 
Blurred Lines:

Director's Cut

by

Martin Chittenden

Copyright 2017 by Martin Chittenden

Published by Martin Chittenden at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, the please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 1

JANUARY 2004

ATTU ISLAND, ALASKA

Dawn breaks over the icy hills of the island. The sun gleams off the white snow and bathes the whole area in a heavenly glow. The sun rises slowly onto the wooden roofs of an enclosed camp on the western side of the island. Several large decaying wooden cabins surrounded by a rusty, high chain link fence topped with razor wire gave the casual observer the impression of an abandoned prisoner's camp. The sun hit the dirty and frosted windows. From the west, a soft thumping sound in the air rises and echoes. On the horizon four black helicopters come into view and charge toward the camp. The cacophony of rotating blades thump the air and rattle the windows of the dilapidated buildings as they come closer. The helicopters land outside the fence swirling loose snow off the ground. A squad of soldiers, dressed in black, jump out and storm the fence. Two soldiers destroy the gate with a shape charge and the rest storm in with 9mm pistols at the ready. The doors of the nearest cabins open and several men in brown jumpsuits rush out with batons and stun guns. The soldiers in black, aim their weapons at the charging men, fire, and kill them all. The gunfire ceases, the soldiers shoulder their weapons and split into teams then enter the open cabins, soldiers who stay behind start moving the bodies of the dead behind the cabins. The building marked "Cabin One" with a rusty faded sign is the first to be entered, one soldier with his sidearm ready, and the other with a pair of wire cutters follow. Inside the door, the soldier carrying the weapon scans the room quickly and he yells "Clear!". The room contains two beds, and in each bed, strapped down with chains and piano wire, are two young men in white scrubs. Their mouths are covered with a plastic muzzle and all that can be heard is muffled cries and shouts of one of them while the other is silent. The soldiers free them from the beds and then re-tie their hands behind their backs, then blindfold the prisoners. The young men are escorted outside to the middle of the compound. In "Cabin Two", there are three young women in white scrubs also muzzled. They are escorted to the middle of the compound next to the young men. Once all prisoners are assembled, the soldiers put white hoods over their heads. The prisoners are lined up single file. The soldier in charge had set up a propane patio heater and he stands below it with a clipboard. When all is silent, the soldier uncovers his face and inspects the five prisoners. He surveys each one then grabs each ones head and looks at the back of their necks. Each prisoner has a number tattooed there. He checks their numbers against the printed sheet on the clipboard. He then says in a slight Russian accent, "Numbers 3, 5, and 10 go to the desert facility. Numbers 25 and 42 go with me." Three soldiers escort the three prisoners, two female and one male into a helicopter that is waiting then begins takeoff once loaded.

Captain Sergei Davidoff watches the first helicopter take off and fly away. There were five soldiers left with two assets. Davidoff nods to the shortest soldier and to a very muscular one; they each aim their weapons at the remaining two soldiers. The two soldiers start protesting but, before they can do anything, each is shot in the head. Blood spatters on the snowy ground and steam rises from the wounds. The male 25, jumped at the sounds, 42 did not move.

Captain Davidoff then said "Okay, let's go. Jensen take the girl, Johan take the boy." The small soldier Jensen grabs the girl roughly by the arm and starts heading to the nearby helicopter. Johan sternly grabs the boy's arm The boy, when touched spins Johan around quickly. Johan loses his balance and screams as a soft pop is heard coming from his shoulder as it slips out of the socket. Johan curses in Swedish and then punches the boy in the face. Immediately blood starts darkening the hood covering the boys face, yet the boy remains still and doesn't make a sound. Davidoff yells in Russian and spits on Johan. The boy has fight in him, Davidoff thinks.

Davidoff yells at Jensen who had stopped to turn and watch. "Get her in the chopper!", Jensen resumes his trek with his captive. Captain Davidoff carefully grabs the boy's arm and there is no protest. Slowly Davidoff escorts the boy to the chopper where Jensen has already strapped in the girl, Johan is muttering in pain behind them. Davidoff stops to load the boy, but the boy steps up and sits down in an empty seat and remains still. Jensen and Davidoff exchange worried looks and Davidoff nods then says, "Carefully." Jensen carefully straps in the boy without further incident. Davidoff closes the door and sits in the pilot seat, starts the chopper and takes off. The island is left in quiet once again as its former inhabitants are taken away.

The airport in Nome had a private jet waiting. Davidoff landed the chopper and the door of the plane opened. The pilot stood at attention at the doorway as Davidoff and the others unloaded the prisoners. The pilot looks at the large boy with the blood stained hood as he passes by and then as Johan nursed his arm and asked "Had a little trouble sir?" "Yes" Davidoff grumbled, "let's go."

Chapter 2

OCTOBER 1961

VERVIERS, BELGIUM

With the sunny Belgian countryside before them, and the town of Verviers behind, Albert always hated to leave, but he knew he would be back. Joseph and Albert Earle loved this little village. They had spent weekends there and most of the free time they had. It was about a six hour drive from Berlin and the friendly people of Verviers were in stark contrast to the tension between East and West Berlin. Joseph and Albert were British SIS. They were both there to keep an eye on the front line of the cold war. They were too young to see the battles of World War II, but they were now seeing the postwar construction. The tenacity of the Nazis, Russians, and allied forces left their mark on the face of Europe. Belgium was no exception. The town of Verviers was at the foot of the Ardennes forests, where the Battle of the Bulge took place. The cold war saw a reconstruction of the cities and towns, but it created an atmosphere of fear. Fear of Russian invasion, the communists were feared. People were afraid that is was a disease that spread through their country. Everyone was suspicious. The little coffee shop that Joseph and Albert frequented in Verviers was a hotbed of paranoia. The locals would speak in hushed voices and point at them. They were dressed as common merchants, but they were still from Britain. They stood out, but their papers were flawless and they still traded in commodities to keep their cover. They had to take trips east of the iron curtain every so often and trade with other Russian merchants. Some had scars from the battles with Germany in WWII, who most certainly were KGB. Joseph had a saying that the only Russians that weren't KGB were not going to be born in this century. He really did not like the Russians; the feeling was mutual for them as well. Joseph would be the instigator in the arguments with Russian merchants, and Albert had to calm the situation before bloodshed took place. Joseph was hot tempered, but a good spy when needed; he would act that way to draw attention away from Albert, who was the peace keeper. Joseph kept the KGB's eyes trained on him while Albert would sneak and complete missions.

They had their families' money to keep them out of severe KGB scrutiny. The money trail never led to anything SIS related. The money that they were paid went to their fathers business as an expense for SIS headquarters. It would be filtered through a trust fund for the boys. Their father was a tea importer and their mother, a German immigrant, who escaped the Nazi occupation when it started in 1933. She worked in the office. They met in 1934, married and had the two boys in 1936. Joseph and Albert were fraternal twins. Their parents approved their joining the Royal Army and their recruitment by the SIS because of their fathers' contacts throughout Europe before the war. They were in a prime position to spy for the West and they helped willingly. They had taken the "Gentleman Spy" role because of their families' money and political influence. The term "Gentleman" was used loosely for Joseph; he was a cold blooded killer when is came to his work. He knew that any bodies found behind the iron curtain would draw too much attention to their missions, but is was sometimes necessary for him to kill KGB if they proved to be uncooperative. Joseph's other duties included document intelligence. He could photograph the right documents within a minute and sneak away with relative ease. His insistence of never being caught dictated that he would kill or be killed, but never caught. He had a body count of Russian guards, cleaning crews, and KGB. Joseph would never get caught. Albert on the other hand, used his political influence to stay out of trouble. As the direct representative of Earle Imports, he saw to it that even Russians who drank tea would only drink Earle tea, this included the High Communist Party Officials in the right places. He was never thought of as a spy because he carried no gadgets or tools and had a flawless reputation as a good man.

It was time for another run past the wall, their target was a KGB compound just on the border of the Soviet Union. By happenstance, they had a meeting with General Yuri Davidoff, one of the party's high officials and an avid tea drinker. During the Second World War, Davidoff had spent some time with the RA and had become an addict. Although they were enemies on paper, General Davidoff and the Earle Company were allies. Joseph even considered Davidoff a "confused Briton" which was about the nicest words you could get from him about Russians. General Davidoff was part of the KGB's medical sciences division. Davidoff was given the post closest to the Berlin wall because he was instrumental in acquiring Nazi medical personnel from the Americans at the start of the cold war. SIS was against Joseph and Albert residing in Belgium for their assignment, but their mother had stories about Germany that turned them off. There was a family in Verviers who had helped her escape to England, so they felt more at home there. SIS finally caved in when their living arrangements did not interfere with their work. The bothers could leave at any time of the day or night. One could sleep and the other could drive. Considering what other spies had to deal with, the Earle brothers had it easy.

Joseph was asleep in the back seat and Albert drove. The dark Ardennes forest covered the stars of the night and only the headlights gave any indication of light on the road. Albert often wondered about how the Americans survived the forest during the war. It was already getting cold in the Ardennes in October and when it became January or February, the cold became a force to reckon with. Albert wished he could have been there; it would have made him a stronger man, a braver man. Joseph was not as forthcoming with compliments about the "Bloody Fools" that participated in the Battle of the Bulge. When asked if it was the Americans or Nazi's he referred to he would say "Both." Albert wished he could have fought in the war. He was sure all the children of the war that were now of age to do so wished the same. He remembered the night raids, the blackouts and how they would shake their fists up at the German planes and curse them. Now that they were old enough to fight, half the Germans were on their side against a bigger enemy who during the war were allies. Postwar Europe became a confusing place, where the line was drawn by which type of economy you believed in; capitalism or communism. So much has changed in the past ten years and it would continue to change. Albert warmed at the thought of him helping his country fight the cold war. Britain was closer than the Americans were so if the soviets did decide to invade, Britain would be among the first. Of course the Soviets and Americans had their missiles pointed at each other, but it was no less a problem for Britain. Albert was a patriot, for both his allegiance to the free market economy and for his mother who taught him what was right. He worried for Joseph though; he did not see things in those terms. His allegiances were to his family only, Albert did not think that country was what Joseph fought for, it was his seething hatred of Russia. When he was a child, he had a fever and it gave him nightmares of Russian soldiers, of Nazi atrocities and he hated fascism to the core of his being. They seemed to be troubled by it without any provocation. The troubles stopped virtually overnight when they were 16. They had become interested in their country and patriotism. Most young boys in the war did this so their parents approved. Joseph seemed to be at an opposite of his beliefs though, like he was forced to believe what he believed. He was always so intense, so focused and always at odds with himself. Joseph always surprised anyone who knew him, he seemed to hate doing what he was doing but he would be the first to volunteer for it.

Several hours passed and Joseph awoke with his usual grumble. They were almost at the KGB outpost. The Berlin checkpoint was easy enough since everyone knew them already, but the Soviet soldiers were still gruff and surly with everyone.

Albert drove to the gate of the medical facility and showed his papers to the guard, a short-haired, gap toothed kid who looked like he was about 16. He checked his clipboard and then handed the papers back to Albert, then waved them through. Albert accelerated and parked in front of what looked like the main entrance. The doors opened and a well-dressed large man with a beaming smile headed towards the car. Joseph and Albert got out of the car and walked towards the man. They met halfway in the parking lot. Albert never saw a jollier Russian general, this man could be Santa Claus.

"My friends!" General Davidoff said with a heavy accent and booming voice "I am General Yuri Davidoff, I can't believe you are already men, I remember when you were children! How time flies eh?" He laughed heartily. "I'm sorry General, but I don't remember you," Albert said. "Neither do I," Joseph said gruffly. General Davidoff laughed again "Of course you don't my boys! The last time I saw you, you two were about 6 months old. I was stationed in London with your father before the war, but I knew both your mother and father well. I do regret your fathers passing last year though. I wish I could have been there to say goodbye, except for all of this foolishness." The general waved his hand in the air and lost his smile for a moment.

The brothers both thanked the General for his concern and there was an awkward pause until the generals' smile returned. "Your mother, how is she?" he asked with a little tension in his voice. "She is excellent and in good spirits General," Albert said. Davidoff smiled and said, "Excellent, any major health problems with her?" Joseph grunted and said, "None that we are aware of.....sir." "Excellent!" Davidoff boomed, "Let's go to my office yes?" and he turned and walked to the entrance.

General Davidoff's office was a converted medical bay with a small wooden desk that seemed to have barely survived the war. There were no decorations except a Soviet flag and an etching of Khrushchev under it. The General sat in the wooden chair and it groaned in complaint at the weight, but still held up. Joseph and Albert sat in what looked like wooden school seats opposite the General. Davidoff picked up his phone and pressed a button; he ordered in Russian and then hung up.

"I have ordered some tea for us, as I am sure you are aware, I am fond of tea," he said.

"That is fine" Albert said.

"Good," the General said softly. "Now down to business. I know you two are SIS sent here for information from the KGB. You were instructed to gain favor with me due to your family's history with me and try to subvert me at the same time."

The brothers exchanged the same nervous looks and Albert began to sweat. Joseph coughed and said, "Well since you know there is no denying it then is there?"

"Rightly so Joseph," the general said, "But I see the fear of your discovery in your eyes so let me say that you have nothing to worry about, I am going to help you with your assignment, no questions asked and you will help me."

"We cannot betray our country!" Albert protested, but the General stopped him.

"My boy, I don't require any military or state secrets from you, my conditions are this; I am part of the decadent capitalist west and I require objects from that area. Furnishings, and so forth, including food and music and the comforts that the party does not want us to have."

"Oh?" Albert said puzzled.

"Why, General?" Joseph demanded.

"I said no questions asked my boy," the generally said scornfully.

Joseph leaned closer and said "Why?" "Why should we trust you, I am not convinced that your friendship with our parents is your only reason. I don't trust any communist dog, even you sir."

"Joseph!" Albert said exasperated.

General Davidoff looked into Joseph's hard stare and then smiled and laughed as an aide came into the room and set down the beaten tea service that looked like converted shell casings from naval guns. The general kept laughing as he thanked the aide in Russian and the aide left the room.

"OK Joseph, I can see you are a man of conviction and strong will," the general said as he quieted his laughter. Joseph seemed to be getting angrier and Albert was puzzled.

"I have risen up in the ranks of my country to my current position for a very good reason. I have sole operational control over something my own country does not know about. I cannot tell you specifics now, but in due time. As far as the cold war is concerned, I am not even interested in it in any way, in fact is has given me some cover for other projects and operations of my own that dare not be revealed. On the other hand, the separation of East and West has made some of it difficult which is why I requested you two be stationed here."

"You requested?" Albert asked.

"Yes, I will give you KGB secrets and information over a period of time and you will have to work for them in order to keep up the appearance that I am unaware of you spying. All I ask is that I receive amenities from the west to improve the quality of life for me and my men," the general said as he poured tea into cups and handed it to the men.

"Your men?" Joseph said. "Why should they get anything?"

"My men are loyal to me, not to the party. They are also friends of the west. As general I was able to select my men from anywhere so they are loyal to the end for me."

"I don't like this," Joseph said to Albert.

Albert was confused and stammered nonsense.

Joseph scoffed and said, "Look General, this sounds all too good to be true. You are going to have to prove it," and he folded his arms.

"Rightly so Joseph, rightly so. Here," the general opened a desk drawer and handed them a piece of paper. "This is a partial communique from party headquarters to a secret KGB location in Norway, I will leak that there was a break-in at the KGB base not far from here and you will deliver this to your superiors. This will wet their whistle and they will have stumbled upon a sensitive KGB operation to spy on your parliament members."

The general seemed sincere and Joseph took the paper and looked it over. It was all in Russian and it was cut off in the middle of the paper. Joseph eyed the paper and the General for a few moments, then folded it and pocketed it.

"What about your superiors? Won't they wonder if you are getting anything?" Albert finally managed to speak.

"As long as you bring in British, Irish, and American spirits, I can handle them with no problem," the General said.

"I will see if you are right, and we'll be back in three days when the information is decoded and examined." Joseph said getting up then finished his tea. "This is horrible tea General!" Joseph said.

"Then come back in three days with a shipment of your tea and your trust Joseph," the general smiled, "Albert? May I ask you a personal favor?" the general asked.

"You may," Albert said with trepidation.

"Give my warmest regards to your mother please?" the general said.

"Yes General, I will."Albert said.

Joseph have a harsh look to Albert then turned and walked out the door with Albert in tow. General Davidoff sighed heavily and watched as the two men argued their way to the car.

"It is amazing how like their father they are," the General said quietly and then shook his head.

Three days later Albert and Joseph were in General Davidoff's office again. The message had been decoded and verified. Three KGB operatives inside Parliament had been identified and arrested. The Norwegian base was taken by the Nordic Military and SIS operatives. Two brothers and a member of the Russian High Command were laughing and drinking tea from a silver tea service in a converted hospital room behind the Berlin wall.

Chapter 3

JANUARY, 2004

CAPTAIN DAVIDOFF'S AIRPLANE

Captain Sergei Davidoff looked at the hooded girl sitting in the corner seat, wearing those white pajamas. They had been on this plane for 20 hours and still had about 10-15 hours left. He looked at her legs silhouetted through the white cotton pants she wore and he felt a flush of lust stir in him. He read the file on these kids and he knew this one was meant for sex. He wondered how rough he could be with this one. He liked it rough, but usually they did not, always screaming and crying, how pathetic they were. The problem was that the type of woman who could handle his brand of love was too big and usually ugly. The smaller, hotter ones could not take the violence. He didn't mind the screaming so much anymore, it was the shivering in fear, the sobbing, the pleading that annoyed him, that is why he killed the last one. He looked over at her brother. He was big. Everyone had kept an eye on him since they took off in the helicopter. The big one pulled Johan's arm out of the socket when Johan had grabbed the big one's arm to move him. After that, no one touched the big one. They all got settled in on the jet, the big one was in the front, the girl across and seven rows behind. Both were wearing white pajamas and hoods. The blood stain on the big one looked like a big red scowl, an unhappy scarecrow. Johan with his one good arm, held a gun on the big one and to the left of Johan was Jensen, the former Marine from America. Davidoff thought that the end of the cold war became a buffet of work for both Soviets and Americans to work together, not to mention the American girls Davidoff had the pleasure of. Davidoff watched the big one, he was drifting off to sleep or something, he was leaning towards the window breathing long deep breaths.

For the last several hours, everyone watched the big one, but as he barely moved and time wore on, the mood relaxed quite a bit. Still, Davidoff didn't want to take any chances with this one. All was quiet except for the pained grunts from Johan due to his arm. They had to put it back in the socket when they took off from Gnome. Johan had taken pain killers, but they took a while to work, even still, the pain came through with every major turbulence jump. Johan was tough though. The big one was quiet, Davidoff gave him a shot of Thorazine just in case. Jensen and Johan relaxed a little and they sat down. Johan grunted and took another pill. He was trying to get high as well. Davidoff took off his tactical gear and set it next to him. Davidoff muttered something to Johan and Johan said "Ja" then moved to the seat behind the big one. Jensen came over and said in a thick New Orleans accent "What Y'all want me to do?"

Davidoff motioned toward the girl and said, "Pretty isn't she?"

Jensen looked over and sucked in a breath, "Ooh she is boss!"

Davidoff rummaged in the overhead compartment and found two bottles of Vodka and handed one to Jensen. "How about a little bonus?" Davidoff asked and took a long swig and nodded toward the girl.

Jensen chuckled, then drank from his bottle. He then fumbled to take off his tactical gear with fervor. Johan heard the chuckle and asked what was going on.

Davidoff said "recreation" and Johan smiled and looked at the girl. Jensen said, "We'll loosen her up for you buddy" and rubbed his hands together. Davidoff and Jensen sat next to her and pulled her hood off. Davidoff saw an angel blink in the light. Her curly blond hair bouncing into a frame around her round porcelain face. Her big blue eyes sparkled with a childlike innocence that made Davidoff even more excited. The angel looked around and then smiled at the three men who were smiling at her. She giggled and said, "Is that my brother over there?" in a cute girlish voice and she looked at the sleeping figure of her brother.

Davidoff looked over his shoulder to confirm that her sweet voice did not stir her brother. "Da," he said, "Drink?" he handed the bottle to her.

The angel looked at the bottle and said, "Oh that is a pretty bottle, is that water?" All laughed and she laughed as well, "Did I say a joke?" she grinned.

Davidoff unscrewed the cap and set it down next to her. She tried to grab it but her hands were still tied behind her back. "My hands are tied." she said more as a statement. "Can you untie them?"she asked sweetly. Her big blue eyes gave no indication of fear to Davidoff, like she trusted all of them even though they had restrained her. She seemed to know nothing of fear.

Davidoff pulled out his duty knife and flicked the blade out. She jumped and giggled, "That is so neat!" she squealed. "What is that?" she asked.

"It is my knife; I'm going to cut the bonds," he said lightly, there was no need to threaten; she was not going to do anything. He knelt down beside her and reached behind her back. She twisted to meet him halfway and he caught sight of her breast through her shirt. It was beautiful, he could barely contain himself. The other two men were straining to see from where they were. Davidoff hoped that they didn't see what he was seeing, so much the better.

Her hands were cut free. Davidoff then moved down to her ankle restraints, the plastic zip tie had cut into her skin a little and there was a tiny drop of blood on her sock. "Oh dear," Davidoff said.

"What!?" she said.

"You have a cut on your ankle," Davidoff said softly. "Shall I bandage it?" Her eyes made his heart flutter; they were so clear, so blue and so trusting.

She looked to her ankle and said, "Yes please." with a giggle.

Davidoff looked around the seat and said, "What shall I use as a band-aid?" The angel furrowed her brow in thought, then said, "Here," and she took off her shirt.

All the men gasped at her beautiful body and she tore a strip of her shirt off into a wrapping. She handed it to Davidoff and said "Please?" Davidoff muttered something and took the bandage from her, never looking away from her perfect breasts. He dipped the wrapping in the vodka and tied it around her ankle. She sucked in air at the sting and looked back at Davidoff.

"That always stings," she said

"It is so it won't get infected," Davidoff replied.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the alcohol and said, "That is not like the other stuff."

Davidoff chuckled and said, "No, it isn't." He picked up the bottle "This is also a drink." and he handed it to her. She looked at the bottle, sniffed the spout and then carefully took a sip. Her eyes widened and she gagged and coughed a little. "No, that is not water," she giggled, after a few seconds she said, "It makes my inside warm!" and she smiled at Davidoff and the other men. There was a silence for a moment and then she drank again. She laughed and traced the line of her chest as the liquor went to her stomach.

"It's so warm!" she laughed "I've never had anything like it!"

Davidoff smiled and licked his lips, "I know something that will make you even warmer inside" and he leaned in and kissed her. She giggled a little and then she wrapped her whole body around his and started kissing him hard. Davidoff stumbled and was taken aback at how quickly she erupted into an animal. He barely put a hand on a seat to stabilize himself when she had already unbuttoned his pants. Davidoff let go of his inner restraint and matched her animal-like passion.

42 heard all the noise, like he had heard hundreds of times before. Men having their way with his sister while he was tied up and powerless to do anything about it, this time he was just blindfolded and handcuffed. These men thought he was sleeping, but he wasn't. They gave him an injection and it made him a little dizzy for a few seconds, but no more. The obviously were not like the doctors on the Island. These men were stupid.

42 could hear all the excited breathing from all the men in the room. 42 listened further, their excitement and the sexual groans of his sister were of no value to him. After a few moments he heard the rhythmic grunting of the man, but his sister was not making the usual sounds. He heard her in pain. 42 then paid close attention to what was going on. This had happened twice before. 42 heard his sister say "OW! This is hurting!" and she started crying, but the man did not stop. He grunted more and faster and she started crying in pain in tandem with his grunting. Then the slapping noises.

42 had heard enough. He stood up quietly and headed toward the noise. There was a startled shout right next to him and then he felt arms pushing him back. He pushed with all of his weight and tell on top of the shouting man. The man was reaching with one arm and pushing 42 with the other. 42 felt with his face for the man's sternum and he found it. 42 then lifted his head and slammed it into the man's chest. He heard the pained cry, but not the sound he wanted. 42 quickly repeated the movement twice more and felt the man's hands trying to block his head. 42 slammed harder and heard what he wanted to hear, the snapping of ribs and the strained cry as they punctured the man's lungs. The man under him squealed and took in loud gasping breaths that dwindled as more air came in but could not be pushed out.

Davidoff heard the sounds and looked up to see the hooded figure head butt Johan and then he heard the cracking. Jensen was yelling and scrambling for his weapon. Davidoff was quickly putting his pants back on and screaming for Jensen to stop. Jensen found his sidearm, pointed it at the hooded figure and screamed, "GET DOWN, GET THE FUCK DOWN ASSHOLE!!" Davidoff heard the panic in Jensen's voice.

The figure stood up and his hood had a new bloodstain above the scowl on his forehead. He now look like an angry cyclops. Davidoff yelled at Jensen, "DO NOT SHOOT HIM. HE NEEDS TO BE ALIVE, THE DOCTOR WON'T PAY IF HE'S DEAD!"

Jensen looked back and forth between the cyclops and his boss. He knew he was a dead man. He could feel the icy stare from under cyclops hood in his bones. Jensen whimpered and tried to cling to hope, the cyclops had not moved since he killed Johann and stood up, just kept his bloody eye on him. If he hadn't moved, then he might not do anything. Maybe the Thorazine hadn't fully kicked in. maybe Johann said something and made the cyclops angry. There had to be a reason why the cyclops was not moving. Jensen holstered his weapon, but kept a hand near it just in case. Johann could barely speak and then Johann stopped making sounds.

Davidoff finished getting dressed and heard the girl whimpering on the floor. He checked on her and she was developing bruises and her vagina was bleeding. Davidoff had gone too far. He looked at the cyclops staring at Jensen. Davidoff felt that it was him that woke up the big man; this was his sister after all. Something had to be done and quickly.

"Jensen," Davidoff said coolly. "Strap him down and I'll get the tranq. We'll tranq him and then fix her up."

Jensen nodded, holstered his weapon and then slowly started walking towards the cyclops. "Don't you fucking move boy," he said with as much authority as he could muster. "I can't kill you but I can hurt you big boy. Don't fucking move!"

42 heard the footsteps of the little one come slowly closer to him, giving him idle threats. All there was is time. 42 started to feel the body heat from the little one and heard the boss move farther back and rifle through a bag. His sister had gotten up and sat in a seat. 42 heard her clean herself up. "I'm OK brother, I'm cold and thirsty, but I'm OK." The little one put his hand on 42's shoulder and said "Now just easy big boy, easy. We'll just sit right down and we'll fix up your sister, don't worry, it sounded worse than it actually was." 42 felt the pressure of the man pushing him down to the seat.

Davidoff heard the girl speak and the tension eased a little. Davidoff then found a blanket and the tranquilizer gun. He loaded the tranquilizer and holstered it. Davidoff went to the girl and handed her the blanket. "I'm sorry," he said almost whispering.

Brightly and nonchalantly she said "I know, it's OK." and she wrapped the blanket around herself and then looked out the window; smiling and watching the clouds pass by like nothing had happened.

Jensen tried to push the cyclops back into a seat but the big boy was not moving, that bloody eye still fixed on him. Not wanting to escalate the situation, he stopped pushing and said, "Boss, could you help me get him in?"

Davidoff felt uneasy about the whole situation. Something was not right. "Okay big guy, I am sorry, I got a little carried away with her, but she is fine. I'll get her to a doctor as soon as we land OK?" The cyclops turned his head slowly and looked toward Davidoff. Jensen jumped back a little. Davidoff wiped sweat from his forehead and then said to the girl, "Tell him you're OK."

She stared out the window and said dreamily, "He knows."

"Then what is he doing?" Davidoff asked.

"What he does." she answered.

Davidoff and Jensen exchanged uneasy looks, and then Davidoff moved to the front and crossed the center seats to the other side of the cyclops.

42 felt the other man beside him, the time was close. He felt their arms on his shoulders trying to push him back into the seat. 42 went with it until he was halfway crouching. He exploded upward with one quick thrust. The boss was pushed into the center seats and the little one fell in the aisle. 42 then quickly felt along the little one's body with his feet and found his throat. 42 lifted his leg and brought down his foot hard on the little one's neck. He felt the windpipe crush on his bare feet, then he felt the spinal column. The little one choked a scream and them grabbed his throat trying to push the large feet off him. 42 stepped off Jensen and turned to where the boss was fumbling to get up from the seats, cursing under his breath. The little one was choking and flailing.

Davidoff got up and saw Jensen choking to death and the cyclops was staring right at him. Davidoff pulled out the tranquilizer gun and fired. The dart stuck in the cyclops' neck, but he made no sound. Davidoff knew he had a few seconds before the tranq would work, and that was plenty of time for the big one to kill someone. Davidoff took no chances. The big one was already given Thorazine before this and he got up and killed two of his men. Davidoff loaded the tranquilizer gun again and fired. The dart slammed into the big ones' chest. After a few seconds the big one lost balance and slumped to the floor. He was out. Davidoff sighed with relief then was startled when the girl said "You better strap him in tight, he is incredibly strong." she said it with such pride and enthusiasm that Davidoff felt panic as he looked back to her brother. If the big one hadn't taken such a dislike to him, Davidoff would have taken the big one himself and brought him home. He could use this strength. Davidoff holstered the tranquilizer gun and tried to pick the big guy up. He was heavy and breathing deeply. Davidoff was sure he was out.

Davidoff picked the big one up by sliding his arms underneath the boys' armpits. Davidoff lifted and grunted underneath the weight. This one was heavier than he looked. Davidoff managed to slump the big one in a seat and he grabbed the seat belt and locked it. There was some nylon rope in Jensen's bag so Davidoff grabbed the rope and started wrapping it around the big guy's chest. He tied several knots and then positioned the head back to clear the airway. Davidoff wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed again. Davidoff turned to tend to the girl who was still staring out the window, smiling, and quietly humming.

Something grabbed his legs and he fell face first onto Jensen's corpse. Davidoff felt something moving up his thigh to his belt. He flipped around and saw muscular legs and toes grabbing his belt, then a large jerk as they brought Davidoff closer to the big one's seat. Davidoff cursed and then tried to wrangle free, but the legs twisted around his left leg and then he felt a crushing power on them. He felt the bone snap and then tremendous pain. Davidoff screamed and then wrenched free from the legs' clutches moving a few feet away. The legs were frantically searching for him, but he managed to crawl away from them.

Davidoff found his ASP and extended it. He hopped up on his good leg and managed to get beside the big guy's seat. The boys' legs were still systematically searching for Davidoff. Davidoff raised the ASP and brought it down on the big ones' head. The legs stopped moving but Davidoff hit him several more times, cursing each time he hit. Finally the big one slumped over in his restraints and Davidoff threw his ASP down onto the floor. He limped over to the girl who was still watching the clouds.

"What the hell is he?" Davidoff asked.

The girl looked away from the window and flashed him a proud smile and said, "He's my brother."

Davidoff found the bottle of vodka next to the girls seat. It had fallen over and some poured out onto the carpet. Davidoff took a long deep swig and sighed heavily. He really needed to get more money for these two; he knew that the doctor was not telling him the whole story. These two kids were not test subjects, they were something else entirely.

Chapter 4

1:00 AM., FEBRUARY 1961

EAST BERLIN

Joseph watched as the guard fell onto the floor. The spiked vodka had worked. Joseph had had about enough listening to the terrible jokes the guard had as he drank the vodka. Joseph then picked the guard up and set him in his shack. Joseph situated him into a slumped position over the desk, allowing passersby to see him asleep. Though the likelihood that there would be another person passing by at this time was remote. Joseph figured he had about 45 minutes, plenty of time. The anonymous letter he received in the mail was spot on about how to proceed. It came two days ago, postmarked from Belgium. It said that there was highly classified material at the KGB station four blocks to the west of General Davidoff's headquarters. There was also a detailed map, a list of personnel, where they were stationed, what times they do their patrols and how to proceed once inside the compound. At the end was a cryptic note, "Do not tell your brother or General Davidoff of this. Once inside the pillbox entrance, go down the stairs and down the hall. Enjoy!" Joseph memorized every detail and burned the letter. Joseph then checked his watch, It was a risk but he put the vodka bottle on the floor next to him. At best the guard would be reprimanded for being drunk on post. Joseph worked quickly. He took the guards hat then stepped out of the shack. The cold hit him hard, almost going through his wool coat, which, not by accident was the same color as the guards coat. The lights were not very bright, but they showed enough light to see where he was going. He walked casually across the concrete yard towards the pillbox entrance. Joseph kept an eye above to see if the guards were on patrol. The cold night worked in his favor. They would stay inside as much as possible. He walked to the outer door, he pulled out a homemade lock-pick set pulling out his knife and dropping it onto the ground. He paused, he was going to pick it up, but the cold was pressuring him. He didn't need any protection in a file room. Joseph turned back to the door and began picking the lock when he noticed the door was not locked. The heavy door grunted as it opened as if it was stiff from the cold. He felt very nervous about this. An unlocked door in a KGB outpost, very brave, or very stupid, Joseph thought. He must have his intelligence mixed up. This is probably a maintenance entrance, which did not give him much room to work with. He thought about aborting, but decided against it. One way or another, he would find something. Maybe not documents he was after, but maybe something of equal or greater value than KGB communique' codes. He felt the outline of the door for a possible alarm circuit. Nothing. He took a deep breath and turned the handle, then slowly opened the door with no sound other than the complaining cold metal hinges. It was brightly lit inside with a stairway leading down and to the right. No alarm and no lock. This place must not be important.

Joseph thought about aborting again, but his gut told him he would find something interesting. In all the record storage areas of the KGB he has infiltrated, this was different. They usually were moldy, poorly lit hovels. This looked like a hospital hall. His curiosity led him now. He crept slowly down the stairs, trying to listen and sneak at the same time. He heard nothing but an echoing hum from the ventilation. His shoes were hard leather and he had to be careful not to make any noise on the white tiled floors. There could be a sleeping guard on the other side. He stuck his head around the corner. More white hallway leading about 100 yards down and then a left turn. He stayed close to the right wall and quietly walked down the hallway, listening intently. He came to the end of the hall, and he poked his head around the corner, another 10 yard hall that turned to the right. He became bolder and he walked at a more normal pace. His shoes were the only sound he heard, but he still looked behind him. This hall was much different than he was used to, and it made him nervous. The hall turned to the right and it turned into a large cavern. It had a curved dome shape and there were pictures hanging on the walls, mostly prints of famous artwork from all the major museums. The whole cavern looked like a museum display with small lights pointed at the artwork. The walls were not painted white here, they were sky blue with white trim. Small chandeliers hung from the ceiling that made the entire cavern look like a dusky summers evening. The air was controlled. There was a warmth flowing toward him from farther down the cavern. Joseph looked at the far end; he heard soft music and saw a flickering light. It looked like a fireplace, but from 300 yards away, he could not tell. This was really out of character for the KGB, fine art, brightly lit caverns with a fireplace? Very strange indeed. Joseph became excited. Something like this has got to be worth more than codes. He was less guarded now. The far room was so inviting as he walked towards it. About halfway to the room, the tiled floor became medium shag carpeting. It was blood red, and very soft. It only added to the mystery of what this place was. Joseph put his hand in his jacket pocket to cradle his knife, but he left it outside. Joseph wanted to be ready for anything, so he tensed up and proceeded cautiously. The music became louder and he heard the familiar notes of Beethoven from an old phonograph. The scent of very soft jasmine drifted toward him as he came closer. The room smelled clean and it calmed him. He felt relaxed, like he was wanted here. He relaxed his fist, and entered the room. The room was circular, there were no corners, a domed sitting room, and four crushed velvet wing-backed chairs draped in sapphire blue. There was a couch of the same color buttoned with gold along the seams. All the furniture was crowded around the fireplace. There were ivory and gold leaf ornate tables next to the chairs and couch. Each held a Tiffany lamp, all turned on. There was a fireplace and the roaring fire sparkled on the large chandelier overhead. It was polished brass, but not lit. there was a door to the left of the entrance. It was deep mahogany with little angels craved into it. The shiny handle was a highly polished brass angel wing. This definitively was not a KGB office.

Joseph felt lightheaded. The scent was intoxicating and he sat down and rubbed his eyes. The more he breathed in, the more relaxed he became. There was no rush, he thought he had all the time in the world. He heard a soft click of the angel door latch release and he looked over at it. The door opened slowly and quietly, and out stepped a woman. She had black, shiny hair to the shoulders. Her face was delicate with big green eyes that glowed, not fearful, but pleasant, seductive, and dangerous. Her mouth looked like rose petals and they looked soft. Joseph had never seen such beauty. The woman wore a silk gown that hugged her body. She was decorated with small jewelry, small diamond earrings, and a small gold necklace with a teardrop sapphire pendant. Along with the sight was more of the jasmine scent. It waved over him more and he was happily drowned in it. There was something else in it though, something that made his heart beat faster. It made him more aware of her, something that made him want her. Her eyes were fixated upon him. He sat up and she walked slowly, catlike toward him. Her mouth parted into a smile that doubled the lighting of the room. It was magnificent. The closer she came, the more Joseph was under the control of his instincts rather than logic. He felt an urge to grab her and have his way with her. His mind flashed images of sexual thoughts of her. His muscles became fierce, like a lion shows its teeth before the kill. The woman crouched then jumped on him, he grunted under the sudden weight but he laughed. Her scent drove him out of his mind. He felt her soft skin all over him. Her silky hands moving under his clothes. Then pain as she dug her nails into his skin, but the pain was good. It sent a giant wave of pleasure through him and he gasped, "Oh God!" this seemed to make her more agitated and he felt her perfect teeth bite down on his shoulder. A low growl emanated from her throat as she bit down. Joseph laughed, the pain was absolute perfection. The scent drove him wild and he tried to grab her body, but she held his arms down. She let go and moved her face up to his. His blood smeared over her mouth in a warming smile. Her bloodstained teeth dripped on him and he tried again to at least kiss her, but she slammed him back down. They fell to the floor and she wriggled back on top of him. Joseph was lost in the pleasure, the throbbing of his back and shoulder made him giggle, and the smell of jasmine made him lightheaded. She growled louder and it became a scream as she jabbed at his face with her nails, piercing the skin as he laughed more and more. Joseph felt his will go away with every glorious claw, he laughed louder. She muffled his screams as she ripped off his clothes and bit his chest, drawing more blood. He lifted his hand to touch her and she forced them back down, he felt his left wrist break and a wave of delightful pain hit him hard.

He laughed more and tears formed in his eyes. She became wilder and she tore off all clothing from them both and she laughed as she bit his body everywhere she could.

At the end of the cavernous hall, General Sergei Davidoff loaded the tranquilizer dart into the rifle. He turned the corner, looked through the sight and waited until her throat was in view. It was hard to see through the blood and her constant movement. He would have to hit her thigh. It would take longer to work, but he had no choice in order to save Joseph. Davidoff fired. A split second later the dart hit her thigh and she roared loudly. She turned her green eyes toward the hallway and jumped into a full run towards Davidoff. She half screamed and half growled as she sprinted. Davidoff did not move. She was about fifteen feet from him when she fell onto the ground with a thud. She stopped growling and he walked over and checked her pulse, she was still alive. Davidoff flipped her over onto her back and then took off his coat and draped it over her naked body. When she was settled he walked down to the dazed and laughing Joseph. He was naked and covered with his own blood. Wounds all over his body were starting to clot and there was a very large gash on the left side of his face. That will scar, Davidoff thought and he took his radio off his belt, he muttered into in Russian and another gruff, static voice replied, "Ya?" Davidoff ordered in Russian and the other voice said "Yes General Davidoff." and the radio clicked. Davidoff rifled through his pockets and found a syringe and a vial filled with yellow liquid.

"My friend" Davidoff said as he drew the liquid into the syringe. Joseph did not hear or say anything other than the light giggle, "Our Elsa has left her mark upon you forever. I am afraid you will never love again." He plunged the syringe into Josephs' arm. Joseph giggled more as the pain of the injection registered as pleasure. He slowly quieted and fell unconscious. Davidoff stood up and looked the room over. Elsa had sprayed the walls with his blood, this would be one hell of a clean up. Four soldiers appeared at the far end of the hall, carrying stretchers. Two stopped and put Elsa, still with Davidoff's coat draped over her, on the stretcher. They were extremely careful when they carried her back through the maze until they reached the entrance. The other two soldiers came and lifted Joseph onto the stretcher. They covered his body with a blanket and lifted him. Davidoff led the way as they headed for the exit to the infirmary. Davidoff followed Elsa and her limp, porcelain arm fell off the stretcher and hung loose in the air. Davidoff ordered the soldiers to stop. Davidoff then gently put her arm across her chest. "How did he find you my sweet?" Davidoff asked as he brushed her hair off her face. He held her hand and a tear fell off his cheek to the coat covering her. Davidoff let out a long sigh and said "He won't adhere to the oath, We all should be so lucky." Davidoff wiped another tear off his face and then ordered the soldiers to proceed.

Chapter 5

JANUARY 2004

BRAZILIAN JUNGLE

42 awoke to a scene he had never witnessed in real life. He was in a bedroom, very well furnished and exotic. The bed had a canopy with mosquito netting, his bedding was many shades of blue and silky. There was a couch and a chair in the room that matched. The walls were bright yellow and there were heavy curtains on two windows and a bigger set on a door. The room entrance was dark wood with a highly polished brass doorknob.

42 sat up in bed, he remembered the incident on the plane and felt that he should hurt after the beating he felt before he passed out. From what he guessed, he had been out for some time. 42 listened, he could hear the air-conditioning through the vent at the far end of his room, but there was a faint sound of high pitched laughter that he had not heard in years, children. The sound was far away and coming through the curtained door to his right. He got up and went to the door and opened it. A rush of warm fragrant air hit him, something else he never felt before. It was very overwhelming. The sun was bright and warm and he had to shield his eyes. The sun had never been this bright to him before. He had to look back into the room and next to his bed, on the table, was a pair of dark glasses. He picked them up and put them on. Through the darkened lenses, he was able to see outside more clearly. He was on the top floor of a three story house on top of a hill overlooking a village. There were dark skinned people all around, tending crops, working on various parts of the village. The sound of laughter caught his attention once again from down below him. He leaned over and saw many children playing in a very well equipped playground. He then saw the only familiar thing, his sister, laughing and playing along with the children. She was alright and she was with children again. It was her nature to be with children. 42 looked around the village. There were things he knew about but had never seen. He scanned the area methodically. Everything was interesting. He knew that he had to go touch it and see it up close. He turned and went back into his room. It was too hot for the sleepwear he was in. He was already sweating. There was a large dresser near the door. He opened the top drawer and saw many colored t-shirts. This was a real confusing experience. He had known about colored clothing, but never wore any. He saw red, blue, black, green, brown, and gray all in various shades. He thought and decided on a dark blue shirt. He pulled it out and threw it on the bed and then opened the second drawer. There were denim pants in blue and black. 42 didn't like them, so he moved to the third drawer and in it were half pants with lots of pockets. They were lighter cotton, but it was the pockets that caught his eye. These were half versions of what the soldiers wore they must have made them shorter for this hot weather. He selected a pair of black half pants and tossed them on top of the shirt he chose. There was a fourth drawer which contained undergarments and socks so he chose a pair of each and tossed them on the bed. He dressed and there was some sort of feeling that he could not quite explain, but it felt good and it was the clothes, especially the half pants.

42 had just finished dressing when a knock on the door stopped him. He did not know what to do. The door opened and an old man came in saying "Hello" as he walked in. The old man saw 42 and stopped. He had a smile on his tanned and semi-wrinkled face. He was wearing a similar outfit to 42's, just different colors and his half pants did not have pockets. He had sandy blond hair with more gray than anything and it was short and styled neatly. He then spoke with a slight British accent.

"Hello my boy, well it seems you've finally woken up."

"Who are you?" 42 asked.

"I am Dr. Meingle, I own this compound," he said.

"Where am I?"42 asked dryly.

"You are in Brazil, which is roughly about 8,000 miles from your island, we are near the equator which is why it is so hot and bright here. You are on my private grounds in the middle of the Amazon jungle, partially cut-off from civilization," the old man replied.

"What is your intention?" asked 42.

Dr. Meingle smiled and said "I won't harm you or your sister. I have spent a fortune and done some rather shady dealings in order to get you both here. So think of yourself and your sister as precious treasures that I have spent my life finding."

42 nodded slightly. This man was sincere and seemed genuine. A nature he only saw in his other brother, and then he remembered the island. "Where are the others?" he asked.

The smile was lost on Dr. Meingle's face and he looked to the floor. "I am sorry son, they weren't part of the deal I made, and they are not here."

"Where are they?" asked 42.

"They are in a desert facility in the United States working for a man named Davidoff who owns a large shipping company, and also has other dealings of the criminal kind. He was the man who brought you to me."

42 stood up, "He was the boss?"

"Yes," Meingle said

"Is he here?" 42 asked.

Dr. Meingle held up his hands, "Sorry son, he is not. He dropped you and your sister off and left immediately. I completely understand your need to see him. I know all about what happened on the plane and we'll talk later about that, but for now you must get shoes on."

"Shoes?" 42 never had any shoes other than flimsy slippers, but he remembered something about them.

"Yes! Shoes." Meingle said with excitement. "They are in the closet there." He pointed to the far end of the room near the doors that led outside. There was only the paint on the walls but then 42 saw a handle. He walked over to it and opened it. Inside was a small space that contained different kinds of shoes and buttoned shirts and even a couple of jackets. 42 chose some dark hiking boots and put them on. He liked the feeling of them as he walked around "This is my first pair of shoes," he said coldly. Dr. Meingle smiled and said, "I know something else you might like." 42 stopped walking and looked at Meingle. "What is that"

"Your name," Meingle said.

"It's 42"

"No, it is Mark."

"Mark?" 42 said,

"Yes I know of you and your brother and sisters. I was there when all of you were born. You are the eldest and you sister here with you is the youngest. She is five years younger than you," Dr. Meingle said.

"You know of us?" 42 asked. "What is all of this"

Dr. Meingle said, "Your questions will be answered in the due course of time, right now I want you to become acclimated to normal interaction. I only ask that you do not harm or kill anyone on the compound. I told you we are in the Amazon jungle in Brazil. It is a large country and we are in a hidden compound so virtually no one knows where we are. These people are homeless refugees from problems that arise in bigger cities and towns nearby. I brought you and your sister here because I found out you all were alive and well. I could not bring the rest of your family because that was the deal to get you and your sister."

Dr. Meingle seemed bothered about this. Mark thought is must be an interesting story, but he could wait. "I'll wait and we will talk of this later."he said.

"Thank you Mark." Meingle breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you!" The old man wrapped an arm around Marks shoulder and continued, "I've got many things to show you!" then led Mark out of the room.

Chapter 6

FEBRUARY 1962

VERVIERS, BELGIUM

The phone rang, startling Albert. He turned on the light and looked at the time, 5:00am. Joseph was two hours late coming back. Something went wrong. Albert picked up and said "Hello" rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Albert!" Davidoff's jolly voice boomed out of the receiver.

"Yuri?" Albert asked. He had not expected him to call.

"Albert I'm afraid I have bad news for you." Davidoff said lightly, "I will require you to come down to my office as soon as possible."

"Is it Joseph?" Albert asked.

"Yes Albert, but he is OK, I have him under guard in the hospital. He is in good condition considering what he went through.," Davidoff said.

"What happened to him?" Albert demanded.

"You really need to get down here Albert. I swear we've done nothing to him and you both are not in any trouble," Davidoff assured. "But please make haste my friend, we have much to discuss." Then he hung up. Albert sat for a second confused, but he got up, dressed and headed out the door.

Albert Earle had little trouble crossing the Brandenburg Gate. The Russian officers knew he was on his way. Apparently Davidoff had radioed ahead and given orders that Albert be expedited on his way. The usual paper check was waived on the Russian side and he drove to the compound. He was waved through the gates with no ID check again and he parked. Davidoff was waiting for him, smiling. Albert cut off the engine and got out. Davidoff walked up and said, "Albert good of you to come" and they shook hands. "This way," Davidoff gestured towards the main building. They quickly made their way through the KGB offices to Davidoff's office. None of the Russian soldiers looked or even cared that a British national was in their office. Davidoff shut the door and asked Albert to sit down. There were two lounge chairs with a silver tea service on a coffee table in the middle. Albert say down and Davidoff started pouring the tea for both of them.

"Albert my dear friend," Davidoff said. "I was hoping that this moment would never come, but I assure you with our line of work it was inevitable." He handed Albert the cup and he sipped his own.

"Our work?" Albert asked. "Tea export?"

Davidoff laughed loudly and said, "No, no, no Albert. I know you and your brother work for the British SIS."

Albert stopped mid-sip and denied the claim.

"Now, now Albert" Davidoff shook his index finger, "Don't worry, you are both under my protection. I know this spy game but what I've been doing here dates back to the end of the war when our countries were more or less friends against the Nazis. I and most of my superiors are still in that frame of mind, so you nor your brother will be executed. You can continue to do your work for the SIS. It is of no importance anyway."

Albert looked confused. "No importance?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"Albert dear boy," Davidoff took out a cigarette and lit it, "my work as a KGB operative is just a smokescreen for the purposes of all this." He waved his hand around the room.

"What?" Albert asked.

"In fact, the whole cold war is a perfect smokescreen for what really is happening."

Albert looked puzzled, Davidoff chuckled.

"Albert there is a story that I will tell you, now, this is all highly classified information. There is only 100 other people give or take that know this so I must insist on your complete secrecy. Can I count on that?"

Albert shifted in his chair and said, "I work for the SIS. I know about secrecy."

"Yes I knew that," Davidoff patted Albert's knee and began the story.

"1945 was a pivotal year for the war. My countrymen were fighting their way into this city defeating the Nazis. When we won the war there was the reparations to be done. There was an operation called 'Paperclip'. It was an abduction of Nazi scientists, medical personnel, and other knowledge that was beneficial to our countries. In addition to grabbing property and splitting Berlin in half, the Americans and the KGB grabbed Nazi brains with a hunger. We granted them amnesty or made them swear off Nazi affiliations. There was a Major General Schreiber who along with Dr. Mengele and Heinrich Himmler. Schrieber was tried in Nuremberg for the medical offenses the Nazis performed on their war criminals, Mengele and Himmler were never tried.

"That's right, Himmler dies in captivity and Mengele is somewhere in South America." Albert said.

"Yes. Schreiber was taken to the US and some of his team was well. Some went with us. Publicly the goal was for rockets and armaments production. The Nazi medical program was deemed evil and left alone. That was what the public on both our sides said, when in all reality the medical sciences divisions of the Soviet Union and the US would be the most productive and terrible facets to the operation. The Nazi's were far more advanced than what was led on in the papers." He looked out the window to the cloudy sky in thought. Albert waited and sipped his tea.

Davidoff continued, "I was part of a liaison mission from the allies and soviet armies to discern what the Nazis had accomplished medically and eliminate it. There were documents found in the SS headquarters that were very disturbing and we had to take on traits of our enemies to fulfill this order. We had to kill women and children you see." A tear formed in his eye. "We did not want to because it was what we fought against but it was more humane for them to be put down. The Nazis had done so much more that purify the Aryan race, that was Hitler's pipe dream, his stupid passions and idiotic Mein Kampf plans for the final solution were so little in comparison to what we found. I know with complete and absolute truth that when Hitler found these documents, he killed himself out of guilt. He had given power to people who were more twisted than he was."

Albert sat his tea down, "What on earth are you talking about Yuri?"

Davidoff smiled at him. "Hitler's final solution was a brick in the building of medical abominations that was going on under his nose right there in Berlin. The concept of the Aryan race was null and void, they were working on bettering the human race with breeding programs, cellular combination programs, drug programs, fertility programs and medicinal nuclear experiments all combined to bring all species of life on the planet together to create something better than us. Genetic mutations that cannot be recreated because it was my team's task to eliminate these programs. There were 50 of us. American, British, German and Soviet and French military all working together."

"Our first weeks we spent locating documents and locations of the experiments, we all became fast and close friends, the brotherhood of war working together. We started to compile the lists and we then had to find and shutdown these operations. I cannot tell you how unimaginably horrific these places were. The first one for instance, the people that were saved from the ovens of Auschwitz and Dachau would have been better off if they had been killed. There were adults and children with multiple arms and legs. There were deformities of every nature. They were forced to mate with others, and forced to try and mate with animals. Some had even partially succeeded and I cannot tell you the terrible things that were seen. It was a perverse God's laboratory where the trials and errors of creation were housed to study and perfect. We had to destroy them. We had to do what Hitler had done to save them. They were in blinding pain and humiliation and they thanked us as we killed them. At first we injected them with Morphine so they would not be in pain. That worked most of the time, but the Nazi medical machine had made some of them resistant to drugs, so we had to shoot them.

Our team had become angels of death and mercy. They were mutated humans. Some had no rational minds, but were ferocious killers. We lost seven members of the team when we found a young girl of 4 with pretty curly blond hair. She was angelic and her smile led them to their doom as she tore their throats out and drank their blood, ate their flesh, and played with their organs. I was the one who held her down along with a British man Robert, and the American Gray, as one of my countrymen Arkady, a young man of 22, put a bullet into her brain. Her blood smelled of roses and sugar as it splattered all over us. It was too much for Arkady, he turned the gun on himself. There were more little girls like that all over German occupied Europe. When we finished the "little angels" we had killed a total of 19 of them. 13 members of my team committed suicide after the fact. The remaining 11 of us reported back to allied supreme command with our findings and documents. We then found the out the horrible scope of the Nazi project. We had only killed the failed experiments. The successful ones had not been found yet. The SS had destroyed the remaining documents with their identities and locations but we did find three. One was in Poland, one in Germany and an escapee in England. We had no indication of what these people were capable of. We had no idea what the successes could do. We tracked one down in England, but she turned out to be a regular project of the SS, more of a beginning experiment. She was no threat. Her name was Maria Lilienthal."

Albert shook his head in shock, "My mother?" he whispered.

"Correct Albert." Davidoff said. "She is okay as far as we know. She had none of the symptoms of the failed experiments that the others had. We left her alone. We kept an eye on her though, especially since she was married and pregnant within the same year. I've watched you and your brother since you were kids and only then did we know the full extent of Maria's roll in the SS project. You and your brother are almost genetic copies of Josef Mengele and Heinrich Himmler."

"What?" Albert yelled, "Impossible!"

Davidoff gave a sorrowful look, "I'm sorry Albert, but you are."

Albert shook his head in disbelief, "We are nothing like those monsters!" "We are pure British patriots!"

"I know, I know....." Davidoff assured.

"That's impossible!" Albert yelled. He thought for a moment, then he remembered their sensitivity during wartime. Joseph's dreams of the war. He would cry and tell of unimaginable horrors. How even he had dreams of medicine and people during the war. Albert looked at Davidoff and he teared up. "Oh my God!" he whispered.

"Yes, your dreams during the war. Those are his memories of medical school and his thoughts and dreams. I never wanted to tell you this but it is the truth. Other than your blood and genes you and Joseph are different than they were. You may have the same tendencies genetically, but they were raised differently than you so you have nothing to worry about."

Albert wiped away his tears, "Who am I?" he asked.

Davidoff snorted sternly and said, "You are Albert Earle! Son of Maria and David Earle, brother to Joseph Earle!

"I know, but which one am I?" Albert asked.

Davidoff shook his head, "You are Mengele." He poured more tea for both of them.

"Mengele." Albert repeated. He had a blank expression. Davidoff was patient. He let it sink in. this was horrible news, but they now had no choice but to know if they were to understand what would happen now.

Albert sipped his tea and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Davidoff took a sip and exhaled sharply. "Something has happened to Joseph. He was hurt very badly by one of the successful experiments we keep here."

"Keep here?" Albert pointed to the floor. "I thought they were all dead?"

"No, she cannot die." Davidoff said gravely.

