mike the mountain

1. Pick a exotic, interesting country, somewhere not unknown to Western travellers but not over-touristy either. The kind of place fun people go backpacking in groups.



2. Pack one black suit/white shirt and dress shoes with good grip. Be willing to lose them.
3. Find a group of younger (20s) travellers. Hang out, socialize, get to know one guy (specifically a male, doesn’t work with a female, best if he’s a movie or comic fan), find out his name, home town, etc. Give them a fake name, background, etc. If he’s got a background or family in government, military, or law-enforcement, pick someone else.
4. Casually find out where they’re staying, how long, where they’re going next. Give wrong info for your hotel/hostel (i.e., don’t be easily findable).
5. One night, be “accidentally” spotted wearing your suit. Don’t talk, run.
6. Find a web café, get pics and details of target (Facebook, etc.), info on where they’re staying, where they’ve been and are going if possible. Delete web history/cache/etc.
7. Print as much stuff as you can, build loose “dossier” in a large envelope. No fingerprints.
8. The day before you leave: trash the suit, rough yourself up, make it look like you’ve been attacked and beaten up badly. Has to look real.
9. Late at night show up at the target’s room, out of breath, near panic.
10. Act like you’re in trouble, don’t say who or why. Give him the envelope, tell him NOT to open it.



11. Tell him he has to deliver the envelope to a specific trash can (in a market or church or other high-traffic location) tomorrow before midnight.
12. If you can get a convincingly realistic prop gun, take it out. Tell him to keep the lights off, give a dramatic farewell, and run off into the night.
13. Get cleaned up, ditch clothes (and prop gun), head to the airport or bus station. If you know their next stop, send postcard with a cryptic message about everything being “safe” now.

If he does what you ask (not open the envelope, throw it in the garbage), you’ll be a topic of conversation, an interesting story with a question-mark ending.

If he opens the envelope… he will freak the hell out, and probably come looking for you (which is why you used a fake name, location, hotel, and left the country. Also why you avoided fingerprints, in case he’s extra motivated). The mystery will only grow as everything you told him ends up being false. Every James Bond, spy or assassin movie he’s ever seen will resonate in his mind for days, weeks, years. And even though nothing will happen to him, and even though he’ll get a postcard saying everything’s “safe”, he’ll wonder for the rest of his life who you were and why you were interested in him.