As If

As if dismay was all he felt; the final outcome. The present unruffled repression aka social calm had its origins in the poitics of yore. In the end it had been so easy to move from the notion of the common good to common chains. He felt as if the chains would always be there for him. The finality of the death sentence was what shocked him; the finite number of days. The shame he had so often felt, living with a person he didn't really like; who had moped about and blown everything; who cringed in the shadows and wasted what days there were left.

The flourescent lights never gave up. HIs boss never gave up. The system was snuck inside a dolphin's wing; someone had finally replaced the dying pot plants with metallic sculptures and his brain skittered across the terminals on the floor; eves dropping on his colleague's work. Austin remained the story of the day. Now that he knew who knew, he had to act. There was another verbal flick of the whip from his boss; any progress? she asked. He shook his head. It felt good, lying to his boss.

He rang his old friend, Don, and began, as with all the others, "We're doing a story...." No, he didn't know anything about it. No, he didn't really want to comment until he thought about it. No, he didn't know anyone who had the vaguest idea how Austin had come to be blown up.

Don, I know you're lying, he said.

There was silence at the other end of the line. Then: you do?

Yes Don, I know you know who did it.

How?

I just do, I'm a reporter, we know all sorts of crap.

There was more silence at the end of the line. Then: what are you going to do about it?

Nothing. I don't know. Maybe we should meet up, off the phone.

Maybe we should.

THE BIGGER STORY:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071023/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=Am6WCqZnqAhaUMT9pf9MDUVvaA8F

BAGHDAD - A U.S. helicopter opened fire on a group of men as they were planting roadside bombs in a Sunni stronghold north of Baghdad on Tuesday, then chased them into a nearby house, killing 11 Iraqis, including five women and one child, the military said.

The airstrikes came a day after Osama bin Laden scolded his al-Qaida followers and other insurgents, saying they have been "lax" for failing to overcome fanatical tribal loyalties and unite in the fight against U.S. troops.

The message of his new audiotape reflected the growing disarray among Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgents and bin Laden's client group in the country, both of which are facing heavy U.S. military pressure and an uprising among Sunni tribesmen.

The men were seen placing the bombs near the volatile northern city of Samarra, said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a military spokeswoman.