President Fatah Saves the Escape

Rebirth

I died of old age.

For some reason I thought and hoped that that would be my finally death. It wasn’t.

I was back again, lying in the painfully comfortable bed that greeted me with each reincarnation into my nineteen-year-old body. Having experienced death in more methods than most dead people could boast of, the experience had become gruesome.

I’d died in several ways; stabbing, shot in the head, shot in the head by a sniper, suffocated with a pillow, war, bubonic plague, suicide, the list goes on.

But in total, I had lived a sum of nine lives and a hundred and seventy-two years. Yes, the experience was gruesome.

I sighed, done waiting for the puppeteer of my misery to reveal itself to me. Whatever pioneered this phenomenon around me. Unsurpringly it didn’t. After close to two centuries of life, I still had no clue what purpose my repetition served. I had no idea what mistake I was to rectify. If this was a game, I had no waypoint.

I sprung to my feet, unamused by my tenth reincarnation. I went through the routine, thinking of the things I had failed to achieve in past lives as I brushed my teeth, getting ready to receive bad news the moment I leave the room.

I spit.

Staring at myself in the mirror, the odd feeling of growing past the young looks of a young adult and waking up to such a young visage never disappeared. I played with my cheeks a bit, my sense of touch found it bafflingly odd too, still attuned to the old wrinkly skin of a sixty-year old.

It wasn’t all bad. I get my sex drive back. So far, that’s the only benefit I’ve seen to being reincarnated more than three times.

Now, what haven’t I done?

The latest life was the longest. I made a family, I’d miss them. And I died outside the country, my country, Schelar. At the moment, the country was just fourteen-years old. There’s quite a surprising story behind it all.

Schelar was borne of Verdantis. Through means countries are born from another. Civil war.

In the early 2000’s, Verdantis was occupied containing a major bubonic outbreak. This would usually be a matter to be swiftly addressed and contained by the ruling government. It was addressed and contained, but it a sluggish and unbefitting manner of a government. Many were lost.

The government was justly criticized by its opposition party and many other on the international stage. A reason for the slow response of the government was never given but rumors and conspiracies gained wave. Silence reigned in the capitol and the President was often heard of travelling to foreign Arab and Asian nations for several diplomatic reasons. No one really bought the excuses and at the same time no one searched for the truth.

Then came the 2007 elections. After the sluggish response to the outbreak many were of the mind to vote the President out of office. It was during these periods that tensions rose high.

He won re-election.

There were protests and riots all around the country. The media covered it all up and with a few massacres here and there. There was peace, albeit soaked in fear.

Many of the opposition party started missing. Found dead by car accidents or shootings. I suppose the government thought they’d might as well go all out with the purges.

My father was part of the opposition party. Oh no, he wasn’t part of those who were killed. He was the one hired to orchestrate their deaths. Luring his friends and colleagues into party meetings with the new Dictators men ready to kill them all.

Though I was young, I remember seeing red on his clothes a lot. My mother wanted a divorce as time passed by. But she’d obviously be killed if she left my father. She was a security threat.

Father joined the Presidents party and advised him on how to handle rebel threats. He was successful at his job. If he wasn’t, I doubt Schelar would exist today.

In 2009 another outbreak occurred. And in 2009, Verdantis was at war with two neighboring countries; Zephyria  and Aquilo . The state was scrambled. With people out in the streets demonstrating with signs, masks and gloves and an offensive campaign against two nations failing miserably. My father started a revolt.

With many friends and many favors, he amassed a suitable army and a necessary navy. How he managed to wrestle so much equipment from the hands of the Governments military forces, I’d never know.

Aged ten at the time, I knew enough to understand the dire straits we were in. Father had us moved from the capitol in Antananarivo with his army all the way to Atsinanana where many naval vessels awaited.

We escaped to Aquilo .

As it stood, Aquilo  saw us, rebels against the Tyrannical regime of the war mongering President that declare war upon them, as allies. The fact that we brought over manpower and military might have helped as well.

