Golden Gooses

1

     "We can't just let people with such tremendous power walk about! They're no longer civilians, they're living weapons of mass destruction! If enough of them joined forces, they'd have enough power to overthrow the entire military! This'll only spiral if we don't act!" A senator ranted to his higher-ups ferociously. They were all sat around a U-shaped table in a dim conference hall, the only illumination coming from the projector near the back of the room. A graph showing the rising rate of magical children being born was being projected onto the screen, a major spike being shown. They had gathered to decide what should be done about the people with magic abilities being born throughout the country. Another senator across the table spoke up, adjusting her glasses. "I think you're blowing this out of proportion. We don't have any solid information on them because of how early their appearances are. If we, the most powerful people in this country, know nothing, what makes you think the general public will immediately know how to hone their new-found powers to become unstoppable war criminals?" She rebutted. A man beside the woman senator took a sip from his coffee and placed it back down, glaring at the first senator. "I agree with Marie. We know nothing about these power-holders. Plus, all you've done is fearmonger. Even if your assumption is correct, what do you suggest we do to deal with it?" He chimed in. The first senator shot him a glare before adjusting his tie and reiterating his point. "Exactly. We know nothing about these people. I don't know about you, but I don't wanna take a chance and jeopardize national safety. I say we gather them into some military hangar until we've learned more." He suggested. "Have you forgotten all of the known magic users are children? That'll surely cause an uproar." An elderly senator exclaimed. "I have no doubt that if allowed to run rampant, these magic users will be a pain in the rear. If we nip it in the bud and catch them in a safeguard before they cause trouble, I'm sure the public will understand it was for their own good." The first senator answered in return. "That's shit and you know it." The coffee-sipping senator hissed through gritted teeth, slamming his fist on the table. The first senator smirked with satisfied amusement. "It seems I've hit a nerve, Steven. Perhaps your darling Cheri is also a magic freak and this is your way of protecting her?" He taunted. Steven stood up violently, enraged with his eyes fixed on the senator in the front of the room. Two security guards raced to his side, deescalating him until he decided to sit back down. "I'm fine," Steven muttered, waving the guards off. The first senator let out a satisfied, "Hmph," before continuing. "I've made my opinion on the matter clear. It's up to you all to decide." He strode back to his seat, confident the rest of the senators would side with him after Steven's outburst. Just like he planned, murmurs began to arise from the other senators. The discussion moderator that was standing behind the projector walked into view, clearing her throat. "That concludes Daniel's presentation. It's time to decide on what bill we should pass according to this issue." She explained. The murmurs erupted into everyone speaking about their suggestions and bickering. "Settle down," the moderator instructed. The group simmered down, going back to quiet clucks as the senators chattered among each other like chickens. "Anyone may propose their variation of a bill regarding the magic users, one at a time." A woman stood out of her seats promptly. She had noirette hair with shimmering winks of violet tied into a messy bun, a strand tucked behind her ear and another flowing down her cheek. She wore a sleek maroon blazer and skirt pair. She pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "I have an idea that may be unorthodox to some of you. But I think it'll please everyone. It'll keep the possibly dangerous powerholders in line and we can learn more about them." She alluded, a coy smile across her face while a glint of light hid the eyes behind her glasses. The murmurs died down to where you could hear a pin drop;

just as she planned.