Chapter 7

MEINGLE COMPOUND

BRAZIL, FEBRUARY-MARCH 2004

Mark was still getting used to having a name. He was also getting used to being free. Dr. Meingle was attempting to ease Mark into freedom, but it was very rough. Mark felt awkward, and out of place. The compound held many families, all of who his sister Amber (25) had gotten to know and now proudly introduced her brother to, she remembered him having a name after she was told it, but Mark had no recollection of ever having a name. The compound was larger than the camp they were in on the icy island. The large house sat upon a hill overlooking, what Dr. Meingle called "manufactured homes". They each had a little garden and there were some animals kept behind these houses in large fields. This is where the people worked. In front of the mansion was what they called a town square. There was a statue of some guy nailed onto a wooden cross. It was about ten feet high. On Sundays the entire compound met there and some guy would talk about a god. Mark rarely was seen at these meetings. He did not understand any of it, yet he felt like he knew of it. Mark was interested in the difference between the people and himself. He asked Dr. Meingle why they were not the same color. Meingle explained the difference between the races of the world, but Meingle always wanted to talk about things later in depth. Mark would keep his questions in mind until the day Meingle could explain things in more detail.

Mark rarely talked. He did not know common courtesy and everyone at the compound was understanding of this. Dr. Meingle had given everyone ample warning about their new guests. Mark frightened several people and he apologized coldly when he did, although he did not really feel any guilt. Mark was drawn to the children and the elderly. Dr. Meingle would watch carefully and realized Mark was very protective of people who were unable to protect themselves. Though he never showed any emotion, his minuscule actions and reactions were proof enough. Mark would watch and he would listen, and he would think. The only expression Mark ever made was a slight furrow of his eyebrows when he was deep in thought. It was not emotion, it was concentration. If any of the elderly or children got hurt, he would be there immediately to help. For days he would watch, always in shade, it was apparent he did not like the sun or the heat, but he tolerated it. He watched everyone work, play, go to church, and he waited until everyone was asleep before he went to bed. Dr. Meingle noticed that Mark would take two or three books from the library and read in his room at night. Mark never seemed to sleep but he never showed any signs of sleep deprivation. Mark only needed a little sleep, but what he really needed was information. Dr. Meingle payed close attention to the books Mark would take from the library, his choices were random. The pattern was mostly encyclopedias and any kind of old literature. Mark also had started growing a goatee, when asked about it he mentioned that some of the men in the compound had them and he was interested in it. When it grew in, Mark kept it, same with his clothes, Cargo shorts and a T-Shirt. Mark had found his look.

Amber continued to flourish. If Mark showed no emotion, she showed enough to fill thirty people. She was up bright and early and she always made breakfast for Dr. Meingle and Mark She would hug them generously and kiss her brothers cheek. She would talk to the ladies of the compound through the interpreter Rodrigo, who was very smitten with Amber. Everyone in fact was smitten with her, but no man made any advances toward her. The story of their journey here was known and no one wanted to provoke an attack by Mark. Rodrigo was content to be near her, everyone was. Her warmth and compassion alone made the compound a paradise. Mark stayed in the shadows, brow furrowed and always watching. Dr. Meingle did not want to push Mark but he was dying to know the inner workings of Mark's mind. What was he thinking? What went on in that brain of his? Was he planning something? Mark showed no signs of anything except that Dr. Meingle seemed to know Mark more than he let on. Mark noticed this and kept a keen eye on the interactions the two men had.

Months passed and Mark was ever watching a gathering of all the people in the middle of the compound. Amber had put together a party and there was music and dancing. Dr. Meingle was at the head of one of the three tables. There were paper lanterns and candles. Mark had observed the making of the lanterns and even helped put them up. He was the tallest person in the compound at 6'5". The party had been underway for several hours and everyone was enjoying themselves. Mark watched next to Dr. Meingle, who would look at him periodically for some sort of emotional reaction. Mark knew that he was being observed. He spent his whole life being watched. Mark did not mind. Mark liked to observe the people. He saw alcohol being consumed and even tried it. It was not to his liking.

Dr. Meingle had introduced him to tea and coffee, and now Mark had a large pitcher of iced tea which he drank in fact that was all he ever really drank.

Just as the sun was setting and the stars were beginning to show themselves, a distant roaring of engines could be heard over the music and laughter. When the engines were loud enough to overcome the noise of the festivities, everyone stopped and looked toward the road that led into the compound. Dr. Meingle stiffened immediately. He had hoped that this would not have happened until some time from now. He had paid them not to do this, but apparently they did not honor the agreement. Drug lords were not known for their honor.

Mark noticed the mood change from happy to fright and he sensed the fear and panic. He looked at Dr. Meingle and asked, "What is this?"

Dr. Meingle shook his head and said, "I am sorry Mark, but these dealings are of an unsavory nature, but my desperation for anonymity requires me to make many sacrifices."

"Sacrifices." Mark repeated and his brow furrowed again, very deep this time. Dr. Meingle felt a twinge of panic in himself. Marks reaction to this seemed to bring up some sort of feeling, but Dr. Meingle couldn't gauge the feeling. Meingle knew he was a fool for not telling Mark everything. He hoped there would be time. Even at his age he was still capable of making mistakes and now there was going to be trouble because of it. Dr. Meingle looked at Mark and said "Let me talk to them first?." More of a plead than a question. Mark watched the road and nodded slightly.

Mark wondered what sacrifices the Dr. had to make. He never thought of why they were here in the middle of the jungle, he just accepted the fact that they were. Mark would see what came of this and then get to the bottom of everything afterward. He looked at Meingle, whose eyes widened when he looked at him. Mark had caused him fear. "When this is done you will explain everything to me," Mark said. Meingle nodded quickly and relaxed a little. Mark was not sure what was going to happen, but from the reactions to the sounds, they did not like it, which meant he would not like it. This interrupted the peace he came to like, but the fear was also welcome. Something interesting was going to happen and he would have new information about the world to find out about.

Dr. Meingle stood up and called for Rodrigo. Rodrigo left Amber in the dance area and came rushing up to the table. His face was filled with fear. Dr. Meingle ordered that everyone stand to the side of the road and the children should be taken to the house. Rodrigo immediately gave the instructions and Amber started gathering all the children and moved them to the house. Their parents were frightened, and they spoke to Rodrigo about their concerns.

Mark stood up and walked to the center of the dance floor. His arms were folded and he stared at the entrance. His gaze was like watching an uninteresting painting. There were quiet whispers from each side of him. He heard Rodrigo try and calm the people down in hushed tones They looked at Dr. Meingle who had joined the group to the left of Mark. Meingle also spoke reassuringly to the people.

The engines roared ever closer and then bright lights danced out of the jungle until three jeeps came in full view, speeding into the compound. Mark saw soldiers in tattered fatigues, they were armed with rifles.

Roberto Gutierrez saw the large white man in front of him. He was big and intimidating, but there were rules in place and the doctor must have told him the rules. The jeep lurched to a stop in front of the large man, who did not flinch. His eyes were dark and they pierced through him, but his expression was of boredom. The difference in the look and the gaze made Roberto feel uneasy. He stepped out of the jeep with Juan and Tiago in tow and said with a heavy accented voice, "I speak with Dr. Meingle!" The large man looked behind him and watched as the Dr. came from the crowd. They too were unnerved by the man. "I thought we had a deal with the Jefe," Meingle said.

"We have raid on factory in Boa Vista, many killed and now need replacements," Roberto ordered in broken English.

Dr. Meingle shook his head and said, "No we made a deal, does the Jefe know of this?"

"Yes, he ordered!" Roberto said becoming impatient. "Now give me four old and seven young." There were cries from the women in the crowd. The large man looked right at him and spoke, his voice was as big as he. "What do you mean?" he said coldly. Roberto knew this one had no respect, yet. He walked up to the big man. Juan and Tiago both aimed their rifles directly at the man. Roberto was at least a foot shorter than the man, but he looked up at him and said, "Dr. you should teach this man manners!" Roberto took out his pistol and hit the man over the head. He moved slightly but did not yell, he just went back to his original position.

Dr. Meingle stepped between him and the man and said, "No it's okay! He won't do anything!" He then turned to Mark and said, "it's okay, let them do what they want, there will be more trouble if we don't comply!" He almost pleaded with Mark, but there was no sign of anything on Marks face. No brow furrowing, nothing, cold and blank. Dr. Meingle realized that Mark had made up his mind already and Dr. Meingle stepped out of the way. Immediately Mark sprang at Roberto. No sounds were heard, just a yelp from Roberto as he was spun around and picked up by Mark and thrown at his man Tiago. The crowd gasped and scattered. Dr. Meingle remained motionless, witnessing a sudden animal attack.

Tiago and Roberto fell to the ground. Juan was shouting at the man and fired his weapon. A round hit Mark in the shoulder and he walked right through it. Dr. Meingle was astonished and his analytical mind was piqued. Mark closed the distance between him and Juan quickly before another shot was fired. Mark grabbed the rifle and with one fluid motion, Mark wrapped the gun around Juan's neck. Juan tried to pry loose from the barrel that was choking him, but Mark grabbed his arm and threw him into one of the jeeps. The jeep's metal groaned from the force and it lifted off two wheels then crashed down with a metal groan. Before they came back to the ground Mark was already on Tiago and Roberto.

Roberto heard the cursing of Tiago and the squelched yelps of Juan and then a crashing. The other soldiers in the other vehicles tried to react but they were frozen in fear, Dr. Meingle felt that horrible fear as well and couldn't move. Roberto scrambled to get up, but his ankle was sprained and he fell back down from the pain. Roberto cursed and tried again to get up, but he felt powerful hands on his back, he was lifted to the face of the man. No expression, nothing. It was as if the man was sitting watching TV. Roberto remembered his pistol. It was still in his hand. He fired at the man's leg. The bullet pierced the flesh and the man should have fallen, but still the face of nothingness remained, it had not hurt him at all. Roberto was filled with fear. He knew he was in the presence of pure evil. This man was the devil.

Roberto felt the man's other hand grip his pistol, then there was a slow twisting. Roberto screamed as the bones in his hand and arm were slowly cracking. The devils grip was too powerful for a regular man. Roberto took a deep breath and heard Tiago shouting then a gunshot. Blood splattered on the devils face as he was hit in the arm. The man looked at Tiago. Dropped Roberto on the ground. Roberto hit his broken arm and a wave of intense pain blinded him. He could hear Tiago shouting in panic. He heard the slow footsteps of the devil. Roberto heard the sound of Tiagos rifle hitting the ground and his prayers to the Mother Mary for help, but he was cut off mid-prayer, yelped, and the sound of a crack then the thunk of a dead body hitting dirt. Roberto gave up. Something hit the jeep in front of him. It rolled off the hood and fell to the ground. Roberto prayed harder for forgiveness as he stared at the profile of Tiago's severed head lifelessly staring up to heaven. It wasn't long until the slow footsteps of the devil came toward Roberto, He tried to scream but everything went dark.

Mark threw down the lifeless body of Roberto then turned toward the frozen soldiers shaking and pointing their rifles at him. Mark started to walk toward them but they all dropped their rifles and ran into the jungle.

Once the soldiers disappeared, the feeling of intense fear lifted immediately. The people came back to the road and started to yell in Portuguese at Rodrigo and Dr. Meingle. Amber ran up to her brother smiling and kissed his cheek, then she hugged him tightly and laughed. Mark hesitantly hugged his sister back then looked at Dr. Meingle. He spoke in his usual calm monotone and asked, "Where is Sao Paulo?"

Dr. Meingle stuttered for a second and said, "Up the road." Pointing in the direction Mark let his sister go and she went over to Rodrigo saying happily "He's going to see them!"

Rodrigo relayed the message and the people began to cheer. Mark loaded the bodies into a Jeep and got behind the wheel, thought for a few seconds and started up the vehicle.

As Mark drove off towards the road, Dr. Meingle tried to say something but what stopped him was that as Mark drove away, he noticed that there was no blood coming from the bullet wounds Mark had gotten. In a flash, Dr. Meingle even saw that there were no wounds where Mark was shot.

Chapter 8

GENERAL DAVIDOFF'S

HEADQUARTERS

EAST BERLIN

FEBRUARY 1962

"What do you mean?" Albert demanded.

"There was an experiment called Phoenix. The subjects cannot be killed. They can be shot, stabbed, dismembered and anything else done to them, still no death. Their heart will stop, but they rise again from the ashes. Elsa is what we call a Sexual Phoenix. She is housed in a special bunker here in Berlin, about four blocks away. She is a predator. Joseph was on an unauthorized mission last night. He was given intelligence by some mysterious source which led him to her chamber. We try to keep her happy with fine art and the best furnishings because those of us who have been "charmed" by her, love her dearly. We found in her in Poland in Dr. Mengele's private trophy room. She has a way of exercising control over the male gender with a scent she produces which smells of jasmine. It is not unlike a carnivorous plant that attracts flies to their doom. There is a way to inoculate ourselves. There is an inoculation which is a derivative of her saliva. We call it her venom, but it is a powerful neurotoxin that marks her catch. With a little of this compound in an injection, it renders her scent charm useless and our scent does not excite her. We can still be handled by her because she is the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. All other women pale compared to her. Her kiss is deadly though. When she becomes sexually aroused by a man she tears into him. She has no control over it. It is what she does. We've tried to kill her many ways, but she rises again and again. The only way to stop her for any amount of time is to tranquilize her. She is agoraphobic which is a plus to men all over the world. She cannot leave her room, which is why we have no lock on the door to her room. The room that Joseph wandered into last night."

"She got a hold of him then?" Albert asked.

"Yes, I was able to stop her before she killed him." Davidoff replied.

"But Joseph would have fought"

"He couldn't. Her charms also render the victim unable to fight because the pain her venom causes is the most exquisite pleasure ever felt." Davidoff explained.

"Joseph was no different, he was drunk with her, and he will be forever."

"May I see him?" Albert asked.

"Of course!" Davidoff cheered up again. "I just had to tell you this so you understand."

Davidoff and Albert Earle walked through the infirmary. The Russian doctors and soldiers saluted or nodded to the General and they smiled when they were introduced to Albert. These men knew what Joseph had been through. All station personnel have been exposed to Elsa. They were handpicked by the General to be there. They were all stationed here to keep civilians away from Elsa. Why she was here in Berlin was simple, this was the easiest way to get supplies for her from the west. If the black market which meant more people would know about her existence. This way Davidoff could get high end supplies at less cost and more safety.

They rounded the corner to the ICU area where Joseph was wrapped in bandages. The bandage on his face was soaked with dark blood and he was hooked to an IV. There was a well dressed Doctor Gerrell VonStapf. He was introduced by Davidoff. He was old, but impeccably well dressed and clean. He was one of the original team Davidoff was part of. He was changing Joseph's bandages before they came in. Von Stapf nodded curtly to both of them and continued his work. Albert stood by his brother as Von Stapf and Davidoff spoke quietly and Von Stapf left the room. Albert looked at Davidoff who sat in the chair next to the bed. "Dr. Von Stapf says everything is healing nicely. He has an accelerated healing hormone therapy developed by the Nazis that will heal Joseph in about four days, but he will have a large scar on his face. It heals quickly, but there is always scarring."

"He will not be happy about it." Albert said.

"On the contrary Albert, if he is like any of the others who has survived Elsa, he will remember it fondly. This is the best he will ever feel. No other experience will compare to her. That will be his curse," Davidoff explained.

"My God!" Albert said

Davidoff chuckled, Albert looked puzzled.

"I'm sorry Albert, but with what I've seen I don't believe God would allow this and it happened, he has forsaken us," Davidoff folded his arms.

Albert sat down in the adjacent chair to Davidoff and minutes passed before anyone spoke. Davidoff closed his eyes and seemed like he was asleep, it was Albert who broke the silence.

"Why are we stationed in Germany?"

Davidoff jumped and said, "Ah!"

Albert apologized.

"It wasn't by coincidence you and your brother were stationed here. I have called in many favors to do so. I've watched you and your brother grow up and I wanted to keep an eye on you two. Your mother and father are dear friends of mine but we keep that quiet due to this unpleasantness." He waved his hand around again.

"Called in favors?" Albert asked.

"Yes, the head of the SIS, Sir Robert Ellesmeade was one of the original team. Since we are in on the "big secret" we felt it prudent that you were observed closely. It was here with me or off to America. I had developed an addiction to English tea as you know, so I was able to talk your parents into Military service," Davidoff said.

"So we didn't get in the SIS by our own merits?" Albert asked.

"Yes and no," Davidoff said. "Both of your records are good enough for the SIS, if you were just regulars you would have made it on your own."

"You said the cold war was a smokescreen, what is that all about?"

"Well I'm sure people on both sides are completely entrenched in the beliefs now, but in the beginning we had to divert attention away from the medical science. The Americans had used atomic bombs and captivated the world. The Soviet Union felt a little left out of the use of the technology and so there was an argument between Soviet and American diplomats. We had gained strength for our exploits with the Allied High Command and we were given certain powers so we sat down and with all the allies in agreement and we whispered in the ears of the important people to start this cold war. We knew that this could take all the focus off of the Nazi genetics program and focus on rockets, bombs and space. We don't consider ourselves connected with the political ideology of any country. The cold war is not our major concern. We have to set humanity right with the eradication or observation will be affected by this and so we shall keep hidden until the day comes we can find the cure and find a way to kill the phoenixes' because you see, we only know of one, but there could be more out there somewhere, at least nine others."

"Are all of them like this one?" Albert pointed to Joseph.

"We don't know. Elsa is very dangerous and powerful, but with exhaustive searching we haven't found any evidence that there are surviving experiments."

"Can I meet her?" Albert asked.

"You will soon. I'm waiting on more of the inoculation to be made. The only problem with it is that it takes days to make it and will be ready by the end of this week hopefully," Davidoff replied.

"What do I tell Britain?" Albert asked.

Davidoff closed his eyes and said, "The story will be that Joseph was after secret nuclear weapon sites. He met with some opposition and got injured. As for the intelligence, the information will be given to you as well as three names of Soviet operatives in Britain. My staff is working on this right now."

"Thank you for all you have done Yuri," Albert said.

"Don't thank me Albert," Davidoff said sternly. "I've just ruined you and Joseph's lives. I had hoped to keep you two from this but, circumstances were out of my control. Which reminds me!" He jumped up "I need to know who sent the orders and intelligence on the bunker. I have a sneaking suspicion that Joseph was sent there on purpose, and if he was, my worst fears will have been realized."

"What fears?" Albert asked.

"That there is someone continuing the Nazis work," Davidoff replied.

Albert thought for a moment and then said, "Well about 3 days ago Joseph retrieved the mail, there was one letter that he said was nothing but he pocketed it instead of throwing it away, he threw the envelope away but not its contents. It was postmarked in Belgium."

Davidoff furrowed his brow, then asked, "did you see the letter?"

"No, apparently Joseph burned it, I found a corner in the waste bin, all it said was 'Mr. Earle,' the rest was burned. The envelope was addressed directly to Joseph."

Davidoff looked out the window for a few moments and said, "Then we have a problem. Someone has intimate knowledge of this and is attempting to do some subversive plan."

Albert Earle scoffed, "What could they possibly do?"

Davidoff still looked out the window and said, "We'll need more information before we can ascertain that, But we know Joseph, and all of us marked by Elsa have sworn an oath to live without her. We couldn't possibly break it, but Joseph? He'll never adhere to it, that is not who he is, he's like a dog. Once he gets his mind on something, he won't let go. We're going to have to add more security and watch him close, and dear Elsa."

"Why her?"

Davidoff turned from the window and said, "As she attacked him, she laughed. She's never done that, it means she enjoyed him as much as he did her. She's in love with him. A predator with her abilities, in love, is a dangerous combination."

Albert looked at his sleeping brother and said, "Damn."

Chapter 9

ROAD TO BOA VISTA, BRAZIL

March 2004

Mark finally remembered fully how to drive the Jeep after a few miles. It was around 3:00am. He had no knowledge of anything outside the compound both the island or the jungle. He was determined to find this "Jefe" and stop him. He was causing people fear. Although Mark did not partake in the party, he did like the mood and the laughter. It was so much different than life on Attu Island. Mark had to stop this Jefe.

Dr. Meingle had started to protest, but Mark disappeared before anything could be said. Mark knew that he was not a regular person, he healed from gunshot wounds very quickly. With a few aging signs on the road to Boa Vista he was ready to deal with this "Jefe".

The jeep sputtered and the engine stopped. The Jeep was out of fuel. That was fine. Mark had legs and this would be a new experience for him, he had never walked anywhere ever. He walked the perimeter fence thousands of times on the island, but there was always the same view and he never went anywhere. Now as the jungle sounds pierced the quiet, he was on a tree covered road in the middle of the Amazon jungle. He stepped out of the jeep, grabbed the pack in the jeep under the dead soldiers' bodies, got out and started walking.

The road led to the town of Boa Vista. Mark walked in the dark. The moon was full and there were shadows all over. There was moon light that came through the cracks illuminating the way for him. He stopped at 50 paces, the most he could walk in a straight line on the island. He felt compelled to turn, but he moved his right foot forward and the left followed. He was not in the camp on the island. It was a good feeling, he actually felt free now. A world of unknown size to him and infinite possibilities he could only imagine and had been reading about. He was on a small road in the moonlit jungle, yet he was the most free man on the planet.

He walked till the sun came up and still walked after it crossed the sky. There were streams of water and ponds along the way and he drank from them. This water tasted different and it made him feel better. There was no food though. For the first time in his life his stomach growled from hunger. Interesting sensation he thought. He let it go for awhile and analyzed the severity of it as the sun went down again. He knew of these experiences but he never experienced them himself. Questions formed in his head that needed to be answered. Why did he know of these things but had never felt them before? How big was the earth? Why does this jungle water taste different and better than any water he had before? With each step another question formed in his head.

Night came and the jungle became a sparsely lit path. Mark's stomach was grumbling loudly. He stopped at a fallen tree on the side of the road and sat down. His back muscles began hurting when he sat down, though they stopped after a few seconds. He took off his pack and opened it. A sliver of moonlight barely illuminated the inside, so he reached in. There was a long hard tube made of metal. He pulled it out and looked at it in the moonlight. He knew of this. He had seen it in his mind many times. There was some sort of button, or you twisted the flared head and it made light. He found the button and pushed it. The light clicked on and he made a sweep with it. He turned it onto the rest of the contents of the pack. More items he knew of but had never touched. There was a directional thing that a little white and red piece of metal moved around. He looked at it and moved it around. The red point always pointed one way, no matter which way he moved it. He thought for a moment and tried to recall the vague memories of this. The N is always where you want the red to be he seemed to remember. He knew where he was going as long as he stayed on this road. If he strayed too far off the road, this would lead him back to it. Interesting, he tried to remember what it was called. It came to him, a compass.

Mark set it down and grabbed more items he remembered but had never operated in his life. One had water in it, which he tasted and he was right, the water was different in the compound. His stomach complained and it began to hurt. No stranger to pain, Mark ignored it. There were red tipped fire sticks in the pack and then several plastic covered soft things. He recalled that you tear this open and it was food, sometimes very sweet and highly sought after. He tore one open and smelled it. It was chocolate, and his stomach growled again fiercely. He took a bite and it was welcome in his mouth. When he swallowed, there was a flood of good feelings and contentment. He felt a surge of energy as he ate more. As he ate them he fumbled through the other contents. There was a knife and some brightly colored pieces of paper in a large wad. They all had numbers and pictures on them. He set them inside the pack and continued eating.

He ate two bars. That seemed about right, he would save the rest for later just in case he had to walk back to the compound. He drank all the water and then refilled it with water from a small stream nearby. He liked this water better. He would have to get some when he went back. Mark didn't feel like walking right now. He sat on the ground and turned off the light. He felt tired, really tired. He laid his head on a tree stump. For being made of wood, it was awfully comforting to his head. The road was dimming. Marks' last thought was "so this is what tired is" then he fell asleep.

Chapter 10

KGB BASE, EAST BERLIN, GERMANY

FEBRUARY 1962

General Davidoff and Albert Earle crossed the checkpoint to the KGB base which to Albert looked like a converted school. The steel gray clouds made them both squint. The air smelled fresh from last night's rain. Albert walked behind the General, but peered out over the general's shoulder, as if there were a wild animal cage ahead. Albert's arm hurt and burned from the injection he had just received. He became a little lightheaded and felt a warm invincibility course through him. He was more afraid of that feeling than the woman they were about to see. Albert could not make the connection to the absolute love the general regarded her with and the terrible scars Joseph received from her. Davidoff had said that all the men here loved her. Not in the sense of protection, but they would lay down their lives for her. They lived for her and she never showed any preference. This was a prison for these men. A constant torture where they lived and breathed unrequited love, but the pain of having her here and not loving them was better that not having her at all. Davidoff started explaining the reason she was kept underground.

"As I mentioned before, she is agoraphobic," Davidoff said. "She cannot come outside and her chamber is preceded by two long halls, that way she can run and exercise. She is monitored by remote camera in her living quarters and the hall. It is KGB technology that keeps them hidden. The ones we used to have, she destroyed." He turned and smiled, "She likes her privacy."

They went through a rusted sliding door to the next yard. Davidoff continued, "Her door remains unlocked for two reasons; she may not like the outside, but she knows when there are locks and that angers her, and she is a natural predator, we keep it unlocked for spies who venture in our midst looking for intelligence, as it was in the case of your brother. But I usually let her kill them and then move their bodies to the outskirts of town. The only reason your brother is alive is because of your connections to the project in which you and she were created. I'll be interested to see what she thinks of you. Word has it she gave Dr. Mengele a scar on his back. I am curious to see if the hatred is genetic."

Albert swallowed hard when he heard that.

The next courtyard was Elsa's. The pillbox stood in the center of the yard. The door closed with no lock. Albert felt adrenaline start to pump through his body. The gravel crunched underfoot until they reached the door. Davidoff opened the door and a blast of warm perfumed air hit Albert. He smelled a slight odor of jasmine. They entered and the door closed silently behind them. Their footstep's echoed in the hallway. Davidoff spoke, his booming voice made Albert jump. "This is only the entrance hall, she likes it impossibly clean so that she can see how dirty of a person comes in and they can leave their dirt here and not on her carpets."

"Carpets?" Albert almost whispered.

"Yes. You see all of her furnishings are from the finest shops in Europe. Some are even royal in origin and very old. Her apparel is handmade by a select group of virgin girls in a small village in Italy. They are woven from the finest silks and cotton imaginable. She has expensive taste and culture, but her charms are such that we are only too happy to provide her with these things so we can see her smile. This place was originally an SS bunker for high ranking officers, so there was little to do for creating this sanctum, yet she hated the Nazi furniture that was in it. You will see my friend in just a moment."

They turned the corner and entered the large antechamber. Albert saw the art on the walls and the Tiffany lamps on ornate tables below them. Albert looked around and wondered where the attack happened but he got distracted by a honeyed voice from down the hall.

"General Davidoff!" "Is it time for tea already?" her voice caressed Albert's ears with warmth and invitation. Davidoff beamed a great smile and extended his hands, "Elsa my dear!" Albert peeked from behind Davidoff's shoulder and saw her. He felt like weeping.

Elsa's eye widened with joy when she saw Albert, "A guest? To what end general?" She smiled and Albert gasped. It was not possible her beauty could get any better until she smiled. It was then Albert realized why her hold over the others was so strong. She was made to be loved, adored, and sacrificed for. Albert was overtaken and stammered a brief hello. Elsa threw her head back with a hearty laugh. Albert laughed with her slightly and Davidoff smiled more. The thought that this lovely creature had nearly killed his brother was an impossibility.

"The brother?!" Elsa laughed, "You've brought me the brother dear General!" she laughed again and Albert melted. He could have died watching her laugh. She stopped suddenly and smelled the air near him. The sound of her sniffing only made Albert more aroused.

"Awww," she said. "He has already been inoculated, what a shame, he smells wonderful. So familiar yet different." she examined his face and leaned in closer.

The scent of jasmine filled Albert's nostrils and he moaned.

Elsa reached her hand up and touched his face. Her silky soft and warm hands were like a thousand feather pillows to Albert. She spoke softly to herself as she traced Albert's features. 'This chin, this mouth, this nose all too familiar, and this scent," she inhaled deeply and a shudder of pleasure rattled Albert. "Speak your name," she said coldly.

Albert regained composure and said, "Albert Earle madam."

A look of shock and anger flashed across her beautiful face. It should have decreased her beauty, but it only enhanced it and her piercing green eyes only intensified Albert's lust. "NO!" she shouted. Albert felt ashamed immediately for no reason.

"That odious little man replicated himself!" she scoffed and threw her hands up in the air. She then spun around to face Davidoff.

"Who else?" she demanded.

Davidoff hung his head, "Himmler and Mengele are all we know right now madam." and he cleared his throat with a slight cough.

"The one from the other night too? Then why did you save that one and inoculate this one general?"

"They were unaware of their heritage. Albert here just found out and Joseph does not know," he replied.

Elsa relaxed and them embraced Albert. "I can smell him in this one, but there is something else, something sweet and fresh like cotton. That must be your mother. She must be remarkable to overpower his stench with hers. Tell me dear Albert, was your mother a kind woman?" she asked.

Albert had to adjust his head to speak clearly, he was buried in her neck and was content to live there. "Yes she was, so was my father. They both were decent people."

Elsa giggled, "this one is English isn't he?" she said. She let him go and he almost fell down. Elsa turned and walked to the blue chair next to the fireplace. As she walked she asked, "His mother did not know about this, did she? She never suffered the indignity of tasting those two paramecium did she General?"

Davidoff motioned Albert to follow and they took adjacent seats to her. "No madam," Davidoff said as he sat. "She was part of the genetics program. All she knew was they took out her appendix. Apparently they replaced her eggs cells of Himmler and Mengele. They were activated by means of their fathers genetic data when it met them and pure genetic replication ensued. She was never defiled by them. I don't think she even knew of them at the time Madam."

Elsa pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "Well then, the evil that was cannot infect the brothers. They are the same in looks only, not the person. The last time I saw Mengele he was a withered shell of a man. He was not as robust as Albert here." she gestured his way.

There was a long silence. Albert doubted that there was anything to talk about. The tea was superb and the company could not be better. Albert then had a lingering thought that pierced his pleasant afternoon. Davidoff and Elsa both sat sipping tea, then Elsa looked up at Albert. She saw the flash of emotion on his face and she abruptly broke the silence.

"Mr. Earle, I do wish to make amends about your brother. I know what I am and I know what I was. I have had to make peace with that since 1934 when they took me and made me into this." she said.

"I can understand sincerely, but I still fear for my brother's life. To be honest, I could not place the extent of his injuries to you madam. It seems impossible that you could be so...vicious," Albert replied.

Elsa looked at the general, "What exactly does he know about me general?"

"Only that you are part of the Phoenix program," the general replied.

Elsa nodded and took a deep breath, "I see, well I'll tell you Mr. Earle that my life is a complicated jumble of wonderful memories and love. I have lived a full life and had love until the Nazis came to power. I've been forced into doing things against nature, against God, against my own life when I should have been resting at the end of it."

A puzzled look came from Albert's face and Elsa smiled ruefully, "How old do you think I am Mr. Earle?"

The puzzled look deepened and he said, "Approximately 20 years old." "20 years old," she sighed, "I only wish it were so, I am 97."

Albert's jaw dropped and he mouthed the words of her age in disbelief. Elsa chuckled and sat back in her chair. "97 last month. I was born in 1870 in a small village not far from here. I had 7 brothers and 4 sisters, all older than I so naturally they are all dead. I was married in 1888 and I was Elsa Hofstedtter. My husband Karl was a good man and we lived happily. We had 5 children and we lost three of them in World War I. I cannot tell you their names because I still feel a loss over them and I do not wish to cry. The other two children and my Karl were lost during World War II, but not to warfare. Somehow the Nazis targeted my family for experimentation. In 1934 my husband refused to take the socialist oath the Nazis required of all German citizens. They took us and the children fought back when they grabbed their 64 year old mother. The troopers killed my babies and wounded my Karl. I was taken to a medical facility and they tested me, injected me, and raped me all under the supervision of the great Dr. Mengele. In 1939 after 5 years of being strapped to the bed and forced god knows what into my veins, a sharp pain shot through my spine and emanated through me to the tips of my fingers. A stabbing, acidic burning that that I had never felt before. Two days it lasted and never ebbed. I prayed to god for death every minute, but he did not listen, or if he did, he did not care for an old woman being molested by Nazi doctors. I died. I saw the light and felt at peace. The acid had been shut off and I was blissfully dead. I thought I would see my children and my mother and father again. I would be reunited with my Karl again. I had fulfilled my duties as a wife and mother, and a member of the human race. I then awoke in my same bed, in the same horrible little room that they had kept me in for 5 years, and he was standing there, smiling, almost laughing at me. There were others as well. Himmler, Goebbels, and the little man himself, Hitler." she scoffed at the name and paused to suppress rage. "I was like this, they showed me a mirror and I was beautiful. More so than when I was 20 years old. I was so different. I felt alive and I was lustful. These men around me invigorated my body. Their scent was overpowering and I leaped on Hitler. I kissed him and licked him in a manner known only by whores, and they laughed and laughed until I was pried off of him snarling like a beast. I was strapped down to the bed and they all spoke of genetics and used big words. They had used medicines and essences from animals. I could not understand what they were really saying. There was a fire in my loins and it consumed me. I remember feeling like I should be ashamed, but I scoffed at it. I felt powerful and sleek. My womanhood burned and ached for them and I cursed and spat trying to get them inside me. They turned a deaf ear to me. I became enraged. I screamed and they left the room. I couldn't tell you how much time passed, but later a young soldier entered my room. I remember he was beautiful and he smelled like wildflowers. He saw me and bent on one knee. He told me I was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and I thanked him. I could sense his thoughts and he wanted me. I purred and cooed and he melted. I convinced him to undo my restraints and he did with a smile on his lips the entire time. When I was free, I pounced and I had never felt so sexually free. I closed my eyes and let my body do its work and it was glorious. I wanted it to last forever and I felt I could feel him physically and hear his thoughts. He was inside me and I was inside him. I heard how much I pleasured him and became more aggressive and be became more and more enamored with me. It lasted for a few minutes then it all stopped. I no longer felt the eroticism or the wanting. I opened my eyes." Her lips began to tremble and a tear formed in her eye.

"I had ripped him apart, the whole room was covered in his blood. I tasted it and felt his insides squishing in my hands. I screamed and the door opened. A doctor shot a gun at me and I was unconscious."

Elsa poured more tea and continued. "So that was how it was after my...rebirth. They would send young boys to me to kill, and I would happily do it. I was forced to never reconcile my evil to God and I tried to just become a machine. I was still a god fearing woman, and in 1944 after countless murders of young soldiers and even more injections to focus my ESP and strengthen my body, I escaped one day. I had become very lithe and agile with treatments and I faked subordination to my captors so that it became routine for them to tie me up. One night they tied me as usual and left my room. I feigned sleep and waited for one hour. I sprang up and threw off my tethers, crashed through the doors and ran outside. I made it three steps towards the outer gate and I froze. My body started shaking and I became fearful. I always loved the outside world. My husband and I spent all of our evenings on our porch. The children always played in the garden or the field. I looked to the sky and it was too big, and too much. The sun, which had warmed me for years now burned my skin and I retreated from it."

Davidoff cleared his throat and spoke, "it seemed that all of the patients had developed agoraphobia in reaction to the injections."

Elsa looked forlorn, "I suppose that was the scientific reason but all I knew was I couldn't leave the hospital room any more. I ran back in and fell at the feet of Mengele. Sobbing, begging, pleading for him to kill me. All he said was "you can never die dear Elsa, you can never get old, and you can never leave this place again" and he laughed as two soldiers carried me back to my cell.

"So it was I was never going to be free. Never going to die, and I was a monster. I can't tell you how many boys I've killed over the years, but I know that your brother Mr. Earle is the first to survive." Elsa wiped a tear away and sipped her tea. Albert sat awe struck and reigned in the story he just heard.

"I suppose this is the short version of it my dear?" Albert asked.

"Yes, I have not told it all, it is too painful to recount," Elsa replied.

"I am sorry for your situation. I must admit I did not see you as a human being before I came down here. Quite frankly I couldn't tell you what I expected, but I cannot be angry at your nature, or should I say your forced nature. I can see you were of a good heart and soul before they changed you. But I do have questions if you don't mind madam." Albert tented his fingers and awaited her reply.

Elsa thought for a moment and gave her permission. Albert began, "I've seen what you do to males, but what is your reaction to females?"

Davidoff leaned in to hear. Apparently this topic had never come up before.

"Nothing. I can sense their thoughts and feelings but, they smell as regular as anything." she replied.

"And you cannot go outside?"

"No,"

"Do you wish to?"

"Yes."

Albert thought for a few seconds and then cleared his throat, "General you have access to the KGB mind enhancement program don't you?" he asked.

Davidoff smiled and said, "You know I do Albert."

"Can we get a specialist here anytime soon?" Albert asked.

Chapter 11

ROAD TO BOA VISTA, BRAZIL

MARCH 2004

Mark woke up. His energy was back, like that was the first time he ever slept. He didn't dream, he just slept. The road was still there, but something was different about it. It was more vibrant, more real. He got up and stretched. He did not mind that he was drenched with sweat. It was hot and wet throughout the jungle. His body felt good, then he remembered his mission, Jefe.

Two more hours of walking and the jungle was becoming sparse. There were clearings and small houses, farms. He must be getting close. Mark continued walking. He was interested in all the things he was seeing he wanted to inspect it all, but he had to keep moving. Mark noticed he was closer because the buildings were becoming more frequent. He came to a high hill and looked at something he had never seen before. He saw a large concentration of buildings that did not fit into his field of vision. He had to turn his head to see the ends of them. There were vehicles going everywhere between the buildings and there were vehicles in the air. Mark knew of this, but had never seen it with his own eyes. This Jefe would be difficult to find in all of this.

Another half hour walk and he was inside the city of Boa Vista. There were people everywhere and they stopped to look at him. He was at least a foot taller than everyone there. They stared at him in amazement as he walked down the streets. It was hours and hours he had walked through the buildings and everyone stared at him as he passed. He looked at every person there, every man, woman and child. Any one of these people could be Jefe. He needed to ask someone.

Mark found a man standing on the corner. He was dirty, and his hair was oily and tangled. He had rips in his clothes. The man had his hand out and tried to hand something to people as they passed by, but they did not seem to want it.

Mark thought this was the man to ask. He might be knowledgeable about the area. Mark went up to him, and the man's eyes widened in fear. Mark said "Do you know Jefe?"

The man swallowed and said in broken sentences, "Senor, there many Jefe."

"Where can I find him?"

"There are many," the man said.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked.

"Jefe is boss man. He could be anyone," the man said

Mark's brow furrowed. So Jefe was not a name, it was a title. Now the search became harder. The man interrupted his thoughts by saying "Senor' you have change?"

"A change of what?" Mark replied.

"Money," the man said frustrated.

"I don't know what that is," Mark said.

The man looked confused. Mark guessed that the man was far more knowledgeable than he initially thought. The man fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper that looked like the stack he had in his pack and showed it to Mark. Mark took off his pack and pulled out the wad he had.

"This is money?" Mark asked.

"Si," the man said softly. He stared at the pile in Mark's hand. Mark figured that this paper was important in some way. Mark handed it to him and started to walk away, but the man came after him.

"Senor, is much money. I help you find your Jefe!" The man pulled at Mark's arm. Mark thought some more. This man definitely had more knowledge of things than Mark did, but there was a problem. The man did not smell so good. Mark said "Okay, but you must shower first."

The man smiled a yellow grin, "Yes senor, I know of place with room and bath. I am Eustaquino, what is your name?"

4..... I mean Mark,"

"Senor Mark, come with me, we have lunch and shower!"

He motioned for Mark to follow him. He was giddy. Mark followed. He was hungry and lunch was a good idea. He thought he would have more bars from his pack, but it seemed that there were places with food inside the buildings. Mark was fascinated by everything he saw. Money seemed to be a pleasure giving item. There was so much to know, and this man was already helpful. Mark was going to take Eustaquino back with him to Dr. Meingle's compound. Mark needed a man of this kind of knowledge. It was then that Mark realized just how much he didn't know about having a working knowledge of civilization, this concerned him deeply.

Chapter 12

ELSA'S CHAMBER

EAST BERLIN, GERMANY

JANUARY 1964

Joseph Earle felt uneasy. Dr. Padorin from KGB mind control had been working with Elsa for two years and there was no progress then he was called back to Moscow. Elsa could not leave the sanctum of her antique adorned chamber, and Joseph was not allowed to stay with her. The damned fools of the cold war and their stupid ideologies were barriers from both sides. He had to report to SIS weekly, and that meant he had to leave her and go back to Verviers. It was too far away from her. He needed to be here.

Davidoff and Albert forced him to keep doing his duty. He was going to defect, but they kept him within the idiotic ideology of the damn cold war to keep the true work secret. Although the ideologies of the west and east disappeared where Elsa was concerned, there were specialists from the secretive United Nations unit dedicated to fix the horrible mistakes that the Nazis left in their wake. There were a cacophony of different cultures focused upon the KGB base just inside the iron curtain. There were Americans, Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Australians and he and his brother represented the British.

They all were called to share information from their respective 'Phoenix' experiments. The problem was that not all the phoenixes responded to the same therapies, so the Japanese researcher Hiro Mashu, who brought his young daughter Motoko with him, was brought in to try other therapies for Elsa. Motoko and Elsa got along very well. Elsa seemed to love this little girl. They read stories and played games. Off duty guards would come down with their German shepherds and Motoko and Elsa would throw a ball for the dogs to fetch down the corridor. There was laughter and joy in this chamber.

That was not enough for Joseph. Joseph wanted this all done and over with. He wanted her with him at home in England. He imagined all the happiness they could have, but Mengele's meddling was a blessing and a curse. Without him, Joseph would never had met her, fell in love with her, and found a calmness in his soul that he felt in her presence. On the other hand, Mengele destroyed that. Davidoff and Albert had both said that she would have died by now if Mengele had not changed her. Joseph did not care. She was here now. He was madly in love with her and he was totally unhappy with all the damned barriers to keep him from having the life he wanted. He wanted to shout from the tops of the Kremlin, Parliament, and the White House that the cold war was a futile exercise, and an idiotic ideological pissing contest.

He watched as Motoko and Elsa read from Anna and the King of Siam. Motoko knew how to read in Japanese, but English was the language she wanted to learn the most. For a 12-year old girl, she was very bright. Joseph stood at the dividing window between Elsa's chamber and the tunnel from Davidoff's offices and other Russian held buildings, and the MI6 buildings on the other side of the Berlin Wall. They had been built because it was impossible for so many scientists to come through the wall without causing a stir. General Davidoff had a lot of pull, but the KGB was still in charge and they had operatives everywhere and the spy game was in full force. This project had to be kept way under the radar. The secret scientific divisions of the Eastern Bloc and the Western Allies secretly built an underground base in Berlin. Elsa's chamber had been cut off with only one entrance, now it was the back door. In the new sections there were labs, storage rooms, and living spaces for visiting scientists. Albert and Joseph had been brought into the scientific division of MI6, but they still had to fulfill their duties as regular covert operatives. General Davidoff gave sporadic intelligence to them. Some of it good and some bad in order to keep up the appearance that they were working hard to spy on the Russians.

Elsa looked up at Joseph through the glass and she smiled. He melted immediately.

The scars from her "attack" felt good every time she smiled at him, even though the General and  
Albert referred to it as a vicious attack, he remembers it fondly. Life before that night was nothing. He wished she would attack him again.

The door behind him opened and General Davidoff came through. He was getting fatter from all the western contraband he and Albert were getting for him. The man also grayed heavily in the past few years. Recounting the start of the science divisions from the war to the new scientists and doctors that had not heard about this project, took it's toll on the General physically.

Davidoff stepped right next to Joseph and sighed, "They are quite a pair aren't they?" he said softly and nodded to Elsa and Motoko.

"They sure are," Joseph said.

"I have bad news my friend," Davidoff turned and faced Joseph.

"What is it?" he asked

"It is a unanimous decision that there is no way to reverse the Phoenix programs effects," Davidoff said mournfully.

Joseph blinked, he felt an anger burn slowly inside him. "We can't just give up!" Joseph yelled.

"I am afraid we must my friend. We just don't have the technology or the understanding to fix this." Davidoff hung his head as he said it.

Joseph knew that they tried everything they could from the pooled area of the gathered scientists, but he had a thought. "Were there any doctors or technicians that were arrested from the Nazi's that may have been on this project?" Joseph asked.

General Davidoff thought for a moment, "You know we never did find out about them. As far as we know all Nazi scientists that were captured either faced the Nuremberg trials of they defected to either America or Russia. They are currently working on KGB and CIA projects. I suppose we could try and find out, but that would take some time, we still have to stay under the radar you know."

"All we have is time General. Let's set a meeting with the heads of the division and figure out something. We should also get out hands on as many Nazi medical research reports as we can. If they scrapped the Phoenix project, there may have been some offshoot protocols later that were based on the Phoenix project," Joseph said.

Davidoff shook his head more and said, "It will take time and patience Joseph. I know what you want with Elsa, but you must accept the fact that we may never know the answers in our lifetime."

Joseph stifled the urge to smack the old man. He just couldn't get it. "General, look at what we have accomplished in the past seven years. We have taken a mere hidden project and have now created a global enterprise. We have people in every major government. With the world focused on nuclear war and the cold war, we are in the prime position to work for the betterment of mankind as a whole. Those fools in the Kremlin and the U.S. don't see it as well as we do. Look how well we all work together without the invisible lines of borders. We should be at the forefront of the world, not those stupid ideological ideals that they waste billions of dollars of their peoples' money on. That money could be used by us to cure disease, to find a better life, and make the planet whole."

General Davidoff shook his head, "There was a man who thought as you do Joseph. We spent years fighting him and he killed 12 million people for the betterment of mankind, in his opinion. You are a replication of one of his closest advisors who shared his view. We cannot allow this to happen again."

"General Davidoff, I am surprised at you!" Joseph snapped, "Yes it is on the border of what Hitler did, but we can learn from his mistakes. We can learn from Himmler's mistakes and more importantly Mengele's mistakes. We have one right here!" He pointed at Elsa, "Look how she has taken to that little girl and now they are all but inseparable. From the darkest earth, the loveliest flower grows General. As I see it, from the darkest evil, a ray of ultimate good shines through. It is our job to make the hole bigger and let the full light come through and shine on everyone." Joseph turned and faced the window. Elsa smiled at him again. "And yes General, I do love her madly. I want a life for her outside this hole. I want her to have children of her own again and they won't be killed by Nazis."

General Davidoff thought for a moment. Perhaps he was an old fool trying to cover the evil he saw. Joseph had a point. It was good to see the point of a young man filled with passion and hope. General Davidoff's heart had suffered much, but if they did what Joseph asked the men who died while trying to eradicate this mistake would have died for the betterment of mankind, not for the covering of the evil that created it. General Davidoff had no choice, Joseph was right. "You are correct Joseph, we will do it. But allow an old man who has seen firsthand what evil has created to give you a warning. This power may be too much and might tempt you to do dangerous things."

Joseph looked at the General and chuckled. "That is why I have you and Albert, you two are my conscience."

Chapter 13

CORACAO DE MOTEL DE CIDADE

BOA VISTA, BRAZIL

MARCH 2004

Mark listened to Eustaquino sing in the shower. They were in a well decorated hotel room. There were pictures of tropical scenes all over the walls, the bedding was also tropical. Apparently many people not from the area, who Eustaquino called "tourists" visited here. There was a problem while getting into the hotel due to Eustaquino's appearance, but once he showed the man behind the desk the wad of money, they were whisked away to the finest room in the hotel. Eustaquino said that they might stay for a few days and use the room as a base for the search for Mark's Jefe. Eustaquino explained that there are many types of Jefe's. Some were good and some were bad. Mark mentioned that the men who came to the compound were involved with drugs, so that narrowed the search to bad Jefe's'. Eustaquino knew of three drug manufacturers in Boa Vista. Eustaquino said that the men Mark killed would be missed and more would be sent to the compound to investigate.

But first things first. They had a large room. Mark showered first since he needed less attention. Eustaquino then cleaned himself and he had bought some new clothes from the shop downstairs to change into. He wanted Mark to get some clothes too, but Mark was happy with his shorts and T-shirt. Although they needed to be washed. Mark had chosen more shorts and a T-shirt from the shop.

Eustaquino finished and got dressed. They went down to the restaurant and Eustaquino ordered lunch for both of them. He spoke in Portuguese and he knew some Spanish and English as well.

"So my friend," Eustaquino said after their drinks arrived, "You killed some of the drug lords' men and they will send more and they will kill all that they find. What is your plan?"

Mark took a drink and said, "I'm sure that they have already been to Dr. Meingle's compound, so there is no point in going back and waiting for them. I think we should get word to them that I am here. I killed the men, and Jefe should come here to find me. I will let them and they will take me to Jefe."

"Is very dangerous plan senor." Eustaquino said, "You could be killed." he warned.

"I don't think I can be killed." Mark replied.

"How so?" Eustaquino asked.

"The men who came to the compound shot me. I felt no pain. The bullets came out of my body and the wounds healed. I am positive that I have rapid healing properties." Mark said.

"What is your story?" Eustaquino asked.

"I don't know" Mark said "I was on a cold island all my life. These faceless doctors would come in and take me and my friends away for tests. They would inject something into us. We would have dreams that felt real about places, people, and things we did not know about. We had experiences that in that room that were not real, but they felt real. I've seen horrible things, felt horrible things. But I have seen wonders, and felt wonders that were all in my mind in a little room where there was cold and snow all the time. One day some soldiers came and took us away. They gave me an injection, but it did not cause the usual dreams. They brought me and my sister here. While we were traveling, the soldiers hurt my sister. Many men have done this before, but I was heavily restrained. This time I was able to move freely. I killed two and injured a third. I then woke up at Dr. Meingle's compound about two months ago. I have learned so much about things, but as I learned I found more questions than answers.

Eustaquino looked shocked. There was a silence while the waitress brought them their food.

In all his life Eustaquino Marquez had never heard a story like this. He looked at this large boy eating food in front of him. He looked intelligent, but he had innocence about him and a terrible fear as well. At first Eustaquino thought this man was a mercenary; the way he stood in the crowd. This boy looked at everything with a scrutiny that was confusing. The boy's approach was terrifying. He was authoritative and menacing, but he spoke the truth. The boy had a story unlike any other.

"So you were given drugs?" Eustaquino asked.

"Drugs?" the boy furrowed his brow.

He had no idea what they were. Eustaquino had to think of this boy as a massive child.

Eustaquino said, "Drugs are chemicals that cause people to see things and do things differently. They get a good feeling from them, but that good feeling does not last, and terrible feelings come after.

People all over the world use them. Now don't get me wrong, there are good drugs used as medicine and they help people, but only if a doctor gives them. When used properly they heal the sick, make the unhappy happy and make lives better. There are other dark drugs Mark that hurt people and families. They get used to having them and they destroy everything they love to get another drug."

The boy's brow furrowed deeper. "They hurt themselves and their families to get more?"

"Yes, and there are people like your Jefe who make them for that purpose. They do it all to make money and a lot of it. They fool others and get them addicted which means that they must have it or they suffer great pain. The Jefe's bring in all the money and they have power over justice and power over those who could stop them."

"Money? Like I gave you?" the boy asked.

"Yes." Eustaquino pulled out one of the bill the boy had given him. "This is what everyone is after. This is what causes all of it. To get as many of these that is possible is the purpose of evil men and good men alike. This is why there is suffering in the world."

The boy's brow still was furrowed deeply. So far as Eustaquino could tell this was the only expression the boy made. This boy had suffered much. The story he told was a lot to believe, but being in the military in his youth, Eustaquino had seen many unbelievable things. Things that were too terrible to explain. Eustaquino knew, like many other in this world, the horrors that man could do.

"I feel you have been influenced by drugs," the boy said.

"You have great intuition Mark. Yes for a time I escaped the world through drugs and it cost me everything I hold dear. My family, my wife, my children. I got into trouble with the law. Spent some time in prison. Now I live on the street with no home, no future, just the pity of others who give me pocket change." Eustaquino hung his head in shame at the thought of it.

Mark was learning a great deal interacting with this man. He saw some of the more complex emotions that were talked about in the compound but rarely seen. Eustaquino and this city were a valuable resource. Mark admitted to himself that there was so much to know, but the matter at hand took precedence. "I don't like this situation." Mark said casually, "We'll talk more of this later Eustaquino. I want to find this man now." Mark got up.

Eustaquino jumped up and grabbed another drink and another bite of his lunch and followed Mark. The boy was definitely motivated. "Mark what is your plan?" Eustaquino said as he caught up with him, the boy was already at the entrance.

"There must be people who sell these drugs. I will find one and tell him to get this Jefe. A man with as much power as you described will have lesser people doing his work, I've read of this." Mark said as he pushed the door open. A group of tourists parted on the steps as he walked out. They all watched Mark pass and whispered to each other. The boy stood on the sidewalk, arms folded and looked at the crowd. He scanned them as they passed by. "Senor Mark, they are well hidden and protected by the local police. You will not find them easily by standing on the street and waiting!" People pushed around Mark and kept bumping Eustaquino. Mark stood there watching. He reached behind him and grabbed Eustaquino's arm and brought him to the side where the people parted. Eustaquino straightened his clothes out. Now he was with the rock in the sea of people, not the wake.

The boy still watching the crowd said, "I know of what you speak. I have seen it in my mind.

I know what these people look like and that they are protected. I am looking for the ones who are in need of these drugs."

Eustaquino was at least a foot and a half shorter than the boy and twice his age. The boy could see over the crowd. They stood for a long time. Passing people moved around him with caution. Mark watched carefully. Eustaquino waited with him, but his old legs were getting tired. He needed to sit. He went to the steps of the hotel and sat giving his tired muscles a rest. How much had changed when this boy came to him this morning. He had a small fortune in his pocket, new clothes, clean teeth and a bed for a few days. Most people pass by and give change. This boy had given him a week of life off the street. This boy was a lost soul. More lost than even he was, yet he had determination and power the likes of which he had never seen in his 57 years on earth. The boy commanded the life around him. Eustaquino felt at ease but awed in his presence. The boy's task was his task. Every urge the boy felt was felt by him as well. This boy was one of God's angels. Eustaquino would never leave his side. Like the drugs he was on years ago, this boy was addictive, but in the best way. He commanded respect. He showed no fear and was determined. The fantastic stories the boy told were the stuff of fiction, but to hear him talk about it made it real. Eustaquino was skeptical but the boys commanding presence made him believe whatever he said.

Hours passed and day began to fade. The orange sun cast shadows over the buildings and still the boy looked at the crowd who at days end was thinning. The boys head scanned slower now. Eustaquino felt that any of these people could be users. They can hide it so well, he did for several years. This boy seemed to know things though. Eustaquino was curious to see if his instincts would work.

People passed by Mark. He looked at their faces and did not see it. Mark knew what he was looking for, he just did not know if it was a certain look on their face, or a certain way about them. Some people showed little signs of it, but that was not enough. He had to find someone who reeked of wanting. Eustaquino sat behind him watching too. He might know of it as well. The sun went down and the light of the city came on. Mark stole glances at the lights because they were interesting, different colors and flashes. Mark had to know more of this, but later.

A man in a white suit was across the street. He had some women who were as beautiful as Amber with him and they were laughing. They had the look on them. Mark could see it as plain as day. They were on their way to find drugs. Mark waited until they passed him and them he walked across the street when traffic allowed him to. He didn't want them to know he was there. Eustaquino scrambled his way behind him. Mark kept an eye on the old man, he did not want him to draw attention and not get hurt. They crossed and the man in the white suit was about 50 feet ahead. "You found one?" Eustaquino asked, "How?"

"They had a look. They are looking for drugs." Mark replied.

"They seem to be going to a dance club or party," Eustaquino said.

"There are drugs there?" Mark asked.

"Sometimes. I am sorry though, I forgot about all that. No one ever lets a homeless man into clubs or parties." Eustaquino said.

"It's not a problem now." Mark said.

"True," Eustaquino said.

They walked several blocks. Marks eyes focused on the people they were following. They were getting close because they were getting excited. Mark could see it in their bodies. They turned a corner. There was a noise coming from there. They are close Mark thought.

Eustaquino heard the noise of people and the thundering of music getting close. The boy did not seem excited or anything. The blank expression on his face betrayed nothing. But Eustaquino knew he was going to witness something extraordinary in the next hour. But something crossed his mind. "Senor, these places have guards out front to decide who goes in or who does not, what if they say no to us?"

"They won't," the boy said. Eustaquino felt the determination. The guards might be smart to feel it too. "Well, let me talk first. Maybe I can get us in."

Mark stopped for a second and said, "Okay." Why the older men feel the need to talk first is another question Mark needed answering, but not now.

