There Isn't Much Time

"Oh god, there isn't much time so I may as-well record this now."

My head instantly turned up from my keyboard to the screen, and a near-in-focus video feed had appeared as a window on my screen. As I was alone in the house this scared me quite a bit, but the shock instantly turned to fear as I saw the tried look on this guy's face. All I could see was face dampened by the sweat and fear, which had also whetted his grey shirt. The light of the screen was the lighting up his face.

"Okay my name is...well, actually I don't think I'll say that."

He turned backwards, and after he turned back he looked more afraid.

"Uh...I guess I'll start at the beginning."

He checked the now-in-view watch on his wrist.

"The current time is 20:54, and I have exactly 6 minutes to live. I am an expert hacker and mathematician. I am about to be killed off as I have been recently working with an experimental Mathematics firm that deal with programming and security software. Recently we were working on the notorious equation p=np. Sarah, Geraint if you do not understand p=np is then let me summarise, if we were able to answer this question every password, pin number and anti virus software would be obsolete.The government, seeing the problems that this could arise are determined to silence the entire team working on it. I am the last of the team. I am going to be killed by this man here."

He held up the recording device and turned a lamp on. A man in a suit was there, however he was wearing a quite menacing clown mask. This guy then set the recording device back down onto the table. Wiping his eyes he carried on.

"I am allowed to have five final actions, before I am subsequently executed. My first was establishing a video feed with all computers connected to the WiFi. Again, this is...was my job, so I found this simple. My second action is to play the following tone."

A quick 6 note tune was played as the screen cut to black.

"Friends and family are mainly the people that understand what is meant by that. My third action is to record this as my final will and testament."

I was shocked. This must mean this poor fucker'll definitely die.

"To my brother I give my flat found at the address that will be sent in a letter to him shortly. To my girlfriend Sarah, I give you my remaining wealth and all that is in my pockets and the moment. That is a total of £3.40, a mars bar wrapper, and the £19.07 left in my bank account."

He held up his watch to the camera, the time was 20:57.

"My fourth action is to burn the final draftings and copies of our theorised answer that we have yet to publish, or test."

He held a lighter under a beige file and held it at the top. A full 30 seconds passed as the file completely burnt.

There were tears in his eyes as he carried on.

"My final action that I will do before I will be killed, is to explain why I am allowed to even have this recorded, is because I am being told to send out a message. And the message is this."

He held up note and read from it, the more he read the more tears fell from his face.

"This is a message from the government, this man, has been contractually asked and thus, obligated if he would rather serve a full life sentence in prison for the charge of treason, or if he would like to be executed, with 5 actions to be completed before his death at precisely 21:00 on the thirtieth of November, these actions no matter how publically shaming or ravenous, must be completed, as long as these actions do not lead to the death or grievous harm of a person or persons, it also must not interfere with the death of this citizen. He is also allowed, as is with executions in the US, to have a final message."

He held up his watch once again, it read 20:59.

"I have around 30 seconds to live." I watched in fear as this man got up from his chair and kneeled down, away from the man in the suit.

He again, checked his watch.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

He closed his eyes, and breathed out sounding as calm as is possible for a person about to be executed.

The man in the suit spoke, in a very monotone voice, "You may now say your final message."

The guy said simply, "Goodnight all."

The man in the suit pulled out a pistol from the inside of the suit, and held it up against the back the guys head.

And pulled the trigger.

The guy slumped to the ground, the man in the suit walked up to the camera, grabbed it with one hand, and threw it to the ground, the video feed began to seem all staticy, and the footsteps sounded distorted, the man in the suit aimed his pistol at the lens of the camera and fired.

The video then ended.