M-Corp 2020
By Sajjad Tameez
M-Corp
By Sajaad Tameez
Copyright 2012 Sajjad Tameez
The streets were quiet, as they always were, and the clouds looked menacing, teasing the earth below with mellow spits. The wind whistled chillingly, shaking the naked trees and darkness chewed up the dim street lights.
Justin's solar powered car was ready to pass out as he approached the towering block of flats. The stairs leading to the entrance looked crooked and unwelcoming. He took a deep breath before pressing the buzzer labelled twenty-eight.
A high pitched voice crackled from the speaker, 'were you followed?'
Justin glanced back at the deserted street. 'No, I wasn't followed.' There was a brief pause before the automatic lock on the door clunked.
The elevator was out of order and the hike up the stairs was exhausting. When he finally got to the right door, he knocked several times before a skinny man, wearing a white vest, popped his head out - it was like the man needed time to think about what he was about to do.
He stared at Justin growlingly for a few seconds before letting him in, poking his head back out and looking from side to side like a paranoid drug dealer, before shutting the door and securing the six different locks.
'Have you got it?' Justin asked.
'You do know that what you're about to do is treason, it's punishable by death and, most importantly, it's impossible!' But the man could tell that regardless of what he said or how he said it, nothing was going to sway Justin from his plans.
'Impossible is only an opinion! Now give it to me.'
The man reached over to his desk and removed a small black device that resembled a USB stick. But before he handed it over, he stared deep into Justin's hazel eyes and exposed a faint smiled, 'I pray this works!' Justin grabbed the device and grinned.
'As long as this has got everything I need on it, I will handle the rest!'
In an instant, loud sounds of screeching tires wiped the smiles clean off their faces. The man handed Justin a black rucksack and shook his hand vigorously. Their eyes locked for a brief pause and said a thousand words. Justin ran out of the room and up the stairs as fast as he could. He spent so much of his life running that he had become incredibly fast and an expert in escaping awkward situations.
At the front of the block-of-flats, six black SUV's were scattered around the street.
Heavily armed men leapt out of the vehicles wearing black armoured suits and helmets that covered their heads and faces. A tall man with short brown hair and a chiselled jaw emerged from the crowd and removed his sunglasses as he stared up at the tall building. 'What the hell are you guys looking at? Get in there and get him out. And I need him alive!' He spoke in a deep voice.
The men broke down the door as they barged in and marched up the stairs.
Meanwhile, the peculiar man that wore sunglasses even though daylight was on its way out, stared at the roof and his forehead creased as he fell into deep thought. 'Don't open the door!' He shouted over the radio but before he finished his sentence, a piercing sound echoed through the street and he crouched behind the car as a huge explosion shook the building and sent bits of glass spraying into the air. The bang set off a string of car alarms and left a painful ringing sound in the man's ears. He crushed bits of glass and rubble under his fancy black shoes, as he stormed away from the car, 'if any of you idiots are still alive, get to the damn roof now!'
Justin finally made it to the flat roof, the wind was strong and the cold slapped his cheeks hard. The adrenaline pumped through his body like lighting and his heartbeat was hammering at his chest. His hands trembled as he unzipped the bag and unfolded a red hang glider. Although Justin was familiar with time critical activities, like setting up a hang glider that he had never seen before and ludicrously leaping off a building with no clear direction, he could never get used to the idea. He felt nauseous but the marching footsteps were getting too close, there was no time to panic. He strapped himself in - the sounds of gunfire and the sight of bullets penetrating the floor close to him made him run as fast as he could and without looking back, he leapt off the building and closed his eyes, praying that he wouldn't be at a ninety-degree angle, heading for the concrete, twenty-stories below him. And to his delight, he wasn't - he tore through the cold winds like an F-15 Eagle going in for the kill.
'Sir, he escaped!' The man's radio squeaked.
'I can see that you... you... just stay put and try not to break anything.' The man rushed and opened the trunk of his car, removing a large gun with a long and thin barrel. It looked like the type of gun that a sniper would use. 'If you want something done, you don't send idiots to do it!' He mumbled to himself.
'A hang glider... how original.' He stared through the lens on the gun and aimed for the wing, but before he could fire, Justin removed the pin on a green canister. The canister threw out a huge cloud of red smoke - camouflaging him perfectly.
The man lowered the gun and grinned, 'I guess he's learned some new tricks!'
The canister seemed like a great idea at the time but what Justin failed to realise was that he couldn't see a thing either. He quickly let go of the canister and as the smoke began to clear, he had the fright of his life – he was heading, full speed, towards a tall building. He tried to steer away, but he was too close, so he aimed for the window and as he got closer, he released the strap, freeing himself from his wings and crashing through the window.
As he exploded through the glass, the five people sitting in front of computer screens, jumped out of their seats in panic. One of the women screamed as Justin tumbled over the long desk and landed on the floor.
His back crackled as he stood up and stretched, he looked at the terrified people in room and smiled, 'this is a great office!' he remarked in agony and limped to the door and down the elevator. He quickly removed his clothes and prayed that his friend had packed the right size suit. He put a pair of thick, black-framed glasses on and a believable wig and moustache. By the time the elevator doors opened, he looked like a completely different person, and not a minute too soon. Ironically, entering the lift was the same man who'd been chasing him, still wearing his sunglasses. 'Good day.' The man said politely as Justin walked out, 'I don't know... it seems as a though a storm is brewing!' Justin replied. The man smiled as the lift door closed and began going up. The man's smile dropped, 'a storm is brewing?' he looked at the floor of the lift behind him and noticed the bag; he turned it upside down and threw out the contents. 'Damn it!' He shouted and punched the inside of the elevator.
Justin whistled as he brushed passed the armed men rushing into the building and blended in with the people in the street.
The next few days were manic. Armed forces paraded the streets of London with might.
Not being able to catch one individual was frustrating, not to mention, humiliating for M-Corp. For the past five years or so, they were a force to be reckoned with; taking the entire country into privatisation, bailing out the banks, paying off the government and over all, taking control of the country. At first, it seemed preposterous that a private company could have so much influence and power in a country, so much so, that they called the shots on how the country is governed, but a few years on, they had taken siege completely: deploying armies on the streets, increasing tolls, tax and even charging a protection fee.
They soon eradicated the I.D card and enforced that everyone must have the chip installed, containing personal details; it was everyone's bank card, their driving license, passport - their life was embedded on that chip. And everything was stored on M-Corp's central database. The rights of privacy were crushed by the heavy wheels of a rich and controlling cooperation. Although, there were
perks of such an imprisoned society, crime had fallen to an astonishing ten-percent and the country was no longer in debt. Yet everyone knew that it was an extortionate amount to pay for such betterment. So it was no wonder that a modern-day Robin Hood emerged.
Justin had made his acquaintances and equipped himself for his mission; the only thing left was preparing himself mentally, which proved to be the most exhausting aspect of the plan.
Throughout the history of M-Corp, from its uprising all the way up to its acme, there had been very few attempts to topple its predominate rule. But Justin was adamant that this was about to change. He stared into the bathroom mirror in silence, his eyes looked bloodshot from the lack of sleep and his stubble was no longer considered stubble. The sound of the slow drip from the tap and the pain from surgically removing the chip prevented him from collecting his thoughts. He splashed a few handfuls of freezing cold water on his face and made for the exit. He couldn't work out whether he was queasy from hunger or nerves, either way, there was no turning back.
Daylight was fading as he rode to the heart of the disease that had plagued them for so long - willing to sacrifice his freedom, even his life to turn the tables.
In an arcane part of London, a meeting was being held, a meeting
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