14

Frowning, you check again to make sure—but after a moment, you're certain. He's nowhere to be seen. It occurs to you that you haven't seen him in person at all since the protest, but you would have expected him to be here on such an important day. He could just be busy, of course, but you have to wonder what's more important to him than the development plans he's been promoting ever since he arrived.

Putting that strange anomaly to the back of your mind, you settle back into your familiar routine of listening to whoever happens to be speaking. You sink back in your seat—once again, time slips by without you really noticing—

Until an ear-splitting screech of electronic feedback surges from Dina's microphone, causing half of the audience (including yourself) to flinch at the loud noise.

Immediately the members of the Town Council rush to switch off the mic, and you hear Dina reassuring the audience as they recover from the shock:

"So sorry, everybody—just some technical difficulties. Probably a fault in the speakers. I think we can do without the microphone, anyway."

Gradually people start to settle down again, and soon the meeting carries on as before. But this time, as the voices resume, you can't concentrate on a word they're saying. Your whole attention has been caught by a wall light in the corner of the hall, which started flickering the instant the microphone malfunctioned.

Nobody else seems to have spotted it, but you're certain; it's right in your line of sight, and you would have noticed if there was a light flickering in front of you this whole time. Remembering what Marlowe told you earlier about the strange electronic glitches this morning, you wonder—could this be the same thing? You thought you might have just been paranoid earlier, but now that this has happened, your thoughts start racing.

It's at that moment, however, that you hear the words:

"I think we've spoken to everybody who put up their hand earlier. Does anybody else have something they'd like to say?"

You see Dina watching the crowd expectantly, looking for anybody who might want to stand up next.

Suddenly you feel your heart in your mouth. You said to yourself that you wouldn't let these developments happen without a fight—and here's your first chance to prove it. You could be the next person to speak your mind if you don't hesitate. The only question is:

If you put your hand up now, what would you say?

Would you even say anything at all?

As Dina looks around the room, her gaze passes over you for a moment—and it's then, with your heart in your throat, that you finally: