00057

Security Leader Tretl Clyden welcomed the warmth of Sparkle City. It was good to be back! After parking the air car, he took a van to the Bright Stadium, hoping to get there ahead of Gov. Xavier and the attendees who would be coming. It pleased him to find most of his Security Agents already at work, carrying out the usual tasks and procedures which customarily preceded such an event at the amphitheater. Good to know he could count on his Agents. Nevertheless, he believed it wise to oversee all their efforts, to make sure all details were taken care of.

Old, weathered wall posters of the Governor were being replaced, as well as those scrawled with spray paint with a message demanding "Where's My Loved One?".

Osmo Martin, his ankle wrapped up, hobbled around in his uniform with the other guards. When Sec. Ldr. Clyden saw him, he shook his head. "What're you doing, Punk? You can't do much with that sprained ankle."

"That may be true, Security Leader Clyden," Osmo Martin agreed, "but the little which I can do, I do with my one-hundred-and-ten percent."

"Yeah, okay, like that even makes any sense." Clyden gave Osmo Martin a bunch of papers. "Tell you what you can do. Hand out these flyers to the other guys, and tell them to be on the look-out for these known trouble-makers. If you or they see any, arrest them on sight. They may be disguised as tourists or something. Screen the people as they come into the stadium. We can't just simply ask them for ID's, because not only the citizens of Sparkle City will be coming to hear Gov. Xavier speak to begin the celebration of our great city's anniversary. Lots of tourists will also be here, to enjoy the bands and the festivities. They may not have appropriate ID."

"Okay, Sec. Ldr. Clyden."

When gate-opening time came, Osmo Martin assisted in looking over everybody entering the arena. The young Security Agent recruit consulted the face sheet and compared it with those filing past the guards at the gates. He recognized some faces on the “wanted” papers as the faces of Mrs. McCleer, Jane Ashton, and Albert Zoeniga. What about that Kelli O’Mally, who ran the stand at the beach, where Albert worked? Wasn’t she also a member of that group? Osmo Martin kept his question to himself, to avoid starting an investigation of the woman which might lead to the capture of his two friends.

He hoped Albert Zoeniga and Jane would be smart enough to stay away. He didn't want to arrest them, but he really saw no other choice if they decided to come to cause a disturbance- It was his job, what the Governor paid him to do, after all, and he had warned his friends not to get involved with these trouble-making drug dealers. He could only hope they were not so deep into it that they had gotten hooked on the church's drugs!

The Agent-in-training glanced up at the VIP seats at the top rows of the stadium. Yup, the VIPs were not late. Gov. Xavier Bright arrived at the top of the bleachers and moved to his reserved seat. Osmo Martin also saw his attractive niece Sheila and Mita Morgan were accompanying the Governor. When the Governor sat, his niece sat on one side, and Sheila's friend- also Sec. Ldr. Clyden's interest- sat on the other side. Or, was Mita Morgan really Clyden's interest? Osmo Martin couldn't tell for sure. Nor did he really care.

Security Agent Osmo Martin returned his attention back to his job. He and two other Agents stood by this entry gate, staring at the faces in the crowds as the people poured into the stadium. There were six other gates to get inside, but three remained locked. Each open gate had its own posted guards to mark the faces coming into ethe stadium.

The seats filled quickly. The folks sitting there chattered and gabbed. On the field, the first of the bands, already on the stage tuned up, waiting for the message to be delivered by Gov. Bright. They were to immediately begin playing after Gov. Bright's concluding remarks.

Once all the folks all about the stadium settled into place, Xavier Bright rose to his feet and stepped over to the microphone placed in front of the VIP seats. Grinning broadly to the crowds, he raised his hands for attention. Several large screens scattered at various places about the stadium magnified the Governor's warm smile. The people cheered him from all over the bleachers.

To the far right of the VIP section, down in the middle tiers, a woman sat holding a Sparkle City Celebrations brochure. She carried an official Sea of Fun beach bag that she used as her purse, and on her head she had tied a WORLD OF HOPE bandana about her hair. The woman also sported sunglasses with HOPE written on the earpieces. Nobody noticed her; not even any of the Security Agents paid her any mind.

She whispered to another woman slightly older than she, who sat by her side, "My, all that cheering! Do they really love him that much, or is the cheering expected of them, much like they are expected to attend all his speeches?"

Behind her, a young couple wore broad brimmed hats to protect them from the small sun. One of them shushed her, so that the Governor could be heard. But instead of shushing, the two middle-aged women joined in with the rest of the stadium’s crowd, cheering Gov. Bright.

When the noise finally subsided, Xavier Bright began. "Welcome, good people, welcome to both you who live here on our wonderful World of Hope, and also you, our dear brothers and sisters who come to visit us from Earth. It brings us great honor, and it is somewhat humbling, to see such a vast assembly of humanity, such a large turnout in celebration of the founding of Sparkle City."

