..each bloodletting hastens the next, and as the value of human life is degraded and violence becomes tolerated, the unimaginable becomes more concei… - Bill Clinton

I end tonight where it all began for me: I still believe in a place called Hope.

That’s the biggest reason governments keep secrets. Not because they’re sensitive. Because the secrets are embarrassing

They climb the stairs with the proper tactical approach, securing each staircase with a single soldier — a scout — before the rest of the team proceeds upward. There are blind spots everywhere. Ambush opportunities on each level. Their contact at the front desk has given an all-clear on the stairwells, but he is only as competent as the cameras he monitors.