The Epitaph Of Aldan Murrows

The Epitaph Of Aldan Murrows

A Tale By: Kevin McCort

A man was stumbling through Central Park. He was rather drunk and his body odor was exasperatingly horrible. The flies that were around him died quickly when they came too close.

This man was Aldan Murrows. He was from southern Russia, Near Mongolia. Aldan was armed with an old form of a colt 45. He kept it with him at all times. You know incase he "needed" it. He was far too drunk to remember the pistol in his pocket though. So it was of no use to him.

Although being rather drunk he could still depend on some senses. He smelled a cigarette. His trained MI5 nose could smell it. He was once part of the British intelligence agency.

Aldan quickly dove behind a bush. It was to late. Aldan looked down at his chest. Blood was pouring out. His fingertips grew numb. He slipped unconscious…

Ugh! Where am I? I thought motionless on a bed. It was uncomfortable. Yet relaxing. The uncomfortably was probably brought upon by the fact that it was not my bed.

This… this… Room How peculiar? Where am I? The walls? They are, gray? Surly not mine.

A short man rather plump in the face walked into the room. The tall ceiling and the stonewalls made his large steps echo. The corridor was long. It took him a good deal of time to reach me. " Ah yes Mr. Murrows how are you feeling," said the man breaking the perpetual silence. " Well I'm alright, and you are…?"

"Oh please pardon me how rude of myself! I am Dr. Flackensteel, but you can cal me Moe. I'm the director of the SOPAD,"

" Um What!" I exclaimed.

" Sorry, the security of paranormal activity division"

" Um OK… I guess that narrows it down?"

" No Mr. Murrows. How bout' I just get to the point"

" Well thanks Jim that would be splendid!" I wonder if he sensed my sarcasm.

" Ok well Aldan, if I may call you Aldan…"

" You can," I said interrupting.

" Ok then, well Aldan I am proud to say you are dead!"

" So that makes this heaven?"

" No Aldan it makes it something far different,"

" So its hell?"

" No! I am part of the secret organization I already told you about, the SOPAD. We are a special division dealing with dilemmas that not even the CIA knows about."

" So I'm not dead?"

" Exactly,"

" Then can I go home?"

" No! Aldan, you are only dead to the public. Only the SOPAD knows you are alive,"

" Ok… Then why do you need me?"

" Glad you asked Aldan. If you didn't already know there is an eco terrorist named Echvan Gravadori. He has planted bombs under every shipping export west Manhattan.

We have found the location of the detonator. And it's far from there. We want you to be our source of espionage, you got it?"

" Um why me?

" Oh please Aldan we are not imbeciles. We know about you. Hired by MI5 solved many problems but never the important ones. Never been paid the debt owed to you! Well we can give you that!"

I thought this over. Maybe this guy wasn't such a quack after all.

" I'll take your offer!"

" Good, good Mr. Murrows. This was an offer you just couldn't refuse eh?"

" I suppose,"

" Ok good. I'll meet back with you at 1:30 to give you a briefing. By then you'll have your new look!"

" What new look?"

" Oh sorry I forgot to mention our makeup artist Linda will be in. If any one were to see a dead man walking around New York City they'd be quite rattled. Don't ya' think?"

" Oh… Ok?"

I met Linda. She changed my appearance rather well. I wasn't even aware it was me. They even bought me my own wardrobe to choose from. My dark skin was now a light Caucasian tone.

My clothes were now a dark leather jacket and some jeans. My hair was no longer the long black strands it was before. My hair was a brown color and was nice and neat. Also since I had no accent that was not a problem.

I walked up the stairs of the SOPAD facility. There two armed guards who asked for my ID greeted me. I pulled it out. They scanned it and waved me through. A fingerprint analysis was done. And then I rode the elevator to the top floor. The top floor was actually the lobby of a downtown deli used for cover. But it was fine the SOPAD owned the deli so no insiders would find out. Everything was so secure almost to secure…

I opened the clear quarter paned door. The deli clerk waved goodbye. "See you round' Robby," He yelled. That was my new alias. Robert Levin, a twenty six year old man from Idaho living in the apartments above Lizinos deli.

I took into account the cool brisk wind. It felt nice. I put my hands into my pockets. Jim was waiting for me right were he said he would.

" Ah hello Robert," He said. I didn't notice

" Robert!"

" Oh sorry! It takes some getting used to/"

" You better get used to it, or you'll be sleepin' with the fishes like the last guy who forgot his alias," Jim rolled up his sleeves. His shirt was a little too small for his fat body though. It squeezed his arms and made a line where the end of the shirtsleeve was.

" Ok" I couldn't help laughing at the sight of him.

" Is somethin' amusing you Levin?"

" No, No of course not,"

" Whatever. Now for your briefing. We will ship you off to London. From there you shall head to the Karl Watson & Finch shopping depot. You will hold it hostage. From there, rally up some armed guards. Lead then to the basement. There will be about twenty enemies downstairs. Kill them off with your men and some smoke grenades. From there proceed down the hallway. Tell your men to stand back and cover that room. You will continue down the hallway. There will roughly thirty enemies here,"

" Wait! How am I supposed to kill thirty enemies on my own?"

