Love Bug by H.E. Goodhue Page A

belt that fed the x-ray machine, Eldritch couldn’t help but notice that his Em-Pak was chirping away like an over caffeinated sparrow. The guard on duty appeared to notice as well.
    “Everything okay, Mr. Eldritch, sir?” the guard asked as the assemblyman’s belongings were put into the machine.
    “Okay?” Eldritch snapped. “Are you seriously that ignorant? No, everything is most certainly not okay , you moron. There are Reds within our city walls, the virus has resurfaced and the Emos have stepped up their terroristic activities. So no, you jackass, it is not okay!” It was risky to call the guard’s bluff. But Eldritch was not known for his tolerance of underlings and he couldn’t let on that he was here to overthrow the ERC.
    “S -s-sorry, sir,” the guard stuttered, holding his hands up in apology, his own Em-Pak beeping now. “I just meant that…I mean that I…”
    “You meant what?” Eldritch growled. “That I should waste what precious little time I have to save our citizens and everything we hold dear to tolerate your asinine line of questioning? I should have you transferred to one of the outer cities so you can see firsthand just exactly how not okay things are.”
    “No sir. I mean, yes sir. I mean…” the guard tripped over his own words. “My sincerest apologies, Assemblyman Eldritch. I was completely out of line, sir. Please forgive my ignorance.”
    Eldritch took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as if considering the guard’s request. “Yes, of course. Just doing your job, right? No fault in that, I guess.”
    “Yes sir. Yes sir. Thank you , sir.” the guard answered quickly as he handed Eldritch his shoes and briefcase, never once having looked at the x-ray machine’s viewing screen.
    “Good man,” Eldritch smiled as he patted the guard on the shoulder. “You’re right to be cautious. That’s what you’re here to do. Never know who can be trusted these days.”
    “Right you are, sir,” the guard nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
    Eldritch slipped back into his shoes and began walking towards the elevator. Thus far, his plan had gone amazingly well.
     

 
    -19-
    The days in the Emo camp were peaceful and calm. Cora spent more and more time with her grandfather, Samuel, who was nothing like the stoic, cold visage she had been taught to worship by her father. Samuel was everything that her father wasn’t and Cora found it difficult to comprehend the connection between the two.
    “I just don’t understand how you could be his father,” Cora said. “How can my father be your son? It just doesn’t make sense.”
    “Cora,” Samuel said fondly, a warm smile on his face, “life is never so simple. It’s never that black and white. I thought that it was, when I was younger and foolish. That line of thinking is what led me to create Em-Paks. It seemed logical at the time that if emotions were causing the virus, removing emotions would keep people safe. But we didn’t understand enough and made a rash decision. People wanted an immediate solution, one that they wouldn’t have to work for. The Em-Paks worked, but I never intended them to be a permanent solution.”
    “But then why do we still use them?” Cora questioned. She had spent many days in the hospital tent relentlessly questioning her grandfather. Any other free time was spent with Remmy learning to control her emotions or exploring the woods.
    “Because the ERC saw them as a means to control people,” Samuel said, his face darkened and aged with sadness. “I don’t know, maybe I should have seen that someone would, but I just wanted to save people, to keep them safe from the Reds.”
    “Didn’t you say anything?” Cora pressed on.
    “Of course,” Samuel smiled, but all the usual glee in his expression had vanished. “Even with an Em-Pak, I could understand the logical argument for slowly weaning the citizens from their Em-Paks. I reported my findings directly to the ERC Council.”
    “And?” Cora