Office of Science and Technology

Central Intelligence Agency

Langley, Virginia

Dr. Robert Anthony Pope was sitting at his highly polished desk going over a thick set of computer printouts when his secretary rang in.

"Sir, Mr. Jones is here now."

"Thank you, Julia, please send him right in," Pope replied, setting his files aside. Pope ran a hand through his thinning, prematurely graying hair. He adjusted his steel rimmed glasses and then shifted his position in his chair. Pope's stomach had been acting up again, exacerbated by his intense anxiety over current problems. He pulled two antacid tablets out of his desk drawer, popped them in his mouth and waited.

A tall man with short brown hair walked into Pope's office and nodded his head once. Mr. Jones--not his real name--had been momentarily surprised when he had received the phone call to meet with Pope. Of all the things that might have involved me, Jones thought, Pope's reason for calling came as a minor shock--but one that I had silently feared for a long time.

When Jones entered, Pope took a deep breath and opened, "Jack, would you like a coffee, maybe a latte? I'll have Julia get us one."

"No, Bob, I had my fill today," Jones said. "What is it? I didn't expect to hear from you this soon. Something happen? And I hope you're not going to tell me something that's going to get both our asses in a sling, eh?"

Pope looked at him and then just said two words. Nosferatu, Jack."

Jones blanched and suddenly sat down. Nosferatu, Bob? FUCKING NOSFERATU? What about it? I thought you decided to cancel that fucking thing! You told me you would destroy the..." his voice faltered, "destroy the ... material! Christ, did it get out? Don't tell me it got out!"

Pope took another deep breath and leaned back in his plush chair. "Relax. The original material is exactly where you saw it last. It's nice and secure. I checked on Alpha 1 personally. What got out is our Bravo. The second Bravo. It got to one of the security people with a mind fuck. Took him right over and he released the safeguards. Bravo killed two other security on the way out, and now the bastard is running loose."

Jones' face whitened even more and his breath was coming in gasps. For a moment, Pope wondered if he should call an MD--Jones looked like he was having a coronary. Then Jones closed his eyes and concentrated on trying to get himself settled. He drew in a deep breath and held it for a second, then exhaled, took another and opened his eyes. "Okay, it's out," he murmured. "I think we can both assume that the Alpha is somehow involved. Maybe we should take that son-of-a-bitch to the fucking beach and see if he wants to talk. Have you connected with anyone at the church? What do you plan to do?"

Pope leaned back and closed his eyes. He thought for a second, trying to settle the turmoil almost consuming him. "Okay, Jack. This project is and was one of the most highly compartmented black projects ever in the history of black projects. Today, less than six people know all there is to know about it. Back in its heyday, over thirty years ago, there were less than thirty people who knew about it, and now most of them are dead. You and I both know how hard it was to control this thing in the field. My predecessor..."

"You mean your father, Bob?" Jones interjected.

Pope glared at Jones "...my predecessor," he continued, "found out that it was almost impossible to control these damned items. That is why he..." Pope stopped.

Jones watched him and considered the possibilities. If what he suspected might happen, he was already thinking of how he could possibly distance himself from this now monumental disaster. He couldn't come up with anything. "Look, Bob, if you are hoping for some recommendations from me, here goes," Jones' voice took on urgency. "First, destroy everything connected with this damn thing. EVERYTHING! That includes the Alpha, especially the Alpha. That should have been burned to ashes thirty years ago. Then burn all the documents connected with this, and wipe the computers clean! Really wiped clean. Have the news services picked over for any indication of where the Bravo might be. Any damned thing. You and I know he is going to leave bodies lying around. People as well as animals. What we have going for us right now is the fact that they HAVE to keep a low profile. That and low numbers. When we get a solid lead on it, we send in the 'response team' and take care of it. Perhaps it's not a good idea to involve the church. With all those damned bleeding hearts today, there is no telling what they might do or say. So, are you going to question the Alpha?"

Pope grimaced. "Yes. I don't see any other thing to do right now. But you're right about getting rid of everything connected to this project. I'll take care of the others and will personally destroy the documents. You keep close in case I need to speak to you. Christ! I hope and pray that this doesn't get out of hand. I'll go over to our facility at Detrick after you leave."

