The Dream Catcher Diaries

by Alexander Patrick

  Spider, Amos, Whitey and Mother were all taken into custody, and I was given the message I had been waiting for: a meeting with the PM.

  ***********************

  Euan stood talking to many people, people who all had a claim on his time and attention. But all the time he was speaking to them he was aware of things happening far away. Events were moving faster than they had ever moved before.

  He turned to Caliph at one point to ask a question and then mid sentence he paused and stopped. Caliph waited politely. Euan stood gazing around the mosque. He seemed to see all the people there at once, frozen in time. He took in all their pain, loss and grief. He soaked up their sorrow and understood; for just a brief moment what it was like to be Matrix. He saw into their hearts. The moment passed, exquisite and tender. It was but a brief moment, and then he breathed again.

  He turned back to Caliph. ‘I have the call,’ he said. ‘It is time.’

  Caliph understood; Euan walked out, and a little girl mourned.

  Chapter 102

  3 April 2040, Midnight

  I met the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition at an undisclosed location. We were taken in a soundproof van with no windows. All I know is that it took fifteen minutes.

  I went with the General, Euan and Stewart. It was only right that the full leadership should be present. I only wished Andrew could have been there too. In a way he was; we must all have been thinking of him.

  The room was cold and damp, low down in a house that was cold and damp. The atmosphere, too, was distinctly chilly. The Prime Minister, Mr Hughes, was sitting at a table. Next to him sat the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Ward. We were not invited to sit down.

  We sat down anyway. Stewart helped me into my seat. I didn’t really need help, but he was making a point, telling them something, telling them that this was not one man alone, but four united. The three of them sat round me protectively, scowling with their arms crossed in front of them.

  Hughes ignored them, at least he pretended to. I think it was quite hard to ignore three large long-haired men in full Brotherhood regalia. ‘You seem to have created something of a stir,’ said Hughes.

  ‘I seem to have created something of a revolution,’ I replied. He shrugged his shoulders. ‘The country has been brought to a standstill.’

  ‘The army will see to that.’

  ‘The prisons are under the control of the inmates.’

  ‘The army will see to that as well. They won’t last long. We will appeal to their basic instincts. We find it always works with that type. We’re already in communication with their ring leader.’ He smiled smugly. ‘Someone called Wallace.’

  ‘My brother,’ said Angus with a smirk. He’d been waiting for that.

  If Hughes was surprised, he didn’t show it.

  ‘Nothing is working,’ I continued. ‘Everywhere is closed. We’re in charge of the hospitals. All your schools, colleges and universities are shut down. The people are frightened to leave their houses. You’re running out of food and your power is in the hands of Bràithreachas – and we can switch that off at any time and, believe me, we will if we have to.’

  He glared at me.

  ‘As you say,’ I said. ‘We have created something of a stir.’

  Still he glared at me. ‘What do you want?’ he said.

  I glanced across to Ward. So far, he had said nothing, but he was watching and he was listening.

  ‘Justice,’ I said.

  ‘Meaning what exactly?’

  I raised my hand and Angus placed some papers in it. I passed them across to the Prime Minister. He glanced down at them.

  ‘Those are the details,’ I said. ‘But, broadly, we have four conditions that must be met before this little incident is cleared up.’

  I raised my fingers to check our points off. ‘First,’ I said, ‘treatment, rehabilitation and compensation for my people.’ I touched the Fabian mark on my neck. ‘They’re easily recognised, the small matter of a brand on the left cheek.

  ‘Second, a guaranteed amnesty for all those who supported the revolution – and that includes Matrix, the Blood Brothers and all members of Bràithreachas.

  ‘Third, a pardon for the leader of the Prison Support Team.’

  He looked startled. I felt Angus jump next to me.

  ‘I gave it that name. Do you like it?’ I asked.

  ‘You must be joking!’

  ‘Well, I must admit it lacks resonance. I don’t mind what name you give it.’

  His look was hard. ‘How about insurrection? Mutiny? A riot? Or perhaps criminal action by a gang of murderers?

  ‘I think you can do better than that.’

  ‘Are you seriously asking me to pardon a murderer?’ he spluttered.

  ‘No.’

  He looked startled again.

  ‘I am asking the Prime Minister to pardon a murderer.’

  ‘I am the Prime Minister!’

  ‘That brings me to my fourth condition.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Your resignation.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The man sitting next to you will be making the decisions, not you.’

  ‘You can’t dictate ...’

  ‘I won’t, I can’t, but you need to remember that there is only one man who the people now trust, just one man who they think should be Prime Minister and that man is Matrix.’ I looked from one to the other, making sure they were both listening and understanding. ‘I have decided that I have other things to do and so,’ I paused, purely for effect. ‘I have decided that you will call a general election. Now, Mr Hughes, you tell me whether the man who watched over the Final Solution of my people is going to be re-elected.’ I crossed my arms. ‘If he is, I may just change my mind and vote myself into office.’

  ‘This is a democracy,’ he grumbled.

  ‘Tell that to a discard. Tell that to a child who has been systematically beaten, abused, starved and raped. Tell that to some of my people now filling your hospitals.’

