A/N: At long last, I give you the conclusion to Smoke and Mirrors. I warn you, DO NOT skip ahead nor read through this quickly. You will be completely confused if you do. Hope you all enjoy!

I spent the next few days in and out of meetings. Major changes to the company were already under way, and a number of letters had already been sent to the preferred customers to fill them in on what was to be expected over the next few months of transition. There weren't many questions, but a few long-term clients requested the opportunity to speak with me personally, which I had expected. I assured them the quality of service wouldn't change and that I had full confidence in the direction things were now headed.

As the meetings ended, I felt a strange sense of finality. I had spent most of my waking moments over the last several years accumulating these clients. Some now friends. Through sweat, blood, and dedication, I'd proven to them the type of company I represented. Now my reputation spoke for itself. And here I was about to leave it all behind. It was something that the Ranger from even a year ago would never have even considered.

Funny how plans change.

Tank stopped by late one night with some files. From their appearance, I could tell they weren't very important. He probably just wanted an excuse to talk.

"Everything good downstairs?" I asked without looking up as I added a few things to a spreadsheet.

Tank sat in the chair across from me. "This place runs like a machine. You know that."

"Something else I should know about then?"

He sighed. "I just never thought I'd see the day."

I glanced up. Honestly? I never thought I would either.

"You didn't think I'd be doing this forever, did you?"

He shrugged. "At least until you got old and went out in a big firefight."

I laughed. "I always expected that to happen when I was young and stupid."

Tank raised an eyebrow. "There's still time…"

I leaned my elbows on my desk and steepled my fingers. "There's never enough time. Not for all the plans you make when you're young."

"So what's the new plan?"

"For now, it's solving the puzzle. Eliminating the threat. Once that's taken care of, I'll fill you in on some of the other ideas I've had lately. For example, how do you feel about international travel?"

There was a hint of a smile. "Depends. Am I flying first class?"

"Is there any other way to fly?"

He barked a laugh. "Touche." Then his expression changed. Softened slightly and became more serious. "She give you an answer yet?"

I shook my head. "It's a big decision. You said yourself it's like jumping off a cliff blindfolded."

"Ah, but from what I hear, Bomber's got a history of taking reckless jumps."

He was obviously referring to the time Stephanie jumped off her roof when she was a kid. Even then, her need to fly outweighed her concern for the laws of gravity. I was counting on the fact that she still held onto a bit of that unhindered reckless abandon. She'd need it if she chose the contents of that second folder.

"She's smart. She'll make the right decision. Whichever decision she chooses."

"And you're still good with that contingency plan?"

"It's not my favorite, but I've lived through hell before. Besides, if all goes well, it shouldn't come down to that. Speaking of, Bobby give you any updates yet?"

Tank crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Preliminaries are all taken care of."

"Perfect." The conversation felt complete, but Tank still lingered. "Something else?"

"It's gonna be different around here." The gruffness of his voice strategically hid the underlying emotion. "Never thought I'd actually miss the old days with that impulsive, trigger-happy pretty boy from Special Forces."

I felt the corners of my mouth turn up in a small smile. "He never would've made it very far if it wasn't for a giant tank always covering his ass."

"Damn straight." Tank got up to leave. "You ever tell these lugheads around here I said it, and I'll kill you. But it's been an honor, Carlos. Truly."

I stood and shook his hand. "The honor's been all mine."