Chapter 27 – The Nine O' Clock News
Jacob Weinstein had lived most of his life under a false name. He had lived a false life. He had denied his name, his family, his Jewish roots for the very sake of survival. But he had not stood by doing nothing, either. You see, Jacob had a talent. Ever since he was a child, he was good with machines…even since he was a teen, he was a hacker.
His crimes were minor, in comparison. They were the sort of crimes that would put a smile to V's unseen lips. He would hack into Norsefire's systems, and steal money from the government. He would take only small amounts from different accounts, so none of it would really be missed when they did their books. It could be explained as a small accounting mistake, a human error, nothing to be terribly worried about.
He used the money to make his life a little more comfortable, but also to supply the Underground. The Underground could be taken quite literally at times. People living in safehouses, old factories, even underground tunnels, in fear of their lives – just because being different made them dangerous. No-one really knew about them. The public was not supposed to know.
What an unlikely Robin Hood he was – middle-aged, slightly overweight and balding. And yet, he was the very embodiment of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. After Norsefire fell, he had even stopped his clandestine activities, not finding it quite so amusing to steal from people who actually needed the money. Little did he know that his services would be needed again.
They came to him in the shadows, a masked man and woman, in the early hours of the 5th of November. Jacob had taken an early night, because he was planning to attend the day's festivities.
He awoke with a gloved hand on his mouth. He did scream, but only a muffled sound could be heard.
"Jacob," a pleasant voice sounded. "Jacob, I promise not to hurt you. But you must not scream, do you understand? Can you do that for me?"
Jacob nodded, petrified. The hand was removed from his mouth and he gasped for air – not so much because of the deprivation of it, but more from fear. His eyes adjusted to the darkness within seconds and the white mask that was looking at him was unmistakable.
"You." He gasped. "They said you were dead."
"They say a lot of things about me, Mr. Weinstein, and you should only believe half of them. Certainly the rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
Jacob's eyes trailed off, noticing the smaller figure behind V.
"Is that Evey Hammond?" he asked. The black figure sighed and approached. It removed its mask and revealed a young woman's face, outlined by a sea of curls.
"I swear, V, I might as well not bother with the outfit."
Jacob went a bit pale. "Are…are you going to kill me now, now that I know your face?"
Evey shook her head. "No, of course not." she said as she sat down on the bed.
"But we acquire your assistance," V added. "Now, would you be so kind as to show us to your computer?
Jacob switched on his nightlight and got up, both scared and reluctant. The November cold made him shiver once his protective blankets were removed and his toes quickly looked for the safety of warm slippers.
The three moved downstairs in silence. The first noise that could be heard was the hum of the computer on startup. Jacob reached for his glasses, his shaking hands only managing to put them on clumsily.
"Good, Mr. Weinstein, now I want you to hack into the broadcasting company." V said calmly.
Jacob's glasses nearly fell off his nose again. "What?" he stammered. "Television you mean?"
"Indeed" V replied.
"But I can't possibly…"
"Oh, I did some research on you, Mr. Weinstein. You can…and you will. Otherwise I will be forced to break in there personally – and I'm sure you remember what a mess it was last time I did that. Now, I think both of us would like to avoid innocents getting hurt, would we not?"
Jacob only nodded. He turned his attention back to the computer screen. He cleared his throat. "So what exactly do you want?"
"The nine o' clock news," Evey's voice sounded. "Nationwide."
Jacob cleared his throat again. "It will…take a while."
Jacob's fingers typed almost faster than his mind could think. One hour passed…two…and still he was not done. Behind him Evey Hammond leaned against V's shoulder, resting with her eyes closed. Jacob could not help but feel jealousy at seeing their intimacy, as his own marriage had failed years ago.
It was already dawn when he felt certain he could perform the task demanded of him. He was lucky, in a way, that the country still in a phase of development. Security was not nearly what it should be.
He signaled to the masked man. V approached and pulled a shiny disc from under his garments. Jacob took it from him, tentatively.
"Are you sure this is what you want?", the hacker asked.
V merely nodded and Jacob inserted the disc into the drive. It was twenty to nine when everything was set to go. For those last twenty minutes, the three figures waited in front of the computer screen in uncomfortable silence.
Just briefly before nine, Evey switched on the TV in the other end of the room. She was preparing herself mentally for hearing her own voice in public. As soon as the news jingle could be heard, it switched to static, then to an image of Evey facing the camera – or facing the public rather. A public consisting of most of the country.
"My name is Evey Hammond," the voice on the telly said. "You saw me last as the accomplice of the man called V, the man who brought you freedom. Today, on the anniversary of our liberation, I wish to give you a warning. As some of you may know, an attempt has been made on my life. At first, I believed it to be a mistake, but I now have reason to believe it was all premeditated.
While I would normally never wish to interfere with the democratic process, I believe this situation calls for an exception. The people who hired my assassin are hiding in our midst. They are the people responsible for so many years of suffering. They are Norsefire – and they have come to us as a wolf in sheepskin. They have leeched on our fears and our insecurities; they have tried to take advantage of our vulnerable position as a nation that searches for its identity again.
This is why today I come to you with a request. I ask you not to vote for the PROV party. They are old enemies under a new name. They have tried to silence me, but they have failed. This is not a dictatorship anymore. I cannot tell you who to vote for, but I ask you anyway. Because if these men and women take power again, it will be the first and the last time we can exercise our right to choose.
Thank you for your time and my apologies for interrupting the programme."
Upon hearing her last words, Evey switched off the television.
"You think that worked?" she asked V.
"Let's hope so," he said. "For all our sakes."
