“You’ll lose your job over this,” the guard promised. “What were you thinking? That’s the president of the country you just put at risk. She could have been a sniper. This is a serious breach of security. Come on ma’am, you’re leaving before we all get busted. I’m going to have a real word with my men about this. It’ll be a wonder if we don’t all get fired.”
“I’m not going,” said Malia. She didn’t even know why it was she said it, it was totally irrational, but she was feeling irrational. She had the feeling that if she left the sight of the president she wouldn’t believe what she had seen. She wanted to be sure. Even while watching the breathing machine at work she could hardly believe it.
“Look ma’am, we’re trying not to make a fuss about this because it would be an embarrassment, that doesn’t mean we won’t if it is a choice between embarrassment and the president’s safety,” the guard told her. His hand was already on his radio, which was right next to a gun Malia observed. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would go so far as to shoot her but it seemed unlikely. Her mind was starting to clear a bit. She was now able to think at least a little. Enough to reason that shooting a gun right behind a stage the president was speaking on would cause a lot of problems and panic. Surely the guard realized that.
“I have no interest in endangering the president, but I do think that the public should be made aware of the fact that he is a liar,” Malia said waving her hand at the breathing machine. “I intend to tell them as soon as I can. I see no better chance then this event.” Malia was shocked by her own words. She had no sooner thought of the idea then she had spoken it. By the look on the guard’s face he wasn’t amused.
“Do you think you can blackmail us so easily?” he asked angrily. “You will be sworn to secrecy just like the rest of us before you leave here. I might have forgotten if you hadn’t just said that. Do you know the results to the government if you go around making announcements like that?”
“He is misleading the public,” Malia shouted. “He deserves to be shown for what he is.” The guard sighed and took up his radio.
“We have a situation behind the stage,” he said into it. Malia thought about running. But she had already stood her ground to long to back down now. She was just going to have to deal with it. Well she wasn’t going to fight though. That would be useless and who knew what they would do if she did. When she was surrounded and asked to surrender she instantly put up her hands, though she argued the whole time.
They searched her for weapons and, finally getting tired of her constant rant they took away her glasses. Malia hardly even noticed. She was so angry by now that nothing was going to stop her. She had wasted so much time practicing breathing and speaking without her glasses thanks to the lies of a government official that at least she was going to put it to some use. Finally she stopped, when she realized they had stopped moving and everyone was staring at her.
“What?” she demanded.
“Why do you care if someone has been lying about being able to breath without glasses, when you can ma’am?” asked the head security guard. He was looking at her with honest respect. “How did you learn how to do that?”
“I practiced every night because the president said that it could be done,” Malia said. Even as she said it she realized that the lie didn’t matter, not in the slightest. It was possible to surpass the human limit. She didn’t even complain when they had her sign the vow of secrecy. It had been a long day.
I really liked how that ended! I had been wondering all along where it was going.
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