November 2nd, 2023. 06:00 AM - Los Angeles

As the clock rapidly nears 6 AM, night time is beginning to be officially over, and morning is starting to set for the working people in LA, Adam is speeding through traffic, in pursuit of the MIB's car.

The MIB has a slight head start to his advantage, so Adam doesn't have a visual yet.

Unconscious, Alexa is has been handcuffed to the backdoor of the car, opposite to the driver's side.

Adam is communicating with Alex who has a satellite feed set up on his computer.

"I still don't have a visual, Alex."

"Keep going north, he looks to be heading towards 47."

"Copy that."

"Jesus, I've never seen anyone drive like that. He's going a million miles an hour and maintains perfect control of the car. Who is this guy?"

"Long story."

Adam, on the other hand, has been awake for nearly a full 24 hours, and that coupled with all of that's taken place during those 24 hours is really starting to take a toll on him. This can be seen in his driving: his attentiveness and vigilance are starting to slip, which almost causes him to crash into another vehicle. Barely managing to avoid a crash, Adam takes a deep breath and tries to focus on his driving.

Not only is Adam's concentration affected, a sleep deprivation-triggered migraine creeps its way into Adam's head, causing further trouble.

The MIB, on the other hand, is in perfect control of the situation, maneuvering his way through traffic like it's nothing, without breaking a sweat.

Alex is following the situation and feels Adam should try harder to catch up.

"Adam, you're losing him."

"Just focus on giving me directions, I'll be fine."

"You sure you're okay? You don't sound too hot."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

As soon as Adam finishes the sentence, he almost crashes again, and is forced to hit the breaks and turn the car around.

The sound of police sirens can then be heard, as the crazy driver has attracted the attention of the police car in patrol.

"Son of a bitch."

Adam steps on it and speeds away, as the police car also accelerates to pursue him.

"Alex, can you do something to patch me over to the ATC frequency of LAPD? There's a cop after me."

Alex starts meddling with his computer.

"Uhh, yeah, gimme a minute."

"Alex, I don't have a minute. Hurry."

"I need to set stuff up, Adam. Me doing this from home without clearance is highly illegal, you know that."

Adam zigzags through the traffic and tries to shake the cops off, but they're persistent in their chase.

---

Kevin is escorting Maria and Bruce into the ATC HQ in the helicopter. Maria and Bruce agreed to come along because they know they're safer with Kevin that they otherwise would have been, but there is an awkward atmosphere due to Kevin being alone with Maria and Bruce for the first time since what happened 18 months ago.

Maria is sitting on the seat next to Kevin, but hasn't looked at Kevin the entire time. Kevin hasn't dared to make eye contact, either, but finally decides to be an adult and break the ice.

"Look, Maria."

Maria doesn't want to hear it, though.

"Don't."

"No, listen to me, alright? About what happened in Washington. What I did was wrong. And I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back."

Back when Adam and Maria were together, and Jessica was alive, the four of them were like a family. Adam and Kevin were like brothers, Maria and Jessica were best friends closer than sisters. All four trusted each other. The fact that someone Maria trusted as much as Kevin would betray her and almost have her killed is too much for Maria to forgive after a simple apology.

"I trusted you, Kev. Adam trusted you."

"I know. And it eats me up, Maria. All I could think about for four years was getting revenge on Silverman for killing Jessica. I didn't care about anything else. I know that's no excuse, but-"

"No, it's not an excuse, Kev. I know why you did what you did, but you know what I've wanted to say to you for a year and a half? Stop acting like you're not the only one who lost Jessica. She was my best friend. She was Adam's friend, too. We all lost her, Kev. Not just you."

"It was a mistake."

Bruce was sitting in the back, listening to the conversation, and gets up after hearing Kevin's response.

"A mistake? A mistake? Kevin, a mistake is when you forget to set your alarm clock. You damn near had my daughter killed. You locked her in a room with a canister of weaponized nerve gas! You're lucky I don't kill you myself."

