For what?

The sound of gunfire echoed across the battlefield, as Gavin led the charge to the next point of cover.

‘Forward, forward! To me!’ He cried, rushing past the wall where his unit was taking shelter. The rest of the motley crew of armed students and other men ran with him, some not fated to last the day, as they fell screaming, riddled with bullets. Beyond them, the imposing building of parliament house stood preceding over the events. Before them, the military were holed up behind a wall in front of the house, the last vestiges of resistance of the government.

But then, it finally happened. A white flag was raised, and the soldiers began to throw down their weapons.

‘Hold your fire!’ Shouted Gavin. ‘Their surrendering.’

His men complied, and ran forward to surround the remaining soldiers in front of the house. For a moment, all that could be heard were their footsteps, as they gathered around the soldiers.

‘Bastards!’ Shouted someone, holding up his rifle, seemingly ready to execute the defenseless man, but Gavin pushed his rifle down.

‘No, no more violence. We’ve finally achieved peace, let’s not throw it away.’

Not everyone was as merciless. Some slowly walked forward and embraced the soldiers.

But angry whispers were still audible.

‘Do you think it is these men, who were only following orders, who deserve to die, when the real enemy sits in the parliament, far removed from this hellscape? No, Claytons time has come.’ Thundered Gavin.

The rebels gave a loud cheer, raising their weapons in the air, as they marched past the military and into the parliament.

Still some complained. ‘Why did it take them so long to surrender?’ Shouted a ragged, dust-stained man at the back.

‘Why does it matter?’ Shouted someone else. ‘Let them join us as they watch Clayton’s downfall!’

More shouts of jubilation arose from the crowd, and the soldiers, their weapons abandoned, joined the rebels as they marched into the building.

Clayton was not hard to find. The main hall of the parliament contained the remaining members of his government, and he was standing at the back of the group.

‘I see our nations military is as useless as I expected.’ He muttered. ‘Listen to me Gavin, you need not kill me. See, I’ve surrendered… We’ve surrendered. Let us go.’

But Gavin was in no mood to parley. ‘You could have stopped this, you could have surrendered a long time ago, along with the soldiers who died out there defending you. It’s too late now.’ He turned to his fellow rebels. ‘I’ll tell you all what we are doing. Activate the public broadcast.’

Men gathered around the camera’s, which were pointed at Clayton and his men.

‘Today…’ Said Gavin. ‘You will be executed for crimes against the people of this nation who have risen up against you.’

A firing squad assembled, while the camera’s rolled.

Gavin stared down Clayton, his face grim and hard set. ‘Do you have any last words?’

‘Don’t do this! Don’t do this to me! I had everyone’s best intentions at heart!’ Clayton begged.

But Gavin raised his hand, then brought it down swiftly, and the gunshots echoed through the chamber, as Clayton fell.

---

Gavin Escobar sat on a parliament chair the next day, the hall empty, save for the crew of media who were conducting his interview.

‘So, tell us, Gavin. Now that Clayton and his government have been brought down, what will you do? There are many who say you should be leading the country. But there are also talks of you calling a general election, which you will not participate in. What do you say to this question?’

Gavin closed his eyes and exhaled tiredly. ‘I only did what needed to be done, and I will be the first to say, that I am no politician. The people should be free to vote. Let our country be ruled fairly. I only ask that my sacrifice, and those of all the people who fell standing by me, are not forgotten.’

The rest of the interview was brief. Soon after, the voting chambers were once again made active, and people lined up to cast their votes. Gavin’s heart swelled with pride as he stood watching the proceedings. Finally, they had overthrown the dictator, Clayton. At last, the country would be a peaceful democracy, and everyone would get their chance to have their say against tyranny and violence. No longer would people cower fearfully in their houses, wondering if they would be the next victims of the secret police.

The papers at the booths contained three different choices that could be made. The parties to choose from were the Blackshirts, the conservative party, the New Dawn, the progressive party, and the Coalition, who claimed to be the best of both worlds, and were known for their centrist position.

At the end of the day, the final broadcast of the election was made.

The smoothly dressed woman’s voice cheerfully sounded out the report. ‘Today we celebrate a new era, as Acroteria’s elections have finally been completed. The zeitgeist certainly seems to be one of optimistic excitement, and it is with some excitement ourselves, that we announce – that the Coalition has won the elections with 47 percent of the vote, while the Blackshirts and the New Dawn scored 23 percent and 30 percent respectively.

Parliament will hold session tomorrow, with the rebel leader, Gavin Escobar, being given his own seat at the proceedings in honor of his revolutionary work…’

---

The cool night air stirred around Gavin, as he sat in his house, drinking a glass of Cabernet, with some of his rebel brothers. He sipped his drink slowly, letting the others talk, while he ruminated on how things had turned out. His thoughts often returned to the blood-stained figures of comrades in arms who had died following him. The price had certainly been paid, and he found himself wondering, had it all been worth it?

His eyes turned to the figure of parliament house, visible above the city scape. Tomorrow he would see the fruits of his labor.

Truth be told though, he was tired. He would never forget the pain and suffering, never forget the anguished faces of the men who had died pursuing his dream. It had been a long and hard fought 3 years, and now all he wanted was to see a better world take shape.

He realized then that he was being spoken to. ‘Gavin, you seem troubled. We should be celebrating, and I see you staring off into the distance, your face haunted by some ghost only you are able to see. What’s wrong brother?’