"How many--including the Alpha--are there now?"

Pope knew, but he felt it necessary to linger on Jones' question for a second. "Jones" knew as well as he did how many "items" there were. He suddenly realized that "Jones" might already be planning how to duck away from this ... problem. "Jack, you know as well as I do how many there are," Pope said, deliberately keeping his voice even. "Listen, my friend, I know how your mind works and we both know how deeply you're involved in the project. I sure hope that you're not planning how to 'hide your weenie' with this thing." He smiled, hoping Jones took his suspicion good-naturedly. "If we don't work together and solve this, chances are we will BOTH go down with the ship. Cuz, ol' buddy, I will NOT go down alone. You savvy, Jack?"

Jones glanced around Pope's Spartan-like office and a thin smile curled onto his mouth. "Yes, Bob, you and I are in this together and we're gonna sink or swim together. So let's make sure we swim out of this shit. You don't have any reason to think I'm going to try to bail. Relax. I'll start sweeping in the 'dusty' corners and see what shakes out. Go see the Alpha and find out if he'll tell you anything about Bravo Two or what he might be up to. I'm as positive as the sun coming up that bastard is involved. You know, perhaps you should prove your resolve to it. Demonstrate your sincerity. By the way, I suppose that Bravo Two didn't try to release any of the others?"

Pope shook his head no and gazed levelly at Jones. "Okay, let's get moving. We sure as hell won't fix this thing sitting here."

Jones nodded and stood up. "I'll start looking around right now. Make sure your cell is charged up. As soon as I start getting some hits, I'll be in touch."

Pope returned the nod, leaned over and keyed his intercom. "Julia, get my car brought up, then notify the airport to warm up my helicopter. I have something to do, so hold all my calls. If it's important enough, you call me."

His assistant's tinny voice came through with a snappy, "Yes, Sir."

Ft. Detrick, Maryland

Unobstructed, overwhelmingly green, Maryland countryside surrounds a very high security facility noted for its cutting edge medical research. The fight against cancer is highlighted at Ft. Detrick, but much less known and discussed is the facility's bio-weapons research. The Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases conducts its operations on site. "AMRIID" quietly develops strategies, products, procedures and training programs for medical defense against biological warfare threats and naturally occurring infectious diseases that require special containment. What is not known publicly is that the CIA's Office of Science and Technology has an even more top-secret facility on the grounds. Hidden in a nondescript building, guarded by an elite civilian security service under U.S. government contract (security officers to a man are former Special Forces, or Navy Seals), it practically takes a presidential order for even some top officials to get in.

Pope had his identification checked eight times prior to pulling up to Bldg. 10062. Entering, his ID was checked yet again, and then he underwent a retinal scan. Upon being cleared, a now impatient Pope then entered an elevator and descended twelve floors to another room, where he had to submit to another retinal scan and palm print. He then entered the underground facility.

The senior supervisor on duty stood up at attention when Pope walked in. "Good day, Doctor," the supervisor said. He had been aware that Pope was on site since his second security check. "What can we do for you today?"

Pope briefly looked around, and then asked him, "What is the status on the Alpha subject, Mr. Warren?" As much as Pope hated to admit it, when asking this innocuous question his stomach turned over.

"No change at all since the, uh, the incident, sir," Warren replied.

"Alright. How many men are on site right now?"

"On site, sir? Right now in this facility, counting myself, there are twenty-three operatives. Since the escape we have doubled up all the shifts, but if anything, it has been more quiet than usual."

Pope then got right to it. "Warren, here's what I want. Turn everyone out now. I want them loaded for bear--which means suited up and armed with the appropriate weapons. I want two men armed with flamethrowers and I want them standing by the Alpha cell. Then I want you to put Bravo One in a shipping container. Secure it fully with mask, and stand ready to bring it to the Alpha cell. Then be prepared to bring me the Charlie subject. Get me an escort to the Alpha cell. Now get moving."