Aquilo  with the backing of India and with my Father’s assistance was able to secure victories against Verdantis, capturing four vital coastal provinces; Diana, Sava, Sofia and Analanjirofo.

With the plague still running amok in Verdantis, killing soldiers and citizen alike, the government received pressure to carry out peace talks with Zephyria , who had with help from unknown parties, fended off the Verdantians incursion, and Aquilo  who had taken from them control over enough provinces for a defeat to be eminent.

My father, realizing that the war would be over soon, and as a rebellion he and his forces had little bargaining pieces to throw in at peace talks -Not that they’d be allowed in such a convention anyway-approached the President of Aquilo , asking for asylum for he and his forces as well as high ranking positions for he and his generals.

It wasn’t a pleasant conversation as far as I could tell from the face my father made when he retold the events to me.

The President of Aquilo, Zephyria and Verdantis arrived on neutral grounds; Aridoria, to settle peace talks. Zephyria walked away with an agreeable peace deal and Aquilo  came back, unsatisfied and unfulfilled. The war went on with peace talks set for another date.

It leaked. It leaked that the President of Aquilo  had promised to hand over my father and his cohorts to Verdantians officials.

“Attempting to betray me was the biggest mistake of his life.” I imitated my father’s gruffly voice and stern expression in the mirror

Father staged a coup. He and his men calling themselves citizens of Aquilo  and getting actually citizens and government officials of Aquilo  into their coup for good measure, usurped the President, killing him and his entire cabinet as well as half of the National Assembly. The remainder handed over the country to him.

On the war front, secret orders were transmitted to his army, to eliminate or initiate Seychellois military.

Hearing that their Government had been absolved broke their will. Many were initiated.

For the next peace talks, Father was present. And it was there that the world knew for the first time that the Seychellois Government had been usurped. There were many legality concerns but they were quickly settled. You can’t be President of a Country you aren’t a citizen of? Well I’ve got legal documents saying I can.

Father, temporarily handing over command to one of his generals supported his Verdantian rebellion as President of Aquilo until a referendum was held to determine whether the people of Northern Verdantis would gain their independence from Verdantis and form their own republic.

The motion passed with 87.3% of the population voting for. Of course this result was manipulated. Following the independence of the Northern Verdantians people by fathers Verdantians Peoples Movement (MPM) the country’s President, Luciano who was the general put in charge of the movement, quickly accepted Aquilo ’ offer for diplomatic annexation.

Father became a Dictator. But strangely, not an incompetent one.

I stepped out of the bathroom, scrubbing my hair dry with a towel and swiftly putting on my clothes. A corporate look, black trousers, a white shirt with an expensive watch and a black slim tie.

I pocket my wallet and grab my phone from where it charged overnight/overreincarnation before stepping out.

And as I expected, “Master, I bring dire news.” A man, middle-aged, hat in hand and a distressed look on his face was waiting for me downstairs.

I held onto the rails and went on with the script as I had all those years ago, “What is the problem, sir?”

He visibly gulped, his eyes shuffling around looking for the right words to express the terrible new, “Master, the council brings terrible news, your parents are dead. Schelar is without a leader.”

***

I quickly put on a stunned and shocked face and shoot out a ton of pre-prepared questions of concern. I’ve gone through this scenario several times so far I’d mastered acting out the mundane scene.

“The Speaker is down in the car waiting for you, he will explain all and answer your questions, Master.”

I nod as he beckons for me to come down with him. This day was one of the few days, if not the only day I can predict events with certainty. “I’ll be right back,” I say holding up a fingers letting him know I needed a moment.

Even with my foresight, I could not account for the little changes in my actions affect others. I step back into the room and grab a black blazer from my wardrobe before heading down, still with a distressed look on my face.

