The Not so Secret Agent

  


Contributed by - Ed

Prologue: Arthur�s Story

Arthur signed up to speak on stage, then went over to the lunch counter and ordered a plate of the hottest food the criminal's club had to offer. The club's enormous main hall was nearly full, rows of tightly packed tables arced in a semi-circle around the elevated stage. The lights dimmed and the first speaker nervously stepped behind the microphone to share his troubles with his criminal peers.

Arthur's food arrived but he waited until the 14th speaker got up on stage before he took a bite. Ten minutes later the tearful young woman finished her talk and it was his time to shine. Arthur forced himself to chew up the last red pepper and then he walked up on stage. With his face red, eyes watering, and sweat beading on his forehead, he stood behind the microphone, facing hundreds of criminals in the audience. Arthur began to speak as soon as the room grew quiet.

"I'm known by three names. My given name is Arthur Liggett, my official name is criminal # 88588, but most people in this country know me as the American spy. The details of my crimes are common knowledge but the reason I'm here today is that I wanted to tell my side of the story."

The skeptical, suspicious looks he received from the audience were unsettling, but not unexpected. The news media�s reports had painted Arthur as a villainous foreign agent intent on stealing Danubia�s natural resources. Changing minds, however, was the whole reason for this speech. Arthur swallowed hard; his mouth was really starting to burn.

"Before my arrest last May I lived in the US, in the southern state of Louisiana. I thought I was doing pretty well, I had a college degree and a good job at a large oil services company. I had friends and a girlfriend that I spent my weekends with; I was into baseball, gambling, and alcohol- usually, all at the same time. It wasn't a very meaningful existence but it was an expensive one. I could afford it though, at least until the spring of last year when my boss told me that the company was reducing staff and my job was going to be eliminated.

He did have something in mind for me though, a high paying but short-term contract job in Europe. He explained that a businessman who was desperate to finish up a deal with some of his clients had contacted him. The problem was that his engineer who was supposed to handle the data on site had a massive heart attack, so he needed someone familiar with the specialized software and someone who could leave immediately. So naturally my boss thought of me.

Later that day I talked to the businessman, Peter Rumak, on the telephone. After a brief interview I headed to the airport. Rumak's driver met me at the terminal in Germany and quickly escorted me to his jet. I climbed aboard and met my new employer; there was nothing very remarkable about Mr. Rumak except perhaps his pale gray eyes and the peculiar curved scar on his cheek.

He looked me over briefly and then got right down to business. Rumak handed me a folder containing maps and technical reports and went over the details. We would land in Danube City then board a train to Rika Chorna. Once we were onsite I was to access all information concerning hydrocarbon deposits and make a copy of it. Rumak would take the data and I would fly back to the US, it was simple as that.

He handed me an envelope. 'This is yours,' he said. '$5000 before and $5000 after I have the data. Not bad for a day's work is it Arthur?'

It was a very suspicious deal that he offered but I got greedy and... I took the money anyway."

Arthur paused then, looking down as though he felt great shame at his sinful ways. He kept it brief though, not wanting to overdo it.

"Five hours later we arrived at an office complex on the eastern side of Rika Chorna. It seemed to be closed, but Mr. Rumak pulled out a key and hurried me inside one of the buildings. What he wanted me to do was pretty simple, I just powered up a machine that had technical manuals around it, and copied the whole suite of seismic and well logs over to the disc. Just as I was about to hand him the disc there was a voice outside the front door.

From the harsh look Rumak gave me, I knew something was wrong. 'Hold on to that,' he whispered, 'and stay close.'

He pulled a handgun and threw open the main door. There was a flash from his silenced pistol and someone returned fire. There must have been thirty shots fired but after a few minutes all I could hear was the sirens. I surrendered to the police and they put me on trial the next day."

With a pained expression, that thanks to the peppers was very real, Arthur studied the audience. He had their full attention now. Arthur focused on his timing, pausing three seconds to give the impression that he was having another one of his soul-searching moments.

"A week after my trial I was allowed to make a telephone call to my old boss. My spokesman thought it might help my legal situation if I could get his testimony before a judge that I had no past dealings with Rumak.

My old boss Mr. Neal was surprised to hear from me.

'Arthur,' He said. 'I am so sorry about what happened. Now I don't want you to think that I knew what was going on, believe me, I was just as surprised as you were that this thing was illegal. I wish there was something I could do.'

He seemed real friendly until I brought up the subject of his testimony.

He paused for a long while, and then Mr. Neal told me that the corporate lawyers just wouldn't allow him to expose the company to the financial liability or the scandal it would cause.'"

The audience seemed more sympathetic now. As he had hoped, the tale of his boss's calculating self-interest shocked the Danubians. Arthur paused and tried to look like the old bastard's betrayal deeply hurt him.

"After I failed to get Mr. Neal's testimony I had no legal grounds for retrial or reduced sentence, but my spokesman thought there was a small chance to work out a deal directly between the US and Danubian governments. So I contacted my congressman, the State Department, and everyone else I could think of who might help me but in the past eleven months I've received nothing but polite form letters back.

Now, I've come to the harsh realization that I'm not going to be released anytime soon. My situation here is difficult. The police blame me for their friend's injuries, the general population thinks I�m an enemy of the state, and the American government considers me a liability. I realize, at this point, that I'm nearly alone."

He paused then, as tears and sweat ran down his cheeks. Arthur thought he maybe overdid it with the peppers; he wanted to look emotional, not like a burn victim. His tongue, lips, and throat were absolutely on fire but he forced himself to refocus on the speech; to make the impact he was looking for, he needed to finish strong.

"I know I should have asked more questions; I should have known better than to take that deal. I regret the mistakes I made but there's nothing I can do about it now except suffer the consequences. But I want you to know that I'm not your enemy, I'm not a danger to anyone, I'm just a foreign criminal who's trying to move on with his life. Even though I don't deserve it...I came here today to ask for your forgiveness."

Arthur walked off stage, doing his best to mimic the humble, pensive expressions that he had seen from the previous speakers. The crowd's warm response was encouraging but all Arthur could think about right then was the large glass of icy goodness waiting for him on his table.

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The Not so Secret Agent - Chapter 1