“Trust me,” Travis said and proceeded to do his work. Once the system was in what Travis called safe mode, they entered the building and made their way to the objective without being detected. Travis opened the safe and then covered while Parker secured the processors in a backpack and put it on his back.

The trouble began right then.

Travis had just closed the safe, when the lights in the room suddenly came on. “Hold it right there!” the security guard yelled with his weapon drawn. Parker turned quickly and immediately opened fire.

“No!” Travis yelled. Parker had hit the security guard with two shots to the chest.

They turned off the light and walked out into the hallway where they were confronted by two more armed guards. Suddenly lights came on and the whaling sound of the alarm rang throughout the halls. Travis fired a round of shots in the direction of security and he and Parker took off running in the opposite direction.

At the end of the hall, they were cut from exit by more security, which opened up on them on sight. Travis and Parker ran down the hall until it forked off in two directions. Parker stopped and turned. “This way!” he yelled, as he shot wildly at security and ran down the hallway.

“No!” Travis shouted to him. He had memorized the floor plan and knew if they went that way, they’d be trapped. “This way!”

Parker stopped in his tracks and ran back toward Travis, who was firing down the hall at security. “I’ll cover while you make it across.”

Parker nodded his head and Travis moved out into the open and fired. Parker ran out, but was hit almost immediately by a shot to his head. Travis watched Parker’s body fall to the ground. “Shit!”

He was dead.

As blood oozed across the floor, Travis made an attempt to grab the pack from Parker’s back. The gunfire was too intense and his body was too far away to reach it without getting shot himself.