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The helicopter’s propeller announced its arrival long before it appeared in the sky Its searchlight swept over us several ti for one person in particular A soldier sat at the edge of the open door, an automatic rifle in his hands as he took stock of the situation

The officer in charge stood just left of center, behind both lines of soldiers There was a satellite phone pressed to his ear; he kept ducking in and out of sight, as if crouching down could somehon out the noise of the crowd that rose behind hiht, forcing ear, to the faces of regret and hope behind thenized one of theed forith a shout of, "Moround and put your hands behind your head," the officer yelled into the bullhorn "Do it no!"

"Here!" a wo the face of the soldier directly in front ofcreek becolare of the chopper’s searchlight could disguise the look he cast back at the wo her to the ground The civilians around her pushed back, trying to drive them away from her

The soldier ell past the point of youth; the stubble on his weathered cheeks was silver,the heavy brows above his pale blue eyes He faced forward again, ignoring the uncoer ht as they waited for their next order His gaze shifted to a girl a few feet away fro, "Mom! Mom!" Her dark curls stuck to her wet cheeks

The soldier shook his head Such a slow, simple movement He shook his head and let the riot shield fall forward into the mud The sound somehow cut off all others His own autohtened up to his full height, chest out and forward, as he dodged the hand of the dumbstruck soldier next to him who’d half-heartedly put an ar the clips on his Kevlar vest and tugging it off The helicopter’s light found his path and traced it as he ca that he was unarmed He held out his hand to her, and, after a moment of hesitation, she took it and allowed him to draw her forward to drop the vest over her head His hel for her, he clipped it on anyway, adjusting the strap tight under her chin

The soldier picked her up and she locked her arms around his neck in complete trust As he carried her back toward the line of soldiers, the officer in charge finally shook off his stupor enough to realize he should be shouting orders He tried No one, not a single one of us, listened I heard my heart inout an arh the soldiers that tried to close the gap he’d left in the line, until, finally, the few FBI agents still standing over the woirl out of his arhtly squeezed the arm I had around his neck that I realized the kids around ain The crack in the line of soldiers expanded as two kids followed the path they had taken through, three kids, four

The officer was shouting into the aphone, but except for a rare few, the soldiers were lifting their riot shields out of forh the the openings, gathering their courage close, and passing through the I couldn’t hear My head was too heavy now forcru ?

I was lifted up coh the crush of fans with their child’s nae, unthinkable phrases like welcoain, the next face I saas Chubs’s; the word on his lips was shock And Cate--there was Cate, her cheek bruised, tears in her eyes She heldto round

The red, blue, red, blue, white lights stained their skin I kneere running, but I couldn’t feel anything, even as I was lifted again, higher this ti, snapping sounds, voices, Liam--

Ambulance Liam tried to climb into the back with me, but he was forced out as two of the assault tea a unnaturally li profusely at the brow

"I’ll co as he backed out "We’ll find you!"

The EMTs strappedme back onto the stretcher Liam stood a few feet away and Chubs had his ar to talk hi in him clearly as I had

The doors slammed shut and the siren switched on

"--tellwoman, her expression serious as she studied ht tibia Four--five--six lacerations, ranging from four centimeters to six on the upper and lower body--look at me Can you tell me your name? Can you speak?"