The Grasshopper

Chapter 32

“As you know, Seneca yesterday prohibited Pascal’s speech. You saw that they dismantled the stage this morning,” Raul explained the newly-created situation to his team.

“He stabbed us in the back ahead of the elections. That was all planned long ago. And we naively believed that he had crossed over to our side, that he had turned against Kaella,” said Jagdish, head of the analysts.

“It’s not like that, Jagdish. Seneca yesterday received reliable secret information from Kaella’s Company that Pascal was winning by a landslide with sixty-two percent of the votes.”

“Bravo!”

“Victory!”

“Sixty-two?!” the team were jumping out their seats with excitement.

While he watched them, Raul slightly shook his head and smiled. At the same time he calmed them with a hand gesture indicating that they should be seated.

“First of all I would like to congratulate you. Without you, without us, this would not have been possible. On the other hand… Margot is right. I have known Pascal the longest and the best. And Pascal is… Pascal. He is different than us, than other people. In his own world… in his ideas. No, no, not ideas… in his dreams. You know what I mean… The Third Renaissance that he is dreaming of. After Tuscany and Northern California… a dreamer. But that is why he is Pascal. That is why he moves millions… he teaches people how to dream. It’s true that he says what we prepare for him, what we write for him. Specifically, these are the bills you are paying to Kaella, your children will pay them… He speaks in our ordinary words. But he speaks them. People aren’t ignorant. They know all that even without our speeches. But they don’t know, they don’t believe that it can be any different… That their children can live a better, freer life than theirs is. A life filled with meaning, purpose. Only when Pascal tells them, only then do they believe. Only Pascal can give raise to people’s hope, after an entire century of slavery.”

“Raul, we know this. Where is Pascal?” Margot asked quietly, seeing how difficult it was for Raul.

“Pascal is under Seneca’s protection.”

“Under Seneca’s protection?!” Liam shouted. “Who is Seneca protecting him from? From himself? From his inspectors? How do you know that he hasn’t already handed him over to Kaella? The mayor of Megapolis, Prince’s Megapolis, is protecting Pascal! Raul, you’re out of your mind, man!”

“Perhaps. That was what I decided. That is what we decided.”

“Who is we?” Margot asked.

“Seneca and I… and Pascal,” lied Raul. “I can’t tell them everything. I have to lie to them, I have to calm them down,” he thought feverishly.

“Pascal too? Are you sure, Raul?” Margot sensed Raul’s insecurity.

“Well, Margot, do you think, can you even imagine Pascal staying against his will? That I took part in his arrest?” Raul lied more convincingly.

“I can’t. I’m sorry,” Margot said.

“When we heard this information, these high percentages in the polls, all three of us came to the same conclusion,” Raul continued.

“That Kaella would have Pascal assassinated?” Jagdish asked.

“Yes, that’s right. And we assumed that he would do that during his speech. In front of the entire world. Seneca was convinced that it would be the Grasshopper that does it, their most bloodthirsty killer.”

“Why? How did he draw that conclusion?” Liam asked.

“Because he received information that the Grasshopper had disappeared off the face of the earth. No one, not even the top state leadership had any clues as to his whereabouts for past five months. Seneca assumed that the Grasshopper was in Megapolis the entire time and that he was waiting for his opportunity. In his style. To strike suddenly.”

“So the three of you concluded that the Grasshopper was in Megapolis and that he would kill Pascal, and then Pascal stayed there to make the Grasshopper’s job easier. Unbelievable!” Liam fumed.

“Liam, Liam… calm down. Think about it. Now Kaella thinks that Pascal is with us on the plane. That was most important to us. That is why Seneca gave us his airplane. So that you could not see on the satellite footage that Pascal did not get into the tube. That is why you waited for me for so long in the VIP lounge under the roof of the hotel. For the three of us to get organized, for it to look like Pascal too left the hotel and got on the plane. Kaella is now waiting to see where we will land, and to send the Grasshopper or some other assassins after us.”

“Or he will attack our airplane,” said Liam.

Everyone stopped breathing after Liam uttered those words, but no one commented.

“He won’t,” said Raul. “During the first half hour of our flight not a single airplane took off from any of their airports. In any case, we are being escorted and protected by Seneca’s squadron. A ground-based rocket shield has also been created around our airplane.”

“Really?” asked Margot. “Liam has got me scared.”

“Yes. They are protecting us just in case. Seneca insisted on it, although all three of us agreed that Kaella would not attack the airplane.”

“Why?” asked Liam.

“Because, Liam,” Jagdish answered instead of Raul, “then it would be clear to the entire world that we had been shot down by Kaella, that is by the State, and he cannot allow himself this. Perhaps one of his snipers might take a shot at Pascal and the inspectors would never find him. Or they might kill him and state that it was some fanatic who hated Pascal… or something similar. If it were clear that Kaella killed Pascal, the entire free world would rise up against him and Kaella would fall sooner or later. This is clear to me now, when I heard this truly incredible percentage of the votes. I am so proud people, I’m so happy because of this…”

“We are all! We all are, Jagdish!” the team shouted.

“Forgive me, Raul, for explaining instead of you… but I’m so excited… I’m certain that this is how the three of you thought.”

“We did, my dear analyst,” Raul smiled. “And I’m glad that you said it, that we are thinking alike. That you don’t hold it against me or Pascal… And you, Liam, what do you say now?”

“You want to hear what I have to say, Raul?”

“I do.”

“I can’t wait for the Grasshopper to come after us. To get him in our crosshairs. That’s what I say.”