Randy’s clock read 6:48 p.m. A meeting at his company was scheduled for seven. It was the meeting where Randy finally had a chance to make a leap. He had the chance to get the promotion he had been waiting for so long to get. Sadly, he had overslept. With twelve minutes remaining until the meeting, Randy was just opening his eyes.
“Oh my!” He screamed, as he rushed to his bathroom. “What happened?”

It became clear to Randy when he saw that his alarm was not set. Just my luck. How will I explain this all to Mr. Jones? Randy thought. Out the door he went running to the streets. Praying that a taxi was nearby, Randy looked at his watch. 6:54. No time to wait for a taxi. He would have to sprint the ten blocks to his office. He passed an ally on his way there. Voices emerged from it that Randy did not recognize. He stopped, listened, and wondered what was going on.

“…And that is when we go.”

“During the speech?”

“Yes, halfway through, we attack the president.”

In awe, Randy stepped back to think for a second. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Attack the president? Why? As he said these things to himself, three people walked out of the ally. Each were businessmen dressed in their suits. One went to the left, while the others went right. None of them looked at Randy, but Randy saw each of them. Looking at a watch that read 7:02, Randy decided to follow the two men who went right. They turned up one street and into a building called ‘Hamilton Business’. Randy remembered what the two men looked like. One, tall with short brown hair and brown eyes. The other, short and stubby with a thick black mustache and no hair. At this point it was 7:17. There was no reason for Randy to go to work, he was on a mission.

He called in sick for the day so he could try to see what was going on with those men. As he waited for them to leave the building, Randy got caught up in the whole situation. Why? What could they possibly want to do to the president? As he thought this, the guys emerged out of “Hamilton Business’. They walked back over to the ally that they had originally been. The third person in this plan walked in a few minutes later. Randy stood there listening, making sure they could not see him. Words came out of the ally softly.
“This Saturday”… “Towards the end of the speech”… “We will soon be taking over this joint guys.”

It was clear to Randy that he had to tell the people. He went to the police department first. As he began to explain to them what he had heard, they looked at him odd. The things he was saying were insane. If the president of the United States is coming to make a speech, then security would be high. There was no way that people would be able to do anything like what Randy was describing. As Randy realized that what he was saying was not being accepted, he left. It would have only been a matter of time before the police would have thought he was the one who had the idea, and he was trying to make them suspicious of other people.

Next, it was time to tell his good friends. They would have understood what he was saying. None of them would think he is crazy or think he was the plotter. Unfortunately, they did. Each one of them suspected that he was insane. Randy didn’t understand it. Why would they think he was lying? Or was he lying? Did he just think he had heard these things? What if the people were just talking about the president’s speech? Then that would mean they were just going to watch him. But then how does that explain “getting him?” Who would they be getting? Nothing made sense to Randy right now. He decided to go back over to the ally where he had heard them.

Sure enough a co-worker of Randy’s was walking down the street. When he saw Randy he greeted him and seemed confused.
“Why are you not at home? I thought you were sick.” He said.
“Um, yeah. I just called in sick…” Randy answered.
“But you can’t do that.” Interrupted the co-worker. “It’s not allowed by our company.”
“I know, but I’m a little busy at the moment…”
“No! Mr. Jones is hearing about this!” He turned and left Randy sitting there by the ally.
That just made Randy’s day even worse. Then the three men walked back into the ally. To make sure he had heard them right, Randy listened as closely as he could. Everything they said sounded the same way Randy was explaining it to his friends and the police. It made him very angry. As Randy tried to inform the public of what he had heard, they just kept denying it. All of the people wanted to hear nothing about attacking the president. They all looked at Randy like he was a scandal himself. Then a group of people started to form a gathering. They started to chant that Randy was the real plotter. Randy evaded the people and ran back home. As soon as he closed the door his phone rang. It was his boss. Randy’s heart sank as he accepted the call.
“Are you out of your mind?” Mr. Jones screamed scornfully. “What were you thinking calling out sick! You know what, I think you are sick. Running up the streets telling people about this whole plot to get the president. I am getting hundreds of phone calls about one of my employees, you, starting a riot. People are against you Randy. And it is not good for our business. Do something about it or you’re fired!”
Before he could respond to his boss about what happened Mr. Jones hung up. That was enough for one day. Randy decided it was best to stay inside and watch T.V. for the rest of the day. The speech was tomorrow anyway. He was going and he would do what he had to do. Even if nobody was on his side. For now, it was best to just rest. A long day was ahead of him tomorrow. He had to be ready.
He called work to say he had to take a personal day. At first Mr. Jones was angry with Randy thinking he was just going to keep saying that people were plotting, but then he let him take the day off. With that obstacle out of the way, he got ready to go to the speech. As he left he decided to go past the ally where he had heard the men. No one was there. He figured they were already in the park where the president would make his speech. Making his way through the thick crowd outside of the park Randy entered into it. Some people saw him and started to yell. They said he was only here to attack the president. Ignoring them, he went to take a seat on a bench that was to the side of the podium that was put together for the president. That was when he noticed the three men. They were sitting together on the other side of the park minding their own business. He noticed that each of them had a bag with them. Randy thought it was dumb that the president would be coming to their town to speak and there was no security guards checking bags. It just made no sense to him.
Finally, it was time. The mayor of their town spoke briefly about how it was an honor for them to have such a person in their park. When he finished, the president came up to speak. Randy noticed all three men get up as soon as it was time for the speech. Making sure not many people saw him, he didn’t want suspicious people to point him out, Randy walked around the park to get behind the men. The speech was halfway done by now and it was time for the plan to be put into use. One guy went to a tree behind the podium, another over to the side of it, and the last one stood to be a lookout. Randy snuck past lookout and saw the man by the tree move in when he was out of sight of the people. Bodyguards never saw them coming. The two men were just about to pull out a weapon when Randy came running in. He kicked the weapon right out of one man’s hand and took him down. When the guards heard the commotion, they sprang up and rushed to the seen. The two men and Randy surrendered while the lookout took off running away.
“It was them! I was stopping the two men from firing at the president!” Randy explained.
“I don’t know what you are talking about!” Both men said in defense.
It didn’t help Randy’s case when people saw his face and started yelling that he was the one who was crazy and plotting against the president. Suddenly one man came out of the crowd with a camera. It was Mr. Jones. He had been coming to watch the president when he had noticed Randy behind the podium. When he had gotten closer to watch he saw the two men with weapons. That was when he took out his camera.
“I have the whole thing on here.” He announced.

The two men were arrested and taken away. The president came over to see who the hero was that saved his life. Randy was named a National Hero by the president and got a picture with him. He also was given not only his promotion, but even more by his boss. He was named the Vice President of his business under Mr. Jones. People thanked Randy for what he had done.

Randy’s life had been completely flipped over the course of two days. He went from a regular businessman, to a hated person inside a community, to a National Hero just like that. It all seemed so good until one day when he was walking home from work. He had worked late that night and was just strolling on home. As he passed the ally where he had heard the plot someone suddenly pulled him in. It was the lookout who escaped and was never caught by police. He beat Randy, broke his nose, robbed him of his wallet, and left him there to die. Luckily, someone had seen the whole thing. The person chased the crook down the street, stopped him, and got Randy’s wallet back. When the police arrived, the man was arrested and Randy was brought to the hospital. The person who had chased down the man came in to return the wallet. It was Mr. Jones.