Flash. Red. Mason’s heart skipped a beat. Flash. Blue. He looked out the window and couldn’t believe his eyes. They had found him. He had been careful to cover his tracks, but clearly he had fouled up somewhere.

He quickly filled a backpack with necessities. Several protein bars, a pistol, several clips, a roll of duct tape and a flash drive that had proven to be the bane of his existence. He peaked out the window again. Flash. Blue. Flash. Red. No movement. What were they waiting for? Why had they announced their presence?

To hell with it.

Mason climbed out onto the fire escape. And couldn’t believe his eyes. Giles was dead. And yet, Giles was standing right before him. His mind did mental gymnastics. If Giles was alive, the drive was meaningless. The drive certainly wasn’t meaningless. Something was amiss.

“You have two options, my old friend.” Giles said, “Get pinched here or join me and find your answers. Time is of the essence. What will it be?”

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Mason said.