Then more white.
The road began to tremble.
Mitchell's radio erupted.
"All units, clear the route immediately."
He froze.
Another voice came through.
"Repeat, clear the route."
Mitchell looked at Daniel.
Daniel simply stared back.
"You knew."
"I tried to tell you."
"What is this?"
Daniel's voice remained controlled.
"A protected movement."
Mitchell's expression changed.
He hurried toward his cruiser.
Then stopped.
His vehicle was positioned badly.
If he moved too slowly, he would interfere with the convoy.
If he pulled across the road, he would make the situation worse.
For the first time that night, Mitchell understood that he had made a mistake.
But mistakes could be corrected.
He opened his cruiser door.
Daniel shouted through the window.
"Don't approach the road!"
Mitchell ignored him.
He stepped onto the asphalt.
The approaching vehicles were now visible.
A lead unit.
Then another.
Then several dark SUVs.
Mitchell raised both hands.
The convoy slowed slightly.
A loudspeaker ordered him to move away from the roadway.
Mitchell stepped backward.
His cruiser remained behind him.
Daniel watched through the rear window.
He knew something the officer didn't.
The convoy wasn't simply passing through.
The security team had already classified the unexpected stop as a potential threat.
That meant every movement would now be interpreted through the most cautious possible lens.
Daniel needed to stop the misunderstanding before someone made an irreversible decision.
He twisted his cuffed hands.
The metal was tight.
But the emergency release procedure he had learned years earlier still existed.
He didn't need to escape.
He only needed to reach the small communications device concealed inside his jacket.
He shifted sideways.
His shoulder hurt.
He ignored it.
Outside, the convoy was getting closer.
Inside the cruiser, the radio screamed.
"Unidentified officer on roadway."
"Local unit, step away!"
"Security team approaching."
Daniel finally managed to pull the transmitter free.
He activated it.
"Carter to command."
Silence.
Then:
"Carter, identify."
"Advance agent. Local officer detained me during route preparation. I need everyone to hold fire and maintain distance."
A pause.
"Confirm you're secure."
"Negative. But I'm working it."
Daniel looked through the window.
Mitchell was standing beneath the flashing lights.
For one terrible second, he reached toward his belt.
The security teams reacted instantly.
Daniel shouted.
"Mitchell! Hands up!"
Mitchell froze.
He slowly raised both hands.
The convoy stopped.
Everything became silent.
No engines.
No radios.
No shouting.
Only the wind moving through the trees.
Then Daniel heard a voice through his earpiece.
"Everyone hold."
The crisis had stopped one second before becoming something much worse.
But the night was far from over.
The convoy moved again after the security commander personally confirmed that the route was safe.
Mitchell was escorted away from the roadway.
Daniel was released.
The handcuffs came off, leaving red marks around his wrists.
He flexed his fingers.
Vance, the senior protective officer, approached.
"You all right?"
"My wrists are fine."
"That's not what I asked."
Daniel looked at him.
"I'm fine."
Vance glanced toward Mitchell.
"He says he thought you were hiding something."
"I was."
Vance raised an eyebrow.
"My identity."
"Fair."
Daniel turned toward the cruiser.
The scene was quiet now.
No dramatic confrontation.
No shouting.
Just an officer standing beside his vehicle, realizing how quickly an ordinary decision could become a serious operational problem.
Mitchell approached.
He looked different now.
Not frightened.
Not arrogant.
Just tired.
"I owe you an explanation," he said.