Enrique stood at the head of the line. His walkie-talkie chirped. "Yes?" he replied. The gruff voice of Pablo said "Send in more." and he moved the velvet rope and let in several girls and some men. He then closed the way and stood in front, blocking the way. He looked out over the crowd. Stefan came with more women. He was wearing his white suit thinking it would make him lucky. He was a detestable man. He was some fearful little accountant who embezzled money to use for girls and drugs on the weekends. Enrique scoffed at this little man, and looked past him. Turning the corner was a dark figure and an old man. The dark figure was tall and muscular. Enrique admired this man the closer he came. He was bad ass and scary. The old man scrambling to keep up beside him looked at the girls as they passed by. They came to a stop in front of Enrique. The tall man was only a boy. He looked maybe 25, but he was huge.

He looked up at the lights and the old man came over and said "Excuse me, but our friend is in there we have to find him, he owes my friend here money."Eustaquino smiled.

Mark listened to the Portuguese Eustaquino spoke, and the man replied the same. The lights were interesting and the music thumping behind the doors was interesting too. Mark saw that the guard was shaking his head no. Eustaquino was getting more stern as they talked. Yet the guard still shook his head. Mark didn't have to guess on what the guard was saying.

The guard pushed Eustaquino. The old man fell backward onto the pavement. Before the guard could retract his hand, the boy had his hand clenched in his large hand. The guard looked surprised then the cracking began. The guard screamed as the boy crushed the his hand. The people in line scattered screaming down the street. The guard reached for something behind him, but the boy grabbed his arm and flipped the guard like a top against the wall. More cracking of bones was heard then a sharp snap. Eustaquino cringed, that was the mans arms breaking. The boy's expression never changed as he stifled the guards screaming with the brick wall of the entrance to the club. The guard stopped screaming and went limp. A large crack was heard as the man's head caved in. Mark let go of the body and it fell to the sidewalk. Eustaquino stood up and watched as Mark grabbed the velvet rope barrier and threw it aside. The two poles crashed into a car 50 feet down the street and came to a stop then silence. Mark opened the door and Eustaquino stepped right behind him. Before the music got too loud, Eustaquino heard the guards radio chirp and a gruff voice said, "Enrique, send in more."

Chapter 14

GEN. DAVIDOFF'S HEADQUARTERS

EAST BERLIN, MAY 1965

Albert Earle sat at a long table in General Davidoff's building. The room was a former staff room and used for the same purpose most of the time, but now it housed the Nazi Regime medical documents scrounged from all countries. There were thousands of documents, many of them partially burned. Albert was combing through them, looking for answers. Albert also had been keeping up with the news, it was a tumultuous time for the Cold War. The fear outside these walls was contagious. The US and the Soviet Union were standing across from each other holding guns with nuclear bullets at each others' head. With the news from home about what Russia was doing, it was hard for him to trust these people, except for Davidoff who was neither loyal to communism or capitalism. Davidoff had seen horrors that transcended the capacity for normal thought or imagination. Davidoff stopped being Russian and he had become human. He was dedicated to the preservation of humanity and to quell the abominations the Nazis had created, and the even more horrid work of Mengele, whom Albert resembled physically. This news threw him into a deep commitment to not turn into the Angel of Death. Joseph was Himmler, and he did not seem to care. The scope of his new project was interesting and frightening at the same time. Joseph was drunk with everything Elsa. There was nothing else for him. But in order to make the benefit for all mankind, is the first step one person? Was Joseph's wish to cure her first so selfish if it meant that the work done here would benefit at all? Albert weighed the obsessions of his brother and weighed the world as they saw it now. The secret world inside the world. A world of magic and mystery, where the invisible lines of borders did not exist. It was one planet, one race, one people. All of this from the obsessive love for one woman by one man. The power of love and creation. Albert's first thought was to destroy Joseph's plan and quash it like they quashed Hitler's plan, but after much thought it made sense. They had the information of failure and selfishness with them. They knew what mistakes were made and how to avoid them. The plot of evil men may be changed to the betterment of mankind.

The first step was to read all of the information they obtained from all over the world. The U.N. science division had been very good at squirreling away Nazi documents, and it was painstakingly hard to go through and find the medical research documents from the various concentration camps. There were teams of Germans, Russians, and US operatives translating 24 hours a day. They were seeing the whole Nazi picture of the war. The military, the business side and more importantly the eradication of undesirables. Hitler's plan was meticulous, brilliant, and horrifying. The man could have been one of the greatest leaders in all the history of the world had he not been mad. A chilling thought, the madman of the 20th century being good. It was very hard to imagine.

Albert returned to his piles of documents. In fact Joseph was supposed to be here pouring over salvaged Nazi documents translated from German to Russian and then to English. The documents contained some of Mengele's work on the prisoners of Auschwitz and the more work on the war criminals the Nazis were systematically destroying in other camps. It made Albert sick to read reports of living autopsies and human breeding attempts with animals. There were no documents on Elsa which the General had told him. There was more to these reports than what was on the surface. This was part of the master plan. There were clues hidden in these documents that showed the hidden path to Elsa, even if it was just a sliver of information. Albert realized that he did not know fully what information led where, so he had to read all of it.

Albert closed the file in front of him. The reports were on several attempts to breed an ape with a human. Albert could not think about the poor girls who were used for this test. He hoped they were dead. He couldn't bear the thought of them living entire lives with this. He closed his eyes and thought about his basic medical knowledge he had learned in school before enlisting in the Royal Army. Basic anatomy, serology, and the various workings of the internal systems is all he knew. Mengele was a genius, far ahead of Albert. Yet Albert knew of what these reports said, he was not physically disgusted at them. His body felt comfortable with this, and scared him to his core.

Albert tried to hold at bay his deepening fear that he was a copy of one of the most horrid human beings that ever lived. The man was still alive and in South America. Albert wanted to see him and beat the information out of him. He wanted the keys to the Phoenix program. He wanted to find how to cure the Phoenixes and to cure Elsa so that she would be normal and grow old and eventually die. Joseph was madly in love with her, even after the injection to keep her at bay. Elsa who was originally disgusted at this resemblance to Himmler, was taking a shine to him as well. Joseph was persistent to be near her, and she could not run with her deep agoraphobia, one of the side effects Mengele left her with.

The anger and frustration in Albert grew. He opened his eyes and saw the stacks of files. It was all meaningless. The Nazis did too good of a job destroying evidence before the Russians invaded Berlin. As systematic as they were in wiping out people, they were the same with evidence. Albert yelled and threw the closest stack against the wall. The papers exploded and fluttered to the floor. Albert looked up and saw the General standing at the door with two cups of tea.

"I see that the answers are not there my friend," the general said lightheartedly.

Albert slumped into his chair and rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry General, I have such limited medical knowledge. I was a fool to think I could decipher any of this" he waved his hand dismissively to the pile on the floor.

General Davidoff sat next to Albert and set a cup of tea in front of him and then took a sip from his cup. "My boy, I have looked at them. These files have frustrated me as well. You are not a fool Albert, there was a chance that you might have caught something we did not. Some sort of intuitive link between you and Josef Mengele."

Albert sipped his tea and let the warmth calm his anger. "I have to find Mengele. I have to find the answers, he needs to be found."

"Albert," the General said, "There are hundreds of Nazi hunters after him. There are mercenaries and privately contracted investigators. The KGB and the CIA and a host of other countries special operations divisions all have operatives looking for him, and after almost 20 years we only know he is in South America with other former Nazis. That is all. The man is a ghost." General Davidoff patted Albert's hand.

Albert chuckled slightly, "General Davidoff, we have an advantage over all of the others you have mentioned." Albert set his cup down and folded his arms.

General Davidoff lifted his eyebrows and chuckled as he asked "What is that dear boy?"

Albert leaned in closer and said, "I am his genetic copy. He will want to see me."

General Davidoff sat back in his chair exasperated, "My God, I never even thought....."

Albert nodded slightly, "Call in any favors you can General and get me to South America."

General Davidoff still looked exasperated as he nodded and left the room.
Chapter 15

BOA VISTA, BRAZIL

MARCH 2004

Eustaquino fell to the hard wooden floor. The shock hurt his knees and he grunted with pain. He could only hear now, just as Mark predicted, they would kidnap them from the hotel and put hoods over their heads. The scene at the dance club an hour before was quick and gruesome, Eustaquino had left the club quickly and only saw the patrons run for their life, some were on fire. It apparently made the impression Mark was going for on the drug-lord that abducted them. Eustaquino heard the four men who were guarding Mark. The stories of the burned down club spread fast and the men took extra precautions. Mark was forced to his knees next to Eustaquino. Heavy boots walked to each of them and pulled off their hoods. They were in an office of a factory. Eustaquino could see the lights on the factory floor on and the distant sounds of cocaine manufacturing and guards shouting at workers to go faster.

Mark was still. His face expressionless, just like it was when he tore down the club with his bare hands. Every move planned out in perfection. People tried to stop him, but he dispatched them quickly. Eustaquino lost count at 15 men who tried to stop Mark, but there were more for sure, Mark was still wearing the bloody clothes and smelled heavily of smoke and liquor. One man survived, and that was the dealer in the club. Mark twisted his foot 180 degrees then gave him the message to give to the Don. Mark then picked him up with one hand and threw him out of the dance club doors. Mark killed the music and then found all the lanterns at the center of the tables and broke them on the floor. The place was in flames when the police arrived. Mark and Eustaquino were already down the block when they arrived.

The dealer now in a cast and crutches stood next to a well dressed man dripping in jewelry. The drug lord whom Eustaquino guessed was Don Chilano from the way he wore many jewels. Chilano looked at each of them and smiled at Mark.

"I got your message, care to tell me what it means?" Don Chilano said in a highly practiced authoritative tone.

"You have some sort of deal with Dr. Meingle about workers?" Mark asked.

"Yes, the doctor and I have a mutual agreement. I give him supplies and food and he takes in poor homeless people from Sao Paulo and then I use them when I need them for my product," Don Chilano replied. "Your message said that you killed three of my men. I am missing three men who left a few days ago to gather workers from the doctor. We found their bodies in a jeep several miles from the compound out of gas on the road to Sao Paulo. Many more men of mine went missing and a few came back with stories of a demon. You say you killed them, Dr. Meingle says that they never showed. It seems that you are this demon my men are scared of. I still got my workers from the doctor, and I sent some men to Sao Paulo to find the traitors. All is well except you come here to burn down my disco and claim the lives of more of my men."

Don Chilano grabbed a chair and drug it across the floor to right in front of Mark. He sat in it cross legged. "What is your name demon?" He half-laughed.

"I am Mark, a recent acquisition to the compound," Mark replied coldly.

"Where are you from my son?" Don Chilano asked nicely. Eustaquino knew it was false and the man's face was red, but he didn't want to provoke trouble. It could be seen behind his tough exterior that Mark intimidated him.

"I don't know," Mark said.

"You are making fun of me?" Don Chilano replied, "You wish to play games with me son?"

"No," Mark replied.

"Then where did you come from?" Don Chilano asked through gritted teeth. He was used to seeing people tremble before him. The lack of emotion from this boy was angering him. A large nobody from nowhere is mocking him and Don Chilano had a reputation to keep.

"I came from an island far from here," Mark replied.

This infuriated Don Chilano and he slapped the boys face as hard as he could. The boy did not move, nor did he show any indication that it was painful aside from the red mark forming on his face.

"You'll have to do better than that." Mark said. Eustaquino went wide eyed at the insolence Mark was showing.

This sent Don Chilano into a rage. He cursed Mark as he punched him with all of his might. His rings were cutting the boys face and still he held the indifferent face. No screaming, no begging for mercy, nothing. Don Chilano clutched his chest, the physical exertion caused chest pains and he fell back into the chair in front of the boy. Marks face was all bloody and red, bruises were forming. Yet he sat there like nothing had happened. Don Chilano pushed away his men as they tried to help him. He was not going to show weakness in front of this boy.

"What is it you want boy?" Chilano asked between gasps of air, "Money, a job, what?"

"I want you to stop," was Marks reply.

"Stop what?" Chilano gasped more and coughed.

"Just stop," Mark said. He then fixed his eyes on him. Don Chilano felt uneasy. This boy has wisdom far beyond his age he thought.

"Stop living, breathing, beating you, what?" Chilano said angrily, the boy was aggravating him again.

The boy said, "Yes."

Don Chilano laughed and his men joined in. "You are crazy aren't you?" the boy still looked at him. "What if I say no?" Chilano asked moving closer to Mark trying to intimidate.

"You won't," the boy said.

"Why?"

"Because it is not an option."

more laughter from Don Chilano and the men, "What if I shoot your brains out?"

"Go ahead. It does not make any difference." the boy said staring into Chilano's eyes.

Don Chilano laughed once and looked into the boy's dark eyes. He was not crazy, he was dead serious.

Don Chilano nodded to one of his men who pulled out a pistol and shot the boy in the head. Mark fell face first on the floor. Don Chilano checked for a pulse, nothing. He turned his attention to the old man cowering in the corner. The look of horror on his face gave Don Chilano the good feeling that his power was still potent.

"What is your story my friend?" Don Chilano asked.

Eustaquino forgot what the plan was for a second. Mark was really dead. Blood pooled on to the floor he could see the wound and the blood pouring from it. Had the boy been crazy? He did not seem crazy, but Eustaquino doubted for a second until he saw the Marks eye open and look at him.

"I-I-I was hired by him to show him the club. He wanted company for the night. Please Don Chilano! I am homeless, I would do anything for money! He wanted sexual favors. I didn't know he would do something like this! Please, I am an old man down on his luck! I needed the money! Have mercy on a man of little dignity!" Eustaquino pleaded as best he could. He even managed to force out some tears.

The pleading and crying is just what the doctor ordered for Don Chilano. This old man still knew the fear he carried, the power of Don Chilano. Mercy was enough for this man. "You need money? You work for me now. No more of this hustling on the street selling sexual favors to strangers, okay?"

The old man thanked him many times for his mercy and one of his men escorted the old man down to the production floor. Don Chilano then looked at the boy on the floor, his eyes closed, dead. The only person to strike fear into Don Chilano's heart did not survive it. This incident will be cleared up and never spoken of again.

Chapter 16

EAST BERLIN, GERMANY

AUGUST 1966

Albert had been gone for over a year now, and Joseph missed him. They had never been separated for more than a few days in their life. It was amazing how close they were, as if some mystical bond created from evil kept them close. His post in the SIS had been removed and he was now under a U.N. resolution of a special services investigative team. Once it had been found out that he had been given venom from Elsa, he was now part of the experiment, which meant that he could be with her every day now. He had a separate room from her on the other side of the underground complex. It was orders from the U.N. that there be guards posted at every entrance of Elsa's chamber with one rule only, Joseph Earle could not be admitted from dusk until dawn. It was nearly sunrise now and his door would be unlocked by General Davidoff. He would spend all day with Elsa. They were to have blood tests. There were several new tests that had been discovered in the U.S. Different variations and breakdowns of the blood to test for certain things. Joseph really paid no attention to the technical aspects of it. He just heard "Day with Elsa Hofstadter" and the rest was unimportant. Joseph did not really pay attention to anything anyone said. He knew there would be more than enough help from the United Nations once the Phoenix project had been disclosed to key members of the Council. This project was immediately thrust into heavy funding. The Russian and American ambassadors were both in the project and they made sure that their respective countries continued the "Arms Race" and any other race they were childishly fumbling over. Most of the nuclear funding came to the Science Division from both sides. Much of it was spent on concocting nuclear warhead arsenal counts. Doctored photos, empty shells of missiles in launch tubes. Everyone knew that there was no real threat of actual war. It was a standoff between bullies who exaggerated their strength. If war did break out, the U.N. Division of Underground Science or UNDUS, was in prime position to take out key world leaders and take over. Once it was decided to make the science division a world power, the KGB, CIA, and SIS were more than happy to provide help. On the outside, the KGB and CIA were opposing enemies when in reality they were two good friends playing a friendly game of chess. With the backing of powerful agencies, General Davidoff's secret little hideout became part of a network of science that transcended the wildest dreams of everyone.

All Joseph had to do was be attacked by a 97 year old woman and thus a very powerful organization sprung up. Sunrise had come. Davidoff was late this morning. An hour after the sunrise Joseph's door rattled and a bleary eyed General Davidoff came into the room. His face was white and sallow and he looked like he had not slept.

"It's about time!" Joseph said, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Sorry Joseph," Davidoff's voice was strained, "My son had a very bad fever last night and my wife and I were up all night. I dozed off for about 45 minutes."

Joseph's frustration ebbed, "Well that is understandable General, forgive me." Little Sergei Davidoff was a handful. He was very headstrong and had a stubborn streak a mile wide. That boy would one day be a very powerful leader.

"General, why don't you go home and rest today, I'm sure it will be okay. I doubt any agents will be here today," Joseph said as he patted the General's shoulder. The man worked very hard and was very accommodating. He deserved rest and accolades every day.

"I wish it were so my boy," Davidoff said, "Colonel Radvic is here."

Colonel Yevgeny Radvic was a stark contrast to General Davidoff. As a newly appointed KGB liaison he had believed the lie of the cold war for his military career. KGB command transferred him to Berlin and the underground science project. It was a transformation that Colonel Radvic seemed to hesitantly embrace, but he still eyed anyone from the west as suspicious. He was a stickler for rules and did not like the fact that Joseph had a controlling rank in the project, but like any red blooded man in the world, even with the inoculation from Elsa, her presence made Radvic feel at ease. "We'll talk to him," Joseph said.

They walked into the observation room of Elsa's chamber. Two doctors and Col. Radvic were waiting. Radvic was stiff as concrete covered by a plank of wood. Joseph looked past him to see her, but she was out of view. Radvic gave a strict salute to the General and the General responded in kind. "General Davidoff," Colonel Radvic said, "I must express my complaint at this time, we are already behind schedule."

"Noted Colonel," General Davidoff replied, "Sometimes these things happen, but I can assure you Colonel, it will not be a habit. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" Radvic replied.

Joseph saw the frustration in his eyes. "Colonel Radvic, the General has a personal issue to attend to, is it possible that he could take the day off and you be in charge?"

Radvic's eye twitched, and indication of his displeasure of breaking established rules. "I am sorry Mr. Earle, the rules clearly state..."

Joseph interrupted, "Colonel with all due respect, we understand the rules. The General is in need of rest, what can we work out that would satisfy your rules?"

"If the General requires rest, there are many place he could do so in the complex." Radvic said, "I would be happy to take temporary command of all operations for a short time while the General rested here in the complex."

"Good!" Joseph said. "Colonel I know you don't trust me, I understand your acclimation here is tough, but you are a reasonable man and I am glad you are here."

Radvic saluted and said "Thank you Mr. Earle. General may I relieve you of your keys?" said Radvic with his strict attention to procedure.

General Davidoff yawned and said, "Yes Colonel, here they are." He handed the keys to Radvic. They both saluted and Davidoff left the room heading back into the complex. Radvic counted the keys and then nodded to the doctors. They opened Elsa's chamber door and walked in. she was sitting in her wingback chair with a morning breakfast service by her. She smiled at the men coming in and Joseph knew they all skipped a heartbeat in tandem. Radvic even showed a slight misstep as they walked to the center of the room.

"Colonel Radvic!, will you join us for breakfast?" Elsa said as he approached.

"No Mrs. Hofstedtter, I have morning reports to do," he replied politely but sternly.

The doctors took needles from their coats and took off the covers and set them on a table next to Elsa. "More tests?" Elsa groaned. "Can't you gentlemen ever have enough blood, or is it just an excuse to see me?" she chuckled.

Joseph sat opposite her, she nodded to him politely. She refused to embarrass herself with displays of affection in front of others. Joseph would have to wait until the doctors were finished.

Joseph rolled up his sleeve and handed his arm to one doctor, Elsa followed suit. "My dear, there are new tests that were just discovered in America. We are just running them to see if there is anything we can find." "I see, how wonderful!" Elsa replied. She did enjoy hearing about anything in the world. With her agoraphobia, she could not leave so they had to bring what they could to her.

The doctors obtained the blood and silently left the room. Radvic made a silent goodbye and they were alone. Elsa began pouring coffee and Joseph began serving breakfast.

"Colonel Radvic seems to be loosening up isn't he?" Elsa said.

"Indeed he is," Joseph said as he handed her a plate of eggs and bacon. "I think the lies are being purged, the fellowship in the complex is strong, eventually he will let go and be one of us." Joseph took a sip of his coffee, which Elsa made perfect as usual.

"Joseph..." Elsa sighed "I want to go over something with you again."

Here we go again Joseph thought. "Well there is something I cannot seem to reconcile in my mind.'' Elsa said. "I mean I almost killed you and here you sit proclaiming your love for me. It is just odd." She said.

"Elsa, it has occurred to me before that your venom, for lack of a better word, is no different than love at first sight. It is a physical manifestation of that. I did think for a while that it was just a side effect of your attack, but it has been three years, and I feel no different," Joseph replied. This was a variation of the same theme they had gone over many times before.

"Joseph, I love you. I really do, but guilt still haunts me every time I see your face, and the bite scars on your neck. I am not human. I feel human sometimes but it is not real. I cannot recall my former life as much as I used to. There is a change happening." Elsa said.

"You are one of a kind Elsa. This is fresh ground we break upon, the undiscovered country, maybe a new facet to humanity that may be detrimental to you, but beneficial to the rest. Has the guilt subsided?" Joseph asked.

"Yes a little, but I still feel unnatural," Elsa replied. "I feel fantastic like I could run out the door and enjoy life, But I know that if I left, there would be a swath of death and destruction." she was speechless now and tears welled up in her eyes.

Joseph sat his cup down and knelt next to her. He grabbed her hand. "None of this now," he said softly. "We must think of this differently now. You say that we aren't meant for each other, that my heart is feeling a side effect of your unnatural gift. Yet I question the greater plan on this subject. Is this just a coincidence or is it providence? Think about it for a moment. You are here due to an unnatural occurrence, yes but, is that part of the master plan? Didn't Darwin hypothesize that the best fit animals are made to endure and therefore a species changes over time? Wouldn't it make sense that an explosion of extra traits were to burst forth just to see if it can fit in with the endurance of that species? This is what I think, you are a higher standard of human, created to enhance the world with your gift. To give it a boost up in this dark time. Think of it, we lost much of the genetic pool in the two world wars. Perhaps divine intervention moved Mengele's hand in order to make sure that the human race survives. Look at me," he guided her face to look into his, her soft features glistened with tears and her eyes were a brilliant green. She smiled slightly through the sadness. "I was an angry man. I was empty. I was lost all of my life. My brother was the happy one, the successful one. I followed in his shadow because there was no other option for me. Until that night. Yes it was brutal, but it was just what I needed to complete me. I heard the voice of God that night. It is said that to hear the true voice of God, no human could survive it. I believe you are not an accident. God works with what he has available to him and in certain instances he creates an anomaly to do his work. It is like an invention of a new tool to help make things be built faster. That is you, the newest tool of humanity for the benefit of humanity. Once we figure out the puzzle, you will be able to leave this place and you will help all of us with you spirit, your love, and your strength. You have already helped one poor fool."

Elsa laughed and leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. Joseph sat on the arm of her chair and hugged her tightly. Joseph felt her grip tighten as she let her guard down. She buried herself in his chest. Joseph smiled. She had finally caught on to what he was saying.

Chapter 17

BOA VISTA, BRAZIL

MARCH 2004

Don Chilano felt the glass break on his back. He felt the shards pierce his body as he flew through the air twenty feet out onto the factory floor. He paid no attention to the screams from below, nor did he care about the pain of the broken glass in his flesh. He had killed the boy, but he looked at Marks eyes growing smaller as he flew to the far side of the factory. It was impossible. The I-beam on the far side of the factory stopped Don Chilano's movement. He felt the air get crushed out of him as his spinal column cracked from the force. He could only give out a yelp. White light covered his eyes and his body went numb. He felt no more pain, just momentum as he fell to the floor with a hard thump. He could not take a breath. He still could not believe the dead boy rose and threw him. It was impossible. The life quickly drained from him. He felt nothing, and was dead in just a few seconds.

Eustaquino knew that was the signal Mark had given. He backed away from his escorts, and waited until all the men on the floor rushed up to the office. They ran up the stairs shouting. One man stayed behind and went to check on Don Chilano. There were cries and screaming all around him. The workers, old and young rushed to the exits, only to find them locked. Eustaquino wasted no time. He ran towards the guards standing over Don Chilano's body. He took a deep breath and lowered his shoulder, knocking the guard into the wall. The guard had the wind knocked out of him, which gave Eustaquino a moment to find the keys.

Two of the guards who had rushed up to the office, fell out of the broken window crashing down onto tables. The cocaine on them puffed up into the air and covered the bewildered guards as they tried to get up. They fell to the ground and passed out. The people clamoring at the exits screamed in horror. Eustaquino could not find any keys on this man. His head pounded with adrenaline. He needed a moment to think. The guard he had knocked out was regaining consciousness. Eustaquino found a metal pipe nearby on one of the tables and he bashed the guard on the side of the head with all of his might, knocking him out. Eustaquino had to stop the screaming. He stood up and yelled, "People, we are here to help you, do not panic!" Several people looked at him and calmed down enough to start spreading the word to the crowd. Eustaquino could hear faint crashing and cursing from the office. The people calmed down enough to look at him. "We are here to help you, please stay calm and you will be out of here shortly."

Mark felt the punches land on his body and face, but they were nothing. These men had all attacked him at once to try and keep him down. They did not keep his arms down though. He grabbed the shirts of one guard and pulled him off, only to have him pile on again. There were at least seven men on him. Two had just fallen out of the window. Mark could hear Eustaquino try and calm down the crowd, which meant that all the guards were in the office on top of Mark. They seemed to be getting the upper hand. He felt the hot breath and the sweat from these men on him. He felt the crushing force on his body and the curses in Portuguese rang in his ears. He had to do something quickly. He couldn't grab them and pull them off so he had to roll. He tried to roll, but the weight on him was stopping him. Mark did not like this and then he felt something in him he had not felt for a long time, rage. Mark felt his body pulsate with rage and he started to flail. He felt the men loosen and his body became free at last. He grabbed the first guard and he twisted the man's head until he heard the snap.

Mark's rage filled him completely and he flipped over onto his chest. He pushed with all he could muster and he felt the group fall off of him. He stood up and turned around. One guard had regained his balance and was coming towards him. Mark grabbed his throat and crushed it. The rage in his body felt utterly satisfied as he felt the windpipe crush. Mark drew back the body and threw it into two guards in front of him. Three more bodies fell out of the window. Another guard came from Mark's left side. He tried to punch Mark in the face, but Mark ducked, grabbed the man's leg and lifted him. He fell over and cracked his head on the floor. Instantly the body went limp. Mark swung the body as hard as he could into the remaining four men. The force of the throw knocked them back into a desk which splintered from the impact. Mark heard screams as various things punctured the guards bodies. Mark had not fully satisfied the rage and he charged toward the survivors.

Eustaquino had calmed down the crowd until three more guards fell to the floor, then a second later blood curdling screams from the office were heard. The screaming stopped quickly along with crashing and quick pleas for mercy. The sounds had shaken the crowd into silence and sheer terror. The massive form of Mark came down the steps. He was covered with blood and he was panting heavily. For a split second Eustaquino thought he could see fire in his eyes, but it went away and reformed into the blank expression of his normal face.

Mark saw the crowd was OK, and they were all, including Eustaquino, staring at him. The rage subsided quickly. Mark took a quick look at the tables covered with bottles and white powder. It must be the cocaine Eustaquino had mentioned and there was a lot of it. Something had to be done about this. If these drugs were as important as Eustaquino had mentioned earlier, then someone would take these drugs and hurt more people with them. Mark decided to not allow that. He walked towards the people and they parted and opened a path to the locked door. Mark tried to open it, but it was locked. Eustaquino said, "One of these guards must have the key." He started to walk towards the other guards under the office. Mark said nothing. He stepped back and then kicked the door as hard as he could. The metal and wood gave way and the door flew open then fell off its hinges and clattered to the ground. Eustaquino stopped and said "I see you have the key already." Mark stepped to the side and then said to the bewildered crowd around him, "You are free."

Eustaquino translated and they all ran out the door, passing by Mark with trepidation, but they quietly thanked him. Mark was looking around the room. He looked at several metal tanks with flames painted on them. The last person ran from the door and Eustaquino followed. Mark stopped him and said, "I'll be right out." Eustaquino nodded then left the building. Mark grabbed one of the bottles from a work table and smelled the contents. It was ethanol. He then looked around the factory floor, there were four tanks filled with flammable liquids. He had an idea. He walked to Don Chilano's body and flipped it over. He felt the mans pockets and found a lighter and a handkerchief and his keys, there was a car key. Mark stuffed the handkerchief into the bottle of ethanol and waited until the cloth was saturated with it. Mark flicked the lighter and the cloth caught immediately. He threw it at the closest tank to the door which exploded on impact, fire licked at the large tank as Mark exited the building. Mark ran to the side of the building and saw what he was looking for, the Aston Martin Vanquish that belonged to Don Chilano. It was dark blue and beautiful. Eustaquino was waiting at the car, they got into the vehicle. Eustaquino had no time to admire the beauty of the car. Mark started it and put it in reverse. The car spun around and Mark put the car in drive. He sped out of the lot and onto the road just as the entire factory blew up. The night was suddenly day for a moment as a white fireball lit the sky for a brief second. Eustaquino laughed and he looked at Mark whose eyes were fixed on the road. With his blank expression he looked at Eustaquino and asked, "Are there any more places like this?"

Eustaquino stopped laughing and said, "There are thousands all over the world."

Mark turned a corner and said, "Not for long."

Chapter 18

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

JUNE 1968

Brazil was not like England, nor was it Germany or Belgium. Albert Earle did not like the heat, and he did not enjoy the sweat that dripped from his body when he did anything. He learned about all this in school and he heard about the tropical places as popular vacation spots. Albert envied those who went on tropical vacations when he was younger but, not anymore. He had been here three years, and he had barely gotten used to the heat and the bloody humidity. His mission was still the same, and apparently thanks to Joseph, he had contacts from both the KGB, CIA, and the local authorities. He had funding and a moderate house to live in. When both the CIA and the KGB operatives confronted him two years ago, the story was to fantastic to hear. There was a little band of miscreants who overnight became the most powerful political force on the planet. The U.N. had called it the division of underground science. Albert was barely able to talk to Joseph and General Davidoff monthly, but the communications from Brazil to the complex in Germany were shoddy at best. Since he went undercover, thanks to the powers of the KGB and the CIA, he was poised to infiltrate the upper echelon of prominent German families all over South America. Some were sympathetic to the Nazis which meant they also may have helped Mengele. The capture of Adolf Eichmann had sent Mengele deeper into the jungle and he was hard to track. Albert Earle was constantly three steps behind Mengele. He would hear about sporadic spurts of twins being born in certain areas where Mengele was rumored to be, yet when he got the news and investigated, Mengele had moved on. The doctor was still experimenting in some capacity.

Albert had found out the Mengele had some interests in a pharmaceutical company Fadro Farm in 1955, which gave him access to money and medicines. He moved around a lot , especially after Eichmann was captured. Mossad refused to share any information with the KGB or CIA, they wanted him to themselves. Pure vengeance and national pride on the part of Israel, the little nation in the middle of those other nations who hated them. Albert wished he could work with them, but there was no telling what they would do if they found out about his little project. The prospect of Mossad in the area was both a blessing and a misery. Dr. Mengele was also a blessing and a misery. It was known he was somewhere in the continent, but there were always conflicting reports that Mengele was either in Paraguay, Argentina, or Brazil. Fadro Farm, the pharmaceutical company that Mengele owned 50% of was in Buenos Aries and the Underground Science division could not get Albert there in a joint CIA/KGB project. There they were entirely focused on the Cold War. Albert decided that staying in Rio was the only option for him. It was rumored that Mengele liked Brazil, so this is where he would stay and wait for him to appear. The KGB, CIA and the local authorities were able to keep a sharp eye on the borders. Albert could keep with prominent German families and keep and ear out for whispers of his return. Albert also had to keep ahead of Mossad, one of the best in the business.

He sat in a little cramped office at the local CIA office. He was going over past reports of Mengele sightings and last week's border patrol reports. Nothing. It was amazing that Mengele lived very prosperously in South America, especially in the 1950's when he bought into the pharmaceutical company. He and other Nazis enjoyed asylum in Buenos Aries under sympathizer President Juan Peron. The cold war was bearing down hard and West Germany had taken the initiative to find him and other Nazis. Now he was scared. Mengele was wanted in just about every major country and South America was no different, but there was a pseudo Nazi underground in this region which had given Mengele the edge so far. Increasingly Albert was aware that the Nazi population in South America was part of a larger, more deeply entrenched entity. They all went about with their own names and they met in public. There was no evidence to support this claim, but Albert could feel a larger entity underneath every Nazi movement. It was not coincidence that South America was a haven for Nazi criminals, but there was absolutely no proof of any existence of anything anywhere.

Albert thought that having the freedom from cold war politics would give him an edge. But increasingly there was pressure from both sides and the Underground Science Division had little room to breathe. Mengele had an associate of Wolfram Bossert and apparently they were close. Bossert as it turned out, was quite adept at eluding Albert. So all he could do was come in to this little shabby office in the daytime and play a waiting game. Albert found time to enjoy most of what Rio had to offer. He even went out on dates now and again. But he could never let it go too far, any woman he fell in love with would be in danger. The big entity seemed more likely and Albert could not let an innocent be hurt. This hardened Albert considerably. There were several young women that tickled his fancy to the point that he could marry them, but the big entity shadowed his heart and he had to break off relationships left and right.

Albert read the daily reports and then put the folders back into the beat up file cabinet. He had sent out feelers for a link between all Nazis and Nazi sympathizers to find the big entity. Nothing ever came back, just that they were all part of high society and never met in public or as far as anyone could tell, in private. Though funds and agent availability were sparse to go after a non-existent organization with absolutely no proof whatsoever. Albert kept it at the forefront of is mind, no matter what. There was a connection. There was a large organization somewhere in this continent that harbored and kept Nazis safe from persecution.

Albert Earle had to get ready for an evening with the Hauptmann's, a prominent family, Nazi of course, who were holding a coming out party for their 18 year old daughter Mitzi. Albert was all to keen on knowing that he was almost a spitting image of Doctor Mengele in his early years. That is why he grew out his beard and lightened his hair. People would say he looked like he belonged to a family from Germany or Austria. He always said he was from the Hofstedtter family from a small village and his father was one of the first invaders of Warsaw in 1939, a Colonel. That was his back story. He also had to say "Heil Hitler" on some occasions. He had help from the CIA to keep undercover and play the part of a Nazi, but it still made him sick to hail that devil.

A small balding man knocked on Albert's door and came in. It was Dave Carlson, the CIA man for this region. He came in with his head covered in beads of sweat. "Mr. Earle, here is the background information on the Hauptmann's." He handed Albert the folder. Albert took it and thanked him, but he did not leave.

"Something on your mind Agent Carlson?" Albert asked.

"I have been thinking about your theory on what you call the big entity and I may have something, but it is a little silly." Carlson said as he wiped sweat from his head with a handkerchief.

"Believe me Agent Carlson, when I first came up with the theory I knew it was silly, so anything you have will be less silly in comparison," Albert replied.

Agent Carlson sat down across from Albert in a rickety old chair and began, "You know there was a society that Hitler adopted and changed to the Nazi Party in the 1920's correct?"

"Yes, as I recall it was the Thule Society, named after a mythical region near Iceland and Greenland where the mythical origins of the Aryan race were born." Albert said, "But they were dissolved in the mid 20's well before Hitler came to power. At its peak it had about 250 members."

"Yes, but there was an attempt at reinvention in 1933 by the original founder," Agent Carlson said.

"Was there?" Albert asked.

"Yes. The founder tried to get it going again, but there wasn't any news if he succeeded or not, it just kind of trailed off." Carlson said.

Albert thought for a moment. "Agent Carlson, that is not such a silly idea. It might be that there were offshoot fundamentalists who carried certain aspects of the societies beliefs during and after the war. It could explain the Nazi haven here in South America." The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"Exactly Mr. Earle, but as I said there has not been any mention since 1933 and we haven't found anything here in Brazil that even resembles the Thule Society." Carlson scratched his head and wiped more sweat from his brow. "It may be nothing" Carlson said.

"That is quite possible Agent Carlson," Albert said, "But I have learned that appearances are quite deceiving and it may appear that the Thule Society was originally against the Jewish people and communists, and they heavily believed in mysticism. If you think about it, South America and Africa is steeped in mysticism and racial strife. A breeding ground for Thule beliefs and practices. A society such as that could survive and thrive in these areas. But I must cast doubt on this. I don't believe that they could simply gain that much power without the CIA, SIS, and KGB getting a whisper of it. Even if we weren't looking. But I must say Agent Carlson, it is a plausible theory." Albert said. "So could we send out some small inquiries about it in passing?" Albert looked out the window to the sprawling shacks and dilapidated office buildings.

"We could kick over a few stones and see what's underneath." Carlson smiled. Apparently he needed this support of his theory in any way he could get so he could prove he was not under the spells of Dr. Mengele's twin. Agent Carlson left the room and closed the door, leaving Albert to his thoughts.

The Thule Society? He thought, they could in all actuality be off the map. Since their offshoot was the Nazi party who had become the forerunner of everyone's mind across the globe for so long. Under the right circumstances they could have gained power and still remained an empty space in common memory. Sometimes the best way to hide is in plain sight. Albert mulled this over for a few minutes. At least I have a possible name for the big entity, he thought. He then grabbed his coat and headed home. He had a party to go to.

Chapter 19

BRAZIL

March-April 2004

Eustaquino had told Mark that there were more drug making factories, but when he told him there were more in Boa Vista, Mark became obsessed. They were wanted men now. They were driving an imported car that anyone could recognize instantly. The smart move on their part was to run and hide, but not in Mark's mind. They stashed the Vanquish in a vacant garage and the hunt was on. Mark did his crowd scanning in various parts of the city and found more drug dealers. He systematically destroyed most of the drug manufacturing in Boa Vista in two weeks. Eustaquino had followed him and watched him get shot many times and watched as Mark came back to life and ripped the criminals apart. Aside from their "work" as Mark called it, Eustaquino answered some of Mark's questions about life, the city, God, human interaction and the like. Eustaquino answered the best he could, but there were some very deep questions that Mark asked. Eustaquino would say that he didn't know and Mark would furrow his brow. Mainly he told Mark about his life in more detail. He told Mark about his wife and children who lived in America. He told Mark about his military training and growing up, and playing games as a kid. Mark would sit and listen and ask more questions. Eustaquino knew that he never played as a kid. He did not know what being a kid was and doubted Mark could ever experience it. Eustaquino felt sorry and became more enamored with the boy the more they talked. The Boy had become like a son to Eustaquino.

Eustaquino mentioned that they needed money to have a place to stay, and food to eat, and replace Mark's bullet riddled clothing. Mark had him take care of it. So while Mark destroyed houses and warehouses, and people, Eustaquino would take all the large piles of cash and go through the drug dealers pockets and grab their wads of cash. In one week, they enough cash to buy half the city if they wanted, but Mark said they would use what they needed and keep the rest.

Mark had just cleared and destroyed the last warehouse and Eustaquino had bags of cash which they would stuff into the Vanquish. The last four satchels of money would fill it to the brim. Eustaquino had mentioned maybe they should take it to Dr. Meingle's place. Mark agreed without hesitation. It took them three days to figure out where the compound was. The route Mark talked about was long and they needed extra gas and a large truck. Mark found one at the last place they shut down and they began to load it with the bags of cash They found the compound on the map.

With all the good feelings Eustaquino felt, he did feel bad for the people Mark killed. He felt that is wasn't right, but he didn't want to argue with the boy. He would wait until they reached the compound and speak with the doctor about it first. He seemed to know exactly what Mark was and maybe they could both teach Mark not to kill so indiscriminately.

They were close to the compound. Eustaquino drove the magnificent car down with Mark in front in the cargo truck on the dirt road and felt at peace. He felt free. He had no more begging to do. The thought crossed his mind to retire with all this money and buy a house somewhere and live like a king, but he would not. This lost soul needed guidance. As powerful as Mark was, he was lost. Mark was doing right and Eustaquino could feel that maybe that is what Mark was created for, and he was there to help this boy.

The truck started to slow down and Eustaquino matched speed, then the truck turned to an almost hidden driveway. Eustaquino followed. They drove up a hill and there was a gate.

Mark furrowed his brow and said to himself, "That is new." They stopped and got out of their vehicles. Eustaquino saw a security camera pointing at them. It's motors whirred and focused. A speaker squawked and a man's voice with a British accent said, "Mark, you have come home! Glad to see you! Come in, we'll be waiting!"

Mark looked closer at the box and said, "Dr. Meingle?" but nothing was said back. The gate began to open. Mark's brow furrowed and he stood with his arms folded. "What is all this?" he asked.

"It is a security gate, with a camera and speaker," Eustaquino said.

"Hmm," was all Mark said.

"Let's go Mark, it sounds like you have people waiting."

Eustaquino drove up the hill and came to the clearing. Many small houses were in the clearing and then a large, white, three story mansion was all above it. The entire residency of the compound stood in the center. Eustaquino saw an old man with white hair and a beard smiling. He must be Meingle, then his eyes met the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. A young woman with long flowing black hair, white porcelain skin, and the prettiest yellow sun dress ever. She was beaming and jumping up and down. The rest looked like refugees. There were so many of them Eustaquino thought that the houses to people ratio was off. They parked and got out of the vehicles, Eustaquino stood beside Mark

"Who is that girl?" Eustaquino asked softly. She was captivating him.

"That is my sister Amber," Mark said, "There seems to be more people here than when I left. I recognize them from the drug factories and houses."

Eustaquino looked at Mark to see if his beautiful sister would bring a smile to his face, but no. his eyes slightly softened, losing their intensity, but just slightly. He still had the same blank expression.

Amber squealed and bounded right onto Mark, nearly knocking him over. She kissed his cheeks and laughed. Mark hugged her back, but his eyes were moving around the compound, scanning.

Dr. Meingle came up to Eustaquino and said, "Hello, I am Dr. Meingle. You must be Eustaquino Marquez?" Meingle extended his hand and Eustaquino shook it. "Yes sir, glad to meet you." The girl was still laughing and hugging her brother. Mark stood there and took it with his blank expression.

"I'm sure you have many questions Mr. Marquez and I am sure Mark has a billion." the doctor said matching his gaze to Mark and Amber. "They have not been apart for 25 years. Amber has really missed him. But let's get you settled first Mr. Marquez." Dr. Meingle looked at the people waiting about 20 yards away, they all were smiling. There was a very happy vibe to the place. Eustaquino could feel it. Mark was the only one who was not smiling.

Mark walked with Amber still clutched to him. All the refugees clamored to Mark and they shouted and sang. A fidgety man came up to Mark and started translating what the people said to Mark. Mark said "Thank you" and carried his sister who was hugging him tightly. Dr. Meingle led Eustaquino to the porch of the mansion and turned around under the shade to look at Mark receive a hero's welcome.

"I've been here off and on for 40 years and still can't get used to the bloody sun," Dr. Meingle said.

"What is all this?" was the only thing Eustaquino could say.

"We'll get to all of that later Mr. Marquez, for now let us say that your exploits with Mark are stories of legend. I am very interested in knowing all about it. Let's wait until the party stops shall we?"

"Okay," Eustaquino said. They stood and watched everyone clamor around Mark for a few minutes with his sister still holding onto him tightly. There was joy and laughter everywhere. "Why doesn't Mark ever smile?" Eustaquino asked.

"It was taken from him a long time ago," Dr. Meingle said.

Chapter 20

UNDERGROUND SCIENCE COMPLEX

EAST BERLIN, JULY 1969

This year was a breakthrough for science. Man had landed on the moon thus breaking the barriers of gravity and a great blow to ignorance was made. Perhaps if everyone saw that wonderful picture from the surface of the moon, they might realize that we are one planet, and the invisible barriers would be shattered and everyone could be part of the Earth and not from a country.

General Davidoff looked at his copy of the picture of the Earth as seen from the moon he had clipped from a newspaper. Sitting in his office, he felt pride in man's accomplishments. With what he had seen in all of these years, the results of a horrific yet brilliant mind, then the end of a bloody war, the deaths of many people, and now the blood test results from Joseph and Elsa that had confirmed what they had thought. Elsa was not immortal. Her body was able to heal very quickly, so rapidly that is was virtually instantaneous when injured. Elsa was also able to heal the ravages of time. Her body completely reversed itself from an old age and made her look at the peak of growth, but she does age. She will eventually succumb to mortality like the rest of us, but that is far ahead, decades, maybe even centuries.

General Davidoff put the picture down and pulled out the picture of his wife Alexandra and his son Sergei. She had left him earlier this year and moved to America. Such is the price of this life. General Davidoff wanted them to be better off because the cold war may be a joke here underground, but up there it was a reality that was frightening. Alexandra did not like this life. She had no politics. She wanted a place of her own, a place for Sergei to grow and live a life. She had no thoughts of a political agenda. She just wanted to make her bread and enjoy life. It was forbidden to allow families to know what went on down here. The U.N. had a strict set of rules. Any findings were to be given to the council and they would decide what to do with them. The findings General Davidoff had in the diplomatic pouches in front of him confirmed the regenerative healing of Elsa. General Davidoff was in very close with the KGB's high command. These results would be kept secret and engineered slowly and used slightly. Instead of inoculating the world with long life, it was to be configured to be a rapid situational healing shot. It would be localized to the injured area and then it would leave the body.

The U.N. had lived up to their name, United. They would use it for the right purpose and not military superiority. General Davidoff had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pride. All the people killed with Mengele's experiments had now been killed for a good cause. General Davidoff could still feel the horror of what he did. Children and families tainted by the monster and their look of peace when he and his squad killed them. He started thinking of when he and his squad had found Elsa...

AUSCHWITZ CONCENTRATION CAMP

POLAND, DECEMBER 1946

In 1945, he and his group were clearing Auschwitz and they saw the ovens, the gas chambers, the barracks, and the prisoner barracks. The horrors of what was done lingered in the air. The place was a vortex of evil. The smell of burned bodies was so very faint, but it still was there. It was a living nightmare. The place had been emptied, but no one had really given Mengele's office a thorough check. The place distorted the mind and even to the bravest soldier, what had been done here was too terrible to have any logical thought process. You came into Auschwitz and you wanted to leave immediately. Because of this, there was no fine tooth combing of the place. There was Major Davidoff and his squad, which included Corporal Pierce from the US Army, Sergeant Booth from the Royal Army and finally Captain Strasser, a former SS officer of Auschwitz who had surrendered to the Russian army in 1942. He was a prisoner for some time, but he helped out so well, that when the Allied Command began the search for Mengele's projects, Strasser's knowledge of Auschwitz would prove invaluable. Strasser had found out what the Final Solution was, and he could not do it. He was so torn between his patriotism and his humanity that he was unable to stop it. The man had suffered mentally and in the Gulag. German SS prisoners in Russia were not very welcome and Strasser had paid for his loyalty to Hitler many times in the Gulag. Strasser was happy to be with Davidoff and the others and even though he had a rough three years, doing the good work of the Allied Command was his salvation.

The four of them entered Mengele's office. It had been stripped of its furnishings, but the walls were what they were looking at today. Many high ranking SS officials had secret compartments or passageways in their offices. Many led to bunkers or hidden rooms full of highly classified materials. No one had searched Mengele's office, that is why they were here.

Overcoming the weight of Auschwitz was hard, but the squad fought it as hard as they could. They focused on the walls. There were no signs of any hidden passageways they could see from the surface, but there had to be something. This was his favorite place. This is where he did his work and there had to be something here. Documents would be ideal. The damned SS had burned just about everything they could, documents, people, prisoners. They were thorough.

Major Davidoff, Captain Strasser, Corporal Pierce and Sergeant Booth each took a wall and they started feeling them from top to bottom. The walls were painted brick which had been white at some point, but now they were dusty and yellowed. Davidoff did not want to think what the color and dust came from. He closed his eyes and concentrated solely on his sense of touch. They needed some sort of depression or a loose brick. After several minutes it was Booth who found something.

"Major, I say, I have found a loose brick," he said standing back and marking the brick with a pencil. Everyone stopped and gathered with Booth.

"Good," Davidoff said, "let's see what happens."

"You don't suppose it is some sort of trap do you Major?" Booth asked nervously.

"Oh for God's sake," Captain Strasser said, and he fiddled with the brick. It came out from its place and there was a keyhole. "See a keyhole," he said throwing the brick to the ground. Everyone gave a sigh of relief.

"Does anybody know how to pick a lock?" Strasser asked.

"Of course," Corporal Pierce said, "I grew up in Hell's Kitchen." He pulled out a little pouch from inside his jacket. In it were two metal rods and he started working on the lock.

"I thought this place was Hell's Kitchen." Davidoff said.

Everyone stopped and looked at him. "Isn't that the God's truth," Booth said.

Pierce worked in silence for a few minutes. Finally the lock turned. The wall right beside it depressed and then slid open revealing a dark passageway. They all turned on their flashlights and pointed it down the hallway. It went on past the beams. Davidoff stepped inside and ruffled the thin layer of dust on the floor. The smell of the camp was concentrated in the hall. Each soldier covered their noses and cursed. Davidoff went forward and the rest followed. Each of them put a handkerchief or rag over their noses. Davidoff covered his with his sleeve. The passageway went on for about 100 meters with three series of steps downward. At the end was a wooden door. "We must be under some of the furnaces." Pierce said through his rag.

"Bloody Hell!" Booth said

Davidoff opened the door and the room was vast and dark. He looked at each side for a light switch and found four of them. He flipped them on and the lights came on overhead. The room was the size of the large furnace rooms above, yet there were no furnaces in here. There were piles of shoes, clothes, eyeglasses, false teeth, and skulls stacked against the walls. In the middle of the room a glass walled room with 10 hospital beds lining the walls. The main concentration of lights were there. On shelves in the room there were specimen containers with human eyes, hands, and strange growths. This must have been one of Mengele's experiment rooms. Past the glass chamber was a heavy metal door with bars on it. An isolation room. The men slowly looked at each pile of belongings, and Davidoff looked at the eyes of prisoners staring back at him, lidless, lifeless, and floating in jars. Davidoff felt a wave of fright go through him and he shuddered. Each man was silent as they looked at everything in the room.

Davidoff reached the end of the room and headed to the isolation room door. He felt something warm wash over him and then he smelled jasmine. Pleasurable thoughts crept into his mind. "Over here!" he said breathlessly. "It smells so good over here!" he said taking in a deep breath. Booth and Pierce came over and their faces went from puzzled to euphoric.

"My word!" Booth said.

"Holy Jesus!" Pierce said.

They all found the scent so wonderful, except for Strasser, he looked frightened.

Davidoff was going to ask him, but he didn't care. This was heaven. He felt so good. The scent became stronger and he closed his eyes. There was nothing on this earth more wonderful than this scent. He heard a banging on the door. Something inside was wanting to get out. He walked to the door and turned the lock. Strasser screamed "NO!" and tried to stop Davidoff, but he did not make it in time. Davidoff turned the handle and then felt the door open and hit the wall with a giant clang. The scent became stronger and he fell to his knees, so did Booth and Pierce. All was perfection then a figure leapt from the room growling. Davidoff's senses became aware of the sound and he was sexually excited. The dirty figure jumped onto Booth and covered him, wriggling around his body. Booth laughed and fell backwards. Strasser tackled the figure and it fell on the floor with a guttural growl. Booth was covered in blood and he laughed euphorically. Davidoff felt like laughing too. It was such a good feeling. Booth looked so happy. Strasser pulled out his Luger and shot the figure several times. It screamed and flew into a pile of false teeth, making them clatter everywhere. Strasser then reloaded his gun and gave medical attention to Booth, who was still laughing. Strasser managed to get a pressure bandage on the wound on Booth's neck. The figure then appeared again, jumping on Strasser's back. Strasser yelled, got up and rammed the figure into the wall. The figure let loose and fell to the floor in a mass of dirty clothes and hair. It looked up and Davidoff saw the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. It was a woman underneath all the tattered clothes and dirt. Her green eyes were so intense.

Strasser spun around and pulled his Luger again and shot the woman in the head. She slumped over and fell to the ground. Strasser then picked her up and threw her into the isolation room, then he slammed the door shut and locked it. He slumped down on the floor breathing hard. Booth was lying in his own blood, still laughing. Davidoff and Pierce had gotten up and went to the door. Strasser said nothing as he got back up. The pleaded with him to open the door, but all Strasser did was hit Pierce over the head with the Luger. Pierce fell to the ground, unconscious and Davidoff went for the door. He saw those eyes behind the bars and he wanted to get lost in them. Strasser blocked the way and then hit Davidoff over the head. Davidoff went dark.

Davidoff woke up later in the hospital. Pierce was sitting up in bed laughing with Strasser. Strasser saw Davidoff wake up and came over to his bed.

"Major, good of you to wake up. I am sorry about hitting you over the head," he said.

"What happened?" Davidoff asked.

"We found a person in that room and you all became entranced. I somehow was immune to the scent. She killed Booth and I had to knock you and Pierce out. You two were going to release her again."

"What the hell is she?" Davidoff asked.

"She is one of Dr. Mengele's experiments gone wrong," Strasser said.

"Where is she now?" Davidoff asked.

"She has been sedated and is being transported to Berlin to one of the hospitals," Strasser replied.

"I must see her again!" Davidoff said as he tried to get up, but he was restrained to the bed. "What is this?" he commanded.

Strasser held him down and said in a calm voice, "You have yet to be inoculated, you can't get up now."

"Inoculated?" Davidoff asked.

"Yes." Strasser said as he filled up a syringe with contents from an ampule with a label written in German and had the SS and Swastika symbols on it. "I'm injecting you with what I and every other soldier who worked there were injected with."

"What is it?" Davidoff asked.

"The Doctor said it was to protect us from absolute beauty." Strasser said. "We thought it was from the pretty Jewish girls, and we thought it didn't work, many of us fell for the Jewish girls anyway."

Strasser plunged the needle into Davidoff's arm and Davidoff winced. Davidoff felt a warm feeling then his thoughts of escaping to find that woman ebbed, he still thought of her but not in a panicked need he felt as soon as the door to her was closed.

Davidoff's head became clearer and he sat up in his bed. Strasser set the syringe and ampule down on the table next to him. Davidoff looked at the man who had a tear running down his cheek. Strasser then began to speak quietly.

"I deserved every punishment I received in the Gulag Major. Even though I was misguided and uninformed, I did my job. I sent hundreds of people to their deaths under the guise of 'orders' but it was me who carried out those orders. You'll never know what it was like to see the faces of dozens of naked women, men, and children being marched to the chambers. They were so frightened and confused. Holding onto each other for comfort and not feeling anything but disgust because we were told they were just animals. Then we closed the doors and hearing the screams, but laughing at them, making bets on how long until the silence. Small, weak fists pounding on the door, cries for help, cries to God for help. I confess Major, at the time I felt nothing for them. We would make the other Jewish prisoners carry the bodies to the ovens and I considered the bodies nothing more than firewood. Then once the vomit and the blood inside the chambers were wiped away we would bring more in and repeat the cycle." More tears came from Strassers' eyes.

Major Davidoff put his hand onto Strassers shoulder and said "You've paid for your crimes Captain, you are helping them now by helping us gather information to not let this happen again. We were all young and misguided Captain, I was part of the force that destroyed every town and village on our way to Berlin. We massacred thousands and razed Berlin to the ground. We thought of you as animals too. But I know different now Captain and so do you." Davidoff patted Strassers shoulder. Strasser sobbed loudly and pulled away from Davidoff's hand.

"Major," Strasser said with a trembling voice, "You killed soldiers who were animals. I should have died with them without a fight. I slaughtered innocent people. In the Gulag my fellow soldiers felt we were being treated unfairly. It wasn't until them, as a prisoner myself did the scope of my in-humanness made me realize what I was. That inoculation should protect you from that woman we found, it was given to us by Mengele himself. I did not realize until today what I enabled him to do to those people. If circumstances were different then, I would have killed him myself before all of that happened." Strasser stood up and wiped the tears off his face. "Major Davidoff, I apologize but I cannot continue to be a part of this. I am going to where I belong."

