The Last President- The Complete Trilogy

by Christophe Martinolli

  Silence. Everybody look at each other.

  Claire, Benedict, and Erwan are stunned.

  Only Theophilus expresses himself.

  — Ah, but it's really... THE Erw...

  — Yes, Claire confirms it to him. You got it.

  She turns to Lana.

  — Lana?

  — What?

  — Come on over here. You see that gentleman there?

  — Yes, he saved us!

  — You're the one who saved us," Erwan replied, with an emotional smile.

  — Lana, it's your sky daddy, Erwan.

  — Daddy? Does it have big, bright eyes.

  — Yes, says Erwan. Yes, I'm your sky daddy.

  Erwan takes Lana in his arms, who lets him.

  — I won't leave you again, we'll cuddle, we'll make up for everything, I promise, but right now we really need to get out of here!

  — You smell good. And the bad guy. Should we let him sleep here?

  The man fell into a dark corner. Lana can only see his feet sticking out.

  — Yeah, the bad guy's gonna sleep for a long time. We're safe now.

  Erwan, gets up from a good one.

  — Let's move!

  Chapter 16

  Erwan backed the car into the driveway. The little family's moving in. An inattentive observer would only see it as a departure on holiday, although people who can afford it are rare, because of the permits. Claire closes the automatic garage door, the house will be locked permanently once the car is on the road. Erwan is at the wheel, Claire is co-driver. Benedict is with the children in the back.

  — I have two dads now! Lana exclaims.

  Claire smiles at Erwan, who is too concentrated to return the favour, but in another time and place, he would have burst into tears.

  — I've imagined the reunion for a long time, I've been through the scenario a thousand times in my head but I haven't considered this one," says Claire, addressing Erwan. We'll have to see how Lana reacts over time, but she seems to be doing much better than everyone else.

  — Children's resilience is much greater than we think," says Benedict.

  He's suing.

  — And despite... what just happened to us, she sees that we're handling it, it helps her a lot. Children are like our emotions. But you're right, we have to be vigilant, and you Theo, I want to discuss this later. Promise?

  — Okay, well...

  — Benedict? Thank you, says Erwan.

  — It is I who thank you, you did not hesitate to save my life!

  — We're gonna find a place to treat you better. In the meantime, when I went for a walk earlier, I noticed that it was getting restless at the exit of the city, on the highway side. Let's avoid that. The problem will be the energy, we can't afford to break down. In any case, we'll have to get to the fast lanes on the A6.

  — Okay, what's next? Go after Claire.

  — Then we'll figure it out.

  — No, now is the time to find out.

  The car drives past a checkpoint being boarded, and the soldier waves him over. He closes up behind him, clawing at the ground.

  — You have to go abroad, Switzerland seems viable to me, I have some contacts there. There's nothing more we can do, we can't change history.

  — Erwan is right, approve Benedict. I was afraid you wanted to take us back to Paris, continue the war.

  — So it's over? Game over, guys? Get mad, Claire.

  — Claire, we can't put our children at any more risk," Erwan replied.

  — No! She didn't win!

  — Yes, and most of the population will follow it no matter what, out of conviction or out of fear that what little freedom they have left will be taken away from them. That's when you had to wake up. At least we tried.

  — I'm not resigning myself! We take care of Benedict, we put the children in a safe place, we go up to Paris, and we knock her down! And what do you do with all the demonstrators who risk their lives? I'll never forget this young girl, the look in her eyes that I saw and that asked me: and you, what do you do? I can't live without doing anything!

  — But you didn't do anything! Look, look, look, look! We're all alive, you took the boldest mission of all to save us, all of us!

  — I failed, Erwan, I failed!

  — You can't control everything.

  — What about all your contacts? Your Americans?

  — They didn't contact me, their plan fell apart too. They've moved on, and we're not the only ones. They're supporting other groups, and they'll do it very well. How do you think the riots in Paris are so well organized? The United States and the fall or continuation of dictatorships, that's what allowed them to keep their leadership even when they were at their lowest point. You can trust them for that.

  — That's why I want to take my share. If they spill it alone, we'll have nothing more to say. It's not you, Erwan, that I'm going to learn the thought of General de Gaulle11 in 1943?

  Erwan makes a face.

  — Go ahead, sulk, and sit on your convictions! Go on, Claire.

  — My beliefs? For five years, I've never given up, nothing! Don't talk to me about my convictions!

  — But that's the thing, you want to call it off? You want to end it now? What about the others, what do we do with them? It fell on our family, that's how it is, we must accept it. It's our destiny.

  — Claire, my destiny is to protect you.

  — And mine is to protect the Nation, which you can be selfish, you only think of yourself!

  — Don't you dare say that!

  — We're going to calm down ! Benedict starts screaming in the cabin. You want to solve your marital problems, I understand, but first, the kids are here, second, I'm here too. So, everybody calms down.

  — Mummy...

  — Damn it! Finally let go of Claire.

