I walk into the greenhouse in the back of the Capitol building, inside lays large trees, flowers line the walkway, and a small layer of fog lines the air. I look around at the immense beauty around me.
"Beautiful isn't it." I hear Aleman says, he comes around from the corner, I jump back and stare at him.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna attack you. I can't, this place is totally guarded actually. But I reckon you didn't see it." He says
"No, I didn't." I say, almost with hostility.
"I requested that for my final days that I could stay here, my prized possession." He says as he looks up to the grand trees.
"Interesting." I look up as well.
"You still think that I'm the enemy, huh." He says, I look directly at him, his face looks dropped, his face looks deathly pale.
"Yes, I do." I say
He sits down on a bench, "James, I took office 15 years ago, in a corrupt society. You were probably only 5 or 6, so you can't remember. Anyhow, 15 years ago society was much more different than today. The government was collapsing, the people were poverty-stricken, we just got out of a devastating war. I was a senator at the time, and I was tired of the seemingly endless cycle of corrupt, empty politicians. I ran for president, and won by a huge percentage. It wasn't just me that believed that more government control would benefit, my approval ratings were really high. I promised a lot, and I got it all done. It is my belief that you guys are the enemy of the people. These people need smart individuals, like you and me, to make the decisions for the people. We can make the country great, we can."
"That's where you and I diverge, the whole purpose of this movement was to give power to the people, a real democracy. That was tyranny, you know what you did to the people." I say
"When has that ever worked, it slows progression to a halt. Democracy, capitalism, none of it works." He says
"When has totalitarian ideals worked." I say
"Here." He plainly states
"That's a horrid example, we regressed, we're not a super power anymore. We're behind so many countries in military strength, GDP, education, labor force participation. That isn't something to be proud of." I say
"You saw it through a different scope, from my point of view, the past fifteen years have been an accomplishment." He says
"I saw it through the common man, the one who was forced to work eleven hour workdays for measly pay. The one who lost both parents to a corrupt government, who lost friends, who doubted if he could live to see another day." I say
Aleman just looks to the ground, and taps his foot.
"I'm giving you a choice right now." I have no idea why I'm even considering this, "Do you still want to be executed this coming Monday, or do you want to live and see how a real government works."
He looks up at, his worn face straightens, "I don't want to see this disaster unfold."
"Your ignorance and arrogance have led you astray my friend." I say
"Don't think for a moment that this government will work. I didn't work before, and it won't again."
"Neither did yours."
"The individual is an enemy to the nation." He says
"I think your own hysteria is messing your head up, have a nice day Aleman." I say as I walk outside once again, I watch as the sky glows all sorts of colors from the sunset, the streaking clouds reflect the colors.
I sit up against the lone tree on top of the hill, the stars dot the black sky. It's almost therapeutic for me to take time to just sit and let my mind free itself. I close my eyes and listen to the wisp of the wind and the leaves being picked up and thrown around.
I hear someone climb up the hill, I open my eyes and see Krystal climb up the hill.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She says
"No, no it's okay." I say, she slowly comes into my vision better.
"I usually come here every night and just relax, like you I suppose." She sits to the right of me.
"You up here for any reason." She says, she always seems to have a flat, intimidating voice.
"Just to relax, think, it's therapeutic." I say
"Oh, I see. Yeah, I do the same. It helps me to concentrate." She says
I rest my head against the tree, it returns to silence for a few minutes.
"Where are you from, James." She says
"I was originally from Charter 14. California, I believe Chloe said it was originally Fresno." I say
"Hm, never heard of it. And you know where I'm from, obviously."
It took a second, but then I got it.
"I'm sorry if I'm being intrusive, but I was always curious, how did this whole thing start." She says
"The only true answer lays with Chloe. For me, I was kinda thrown into it. She somehow tracked me down, and we pulled a few strings, took some tests, and it started from there." I say
"What was the craziest experience about the whole thing?" Her voice actually fluctuates.
It takes me a minute to remember, "Probably the first time I jumped into the cockpit. I never formally learned to fly, but the controls were basic. I somehow grasped the concept pretty easy, but it was really scary landing it."
"You used to fly?" She asks
"Sure did." I say
"Have you flown recently?"
Kat.
"No, not really."
"How come?"
"I suppose it's because my good friend, she died when we were flying a joint mission. It wasn't my fault, but it just really hurt, you know?" I say
"Gosh, I'm sorry." She says
"Yeah, tragedy strikes to everyone, no one ever is ready for it."
YOU ARE READING
Phoenix (Part 2 of the 2 Part Malevolent Series)
ActionThe rebellion has grown to national attention, the government knows the threat at hand, and will do anything in its power to destroy it. Rebellion comes at costs, including friendships and losses. James and the rest of the rebellion continue to pus...