  ‘I will never agree to this.’

  ‘I am not asking you to.’ I turned to Ward. ‘I am asking him.’

  Ward didn’t hesitate. ‘Give me ten minutes to read the details. If I agree to your terms, I will sign them and I will honour them.’

  ‘Thank you, sir.’

  ***********************

  The papers were signed. I knew they would be. I hadn’t asked for everything. I had left out one important detail. I gave him a reason to agree. If I had put everything in, he would have debated, fussed and niggled over things. I was not ready to compromise. As far as I was concerned, there was no compromise. I wanted it all. He spotted the omission. I knew he would. He said nothing of course, but I saw it in him, the look of quiet satisfaction. It said Gotcha as clearly as if he had shouted it out loud.

  We were totally exhausted now and ready for sleep. We felt we had earned it. We had used up all of our reserves – physically, emotionally and mentally.

  Our state of wellbeing was not improved by our being attacked by a group of armed men as we left that cold, damp house. We were thrown to the ground. Our arms were pulled behind our backs and handcuffed. My crutches were taken away from me and we were thrown into the back of a van. The van swerved out of the drive at speed and we rolled across the floor crashing into the sides and each other. Angus ended up with his face squashed next to my ear. It gave him an ideal opportunity to curse me soundly.

  ‘You know, Matrix, I sometimes wonder what the fuck I’m doing having anything to do with you.’

  ‘Should have finished me off when you caught me cleaning the park.’

  I could hear him chuckling. ‘You and that bloody trolley cleaning up all our crap.’

  ‘Thanks for that, General.’

  He was silent. Then he spoke. ‘Whatever happens ...’ he said.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Well, I just want to say that ... whatever happens ... I mean, if this is the end ...’

  ‘Yes, G
eneral?’

  ‘For Christ’s sake, don’t ever take up cleaning again.’

  ‘No, I won’t. I can promise you that.’

  ‘You make a better God.’

  ‘Sure!’

  ‘And thank you for Hamish.’

  At last, he had said it. It meant a lot.

  ***********************

  We were dumped in separate prison cells and men came in to each of us to soften us up. They weren’t the police. I don’t know who they were. My guess is they had something to do with General Howard. He always struck me as a petty man and he had resented dealing with me. Whoever they were, they knew how to take someone to the edge without actually killing or crippling them – professionals obviously. It was the police who eventually hauled us out, perhaps saving our lives, who knows.

  Chapter 103

  The revolution began on the 1 April 2040 at 3am in the morning. By 3am on the 4 April it was all formally over. We had signed the papers and agreed our terms. When the country woke up that morning, it was to find that the power and communication networks had been returned to their rightful owners, that the prisons were back in control of the wardens, the roads were being cleared and life was once again being put in order. The Prime Minister made an announcement to the effect that he would resign and that there would be a general election.

  Whatever may be written in the future, the revolution was not as bloody as I, or anyone else, could have expected. It was not as bloody as it could have been and that was due to Bràithreachas and Matrix in particular. We had been restrained when many would have shown fury. The call for an amnesty was difficult for either the outgoing or the incoming governments to ignore and, despite the fear and uncertainty at the time, it quickly became a popular uprising and we had become folk heroes. It’s hard to put someone in the dock for standing up for justice.

  As far as the public was concerned, the only people who should be in the dock were those in the government, and soon after our meeting with the Prime Minister they were gone. After the revolution came a state of emergency; this was followed by a swift general election in which the opposition, who now claimed complete ignorance of what had gone on, were voted in. They were keen to appear on the side of the virtuous, and so upheld the agreed amnesty for what had happened. The Fabians would be tried, but Bràithreachas was given a general pardon – and that included Matrix.

  Many people were clamouring for a new Prime Minister and they wanted him to be Matrix. They wanted someone who not only claimed to support the poor and the vulnerable but also was willing to lay down his life for them. I was not interested in this fight for the moral high ground. I didn’t want it. It was probably my one chance for survival, but I wasn’t interested in the price I would have to pay to achieve it. The revolution was never about Matrix; it was always about justice, pure and simple.

  I understood the new Prime Minister. I knew that, despite his claim of ignorance, he had known about Section Twenty-six. We had no choice. The opposition brought the army to our side; without it we would have been crushed. We slept with the enemy. We had no option, and I knew that the enemy would always remain true; they would always be our enemy. That is why I knew that Matrix would not survive.

  I had achieved what I wanted. I had some personal things to do; then I would be finished. Then it would be over. I would be content.

  Chapter 104

  They operated on me in a private hospital. It was all being paid for by an anonymous and rich well-wisher. I had my own room, my own bed, my own police guard and my own set of handcuffs to the bed. Nurses were pretty and kind and soon caught on that I preferred my food mushy and without meat. They produced some remarkable food.

  They took x-rays and scans and I was put through a series of agonising operations. My only solace was that it would make me better. They gave me a replacement hip and knee. They re-broke my leg in several places and set it again and they established a rigorous regime of physiotherapy. They assured me I would walk again, pain free but with a slight limp. It sounded fine to me. I particularly liked the pain free bit.

