The next morning, Andrew woke up next to Kat. He smiled as mornings first glimmer of light glittered in her auburn hair. I am a very lucky man to have this to come back to Andrew thought. Andrew got dressed and left this note on the pillow:

Thank you for the most incredible night I have had in a very long time.
When I come back to the States, I’ll be coming back for you.
Your Love,
Andrew

He smiled one last time as he gently stroked her cheek, brushing aside a strand of hair that crept closer to her mouth with every breath she took. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. Knowing he had something to come back to, made his confidence soar like an eagle off a cliff.

Andrew arrived at the airport at 7:34 A.M., a good hour before his plane back to Myrtle Beach would be leaving. Finally he had time to think about the article that was in the magazine. Why wasn’t it in the other one Andrew thought as he went over to a newspaper stand. He scanned the newspapers with headlines about; Bin Laden’s death being a conspiracy, Big Foot sightings, crop circles as large as the Nazca Lines in Peru, when he came to the magazines he stopped. Here was the same Popular Science issue, only it was marked 75% off.

“Excuse me, but why is this issue marked down?” Andrew asked the attendant.

“Well you see, a couple days ago a bunch of men in black suits came and started tearing pages out of them.” The attendant, Marc according to his nametag, replied. “I was hysterical!!! Of course I asked them why they were destroying my merchandise. All they told me was that there was a misprint by the magazine with matters of National Security at stake.” Marc’s eyes became wide when he finished.

Andrew thought about it for about a minute before flipping through each magazine to the same torn out pages he saw in the limo. Leaving the magazines in a pile next to the stand, Andrew backed away slowly.

“Hey, are you gonna pick that shit up?” Marc howled.

Andrew didn’t reply. The article he had read on the plane was the only words going through his head. Andrew turned on his heels, grabbing his luggage, and ran to the ticket counter. Andrew was in such a trance, he nearly knocked an elderly woman clear off her feet. On a television in the corner of Andrew’s vision, TERRORIST ATTACK IN CAIRO IMMINENT scrolled across CNN’s ticker. Andrew paid no attention to this as his goal came into view, the customer service desk. His legs seemed to grow an extra foot as the counter approached faster and faster.

Andrew slammed into the counter, catching himself on its edge before he fell onto the linoleum flooring. Pulling himself up to his feet, Andrew caught his breath as the ticket agent stared at him quizzically.

“Excuse…me…but I need to get on the first plane out of the country.” Andrew didn’t know exactly what to say but that’s what came out of his mouth.

The ticket agent, Bri was her name according to her nametag, started typing into her console.

“Well sir, it seems that you have already been placed onto the first plane to Cairo, Egypt. Did you want to change your destination?” Bri asked him with her fake as a three-dollar bill smile.

“Yes I want to change my destination…Tokyo, Japan please.” Andrew replied, calming down knowing all too well the smile she was giving him.

Bri typed the new destination into Andrew’s flight plan. The computer beeped angrily at her and flashed red. She tried again with the same result.

“Hmmm, I will have to speak with my supervisor. Please wait here.” She said motioning him to the left of the counter.

Andrew shuffled his way over to the end of the counter with legs feeling rubbery. Andrew’s phone began to ring. He reached into his pocket and pressed ignore, as he had done so many times before to annoying debt collectors. It rang again without pause, ignore his repeated pressing of the ignore button as he pulled it out. The Caller ID read as Unknown Name, Unknown Number. Andrew looked at his ringing, vibrating phone, took a deep breath and hit the answer button.

“H-Hello?” Andrew answered.

“Do not try to deviate from Cairo. You will go there, and you will open that store.” A much distorted deep voice replied, and then hung up.

Andrew placed the phone back into his pocket. It seems his course was set and he had only teaspoons for paddles. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and on the nape of his neck. Andrew saw the restrooms to his left and started to walk towards them.

“Sir? Excuse me sir?” a recent voice called after Andrew.

Andrew spun around and saw Bri, the Ticket Agent, walking towards him.  “My apologies, I was lost in thought.” Andrew replied carelessly.

Bri gave him a strange look, like one you would give somebody that had just said they saw a unicorn. “Well, after speaking with my supervisor, it seems that you are unable to change your destination until you reach Cairo.”

Andrew gave her the same fake smile she had given him before, only he had perfected it over the years. “It’s ok, Cairo will be fine.” Andrew told her setting her at ease. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I feel a bit under the weather.” Andrew headed for the men’s room leaving Bri standing there looking puzzled and alone in the middle of the terminal.

Andrew turned the nearest faucet on cold and splashed a handful of water on his face, careless about the water spilling onto the floor. His face had turned pale white with rosy lips. If it were flu season, he’d be the poster boy right now. Thoughts of escape were running through his head. “How could I do it though?” Andrew asked his reflection. He ran over all the information that seemed to be connected in this spider’s web of a conundrum. The article was the pivot point in it all, describing the work of the scientists from four different nations. Then came the Men in Black Suits tearing the articles out of the magazines. Then there was the distorted voice on the phone that had apparently halted his attempts to go anywhere else but Cairo. Cairo…what is in Cairo that is so damned important? Then an image of the television flashed in his head. Suddenly, Andrew had a simple but very farfetched idea in his head that made him laugh outside his thoughts.

Andrew pushed this out of his head, glad he was still able to laugh in the situation he was apparently in. One-way ticket to the next big terrorist attack, come one and only one Andrew thought laughing even more. The only possible way he could find out what was going on, was to go to Cairo. “Alright Mr. Distorted Voice, I’ll play it your way.” Andrew said to his phone as he pulled it out again. The digital clock said 8:25 A.M., 30 minutes before his flight left, as Andrew left the Men’s Room for his plane. Perhaps this would be the last flight of his life.

A thought went through Andrew’s mind as he passed through security. What about all the other workers that will be there? This sent a chill through his spine that made him shiver. So many lives are on the line. If he makes the store a success, it’ll be blown up and everybody will die; but he’ll get to go home. If it fails, then nobody will die but he’ll be stuck in Cairo, all alone. Andrew started walking again after his shoes were back on, looking for his gate, it was 19A. This sent a shiver through him as this particular number was often an omen to him of his thoughts coming true. But which of his thoughts would it be? Andrew took a deep breath, exhaled, and gave the ticket to the attendant. His new venture was about to begin.