I drew the heavy manila envelope out of the pack’s hidden inner lining and laid it flat beneath the warm yellow glow of the stove bulb.

Across the top flap, pressed into the thick paper in dark red block ink, were an official military seal and a bold header: EMERGENCY EXTRACTION ORDERS.

CLASSIFIED DIRECTIVE.

OFFICIAL USE ONLY.

I slipped my index finger under the red wax seal and unfolded the three-page document inside.

Stamped across the top margin was an official military order number: Directive 409-B.

Underneath were explicit command instructions for emergency officer extraction and the protection of federal assets.