Gavin sighed. ‘War is hell. Tomorrow we will all see what is to become of our nation, but whatever happens, I hope it is worth the lives of our brothers in arms.’

The man who had addressed him, regarded him somberly for a few moments, before raising his glass. ‘A toast then.’

He tapped a spoon against his glass, getting the attention of the rest of the men around them.

‘A toast to our fallen brothers, and to new beginnings.’

They clinked their glasses and drank, and the party continued for the next few hours of the night.

---

The cold light of dawn stretched out across the empty streets, the sun obscured by the grey of clouds. Gavin had risen early to arrive just in time for the first session of parliament. Inside, order was called.

The leader of the Coalition, Bill Smyth, addressed the house.

‘Gentlemen, it is with great thanks that we welcome Gavin Escobar to the first parliamentary session, knowing that his courage and bravery earned us the right to meet together to decide our countries future. And it is most agreeable that Gavin chose to leave the running of the country to those who are best equipped to do it.

To begin, we must decide how our government will be maintained. It is the will of the Coalition, that a small Tax increase will be instituted to cover the costs of government spending, especially to cover the costs of repairing our city, after the violent upheavals that have taken place.

Furthermore, we must find a way to ensure that government is safe from outbreaks of dissenters, and that we will be in power long enough to ensure that our changes can make it to fruition. So, I propose that we delay the elections for another 4 years, and that a military presence is continued around the parliament house, so that we are all free from fear and violence, and able to get on with our work…’

Gavin’s stomach began to turn, and the faintest signs of perspiration began to show, but he did not speak, waiting to hear what the rest of Bill had to say.

Bill continued. ‘I also propose that government spending to the military be increased by 40 percent, to rebuild what was lost in the civil war. In addition we will be reinstituting conscription, to make up the numbers of those who were fallen…’

Gavin could no longer remain silent. He stood up from his seat and interrupted Bill. ‘Gentlemen and Ladies of Parliament, I am shocked to hear that these actions which are being proposed, all go against the vision of a free society, which I fought long and hard for, along with my comrades in arms. Please I implore you, don’t do this to our country. Especially after this brutal civil war.’

Bill turned to Gavin, his face barely masking his distaste at the words that had just been spoken.

‘Gavin, we are merely ensuring that our government is able to function optimally. Of course, we are grateful that none of this would be possible without your brave actions, but you simply must let us do our job. I see that your naivety as to the way law and order must be implemented is causing you to object to even the simplest of propositions that we are setting in motion. I suggest that you leave the session, and leave the government in our capable hands.

In an instant, two security guards were at Gavin’s side, and he was escorted out of the building.

---

A month later, Gavin was seated at the burnished wood bar that he had spent so many years in, making plans for the revolution. Around him were some of the leaders who had together with him organized the ramshackle rebellion into the force that had taken down the dictator Clayton.

‘It seems that the government is passing worse and worse laws every day. I’m starting to wonder what we fought for.’ Said Clancy, one of Gavin’s most trusted men.

‘We certainly didn’t fight for this.’ Replied Gavin, his voice faltering from too much wine.

Clancy continued. ‘What can be done? We just don’t have the numbers we used to. And the military has only grown stronger. Besides I don’t know if our country can handle another uprising.’

Gavin looked down at the floor beneath his feet. ‘I don’t know if anything can be done. Perhaps all power corrupts those who wield it.’ He took another long sip of wine. ‘If you care so much, why don’t you do something about it. Me, I haven’t got it in me anymore. When I think of all the faces of the men who died… I just can’t bring myself to do it again.’

Seldon, who had been listening, spoke up. ‘There’s no question that you can do it again Gavin. You’re drinking away your pain in this miserable place. Actually, some of your best men have been trying to reorganize. We might have a chance. But there is no place for you among our ranks. Especially as you were the one who led us to this situation your in. We can’t have you tarnishing our image.’

Seldon got up, and so did the rest of Gavin’s men, leaving only Clancy at his side as they walked out of the bar. Clancy looked disdainfully at Gavin, who was taking another draught of wine from his glass.

‘Gavin, if anyone is going to do anything, its not going to be you. I’m sorry to see you like this. Sorry that everything worked out the way it did. I’m going to join Seldon and see if there’s any chance left for a better future. I’m sorry.’

He got up and walked away.

---

It was a month later that Gavin heard about the crushing of the second rebellion. Something snapped inside him, and he resolved never to drink again.

Instead, he found himself looking at the remaining weapons stash he had accrued in his house. He could no longer bear to stand by idly by and do nothing while his country fell back into tyrannical rule.

There was a rifle, and some explosives left over from the days of the first revolution. Perhaps he could make one last move against the government, not as a soldier, but as a vigilante. He would work alone.

---

The nightly news was on, and the reporter began to tell the last story of the night.

‘Today, the leader of the first revolution, Gavin Escobar, was gunned down in front of the parliament house. The government can confirm that he was attempting to blow up the building, but was quickly identified and dealt with.

The details of what lead the one-time leader of the revolution, to go against the government which he instituted, are not clear, but Bill Smyth, our president has assured the country that Gavin was beyond being reasoned with, and that his death was necessary to protect all who were in the parliament house at that time.’

With the news ended, the ‘Chef’s Challenge’ reality cooking show began to play.