At the Security Station at the edge of the stadium field, Sec. Ldr. Clyden continually glanced over the Security Agency monitor screens. When he saw there weren't many more coming into the stadium, he called Osmo Martin on the walkie and told him, "Okay, Punk, we don't need you at your post by the gate anymore. Go up and keep your girlfriend company, and keep your eye out for Gov. Xavier's safety. And don't stumble with your bad ankle- it'd be a bad reflection on my Security Team."

"Okay, Boss."

As Osmo limped up the steps to the top bleachers, and as Security Agents patrolled about, ready to intervene in any trouble, and to keep order, the lady in the HOPE bandana in the middle tiers whispered again to the other woman. "Even the businesses closed down today. Wow, they really love Sparkle City Day, don't they?”

She dropped her voice while Osmo Martin hobbled by on his way up to be with the Brights. Osmo continued to check faces as he walked by, watching for trouble. The two women studied their brochures, not looking up at the passing guard. And the young couple sitting behind those two women suddenly embraced each other, kissing and keeping their faces pretty much hidden in the moment of affection.

The recruit saw nothing amiss and walked on past them.

The woman with the HOPE bandana picked up her conversation where she had left off. "Anyway- why hold these speeches here at the stadium? Why not at Hope Memorial Park, instead? Since there's no money for improving those neighborhoods in the backstreets, why squander money on a stadium? How can the Governor afford it?"

The older woman chuckled. "The posters of His Highness alone must have cost a fortune! But seriously, this whole stadium project sent up quite a howl, which was ignored. However, as it turned out, the sports events held here actually did help generate more money than expected for Sparkle. And practically speaking, the stadium is a better place than the park to hold the start of the celebrations. The Security Agents can keep their eyes on the people, watch their coming and going, look for mischief. And the seats make it possible for the Governor to be rather long-winded, since there now is no excuse to leave before he’s done by saying that it is too tiring to be standing in one place for so long.- By the way, back at the time the stadium was being debated, we citizens felt a bit more free to express disapproval with some of the Governor's policies. Sadly, not so much anymore now. Back then, people seldom disappeared mysteriously..."

"Oh, my.”

Up at the top seats, Osmo Martin sat beside Sheila, who sat beside her Uncle’s place. Sheila Bright turned to the young man and asked, "Osmo, why are you up here and not down there helping the Security Leader and his Agents?"

Osmo shrugged. "Sec. Ldr. Clyde told me he didn't need me, because of my mending ankle. I guess he's right."

Mita Morgan called over to Osmo in a low voice, from a spot nearby, "Hi, Osmo. Did Tretl have any messages for me?"

"Nope.”

“Oh." Mita Morgan sounded disappointed. "Will he be joining us?"

Osmo shook his head. "He needs to keep watch on the security details."

His former classmate pouted. "He seems to always have excuses. I think he is deliberately avoiding me."

Sheila Bright pointed out, "Mita, Security Leader Clyden wants to round up those druggies, before they start any more trouble."

Osmo Martin whispered (so as not to disturb Gov. Bright's speech), "I find the whole thing regarding the house church folks confusing. First, why does Mrs. McCleer think her husband wasn't killed in the cave-in? Can being in denial do that to you? Or what? And what about the others, who say their loved ones have been taken away to the mines? There seems to be a couple of different people, with that ssme complaint-“

Mita Morgan shot back, "Osmo, how can you be so dense? Isn't it obvious- Mrs. McCleer and all those others are hooked on those wild drugs, all of them. They are delusional. That's why they have that paranoid talk. Poor Mrs. McCleer probably tried those drugs to help her cope with her husband's death, and look what the drugs did to her!"

Meanwhile, the Governor continued speaking to the folks about the founding of Sparkle City.

"Osmo Martin said to Mita, “But then, what about Albert and Jane, Mita? You know them. We've known them from since school. I can't see either of them doing drugs. And if they are, would Al have had the presence of mind to rescue me when I almost fell off the bridge?"

She growled back, "Osmo, you are so dumb! Sorry, Sheila, but it is true. People change, right? Look at yourself, Osmo, how you've changed-"

As Mita Morgan answered him in harsh and sarcastic tones, Osmo wondered why she always gave him such an attitude. What was her problem, anyway? However, he was yanked from introspection by the disturbance coming from the middle tier section to the right, where a bunch of tourists suddenly stood up, even as the governor was still speaking.

Gov. Xavier Bright knew what was coming next. His mirthful mood darkened in a flash. Those "tourists" who had risen began to shout, "Where are our loved ones? Where are our loved ones?"