  I was in hospital for two months while they operated on me and set and re-set my shattered leg. During that time I was treated well. The police came and talked to me at length. They were desperate to charge me with something that would require a very long prison sentence, but had so far failed to come up with anything.

  I was rarely alone in my state of enforced luxury. My family and friends were allowed to visit me, but the General and his brothers made them nervous. They made most people nervous. Angus would come marching in wearing his ‘Brotherhood clothes’ with their many pockets for a variety of weapons and the now ubiquitous Matrix Bands. It wasn’t so much what he wore but how he wore his clothes. The ‘Bràithreachas Swagger’ his brothers called it.

  He came often and sat in silence whilst I listed all the things that still needed to be done with regards to arranging compensation for the discards. I was keen to start negotiations immediately for the buying of land to build towns for them. I knew they would never be accepted in ‘normal’ society and I wanted a place for them – not a ghetto but a sanctuary. I needed Angus to understand exactly what I wanted. I was one of them. He wasn’t; only I knew.

  One day, as I was explaining something in great detail, I realised he wasn’t listening. ‘What’s up, General?’ I asked.

  He frowned. ‘You talk as if you’ll be dead, as if you won’t be around. They can’t touch you. The people would never allow it. You’re famous. They won’t let anyone harm you.’

  ‘Angus, never underestimate the enemy.’

  ‘I won’t, I mean, I don’t.’

  ‘If they want Matrix dead – and they do – they may yet succeed.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘I know what I would do.’

  ‘What would you do?’

  ‘Only one person can harm Matrix now.’

  ‘Who?’

  I smiled. ‘Matrix.’

  ***********************

  The next day my lawyer, Samuel Goldmann, came to visit. It was lunchtime. ‘They want some sort of a deal,’ he said.

  ‘Are they being specific?’ I said, staring at my food, wondering what it was.

  He was sitting next to my bed. He leaned over and looked, too. ‘If you don’t mind me saying so, that does look remarkably unappetising.’

  ‘They would be hurt to hear you say that,’ I said, prodding the food with my fork.

  He sat back. ‘Would you like me to complain?’

  ‘Just find out what they want. And remember, we still need to negotiate on the discards. I want something solid in place for them.’

  ‘I meant the food,’ he said.

  I gave him a stern look. ‘Sammy, you have better things to do.’

  He looked around the room. ‘Someone is paying a lot of money for this,’ he observed.

  ‘I expect they think I’m worth it.’

  ‘Something is going on and you’re not telling me,’ he said abruptly. I put some of the mush in my mouth. ‘They want something. I’ve been approached,’ he said.

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘Offered large sums of money.’

  I was curious. ‘To do what?’

  ‘Make sure you go down for a long time.’

  ‘I’m not sure how you could achieve that.’

  ‘They’ve been very imaginative.’

  I was silent.

  ‘They want to put you inside for a long time without appearing to do so. They don’t want to go down in history as the government who put Matrix in jail.’

  ‘Except I will go to jail; we both know that,’ I said.

  I had two convictions from my previous life, underage drinking and fighting, and I was about to be put on trial for soliciting, selling drugs and armed robbery. I had pleaded guilty to the last of those charges. I had to; my conscience dictated it. I have always felt guilty for what I did to Raqeeb and, even if I could forgive myself, my robbery of his small shop was all recor
ded on camera.

  Just one conviction was all they needed. The three-strike rule would apply, namely, a custodial sentence.

  ‘You’ve pleaded guilty to one offence,’ he said. ‘We know the first two will be thrown out, and we can plead extenuating circumstances for the robbery. They can’t give you longer than a few months, but, I’m telling you, that won’t be enough for them.’

  I stared in front of me, in silence.

  ‘I haven’t accepted anything,’ he said, mistaking my silence.

  ‘I wouldn’t expect you to, Sammy.’

  He smiled, pleased. ‘I will defend you to the end,’ he said solemnly. He then leaned over and put his lips to my hand. He gave me the Matrix Salute.

  I was touched. I also felt a surge of guilt because I knew that, in the end, they would win, no matter how hard he tried. The attempts at bribery were clumsy and unconvincing. They were never serious.

  No, they would have to be much more subtle than that.

  Chapter 105

  I was having one of those pleasant dozes that can only happen in the afternoon when you know that other people are busy around you and the sounds of the day drift into your consciousness without disturbing it. I was smiling in a soft soporific way and enjoying it. Without warning, I knew someone was there. I opened my eyes.

  ‘Fuck!’ said a familiar voice.

  I tried to focus. ‘Could you pass me my eye drops please?’ I said. I was given the eye drops and I put them in. Then I was able to focus properly again. ‘Sorry about that,’ I said. ‘My eyes are rubbish when I wake up.’ He grabbed my hand and kissed it. Some people did. The Matrix Salute was different for different people. ‘I’m very pleased to see you,’ I said,

  ‘God bless, Matrix,’ he replied.

  I was looking into a pair of cold blue eyes. ‘Hello, Wallace, you look like your brother.’

  He grinned. ‘No, he looks like me.’

  ‘True, so when did they release you?’