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There was a murmur in the newsroom as the crew and staff looked at each other uneasily, their hesitation and anxiety palpable.

Tane’s expression stayed calm and thoughtful. After a moment, he finally spoke. “If anyone wants out of this, go to my office right now and lock yourselves in. No repercussions, no judgment. If need be, I’ll say you resisted and I locked you in my office for not cooperating. Many of you are young and have families. There’s no shame in stepping aside if you want no part of this. But go now, because I’m putting the real prime minister on the air in a few minutes.”

There were a few gasps, murmurs, and whispers before a hush fell over the newsroom. No one moved—not a single person. Even the heavily pregnant woman with long, dark hair who stood leaning against a desk stayed put, her chin lifted and her eyes on fire.

“I said, gonow,” Tane snapped. “We don’t have time for a discussion. I don’t know how this is going to turn out, and you have every right to disagree with what I’m going to do.”

Still, not a soul in the room moved. It was an astonishing show of bravery, and I’d seen plenty such moments.

Petra closed her eyes, and I could see the show of loyalty had touched her. “Thank you for your support,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Our country, as small as we may be, appreciates you deeply.”

Tane shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it. “All right, team, the die is cast. Let’s get to work. We have about five minutes until airtime. You know what to do. Go!”

As if someone had flipped a switch, the newsroom suddenly turned into a hive of activity. People started yelling orders, running around, and typing frantically on their computers.

Tane put a hand on the prime minister’s arm. “We’ve got your back, Petra. You go up there and do what you need to do, and so will we.”

“Thank you, Tane,” Petra said, giving him a handshake and then a hug. “This means a lot.”

A woman with a set of earphones around her neck abruptly approached them and hustled Petra and Rangi toward the cameras, just as Manny tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

“We’ve got company,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve blockaded the second main entry door with file cabinets and furniture, but they may be able to blast through in a few minutes. They’ve already got through the first door by breaking the glass. They’re discussing what to do about the second since it’s made of metal. I can hear the knuckleheads talking through the door. Their actions are drawing quite a crowd. That’s good for us.”

“It is,” I agreed. “But before they take major measures to break in, they’ll need to get permission,” I said. “They don’t know what they’re up against. It’ll take them a bit of time to sort it out. We’ve also occupied their leadership with other issues to make them hard to reach and every second counts. I’m surprised they haven’t thought to cut the power. Not a sophisticated lot. Let me help Lexi for a minute, and then I’ll come help you.”

Manny returned to his post while Lexi and I quickly set up our equipment. With help from the news crew, we got connected. A quick glance indicated the internet was still up and the social media accounts remained secure and continued to broadcast the prime minister’s video. No one had been able to bring down the government website yet.

I walked over to Tane, who was speaking with a woman who was madly typing something on her iPad. “Can I speak to you for a moment?” I asked him.

Tane nodded and stepped away, taking careful measure of me. He didn’t know me, but I’d come with the prime minister’s inner circle, and that meant something.

“What would happen if the electricity to the studio was cut?” I asked. “Do you have a generator?”

“We do. It’s back behind the studio about thirty feet and surrounded by a concrete wall. We get a lot of cyclones here. The generator automatically pops on when the electricity goes down.”

“Thanks,” I said, and he nodded, walking over to the stage to say something to Petra. I glanced at my watch. Three minutes until she went live.

I checked on Lexi one more time. She had everything ready, including her phone. She would record the prime minister live so we could make sure the broadcast reached more than just the local area.

I kissed her on the forehead. “Stay safe,” I murmured.

“Likewise,” she said as Rangi exited the stage, leaving on the prime minister standing alone, ready for her countdown.

I joined Manny. “Any new developments?” I asked in a low voice.

“Nah. The reinforcements have arrived, though,” he replied. “They’ve pushed on the door a couple of times but are unsure what to do next. They’ve been calling for instructions, but it seems like it’s hard to reach the Chinese at the moment.”

I lifted an eyebrow, amused. “Imagine that.” I maneuvered him away from the door. Hey, do you have Paul’s number?” When Manny nodded, I continued. “Good. I want you to call him and have his team do what they can to discreetly protect the station’s generator, which is about thirty feet behind the building and surrounded by a small concrete wall. Just in case Shi or Maivia think to cut the electricity, the generator automatically comes on, so we’d be okay for a bit.”

“Good thinking,” Manny said and whipped out his phone out of his pocket, moving away from the doors to speak softly into the phone.

I stepped back in view of the stage just as Petra turned to face the cameras with the calm poise of a leader who had been preparing for this moment her entire life.

“Good evening, fellow islanders,” she said.

FORTY-THREE

Lexi