Pulling back the drapes, Erivan watched the silhouettes of the Grasshopper and his lads moving at a running pace towards the helicopter awaiting them on the lawn in front of the residence. Beyond the rotating blades sparkled the lights of Capital City, the capital of Earth, and on the rise above it the castle of Mr. Kaella, the owner of the Kaella Cosmic Energy Corporation. The night was dark, without a single star in the sky.
“Except mine,” Erivan thought. “Mine is the only star out tonight. Finally and irreversibly.”
Having seen the helicopter take off, he spread his thumb and index finger and released the drape. It swayed slowly and returned to its place, preventing the crystals from the grandiose chandelier from continuing to struttingly gleam in the window pane.
He turned slowly and heavily, seemingly tiredly but actually magnificently, towards the desk, and turned on the intercom and summoned Alpha, the leader of A Squad, the squad in charge of protecting the president of Earth and his family.
Alpha was delighted to see the body of his former president laying practically in the middle of the large oriental rug. All it would take was to roll him up in the rug and take him away.
“Mr. President, where will you sleep tonight?”
“In my room.”
“In the vice president’s or…”
“Yes. The presidential part of the residence should be cleaned out and prepared for me without any hast. I’m in no hurry. Not anymore.”