It was over.

Or it was just beginning.

I looked at the driver of the van, who was slowly raising his hands.

The red laser dots appeared again, painting the side of the vehicle.

“Step away from the van, Captain,” the voice ordered.

I took a slow step backward, my mind racing.

The final revelation was about to unfold.

And I was standing right in the center of it.

The door of the van began to slide closed, but a hand reached out from the dark interior, grabbing my wrist.

“Get in!” a voice yelled.

With a violent pull, I was dragged inside the moving vehicle as the first shots rang out behind us.

The van accelerated across the tarmac, the tires screaming.

I fell onto the floor, the sound of bullets hitting the rear doors like a hail of stones.

I looked up through the darkness of the cabin, trying to see who had saved me.

A small flashlight clicked on, illuminating a face I knew all too well.

“Did you think I’d let them take you?” Daniel asked, his voice shaking but determined.