way! I know what you do to people in the Industrial Zone and especially in the power plant, remember?”

“Yes, guess I have to mend my ways and come back to how things were done in this fair, marvelous world we used to enjoy, full of men just like you, real entrepreneurs working during the day, studying at night, to finally achieve the dream of a successful business with fame and fortune.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing whatsoever, come on, I admire you. And of course, as opportunities were the same for everybody, all people without exception could get a big slice of the pie. All they had to do was work. That’s why there was no poverty anywhere…”

“Now, wait a minute!”

“…except for those who chose not to be successful, right? Anyway, it’s fun to roam the streets living on other’s charities, eating from garbage bins. Not to mention those poor bastards who spent their whole lives on a paycheck, busting their backs for no money, but it’s their fault, they wanted that way!”

“You’re twisting my words!”

“On the contrary, I’m totally agreeing with you. Before me, you all lived in this magic utopia, without difference of classes, a world where wealth was not concentrated in the hands of a few while millions starved to death…”

“You stop right there, miss!”

“…a perfect world without segregation or bigotry or racism, no discrimination of any kind… Oh, how terrible of me, it seems I created all those.”

“There was social consciousness for crying out loud!”

“Sure there was, politicians making laws to favor minority groups just to win the next election, millionaires donating to charity funds to get tax deduction.”

“I know things were not perfect. But my brother and I are the proof that no matter whom you are or where you came from, you can always improve yourself and your situation if you’re not afraid to work a little harder.”

“Of course, not to mention the ones you stepped on in your climbing to the top.”

“I never did that. Once again, you’re twisting everything.”

“No, I’m not, you are. Face it, Hector. I’m the demon that inhabits the darkest paths of human soul people are afraid to walk. I’m the reflection in the mirror you cover with a hypocrite mask of benevolence.”

For a moment, Hector couldn’t say anything. Shane’s look was all over him.

“No.” He finally spoke. “There’s still a difference. You got a reign of terror going on here.”

“I beg to differ. Reign of terror means war, genocide, bloodshed. Oh, but I forgot you also didn’t have those in the world of before. You probably don’t have the slightest idea what I’m talking about.”

“We need to have freedom!”

“Oh yes, freedom to judge and torment those who are different, freedom to mock and destroy your own species.”

“Well, that’s exactly what you’ve been doing. You’re the hypocrite here, not me. Every time things don’t go your way, you get cruel, you kill people!”  

“We need to have at least a little order. Is it such a high price to pay for all security and stability I offer? Have you taken a good look at the horrors outside the city gates?”

“Yes, I’ve been there alright. And it’s a horror you helped causing, or so I heard.”

Shane studied his face. After some seconds, she said:

“We did nothing this greedy humanity wouldn’t have done to themselves sooner or later. You were consuming everything, without giving anything back.”

“True, but it wasn’t your place to interfere.”

“Well, this is academic now.” Shane lowered her voice. “What’s done is done. Now, we have to think of the future, don’t we?”

“How? What’re you talking about?”

“You’re just making things greatly worse, can’t you see? People are confused, they’re all scared and I’m not the one frightening them. Truth is everything was nice and peaceful until you came. You can’t possibly win this, so let’s negotiate. Join me and I’ll release the hostages in the hangar and this is just for starters. Then, we can study better ways to get the necessary tasks done around here, with your suggestions. It’s a win-win deal. What do you say, Hector?”

He hesitated and put some efforts to avoid her look. Naturally, her eyes stayed on his, trying to read his mind. Some moments of very awkward and uncomfortable silence followed.

“No!” He finally decided. “I think you’re just bullshitting me. This is all a trick. You don’t really intend to hold your end in this little bargain, do you? Anyway, I can hardly trust a person who’s willing to poison innocent people only to get things her way.”

Shane took a deep breath and shook her head. She also grabbed Hector by the neck to force him to look her in the eyes.

Hector could fight neither her grip, nor her look. He tried to resist as much as he could, but his mind and senses collapsed and surrendered to the huge energy emanating from Shane’s eyes.

“I tried to talk some sense into you, how naïve of me.” She said. “You made me waste precious time. Now I have to do this the hard way. Listen to this, please.”

And Shane spoke:

“The sunshine springs, happiness it brings.

Those eyes you should follow, to keep away sorrow.

Seek the giant bird you must, on her you shall blindly trust.

For the good science you will urge, from all impurities to…”

BANG!

A bullet hit Shane right in the side of her head.

“Ouch!” She screamed and tumbled to the floor.

“That’s for Frank, you bitch!” Susan shouted from the doorway, smoke still coming out of her gun.

She ran to Hector and said “Are you alright? Are you still you?”

He blinked like mad, but then he stopped.

“Yes.” He answered rubbing a hand on his head. “Thanks. I almost didn’t recognize you standing up. By the way, what the heck are you doing here? You should be in bed!”

“I got all the rest I could take. You probably thought I was raving on that hospital bed when I said I had an idea. Well, it turns out I do have an idea, time to make it work.”

“And what is it?”

“Can you get me some machine guns?”

“There’re plenty of them idling by outside, thanks to Lily.”

“I only need three.”

Shane stood up.

“This is so blasé…” She said with hands on her waist “You coming in here shooting like Wyatt Earp…”

Susan screamed in anger and decided to simply unload the pistol on all parts of Shane’s body. She fell down again.

“She bleeds, but I don’t think bullets can hold her down.” Hector observed.

“I agree. Let’s get out of here.”

“Just a sec…”

He checked the monitor connected to the desktop and his program was still loading, fifty-five percent and progressing slowly. He blocked that station with a password and smashed some racks and printed boards in the vicinities with powerful kicks. Susan twitched in surprise.

“You surely have a gentle way to deal with delicate electronics.” She commented.

“I don’t need those anymore. I don’t want to risk that somebody may undone what I just did.”

“And what did you do?”

“You’ll see. Now, let’s get out of here before blonde over there resurrects again.”

They ran through corridors. To their horror, they stumbled on four dead bodies on the floor, with seven machine guns lying around. Hector took three of them and gave one to Susan.

They took a lot of turns and came back to the same place a couple of times.

“We’re walking in circles.” Susan realized.

“Lily forgot to leave those blueprints she found with me.” Hector spoke.

They walked past the showers to finally find a staircase leading up.

All places were strangely empty.

“How did you get into the building?” Hector asked Susan, his guts telling him something was terribly wrong. “How did you pass security?”

“There was no security.” She revealed. “I found it strange too. I saw some folks getting back into the building after a fire alarm or something. It was remarkably easy to get in.”