Kevin deserved that, and he knows it. After Kevin fails to come up with a response, Maria continues.

"You and Adam are exactly alike. You always make the wrong choices. My husband died a few hours ago because of a choice Adam made, and I haven't even had time to mourn him, so I can't deal with this right now. And I won't."

Kevin understands why Adam did what he did, so he gets a bit defensive for his best friend.

"You can think what you want about me, and I'm sorry about Paul, but Adam saved millions of lives. It was an impossible decision. Paul died in the line of fire. If Adam and I hadn't gotten to that gas plant in time, millions more would have been killed by the virus. You know that. You need to cut him some slack."

Bruce quickly puts a stop to Kevin.

"That was the last time you use a tone like that when speaking to my daughter, you understand? In fact, maybe you shouldn't say anything at all."

It's not that Bruce doesn't understand what Kevin is going for, and he may even agree with Adam's decision, but he doesn't accept Kevin talking down to Maria.

Kevin changes the subject.

"Did you do anything about Palmer Collins, Brue?"

Bruce has always had the ability to instantly change his mood whenever official topics are brought up, especially in this case when it has to do with national security. Kevin has known Bruce for long enough that he slightly used it to his advantage.

"I'll take care of it when we get to ATC. Though it's not like we have a case against him. All we have is Adam's word. I trust it, but many other people won't. Things like this need to be handled with care."

The chopper is nearing the ATC HQ.

"Well, we're almost there."

Despite everything that has happened, Maria does ask Kevin the big question she admittedly wants answered.

"Is Adam gonna be alright?"

Kevin thinks about what to say for a second or two before answering.

"I don't know."

---

Alex manages to patch Adam's phone to the LAPD frequency that's used by ATC in cases of national emergencies.

"Okay, Adam, I got it! I'm patching you through."

Before the person on the other line even has a chance to say anything, Adam immediately starts to make his case.

"My name is Adam Black, I've been working today on behalf of ATC Los Angeles. I'm contacting you because I'm in pursuit of a hostile, and one of your vehicles is chasing me. It's paramount that I stop this hostile. I'm heading towards 47."

Confused, the voice on the other end tries his best to make sense of the call.

"Sir, you're gonna have to do a little better than that."

"Right now, I don't have time for that. The ATC overrule code is 996-54-281. You know I couldn't know that, or even contact you, if I wasn't affiliated with ATC. The license of the vehicle I'm driving is 4-JDA-717. It belongs to the former Secretary of Defense, Bruce Miller. I can patch you through to him if you want."

The overrule code checks out, and the fact that Adam is even using the frequency makes a strong case, as well. There is indeed a report made on a vehicle with that license number.

"Do you need backup in your pursuit?"

"No, I need to do this on my own. I don't want anyone getting in my way."

"I'll call off the chase."

"Thank you."

Adam reconnects the call to Alex.

"I took care of it, what's the situation?"

"He looks to be heading towards the Vincent Thomas Bridge."

"Copy that."

---

ATC Headquarters

Kevin lands the chopper on the helipad, and he, Maria, and Bruce step out to make their way to the HQ.

Maria gets an uncomfortable flashback of arriving to work with Paul about 24 hours earlier. What was supposed to be just another workday turned out to be something so much worse.

Kevin notices Maria feeling disturbed and uneasy.

"You okay?"

But Maria just continues to give him the cold shoulder.

"I'm fine, Kev."

Much to their dismay, once they head down the stairs to the main hall, they notice Simmons still being on duty.

Simmons' body language tells the story of him wanting to know what Kevin and Maria are doing in ATC facilities, but before he can say anything, Bruce shoves him off.

"Not now, Simmons."

Obviously, knowing Simmons, Bruce should have known that he'd never back down that easily.

"It's purely due to my respect for you that I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, instead of arresting Mr. Reese and your daughter for trespassing in a government facility. Among other things. Mr. Reese is a criminal, and your daughter no longer works here. This is a government agency, I can't have people walking in and out as they please."

