The EXIT Interview

Loose end

Silence swept through the black SUV as The driver cruised on the highway to the airport.

Mr. Zero held on to the small box in his hands. Clearly, he was lost in thought. Ahead of him was a future that was punctuated with uncertainty and fear. And behind him, stood memories of his involvements with his wife, Martin and Step son, Chris, and the program.

The driver kept on tossing his eyes between the road and the rear mirror. His lot was to keep a keen eye on Mr. Zero.

Another black SUV emerged from nowhere and rocketed behind the automobile where Mr. Zero rode. When the SUVs were at par, the chasing automobile rammed into Mr. Zero's SUV. The latter veered to the opposition lane and violently slammed into an oncoming truck.

A great explosion of dust engulfed the collided vehicles. A faint continuous honk was heard from the SUV that was badly minced as a result of the collision. Both drivers drivers died on the spot. Their bloody bodies were trapped behind the wheels in their respective vehicles.

Traffic came to a stand still. Spectators cringed in their automobiles as they witnessed the fatal collision.

The SUV that caused the carnage drove a few metres before stopping. The driver threw it's gear in reverse and the automobile shuttled backwardly. It stopped by the spot of the accident.

A man stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the immobiled SUV with haste steps. He pulled his gun tucked behind him. His hand firmly rested on the back seat door handle. And, in a twinkle he pulled the door open and immediately took aim. Mr. Zero was not in the car.

The man stealthily walked around the SUV in search for his target. He took to the knee and scanned under the car. He quickly circled around the truck. Mr. Zero was not in sight.

The man tucked his guy away and angrily stomped back to his tinted vehicle. He opened the door, and behold a gun was pointed at him. It was Mr. Zero.

"Who sent you?!" Mr. Zero inquired softly.

The man smiled. He extended his arm around the back in an attempt to reach for his gun. Mr. Zero pulled the trigger and shot him on the forehead. The man dropped dead.

Mr. Zero pulled himself to the driver's seat. He slammed the door closed and sped off in the strange man's SUV. His face was not alien to disorientation and blood. He was hurt. He needed medical attention. But He had to run for dear life. Much to the awe and fear of the motorists that had witnessed the whole ordeal.

Pulling away at a great speed from the accident scene, a phone rang. He fetched his phone and looked at it. No one was calling. Yet a phone kept on ringing.

After a diligent search he found a phone in the driver's door's compartment. He picked it and Alexis was calling. He answered the call and placed it on his ear.

"Confirm, Mr. Zero is dead," Alexis was heard through the phone's speaker. "Confirm, the loose end has been tied."

Mr. Zero retorted firmly, "negative. You are speaking to Zero."

He threw both his phone and that of the dead man out of the car. And, he drove on.

Back in the train, Alexis left her desk and stomped to a room dubbed 'Situation Room'. There, a team of four fairly young men and two women sat in front of super computers. They were all engrossed on the little screens while their fingers danced with speed on their keyboards.

"Listen up," Alexis announced her presence. But they continued working as it were. "Mr. Zero has gone rogue. He has killed two of our men. Are we able to track him?"

Keys on the computers rattled for a few seconds as they all punched in data and one of the ladies reported, "We have the two SUVs that were sent out. One is immoble on the highway. The other one is approaching the east bridge. That should be Mr. Zero."

"Shut it down. Lock all the doors," Alexis ordered.

The lady clicked a few more buttons, "It's done."

The SUV Mr. Zero drove came to a sudden halt on it's own on the highway. Doors locked!

Loud honks from other motorists trumpeted as the sweved around the immobile SUV. This, they did with panic, disgust and flaring tempers. 

Mr. Zero tried to unlock the door but to no avail. He looked around in panic for an easy way out. Inconvenienced motorists honked in rage and disgust. This only fuelled Mr. Zero's panic.

In the train, Alexis made a quick dial on her phone. It rang twice before a man answered from the other end.

"Get to the East Bridge and eliminate Mr. Zero," Alexis ordered the man through the phone. "I will not accept mistakes."

A few minutes went back while Mr. Zero kicked and tossed in the SUV. All his efforts could not bear any fruits. Then what he dreaded the most happened. Another black SUV was seeing charging at a great speed from the opposite lane. Soon, it dawned in Mr. Zero's mind that the Program was coming for him. Death was just a few minutes away.

The oncoming SUV was brought to rest adjacent to where Mr. Zero was forced to a park. A man stepped out of the vehicle and huddled over the baricade to the lane where Mr. Zero was trapped.

Walking towards the immobiled SUV, the man locked his gaze on Mr. Zero. He was hell- bent on killing him. Terror reigned on Zero's face.

A heavy load truck was fast approaching behind Zero's SUV. The front tyre exploded aloud due to a burst. The driver, seemingly devoid of experience, hit the emergency breaks. The heavy truck veered and overturned violently. Its weight and speed fuelled it into a sparky slide.

In a flash, the truck crashed into the SUV in which Zero rode. The SUV slammed past the barricade and down it descended into the river beneath. The truck came crashing through the barricade and plunged into the river.

The man who was sent to kill Zero watched on for a few moments. He saw it all. And he was certain Zero would not survive the crash.