When he saw Pascal Alexander stop in his tracks, Seneca slowed down his pace, waveringly went up to the door of the first room and also stopped. The two men, on opposite sides of the hallway, watched each other in silence.
“Why is Alexander just standing and not saying anything,” Seneca thought. “Does he suspect something? No, surely not. Why would he? I could have arrested and banished him by now. And I haven’t. It’s probably clear to him that I don’t pose a threat? It’s probably logical that I just want to welcome him and escort him through the echelon of inspectors?”
“I have to be careful” Pascal thought fervently. “How stupid I am. How is it that I haven’t thought of this earlier? That the man will come and take me through the cordon. Now for the first time I have to look him in the eye and speak to him… while I’m aware of… well yes… That’s why I’m not… of course, that is the only reason why I haven’t admitted to myself earlier… how much… I’m in love with your wife, Seneca.”
“Don’t be crazy,” Pascal commanded himself. “Stop thinking about her. This instant. Do you understand? What do you want? For him to see in your eyes… and for him to pester and torment her for the rest of her life. Is that what you want? Come on… calm down. Everything is over. Let the man nicely escort you to your death. Be at least a little afraid of dying, you fool! OK, there… I’m afraid. That’s what I’ll look like. As though I’m afraid of dying. I’ll be desperate. How will he know why I’m desperate?”
Pascal hesitantly stepped towards Seneca, and then continued with a firmer and stabler stride.
“Mr. Mayor,” he said while approaching him.
“Mr. Alexander, it’s as though you were surprised to see me. I just wanted to escort you through the cordon.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” said Pascal, already nearing Seneca and putting out his hand.
The door to the room that they stood in front of suddenly opened. Pascal turned around and wide-eyed in shock he looked at Raul, who stuck a needle into his outstretched arm through the sleeve of his jacket, and with his thumb he emptied the small injection. Pascal’s body went limp the same moment. Raul and Seneca caught him, not letting him fall to the floor. Without saying a word they dragged the unconscious Pascal Alexander to the elevator.
Chapter 23
“There, son, you see how everything is going well today. Even that which we did not plan,” Mr. Kaella told Prince, who was sitting across from him in the limousine driving them to the dock.
“Yes, really. It’s a good sign. But it won’t save Seneca,” Prince responded.
“Certainly not, son. He must be held accountable for his crime. Like all the mayors and other officials that have crossed over to their side. We must punish them mercilessly. To make an example of them.”
“I never thought that Seneca could be so stupid. He panicked, and drove Alexander out of Megapolis,” Prince responded. “Well, he stopped his speech. That is why I will reward him with a quick death. You know, father, Alexander is the enemy. But one worthy of respect, I must admit. And Seneca is a traitor. He betrayed us, and now Alexander too. He is a despicable guy.”
“I’m not sure that he betrayed Alexander. It seems to me like some maneuver on his part. Erivan says that Seneca gave him his airplane. And a squadron to escort him.”
“What maneuver, father? Seneca wants to be sure that Alexander has left and that he will never return.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. The important thing for me is that he didn’t give that speech. Because I couldn’t sleep all night because of your words.”
“What words? Why didn’t you sleep? If I have upset you with anything, father, any time… you must tell me immediately. So that I can explain, if need be. And not for my father to worry and not sleep.
“Well… you said that even after our victory, there will always be a sore on your heart.”
“Yes, I did. But let’s forget about that now. There will be no wounds on our hearts. And on there’s — I’m not exactly sure.”
Father and son smiled wholeheartedly as their limousine slowed down, approaching the submarine tied to the dock.
“Here we are, “ Prince said.
When the bodyguard opened the door, Prince got out of the car and helped his father out. He held him under the arm as they crossed the gangplank, entered the submarine and went past the room where the television crew had improvised a studio control room. All the way to the doors of the grand salon.
Then, having seen Babe, who was already standing with her hand resting on the backrest of one of the black leather armchairs, he let go of his father’s arm, his eyes and mouth wide open. For Babe was wearing Earth’s flag… She was draped in the flag… No, no… She was… she… Babe was the flag itself. The symbol, the meaning of everything… his work, his creation… his achievements… The reflection, the image of his… being.
Chapter 24
In the mayor’s airplane, which took off from Megapolis with Pascal Alexander’s entire electoral staff, everything was quiet. No one was talking to anyone. And previously it hadn’t been so. When they had to leave a city, Pascal would walk among his associates smiling and say
“What is it? Why are you moping, my nomads? I couldn’t wait for them to throw us out. It was a really boring city.”
Then everyone would laugh, throw in their jokes, wisecracks and anecdotes about the particular city. But this time they had left Megapolis. And in it certainly no one was bored. They felt the intensive taste of defeat. As though the defeat was definite and irrevocable.
Even Pascal wasn’t there to joke. He was in the mayor’s salon, in the forward part of the airplane. He was getting over a hangover from last night. He was disappointed because of Svetlana, who had left him. That is at least what their boss Raul said, when he came out of the airplane salon. And after that he too wistfully sat in silence on the front seat, next to Liam, the head of Pascal’s security.
The other staff members spread out throughout the large airplane. Only the secretaries sat together, as they always did. All five of them in two rows, behind their boss Margot, Raul’s experienced long-standing associate. And Jin, the assistant to the head of PR, sat alone, far behind them.
Gloria, a dark-skinned girl with a lavish Afro, one of the five secretaries, got up from her seat and sat next to Jin, who looked out the window without paying attention to her.
“Well?” said Gloria.
“Excuse me?” said the surprised Jin. “Well what?”
“You’re pretending that you don’t know anything.”
“Excuse me?” Jin was annoyed by such behavior. “What are you talking about, Gloria?”
“What am I talking about? Well, alright… Tell me, what happened to your boss?”
“To Svetlana?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you hear what Raul said? She left Pascal and quit the campaign,” Jin said angrily.
“Well she didn’t,” said Gloria, when she saw that Jin’s surprise was genuine and that she didn’t have a clue.
“What do you mean ‘she didn’t’?” Jin shouted.
“Psssst! Quiet, Jin. They’ll hear us. You see that Raul is hiding it from us.”
“Hiding what? What’s going on?” Jin whispered anxiously.
“I saw her last night.”
“What are you saying? What did you see?”
“You know how it is. I came back late from the club last night… it’s not important. I went to bed and I was falling asleep, but I still hadn’t fallen asleep…”