Page 33 of No Time Off

I quickly got dressed and had just started throwing stuff into our suitcases when Slash spoke. “The airport is closed. Temporarily, supposedly, but we’re not going anywhere soon.”

“So, what are we going to do?” I asked.

A knock at the door jolted us both. Slash and I froze, our eyes locking in a silent, tense exchange. After a long moment, Slash strode to the door, still shirtless, peering through the peephole. He glanced back at me over his shoulder, his expression worried. Without saying a word, he opened the door.

Rangi slipped inside. Slash glanced out, ensuring no one else was around, before closing the door behind him.

“We’ve got a problem,” Rangi said, his voice low and urgent.

“No kidding,” I said. “I just saw the prime minister’s would-be assassin on television, talking to a policeman. He’s not even locked up anymore. What’s going on?”

“We’re in an extremely dangerous situation,” Rangi replied.

“Where’s the prime minister?” Slash asked, his tone steady but eyes sharp.

“Safe…for now. The police aren’t stopping the armed men in the street who appear to be celebrating the resignation of the prime minister and threatening anyone who isn’t agreeing with them. Fortunately, there don’t appear to be many of them, but they have guns when very few of the populace do. It’s suspicious, to say the least.”

“So, the prime minister resigned?” Slash asked.

“Of course not,” Rangi said. “They have forcefully taken over the government and the prime minister has gone into hiding.”

“Who isthey, and why aren’t the police protecting the prime minister?” I asked, incredulous. In a country without a military, the police were the last line of defense.

“We’re not sure who they are yet, and the police is not protecting her at the moment,” Rangi said. “Not en masse,anyway. She does have a few trusted police officers, and they’re her security…for now. For how long remains to be seen.”

I looked at Slash, whose expression seemed inscrutable, although I noticed the tightening of his jaw.

“The rebels have hacked into the media and now control the television, radio, and even several official government social media accounts. I fear her house is next. In fact, I’m surprised they haven’t approached her residence yet. They’ve already arrested some of her allies and are rounding up anyone who is protesting her resignation.”

“She shouldn’t stay at her home,” Slash said. “They know where she is, and if her security isn’t sufficient, the rebels will break through in no time.”

“She’s no longer there,” Rangi repeated. “She’s safe, but she needs your help. Desperately.”

Slash stepped over to the bed, pulling on a shirt and buttoning it up. “That’s not possible. We’re just tourists here, Rangi. We have no diplomatic immunity, no official capacity, and no way to help you or your country. I’m not sure we’d be allowed to assist even if wewerehere in some official capacity. I’m sorry, but this is a sovereign matter. The US typically doesn’t get involved in coups, especially ones where their international security is assured by one of our allies.”

“The prime minister is officially requesting aid from the US,” Rangi pressed on. “Her communications, personal and official, have been cut off, with the rest of us in the government. But yours hasn’t…yet.”

“If they control the media, why haven’t they taken down the internet yet?” I asked. “Slash was just trying to get us a flight out, and that’s how we saw the airport was closed. So, we know it’s still working.”

“This is just my personal speculation, but I believe they want to project an image of normalcy. My sources tell me Liko Maivia, currently the commissioner of police, is somehow involved. I suspect whoever planned this didn’t expect the prime minister to survive or be in any condition to resist after the assassination attempt. They had to quickly move to plan B, and it wasn’t very well thought out. I am sure they didn’t want to project the image of thugs running around with guns and instead, envisioned a quiet takeover of key locations and a calming message of peaceful change. But they had to act quickly. They might have felt taking down the internet would signify something more than just a peaceful exchange of power. Besides, they need the internet to get their false narrative out to the populace that the prime minister has resigned and they are merely stepping forward to ensure continuity of government.”

“Why now?” Slash asked. “Why initiate the coup right now, so soon after the assassination attempt? It seems sloppy.”

“I think you interrupted their plan,” Rangi replied. “If the prime minister had been assassinated or even incapacitated, these coup plotters would have slid in a new and supposedly ‘approved’ interim prime minister, and no outcry would have happened.”

“You messed up their timetable,” I said to Slash. “They had to pivot to stick to their plan. But that doesn’t answer why.”

“I don’t know why,” Rangi said, lifting his hands. “Not yet anyway.”

“This has the Chinese written all over it,” Slash said grimly. “What’s the prime minister doing right now and why is she coming to us? Hasn’t she contacted officials in New Zealand?”

“She has, not directly, but through intermediaries. The problem is her official email account has been used to falsely notify the New Zealand authorities she has resigned and turned the government over to representatives who will be contacting Wellington shortly. When she gets word to those same officials through unofficial channels that she hasn’t resigned, it will put them in a tough spot. For now, they’re just waiting to see how this plays out.”

“So, right now, the internet staying up seems to be the only thing going for you,” Slash said.

“Well, that and you. Again, she’s formally asking for you to make the request to the US on her behalf and relay our side of the story.”

Slash frowned, running his fingers through his damp hair. His frustration was evident. “I already told them what we talked about last night. This coup, Rangi, is something entirely different. It’s way over our heads. Seriously.”

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