by KJ Griffin
***
After the first burst of fire from the Press Gallery, James McPherson spun round and opened up with the AK47. It was not a weapon he had ever fired before, so he emptied a generous portion of the Kalashnikov's 30-round magazine into the Arab in the Gallery just to make sure, holding on long enough to hear the bastard groan and drop.
There was no sign of the other girl up in the Public Gallery, but McPherson wasn't going to bother flushing her out. He had the advantage of the knowing the terrain and he would use the billowing clouds of dust still wafting in from the direction of the Central Lobby to take the circuitous route to safety. Crouching low and listening hard, he made his way along the 'Aye's' lobby towards Star Chamber Court.