11:52 a.m.
Watching from a distance, Anna saw two crouched SRU officers with their guns raised, aimed at the doors to the lecture hall. Slowly, one door opened and the first of twenty-two hostages she counted ran out into the atrium of the building. Some looked relieved, others were crying, but a few showed no expression at all. Their faces were just blank and emotionless, eyes distant.
"Anna." Lane got her attention back on him. "Anna, we're giving you this vest just as a precaution to make sure you're safe, ok?"
"Yes, sure, I understand."
Lane undid the Velcro straps of the vest before lifting it above her head and setting its weight down on her shoulders. Anna paid attention to his face as he worked to secure each of the straps. His eyes and mouth were stern, but she thought she could tell he was a good man, funny even. She shrugged once, testing how tight it was fitted.
Sargent Parker walked over to Anna again.
"Anna? You don't have to worry about anything; we'll make sure you're safe." There was an edge to his voice, but he sounded confident.
She looked up from her shaking hands and back to the kind, round face of Sargent Greg Parker. He took both of his gloved hands and held hers for a moment before releasing them as he turned back to his team.
"Eddie, what's the status of the students?" Parker asked.
"We've got texts coming in from the kids inside. Everyone's staying clam, but the subject is getting antsy. Boss, we need to get Anna in there," Ed responded quickly.
"Are you sure you want to talk with him? We think this might help the situation. We've run out of options without pursuing a lethal solution. He's made it clear he won't talk with us." Parker put a hand on her shoulder this time, bending down slightly to make her look him in the eyes.
"Yeah. Yes, I can do this." I have to do this, she thought.
"Thank you, Anna. Now just try and focus on the positives and on the future, when you talk to Nathan. Here, take this ear bud." He held out a small cylindrical object in his palm. "If anything happens, I'll be right there talking to you if you need it."
She nodded again and took the object from him, fitting it snugly into her ear.
Sargent Parker turned and addressed his team again, "Alright, Ed, you're Sierra One, stay back if you can, let's not spook Nathan. Sam, you're my second, take a shield in just in case."
They moved closer to the entrance of the lecture hall.
A new officer with sandy blond hair and blue eyes walked up to Anna and nodded in greeting. "I'm Officer Sam Braddock, I'll be going in first with the shield. Just stay behind me, ok?"
Anna nodded back to him, "Ok."
Sargent Parker approached the door first, cracking it a bit. "Nathan, it's Sargent Greg Parker. We spoke on the phone. I have Anna with me so she can speak with you, but a few of my officers and I am going to come in with her. We want to make sure everyone stays safe here, alright?"
"Ok, fine. Just come in slowly. If you try anything, I swear I'll kill one of the hostages!" Nathan yelled back.
Sargent Parker gestured for Braddock and Anna to go through the doors.
As they moved in, Anna got her first look at the scene. Nathan stood at the front of the lecture hall with a gun in hand, held at his side. Students filled the first three rows of the room, twisted and staring at the officers and Anna as they entered the room from the back.
Sargent Parker had his hand resting lightly on Anna's back, letting her know he was just behind her.
They crossed maybe a third of the distance to Nathan before he lifted his gun slightly.
"That's close enough!" Nathan warned.
"Alright, Nathan, we're stopping right here," Sargent Parker returned evenly.
"Anna?" Nathan called.
She moved out slightly from behind the shield. "Nathan, I'm right here. I'm right here! Everything's ok."
"How can you say that everything's ok?" He demanded sharply. "After last night? I thought we meant something to you. 'You and me against the world,' remember? I–I just came here today to talk with you. I want to understand, I want you to explain to me what happened."
"Nathan, we weren't going to work, I know I was all you had left after what happened to your parents, but I told you, Nathan! I said that if you ever hit me again that would be it. You crossed that line too many times. You can't blame all of that on stress or grief. You just can't!" Anna had tears in her eyes again. She felt completely idiotic crying right now after what he did.
"You're right. You're right…" Nathan looked down at the black gun in his right hand and slowly brought it up to his head.
"No!" The word caught in Anna's throat.
"Nathan, listen to me!" Sargent Parker called from behind her. "Don't do this Nathan! Please! You can't just end it this way! This isn't the solution!"
"Maybe it is," Nathan muttered back.
Anna had already inched out from behind the shield to talk to Nathan. He was only maybe thirty feet in front of her and she had a clear path to him. Anna made another split second decision. Nathan needs me right now, not me behind an armed police officer, Anna thought. If she could just get closer to him… She knew they would try and stop her, so she needed to get around Braddock fast.
Anna started in a sprint past the officer and then slowed once she got closer to Nathan.
"Anna, No!" Sargent Parker called. She heard him speak then into his headset, "Team, Anna just made a break for the subject."
"Anna, step away from him. Come back behind me!" Braddock yelled.
She ignored them and kept walking towards Nathan with her hands raised up slightly.
"Nathan, don't do this. Please, don't end it like this!" She pleaded with him.
Something changed in his eyes in that moment. The life came back into them, but in the form of anger.
"You bitch." He spat the words out and raised the gun again, this time pointing it at Anna. "Where is the line for you, Anna? You think you can just leave me and then act like you care again?"
Anna's ear bud was furious with voices.
"Nathan, drop your weapon or we will have to shoot you!" And then quieter, "Eddie, do you have a shot?" Sargent Parker asked.
"No joy, I repeat, no joy. She's too close," Lane responded.
"Dammit!" Sargent Parker whispered. "Scorpio, Ed!"
"Nathan, no." The words escaped Anna's mouth just as his trembling hand pulled the trigger, sending a bullet flying toward her chest.
She heard his gun fire maybe two more times, next to the piercing sound of a second gun firing. The immense pressure of the bullet hitting her vest was enough to send her crumpling to the ground, completely disoriented, and gasping in shallow breaths for air that wouldn't move. Anna felt the black of unconsciousness pulling at her vision, making her ears ring.
Despite the ringing she could make out several voices in her ear bud and in the room around her.
"Team status!" Sargent Parker yelled.
A series of "No harm" after "No harm" came in quick succession.
"Secure the subject! And get Anna out of here!" Sargent Parker ordered.
Anna lay on her back staring up toward the lights of the ceiling, blinking, and trying to get her vision to clear. She rolled her head to the side in time to see Braddock rushing over to her.
"Anna, you're going to be ok. Just breathe! Force the air out and back in or you'll pass out. You're ok, sweetie." His voice was urgent but steady.
As he scooped Anna off the floor—an arm under her knees and another at her shoulders—she tried to follow his instructions, but as she kept gasping shallowly, she felt the blackness pulling her farther down.
"We need EMS! Get them over here!" The voice by her face yelled.