The Numbered

Chapter Seventy

"Five minutes," said the officious, young aide, Joshua as he re-entered the room. "Five minutes," he repeated, holding out his hand and splaying five fingers in Hannah's face just to re-emphasize the point.

Confined to a small, windowless room for the last hour since she'd arrived, Hannah drummed her fingers on the surface of the table.

"Let's recap one final time." Joshua, sat down opposite her.

Hannah groaned inwardly as he repeated the itinerary for the sixth time.

"Arrive on stage... Smile... Clap in all the right places... Read from script... Don't deviate from script... Don't talk to anyone else.... Leave stage... Do you have any questions?"

"Did you manage to get hold of Agent Scott?" she asked again.

"Err... as I said earlier, I'm afraid Agent Scott is rather... busy and cannot be called away from his position at this late stage." Joshua, checked his wrist watch again.

"But..."

"Right," he jumped to his feet, "it's time, let's go."

Hannah bit down on what remained of her thumbnail. She was just going to have to play it by ear and hope that the right things happened at the right time. Summoning up the strength to get off the chair and stand, she took a deep breath.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, Hannah. Just relax and enjoy yourself. It's not every day, that you get a chance to make history."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she muttered and followed Joshua out of the room.

Having navigated the stuffy warren of dimly lit corridors, Hannah welcomed the bite of cold, fresh air as they exited the building. Down a covered set of stairs and then along an open passage way, their footsteps echoed off the high walls. She was surprised that the frenetic beating of her heart didn't have an echo of its own.

"How long ...," she began, but was drowned out by several thousand people cheering ahead of them. She covered her ears, yet the noise was so loud and so immersing, it seemed to vibrate her entire being. She stopped and yearned to turn on her heels and run from it as if it were some giant beast in pursuit.

"We are an enduring nation. We have fought together, suffered together and have had to make huge sacrifices together and yet we still prevail. There are moments in time where change comes whether we will it or not and this country of ours has had many such times."

Briggs' voice rang out as the crowd noise quietened and the cheering echoes slowly died away. The beast, she realised, wasn't in the passage with her, but was beginning his oration on the stage. It had begun.

"And now, for the good of our nation, we must embrace change again, to protect that which we hold so dear. Sacrifices will again be required of us, but I know, with your unwavering support, this nation will thrive."

The audience responded louder than before as Hannah and Joshua reached the end of the passage with their armed escort. From where they were positioned, they were below the level of the stage, but still covered from sight. Even though she was hidden from the crowds, she could feel their collective presence as easily as she could hear them. The hairs on the back of her neck and her arms seemed to tingle in response to the potent energy all around.

"Many years ago, my forebears responded to cataclysmic events by beginning on a path to rid this society of its costly imperfections, to build a new world---a world where the worthy and not the meek would inherit the earth. This approach has allowed our society to once again flourish, while around the world, other less enlightened societies are still ravaged by the incessant drain on resources, of political division and blighted by social chaos. These societies long for the order and calm that we enjoy here.