Wicked Messenger by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Chapter 14
SHOOTING VICTIMS RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
WOUNDS FROM SMALL CALIBER GUN SUPERFICIAL
DAllAS DAILY TRIBUNE, 7-6-2058. The three victims of the Independence Day, Deely Square shooting were released from Lovelace Dallas General Hospital last night. Doctors called the wounds “substantially surface with more blood loss than anything else.”
The two men and a woman, whose names were not released, are members of a group which claims to be from the planet Eli.
Though doctors did not confirm or deny this claim, they did say that each victim was imbedded with a chip, with which they were unfamiliar. They did not know its purpose. Hospital management said that none of the three were covered by any kind of medical insurance and gave no home address or place of employment on this planet.
Reading from a prepared statement, Public Relations Director, William Spinoza was quoted as saying; “We were morally obliged and happy to be the Good Samaritan, no matter where the people are from and no matter their skin color. We wish them well. To our stockholders we would like to assure that every collection effort will be utilized ..............”
Robby Allison was escorted from the Dallas Municipal Detention Center by two plainclothes cops and discharged into a cheering throng of backslappers. Their hero was released with all initial charges dropped, as his lawyers successfully argued that there was no law against shooting aliens. The prosecution had to quickly accept that their initial charges were erroneous, but then tried to counter with the fact that Dallas had a law against shooting dogs, and that the Elis should at the very least have the legal status of canines. They did not prevail.
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The short, rotund man with two days of unshaven beard growth laughed and smiled as forty onlooking, somewhat unkempt and disturbed looking men called for a speech. A few waved the Dallas Daily Tribune at him. Robby nodded obligingly, each nod in rapid succession to the previous. He held his head down and kept his lips pursed in his best imitation of important men he had seen on TV. He elevated himself to a rickety position on a discarded wheelchair sitting next to a waste disposal bin.
He said; “I know. I know. I’ve seen it. Tells me three things. These “Elis” are tough. ........... But, they’re not as tough as we Americans.” He waited for and received the customary applause and whistles. “Tells me that if you’re an unemployed foreigner you get free medical care in this country. But, if you were born and raised here you pay through the nose.” He heard people call back; “Damn straight,” “******* A,” “******** is what it is,” and other undecipherable comments in the same tone, if not vein. “Tells me that we’re going to have a bunch of aliens after our jobs.” The response to this was a bit tenuous and muted as much of the audience had no job prior to the alien arrival and couldn’t initially reconcile how you could take something from nothing. However, the spirit or spirits were upon them and they worked their way up to polite applause. “Tells me that we’ve got a whole lot more work to do.” As Robby stepped off the wheelchair, it rolled resulting in more of a stumble
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than a step. This last aphorism was greeted with resounding yells of approval and applause. Most took this as a call to shoot more Elis. The few reasonably sober had a second thought.
How do we tell them from dark skinned Americans? Two deep thinking skinheads followed the second thought with a third;
“What’s the difference?”
ROBBY ALLISON RELEASED
ALIENS LEGITIMATE TARGETS
DAllAS DAILY TRIBUNE, 7-6-2058. In a move which caught the prosecution with their pants down attorneys for local boy, Robby Allison, pleaded him not guilty in the shooting of three Elis.
While they admitted Allison shot three, they said the victims were not human and that any laws against assault with a deadly weapon, or shooting someone in general specifically apply only to members of the human race.
The prosecution was not able to counter that point. Instead they attempted a circuitous approach, saying that Dallas does have an ordinance against shooting dogs, and that Elis should have at least that much protection. They also said that there is no proof that the victims are from the planet Eli, and until such proof is presented that they should be treated as human.
Judge Emil Nitrate ruled that dog laws apply to dogs, and dogs only, and chastised the prosecution for using the word “dogs”
when the statutes specify “canines.” He went on to say that if the victims say they are from Eli, we have to accept that that is where they are from, until proven otherwise. He ordered Allison released, all charges dropped, at least until the prosecution can supply compelling evidence that the victims are from the planet Earth.
Allison was released from Dallas Municipal Detention Center to be welcomed by an all-white male support unit. He briefly spoke to the backing group, receiving cheers from the forty ........
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The plane landed at Dallas International Airport and immediately after exiting, Preacher Alvin Blunt was shown the paper by reporters hoping for a potty-mouthed, rude reaction.
They were not disappointed as Blunt’s first reaction was to incredulously say; “Shee-it.” While reporters were then content as they had tomorrow’s headline; “BLUNT’S FIRST REACTION TO
DALLAS- SHIT,” the Preacher continued to speak, saying; “Things are a bit backward here. A couple of niggers get shot and the burden of proof is on them to prove that they are human. What kind of nonsense is that? So, now I suppose that if a racist white kills a black, it will be a legitimate defense to say; ‘He told me he was from Jupiter,’ while the poor ass ****** ******
was talking about his home in Florida. We got some serious work ahead of us here. The first business will be of a legal nature.
Suits will be filed pronto.”
A reporter said; “What good will lawsuits do? You need the legislature to pass laws.”
The Preacher blustered; “I’m not a lawyer and neither are you. It’s obvious to me that some laws have been broken, or, or, or need serious clarification. I’m going to let the mechanics figure out the mechanics.” He turned to Elston Hughes, POCKET
Chief Attorney and said; “No offense, brother.”
Elston smiled and scratched his eye with his right middle finger.
