Inked - Part 4
In a futuristic society, citizens are ranked by their intelligence. The conclusion to Rasse's journey.
The Governor had his back turned to the window, looking out over the foggy city. He saw Rasse's reflection in the overly polished glass and pivoted to face the child. "Hello, Mr. Martin," he said almost pleasantly. "Forgive the cliché, but I've been expecting you. Please, have a seat." He gestured to one of the armchairs in front of the large desk. He took his own seat behind it and poured tea for the both of them. "I hope you don't mind Earl Grey, it happens to be my favorite."
Rasse slid into the armchair and found it to be surprisingly uncomfortable. He left the steaming cup in front of him untouched, fidgeting in the chair and staring at the Governor's face.
The Governor took a sip of his tea and let out a satisfactory sigh before pressing his fingers together and saying, "You see, after the collection of your former teacher James Farber, we knew that we needn't go to the trouble of finding you. See, he told us all about you, and we deduced that you were one of those noble types who would come to his rescue." He sat back in the chair and smiled thinly, surveying the effect his statement had on the child.
"Where is he?" Rasse demanded, a combination of anger and fear in his voice, which was suddenly very quiet and shaky.
"Not a matter of importance," he said. "I would like to hear what you have to say." He folded his hands on top of the desk and looked at Rasse with interest. "Well?"
He opened his mouth, but no words came out, just a dry, raspy kind of noise. He looked at his knuckles, which were snow white. He cursed himself for not being able to speak.
"Please, you've made it all the way here; don't you have anything to say before you leave?"
When Rasse said nothing, he pushed a button on the telephone beside his tea and said casually, "Eileen, could you please send up an intern or two from downstairs? Thank you."
He looked at Rasse as if expecting something. "You're a very special boy, Rasse," he said softly. "Quite a mind you've got there. I'd have loved to see what it would do for our wonderful society when you grew up..." his voice trailed off, baiting Rasse, but the boy could not resist the temptation.
"It is not wonderful!" he screamed. "It's terrible and awful and I hate it! And when I grew up I'd just try to take it down!"
"And how did that work out for your teacher, Mr. Farber?" the Governor simpered and Rasse yelled with rage.
"Shut it! He was 500 times the man you'll ever be!"
The Governor surveyed him with a cold smile, his stare unwavering. "I should encourage you not to insult me when your fate rests in my hands, Mr. Martin."
Rasse sunk quietly into the chair.
There was a knock on the door, which swung open to reveal a very nervous-looking and quaking Steven pushing an empty wheelchair.
"Ah, Mr. Bosky," he smiled at the intern. "I was wondering if you would assist me in taking Mr. Martin here down the hall," he gestured at Rasse. Steven's mouth hung open. "Hurry up Mr. Bosky, or I'll have someone send you down the hall along with him," he chuckled nonchalantly.
"Sir, I- well...if your honor will understand, I don't think I could- not after-"
The Governor smirked, tossed two pairs of handcuffs to the intern as even Steven's pimples turned white with horror. "I don't think you'll have too much trouble with this one." For an instant Rasse thought of resisting, but decided it would be futile. Steven forced Rasse up and into the wheelchair, which was surprisingly more comfortable than the chair he had just been sitting in. The intern's fingers were trembling as he locked Rasse to the chair, his breath raspy. Rasse kept quiet and stared off blankly into space.
"Good day," the Governor said coolly. He stood up and turned his back to the boy, surveying the city beneath him. His shoulders shook as he did this, and Rasse assumed he was laughing but could not bring himself to hate the man more. He was tired of the hate, and he drifted away and tried to enjoy what could very well be his last moments.
The Governor's phone rang once and he quickly snatched it off the hook, but Rasse was already in his own world and didn't notice. He was whispering to the person on the other end, so quietly that no one except the caller could hear him, as if he was trying to reassure himself. "My own son, Eileen...it was for the best, but...my own son..."
