11 am South Carolina, Charleston, Cornerstone Agency Headquarters

Turnner sat at the head of a long, brown mahogany table. There were glass windows to his left, overlooking the city, and glass partitions to his right, including a glass door. It had the inscription "Conference Room." There were two other men in the room. One was seated five chairs away from Turnner, while the other man stood at the glass door.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate you on accepting my request to have a word with you." Turnner said.

"Why is that?" the man seated away from him replied.

"Because not doing so would have ensured the end of US hegemony."

"I find that hard to believe." the man answered, as he shifted some documents on his desk.

"You won't, after you hear about my proposal."

"What is your…proposal?"

"You see, two years ago I was sent an email by an unknown person that contained the names of approximately 50 criminals around the world. I took those names and compiled them onto a list, which I later dubbed The Severance List. It turns out these criminals are all after something I possess, and that thing... is the Theatom."

The man sat up in his chair and squinted at Turnner, asking, "And What does any of that have to do with us?"

"Because I have what you want and you have what I want, so given the circumstances, we can strike a deal."

"Assuming you mean the Theatom." the man answered, as he relaxed in the chair, "what is it that you want, Turnner?

"Two things. 1. Your full support for killing these 50 criminals And 2. sovereign immunity. If you manage to give me these two things, not only will I hand the government the Theatom once the 50 criminals are dead, but you will be ridding yourself of criminals that... Let's just say…are responsible for some of the most heinous crimes ever commited. It's called killing two birds with one stone, director."

The man sat back in his chair and stared Turnner in the eyes, "You're convincing, I admit, but I can't just agree to this."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't trust you."

"It's not about trusting Ronald; it's about analyzing the situation and making the right decision. Whether you like it or not, 50 criminals will descend on this country in the coming months, and they won't just go after Theatom. These guys are thieving, greedy, and power hungry—cut throats, and without my help, you won't be able to stop them."

The director sighed. "Fine, but first I want you to prove it to me. I'll give you temporary immunity to deal with the first guy on your list. Once he's dead, I'll get a report from the department chief and make a decision from there."

"That can work." Turnner replied. Then the director signaled to the man at the door to take Turnner away. So he walked up to Turnner, handcuffed him and escorted him out of the room.

A few minutes later, they exited the headquarters and walked onto a busy sidewalk. Trucks and cars rushed up and down the street as busy men and women crowded the area. The man and Turnner approached the back of a black van parked on the side of the road and got in; then they locked the door, and the van drove off.

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As the van drove, a man in the back of the van spoke to Turnner, saying, "Where are we escorting you back to the agency? It looks like you're heading straight for a jail cell." The man laughed and looked around at the other men in the van, who were also laughing.

Then, Turnner cut the laughter short by saying, "Are you sure you'll make it back with me?

A confused expression overtook the man as he replied, "The fu-"

"Blam!!!"

A car slammed into the side of the van, causing it to skid on the four-way intersection. The side of it was dented badly, and steam came up from under the van. A man in a black mask got out of the car as another black van pulled up. Five other men got out of the van with rifles and surrounded the van Turnner was in. The fat driver got out of the van with his pistol but was immediately shot by one of the men.

"Pap! Pap!"

He fell to the ground and died. By now, most of the people in the area had fled at the sight of the rifles, and any cars at the intersection began to back up. That's when the men in masks held their guns at the van, and two of them started shouting in Spanish, "Sal de la furgoneta con las manos en alto."

The other shouted, "Desarma tus armas si no quieres morir. Tenemos balas letales."

The men in the van were partially standing with their pistols out. One of them looked at the guy who brought in Turnner and said, "Listen, we have lethal guns, so on the count of three, we all jump out and shoot them. Their bullets shouldn't do us anything."

"Wait, they said 'balas letales, which means lethal bullets."

"They have lethal bullets too?

"I don't know, but I wouldn't take the risk."

"Fine, let's go out there with our hands up. Did you alert the agency already?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Then the man grabbed Turnner's hand and said, "Don't say a word out there. We've already contacted the agency, and they're on their way."

When they opened the van's backdoor and got out. Five men had their rifles pointed at them. Turnner and the other three stood with their hands up as the other guy searched them. After finding nothing, the man turned to the other guys and said, "No tienen nada que los mate excepto Turnner.

Then they shot all of them in the head except Turnner. Turnner did nothing and said nothing as he kept his hands in the air. Then two of the men tied his hands behind his back and led him into the green van. And after shutting the door, it drove off. The van drove for a bit, then pulled up outside an old warehouse on a lonely street.

It was an old building made out of rotting galvanize and rusted metal posts. The door was large but had a small door built into it. Turnner and the other men got out and entered the building through that door. It was spacious and empty on the inside, except for an oak chair sitting in the middle. Turnner sat in it, and another guy walked up to him and opened his tied hands.

That's when one of the men approached Turnner with his gun resting on his shoulder. He took off his mask to reveal a ball-cut man and said, "We did what you asked, Mr. Turnner, but I can't guarantee your safety in this place. The agency will put the city on lockdown in search of you, but I can get you off the continent right now."

"As always, I appreciate the work you do." Turnner answered, "Now the agency is under the impression I was abducted, but I won't be in need of any more of your help."

"Are you sure, Mr. Turnner?"

"Yes, and I suggest you get out of here before it's too late. I know a place where they won't be able to find me."

"Alright, Mr. Turnner." the man replied, then he looked at the other guys in the building and said, "Vamos." And they followed him out of the warehouse.

***

Meanwhile, back at the agency, Trent stormed into Noria's office and said, "Noria, we have a situation; Michael Turnner was abducted a few minutes ago."

Noria became concerned and immediately left her office, as she and Trent walked down the hallway, she spoke, "Abducted by who?

"Were unaware; bystanders say the men wore black masks and had rifles in their hands. Three of our agents were killed by them-apparently they spoke Spanish?

"Could be a Mexican cartel." Noria replied as she entered the control room and began to shout, "Listen up, I want all the information you can find on all the cartels we have documented at the agency."

Everyone was moving about the room in haste. And others were at their computers searching for any document they could find as Noria spoke, "I want a visual of every camera in Miami. Listen in to every voice call in the city, and most of all, don't miss anything."

Trent looked over at her and said, "You're going to lock down the city too?"

"I may have to."

"Why are you doing all of this to find Turnner. "

"I don't think I told you, but he was given temporary immunity."

"So we're going to have to find him."

"Yes, and fast."