  — Mommy! Shouts Theo, who takes one of his earphones out of his ear, under his long hair.

  — What, Theo? Sorry, I got carried away again...

  — Mom, turn on the radio.

  — The radio?

  — Turn on France Info, there's something going on here.

  The car understood and puts France Info all alone, which amuses Théophile. On the other hand, what is said throws a cold in the passenger compartment.

  — There are now unprecedented riots... and Parisians have taken up arms since the Military Governor of Paris decided to join the insurgents. The climate is one of civil war, and clashes between military factions have already resulted in several deaths. The Governor is at the head of several thousand men, and is said to be ideologically close to General de Gaulle, whose grandfather landed in Normandy with Commander Kieffer.

  — Unbelievable! Claire exclaimed, her eyes filled with wonder. I'm sorry, but I didn't think I'd be happy about such news... it's just that I'm regaining my confidence.

  — Claire, you know as well as I do that the soldiers in Michèle Desrivières' service only obey orders.

  — Exactly! Not all of them! I want in! They have to stop massacring each other Frenchmen, she'll have played us against each other, that's enough!

  — Okay, we'll park here, it's quiet, we'll start by treating Benedict. We'll see what happens next. If there's an armed insurrection and the Military Governor of Paris is engaged, we can't just sit back.

  The car parks near an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of the fields. Claire takes out the equipment to treat Benedict, which she makes him lie down on the back seats. Lana and Theophilus take the opportunity to pee.

  — No one walks away! Shout Erwan.

  Suddenly, in a deafening din, two low-flying Rafales pass overhead at a prodigious speed heading north towards Paris.

  Chapter 17

  Claire has sewing skills and sewed up her husband's battered body. Benedict is properly bandaged. He's holding her still for a moment, by the arm. Claire leans towards his mouth, and the couple kiss. Claire whispers.

  — I don't want to embarrass my ex-husband too much, but.
.. I want you more than ever.

  Claire pinches her lip.

  Benedict smiles.

  — You lose nothing by waiting, thank you my assistant, you did a great job, you'll be rewarded for it.

  — But I'm counting on it...

  For his part, Erwan gets to know Lana, who plays with little figurines, near the field, sitting in the grass. The wind starts blowing, rustling the leaves of the surrounding trees. For the first time in a long time, Erwan listens to the silence. No noise disturbs this magical moment, except for the light breeze.

  During these years of exile, Erwan suffered the yoke of a hurricane, and found himself for a moment in the eye of the storm. All it took was a snap of the fingers to silence the strong winds, at least for a moment. He knows that the moment will not last, and that the winds will pick up again, but he is savouring the moment. After all, life itself is not a parenthesis, a journey between two continents, of which we know when it will end one day? Nothing beats Lana's smile, and her innocence. Taste the ephemeral destiny, seem to whisper the sylphs to her from the air.

  Erwan's hunch was right, two more Rafales fly over them, making the surrounding air vibrate. In a protective reflex, he puts his hands on Lana's fragile ears.

  — We must go, orders Claire. Lana, you get your stuff out of here right now. Erwan, I promise you there will be more, moments like this.

  — Thank you," said Erwan, reaching out his hand, to give himself courage and stand up.

  — Everybody ready? Shout out Benedict from the car.

  — We're on our way to Paris, but we'll have to be discreet. I'm sure all the doors are already checked. We'll have to avoid those that are controlled by the state.

  — We must join the insurgents and bring down the dictatorship. The French will realize that they have been manipulated from the beginning, and we will need people like you, Erwan, who will not be governed by the military! Even temporarily!

  The little family goes back up in the ICar, following, minute by minute, the progress of the day thanks to France Info. Other cities have risen up, one by one. But after an hour, the show is cut off, without warning. They will go and listen to free radios on the DarkNet, since the Internet network is also cut off. Some of them have already started broadcasting, where journalists from conventional radio and television stations have joined the ranks of the insurgents. One question remains: where is Michèle Desrivière? Probably in her bunker. Will she finally return peacefully to power? Her war plan outside has obviously failed, she is losing the battle...

  Erwan launches the autonomous driving mode, which still works, as it is disconnected from traditional internet networks. The car joins the A6 motorway, which is almost deserted.

  Everyone fell asleep in the sedan.

  When they wake up, the car is plunged into total darkness. Claire opens one eye. The car is parked under a solar-powered autonomous charging station, where there is no need for a wired connection. The car's batteries are at 98%. Claire turns the radio back on, slowly, because Lana, Benedict and Theo are still sleeping in the back seat. Erwan is struggling to emerge, he has pain everywhere.

  — They may be smart cars, but I prefer a good bed...

  On the radio, cries of joy, screams, resound despite the low volume.

  — What's going on?

  — I don't know," Claire whispers, "listen!

