Chapter I: Arrival
The loud click-clack of train wheels against the steel railroad ties resonated throughout the passenger cars of a train heading to Morocco’s western shore. Inside passenger cart D, berth D3, sat a lone man. The man was young. His unwashed straight hair hung over his eyes and his grubby beard sat matted on his face. He wore a wrinkled long-sleeved button down shirt and khakis with holes at the knee.
His Birkenstocks were old and stained with blood and grease. The young man’s head moved left to right in unison with the train’s shaking. His hands lay calmly in his lap. The man’s mind was at ease until a tap-tap at the door awoke him from his trance like state. A Moroccan man stood at the door. The Moroccan slid the door open and said something in Arabic. The young man nodded. The train was arriving at the station in thirty minutes.
Twenty minutes later, the young man exited his berth and stood outside berth D4. The glass pane on the door to D4 was covered by a shade. The young man looked left and right then tapped on the glass. From inside D4 a man’s voice asked something in French and the young man responded to the question. The door to D4 unlocked immediately after the young man replied. The dirty young man entered the berth and locked the door behind him.
Inside the room, two men in black suits sat directly across from one another. Each had matching sunglasses and identical briefcases at their feet. One of the suited men stood up and patted down their guest. “He’s clear,” said one man to the other. The seated man gestured for the dirty man to sit. “I never imagined we’d make it this far, L.X.,” said one of the suited men. “Well I’m here now. Take it,” replied L.X. The young man reached into his pant pocket and retrieved a small stainless steel tube. One of the suited men took the tube from L.X.’s hands. He proceeded to unscrew the tube’s lid and peered inside. He then handed the opened tube to the other suited man.
“Looks good to me but I will have to test it to make sure,” said one of the men. He reached down to his briefcase and sat it on his lap. He put his finger to the fingerprint scanner on the briefcase and with a “pop” the briefcase opened. Inside the briefcase was a tablet computer. The man powered on the tablet and tilted the steel tube bottoms up and a SD card toppled out. He inserted the SD card into the tablet. His eyes followed the screens actions carefully. He looked up at his companion and nodded. “It checks out. Congratulations, L.X.,” the man said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. The other suited man proceeded to open his brief case. He withdrew a manila folder with the words “Classified: L.X.” stamped in red to the front. “All yours,” he said as he handed it to L.X.
The train had slowed down to 3kilometers an hour. The train’s passengers were seconds from downtown Rabat. The brakes’ squeaks were the only sound heard in berth D4. L.X. stared blankly at the manila folder that was just handed to him.
“We will exit the train first. Count to sixty then leave the room. If you follow us, we won’t hesitate to kill you, L.X.,” said one of the suited men. A bell dinged in every train car signaling that the train had stopped. The suited men stood up and walked to the berth’s door. One of them turned his head while exiting the door.
“Enjoy your freedom.”
