Chapter 88: Day of Execution
Pardi had seen Lily’s press conference on television. He was furious at what had taken place. The Linap were strictly forbidden from showing their true form in the presence of Sapiens. Lily had done it on live television. He also knew that she might face the death penalty based on the newly changed law.
Pardi picked up his phone and called Collingswaggle to obtain additional information about what had happened.
‘What’s going on with Lily?’ demanded Pardi.
‘Good evening to you, friend,’ said Collingswaggle. ‘She is on her way to the Capital Region to face her punishment.’
‘She just attempted to expose everything,’ said Pardi angrily.
‘Yeah, she did, and she failed,’ replied Collingswaggle. ‘Her own scientist went against her.’
‘That was obviously not her scientist, and you must be aware of that,’ said Pardi.
‘What’s really bothering you?’ asked Collingswaggle. ‘Her attempted betrayal of our species, her attempted attack on your solution, or her impending punishment.’
‘All of the above,’ replied Pardi.
‘You’ve always wanted to destroy her,’ said Collingswaggle. ‘Now she is destroyed permanently.’
‘I wanted to destroy her career,’ said Pardi. ‘I didn’t want her executed. You know we don’t kill our own.’
‘We also don’t reveal our true form,’ said Collingswaggle. ‘That alone should warrant death.’
‘We’ll meet in my office tomorrow,’ said Pardi before he hung up.
The next morning, Pardi called a meeting with Collingswaggle, a few other governors, and the Head Enforcers from West and the Capital Region. They met in the large office on the top floor of the Carvaress building.
‘I don’t see the point in this meeting,’ said the Head Enforcer from West. ‘The crime is obvious, and so is the punishment.’
‘This situation is far more nuanced than your tiny brain could ever conceive,’ said Pardi.
Both Head Enforcers glared angrily at Pardi.
‘Lily was one of the most beloved governors we have ever had,’ said Pardi. ‘She lost her seat as a representative because of an untimely scandal. However, she is still popular amongst many leaders of the House of Divine Knowledge, former representatives, and even current representatives. The group that stood with her on that day is a strong indication of that.’
‘There is one law for everyone,’ said the Head Enforcer from the Capital Region.
Pardi began to applaud. ‘You’re so clever. Would you like a gold star?’
The Head Enforcers shook their heads in annoyance at Pardi’s lack of respect for them.
‘If Lily is executed,’ continued Pardi, ‘there is a very good chance she will be martyred. Her friends and allies will call this a political attack on the current Government’s opponent.’
‘Then maybe the Government shouldn’t have made this law in the first place,’ responded the Head Enforcer from the Capital Region.
‘There’s nothing wrong with the law,’ said Collingswaggle angrily. ‘The problem is the implementation.’
‘That’s ridiculous,’ said the Head Enforcer from West. ‘She was caught live on television lying and spreading disinformation.’
‘Has it occurred to you that she was set up by the scientist?’ asked Pardi. ‘She could have believed the lies she was told. Then, on the actual day, the scientist spoke the truth.’
The Head Enforcer from West got up from his seat and stormed out of the room.
‘I propose you give Lily a chance to confess her wrongdoing. If she does so, you reduce her sentence from death to rehabilitation,’ proposed Pardi.
The other governors nodded in agreement.
‘Fine, we’ll do that,’ said the Head Enforcer from the Capital Region. ‘It’ll be a live confession on her day of execution. If she refuses to confess, the execution goes ahead as currently planned.’
‘Fine,’ replied Collingswaggle.
Pardi felt relieved but was still not satisfied with the outcome.
Two days later, Pardi visited Lily in the rehabilitation centre where she was being detained. She was kept in a separate part of the building from the other detainees and prisoners.
‘Have you completely lost your mind?’ asked Pardi angrily.
‘It is time to end all this,’ replied Lily.
‘I am ending all this,’ said Pardi. ‘In a generation, they will be gone.’
‘You speak like they are the scourge of the land,’ said Lily.
‘That’s the truth,’ said Pardi.
‘They aren’t much different from us,’ said Lily. ‘It is time the truth comes out.’
‘How can you be so naïve?’ said Pardi. ‘If they knew who we were and the truth behind everything, they would destroy us.’
‘Instead, we don’t even give them a chance,’ said Lily. ‘We go straight to wiping them out at the earliest convenience.’
‘Even if you were right, it’s too late now,’ said Pardi. ‘The solution is on its way to the remaining regions.’
‘Nonsense, I know you worked on something else that would reverse the damage caused by your solution. I know deep down you have second thoughts,’ said Lily as she stared intently into Pardi’s eyes.
Pardi abruptly changed the topic of the conversation. ‘I have some important news for you. We’ve made a deal to save your life.’
‘I’m guessing this deal involves me doing something,’ said Lily.
‘Yes,’ said Pardi, ‘on the day of execution, you will be given a chance to admit you were wrong. Tell everyone that the solution is safe, and it will save the lives of all who drink it.’
‘There’s another way you can save me,’ said Lily. ‘Tell them the truth about the solution. You know, it’s not too late.’
‘That would be catastrophic,’ replied Pardi. ‘Surely, you know that.’
‘Wiping out a whole civilisation is also catastrophic,’ said Lily.
‘They only exist because of us,’ shouted Pardi. ‘They were never meant to be here. Wiping them out is simply setting the record straight.’
