CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Earth. A murky purple mist swirled about some shattered tree stumps that spotted promontory. A white helicopter was hovering there as it lowered an angular, cylindrical object. It was a large capsule, shiny green in color. Its surface was smooth but for the panels set in its nose. A few people were standing on the promontory. All wore anti-radiation suits over their normal clothing; Mich, watching the lowering capsule, guided it down with hand signals. Ant, not doing anything much as usual but there anyway, looked around at the desolated landscape. He found it a little bit spooky. “This sure is,” he commented to the air as no one was listening to him, “the end of Planet Earth! Future zero!” Off to one side, Lady Em and O had their heads together, talking quietly. Lady Em looked up at him with a trifle uncertainly. “I never was his mistress, that was just his idea of a way to become popular.He hated women.”O smiled, a little surprised but pleased all the same. “I used to keep news clips of you,” she went on as she lowered her gaze, embarrassed. “Kept them under my pillow when I was a teenager. Silly, huh?” O’s eyes flew wide open. “You kept clips of me?” It was his turn to look embarrassed. “I used to keep photos of you in my wallet.” They looked at each other in sudden understanding. Their hands reached out and touched. Meanwhile, the capsule grounded, the helicopter had landed. Mich disengaged the cable and together with Ant, wrestled the cylinder into position. Unhooking one of the panels, Mich switched on a camera unit and recorder. He turned to signal O. “You’re on,” he hissed. Gently, O took his hand from Lady Em’s and softly touched a finger to her mouth.Her eyes were brilliant as she smiled at him. Stepping into line with the capsule’s camera lens, O braced himself to speak. “A few of us labored together to make this capsule so that those who may follow will know how your planet was murdered and why.” He swept his arm to indicate the devastated terrain. “This desolation was the result of forming a police state. When populations are restless, unwise governments seek to oppress. And the more they oppress the closer they bring a revolution. Foolish governments seek to prevent revolution with more oppression. And they die. “But part of the fault for this must be shared by the Europa. They let an executive branch grow bigger and bigger and let it act to antagonize and alienate the people. To that degree Europa betrayed the people who elected and trusted them.” He looked down and raised a hand to tick off a finger as he made each point. “Before the other planets are also destroyed, Europa has got to reform the school system so -they stop teaching kids they are animals. Then it has to get the police to realize they are responsible for public safety, not just nabbing people they don’t like. Europa will have to pass a bill abolishing the whole evil fraud of repressed creativity.” O gazed intensely into the camera lens, as if willing a result of duplication and action to occur if, when, Earth ever was reborn, re-civilized. “Do not attempt to form another police state for then your planet will die again. “The mistakes of the past were ours. The future is yours.” With that, O essayed an easy salute.
A stray wind blew a wisp of purple fog between O and the capsule and the screen went blank.
THE END.
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