The Exposé‎

Disclaimer:

This is a short story for a contest, inspired by ongoing events related to PRISM. This does not represent my views and is purely a fictional piece.

Glenn took the corner-most seat at the diner. He glanced at his watch. 7.53 PM. Seven minutes before time. He smiled at the waitress and ordered coffee. He took some deep breaths and opened his notepad to make sure he was prepared for what was about to follow.

This was going to be the most important day of Glenn Greenwald's life. Being an important figure in The Guardian, he had exposed many controversies in the past. However, this was supposed to be the biggest. He had been contacted by someone from the CIA earlier in the day, who needed to setup a meet urgently. This promised to be the biggest exposé‎ in his career, something beyond his wildest of dreams.

He looked around the diner to make sure there was no one suspicious nearby. It was pretty deserted for that time of the day. Maybe the mystery man who called him had chosen this diner after careful consideration. The waitress got him the coffee that he asked for and politely asked if he needed anything more. He shook his head without paying much attention to her.

He checked his watch again. 7.58 PM. 'He would be here any time now', Glenn thought. Just then, a person in a hood came into the diner and took the seat next to him. He shook his hand and said, "Hi, I am Edward Snowden."

Snowden signaled the waitress and ordered burger and fries. "I'm starving," Snowden said. "This life isn't easy at all."

The waitress took his order, went back to the desk, took out a small device from under the counter, pressed a button and whispered in a British accent, "He's here. I have positive ID." The device bore a MI6 logo.

*****

A black 1962 Chevy Impala, lights switched off, quietly entered the parking lot, unnoticed by Snowden or Glenn. Fox looked up at the two men inside the diner, turning off the engine. She wished she could hear what they were speaking, but it didn't matter anyways. She had strict orders. Assassinate Snowden; leave no trace behind. Poor Glenn was just going to be the collateral damage. She remembered the recent writings of Glenn. Indeed, he had made a great reputation. His death would send ripples across the world, but it was nothing compared to what was at stake!

*****

"They have code named it 'PRISM'. Every little thing is being monitored. It's like one of those movies- just scarier!", Snowden said.

Glenn was busy writing on his notepad. "When did this start?", he asked.

"Plans for such a surveillance program were there since the dawn of the century, but it was officially started in 2007. Major companies joined them soon. They even have your chat logs, by the way!", Snowden said.

Glenn stopped writing abruptly and looked up in disbelief. There was silence for a few moments. "Have you done something illegal?", Snowden asked, smiling.

"Me? No. I was just wondering how they could get so much of computing power!," Glenn said, still in disbelief.

"You tend to underestimate Area 51!" Snowden was still smiling.

*****

Fox was waiting patiently in the shadows like a wild cat. She took out a gun from her dashboard and attached the silencer carefully. She could see that the two men were bonding well, and felt sorry that it would all be over for them soon. All she had to do was pounce when she had the chance.

Fox could burst into the deserted diner and empty her gun into Snowden's brains right then and there. But she decided against the idea, as it would be an inefficient process because she would also have to take out Glenn and the waitress, including any other witnesses to ensure the incident didn't get any attention. She decided to wait. Snowden had to come out eventually.

Fox took out her cell and called up her boss, said "Target in sight"  and hung up.

*****

Eve was tired of playing the waitress game. She had been the perfect assassin in the past and this was proving to be her most boring assignment. Eve's device beeped. She had a message.

We have detected some activity in your vicinity. You may have company. Proceed with caution.

Eve kept it inside, took out her gun and made her move.

*****

Fox noticed that the waitress inside the diner was acting suspicious. As soon as she saw her taking out the gun, she knew it was time to act. And act fast. She came out of the car, gun pointed downwards, and started moving towards the diner.

*****

"This thumb drive contains enough information for the time being. It is encrypted. You will receive the key from me soon. Till then, hold tight to this." Snowden said.

Glenn took it from him, when he noticed the gun. Luckily, it was not pointed at either of them.

"Follow me if you want to live", Eve said.

"Why on earth would I"-

Glenn's sentence was cut short by the shattering glass of the diner's window. Fox had noticed Eve getting close to her target, and she had to act quick. She was still a few seconds from a clear shot.

"Whatever your question was - that is the answer. I'm with the good guys" Eve said. "Now don't waste time. We need to get out of the back."

Her words were followed by more gun shots, and Eve shot back. Glenn and Snowden, meanwhile made a dash for the back exit.

Eve recognized Fox. She knew getting out of this alive would be tough, especially with Fox's reputation. However, her primary target was to save the asset, Snowden.

"So we meet again", Fox said. "This time there's no escape."

"You can never catch them, Fox," said Eve

"They can run, but where will they hide from me?" Fox boasted, followed by an evil laugh!

This was precisely when Eve noticed that Glenn and Snowden had chucked out of the back entrance, and made their way towards Fox's car. She just needed to distract her for a few more precious seconds.

"You shoot me, I shoot you. End of the story for both of us. What is the use then?" Eve was desperately trying to get her attention, guns pointed at each other.

The Impala roared to life as Snowden started the engine. By the time Fox turned, the car had started moving. Without any delay, Fox shot Eve in between her eyes even before she had the chance of anticipating a move after being distracted by the roaring noise of the car. Fox was out of the diner even before Eve hit the ground. She fired shots at the Impala but missed. It was soon out of sight.

"You will definitely pay for my car!"

Fox called up her boss again. "Activate the GPS in my Impala." She had a wry smile on her face.

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This post is part of  Contest 8.. on WriteUpCafe.com

Prompt:

There are two men sitting in the booth of a diner eating dinner together and talking. A woman sits outside in a parked car, watching them through the window. Who are they? What is their relationship to one another? What are the men discussing? What is the woman thinking? What does she do next? Write a story that opens with this scene and explores these questions.