"My daughter and I were being held hostage less than an hour ago. Kevin and Adam saved our lives. Kevin brought us here in case the people holding us hostage would attempt it again."

Simmons knows Bruce wouldn't lie, but still doesn't like the situation.

"This is against protocol."

"I'll take care of the paperwork. I need to speak with Richard, alone."

"Fine. He's in his office. But Reese and your daughter will be taken to holding."

Kevin and Maria have both worked for ATC long enough in the past to know that it's the proper protocol for them to be taken into holding, so they don't object.

Security escorts Maria and Kevin to the holding area, and Bruce makes his way to Richard's office.

What Kevin didn't account for was the fact that they would both be searched before being put in the holding cell. The guard comes across the memory card in Kevin's pocket.

"You don't need to worry about that."

"Standard procedure, sir."

The guard hands the card to another who then takes it to Simmons. Kevin watches as the data card he's worked so hard to get his hands on slips from his reach.

"Shit."

He then tries to reason with the guard.

"I need to talk to Bruce."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, sir."

Kevin and Maria are then taken into the cell and the door is shut.

Simmons gets his hands on the card and puts two and two together. That has to be the data uploaded to Schneider's phone earlier. It's private government information, so there's no reason, in Simmons' mind, for a private citizen to have his hands on it.

The awkwardness between Maria and Kevin continues in the holding cell. Maria can tell Kevin is anxious about the memory card. It also seemed to be the reason why she and Bruce were being held hostage, so she's curious.

"What's the story behind the card?"

Kevin has his back turned to Maria and leans on the two-way mirror on the wall.

"I think the less you know about it, the better."

"Oh? I think you owe me something."

That hits home.

"I'm just trying to protect you."

Considering what happened in Washington, that comes out rather wrong and has a tone of unintended irony.

"Oh, that's right. You're trying to protect me."

Kevin finally turns around.

*"Look, Maria! You were Adam's fiancée and my wife's best friend. And you were my friend, too. Whether you want to believe it or not, I do care about you. I've done some bad things. Some really bad things. I spent four years tracking down the people responsible for Jessica's death. Every night, having nightmares about her burned body. I just- I just wanted to kill him, Maria. That's all I wanted. That's all I cared about. That's all that kept me going. Jessica and I had gotten away from this. From all this. We were happy. She was so happy I didn't do field work anymore and she didn't have to be afraid of me not coming home. And I was so happy I was able to leave all this behind. And then he took it all way.

Kevin finally manages to get Maria's attention, as the heartfeltness of Kevin's words make her sympathize with him, at least slightly.

"It took years for us to build a marriage, it took Silverman two seconds to tear it all away. Just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You have to understand, I never meant for you and Adam to get hurt. But it was my one shot to get to Silverman face to face, and put a bullet through his head. The image of me killing him was the only thing that kept me going."

Maria sits silently for a moment before finally communicating.

"Jessica truly was so happy when you quit doing fieldwork. I remember that. And I was so happy for her, and for you. I was envious, too."

"Why?"

"Because I was never good enough to able to pull Adam way from all this. And that's why I lost him."

"Yeah, well. I could never see Adam putting on a suit and working behind a desk."

"I never understood that. Like, today, for example. After the hell he's been through. He always comes back to it."

Kevin stares at his feet for a second before delivering what he feels is the harsh truth.

"Because Adam loves being in hell."

"Why is that, Kev?"

"That's where he never needs to put the pieces together."

Maria stares at Paul's wedding ring on her finger. She hasn't taken it off, even though she's no longer a wife, but a widow. The ring works as a reminder of the hell Adam not only lives in, but brings with him.

Kevin is probably right.

"How about you, Kev? Do you love being in hell?"

"Sometimes."

---

Adam succeeds in catching up with the MIB's car that is approaching the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

"Alex, I have a visual!"

