“I understand your magnitude more than you do, Mr. President. Because your perception of it is skewed by your excessive modesty.”
“You’re right, Grasshopper. I am too modest.”
“And your declaration of war. It left me breathless. And you… and the darkness around you, all in black. Fantastic!”
“Yes. The film director was excellent. I won’t replace him. And I ignited them well, right? When I said that we would seize the stocks from the Non-Consumers and hand them out to the Consumers. They’re going to rat them out like crazy.”
“Yes, Mr. President. I’m sure they will. Genial, really.”
“Well, Grasshopper, Now I’m at ease. Thank you for calling me immediately.”
“Did you think that I could hold out any longer to express my admiration?”
“I didn’t, I didn’t.” Erivan laughed. “I have to hang up now. My staff is coming.”
Chapter 72
Pascal heard the quiet distant turning of a lock. Someone was unlocking the door. But not in his apartment, not his door. Some other door, beyond it. He stood against the wall. He heard someone’s fast steps come towards his door. The steps of only one person. No conversation. Someone was approaching the door alone. This person unlocked the door, opened it, and stepped towards the bedroom, as Pascal had anticipated. The person entered from a lit room so Pascal could clearly see who it was.
“Seneca!” he shouted in surprise.
“Alexander!” Seneca jolted and turned towards Pascal. “You scared me! I didn’t expect you… I though you were still…”
“And where is your…” Pascal fell silent. “Shut up, Pascal!” he shouted to himself in his thoughts. “She’s safe, if Seneca is here.”
“Raul? You mean Raul… He is… They are… well. Come here, Alexander. These aren’t your quarters…”
“What quarters?” Pascal asked, entering the large lit room.
“A living room… some kind of armchairs… a couch… my clothes from the hotel…” Pascal’s eyes quickly glanced around the room. “It is all together… and a dining room… table… six chairs… a kitchen,” Pascal was stunned.
Through the door on the wall left of Pascal, entered the Mayor’s son Peter and immediately behind him Manami with little Eir in her arm.
“Manami, Peter, come here,” Seneca said quickly. “These are your quarters,” Seneca pointed towards the door behind which Pascal had been locked.
“Good day, Mr. Alexander,” Peter greeted him cordially, passing by him and entering their quarters.
Manami looked at him, just nodded as a sign of greeting, walked in after Peter and closed the door.
“Alexander, I have to immediately return to my office. Your quarters are over here. Here, take a look,” said Seneca, opening a third door and standing in front of it. You have a large room and bathroom… everything that you need. You can take your clothes from the couch. We brought all of your things from the hotel room…”
Pascal didn’t move.
“You don’t want to take a look… alright. You can do so later… in peace. You see… there is a kitchen too. My wife will cook for you too… She is an excellent cook, you’ll see… I’m really in a hurry… You just settle in… and rest…”
Pascal was silent and standing in the same place where had been in when he saw Manami.
“You can also wait for me here, in the living room, if you wish. I will come as soon as I can. Tonight, before morning… I will tell everyone that I will take a nap in the office, and that I’m not to be disturbed. Ah, yes… I haven’t explained this. This is Prince Kaella’s shelter. He built it while he was building Megapolis. It is located between the television station and your hotel. It has entrances on both sides. The quarters that you were in were for his family. That is why my wife and children will be there. And the others, which are now your quarters, were for his bodyguards. We brought you from the hotel, and we now came down using the secret elevator in my office. I really have to go now. People will get suspicious…” said Seneca, while going out the shelter door.
“Their quarters… my quarters… The living room… I was lying on her bed… Get it together, man! What are you doing?! Don’t you have at least a sliver of dignity left? The man sedates you, drags you to some shelter, he comes… and I? What do I do? I ask him where his wife is? And when I see her I go numb. He tells me about Raul… and I don’t even think of asking him. Instead of hitting him. Hey, this man took me captive, deprived me of my freedom… and I didn’t say a single word! What will she think of me? What does she think of me? Well that won’t do, Pascal! That simply won’t do!”
“Alexander, lock the door! The card is on the dining room table,” Seneca shouted, quickly making his way to the elevator door at the end of the corridor.
“Seneca!” shouted Pascal while running out of the living room and down the corridor after him.
“Yes?” the surprised Mayor turned around.
“What is the meaning of this, sir?!” shouted Pascal, stopping in front of him. “Release me immediately! Call and open that elevator of yours! Immediately!”
“Back!” Seneca shouted at Pascal. “Return to the shelter! You are my prisoner, sir!”
“What prisoner?! Don’t be ridiculous! Open the elevator! Take me to Raul immediately! Where is he, anyway!? Why has he conspired against me?!”
“Raul is not in Megapolis. He has ordered you to remain in the shelter. Go back!” Seneca pushed Pascal.
“Don’t do this, Seneca! You know how much I have respected you! And trusted you! Don’t make me hit you!” shouted Pascal walking backward, pushing Seneca’s hands away from him.
“Raul is dead! They’re all dead! All your people, Alexander, are dead!” shouted Manami, running into the corridor.
Chapter 73
Having ended his communication with the Grasshopper, Erivan immediately contacted Sigma, the leader of S Squad. Sigma and his squires, deployed on three fighter spaceships, was following the Grasshopper’s ship at a distance.
“Yes, Mr. President?” Sigma responded.
“Return to Earth.”
“To Earth?”
“Yes. There is no more need for your mission, Sigma. I’m aborting it. You are needed here more.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President.”
The Grasshopper calmly watched three bright dots stop on his screen, then move in the opposite direction from their previous course. Towards Earth.
Chapter 74
Pascal and Seneca froze and let go of each other. Seneca stopped in his tracks, with his head hung low, speechless. Pascal took a step towards Manami, stopped and shouted, looking her straight in the eye,
“What are you saying, ma’am!? What are these lies?! Why do you think you can use them to keep me here?!” He turned to Seneca again. “Take me to Raul! Immediately!”
“It’s not a lie, Alexander,” Seneca whispered, raising his head. “They are all dead. It’s my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, Julius! Don’t say that! None of you knew what Erivan was preparing,” Manami shouted.
“Erivan?! Erivan killed them?!” Pascal cried out.
“No… no, not Erivan,” Seneca whispered.
“Raul crashed their airplane into the ocean. Or they had all agreed to that. We will never know,” said Manami, lowering her voice.
“Raul?! Why? Why?!”
“Mr. Alexander, please. Return to the shelter. We have to tell you everything,” Seneca said.