The six hours stretched longer than any of them expected, standing at the edge of a perimeter federal agents had quietly established without drawing attention from the surrounding blocks. Hunter watched from a parked car with Ren, Carver, and Felix crowded in with him, all four of them silent for long stretches, the radio in Ren's hand the only connection to what was happening past the checkpoint.
At 2:47 a.m., the radio crackled.
"Entry initiated," a voice said, flat and procedural. "Standby."
Nobody in the car moved. Hunter watched the building's silhouette against the dark sky, waiting for something to change, some sign visible from two blocks away that anything was happening at all.
Twelve minutes passed before the radio came alive again.
"Facility secured," the voice said. "Three