Lily leaned forward as she pressed her head against the bars of her cell.
Pardi placed his hand on Lily’s. ‘Please take the deal.’
Lily did not respond.
‘Please take the deal,’ repeated Pardi more affirmatively.
Lily looked up at Pardi. ‘You go to such lengths to destroy me, and now you want to save me,’ said Lily with a tear in her eye.
‘I acted against you because you were in the way,’ said Pardi. ‘The greater good of our species must always come first and is beyond personal feelings.’
‘The “greater good”, the lie you tell yourself to justify your hatred,’ said Lily.
‘They took away everything from me,’ shouted Pardi. ‘My mother, my father, my wife, and my child.’
‘These were tragic accidents. None of this was a deliberate attack on you,’ said Lily angrily.
‘My wife, your sister, cheated on me with one of them. How much more deliberate do you want?’ shouted Pardi. He slammed his hand hard against the cell bars.
‘She would never do that,’ said Lily. ‘She loved you unconditionally. Your mind has warped these precious memories.’
‘DNA does not lie,’ said Pardi. ‘Her baby was part Sapien and no part mine.’
‘Why did you test the DNA of a dead baby?’ asked Lily.
‘The baby did not die,’ said Pardi. ‘I kept her a secret.’
‘What happened to her?’ asked Lily.
‘I made it okay. I have the twins now. They are her,’ said Pardi in a panicked tone.
‘What was her name?’ asked Lily.
‘Orcilla,’ replied Pardi in a softer tone.
‘You are definitely sure she was not your child?’ asked Lily.
‘I compared her DNA with my own DNA, which has been on file since I was a child,’ replied Pardi.
‘That’s the results from an old sample,’ said Lily.
‘Doesn’t matter. DNA does not change over time,’ said Pardi. ‘There’s no point talking about the past. I’m here to help you, and we’re running out of time.’
‘I’ll take the deal if you sincerely promise that you’ll stop lying to yourself,’ said Lily, as she looked Pardi in the eyes.
‘I promise I will,’ said Pardi. ‘Please take the deal.’
Lily nodded her head.
Several days later, Lily was taken out into the courtyard of the Capital Region Rehabilitation Centre. The courtyard was relatively small compared to the large rehabilitation centres such as the one in Cellrebrum. Lily stood at one end in front of a wall. A dozen enforcers walked to the centre of the courtyard. They were carrying large, heavy guns.
The media filled the area behind the enforcers. All the media companies were there. This included many of the regional branches as well. All of Sapey were watching this live. Nobody had ever been executed before. The media comforted the viewers by telling them that this was not expected to be an execution, as Lily was going to make an important statement.
Pardi was watching from his apartment. Even though he told the twins to stay in their bedroom, they insisted on watching with him.
‘This is so horrible,’ said Yassme.
‘It’s all for show,’ said Pardi. ‘Lily is going to confess her mistakes. She will be taken to rehabilitation for help. A few months from now, she will be out and about again.’
‘You better be right,’ said Yassmay as she glared angrily at her father.
The Head Enforcer walked to the centre of the line of enforcers. He gestured to the media for silence. He turned to Lily. ‘Would you like to make a statement?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I would like to make a statement,’ replied Lily.
‘Go ahead,’ said the Head Enforcer.
‘I have made a terrible misjudgement,’ said Lily. ‘I lied to all of you for selfish reasons. I am truly sorry.’ She paused.
‘Please continue,’ said the Head Enforcer.
‘If you let me walk out of here today, I will dedicate my life to putting right all that I have done wrong.’ She paused again.
‘Please continue,’ shouted the Head Enforcer.
Lily began trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes. ‘We are not the same. I am from a dying species that made Sapiens to be our slaves,’ she blurted out. ‘Now, we no longer need you. The solution is designed to gradually kill off all Sapiens so that my species can dominate alone.’ Lily shapeshifted into her Linap form.
‘Aim your weapons,’ shouted the Head Enforcer.
Lily looked at all the media standing behind the enforcers. They looked blank, like they were in some kind of daze. Lily looked straight at one of the cameras. She raised her hands to form a heart shape with her fingers.
The Head Enforcer shouted, ‘Fire.’
All twelve enforcers fired their guns at Lily.
Both Yassmay and Yassme began screaming as they watched Lily fall to the ground. Pardi leaned forward as he watched the television screen.
Yassme turned to Pardi. ‘You’re a liar, and you’re evil,’ she shouted.
Yassmay put her arms around her sister in an attempt to calm her.
The media channels returned to their studio teams. They began explaining how Lily used some form of black magic to create an illusion she could shapeshift.
Pardi turned off the television. He left the apartment to go to the laboratory. Yassme was still screaming when he left.
Pardi entered his personal laboratory. He helped himself to some of his hallucinogenic drugs.
Meanwhile, in Daily’s apartment, Orcille was sitting on the sofa with Daily.
‘What just happened?’ asked Daily.
‘Everything is coming to an end,’ replied Orcille. Orcille wiped a tear from his cheek.
‘What do we do now?’ asked Daily.
‘We leave. None of the regions will be safe,’ replied Orcille.
‘Then what’s the point in leaving?’ asked Daily.
‘We go and live in the wild centre like our ancestors did,’ said Orcille.
‘Sure,’ said Daily, as he pulled a weird face.
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