Several days had passed since the governor’s statement. Joan and Sally had organised the largest protest in Sapey’s history. Over forty thousand protestors had gathered in the streets of the Capital City. They were demanding the closure of all Alset operations in the North District.
Meanwhile, the Hat Lady was meeting James at a warehouse he was converting into a laboratory.
‘What do you think?’ asked James as they walked into the entranceway.
‘It’s very basic, and I doubt it’ll be big enough,’ replied the Hat Lady as they entered a corridor.
‘It’s the biggest I could find,’ said James, sounding frustrated. ‘Besides, pharmaceuticals are just going to be a business on the side. The real deal is entertainment.’
‘It’s about mass production, silly,’ said the Hat Lady as she rolled her eyes. ‘You don’t need to invent, discover, or even test anything. Demadrian has already done the heavy lifting.’
They entered into a room. In the centre of the room was a trolley containing vials of the blue juice as well as the new serum. The rest of the room was empty.
'So we are suddenly able to mass-produce this stuff,' exclaimed James, gazing at the Hat Lady with a puzzled expression on his face. ‘Even if we can, you haven’t even convinced me we even should.’
The Hat Lady opened her bag. She pulled out several drawings and a notepad.
‘There are a few organic components to the blue juice and serum,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘Demadrian brilliantly invented a method and a machine that can rapidly grow these components. I took the liberty to document everything about this method and his machine.’
‘Do you really think you can recreate Demadrian’s work?’ scoffed James.
‘Yes, I’ve already built one machine,’ said Hat Lady as she looked at James sternly. ‘I’m merely following notes. I want to test it out here.’
‘We still need to be careful,’ said James. ‘Selling this stuff would make us rich, but we could be creating our own competition if everyone else became super smart.’
‘We’re not selling the blue juice,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘We’re selling the new serum. We won’t be selling it to the public directly. We’ll be selling it to the Government, which will be giving it away. The super smart babies won’t be a threat for at least a decade. By then, you would be untouchable.’
‘Well, the Government is going to be very rich soon,’ chuckled James. ‘Coin production is going very well indeed. We’ll be sending them out to the local branches of the Economic Institute in a matter of days.’
Meanwhile, on the streets, the protest had grown even larger. They were chanting, ‘Take the North back’, ‘End Alset rule’, ‘We’re all equal’, and many others. Some were banging on their drums. Many others were waving banners and flags. Even some celebrities had joined in.
Yensid Media was closely covering the protest. A journalist approached Joan, who was near the front of the protest.
‘Tell us what you aim to achieve today,’ asked the journalist.
‘We aim to send a message to our Governments and the Alset Company,’ shouted Joan. ‘You have no right to abuse anyone. You have no right to experiment on babies. You have no right to hold Linap as test subjects. You have no right to meddle in elections through coercion. We want to see an end to Alset operations in the North District. They have gone too far to be trusted ever again.
‘Shouldn’t you just let our Government and Alset resolve this on their own?’ asked the journalist.
‘Democracy is about the power of the residents and not the Government,’ said Joan firmly. ‘Protesting is as important to democracy as voting. We are showing that we can exert power and we can hold anyone to account for their actions.’
Locum and Jenna were watching the protests in Locum’s bedroom. Locum was sitting up in bed, and Jenna was sitting on a chair by his side.
‘What do you think we should do next?’ Locum asked his granddaughter.
‘We need to address the public,’ said Jenna. ‘Our silence on all these matters is not helping us.’
‘What do you propose that response be?’ asked Locum as he struggled to speak.
‘I say we give them what they want,’ she said as she reached out to hold her grandfather’s hand. ‘All their grievances are relevant.’
‘I can’t just give up the North,’ said Locum as he bowed his head slightly. ‘Some of our family members would find that intolerable. I fear how they might respond.’
‘It is the right thing to do, grandfather,’ said Jenna as she squeezed his hand.
‘No, it would be the fair thing to do,’ replied Locum. ‘We need a compromise. I suggest we auction all our property in the North District. The cruelty ends, and Hadrian can add more coin to the vault.’
The protest continued into the evening. The pressure mounted for the Alset Company to respond to the demands being made. Hadrian Alset agreed he would make a statement on his father’s behalf.
