The EXIT Interview

Operation 'Mrs. Zero'

In the cool of the evening, a gentle knock was heard on the door to Mr. Zero's home.

It had been eight hours since Mr. Zero, the once beloved ICT wiz, had turned villain. And despite the heavy police presence, he was still at large.

Martina opened the door. Alexis stood by the entrance dressed in her usual formal and up- town attire.

"You must be Martina," She quickly acknowledged. "I'm Alexis. I worked with your husband."

Martina was taken aback and an inquiry rang out, "Is he okay?"

"I need to talk to you," Alexis veered straight to business in a serious tone. "May I come in?"

Martina hesitantly opened the door without saying a word.

Alexis walked in and sat on a chair by the dining table. Martina sat at the opposite end. Her facial expression was screaming with caution and uneasiness. The mood was rather tense. The kind that one would kill to see it vanish as the dew of the morning under the rising sun.

"Am sure sure you are aware that the President was killed," Alexis took out a cigaratte and light it up. After taking a few puffs, she continued, "Your husband is the killer. And, he's now on the run."

Martina was hit with shock. Her lips quivered. She slouched on the table and let out a gasp, "No, it can't be".

"Cigaratte?" Alexis offered.

Martina shook her head, stood up and walked to the window. She gazed outside in a bid to reorganise her senses. But all was in futility.

"But," Martina murmured faintly. "He can't do that."

Alexis made a quick but soft reply, "Who wouldn't believe that he's the devil if the old serpent came with his ugly horns and a wagging tail?"

"I mean wouldn't he do that?" Martina wondered aloud, "He loved the President."

"The motive could be anything, really. Even so, we suspect the opposition party oiled this hit. They wanted him because they still hold the fact that the past elections were not free and fair," Alexis sketched out an answer albeit not sounding very confident.

Martina paced about by the window. Clearly, she struggled to wrap her head around the whole issue.

Alexis, on the other hand, remained calmed on the chair enjoying every puff of smoke she casually took in. "Soon, it will be on the news. You will see his devilish face on your screen."

Martina broke down. Tears freely marched from her eyes, down to her cheeks.

Alexis chuckled and contended, "He ain't worth those tears."

Martina wondered amid sobs, "What do you want?"

"The Program wishes to employ you as an undercover agent. Your job is to either turn in your husband to the police or kill him."

Martina stomped to the table with rage. She leaned over Alexis and roared, "Are you out of your mind? How do you expect me to kill my husband?! I kill the father of my child?!"

"It's highly probable that he will contact you. Turn him in or kill him. The Government will pay you $2.3m," Alexis continued with her calm utterance.

Martina motioned to the door, opened it and ordered, "Out!"

"Cut the crap," Alexis retorted. She light up another cigaratte and took in a puff, "You are not what the world thinks you are, Martina. You stand there and pretend that you are a faithful wife. Alas, Zero shot himself in the foot with you. He missed it it big time."

Martina wondered aloud, "Who is Zero?"

"The sucker breaks his back cracking codes on the train while you busy fucking Chris' father back home. The poor son of a bitch comes back home thinking he has a descent wife, a Saint, not knowing that she's nothing but a dirty whore."

Martina burnt with discomfort. She was however not ready to go down without resistance. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Klint," Alexis replied after a devilish smile. Smoke flew out of her mouth. "That's your fucker, right?"

Martina froze in disbelief.

Alexis, however, was not done. "He runs the streets selling drugs. The Drug Enforcement Commission have been on his tail for a while now. And you, Martin, have a way of rubbing your hands with dirt. You are his drug mule. You help him move the fucking contraband from place to place. Last time you two met, it was at local store. He gave you about a kilo of cocaine."

"How do you know all this?" Martina inquired with with a stammer. "I mean, who are you?"

Alexis bèamed with a smile and drove another argument home. "Oh, lest I forget, There's Chris. That fucking boy appears to be innocent in most eyes. But Lord knows he ain't. You use him as a drug mule in schools and colleges. He runs your shit. I mean, no one can suspect a palalytic dragging his helpless body on a wheelcheer to be dealing drugs, right?"

"What do you want from me?" Martina melted, as she sat on a chair by Alexis.

Alexis took another cigaratte and light it. She took a puff and gave it to Martina.

"The Government is in need of your services," Alexis responded softly. "Help us get Mr. Zero, have all possible criminal charges against you swept under the carpet and pretend that we never had this conversation."

Martina nodded gently.

"The Program will pay you half the money by 8am tomorrow. You'll receive the balance once the job is done," Alexis underscore while staring at Martina. "Wayne now uses the name Gilbert Zero."

Alexis fetched a gun and a pack of bullets, and placed them on the table. "The team will wire you up. And, I will be in touch."

Alexis stood up and walked out of the house.

Elsewhere, as the river ebbed in and out with so great a roar and mighty, a seemingly dead body was exposed. It laid face- down on the shore, clad in a black trousers and white shirt. Only one foot was covered in a shoe. The water rolled on it, and retreated away from it in regular intervals.

That was Mr. Zero. Helpless and at the blink of death, in the middle of nowhere.