I let the man go ahead to the convoy of cars waiting outside the palace whilst I stop by a guard. I make sure my six feet plus body blocks his from view as I talk to him, “Hey, hand me your weapon,” he looks at me incredulously and I narrow my eyes and get more specific, “Your gun, now.”

He slips it out and places in the front of my trouser- I needed my hands visible for this to work- and I slowly turn, my right hand pushing against the newly acquired weapon, effectively hiding it behind my body and the blazer I’d gotten from my wardrobe. Finally pulling my hand out from the blazer, along with a white handkerchief making sure to wipe away some tears.

With this done, I hoped no one had realized I wasn’t just having a tearful exchange with a guard and quickly got into the car, meeting the Speaker.

“Good morning, Hasina.” He says, hurriedly swiping through his phone.

“Not exactly the best Mr. Speaker,” I respond, making sure to sound extremely pained with my words, “What happened to my parents?” I demanded as the cars began to drive off.

The Speaker let out a sigh, “We are still trying to find out. Your father was travelling to Verdantis to negotiate some deal.” He rubs his temples tiredly, “He didn’t let us in on it.”

I take in a deep breath calming myself and softening my voice, giving way for worry and anxiety to show rather than anger, “How did it happen? Is my mum okay?”

The man turns sharply to me, taking my hand in his, “I’m sorry. Plane crash. As far as we know there have been no sign of survivors, their bodies weren’t even found. We are still trying to determine if this was as a result of external forces or just negligence.” He looks me dead in the eye and promises, “We will bring justice upon them.”

I sigh, looking out the window and make my first grab for power as the vehicles turn up at the National Assembly House, “Well, we better. It’s my first order as Leader.” I could feel the Speakers surprised stare on me.

My father was dead. That meant I was suddenly in a position to accept his position as chairman of the one and only political party in Schelar. Effectively making myself the newest Supreme leader of the country.

In my past lives I’d done so only twice. The first time which was my first life, I called claim on the country and party very well being part of my inheritance. The council amused my delusion for a month before getting rid of me permanently…well, not so permanently.

The second time around, with knowledge of those who would harm me- assassins really need to stop giving regards- I managed to stay in power until I was twenty-five years old. Unfortunately, the people of Schelar didn’t exactly prosper under my rule, not that I could really help it, but they wanted to hear none of that. I was quickly overthrown by popular uprising, it seemed that I hadn’t kept a strong hand on the military either.

Other times I quickly passed on power; taking the place of the speaker and letting whomever won their little war rule the country whilst I stay in the background and once, simply being bought off for a large sum of money. Both times I still ended up being killed.

“You are simply to beloved by the public to remain alive.”

Luciano, my father’s right hand man and Marshal to his armed forces said this to me in the moment before he shot me in the head in what was my villa in the Maldives. It seemed the nurturing touch of my father’s regime had endeared the country to his entire family. It was one of the reasons I was able to rule so long before being overthrown by the revolutionaries.

This time, I’m going to die a natural death whilst in power. I have my mind in a resolute stance for staying alive long enough to die right as we step out of the car and march to the Assembly.

With the doors bursting open at my arrival I made sure to give off a calm and confident persona. Like my parents hadn’t just died.

With the speaker in tow we walk down past all the representatives who had been mandatorily flown in by the Speaker. Their chatter incessant.

I arrived at the Chair of the Speaker, easily displacing him as he followed behind me. As I sat in the chair the assembly still chattered on. Much so like they did the other nine times I’d been in this situation, insulting.

I look to the Speaker who stood close behind me, “Matthias is there something on my face?” I ask over the noise

Confused he blinked, actually taking a good look before responding, “Ah, no, you look as you normally do, Hasina.”

I make my displeasure very visible as I reach into the side of my blazer and pull out the gun I’d gotten as I stand up, jumping onto the table and kicking away the microphone. By this time, I’d gotten some of the rooms attention.

With the gun in my hand I release the safety and shoot at the roof twice and immediately there was silence and fright. Some of the reps attempted to leave the room, scrambling away, tripping on their own laces. But the guards had shut the doors, rightfully so.

