Morning dawned on the city starting a new day and banishing the darkness from its streets for the day. People began their daily commerce to work. The streets began to clog like arteries with cars, vans and various other vehicles. Another day of work had begun. Greg Thompson opened the car door of his brother’s squad car as the car pulled to the side of the road. He walked into the smoggy stench that every large metropolis has. Greg in his new suit, leaned into the car to talk to his brother

"Thanks for the drive, I don’t think I could stand taking the subway today" Greg explained to his Brother Mark, over the roaring of cars passing by.

"No problem it’s a big day for you. You know you should really think about getting car one of these days Greg." Said Mark. Suddenly a yellow taxi rocketed by his brother’s car scraping the paint and sheering off his rear view mirror with a big crash.

"Work calls." Said Greg simply starting to shut the door

"See ya, and good luck on your new job!" called his brother as he drove away and turned on his sirens chasing after the rouge taxi. Greg watched as his brother sped away into the distance. His brother always loved police work Greg thought smiling, just as he used to. Mark had followed their father’s footsteps and joined the force, so did Greg. A police career was a very strong tradition in Greg’s family. At the moment Mark was a lieutenant but was soon up for promotion. So was Greg until the incident…Greg would never forget that day, the screams, gunfire and the blood. A woman ran past Greg on the street pushing him out of the way, it snapped him out of his train of thought, he was glad whenever he thought of that night it made Greg depressed. That night had cost him his reputation, his job and almost his sanity. He was at the top of his career, he was the leader of the cities SWAT team. Until one night his team was called in to a hostage situation that turned bad. His teams had sneaked up the terrorists and were ready for action when one of the hostages spotted them and cried for help, the terrorists realized what was going on and opened fire on their hostages. His team got them all and even took two down without killing them. But they where too late, the terrorists had already slaughtered the hostages, all because a hostage seen one of the SWAT members and that member was him. For his mistake his entire team suffered, he took most of blame but his entire team was demoted, and he never forgave him self to this day. It had been hard for Greg to get work anywhere. He attempted to get into private security but his reputation preceded him and no company would hire him. But suddenly out of the blue last week, a big corporation sent him a letter saying they would like to hire him to be in charge of their new security systems at their head office downtown, Greg immediately without thinking wrote a letter accepting the position. They told him to start next Monday at nine o’clock sharp for training. Greg was ecstatic; finally he had somewhere to go with his life. So here he was, standing in front of one of the largest skyscraper in the city. He stepped through the automatic doors and into a giant lobby furnished with ancient art and space age decorating. Suddenly a small man in a blue suit snuck up on Greg and tapped his shoulder.

"I see you like our decorating," said the man, who extended his hand. "I’m John Arthey the assistant manager of this office, Mr. Powers said to show you around, he’s pretty busy at the moment"

Greg shook the man’s hand.

"Come right this way would you?" said. Greg followed to a door with a keypad and a big sign that said "no entry". Arthey punched in the code and the door swung open. Greg followed him to a locker room and gave him a new uniform. It was blue with a lot of pockets. Arthey handed Greg a clipboard with a form attached.

"This is to sign out a standard handgun from the armory." Reported Arthey. Greg signed it and dawned his new clothes they felt new and made him feel like he was on the force again. After the locker room Arthey led him to a room marked control room.

"This is where you will spend most of the time, Gobal Techs entire security system was controlled from this room. Later today you well get a more thorough walkthrough of the facility and your staff but for now Mr. Powers wants you to try to learn some of the controls by yourself. Mr. Powers believes in self improvement." Told Arthey.

"You seem to admire this Mr. Powers." Observed Greg

"Yes very much so sir, now if you’ll excuse me I have business to attend to." Said Arthey as he walked down the hall towards an elevator. Greg opened the door to the control room. Inside was a massive room with keyboards, monitors and buttons lining the walls. He would never be able to learn all of this! Greg found a nice comfortable computer chair and examined the controls in front of him. They seemed very complicated. He closed his eyes, lifted a single finger and hit a button. Suddenly klaxons began to sound and the lights in the room turned red.

"Uh oh, what did I press." Said Greg regretting he pressed anything. The door to the control room opened and three men walked wearing uniforms similar to his.

"Sorry about that I didn’t know what it did." Explained Greg to the men.

"What? You didn’t do anything that alarm is for a break in," said one of the men. "We’re your deputies so to speak."

"Great! How do you turn off these alarms?" yelled Greg. A security officer walked to a keyboard and pressed a button.

