14 Say Cheese!

Well, of course, I was interrogated.

Luciano and Matthias, as well as many other high ranking officials on the scene at the time, were morbidly curious as to how I ascertained the exact locations of the deplorable and delusional criminals we now held in our custody.

I tried dodging the questions and inquiries, a few glares got most generals to stand down on their attempts and even shut up Matthias for a while. But Luciano still persists.

And so here we were Matthias, Luciano and I, seated together in confidentiality. I wondered severally what excuse I'd give to the act of divination I performed, in fact thinking solely about this took up most of the new day. After the operation yesterday I quickly dismissed everyone, giving light instructions here and there to prepare for what would be my second flex as Supreme leader.

I spent the majority of the day then in the office, trying best to summarize the submitted summary of what had happened whilst I was in a coma. But that left me with close to no free time to come up with a plausible lie to tell Matthias and Luciano the next day.

So here I was. About to tell them the truth.

"So? How did you know where to look?" Luciano asked, the silence permeating his impatient, curious mind. He looked quite suspicious of me and for good reason too. Aside from the truth. There would lie only two possible truths to such a question.

"How do you think I figured it out, Luciano? I want to know what you really think. You'll never hit the mark but still, amuse me with your theories, both of you." I say with a sly smile, my hands clasping a hot cup of tea as I blew away the heat for a sip.

I notice Matthias shift uncomfortably in his seat, still with my rather condescending smile, I offer him some tea as well, "At your discretion Matthias."

He gives thanks but refrains from pouring any. Luciano grunts at this and boldly pours himself a cup, he gives me a curt nod as he rather rashly throws down the entire thing down his throat. I look to Matthias who still looks reluctant at the offer. Suspicious, surely he doesn't think I'd poison my two right-hand men now, does he?

I shake my head, looking away from him and turning my attention to Luciano instead, "Well Luciano? What do you think?"

He clears his no doubt burning throat before speaking, "Pardon me sir but I believe you would have absolutely no way of discerning their location on your own, especially after our surveillance caught no whiff of the Chiefs, surveillance that the remaining Chiefs still elude. There's only one way I know of that you could have known, Sir."

"And what is that way?"

"You were working with them, Sir." He says finally.

"Oh?" my sly smile still in place I cross my legs and play with my teabag as Luciano speaks the words I want to hear.

Matthias nods along with Luciano's deduction, it seemed he too thought the same, albeit too scared to actually speak it.

"Yes. Perhaps this was all just a test for us. To see who is loyal to you and who would leave your side to save their own skin. You sounded and looked very stressed as to how to redeem our position but that was all a façade as you had complete control over everything. Perhaps even staging your coma."

"You just took power, of course, you'd want to know who would stand by you," Matthias said, adding on his two cents, "You staged your own coma and ordered Miss Leriva to release the news of your identity as President to the general public to fuel the drive of the 'Chiefs' as well as hinder us in our movements."

They seemed satisfied with their responses, looking supportively at each other.

"Well there's that and there's me just being lucky." I say with a smile, their reactions as expected, completely aghast, "But of course I kid."

I down the last bit of tea left in my cup and set it down, satisfied, "But you are wrong. I will tell you how I truly found Gaylord Ralefy and all the other Chiefs we captured. But you will most likely not believe it."

They looked on expectantly, quiet and ready to absorb whatever I spoke.

"I met God." Well...sort of, "The coma I fell into had no medical explanations to it because there was nothing wrong with me. I was simply called by God."

They looked quite ready to refute, their shocked looks morphing into that of confusion, "Let me explain. The Lord, my God, spoke to me as I slept, he told me that I was chosen for a greater purpose," Well…sort of, "He gave me his angelic gifts and promised me that all shall be well in Schelar under my reign, he promised that I would lead us into prosperity and with his gifts I shall stave off all those who seek to undermine me."

I smiled, making sure to laugh as though I was surprised myself, "I was with his gifts that I found the heathens." I lose my smile and narrow my eyes at both of them, "He has shown me those who hesitate to follow my will."

I relax and let on a smile once more, "Now I am a very forgiving and magnanimous servant of the almighty so I won't bring down his righteous fury on those who…are reluctant." I clap my hands, scaring Matthias who'd listened unblinkingly into finally blinking, "Now I hope that the truth satisfies you."

I see Luciano about to question but I quickly raise my hand silencing him, "We mustn't spend all day on this matter. I have other places to be Luciano, in due time and upon great service and sacrifice, I will introduce you to my God."

I rise to my feet and they follow suit. I button up my suit, straightening out my look as I relay onto them my orders, "Meanwhile the two of you have some work to do. I want a complete list of new cabinet members to replace those heathens. Make sure to vet them out, use whatever means you deem necessary. Just get me a list for approval as soon as possible."

"Another cabinet, Sir? Are you sure?" Luciano asks, his face still looking a bit white from my revelation.

I sigh, wanting to get on with work, "Luciano, Matthias here may have screwed up so bad with the current cabinet that I have half a mind to throw him in the cells with them. But his train of thought still holds true. No man rules alone, Luciano. For effective administration, we must centralize decentralization and that is what I intend to do."

Matthias and Luciano looked humbled enough. Satisfied with the work done here ii give a curt nod to them both and begin leaving the room, intent on meeting the man who would serve as the first test subject for my second power.

Pain infliction.

***

Although we'd captured most of the men involved in the attempted coup, there still stood a few who eluded the men deployed for their capture. Indeed, it was the easiest thing getting the captured Chiefs to give out the locations of their comrades, some even recited the address of his partners as he was being cuffed yesterday. Shameless.

In truth, we only need a few of them alive for the sake of corroborations, but I kept them all alive as they played a huge role in the next power flex I had planned. This one would be a bit cruel.

But now I sat in front of the man himself, the great orchestrator of my downfall, Gaylord Ralefy.

The cell he currently resided in was a deplorable one. No, I didn't have it be so, it just ended up being that way. Perhaps Matthias or Luciano had something to do with it. But I wasn't complaining.

The medic had patched up his leg wound and he'd been given a crutch. Apparently, the bullet passed through his knee, obliterating it. I stared at the unfortunate leg, it was going to be cut off if by some miracle he left this place.

"What do YOU want?"

His words bring my attention back to his face. Lord, he looked terrible, "You look terrible Mister Ralefy, not at all like the multi-millionaire you are." I remark

"No fucking thanks to you, you bastard!" he screeches, the chains his wrist are bound to clatter against the ground as he tries and fails to move against me.

I let out a chuckle and switch on the camera that sat on the tripod in the room. "Well, I need to record this. Mister Ralefy, please say hello to your good friend, the President of Madagascar."