Chapter 17
Epilogue
The bodies of two security men lay dead astride the entrance to number 10 Downing Street. Inside there was more evidence of the fight they had put up in defence of their First Minister. The plush carpets were stained with blood.
Terry had left most of his team outside to ensure there would be no attempted assault from the rear. He greeted John and turned to Mal ‘get some medics over here and let’s clear this place up. We wouldn’t want the public to see this mess on Gregory’s TV debut would we. Oh, and, by the way, there are four more in the gardens and two in the room at the rear of the house.’
Terry looked at John and nodded towards the door where he knew Garside would be. ‘Go on, this is your time John we’ll be right behind you when you call.’
He took a step forward and was stopped by the TV technician. ‘Before you go in there Mr Judge, let me attach this to your lapel.’ It was the tiniest of cameras anyone of those present had ever seen. ‘Modern technology Mr Judge, there’s been some enormous advances in the last 15 years. We will see and hear everything from this side of the door. I promise nothing will be broadcast without your say so. You can decide what is put out to the general public.’
John reached the door to Garside’s stateroom, slowly turned the heavy brass handle and pushed it open. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Garside sat in his leather bound chair facing the window. With his back to John, he said ‘well Mr Judge you finally got here. I wondered how long it would take.’ He slowly turned and faced his adversary. ‘So what now? Are you going to kill me or drag me out into Parliament Square and have me hung?’ He was smiling mockingly.
‘No Garside, I’m going to arrest you and see to it that you are punished for all the crimes you have committed in the last 12 years.’
Garside laughed. ‘You really think you can do that? I am expecting General Carsforth to inform me at any moment that his troops are currently rounding up your rebel army and putting them to the sword. I will eliminate you Mr Judge just as I have got rid of every other idiot that has tried to oppose me.’
‘You mean like Gerry Small, you did a good job on him. What was it like destroying a man and his family?’
‘You know nothing Judge. I built this country up from an anarchic, crime ridden rubbish tip to a crime free, vibrant economy. If it hadn’t been for me, we would still have riots on the streets and criminals flouting the law.’
‘Then you turned it into a corrupt cesspit. You didn’t care about this country or its people. Garside, only yourself.’
Garside lifted his right arm from beneath the desk to expose a Beretta handgun and pointed it directly at John. ‘When the military gets here they will find that I have killed the notorious terrorist John Judge. You see Mr Judge I knew you would eventually try to get to me, but I was prepared, unlike Henry Mason, who I assume you have disposed of.’
‘No, Mason is still alive and will be tried for his crimes just as you will be. He has been very helpful and informative about you, primarily to save his own neck. So, tell me, it was your idea to destroy a good man like Gerry Small wasn’t it?’
Garside smirked ‘I didn’t really care about how it was done; I left it up to him. I just wanted rid of the upstart. But Mason would have told you that wouldn’t he!’
John continued ‘your assassination squads worked well too. It must have been very satisfying for you to just snap your fingers and wipe out any opposition at a stroke. What was it that turned you into the murdering tyrant that you’ve become? Was it money or power?’
‘That’s an interesting question and as you’re not going to live much longer I guess I can be open and honest with you’ he replied sardonically. ‘At first the money kept rolling in from the greedy investment bankers and entrepreneurs especially those from overseas. They saw opportunities for vast profits in this country and I gave them the opening, for a fee of course. Then I realised just how much power I had and it was getting stronger each day. I had people falling over themselves to do business with me or just be in my good books. So, to answer your question it was both money and power. But when you have as much money as you will ever need, power is what gets you out of bed in the morning. The adrenalin that flows through you knowing that you can do whatever you like is like a drug. You can never get enough of it. Just like now the power I can exert over you with this weapon makes me feel quite euphoric.’
‘Did you not care about what was happening to the old, the vulnerable and the poor? I saw old people die of the cold because they couldn’t heat their homes, children go hungry and the only way the sick could get medical help was if they paid for it. Did you not care about that?’
‘In a word, Judge, no.’ Garside said with a sneer. ‘The old were a drain on the country’s resources and if kids went hungry, it was because their lazy parents couldn’t be bothered. And as for the sick, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.’ He paused with a sigh and said, ‘I’m actually getting tired of this little chat so it’s about time we ended the conversation.’ He aimed the pistol at John’s heart.
‘Before you do anything stupid Garside I would like to inform you that Carsforth will not be coming to your aid. There has been a coup by his Colonels and he is under house arrest. I suspect the military have decided they’ve had enough of supporting a tyrant. So you are finished Garside. The people are now back in control of their country and you can go to hell.’
‘You’re a liar’ he screamed. Steadying his aim, he was about to pull the trigger when Terry burst into the room. The sudden movement and noise distracted Garside as he fired a shot at John hitting him in the right side of his chest. He was slammed back against the wall with the force of the bullet and was bleeding badly. Terry fired one shot at Garside, killing him instantly.
Terry rushed over to John ‘where have you been hit, let me have a look.’ Terry frantically tried to undo John’s jacket to assess the wound. ‘Get medics here now’ he shouted. John pushed his hands away and said weakly, ‘leave it, Terry, it’s no use. Just get Greg and the TV people into a room so that he can make his announcement.’