Warren jumped to his telephone and began issuing orders while Pope set his briefcase down and removed his suit coat and tie. He opened a locker door, hung up his coat and removed a set of tan utility overalls. Stepping into the garment, he pulled it up and hoisted it up over his dress shirt. He zipped it up. He began to prepare himself mentally for what he knew would be the ordeal ahead. He retrieved his briefcase and opened it, removing a pair of glasses that to all intents and purposes resembled common sunglasses. They were anything but. He placed them in a front pocket and waited for his escort. Three minutes later, two men entered the waiting area.

"Doctor, are you ready?" asked the older of the two men.

Pope nodded, and together they went through the door two other men had just entered. They walked down a brightly lit hallway and near the end entered a door on the left-hand side. Two more men were sitting inside watching a television monitor. Looking up, they greeted Pope, "Good morning, sir." The two of them were standing now.

"Good morning, how is our guest this morning?" Pope replied.

"Everything is totally quiet, Doctor. No change at all."

Pope picked up a logbook that lay on their desk and quickly glanced at entries for the last week. "When did it last feed?"

The larger of the two guards sighed and quickly responded, "Two evenings ago, Doctor. When the escape occurred, he was more quiet than usual. No changes or activities at all were noted. Damned near like it wasn't even here. Nothing."

Barely nodding, Pope said, "I'm going in to see him." He turned to his escorts and ordered, "When we go in, you two stay at the door. Bravo One is being brought here in a shipping container. I will signal you when I want it brought in." All four guards looked at each other apprehensively, very much disliking what they heard. Pope nodded toward the entrance to the holding facility and waited while his escort opened the door. He placed his special glasses on, drew a deep breath and he stepped in.

Low light illuminated the area. The room was divided between an entryway and the cell, which was twenty by twenty feet, and was unfurnished except for a table and one chair. In the farthermost corner from the light was what could be mistaken for a very large nest. Pope gazed upwards and saw the three cameras mounted on the ceiling, each turned on to observe the entire room. Quietly, he walked to the special reinforced steel bars encasing the cell. The deep, coppery smell of blood and the stench of rotting meat suffused the room.

"Janos," Pope said flatly. "Janos, get up and come here!" His voice rose, tinged with anger. He knew that the creature was well aware of his presence. He glanced at the "nest" and saw the crumpled material and dirt stir. A human-appearing form stood up, then approached the bars.

"Ah, Doctor Pope, a good day to you."

Pope touched the frames of the special glasses which shielded his eyes, and regarded the form before him: a thin, almost emaciated figure about 5' 8" with long hair that flowed over its shoulders. The brush of a small mustache lay on its top lip. Material from its nest infused the man's hair causing the hair to matte in ugly clumps. When it spoke, an odd European inflection suffused its very low voice. The creature didn't appear dangerous at first glance, but Pope knew that, outside of a nuclear device, this was the most dangerous thing he had ever encountered. And Pope had dealt with some very dangerous things in his twenty-plus years with CIA.

"Janos, there are some very upset people right now. They are advising me to shut this project down and 'discard' the test material. Do you know what I'm saying to you?"

Janos looked levelly at Pope and then smiled, showing very long canine teeth. "Ah, Doctor, this is where you threaten me, isn't it? As if I had anything to do with the escape. How could I? I had not even seen HIM since I effected the change. Haven't I always cooperated with you? What more can I do to show you my good will? I have been your guest, and your father's, for almost, uh, well, let me think ... almost forty years. My! The time has flown hasn't it? Almost forty years since I have witnessed the night sky. I have cooperated with you in all things. Have you forgotten how I helped you all with the Russian bastards back when you expected to fight them day after day? Did you forget how your father and I convinced many of them to 'talk' to you when you wished to know what they knew?" The creature snorted. "Wasn't I the best reason for them to talk to you? Why would you wish to harm me after almost forty years helping you and your agency?"

Pope listened to Janos' suave, almost hypnotic voice. He knew that without the glasses, he might have been 'taken'. Even with the glasses, he kept his gaze downward, avoiding its eyes. "Don't fuck with me, Janos. I know what a manipulating bastard you are and I know that you know a hell of a lot more than you let on. You know goddamned well that the Bravo Two got out. What is he up to and where is he heading?"

