THE HARSH TRUTH

WRITTEN BY ROBERT LEACH

It is Monday, September 1st 2013. The time is 8:33am exactly. Exrahn Fassood is on a London Underground train. His train had been delayed by a man jumping on the tracks. For this reason the train was stationary, about 300 yards from Charing Cross underground station. The carriage was quite busy, mostly commuters. Exrahn was told to get a big target. Exhran knew it would be busy, it was the morning rush hour time, and he was near a busy station. Exhran could smell human sweat. It was quite warm for an autumn morning. He saw children's laughing faces. Exhran knew he was about to do something terrible.

Exhran is a 20 year old Asian medical student. He lives in Hammersmith with his mother, Sameera. Sameera is 45 and works in the pharmaceutical industry, doing mostly clerical work at the training hospital where Exhran works. She had just arrived at work that morning, logged onto her computer, and slowly walked to where she meets Exhran every morning for coffee. But Exhran wasn't there. Sameera was worried, and she rang Exhran. His phone was switched off. Exhran also lived with his older brother, Jackarb. Jackarb had set this situation up, he was slightly older than Exhran, and he was 25. He is not on speaking terms with Sameera. He lives at the family house for free; Sameera does not have the heart to evict her son, even though the terrible things Jackarb did.

To understand how this situation had been set up, and why Jackarb and Sameera were not on speaking terms, we need to flashback to August 1st 2005. Sameera was 42 then, and was then working from home as a hand laundry mistress, cleaning people's clothes by hand. Her business was closed by the Inland Revenue for non-payment of VAT shortly after she opened it is May 2002. Exhran was 17 years old, and was in his final year of school. He went to an all-boys school, but was very naughty at school. For this reason he was often being punished by both the school and Sameera, and had little friends. His only real friend was his brother Jackarb, then 22. Jackarb worked in security for the school. His father was called Davood, but died New Year's Day 2006. Jackarb and Davood were tense for some time over small arguments, but Davood coming to see Jackarb at work (where he was greatly respected) was the final straw. Jackarb was a distraught young man, and he poured paint thinner into his father's eyes, and set light to it. He was stupid enough to do this on camera, and was convicted for murder. His friends, however, attacked the witnesses and broke into the court and stole the tape to defeat all prosecution. The case was quashed.

Exhran was the only unbeaten witness. Although he misbehaved, he was scared of the police. He blackmailed Jackarb for money, but Jackarb knew Exhran was scared of the police so Jackarb blackmailed Exhran. This time no money was involved, Exhran would merely have to commit some small errands for Jackarb, or so Exhran thought.

Jackarb prepared the 'little errand' for years until finally Sunday, August 31st 2013 at about midnight; Jackarb explained the feat to Exhran.

"You need to wear this coat on the tube to Charing Cross- when all the businessmen would be on the train with you." Jackarb whispered. Exhran gulped and turned a funny shade of purple. "And, when it is quarter to nine, press the button." Jackarb grinned. If you were at the dinner table at this time, you would see the total worry that struck Exhran's face.

And in the morning, we are back with Exhran in that tube carriage.

He cried inside. He really was sick in himself- sick in the fact that he was going ahead with the plan. Sick inside that he knew that Jackarb killed his father, and wouldn't tell anybody. Sick with himself that he knew Jackarb was on a bus to London City Airport with a bomb coat, going to detonate it at a quarter to nine, just like him. He was all-round sick in himself. He wished that he was not peering behind the corner in Jackarb's office when Jackarb killed his father. He wished he didn't 'touch-in' with his oyster card at the ticket gate at Leicester Square Underground Station. He wished that he didn't wake up this morning, and then at least half of this terrible act would not have happened. He wished that for years to come the date 01/09/2013 would not be remembered. He wished that people wouldn't remember where they were the day when two Asian boys blew up London. He wished to be anywhere apart from where he was.

But he was where he was, and he needed to face up to this. He did have a great big dirty bomb strapped to his chest. He did have a blue wire dangled through his sleeve, connected to a tiny red button that would cause misery and radiological affect for years to come. He needed to face up to all of these things. And he needed to face up to these things quickly, because his synchronised watch said it was 08:43, 2 minutes and he would be facing up to all these things.