Member
Congress Building, Chihuahua City
The room was filled with the light murmurs of conversation. It was near time for the day's session to end and there was a lull in the proceedings. Overall, it had been a productive day. They had reached an agreement regarding raising taxes on incoming trade. It was one of the last issues left keeping a budget from being passed. As a result, almost everyone was left in a good mood. At last, a man rose from his seat and walked to the front of the room. He was one of the representatives from Oderña, a town which was receiving a good chunk of the extra tax money generated. He would be the final one addressing the group as a whole today. He stood behind the podium on the platform and, once the group had quieted, began to speak. "Today we have come to consensus on the issue of taxing incoming trade. I would like to thank my fellow congressmen for accepting and enthusiastically supporting this tax increase. The taxes collected will be very beneficial in improving the lives of citizens all throughout Nuevo Chihuahua. I believe that with these extra funds we'll be able to..."
Gabriel Méndez was not paying full attention to what the man was saying. On days like this, the last speaker usually just summarized the day's accomplishments. Today was no different. He had already seen what happened. He was quite active in the discussion over the last few days. In fact he was one of the congressmen to propose the change. Nothing he heard was anything new to him. Méndez took a quick glance to his side. A few rays of lazy sunlight were entering the room through the windows to the left. To his right, a wall filled with old portraits of past Mexican leaders. Men, and a few women, were seated all around him in chairs similar to his, arranged in a semi-circle around the podium. He was seated in the back slightly to the right of the podium. As the speech droned endlessly on, his thoughts began to wander, only paying half attention to the words he heard. His mind was filled with thoughts of his wife and children back home. He rarely saw them due to the nature of his work. He checked the clock on the wall. Quarter to six. They were ending earlier than usual. I'll be home for dinner tonight, he thought to himself with a smile.
The speaker was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The room fell silent as every head turned to stare at the panting young man in the doorway. He was clutching a folder filled with papers in his hands. A barely audible "Message for Congress" escaped his lips as he strode up to the podium. He handed the speaker the report, then collapsed in a chair to catch his breath. The congressman's eyes bulged as he read, not once leaving the paper. After he finished, he took a deep breath and faced the group. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he said solemnly, "I am afraid that I have to announce some tragic news. You should all know of the incident with army outpost Renaldo. We lost contact with it two days ago. At first, we believed this was due to a technical problem. However, the scouting party sent to investigate discovered the remnants of a battle. The outpost was attacked and its armoury was ransacked. No survivors were found but there are still 12 missing. Search parties have been sent to explore the surrounding area. May we catch the sons-of-bitches that did this." Gasps could be heard around the audience as the severity of his words sunk it.
It was going to be a long night.
The room was filled with the light murmurs of conversation. It was near time for the day's session to end and there was a lull in the proceedings. Overall, it had been a productive day. They had reached an agreement regarding raising taxes on incoming trade. It was one of the last issues left keeping a budget from being passed. As a result, almost everyone was left in a good mood. At last, a man rose from his seat and walked to the front of the room. He was one of the representatives from Oderña, a town which was receiving a good chunk of the extra tax money generated. He would be the final one addressing the group as a whole today. He stood behind the podium on the platform and, once the group had quieted, began to speak. "Today we have come to consensus on the issue of taxing incoming trade. I would like to thank my fellow congressmen for accepting and enthusiastically supporting this tax increase. The taxes collected will be very beneficial in improving the lives of citizens all throughout Nuevo Chihuahua. I believe that with these extra funds we'll be able to..."
Gabriel Méndez was not paying full attention to what the man was saying. On days like this, the last speaker usually just summarized the day's accomplishments. Today was no different. He had already seen what happened. He was quite active in the discussion over the last few days. In fact he was one of the congressmen to propose the change. Nothing he heard was anything new to him. Méndez took a quick glance to his side. A few rays of lazy sunlight were entering the room through the windows to the left. To his right, a wall filled with old portraits of past Mexican leaders. Men, and a few women, were seated all around him in chairs similar to his, arranged in a semi-circle around the podium. He was seated in the back slightly to the right of the podium. As the speech droned endlessly on, his thoughts began to wander, only paying half attention to the words he heard. His mind was filled with thoughts of his wife and children back home. He rarely saw them due to the nature of his work. He checked the clock on the wall. Quarter to six. They were ending earlier than usual. I'll be home for dinner tonight, he thought to himself with a smile.
The speaker was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The room fell silent as every head turned to stare at the panting young man in the doorway. He was clutching a folder filled with papers in his hands. A barely audible "Message for Congress" escaped his lips as he strode up to the podium. He handed the speaker the report, then collapsed in a chair to catch his breath. The congressman's eyes bulged as he read, not once leaving the paper. After he finished, he took a deep breath and faced the group. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he said solemnly, "I am afraid that I have to announce some tragic news. You should all know of the incident with army outpost Renaldo. We lost contact with it two days ago. At first, we believed this was due to a technical problem. However, the scouting party sent to investigate discovered the remnants of a battle. The outpost was attacked and its armoury was ransacked. No survivors were found but there are still 12 missing. Search parties have been sent to explore the surrounding area. May we catch the sons-of-bitches that did this." Gasps could be heard around the audience as the severity of his words sunk it.
It was going to be a long night.
