hear me, Mr Rebel?” the supreme leader asked Michael.
Michael
nodded.
“What
is your name?”
Michael
remained silent.
“Are
you ignoring me?” President Ward demanded. “What is your name?”
“Michael,”
he replied, his voice triggering an electric shock that spread all over his now
sweaty body, sending him into fits.
“I
didn’t hear you?” the supreme leader asked, enjoying Michael’s suffering. “What
did you say?”
“I―oh―said...
my―oh―name is Michael,” he answered, squinting with pain.
“Now
I heard you,” the supreme leader said, breaking into laughter.
The
whole Cabinet joined in the laughter.
“Professor,
you will work with our defense industries and help them manufacture enough
electronic gags to fit every citizen over the age of fifteen. After that you
will help the CIB set up the computer network that will control the electronic
gags.”
Professor
Reed almost jumped with joy. The supreme leader had not only accepted his idea
but he had also made him manage the implementation of the idea. “I am at your
service, Your Excellence,” he said as humbly as he could.
Collins
and Campbell exchanged angry looks. Professor Reed had encroached into their
territory. Even the Minister of Defense, the amiable Retired General Sanders,
was not happy. The defense industries, which manufactured weapons for the security
forces of the Ten Districts, fell under the Ministry of Defense. He didn’t like
having Reed, a mere Minister of Education, giving orders in a branch of the Ministry
of Defense.
“Professor,
I’m giving you one month to finish the project,” the supreme leader said. “You
will have all the resources you need. Prepare your budget and I will discuss it
with Dr Kirk.”
“A
month won’t be enough, Your Excellence,” Professor Reed said.
“I
will give you six weeks then. I want people wearing the electronic gags in six
weeks. Is that clear?”
“Yes
Patriot President,” the professor said with a sigh. He wanted more time to test
the electronic gag and install a strong security system to protect the computer
network controlling the gags. But now that the supreme leader had accepted his
idea, he couldn’t risk making him change his mind. If the supreme leader wanted
the system running in six months, he would get it. Professor Reed would perfect
the system while it ran.
“Patriots,
I urge you all to help the professor in any way you can as he makes our
electronic gags.” The supreme leader thoughtfully scratched his cheek.
“Electronic gag... the name sounds inhuman. We must give the gadget a name that
makes it sound user friendly, a name that tells the people what we are trying
to achieve. We are not fitting people with the gadgets to gag them... we are
doing it to weed out troublemakers from the population.”
“You
are right, Your Excellence,” agreed Professor Reed. “The name electronic gag
sounds inhuman. We can simply call the device the National Antiterrorist
Surveillance Tool, NAST in short. And we can call the whole program the
National Antiterrorist Surveillance Program, NASP in short.”
“Wonderful,
professor,” the president extolled to the envy of the rest of the Cabinet.
“What do you think, Patriot Butler?”
“It’s
a good name, Patriot President,” replied the vice president. “It will do just
fine.”
“What
do you think, Patriot Christopher?” President Ward asked his brother.
“The
whole idea is just great,” Christopher Ward said with zeal. Now that he had
seen the benefits of the professor’s invention, he fully supported it. Unlike
the other members of the Cabinet who envied the way the president was praising Reed,
Senior Minister Christopher Ward was not given to such petty jealousies. He
knew that as the president’s brother, he would always be closer to the
president than any of the ministers. “Well done, Patriot Reed. Keep it up.”
“Thank
you, senior minister,” professor Reed said joyously. With both Ward