Davidoff stood up and said, "Captain, you belong here with us! You will continue with this unit until the mission is complete!" Davidoff ordered.

Captain Strasser remained stoic. "Major sir, my mission is to pay for my crimes. Don't let any ideology take the place of your humanity. We're all in this together as one people. I gave up my humanity for an ideology and I must pay for my crime in Hell." Strasser saluted Davidoff, then pulled out his Ruger and shot himself in the head.

The blood splattered onto the face of a stunned Major Davidoff.

Chapter 21

Meingle Compound

May 2004

It was well after midnight. Mark had been reading metallurgy, welding, and construction books. His appetite for learning was insatiable, but he was not getting nearly enough sleep. Mark conceded that he should have a set bedtime and at least try for 6 hours of sleep per night. He usually slept for two to four hours so he would remain still and keep his mind clear, just focusing on his breathing. Mark considered it substantial rest anyway. Having been given terrible visions and then strapped to a cot and encased in an electrified razor wire box on the island didn't allow a small child any comfort to sleep.

Mark set his books down in the library and marked the pages he was on then went upstairs, he silently opened the door to Amber's' room and checked on her. She was fast asleep and her pleasant face showed through even at rest. Satisfied that she was asleep he then went to his room. He laid on his bed and closed his eyes. Going to sleep had been ritualized for him. His mind was constantly thinking of everything. It was somewhat difficult to stop the thoughts, but he had mastered it quickly. He was feeling restless though, his thoughts would often go toward the others who were taken from the island. He had Amber, but he wanted the others. He knew that they were important, but at this time he could not figure out why. He would speak to Dr. Meingle about it in the morning.

The sound of a thump in Amber's room awoke him. He opened his eyes and tried to get up but something heavy restrained him quickly. There were men in his room, he counted six then he heard Amber's voice in the hallway, "Who are you?" she asked pleasantly, "What are you wearing masks for? It isn't Halloween?" Then three more men came into his room and they shoved Amber inside she fell to the floor and grunted "OW!" she said, "That was rude!" Mark tried again to get up but four men restrained him, they were massive, about 300 pounds each.

"What do you want?" Mark asked.

A man Mark hadn't seen came in from the balcony, He was dressed in black as the others. He spoke with an accent, "You have disrupted our operations. You have taken our money and destroyed our product. We want our money back and business to continue." The man said as he grabbed Amber roughly and then held a gun to her head.

"You are mistaken" Mark said.

"You are saying that you did not do these things? Por Favor? We know it was you" The man said laughing.

I am not denying that," Mark said, "You are mistaken that hurting her will do anything." Mark said.

All the men in the room started laughing. The man clicked a radio and spoke into it. A few seconds later a bound and gagged Dr. Meingle was brought in to the room. The leader went over to Dr. Meingle and pointed a gun to his head. "We'll find some way to persuade you."

"You do not want to do that." Mark said. "Killing him will not get you anything."

All the men laughed and Mark looked at Amber who was sitting in the corner pleasantly smiling, Dr. Meingle was understandably frightened.

The leader lowered his weapon. "I suppose it's true Senor, from what we've heard you are most dangerous. Tell me, por favor, did Don Chilano actually shoot you in the head? I only ask this because there are rumors that you are a demon and immortal. Is that also true?" The man asked.

"It is true!" Amber said with pride, "My brother was shot in the head but that didn't stop him. Nothing can stop him. You guys are dead now and you don't know it." she said giggling.

The men laughed and the leader chortled. "Such high praise! She speaks the truth?" Mark said nothing, Dr. Meingle blinked sweat from his eyes, Amber giggled sweetly "Yes," She said, "Mark does not like lies." The leader laughed slightly, the room became tense. Amber looked at Mark and he nodded. The leader saw this and pointed the gun at her. She started laughing uncontrollably.

"You are crazy!" the leader yelled, Amber laughed harder, Dr. Meingle looked puzzled, Mark focused on the leader. Amber caught her breath. "You are scared now mister!" She said sweetly, "I'll let you in on a secret though..." she said as she got up. The leader stepped back and more guns were pointed to her. She stood up and began taking off her pajamas slowly. "There is one thing my brother does not like..not...one...bit." She said as she unbuttoned her shirt. All the men in the room tensed up, Mark felt the men holding him down loosen their grip slightly. Amber stopped with her shirt and held it slightly open, not revealing anything. The leader lowered his gun, Amber arched her back and with her arms she slid off her bottoms and panties. She smiled seductively as the soft thud of her clothes fell on the floor. All the men gasped as she opened up her shirt, revealing her naked body.

When she did that Mark got free and grabbed the throat of the man to his left, the man screamed as Mark quickly crushed the man's windpipe. Before they could react, Mark snapped the neck of another man and put another in a headlock. Amber jumped and knocked the leader away then pushed herself and Dr. Meingle into the hallway. They both hit the wall and fell down. Amber took the gag off Dr. Meingle and began untying his hands. There was shuffling and screaming then a single gunshot. All went silent as Amber set his hands free. All that could be heard was a quiet gurgling sound, then a frightened voice muffled. Then slow footsteps and then two soft snaps then muffled screaming. It's okay Dr. Meingle" Amber said softly, "Mark is done."

Mark appeared in the doorway, covered in blood. "Dr. Meingle?" he asked with no emotion.

"Good Lord!" Meingle said, "Are you okay Mark?" Amber giggled and Mark said, "Yes, come with me." Mark tossed Amber's clothes to her and went back inside his room. Amber dressed herself then came in. The leader was on the floor unconscious, there were other dead or dying men on the floor. Meingle noticed that the leader's arms had been twisted and the bones of his forearms were protruding out of the skin and clothes. Mark handed Meingle a wallet and Meingle opened it. There was a name, Juan Carlos and a badge. It was the authorities who did this! Meingle thought. Mark waited while Dr. Meingle composed himself a little bit then asked, "If these men were government authorities, why would they want the drugs to continue?"

Dr. Meingle cleared his throat, "There is a lot of corruption in local and federal governments Mark. These men were paid to look the other way while the cartels did their business."

"Hmm." as all Mark said and his eyebrows furrowed. Dr. Meingle continued, "It isn't all government police and politicians that are corrupt, but they are just as dangerous. You have started a revolution of sort Mark, they'll be after you and all of us. I was hoping that you could do this Mark." Meingle said.

"Why?" the soft voice of Amber asked.

"My dear, you two are special. There is a lot of injustice in the world and it takes more than a few protests and laws to completely stop it. I've spent decades trying to find you to help out the world by being a powerful force for justice." Meingle explained.

Mark turned his head, "Then you know what we were at the island for?" Mark asked.

"Unfortunately Mark I have no idea, I do know all of you were taken away for reasons I haven't been able to find out. I was only just able to find out where you were and secure your release." Meingle said.

"All of us?" Mark asked, "You said all of us doctor, who are the others?"

Meingle cleared his throat, "The others are your brother and sisters."

Amber's eyes lit up and she squealed, "They are our family! Mark! Can you believe this!?"

Mark turned around and faced his sister and Dr. Meingle. "That explains a few things. Why were they not brought here?"

Amber looked at Dr. Meingle with a sad look, "Yeah! Why not?"

Dr. Meingle swallowed, he felt nervous and fearful. Seeing firsthand what Mark could do was terrifying, "I was only able to get the two of you. I had to make a deal with Davidoff, he wanted the others for his own purposes. In addition to the large sum of money I paid to get him to do this he wanted them, He would not budge on that. I apologize children." Meingle replied

"Do not apologize doctor." Mark said, "You did what you could with what you had."Mark said and Amber hugged the old man.

"The fact is that Amber and I are not able to do this on our own. Amber is not capable of what needs to be done, and I can not ask Eustaquino or any of the other men to risk their lives. So three things need to be accomplished in the next few weeks; one, this man will be fixed up and sent back to wherever he came from with a message to not bother us. Two; I will do what I can to improve security on the compound. Three; We need to find the location of our brother and sisters and bring them here. Their talents are also unique and can be utilized...just one more thing doctor." Mark said

"Anything." Dr. Meingle replied.

"What are their names?" Mark asked.

"Your brother is Lawrence, and your sisters are Beverly and Ginger." Dr. Meingle answered.

Amber jumped up and down with joy, Mark furrowed his eyebrows. "I seem to recall those names come to think of it." Mark took a step back, Dr. Meingle watched closely. There was a quick flash of emotion in Mark's eyes but it dissipated as quickly as it appeared.

Mark turned his attention to Amber, "Amber, fix up this man, get Eustaquino to help. I will clean this room and when the man wakes up, come get me. He will send a message to the rest of them that we do not wish to be further disturbed." Amber nodded and left the room, "Dr. Meingle, see what you can find out about my family. I want them here as soon as possible."

"Of course, I'll get right on it." then Dr. Meingle left the room.

Chapter 22

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

BERLIN, JULY 1969

General Davidoff came back to the present. So much has happened since that day. The world has changed since the war. This Cold War had actually begun to take on a more serious role. The more they in the Underground Science Division separated themselves, the more the politicians took over. This was the nature of these things. Davidoff thought, we created a monster in the cold war, and now it has escaped. Thankfully the U.S. and Soviet nuclear arsenals were only a third of what they were boasting so whole world nuclear destruction was virtually impossible. If they somehow manage to make it through the cold war without a single shot that would be perfect. Davidoff always remembered what Captain Strasser had said the day he died. Davidoff shed any ideology and became an infiltrator to the ideology of his country. He lied when he took oaths for it and defended mother Russia. He only believed in the betterment of mankind, that is why he prayed daily for Strassers' soul to be welcomed in heaven. If he were alive today, he may not have judged himself too quickly. He could have seen that what he wanted is becoming a reality in Elsa, who is the world's hope at a brighter future. A future of healthy long lasting life. No diseases like cancer could harm people. Davidoff imagined the world in such a way, where he could sit on a stoop with Albert, Joseph, and dear Elsa, drinking tea and laughing away the days in friendship. He hoped he could see his son again, see the man he would become. The future was bright here in the underground, it was only a matter of time.

General Davidoff shook himself awake. It was late and he would say goodbye to Elsa and Joseph then head home. He put the diplomatic pouch at the edge of his desk and then left his office closing the door and locking it.

It was almost time to go to sleep, Joseph thought as he looked at his watch. Davidoff would be coming through here any moment on his way home. Joseph and Elsa were sitting in her chamber listening to the Brandenburg Concertos. They had not spoken a word since they started the music. He and Elsa were at that comfortable place where no one had to say anything. He was in heaven at this moment.

The complex door opened and a very tired General Davidoff came lumbering in. Elsa turned down the music and stood up and hugged the General. "My dear Yuri! You work too hard!" she said as she kissed his cheek. The old man blushed as usual and hugged her back. "I know dear, I am getting old."

Joseph stood up and grabbed his coat. It was warm here with her, but the rest of the complex was cold. "General you know you could be part of the testing of the new serum from Elsa's blood," he said. "It could take some years off you and give you energy?"

"No my dear boy. I have seen too many horrible things. I don't wish to hold onto those memories any longer than needed. I will die when it is my natural time. The medicines from here are for the future generations, it would be best if we let the old die naturally," the General said.

"Very philosophical General," Elsa said laughing, "You've been thinking on this for quite some time."

"Yes, an old man reflects a lot. Well no matter, good night dear." he kissed her hand and then motioned for Joseph to come along. Joseph said his goodbye to Elsa and then the two men left her chamber. They walked down the halls in silence for a few moments, but Joseph broke the silence. "General you seem to be quite reflective recently, is everything alright?"

"Yes I am okay, like I said, an old man reflects," the General said through a yawn. Joseph stopped walking and the General almost bumped into him. They were at the entrance of Davidoff's office, "why don't you go ahead home General, I can go to my room." Joseph said.

"Now Joseph, you know the rules," the General started to say but Joseph stopped him.

"General, Radvic is in Moscow giving the monthly briefing to the High Command, he won't be back for two days. I promise not to sneak into Elsa's room tonight. The way High Command treats us is a little childish wouldn't you say?"

General Davidoff looked at the door atop the stairs that led to his office. "Perhaps you are right, I know you wouldn't sneak out even though you love her, but please promise me?" Davidoff asked. Joseph shook his head "General please! I am an adult. But I give you my solemn word that I will not sneak into her chamber."

General Davidoff smiled and patted Joseph's shoulder. "Forgive me Joseph. Radvic is very persuasive and I am becoming an old fool. Good night my boy, see you tomorrow."

Joseph watched as the General ascended the stairs and disappeared from view. Joseph then turned and walked down the hall. He was supposed to turn left at the junction ahead, but instead he turned right heading toward the laboratories. He walked casually past the seven labs and came to the supply closet. He took out two paper clips and picked the lock quickly. He went inside and turned on the light. This is where they kept all of the syringes and beakers. Joseph grabbed a syringe and then killed the lights and closed the door. He then went to lab number 5 and picked the lock again. He opened the door and turned on the light. The room was all white with highly polished metal lab benches with microscopes and petri dishes all arranged in perfect order. The Underground scientists were sticklers for perfection. Joseph walked over to the small refrigerator at the far end of the room. He opened it and found the storage unit for the vials marked "Hofstedtter- Jun1969". He opened the unit and took out one of the vials. He took the cap off of the syringe and filled it completely with the vials' contents. He took off his belt and wrapped it around his arm causing the veins in his arm to distend. He then inserted the needle and pushed the plunger.

Joseph thought, if this works the way they say it does then he would be with her forever. He let go of the belt and felt the serum in his arm. It was warm and tingly. He had to work quickly. He grabbed a saline bottle and deposited the same amount of saline back into the vial with the syringe then replaced the vial and closed the refrigerator door. He threw the syringe away and then left the room, locking the door and turning off the lights behind him. He walked down the hall. The serum was in his entire arm now and it became somewhat painful. At the junction to his room he bumped into Gregor, one of the guards.

"Oh jeez Gregor! You scared me!" Joseph said. The serum was in his head now and it was starting to cloud his senses and he began to sweat.

"Mr. Earle, where is the General?" Gregor asked.

"He went home, he was very tired." Joseph said as normally as he could, but there was an increasing headache. Gregor looked at him with trepidation.

"Are you okay Mr. Earle?" Gregor asked, "You look ill."

Joseph had to close his eye from the pain, "I just had a little too much brandy tonight, I can't hold my liquor very well," he said with a soft chuckle.

Gregor relaxed and smiled, "That is why I drink one ounce of vodka a day, too much and you pay for it the next day. Come on, I'll escort you to your room."

Gregor put Joseph's arm around his massive shoulders and half carried him down the hall.

Joseph was beginning to feel dizzy. "I'm sorry we broke protocol tonight Gregor. We were just celebrating good news a little too hard, " Joseph said pushing through the pain.

"It is good sometimes to go overboard Mr. Earle, and don't worry I will not report it. I think you will not be going anywhere tonight." Joseph mustered a laugh and Gregor laughed with him. They came to Joseph's door. Gregor opened it and then set Joseph on the bed. He then took off Joseph's shoes and covered him with a blanket. "You will pay dearly for this in the morning Mr. Earle, but for now have a good night." "I will," Joseph said and then the dizziness in his head over came him and he seemed to pass out. Gregor shut the door and walked down the hall. Joseph's entire body was now engulfed in a burning feeling and vertigo. It wasn't so much painful as it was unnerving. He felt everything differently and there was no up or down, there was no solids, everything was liquid and he swam in it. There were lights that jumped in his head. They were all colors in brilliant distorted rainbows. He was adrift in an illogical existence but one thing was clear in his mind, her smile. It was as large and bright like the sun and it warmed him from the inside out. The lights began to fade and he was drifting into night and then asleep.

Chapter 23

MEINGLE COMPOUND

MAY 2004-February 2005

Mark was getting the heroes treatment. He didn't think he should get that kind of praise. He would prefer to be left alone. Yet common courtesy was to politely accept the attention. Mark had been learning. Between Dr. Meingle, Eustaquino and the large library in the mansion, he knew most the history of the world now. It was far more violent than he had imagined. Dr. Meingle had explained the story or the origins of Mark and his family.

Dr. Meingle was part of a United Nations project called Underground. It was to study and understand some sort of ultra secret project the Nazi's called "Phoenix". There was a woman named Elsa Hofstedtter and two brothers named Joseph and Albert Earle along with several hundred others including a General Yuri Davidoff who worked on this project. Elsa was the mother of Mark and Amber and their other brother and sisters named Ginger, Beverly, and Lawrence. The project was stopped and taken over by an unknown faction in 1979. The children were taken by this faction to Attu Island in the Aleutians for intense intelligence research, hence the testing of injections and hallucinations. Mark was less interested in the failed project than he was about retrieving his brother and sisters. Amber spoke of them frequently and she would cry sometimes. That had to stop.

Mark was insanely busy all the time. His studies were constantly interrupted by drug cartels seeking knowledge and/or money from the Boa Vista cartels. They were disruptive to Mark and everyone in the compound. The studies of wars of the past gave Mark more help in fighting off the disruptions. Mark would kill all but one disruption and send him back with the heads of the others and a very clear message, stay away. They hardly listened though and it was escalating. More soldiers and more weapons. Dr. Meingle had a medium sized laboratory in the basement of the mansion. Though he never used it, all the basics were there. Mark became interested in chemistry and he was naturally gifted. There were books on chemistry in the library and Mark would send Eustaquino out to the cities and towns to gather ingredients if they were controlled or illegal. Mark would buy them on the black market. For over a month he would be in the basement lab working on deterrents for the cartels. He was not alone. Most of the able bodied men in the compound would help fight off the cartels. They kept the weapons from previous intrusions and they would be ready in a moments notice if trouble arrived.

When Mark had finished his perimeter counter-measures, the cartels stopped. Their men would simply disappear or find their way back half burned and completely out of their minds. Mark had introduced chemical warfare to them and he realized that death was not always the appropriate answer for these situations. He would strip their minds clean and send them back as the message. It was a constant reminder not to mess with him. Mark's plan worked and after a few months, the cartels in South America backed down and offered their services to Mark if he needed them. He had become the most dangerous man in Brazil. As soon as the disruptions stopped, Mark focused on finding his family. He wanted Amber to stop crying. There was so much to learn and so much to do that he never had any free time. Along with chemistry, he was learning history, art, music, physics, metallurgy, and anything else he could get his hands on. His intelligence grew daily. He would fly through at least 6 books on a daily basis. He ordered many changes to the compound and drew up the plans for better productivity and spatial organization. He turned a refugee compound into a small town, complete with its own Army and power sources. They could cut themselves off from the rest of the world and live forever.

Dr. Meingle had given Mark the name of the man who had raped his sister on the plane, Sergei Davidoff. The son of General Yuri Davidoff. Mark now focused all of his attention to finding him. Through Meingle's black market contacts he found that Davidoff owned a shipping facility in New York City. His black market dealing of drugs and weapons was his main source of income. Davidoff had 75 offices all over the United States, any of which could be where his family kept both his shipping and illegal activities. Mark focused on the smaller ones. Apparently his brother and sisters were excellent at computers and bookkeeping and staying under the authorities' radar. They all seemed to have gifts similar to Mark's but in different areas. The time-line fit. When Mark had come to the compound, Davidoff's shipping income had tripled and his supply routes had disappeared, yet he still somehow prospered. Mark knew that Lawrence would be the computer whiz. He was very good with all manner of circuitry. Lawrence would find broken radios on the island and put them back together, also his hallucinatory visions were always about computers and gadgetry. Ginger was good at medicine and mathematics. She would calculate while they waited for more tests. She had figured out the hours and minutes even before they had found out about time. Her hallucinations must have been from mathematic and medical professionals. Beverly was Mark's second. She still had emotions, but she was very powerful and she always had tactics. She would always try and find weaknesses in their captors then try to exploit them. Amber always got happy images. She was treated better than the rest of them. She became love and tolerance. Mark figured his was the worst of humanity. All the depravity, anger, atrocities, and evil was injected into his brain. He knew the darkness of humanity, he knew it all. Yet there was something in him. A sliver of good that influenced more than everything else. Mark had suppressed every emotion, but this was a small yet powerful force in him that led to his decisions to protect. Dr. Meingle call it his conscience, Eustaquino called it God.

Medieval torture devices piqued his interest. It seems that he was not the only one who had ideas. People of the past knew how to rule. They instilled fear in order to rule, yet they were corrupted by power, and greed. That was the key, no power, no greed, just fear. Mark began to see a role for him in this world. Whether this was chosen or not, he was the tool to stop the corruption and the greed. A plan formed in his head. It was something that had never been attempted in history because of the fragility of humanity. He was not quite human. He could not be killed or stopped. He knew they would try, but he would not let them. But first he needed the rest of his family.

Eustaquino walked the bright halls of Mark's laboratory underneath the mansion. He was the only one allowed down there. Everyone else was not. There was not much opposition to this. Eustaquino knew of Mark's plans. He did not agree with them, but he knew that this was Mark's path. He could not judge him. The history of this boy was far worse than anything he had ever heard. Mark had no help from God in his life until now. Eustaquino knew that he was Mark's guardian angel, or at least a guide. Mark did what he felt compelled to. The more he learned, the more be became empowered. His presence became much more impressive and it seemed like the legend of him grew day by day, and now he was a giant. Eustaquino came with the latest reports from the Davidoff Shipping quarterly budget, broken down by office. Eustaquino did not know what these numbers meant but, he was sure that Mark could find something in those numbers. The more he got to know the boy, the more he loved him.

Eustaquino opened the first door. It was Mark's welding lab. The temperature was about 20 degrees hotter than the hallway. There was the smell of burning metal and ozone. Mark was in the middle of the room over a table with several miniature guillotines. He was attaching pneumatic pistons to the blade housings.

"Mark, here is the report you wanted." Eustaquino said as he closed the door.

Mark stopped mid-wrench, came over and took the paper from Eustaquino. "Thank you," he said. Mark had been working on manners in order to make others feel at ease when talking to him.

Mark scanned the report and said, "Good, they are in Arizona. Find out what we need and get it." He wadded the paper and looked at Eustaquino, "Oh right, please?" Mark had requested that Eustaquino would not leave until Mark used his manners.

Eustaquino smiled and said, "You are getting better at remembering Mark, this is a good thing!"

"Yes I know. Thank you for doing this. Maybe eventually I can blend in with a crowd," Mark said returning to the mini-guillotines.

"What is that for?" Eustaquino asked, "It looks like small guillotines."

"It is, it is also a gift for Davidoff," Mark said and he picked up the wrench.

"I don't think he will like it," Eustaquino said.

Mark began tightening a bolt. "Not all gifts are good ones. There are some that can teach a lesson, sometimes a very important lesson, like keeping your hands to yourself."

"I see," Eustaquino said, "will there by anything else I can do for you Mark?"

Mark stopped wrenching, "As a matter of fact there is, two things. I need 16 high voltage heating elements and I would like to begin reading fiction books. Let's start with the classics then move on to recent fiction." Mark grabbed another bolt and began tightening it. "Please, if it is not too much trouble." Eustaquino smiled and left the room.

Chapter 24

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

JULY 1969

Joseph Earle opened his eyes and saw bright light. He was in his bedroom. It had been a rough night, but he felt more rested than ever. He felt more happy than ever. He felt very good in all ways possible. He looked around the room and found that everything was not as dark and drab as it usually was. The beauty of it all was breathtaking. His tattered old lamp looked much better, it was still the same lamp but its dings and dents were now part of its character. This was his lamp and he loved it.

There was a knock on the door and General Davidoff came in. "Morning Joseph. I heard you had some problems with brandy last night." The General looked well rested and radiant. He gave the impression that he was very commanding and forceful, yet warm and caring.

"Oh General, yes I took a big drink right after you left last night. I felt too excited after the good news yesterday so I needed to calm my nerves down a bit. I guess I had a bit too much," Joseph replied.

"Well, no matter," Davidoff said, the General's smile was so warm and inviting that Joseph smiled too. "Lets see what we can find out today. Perhaps we can have something better tonight." Joseph agreed and began to dress for the day.

"General, I have an idea," Joseph said as he buttoned his shirt. "Why don't we go for a walk with Elsa today?"

"In her chamber?" Davidoff asked looking puzzled. "You do that everyday anyway,"

"I feel it would be best for her to get some fresh air today," Joseph said as he tied his shoes.

General Davidoff said nothing. "I doubt you can Joseph, with her condition. Plus let's not forget the fact that she could kill any man who gets too close to her."

"I know, how about the perimeter of the buildings above, a little stroll around the block?" Joseph said light heartedly.

"Well I doubt it, but all we can do is try," the General said.

As they walked towards Elsa's chamber Joseph saw everything in a whole new light. It was all just fantastic. The walls had character, the chairs had character. The dull scientists and doctors they passed all seemed to be connected to him. Joseph thought that this is what Buddhists are after, feeling one with everything. This must be the state of Nirvana.

The door to Elsa's chamber opened and she looked up from her chair, turning the music down as she looked. She saw Joseph and her eyes widened. He looked different somehow, she couldn't quite put her finger on it but he was different. He looked happy and confident. There was a glow of something in his eyes that made her heart twitter for a moment. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was handsome before, but even more so now. It was a matter of seconds before the two men's scents would hit her. When they did, she smelled the familiar odor of the earthy warmness of General Davidoff and then Joseph's odor that was usually a light and airy scent, seemed to be more potent now. She was taken aback. "Joseph, what happened?" she asked.

"Nothing my dear! My God you look fantastic today!" he said as he hugged her. Her resolve to not be publicly affectionate in front of others melted when he touched her. She felt like a schoolgirl who had a crush on the popular boy. She had to kiss him and she did. It sent her heart racing and she flushed. She then remembered the General and stopped as she composed herself.

"Forgive me General," she said.

"It is alright my dear." the General replied in his good natured manner. Elsa felt so bad for him. She remembered the day they met and how she almost killed him if it had not been for Captain Strasser. She hated that thought. She wished he was not so close to her. It must be terrible for him to be madly in love with her but powerless to do anything about it. Joseph was so insistent to be with her after the attack on him, she felt bad for them all, but Joseph's insistence was powerful. She had to deal with the reality of being what she was. She had to be the center of all of these soldiers lives because the thought of not being near her would hurt more. What a pressing guilt she felt. She refused to love them. They were all so charming and attentive to her but she could not let herself go that direction. She could fall for any of them in an instant, but she had to keep her guard up. Joseph was so charming and wonderful. If she was not what she was but still this age, she would fall for him hard. His smile, voice, and scent were so overpowering that she could not keep a firm grasp on herself. He had done something to himself between last evening and this morning. She was falling in love with him helplessly. His very presence knocked her walls down and he attacked her heart.

"Elsa my dear, let's do something we've never done before!" he said. His voice was deep and confident. She felt excited for the prospect of doing anything with him, she was his forever now.

"What is that Joseph?" she asked.

"I feel it is time you and I took a walk, outside," he said.

The anxiety came immediately. She couldn't do it, it was impossible. She moved away from Joseph and she began to feel panic. "No, No Joseph, you know I can't! It is impossible! No!" she said backing away. His eyes were so calm and inviting. He closed the distance and shushed her. She felt tears star welling up in her eyes.

"Elsa, Elsa, don't be afraid," he extended his hand. "Take my hand," he commanded.

She did. The warmth of his hand coursed through her body and the anxiety and fear washed away. He did do something different she thought. He was a powerful force now. Something as equally powerful as she was. He said nothing, but he started to lead her down the hall. She hesitantly went with him. She knew the panic would come soon and she braced herself for it as they walked towards the stairs to the pillbox entrance. She took in a deep breath as they started climbing. She knew it would hit at any moment, but Joseph's hand held hers tightly. She closed her eyes when they were halfway up the stairs. She heard the click of Davidoff's tranquilizer gun behind her as he readied it. She felt the warmth of Joseph's hand and heard his breathing, slow and confident. He was different somehow and she focused on his strength, all she did was focus on it. He was the rock to moor her fears on. The seconds passed like hours to her. She still had her eyes closed waiting for the inevitable crack in the dam of her fears to let loose and rush through her body. She focused hard on Joseph and they stopped walking. They must be at the door she thought. She focused intently on Joseph and felt something warm on her cheek. He must have put his hand there. It was so warm and wonderful. She reached up to grab his hand on her face, but it was not there. She opened her eyes and saw something she had not seen for over 30 years. The sun.

Chapter 25

20 MILES NORTH OF

CASA SALAZAR, NEW MEXICO

March 2005

Mark really did not like the heat, even though the New Mexico desert was not the Brazilian jungle, the damned heat was always there. He would have to do something about it sooner or later. Though the travel through the criminal element was easy, he could have gotten to the Davidoff Shipping office by car. His plan called for a lost hiker approach. Through the criminal network there were only two armed guards at the office and Mark's brother and sisters, with a supply truck coming by once a month. The office was small yet consumed more power than any of the bigger offices in the large cities combined. There was something big there in the middle of the desert and it was highly guarded and secret. Not even the high level criminals could hazard a guess at what was there and these were men who had dealt with Davidoff for years. Not that Mark cared what it was or why, he wanted his family, then he wanted Davidoff. His short term goals, for the moment, took precedent.

Mark had walked from Albuquerque, a town he liked very much. It was clean and very bright and just very inviting. If it wasn't for the heat he would have stayed longer just because it was a nice place. People were friendly there as well. He and Eustaquino stayed in one of the nicer hotels in Albuquerque. The staff were very accommodating and the taxi drivers, the store owners and people on the street were all nice. They gave Mark a wide berth, but he blended well. There were other large Caucasian men and even women there. He could blend in easily and Eustaquino could blend in easily as well. Mark stood out in Brazil, but here in America, he was just another guy. He liked the presence of anonymity. Mark had to think about moving everyone here to the U.S. It was easy to get supplies and it was a hub of global communications and trade. If you wanted the pulse of the world, the U.S. was a good place to feel it.

Walking to the office from Albuquerque was a 24 hour ordeal. In the desert he got dry easily so he carried a large hiking pack filled with water, food, and some plastic explosives he had made and some tactical gear. He wanted to keep up the appearance of a lost hiker for a few days so he would intentionally fall onto rocks or into riverbeds, weathering his clothing, and he would drag his backpack for miles to weather it as well. Mark had let his beard grow for a couple of days before his trek through the desert so he looked lost. He was close to the office. Probably another several minutes or so.

Mark stood outside the office in the dark. Using his night vision goggles, he could see a fence and the building beyond. What he could not see was surveillance. Mark guessed that there were cameras and motion sensors, but he did not know what kind. On the outside the place looked like a small building that housed farm equipment. An old barn-like structure. There were high voltage power lines underground, but there were downed power poles giving the impression that this place used to be a farm. Several hundred feet away from the barn there was a crumbling foundation of an old house. The office must be underground. Mark put the night vision goggles away in a box with the plastic explosives and left them there. He had about 300 feet to the gate. He would go blindly so he might trip over something and get fresh scratches. He started to walk in a jagged line just in case there were night vision cameras watching from 200 feet. He walked and wobbled towards the building.

David Anthony sat at the guard station reading the facility training manual for the third time. He had been there for six months. He transferred from Seattle to here with a significant pay raise. He did not know that he would be in the middle of nowhere. No TV, no books, just 12 hours on duty watching the desert go from light and dark. No one ever came here. He was guarding three people a nerdy kid, the hot sister, and the mean sister. They were not to leave ever. His boss was a 55 year old tightassed ex-military guy who thought this job was the most important thing ever. Mike Hatfield was a good guy but, his gruff demeanor and yelling was almost too much for David. The only upside to this post was Ginger. She had captivated David the moment he arrived. He looked at her and fell in love instantly. She was an angel. She had a way of looking into your soul and gripping it with a ferocious kindness that squeezed all the hate and anger out of it. Her red hair bounced when she moved and her light blue eyes penetrated him every time she looked at him. David loved her completely.

Hatfield treated them like prisoners, they even wore white jumpsuits all the time, that is all they gave them to wear. David could not believe that the three kids were any trouble except Beverly. She was tall and muscular. She was the groups protection which was crazy in David's eyes. They were both very nice people and no threat whatsoever. Beverly never smiled and walked like Hatfield and she fought with Hatfield constantly. He would come so close to hitting her, but it was forbidden. She even mouthed off to David, but he paid no attention. She made sure Ginger and the other guy, Larry did not get punished. David respected her even though she seemed to hate him. Larry was so nerdy and spent most of his time in the computer area he hardly talked to anyone. He looked scared most of the time and was very nervous. Beverly did not seem to have much control over him but he really did not need any. With her stoic presence and Ginger's angelic demeanor, no man could possibly be as twitchy as that kid. David was forbidden to know where they came from or anything about them. That was the standing rule apparently given by Davidoff himself. It was weird to go from the docks in Seattle to this hidden bunker in the middle of the desert.

David put down the manual and turned to the screens. Nothing, as usual. He wished he could see Ginger sleeping. He wished he could see her more often. He was not allowed to speak to them, even if they spoke to him. But when Hatfield was not around, he was able to ask her if there was anything she wanted. She always asked for candy. So he would sneak in candy for her. She loved the Three Musketeers bars. David had been sneaking them for the past 5 months. When he started that, they smiled at him and Beverly even stopped calling him "Bitch." he had made friends with his charges, which could get him in serious trouble, but Ginger was well worth it.

The monitor covering the north entrance started to flash. David looked closer and saw a man stumbling around the compound. David moved the image to his large monitor and zoomed in. apparently the man had been lost in the desert and found this place. The rules stated that if anyone should come in they were to be questioned immediately and gotten rid of by death or knocked unconscious and taken to the nearest town. The man staggered through the outer fence and collapsed. David thought of calling Mike, but decided not to. This man had passed out. He was big and muscular, but not a threat. David would put the man in handcuffs just in case.

David went outside and went to the man. He was covered with sand and was panting and mumbling incoherently. He was dazed. David knelt next to him and said, "Hey man, you are OK now, can you get up?" The man still mumbled. David said, "I'm going to help you inside. We have air conditioning and Gatorade, and I have got a room for you to stay in for the night. My name is David Anthony."

The man did not seem to hear him, but tried to lift his arm. David lifted him and put his arm around him. The man tried to walk, but his knees buckled. David bear hugged him and drug him into the shack. The difference in temperature sent a chill through the man and he groaned. David set him down in the console chair and opened up the restroom. There was a bench that the man could lie on. David then decided to call Hatfield. He helped the man into the restroom, laid him down on the bench, and left the room closing the bathroom door. He walked over to the console and picked up the red phone. It rang four times, then a groggy voice answered, "What!" Hatfield yelled.

"Sir we have a lost civilian here," David said.

"Well, what the hell you want me to do about it?" Hatfield snapped.

"Uh sir, he is dazed and nearly unconscious. I thought he should rest and recoup before we send him back to town. I just wanted to let you know," David said.

"Goddammit....." Hatfield grumbled, "Alright, I'm coming up with the girl, she can take care of him. You watch them both and then call when he is ready to leave," Hatfield hung up.

David started sweating. He knew he was bringing Ginger up, she was a medic. David looked at the closed bathroom door and quietly thanked the stranger for his good fortune. After a few minutes the elevator dinged and Hatfield grunted pushing Ginger out in front of him. He motioned for Ginger to stand in the corner as David stood up. Hatfield stood inches away from David and said, "So where is he?" David pointed to the bathroom door. "There sir."

"Did you check his ID?" Hatfield said.

"No sir," David said.

"Fucking greenhorn," Hatfield scoffed. "So you don't even know if he is a cop or a spy or anything?"

David began to sweat more, "Uh no sir, he is wearing a T-shirt and cargo shorts and as I carried him I felt no wallet or anything. I think he's just lost."

"YOU THINK?!" Hatfield screamed, "YOU DON'T GET PAID TO THINK YOU LITTLE PUS BUCKET!"

Ginger cringed as he yelled. David saw it and wanted to punch Hatfield immediately, but he kept his composure. He took a deep breath and said, "Sorry sir, but if he was going to do anything, I think he would have done it as soon as I got him inside."

Hatfield glared at David and Ginger for a moment and then said, "Fucking kids you don't know anything about security. I'm going to find out who he is, then I'm going to have you reprimanded you little weasel." Hatfield turned around and opened the bathroom door. Before he went in he was knocked to the ground. Hatfield tried to get up, but the man jumped on his chest and said, "I am here for your three prisoners." Hatfield started to struggle but Mark slammed his head into the floor killing Hatfield instantly.

David stood there confused as the man turned his gaze onto him. David was too scared to move. Ginger had dropped into the corner and hid her face. The man slowly rose to his feet and said, "What are you planning to do?"

David wiped his forehead with his sleeve and realized his gun was in the drawer right in front of him. The man was already three feet away from him and his eyes were frightening. David managed to say, "Please don't hurt her! I don't know what you want with them, but please don't hurt her," he pointed at Ginger.

The dark eyes turned into a puzzled expression, "I would not hurt her," the man looked David over. David stood between him and Ginger and tried to think of what to do. After a few moments the man looked at David and said, "Do you have a gun?"

David stammered, "Yyyyes, it is in the drawer there."

Mark looked at the drawer and said, "Will you try to stop me?"

David could not think. As fast as this man had taken an old pro like Hatfield down, he knew he did not stand a chance, but the man had not taken any action towards him and said, "Not unless you hurt her."

Mark looked at Ginger cowering in the corner. Her hands over her ears and her eyes shut. He then looked at David, "Fair enough, sit down.....please."

David did what he asked as Mark went over to the girl. She jumped as Mark touched her shoulder and said, "Ginger, it's me." She cowered more and refused to open her eyes. Mark gently pulled he hands away from her ears and said, "Ginger, it's me."

She gasped and then opened her eyes. She saw him and jumped up and hugged him, "Is it really you?" she said.

Mark hugged her back and said, "Yes, it is me. Where are Beverly and Lawrence?"

Ginger let go of him and said, "Oh God, we thought you were dead, they are down in the computer room."

Mark stood up and looked at the frightened guard. "You, take me to them."

David wiped his forehead again and said, "Okay." and he grabbed the keys from the unconscious Hatfield.

David led them to the elevator. They descended to the lower level. The doors opened into a brightly lit hallway with five doors. One door had a guards desk, the other was steel and locked. The others must have been living quarters. Mark watched as the guard fumbled with the keys and opened the door. The light from the hall poured over the darkened interior and glinted off of computer monitors and servers. The air smelled of metal and coffee. Sitting at the end of the room was a large bank of computer screens. A short figure sitting in the chair, his legs barely touching the floor, focused intently on a screen and did not see or hear the door open. David and Ginger entered while Mark stood in the light. The figure jumped as Ginger gently tapped his shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?" Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" he yelled.

"Mark is here!" Ginger said quietly as she pointed to the doorway. Lawrence reached for his glasses and put them on. The dark figure blotting out the light moved into the room. His shadow covered almost the entire room.

Lawrence stood up and saw his brother. He immediately fell back into his chair and said, "My God!" Lawrence looked at Ginger then at David then to Mark, "Where is Hatfield?" he asked nervously.

"Dead," said David.

Lawrence flashed his gaze back to Mark, "You killed him?" he asked.

"Yes. Where is your sister?" Mark asked.

"She is in the holding cell, she caused Hatfield problems again," Lawrence stammered.

Mark looked at David and said, "Go get her out."

David did not move. Lawrence adjusted his glasses, "What are you waiting for?" Mark said.

David started to answer, but Ginger interjected, "Um he and Beverly do not get along, in fact she hates him."

Mark folded his arms then said, "Fine. Ginger go with him and bring her here."

Ginger grabbed David by the arm and left the room. Lawrence sat staring at Mark and said, "We were told you were dead."

"You were lied to," Mark said. "I don't know what this place is for, but it can't have you three anymore. All of you pack whatever is needed and get ready to leave in one hour."

Lawrence blinked and said, "Where are we going?"

Mark unfolded his arms and said, "Brazil"

Lawrence started to say something, but the room was filled with shouting. David and Ginger ran into the room. David was holding his nose and blood was pouring down his chin. A loud voice entered the room before the form of an angry muscular woman appeared. "You goddamn son of a bitch! What the hell is going on, where is the old fucker!? What the hell is going on!?" Beverly entered the room and stopped when she saw Mark. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" she demanded.

Mark said, "No." coldly

Beverly scoffed and said, "I knew they couldn't kill you. Well, that explains why the old fart isn't here, but why did you let him live?" she pointed at David as he held his nose to stop the bleeding, while Ginger helped with paper towels.

Mark glanced at David and said, "He hasn't tried to stop me."

Lawrence got up from the chair and said, "Beverly, we've got to pack everything. Mark is taking us out of here."

Beverly looked at Lawrence and changed into a softer but stern tone, "About fucking time!"

Ginger and David left the room and Lawrence began shutting down the computers. Beverly stayed with Mark and asked, "What do you plan to do with this place?"

Mark looked around and said, "What is it?"

"The best I can figure it is a station to watch all incoming and outgoing communications for the entire western half of the country," Beverly replied.

"But to what end, I have no fucking clue."

Lawrence began taking out the hard drives from the computers and he said, "All these hard drives store all the information that comes in or goes out and it cross references it to specific key words that the company watches for."

Mark furrowed his brow, "I have no idea what you are talking about, but will it find Davidoff?"

Lawrence shook his head, "In a manner of speaking, yes. I could easily set up a similar network and I could toy around with it making life hard for him, then we can track him when he has to personally investigate."

"I still have some things to learn. I see you three have learned many things," Mark said.

"Well, I haven't," Beverly said. "These fuckers kept bugging me, especially the old man. All they wanted was Lawrence. Ginger and I were just here. I figured out how to get past security and customs and the authorities in a week and Ginger was forced to do math and patch up the two fuckers who held us here."

"How did you learn your names?" Mark asked.

"The men in the helicopter told us when we were dropped off here," Lawrence said. "Then we were told to come down here and man these computers without any instruction. That is how it has been."

"So, no idea on what exactly this place is for?" Mark asked.

"Nothing that can be discerned completely, but mainly it was illegal, that much is certain." Lawrence replied.

Mark furrowed his brow, "Then it appears that Davidoff is part of a larger entity than I originally thought." He paced back and forth for a minute. Lawrence was still pulling hard drives as Beverly leaned on the wall with her arms folded.

Mark stopped and said, "We must leave now. Beverly come with me."

Ginger was given a small duffel bag, and even though she hated the jumpsuits they had given her, she packed a couple just in case. It was a shock to see Mark in control and masterminding everything. He was always quiet. Now he has some power. His authority seemed new but it felt familiar too. They all had changed since life on the island. Ginger, Lawrence and Beverly had learned a few things. Lawrence was a natural at computers like he had seen in his visions. Beverly was basically the same except that she had found a dictionary and found all the curse words she could find. It seemed she could express her anger in different ways now. Ginger knew math and medicine. It was simple and elegant. It was helpful to others and it made her feel good to do it. Mark, it seemed, was still the same except he spoke more, probably because there was more to do than warn them about the doctors and guards on the island. Ginger wondered what he had been doing since they were taken. She figured there was a body count that followed Mark wherever he went. She saved a couple of books she was fond of, her medical dictionary, and her anatomy and physiology book. They had sentimental value.

Ginger looked over at David. He was nervous. She could see sweat pouring off of him. "Don't worry," she said "he won't hurt you."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked nervously.

"Because you're alive now. I know he never hesitates and he has no regard for life. You are alive because he feels you are useful."

"For what?" David asked.

"I have no idea, but he will tell you, maybe." she said as she zipped her bag and left the room. David walked behind her as they came to the computer room.

Lawrence had about 30 hard drives stacked on the console and was pulling more. Beverly and Mark were gone. "Where are they?" David asked.

Lawrence popped up from behind a CPU, "They went up to the first level. I don't know what for. Could you help me get these drives packed?"

"I shouldn't be helping you at all!" David said. "Who the hell are you people?"

"We don't even know." Ginger said. "We lived all of our lives on an island that was cold. We were given some sort of drug that gave us each different visions. One day we were taken and dropped off here."

"What kind of visions?" David asked.

"I was given visions of computers and technology," Lawrence said.

Ginger said, "I was given mathematical and medical visions of different kinds. It is all very complicated, but what we are good at is what visions they gave us. Beverly was given military visions which made her tough and strong. Our other sister was given visions of happiness and innocence. She is pure joy and she is the most wonderful person. Mark is the complete opposite. He has seen the most terrible things imaginable. His visions were nightmarish and evil. We don't know the reason or purpose we were given these visions."

David looked at each of them. This was why they were prisoners. They were some sort of experiment. "Okay" David said and he went to the supply closet and got several duffel bags and began putting hard drives in them.

Beverly really did not like the old man. As she passed him lying on the ground, she kicked him several times. She grabbed his gun and ammo belt. Mark was interested to see his sister in a position of power. She took to it naturally and was extremely good at it. "Where are we going?" she demanded.

"I have some explosives that I left out here," Mark said.

"Explosives!" she sounded excited.

Mark did not answer. They came upon the pile of explosives. He and Beverly picked them up, turned and walked back.

"Goddammit!" Beverly said as he turned quickly. "You are going to have to tell me what your plans are Mark. I am not some goddamn dog that just follows you!"

"You're right," Mark replied and kept walking.

Not another word was said until they returned to the complex. Mark set the explosives down. "These are two pound explosives. I made them myself. They have approximately 15% more yield than a regular C-4 charge. Place one in every room you can, then flip this switch to arm them." He handed Beverly four. She grabbed them and put the first one right on Hatfield's face, then she got into the elevator. Mark reached into his bag and pulled out the satellite phone. He dialed and Eustaquino answered. "Yes Mark?"

"Come get us," Mark said.

"It will be thirty minutes," Eustaquino replied and Mark shut off the phone. I forgot to say please, he thought.

Mark grabbed his charges and went down the elevator after it came back up. When the doors opened he heard shouting from the computer room. It was Beverly and the guard.

"You god damned idiot, I should break your fucking neck right now!" Beverly said through clenched teeth. "All I did was ask if I could come along, Jesus!" the guard replied. Mark set a charge in the hallway and went into the computer room. He saw Beverly and the guard face to face in a standoff. Typical behavior Mark thought. He read about this and was always interested to see it in real life. "What is all this?" Mark said as he came into the room.

"This fucker wants to come with us, like he was any goddamn help while we were here," Beverly said as she pushed the guard back into the wall. He hit it with a grunt.

"I'm sorry! I had to do what they said or else I would not get a paycheck!" the guard said.

Beverly began to say something but Mark interrupted, "Enough. Here is how it will be. He comes with us to Albuquerque. Then he is to find Davidoff and tell him what happened here." Mark looked at the guard, "What is your name?"

David Anthony," he replied.

"David when you find Davidoff, tell him that this is just the beginning. I am not done with him. Tell him that I still remember what happened on the plane, and he still has to be held accountable for it. Tell him that his leg is nothing compared to what I have planned for him," Mark said.

"What do I tell him about what happened here?" David asked.

"Tell him the truth, all of it," Mark said, then he disappeared out the door to finish setting his charges.

There was not another word from anyone unless Mark told them what to do. Fifteen minutes later they were outside, several hundred feet away from the complex. Mark reached into his pack and found what looked like small flashlight, but it was the detonator. He held it for a moment. He was ready to push the button, but he hesitated. He handed the detonator to Beverly and said, "Here, you might enjoy this."

Beverly smiled and "said, "FUCK YEAH!" and grabbed the detonator. Immediately she pushed the button. There was a loud thump underground that shook the entire area. A second later the barn exploded in a ball of fire. Pieces of it flew by and everyone except Mark ducked. When they came up, they saw that there was a metal rod in Mark's chest.

David said, "Why didn't you duck? You might have been killed!"

Mark pulled the metal rod out of his chest. David protested, but Mark held him back. Right before his eyes, David saw the wound close and the skin pull over the wound like nothing had happened.

"What the hell?" David said.

Mark let him go and said, "That is something else you can tell Davidoff."

David was in shock. These people were something different. In the distance, there was the sound of helicopter rotors behind them.

Chapter 26

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

JUNE 1971

Josef Mengele sat on the white beach of Sao Paulo and admired the blue crystal ocean. Even with all of his fear of capture, he still could enjoy brief moments of beauty and relaxation. There hadn't been any Mossad activity for some time, but he knew that the allies were still after him. The dogs had called him a monster. They did not know what he planned for the future. They did not allow him to finish his work. So there were casualties, science requires sacrifice. He knew this better than anyone. He had sacrificed so much for his children, his beloved twins. He reveled in his memories of all his experiments, his children, and his work for the Fuhrer.

But the other work, hidden from the narrow minded SS, is what he missed the most. The cawing of a seagull startled him. Someone was on the beach. He looked in both directions and on the right was a figure advancing toward him. The heat from the sand obscured his clothing, but Mengele guessed that it was not Mossad. They would come from behind and all sides to trap the Angel of Death. He smiled to himself and coughed. His health had been slowly declining. With the horrid conditions here in Brazil, he could not find the answers to heal himself. He had lived long enough. He remained loyal to the Fuhrer and that was enough. Whether it be in heaven or in hell he would be reunited with the Fuhrer and they would spend eternity together. The Fuhrer would reward him for his loyalty.

The figure moved closer and Mengele saw that the clothes were not tattered, so it was not a peasant searching for scraps. This man was European and well dressed. He was probably a tourist, but Mengele remained vigilant. This man could recognize him and bring Mossad, but Mengele had not a gun nor the quickness of his youth Mengele would lower his head and pretend to be asleep.

Minutes passed and the strangers footsteps came closer, squeaking in the dry sand. They did not slow, so the stranger would be passing by any moment. Nothing for the great Josef Mengele to worry about.

The footsteps stopped right in front of him. He lifted his head to see who it was. When he saw the face, his heart jumped. He knew this face, he had seen this face everyday for many years. Only the hair was different. It was blondish, not dark. He had forgotten, but this face brought back many memories. It was his young face on the stranger.

"You are a hard man to find," Albert Earle said to Mengele. "It seems I have succeeded where others have failed."

Mengele got up slowly. "Mein Gott in Himmel!" he said, "I had forgotten about you and your brother. It was so long ago, but Mein Gott!" Mengele spoke in a slight German accent muddled with the local accent patterns, but here he was, the frail shell of Josef Mengele. How Albert wanted to avenge the millions that suffered at the hands of this man, but death was not enough for him, and there was information to be obtained.

The evil in this man emanated outward. Albert was uneasy, "You have information I need," Albert said.

Mengele stared at his face and it was terrifyingly unnerving to Albert, but he spoke as he stared, "I see you believe the Allied lies and detest me. I also see that you were raised in England, but it is not there." He looked deep into Albert's eyes, then shook his head in disappointment. "No, it is not there. The spark I saw so many years ago. My theory was wrong."

Albert sighed, "What theory?"

"That I was chosen by God to purify the human race, to make it perfect. I needed two men to do it. I could not just pass it to my children! Nein! It had to be me who did it, to continue the research. I thought that you might carry on where I left off before the dogs came to the door and shut us down." Mengele was shaking as he spoke. "You are not me!" he shouted. But then his features softened, "Your brothers, who are they?" he pleaded.

"I have one brother, Joseph," Albert replied.

"NOT HIS NAME YOU FOOL! WHO IS HE?" Mengele struggled to stay up and had a coughing fit. Albert waited until he caught his breath.

"Himmler," Albert said.

"Ah," Mengele said. "There were three originally, but I was correct that the third would not make it. For all of his great knowledge and tenacity, the Fuhrer was not as genetically superior as he wished. He had congenital defects it seems." Mengele sat back down in his chair.

"Hitler! You tried to replicate Hitler?!" Albert said through clenched teeth.

"Don't you dare speak ill of him!" Mengele snapped. "He was a true genius, if he had succeeded, the world would have been better now instead of this mess we are in. that is the problem with you Allied simpletons. You let genetic inferiors run rampant, there is no research to stop them. You breed a dog for all the best qualities, why not man? Oh no, we can't do that. We must have the superior to placate the inferior, so you can see them and then feel good that you are not. Your lot called the Fuhrer and I monsters, but I say it is them who are the monsters for allowing the abnormal to stay alive and continue to procreate."

Albert thought for a second and then he said, "What about the Phoenix project?"

Mengele's face dropped in shame. "That was something else. It was a mistake. It was just a side project I tried to surprise the Fuhrer with an army of immortals. It doesn't matter anyway the project was a complete failure." he waved his hand dismissively.

"No doctor, it was not a failure. We have Elsa Hofstedtter," Albert replied.

Mengele's demeanor became dark. "No, she is dead."

Albert reached into his pocket and produced a photograph. He handed it to Mengele.

Dr. Mengele looked at the photograph and he could not believe what he saw. There she stood with the two brothers, plain as day. She did not look happy, but she was as beautiful as ever. He knew that look. It was the look she always gave him. His sins are coming back to haunt him. "We must go to my bungalow and talk." Mengele said as he got up and headed away from the beach.

Chapter 27

BRAZIL

JULY 2005 – SEPTEMBER 2006

When Mark got his family back and in the compound, everything changed. His plans included the complete destruction of all criminal activities. As Mark read more and more books, he came to the conclusion that it was the fear of these things that was causing all the major problems. Dr. Meingle watched as this boy systematically began the destruction of fear. He watched as the whole family planned as one and begun construction of a solar farm and a major computer complex. Mark wanted in to the world, watch it, then he would strike. Lawrence was such a jumpy kid, but he was brilliant. He was taken to Rio and in two days he established a dummy company for them and began ordering supplies, everything from food to complicated computer parts and programs. With the tactical knowledge from Beverly they ordered smaller parts and then began construction of his massive network of computers at the complex. That way no one could trace anything to them. Mark was busy with his lab work. He kept his work a secret, but it was very consuming. If there were a few days he could not go down to the lab, he showed signs of stress, as much as he could show. His hands would shake a little, and his brow furrowed easily. He began pacing at night and every night his pace quickened. When he got back to work he became normal again.

The others were flourishing. Ginger and Amber were great teachers and playmates for the children. They would plan elaborate celebrations and parties. With Lawrence at the helm of supplies, he was able to procure many upgrades for the people including housing, air conditioning, which was Mark's number one priority, medicines, and new farming equipment. The little refugee camp was no more. In the echelon of growth, Mark was the slowest, being barely human. Beverly was second, she was the organizer, she was transportation and protection. She was a female general in every sense of the word. Mark may be in charge, but is was Beverly who carried out the execution of all plans. She organized transportation and construction. Seeing her in her element her temper was calm and she actually smiled and laughed with her sisters. She enjoyed the parties and celebrations. Ginger and Lawrence were like normal people. They somehow broke the barriers of their childhood torture and they enjoyed life. Amber was still pure joy itself, and her protector was Mark. If she was injured he would somehow know and be there instantly, even when he was in his lab.

As far as Marks' lab was concerned, the only person with access was Eustaquino. While Beverly organized transportation it was Eustaquino who brought Marks' personal supplies and help load them into Marks' lab. Eustaquino was so taken with Beverly, it was almost sad. He knew he was way too old for her, but the adoration in his eyes was pathetic. She knew of this as well and enjoyed toying with him in little ways. He would bend over backwards for her and defend her when her orders were questioned. She let him do this even though she was more than capable of standing up for herself.

The general mood of the camp was a thriving colony and happiness. It transcended Mark's darkness. Everyone knew he was just that way, but he always showed up for every dinner, every celebration and party. There were times his eyes would soften ever so slightly at these functions, but just enough to show to someone who was really looking for it. Meingle watched Mark constantly. He knew what he could do and he waited patiently for some sort of emotional break in him. It was impossible that he could remain emotionless for so long. Dr. Meingle had nothing more to do in his days. Mark had stopped all trade with drug lords and arms dealers. They continued to operate without any interruption because of Mark. The stories from surviving cartels called him "El Diablo" which was a little cliche', but it fit. They used to make deals with Mark and he would require a major sacrifice on their part. Most of them lost several segments of their business to authorities. As far as the authorities were concerned, Mark was too dangerous to touch. They sniffed around from far away, but Mark's territory was forbidden, and he was doing their job for them. The corrupted officials were a little more angry at Mark because he cut into their lifestyle. They would try and send spies into the compound, but Mark would find them quickly. They would be taken down to his lab and they would never come back up. The only thing that happened after a spy was taken to the lab was Eustaquino would bring up a small box and it would be sent to the official. Then the official would stop trying to stop Mark and get used to life without illegal contributions.