It smiled again, staring unflinchingly at Pope. "Oh, my little Pope. Named after the Vicar of the fucking fishermen, but who has no faith of his own. How would I know where he is? Probably out looking for a nice warm meal! Hah!"

Pope looked more closely at Janos' dark eyes and saw the malice and loathing in them. This one usually kept those emotions deeply hidden, but if you knew where to look, they were as plain as the odor of rot that infected the room. Pope turned to the guards standing beside the door. "See if they have it ready," he ordered. One of the men opened the door a crack and peered out. He turned back and nodded. "Okay, bring it in."

The door slowly opened and the second pair of guards wheeled in a large steel packing case mounted on detachable wheels. They rolled it to the center of the room. "Good. Thank you. Wait outside," Pope ordered the two men, who nodded and stepped out. He walked to the case and pulled the door open. Janos kept a very close eye on him, not sure what he was doing. Inside the case was a 'man' whose arms and legs were secured with steel bands. A see-through mesh mask, also of steel covered his face.

The 'man' looked at Janos and smiled. "Master," he said with reverence.

Janos simply nodded, then crooned, "Well, Pope, a little family reunion? Have you brought a picnic lunch, too?"

Pope faced one of the guards and ordered, "Get it." The man opened the door and stepped outside. He returned in only seconds carrying a very large crossbow weapon, cocked with a large wooden bolt and ready to fire. He handed it to Pope. The creature in the case snarled, struggling with his restraints.

Pope walked right up to the case and growled, "Janos, I told you that I am through fucking around." He stood two feet from the bound man and aimed the crossbow, firing the bolt. It pierced the being's chest with a thwump, cleaving the heart in two. The creature screamed, and a huge black flow of blood spurted from its chest. The creature slumped over. Pope stepped back and looked at Janos. Janos simply glared at him.

"Okay, bring them in," he ordered again. The door opened and the two guards walked in. "Take this out, decapitate it and burn it. Is the other one ready?" The two men nodded. They closed the case and wheeled it out. Pope handed the crossbow to one of his escorts. "Load it." The man jumped to obey.

"Okay, Janos. Are we ready to have a fruitful discussion yet?" Pope kept his voice steady, unmoving.

The being called Janos looked down at the floor, shielding his face and in a soft voice said, "What is it that you want, little Pope boy? You want me to tell you where he is? How would I know? He may have decided to go proselytize for our Goddess. You know she is real, more real than your fucking Shepherd! She exists and has since the beginning of this world. Perhaps she spoke to him and told him to go out and gather her devotees, or make more worshipers. Converting them to our own faith, Pope boy. What about your faith? Do you pray to your human Shepherd, Pope? He is weak while our Goddess grows stronger!"

"Bring the other in!" Pope commanded in a strong voice.

The door opened and two other men wheeled in an identical steel shipping case. They stopped in the middle of the room and wheeled the case around so the door, when opened, would face the cell. Pope nodded at them and they exited.

"Okay, Janos, now we come to Olga Petronovich. You do remember Olga, don't you? You turned her, and if memory serves me, you felt some kind of regard for her, eh?" The creature was now glaring at Pope but remained silent. "Okay, Janos, we'll see," Pope said as he pulled the door open. Inside the case was a tall, brunette woman, secured exactly like the man before her. She was dressed in a hospital type shift and also wore a steel mesh mask over her face. She tugged at the restraints holding her arms and legs.

"Hello, Olga, are you ready to die today?" Pope said while looking at Janos.

"Fuck you, Pope!" she said in a heavily accented and baritone Russian voice. "Janos, the Goddess spoke to me. She said our time is coming!" the woman hissed, looking at the being held in the cell. Her face broke into a smile, then she turned her face toward Pope. "Ah, Robert Anthony," she breathed in the Russian fashion. "Your father told me much about you. How disappointed he was in you. He expected something stronger out of you. Not the weakling you've become. Perhaps he will come to visit you soon. I think he has a secret to tell you, perhaps your wife, too!" She managed a deep throated laugh while glaring at him.