One of the tourists' faces looked very familiar to the Governor. The WORLD OF HOPE bandana fell from the lady's head, and Gov. Bright clearly saw what he already knew- It was Nina McCleer, hiding her face under makeup, disguised as a sight-seer visiting their humble little world, but clearly Mrs. McCleer. Why had no one spotted her when she entered the stadium? Was everyone blind? He would be able to pick out her face in a crowd, no matter how much she tried to hide her identity!

Nina McCleer and the others had waited until the patrolling guards were far away from their area before they had started their disturbance. The protestors were gathered in one large section of the stadium, but scattered enough from each another, all about the bleachers in that section, so that if one group were surrounded, another group might be able to escape. The protesting dissenters knew there was little time to make their point, yet in that short time they succeeded, chanting about their missing loved ones.

After a few more chants about their loved ones, they called, “Gov. Bright, what did you do with them?! Tell us!” Then, they readied to escape or to be caught. Either way, they once more had brought attention to their plight, and to the problem of their missing family and friends, and again in front of many, many tourists who were witnesses. Hopefully, the Lord would protect them.

Sec. Ldr. Clyden, amazed at their audacity, looked up from his monitoring station's screens toward the trouble-makers. He turned his sight to the Governor, to see what his reaction might be, high up in the VIP section. The Governor gave him a most impatient look, as if to ask, Why are you wasting time? Get them!

Sec. Ldr. Clyden called on his walkie for all the agents to converge on the rabble, although the call was unnecessary, for already the Security Agents were all heading toward the middle tiers of the third section, to round up those who were publicly complaining of the Governor and making accusations against him.

However, before the guards could reach them, Nina McCleer and her fellow objectors suddenly took flight, splitting from each other, hopping over bleachers and over people, aiming for the different sets of stairs,. After a moment of confusion, the guards moved after them, determined to not let any escape this time.

From his spot, Osmo Martin watched, aware his ankle prevented him from helping. And, in a way, he was glad. He really didn't know what to believe at this point. But he didn't want to nab Albert Zoeniga or Jane Ashton, that was for sure. Yet, he also remembered, he had seen the drugs that night of the raid... unless the drugs had been planted there, as Al and Jane suspected...

A few World of Hope citizens noticed the guards coming their way and let out startled yells of fright. Alarmed at the advancing Security Agents, coming in their direction, these distressed citizens sprang to their feet and tried to move out of the way of the Agents. In turn, this triggered a panic in more citizens, who also got up and they also hurried to get away, not being sure what was going on, not knowing if the panic had simply started because of the guards chasing the proteststors, or if there were even more trouble, such as a stadium fire, or some other dire emergency.

The chaos spread like a contagion, and soon more than half the assembled crowd surged toward the stairs, pushing and shoving, everybody seeking a way out.

The guards attempted to plow through the seething masses, intent to do their job, to capture the rabble, but the mobs blocked them from getting very far. The guards angrily shouted for the people to move, stand aside, get out of the way, but there was no controlling the mob of people running for the exits.

In short order, the protestors merged with the whole of the excited crowds, all heading for the gates, still pushing and pulling and shoving their way to the way out.

"Close the gates! Close the gates!!" Security Leader Clyden bellowed. The order came too late, he saw, for the frenzied throng oozed through the open gates into the streets, and dispersed in every different direction.

Many of the genuine tourists remained in their seats, flabbergasted, but even some of them had freaked out and fled the stadium.

And then the protestors were gone.

When Sec. Ldr. Clyden realized that, once again, he had not captured any of the malcontents, he reluctantly went up the steps to the VIP section, to the Governor, to report the matter.

Gov. Bright paced back and forth in front of the microphone. Finally, he barked at his Security chief, "This is ridiculous!” His voice carried loudly over the live microphone. Angry, he tore the amplifying mic from its place and tossed it aside. He continued to bellow. “How could they all just waltz out of here, under your very nose? This has to end! Did you notice the way our citizens supposedly went into a panicky fit, getting in the way of your Security Agents while they tried to catch the criminals? They blocked you from them, shielded the law-breakers from your guards! Is is possible the citizens only acted frightened as an excuse to help my enemies escape? These rebels are causing quite a problem- they are swaying the citizens from their rightful loyalties toward me- You had better solve this problem!"

Osmo Martin stood there with Sheila Bright and Gov. Bright, each Bright as angry as the other over the incident. Osmo feared for his friends. These people whom Albert and Jane affiliated themselves with- these sowers of discord, seemingly now even swaying the regular, law-abiding citizens to side with them against Gov. Bright- no wonder it so angered the Governor and his niece! To so boldly defy and embarrass the Governor, a man who does only what he thinks best for the citizens- why, they MUST be on drugs. Why else would they behave in such a crazy way?!”

(c) 2012 drk