Chapter 12 - Six Hours to Midnight

"A preservation order," Chen said immediately. "We need a judge."

Reed began drafting the affidavit while another agent contacted the duty prosecutor. Sentinel's lawyers claimed the archive contained proprietary research and warned of catastrophic damage if anyone entered the system.

"Their proprietary research includes three dead soldiers," Avery said.

Reed did not look up. "Then we put that in the warrant."

Briggs, meanwhile, had stopped showing up for scheduled questioning. His barracks room was empty except for a packed trash bag and a torn piece of a shipping label. Hale recognized its destination code: an abandoned transfer station once used to store military equipment.

"He's running," Hale said.

"Or he wants us to think he is," Avery replied.

Avery couldn't join a criminal search without approval, but she could identify the object pictured on the torn label. It was a portable encrypted recorder. Ellis's log mentioned two such recorders: one in the gym, another at the warehouse where Daniel was taken.

Ortiz used the serial number to find a maintenance note. "Unit Two was returned to the transfer station after an electrical fault. The technician wrote: DATA RETAINED."

If the recorder still existed, it might carry the missing eleven minutes.

Reed obtained emergency authority to secure the station. Two patrol cars moved in from separate roads. Hale stayed beside Avery outside the perimeter, fists clenched.

Inside, the agents found rows of sealed containers. They also found freshly disturbed dust leading to one container with its lock cut.

A man shouted, "Federal agents! Hands where we can see them!"

A single loud bang followed. Avery flinched before she understood it was a dropped steel door, not a gunshot.

Briggs appeared at the far side of the yard, dragging a large equipment case. He looked surprised to see police. Instead of surrendering, he ran into a narrow passage between containers.

An agent tackled him safely to the ground. Reed opened the case.

It contained the encrypted recorder, intact, and a sealed envelope labeled with Daniel's name.

Inside the envelope was a photograph Avery had never seen: Daniel smiling in the training room beside Briggs.

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Underneath, in Daniel's handwriting, were five words.

BRIGGS TRIED TO HELP ME.