Hadrian and several other family members assembled outside the front of the mansion. Locum remained in his bedroom. He did not have the energy to go down. Jenna remained by his side as they watched the television.
A small media team had arrived to record Hadrian’s statement. The large television had been rolled out into the city square in the Capital City. The protestors were eager to hear what Hadrian had to say.
‘Good evening to all,’ said Hadrian. ‘I would like to make a statement on behalf of my father. He’s in very poor health and is unable to make the statement himself.’
Hadrian turned to look at the family members who had come out in support. He then turned to look at the camera. A slight smirk appeared on his face.
‘I have recently lost my dear younger sister,’ said Hadrian as he bowed his head slightly. ‘My son is missing. My father, who is the head of this family, has little time left. My family and I are filled with grief and pain.’
Hadrian looked back up at the camera and said, ‘Everything you have is because of my family. We have given you technology. It has allowed you to enjoy so many wonderful things. Pound Ball, music festivals, movies, and many more. How many lives has our technology saved? The medicines and equipment in your medical facilities came from us. The vehicles to transport you safely around towns and between cities came from us. Even your silly little democracy was based on an essay from my niece.’
The protestors in the city became agitated. Some of them started booing.
‘Instead of coming out and thanking us, you come out demanding we give you more,’ said Hadrian as anger grew in his voice. ‘You demand that we give up our home city because of something that cost the lives of my own family members. You’re all ungrateful and disgusting. I despise every one of you.’
The protestors’ anger grew. They booed significantly louder.
‘Despite all of that,’ said Hadrian as he sighed, ‘I’m here to relay a message from my father. I will honour his word and his wishes. I’m here to announce that all Alset-owned assets in the North District will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.’
Hadrian abruptly turned around and stormed off into the mansion.
The protestors erupted in excitement. The mood had completely changed in an instant. Joan began a chant, ‘Democracy Works’. James was sitting in his lounge. He was feeling very content. He saw this as a great opportunity to acquire as many Alset assets as possible.
Hadrian stormed into Locum’s bedroom.
‘Thank you, uncle,’ said Jenna. ‘I know it must have…’
‘Get out!’ shouted Hadrian at Jenna in a furious tone.
Jenna quickly got to her feet and left the room.
‘It’ll be fine,’ said Locum calmly to his son, ‘we’ll be able to manage things better when operations are concentrated in Carrington.’
‘You’re old and weak,’ said Hadrian firmly. ‘It’s time you stepped aside to let me run the show.’
‘I’m old and dying, but I’ll keep going thanks to you,’ said Locum. ‘I need to decide who shall be a worthy successor.’
‘I’m your eldest son,’ said Hadrian angrily. ‘I’m your successor. That is the Alset way.’
‘You’re not fit to run this family or our company,’ said Locum. ‘The anger you spouted today proved that point.’
‘I’ve only ever been loyal to you,’ said Hadrian as tears welled up in his eyes. ‘Why do you scorn me so?’
‘I love you, son,’ said Locum. ‘I spare you the burden of what you cannot handle.’
Hadrian walked around to the other side of the bed while keeping eye contact with his father. He grabbed the pillow placed next to Locum.
‘Tell me, this conversation shall never leave this room?’ demanded Hadrian.
‘It looks like you want to answer that question yourself,’ said Locum as he watched Hadrian hold the pillow above his head.
Hadrian stood leaning over Locum as he held the pillow up. He desperately wanted to push it down over his face but found himself unable to do so. Locum just gazed up at him with a blank expression on his face.
After holding the pillow up for a few moments, Hadrian slammed it down hard on the bed.
‘I’m done with you,’ shouted Hadrian as he stormed out of the bedroom.
Jenna was just outside the door. Hadrian gave her an angry look as he stormed past. Jenna rushed in to check on Locum.
‘Is everything okay?’ asked Jenna in a distressed tone. ‘That sounded intense from outside.’
‘Everything will be fine,’ replied Locum in a reassuring tone. ‘His anger will settle.’
Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time is the sequel to the book Sapien Loop: End of an Era. Sapien Loop: End of an Era is available on Amazon, in collection series on my 
