The Prism 2049

Black Africa, whose levels of schooling and civic values were not the same as the French who had left. It was a fact; most had arrived seeking jobs that they could not find at home, low-level jobs on assembly lines and on construction sites.

  The Settlers worked hard and produced families, the children of which were handicapped by the traditional values of their parents that were foreign and in adapted to France, there was also their parents’ lack of education and consequently guidance. The new generation was unruly without the cultural guidelines necessary in the country where they were born. There was also the underlying racism of the French who had built an African empire from the Mediterranean to Equatorial Africa. They had fought vicious wars of conquest followed by rearguard wars of colonialism. Their sons and fathers learnt a double talk pretending to be against racism whilst secretly detesting the Arabs.

  The scene was set for a violent confrontation and it was only a question of time and a suitable detonator to set the events into action.

  Boublil’s Solution

  “What is the plan for me? How can I get out of France?”

  “London! London is your destination by Calais or Brussels.”

  “There’s nothing I would like more.”

  “You will leave at dawn tomorrow, before day light with our guide. But first you will visit the Zone.”

  Ennis groaned to himself. It had begun to appear more complicated than he had started to hope for escaping from the strange and frightening totalitarian Nation of France that was nothing less than a neo-fascist regime, worse than that Italy had become.

  He had no choice but to accept and they left in the direction of the Wall. They were not far from the South Barrier, where Poiget had brought Ennis up to the third floor of an abandoned apartment building that gave them a good viewpoint along the Wall. He pointed to the band of plantations beyond the open stretch of no-man’s-land; where Ennis was surprised by the number of white RASE buses parked along the perimeter road.

  The road was used exclusively by the RASE Security Forces that patrolled the Zone perimeter day and night. The RASE buses transported the Special Security Forces to their guard duties around the Zone and to other key places in the City. He could also see the antenna and tops of what looked like military vehicles partially hidden by the trees.

  “As you can see we are sealed off from the world. But we are not only physically separated we are also socially separated. We are non-existent excluded from all citizens’ rights, to education, health and social benefits, as well as being economically and ethnically excluded.”

  “Ethnically?”

  They left the Wall turning north in the direction of Gambetta.

  “You are surprised, but we don’t even have an ethnic label, we don’t even exist. We are waiting for a solution with fear in our stomachs. A solution is being drawn up by le Martel’s Zionist henchman, Boublil, it’s called the final solution.”

  “The final solution,” Ennis exclaimed with disbelief.

  “Yes, it’s strange,” said Poiget with a grim laugh. “Details are filtering through to us; we have our agents inside the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs. The Zone will be razed to the ground and all of its inhabitants will be transferred to a staging camp in the Queyras.”

  “The Queyras, I’ve heard that name before.”

  “It’s a high valley in the Haute Alps near the Italian frontier, about two thousand metres up surrounded by high mountains. It’s a dead end, the pass into Italy is at almost three thousand metres that’s officially closed now, in any case it’s snowed up for most of the year.”

  “So that’s why they’re building camps there!”

  “How do you know!”

  “One of your people in Medina Hurriya,” he said thinking of Asma. “When is this expected to happen?”

  “We don’t know exactly, but we understand that they are planning to seal the Zone in the next few days, they have their special forces ready, you saw them near the wall.”

  “So that’s what it was.”

  “Yes, then they will start to move the population to the Gare de Marchandise, at least that’s what they hope.”

  “What do you intend to do?”

  “Fight!”

  “How?”

  “We are ready, our fighters have been preparing for this moment.”

  “But...."

  “Yes, there will be casualties, but we have no choice even if it’s only symbolic. We have to let the world know, that will be the role of people like you!”

  Ennis knew that he was not a hero and the need to get out suddenly became urgent.

  “Our headquarters will be in the old Town Hall of the 20th arrondissement at Place Gambetta. Our men have already established positions along the Wall and at the Barrier, they are also in the sewers and in the tunnels leading to the Metro.”