In January of 2006, Mark enacted his plans in full force. He, Beverly and some mercenaries Mark hired began systematically destroying remaining criminal activities. He started with the hidden jungle factories. There would always be one left alive to warn the others. Beverly objected to this but Mark said it was all part of the plan. He knew that the cartels would bolster their ranks and then Mark could eliminate more criminals and scare people away with conscience. He knew the world would take notice and that is what he wanted. The ultimate goal of his plans were unknown, but he knew it was something. He was compelled to do this. It took a while for Mark to find the jungle facilities, but by summer, he had completely eradicated the jungle of marijuana, cocaine, and opium farms. He then began traveling to the smaller towns where the drugs would be refined. This is also when he would find arms and he would bring them back to the compound to be stored in an armory he had built adjacent to his laboratory.

Mark was ruthless in his execution. It was exacting, cold, and methodical. Dr. Meingle knew of where he got that trait. He had to watch and pray that Mark would not become like the Nazi's. Meingle confronted Mark once about it in the library and Mark said, "I find nothing that separates one race of people from another. I do not find that one is superior in any way. I find they are all equally capable of causing fear, and those are the ones I am after. If someone decides to do these things, they are against everyone's right to enjoy life as it should be."

"What about the people you kill Mark?" Meingle asked.

"They always have the choice to let that life go and start a new one. If they aim at me they will pay for their choice. If they lay down their weapon, they do not owe me." Mark replied and then left the room.

That was it. Meingle worried though. No one is ever that perfect and the power may just corrupt him one day. Coupled with the fact that Mark was unable to be killed. He could be the most dangerous person on the planet. The only thing that kept Meingle at ease was that his actions did not seem to affect him at all. If that stayed then Mark could be the savior of the world.

Mark sat in the passenger seat of the old truck they used when they went on missions. Beverly drove and the mercenaries sat in the back. They talked and laughed and even said derogatory things about the three sisters, especially Amber. Mark let it slide, for now. Beverly gave them several bruises and black eyes when they went too far. That seemed to make them more attracted to her.

No one knew that what they were about to do, is what Mark looked forward to. Each time he was in the fight, he felt good. In his reading he found that if you do something and like it, that is what you are supposed to do. He liked taking down drug and gun runners. He liked the fire and the burning of the factories. He liked the fear in their eyes when they would shoot him and he would not die. The stakes were now becoming bigger. He had effectively destroyed farming and culturing of the drugs now he had to deal with civilian populations. The cowards would use them as shields against him. They actually thought that would work. They were ignorant simpletons. There are several places that a person could get shot and survive with nothing more than a scar. Mark hesitated to use guns though. He carried a Glock with him, but hardly used it. He created specific rounds of ammunition that contained acid or other materials to use against barriers. It was handy to open locks or bolted doors with. He liked the closeness of battle and guns took that away from him.

The place they were going to was a large warehouse where the cartel stored their guns and drugs. The mercenaries told him that it was also used for human trafficking, where they would trade people for sex like they would guns and drugs. Just one more reason for him to put them out of business. Mark didn't keep track of the names of the cartels anymore. They were all the same. They were in the small town. It was near midnight and it was sprinkling rain. There was a storm coming. Over the groans and complaints from the truck over bumps, he could hear rumbles of thunder far off but inching closer. Beverly looked at the small slip of paper again and tried to discern where the address was. "Goddammit!" she said as she as she tried to read the faded street signs. These people need to keep better care of their shit!"

"Most of the money goes to the cartels and the corrupt officials, the people don't get any," Mark replied.

"Are we taking anything with us this time?" she asked.

"Just the guns, and the drugs will be burned, and any money we find will go to the town with a message," Mark said.

"This is new," Beverly said, "What kind of message?"

"The kind that if they decide to use it corruptly, I'll be back for them." Mark said.

Beverly chuckled a bit, "You're not letting your reputation get to your head are you?"

"No."

"Okay, but they will use it corruptly at first so we'll have to come back. We might as well bring the whole fucking town down now." she said.

"Maybe," Mark replied. This concern that his reputation with these lowlifes going to his head was ridiculous. It stemmed from the care and love they showed for him. They were afraid he might lose his soul. As far as Mark could tell, he did not have one, nor did he want one if there was one to get. He only wanted to fight these paramecia and see that everyone could live the life he was denied. If he couldn't have it, he would make sure he was the last one who was denied a happy life.

The old warehouse was in a clearing behind large banyan trees and nestled at the bottom of a hill. It was well hidden and could be fortified easily since there was only one way in. The flip side was that there was only one way out. Beverly stopped the truck and they all got out. All had AK-47's except Mark. Mark stood and watched the building and saw nothing in the means of surveillance. It must be in the trees. Beverly and the mercenaries set up a perimeter around Mark. Mark then walked to the back of the truck, picked up a large canister with a small numeric keypad, typed in one minute and then threw the canister to the trees. He knelt down alongside Beverly and waited. It was quiet. As soon as the canister landed in the bushes, the jungle noises stopped.

The trees exploded in a white fireball. There was a rush of warm air that hit the group and then quickly faded. Seconds later Mark saw armed men rushing out of the building.

"Now," Mark said, and the group moved forward and fired their weapons at the men as they came out. A few fell down and they they realized they were under attack. The armed guards found cover and fired back. Mark's group scattered to cover at the side of the road, except for him. He still walked forward while bullets would hit him. He was wearing a vest, but not on his extremities, bullets hit him there and he would jolt with the impact, but he still moved forward. Mark pulled his Glock and fired at the guards. The bullets hit the barriers with a puff of white smoke, then the firing stopped. The men started coughing and they came scrambling out coughing and holding their throats gasping for air.

The gaseous arsenic rounds were doing their job. The white cloud wafted to another group and they began coughing and choking. The return fire abruptly stopped. Beverly and the mercenaries broke cover and started following Mark into the warehouse. Mark was 50 yards ahead, already entering the building. Beverly entered first and saw pandemonium. There were more guards than anticipated and about 50 civilians as well. Beverly ordered the mercenaries to cover the exits in the back. They went back outside and headed towards the exits. Beverly covered the front. She held her rifle up and picked off guards that were trying to shoot Mark.

After all the guards were taken care of, the mercenaries had herded the escaping people back into the rear exits. There was panicked shouting and screaming. Unlike previous raids, there were no tables where the drugs were being weighed and bagged. There were no chemicals, nothing, just chairs. Mark had taken a spot directly in front of the crowd and he waited patiently. The mercenaries were shouting for calm and the crowd slowly quieted down. There were many women who were crying and silently pleading to Mark. He started walking into the crowd, their eyes widened as he came closer.

"I know you are scared, but your slavery is over." Mark said while one of the mercenaries translated into Portuguese. "I also know that some of the guards are hiding in the crowd, if you would kindly point them out, you can go home as free people."

The crowd looked around and found three guards. Mark ordered them to come forward, which they reluctantly did. They formed a line in front of him.

"Where are the drugs?" Mark asked and the mercenary translated. The three men looked at each other and one spoke. Mark waited for the translation.

"There are no drugs here," the mercenary translated, "We have only people."

"Human trafficking?" Mark asked. The men nodded. "Where is the money?"

The mercenary translated and the guard pointed at several cardboard boxes in the corner. Mark walked over to them and opened one. There was a mixture of Brazilian and American currency. This must have been a tourist escort service, Mark thought. He closed the box and walked back to the guards. On the way he heard a muffled cough from the floor. It was a child's cough. He stopped and listened. The three guards began to sweat and everyone looked at Mark. There was another cough, and Mark looked at the floor. There were a few loose floorboards that the bulk of the crowd was standing on. It was a trap door. Mark pushed the people off of the door and he opened it. There was a large space underneath, as big as the warehouse itself and the walls were lined with bunk beds, three high. In those beds and sitting in corners were children. Mark quickly counted 50 of them, the same amount as the people above. The children were sparsely dressed and dirty. Some children were frightened and some stared into the distance. Mark went down the wooden steps and further examined the space. There were holes dug into the floor for waste and there was bedding right near them.

Mark examined the children. There were bruises on their bodies. Some shaped like adult hands. There were little girls who were bleeding from their vagina's and there were fresh red marks on their legs, torso, and faces. The same with the boys. There were older children, about 12 who were treating the youngsters wounds with water dripping from a rusted pipe that came up through the floor. Mark turned away and headed back up the stairs.. They were all the same. Mark knew those looks, He had many visions of them, they were the worst he'd ever experienced and he had suppressed them. Seeing that basement brought all of those visions rushing to his mind. Then the anger sparked deep inside.

Chapter 28

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

DECEMBER 1972

"There never was a complete understanding of why all surviving phoenixes had agoraphobic tendencies. It was inherent in their breeding. The formulas for each Phoenix dose were varied but, each had similar results in terms of hyper-sexual behaviors and the strong attractant scent they gave off.

Only two were violent in their sexual behavior, Elsa and Klaus. In each case we studied their victims. It was apparent that the victim showed no signs of distress or any reaction of adrenaline to show that there was any fear. Each victim had massive amounts of endorphins suggesting the mauling was a highly pleasurable experience," Dr. Mengele explained.

He and Albert were in his small bungalow in a suburb of Sao Paulo. It was decorated as his office would have been at the height of the war. There were paintings of Hitler and a Nazi flag hung over his bed. It had taken months of hearing about his experiments on the Jews, twins and dwarfs to finally jog his memory of the Phoenix project. Again, Albert felt the moral objection to the horrors he heard, but no physical response. It was almost as if he were excited to hear the stories as Mengele reveled in telling them. If Albert died and went to hell, it would be better than these past few months.

Dr. Mengele sipped his coffee and continued, "The Phoenix program was an early project that Hitler gave me in order to enhance an already genetically perfect being. First I tried to combine elements together from regenerative flora and fauna in many combinations to embryonic cells. Each generation attempted resulted in failure. Apparently a new hybrid was, at that time, impossible. I then decided to try on healthy adult subjects that were injected with the serum. In all there were 10 subjects initially injected, and as I recall only 2 lived." Mengele paused to sip his coffee.

"In the experimental laboratory underneath the furnaces of Auschwitz, they were strapped to tables and given the injections. Within a span of two minutes the screaming began. Several broke their restraints and clawed at their faces, some to the extent that they tore the flesh. After 5 minutes the majority died of either self-inflicted injury or their bodies rejection to the serum. The healthy elderly subjects remained and they improved within two hours. There were side effects, headache, intense thirst, and nausea. After a few days of observation, a complete reversal of age began. The more advanced their age, the longer it took to revert back to a subject in their mid-twenties. All injuries and health problems disappeared immediately and the subjects began showing a hyper-sexual awareness which resulted in 10 deaths of medical staff and SS officers. We were forced to drop the military applications to find the answer to the sexual predator state they were afflicted with. The age reversal and healing were of interest you see, but if we could not get near them without injury, then testing was impossible. The hyper-sexual predatory nature had to be isolated and expunged from the subjects' genetic code. After a few months of immunity testing, the vaccine for the Phoenix's sexual predator traits were in fact the venom of the particular Phoenix itself. It tricked their mind subconsciously that the receiver was already taken by them. Thus the rate of injury to medical staff and officials was drastically reduced. The SS ordered the destruction of all Phoenix staff and documents. I alone am a surviving member along with the subjects who were transformed. From what you have told me, from the Russian's point of view, is he found one successful Phoenix and then failures from other experiments of mine. The successful Phoenix is immortal and from what I figure, they regenerate cells at a higher rate and thus age does not affect them. If I had had more time....." Mengele trailed off and looked out the window to a different future he could have had. "....But anyway, this is all I recall," he said with a deep sigh.

"What happened to Klaus?" Albert asked.

"He and Elsa were separated immediately after the transformation. Klaus was taken to Berlin for the Fuhrer. After the war ended, I do not know what happened to him," Mengele replied.

"If he was like Elsa, then we could probably trace him by the grisly deaths in Berlin," Albert Said.

"Not likely!" Mengele laughed. "Berlin at the end of the war was an orgy of grisly murders and deaths. Klaus was more controlled. If he practiced hard enough he could blend in with humanity with ease. I doubt you will ever find him, he would find you first."

Albert was quiet. He figured that the past was of no help since there was no hope of a secret document in Germany or in Mengele's recollections to glean an answer to the current problem. Albert sipped his coffee and then said, "Nothing you recall is of any help to us so we will have to look at this from a fresh perspective, as if Elsa had come in with these symptoms, like a disease."

Mengele thought and then said, "In my work with the abnormal, I came across the fact that heredity and genetics played the most significant role in the development of an imperfect being. I also looked at the precise replication of maternal twins. The heredity of these individuals and the role it played in them was obvious. Genetic creation did not always give exact results. A family of average height could create one or two dwarfs or they could have a normal child. In Elsa's case, I would imagine that normal procreation could be an answer. If she had children with a normal male, the abnormalities of his normal genes would override her altered genes in due time. Of course, on the other hand, you would have different levels of her genetics be dominant which could lead to enhanced physical strength, mental defects, elevated attraction levels, or any other combination which could be good or bad or both. Case in point, you and Joseph. You were to be pure genetic replications of me, the Fuhrer, and Heinrich. Yet you have light brown hair whereas my family did not, so it must be a dominant trait in your mother's genes that came through. Alas, I had little knowledge then, but imagine what I could do now with modern equipment and a proper research laboratory."

Albert hated himself for finding anything Mengele said to have any merit, but the science spoke for itself. Dr. Mengele made sense. Albert had learned so much more from this man in these past few months, than years of medical school would have given him. But the thought of this man working again was too much to bear. "I think your time in laboratories is over Herr Dr."

"Yes, so true Albert. I would also guess that our time is over. I have enjoyed our time together Albert but before you leave, I must teach you a technique to ensure that the male subject does not get injured," Mengele said.

"What males would you choose?" Albert asked.

"I would use you or your brother Albert, I have complete medical histories on both my self and Himmler which show no congenital defects whatsoever. This combined with your mother's medical history, you and Joseph have strong, healthy genes. From the look of your brother in the photograph, I think he would be very upset if he did not get the chance to mate with her. Oh! How I would love to examine him, and actual survivor of a Phoenix attack!" Mengele clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

"What is the technique?" Albert asked after a few moments.

Mengele smiled, "I believe it is now called in-vitro fertilization. If you stay for a few more weeks, I can show you how to do it."

"But you...." Albert started but Mengele cut him off.

"I know, I am a monster and should not be allowed, but this method in which female reproductive cells are extracted and in a petri dish they are fertilized then placed into the mother. There is no heavy surgical invasion, just a needle."

"Why would you help me stop your experiments?" Albert asked hesitantly.

Mengele laughed and said, "You are not stopping my experiments dear boy! You are correcting a mistake. My work will be taken on by others in the future. The Fuhrers' plans will be realized. I am, WE are, just cogs in the wheel of medical and genetic progress. My work was taken from me by the Russians and the Allies! Once my research and methods were forcibly taken, my students and fellow doctors were divided up and sent to the US or Russia. Look at all the progress that has happened since then. Just as DaVinci was the father of anatomy, I am the father of modern medicine! I was proclaimed a monster but secretly my research and methods are being used to better everyone! We are now making artificial hearts for people Albert! It is not perfected yet but we only dreamed of this 30 or 40 years ago! I even rejected the idea as fantasy at that time. Organ transplants? Fantasy! Now they do it regularly! Imagine what could happen in the next 20 or 30 years Albert! We could make human organs from cells taken from the patient who needs it and grow an effective replacement without defects, A pure and healthy organ to replace the old inferior one, genetically identical to the patient! To purify genetic material and make a better person? That was my work Albert! Had I been given enough time I would be a God in the medical field. I and my colleagues would have been hailed, respected, admired, and followed for generations to come! IF I wasn't labeled a monster we would have a better quality of life for the human race that I was creating. Imagine if my work continued uninterrupted? We would be saying goodbye to the old ways and our genetic code as a master race would survive for eons heralding peace and prosperity forever! Nature destroys the inferior and the strong survives Albert, I was doing her work and God's work at the same time. Elsa and Klaus are bits of wood trapped in those cogs of progress Albert. You may not like it, but you are correcting a genetic mistake. Just like I was trying to do. You'll hate yourself for the rest of your days Albert, because your morals are against the pure science needed to make a better race and tells you not to enjoy it, but MY work will be done no matter what. Perhaps in the future my label will be replaced or expunged, but science and medicine will always do what I was doing, bringing forth the best and destroying the inferior. I was stopped at the beginning of the work Albert, 6 million Jews and 6 million more undesirables were sacrificed on the altar of science. We were setting our sights on America next, the implications of race mixing and purification that goes on there would have sped up my work in creating a master race!"

Mengele stood proud and Albert set his coffee down and got up to leave. The two men were silent until Albert broke the silence, "Killing millions and using them for lampshades and furniture is not sacrifice Doctor, it is a sickness that will be purged from memory and it will never happen again. I will concede that your work has helped in many ways and probably will do so in the future, but by moral men and governments that don't require the sacrifice of millions. I'll be back in a couple of days for the in-vitro procedures and then we are done. I can't stand to be around you and when you die, there is a special place in Hell for people like you." Mengele stood proud and smiled. "Okay Albert, See you in a couple of days. Auf wiedersehen!"

Albert Earle waited till he was a couple of blocks away before he threw up in an alley. Never did he think that he would agree with that monster about anything. Never would Albert think that Josef Mengele had nothing but evil thoughts and evil intentions. None of it made any sense on paper but to hear him speak in the back of his mind Albert Earle knew that there was some truth in the insanity that that man represented. It made Albert sick and he knew that he must get home as soon as possible.

Chapter 29

BRAZIL

SEPTEMBER 2006

Beverly watched as Mark came up the stairs. There was something off about the crowd. As soon as Mark opened that trap door, there was a rush of silent panic through the crowd. They knew something was down there, something they did not want known. Their reaction to Mark coming back up was all she needed to see. Mark was upset by something. The two mercenaries at the back both dropped their jaws when they saw his face. The crowd began to whimper. Mark turned and faced her when he reached the top step. His usual blank expression was gone. There was a look of total evil about him. His eyes were wide and there was a hint of red in them. The left eye was twitching slightly. The corners of his mouth pointed down and his lips were white and trembling. Beverly felt what the crowd felt. She was not frightened but the crowd was. When his eyes met hers the anger lessened in him and she felt relieved but not much. Mark came up to her and said, "Give me some water," in his usual calm tone. Beverly lowered her weapon and handed him her canteen. It was filled with his favorite water. As he drank she saw the twitching from his mouth disappear, and the color came back to his face. His left eye still twitched.

He finished drinking and then turned back to the crowd who jumped back. Mark pointed to the mercenaries and said, "Lock those doors and find a bus or something, now." the two men shouldered their weapons and then locked the back doors. They pushed through the crowd, some attempted to apologize as they passed. The men stole a look down the open hole and their faces drained of all color. They shook their heads and then left through the front door. Beverly looked puzzled and asked, "What's down there?"

"Children. Beaten and violated," Mark replied without looking at her.

Beverly knew there was no going further. Mark had a thing about kids. It would be called love if he showed any emotion. Their well being and safety were very important to him. If those children were beaten and raped by these people, they were fucked.

There was a flash of lightning and the crack of thunder that shook the building. Mark stared at the crowd in silence while they silently pleaded to him. Beverly kept them back with her rifle. They did not want to touch Mark right now. She was protecting them from him at the moment. The sound of rain pattered on the roof and the sides of the building. Then the roar of a large vehicle came from outside. The mercenaries had found transportation. The two men came in and stood next to Mark. "We've got an old school bus."The mercenary said. Mark pointed to the crowd and said, "Take off all your shirts and pile them next to the trap door." The mercenary translated and the crowd began to take off their shirts.

Mark turned to Beverly and said, "Go down there and bring them up." He turned to the mercenaries and said, "You two, give each child a shirt and escort them to the bus. Give me a rifle and I'll cover you."

Beverly handed Mark her rifle and she went down the steps. When she saw what was there, her heart jumped. This was a sex shop for those people up there. Those people had no idea what was coming next, problem was, neither did she, but it wasn't going to be pretty. Beverly carefully guided the children up the steps and they immediately lined up. They had done this before. The two mercenaries covered them with the shirts and then guided them to the bus outside. Mark never looked at the children, This took 10 minutes. When the last child was out, Mark said to the mercenaries, "Take them back to the compound. Radio ahead and have Dr. Meingle, Eustaquino, Ginger and Amber ready with medical supplies and food, preferably candy." The two mercenaries nodded and they left.

Beverly came up the steps and shut the door. Mark handed the rifle back to her and said, "Go to the truck, I will be there shortly." She did as she was told. It was pointless to argue with him. He escorted her to the door and she stepped out into the rain. Another clap of thunder resounded through the town, followed by the locking of the warehouse door from the inside. Immediately there was screaming followed by loud thuds on the sides of the warehouse walls. They were very loud and it made Beverly jump. She jumped even more when through the wooden planks of the walls, legs and arms broke through and flopped to the ground in twisted shapes with blood still coming out of veins. Beverly quickened her pace and got to the truck. She started it and drove closer to the warehouse. The rain was so heavy that the fire in front of the warehouse was out and smoldering. She still heard screams through the roar of the engine and the pounding of the rain, but they were becoming less and less. The mercenaries drove away, heading back to the compound. After five minutes of silence, the door opened. Mark walked out calmly and had his usual blank expression. He was covered in blood from head to toe. He knelt down next to a puddle and began washing off the blood.

Mark moved away from the door and the headlights of the truck shone inside the warehouse. "Fuck me!" Beverly said. She saw the bodies stacked upon one another. No arms or legs, but they were still moving. They were still alive. Mark finished washing himself, then got into the passenger side. His only words were "Home............Please." Beverly put the truck into gear and followed the bus.

Chapter 30

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

BERLIN, JANUARY 1973

"Oh for the love of God!" General Davidoff pounded his fist on the table.

"He really expects us to follow through with this?!"

Albert sat in the meeting room with Joseph, Davidoff, Col. Radvic, Dr. Mashu, Dr. David Johnston of Johnston Pharmaceuticals, and CIA director Richard Helms. Director Helms was being forced out of his position by President Nixon and he was about to be appointed ambassador to Iran. He was also the only person in the room who ever met Adolf Hitler. Director Helms was working with the press during the 1936 Berlin Olympics and interviewed the man. Director Helms was also very well dressed, and professional and did not suffer fools. When he found out about the Phoenix project, he along with Col. Radvic brought the right equipment and personnel to the Underground Science Division. Now with the Vietnam war, the Cold War and American politics in turmoil, the Underground Science Division was losing it's cover and power. The clandestine operations were becoming harder to do and key personnel were being transferred or replaced. The men in this room were the only ones with the power of the Underground Science Division.

"Think about it General," Joseph said, "at this point in time we are losing our little piece of paradise here in Berlin. The Cold War actually became real and now people are becoming intolerant of it." Albert noticed that Joseph was in better health and mood since he last saw him. The work he was doing with Elsa was spectacular. She went for walks outside and was able to control her predatory nature. She was at this very moment building snowmen with Motoko in the courtyard. Mengele would have loved to see this.

Joseph continued, "Gentlemen, I know that Dr. Mengele was a monster and an evil man, but we must take heed of his research and failures. It may sound atrocious but, we are in a tight spot now. We will lose out project to the corrupt military groups of the world and Elsa will be used for more evil. You know this. Now, unless we come up with an alternate solution within the next year, we will have to follow the advice of Dr. Mengele."

General Davidoff huffed in anger, "Never! We cannot in good conscience continue the work he did! You must see this." He pleaded to Director Helms who had his fingers tented and was listening with his eyes closed. He took in a deep breath and spoke, "Dr. Mashu, what is the probability that we will have the proper tools to fix Elsa in the next year?"

Dr. Mashu cleared his throat, "I doubt we will have the proper knowledge within the next 20 years. All mainstream science is focused on the Cold War and the Vietnam War. The study of her serum and its applications have brought some medical knowledge to light about health and longevity. Sadly, it was not as well received as I had hoped. They still want destruction and death up there. If we were to do nothing right now, Mr. Earle is right, mainstream science would use Mrs. Hofstedtter for the continuation of death and destruction. I believe that the dream of a Utopia is held mainly by the people in this complex only. The world is fighting with itself and shows no signs of stopping."

Director Helms nodded and turned his attention to Col. Radvic, "What is the KGBs stance Colonel?"

"Since the loss of our control over the budget and the hoarding of materials by criminal elements within the republic, the KGB has no time, nor the funding to continue this project and it will fall into the hands of Communist zealots who will use her to rule the world. I must agree with Mr. Earle and follow Mengele's advice. We must rid the world of her powers before she falls into the wrong hands."

General Davidoff huffed again in anger, "Why don't we move her to America? We know of this base in Nevada, why not put her there?"

Director Helms shook his head, "I'm sorry General, that is more of a military operation, we would be putting her in the wrong hands. Our main issue is to keep her away from the military, yet we must also remember to keep her out of private hands. The military groups of the world are not the only ones who would want her. The Mafia, even private medical facilities would fall victim to government contracts and use her militarily just for the massive amounts of money they could receive for their research. Her secret must be kept and ensured. We will not live forever gentlemen and she will outlive us all. We must take the appropriate actions now to save the rest of the world from a dangerous temptation."

General Davidoff slumped his shoulders. He had given in. The thought of Elsa in the wrong hands was too terrible to think of. Mengele was right. They would have to try his way.

Dr. Johnston broke the silence, "Suppose we do try and breed Elsa's defects from her, what of the children? What if they possess traits similar to hers?"

"If they were from a pure human source, the traits would be lessened some what. There is also a 1 in 5 chance that the weaker traits, that is to say in Elsa's case, the human traits would probably be dominant and the child would be pure human," Dr. Mashu said. "The others would most definitely have a reduced amount of traits or they would exhibit single traits instead of the whole. With more genetic replication from a pure human source, I would surmise that in 40 years we could eradicate the superhuman traits from Elsa and her offspring completely rendering them safe and normal. With the combination of breeding and as technology advances, it is quite possible that she could be cured in a shorter time, depending on what is found between now and then. This is all well within the lifetimes of many of us here at this table."

Everyone thought for a moment. That was a lot to take in. No one ever really thought of their own mortality since they got involved with Elsa. They thought they had all the time in the world. Now with everything crashing down on them all at once, they had to act. Albert's time with Mengele was actually doing some good. It made them prioritize their thinking and actions. After all that monster did, this might be his only true act of redemption.

Director Helms stood up, "Gentlemen, we have no other choice in the matter. We must follow the idea that Dr. Mengele gave us. God help us if we are wrong. I will do all I can from Iran since I am being replaced at home. I assume there is no need to argue who will be the father of the children, am I correct Mr. Earle?" He looked at Joseph. Joseph smiled, "It would be futile to do so Director Helms." Joseph smiled proudly. He looked radiantly happy.

"Very well then," Helms continued, "Go ahead immediately with this plan. I do not have any faith in the current administration of the U.S. to entrust this project to, so consider us out of the game for now. I do however trust the U.S. interests in this project under the sole protection of Dr. Johnston and his company. We must rely on the mutual countries that you gentlemen represent. We must have some sort of backing in order to continue long enough to carry out the current stage of this project. So find anyone that owes you favors, or that you can bribe, blackmail, or whatever to get this done."

Everyone stood up. Joseph was first out the door. No doubt he was on the way to give Elsa the news. Albert sat down again. He wanted some quiet time to reflect, but Dr. Mashu stayed behind as well. When the door closed Dr. Mashu spoke, "What is on your mind Mr. Earle?"

"This is just a lot to take in at the moment. I wonder if Joseph is the right choice, given that he was attacked and has her venom in him," Albert replied.

"The venom has not altered his genetic makeup in any way. It has not joined with his DNA I've gone over the results of his blood tests from when he was attacked. Her venom is more liken to a drug than a virus or infective agent." Dr. Mashu replied.

"Does it seem silly for me to see a major change in him since I left? I don't mean personally but physically as well?" Albert asked.

"Not at all Mr. Earle," Dr. Mashu said, "Your brother has had many breakthroughs with Mrs. Hofstedtter. He has deepened their connection and his body has flourished. He is stronger, healthier, and has more energy, and most importantly, he is happier. In my opinion what we see in Mr. Earle's case is the physical manifestation of true love. I will know more when his yearly physical is done and his blood tests come back."

"You are right of course Doctor." Albert said rubbing his temples, "The time I spent in Brazil has changed me a great deal. I'm afraid I've gone to the opposite end of my brother, perhaps time around my family here will help me in ways much like Joseph."

Dr. Mashu's brow furrowed in thought, "I have a sensitive question to ask you about that time you you spent with Dr. Mengele, if that is alright with you?"

"Yes, it is fine."

Dr. Mashu got up and sat in the chair closest to Albert, "What was it like to see him and speak with him?" he then looked right at Albert with scrutiny. Apparently this was something of great interest in him scientifically. Albert would tell him everything.

"He is confident, brilliant, and a forceful man. He has no remorse for what he did and he is sure his work will continue. His methods were so horrifying, and yet they were elegantly scientific. I was repulsed by his actions, but I felt comfortable in the methods in which he carried out his work. Had he not been involved with the Nazi's and if he would have performed his work humanely, he could have been considered one of the greatest contributors to medicine."

"What about you personally, Mr. Earle?" Dr. Mashu asked.

Albert looked down. This was what he was most ashamed about. "I liked him. He was full of information and I felt a kindred spirit with him. I know I am somewhat his clone, but I could never do what he did, but it was like talking to a close relative in many respects. His confidence and skill amazed me. I found myself wishing I was as confident and skillful as he was. It is like admiring the devil and trying to emulate him."

"You may have close genetic ties with the man Mr. Earle, but you are not him. As for your respect for him, remember this; Napoleon was a masterful tactician and many of his tactics are taught today. Hitler was a great orator, and Dr. Mengele was a brilliant doctor. In each case they chose the wrong way to go about using their talents. That is the key to life, what you choose to do with what you have. You may be like Dr. Mengele, but your choices have always been to help others and your compassion. Somewhere in Mengele's life, those traits were crushed in him and he became a monster. Yours have not been crushed and you are a good man who sacrifices himself for the good of all. A trait that is very respectable and rare in these times. The rewards for your sacrifices will be great Mr. Earle, and your mark upon humanity will be invisible, but one of the greatest marks made, perhaps even the most important." Dr. Mashu patted Albert's shoulder and sat quietly.

Albert felt better. It was good to get it out in the open. He never thought Dr. Mashu was so philosophical, but he was the right man to talk to about this. Albert was going to spend more time with him during the next phase of the project. Albert felt that his place was with him in the labs now.

As for Joseph, something was still unsettled about his transformation. It may be love yes, but there is something deeper. Joseph always had secrets and there was a major secret he was hiding this very moment.

"Mr. Earle?" Dr. Mashu asked.

Dr. Mashu cleared his throat and spoke, "While you were away, one of the serums from Ms. Hofstedtter seemed to have been tampered with. It was a weak serum to begin with, not one of the concentrated vials. None of the lab technicians knew anything about it but it was apparent that someone had emptied it and replaced its contents with saline."

"What do you suppose happened doctor?" Albert asked.

"When I found out I did blood tests on everyone who had any contact with Ms. Hofstedtter. Your brother, the General and technicians, even my daughter. The General and Mr. Earle both had elevated levels of the serum in their bloodstream. I did a physical on both men and found that compared to the prior physical they had six months before." Dr. Mashu shifted in his chair, "It seems both men are better physically than before, but Mr. Earle is in top physical condition, before he had elevated cholesterol and evidence of liver damage, now those are gone. He's perfect in every way."

"So you think Joseph took it?" Albert said.

"Yes Mr. Earle." Dr. Mashu said.

Albert thought for a moment and said "Well, it makes sense. Sounds like something he would do. How might this affect our experiment here?"

"Well physically, Mr. Earle is not enhanced by much, but what concerns me is his mental abilities." Dr. Mashu replied.

"Well he seems to be a bit more confident and calm I attributed it to being in love with Elsa..." Albert said before Dr. Mashu interrupted,

"Mr. Earle, I must interject here. Your brother has abilities to affect the people around him. His mood to be precise. His confidence is projected on others. I found out from one of the guards that Mr. Earle appeared to be drunk one night and jovial. The guard is not known for joviality but he described that the mood of Mr. Earle was catching. I initially dismissed this but the very next day, Mr. Earle took Mrs. Hofstedtter outside for the first time. He projected his confidence and calm onto her and she was able to overcome her fears. I believe that breeding the two will not bring about a cure if it is continued. The children may or may not bring about the eradication of Ms. Hofstedtter's affliction."

Albert looked up at the ceiling and sighed, "Perhaps you're right, but Josephs abilities seem to be localized in the mind. We might not eradicate it fully but perhaps we can 'thin it out' and get lucky."

Dr. Mashu scoffed slightly "Science Mr. Earle does not count on luck."

"I know Hiro, but what choice do we have? Does Joseph know you know?"

"No Mr. Earle." Dr. Mashu replied.

"Good, let's keep it that way." Albert stood up and rubbed his chin in thought, "I suggest we continue under the guise of the original plan and see how the children are before we make any decisions. We intervene now and they'll be separated. God knows what will happen if Joseph gets angry and Elsa too for that matter. Damn them for forcing us into this position!" Albert pounded the wall. There was silence for a while, neither man spoke. Eventually Dr. Mashu spoke "You are right Mr. Earle. I don't like conspiring like this but our hand is forced. The best shot is to continue the program and stop it if any more children don't show signs of reducing the enhancements. They are both eager to continue and have children. We could use your genetic material?" Mashu suggested

"I can't let that happen, I'm too much like Mengele, I refuse to risk it." Albert replied

"Mr Earle, aside from your resemblance you are nothing like him." Dr. Mashu said.

"I know, but it is too great a risk to mix any of his genetic code with Elsa's, a child with her strengths and possibly his mind would be the worst thing ever, plus if Joseph found out, he'll kill me for sure.

"Okay Mr. Earle, I'll get everything ready for the procedure" Dr. Mashu said. He got up to leave

"Hiro?" Albert said, "Let's have them do it the old fashioned way. A lab grown child feels too much like what Mengele was doing. Make up any medical reason you can please?"

Dr. Mashu bowed and said, "Of course Mr. Earle, I understand." and he left closing the door behind him.

Chapter 31

Berlin Germany

June 1973

Everyone was dressed in their best uniforms, The entire outer courtyard from the entrance of Elsa's housing was decorated with flowers of all colors and there was a quartet playing. The air was heavily perfumed and the music was wonderful. This was a small affair, with mainly the complexes staff and a few select family members. The altar where Joseph and Albert stood was a lace Gazebo all in white, decorated with flowers and streamers, the priest was a local man and he had been given the inoculation at the pre-wedding reception. Dr. Mashu had mixed it in with the Champagne and the staff who were serving gave it to everyone who needed inoculation. For the younger visitors, Dr. Mashu had given it in candies that the younger guests ate. Afterwards the drinks and food that were not filled with the inoculation were given out. Joseph loved the clandestine inoculation plan and Mashu wasn't too happy about it but no one wanted a bloodbath on their wedding day.

Albert hated it. He felt that just a small, quick ceremony with a judge and two witnesses would suffice. This was after all a formality, with the unorthodox life they were now living, a regular wedding ceremony seemed completely out of place. Albert relented when Elsa, Joseph, Motoko, and General Davidoff pressured him. Albert had forgotten how to have fun so when he was tasked with overseeing the redecoration of the drab and prison-like courtyard outside of Elsa's rooms he knew the importance of it. Elsa already had been married, almost 80 years ago, much like this. She was sad about her first family but she was strong and taken the plan with enthusiasm. She wanted to be a mother again, and was madly in love with Joseph. Albert had worried about the conversation that he had with Dr. Mashu but the unbridled excitement of the wedding and the transformation of the courtyard lessened Albert's worries.

Joseph stood next to Albert and was excited and nervous. "Albert, try and look like you are having fun." Joseph said.

"I am having fun Joseph. I'm just exhausted from doing all of this" Albert said waving his hands around. The guests were seating themselves for the ceremony was about to take place.

"Well it looks wonderful Albert! I am sure that Motoko and Elsa ordered you to get all of this but when Motoko entered the courtyard she was surprised on how wonderful this looks!" Joseph said.

"Not so much, it was the General and even Radvic mostly. Radvic insisted on all of these flowers, it's almost too much. Albert replied.

"What did Elsa and Motoko do?" Joseph asked.

"They had the General and I running over all of Europe looking for this Gazebo." Albert replied. "Apparently Elsa's parents were married under a similar Gazebo, she didn't have one at her first wedding, so she got to get it this time."

"Well you two did a great job." Joseph said inhaling the air and smiling. "That's why you're the Best Man!" Joseph nudged Albert in the ribs. Albert scoffed a little at the pun.

All the guests were seated, and the quartet began playing the Wedding March. Everyone looked toward the door to Elsa's chamber. Colonel Radvic and Dr. Mashu joined Albert and Joseph at the altar as the first of the procession. The general had hired photographers and the flashbulbs popped as each person walked down the aisle. Motoko, who was the maid of honor, and her mother followed, then one of the little girls of the General's staff came out throwing flowers on the ground, then the Generals son, Sergei Davidoff came bearing the rings on a pillow. All took their places then the quartet began playing Here Comes the Bride. General Davidoff was in his best uniform and then Elsa came out, everyone gasped at how beautiful she looked in her wedding dress. It was a brilliant white with laces on the neckline and arms. She and the entire dress looked so delicate, like a porcelain doll. Albert knew better, Joseph almost fell over but whispered, "She still amazes me!" Albert couldn't help but to feel the same. She was so perfect and her green eyes looked so astounded and nervous but her eyes met with Joseph's and the nervousness went away. The General looked strong but sad, so did most of the staff of the complex. They all loved her dearly, but Joseph was to have her. Albert began to wonder if he would ever find love, but meeting and spending time with Mengele seemed to quash that feeling.

Elsa and General Davidoff approached the altar and the priest began the ceremony. Women were crying and the men were hiding it. The General let a couple of tears fall. Albert felt for the General. The woman described in the Generals' story of when he found her was a stark contrast to the exquisite woman in the dress. Joseph and Elsa held hands and never stopped looking at each other. They spoke the words and kissed. They were now husband and wife.

The reception lasted until dark. Candles and lit torches brought a warm glow to the courtyard. Albert let himself have fun while dancing with the staff's wives and Mrs. Mashu and Motoko. Albert grew tired and stood in the corner sipping Champagne. He had paced himself and wasn't drunk. The Russians were drinking and dancing, everyone was clapping along and laughing. Dr. Mashu found Albert and stood next to him. There was a long silence but Dr. Mashu broke it. "Beautiful ceremony wasn't it?"

"Yes" Albert replied

"Mrs. Earle looked even more beautiful than ever today." Mashu stated.

"I didn't think it was possible, but yes she does." Albert replied.

"Mr. Earle...I hate to bring bad news to this day but I've done more tests on your brother and the results were ready two days ago." Mashu said.

"Joseph injected himself with her serum didn't he?" Albert asked.

"Then you know?" Mashu asked.

"In a way, I've been watching him closely. He is changed, your suspicions were true. The question is by how much?" Albert replied.

"He has 25% of her abilities and his brain chemistry is altered quite a bit. He has more focus and influence, he can psychically influence others. That is something Mrs. Earle doesn't have." Mashu replied.

"Hmm." Albert said, "Do you think we should stop the plan?"

"At this point Mr. Earle, I think it would be unwise. I believe there is no way of stopping it anyway. The only way was to stop the meeting of the two." Dr. Mashu replied.

"Well, then we hope that with time and careful control we can have the children and hopefully cure every one of them and end this." Albert replied.

"I have been wondering Mr. Earle, did you ever figure out how that came to be?" Mashu asked.

"No, General Davidoff and I investigated the letter sent to Joseph. We could find nothing on who sent it. We could only find the mailbox and the mailman Karl Wimund " Albert replied.

"I think the meeting is part of a bigger plan." Mashu said.

"That someone forced the meeting of Joseph and Elsa? I have had that thought too." Albert said then sipped his Champagne, "But, with no information to go on, we must continue on with this."

"I came to that conclusion some time ago as well." Mashu said, "I have also come to another conclusion; We must insure ourselves against the forces that created our present situation."

"How so?"

"Someone else must be injected with Mrs. Earle's serum" Mashu replied.

"We can't just keep procreating these abilities Hiro, It would be costly and dangerous to do so! We have to find the cure and end it!" Albert said angrily.

Mashu cleared his throat "I understand your concern Mr. Earle, but if we look at it logically, the cure may be years or even decades away. Mrs. Earle may not have an expiration date, Mr. Earle may take over 100 years to grow old and expire, We don't know about the children, yet. I am suggesting this so that the plan will continue after we are gone, a silent and powerful person in this, someone who will ensure the future and that Mr. and Mrs. Earle and the children won't be corrupted or used to end the world."

"You want me to do it don't you Hiro?" Albert asked, it was the right choice, Albert wanted nothing to do with immortality but Albert could watch over his family and be objective. The thought of growing old and dying before the plan could be completed disturbed him.

"Yes, Mr. Earle. I think we both know it is the best option." Mashu replied.

"I'll do it, hell, they're my family so I must!" Albert said angrily, "When do we do it?"

"It will take some time for me to perfect the serum, we're making slow progress but in the next few years I'll have a serum where we can control the traits needed. Then with time as a variable and not a constant, once the cure is found you all could take it and end it once and for all." Mashu replied.

"Then Hiro, we pray for good luck that we can do it before anything happens." Albert replied.

"Indeed." Mashu replied.

The two men watched as Joseph and Elsa got up and danced with each other. Albert finally felt peace with this wedding. Something unnatural came out of it after all, Dr. Hiro Mashu is hoping for luck.

Chapter 32

MEINGLE COMPOUND, BRAZIL

SEPTEMBER 2006

Beverly told the story from start to finish to Dr. Meingle, Eustaquino, Lawrence and her sisters. They were all in the library having tea at Dr. Meingle's insistence. The mercenaries had brought the children to the compound hours earlier and they had just finished examining them and settling them into the compound. Everyone was tired and confused. Apparently the mercenaries dropped them off and quit on the spot. Beverly listened as they told her the progress of the children. Some did not even know what was going on. The children required a great deal of work. That was shadowed by what happened when Mark and Beverly returned. Mark did not speak the entire trip home. He looked out the window and said nothing. Beverly was unsettled by what she had seen so she did not press him at all which was against her nature. Something told her that this event had changed Mark in a deep way. Something was building up inside him. It was buried deep and was very dangerous. Mark's usual way of dismantling criminal elements was gruesome, but quick and painless. Mark had left those people alive out of pure hate, pure malice, and pure enjoyment. Mark retreated to his lab and gave the instruction to not be disturbed until further notice. Even Eustaquino was told to stay away.

Dr. Meingle had his fingers tented and pressed to his lips. He listened intently and without any reaction at all. The others acted normally, gasping and looking terrified. Eustaquino shook his head many times.

"So that's it. We came home and he went to his lab," Beverly finished. There were no reactions, just quiet horror on everyone's face. "Well, what the fuck are we going to do!?" Beverly demanded.

"Dis-associative Identity Disorder," Dr. Meingle said.

"What?" Beverly snapped.

"It is what he might have. Mark suppressed his emotions at an early age, but they were still there and grew and matured in a deep dark hole inside him. Seeing those children in that state set him off. It was similar to what you all experienced as children with one exception, you are all different than normal children, which I would surmise since you all have resilient bodies and minds," Meingle explained.

"Exactly what the hell does that mean Dr.? You have danced around about our god-damned history for too long now. What are we?!" Beverly demanded.

Dr. Meingle shook his head in agreement. "You are right Beverly, I didn't want to stress you all further with your past as you were dealing with the present. It may be time to reveal the story." Dr. Meingle shifted in his seat and sipped some tea. "Before World War II the Nazi's had begun cursory experimentation with human genetics. A project spearheaded by Dr. Josef Menegle, Adolf Hitler and several other high ranking Nazi officials before they came into power. They were trying to create a super race of beings in conjunction with building the master race of Aryans. This project called Phoenix failed and there were only two people out of ten that survived. A man named Klaus who was never found, and a woman named Elsa Hofstadter, your mother. Mrs. Hofstadter was changed at the genetic level to be superhuman and a highly efficient predator. She was ferocious and made without the proper precautions. The Nazi's buried her in a room in Auschwitz until she was found by a special unit of soldiers from different countries whose task was to eradicate the Nazi's, specifically Mengele's inhuman projects. Ms. Hofstadter could not be killed. She regenerated tissue rapidly, like Mark can. It was paramount to keep her away from the eyes of the world, so the new curators of the Phoenix project created the Cold War in order to keep the minds of governments occupied and away from the horrors of medical science that the Nazi's created. It was determined to eradicate the genetic alterations of Ms. Hofstadter by breeding children with her and a human source. I worked on this project and before we began, Mrs. Hofstadter married Joseph Earle then I saw all of you born and I helped raise you until 1979 when the Russian government found out about the project and began to take it over for military applications. The Project Phoenix staff was killed and all of you were taken away. Mrs. Earle was also taken away. Through the years of listening and feeling under the radar, I found one of the project's lead officer's son, Captain Davidoff, who worked with the Russian Mafia. Through him I was able to find you all and bring you here, but the deal was you three had to work for him. I was forced to agree. Davidoff had more information than I did and he learned of your abilities so I was able to get Mark and Amber. As it turned out Mark was very resourceful and found you himself. When he first arrived here, I had no idea of what to expect, but I had hope that with the wonderful kindness of Amber, you all had some semblance of a normal life. I was sadly mistaken when Mark woke up and told me what you all went through with the horrid tests and such."

"What about our father?" Ginger asked, "What happened to him?"

"I don't know my dear." Meingle said.

"You say the Russian government took us in 1979?" Lawrence asked.

"Yes," Meingle replied.

"The island where we were found was owned by a company in the United States called Johnston Pharmaceuticals. There was never any Russian connection other than it was close to Russia itself." Lawrence said.

"Johnston!?" Meingle sat up, "That son of a bitch!" Meingle slammed his fist down on the coffee table, his cup shattered on the floor.

Mark laid down on his bed in the lab and stared at the ceiling. No doubt Beverly was recounting the nights events and everyone was appropriately concerned. He was concerned, the emotions that came out in that warehouse made him feel wonderful. That was the problem too, he felt something. Loosing control like that, ripping limbs off of people, drinking their blood; that was not him. That was something else entirely.

He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. A vision started coming through his mind.

The children were tied up and strapped down to the beds. Their cries were muffled through cloth gags. There was razor wire enclosures around the beds and the cold black when the lights were out. The only sounds were muffled crying and his own heartbeat. Mark was with three little boys. He was strapped in the same, but he was used to it. These boys were new there. They were just brought in today. The testing was coming. Mark knew what they were going to see and hear. He only could feel pity for them. There were no words that he could say to stop the fear. He tried hundreds of times with other boys, but they were young and did not know. The youngest, 49, was only three years old. He was ten when he died. Mark remembered his laughter, the little giggles. He thought it was all fun and games. Little 49 was the last time Mark had any outward feelings. The boy was Mark's friend. He had an upbeat attitude and took to the injections well, but there was a look on his face, like he had seen horrors unimaginable. All of them including Mark were subjected to images and memories from other people, from all walks of life. Mark was given serial killers, mental patients, scientists, troubled teens, raped women and others that he could never define. Just their memories implanted in his mind. Their feelings and emotions could come up at anytime during the day. That is why he had no emotions, and he showed only a stoic face. He blocked the emotions and feelings until the memories remained and he could extrapolate knowledge from them.

Mark quickly stopped his mind from those memories and forced himself to think logically. He had killed before, but he had never done anything like this before. It felt great to punish them. It was like pure joy. He took away their instruments of torture, their arms and legs, so they would know to never do that again. Each pop of bone and tearing of flesh shivered in his spine. It sent waves of pleasure through him and he was not satisfied until each one had paid. This was the best night Mark ever had. He had felt so much pain and suffering all of his life. This was so much more than the slight satisfaction he had enjoyed in small amounts with the others.

The doctors and nurses that made him and his siblings think they deserved as children was the punishment he had just given out. They deserved much more than that. They had made their choices and took their rewards for torturing children. Davidoff needed a lesson as well. He would be the scapegoat for all the rapes of his sister by others. Mark was going to make Davidoff the example. Just the mere thought of it was intensely satisfying. The children were here and safe. They had chocolate and kind attention from his sisters and his friends. That was the most satisfying thing of the night. He saw the face of 49 in every one of their eyes, his little adopted brother over and over. That was too much for Mark to process and he snapped.

Hours later Mark went to his room and stood on the balcony. The full moon cast a blue glow over the sleeping compound. Mark knew that these children would never see the horrors they witnessed anymore. There was a new objective for his mission to ending fear. He was going to end it all, but he had to suppress the feelings that came from it. The satisfaction and ecstasy could not be released like that again. Mark took in a long, deep breath and forced the emotions down deep inside himself until he felt nothing again, only pure logical thoughts in his mind.

"That was so satisfying wasn't it?" his voice said. Mark heard it, but he did not speak. Mark looked around and said, "Who is that?" There was no one there, but he felt a presence.

"I am you," the voice said. Mark heard himself, but there was a dark edge to it, a gruff quality, not the monotone of his regular voice.

"So, you are in my head then?" Mark asked.

"I must be," the voice said. "I can't be anywhere else." the voice laughed. Mark looked around again, "You must be the emotions I have suppressed," he said.

"Good job old man!" the voice said. "I have been waiting for a long, long time to come out and play, looks like you found the key to my prison door."

"Well, show yourself, I don't want to talk to air," Mark said.

"You might not like what you see!" the voice said in singsong.

"If you are my emotions, then you won't like what I see, I don't care either way," Mark replied.

"Hmmm, by God you are right! OK then!" the voice said.

In front of Mark a reflection of himself materialized from nothing, except it was not him. The form was wearing the same clothes as Mark. The face was scarred with red marks all over it and deep cuts on the scalp. His hair was sparse from the scars and what was left was shoulder length and looked greasy. His right arm was smaller than the left and twisted like a ducks head trying to hide in his armpit. He was skinny and pale. His legs were thin and shaky. His face contorted into a smile when he appeared. "You were right Mark, I don't like it." He laughed loudly and threw his head back revealing more deep scars on his neck.

"You must be what they did to me emotionally," Mark said looking the figure up and down.

"Yep, the physical representation of years of mental torture." He grinned.

"Made possible by a grant from Johnston Pharmaceuticals!" He laughed hysterically and his legs shook. He wobbled and caught himself on the railing with his good hand. "Oh my God this is fun!" he said and he hobbled around the patio chuckling as he went. "Well, this is going to be grand isn't it?" he said.

"Johnston Pharmaceuticals?" Mark asked. "I've never heard of them."

"You may not remember. It was long ago when we were first brought to the island. You were about 5 years old, and the logo was on the side of the helicopter and on the jackets of the doctors who escorted us," he said.

"They promised us candy and toys. We asked for Motoko, they said she was waiting for us, but she wasn't. They lied to us remember?"The fragile figure asked.

Mark folded his arms and leaned on the railing. The figure looked at Mark for a reaction and said, "No, I doubt you would remember that would you? Right then, I guess I am the reactive one here aren't I? Well, first things first. What is my name?"

"If you are me, then your name is Mark," Mark said.

The figure scratched his head and a piece of skin came off. "Look at this!" he said, "Not five minutes old and I am already falling apart!" he flicked the skin with his fingers and laughed again. After he calmed down he said, "No, I don't feel like a Mark. How about Michael or Ellis. No? How about Frankenstein?"

Mark replied, "Just get to it."

The figure looked deeply hurt and said, "You don't have to be so mean to me you know, it's like hurting yourself." Then he smiled

Mark stared at him. "Fine Mr. Poopy Pants," he said, "since you have taken on the persona of Mark I guess I get your old stinking number." He stood up straight and lifted his arms very dramatically and with a deep booming voice he yelled, "I AM THE NUMBER 42. BOW AND KNEEL BEFORE MY AWESOMENESS!"

Mark turned around and looked at the compound. 42 hobbled to the railing and said, "This is not fair Mark. I have all this funny stuff and you can't laugh. We were both handed a crappy hand in life. Well, actually you were handed it. If you were normal, you would be me, but less handsome than I," and he tousled his hair like a supermodel.

There was a long pause and Mark stared out into the darkness.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" 42 asked playfully.

"I am thinking that if you came out, then there is something happening to me that was never intended." Mark said.

"Oh, it was intended Mark," 42 said sharply "What wasn't intended was what happened to us."

"Hmmm," Mark said quietly, "I like the way I am. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Well, that is the thing about nature," 42 said with a snooty accent "It balances itself out one way or another. You are part of nature as a breathing entity on this planet, and you have been unbalanced for years old boy. Nature is catching up to you."

"Well, I don't need it," Mark replied.

"Well, if you want to get all technical and stuff, I need it so that means that you need it for me. You see this will be your never ending battle unless you appease me sometimes. I crave all the revenge, death, destruction, love, laughter and every other human emotion you deny. The more you deny, the stronger I will get," 42 chuckled, "then I will eventually take over and do whatever I want." He flicked Mark's nose with every word.

He was right. Mark knew he had limits. He hasn't found them but he knows they are there. If 42 ever got out, there would be more of what happened tonight. The possibility of innocent people getting hurt will increase exponentially.

"You don't have to think so boring you know," 42 said, "I can read your every thought. Who uses the word exponentially? You are far from a college professor my friend."

"Fine, what do you want?" Mark asked.

"Let's start off with something easy. Something very close to our heart. Someone who needs to be put in his place," 42 said greedily.

"Davidoff," Mark said.

"Ohhhh, I can feel that anger. Oh my God yes!" 42 said. "Ohhh Mark we are going to have so much fun with him it is not even funny. Oh what are you thinking?"42 said dancing around Mark

Mark said nothing. He had a plan forming in his head. He didn't need to tell 42 because he would already know.

"Oh yes! I can see where we are going with this. Mark you are turning me on with this!" 42 said with pleasure.

The sound of a soft knocking at his door stopped Mark's train of thought. "Dammit all to hell!" 42 said angrily and he disappeared. Mark knew who it was. The unsure tapping of his brother Lawrence.

"Come in Lawrence," Mark said.

The door opened slowly and his brother came in slowly. Mark came in from the terrace and stood near the closet door. "Mark, Dr. Meingle wants to see you. We have come up with something that you should know," he said tentatively. Lawrence was hard to read. Mark could tell that they had talked about his actions at the warehouse. It was a simple explanation which will be dealt with immediately, without revealing the appearance of his emotions as a corporeal being. That will have to remain secret. In the course of human history, talking to thin air has not been received well by medicine and religion. Mark must be cautious.

"Don't worry Lawrence, I will explain everything in the library," Mark said as he left the room with Lawrence scrambling to follow.

Chapter 33

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

EAST BERLIN, MAY 1974

Elsa cried as she gave the final push. Joseph held her hand. Dr. Mashu and his daughter were attending to the baby whose head was crowning. Albert Earle, General Davidoff, and the rest of the staff were in the antechamber waiting patiently. This was truly a momentous occasion. The birth of a created human being and a god. Joseph and Elsa were so happy. She was able to walk the grounds without an escort. She kept her word when walking and she also had learned to control her predatory nature much with the help of Joseph. She was almost able to leave this place. The political heat of the times were taking their toll on the Underground Science division and they needed to relocate. Dr. Johnston had mentioned Alaska because his company owned some property there and they were going to use it for research. It would have been perfect except Elsa wished to be near people. In order to make things easier, it was decided that Verviers Belgium was the right place. It was a couple of hours away, there were people there, and it was Joseph and Albert's second home. The storybook ending was coming true for Joseph and Elsa. Albert was the exact opposite of everyone else. He was not sleeping, barely eating, and irritable. It was a concern to be sure, but everyone knew that he, out of all the Underground Science staff, had suffered the most. He made a deal with the devil and weighed paying the price for it emotionally and physically. Breeding out an anomaly in the genetic code was what the Nazis had been doing. No one was happy about it, but in order to save the evils of this world from the temptation of exploiting Elsa for their own ends, it was wisely considered that the creation of the Cold War was the absolute wrong choice. It had taken on a life of its own through the years, something that those who created it did not foresee. Yet it still held its purpose to mask this operation. But for how long?

