2 The Moon Strut
Eight years later...
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[the Year 2185 – 2nd of April. Genf - Grand Central (Previously called European Union)].
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"Audio check!" Said the audio engineer.
"Video check!" Said the video engineer.
"We are going live in 10 minutes!" Announced the camera crew.
"Everyone take your positions!" Ordered the site manager.
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In front of the curtain that fell in a generous pleat of thick red velvet with a deep burgundy tassel, stood a young and elegant gentleman. His dark blue suit was laid over his skin as a soul-coffin. His short black hair looked as if it was absorbing the projector's lights making it seem like golden silk. His face was stern, yet focused and peaceful as he reviewed his notes.
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"Sir Noah?" The site manager called. Her suit was crisp and her shirt ironed to perfection. Her hair was coiffured and she spoke with an aristocratic accent from the Nordic countries. Her face was set almost as firmly as that of a mannequin and when she spoke it was with the clipped tones of one who has enjoyed her authority. "Sir?" She called him once more.
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He took his eyes off from his preoccupation.
"I've already told you to stop calling me by that name… Aleksithimia … My name is, Aleksithimia ..." He responded coldly and distantly.
"Pardon me, sir… Emperor Aleksithimia." She said. "Once again I wanted to congratulate you on your election and I just found out that today it is your 31st birthday; Best wishes!" She smiled.
"Is that all that you have to say?" He replied, giving her an annoyed glance.
"Y…Yes. I…" She stammered, taken aback by his response...
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He turned his back on her and walked away.
"Actually, I wanted to tell you that we are going 'LIVE' in 10 minutes-" She said, blocking his way.
"I am not deaf, I could hear it…" Said Aleksithimia as he looked around him.
"Oh… Ehm… Is there anything I can help you with? Here is your glass of water by the way."
In silence, he looked at his reflection in the glass of water.
"Please, take it." She shook the glass with both her hands.
The projector spotlight hit his skin, making him look like a deity.
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"Emperor Aleksithimia, as soon as the curtains rise, all the cameras will be on you!" Shouted the cameraman who was standing next to the curtain. The cameras lingered on Aleksithimia.
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The young emperor began his walk towards the podium behind the curtains.
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"Fifteen… years..." He sniggered. "Fifteen…long years! To reach this high." His snigger transformed into a nervous laugh.
"Emperor Aleksithimia, sir is everything all right?!" Asked the site manager who followed after him with the forgotten glass of water.
"Fifteen years! Do you even realize how long that is?!" The whole scene looked as if he had completely snapped out as tears began dripping from his eyes.
"Yes, I do understand, fifteen years is indeed a long time." She tried to show some empathy.
"How many times I had to start over, and over, and over AGAIN! AND NOW FINALLY I AM HERE!" He agonized.
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Confused, some people from the back started applauding and cheering him as they thought that he was expressing a moment of joy due to his recent election victory.
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"I am sorry for your losses; I too lost my parents in the war of Slagveld." Said the site manager as she tried to understand this spike of hysteria.
"Just look around you. Everything… Everything around you; From today, I own it!" He orchestrated his arms left and right.
"Yes! It is all yours indeed, and I am your humble servant!" Replied the site manager as she tried to please his current mood.
"Soon, I will see her again…" He mumbled.
"I am positive that all of your time and sacrifices were worth it!" She said, trying her best to cheer him up.
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Aleksithimia abruptly stopped walking and the site manager who happened to walk behind him, inadvertently bumped into him; The glass of water she held in her hands splattered on the red carpet leaving a large watermark.
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"Huh?!" Aleksithimia had crumbled his notes.
"My time? My sacrifices...?! Do you even have the slightest idea of what your silly mouth is talking about?!" He scolded her, becoming aggressive.
"Sorry! I didn't mean-" She quickly made a step back and apologized.
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Aleksithimia slapped her face.
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"You, ignorant livestock! You should be, sorry! Your life is an apology in itself! A mere pawn like yourself, don't you dare say that word in front of me when you have no idea of the weight it holds!!" The random spike of hostility put everyone in unease, but nobody volunteered to stop it.
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"I-" She lowered her head in silence.
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He grabbed her hair and pulled her head backward to lift her face so they could look each other in the eyes. Her left cheek became flaming red.
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"Who do you think you are talking to? I am one of the "Four Emperors" of the new world! "I own the whole continent of the Grand Central in the palm of my hand." He put his hand on her face. She was terrified to even look at his eyes, which became red from anger. "Look at it! Just, like that!" Shouted Aleksithimia, the site manager shaking with fear.
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After a couple of seconds of complete silence on the stage, Aleksithimia came back to his senses.
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"Somebody clean this mess before somebody gets hurt." He ordered to the crowd from backstage.
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"You…What's your name?" He asked the terrified woman in front of him. During all this time she hadn't moved an inch, blocked in the inclined position, her eyes fixed on the ground.
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Her brunette curls tumbled down to her low cut. Her mouth was a grim slash and her eyes were unmoving.
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"L…Laura…" She mumbled submissively.
"Laura, hurry up and bring me another glass of water, the show is about to begin." He abruptly reverted back to his quiet self.
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"Yes…" Laura immediately obeyed as she rushed towards the small table with water bottles. After being publicly humiliated in front of her crew, her eyes became empty as her spirit was broken.
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The other workers began whispering to each other.
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"WE ARE LIVE IN 60 SECONDS" Shouted someone in the back. The whole stage went silent once again.
"Here… Your water sir-" Laura brought the new glass of water.
"Silence!" He put a finger on her mouth, and she closed her eyes as the instinct of fear took a hold of her, ready for the worst.
"Listen!" He said.
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Curtains began to rise as the endless crowd on the other side began to cheer from joy.
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He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Can you hear it?"
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"EMPEROR! EMPEROR! EMPEROR!" The crowd called him out.
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"You know... I envy people like you… Living within that bubble of yours where you entrust everything to one man whom you don't even know much; Away from the responsibilities and doubts of your own decisions. You dedicate your life, pleasing and obeying that one man, while hoping for some recognition... Just like a pet." He whispered.
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"LIVE COUNTDOWN, 15, 14..." The operator began the countdown.
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"I shall give you that hope and recognition you desire... That world... The salvation you all were seeking for centuries. I will give it to you." He said.
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"10, 9, 8..." The operator counted.
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"As the supreme leader, I shall be your Master and you... My lovely pets. All you need to do is to obey me… Because I will make you obey... All of you!" He accented his last words.
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The silver moon illuminated the tenebrous, starless sky as if the stars ensconced themselves behind the dim, gray clouds.
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"3, 2, 1." The operator counted.
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"Rejoice yourself, you, are assisting the rise of the new Emperor..." Said Aleksithimia, vanishing within the projector's lights.