" If you would like to know it's quite simple. We will supply you with gadgets called time splitters. A creation of mine to tell you! What they do is, well, I guess they freeze time! You have about three seconds per time splitter. The most we can give you is four.

Use them wisely. But remember you'll still have smoke grenades and your weapon of choice,"

" Huh? So the SOPAD has made practical time travel?"

" I guess you could call it that. Well anyway, we must get to the airport. Your plane leaves in five hours and we need to show you how to use this equipment!"

Ugh this airplane smells like feet! I hate airplanes. The idea of having no control over your destination bothers me. Oh well.

The time splitters were confusing but I got the hang of them. Right when you see the green flash you run and shoot at whatever a bullet can reach. When it flashes again you find cover. Smoke grenades are simple. Pull the pin and throw. And of course y weapon of choice was the M4A1. I also brought my Colt 45 just incase…

I arrived in London. To my surprise it was cleanlier than NYC.

I took a cab to Karl Watson & Finch. It was a rather expensive place not to mention. I had my M4A1 in my brief case. It was disassembled. My 45 was in the inside of my suit. My time splitters on a belt, same with the grenades.

I was humming to myself. You know trying to look like a casual shopper. Looking at different clothing selections. They were all expensive. I took a pair of jeans to the clerks counter.

" Will that be cash or credit?" said the woman running the cash register.

" Oh um sorry my money is in the brief case," I purposely dropped it on the floor and opened it up. My hands were shaking. I assembled the gun

" Um sir do you need help… aaaaahhh!"

She began to run. "Mam I'm with the CIA. Stop or I'll shoot," I actually wasn't part of the CIA but no one in here knew that. I pulled out a fake badge.

" Everyone calm down! I'm going to need ten people to come help me. You over there," I said taking control.

" Who me?" said the man I was pointing at

" Yes you! Go across the street to the police station. Bring ten. Ell them to come armed,"

The man ran off I waited some time but he retrieved my bounty. " This is the police what do you need?" The officers had come with rally shields and helmets.

" Ok, I'm with the CIA, there are about twenty men in the basement. They have a bomb. We got to take them out. After we are done killing then stays in that room kill any that enter."

They murmured things among each other but still followed me.

I kicked down the door and heard gasps. Then gunshots. Just random shots hitting nothing. I made my move " go go go," I fired multiple rounds I heard groans. I killed one. I gave a grenade to an officer near me. " Throw!" A soft mist of cloudy smoke filled the room. I heard them cussing and swearing. I snuck up behind the turned over table they were behind. I pulled the trigger and unloaded everything onto then. The room smelled like fire and lead. I was covered in blood. The smoke cleared guts and blood was everywhere. We had no casualties. The enemies all of them were casualties. I opened the door. Well, kick down the door. Thirty of them started shooting. I was hit in the thigh. They had nine millimeters. My thigh was in pain. I threw down a time splitter. Green erupted out of the center.

For those three seconds the world stood still

I sprayed a rampage of bullets. Even the blood stood still. I found a barrel and ducked. I then heard a bang the time began again. Bullets flew past me and stopped. They were confused! I slammed down another time splitter and darted behind then. I skidded across the waxed floor and shot from behind them.

I picked off about twenty five of them by now. The room smelled horrible. It was dim and black. I was still on my back when they turned around. There was no time to pull out a time splitter. All I could do was shoot.

What took seconds seemed like hours. I shot a full clip at them and rolled. Bullets were whizzing by my face. Any of them could have hit me. One did. It caught me in the arm. By now I was behind another barrel. There I sat holding my arm blood pouring. I heard him only one was left.

" Come out, come out wherever you are," he said mocking me.

" Ok then!" I screamed gritting my teeth. I dove out from behind the barrel. I saw bullet holes go into the wall behind me. I shot at a glass light above him. It fell, knocking him unconscious.

" I'm right here!" I exclaimed as I snapped his neck. I stumbled down the corridor looking for the room Jim had told me about. I came to a door. It was locked. No problem I thought slamming the butt end of my gun on the handle. It snapped like that guy's neck I just broke. I found a computer inside. It was attached to some sort of bomb. It had a timer. It was at four minutes. I jumped aground trying to find a switch or something. Then the door fell open.

" I suppose you are to late Aldan," Aldan? Who else would know my name besides Jim Flackensteel?

"Uh Jim?"

" Yes Aldan, I presume you are to late. Turn around let me see the face of a dog. The dog of which you are," he was holding a gun. I quickly pulled the trigger of my M4A1. Click Nothing. I heard what seemed to be a bullet passing through flesh. I looked down… blood. Jim's weapon still had smoke coming out the end. I slipped down to my knees then to my face. Before my death all I heard was three seconds until detonation.

And for those three seconds the world stood still…

FIN