Free The Book of Levi by Mark Clark Page B

afraid that the democracies are faring rather worse over all as far as we can tell. There is civil disobedience in the streets of most democracies. Things are reasonably contained here and in the Eastern seaboard of the U.S.A. and Europe’s okay to the north, but alas, where there is choice there is dissent. In Asia, the Middle East and in the Balkans, dictatorships and juntas abound and it must be said they currently appear to be the more stable forms of government. Although, to be fair, no city in the world can probably be said to be truly stable. How are things down there?’
    So Elizabeth told him of the general stability in Corporate City but was also honest about the growing unrest in the lower class as the classes divided. She explained the basic system that had been adopted for government. She mentioned also that although Corporate City was a democracy, the growing power of some lobby groups would, in all probability, soon lead to punitive action by her government.
    Green and Dawson spoke for the full hour and by the end of it she, Damien, and Leslie had learned that although cities were now in contact with one another, trade was still in its infancy because of the difficulties involved in transporting goods. Most of the democracies sounded like very dangerous places where civil armies jockeyed for control. In the dictatorships too there was the usual bloody revolution every so often but it sounded like some quite big populations, like Beijing, were actually doing reasonably well due to the firm hand of government effectively quelling any disquiet that individuals and their lobby groups might feel.
    After an hour of conversation it was organised for Green and Dawson to talk the following night and then at regular intervals beyond. When the final ‘Over’ was ‘Over and out’, Elizabeth sat quietly for a moment and simply shook her head in disbelief.
    ‘Well I’ll be damned,’ she said eventually. This was the closest the two men had come to hearing Elizabeth curse. They looked at one another. Damien, who had regained his composure in the course of the hour, cast a wink and a smile in Leslie’s direction. But he lost some of that composure, and his cavalier attitude, when several seconds later Elizabeth grabbed Leslie, hugged him with all her might and planted an absolute scorcher of a kiss right on his lips. In fact, Damien was instantly consumed with jealousy.
    ‘Thank you,’ Elizabeth whispered to Leslie. ‘You’re a bloody genius.’ And she kissed him again, smack bang on the lips and this time, to his extreme surprise and delight, Leslie was certain that he felt the faintest touch of tongue.
    Needless to say he was in a whirl. He was Biggles in a bi-plane with its tail shot off. He was in a vertical spin without a parachute. As the warmth of Elizabeth’s luscious lips pulled succulently back from his, drawing them ever so slightly away from his face as they retracted, Leslie Woodford, scientist, inventor, consul, was a pile of smoking ash crashed in between the trenches. When he opened his eyes, he found Elizabeth gathering her coat and Damien trying to help her put it on.
    ‘I’ll escort you home,’ he said as he helped her into the garment. He was trying to regain lost ground but the quest was futile for the moment. He must accept that this round had well and truly gone to his rival.
    ‘No, thank you,’ she replied. ‘I have much to think about. This changes everything.’
    ‘Can’t I help you?’ asked Leslie, who had rather hoped for more conversation and adulation after the satellite link.
    She approached him and took his hand, ‘I think you’ve done more than enough for one night, consul. Goodnight and thank you again.’
    And much to Damien’s chagrin and Leslie’s delight she kissed him once more, although this time in a less passionate manner.
    And she left.
    ‘You prick,’ said Damien to Leslie.
    ‘A stiff prick,’ replied Leslie.
    And the two men looked at one another for a