Steven pushed the wheelchair out of the office, through the steel doors and down the cavernous hallway, the only sound between them the chink of Rasse's handcuffs against the metal chair. He could not have imagined an emptier and lonelier place in his life. As they approached the double doors that marked his fate, he thought aloud, "Maybe I'm going to a happy place," as the doors opened and a woman in a lab coat stepped forward to accept the boy from Steven.
As Rasse rolled away to wherever he was going, whether it be death, solitary confinement or a happy place, Steven called after him, "I hope so, kid," he yelled, a hint of desperation in his voice. "I hope so too."
***
BOY FALLS INTO RAVINE AND DROWNS
Reported by Michael Brinkley
March 11
During the heavy thunderstorm yesterday, Rasse Martin, age 13, fell into the Lincoln Ravine yesterday around 10:30 AM. The local authorities' reports state that he slipped when climbing a muddy hill and tumbled down into the rushing waters, where sadly rescuers were unable to save him.
Those who witnessed the tragedy are heartbroken.
"It was terrible to see," said Corey Jones, who was driving by the ravine when he watched the boy slip. "He was running up the hill, but then I guess he hit a muddy spot. It was like it happened in slow-mo, you know? Crazy. Everyone jumped out of their cars to see if they could save the kid, but I guess the water was too fast and he was gone. Just like that."
Unfortunately, the floodwaters are still too high to find the boy's body, but police say it will be unlikely. "The ravine waters were vicious," one policeman said yesterday evening. "We'll have to search a large portion of the ravine and if we do find it, who knows what condition it will be in?"
Local authorities have ruled the death as accidental.
The Governor is shocked by this catastrophe and says he will look into new safety measures to make sure that "no such tragedy will ever happen again".
***
GOVERNOR RESIGNS
Reported by Michael Brinkley
March 24
In an impromptu press conference last night, Noah B. Martin, the faithful Governor of Barany for nearly 23 years, announced his unexpected resignation. "I need some time to...reconcile with my family," he said with emotion, voice cracking. "I think I've served our glorious country well and it's time for me to retire."
"He is a great man and it's been an honor to have served him," said his secretary Eileen Bosky. "I don't think he could've done a better job running the country than he did in his 23 years.
There is no word yet on who his successor will be, but there is a rumor that Mark Williams, Senator of Murom, is a favorite for the position. Williams' press secretary has addressed these rumors, saying that they are "untrue," but "it is definitely something he is considering pursuing."
The new Governor will be announced next week at Martin's retirement celebration.
Rasse slid into the armchair and found it to be surprisingly uncomfortable. He left the steaming cup in front of him untouched, fidgeting in the chair and staring at the Governor's face.
The Governor took a sip of his tea and let out a satisfactory sigh before pressing his fingers together and saying, "You see, after the collection of your former teacher James Farber, we knew that we needn't go to the trouble of finding you. See, he told us all about you, and we deduced that you were one of those noble types who would come to his rescue." He sat back in the chair and smiled thinly, surveying the effect his statement had on the child.
"Where is he?" Rasse demanded, a combination of anger and fear in his voice, which was suddenly very quiet and shaky.
"Not a matter of importance," he said. "I would like to hear what you have to say." He folded his hands on top of the desk and looked at Rasse with interest. "Well?"
He opened his mouth, but no words came out, just a dry, raspy kind of noise. He looked at his knuckles, which were snow white. He cursed himself for not being able to speak.
"Please, you've made it all the way here; don't you have anything to say before you leave?"
When Rasse said nothing, he pushed a button on the telephone beside his tea and said casually, "Eileen, could you please send up an intern or two from downstairs? Thank you."
He looked at Rasse as if expecting something. "You're a very special boy, Rasse," he said softly. "Quite a mind you've got there. I'd have loved to see what it would do for our wonderful society when you grew up..." his voice trailed off, baiting Rasse, but the boy could not resist the temptation.
"It is not wonderful!" he screamed. "It's terrible and awful and I hate it! And when I grew up I'd just try to take it down!"
"And how did that work out for your teacher, Mr. Farber?" the Governor simpered and Rasse yelled with rage.
"Shut it! He was 500 times the man you'll ever be!"
The Governor surveyed him with a cold smile, his stare unwavering. "I should encourage you not to insult me when your fate rests in my hands, Mr. Martin."
Rasse sunk quietly into the chair.
There was a knock on the door, which swung open to reveal a very nervous-looking and quaking Steven pushing an empty wheelchair.
"Ah, Mr. Bosky," he smiled at the intern. "I was wondering if you would assist me in taking Mr. Martin here down the hall," he gestured at Rasse. Steven's mouth hung open. "Hurry up Mr. Bosky, or I'll have someone send you down the hall along with him," he chuckled nonchalantly.
"Sir, I- well...if your honor will understand, I don't think I could- not after-"
The Governor smirked, tossed two pairs of handcuffs to the intern as even Steven's pimples turned white with horror. "I don't think you'll have too much trouble with this one." For an instant Rasse thought of resisting, but decided it would be futile. Steven forced Rasse up and into the wheelchair, which was surprisingly more comfortable than the chair he had just been sitting in. The intern's fingers were trembling as he locked Rasse to the chair, his breath raspy. Rasse kept quiet and stared off blankly into space.
"Good day," the Governor said coolly. He stood up and turned his back to the boy, surveying the city beneath him. His shoulders shook as he did this, and Rasse assumed he was laughing but could not bring himself to hate the man more. He was tired of the hate, and he drifted away and tried to enjoy what could very well be his last moments.
The Governor's phone rang once and he quickly snatched it off the hook, but Rasse was already in his own world and didn't notice. He was whispering to the person on the other end, so quietly that no one except the caller could hear him, as if he was trying to reassure himself. "My own son, Eileen...it was for the best, but...my own son..."
Steven pushed the wheelchair out of the office, through the steel doors and down the cavernous hallway, the only sound between them the chink of Rasse's handcuffs against the metal chair. He could not have imagined an emptier and lonelier place in his life. As they approached the double doors that marked his fate, he thought aloud, "Maybe I'm going to a happy place," as the doors opened and a woman in a lab coat stepped forward to accept the boy from Steven.
As Rasse rolled away to wherever he was going, whether it be death, solitary confinement or a happy place, Steven called after him, "I hope so, kid," he yelled, a hint of desperation in his voice. "I hope so too."
***
BOY FALLS INTO RAVINE AND DROWNS
Reported by Michael Brinkley
March 11
During the heavy thunderstorm yesterday, Rasse Martin, age 13, fell into the Lincoln Ravine yesterday around 10:30 AM. The local authorities' reports state that he slipped when climbing a muddy hill and tumbled down into the rushing waters, where sadly rescuers were unable to save him.
Those who witnessed the tragedy are heartbroken.
"It was terrible to see," said Corey Jones, who was driving by the ravine when he watched the boy slip. "He was running up the hill, but then I guess he hit a muddy spot. It was like it happened in slow-mo, you know? Crazy. Everyone jumped out of their cars to see if they could save the kid, but I guess the water was too fast and he was gone. Just like that."
Unfortunately, the floodwaters are still too high to find the boy's body, but police say it will be unlikely. "The ravine waters were vicious," one policeman said yesterday evening. "We'll have to search a large portion of the ravine and if we do find it, who knows what condition it will be in?"
Local authorities have ruled the death as accidental.
The Governor is shocked by this catastrophe and says he will look into new safety measures to make sure that "no such tragedy will ever happen again".
***
GOVERNOR RESIGNS
Reported by Michael Brinkley
March 24
In an impromptu press conference last night, Noah B. Martin, the faithful Governor of Barany for nearly 23 years, announced his unexpected resignation. "I need some time to...reconcile with my family," he said with emotion, voice cracking. "I think I've served our glorious country well and it's time for me to retire."
"He is a great man and it's been an honor to have served him," said his secretary Eileen Bosky. "I don't think he could've done a better job running the country than he did in his 23 years.
There is no word yet on who his successor will be, but there is a rumor that Mark Williams, Senator of Murom, is a favorite for the position. Williams' press secretary has addressed these rumors, saying that they are "untrue," but "it is definitely something he is considering pursuing."
The new Governor will be announced next week at Martin's retirement celebration.
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