Pope motioned to the guard closest to him to hand him the loaded crossbow. "Well, Olga, perhaps I was asking the wrong one my questions. Maybe I should be asking you!" He aimed the crossbow at her pelvis. "This is a one hundred and seventy-five pound draw weight bow, Olga. Now, perhaps you can tell me where IT WENT!" He waited. The female creature looked at him and said nothing. He fired the wooden ash bolt into her pelvis. Another solid thunk and suddenly the female let out an ear-shattering shriek. The guard stepped up and Pope handed back the bow, and in a level tone said, "Load it." He reached into the case and grabbed the bolt and twisted it around. The female continued to shriek. "I can make the pain stop, Olga. I can feed you and all the pain will go away. Tell me where HE is."

Pope spun around and glared at Janos. He felt Janos' mind reaching out to his, in what he believed was an attempt to force him to stop. "Crossbow!" he barked. The guard handed him the bow and Pope grabbed it and stepped to the cell bars. "Janos, you son of a bitch! I told you I AM NOT FUCKING AROUND!" He pulled the stock of the crossbow into his shoulder, aimed and fired the wooden bolt into Janos' lower stomach. The impact drove the creature backwards where he fell on his buttocks, landing with a muffled umph! Pope tossed the bow back with the order to load it again.

"Olga, last chance, darling. I will not ask you again. WHERE IN HELL IS HE?"

The woman's features twisted. "Pope, Pope, the pain! Please do not kill me! I believe he is heading out to the land of the SUN. There are some of us who have lived there for a long time. The Goddess commands it, she commands him! That is all I know! PLEASE! Make the pain go away. Feed Me! Please, for the Goddess' sake!"

Her wretched pleading disgusted Pope. He looked at Janos. "Well, Janos, is this bitch telling me the truth?" The creature was still on the floor with both hands wrapped around the crossbow bolt lodged in his gut. He looked at Pope and pulled it out smoothly with one tug. Slowly, he regained his feet.

"I will not forget this insult, Robert. You will do as you wish, but do not think I will forget this!"

"Personally, Janos, I don't give a shit what you remember or forget. Did she tell me the truth?"

"Does it matter to you what I say?" Janos growled. "Yes, she is telling the truth, for all it is worth."

Pope kept gazing at Janos a moment then nodded his head. "Okay, Janos, good enough."

Pope handed the bow to the guard. "Okay, last time ... load it." The female creature continued to moan. The guard pulled the bowstring taut, took out a bolt and loaded it in place. Then he handed it to Pope, who stepped up to the case. "Alright, Olga, I will stop the pain!" She opened her eyes and looked at Pope and moaned. He put the bow to his shoulder and aimed for her heart.

"Pope! You bastard!" Janos shouted.

Pope fired the bolt into Olga, once again splitting a heart. She screamed once; then slumped over. "Cut off her fucking head and burn this trash," he ordered the guards. He looked at Janos. "The games are over, you antique fuck. I told you, I am through playing them. When we next see each other, you'd better remember this. You're just one piece of wood away from slipping into oblivion. Just one piece of wood, Janos. You understand me?"

Janos stared at Pope, then turned around and folded himself down into his nest.

As Pope began to exit the room, an eerie, throaty voice boomed out. "Very good, Doctor. Until I SEE YOU AGAIN!"

Pope looked at the senior guard and ordered him to get Warren. He stood still, not speaking until the man arrived. "Alright, gentlemen. Listen up. I just administered our pal inside a healthy slap on his nuts. He is the only remaining 'item' left, he knows it and I don't trust him as far as I could throw his skinny little ass. Starting now, you will make sure he is under CONSTANT twenty-four-hour watch, and at all times you will have a man stationed here with a flame thrower ready to go at a second's notice. Is that clear?" The three men nodded vigorously. "If there is so much as a peep out of him, you will call me at once, understand? If that bastard so much as burps, I want to be told. If for any reason you must go into the room, no less than three men will go in, two armed with crossbows, with a man and flame thrower standing ready here! No exceptions. Am I clear?"

Warren kept his gaze on Dr. Robert Anthony Pope and continued nodding his head. "Yes, sir. Perfectly clear!"

Pope began walking back, heading topside.