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It’d all gone according to plan. Pomni was Madam President and in charge of the White House. He could hear her through the door, conversing with Kinger under the desk.
When Pomni asked why she hadn’t received a sheet, Jax briefly broke character to explain. “Oh, yeah. I didn’t give you one,” he yelled from behind the door. “I wanted to see what you’d do.”
“Thanks, Jax,” she groaned. “Appreciate it.”
His grin widened. This was going to be fun.
He couldn’t wait a second longer and rushed through the door, knocking Zooble flat to the ground.
“Oi, mate. I’m an Australian extremist, and I’ve come to detonate this bomb that’ll release all the world’s deadliest spiders into…” he trailed off.
Pomni sat at the desk with a stunned look on her face. She was dressed in a form-fitting suit, cinched at the waist. A woman in power, indeed.
Caine had truly outdone himself. This was more than he ever expected.
The others stared at him, waiting for him to carry on.
Right, he’d stopped mid-sentence.
“Oh, erm.” He turned and faced the audience. “Did I pick a bad time?”
“Get on with it,” snarked Zooble, who’d only just picked themself off the floor.
He opened the briefcase, revealing the wires inside. Pomni’s eyes widened. She was flustered, just as he had wanted. Her gaze darted between him and the bomb and back again.
“Better make it quick,” he teased.
Kinger handed her a pair of wire cutters. Now it was up to Pomni to pick the right one. Not that it mattered. They all released the spiders.
“Why wouldn’t the President have a bomb squad?” Pomni asked.
“Don’t worry, President Pomni. I believe you can do this,” interjected Ragatha.
No, no, no. He didn’t want Ragatha helping her. He wanted Pomni to take charge and make all the decisions. This was his adventure, not Ragatha’s.
“There’s centipedes in there, too,” he lied, knowing it’d freak Ragatha out.
As expected, Ragatha took a step back, leaving Pomni to figure things out for herself. He took her place, leaning against the desk to get a front-row seat. Up close, Pomni looked even more striking. Her stern glare cut him to pieces, making him feel soft inside.
“Which wire do I cut?” Pomni asked the room.
“Follow your heart.”
“You stay out of this,” she said, pointing at him.
A shiver ran down his back. He liked her assertive side; she should tell him what to do more often.
“Shouldn’t you be arrested, or something?”
“Hey, I’m on your side here.”
“You’re literally not.”
Her frustration was mounting. Soon, she might call the Secret Service on him. Maybe even pin him to the ground.
Excitement churned in his gut. He’d like that very much.
“Come on, just pick your favourite colour,” he said, encouraging her to make a choice.
“Like the red one?”
Then Kinger approached the desk and babbled some nonsense about his favourite colour. At least, he thought so. He stopped paying attention when Kinger spoke.
Just as he was about to push Kinger aside and regain Pomni’s attention, Gangle burst through the door with a bomb strapped to her chest.
“Hi, I’m a New Zealand extremist and… I… don’t know what New Zealanders threaten people… with…”
The bomb exploded, and that was the end of that.
It was a shame. He enjoyed watching Pomni in her suit, bossing him about, telling him what to do. She was born for a position of power.
He’d have to thank Caine afterwards. This adventure would fuel his dreams for weeks to come.