"Quick everyone," said someone pointing towards a monitor showing three men in black clothes walking down a corridor. "The intruders are in sector five." All the security men took Greg to the locker rooms where they all put on riot gear, and armed themselves with shotguns from a gun locker. The room PA system suddenly turned on.

"Do not panic and you will not be harmed, this building has been taken over by the Burning Eagles! We are in control of the security system; if anyone attempts to escape or tries to call for help we will detonate the bomb we have hidden in this building. Attention all security personnel we have four hostages and will execute them if you try anything to hinder our efforts. We will state our demands in a few hours."

The lights turned off leaving them all in the dark, until the emergency lights kicked in and illuminated the small room.

"Great, what a start for your first day!" said a guard to Greg. But Greg didn’t answer; he stood and mumbled to himself. Hostages, Greg thought, he began to feel sick, he bent down and threw up on the ground in an uncontrollable fit of fear and regret. More lives in his hands, what if he messed up again?

"What’s your name chief?" said a guard

"Greg" Greg said.

"Greg, my name is Michael, this is Tyler and over there is Justin, you’re going to have to give us orders, Mr. Powers spoke highly of you and said to do whatever you said." Said one of the guards. All right thought Greg calming himself. Think about the situation.

"Michael how do they have control of the security systems and the lights if they aren’t in the control room?" asked Greg as he was trying to figure out what to do.

"There’s a backup control room in the basement, they could get control from there." Said Michael.

"Okay Justin you get to a phone and the rest of you come with me to the basement." Ordered Greg.

"No can do Greg, when the security system is on such a high alert level the terrorists have it on all the doors and phones won’t work. Our only hope is to get to the control room and attempt to get control." Said Michael. Damn thought Greg. He began to look for a way out of the room. Above a locker there was a vent cover. Greg pointed it out.

"Let’s see if we can get through that vent up there," said Greg. Justin got on Michael’s back, unscrewed the cover and climbed through. He helped everyone else in.

"Tyler and Justin try to get in to the control room and unlock the doors, Michael where’re going to try to get to the basement.

"Here everyone, take these radio so we can keep in touch." Said Justin as he handed the small radios from his pocket to every one.

"Good, radio us when you get control of the system." Ordered Greg. They went their separate ways. Michael followed Greg down a maintenance ladder that they found a few meters away to the basement level. At the bottom was a locked blast door. Greg tried to open the blast door but it was closed tight.

"There’s no way through." Explained Greg. Their radio crackled emitting an echo through out the vents.

"Greg were in the control room, those guys sure made a mess of the building." Said Justin over the radio.

"Great, there’s a blast door covering the way down into the basement, can you open it?" asked Greg.

"Just wait a sec, here it is, I just unlocked all the doors in your grid. Good luck, me and Tyler will help out from here." Said Justin.

"Don’t forget about the bomb, the whatever eagles mentioned." Said Greg.

"I’m on it sir." Reported Tyler. The blast door suddenly slid open, dumping Greg and Michael on the concrete ground below. They started toward the back up control room down narrow hallways filled with steam vents. A few minutes later they heard voices ahead. They stopped to listen.

"Tyler any luck on the bomb?" whispered Michael into the radio.

"No, but I think we are closing in on it." Said Tyler. Suddenly the loud speakers turned on:

"Attention this is your captors. We intend to blow this building up in approximately ten minutes, I suggest you do not waste your last minutes trying to escape, instead use them to do something constructive . Global Tech will pay for their greed with your lives, that is all."

"Holy crap did you hear that, you got to find that bomb!" Greg said amazed that the terrorists would go on a suicide mission when they could have blown them up from afar.

"I’m going as fast as I can, if I can’t find it in time, its going to be up to you and Michael to stop them." Reported Greg.

"Right, we are just outside their position," said Greg telling Tyler their situation, "They have locked the doors to the control room, we can hear muffled talking from inside, if it comes down to attacking, you’ll have to open the doors at a moments notice."

"Okay I’ll be ready, but not to worry if I can’t find that bomb no one can." Said Tyler. The next five minutes where the longest of Greg’s life as he waited to hear if Tyler had found the bomb. Greg picked up the radio, if Tyler had not found the bomb by now there would be no time to get to it.

"Tyler how goes the search?" asked Greg, with a nervous pain in his stomach.

"Sorry sir, I guess no one can find it," Said Tyler sadly. "I guess that it’s up to you."

"That’s alright, Tyler you tried your best, if we attack we are going to have to do it now." Said Greg.

"Ok I’m opening the door but it will take a few seconds." Reported Tyler. Michael and Greg got on opposite sides of the door to the control room and drew their guns that Global Tech had given them.