  — Parisians took to the streets en masse at this very early hour, around 5:30 a.m., when the Governor announced the death of President Michèle Desrivières. She was reportedly found dead at the Elysée Palace, and according to sources that have yet to be confirmed, because you know, dear listeners, that it is very difficult to carry out our work in these exceptional conditions, she would have - and I am therefore using the conditional tense - I quote "her heart exploded". So was she the victim of a grenade explosion? Or an attack within the Palace itself? In any case, the Palace was almost deserted when the Governor's forces entered, it would seem that the State forces had deserted, or at least joined the ranks of the liberation forces. Let's not talk about insurgents anymore, they are heroes who have taken back France. Let's hope that this episode has awakened consciences...

  Erwan stops the radio.

  Benedict woke up in the meantime, he heard everything. Claire's in shock, she's not talking.

  — Claire, did you hear what I just heard?

  — Yes.

  — And you heard, as I did, that she had "her heart exploded"?

  — Yeah, I heard.

  — But you did it! You did it!

  — It's crazy, I can't believe...

  — What's going on, what does Claire have to do with what I think I heard there?

  — Claire is a Benedict hero! She's the one who killed the President!

  — Shh! Says Claire, you'll wake the kids.

  — Damn it," whispers Benedict, "but how?

  — His cockade, I gave him a cockade bomb, and I thought it exploded that night. Guess she took her time.

  — What's going on? Ask Theo who's waking up from his torpor.

  — We are free! She's dead, Claire killed the President!

  — But shush, damn it! Whisper quietly Claire.

  — Excuse me, it's the emotion," Erwan explained.

  Everyone kisses, being careful not to wake the little one, then the tension drops.

  Benedict's fondling Lana's sleeping cheek.

  — She will wake up again in a democracy, thanks to you," says Benedict, proudly, to Claire and Erwan.

  — Let's go, come on car wake up, take us to Paris, to the National Assembly.

  Obediently, the car lights up like a Christmas tree, a few alarms sound because of unfastened seatbelts, and the vehicle starts moving.

  Chapter 18

  As soon as you get off the A6, the first thing that strikes you are all the French flags hanging in the windows, and the smiling people in the street, the horns of trucks and cars, the bicycles with tricolour banners, loud music, people dancing. It's as if a lead cap had just been lifted from a pressure cooker.

  Claire looks at Parisian women and men, fascinated, through the car windows.

  — You see, I think we're living through the second Liberation of Paris... and what always struck me when I read the history books was to see that there were as many people cheering for Pétain as there were for de Gaulle. Well, now, I have the impression that it's the same... it frightens me, in fact. I should be happy, but deep down I can't help thinking about that young woman in the subway. I hope she's still alive. I'd like to apologize to her, because I haven't moved.

  — You had a mission, you shouldn't jeopardize it, just remember Erwan.

  — No, my mission was over, and I had failed on top of it. I had to join you, that was my mission. I had to get back to my family.

  — And you did what 98% of the people in the subway did, you protected us, by protecting yourself," says Benedict. You must have no regrets. You did what you had to do.

  — People were resigned, they let it happen, out of weariness, but then it was fear that prevented them from going out on the street and saying no. Today, they're not afraid anymore, look, he's singing!

  — Badly, but he sings yes... remark Benedict.

  — You stupid... Claire laughs.

  — There, I prefer you like that, said Erwan. We're almost there.

  The car moves at a brisk pace, and makes its way through, and then there are so many people around the Assembly that it can no longer move forward. The whole little family walks down, tired but happy. Erwan puts Lana on his shoulders and shows her the Bourbon Palace from afar.

  — See, that's where I worked while mom was pregnant with you.

  — And you're going back?

  Erwan is crying, finally. His eyes flow with joy behind his round glasses.

  — Yeah, yeah, Lana, I'm gonna go back.

  — Will you take me?

  — I promise!

  The little family then melts into the compact crowd, like a single bo
dy, towards the Assembly. Spontaneously, the songs of the Partisans and the Marseillaise are sung.

  Paris is liberated.

  Chapter 19

  The cicadas are singing, it's hot, very hot. After an unprecedented Regime crisis, France convened a Constituent Assembly and adopted a new Constitution. The VIth Republic was born on the ashes of the previous one.

  Lana's 10. She remembers the Liberation of Paris, perched on her daddy's shoulders. She remembers his tears, the hair she held on to.

  She's a stubborn, sulky pre-teen girl, but it never lasts too long. The whole house is still asleep this early in the morning. The little Sautet family wants to sleep in.

  — Cat... Whispers tenderly Claire, caressing the naked back of Benedict, who sleeps on his stomach.

  — Mhhh... gromel the sleeping bear.

  — It's Sunday, we have guests.

  — Yeah... Hi.

  Benedict lifts his eyes, then turns his face towards

  Claire and the staring.

  — What? She says, you look like you've seen a ghost.

  — Nothing, you're beautiful.

  — You're an idiot.

  — Yes, you are.

  — No, look, I've got white hair starting to grow.

  — I don't care, it looks good on you.

  — Come on, you're not being objective.

  — And that's not objective?" says Benedict, taking Claire's hand delicately, to bring her down to her shorts.

  — I don't know how you do it.