The baby was born with ease. Elsa healed immediately and she was calm. Dr. Mashu wiped down the baby with a towel and all he heard was an annoyed grunt. The baby pushed his arm out of the way and opened it's eyes. They were dark brown and it looked around at everything with intelligent scrutiny. It was a boy and he continued to look around, moving his head and stretching his neck to get a better look. He locked eyes with Dr. Mashu and looked at him intensely. "I cannot believe I am saying this, but this boy is already conscious of his environment and he is studying me," Mashu said.

"He is so cute!" Motoko said. The boy broke eye contact with the doctor and looked toward the sound of the other voice. He reached his arms up and grunted. Dr. Mashu handed the baby to his daughter and she grabbed him up quickly and laughed and cooed. The baby furrowed his brow and then grabbed her face and she stopped. He looked deep into her eyes for a long time. The newborn studied her face. His little hand gently touched her face and felt her features with scientific scrutiny. Everyone in the room and the observation room were in awe. Motoko let him feel her face. She waited patiently for him to stop. He stopped and sighed heavily. Motoko smiled at him warmly. She absolutely glowed as if this were her child. The boy looked at her and smiled. Motoko instantly fell in love with him. She gasped and everyone looked concerned until her smile beamed brighter. His smile was so warm and loving that she almost fainted. "Do you want to see your Mom and Dad?" she asked. The boy stopped smiling and tried to look behind him. Joseph and Elsa were watching his every move. They were straining to see him too. Motoko walked over to them and turned the boy so he could see his parents. Albert and Davidoff had come in and situated themselves around the gurney to see better.

The boy furrowed his brow at everyone staring at him. He systematically scanned the bewildered crowd of people around him with intensity. It made them almost feel uncomfortable until he looked at his mother. His brow smoothed at the sight of her and his father. He reached his arms towards them and Motoko handed him to Elsa. He settled right down and looked over his parents for a few seconds then he sighed and yawned, his eyes glazed over and he fell asleep.

"What a sight!" General Davidoff exclaimed.

"Yes, it is highly unusual, impossible for a newborn to be so conscious of his environment and to be so aware," Dr. Mashu said. "There will have to be further testing done, but I hypothesize that this child has most of his mother's abilities."

The group felt a little sad about this, but the wonder they just witnessed lessened it. Everyone looked at the sleeping child. Motoko Mashu got as close as she could to him.

Joseph looked at her face, it was so warm and loving. Then he looked at his son. "Looks like he made an impression on you Motoko," Joseph said.

"He sure did," the 13 year old replied, "That smile was so beautiful, I wonder what it meant?"

Joseph smiled and said, "Who knows. Maybe he will be the nicest person in the world. He might be a loving and caring being who can draw people in and comfort them. By watching the scene play out here, he is incredibly intelligent. True, he may have abilities like his mother, but he also has attributes from a regular human."

"I think his name should be Mark," Elsa said. "No matter what he does, he will leave his mark on whatever he does. What do you think Joseph?"

"I think it is a fantastic idea. His name shall be Mark Albert Earle. I want him named after you Albert since he was your idea," Joseph said.

"Let's not forget what we are doing here in the first place Joseph," the tired and gruff voice of his brother said, "This boy is now a target as well, and we are further damned for engineering another creation against nature. We will find out the price soon enough." Albert turned and walked back into the complex. Everyone exchanged looks at the realization of what Albert was saying. The collective thought of what price they will have to pay weighed down the joy of the moment.

No one spoke for a while. They all watched the little boy sleep. After a few minutes be began to stir. A scowl formed on his face and he grunted in frustration. His little arm was grasping at his mother's breast. The mood lightened in the room and Elsa smiled. "He must be hungry." She began to unbutton her shirt to let him feed. Before should could reach the button, little Mark grabbed her shirt with both hands and tore the fabric, likewise with Elsa's brassier until he found what he wanted. He locked his mouth on her nipple and began to feed. He calmed down and continued to feed.

Everyone gave a nervous chuckle and exchanged worrisome looks. Inside, Joseph felt a twinge of pain as he remembered that night when he took the vial from storage and injected himself. That was before he knew he would have a child with Elsa. All he wanted was to be with her forever so she would not see all of her loved ones die off. So far the effects of the injection seemed to be boosted mental and physical strength. There were no other signs of any of the abilities Elsa had, but what could have been passed on to the boy? Joseph looked at the door where his brother had just left and felt fear for the first time.

Albert Earle went straight to his room, closed the door and locked it. He punished himself for chastising everyone instead of being flattered that the boy had his name. It was an incredible moment and Dr. Mengele ruined it for Albert, This child was more than special, he was one of a kind. Just seconds after birth he knew something was going on. The child was born exactly 9 months after conception. Nature didn't select the time for birth, the boy did. Elsa had gone into labor 30 minutes before he was born. Little Mark decided to come out today. Albert laughed at himself but the logical thought was that the child had been hearing muffled sounds for months, the boy wanted to see what was going on. Those eyes investigated every face, everything in the room before he was satisfied and fell asleep.

Albert thought of the other eggs they implanted and why only one child came out. A frightening though crossed Albert's mind, the boy wanted to be the only one.

Chapter 34

DR. MEINGLE'S LIBRARY

SEPTEMBER 2006

Mark entered the library and saw everyone situated in seats around a central table in the middle of the room, there was a chair empty. No doubt that seat was his. A sort of impromptu court of his family. Mark heard the slight chuckle of 42 as this thought echoed through his mind. Mark recognized the entertainment value of this, but he sat in the chair.

Before anyone else could talk, Mark began, "I will tell you right now that everything is under control. What happened at the warehouse tonight was an unexpected surprise to me and it brought emotions to the surface that I have suppressed for a long time. If you recall 49 and how attached I was to him?" His brother and sisters nodded and looked sad at bringing up the memory. Amber smiled and said, "I remember him, such a cute little boy and playful! Oh my God I haven't thought about him for a long time, and how Mark loved him!" she said to Dr. Meingle, "When 49 was brought to the island the doctors and guards had a heck of a time keeping Mark under control. 49 was being tested like the rest of us with the injections, but Mark killed and injured the guards who came for the little boy. I don't think he was given any visions that were too terrible. He seemed to be happy up until the last month when he died. He became withdrawn and started crying softly all the time. 49's last day was the time we almost escaped. Mark was held down by seven guards with heavy chains. I remember Mark screaming and the guards who strained to keep him down as they unlocked 49's bed cage to take him for more injections. He was so tiny and he screamed and pleaded with them to stop, but they insisted. Mark screamed loudly and then there was an explosion inside the building that caused three guards to fly out the window onto the ground. There was yelling inside and then gunfire. Mark flew out the door and ran to the fence, he was so angry. He collided with the gate and he pounded on it so hard that the thick metal began to bend with every hit. It was breaking, but more guards came and grabbed him. There was a pile of them on him, but he was throwing them off two at a time with one hand and clawing the gate with the other. A doctor came out and gave Mark a large injection. When that was done, the guards released Mark and he crawled to the doctor. It was some sort of heavy sedative and it was knocking Mark out. He got to his feet and stumbled toward the doctor, who backed away. Six guards came in and tackled Mark, but with his arms he hugged them, three on each arm and he broke their necks. They all fell to the ground. Mark was on his hands and knees still trying to reach the doctor. There was such fire in his eyes that day. The last remaining guard took his night stick and hit Mark on the head until it broke. That was it, we didn't see Mark for months after that. We thought he was dead until they came back up one day and Mark was like he is now. That had to have been at least ten years ago now."

Mark sat and listened to her story. Only she could have found a memory of that day. "That is not what really happened that day is it?" 42 whispered into Mark's ear, "Maybe you should tell them what really happened."

No, Mark thought, it is too unbearable for them to hear. I need them with me now. Besides it had to be done.

"Tell them!" 42 demanded, "Tell them NOW!"

Mark cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. "That day has a secret that I have never revealed about 49's death. The truth is I killed him."

"What!?" Beverly shouted. "Why the hell did you do that!?"

Ginger covered her mouth in horror, and Lawrence opened his laptop and began typing. Amber came over and sat on the floor next to him and patted his knee. Beverly was fuming.

"ANSWER ME!" Beverly screamed. Her face was turning red.

Mark began, "49 was grasping his bed cage. The razor wire was cutting into his hands and his blood was pouring all over. He pleaded with them not to take him, then he pleaded with me to not let them take him. Apparently he was to be given the same test I had been given, with the horrific visions. They had started him on them after he was given visions of joy for all those years, that is why he cried. I did all I could to help him. I told him I had the visions too and that they were not real. Try telling that to a ten year old kid, it does not work. The doctors figured out what I was doing and they knew I could not be killed. I didn't know anything and it never crossed my mind I should be dead a thousand times over. The look in 49's eyes was of everything terrible and horrifying that I had seen in my visions. I saw the spark of recognition of myself in his eyes. There was only one way he would not see those visions. I knew it at that moment. Then I saw nothing. I felt a white hot fire inside me and the next thing I knew I was snapping his little neck. I saw life leave those eyes and I saw peace in them. I saved him at the cost of my own sanity. After I was taken downstairs, they gave me visions of him. All the happy memories he had with me, along with my usual cocktail of horrors. I felt his love for me which only deepened my guilt. I was tied down all the time and I wasn't able to sleep or eat. I was tortured until I figured out a way to break it. I shut down my emotions completely."

"Now tell them what happens when you go hunting for criminals," 42 whispered devilishly. He was enjoying the recollection.

Mark paused and looked at the faces of his family. Beverly's color had come back and Ginger was crying. Lawrence and Eustaquino also had tears and Dr. Meingle was deep in thought. Amber was patting Mark's knee and smiling proudly at him.

"When I saw those children last night, I saw his face in some of them," Mark continued, "Only this time I could stop it without killing them. I could take them away from it and keep them safe forever. It was what I should have done for 49. Yet the people there who were buying them had to learn and send a message to others like them. That is all it was, a message to others who would exploit children."

"You are lying Mark, I know you really enjoyed ripping them apart, I should know," 42 said.

"I did, but they don't need to know that," Mark thought.

This will come back to bite you in the ass." 42 said sing-songy.

"Not if I don't let it," Mark thought.

"Oh Mark!" Beverly said as her eyes welled with tears. She jumped over to him and hugged him tightly along with Ginger and Amber.

Dr. Meingle saw nothing in Mark that resembled anything like an emotion. Truly he was broken but possibly fixable. The little snap to the past had sparked repressed emotions and remade a connection in Mark's emotions. "Well then, this is good news," Dr. Meingle said, "It means your emotions are not all gone, just deep and hidden. If we could find a way to safely bring them out, you could be a relatively normal human being."

"I prefer being this way," Mark replied.

"I know son, but you are out in the world, outside of regulatory controls over your every movement and thought. Nature is a force that is greater than anything else, and she will get to you eventually." Dr. Meingle took a sip of tea and continued, "The reason I wanted all of you together is the fact that certain information has come to light about why you were all on the island."

Beverly shot up from the nape of Mark's neck and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You were all bred for a single purpose. That purpose was to eradicate one of the many terrible mistakes that the Nazi's made before and during World War II. History recounts that Dr. Josef Mengele, Heinrich Himmler, and Adolf Hitler did their work during the early part of the war, which is true except for the part where Dr. Mengele began his research into genetics in the early 20's. He did so by attempting to clone himself, Himmler and Hitler into an unwilling subject. She managed to escape to England and marry a man named Jack Earle. She did not know that she was carrying copies of three evil men at the time, but only two of the three were born. Albert and Joseph. Luckily for mankind, the copy of Hitler did not make it to birth. Now I know this is not as despicable to all of you because you have no idea about one of the darkest chapters of human history. When he was left with nothing to do, Josef Mengele found that he and his cohorts had a singular vision, the eradication of inferior genes and the rise of the Aryan race. Mengele first tested his theory with a project called Phoenix. He took subjects from around Europe and injected them with gene altering therapies that had been lost since the end of the war. This produced two human beings with hyper-sexual predatory natures and presumably a high rate of regenerative properties that make them virtually invincible. Mengele was disappointed at this setback then went on to his most famous work with dwarfs and twins at Auschwitz. He felt that the study of the abnormalities in the regular human genome would help solve his problem with his two subjects, Elsa Hofstadter and a man named Klaus. As history says, the Nazi High Command toppled and the German SS burned and destroyed thousands of documents. These included the documents on the Phoenix project, which in some fashion Mengele worked on in little doses on people interred in Auschwitz and other concentrations camps nearby. The results were ghastly to be sure, but not as powerful as his original attempt.

Mengele stashed Elsa and Klaus in holes in the ground of Auschwitz and locked them away when the Russian army was at the Berlin gates. The Nazi party fell and all documents were destroyed. High Nazi officials either killed themselves or fled to South America. In fact these grounds were once owned by Josef Mengele. The Phoenix project was put under the ground and well hidden except for one cache of documents that spoke briefly of experiments conducted in Poland. The Allied Command was busy with reparations and prosecution of the war criminals they had, so a special team was formed by the OSS consisting of four men. Each was fresh from the war front. One was a German Captain, one Russian, one British, and an American soldier. They followed the clues in the documents and began the eradication of Mengele's secret early experiments. These men had to do things that were not sanctioned by the rules of war at the time, they had to kill many people.

They found Elsa in a chamber underneath Auschwitz and found that she could not be killed. This sent a wave of concern over the entire postwar political landscape. Here was the chance to make a human being immortal and highly aggressive, a severe temptation that military science from any country would find hard to resist. Under the direct order of General Eisenhower, Elsa was taken to Berlin to the former bunker of an SS General. Luckily for us Elsa was agoraphobic, afraid to go outside. The Division of Postwar Germany eventually turned into the Cold War and became a great cover for hiding Elsa. Nazi scientists and doctors were divided between Russia and America, very few had ever heard of the Phoenix project. Those that did only spoke of whispers and rumors. Meanwhile the attention of the world was taken away from the Nazi medical experiments. A small group of scientists and spies were working on how to reverse the mistakes that Mengele made with Elsa. The plan was two fold, cure Elsa and find Klaus, who has never been found. He is presumably out in the world somewhere if he is alive at all. Mengele never said what kind of abilities Klaus had. Anyway, after several years of research, a plan formed that could annihilate Elsa's powers and keep the world safe. I was on a team of scientists brought in to work on this. The political pressure of the time was forcing our hands to do something suggested by Dr. Mengele himself. Breed the abilities out of her hybrid offspring and the result was the five of you. Mark was the first, then Beverly and Ginger were fraternal twins, Lawrence shortly after and finally Amber in 1979. the initial tests performed on you when you were born showed that you all had characteristics of your mother. Mark being the first born had the most, and the rest of you had regenerative properties only. Our dear Amber," he gestured to her and smiled warmly, "was not tested due to some unpleasantness that happened after she was born."

Dr. Meingle took a deep breath, holding back his emotions. "What happened?" Ginger asked.

A tear fell from Dr. Meingle's eye. "We were taken over by what we thought was the KGB. Many were killed trying to defend you and your mother. We had increased the likelihood that special abilities could be exploited with each one of you born, and our worst fears were realized when you all were taken away and all the key personnel were either killed or captured. Your mother was taken away along with Joseph Earle, your father to a facility in Siberia. Albert, your uncle, presumably was killed. The rest of us had the choice to be captured, killed, or like me run like a coward and hide the same way the Nazi's did. That is why I help all of these people who come here, to atone for running away when I should have stayed and fought. I would have been killed, but luckily I survived and was able to bring you all together again, which brings me to the point."

"A pharmacist named Johnston was brought on the team when your births were being planned. He showed a lot of interest in your well being and reactions to various chemicals. He was certain that there was a way to exhume memories from people through fluids extracted from the Hippocampus region of the brain and powerful psychedelics. His plan was to extract memories from Elsa and give them to you when you were older in order to possibly find what Dr. Mengele used in the original injections in the 1920's. When you all described what you went through, I thought that Johnston's ideas were taken from him and used by some evil corporation. Lawrence found through the computer that it was Johnston's company that owns the facility you were kept in and the man himself is alive and well. Apparently he lost his humanity after the KGB raid and subjected you all to his plans on a different level."

"So this Johnston is responsible for the visions?" Mark asked. 42 appeared behind Dr. Meingle and his face was red with anger and his wasted limbs were shaking.

"Yes he is. I am such and old fool now. I did not question Davidoff about who had you. I just wanted you back to make things right once and for all." Dr. Meingle said shaking his head.

"How did you get Davidoff's help?" Mark asked in his monotone voice. 42 knelt and looked the old man in the face. His limbs shook more and he breathed heavily with anticipation.

"His father was the General of the Medical Division of the KGB in East Germany during the cold war. He was also the keeper of Elsa before the big project took off. There was never a more decent or kind man, his death was the final straw for the takeover," Dr. Meingle replied. More tears formed in his eyes. Amber and Ginger went to comfort him while Beverly stood near Mark and Lawrence still typed away on his computer.

"Uhhh, Dr. Meingle? Mark? We have a bit of an issue here." Lawrence said softly.

"What is it," Mark asked.

"Dr. Meingle's story checks out to a point, but is was not the KGB who took over the facility in Germany, it was some group called the Thule Society." Lawrence said.

"That's impossible!" Dr. Meingle shouted, "That is just damned impossible! The Thule Society was abolished in the 20's by Adolf Hitler and became the German Workers Party which then became the Nazi's in the 30's. It was so small that it never gained popularity again, even though one of the founders, Rudolf Von Sebottendorff, tried to start it again in the 30's and was unsuccessful. They never started back up!" He got up, face red and he was panting heavily.

Lawrence slightly cowered and turned the screen towards the Dr. The screen showed a new clipping from and East German newspaper dated in 1979 "KGB office raided by a group claiming to be the Thule Society." It went on to say, "There was a firefight Thursday when an armed group of men raided an East Berlin hospital complex 8:30 in the morning. General Yuri Davidoff and other medical staff were killed in the fight. The KGB released the name of the man claiming responsibility for the attack. The man identified himself as Karl Wimund, representing the Thule Society, along with a statement: "Now that the Nazi menace has been nearly purged from the Earth, it is time to rise up from the ashes of socialism and continue to seek the betterment of all mankind. Today we struck a blow for those who wish to eradicate and purge the human race from unimaginable powers. They do not see the whole picture yet, but they will and so will the world. Long live the Thule Society!"

The KGB has dismissed the statement as being a hoax and the name Karl Wimund is one of the names that can be found in the known names of the millions killed in Auschwitz under the care of Dr. Josef Mengele."

"My God!" Dr. Meingle said breathlessly. The room went silent as Dr. Meingle sat back in his chair and looked stunned. "This...is...I don't have the words!" Meingle said and he tried to think of something. Mark watched him closely, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Dr. Meingle's face looked terrified, confused, elated, and angry. Mark had not seen this look before, but instinct told Mark that there was something in Dr. Meingle's eyes that was much deeper than he let out. Mark saw hints of a deep secret, it was dark and very old.

Dr. Meingle looked at the children and tears welled up in his eyes. Mark saw more emotion, then Meingle's eyes met Marks. Meingle began sobbing and Amber jumped up from sitting on the floor and hugged the old man. No words were said, but Mark felt something inside himself, like he could feel what Meingle was feeling. From reading Mark had heard this described as Empathy.

42's voice whispered in Mark's ear. "You don't remember, do you Mark?" Mark shook his head No. "You know he's got a deep secret, you can see it can't you?" Marked nodded. 42's voice moved to the opposite ear, "What could it be do you suppose?"

Mark whispered "I don't know."

42 let out a quiet chuckle "You know that I do? You know that I know what you don't know? All you have to do is ask, but I won't tell you. It is not time yet for you to remember before the island."

"Then what do I do?" Mark asked,

42's voice trailed off as he said, "Watch what the good 'Doctor' does next, his reaction to this is your clue. I know that it won't make sense to you, but you'll have to investigate his action, then you'll have to investigate all their actions."

Dr. Meingle wiped his eyes with a handkerchief, then composed himself. Mark's attention quickly went back to the scene in the library. "I'm sorry children," Meingle spoke quietly, "I was reminded of that day and what was lost. I feel like a coward for not helping more that day. I feel that if I had done more, you kids wouldn't have suffered like you did."

Ginger poured more tea for Dr. Meingle. "You were one man against many. They were trained and had numbers. You did the right thing, you lived to fight another day. I don't think anyone here faults your choices." she looked around the room and everyone nodded except Mark. Beverly scoffed, "I was shown Military tactics and training, He made the right choice for the battlefield, fall back and regroup. He's not fucking Rambo for Christ's sake!" She was so annoyed by the emotion

"Mark?" Ginger asked, "What about you?"

Mark stood up and put his hands on his hips. "I've been reading, and it seems like the most logical thing to do. You may feel like a coward Dr. Meingle, but given the alternative, if you hadn't escaped but died that day, all of us would still be at the island. I prefer this life. This is a game of chess, you positioned your pieces and when the time was right you struck, gaining the advantage over this Thule Society. We will find them. They have also positioned their chess pieces and have not struck yet. Logically they have much more power and influence than we, but we all have abilities and knowledge that would be able to counteract their move."

Dr. Meingle looked at the man in front of him and began to cry again. "Mark, I know you have had the worst of the experiments. Your humanity is gone and I feel so sorry for that..."

"Dr. Meingle, it is not your fault," Mark interrupted, "My guess it that the Society was using the experiments on us for purposes very similar to what we've been doing here in Brazil, only for their personal gain. You've led us...and me, on the right path. As for my 'humanity', I don't need it, I am not in pain, I am not damaged, I am fine." Mark heard a quiet laugh from 42 in the background. Amber leapt up from Dr. Meingle's side and went over to her big brother. "Mark is right, we are better here, and with Mark in charge everything will be okay." She smiled and hugged him tightly.

"For fuck's sake!" Beverly said, "Can we get on with this? What is the next move?

Mark began to speak but Dr. Meingle interrupted. "I have to go away for a while, there is something I need to do." Meingle looked at his watch, "Eustaquino?"

"Yes Dr. Meingle?" Eustaquino replied.

"I'll need help packing and take me to the airport right now?"

Eustaquino looked at Mark then back to Dr. Meingle "Of course Dr."

Mark didn't expect this, "What are you doing?" He asked.

"There is something I have to do Mark, something that can't involve any of you. All will be explained in time but not now."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Beverly asked clenching her fists.

Meingle looked panicked and nervous. "I can't explain right now."

Lawrence stuttered slightly, "Don't you need money and ID?"

"No Lawrence, I've got everything I need already." Meingle left the room quickly, Eustaquino followed.

Everyone but Mark looked at each other, Mark furrowed his eyebrows. Beverly threw up her hands. "What the fuck is this shit! I mean...What the hell?"

Ginger said, "He's been hiding for years, he has more knowledge of these things."

Beverly looked at her sister, "AND?"

Lawrence spoke, "We don't have enough information about all of this, I've run a search on the Internet about all of this Thule Society, there is nothing but historical data. They're not on the net."

"So the old man knows something we don't!" Beverly snapped, "It is better to share this information with us and we can do it, He's an old man! What the fuck is an old man going to do about this?"

Mark spoke, "Lawrence is right, we don't have enough information. We don't have any knowledge of most things but what we were exposed to here in the middle of the jungle. I've read many books but not as many as I should. We are limited, we have no experience, we just can't go out in the world and fix it. We are lucky to have our powers. The first time I went hunting for a cartel, Eustaquino and I were captured and I was shot in the head. If I didn't have quick healing, I would be dead. We are children wandering in an adult world."

"So what the fuck does that mean?" Beverly scoffed.

"We all need to go to school." Lawrence said.

Ginger chuckled, Amber jumped up and down excited, Beverly looked like someone slapped her in the face. Lawrence looked up from his computer and Mark furrowed his eyebrows again and sipped on tea. "Well that is what it says here!" Lawrence said pointing to his screen.

"Are you out of your fucking mind Lawrence? All of us in a school?" Beverly said through clenched teeth.

Mark stepped in between his brother and sister, he didn't look at anyone but spoke softly. "He is right. Lawrence, find books and videos and everything you can about what we need to know."

"Oh and I suppose you have an idea about what we need to know?" Beverly snapped at Mark.

"Yes Beverly, I do." Then he looked at her. "Everything we can get our hands on. Math, science, history, health and religion. Everything from the beginning up to the most advanced. Everything."

Mark then looked at Lawrence, "Do it now."

Lawrence began typing. Marked looked back to Beverly. "If we know everything, then we can blend in and have relevant knowledge. We can go anywhere and know what to do in any situation that arises. Surely your militaristic visions gave you some insight about recognizance Beverly?"

"Beverly relaxed and folder her arms, "You know it did."

"We need to be citizens of the world, therefore we must know the world." Mark said. 42's voice came into Marks ear, "What about the social sciences? Psychology? Sociology?" You can know what makes people do the things they do?"

Mark then looked back to Lawrence and said, "I need everything about psychology and sociology, as soon as possible."

Lawrence didn't stop typing, "Yes Mark, it's already on its way"

Chapter 35

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

EAST BERLIN, SEPTEMBER 1976

Little Mark was two years old, and from what she had remembered a two year old was very willful at this age. Mark, of course, was different. He already had will and he had trained himself to use the toilet. He loved to take apart toys and then construct other things with them. Elsa looked down into the double pram to see her twins Beverly and Ginger sleeping peacefully in the warm air. Summer was beginning to turn into fall, but the warm air still stayed during the day. Joseph was beside her looking at his daughters smiling proudly. The tests were finished and they showed that both Beverly and Ginger were not fully human. Beverly could heal quickly, but not immediately, and Ginger had her mother's power over people. She would look at someone and they would be drawn to her. She was comforting and beautiful and kind. Mark was a commanding and intense presence, soldiers would almost salute him if he walked by. He was behind her now, walking with his Uncle Albert. Mark would pick up things along the path and study them. If he could not figure it out, he would ask his Uncle what it was. Albert had changed in Brazil. He became dark and morose. But with the birth of his nephew, he immediately grew attached to him. Mark also liked his uncle. It was hard to tell what Mark was thinking. He never smiled, he never laughed, and he was always so serious. The only excitement he would show was for Motoko. She had gone home for schooling, but as soon as she would get a week off, she would be here with him and his blank face would lighten slightly. Mark would only smile for her. Elsa felt bad that she did not get the smile, but Mark showed his love for her in other ways. He would find things he deemed important and then make his uncle help fix it up for him. Mark would come in presenting it to her saying, "Mother, this is for you," and he would give it to her. He had given her many things, finger paintings of curved lines, smooth clay figurines without a definitive shape, but they were symmetrical and beautiful. He had a genuine way of presenting his love and admiration, but he just barely showed any outward emotion.

Now the twins were born. Each had a presence themselves. Ginger with her warmness and Beverly with her commanding presence like her brother, just not as strong. Elsa wondered about these children. God seemed to have a touched them in some fashion. Their very presence suggested something more than the evil which was brought upon her. Each child was unique and special, like they were bred for a purpose not yet seen.

Thinking of the children are you dear?" Joseph asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, I was wondering if there is a sign of God in them, since mine was taken," she replied.

"I don't think that the Nazi's could purge God from anything completely," he said, "They weren't that powerful."

"For all of these years since I haven't felt God in my life, but I can see him in our children," Elsa said.

"As we all know, he works in mysterious ways. He may have left you when this happened because you were no longer in need of his presence. You are strong and so much more than human. I dare say you have become more of an angel or if you prefer and Archangel, a soldier of God." Joseph said.

"I've felt evil. I've thought evil, and have done evil since I was changed. I cannot think that God would still be with me after all I've done." Elsa replied.

"I think that God has a broader view of what happened than you or I could ever have. Based upon his all-knowing capabilities he can see the whole picture of what has happened, what happens now, and what will happen. When we speak of his plan, we barely can comprehend what that plan is because it has so many facets to it. We are a part of the plan in a small way, yet it is important we are there for the plan to become an action." Joseph said.

"What could possibly be in his plan for us or our children?" Elsa asked. Joseph shrugged his shoulders, "There is no way to fully know until the end of all things, then we can look back and see what our part was in it. But we must remember one thing, not every plan goes accordingly. There is unpredictability in every plan. I think that if we were made in his image, then our planning is exactly like his planning, there are hits and misses but they can be recalculated."

Elsa shook her head, "This is all too much to think about!" she said exasperated.

"You are right my dear," Joseph said hugging her, "We mustn't delve into philosophy. We should leave that to professionals."

Joseph had a hard outer shell but inside he was much more fearful. Since the birth of Mark he wondered what he could have possibly done by injecting himself years ago. There was never any mention of it and it was always business as usual. Everyone attributed his healthy glow and attitude to be part of his love for Elsa, which it might have been, yet his mind wandered to the times when he would cut himself and it would heal in a matter of hours. It was much slower than Elsa but very quick nonetheless. The children were not even considered when he injected himself, but since Mark was born it was always on his mind. What if he had not injected himself? Would Mark have been the answer to save Elsa? He very well could have been, but there were two other factors to consider. He loved his children so much. He could have more with Elsa. This is one of the natural things that people feel without any of the enhancements of Dr. Mengele and Joseph was truly happy about it. The other was what Dr. Mengele had said that five children should do it. It seemed to be on the point for a scientist, as if he planned this. How could he? He would have to factor in that Joseph injected himself with Elsa's essence and that it would only show minimal absorption of her powers. This is a far reaching plan that has no hint of being true, but it was always in the back of his mind. We are playing into Mengele's plans. Doing what he wanted, like he was above them, holding the puppet strings on all of them.

Albert was also in his thoughts. His upbeat brother that was always looking for peaceful solutions had changed drastically since his trip to Brazil. He was sallow and barely ate or slept. He continued working alongside the scientists. He also enjoyed being an uncle to Mark. Those two seemed to fit together very well. A two year old boy ordering an adult around was laughable in any other case but this one. Albert enjoyed helping the boy make things and explore the world. Mark was very unusual. His body was large for a two year old. His eyes spoke volumes of knowledge and a deepness of thought never seen before. He really never discovered anything, it was more like remembering an ancient knowledge long forgotten and then realized again. Elsa was right, Mark had a spark of God in him. He could be compared to the great rulers of the world. Joseph thought of him as Alexander the Great.

"Uncle!" the boy's little voice said, "What is that bird?"

Everyone snapped out of their deep thoughts and looked where Mark was pointing. Albert squinted and said, "Ah, that is a raven."

Joseph looked at the raven in the path, standing there looking at them without fear. It was a large raven and he was beautiful. His feathers reflected the light and he seemed to be waiting for them.

"Uncle, could we get one of his feathers?" Mark asked.

"Only if he drops one as he flies away. Should we scare him? Birds usually drop feathers if they get scared." Albert said.

"No uncle, if he wants me to have one of his feathers, he will leave one for me. That is the only way," Mark said. Everyone glanced at Mark and were taken aback by his deep thought. No child should have that thought process at two years old.

Mark moved silently forward. He was just a few yards away from the raven who watched his every move intently and showed no signs of fear. Mark stopped and stood up straight, "Raven, I am Mark Earle. This is the first time I have ever seen you, I think you are very pretty."

The bird cocked its head and listened to the boy speak. "I see the color of your feathers is the same as my friend Motoko's hair and it is just as shiny in the sun as yours. If you could give me a feather of yours, I would like to give it to her as a present." Mark said.

The bird cocked his head the other direction and then spread his wings and flew over Mark's head. As he flew away, a long wing feather floated down in front of Marks feet. He picked it up and looked at the raven growing smaller in the distance. "Thank you!" Mark shouted as he handed the feather to Albert who put it in his pocket. Elsa was brimming with pride over her son. Albert looked bewildered and Joseph felt proud. His son was a rare gift.

Chapter 36

MEINGLE COMPOUND, BRAZIL

OCTOBER 2006

Dr. Meingle had left three weeks ago. Mark had assumed all the responsibilities of Dr. Meingle and they all spent nights in the library reading and discussing all of the things they were learning. Lawrence had gotten 2,000 books and thousands of hours of video on every major subject he could think of and as they learned more, there was more information to be gained so more orders were made. Mark had not attacked any cartels since they were learning and the word was spreading that he was dead. With all of the responsibilities of keeping the compound in working order and learning everything, Mark had to let the rumors be true, for now. He did not want to add more to his plate.

Mark had compiled a master ledger of the entire compounds inner workings. It was very hard to supply this place and keep it up and running. Lawrence's power grid was hard to maintain and his global link was faltering due to the power loss of their antiquated grid. Mark came to the conclusion that a major move needed to be made. He had to sacrifice the anonymity of the jungle in order to solve many problems. He had work to do, a global threat to eradicate, and 42 was always hounding him about it. 42 was becoming pent up and growing stronger. Mark had to stave off a total takeover, because he was already thinking of killing people in the compound. He found fault with many of the people and tried to convince Mark to kill them. Mark could still hold him at bay, but he had no idea for how long.

Mark came up with a solution that would be a good substitute for the compound's failings in the United States. It held all the answers to solve the many everyday problems that plagued the compound. Supplies, medicine, work, and money were all becoming scarce here.

Mark was looking at an atlas of the U.S. in the library when Lawrence came in and cleared his throat.

"Yes?" Mark said without looking up.

"I have found all the locations of Davidoff's company holdings and real estate. But I can't find out where they are geographically," Lawrence said with a slight quiver in his voice. It was true that the warehouse incident had changed Marks reputation from good to fearsome. It was even frightening to the criminal element to mention the warehouse incident. Mark had been demonized by everyone who knew him and those he was after. 42 enjoyed it and Mark knew that with time and actions his demonization would subside. Thus he counted Lawrence's fears as unfounded, but they needed to play themselves out. The only one who did not seem to be affected by his demonic reputation was Beverly. She still argued and fought with him.

"That is something," Mark replied, "We can watch them after the compound move and find them somewhere in those areas. Anything else?" Mark sensed that was not all from Lawrence.

"I have been watching law enforcement in the US. since you decided the move, it turns out you are a wanted man there as well." Lawrence replied.

"What for?" Mark stopped looking at the atlas and looked at his brother. This was interesting.

"Apparently there were FBI and CIA agents in the cartels you attacked and many of them were killed," Lawrence said looking at the floor.

"That is not good," Mark said. He should have known this, but he was already doing this before he even knew of the world's politics. Mark felt 42 wince at this news, but he felt the pleasure that 42 craved so much from the devastation. Mark was searching for some sort of clue in his mind to let him know that there were law enforcement agents in the hundreds of people he killed. There was nothing. There was not one person who stood out. Either they were deeply committed to their role, or they were turned by the lucrative business.

Mark had done something wrong and killed people dedicated to the cause like he was.

"Because I killed so many CIA and FBI agents, find out the person in charge of this area at Langley. I am going to have to make restitution to the families and the agencies." Mark said turning back to the atlas. "Then when I return to the raids, we will have to figure out who is who before I go in. I don't want to kill law enforcement officers."

Lawrence nodded and left the room. 42 appeared right in front of him. He was smiling. His brown teeth and scarred lips were twisted into a smile. "But isn't it much more satisfying knowing that you are the bad guy now?" he asked.

Mark turned the page in the atlas to Oregon and began looking at the towns features. "No," Mark said.

"Oh come on! I felt it too. The power that you feel when you realized we were above the law. We answer to no one. You know we are the ultimate freedom right?" 42 said as his bony finger ran along the coast of Oregon with Mark's finger.

"I know, but I must answer to myself and do the right thing. I am not gaining anything by the destruction of fear. I am systematically destroying it." Mark replied.

"What about the money and cars and the people who are out there believing you are a savior? Don't tell me that you don't feel the power!" 42 said angrily. He hated when Mark was logical.

"I know the power I am getting, and I know how to use it. The power over power is to lay it down after it is needed, or stop it completely. That is true power," Mark said.

"So you are willing to drop this at any time with no questions asked?" 42 chuckled. "I don't think you can because I love it so much. I know you are weakening and not exercising your power right now for these past few weeks. I am picking at your resolve and are forcing the addiction you have for it to well up."

"I know," Mark replied, "but history dictates that logic always conquers emotion."

"Not without losses. How much are you willing to lose in a battle with me Mark?"

"Everything," Mark said.

"Your whole life is worth keeping me from playing is it?" 42 said sarcastically. "Your brother and sisters, your friend and tea are all worth depriving yourself of. You would lock yourself in a box and bury yourself in the deepest hole to stop our true nature would you?"

"If need be," Mark said, "but not until I'm done with all of this."

42 scoffed "I am growing you know. I am becoming more than just your imagination. I am here all of the time and you have to realize that you cannot deprive me not overindulge me in what I want. You will lose the battle. You are human Mark and I am a major part of humanity. You are strong, but not that strong Mark and I will take you over someday." 42 was yelling, but Mark did not move. Mark was steady as a rock against a storm. 42 laughed hysterically and danced around the library. Mark looked at the map of the Oregon coast more and more. It was so inviting, so familiar in some way. Mark went to the bookshelves and got the encyclopedia and looked up Oregon's average temperatures. Below 100 degrees was perfect for him. He will have Beverly get a consensus of the compounds residents and see if they agree. One way or another the Oregon coast called to him. 42 stopped dancing and said, "you're right, that does sound nice. Just look at the pictures of it. I bet it smells wonderful, all that salty sea air!" 42 came over and looked longingly at the pages of the encyclopedia.

"Well, I can at least find a little place there if everyone doesn't agree with the choice," Mark said as he closed the book. 42 looked at Mark and said, "This is something from inside you, not me. I felt controlled by you just then."

"I know, it was something familiar and something warm, I can't seem to remember from what though." Mark said with his brow furrowed. "Must be something from before you came along. Something from when I was very young." "That is definitely something more powerful and fantastically warm, it is so soothing. I can't put my finger on it but it stopped my anxiety." 42 said, "Ohhh what a calm it brings!" 42 slumped down in a chair and closed his eyes. A small peaceful smile was on his face. Mark felt it too. A real feeling, but there was some sadness behind it, but it was so calming he forgot himself.

They both sat there with closed eyes in total silence when there was a knock at the door that shook Mark from his trance.

Beverly came into the library with her usual loud entrance. "The god-dammed food delivery has been pushed back until Friday. The fucking power system of Lawrence's is failing faster than we can fix it which also kills the fucking A/C. We are all sweaty and stinky, which is no damned good for me, Ginger or Amber because our shirts are clinging to our tits and every asshole is drooling over us as we work. Have you figured out what to do about this Oh High Lord and Master?" She slumped into the chair were 42 was. He jumped out quickly and acted like there were bugs all over him.

"Yes as a matter of fact, I have found something. I was about to find you to see what everyone else thought about it," Mark replied. Then there was a long silence. Beverly Broke it, "Well for God's sake, don't tell me. I'll miss this fucking sweat-box so fucking much I'll start to cry." She was very tired and her sarcasm came out in droves.

"The Pacific Northwest or any place close to it. There are temperatures less than a hundred degrees about 99% of the time unless you go inland to the high desert areas."

"Sounds great, when do we leave?" she asked.

"As soon as there is a consensus with everyone. I think we should prepare everyone for American citizenship now so we can fast track it when we get there." Mark said pouring her a glass of iced tea. Beverly grabbed it and drank half of it immediately. "Your tea fascination has paid off Mark, and I thought it was something stupid." she replied in her way of thanking him. "Fine. I'll get Eustaquino and we'll comb the compound once the sun goes down."

"Fair enough," Mark said. He waited for a few seconds to let the tea do its work on Beverly's mood and then asked, "How are the rumors about me going?"

"That huh?" she scoffed, "I thought you wouldn't care about shit like that," she said.

"I'm just curious," Mark replied.

"Well," she said stretching her back, "it seems to have died down some. All the children from the warehouse are doing fine. Some still have problems, but I should think a few more months of Amber and Ginger's sickening sweet therapy should snap them out of it. The children love you, the women are in love with you and the men are still afraid to even look at Amber, me, or Ginger without fear of hell coming down on them. They were afraid of you and started talking of leaving, but your baby sisters were able to convince them to stay. We had to tell the story of 49 so they could see that you are a human and not the devil so that has helped. I think sharing something so personal of yours with them made them feel them closer to you, as much fun as it was with all the mushy shit that follows it, the weepy "I didn't know, oh that poor man" crap. If it makes you feel any better, but I know it won't. You are still an emotionless asshole in my opinion, bent on world destruction."

"Okay then," Mark said. He refilled her glass and then filled his own. The air conditioning came on and the cool air permeated the room.

Beverly sighed and yelled, "About fucking time Lawrence!"

"That was quicker than I thought," Mark said sipping his tea.

"What?" Beverly grumbled.

"It seems we have made several mistakes in completing our raids," Mark said. "We have killed several U.S. Law enforcement agents who were undercover in the cartels."

"Well, that's fucking great," she grumbled again. "Now we'll have the U.S. after us too, unless they are as corrupt as the ones we have dealt with here."

"I don't think the higher law enforcement agencies down here are corrupt. I think they are letting us do their work for them because they are not as well funded as the U.S. We are helping them. My guess would be that the American authorities, or at least the families of those we killed will require restitution. The U.S. is a junkyard dog. I don't think they'll be happy until they get us and prosecute or kill," Mark replied.

"How in the hell are we going to 'make amends' Mark?" Beverly asked sarcastically.

"More than likely, money. I haven't really thought about it much. I just found out and had Lawrence find out who is in charge of South American operations in the CIA. I'll talk to them and find out what can be done."

The library door opened slightly indicating Lawrence was at the door.

"For Christ's sake Lawrence come in!" Beverly commanded.

Lawrence came in and cleared his throat. "The agent in charge of South American operations of the CIA is a Jane Brown. She is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Masters in communications. She is 29 years old and has an IQ. of 150. Her mother, Maggie died 7 years ago of cancer, there is no information on the father. She is not married, lives alone, and enjoys movies. She has very few friends and an inactive social life. Her bank accounts and credit cards suggest she does not spend much on frivolity. Her school and psychological records indicate that she is very internal and keeps to herself, yet she has a serious amount of confidence. She can manipulate any situation to her benefit if she feels like, but chooses not to. She has a gym membership and goes every morning before work. She has been in charge for over a year. She is one of the youngest section chiefs in the CIA. I believe that is due to her manipulative prowess. She enjoys gourmet coffee and Italian food."

"Well, someone has been doing their homework," Beverly scoffed.

"Good, let's get passports and identification for a trip to the U.S. We will need a bank account with plenty of money in it. We'll be doing a fair amount of traveling so we'll have to fly quite a bit and check out various parts of the country," Mark said sipping his tea.

"Who's going?" Lawrence asked.

"Beverly and I," Mark said.

"Wait one god-damned minute!" Beverly snapped, "Someone has to stay here who knows how things work. Someone with the balls to lead this horse shit operation!"

"Whom do you suggest then?" Mark asked.

"I think Ginger should go. She is basically support here anyway. Amber can take care of things for a week or two without her," Beverly said.

"Okay then, find her and ask her. We might as well wait a couple of days and get ideas from people on where they would like to go, then we'll have a good idea on where these places are and check them out," Mark said.

"I'm going to shower." Beverly got up and left the room. Lawrence remained at the door. Mark looked at his brother and said, "Anything else Lawrence?"

"Why can't I go too? I could rig a laptop and run everything from that." Lawrence asked sheepishly.

"I don't see any reason why not." Mark said, "is it because I didn't think of you first for the trip?"

"A little yeah. I mean I'm stuck at the computers all the time. You and Beverly are always getting the action. Amber and Ginger have the people to tend to. I feel that I don't have much else but circuits and hard drives." Lawrence said. This was about as confrontational as he would ever get.

"Well, to be honest with you have never been the traveling type, but things change don't they? You don't have to even ask Lawrence, next time just speak up. No one but Beverly will give you any problems about anything and I think it is advantageous to have you along in whatever we do."

"Thanks Mark," he said then left the room. Beverly followed.

"Self confidence is creeping right up on the boy isn't it?" the growl of 42 said.

"It's about time," Mark replied.

"Everyone seems to be growing into human beings, especially since Dr. Meingle left," 42 said.

"Yes," Mark said.

"What about us?" 42 said almost as a whisper.

"We're different, our change will take more time," Mark said matching the whisper.

"We are going to the states. We could find Davidoff and Johnston and bring them to the lab downstairs. We could make him pay for what he did," 42 said appearing in front of Mark's eyes his scarred face inches away from Mark's.

"We could," Mark said, his eyes were losing focus and his lids became heavy.

"We will find them and bring them back to the lab," 42 growled.

"We will," Mark repeated. Then his eyes closed.

42 disappeared and Mark's eyes opened. They darted around the room and then a deep grin appeared on his face. "I told you I could win you over Mark," 42 said. He looked at his scar-less and uninjured body and laughed slightly. "Oh man does this feel good!" he said, "But there is work to be done and done quickly my friend." 42 picked up the phone and dialed Eustaquino's extension. The familiar voice picked up and 42 said in Mark's monotone, "Eustaquino, if it wouldn't be to much trouble I've asked you and Beverly to take a consensus of where in America the people would like to go. Beverly would like to do that this evening, are you free?"

"Of course my friend!" Eustaquino nearly shouted. 42 smiled at the thought of this old man having a crush on his evil sister.

"Thank you," 42 said, "Also, Ginger, Lawrence and myself are going to America for some reconnaissance. There will be at least two large crates I'll send back before we return. I would like you to see that they make their way into the empty lab downstairs."

"It will be done my friend," Eustaquino said happily, "I am glad I don't have to remind you of manners much anymore Mark."

"Yes, it seems to be catching on," 42 said.

"Is there anything else?" Eustaquino asked.

"No, that should do it. If I think of anything else I'll call or come by," 42 replied.

They said goodbyes and 42 hung up the phone. He smiled and said "I love that man!" He tried walking but he fell to the floor. 42's eyes closed and he slumped over. Mark woke up and got up. 42 back in his mangled shell cursed, "Dammit! It is hard to hold on!" his mangled arm caught him as he fell to the floor. He was out of breath. Mark stood over him with his arms folded.

"I see you've changed a bit too," he said.

42 smiled as he looked up at the blank expression of Mark staring at him.

"Does your face hurt from smiling?" he asked playfully.

"No, but I do know what you are planning with the crates," Mark replied.

"Do you now!" 42 said between gasps for air.

"Yes I do. Now that you have shown your hand, I know how to keep you from emerging again so, I'm in," Mark said sipping his iced tea. 42 looked at the floor and started laughing.

Chapter 37

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

EAST BERLIN, 1977

Motoko Mashu proudly wore the feather Mark had given her two years ago. She recalled her little man when she opened his bedroom door two weeks ago, all the new things he had arranged around his room. His rocks he collected, pieces of wood, leaves from different trees, vehicle parts, mirrors, and shell casings from the guards guns. Most of them were either painted or not. He found normal things interesting and if they did not satisfy his interest enough he would make them interesting. There were flat rocks painted cobalt blue, or deep red. He turned and gave her a smile. For a twenty year old girl to blush like that from a child she thought was ridiculous. She didn't know why he only smiled at her, but she was grateful for it. School in Japan and then in Oxford was fun and challenging. She had been on many dates with young men who interested her, but her mind always wandered to this little boy in her quiet moments. Mark was her true love. She had just brought him a little jar of sand from the beaches of Oregon where they studied the sea life for biology class.

"What's this?" Mark asked shaking the little jar.

"It's sand from the beaches or Oregon in the U.S., "she said. "It is quite different than dirt."

"How is it made?" Mark asked.

"The ocean has currents and when those currents move the water to the shore, the water makes waves that come up and crash onto the ground. Water dissolves the dirt but when it hits rocks and seashells, the force crumbles them into fine bits and then it is sand," Motoko replied.

Mark looked into the jar and shook it some more, his little eyebrows knitted together. "How long does it take to make this?" he asked.

"It take hundreds to thousands of years for the ocean to crush all those rocks and shells into sand," she replied.

There was silence for a few minutes as the little boy opened the jar and spread some on blank paper on his desk. He poured it out and played with it. He ran his fingers through it and then put it back into a pile. He twirled it with his finger and made shapes in it. He made no sound as he put every grain back into the jar. He closed the lid and then set it at the back of his desk. That space was reserved for very special things, most of which were given to him by Motoko or his uncle Albert.

He laid his head on his hands and stared at the sand as asked, "What is the ocean like?"

"It is cold. The crash of the waves tickle your feet. The air is fresh with the scent of salt. It clears the mind and refreshes the spirit. The sound is rhythmic, the wave comes in, crashes, and then pulls back. Over and over this happens all day, all night, all year and for all time. The sound is louder when it storms because the wind and water push it inland. There are giant waves that crash against the rocks and the white spray flies into the air in beautiful shapes. It then falls down like rain. At night the waves lull you to sleep if you imagine them washing your cares away while you rest. Finally, you are taken by the tide out to sea and into your dreams. The land is green, such a deep green that it feels like life is new and healthy. There is fog sometimes. It is usually cool and when it is extremely thick, it makes you feel like you are in a cloud in the sky floating over the Earth. But there is always the sound of the sea. The waves crash and the air is always fresh," Motoko said.

Mark signed heavily, "I want to go there, it sounds interesting," He said.

"It is," Motoko replied, "The world outside this place is terrible. There are threats to everyone's life, there is anger and fear everywhere. When we studied the ocean for school, it took me away. We were in a little town called Newport, Oregon, a small town but so far away from the troubles of the world. I would say that is my second favorite place to be."

"What is your first?" Mark asked.

"Here with you," Motoko replied.

Mark looked at her and smiled, it was the only smile he gives and it was hers.

She snapped her mind to the newest addition to the Earle family laying in his bassinet in the lab with her father, General Davidoff, Albert Earle, David Johnston and Colonel Radvic. Little Lawrence was sickly. He was only one week old and he had been in dire shape for most of it. Mark had plenty to do with his Bossy Beverly and Graceful Ginger. He seemed to take to his sisters with great pride. He was in command though. Only Beverly gave him any guff. When Lawrence was born, little Mark fought his way into the room when he heard his brother had been born. Mark went straight to him and looked him over like a doctor would. Marks' little hands prodded his little brother at every joint making sure he was in working order. Mark laid his little head on his brother's chest and listened to his breathing for a few seconds. Everyone smiled and stayed away. They knew that Mark meant no harm and that he would throw a fit if they tried to stop him. One guard had a scar on his face from trying to stop Mark from seeing his sisters.

Little Lawrence was fast asleep. His sandy blond hair a mess from his recent outburst of crying. They had taken some blood for analysis and he spent over an hour crying about it. Her father was testing it now. Motoko was not fully aware of how much pressure these men were under. Her father's communications were always vague, especially recently. He stopped telling her about Mark. She didn't even know about the girls' until she arrived here on break. According to General Davidoff, the Russian High Command was intercepting letters and electronic communications at a higher rate than ever. Apparently the project here was in serious danger. If the KGB or any other form of Government on the planet were to find out about Elsa and the children, they could be exploited and used for horrors unimaginable to tip the scales of the cold war. The Underground Science Division had been buried so deep in the UN, that there was only one person who knew of its existence there. The Soviet representative was an old friend of General Davidoff's. But he was getting old and cannot trust any people coming up in the ranks now. General Davidoff was also getting increased pressure to retire. He was already 75, well past retirement age and Colonel Radvic was receiving more and more orders to Moscow to head up other projects by the KGB. His time was also limited here. The only reason anyone was still here is because General Davidoff was using more favors in high command to stay in operation, but they were also running out out of time. Moving the family to Verviers was also put on the back burner.

The printer stirred and began printing. The high-pitched sound of the dot-matrix printer disturbed little Lawrence, but he was too tired to wake up. Motoko's father looked at the printout with no indication of good or bad news. He handed the sheet to General Davidoff who looked it over. His old eyes squinted to see the little words. "I can't make heads or tails of this!" he said and he handed it to Albert Earle. He looked at it with his sullen eyes. He was getting more pale by the day, and his moods were sometimes frightening. He was hard pressed to keep the family safe but also to keep them secret. His nieces and nephews seemed to be the only joy in life. He still wandered the halls at night and worked in the lab analyzing every result past and present on Elsa, Joseph, and the children, trying to find some answers before it was too late.

"Dammit!" he said through clenched teeth. "There is some trace of the formula at low levels, but they are there." he threw the paper on the table where Dr. Johnston picked it up.

"That is not bad news Mr. Earle," her father said, "It means we are getting closer, possibly we could begin treatment on Mrs. Earle now in small amounts to test our theory."

"We can't do that!" Albert exploded, "Look at him, he is so sick and small. The formula seems to be attacking him!"

"True, yet he is fighting it with a normal immune system," Dr. Mashu said.

Lawrence started to fidget around in his bassinet after Albert yelled but Motoko was already shushing him and handing him his bottle, Mark stood silent near her with his eyes on his brother.

"As you can see he is rejecting his mothers' enhancements and it is making him ill, yet he is still strong enough to fight it," Dr. Mashu continued, "He may have some of the regenerative properties of his mother, but in all sense he is as close to human as we can get. I am not saying we should stop with him, maybe another child perhaps. It could be a combination of one or more of the children that is the cure. Once we have all the pieces we may be able to fully humanize all of them."

Albert Earle's face became less red. He had not thought of that before. It was unusual that with each child the formula was becoming weaker. He had theorized that maybe Elsa's eggs had not been fully penetrated by Mengele's formula. Since eggs were made at birth and begin at maturity it is likely that the progression of children have more of Elsa's original DNA unaltered by Mengele.

"I forgot about that Dr. Mashu, forgive me," Albert sighed, "her ovum may contain more human DNA rather than her altered DNA the more it is used."

Dr. Mashu smiled, a rare sight, "Not to worry Mr. Earle."

"What about memory enhancement?" Dr. Johnston asked.

"What do you mean?" Colonel Radvic replied as he walked into the room.

"I have a theory of taking fluid from the hippocampus region of the brain and injecting it with psychoactive substances in another subject to bleed out memories from the original host. Thus by circumventing the emotional aspects of the scarring of the mind to forget, the other subject could extrapolate the memory in it's entirety. We could do that to Mrs. Earle to possibly recall what was originally used by Dr. Mengele," Johnston said.

"On who?" Albert asked.

"Why Mark of course," Johnston replied.

"Are you out of your god-dammed mind!?" Albert yelled, startling the baby. "You will not use my nephew as a god-dammed test subject! You son of a bitch!" and he lunged at Johnston. Colonel Radvic was able to intercept Albert. Johnston immediately backed into the corner with his hands up for protection. "Mr. Earle! Please!" he yelled. Lawrence began to cry and Motoko picked him up and cradled him. Mark moved back and then his eyes darted to each man in the room. General Davidoff stood up and yelled, "Albert!" and the commotion stopped.

Albert looked at the old man and apologized immediately. Johnston composed himself quickly and spoke, "It is just an idea! The boy has remarkable memory, emotional and physical control. He could withstand it but..." he said as Albert began to fume again "...it would be used as a last resort, if the lions were at the gates so to speak."

Albert's eyes narrowed and he looked at Johnston with disdain, "Now you hear me! All of you! My nephew and his siblings will NEVER be used for testing purposes. Do you understand?" Albert's eyes were on fire. Everyone nodded and the mood in the room cooled off.

Dr. Mashu broke the silence, "As far as I can tell we have some time before the lions are at the gates. While Dr. Johnston's idea has some merit to it, it is only a theory as of now. What we are trying to accomplish now is showing some results. Now I am intrigued by Johnston's theory. We must respect Mr. Earle's wish. I say we see if Mrs. Earle would like another child and we may have our answers by then."

Everyone nodded and looked at Lawrence in Motoko's arms, fussing quietly. Dr. Mashu looked at his daughter and said, "Motoko, why don't you take Lawrence to his mother, and I'm sure Mark has something in mind for you two to do."

Mark looked at Dr. Mashu and said, "I always have something in mind Dr." He then walked across the room with Motoko and Lawrence and opened the door. He held it open for her and before he left Mark nodded to his Uncle and closed the door.

Dr. Johnston spoke, "That is the most amazing boy I've ever seen!" Albert shot him a scornful look. "Mr. Earle," Johnston said, "I understand your anger, believe me I do, but Mark is so powerful, that my memory implantation may just work. He has the strongest mind, the strongest will.....I am just speechless!"

"Dr. Johnston," General Davidoff said, "I agree with you but he is just a boy, perhaps if he was a teen I'm sure Albert would be more agreeable, but Mark is unique, he is very strong but even the strongest armor has a weak spot. We must not experiment heavily on him until we know what his weakness is. That boy is a miracle and we must be extra cautious in his upbringing. One false move and he could make Hitler look like Walt Disney!" Colonel Radvic and Dr. Mashu nodded in agreement. Dr. Johnston began to speak but Albert interrupted " Not to mention Johnston that if you touch him or his brother and sisters, I will personally kill you and everyone in your family. NO MORE TALK OF THIS!" Everyone in the room jumped when Albert yelled. Johnston stood up and cleared his throat. "Mr. Earle, Mark won't always be young. He may just come up to me and demand that we help his mother with my idea. What will you do then?"

