Chapter 69

Bert had always had a purpose. He had been focused on the fight against the OWG for as long as he could remember. As a teenager at school he had become aware of the way the labour class were treated and he had campaigned to change things ever since. He had rarely had time for leisure and recreation.

When he had worked on farms he had partaken of the odd glass of scrumpy cider. Bert had been young and fit then and had not been that interested in alcohol. In America he had been fighting to stay alive before becoming involved with the gang of thieves. Someone had stolen some crates of wine and he had taken a few bottles to try. Yes, he liked that very much.

People in the labour zones made beer and cloudy wines. There were stills for making spirits. What was produced was rough and unpleasant so not a big draw for him. Now that he was living in a leadership town the liquor was of a much better quality. He had started off drinking wine, but had progressed to whisky once he had tried it.

He would buy food and necessities from the shops in town. The bottles of whisky were now bought with increasing regularity. He liked the fact that it was fairly expensive. It made him feel decadent and like a real member of the leadership class. Bert had even purchased a couple of crystal tumblers to drink from.

What made him drink? There was occasional pain in his leg from the break, but he could not blame his imbibing on that. He was often bored and having a tipple filled his time. It helped him forget that he had become soft and complacent. It helped him find an excuse for his failure to find Dan and Serena.

He did not drink with any of his leadership friends. There were too many skeletons in his cupboard which could come tumbling out if he became drunk. He had bought two glasses, but had never used one of them. Bert would sometimes drink a beer with the other men in the flats, but his real boozing was done alone.

The drinking was often accompanied by thinking up plans. The plan to overthrow the government. He never got far with that one. The plan to find and kill Dan. That was always put off to the next day. The plan to get Serena for himself. There was a nagging thought in hi head that she might not want him, but he dismissed that.

Just one more. That is what he would tell himself. It was difficult to sleep now unless he had polished off half a bottle each night. In the morning he would stare at his red eyed reflection and promise that he would not do it again. He lied to himself every day. As he spent more money on whisky he had to change to a cheaper brand.

"Are you alright Bert?"

"Fine, I've got a bit of a cold."

His boss was peering closely at him. Bert went to the toilets and attempted to tidy himself up. There was a stain on the front of his jacket and his hair was a bit wild. He dampened it and tried to tame his curls. He scrubbed at the stain and got most of it out. He would have to make more of an effort to cover his tracks.

His hands would shake sometimes. At some point he discovered that a few nips of a morning helped him recover and steadied him. He was losing weight as he did not find the time to eat or shop for anything other than whisky. Bert had been on a couple of dates with a girl from a wealthy leadership family. Lately she had not been available when he had telephoned.

"I have called you in here today to talk about your work."

Bert sat opposite his manager who was frowning in that concerned, but slightly annoyed way. He kept his hands in his lap in case they started shaking.

"You are slipping behind on your paperwork. Your appearance has been going downhill too. I can smell the alcohol on your breath from here. You are an intelligent and capable man when you want to be Bert. Don't put me in a position where I have to demote you or get rid of you. Pull yourself together."

He had nodded and apologised as appropriate. He must do something because he needed his job. Bert had to have money so that he could stay in the leadership town. He had to be able to finance trips to District 31 to find Dan. He had to be presentable when he found Serena. He had to have a wage so that he could buy more bottles of whisky.

The world was carrying on with its business and Bert was caught in a bubble filled with alcohol. He didn't watch the television much. He didn't read a newspaper. The OWG Times had always been pretty boring. He was vaguely aware that there was a new paper, which some of his colleagues read, but he didn't bother.

It was not until he got to his job at the depot that Bert learned what was going on. He had not been sleeping well as his mind turned over all the ways that this life had been unfair to him. Working and living in a leadership town had made him weak and complacent. He was going to make changes and get the job done. The job being Dan.

He had drunk whisky the night before, despite his efforts not to. To compensate for his haggard appearance, he had put on a clean shirt and tie. He was oblivious to that fact that they were worn with a grubby creased suit. Bert was shuffling, half-heartedly, into work, but he was roused to action by the scene before him.

As he went into the warehouse a mass of labourers was crowded around a crate. They were jostling for position so that they could see something. Bert paused, but was then called by one of the clerks with whom he worked.

"Have you seen the Military Times? Come on, I've got a copy."

He was practically jogging to the stairs and then running up them taking two at a time. The atmosphere in the place was electric. Something of note was happening and Bert wanted to be a part of it. His colleague presented the newspaper with a flourish and stood back to watch Bert's reaction.

The pictures on the front page were astonishing. Each one had a note underneath to identify which one of the ministers was featured in a compromising position. Bert flipped the page. There were more photographs. The mountains of food on the groaning tables. The scantily clad waitresses being manhandled. More minsters in flagrante delicto.

Back to the front page. He read the editorial and its rousing call to action. It was all there. Bert could hardly believe what he was seeing. Someone had put together a plot to bring down the OWG.

"Well, what do you think? Look at that dirty bugger Salter. He's with a boy."

Bert stared at the clerk. He had not spoken and apart from the turning of the page he had barely moved. He ought to ask some questions, but he could think of nothing. He found his voice.

"What's happening out there. Who knows about this?"

"There's been telephone calls from abroad which means the paper with the photographs have reached there. The Military Times is distributed around the world. Someone with power and influence has worked hard to make this plan work."

He also learned that the people in the labour zones had stopped work and were heading for District 31.

He scanned the articles in the paper more closely. The editorial had the name of it's author proudly printed below the headline. "By Daniel Ellis." Bert had to stifle a sob. That bloody man again. The phone was ringing and his co-worker lifted the receiver.

"Hello, yes I've seen it."

He had to get out of the office. Bert made no excuse, he simply got up from his chair and walked out of the door. He made his way through the warehouse past the crowd of workers who were not going to be doing anything today. When he reached the outside, he took big gulps of breath.

The revolution had started and he was not involved. After the work he had done, the connections he had made and the lives he had taken, he was now excluded. Bert wanted to be happy that Salter was finally going to be overthrown, but he was finding it hard. Someone had stolen his glory.

He wanted to be at the centre of the action. He set off towards the station, but found a horde of people heading in the same direction. He went to the main road and stuck out his thumb. He would hitch a ride on one of the OWG lorries. He held up a, five pound note to ensure that someone stopped for him. It did not take long before he was on his way to District 31.