With everyone’s attention on my tall suited form. I bend over, gun pointing away from the crowd and scream, “THEN WHY ARE THEY ACTING LIKE THEY DO NOT SEE ME, MATTHIAS!?”

Matthias, of course, did not answer this. As it was present in a manner common of a rhetoric question. But in order to create the over-the-edge-will-kill-at-any-moment persona that gets people rightfully nervous with a ruler, I needed to be unpredictable.

“Well, Matthias? Am I not deserving of an answer?” I ask, turning my eye onto the middle-aged man behind me. His shock that I actually expected to be answered was amusing, almost amusing enough to break out of my unstable character.

He stuttered a bit for an answer that would please me but was saved by a rep demanding to the guard that he be let out. Impressive, someone still found it within themselves to talk without me addressing them.

I smirked and jumped down from the high table, stumbling a bit as I’d underestimated the height, some tried to help me up, no doubt to win favour with the person holding them all hostage by the gun.

I wave them off with the hand carrying the gun- brilliant for driving people away- straighten my look and proceed to walk up to the scene taking place at the doors. The rep, a woman, held her bag and her keys in hand, her face grows distraught seeing me approach.

Once there the guard begins to apologize, “I’m sorry sir, I couldn’t keep her silent.”

“Hold her still.”

Not hesitating the man grabs her by her arms, squeezing them against her body keeping her relatively still. I could feel the crowd of around a hundred representatives move to get a safe view of what was about to happen. And I wondered what Matthias thought.

“What is your name?” I ask making sure to put on a happy and attentive smile.

She only glared at me, “Let me go, I have a family.”

I sigh and roll my eyes, “I would have let you go regardless of you having a family, if only you sat quietly and listened attentively like the figurehead you’re meant to be.” I say cocking the gun and pointing it at her forehead. The guard looked, more or less, frightened for his own life given his current position.

“Hasina, she’s a new recruit!” I hear Matthias shout from the back, I turn and with him now stood Luciano, the Marshal of the armed forces.

“Mercy.”, he said, the single word alone irritated me coming from a man who hunted me down into an entirely different country just to make his illegitimate rule a bit more stable.

“Mercy,” I repeat and quickly fire a bullet into the woman’s thigh, making sure to sever an artery. A decade serving in the military of another country had me romancing the sniper rifle, let’s just say I had good aim. “Is a virtue I am willing to offer for one-time offenders, Luciano.” I smile as I see his eyes narrowed at me. Obviously things are not going to his plan.

I walk down to the podium, taking off my blazer and letting it fall to the floor as I do, it’s hot being so assertive. Well, actually I’m just nervous. I was flexing a lot more than a nineteen-year-old should. Even one in power, and it was obviously upsetting a lot of people. Not that they really mattered. Even if Luciano had me killed I’d just wake up in my bed again. I had nothing to fear from him or anyone other than a restart.

But just because I would be reborn the moment I died, that didn’t mean I wanted to die.

“Good morning, Luciano.” I smile at him as I wrestle my way to the top of the table where I stood before. And then with a loud voice I spoke to the men and women gathered.

“I know why you all gathered here today. With my parents dead and I left as the only child you seek, to lecture me on how power should lie in the hands of an adult, and how power needs a level head without the frolicking distractions of a young man.” I cringe a bit in realization, “I realize you would be right on both accounts, especially given my less than stellar display here.” I say with a smile, fancying the weapon in my hands.

“But I honestly do not care much for your unprompted opinions. Those are for your unfortunate spouses. Schelar is mine to nurture. Just like my father did. Now I know Luciano, our brave Marshal and longtime friend may want to wring power out of my hands with military force…But it’s all too late for that.”

I look Luciano in the eyes, pointing the gun right at his ugly mug of a face. “The King is dead. Long live the King motherfucker.”

BANG!