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The Eli migration continued on schedule as the compelling logic was that; 1) They was no question that they had to leave Eli; 2) Earth was the only other place they knew with a suitable environment; 3) Staying small, all groups excepting the first, would probably remain undetected; 4) The leaders really didn’t care if a few Elis were sacrificed, as they would still have the bulk of their constituency; and 5) No one knew a better alternative.
On Eli, Zeus pondered the issue, as he had no intention of living the rest of his life small. He had been a big man all his adult life. Childhood was another matter best reserved for those of the psychological persuasion with a bullying specialty. He wanted assurances from the US president, himself, but didn’t know how to reach him. He assigned the task to a few flunkies.
As President, Zeus, in effect, dictated policy without consciously thinking about it. He assumed the US President could do the same.
In New York City Joshua read of the news in outraged liberal dailies. He hung out in open air restaurants and coffee shops trying to get a taste of the “Big Apple.” He was extremely depressed over the events and perhaps for the first time started to see the intricacies involved in merging two different
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species. He thought back to Becky and Grandpa and couldn’t imagine the types of events being reported happening if they were involved. Was this the nature of power itself? Elis only escaped by fooling people with neutral controllers, supported by the “silver bullet” happy Peace Corps. A thought disturbed him;
“Were Becky and Grandpa the way they were merely because they had no power?”
He went to a discount store and purchased a cell phone for cash. He had to talk to Becky and Grandpa and risked putting them in jeopardy by calling. Grandpa answered on the first ring.
“Hello.”
“Hello. This is Joshua calling from Manhattan. Sure is a ways from Esperanza.”
“Yeah. The snakes wear suits and the stars never come out.”
“Don’t like the place?”
“It’s fine for some, but not me. I always preferred something natural.”
“You never heard of Central Park?”
“Didn’t they turn that into a condominium development the last time they went broke?”
“No. ....... Maybe along the edges.”
Grandpa said; “Money, money, money. That’s what the whole place is about. One of the last paintings he did Warhol just
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painted a dollar sign. ....... And he got loads of dollars for it.”
“You should have been an artist.”
“Ah, I should have been exactly what I am; a story telling old fart sitting on the porch. So, how have you been? Get robbed yet?”
“Only by the hotel and restaurants. But, that’s legal, right? What’s new in Esperanza?”
“It’s been raining off and on for three days now. There are some things growing out here that I’ve never seen before; century plants. Give some people severe allergic reactions. Been reading the news.”
“Pretty bad, huh?”
“Could be better. But, I’ll tell you that back in ’39
things looked a lot worse. We almost got into a to do with the Chinese and plenty of them are here.”
“What happened?”
“Same old crap really. Our economy headed south and people blamed the Chinese imports, their violation of trademarks and copyrights and their interference in the ‘free’ money markets.
It all worked out when the economy turned around. Chinese leaders promised to pursue those ignoring the trademarks and copyrights and that they haven’t and never will tamper with the
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money markets. They also put out innuendo that they could make the yen the world currency if pressured.”
“Did they really do any of that?”
“Hell no. Were you born yesterday?”
Joshua smiled at what he considered a role reversal and said; “What’s going on now has me worried.”
“What did you expect? A seamless transition for millions of aliens? You’re supposed to be the calculating Eli. That’s pretty naïve.”
“It’s good talkin’ to you man. But, be careful about that
‘alien stuff.’ Political correctness has dictated that Mexicans who unlawfully cross the US border be called ‘Without papers.’”
“It’s funny how that stuff goes. Way back when, when the Italians first came to America, lots of people said they were without papers. The acronym ‘WOP’ was used. Do you know that till this day if you call an Italian a ‘WOP’ they’ll get very angry with you?”
“Weird.”
“Hold on. I know you want to talk to Becky and she’s got lots to tell you. I’ll get her.”
A few seconds elapsed. Then he heard; “Joshua!”
“Becky, hi, I miss you.”
“Miss you too. What have you been doing?”
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“Wandering around Manhattan, trying to figure out what all that is about.”
“Money, silly. I know you were going to ask, so I’ll save you the trouble. I’ve been watching a lot of movies and I’m more convinced than ever that I can be a great actress. The biggest star today is Joelle Van Dyke and I’m better than she is right now. I saw this one where she plays a crazy mother. No third word. She sits, wearing a veil and spouts ponderous, cryptic things like; ‘Upon adolescent circumspection one sees the inevitability of funereal amusement.’ Like, no ****.” Becky giggled and continued; “Pardon me. I can do better than that and I haven’t yet reached adolescent circumspection.”
“You’re priceless, Becky. I called because I needed to hear some sanity and I sure got it. Tell me, do you think the weak are more morally inclined than the strong, precisely because they are powerless?
“Of course not. We have the ultimate weapon. We are powerful. Grandpa has the ‘silver bullet’. We didn’t go obliterate everyone we dislike; though we easily could have.
...... And gotten away with it too.”
Joshua was glad he called as he felt replenished with the wisdom of simplicity. He asked her impressions of other movies and actresses she had seen and was rewarded with an enthusiastic, detailed account of seven. When she ran out of
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breath, he said; “You’re great. You really are. I’m going to have to call more often. Gotta go now.”
“You’re going to keep us out of trouble, right?”
“Promise.” He clicked off, smashed the cell phone and threw it into a street receptacle.
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