Terry was panicking at the sight of the amount of blood John was losing. The TV technician rushed over with a first aid kit. Terry ripped the package open and found gauze and bandages. He pushed them hard up against the gaping wound in an attempt to stem the flow of blood. John was weakening.
‘Where are those bloody medics? Get them here now.’ Terry shouted to no one in particular. He just wanted someone to help his friend. ‘Don’t you bloody croak on me John; we’ve been through too much together to break it up now.’
John half smiled and tried to speak. He suddenly saw Marie in the room. ‘What the hell. How did you get here?’ he said in a whisper.’
‘Who?’ Terry asked looking around. He could see no one.
John was looking past Terry’s shoulder. ‘Marie, it’s so good to see you, sweetheart. My darling you look more beautiful than ever. I’m so glad you could be here with me. Come and sit next to me’ John patted the floor by his side and then raised his hand reaching out to touch her. His eyes closed and his head fell slowly to one side. He was smiling.
Terry cried out ‘no, no. You stupid bastard, you’re not allowed to bloody die, I won’t let you.’ He cradled his lifelong friend in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
Gregory Harper decided to wait until medics were able to see to the dead before he would complete the task John Judge had set him. Everything Garside had said to John during their conversation had been filmed and he wanted to use it all except the shooting.
Graham Johns came rushing in. He had deliberately sighted himself on the fringe of the action and was quickly on the scene. He introduced himself to Gregory Harper ‘I’m Superintendant Johns where is Judge?
‘I’m the leader of the Interim Government my name is Gregory Harper. John is in there’ he said pointing to the Stateroom. ‘I’m afraid to tell you that he has been shot and has not
survived. We’re waiting for the medics. Terry Bayliss is with him now.’ Greg had watched everything unfold on film.
Graham stepped inside and saw Terry clutching his friend’s lifeless body. Graham’s face was etched with sadness as he stooped to kneel beside his stricken friend. He gently stroked his friend’s face and said ‘you did it, my old friend, you did it.’ After a short time he said, ‘leave him now Terry, let him be.’ He unfurled Terry’s arms from John and helped him stand up. They left the room together. Terry looked back just before the door entrance and saw the peaceful almost tranquil expression on John’s face.
The medics had arrived and were busy doing their job so Terry, Graham and Greg found a quiet room and sat in silence for quite some time.
Greg was the first to speak. ‘Gentlemen before I speak to the nation there are one or two things we need to establish. Firstly, we need to arrange a meeting with the new military leaders. We must have their support. I think that you Terry should try and make the first contact. The Police I believe may be a serious threat to what we are trying to do and there needs to be a major overhaul of culture and practices. I want to fulfil a promise I made to John earlier and that is that you Graham should become our new Police Commissioner. He firmly believed that you were the only one who could get things sorted out.’
Graham responded ‘I know John had great faith in me, but I’m not sure if I could pull that off. I’m not senior enough and there would be tremendous opposition.’
‘You are senior enough now Graham and I will be announcing your promotion during my message to the people. As to the opposition you may experience, we should remind those who oppose you, for whatever reason, that my colleagues and I have been given the authority by John Judge the Commander of the Free Army. They will have an opportunity to vote against us in a truly democratic electoral process in a very short time. In the meantime, they are to do the job they are paid to do. Your job will not be easy but if you can gather the right people around you, then I’m sure you will prevail.’
The TV technician put his head around the door ‘we’re ready for you Prime Minister whenever you are.’
***
Gregory Harper didn’t have the make-up staff or special lighting or cue cards, in fact, he looked dishevelled. But he spoke from his heart with sincerity and emotion.
‘Today a major breakthrough was achieved by John Judge and his soldiers who have fought for our freedom for the last 10 years. As a result of their sacrifices, my colleagues and I are able to represent a new Government, a new way forward. We do not pretend to have any particular political persuasion, our objective is to follow the path John Judge and many of his brave men gave up their lives to realise. That objective that idea was to achieve a free, fair and just society. One that cared for the vulnerable and each other.
My name is Gregory Harper and I will not promise the extremes of the previous regime. That regime was eradicated from our society today. What I will promise is that there will be a democracy once again. We have been working underground with John Judge and many volunteers for the last 6 years to bring about a charter that future Governments and we will abide by. We will enshrine what we have called the Peoples Charter in every city in the country, in every school; college and university so that everyone can read it, adopt it and live by it.
There will be laws to protect workers, the elderly and the sick and vulnerable. Our Police force will become a force of the people and for the people. They will be supported by a strong judicial system. There will never again be an opportunity for one man or group to have power and control over you. I will now take this opportunity to ...
Terry Bayliss listened with pride to what was being said as Greg started to elucidate elements of the charter. He didn’t need to hear it all; it had been gone over with John so many times. He turned away with a mix of feelings. There was a heaviness in his heart because John could not be here for this moment yet at the same time he was overjoyed at what he was hearing. Terry remembered John’s words from many years ago. He walked out into the street and looked up into the night sky. He knew that tomorrow he would realise John’s dream; to feel the warmth of the sun on his face; stand free and without fear. Tomorrow the people would also realise that dream.
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