".....please go now Hywel and remember what ever happens," I said. "What?" "I love you," I said as I gave him a last kiss and then pushed him out into the corridor. "I love you too, Enfys," he responded....   Rainbow Girl - Part 12 - Conclusion - A Revolution by Alys

The amplified voice came again, slightly distorted through the closed windows and curtains.

"There is no escape, Enfys and Llyr, we have the building surrounded. Show yourself now and surrender or we will break into the house, anyone resisting will be shot." concluded the voice

"or maybe just everyone will be shot," guffawed someone in the background, their voice clearly carrying through the sudden quiet after the end of the announcement.

I shook Hywel.

"Wassup," he grunted.

There was a the sound of opening doors and movement down the stairs. There was a rapid knock on the door.

"Hywel wake up! We all have to get out now," shouted Mrs Tomkins from outside the door," the militia want everyone out of the buidling so that they can arrest some terrorists, hurry Hywel!"

Hywel sat up in bed, wide awake now.

"Yes, Mrs Tomkins, coming now," he yelled back.

"Come on Enfys, we have to get out," he said turning to look at me.

"Yes, Hywel, one problem though," I said.

"What's that?," he asked, looking surprised.

"I'm the so called terrorists they want to arrest!" I said pointing at myself," somehow they know I'm here, although they haven't worked out that I am both of the people they want"

"Shit! What can we do?"

I got up and picked up Hywel's clothes and threw them at him.

"They're not after you, you have to get out now!" I yelled at him," quick, you can leave with everyone else"

"I can't leave you to them!" he yelled back.

I pulled him towards me and hugged and kissed him. The sensuous touch of our two naked bodies touching was arousing and comforting at the same time.

"You have to go, my love," I whispered, kissing him again, a last closeness, then I pushed him away gently," there's no point both of us being taken. You might be able to get help, please, go now or it'll be too late"

He quickly dressed, while I sat back on the bed and thought of my sure fate in the hands of the militiamen. Torture, rape and death were their speciality. I considered throwing myself out of the window.

"What will you do?" Hywel asked as he stood by the door.

A strange thought crossed my mind.

"Do you have a small, tight T shirt or vest I could wear, and some of the coloured material from last term's fabric project?" I asked.

"Um, yes T's are in the top drawer and the fabric are in the middle cupboard, why?" responded Hywel.

I jumped out of bed and began to push him out of the door.

"I have an idea, it might work, it might not work, please go now Hywel and remember what ever happens," I said.

"What?"

"I love you," I said as I gave him a last kiss and then pushed him out into the corridor.

"I love you too, Enfys," he responded before I closed the door. I heard him running down the corridor and down the stairs.

I stood with my back to the door for a few seconds and then went over to Hywel's wardrobe to search for something suitable to wear.

"He's the last one, all the residents are accounted for sir," came the voice of one of the militiamen from outside.

Good, I thought to myself, Hywel has made it. I put on the smallest, thinnest T shirt I could find and then busied myself with tying different coloured pieces of fabric in my hair.

The searchlight, playing across the building, cast strange shadows in Hywel's room.

"Show yourselves, Enfys and Llyr, this is your last chance to surrender," came the metallic, menacing voice.

I finished tying in the last of the coloured fabric and then made my way over to the window. I pulled the curtain back a few centimetres and looked down.

In the main road outside there were two armoured personnel carriers blocking the traffic, about 10 militiamen were gathered around, one was in charge of the powerful searchlight that he was moving to illuminate one window at a time.

I noticed that, in addition to the about twenty people who had left with Hywel, there were a hundred or so other civilians milling around the streets. More doors seemed to be opening every few seconds as the locals investigated the noise and lights in the area.

I flung the window open and pushed my head and upper body out.

"Down with Bliar and her murderers!" I shouted.

I noticed every face in the crowd turning to look at me. The militiaman with the searchlight turned his intense beam on me. I held my hand to cover my eyes as my obvious female form was illuminated. I shook my hair and the multicoloured pieces of fabric.

"Look!" a little girl shouted to her Mother, "there's a girl in the window"

"She's wearing a rainbow," shouted her little friend.

"Down with New Crap! Bliar! Bliar! Bliar!" I shouted as loud as I could.

There was silence for a moment, then a small group of young boys responded enthusiastically.

"Out! Out! Out!"

I continued the protest chant.

"Bliar!" I shouted.

"Out!" came a response, a spreading a little further among the crowd.

"Bliar!" I shouted again.

"Out!" came a louder response.

"Bliar! Bliar! Bliar!" I shouted, almost screamed, the last line of the protest chant.

"Out! Out!....." was the response, almost thunderous in conclusion. It was suddenly cut short by the noise of gunfire.

Everyone turned towards the militia officer who had unloaded his machine pistol into the air, he spoke into the microphone of the PA system.

"This is an illegal gathering. Under the powers granted to me by the civil disturbance act I order you to disperse.."

