Page 93 of No Time Off

Then, the moment came. The crowd parted as Liko Maivia, with the pin containing the image of the jeweled coat of arms of the Cook Islands on his lapel, marched into sight with several police officers accompanying him, including some Chinese ones. One of the cameramen zoomed in on the pin, and there were some audible gasps from the crowd.

“Prime Minister, you are under arrest,” Maivia declared.

Petra, who was still being held by police on each side of her, cocked her head at Maivia, looking puzzled. “For what, exactly, am I under arrest?” she asked.

“For…” Maivia started, suddenly realizing he hadn’t thought this through. “For resisting arrest. For spreading propaganda.”

“For telling the truth, you mean,” Petra said. “For exposing your Chinese-backed takeover. I did not resign, nor did I agree to relinquish my position as prime minister to you. You forcefully took it, with the assistance of the Chinese, and when I escaped your arrest, you had to make up fabrications to account for my disappearance. You are a traitor and a disgrace to the Cook Islands by falsely wearing that pin, which has been peacefully passed down for generations. I neither presented it to you nor believe you are worthy to wear it. But now the truth is out there, Liko. What are you going to do about it?”

His face flushed with anger. “I’m going to put you where you belong. In jail.”

He turned sharply on his heel, and the police officers started to follow with Petra in tow. But members of the crowd suddenly moved to form a protective barrier between her and Maivia.

“Do not let them take your spirit or your independence,” Petra cried. “Stand up for the truth.”

The crowd began to shout and protest.

“Stand up for the truth!” one of the protesters cried, and the others began to echo her, their voices blending and rising to a roar. “You won’t take our spirit or our island!

Suddenly, the mood and energy began to shift. The crowd began to shout in a frenzy, and they closed in tight around the police officers. Someone threw something, a piece of food, perhaps, that knocked off the cap of one of the police officers. It was quickly clear they were going to have an impossible time taking the prime minister anywhere.

We were seconds from an ugly explosion of mob violence when I noticed the kid who had stood guard outside the television station had stepped away from the rest of the police officers.

“Slash, what is that kid is doing?” I asked, pointing him out on the television. “That’s the kid Paul recognized. I think he said his name was Aolani.”

“I remember,” Slash said.

“What’s he doing?” I asked in a hushed voice.

Aolani had been positioned behind the prime minister, but now he came around to the front and wiggled his way in front of Petra. His hand hovered at his side, and then, to the shock of everyone, me included, he unclipped his gun belt and placed it on the ground in front of her feet.

“Release the real prime minister,” he shouted, lifting a fist in defiance.

“Holy crap,” I said. “This is getting real.”

We were riveted to the screen. The two women in the room gave audible gasps. Slash put his arm around me, pulling me in close. For a few heartbeats, I held my breath.

Then, one by one, the other Cook Islands police officers began to follow suit. Their weapons clattered to the ground, each one laying down their weapons and gun belts. When the police officers holding Petra let go of her and did the same, Maivia realized he was left with just the few Chinese cops. When those Chinese police officers turned and pushed their way free of the crowd, Maivia stood alone.

The chanting grew and the crowd tightened until Maivia was forced to turn and face Petra. After a long moment, he unfastened the pin on his lapel and gave it to Petra without a word.

Petra shot her hand in the air, holding the pin, and the crowd erupted in cheers. In our room, everyone let out huge sighs of relief. I was in awe at what I’d just witnessed.

The power of the people.

“Wow,” I said. “I don’t even know what to say. That was really scary and beyond cool at the same time. We saw a revolution unfold right before our eyes.”

“We did, indeed,” Slash said and smiled.

We all started cheering and hugging each other in our little room, including the two women we didn’t even know. Familiarity didn’t seem all that important at this historic moment in time. We had all just shared something exceedingly special, and that created a bond that made hugging and familiarity appropriate. The roars of the crowd from outside, and the cheers coming from inside the station, shook the very foundation of the building.

I planted a big kiss on Slash’s mouth, laughing and cheering on my own. Because, right now, in our world, all was finally right.

FORTY-FOUR

Jiang Shi

Jiang Shi’s eyes were fixed on the television screen in the office, his fists clenched at his sides. His forces were inept. Maivia’s idiots hadn’t brought the internet down or broken into the station to grab the prime minister yet. Supposedly, some of his own police officers were getting the electricity shut down to the building, but it hadn’t happened and now it was too late. Incompetent work from the lot of them.

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