"It's the bridge, so be careful, Adam."

The MIB notices a car chasing him at high speed and realizes who it is.

He opens the window and shoots at Adam's direction, hitting Adam's windshield, but Adam manages to duck in time.

Adam grabs his own gun, but comes to the realization that he doesn't exactly have a solid gameplan. The MIB is driving so fast, shooting will risk him crashing and killing Alexa.

The sounds of the gunshots wake Alexa up and she groggily observes her surroundings. The car is rapidly going from side to side, and the MIB is clearly fighting someone off.

"Adam."

Not that Alexa was expecting for Adam to come to her rescue, but since he did, her survival instincts kick in, as well as the will to protect Adam from harm.

Similarly to Adam, Alexa acts before thinking when the MIB aims his gun to his left, kicking the gun away from his hand. Being handcuffed to the door, her mobility is limited, but she puts her feet around the MIB's neck and goes to choke him, but the MIB uses his other arm to try to wrestle the foot away.

The MIB loses control of the car while wrestling with Alexa, clips another car and crashes right into the side of the bridge, an inch or two away from falling down.

The impact of the crash launches Alexa right into the side of the door, which breaks open and Alexa hangs in mid-air from her handcuff.

"Oh, sh-"

Adam immediately stops the car and rushes to Alexa. The MIB seems to be dead from the crash.

"Hold on, Alexa!"

"It's not like I have a choice, considering!"

The door begins to come off its hinges as Adam launches to the ledge to grab Alexa by her hand. Adam begins to pull her up, but the MIB comes to and reaches for his gun. He has a perfect aim at Adam, Alexa notices this.

"Adam, look out!"

Instinctively, Adam uses his other arm to fire his gun at the MIB. The thump moves the car just enough for it to begin to fall off the bridge, but Adam never lets go of Alexa. The door comes off its hinges just in time to break away from the rest of the car, which falls off. The weight of the door is finally enough to break the handcuff in two.

"I got you, Alexa! So help me God, I got you."

Adam keeps holding on, and finally pulls Alexa back up.

The two then just fall to the ground on their backs where they stay for a moment as the adrenaline starts wearing off. The relief of the situation calls for Alexa to say something lighthearted.

"You know. We really need to stop meeting like this, Adam."

Catching his breath, Adam joins in on the joke.

"Yeah. I don't think this is very healthy for either one of us. Something has to change."

Something about the situation is very comforting for the both of them. They both share a similar comfort in cheating death. Some people love being in hell.

Adam and Alexa finally sit up. There's a moment of closeness, which they both quickly dismiss as it wouldn't feel appropriate at the time. Alexa does ask about it, though.

"So, why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Come after me."

"Because I had to."

"You saved my life."

"Well, you got me out of prison."

"Yeah, I guess I did."

Thinking back, Alexa recalls something Adam told her earlier.

"About what you said. When we met with Diaz. When I asked you if you'd pulled the trigger to maintain your cover. For the sake of the operation. Was it true?"

"At the time."

"But something changed?"

"It's been a long day. Let's head back to ATC."

Alexa was hoping for more conversation, but lets Adam get away from it.

"You got the card?"

"Kev's got it."

The mood changes, as Alexa was hoping that Adam would have held on to it.

"You really should have kept it."

Adam reminds Alexa of what she herself said.

"I didn't want to risk us dying for nothing."

Alexa admits to herself that Adam makes a point, so she lets it slide.

---

ATC Headquarters

Bruce has filled Richard in on what Adam discovered about Palmer Collins. Richard doesn't find it hard to believe, but also realizes that there's no solid case against him.

"I understand, Bruce. You and both have dealt with Collins, and him being involved in something shady doesn't exactly come as a surprise. But we're gonna need more than what we have."

Bruce is a man of honour, but he is also a man of the government. It's the balancing between the two that has always defined him as a man. He's someone who's willing to come to terms with certain realities that men more idealistic than him are unwilling to admit.

