Arthur Hailey - Evening News

Lights in the viewing room dimmed. Almost at once a large, elevated TV screen went to black with scattered pinpoints of light, as was usual when running a blank tape without pictures. But sound was on the tape and was transmitted suddenly—a series of piercing screams. The group was transfixed. Crawford Sloane sat up straight, exclaiming in a broken voice, "Oh, Christ! That's Nicky!”

Then abruptly, as unexpectedly as it had begun, the screaming was cut off. A moment later a picture appeared—of Jessica's head and shoulders against a plain brown background, obviously a wall. Jessica's face was set and serious, and to those in the group who knew her, as most did, she appeared wan and under strain. But her voice, when she began, was firm and controlled, though an impression persisted that Jessica had willed herself to speak normally.

She began, "We have all been treated well and fairly. Now that the reason we were taken has been explained to us, we understand why it was necessary. We also have been told how easy it will be for our American friends to ensure our safe return home. To have us released, you must simply follow quickly and exactly—the instructions which accompany this recording, but be sure of this . . .”

At the words "be sure of this,” there was a sharp intake of breath by Crawford Sloane and a muted exclamation. The tape continued.

”. . . If you do not obey these instructions, you will not see any of us, ever again. We beg of you, do not let that happen . . . "

Again a sudden sound from Crawford Sloane—a whispered exclamation, "There!”

“We will be waiting, counting on you, desperately hoping you will make the right decision and bring us safely home.”

For a second there was a silence in which Jessica's face remained on screen, her features expressionless, her eyes apparently unfocused, looking straight ahead. Then both sound and picture ended. In the viewing room the lights came on.

”We ran all of the tape earlier,” Irwin Bracebridge said.”There's nothing else on it. And about the screams at the beginning, we think that was patched in from another tape. When you watch closely with the tape slowed right down, there's a slight visual break where two tapes were edited together.”

Someone asked, "Why would they do that? Bracebridge shrugged.”Maybe to wake us up, scare us. If so, it worked, didn't it?”

There was a murmur of agreement.

Les Chippingham asked gently, "Are you certain that first sound was Nicky, Crawf?”

Sloane said bleakly, "Positive.” Then he added, "Jessica passed two signals.”

"What kind of signals?” Chippingham sounded puzzled.

”The first was licking her lips, which means 'I am doing this against my will. Don't believe anything I'm saying'"

"Clever!” Bracebridge said.”Good for Jessica!”

'Spunky!” someone else added. Others nodded approval.

Sloane went on, "We talked about signals the night before all this happened. I thought that one day I might need them myself . . . Life's full of coincidences. I guess Jessica remembered.”

"What else was she able to tell you?” Chippingham asked.

”No, sir!” The voice of the FBI man, Havelock, cut across the conversation.”Whatever else you learned, Mr. Sloane, keep it to yourself for the time being. The fewer people who know, the better. We'll talk in a little while, please.”

"I'd like to be in on that,” Norm Jaeger said.”The task force has done pretty well in keeping secrets until now.” He added pointedly, "Discovering them too.”

The FBI agent glared.”It's my understanding you'll be hearing from our director about that—why we weren't kept informed.”

Iris Everly said impatiently, "This is wasting time. Mrs. Sloane said something on the tape about instructions. Do we have them?” Though she was the youngest person present, Iris was typically unimpressed by the influx of network heavy brass. She had worked hard all day on the one-hour News Special and was tired, but her fast mind was functioning as usual.

Margot, still wearing a lavender chiffon Oscar de la Renta gown in which she had met the French President, answered, "We have it here.” She nodded to Nortandra.”I think you'd better read it aloud.”

The executive vice president accepted a half-dozen clipped sheets from Margot, perched a pair of half-moon reading glasses on his nose, and moved under a light; it heightened his thatch of white hair and a brooding face. Nortandra had been a corporate lawyer before becoming a CBA executive; his voice had an assured authority, developed from years of addressing courtrooms.

”The title of this document—or perhaps I should say this extraordinary diatribe—is: 'The Shining Time Has Come.' I shall now read to you, without comment or interjection, exactly what is here.

"In the histories of enlightened revolutions, there have been times when the persons leading and inspiring them have chosen to remain silent, to endure and suffer, sometimes to die miserably, but always to hope and plan. And then there have been other times—moments of glory and victory in the uprising of a downtrodden and exploited majority, the overthrow of imperialism and tyranny, and the deserved destruction of an encrusted capitalist-bourgeois class."

”For Sendero Luminoso the time of silence, patience and suffering has ended. The shining time, along the Shining Path, has come. We are ready to advance."

”In the world at large the self-proclaimed superpowers, while jockeying with each other and pretending to seek peace, are in reality preparing for a catastrophic confrontation between imperialistic and socialist-imperialistic forces, both seeking world hegemony. In all of it, the already enslaved and abused majority will suffer. If left alone to further exploit the world, a few power-mad money masters will, for their own advantages, control mankind."

”But like a volcano ready to explode, revolution is simmering everywhere. The Party—Sendero, Luminoso—will lead that revolution. It has the knowledge and experience. Its growing influence is extended throughout the world."

”The time has come to make ourselves better known and understood.'

”For many years the lying capitalist-imperialist media, which prints and broadcasts only what its money-grubbing masters tell it, has ignored or misrepresented the heroic struggle of Sendero Luminoso's people."

”That will now be changed. It is why capitalist captives have been taken and are held as hostages."

”The American CBA television network is hereby ordered to do the following."

”One. Commencing with the second Monday after receipt of this demand, the program CBA National Evening News (both network feeds) will be cancelled for five weekdays—one full week "

"Two: In place of the cancelled program, another program, to be supplied in five tape cassettes delivered to CBA, will be broadcast. The program's title is, 'World Revolution: Sendero Luminoso Shows the Way.' "

"Three: During the Sendero Luminoso broadcasts no commercial advertising will be allowed "

"Four: Neither CBA nor any other agency will attempt to trace the source of the cassettes received, the first of which will reach CBA by Thursday of next week. Others will follow day by day. A single attempt to find the origin of the cassettes will result in immediate execution of one of the three prisoners held in Peru. Any further foolish attempts will bring a similar result."

”Five: These orders are not negotiable and will be obeyed exactly."

”If there is full obedience by CBA network and others with the orders in this document, the three prisoners will be released four days after the fifth Sendero Luminoso broadcast. But if the orders are not obeyed, the prisoners will not be seen again and their bodies will never be recovered."