The man with the suitcase

Suitcase in hand you head to the station. Hoping that you’re not late, glancing at your wrist watch as you close your apartment door. You knew you shouldn’t have stayed up all night and yet you couldn’t help it, you had to make sure you’ve had everything prepared, you had to make sure that everything was accounted for and packed in the suitcase.

As you leave the apartment block proper, the bustle of the busy city meets you. The noises of cars, the noises of people talking loudly, the noises of life. Having an apartment in the middle of the city cost you a leg and an arm but damn if it wasn’t worth it.

Instinctively you move your suitcase closer to your body and grip it tighter. You loved the city life, but today…today there were too many people, too many suspiciousness. Tensing your shoulders and keeping your head down you move through the busy streets, if you calculated it right, and you did, you should be at the station five minutes before the train.

Someone bumps into you and you touch the suitcase with your other hand to make sure it’s still there. Your touch meets the feeling of warm plastic and you sigh in relief.

BEEP. SCREECH. “Watch where you’re going idiot!” Someone from your side shouts.

You try to wave an apology to the car driver but he just flips you off and asks you, very politely, to get off the road. You comply and quicken your pace. You can feel your heart beat, your whole body would be shaking if you’d give it a moment to rest, but you couldn’t not yet.

You finally reach the station and promptly look at monitor, hoping to any god that might be listening that you’re not late. Luckily you arrived with 7 minutes to spare. Quickly you make your way down the stairs to your allocated platform.

“Professor?” Suddenly you hear a voice from behind. You slowly turn around and see a woman in a business suite, wearing a polite smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

“I’m agent Brookes.” She takes out her I.D. badge, Sasha Brookes. FBI “And that’s my partner, agent Misha.” You didn’t even notice at first, but there’s a short man standing near her, in a matching business suit, he doesn’t bother taking his ID out.

“We’d appreciate if you’d come with us. We’d like to discuss something.” Agent Brookes begins as agent Misha circles around you, you try keeping both of them in your eyesight, but fail.

“Apologies, agent. I’m quite busy, I have to get to a meeting. But feel free to call my office at the university and I’m sure we can arrange something. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

You start making your exit but are stopped by agent Misha, who put his hand on your shoulder. He slightly moves his arm and reveals a gun hidden in a holster. “Now, professor.” Agent Brookes again. “We wouldn’t want to use force, but we will if we have to. Just follow us, please.”

You think of a response but none come to mind. Agent Misha, begins to lose patience and puts his hand on the gun. “Start mo…” He’s interrupted by the onslaught of people, leaving their trains. Rude, pushy, unaware of personal space. Your saviours.

They manage to push the two FBI agents and you apart, and you quickly try your best to go against the crowd to reach your train. Your effort isn’t wasted as you manage to push through and jump through the gates ignoring any shouts. You keep running and manage to jump on your train just as the doors close. Everyone looks at and your dishevelled state,, but you don’t care. You look back and see the agents just a few seconds behind you, you can’t help but give them a small smile, a small victorious smile.

You manage to find a seat in the corner, one that’ll allow you to keep a look on all the doors. In case of any more…unpleasantries. You sit down and hold the suitcase close to your chest, no way you’re parting with it.

As you finally manage to take a breath, you begin worrying. How did the FBI, find out, who else was on your trail, did someone betray you, maybe it was all the messages you posted? No, it didn’t matter how, thinking about it any further would just waste energy. Instead you look at the other passengers. The mother with a crying baby. The couple who spoke too loud, the woman who was blaring her music too loudly, the man who was proclaiming the end of the world is nigh. Usual fare.

First stop, second stop…just three more and you’d be at your destination. Then at the third stope you see them, more people in suits, boarding the train. You think it they could just be office workers, business man, whatever. But what you’re carrying in the case is too important to risk.

You stand up, suitcase with you, and begin travelling from carriage to carriage. Trying to do your best in avoiding anyone in a suit and when the train comes to a stop again you quickly jump out and run.

“STOP!” You hear a shout from your side and you begin sprinting, pushing everyone out of your way.

“Hey!” “Careful!” Bloody hell!” You ignore all the exclamations and just keep running but then you hear a gunshot. “Everyone out of the way!”

Screams and more shouts coming form behind you but you don’t stop. Just keep running almost reaching the exit and then another shot. You can’t help but fall down the suitcase rolling across the ground. Feeling of pain in the back of your shoulder as you can feel the blood staining your clothes.

He promised you would change the world.

Change the world that’s all you ever wanted, to leave your mark. Whether right or wrong. Now is your chance to do so, your most likely last chance.

You gather your strength and get up. Grab the suitcase and begin running again, on pure adrenaline. You hear more shots ring out but none of the bullets hit you. You are wind, you are justice, you are truth.

You run into a crowd of people pushing through, the gunshots stop. You’re not sure whether they’ve lost track of you or whether they don’t want any casualties, either way it’s your lucky break.

You navigate the back alley ways, adrenaline wearing off you begin to feel the pain more acutely. Then you finally see it, your destination.

The hotel where the president is staying. As you exit the alley way you’re almost hit by another car. You ignore the angry shouts of the driver as you keep going to your destination.

You feel the pain before you hear the shot, as your body lurches to the right, collapsing. “Don’t move!” You ignore the order as you get up, everyone deserves to know. What they do with that knowledge is their choice, but they deserve to have it!

You reach for the suitcase and more shots ring. You feel them hitting your body, you understand what’s happening. Slowly your vision fades, as does the feeling of pain. The only thing left is regret as the darkness engulfs you.

The agents finally reach your dead body and slowly open the suitcase. Inside they can see a megaphone and papers. Tax returns, photographs, various top secret documents, intricating the president and other government officials. As they were ordered they burn the documents, without anyone being the wiser. While you are portrayed as a villain. Just for trying to fight for the truth.