Shouts of defiance came from many parts of the throng. The militia officer upped the ante.

"You have ten seconds to begin leaving this proscribed area. Take aim men, shoot at will when I give the order"

Some people on the edge of the crowd turned and began to leave. The militiamen held their automatic rifles, ready to fire. The officer began a countdown.

"10..9..."

The officer staggered as the glass paperweight I had thrown hit him square in the shoulders.

"The only illegal thing here is you and your murderers!" I shouted.

In slow motion I saw one of the militiamen, more of a youth than a man, turn and point his gun towards me. I stared at him as his finger seemed to take an age to squeeze the trigger. There was an loud explosion and the room shuddered a little as what must have been a bullet was fired into the brick work above my head. I was flung back by the impact.

The was a deathly hush.

"They've shot her!" someone shouted.

"They've killed the Rainbow Girl!" someone else shouted.

"Murderers!" shouted a number of others.

I slowly rose from the floor, brushing off the worse of the dust from the broken plaster that had fallen on me. No part of my seemed to hurt too much. I was reassured that nothing was broken. I stood up and looked out of the window to a heartening sight.

The crowd had surged forward and disarmed the militiamen.

The searchlight was still shining into my window. I stood there in the light. Very quickly the crowd noticed me and a cheer started, that got louder and louder as the hundreds of people out in the street celebrated their first victory over tyranny.

The door to the room was flung open and Hywel ran in, followed by other residents and some paces behind them a rather out of breath Mrs Tomkins.

Hywel ran over and embraced me. Our lips met and we poured our feelings into our kiss. Another cheer went up from the crowd.

There was a cough behind us.

"You don't look much like a 'John' ," said Mrs Tomkins, smiling," but you are a very brave young lady"

"Thank you Mrs Tomkins," I replied while thinking that if she really knew who and what I was she might not be so friendly.

"Enfys, you must come down and speak to the crowd," said Hywel urgently.

A minute or so later I climbed onto the top of the armoured car and took the microphone of the PA in my hand. Hywel used the searchlight to point me out to the crowd and by accident, rather than design, succeeded in giving me a twenty foot shadow on the wall of Mrs Tomkin's house.

"Thank you everyone for saving my life." I said, " everyone who has a video phone can you get them out and record what I am going to say to send to as many people as you know. Once you have sent this to everyone ask them to send it on. Let everyone know that the revolt has started"

I paused for a few seconds while people got their video phones out. I held up the microphone again and continued.

"It is time to stop the murderous tyranny that we have lived under for too long. Let's make our little revolt here the spark. Let's make it the spark that lights a revolution. A revolution by the ordinary people to restore our democracy and freedoms. Remember the words of Shelly almost two hundred years ago,

Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number,
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you-
Ye are many – they are few."

As I finished speaking the cheering started and chants of 'Rainbow Girl', 'Rainbow Girl' echoed around the streets.

The bullet hit me square in the back and flung me forward, the last thing I remembered was Hywel's face covered in my blood as he caught me.

I felt the warmth of the sun on my cheek. I opened an eye. I saw a window with a half open curtain through which winter sunlight was streaming. The noise of a machine nearby making continuous 'ping..ping..ping' sounds caught my attention. I turned to investigate this sound and some other sensations entered my awareness. There was something tightly wrapped around the middle of my body and there was a tube entering my hand. I located the source of the machine sound. It was standing next to my bed with wires that were attached to a clip on my index finger. I noticed something else. There was someone sitting in a chair next to my bed.

"Mum!," I croaked.

My Mother opened her eyes, she had obviously been dozing.

"Llyr, or should we call you Enfys?" she said, smiling.

"Where am I? What happened? Where's Hywel? Is Dad OK?" I asked in a rush of words.

My Mother smiled.

"OK, OK, one question at a time," she replied.

"You're in hospital, you were shot and nearly died." she continued," as to what happened...um let me see," she looked at her watch.

"You'll get an answer on the tele in a few seconds," she paused to turn the TV next to the bed on. The credits from a popular East London soap opera was scrolling up the screen.

"As far as Hywel and your Father are concerned, they are both well. By the way Hywel told us everything about Enfys, so we will have to have a talk when you are better about what you want to be"

The TV station logo came onto the screen. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised.

"You are watching BBC One, we now have a special broadcast by the leader of the Rainbow Coalition, the acting Prime Minister Alison Smith"

The TV scene changed to one of a very well dressed, attractive woman in her early fifties. I recognised one of the most prominent liberal women in public life.

"Good afternoon, I am pleased to be speaking to you today on this, the first day after I was asked to become the leader of the Rainbow Coalition for democracy and freedom. Before I talk about the plans of the coalition to improve all of our lives I would like to personally thank Enfys the brave girl in Abertawe who has inspired us and who is now in a critical condition in hospital"

"If you get to hear this Enfys, our thoughts are with you, we thank you for your inspiration and courage, you really are the Rainbow Girl"