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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
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