"I agree. Things like this are complicated and should be dealt with carefully. It's too easy for the public to lose their faith in the legitimacy of our government, and after a day like this, news like that is the last thing the public needs right now. I just felt more comfortable with someone I trust knowing about it."

"Yeah. I trust the President's discretion on the matter, I'll talk to him. I need to brief him about everything that's happened anyway."

"You do that, Richard. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will, thanks."

"And one more thing. I think we can let Kevin and Maria out of holding, the situation's settled. We'll be on our way once Adam gets here."

"Yeah, I'll let the guards now."

"Thank you, Richard."

Bruce then gets a call from Adam.

"Talk to me."

"Bruce, it's me, we're safe. We're heading to ATC. Is Maria okay?"

"She's fine, Adam. Glad to know you're safe."

"Good. I'll see you in just a bit."

Upon ending the phone call, Bruce heads to the holding area to tell Kevin and Maria the good news.

He tells the guard to open the door.

"Adam's safe. He's on his way here."

Kevin and Maria let out a sigh of relief, though Maria moreso than Kevin because Kevin still wants to get his hands on the memory card.

Simmons is in his office, finishing a phone call.

"Yes, I took care of it."

The voice on the other end belongs to Palmer Collins.

"Thank you, Mr. Simmons. I'm glad you saw it my way. I'll let the President know."

"Good day, Mr. Collins."

Simmons hangs up the phone, grabs the card and heads towards the holding area, but stops when noticing Kevin and Maria already making their way out.

"Wait a minute, who-"

Bruce shuts him up once again.

"Let it go. All three of us will be on our way, Adam's arriving shortly."

It's been such a long and trying day that Simmons finally decides to live to fight another day.

"Fine."

He throws Kevin the card.

"There's your memory card. I'm gonna be on my way."

Kevin is suspicious over Simmons handing him the card back so easily, but is glad.

---

The White House

President Reynolds is finishing up a phone call with Richard who informed about the accusations made against Palmer.

"That's a lot to take in, but thank you, Richard. I will deal with the matter at hand."

He ends the call and then orders Secret Service to come to his office.

"I need to secure Mr. Collins."

"Sir, with all due respect-"

"Do it. That's an order."

"Yes, sir."

The Secret Service men make their way to Palmer's residence and open the door.

"Mr. Collins?"

They do find Palmer, but not the way they had expected.

They contact the President.

"Sir, I think you need to see this. In Palmer's room."

Reynolds leaves his office to head to Palmer.

Palmer is hanging from a lamp by his belt, dead. It looks like a suicide.

"My God!"

"Looks like a suicide, sir."

The President surmises that the accusations must have been true.

---

ATC Headquarters

Adam and Alexa walk through the door to ATC's lobby. They waste no time in making their way to the main hall and look for Kevin, Maria, and Bruce.

Simmons is just leaving. He's not happy about seeing Adam as they come across each other, but figures he just wants the day to end, and doesn't mess with them.

Adam and Maria see each other, but neither makes a move. Instead, Adam and Alexa notice Kevin working with a laptop, and they figure he's studying the memory card.

"Kev!"

"You made it! That's great. Now all we need to-"

Kevin stops dead in his tracks when reading the memory card. To his shock, the laptop tells him there's no data to read.

"What the-"

Adam and Alexa get worried as they notice something is wrong.

"Kev, what is it?"

Kevin frantically re-inserts the card a few times.

"There's nothing here! There's fucking nothing here!"

Adam raises his voice.

"What do you mean there's nothing there? Kev, if you're screwing with me-"

"I'm not! There's nothing here!"

Kevin slams the keyboard with his hand.

"The fucking thing is empty!"

Alexa had a fear something like this would happen.

"Who else had access to it, Kevin?"

"No one. Just-"

Kevin figures it out.

"Simmons."

Adam runs after him.

"The son of a bitch!"