Albert laughed and said, "When Mark is of age he can do what he wants, but not one minute sooner will I allow this."

"Understood" Johnston said.

Chapter 38

LANGLEY, VIRGINIA

November 2006

Jane Brown turned off her terminal and gathered her things to leave for the day. She took out her hair clip and let her brown hair fall down to her shoulders. It was hell keeping it up and she thought she might get it cut short, but she kept putting it off. Like today she could blow off her friends and go to the salon, but the thought of Gabriella droning on and on about men turned her off. She wasn't in the mood. Jane turned and said goodbye to others that were staying late. She could have, but it was Thursday and it was social night, anything to get out of the constant paranoia and secrecy of the CIA.

She did love her job, but the office drama was so much more tense in CIA headquarters. Here harmless lies were always brought into question. The need to be honest about all aspects of your life was invasive and necessary. Jane was always a private person, but she had to tell the CIA if she started dating someone just so they could be checked out quickly just to make sure they were who they said they were. She found it pointless after three different guys finding out dirty secrets from your boss instead of hunting for them from the guy took away all the magic of dating. The minute she mentioned their names, there was a full report within the hour. None of them were terrorists or spies. If only she could find the one guy who has no record, no air-able secrets, that would be fun. It was another necessary evil she had to do while working in the South American Intelligence unit. There used to be more terrorists coming through there than anyone could imagine. What she knew was a matter of national security. What was even more disturbing was that over the past three years, drug cartels, gun runners, and human traffickers were disappearing. No traces were left behind and no survivors. Planted operatives were either being killed or they had no knowledge of the destruction of the organization. There was a ghost attacking all crime in South America, and it was escalating. The human traffickers were being hit the hardest. Grisly photos of what looked like animal attacks were surfacing and one brief survivor was able to get out one word before they died, Diablo. The women and children being trafficked were also disappearing, they had vanished. Whoever Diablo was, he was the envy of all hardcore vigilantes and law enforcement. He was doing things without authorization. No holds barred, complete freedom. Jane liked this Diablo, but he had no oversight and National Security was scared to death if he escalated and brought it to the US.

The higher ups were keeping a lid on this because it was too frightening. There was no clear intent of Diablo, just destruction of criminal organizations. There were no demands. The money, drugs and weapons were either destroyed or missing, except for a shipment of G18c's and AR15's with a gross ton of ammunition. The problem with the weapons was they were already laundered and completely untraceable. Diablo needed to be armed so the hits would be more intense and frequent. The government was praying that it would be locally contained in South America. They prayed that Diablo would not come north.

Jane walked to her car. It was a little white Neon. She could afford more but she only needed a conveyance, nothing flashy. She had a change of clothes in the trunk and she quickly scanned the area for any looky-loo's. It was not secret to her that her body was intensely scrutinized by both male and female analysts. She could be the office plaything if she would only let her hair down. She quickly put on some jeans and a black T-shirt and got into the car. In 20 minutes she would be at her Starbucks.

Jane parked in the nearest space to the door and got out. She never locked her doors because there was never anything to steal. All of her possessions were in her bag, plus the CIA parking sticker probably deterred theft. She walked in the door to the warm atmosphere. The smell of exotic coffee and the great sounds of jazz. It was such an 180 from work. She saw David and Steve in the corner already hyper from caffeine and laughing their heads off. They saw her and the explosion was on. There were constant "Darlings!" and "My goodness you look fabulous!" from both of them. She blushed at the attention. She never thought she look all that great, just the old Sarah plain and tall.

She sat down and Steve said, "Janey, I already have your coffee ready just the way you like it!" his bright blue eyes sparkled. Jane hated to admit it but these men were gorgeous. Too bad they were with each other, otherwise.....

"Jane?" David asked, "Something on your mind?" he put his hand on her knee.

"No, no, well yes, but I can't tell you guys." she replied. Her voice sounded tired. Apparently her body was tired but her mind was racing and flashing the newest pictures from Bogota, the last Diablo strike.

David scoffed in mock hurt. "Can you give us the gist of it?" Steve asked.

"Well," she sighed, "there are some very bad rumblings in the world, and we can't find the epicenter," she said. It seemed like the most roundabout way to describe the problem.

"Oh sweetie, you are so serious," Steve said, "Just sip your coffee and hear about our day. I'm sure you'll find it amusing, go ahead David."

David began telling a story about a lunch rush with a gaggle of elderly people and how they kept mispronouncing or forgetting orders. They were both waiters in a high class Italian restaurant and they always had the most entertaining stories. Jane liked that they could share everything about their work. She couldn't even if she wanted to.

45 minutes passed and the caffeine induced hilarity took the edge off her nerves. She forgot all about work and was laughing and giggling like a teenager. It felt very good. The door opened and closed, but the festive mood in the room changed immediately. David and Steve both stopped laughing and paid attention to the person walking to the order counter. The high school girl behind the counter asked the man for his order in a trance-like manner. Jane turned just as the stranger had his back to her, but what she saw shocked her. He was a very tall and muscular man. She could swear that a strong presence of authority emanated from him and made everyone pay attention. They were not scared, it seemed like they were waiting for him to speak or give orders.

The man said in a deep melodic voice, "Large iced tea...... please." The poor girl behind the counter seemed to melt as his voice. Jane felt a twinge of excitement in her that made her heart jump. She started to sweat. She looked at David and Steve, they too were sweating. Each one just staring at the fantastic stranger with respect and lust. Jane felt stupid because she knew immediately she was doing the same thing. He walked down to the pass-through and waited for his drink. He never looked around. He kept his back to everyone who stared casually starting up their conversations but quietly and with one eye on the stranger. After a minute, the girl handed him his iced tea and gave him the most obvious flirtatious smile. He said, "Thank you." and Jane's heart jumped again. This was so stupid, she thought. She turned back to Steve and David who were still stifling their fawning over him. He must have turned around because the authoritative feeling doubled and anyone who was watching him literally gasped. Jane resisted turning around. She didn't want to make a spectacle of herself. David and Steve's eyes widen. He couldn't be walking over here, she thought. It is impossible.

"Excuse me, I am looking for Jane Brown." That voice rang through her bones and sent shivers down her spine when he said her name.

"I am Jane Brown," she said turning her head. Then she saw his face and that was it for her. He was so handsome, strong features, perfect skin, a goatee and his eyes! Oh my god, his eyes were so deep and brown. They were confident, masterful, dark and mysterious. She smelled his scent, it was some kind of exotic cologne that smelled of oranges. He must be some sort of athlete or Greek God.

"Miss Brown, may I speak with you in private?" he said his voice was monotone but powerful. David and Steve gasped and stifled giggles.

She did not think for a second. She would go anywhere with this man so she said, "Yes."

He looked at David and Steve and said, "If you would excuse us for a few minutes, Gentlemen." His voice was so commanding, even though it was polite, it was an order. The two men immediately got up and walked away. David leaned to her ear and whispered, "I'm so jealous of you! Good luck." They both took a seat with a young couple across the room. Immediately the gossip started as they whispered quietly to everyone. Other people came closer to hear. The teenage girl behind the counter had called out the other employees and they watched them as he picked up the large leather chair with one hand and set it closer to Jane. That chair was heavy, Jane thought. This man is so unbelievably strong. The gossip corner began hissing like snakes as they marveled at the same thing. Jane felt a girlish rush of excitement and she shook her head to stop the thought that was coming in. This was no time for fantasies!

He sat down and put his drink on the floor and sat back like a king would sit on a throne. Jane felt ridiculous as she watched every muscle she could see move with such fluid movement. Then she wondered what else could be so powerful.....NO! NO! NO! She yelled in her head, NOT NOW! She had to say something.

"What can I do for you?" she managed to say with a sliver of professionalism, but it came out like a breathless flirt. Stupid, she thought, stupid, stupid, stupid.

"My name is Mark, I am the man you are looking for," he said.

Jane was taken aback, but managed to keep cool. "Is that a pickup line?" she asked.

Mark's head cocked and his eyebrows furrowed slightly, "No," he said. Jane watched his face, there was no expression, just a puzzled look. He had no clue what he was doing to her or to anyone else.

"Why would I be looking for you?" she tried no to betray her inner feelings. She and every other woman on earth was looking for this man. He picked up his tea and took a drink. Jane felt like an idiot watching his Adam's apple move up and down with so much intensity. She wanted to slap herself.

"You are the head analyst for the South American Division of the CIA, therefore you should know exactly who I am," he said. It was not a joke. His eyes were penetrating her so much that immediately she knew he was telling the truth. A sobering wave knocked out the girlish crush she was enjoying. "NO!" she said loudly. The gossip corner all shot their heads toward her and bobbed back and forth between her and Mark like a crowd watching tennis. She leaned in closer and whispered, "What are you doing here? What do you want? What is going on?" she had more questions but he held up his hand and she immediately stopped.

"You know my work, and what I do. You should not be frightened. You are not a target. You are actually on my side so I came to ask a favor of you. I need all the names and addresses for every operative in the CIA and FBI I have killed. I need to make restitution to their families for my mistake. I am sorry, I did not know there was law enforcement involved in those matters. I recently became aware of the world and I am still learning how it works. I need to fix this mistake," he said. The words coming out of his perfect mouth brought some of the girlish feelings back. He was like a kid who was sorry for knocking over a lamp. Jane was swimming in all the emotions, but she forced her professional side out.

"What about the operatives who are still there?" she asked.

"Bring them home," he said.

"Why should I trust you?" she said.

"It is not a matter of trust Miss Brown, it is a matter of principle. My work is going to be done no matter what. You can either help me or I can hack into the CIA mainframe and get the information. It was thought that I should approach you first just to let the CIA know that I mean no harm to the justice system, I mean harm to those who balk at it."

"I could just turn you in right now," she said and held up her cell phone.

"You have nothing connecting me to the crimes. Just a confession heard by you with no linking evidence. You could bring me in because I am here illegally, but I have no record anywhere. I am not part of the system. I don't exist, and if the authorities hold me for the required 72 hours, they will find nothing and have to let me go. I know what society thinks of my work. I know they think I am killing innocent people who should get a second chance. In my view they already had their chance. Whether by decision or force, they chose a life of degradation and fueled the machine of fear. I am a result of that machine from long ago. I am just a creation coming back for vengeance. Society claims compassion for them, but I do not. The compassion should be with the victims of the machine, not the operators. The victims had no choice, the operators did. They chose the money and the power, or if they were forced at gunpoint they cowardly refused their principles and sold their souls to the machine. I respect those who were forced, said no and died, they will get my highest regard. You have a choice Miss Brown, you can either help me stop the machine, or you can turn a blind eye and just be a watcher as I destroy it piece by piece."

Jane saw the confidence in him. This was more than a man, he was something else. Her thoughts swirled and she said, "I don't know." She had nothing else to say. The man took a drink of his tea, she still watched his Adam's apple. She still had the crush on him, but there was also a little fear, compassion, understanding, awe, lust, and most of all trust. Her head began to ache.

"I don't know how to begin," she said quietly.

He took a deep breath and said, "I will send a message to your department in two days calling for the return of your operatives from South America. Get me the lists of those I killed. Their families need closure and my apologies," he said.

Jane looked into his eyes and she could not refuse. Her baser instinct was to see him again. She needed him now, there was nothing else that mattered more. His cause was her cause now. This was the cliche of love at first sight.

As she looked into his eyes she said, "I'll do it."

"Thank you," he said. He got up and finished his drink and tossed the cup away. He looked at her and the rush hit her again. "I'll be back here in one week. I will fully trust you if there is only you and not any authorities. Remember what I said, there is nothing on me and I cannot be stopped. I will see you in one week," and he walked out the door.

Everyone in the place watched as he left. A black Mercedes pulled up in front and stopped. Mark opened the door and got in then disappeared. Immediately the entire coffee shop patronage was clamoring all around Jane. She stared at the empty space where he got into the car. She missed him already.

Mark closed the door and Ginger hit the gas. She loved to drive and peeling out made her laugh.

"Take us to the hotel." Mark said.

Ginger looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Please," Mark said. He was still having a hard time with his manners.

"Well, was she cute?" Ginger asked.

"She looked better than her picture," Mark replied.

"She looked pretty good in her picture," Lawrence said from the darkened back seat. "That must be Mark-speak for she looked really good."

"Oh we wants her doesn't we precious?" the raspy voice of 42 said, "Yes, must gets her for us!" 42 said doing his impression of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Mark had to suffer 42's references since he began reading fiction.

"It's OK to like a girl Mark," Ginger said, "you are human after all, well almost human."

"I've got work to do," Mark said.

"You are lying to yourself if you think that is a good answer," 42 said with a mocking tone.

"Well, she couldn't be a hindrance, she may even be helpful," Lawrence said.

"How so?" asked Ginger

"She has a masters degree in communications. She is smart and knowledgeable. She could help me a great deal with communication set ups and show me back-doors to satellites. I'm sure she would know of at least one and that would be helpful to know," Lawrence replied.

"You just want a partner like the rest of us have," Mark said.

"Yeah, Lawrence is always on his own," Ginger said.

"You are right Mark, I do feel kind of left out. You have Beverly, and Ginger has Amber. We need another person for me. I hate to sound selfish though," Lawrence said.

"Oh honey! It's not selfish!" Ginger said. "that is what being a normal human is about, friends, family and co-workers. These are the people in your life that enhance you and make you a better person. Besides, I think she will be begging to join us."

"How do you know that?" Lawrence asked.

"By the way she followed Mark out the door with her eyes. She has fallen for him big time," Ginger smiled.

"Really?" Lawrence asked.

"Oh yes, it's the same look the teenage boys give Amber back home." Ginger giggled.

There was silence from Mark as he watched the road. Ginger and Lawrence were looking at him to say something. Mark met their stares and said "I didn't notice." Ginger and Lawrence laughed, 42 also laughed right along with them.

"I noticed, and you are a terrible liar!" 42 said between snorts.

The laughter died down and there was silence. The mood in the car was light, even with Mark there. The prospect of a girlfriend was the farthest thing from Mark's mind. He knew he had impulses in that area but his plans took precedence over all of that.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Lawrence asked.

"We're going to New York. I have some unfinished business to take care of there," Mark replied.

"You bet your ass we do!" 42 said rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"What are we going to do?" Ginger asked.

"We are going to take over Davidoff shipping," Mark replied.

"How?" Lawrence asked.

"I want you to start buying up the company, and I also want all the illegal weapon shipments sent to the compound in Brazil. I want those weapons off the streets," Mark said.

"What about Davidoff himself?" Ginger asked. She had a tone that she knew what Mark had planned for him. "He is not going to like this."

"He doesn't have a choice," Mark said.

"I know I can't stop you Mark," Ginger said, "but I want you to answer one question for me."

Mark nodded.

"Is this about revenge?" she asked.

"Yes it is," Mark replied.

"Okay then, but you know it won't be satisfying when it is done," she said.

"I know, not to me but it will be satisfying to his past victims and future victims. I speak for them," Mark said.

"You are still lying to yourself you big dummy!" 42 said.

"I just want you to know that I don't agree with it and Amber doesn't either, but we can't stop you, but we still love you," Ginger said.

Mark heard 42 scoff at this. He thought for a moment and said, "I know that what I have been doing is terrible. I have searched for a purpose in life since I got off the island. I found a different aura in the happiness in Dr. Meingle's home. Where people are happy, there is light and music in the air. The people are not afraid and there were no tests, no darkness, no visions. Even at night there is a glow that is felt but not seen. One day that was shattered. They were subjected to the same fears we had been through all of our life. Once it was explained to me that this is how it was, they suffered through the darkness in order to appreciate light. I did not agree with this. The light must be brighter. A line must be drawn between the dark and the light. I found a purpose that day when that darkness came to the compound. I knew that I could fight it and eradicate it. There is enough darkness in the world without the added evil that people bring on each other. The added evil that was forced upon us on that island. We were made from the thoughts of men who were trying to extinguish the darkness brought upon our mother, but the darkness consumed them and us with it.

We have to cross the line. We have to blur its existence so I can do my work. Throughout history it was always said that good prevails, but what they don't understand is that the fight is not over. Good has not prevailed yet, but with each passing moment, evil inches closer and closer, good keeps it at bay. We came from the darkness and found a home in the light. Knowing what we came from is going to help us destroy the creeping darkness and then the line can be drawn again. This time deeper and wider. Darkness will know it's place, and we will force it back there."

"Incredibly deep aren't you?" 42 said sarcastically.

"But isn't that just part of human nature, to do harm to their fellow man?" Lawrence asked.

"Human nature is to do what they think is best for them and their loved ones. Human nature is good. It is the nulled sensibilities of others that do harm to others that brings the dark closer to the light. They choose to live in fear and fear is the marker for the pathway of evil." Mark replied. He stared out the window at the passing buildings and the car was silent for a few minutes.

"Shouldn't we be at the hotel by now?" Mark asked.

"I've been driving around during the conversation," Ginger said, "This is the first time you have talked that much. Letting us into your thoughts. I can honestly say I love you more now than ever Mark. I hope that you will not get lost along the way."

"Too bad you already have." 42 whispered. Mark sighed.

Chapter 39

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

DECEMBER 1978

The sound of gunfire in the halls woke Joseph Earle. He ran to the door and threw it open. The gunfire was louder now and the klaxon alarms were blaring. The amber alert lights flashed and the loudspeaker crackled to life. Orders were shouted in Russian and the gunfire increased, indicating that the Russian guards were now returning fire. The gunshots were amplified through the concrete halls and Joseph had to cover his ears to stop the pain that the sound caused. He had only one thought, Elsa. He ran down the hall from his chamber to the main hall. The sounds were coming from the lab annex. That meant that the attack came from the entrance on the east side of the wall. The KGB headquarters in Berlin had found out about Elsa and her children and now they were here to collect them.

More guards rushed past him as he made his way to Elsa's chamber. He rounded the corner and saw that Elsa's protection unit had arrived and were in place. Eight men from the KGB special forces were at the ready with their AK-47's and grenade launchers at the ready. During the entire lock-down, the other entrance to Elsa's chamber was closed by four steel doors 12 inches thick. This was the bottle neck. A guard moved aside to let Joseph through and he burst into Elsa's chamber to find her on the divan with all the children. Mark was standing in front of her with his arms folded. Beverly was at his side. Ginger and Lawrence, and the newborn Amber were sitting with their mother.

"Father, what is going on?" Mark demanded.

"We are under attack! They have come for us!" Joseph said between gasps for air.

"Dear God!" Elsa cried and she held her children tighter. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Not to worry, the squad is just outside the door and I'm sure Albert and the General are on their way." Joseph said as he sat down. Ginger let go of her mother and grabbed her father tightly. The gunfire was muffled through the heavy chamber walls, but it was still there thumping through the lead and concrete. The door burst open and everyone jumped, except Mark and Beverly. They stood in defensive position in front of Elsa. General Davidoff and Colonel Radvic came in. Both of them were in their night time attire. It was hard to recognize them at first. General Davidoff looked frail out of his uniform. Mark went up to the General and asked, "Where are Uncle Albert and Motoko?"

"I don't know son, they should be along soon," the General said. As he calmed himself he said "The invaders are being held in the lab annex for now. My men don't know how long they will be able to hold out. We must get out of here soon!"

"General, who are they?" Elsa asked. Colonel Radvic jumped in and said,

"They are Russian soldiers. From the looks of it they are from the High Command battalion in Moscow," Radvic replied.

"How do you know?" Joseph asked.

"I saw them topside before I hit the alarm," Radvic replied.

"Did you know about this?" General Davidoff demanded.

"No General. I heard nothing in Moscow. They must have found out another way. I think I have been compromised for many months," Radvic replied.

"How in the bloody hell could you have been compromised?" Joseph yelled. He tried to get up but Ginger held on tightly, restricting his movement.

"I do not know dammit!" Radvic yelled.

"None of this matters now!" General Davidoff bellowed, "What matters is what we are going to do."

"I am not leaving without Motoko or Uncle Albert!" Mark said with severe determination.

"Mark," Joseph said, "They will be all right, we can leave and your uncle will find us. If the soldiers follow the standard rules of engagement they are unarmed civilians and will not get hurt. On the plus side, your uncle is British SAS. He was trained for these type of matters son."

"I don't care." the little boy said, "I want them here NOW!" Beverly nodded with her brother and Elsa could not help but smile and everyone else smiled too.

That moment was halted by a loud thud at the entrance door. "Damn, it is too late! They are in the main hall!" Radvic said. Everyone's attention was focused on the door.

Joseph was able to pry himself away from his daughters grip. "Elsa, you and the children go to your room. General you should go too." Joseph said. Elsa began to get up and head for the door with General Davidoff. "Mark, Beverly come on," Elsa said, but they did not move.

"Mother, you go in there, I am staying with father and Colonel Radvic," Mark replied without looking away from the door.

"And I am staying with Mark," said the little determined voice of Beverly.

"But children, you could get hurt!" Elsa pleaded.

Mark turned and looked at his mother and said, "Not before they do."

Albert Earle hid in the labs' cold storage. The gunfire barely penetrated the walls but there were several times he heard the ping of bullets hit the tables, glassware, and the door to cold storage. Whoever they were they were heading for Elsa and the children. Albert waited for as long as he could until he was sure that the bulk of the fight was past him. He had to find a way to attack from behind. That would be the only chance of beating them.

He opened the door and felt the warm air rush in. The lab was in shambles. The entrance door was open and there were bodies out front. He listened for a moment and heard that the fight had moved to the main hall, the invaders were winning. Albert quickly searched the drawers for a weapon of any kind. All he found was a scalpel. It would have to do. Albert dragged in a body of an invading soldier and took him to cold storage and began stripping off his uniform. The soldier began to stir as Albert put on the soldiers' shirt. Albert turned and immediately jumped on the soldier's chest and plunged the scalpel into his eye. The man screamed in pain and tried to fight off Albert. Albert quickly got up and pulled the man to his knees, wrapped his arms around the man's neck and twisted until he heard the pop of breaking bone.

The man slumped to the floor and Albert finished putting on the uniform. He pocketed the scalpel from the soldier's eye and went to the hall, picked up a rifle and headed slowly down towards the main hall. The gunfire was more intense now as the invaders were heading towards the bottle neck. They were near the chamber door. Albert quickly looked around the corner and found that the soldiers had taken positions in the doorways that led to the main hall. Albert tried to listen to the amount of firing sequences to guess how many of them there were. He guessed about ten. They were cramped into the recessed entrances of Davidoff's office, a supply closet, one of the guards rooms and the entrance to the main hall. There were four men, two on each side focused at the hallway. Albert rounded the corner, rifle aimed and fired at them, two bullets each. The two men closest to him fell down, the other two saw him and each got off a few rounds at him. One hit him in the left shoulder and the others pecked the concrete wall behind him. The entrance to the main hall was secured. Albert felt the sting of pain in his shoulder as his body realized he was shot. He crept up to the entrance, moving the bodies out of the way for him to use the cover. His shoulder protested severely against using it, so Albert threw the rifle down and grabbed a sidearm from one of the soldiers. He peeked around the corner and saw that there were more than ten, there was twenty or more. They had movable barricades and were pushing their way slowly toward the entrance to Elsa's chamber. The unit guarding Elsa's door were firing back, but Albert knew they had more firepower that just rifles. He had to act quickly before they brought out the RPGs.

Albert turned the corner and fired. The rounds hit several men and they fell. The rest turned and returned fire at Albert who jumped back just in time to miss the hail of bullets coming at him. Elsa's unit took this brief second of ceasefire to fire the RPG. The round hit the barricade and exploded. It knocked the invaders back some but not completely. It must have been reinforced steel on rollers. The loud explosion made Albert's ears ring and he was stunned for a moment. He got up and crawled back into the lab hallway just as another RPG round hit the rear wall of the main hall. Smoke and debris flew into the lab hall bouncing off the walls and pecking Albert then a chunk of concrete hit him in the head and everything went black.

Motoko Mashu woke up when she was grabbed from her cot in one of the old supply closets that was her room while she visited. She was still a little groggy, but the hard grasp of a soldiers hand shook her and her adrenaline kicked in immediately. She tried to fight, but she was spun around and forced face first onto her cot. Her arms were forced behind her back and tied quickly. A blindfold was placed over her eyes and her mouth was gagged. The cloth in her mouth was so tight it hurt.

Mark! She thought, what about Mark? She tried to speak, but she could only grunt. She began to cry as they pulled her up and began taking her down the hall. She heard gunfire towards the main hall and was walking tiptoe down the hallway. The soldiers escorting her were tall and very muscular. She tried to think where they were taking her. Her room was at the end of the lab hall and there was a corridor that ran about 300 yards to the KGB office. It was to the left of her room and that was where they were headed. They must have found and collected Elsa and the children. She tried to fight. She wanted to protect the children, grab them and run. She wrestled against her escort who slapped her face, but he did not break his stride. She felt the sting and warmth on her face. She tried to fight again and was met with another slap. There was no fighting this guy, so she just went limp, just to make her a burden to him. It didn't seem to work, he still carried her with ease.

They came to the stairs leading to the KGB offices. Motoko had never been this way so she was a little frightened. She had heard the stories of KGB interrogations and prayed that they were not planning that for her. She would talk, she didn't know much but what she did know they would find out eventually. She would talk in exchange for the children's lives, for Mark's life. If he was powerful now at 5 years old, imagine what he could do when he was 15, or 25. He would destroy these people.

She was taken around several corners and then a door was opened. She heard hushed talking from two men. She thought she heard an American accent but wasn't sure. Her escort shoved her into a chair and she grunted and tried to compose herself as best she could. Her gag was removed and she stretched her mouth muscles. They ached and burned. The corners of her mouth were raw from the dry rubbing.

"Ms. Mashu! What a pleasure to see you," a heavily accented Russian voice said.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"To the point I see. You are indeed your father's daughter. Okay, we want you," the voice said.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"All in due time," he said. "We know what is going on down there and we want it. The applications are insurmountable to the world and your father has been hoarding it for too long."

"My father is trying to fix it so idiot governments won't exploit the mistake by Mengele and turn one countries army into an unstoppable force. He was trying to save the world from itself," she replied angrily.

"Very noble," the voice said. "Your father is a good man no doubt and any interference to the contrary is purely accidental." He paused and mover closer to her. He dragged a chair and sat right in front of her. "Ms. Mashu, you don't need to be so defensive. This is a far better opportunity. We are not here to use Mrs. Earle for anything sinister."

"Then why the gunfire?" she asked.

"General Davidoff has been unnecessarily paranoid about this project. Deadly force is a necessary evil given the situation," he replied.

"You can sugar coat it all you want, but you won't convince me of anything," Motoko said.

"Well that is true. There is no point in arguing now," the voice said with a sigh. "We understand you are getting a doctorate in Biology and Chemistry, the path your father took. We would like you to work for us on this project."

"What if I refuse?" Motoko asked.

"Don't," the voice said sternly, "Little Mark would be heartbroken to know that his best friend refused to stay with him."

"Don't you dare hurt him!" she screamed.

The voice shushed her and there was a chuckle from behind him.

"Who is that?" she yelled.

"You will find out in due time," the voice said, "Look Ms. Mashu here are your choices, work for us and see your precious Mark grow up or we can kill you now and find someone else. We rather prefer to have you, so make the right choice."

She knew that they were going to exploit them one way or another. They were not going to do the work they were doing here by curing it. She had to take their deal if only to wait until the children were grown up enough. There were plenty of chances down the road to stop this and reverse it. She nodded and began to cry "I'll do it. I'll work for you but please don't hurt them!" she sobbed.

"I can't guarantee anything Ms. Mashu. There are growing pains, heartbreak, shots and tests to be done. I will say that they won't be hurt anymore than what is necessary," the voice said and he got up from the chair, knocked on the door and it opened. He spoke Russian to someone outside and there were heavy footsteps that came in. She felt the firm grasp of her previous escort pick her up and escort her out the door. Behind her she heard the voice say "Glad to have you aboard Ms. Mashu!" and the door closed.

Chapter 40

NEW YORK CITY

November 2006

The back room of the club muffled the thumping sound of the music that blared for all of the patrons, it also muffled the sound of the frightened Ukrainian whore Sergei Davidoff was having fun with in that room. She was fresh off the boat and had no idea how America worked. His men had promised her a fantastic life over here and she jumped at the chance. When they found her in the Ukraine, she was only 15, she was now 17 and was one of many of Davidoff's favorites. She whimpered and tried to cower but Davidoff was strong, her blond hair all curly and that tight dress ripped easily. Davidoff could barely contain himself, he had been unable to perform much since Brazil, there was so much nerve damage in his leg and groin he couldn't get it up for almost two years. He began pounding her as hard as he could, and with every thrust he slapped her face, blood was starting to come out of her nose, but he continued.

Mark sat in the cargo van alone to passersby but 42 sat wriggling in the passenger seat, gyrating with the muffled sound of techno music playing in the club across the street, it was a warehouse that covered an entire city block in Queens New York. Mark checked his guns, two Glock 18's fully automatic with the custom bullets Mark had made of acid and nerve agent. This had to bloody, he thought, otherwise 42 would take over. 42 stopped "dancing" and shot an angry look at Mark. "I'm getting the feeling you don't love me anymore Mark." 42 said angrily.

"On the contrary, I have to appease you in order to get the job done." Mark said.

"Then why don't you want to do it this way?" 42 said like a child.

Mark watched the front door, his eyes darting to every face that went in and out. "If I had no cares for you I would do it quietly." Mark replied

"So then you do love me but hate it?" 42 asked.

"You are part of me," Mark said, "I have to love myself before I love others. The only issue here is that I have to compromise, that is what love is."

"You are getting worse since you started reading Shakespeare!" 42 said in a huff.

"Indeed." was Marks reply.

Sergei Davidoff finished with a loud grunt. Her blood was all over his face and body and the walls to the left and to the right. The girl was quietly sobbing and in a fetal position on the grungy bed. The frame had broken during and Davidoff kicked a piece of it aside as he started to wipe himself off and get dressed. He felt like himself again, he buttoned up his silk shirt and looked at the whore on the bed and laughed. He got his wallet out and threw $1000 of hundreds at her then said in Russian, "Get the fuck out whore, I'll see you in a couple of months." He stepped out of the door and into the loud dance floor, the music was thumping and hundreds of men and women were dancing provocatively in front of him. The lights were flashing various colors and the atmosphere was hot and pungent of sweat, perfume, and cologne. Davidoff had two men outside the door and he nodded his head at them then they went inside the back room. Davidoff walked over to the VIP section and sat down as the two guards were escorting the whore out the front door. He began conversing with the other VIP's and drinking Vodka shots.

All was quiet in the van as Mark and 42 watched the door. The music inside had changed tempo to much faster than before then the doors opened, two big men tossed a blond woman into the street then went back inside. She was able to stand up, her dress was ripped and her hair messed up and there was blood in it. Her right eye was swollen shut, she looked around the street and saw a scary looking man in the drivers seat, he was watching her.

Mark looked into the eye of this woman and he knew that Davidoff was there. "Holy Shit!" 42 said, "Somebody had fun!" Mark saw the faces of the children he rescued in her pleading and terrified eye, she was forced to do this.

Mark got out of the car and walked toward her. She tried to run the other way but fell back down and screamed in pain. The door guard and some patrons looked at her and the large man. The door guard started shouting at the man but the man pulled out a gun and shot. Before the guard could react he heard the shot hit the wall next to him, but then the bullet hole began to bubble and smoke. The incoming patrons screamed and ran off, the guard aimed his weapon but another shot was fired and hit him in his body armor. Immediately there was a sizzling sound and then a burning sensation in his chest, he took a deep breath and then felt a lurch in his body, his whole body seized and then he doubled over and vomited blood. He took another deep breath, his whole body cramped up, he heard his bones break then fell to the ground dead as he vomited blood again.

The dark man came up to her, she started talking but then she felt a pinprick in her neck and fell asleep. Mark picked her up gently and walked back to the van and opened the back door and gently set her down. 42 was behind him and yelled "What are we going to do with her?!" Mark checked her vitals and she was sedated but badly bruised. The blood had stopped flowing from her face and was caked up on her skin. "We'll take her home." Mark said as he closed the door. He felt an uneasiness inside starting to grow, then the anger came. "Another one!" 42 yelled. "Yes, stay here and watch her" Mark said and 42 started laughing "I'M NOT REAL DUMB-ASS!" Mark started walking toward the club and then said "Never mind." Several people came out the door and saw the dead guard and ran screaming back inside. This was not part of the plan, time to improvise Mark thought and then entered the club.

Sergei Davidoff was drunk, he had lost his sense of balance and fell to the floor laughing at what he thought he heard was a joke. Then the music was interrupted by screaming and gun fire. Davidoff sat up in the booth as the entire place exploded in panic, his drunken eyes could barely focus but something had came in and was shooting up the place. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the entrance, there was a large man shooting into the crowd, he had dark hair and a goatee but Davidoff's eyesight was still blurry, he tried to shake his head to clear it as the screaming changed into blood curdling cries and vomiting. The people near the man were doubled over and throwing up blood! Guards from all over rushed to Davidoff and were yelling at him. He couldn't quite understand but he pointed and shouted towards the dark man at the entrance, most of the guards started running over toward the entrance only four stayed behind to guard Davidoff.

A wave of sobering fear hit Davidoff and his adrenaline kicked in. He saw the boy from the island standing in the doorway as he threw two guns to the ground. He knew this day was coming, but never really believed it. The boy was a man now! Those dark eyes fixated on his and Davidoff started shouting at the guards to kill the man. Davidoff lifted the seat next to him and pulled out an AK-57. The boy started walking slowly toward him and every guard including Davidoff fired their weapons at him. Davidoff shouted, "Don't stop shooting until you're out of bullets!" and they all fired at the boy. He stood there at the doorway, not moving, but his eyes were fixed upon Davidoff's. The hailstorm of bullets pocked the entire doorway area and hit the boy, the boys face was emotionless as bullets riddled him and tore apart the masonry of the exit, the boys body moved from the impact of the bullets then went down after several shots from shotguns. His body hit the floor and the guards started to ease up, but Davidoff didn't he screamed for them to reload and keep firing, most of the guards did as they were told, some thought the boss had lost his mind. They kept firing at the motionless body of the boy, blood spattered all over, his shorts and T-shirt were torn to shreds. After two minutes of constant fire, they all ran out of ammo and only the loud music and lights made any sound.

Everyone stood where they were, Davidoff was sweating heavily, his eyes were wild and fixated on the boy. His logical brain told Davidoff that the boy was dead, nothing could have survived that barrage, but his emotions countermanded his logic. Davidoff ordered that the music be shut off and the guard closest to the DJ booth went up and shut off the music then turned up the house lights His worst fears were realized after about a minute when the boy got up. His body was pushing out the bullets that entered him and they made a soft tinkling sound as the fell from him as he got up. One bullet came out of his left eye while the right one regained fixation on Davidoff.

The guards took a step back and Davidoff's heart jumped in fear. The bullet holes on the boys body began to heal and close. Within ten seconds the boy was healed and his left eye returned to normal. The boy then started walking towards Davidoff, his eyes fixed on him and instilling a paralyzing fear in Davidoff that he couldn't move. Some guards ran away, some, so angry and frustrated attacked the boy as he walked closer and closer to the VIP area. Without breaking his stride or moving his eyes from Davidoff, any guard that came within his grasp was killed, their necks broken, windpipes crushed, backs shattered, they would attack the boy and then they died.

Mark killed the last guard then walked slowly up the small steps to the VIP area, Davidoff was frozen in fear, "I see you remember me." Mark pulled out a syringe and started injecting Davidoff. If he could have screamed he would have, but all he could do was stare at the boy. Mark injected him and said, "It is just a tranquilizer." Davidoff wanted to fight back, he wanted this man dead. He tried to move but couldn't. With each passing moment he felt the terror he had instilled in countless others. As he tried desperately to move, a wave of darkness shrouded him and he fell asleep.

"Ooooohh we have him now!" 42 said greedily, as Mark carried the limp body of Davidoff to the van. "What should we do to him?" He jumped up and down.

"You wanted him shipped to the lab back in Brazil. I had Lawrence move all the weapon transports to the compound from Davidoff's company. I'm going to sneak him in with some of the larger weapons and mark it for Eustaquino to move to the lab. There he will wait until I get back," Mark said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean what are we going to do to him once he is there?" 42 giggled. "What shall we do to him?" Mark threw Davidoff next to the sleeping body of the girl. 42 looked at the sleeping body of Davidoff behind him and gave an evil smile. "He is such a prize! Oh we need to drag out his pain for as long as possible. Oh God, I don't know what to do! Shall we give him memories of rape victims like that Johnston did? How about our memories? How about we mix up many memories? How about that Mark? Huh?" 42 said.

"I don't know yet," Mark said, "It seems to me that giving him memories would be too nice because he would have happy memories mixed in too. He would see the love I have for my family."

"So you admit that you love them?" 42 said poking Mark with his bony finger as Mark changed clothes and got in the drivers seat.

"Yes. Just because I don't show it does not mean I don't feel it. You should know that," Mark said.

"You are right. I'm just so excited to have fancy boy here. I mean can you smell his cologne? Jesus! The man must swim in it!" 42 said waving his disfigured hand in front of his face, "We should dump him in the sewage pool at home or better yet, how about Rio's sewer system? Could you imagine? Especially after carnival?" he laughed.

"No," Mark said. "I know what to do with him."

"Oh Mark! My God man I love you! Oh yes! Yes! Yes! Oh God Mark keep thinking that! Oh my God! That is so terrible and so good. You are really giving me a treat with this!" 42 said in ecstasy.

Mark did not say any more. He knew 42 would read his thoughts and love it. Mark drove the van to JFK Airport cargo terminal. He showed the badge to the guards and they let him in. Mark found the hangar where the cargo plane carrying the re-routed weapons was housed. It was closed and dark. The flight was not until 5 AM. it was now 3 AM. Mark knew by the shipping information that Lawrence had created the phony customs tags that were printed and already in the system. 2000Lbs of illegal weapons were checked and cleared through customs with a click of a button by Lawrence. Mark opened the door to the hangar. The headlights shone on the steel crate that housed the special compartment for Davidoff on a rolling table. It would keep him alive and asleep for two weeks maximum, Mark figured a week would be enough.

Mark shut off the van, but left the lights on. He got out and pulled out his small flashlight to find the main hangar light panel. It was next to a side entrance door. Mark walked over and turned on the lights. The entire hangar lit up with a loud click and hum of halogen lights. The plane was positioned at the main hangar door, ready to taxi. The rear cargo doors were left open as instructed, waiting for the last crate of cargo to be loaded. Mark opened the back doors of the van while 42 giggled and mumbled happily next to him. Mark picked up Davidoff's limp body and carried it to the special crate, all the while the thumps of 42's damaged leg and his maniacal giggling echoed through the hangar. Mark placed Davidoff in the crate which looked more like a coffin with its upholstered bottom and sides. Once Davidoff was in, Mark opened the side panel and found the IV. supplies ready for him. Everything Davidoff needed for the trip home was in a specially controlled tank which covered the bottom of the crate between the outer wall and the space for the body. The minerals, vitamins, saline, and paralytic/anesthesia were there to keep him asleep and calm. The bio-metric reader and transmitter that sent all bio metric information and GPS position to Mark's cell phone over an encrypted VPN set up by Lawrence. Lawrence had no idea what it was going to be used for, but Mark told him a story that he was going to test if for future use just in case they became separated. It was not really a lie but more an omission of certain facts. Mark had to make sure to keep Lawrence busy so he would not check the VPN and read Davidoff's vitals and know where he went.

Mark inserted the IV. into Davidoff's right arm and waited to see if there were any problems. Mark waited patiently while 42 stroked the mans sleeping face and cooed. When Mark was certain that Davidoff was resting comfortably, he sealed the crate and pushed the rolling table towards the plane. Mark pushed it up the ramp and situated the crate on the left side of the aircraft. He pushed the rolling table down the ramp, across the floor and hit the wall.

"I'm just so curious to see what else we have procured from Davidoff Shipping!" 42 said, touching one of the crates with his good hand. Mark looked at the crate and the shipping label, it said there were IV. poles enclosed.

"All of this is supposed to be medical supplies," Mark said. "My guess is that there are rifles in all the crates."

42 limped over to a crate at the far end, "What about this one?" he asked, "it has a radiation sticker on it."

Mark walked over and saw the sticker in the dim light, he pulled out his flashlight and fixed it on the label. "It says this is Chemotherapy equipment."

"What do you think it really is?" 42 asked devilishly.

"It can't be a nuclear warhead," Mark said, "They have put so many controls on those it would be impossible."

"Not unless this is an old one from before the accords!" 42 said happily, "I can't wait to find out when we get home! God! What a good day this has been!"

Mark's focus was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He pulled it from his pocket and answered it.

"Where are you?" the worried voice of Lawrence asked.

"I'm at the hangar," Mark said.

"is everything ready?" asked Lawrence.

"Yes, everything is just about set and we have a new addition." Mark said.

"What new addition? What about Davidoff, is he....is he gone?" Lawrence asked. 42 stifled a laugh.

"Yes, Davidoff won't be a problem anymore. Go ahead with the takeover and your guess was right about where he was hiding. I stumbled upon another victim of Davidoff's, I'm sending her home with the cargo, have Amber ready for her as soon as the plane arrives." Mark said.

"Thanks Mark," Lawrence said puzzled, "I've already changed the shipping order and there will be a medic on the flight for the victim. How do you want her kept?"

"Keep her unconscious until she is settled in the house, then only Ginger and Amber have access, I don't want Beverly scaring her, in fact..."Mark said, "I want you and Ginger to head home tomorrow after the takeover, I'll be staying a couple of days then I'll head home."

Mark could hear Lawrence typing over the phone. "Any reason we're cutting our trip short?" he asked nervously.

Mark looked at the container that held Davidoff, 42 was grinning and nodding his head slowly, He really wanted to get to work on Davidoff, which meant that Mark wanted to as well. Mark had to come up with a lie to tell his brother. Quickly Mark thought of a reason which wasn't a lie, but an omission of certain facts. "I have altered the time line, Making contact with the CIA and waiting for a week is too risky. Too many variables to consider and the longer we stay here those variables will eventually turn against us."

Lawrence was still typing, "I understand, I like it here better though..." Lawrence trailed off. Mark knew this was Lawrence's way of standing up to him. 42 shook his head and chuckled at Lawrence's "bravery."

"I know," Mark said, "We'll be back."

Lawrence stopped typing and then asked, "What is the girls name?"

"I didn't find out, she's had a rough night, she had to be sedated quickly, you'll find out when she gets there and........good job Lawrence," Mark said. Then hung up.

"Praise and a half-truth for our little brother? It is so unlike you," 42 said.

"He needs reassurance sometimes." Mark explained.

"You are right, but is this a little guilt bleeding over from what we were about to do to him?" he pointed to Davidoff's crate, "I can sense a little smolder of it in us," 42 said.

"Maybe from the human side, but not that much. It will go away," Mark said.

"I hope so. I don't like it!" 42 said.

Mark gave the girl another injection of sedative then watched her for about 20 minutes in silence. 42 had disappeared. After he was sure that she would be all right until the pilot and medic showed up, he secured her on the plane and moved the other crates into the hold then secured the plane.

Mark looked around one last time and then left the plane. 42 limped behind him not saying a word. Nothing more was said as Mark turned off the hangar lights, closed the large doors, and got into the van and left. As he drove away he saw the pilot and the medic show up and enter the hangar. Lawrence was fast, Mark thought.

Chapter 41

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

DECEMBER 1978

Joseph looked at the scene before him. His two young children were directly in front of danger. His whole life was about to change for the worse. He thought he should be up there in front of Mark and Beverly protecting them. He felt no anxiety though, he was not afraid for his children. They were two of the strongest people he knew. His firstborn son was never a child. He was born an adult trapped inside a child's body. He had extraordinary strength and his mother's regenerative powers, but how far will that take him? Could he get shot in the head and then heal? He was partially human after all, but the strength in his eyes and voice was more powerful than anything.

Beverly was just as powerful, but not forceful. When she was born she cried out of annoyance more than anything. Ginger was calm and peaceful, but Beverly was angry. When the girls were born, Mark wanted to be there, but it took four guards to hold him back, he broke one of their hands. After the girls were born, Joseph saved the guards' lives by allowing Mark to come in and see his new sisters. He looked at his sisters and said "Hello." They both looked up at him. Ginger cooed and Beverly stopped crying and looked at her older brother with astonishment. It was a surreal scene between the three. Two more babies born with high cognitive abilities. It was sad in the fact that they were not the answer to Elsa's problem but, it was a joyous occasion and a marvel nonetheless. Mark was two at the time. As they grew, Beverly was always near Mark. She fussed if she was not within five feet of him. Ginger would carry on without a care, but she loved him. She liked to be near her father more than anything. When Lawrence was born and was so ill, the three children watched the little boy like hawks. Mark would let someone know if Lawrence needed anything. Beverly would change him and feed him while Ginger would play with him. Her laugh was so intoxicating and wonderful that it helped the boy get through his illness. They really did not need much adult supervision. Mark basically took care of everything.

Amber was born two days ago. She glowed with her mother's power of attraction. One look at the little girl and everyone fell in love with her. Mark was overtaken first. He was the first to see her. It was amazing to see the wonderment on his face for the first time. She was truly a surprise to him. He was attached to her immediately. He never wanted her out of his sight and he was so protective. Every time she made any sound he was there immediately to find out the problem and solve it even if he was across the compound, Mark knew something was wrong.

Elsa healed so quickly that she was fit for anything within an hour of giving birth. She was so happy to see children again, her children. It was a blessing for her since the Nazi's killed the rest of her family. She was happy again. Joseph feared that this would be taken away from him. He was in a fantasy world where he was king and his children were gifts from heaven. No father could have the pride and sense of love he had for these children. Now his fears were coming to fruition. This invasion led to the crumbling of his fantasy world.

The gunfire at the door was loud. Bullets pecked the heavy doors more and more. The invaders were winning. It was only a matter of moments before they would burst in. Joseph motioned for Radvic to help him with the heavy oak chairs to jam under the doorknob. Mark turned and said, "Don't. They have fought hard and they will only be more angry. Let them in. We have no choice," and he turned back to the door. Joseph had to admit the boy was right. They were coming through that door one way or another.

Seconds passed like hours as the firefight in the main hall abruptly came to a halt. At any moment either the elite guard or the KGB would come in the door. It was quiet and then the door knob turned and the door flew open.

Several KGB soldiers came rushing in, rifles aimed at everyone in the room. Mark and Beverly stood straight and did not flinch as the soldiers entered the room shouting in Russian. Joseph and Colonel Radvic raised their hands and followed the soldiers' directions. Three soldiers kicked in the door to Elsa's bedroom and shouted for them to come out. General Davidoff put his hands up and responded calmly, making a conscious effort to keep himself between the muzzles of the KGB's rifles and Elsa and the children. Amber began to cry and Mark's head snapped around quickly. "Don't touch my sister!" he yelled loudly enough that all the guns stopped and pointed at him. Once the soldiers realized it was a little boy, they began to laugh. Mark was seething with anger. One laughing soldier grabbed Elsa's arm and jolted her towards the couch. Amber squealed and Joseph looked where Mark had been but he was gone. There was a blur and then the soldier next to Elsa fell down and screamed. There was a series of cracks and a piercing yelp. "Mark!" Elsa yelled as another soldier rushed to grab the little boy. The very muscular soldier knelt down and grabbed the boy, lifting him like a feather weight sack. Mark grunted and wriggled around against the massive arm until he could get his face towards it. Mark bit the soldiers arm and the man screamed. With a quick jerk, the man threw the little boy and his little body crashed into an oak chair. Soldiers held back Joseph, Radvic, and Davidoff, but they forgot one other. Beverly rushed in and grabbed the man's leg at the ankle. She threw her body weight around and the man fell to the ground. Joseph noticed that where Mark had bitten him, there was a hole and a lot of blood pouring out of it. He looked over at Mark who had gotten up and spit out a piece of flesh to the floor and he rushed back in with Beverly, grabbing a splintered leg of the chair as he passed.

Beverly was clawing at the man's face, screaming like a banshee. The man was grunting and screaming as a three year old was tearing him to pieces, unaware that a 5 year old was coming at him with wooden chair leg raised. Joseph expected the worst but Mark suddenly dropped the chair leg and fell to the side, hitting his head on the coffee table. Beverly stopped screaming and she went limp. Joseph blinked and saw that there was a blue puff of feathers at the end of tranquilizer darts in Mark and Beverly's backs. Elsa, Ginger and Lawrence gasped with fear. Joseph tried to push the men who held him back, but couldn't. At the door stood a fat Russian soldier. From the looks of his insignia, he was a captain. "Ferocious aren't they?" he said to Joseph with a heavy accent. He walked in and checked on the muscular soldier who was grunting in pain. He waved his hand and four men divided into two and tended to each of the injured men.

General Davidoff yelled at the captain in Russian. Joseph knew very little, but it seemed like a demand for his name and purpose. The captain stood up and said, "General Davidoff, please speak in English so everyone can understand. But to answer your question, my name is Captain Karl Gregorovich of the KGB. I am here to relieve you of your command General and take over the Phoenix project."

"On whose authority?" Davidoff demanded.

"Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Brezhnev has given me direct orders to take this project to Moscow immediately," Gregorovich replied.

"Where are the signed orders?" Davidoff demanded.

"Here," Gregorovich said and he reached behind his back pulling out a nickel plated pistol and shot the General in the head. Elsa and the children screamed. Joseph cursed the man and Radvic went pale. General Davidoff's body fell to the floor with a thump as Gregorovich turned to Colonel Radvic and said, "Do you wish to question my authority Colonel?"

Radvic was pale and started to sweat, he looked at the General, then to Joseph, and then to Mark and Beverly on the floor, and Elsa and the children. He began to speak, but nothing came out. He shook his head no. Captain Gregorovich smiled and holstered his pistol. "Thank you Colonel, you have made the right choice." he turned towards Joseph. Joseph felt his heart jump. He had no authority of any kind. He was only married to Elsa and the father of the children. "Mr. Joseph Earle!" Gregorovich smiled warmly, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you. We have had our eyes on you for some time now. I feel as if I know you already." Gragorovich patted him on the shoulder. "Quite a little family you have, eh?" He gestured to Elsa and the children. "If my son had half of the will as those two have, he could be premier within ten years. Congratulations Mr. Earle!" he said again patting his shoulder. He turned to one of his men and asked "What is the condition of the two who were attacked?"

Corporal Yanovic seems to have a spiral fracture of his left leg, and Corporal Nikitin is missing some muscle tissue on his right arm. He also has deep scratches on his face and upper torso, and his ankle has been dislocated," the medic reported.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" Gregorovich raised his voice. "These children are not regular children, the proof is in what you just saw. Do not harm or attempt to harm any of these people, because I may not be there with a tranquilizer gun to save your lives."

All the soldiers nodded in agreement. "Now squad five, begin cleanup of the main hall. Clear out all of the bodies, but be respectful, they were your comrades!" Gregorovich ordered. Five men shouldered their weapons and they started with General Davidoff. They carried his lifeless body with respect. Elsa and Ginger cried as his body was carried out of the room. Little Lawrence was petrified with fear. Amber had stopped fussing and was back asleep. Radvic held his head down and forced back tears. Joseph watched Gregorovich with anger. "You will pay for killing the General you bastard!" Joseph said.

Gregorovich turned around with a surprised look on his face, "Mr. Earle, the General has been retired. To have let him live now old, grown children, nothing but his memories to keep him through the night, and friendless is a far worse punishment than death. I did the old man a favor. He will have proper respect and awards from the High Command, I guarantee it," and he turned his back.

Joseph still seethed with anger and felt his blood boil. He fought against the pull of the two men restraining him. Gregorovich turned again with a smile, "I see Mr. Earle. I see that is not enough for you. OK then, men let him go. I'll give you one hit for revenge and that will be it agreed?"

The men let go of Joseph and he punched the Captain square in the jaw. The Captain fell back several steps, turned around, pulled his pistol and fired a shot straight through Joseph's head. Elsa screamed. Ginger yelled "Daddy!" and she ran to him as he fell back with a loud thud. Ginger cried and shook him as Gregorovich holstered his weapon.

Elsa was in tears again and Amber was crying. "You soulless bastard!" Elsa cried. Gregorovich gave her a puzzled look.

"You don't know?" he said. Then he smiled, "Oh this is going to be good!" he smiled and he looked at Joseph.

Ginger was crying into her hands when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Ginger, I am Okay," Joseph said. She looked up amazed, "Daddy?" She watched as her father stood up and wiped the blood from his forehead.

Gregorovich laughed as he saw the look of complete bewilderment on Elsa's face. Joseph stood straight up and looked at his wife. Gregorovich chuckled and said, "Mrs. Earle, I cannot believe he never told you. Several years ago your husband injected himself with a serum derived from your blood. He has the regenerative capabilities you have, although not your strength. He tried to cover it up as best he could, but the missing serum was found and a report from a guard that night indicates your husband was stumbling drunk. Put two and two together and he gave himself a guarantee that he will be with you forever."

"What?" yelled Colonel Radvic. "You compromised this whole project due to selfishness? We could have finished years ago and avoided this catastrophe! You selfish son of a bitch!"

"I'm sorry," Joseph said, "The thought of me dying and never seeing her again was too much to bear. I did it out of selfishness and greed. I had a weak moment and acted stupidly and I take full responsibility for all that has happened."

Elsa did not know what to feel. She was elated that Joseph was alive, but angered that he hid something important away from her and possibly the cause of all of this. She had nothing to say. Her mind was blank but her instincts were telling her something was not right. It had been so long since anyone new had come here. Why wasn't she attacking them? She should be the monster she really is, but she felt nothing from these men. "Captain, you and your men have been inoculated against me haven't you?" she asked.

"Of course we have Mrs. Earle," Gregorovich replied.

"That means the KGB has known about this for some time and had someone on the inside feeding you the information, isn't that correct?" she asked.

"The KGB has covert operations everywhere in the world Mrs. Earle. We just don't go in without the proper knowledge," Gregorovich replied.

"Who was it?" Elsa asked.

Gregorovich smiled at her then turned his head to Joseph, "Where is your brother Mr. Earle? Why isn't he here?"

"No!" Elsa gasped.

"Albert would never turn against us!" Joseph yelled, "You are lying!"

Perhaps I am, or perhaps not!"

Chapter 42

LANGLEY, VIRGINIA

November 2006

It had been two days since she had met with him. She was getting anxious to see him again. Jane Brown received the message from him this morning at the CIA just like he promised. That was a plus for him. He kept his word. It wasn't until then that she got the names and addresses he wanted. The higher ups were considering the pullout but there was the wall of Homeland Security. They wanted the intelligence coming from operatives for terrorism. The FBI was trying to convince them that extra agents at the border would help almost as well as undercover operations, but Homeland Security didn't want any potential threats that close to the American borders.

Jane re-read the message printout with girlish glee.

"To: United States Authorities with operations in South America.

I am the one they call "Diablo" and I have recently learned that my operations have killed many of your countrymen and agents. I know I have been deemed an enemy by your state and will not try to do anything to change your view. I am asking that you pull the rest of your covert operatives hidden within the criminal organizations in South America out and assign them to other places that do not concern me...yet. I am eradicating all criminal elements in South America and I will not stop. I cannot be captured nor can I be killed. I am doing the work you want to be doing but are constrained by law and moral boundaries. I applaud the work you have done so far and hope in the future we can come to an understanding."

Jane imagined him typing this. She wondered if he thought of her at all while he was writing this. He made no inference that he was in contact with anyone from the authorities and the IP address was a dead end. It was a small radio station's address from outside Hong Kong. This told the CIA two things; Diablo was highly educated and funded and that he was a ghost. There were no photos of him, no descriptions, and no clue as to his whereabouts. They looked worldwide at hackers, began questioning them. Jane looked at the South American names and photos, but none were him. The message came through a closed connection to the CIA mainframe, which meant that he was physically here in the building when the message was planted in the mainframe. She reviewed security tapes from one week ago until today. He was not on any of them. All the faces on the tape were recognizable and there were no unscheduled deliveries. Every person with access to the mainframe was questioned. Their lives were turned inside out and they were watched closely. This meant that he could walk in and out of anywhere in the building when he wanted and never get caught. She refused to say that she had met someone, then they would find him and grill him. Against her every logical thought she would never give him up. Jane heard several of the other section chiefs wish that they could have that kind of training in the CIA. Everyone one from the newbies to the veterans wanted to find him only if to have him train. They would forgive his crimes for information on his methods. The CIA itself had fallen under the same spell as she had for him.

