Second Life: A Second Chance

From the Lost Children (VII)

 "Undertsood, sknac-arg. Oyi liw raug ol. Sknac-arg gantra," I say, having reached an understandable conclusion with the secretary of transnational transportation of the Mississippi Channel.

The green colored cube shuts off immediately after, with the hologram's blue light immediately collapsing onto itself inside the cube's tiny bulby slit. I sigh in exhaustion following the end of the long holo-chat.

"I just made history," I quietly whisper to myself. 

Even though the entire notion might sound a bit crazy, the importance of my role in finalizing the transportation deal will forever cement my role as one of the first unification leaders motivated on a long term plan to eventually re-unify the two North Americas, both physically and politically. Never has there ever been such a strong move aimed at re-unifying both North Americas since the creation of this Nation nearly two hundred years ago. Furthermore, with the upcoming land bridge that both Nations will work to install in the following years to come, North America will eventually be physically connected once again.

Having put the cube away in its respective desk drawer, I begin to feel a slight irritation loom over me. I receive a slight vibration sound from the blinking black glass button found at the lower rightmost edge of my maple colored wooden desk. I move my right hand to the button and press down the surface only slightly. Having made contact with the button, do I see a blue hologram appear before me from the desk's center surface. A woman appears in the blue projection ahead of me, wearing light colored clothes and dark colored lipstick on her face. 

"Goodun, Ma- Ma'am!" I greet attentively. 

I hate it when she calls. The woman projected on the hologram before me is none other than the one and only Sorelyn Osmeri de Cerque, the most influential human in the entire western hemisphere, addressing me in her usual condescending manner. I desire so much as to have an opportunity to murder her in cold blood, but I am unable to do so based on fear of retaliation, so I must do as I am told.

"Hello again Mercedes. I need you to do an important task for me today," she announces loudly. 

"Yes ma'am. What is it?" I ask respectfully.

"Cancel the new road development project," she sternly orders. 

My jaw drops almost immediately upon hearing of her new demands. The once present irritation I had prior to the appearance of her hologram quickly sours into nothing short of angered frustration.

"But why ma'am? It took me several hours to have negotiations ready between I and the secretary of transnational transportation of the Mississippi Channel. If this has anything to do with Goozon Icon Valle, I beg you to allow me the chance to ignore their position on the threat to national security cancelling the project may pose. Surely there is a better way to address Goozon Icon Valle beside cancelling the road project, is there?" I ask patiently, ignoring mightily all urges to lash out at her. 

"This has nothing to do with Goozon Icon Valle, as these are my orders. Now do as you're told Mercedes. Don't make me ask again." 

"No, please! I worked hard for this deal. I refuse to obey. I put a lot on the line for this project. Please allow me to carry on with this task, just this once, please," I implore Sorelyn.

Continuously behaving poised yet appearing highly bothered, Sorelyn moves her eyes to directly face mine, staring straight at my pupils from the projection.

"Well now, would you like me to pay a visit to your biological son then? I could deny you a chance of meeting him properly, as with the flick of a finger the truth of your past could be revealed to him, and remember, the evidence against you is so plentiful that once it is revealed to him, suicide will be the only option considered, possibly even attempted."

"Please, I love him very much. For the sake of Ai'nala, please don't," I desperately beg Sorelyn, kneeling to the ground almost immediately, showing my willingness to fully comply and accept her orders. 

"Remember your faults. No one asked you to birth a son, but you did. No one asked you to leave The City, but you did. You could have merely died in The City, but you didn't.No one asked you to murder your son's lover, but you did. The price you paid for all your doings are proof of my great doing as you are kneeling before me unharmed, as the sixteenth prime minister of the Nation. Regardless of our un-mutual feelings on the matter of your life faults, this will wait have to wait for another day.

Need I remind you how powerful Goozon Icon Valle is? Constructing the road project will only give them more leverage than they should have against I. Remember the big picture you silly girl. Any advances made through or by them regarding inter North American progress will lead them to plant and sow the seeds for a civil disagreement between all citizens. We mustn't have that, EVER," Sorelyn adds, sounding both disdainful and irritated by my words. 

"But how will this affect my rule? They are an already autonomous district within our borders," I respond naively, unknown to me of the greater ramifications that are to come if I go on with the road project. 

"Well, since you have already forgotten, I will remind you again of how this will affect your rule. Since Goozon Icon Valle is a semi-autonomous district within the Nation, and any opportunity of them having a possible communication with the enemy Nation will result in a coalition aimed at toppling your government. The rats at Goozon Icon Valle do not care about you and less for I, as they merely want to feed their own egos with more freedoms not deserving to them. You and I put in a tremendous amount of work for this Nation and I will not allow you to allow them to topple you so easily. They will destroy you the second they get the chance. They are out for freedom and for your blood. Do you not realize this?" Sorelyn chastises me.

"No ma'am," I say, realizing that what she is saying is completely accurate. The fools at Goozon Icon Valle would love nothing more than to see my head on a wooden spike. 

"I have to depart now. Please do not forget to cancel the project. Need I scold you again, I will have you replaced. I mean it," Sorelyn threatens, before her hologram disappears into thin air.

"Oh fuck me, what have I done," I whisper to myself embarrassingly. 

"Madam?" asks the Secretary of Intel promptly, following the end of my holo-chat with Sorelyn. The woman secretary calling to my attention from the door is standing near its rightmost edge, dark haired, light brown skinned, freckled from head to toe, wearing the usual garb of a white collared shirt paired with black colored lower body wear.

"What is it?" I bitterly moan from across the room. 

"There is an important incident that I feel you must be informed about at this very moment," she announces to me, appearing very emotionless as she looks downwards to the floor, several feet away from my position.

"Can it wait? I would like to have a drink," I direct her. 

"Madam, I am sorry but it cannot. It is an important matter that must be addressed by you and your authority only," she rebuts, seeming very worried at my response. 

"Out with it girl," I command her, not giving a complete d+amn about what she has to say as I struggle to process what Sorelyn has revealed to me mere minutes before. 

"An Ottawan airvehicle was shot down by the Quebec's Defense Anti-Satellite Program at the mouth of the Nation's northernmost border. Four hundred of the Nation's citizens, including numerous female and male children, have all been lost or severely injured due to the impact caused by the airvehicle crash." 

My eyes light up with further frustration. I have to address the Nation yet again. These attacks are severely ruining the people's trust in national security.

"Horrid beasts, could you send an alert to the press that I will be out with a message in a short bit?" 

"Yes ma'am. At what time exactly will you be ready?" 

"Make it ten minutes, I need to compose a quick message. Nudoog," I tell the secretary of Intel.

"Nudoog madam!" she responds back, saluting to my presence before leaving to alert the press.