Alexa and Kevin follow behind as Adam rushes to catch Simmons before he leaves the building.

Maria tries to yell after him, but it falls on deaf ears.

"Adam! Don't do anything stupid!"

Of course, Maria knows better, but she still tried. Adam catches up to Simmons.

"Simmons!"

Simmons stops, he was trying to get away before anyone noticed, but failed.

"Do you have any idea of what you've done, you son of a bitch?"

Simmons doesn't feel like he owes Adam anything.

"I protected classified government intel. As per orders by the Chief of Staff."

Adam is tired of Simmons' bullshit, grabs him and presses him against the wall.

"Go ahead, Adam! I'll have you back in the jail you came from in no time. Do it!"

Adam knows he shouldn't. But he doesn't care.

"I think it's about time someone did this to you."

Adam channels all of the frustration, the anger, the pain, everything he's felt over the past 24 hours into one swift punch straight at Simmons' nose. For a great deal of personal satisfaction.

It's the most physical pain Simmons has ever felt in his life.

Simmons falls to the ground, feeling groggy. He takes a napkin from his pocket to hold against his bleeding nose.

"You know what? I'm willing to let that one slide, but if you ever-"

Adam grabs Simmons again and pulls him back to his feet.

"Oh, I'm not done with you."

However, Bruce's voice stops him.

"Adam! That's enough. Don't do anything stupid. Now now."

Adam lets go of Simmons who gives him a smug look and walks away.

Alexa and Kevin are both mortified. They both had a vested interest in the data that was the memory card. Alexa especially takes it out on Adam.

"I went through hell to get that data, Adam. I specifically handed it to you and told you what to do with it. But you needed to play the hero."

Kevin intervenes.

"Damn it, woman, Adam saved your life!"

"I was completely fine with dying if it meant the data had gotten into the right hands! Damn you two! I trusted you."

Bruce is holding a phone in his hand.

"Adam, it's the President. He wants to speak with you."

Adam leaves the argument to grab the phone.

"Mr. President."

"Adam. It's been a most trying day."

"Yes, Mr. President, it has. But there's something-"

"Palmer Collins is dead."

"What?"

"Looks like a suicide. Richard informed about what you found out about him. About working behind my back and being involved in the ambush earlier. It looks like you may have been right. I guess he had a guilty conscience."

"I heard him myself. But, Mr. President, that doesn't make any sense. A moment ago, Palmer told Simmons to wipe clean the memory card from Schneider's phone. The data on that phone would have implicated people within the government in a conspiracy. Including Palmer. The card was wiped clean, there was no reason for Palmer to-"

"Adam, I appreciate what you're trying to do. I appreciate everything you've done today. More than you know."

"Mr. President, that was no suicide. To me, this means that there still people within your administration that-"

"Adam. I can assure you there will be a thorough investigation. You don't have to worry about any of this anymore. I called you about the promise I made to you earlier."

Adam listens, but still feels like Reynolds should listen to him, instead.

"You and the government of this country share a complicated history, Adam. But I am a man of my words. You were instrumental in stopping the spread of the Azrael virus. And you led the operation to apprehend Dietrich Schneider from holding this government hostage. This nation owes you more than it can repay. So, I urge you: make the most of this. You are a free man now."

"I appreciate that, Mr. President. But-"

"No buts. Leave the investigations to me. It's time for you to return to civilian life."

Adam turns his head to look at Maria. He's not sure if there's a normal life left for him. He's probably not going to make President Reynolds change his mind about Palmer, so he might as well see if he and Maria have anything left to talk about.

"Just remember what I said, Mr. President. Watch your back. I'm saying there are more snakes like Palmer in your administration."

"I'll watch my back, Adam. Now go and be free."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

Adam ends the call.

He makes eye contact with Maria. Both want to talk to each other, but neither knows what to say.

They slowly approach each other, and Maria is the first one to speak.

"About what I said earlier. About hating you. I just wanna say I don't. I could never hate you. And I'm sorry, I-"

Adam pulls Maria into a tight hug.

