The Grasshopper

Chapter 90

For hours the Grasshopper did not answer Erivan’s persistent calls. In the meantime he had moved the four bodies to the amphitheatre and cleaned up the operations room. He finally called Erivan.

“Grasshopper! You’re alive!” Erivan shouted. “I’ve been beside myself since you crashed like that. And the connection died.”

“Forgive me, Mr. President,” said the Grasshopper, with a stronger voice. “It wasn’t intentional. I passed out.”

“I know, I know. Are you alright now? I mean, you can’t be alright. But are you better? Or will you pass out again?”

“I won’t anymore. At least I think I won’t. The wound hurts and I have a slight fever. But nothing much. I’ll take an antibiotic, rest for a few days and I’ll be as good as new.”

“Alright, alright. You rest as much as you need. This first phase of the war is working for me. Do you know how interesting it is to look at maps with the generals. Then we discuss which city to attack. It was awesome! And Consumers need to perish some more. So that they get fired up even more. You just recover calmly. No hurry. But pick up the line as soon as I call you.”

“Of course I will, Mr. President.”

“Alright, go lie down now… wait, stop,” it dawned on Erivan. “You didn’t tell me what happened over there. Why did your men attack you? And how did you kill the Command crew so quickly?”

“Simply, Mr. President, I sent them all to the amphitheatre…”

“What’s that?”

“It’s the largest space here. It’s used for meetings, lectures…”

“Alright, and?”

“And their chiefs stayed with me in this operations room, supposedly for me to explain to them the new method of operation.”

“And?”

“My men killed the two of them immediately. And I switched off the oxygen to those in the amphitheatre.”

“Bravo! It’s like watching myself! Why did your men attack you? What was it, they didn’t have the stomach for it?”

“No, no. I told them back on the ship that we would kill everyone here. That’s why I brought the five most brutal men. But… that’s what surprised me so much. When these five couldn’t take it…”

“What?”

“In the end I told them how it was. What your orders were…”

“And they refused?! My orders?! It’s good that you killed them!”

“I killed three in the hallway, and then, wounded as I was, I burst into this operations room, and two of them were on my tail. And I protected the command desk with my body and shot…”

“That’s good, that’s good!” Erivan shouted. “My generals are at the door. I can hear them already. I have to go, Grasshopper.”