Julien Varon was at the gazebo in the vast inner garden on the Seat of Authority. He liked to go up there at night and just observe the tall monolithic building that ruled this country. There used to be a castle on this ground. Home to some iron fisted monarch who ran the nation. Or at least more than half of it before the people's revolution had dethroned the royal family. He couldn't remember the king's name. Not that it mattered now.

It was more than a hundred years ago when the king's name meant something. Ardvenia had been free from monarchy for about another hundred years. They had grown over the idea of a single specter towering over the map of this nation.

That's why they adopted this thing called democracy. It allowed everyone to choose the man who was meant to make the shots. It was a country driven by trust. The trust began with man until the man became an office of the government.

That was the reason why he'd only ever heard himself get addressed as the First Leader. Not Julien Varon. Not a man. Just a job.

That's how it was meant to be. You can't entrust the Seat of Authority in the hands of a mortal. Whoever the people choose to ascend them is meant to think above the mortal reasoning of things. How is one supposed to be a just leader if he can't perceive the world without a screen of bias?

One had to shed all of his mortal skin and think the way a leader should. A leader can't be a man of the people. He has to stop being a man before he can become a leader. Only then can he provide true service to humanity. That's what it meant to be the First Leader to Julien Varon.

Ten years of patience and well-constructed deceit and destruction was going to bring the result he had been hoping for. To make Ardvenia even bigger on the map of this world. To make it the garden of gods it was always destined to be.

He looked at his cellphone, thinking about the good news he had been expecting. The good news he knew he was going to get.

Ten years of deceit and destruction, he thought to himself, it had been a long and patient process. Sparking off the conflict or making it look like there had been a real conflict in the first place. Letting people see what a war did to a country when it came to their homes. Letting them know what was needed to protect them. Making them feel like they had any control over him after having elected him as their leader. Keeping them forever roused with hatred for the 'enemy'.

Yes, it had been a long and tedious process indeed. How many rules he had to break. How many hoops he had to jump through. Ten years. One needs to be insane to some level to be focused so single mindedly, he thought, maybe I am insane indeed. Sanity is limiting for those who really want to change something.

He kept looking at the cellphone. And it finally rang. Julien's movement to answer the call was swift. He put the device to his ear and waited for premier Ozaan to tell him what he wanted to hear.

But it wasn't Ozaan who spoke. And the call wasn't from Vardin. It was from his secretary, Jennifer. "I got a call from the Clandestine Division," she said, "Line tower was invaded. Someone abducted Dr. Atron. The Last Hand's flag was on top of the building."

Julien didn't even frown. His face remained calm as he gazed at the Seat of Authority. The moonlight gracing its central spire made it look like the night was smiling down upon him. He just nodded. "Thanks for letting me know, Jennifer," he said, "Let the clandestines handle the matter how they want. I have something else for you to do."

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to drive up here right now in your car. I need to meet someone."

"Right away, sir."

#

Dahlia Esker awoke to the ringing of her house phone in the living room. She groaned and rolled over in her bed. The clock on the nightstand showed it was half-past twelve in the midnight. Groggily, she got out of bed and made her way over to the phone.

"Huh-lo," she muttered, trying to rub the dots out of her vision.

"I'm waiting outside your apartment building. Don't bother to get dressed. Just get down here in five minutes."

The grogginess left her right there. She'd recognized the voice and she understood the seriousness with which he spoke. It had to be something important for a man like him to come all the way here in the middle of the night.

She made her way to the closet and grabbed her handbag. From the gun safe in the nightstand drawer, she pulled out her .36 revolver and slid it into the bag. She draped her overcoat around herself, put on her hat and left her apartment.

Julien Varon was waiting in a plain looking sedan. It seemed even more serious now. He was in someone else's car. He didn't want to grab attention.

She got in the backseat with him. "What happened?" she asked.

Varon told her.

"The Last Hand." She frowned. "Is it the same group?"

Varon nodded. "Seems like they are upto something bigger than just mere riots." He scoffed. "First command committed sedition by withholding information. And now the terrorists have gotten bolder. Going after someone like Atron on their own."

"What are we gonna do now?" Dahlia said.

"Go into hiding." Varon shrugged. "That's the best option for now. Once we get Ozaan's call about Torqua agreeing to share the Fragment, none of these revolution-hungry clowns would matter."

"But what about Atron?"

"He doesn't matter much either. They can have him if they want. He has done what we wanted him to. If he survives, we can take him back. If he doesn't, we won't miss him much anyway."

Dahlia brought her eyebrows together. She was still processing everything Varon had told her when his phone rang.

Varon answered it. He just listened to the speaker on the other side. A smile found its way on his wrinkled mouth. Then he laughed. "I wish I was there to pop some champagne with you. Well, make sure to drink for the two of–" he stopped himself, smiled at Dahlia and said, "for the three of us. We'll talk soon." He hung up and beamed at Dahlia. "Torquas agreed. They are going to surrender the Fragment to their government."

With the smug look still plastered on his face, he looked away. "We need to speed things up. We'll have to start the Phase Two of the Silver Lining Initiative."

"Already?" Dahlia said. "We really won't need Atron?"

Varon shook his head. "I already said, he has done for us what we wanted him to. We can make use of everything he left behind."

Dahlia nodded. "Where are we headed now?"

"The safehouse on S-1 island. You'll need to lie low for a while. I'm gonna be busy for a few days. I have to officially talk to Ozaan about the treaty for the Fragment and calling back our troops from the Torqua valley."

"Makes sense."

Julien laughed. He leaned against the window and looked up at the moon. Yes, it was indeed smiling down upon him. 

(to be continued...)