  “Is the population informed?”

  “I’m sorry to say no, it is impossible and in case would serve no purpose. There is no exit from the Zone other than the Barriers. Any panic will attract the RASE and that’s the end of any possible surprise by our resistance fighters.”

  “There could be a lot of innocent people killed.”

  “We have no choice, the system of Ethno-Nationalism is the worst form of discrimination, it’s worse that racism in a country and the end result will be the same.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Boublil’s system has victimised those persons who are distinguished by their skins, expulsing them from France, but le Martel has also created a sub-race of persons rejects because they are poor, sick or handicapped, it’s the worse form of eugenics.”

  “It’s worse than being racist.”

  “In any case race exists, we can’t deny that. You can’t be accused of being a racist by another white man, but I could be accused of being racist by a black man, so whatever you say there is a question of race between whites and blacks.”

  “I suppose so, race exists in all forms in the minds of men and it will remain so as long as we have different colours, different languages and different religions.”

  “Until we become one tribe.”

  “In ten thousand years!”

  “You’re no doubt right but it doesn’t prevent sincere people fighting against inequality, we the Maoists will continue our fight to our last drop of blood.”

  “I hope it’s your blood, not that of those you want to save.”

  “We are not Stalinists killing our own.”

  “We shall see very soon.”

  The Assault

  The government of le Martel had carefully prepared its Rehabilitation Plan. The Zone would be purged of its population then demolished. They would finish once and for all with the Zonards and all the undesirables that were a festering sore on the City.

  Late that evening of the 31st July le Martel signed the Sanitation and Rehabilitation order, which would start at dawn the next morning, when the Special Security Forces would enter into action. The outbreak of haemorrhagic fever was a God send justifying the use of emergency powers.

  The Order specified that all those who had useful employment would be re-housed at a safe distance from the City. The rest of the rabble and undesirables of Gallo-European origin would be shipped out to the camps in preparation for the re-colonisation of West Africa. All non-Gallos would be bussed from an assembly point at La Villette to the Hippodrome in Bois de Vincennes where they would be sorted, those with priority work permits would and those without, the later would be transported to Algharb or new camps in Corsica. The criminals, infiltrators, Clodos, Horbans and Drogo-alcolos would be transported to West Africa where they would be put to useful work building camps.

  That night Ennis slept uneasily in the safe house where Poiget had left him the previous evening between Gambetta and Porte de Bagnolet. The night was unbearably hot and Ennis was up at about three in the morning woken by a knocking at the door, it was Poiget who whispered that it was almost time to leave.

  Ennis quickly prepared himself and th
en went to the kitchen. The door was open and, still half asleep, he was startled, standing before him in the kitchen was a phantom, a girl who had returned from the dead, Asma Saïd!

  She looked at the stupor and astonishment on his face.

  “I’m sorry, it’s not a ghost, it’s me Asma.”

  Ennis was fixed with shock, he had not imagined for a single instant that Asma was still alive.

  “A woman died but it was not me. She was found drowned in the port, unidentified, probable a vice victim. Abdelmoumoun set you up to embarrass Paris and Washington by accusing you of murder and involvement in terrorist acts.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me?”

  “How could I? In any case that’s all they were waiting for.”

  “How did you know I was in Paris?”

  “We lost you in the suburbs of Median Hurriya. It was Doctor Guiglione who put us back on your trail, he’s fine by the way.” She laughed relaxing a little.

  Ennis slowly took the situation and looked at her.

  “What are you doing here then?”

  “I’m your guide from now on, they need all the men they have here.”

  Poiget interrupted, questions and explanations could wait, and time was pressing.

  “Before you leave you have to see the preparations at Gambetta for the resistance, the battle is about to begin.”

  At Gambetta Poiget introduced Ennis to the leaders of the Resistance fighters, who informed them that the Zonards were organised for the battle that was imminent. They had based their strategy for the defence of the Zone with the tactics that had been established since Warsaw in 1944. Their