"You don't have to apologize. I know what I did. My decision cost Paul his life. You have every right to hold me responsible."

"No, Adam, I don't. You made an impossible decision, I realize that, I do. You saved everybody, Adam. If it hadn't been for you, who knows what would have happened. I'm glad you exist."

Maria stops for a while before continuing.

"But I don't think I can co-exist with you."

Adam wasn't expecting anything different, but hearing it from her straight up is still a hard thing to go through. He doesn't have anything to say, though he does understand.

"I'm sorry, Adam. I'll always love you. I've always loved you, Adam, I never stopped. But I just- I can't be with you. Not after today."

"Yeah."

Maria then echoes what Kevin said earlier.

"I'm not comfortable in hell, Adam. I'm afraid of it. You can deal with it, you have that gift, and God bless you for that. You can stare death in the eye and make impossible choices, but I can't, not anymore. I don't want this hell anymore, not ever."

They hug each other for a while quietly, until Maria finally slowly lets go.

"I need to go know."

"I love you, Maria."

"I love you, too."

Maria leaves, and Adam is left looking distraught. Bruce kept an eye on the scene and comes to place his hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Let her go, Adam. You'll protect her the most by doing that."

"I know, Bruce. I know."

"Best of luck to you."

"You too, Bruce."

Adam hands Bruce back his car keys.

"The windshield took a hit."

"Don't worry about it."

Bruce then follows Maria out of the building. Adam goes to the bathroom to clean up his face and freshen up.

The day is finally over. And it was a long day.

Adam washes his face by the sink - until finally pressing his forehead on the mirror, closing his eyes. It's not a common thing for Adam to get emotional, but all of the events of the day finally catch up to him and the few tears he had left run down his eyes.

As he steps back out, he makes note of Alexa being gone. He looks for her, but she's nowhere to be seen. Adam steps out to the parking lot, but no. She's gone.

She doesn't answer her phone, either.

Kevin and Richard both step outside to have a word with Adam, but he's had enough for the day. He's out of there.

Kevin tries to go after him, but Richard tells him not to.

"I think he needs to be alone."

"Yeah. I guess so."

Adam walks with no particular direction for a long while, until finally coming across a family of husband and wife, and their kid who looks to be around four-five years old having what looks like a morning walk. They look happy. Stable. Normal.

Adam stops for a solid minute to look at them.

It seems so distant for Adam. It's not jealousy he feels, but something similar.

After staring into the sunrise for a moment longer, Adam continues to walk towards it, not knowing where he is heading.

---

Private Plane Somewhere Above Europe

Simon Silverman is being briefed on recent events on the phone by someone.

"Yes, it's too bad about Mr. Collins, he was a good man. But a potential liability we could not afford anymore. I know assume all evidence pointing to our operations have been removed?"

"Yes, sir. The investigation surrounding Mr. Collins' death will no doubt be thorough, but we made sure nothing will point to us in any way. As long as anyone is concerned, Mr. Collins committed suicide and the fabricated evidence will lead the investigation elsewhere."

"Good work."

"Sir, Adam Black is still alive."

"Yes, I'm aware. But it would draw too much suspicion eliminating him right now. We'll do it when the time is right. For now, we'll just keep an eye on him. And make sure he doesn't get too close."

"Yes, sir. Understood. What about your daughter, sir?"

"Leave Alexa to me."

The End

That concludes the second part. I am now taking a break from Adam, but I will come back to it.

I'll be doing a "So Far" type of post in the near future. Both for new readers, as well as older ones who need to refresh their memory.

Thanks to the people who have been with me during this ride, it's been fun.

I have some stuff going on in my life, and I'm currently traveling to boot, so I hope the final part, as well as the final little cliffhanger there, were up to par. Most of this was written on my shitty travel laptop, which made this an excruciating pain because this keyboard is just godawful.

See ya around.