"We don’t have time for prisoners or hostages." Explained Greg solemnly.

"I know." Said Michael bowing his head. Suddenly Greg started to feel sick, what if he screwed up again? People’s lives where in his hands once again, and he and Michael where the only chance they had. The door slid open without warning there was no time to prepare or for second thoughts. Before the occupants of the room knew what was going on or even screamed out in surprise Michael and Greg where in inside. It all happened in slow motion. As Greg entered the room, It looked just like the control room upstairs, he saw four people tied kneeling on the ground. The three terrorists in a semi circle around the hostages, they where armed with automatic weapons. Greg and Michael opened fire; the three terrorists ducked in went for cover firing as they went. Greg hid behind a desk avoiding the bullets however Michael wasn’t so lucky. He went sprawling as he was hit several times in the gut; he fell to the ground and didn’t get up. Greg jumped from his hiding spot and fired several times in the terrorist direction before going for cover again. All he could hear now was gunfire. Greg checked his watch, only two minutes left. He jumped up again and tried to fire but all his gun did was click. Greg was out of ammo! Now what was he going to do, thought Greg. Then he remembered. Ever since he had joined the force he carried a gun secretly strapped to his leg. He lifted up his pants and upholstered the handgun. There was only a minute left Greg had to hurry! Greg stopped thinking at this point, he didn’t think about the danger of what he was about to do he just reacted. Greg got up from behind the desk and ran towards the terrorists. They opened fire on him and missed by inches. Greg saw the first terrorist behind a console. The terrorist went flying backwards as Greg shot him. Suddenly a sharp pain hit Greg in the shoulder. He had been shot, Greg realized. Ignoring the pain he ducked behind a chair. More bullets whizzed by Greg as he started running an again. The last to terrorists where firing from behind a file cabinet. Greg shot one of them. The terrorist went flying into the other, knocking his gun from his hand. The remaining terrorist lay trying to get up as Greg slowly walked towards him. The terrorist cowered when he saw Greg’s gun.

"Please man, don’t do it. No please don’t!" said the man crawling slowly away. Greg felt no pity for the man as he shot him; he would have done the same and killed everyone in the building. Greg remembered in a flash about the bomb and lunged towards the terrorist’s body looking for the controls to the bomb. In his pocket he found a small remote. It read: 5, 4, 3 Greg scrambled looking for a button on the box, but there was none 2, 1, 0. Greg hit the deck and squinted waiting for the coming explosion. A few seconds passed but nothing happened. What had happened to the bomb? Greg got up and surveyed the room. He saw Michael’s body ran to it. Just as he was about to check for a pulse the door opened. A tall man in a very expensive black suit walked in.

"Congratulations, you survived Gobal Tech training." Said the man. Greg stood there, stunned not knowing what to say.

"Oh I’m sorry I didn’t introduce my self. I’m Max Powers, the owner of Global Tech. You just took a hazard course sort to speak. Every one that works security at Gobal Tech has to be the best of the best. Recruits are handpicked from ex police, FBI, CIA personnel. Then we pull every file on them and do a physiological profile to see what would be the greatest challenge for them, in your case, hostages. They are then hired. On their first day we test them with an elaborate situation. It they pass it hey get hired, if not they are given a check for their troubles and sent on their way. That’s right, everything you just experienced was simulated. The guns where paintball guns, the terrorists where actors, and there was no bomb. Even Michael had to take the test. Right Michael." Greg looked at his gunshot wound, it was paint nothing more, he turned around to see Michael getting up and brushing him self off. Greg couldn’t breathe, what had he done?

"Great job Greg, how do you like my death scene? Should a get a Emmy?" Said Michael smiling.

"What’s wrong my boy, you should be happy." Said Powers noticing Greg’s expression

"I, I ran…out of bullets, I used this. What have I done?" stammered Greg dropping his pistol. He had just shot three innocent actors.

"My god, they’re dead? You killed them?" asked Max.

"It all seemed so real," Greg said unbelieving what had just happened.

"Don’t worry, this was all a mistake. Next time we will have to take personnel fire arms into account. I’ll clean this up and no one will ever have to know. Global Tech needs people like you. You risked your life and the hostages to save our valuable technology. If this building had been destroyed Gobal Tech would be set back months, people like you think about the big picture, come Michael and also you four the hostages. Greg, some people will be down shortly to show you to your office and don’t worry we will keep the police out of this matter." explained Powers.

"No wait, I was trying to save the hostages, the hostages not the building, the hostages" Greg tried to explain but they already left. Greg looked at the people he had killed in cold blood and collapsed to his knees in guilt muttering he was saving the hostages…