She couldn't help smiling at the face that only she knew. The face and voice matched perfectly with his actions and she could barely contain herself. She needed to see him again. She looked at the clock. It was almost time to go. She had to stay as normal as possible. She knew that everyone was being watched for discrepancies in behavior. She knew they would be watching her, especially since South America was her area and they thought there was a mole. It was standard procedure in situations like this. She was nervous, but she calmed herself with the knowledge that he would not be captured. She had to wait another five days to see him again, too long she thought. She had no idea that he would bring out her animal instincts. She knew she wanted to have him as soon as she saw him again. Maybe he knew already what she would think and that is why he chose a public place to meet.

Jane put the list of casualties in her bag and turned off her work station. She knew that if she was caught with that list she would be whisked away to somewhere in the lower levels and questioned for days. If she played it cool, the list will be on her desk in the morning and then filed away. She would copy it by hand at home just in case the CIA was watching her computer. Just 15 hours away from work and it will be like it never happened. She walked to her car knowing full well that her every move was watched. She wondered if he was able to see her as well by piggy-backing the camera feed. She wished he was as obsessed about her as she was about him, then it would be OK to think about him every second. During these times of blissful happiness she sometimes felt nauseous at how girlie she was being. But it felt so damn good to do so.

Jane parked in the garage of her Waterview Towers apartment building which overlooked the Potomac river and the D.C. area. It was more posh than a normal section chief could afford, but Jane had parents that were well off. When they died they left her about $4 million in trust which paid for her education and the apartment. She figured that the CIA would not look into her as harshly because she was not in need of money. In the elevator ride up she still felt the presence of the CIA through the closed circuit hotel cameras and she thought she felt Him watching too. She got off on the 20th floor and went to her apartment. It was on the Northeast corner of the building where every view overlooked the Potomac. It had two bedrooms, and two and a half baths. She used one of the bedrooms as an office/guest room. The entire apartment had hardwood floors, granite counter tops. Flashy bathroom fixtures, and custom closets. Not to mention the out of the home amenities such as 24 hours concierge and spa, and fitness rooms.

Jane needed a sanctum like this to relax in after seeing the horrors of the world. She unlocked the door, came in and turned on the lights. She looked up and saw him standing by the window. The setting sun made his face glow and he was taller than she remembered. "Oh God!" she gasped.

"Hello Ms. Brown." he said in his deep voice. Jane threw her bag on the console table next to the door and it fell to the floor. "Surprised to see me?" he asked walking over to her bag and began picking up the contents. He was wearing a dark blue T-shirt and cargo shorts, the same kind of outfit he wore to the coffee shop.

"Yea...no...I..." she stammered. She then closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "I thought you would meet me in the coffee shop next week." she managed to say. He finished with the bag and placed it gently on the console. She thanked him and she walked into the living room and sat in her lazy-boy.

Mark walked to the kitchen and said, "I hope you don't mind that I made some iced tea while I was waiting for you." and he began to pouring two glasses.

"Something has come up and I need to leave tomorrow," he said.

"Why?" she asked sounding a little to desperate. She watched his face for any sign of fear. Every book says never sound too desperate, it will scare away men. Those rules seemed thrown out the window here.

He handed her the glass of tea and sat down on her love seat. She felt a wave of irony hit her. Her girlish sense of seeing signs everywhere hinting at the future that her mother instilled in her when she was younger was setting off alarms in her head. She had to stop it, so she took a sip of tea. It was perfect. The alarms stopped and it was so good. "Mmm" she said, "This is good! It is perfect!" and she drank some more.

42 groaned as she drank, "Look at that neck! She is a beautiful woman. The line, the grace! Oh God." he was shifting back and forth next to Mark, she really had him riled up.

"Ms. Brown, do you have the list?" Mark asked.

She jumped when he spoke and she said, "It's in my bag." and she got up and walked to the console table and rifled through her bag. 42 giggled, "Oh boy! How do you do that mojo on her Mark? She wants you tough guy, you are vibrating her 'special parts' just take her man! I have got to feel that!"

She produced a piece of paper and brought it over to him. Mark scanned the list, there were about 40 names. "This is not as many as I thought." Mark said, "But it is still too many."

"They knew the risks when they joined," she said. "it is part of the job. I think the CIA and FBI are more upset about the lack of information they receive now than who actually died. They are keeping an eye on terrorists."

"Yes, I should have thought of that after the September 11th attacks, but I have not been in the loop of the world for very long." Mark said as he took out a cell phone and took pictures of the sheet then pressed a few buttons.

"You are not alone?" she asked.

"No, my family is helping me with this." Mark replied.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked.

"Yes." Mark said and he heard 42 say "Here we go!"

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"My family and I are part of a plan enacted by the Nazis 70 years ago. Me, my brother and my sisters were not born into a normal world. We spent much of out lives on an island covered with ice, while doctors experimented on us with hallucinogenic drugs. We never left the facility. We were restrained every night with chains, enclosed in razor wire cages. There were more children who were brought to the island over the years, but the tests killed them all. We watched all of this and knew nothing else until 2 years ago. We were rescued by a good man, Dr. Meingle. He brought us to his compound in the Amazon jungle. Far away from the cold and far away from the tests, I saw happiness there. It was a break from what I had known all of my life." Mark paused to sip his tea, "One night men came and demanded to take away some locals who lived on the compound to work in drug factories for the cartel. I did not agree with this. These men brought the fear and pain that my family and I had felt all of our lives on the island. The only difference was I could do something about it instead of being forced to watch helplessly. I destroyed the cartel and learned there are more all over the world, so I took on the job of eradicating them all who wish to bring that fear and pain to others."

Jane looked stymied for a moment. Apparently she had never heard of this before. 42 laughed as her eyes moved back and forth looking for the words. Mark waited, he knew this would be a lot to take in at one time. Jane drank more tea then asked, "What kind of tests were they?"

"I still don't have a full picture of what was going on, but I know that we all had different images implanted in our heads and they would record what we saw. A scientist named Johnston had a theory of using fluid taken from the hippocampus region of the brain, adding psychedelics to it and injecting it into another person to interpret memories by the view of a third person. Each one of us was different in the images we saw," Mark said.

"What did you see?" Jane asked quietly.

"I saw things from people who were mentally unstable; psychopaths, rapists, murderers, cannibals, satanists and some others that don't make any sense." Mark said sipping his tea.

"That must have been horrible!" Jane said. "It would drive you crazy to see things like that!"

"It did, but I heal very quickly so I always come back to normal. About 15 years ago I was able to shut off my emotions to stop the pain. I was still injected and they recorded what I said, but it no longer hurt."

"You have no emotions?" Jane asked. "What is that like?"

"I can think logically. I can do what has to be done without any clouding of judgment," Mark replied.

"You said you heal fast, what do you mean?" she asked.

Mark took out a pocket knife, opened it, then plunged it into his arm. He slowly dragged the blade a couple of inches then pulled out the knife. Jane screamed and jumped up to stop it but almost as it appeared, she saw the skin close and the cut disappeared. One drop of blood fell onto her floor and the rest was on his arm. She looked at him in shock as he got up and grabbed some paper towels and used her kitchen sink to clean his arm. He came back and wiped up the spot of blood, then threw the paper towels away. Jane could not speak. She had never thought there was anyone with superhuman abilities. "How can you do that?" she half-yelled. Something stirred in her when she saw his blood, there was a faint hint of Jasmine scent in the air. A spark of emotion that was beginning to catch fire.

"I was born this way. Apparently my mother was a secret project of Dr. Josef Mengele's before World War II," Mark said, "That aspect of our life is shrouded in secrecy. I haven't started an inquiry into that yet."

Jane had no idea how to react. All she has heard and seen in the past few minutes was overwhelming. She could not hold a coherent thought in her head. It was swimming into a vortex of lust. She felt compelled by him, especially when she saw his blood and that hint of Jasmine. She was acting like a vampire. She wanted to taste him, she wanted him inside her. Her heart raced and her mind only had one thought.

She looked at Mark who sat across from her and she studied his face. The hardened jaw locked in a perpetual blank expression, never to be broken. She watched his chest as he took in a breath and she felt a twinge in her heart as she knew this man was always going to be there. She wanted him to be there. She looked at his eyes looking right into hers, ever watchful, on alert, very dark and intense. He made her feel unsafe and vulnerable which she tried to fight but could not. Mark was different than all other men. He would not be moody like the others, and he would not blow her off for time with the boys, or a sports event or most importantly, another woman. She marveled at his intense ways. She could not deny it, she had to have him. He was going to be hers and no one else's. He was owned by her. Jane felt a flush of lust rise from inside and her animal instincts roared in her head. She wanted him in every way. Her body became the fire and his was the fuel. She trembled with an intense fire that she saw in his eyes. Her fire was in him, and his eyes were the spark that ignited her. She took a deep breath in and calmed the flames some, but it was no use. She felt like pouncing on him. Ripping him apart, she was hungry for him, and she nearly did when Mark broke the silence.

"I know what you are thinking Jane," he said in his dark flat tone.

"What is that?" she said coolly. He didn't know she thought, he does not know what he is doing to her.

"That I am some sort of freak. It is natural to feel this way, but aside from a healing power, I am human. I have feelings, but they are not as present as everyone else's. I've been working on getting them out, to be... normal, but I don't like the thought of it." his eyes pierced hers. There was intensity in them, but there was also sincerity.

"I don't think that is what she is thinking tough guy," 42 said.

"I am not thinking that," she said calmly, but her tone gave her away. She felt like growling. "I can't explain it, but that is not very disturbing right now." Her muscles waited for the right moment to present itself. She wanted a sign. She didn't care if they killed each other, but she had to release this. She wanted the fire to go white hot.

"Yes! Oh Mark prepare yourself! Oh, we have read about this and now it is going to happen! I'll stay back a little and let you have some first! Oh man, you are going to like this," 42 said jumping with excitement.

His eyes betrayed him. She saw confusion on his furrowed brow, but there was a sparkle in his eyes, something small, but she could see it there. It was attraction.

"I see," he said, "there is something my sister asked me to ask you if that is alright?" he asked. The flames of lust were licking her body and she felt sweat beads on her body as she nodded yes as seductively as she could.

"OH MY GOD MARK!" 42 yelled, "SHE IS READY TO POUNCE! JUST LET HER!"

Mark continued, "I wondered if you could join us? Your expertise and knowledge would be of great benefit to us all. My brother needs some help with communications. I know this is sudden and you barely know me, but it would be of great help." he sipped his tea and felt a slight nervous twinge in his head. 42 moaned in ecstasy as the nervousness grew. Mark couldn't think any more. He looked at her and saw her flushed cheeks and the catlike sway of her body as she stared right into him. "This is powerful Mark, just go with the flow. She is going to take good care of you!" 42 said quickly. "You have felt something similar before with another woman a long, long time ago. This one is meant for you Mark. You can show her everything!"

He said he wanted her. The flames were shattering her resolve, now was the time. One more push and she would engulf him. "There is only one thing I ask of you Mark," she said calmly, but seductively.

"From me?" he asked, "What?"

She inched closer. She almost heard the cracking of her resolve, but it held. Her mind and body were ready to give, but she held it in anticipation letting the flood of fire gather more strength.

"I want a kiss Mark," she purred, "You can't say no, not to me, not right now. I know you can't feel what I feel but it is important at this moment for me to kiss you, give it to me," she ordered. She inched slower now. She knew that he could not refuse. She would not let him. She would die before she let him say no. He would have to kill her to stop it.

Mark's expression showed no confusion. He said, almost in a whisper, "I understand." he looked squarely at her and she leaped on him. She grabbed the back of his head and forced it toward her mouth. She felt the white hot fire break loose and it burned her, charred her, and she let it out of her mouth. She tugged at his shirt, almost ripping it as her vice grip pulled him closer. He did not share in her excitement though. He felt like a rock and Jane's fire was going to melt it. She felt a rumble in his throat and she was instantly hypersensitive to his body. There was a quiver in him, and he pushed her away. She gasped as if she had been running hard. She huffed and grunted in the effort but the fire was still burning. It went nuclear as he pushed her. But she sat on his lap waiting for half a second as he stared at her. His eyes went from a blank expression to a slight smile. She tackled him and he held her forehead with one hand and grabbed her around the waist with the other. She forced against his hand, wanting to kiss him again. "MORE!" she demanded as she was gasping for air. His eyes stared straight into her. She saw an internal conflict in them. She knew she had started something.

He still had a small smile, but he looked deep into her eyes and saw a warm comfort he had not felt for a long time. 42 was nowhere to be found. He was letting Mark take all of this in. He held her writhing body, looking at the flushed beauty that was trying to kiss him. He had stirred something inside of her, he did not know what. He had an intense feeling welling up inside of him much like the satisfying anger when he attacked the cartels. This was more intense and not a thought to destroy, but to taste her.

"I don't know what to do," he said softly. "I-I-I...." That was all that came out of him. "I do!" she growled, and she grabbed his hand forcing it on her breast. He felt the soft warmth of her lips and the softness of her body. He became dizzy and a calming wave flowed through him. He could not think. He only felt this soft squirming woman on him. It felt like she was pulling him off a cliff and looking into a void below. The more she tugged, the more he wanted to let go. Finally, he did. He felt the wave engulf him and he relaxed entirely and let her take over.

Jane pulled and grabbed at him like he was life itself. She knew what to do and she felt him relax in her hands. He was putty and she would mold him. She dragged him by the hair, still kissing him and she stood up and dragged him into the bedroom. She heard the crash of the lamp and they passed the end table. She didn't care. She threw Mark onto the bed with an animal growl and she leaped on top of him, clawing at his clothes. She heard the tearing of his shirt as she ripped it away, but then she felt her clothes tug and rip as well. She grew more intense as she realized that he had let his instincts tell him what to do. She closed her eyes and heard a deep growl from his throat as she unleashed the beast within him. She did not care if he killed her during this. She knew that it was happening. That was all she wanted. She felt him grab her roughly and yell as he flipped her over to be on top. She heard more ripping and then his powerful hands claw at her body.

Chapter 43

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

EAST BERLIN, DECEMBER 1978

Albert Earle saw a pair of blurry boots walk past him towards the main hall. Then the pain in his head. He was knocked out, possibly a concussion. His head throbbed with every heartbeat, and his eyes closed with every pulse. The gunfire seemed to have stopped. Judging by the boots he just saw, their side lost. That was a bad thing. Albert was now on his own and he had a choice; he could turn himself in and possibly be killed, or he could escape and try to find them after he reported to England. He decided it would be better to let SIS and the American CIA know about this first. They could come in full force. It was the only option to save his family, but his first priority was to get out of there.

Albert slowly got up and he heard muffled screaming from the main hall. No doubt someone tried something and Elsa was giving them what for. They were fine on their own for now. He staggered up the stairs to the KGB offices. His vision was blurry, but he focused very hard as he passed by empty rooms until he came upon a meeting room and saw bodies piled in the corner. He went in and saw the KGB staff from the building, guards from below and a white lab coat under two guards. Albert moved the bodies and saw the face of his good friend Dr. Mashu. He had been shot in the head. Looking at the dead staff members and guards he figured that this was not a KGB attack. This came from someone else. Not CIA or SIS. It was not in their protocol to kill civilians, especially high ranking medical personnel. They were to be kept alive and interrogated. This was someone else who was not bound by any rules. Albert cursed and left the room. He needed to get out of there.

The front doors opened and the cold air hit his face. It was almost dawn and it had to be in single digit temperatures. Albert walked as casually as he could. There were invading soldiers carrying equipment from below. Albert saw a cargo van filled with all the files from Davidoff's office and the laboratory. Next to the files was a huddled figure wrapped in a white winter coat. It was Motoko. She was bound and gagged and quietly sobbing. Albert walked over and jumped in to the van. She screamed and tried to scoot into the corner, but Albert said quietly, "It's me, Albert." He took off the blindfold and gag. Her eyes were all puffy and red.

"Mr. Earle! What happened?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but I know this isn't government protocol. This is something else. What happened to you?" he asked.

"I made a deal to work for them in exchange for my life," she said sobbing.

"That's okay. Look we don't have much time, here is my plan; I am going to SIS and bring them here. This won't last long Motoko, I promise. Just do what they say and I'll come for you." Albert started to put the blindfold back on her. "Wait Mr. Earle! Where is my father?" she asked.

Albert paused, "I'm sorry my dear...."

More tears welled up in her eyes and she bent in half in a silent scream. Albert hugged her tightly, "I'll come back, I swear, and we will get justice. They will pay for what they have done." and he finished re-gagging her. "I'll see you soon Motoko."

Albert left the vehicle and walked slowly to the exit. The post was unmanned and he slipped around the corner into the darkened street. The glow of the street lights were his only companions. Albert turned a corner into a residential area. The small houses were red brick and most were dark. Albert began to shiver from the cold and his head still pounded. He needed help, it was then that he realized that Dr. Mashu hadn't given him the serum. Fear and sadness filled his heart, he had no way to go after these people in a way where he could have an advantage. He was a regular person, they had the serum. Albert stopped for a moment to try and compose himself. He couldn't let this get to him. Right now there was no hope, if he continued this way he would be of no use later. He needed shelter first. He looked from side to side of the street and saw only dark houses. As he was shaking more and waves of nausea kept hitting him, there was a light on in one of the houses. Albert looked at the mailbox. He couldn't make out the name, but he saw "Dr." on it. Albert scrambled onto the porch and rang the bell twice. His eyesight was blurring more and more and his body was ice cold. The door opened and an old man was grumbling, "Who the hell are you?" He growled. Once he saw the uniform he said, "Oh forgive me, how can I help you?"

Albert fell to his knees and said, "I'm not Russian, I'm British."

"Oh good!" the old man said, "Well, it looks like you have had a rough night soldier." the old man turned and yelled, "Dietrich! Come down and help me with this man!"

A large young man came down the stairs, "What?" he asked groggily.

The old man pointed at Albert, "Get him to the study, build a fire and get my bag will you son?"

"But father, he is Russian!" Dietrich protested.

"No he is not, he is British and he is frozen and he is suffering a concussion and cold. Get him to the study, lay him on the couch before he dies!" the old man demanded.

Dietrich did as he was told. Albert felt the strong arms of the young man and the warmth of his body pick him up. "I'm so sorry to trouble you sir. I've had a bit of a run in this morning," Albert said as he was laid on a couch.

"Don't worry son," the old man said, "You are with friends now. Go ahead and rest."

Albert closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Chapter 44

WATERVIEW TOWERS, VIRGINIA

November 2006

Mark woke up and saw light dancing on the ceiling from the sparkling water outside. He felt normal and calm, but something was different. He was in a daze. He sat up and looked around the room and saw pieces of ripped clothing draped over the furniture. Some of his shirt was hanging from the ceiling fan above him. He looked down at Jane as she turned over and sighed contentedly. Marks head turned quickly and suddenly he remembered what had happened, and he realized he was naked. He got up and looked around for some sort of clothing that was not torn to pieces, but all of their clothing was useless now, even Jane's clothes seemed to have fallen victim to Mark's aggressiveness. Mark got up quietly and went to the closet and got a towel. He wrapped it around his waist, and went into the bathroom.

The soft lights in the bathroom came on with a low buzz and then quieted. Mark looked in the mirror and saw 42 leaning against the shower door with a smug look on his face. "You've had a very interesting night Mark." he said with a chuckle.

"I can't quite understand why it happened, but I know what it was," Mark replied.

"Well, reading it in books and then experiencing it firsthand are always polar opposites when it comes to passion my friend," 42 said dryly.

"I thought I pushed every emotion down." Mark said.

"Well a slippery slope to be sure. Your mind was exposed to the more violent and dehumanizing images of mankind to get your fear of them in check. So you've seen every atrocity. You have had a similar experience to those atrocities and have been desensitized to all negative and most positive human emotions. Essentially a robot, but your makers never figured that you would leave the island so "romantic" thoughts and urges were put on the back-burner," 42 said.

"I wasn't expected to be involved physically and emotionally with another person. But the instincts were still there, it just took some coaxing to let them out. There were no sexually developed females on the island other than my sisters," Mark said.

"Exactly!" 42 said as he limped closer to Mark. "My boy if I didn't know better I would say it was Jane who unleashed hell upon you. You really didn't have any choice in this matter. She was going to do this one way or another." 42 shivered and then laughed, "Mmmm tenacious."

"You didn't take me over?" Mark asked.

"No, it was all you. Her sexual energy brought yours out. I just sat in the back enjoying the ride." 42 let out a sigh of satisfaction and closed his eyes. "With as much energy you used for this, you should have killed her." he said.

Mark looked at him through the mirror. "I should have. I had very little control over my passion. It was unexplainable. I felt something like anger rise up, but it became more directed, more focused on feeling her rather than hurting her. I don't know how to put it correctly," Mark said.

"You wanted her, not her life. Think of it as a vampire needs blood, the hunger, the longing is just about the best way to describe sexual feeling. Her body became your sustenance and vice versa, and by the look of it she gave ritual sacrifices to yours." 42 beamed.

Mark turned on the cool water and splashed his face. 42 shivered, "More sexual thoughts eh? Well in any case this is a good thing for you, and for me." Mark wiped his face with the towel hanging by the mirror and said, "this possibly can't be a regular relationship. I'm not like other guys, and she might take offense to that," Mark said.

42 laughed loudly, shaking with every chuckle. "Mark you idiot! I don't think it is your choice. It is not your choice. That woman has marked you as hers. I feel that whatever you are doing, you are doing right by her. You are hers now, and she is yours. Where you go from there is a matter of decision, but at least try to enjoy yourself Mark." he said pleading. "When you and I are emotionally synced, I get some of the feelings you feel but only 10 times better. I really like sexual feelings, and I know you do as well." He laughed. Mark looked at himself in the mirror

"It is going to be difficult," Mark replied.

"Anything worthy in life is," 42 said.

BRAZIL COMPOUND

The cargo plane taxied to the end of the runway Beverly had everybody make in haste for this moment. She pushed everyone so hard to make it level and flat enough in the few days Mark was gone. She enjoyed being in charge, she had the final say now, but when Mark returned, his unfeeling and cold logic would return as well. As much as she hated to admit it, Beverly needed Mark to keep her in check. When Lawrence and Ginger arrived yesterday, she put them both to work on the airfield. She had ordered everyone to work, Amber and the children went and gathered rocks to line the airfield, and that old man, Eustaquino worked hard too, and always smiled at her when she marched past him. Old fool had a crush on her, it was kind of pathetic, but flattering in a way. She never felt like a woman before, it was very interesting but useless. She was disgusted at how all the men looked at her, Ginger and especially Amber. Amber was a fragile goddess, Ginger was a healing angel and Beverly, well she was the mean one. She would often catch herself looking at some of the men working and catch a feeling inside her. She would dismiss it but she wandered back to the memories of those sweaty men, then she would blush. She really hated that.

The engines of the plane whined down and all was quiet, Amber, Ginger and Lawrence were standing beside her. "Well," she said, "Airfield is in place and it didn't crash. Amber, tell everyone good job." Amber beamed a proud smile "Oh they know already!" and she and Ginger giggled. Beverly scoffed. She then heard Lawrence start to fidget behind her, if that boy was away from a computer too long he would start to get nervous. "Calm down Lawrence, for Christ's sake!" Beverly snapped. Lawrence stopped and said "Sorry." Beverly rolled her eyes and then fixated on the opening cargo door. She knew about the new addition from Lawrence and after much complaining by her about another mouth to feed and damn near making Lawrence cry, she accepted it. Even Mark's order for her to keep away from the new girl because she might scare her, as ridiculous as it was, she went with, with little protest. Another "Fragile Goddess" for the Earle family collection. The cargo bay doors opened and two medics had a woman on a stretcher, her face was bruised and she was sleeping. Eustaquino was guiding the medics to the house with Amber, Ginger and Lawrence in tow. 10 of the men from the compound began unloading the crates Beverly watched and saw a crate with a radiation sticker come out. "HOLD UP!" she ordered. She pulled out a small crowbar from her cargo pants. She saw the radiation sticker and chemotherapy sticker as well. Considering what the other crates were filled with she had to check this one. The men set the large crate in front of her and she pried it open. It was filled with foil bags but she dug in deeper and felt hard metal. She moved her hands up and down the shape, it was conical. "Fuck me!" she muttered. She felt anger and fear rise in her. She put the lid on top and hammered down the nails and nodded. The men picked it up and headed to the house. She was cursing under her breath as she dialed her phone.

Waterview Towers

Virginia

Mark had come out of the bathroom and saw the silhouette of Jane under the sheets, her back was turned away from him. He looked at her feminine form, the contours of her shoulders down the side and then the curvature of her hips then tapered off down her legs. Mark felt arousal, but she was sleeping. Her dark curly hair gleamed in the sunlight. At that moment Mark did not know what to do so he kept watching her. The slow regular breaths she took, how her shoulders and side moved rhythmically, he was entranced. His mind went blank, all he could do was stare at her.

She groaned softly and turned over and her hands felt the empty where Mark was laying. Here eyes opened slightly after her hands couldn't find him. She looked scared for a moment then she saw him standing outside the door of her bathroom. She smiled slightly and said, "I thought you left for a second."

Mark furrowed his eyebrows, "I did, I went to the restroom."

Jane couldn't help but laugh, "No! I meant you left my apartment."

Mark thought for a moment, "Oh, I see. No I didn't and even if I wanted to, my clothes have been torn apart and I don't have any spare."

Jane blushed and sat up in the bed, her hair covered part of her face and she brushed it back sheepishly. "I'm sorry!" she said. "That has never happened before! I don't know what came over me!"

Mark sat next to her on the bed. "I do Ms. Brown." he said, "It was a pheromone in my blood that set it off. My family and I are part of an experiment done by the Nazi's before the War. Apparently Mengele found a way to alter human genes and create monsters before modern geneticists did."

Jane looked astounded, "Okay..." she said, "That takes care of that...but raised so many more questions..."

Mark furrowed his eyebrows, "I suppose it does, that's not in the usual morning after conversation." he said.

"So you've done this before?" Jane asked.

"No, this is my first time."Mark replied.

"Wait...what do you mean this is your first time?" Jane asked, confused.

"I've never been intimate with a woman before, but I have read about it." Mark said.

Jane sat back and looked at him, "You're kidding?" she said.

Mark furrowed his eyebrows then they lifted, "I am not, but I can see where you are coming from with this. My family and I were held on an island in Alaska all of our lives and experimented on. As children we were tested on and locked up in cages and given drugs that made us see things. I suspect that it destroyed my humor." Mark replied.

Jane went pale, "That's Horrible! Who did that to you?"

"I don't know yet, but I will find out." Mark said blandly.

Tears came out of Jane's eyes. She hadn't imagined this. "What did they make you see?"

Mark took in a deep breath, "I saw blood, fear, pain, knives, laughter, everything deemed inhuman by society. It's all I've known and much more than images...feelings too. My brother and sisters were given different visions, Beverly saw war, battles and images like that. Lawrence saw technology, Ginger saw medical visions, and Amber saw beauty and innocence. I figure we were given specific memory implants for different things for psychological reasons. We are all different in human physiology so we heal faster than anyone else we have concentrated abilities and pheromones. I suspect our emotional health heals just as fast."

Jane sat with her jaw wide open and the tears streamed down her face. "What did you feel when you saw these images?"

"I think this is too upsetting for you. I'm.......uncomfortable seeing you like this."

42's voice echoed in the room when he said "You're lying Mark, I applaud the feeling but you know it's not the truth."

Jane composed herself, "It's okay, I want to know." she pleaded.

A cackle came from the disembodied voice of 42, "Go ahead tell her! This should be good!"

Mark looked at Jane, he was hesitant.

"Shame Mark? You feel shame!?" 42's voice echoed, "You think she'll run for the hills if you tell her? She won't, look at her, she is madly in love with you! Tell her what I say."

Jane watched a flash in Mark's eyes then in his calm voice he said. "I'm sure you've heard of Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer and other serial killers?" Mark asked

"Of course." Jane said softly.

"I've seen through their eyes, Hundreds of them, Those were only the ones I've recognized, I've felt what they felt, and what they felt was absolute good when they did their crimes, so I felt that as well. I was made to feel all that, I had no choice." Mark said.

Jane leaned in and hugged him tightly. She whispered, "I'll help you find the ones responsible!"

After a few moments a cell phone rang. Jane let go of him and he went to what used to be his pants. He found the ringing phone, looked at the screen and said, "My sister Beverly" He looked confused when he answered it

"Beverly?" he asked.

"We've got the goddamned cargo Mark, were you going to tell me about the Nuclear fucking warhead!" Beverly yelled over the phone. Mark held up his finger to Jane indicating he was going to the front room. Jane nodded.

"I suspected it was but I didn't confirm." Mark replied when he closed the bedroom door

"THAT'S JUST FUCKING GREAT MARK!"Beverly snapped, "SO NOW WE HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON?"

"Considering what was in the other crates I suspected it was but we have it and not terrorists. It is better that way." Mark replied.

Mark waited as his sister on the phone cursed and yelled. His sister was yelling so loud that he moved the ear piece away from his ear. After a minute, the tirade stopped. Mark put the phone to his ear, "I understand the gravity of the situation Beverly. We'll take care of it when we return." he said.

"WE!?" Beverly screamed, "YOU MEAN THAT GODDAMNED CIA BITCH IS COMING DOWN HERE TOO!? DO YOU SUPPOSE SHE MIGHT BRING THE ENTIRE AMERICAN MILITARY DOWN TOO!?"

"No, I've been with her all night, I've briefly explained our situation, she is sympathetic..." Mark said then the angry voice of his sister cut him off.

"ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU SLEPT WITH HER?" Beverly yelled. "AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN READING AND HOW STUPID THAT IS YOU JUST UP AND FUCKED HER? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Mark cleared his throat and said, "I got a cut, my blood caused a hyper-sexual reaction in her and something happened to me as well. It is rather exciting if you think about it."

"I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY MARK, GODDAMN....MOTHERFUCKER..." Beverly yelled as she threw things around. Mark heard wood breaking and people yelling as she seemed to lose her temper.

"Beverly?" Mark said calmly then waited, "Beverly!?" he said forcefully. The yelling and pounding stopped. She came on the phone breathing heavily "WHAT?" she said. Jane came out of the bedroom dressed, she looked concerned.

"I understand that you are upset, but we must move forward now." Mark said forcefully, "We will be down in a couple of days, we will all discuss all the concerns everyone has and deal with those matters then. For now, put the crate with the others and lock it up. Do you understand?" The tone in his voice made Jane's heart skip a beat. Mark ended the call ad looked at Jane. "I apologize for my sister, she does not like surprises."

"She seemed upset" Jane said. When his voice was that commanding she immediately got turned on.

"Yes, last night we did a hostile takeover of Davidoff shipping." Mark replied.

Jane looked at Mark with surprise "I should really report this, Sergei Davidoff is an international arms dealer and a Russian Mobster, the FBI is investigating him." Jane said.

"He was but, not anymore, We needed a business here in the US for our move up here." Mark replied.

"But what about Davidoff himself?" Jane asked.

"He is no longer a problem, I've taken care of him. He was the one who took us off the island but he raped my younger sister Amber on the plane to Brazil." Mark explained.

Jane was silent. She had no idea what to make of this situation. Mark seemed to sense her frustration. He grabbed her hand.

"I am new to the world, I am only doing this because it is the only thing I know how to do. My life has been disturbing. There are people who do this to others everyday, I am compelled to stop it. I need your help and understanding to make sure it gets done the right way. I have realized that I have been very destructive and instill the same fear I fight, but my family and I are good. We are using the tools we were given to bring peace and safety to everyone. I have been researching everything about the world since I've been out in it for four years now, I do not have the knowledge or skills to do things differently yet. I need your help Ms. Brown."

"Call me Jane, Mark. I think we've gotten over the formalities when I ripped your clothes off last night." She looked at him just standing there in a towel. She wanted him again, not as bad as last night but he looked so good right now. A force to be reckoned with, a man, but from his story also she felt tenderness and love. Even though he didn't act like it, she felt like he needed her again.

"Indeed." Mark said. He watched her eyes and saw the lust in them. "Do you have any iced tea?" he asked. Jane shook her head, "No, all I've got is coffee and juice."she replied. She was beginning to lose control. Mark could feel this, and he spoke softer, "I suppose at some point today we could get me some new clothes." He took a step toward her. "I'm sure that you have other things in mind for the moment?"

Jane nodded her head, "I do." she replied. Mark took the towel off and stood naked in front of her. Jane leapt into his arms and kissed him. He immediately lifted her up and they went back to the bedroom.

Chapter 45

UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

DECEMBER 1978

Albert was in the main hall, floating. There were sounds of gunfire all around him. He was following the invaders as they slowly made their way to Elsa's chamber door. They kicked it in. There was fire everywhere, and Joseph was fighting with a tall man at the far end. There were pikes rising from the floor. Bodies were impaled on them. The pikes were inserted through the anus and came out the top of their heads. The first one he saw was little Mark, his eyes lifeless and his mouth wide open. There was blood pouring out of his nose and mouth. There were bugs on him, eating his flesh, some down to the bone. Mark was naked. His intestines were on the floor, scorpions crawling on them. Albert looked around and saw the other children in the same manner. They were all in a circle in the middle of the room, there was a spot missing. Elsa was pinned to the wall above the fireplace with large rods stuck into every joint of her body. She was crying tears of blood and screaming.

Joseph fought with the tall man. They were on the floor. Albert heard the grunting of his brother and the laughing of the other man. Albert wanted to help, but he would not move. The tall man hit Joseph on the head with a burning oak chair and he fell to the ground unconscious. The tall man had his back to Albert as he grabbed a pike that was leaning against the wall. Albert heard the squish as the pike was shoved into his brothers body. When completed the tall man picked up the skewered Joseph and set him in a hole within the circle of the children, completing it.

When completed the tall man turned, it was Mengele and he was smiling. "Albert! It's about time you came! Look our work is almost done!" Mengele said. He pulled out a box of matches and a cigarette. He lit it up and inhaled, throwing the match to the floor. The match struck the floor and a pentagram burst into flame. When this happened, all the children started screaming. Mengele walked through the flames to the center of the pentagram and he opened his arms, ready to receive a hug. Albert felt his body float towards Mengele. As Albert began floating closer he saw the reflection of the fire in Mengele's eyes. He began to laugh and said, "Now Albert, we have become one!"

Albert floated into Mengele's eyes and the screaming became louder. There were images flashing of Hitler, Auschwitz, bodies burning, bodies crawling in a mass grave and the laughter of Mengele could be heard.

Albert woke up yelling "No!" The old man in the chair across from him was reading a newspaper and smoking a pipe. He jumped and there were sounds from upstairs as people rushed down the stairs.

"Good heavens man!" the old man said. "What a start!"

Dietrich and an elderly woman came rushing into the room. "Grandpa! Are you okay?" the young man said.

"Yes, yes, he just had a nightmare, a good one at that," the old man said. "Get this man some tea and a bite to eat would you?"

The two walked away to the kitchen and the old man got up and put a hand on Albert's forehead. "It's only 9:30A.M. son, you should have slept longer my friend, but take what you can get. The good news is that you don't have a concussion. You are just underfed and had a serious chill."

"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this sir." Albert said, "I don't usually go trotting around in the dark and knocking on doors."

The old man waved his hand dismissively, "It's alright. I've been stuck in the same routine for twenty years since I retired. It was good to have some action around the place after all these years. Besides, I am old and up most of the night anyway."

Albert sat up and put his feet on the floor, "My name is Albert Earle sir" he said extending his hand. "Heinrich Meingle, retired physician and old codger," the man said shaking Albert's hand. "My guess is that you were part of the secret experiments over there by the KGB offices, am I correct?"

"I guess the secret couldn't be kept secret could it," Albert said.

"Not from an old man with too much time on his hands and a wild imagination," Dr. Meingle said laughing and setting his pipe with more tobacco. "What was going on there anyway?" he asked lighting the pipe.

Trying to fix a large mistake from the war," Albert said.

"Ah! That is still going on, this will take some time to die down." the old man waved dismissively again.

"It was one of Mengele's mistakes," Albert said.

Meingle stopped and his eyes darted right at Albert. After a long pause he puffed his pipe. "His mistakes are far worse than nightmares. I recall many of his public mistakes so his secret ones must be worse."

"Yes they are." Albert said.

"Hmm," Dr. Meingle said, "well at least you made it alive with only a nightmare to show for it."

"Well last night someone took it away from us, they have my family. I don't think they were government. They killed civilians and there was no commander that I could see, but I left too quickly to investigate further." Albert said.

The old man grunted, "I see the Gestapo tactics are alive and well. You know, Mengele is alive somewhere in South America? Can you believe that? He must be very old by now or dead God willing."

"Yes I know," Albert said, "I had to find him and get information some years ago."

"Did you kill him?" Meingle asked.

"No I didn't," Albert replied.

"You should have my friend," the old man said looking out the window. "He does not deserve to breath free air."

"I can't kill in cold blood," Albert said.

"Well, nobody is perfect," Meingle said as his grandson and wife came in with two trays. There was a plate of eggs, sausage, and some tea for both men. Mrs. Meingle set the tray down and gave her husband a scowl. Dr. Meingle waved his hand at her and said, "Bah!"

"She doesn't like me does she?" Albert asked.

She thinks you will bring the KGB to out house, but they are not so bad. I can handle those fools. Hell, I handled both the Gestapo, the KGB are children compared to them." he set his pipe down and began serving breakfast. Albert smelled the food and instantly got hungry. He realized he hadn't eaten in two days, nor shaved either. He must look terrible.

"So who do you work for?" Dr, Meingle asked between bites.

"The British SIS," Albert replied as he sipped the tea. It was horrible and he apparently showed it because Dr. Meingle laughed.

"Yes son, I know this Russian tea is terrible. I've been saying it for years, but they still won't let western tea in this part of the country. But it's better than nothing. Put some more sugar in, that will dull it to something more manageable," he said. Albert did as instructed and it tasted mildly better.

"SIS huh? Never ran into any of them before. You are my first!" He smiled. Albert thought that is must be terrible to have the same routine for so many years. This must be pretty exciting for the old man. They ate in silence until all the food was gone and Dr. Meingle leaned back in his chair with a content sigh. Albert set his plate on the tray and sipped his sludge water tea.

"I suppose you are going to report this to your superiors?" Dr. Meingle asked.

"Yes, I'll have to," Albert replied.

"I think that is a terrible idea," Meingle said as he started up his pipe, "if whoever took your family wanted that experiment, they must have more power than any intelligence group has which means they are dangerous and may have infiltrated your government. My guess is you are branded as a traitor or dead and you will be imprisoned or shot if you report in. You want to save your family right?" he asked,

"Yes," Albert replied.

"Good, then disappear far away for a while. Hide in the deepest, darkest place you can find and then wait. Wait for the dust to settle and then send out feelers." Dr. Meingle said puffing his pipe to life.

"I should at least try..." Albert started, but Dr. Meingle cut him off.

"Don't take chances son, not with people like these! Your best bet is to disappear into the background. Hell I've helped many Jews do just that during the war and all under the nose of the Gestapo, those bastards!" he said pounding his fist on the chair with every point.

"I'm sorry Dr. I didn't mean to offend," Albert said.

"You are not offending me son, by God, I am damn proud to do it again! Those were the days! I hid among them like a ghost and they never found me and I was one of them! Yes, I was a Captain in the Schutzstaffel, the SS boy! The Praetorian Guard of Adolf Hitler himself! And by God, I helped try and take the bastard down! VonStauffenberg almost did it, bless him, but I went right under his nose, just underneath that little mustache and sent 150 people to the safety of Britain and the U.S.!" He held his chin up high.

"How can you do this now?" Albert asked. He was thinking through his tirade that he may be right. To disappear and then resurface in a few years and find Joseph, Elsa, and the children, he couldn't chance if the old man was right. If he was dead there was nothing he could do.

"What?" Dr. Meingle said, being shocked back into the present, "Oh yes. It will be difficult now that I am retired and don't have access to identification departments anymore. You see as a physician I was granted access to the identification department for the births and deaths of people, you see. I don't suppose the old staff is there now, by God good men all of them! But yes, I suppose you will have to take my identification papers. I'll have Dietrich doctor them up a bit, to fit you of course, but that won't take long. Dietrich!" he yelled. Behind him the young man appeared, "Get your kit. You are giving my identification papers for this man!"

"But Grandpa..." Dietrich started to speak but was interrupted by Dr. Meingle "Don't give me any guff boy. You are doing it! You and your friends go over to the west side for the dance halls and such. You know, if you had any sense at all you could bring your grandfather some western tea instead of making my final years unbearable by drinking this swill!" he yelled shaking his teacup at the boy.

"Yes grandfather," Dietrich said and he went upstairs.

"Good man!" Dr. Meingle said, "The boy has a good head on his shoulders. Smart like his parents. They are on vacation you know. They are seeing his father's family for Christmas, then they will be here for New Years."

"But won't you need your papers?" Albert asked.

"What for?" Dr. Meingle said, "I am almost 90 years old. I am not traveling anymore except maybe to the market. I don't think I'll need identification there and the police aren't going to stop an old man carrying groceries," he said puffing his pipe. "Now go to the restroom. It is under the stairs there and wash up a bit. You will need a picture for the passport."

Albert did as he was told. After about an hour and some dirty looks from Mrs. Meingle, Albert had a full set of documents that said he was Dr. Heinrich Meingle and a full change of clothes that were slightly too big, but fit fairly well. Dr. Meingle went to his bedroom and produced a cigar box full of United States and East German currency. He emptied the box on the coffee table and said, "This should get you quite far." Mrs. Meingle gave her husband an angry look, "Oh for God's sake Eva! Dietrich could get us this back in a week! Won't you son?" he patted Dietrich on the shoulder. "Yes Grandfather." the boy said sheepishly.

"I don't know how to repay you Dr. Meingle," Albert said.

"Oh I do!" Dr. Meingle said, "I want you to kill Dr. Mengele with your bare hands. Find him and kill him. He does not deserve a natural death. Get revenge for those countless souls he killed. Destroy him, choke the free air he breathes out of him!"

Mrs. Meingle's hard stare softened and it changed to determination. Dietrich stood straight as well. This was a matter of German pride. Killing Mengele would take off a blemish from the German people. Albert saw patriotism and pride in their faces. That was to be his price for anonymity.

"I will, and I will send word when it is done," Albert replied.

"Good. Now remember you are Dr. Heinrich Meingle now. Your previous self is dead and never reveal your true name until it is the right time!" Dr. Meingle said.

Albert shook all their hands and thanked them for all the help. Albert opened the front door and headed west.
Chapter 46

DR. MEINGLE'S COMPOUND

December 2006

Lawrence opened the door to the room of the girl who Mark had sent a week ago. Beverly had given strict orders that she be kept under sedation until she healed a bit. He had seen her on the stretcher and was enamored. She was bruised but when he held her hand to get her fingerprints, they were so soft and feminine, he couldn't get her out of his head. Her fingerprints did not return any results. Apparently she was part of the sex trafficking for the Russian mafia. Lawrence had done his research and found that it was everywhere, not just in South America. Lawrence read all he could about the different criminal organizations and found that the Russian Mob was even scarier than the cartels here. Lawrence was frightened about what Mark would do about this. Lawrence worried too much about everything, but he knew that what Mark had encountered here was only a fraction of what was really going on in the rest of the world.

Lawrence had been able to keep them all focused on the move to the US and the cartels here. Lawrence knew that Mark would come up against the rest of the world sooner or later. But the European, African, Middle Eastern, and Asian criminal element were so much more complicated. They all had connections to each other and Lawrence was able to set them all on a snipe hunt by posting that Mark and the rest of them were moving around too much for the worlds criminals to get a fix on their position. Lawrence knew that he was actually protecting all of them from the world. When Mark had them start studying the world, Lawrence felt relieved, but he let on to everyone that he was just as blind as they were, when in all actuality, he knew much more than they did.

Lawrence stood in the doorway of her room. She lay on the bed, her bruises were almost gone and she looked so peaceful. A single IV was in her arm, almost empty. He wanted to talk to her, he really wanted to hear her voice. He silently stepped in and sat in the chair across from the bed and watched her. He liked this room, it was quiet and peaceful, it had her in it. He felt like he spent too much time in the computer room. It was dark, the high pitched whine from the server fans, kept it colder than the rest of the house. Lawrence liked the warmth and brightness of the other rooms in the house. Lawrence had also been listening to the music of the world, he really enjoyed that too. He was sitting there trying to figure out what music would be perfect for her, but he really needed to see her awake and interacting with other people before he could make that determination. He and Mark seemed to enjoy figuring out people. The sociology and psychology books and videos they watched together were so interesting. Mark did not seem phased by it but he kept asking for more, which Lawrence discerned that Mark enjoyed it.

The silence was broken by Ginger as she came down the hall, her footsteps stopped and she looked in the room. Lawrence immediately got up. Ginger smiled, "Lawrence!" she said. "Come to check on our visitor?"

"Yes, I was... uh... trying to figure out who she is. Her finger prints didn't return any information. I believe she was part of the Russian sex trafficking in New York." He replied. Ginger came in and hugged her brother. "This is sweet of you! I could tell when you got her prints that you liked her!"

"I don't even know her!" Lawrence said.

"It doesn't matter," Ginger said, "These things happen."

"We've read about these things, but it is so much different than what is said in books." Lawrence said sheepishly.

"I know. We've read so much these past few months, it is nice to actually experience the things we read about." Ginger said as she changed the IV bag. "Mark seems to be eating up any and all information he can grab."

Lawrence fidgeted a bit, "Yeah....Do you think he's taking on too much?"

Ginger smiled at her brother. "Mark has had the worst of all of us. I can't even imagine what they gave him, but he can handle it. To go through all of what was done to all of us is a miracle."

"I worry about him." Lawrence said, "I know he's in charge but do you think what he's been through will have any impact on us and the people here?"

"Mark has been through the worst kind of Hell, and he came out a strong and a protective fighter for good. I've been reading up on faith more, his mission is ultimately good. His methods aren't what we call good, but his ends justify the means." Ginger said as she checked the pulse of the girl.

"What about that warehouse? The one where he found the children?" Lawrence said quietly.

Ginger's smile went away "That was terrifying, but put yourself in his shoes. You've been given memories of the people who did that to children, you were forced to enjoy it. What he did was all part of his healing process, he needs to purge it out of his memory in order to replace it with justice. I think eventually his recent memories and experiences will dull the horrific things he's seen, besides, it seems he is bringing the woman from the CIA back with him. Apparently, he spent the night with her, and what Beverly says is he had a very good time."

"True," Lawrence said, "But I've been doing some digging and the cartels here are just the beginning. There is much more out there that will be looking for him and from what I've read, much worse too."

"I have faith that whatever is out there will be no match for him." Ginger said, "I also know that they're no match for you Lawrence."

Lawrence looked surprised. "How do you know that?"

"I know because you are our tech support. Look at how quickly you were able to get her here." she pointed at the sleeping girl. "You know your way around the entire global network, so it is not a stretch of the imagination that you've thrown them off of our trail on the Internet."

"I do know more than I let on." Lawrence replied.

Ginger hugged him tightly, "We all know Lawrence!"

There was the sound of running bare feet from the hallway, Amber came rushing in to the room jumping up and down "Mark is home! He brought a girl with him! It must be Jane, I can't wait to see her!" Amber then ran out of the room giggling. Ginger and Lawrence followed.

Amber came running down the stairs giggling and saw Mark and Jane in the main hall, Eustaquino carrying their bags from the car. Beverly walked into the main hall from the library and was knocked over by her younger sister. Amber leapt into Mark's arms and hugged him tightly. She almost knocked him down. Ginger and Lawrence came down the stairs, Beverly cursed and stood up then glared at Jane. Jane marveled at how intensely beautiful Amber was as she rained kisses on Mark, she looked round the room and saw that all of them were attractive. The redheaded girl was smiling, the blond boy behind her looked afraid but cute, and Beverly was so pretty but her face was stone and her eyes glared at her with anger.

Mark managed to wrangle himself from his sisters grasp and began introductions. When he got to Beverly she snapped "I know who she is!" Amber was hopping up and down until Mark introduced her to Jane, then Amber ran over to Jane and hugged her, "Oh my god! You are so pretty! Look at your hair! Would you like something to drink?" Amber bit her lip in anticipation Jane looked around nervously as Mark went over to Beverly. "I'm fine." Jane said, Amber laughed and said, "Oh come on! You are so cute! I'll get iced tea! We're in the jungle and it is hot! Mark!?" She turned to him. Jane noticed Beverly whispering to him, jabbing her finger into his chest. He turned and said "Yes Amber, Iced tea will be fine. Bring it to the library." Amber giggled and hugged Jane again then ran towards the kitchen. Beverly glared at Mark but he held up his hand. "We will get to that later Beverly."

Beverly scoffed and looked at Jane, "You!" she said pointing at her, "You're a spy!" Mark was about to say something but Ginger interrupted, "Beverly, let them get in the house first!" Ginger went over to Jane and shook her hand. "Welcome Jane! I'm so happy that you could come down. I'm sure Mark explained things on the way?"

Jane looked at Mark, his face told her nothing, "Yes, he told me about the experiments and what brought you here to Brazil. I can hardly believe it."Jane replied.

"I'm sure!" Ginger said, "I would too if I were you!"

Beverly scoffed, "Did you tell her everything Mark?" she emphasized the word 'everything'.

"No," Mark replied and he headed to the library. Everyone followed. Jane whispered to Ginger, "Is she always like this?" nodding toward Beverly.

Ginger smiled and whispered back, "No, she sometimes sleeps." Then the two women laughed. Beverly gave them both an angry stare but Ginger waved her hand dismissively.

They all entered the library and sat down in the couches and chairs, Amber handed out glasses of iced tea, Jane thought is was fantastic. Amber smiled and said "That's just how Mark likes it!" Everyone settled down, Mark stood behind Dr. Meingle's chair and began, "We have successfully attained Davidoff's company. All of his illegal activities will still be used but only for us to store and dismantle or to use as I see fit." Beverly interrupted, "And the warhead?" Everyone's eyes opened and looked at each other then all eyes turned to Mark who waited patiently. Beverly had a wry smile on her face.

Mark leaned on the chair. "Since Beverly can not contain herself about the acquisition of a nuclear weapon we will discuss it now. What would you do with it Beverly?" he asked. Beverly shifted in her seat and said, "Guns and drugs we can dispose of easily Mark but this is something we can't just melt down and make a fucking swing out of!"

"True." Mark said,

Jane felt uneasy but had to speak, "Warheads like that have GPS tracking on them, The Russians or even the US know where they are and are bound to track it here!"

"Also True." Mark said. "And..." he trailed off

Beverly snorted, "And there will be military all over us, not to mention whoever Davidoff was going to sell it to! Do you think you can take on an entire military force Mark?"

"Yes, but that is not going to happen." Mark said. Beverly stared at her brother.

"How do you know!" she yelled.

Mark sipped his tea, "As you all know, we have been learning how the world works, how the world thinks, how people and situations play out in different scenarios. Your fears, Beverly, Jane, and the rest of you are not unfounded. Yet, I am not concerned for the scenario you have described. Lawrence, could you tell us why I am not concerned?" Mark met Beverly's stare with the cold but intense stare that intimidated her.

Lawrence stammered nervously "Because of the amount of time that has passed since we brought it here?" Ginger patted Lawrence on the knee to reassure him as he spoke.

"Correct" Mark said, "Why Beverly?"

Her tone was subdued, "Davidoff's people were ex-KGB and could have disabled the GPS tracking and it's secondary."

"And..." Mark said.

"And what Mark!" Beverly said, "That is all I know!"

"Think with your logical mind Beverly." Mark said. The tension in the room was thick, Jane was near-frightened by his powerful presence but she was also way turned on by as well, she couldn't think but something in her mind was pounding through the fear and lust, then it hit her. "They would have attacked already and I would have been called!" she blurted out. Everyone but Mark and Beverly looked at her and the tension lessened. Mark pointed to Jane "Precisely." Beverly turned her gaze away from Mark and looked down at the floor.

Mark stood up straight took another sip of tea. "I've been with her the whole time. I would have known early and acted accordingly. In addition to the visions I was given, I've been deeply involved with learning sociology, psychology and probabilities. I have mastered all of it and can predict every possible scenario, I can predict human behavior before it happens and derive the end result within a fraction of a percentage point of probability."

Beverly looked at her brother, "So you fucking played us?" she said angrily.

"No Beverly, I conceived of a plan that had a higher rate of success of secrecy and anonymity that would have only exposed myself and protected all of you no matter how it played out." Amber looked puzzled and asked "In what way?"

Mark sat in the chair and explained; "When Dr. Meingle left I had us all learn all we could. I read and learned and then had us all talk of it. I was still learning in our discussions. I watched all of you react to whatever you were learning, thus I learned how you worked. I then put everything in my name only, the whole compound, the house, and everything pointed to me. I then went into Lawrence's computer and attached file for every conceivable scenario for quick escape in case the scenarios I had in mind began to play out, programmed them into hidden files and quick keystrokes that a quick call to Lawrence to enact. I had three of us go to the US, I had Lawrence get Jane's psychological profile and deduced her behavior. I made sure all contact with her would be with me and that I would be on the radar and the rest of you hidden. The only variable I didn't account for was the girl from Davidoff's club, so I altered the plan to include her. We swiftly gained Davidoff's company, causing confusion and the attention to their storage was second to how each employee was going to be paid, also the confusion would have criminal informants and undercover law enforcement wait for instructions. When I approached the warehouse it wasn't being guarded. I deduced that law enforcement had no idea of the warhead. Something I deduced from remembering Davidoff's actions on the plane, he was an idiot and paranoid. I played upon their sense of security and then I took ownership of his illegal warehouse and sent it all here before the confusion ended. I deduced that once there was some semblance of security that when they paid attention to their weapons cache, they would simply figure it was stolen by a competitor. I took Davidoff out of play beforehand, then sent Lawrence and Ginger back here then when I saw the warhead in the crate I used the girl to keep them focused on her instead of the actual cargo. I knew Beverly would check it and find it. I stayed behind with Jane to monitor whether the warhead was being tracked, when no word came I knew my plan worked."

Everyone was speechless, Beverly laughed and said, "What was your contingency plan if the warhead was being tracked?"

"I would have called Lawrence, told him to push alt+P+D+Q on his laptop which would have immediately activated the escape plan. Lawrence get your laptop?" Mark said and Lawrence jumped up and ran to his room. "Then I would have been arrested, but had no charges and would have been let go. Needing very little resources I would have met you all at the designated rendezvous point and we could continue." Lawrence came back to the room with his laptop Mark motioned for him to give it, which Lawrence did. Mark opened it up on the coffee table then turned it towards everyone to see. "Lawrence, press the key combination?" Lawrence did as told, The screen flashed red and then alarms went off in the computer room. The laser printer began shooting out pages of instructions and time lines all different with headers saying everyone's name at the top. The printer was done and Mark began distributing the pages to his siblings. "Each list has specific instructions of evacuating the entire compound within two hours and your role in the evacuation." Mark pointed to the screen and the countdown on the screen showed 2 ½ hours. Lawrence sat in awe at what he was supposed to do and the exact time to implement his instructions. "What happens when the timer reaches zero?" Mark sipped his tea and said, "Thermite plasma that I have made and positioned all around the compound and storage areas would melt the entire place within minutes, everyone would be on their way to Boa Vista to the warehouse I first encountered here."

"Does that mean it going to happen now?" Jane asked.

"Yes, the countdown is started. Do we want to evacuate now or shut it down? The time line has leeway for another two minutes." Mark replied.

Beverly looked shocked, "You certainly know how to do this right Mark! Shut it down, we get your point." Mark looked at the shocked faces of everyone around. He went to the laptop back in the Library and entered in ALT+R+S+V+P the timer quit, the alarms turned off, and the screen went back to normal.

There was silence between everyone. Mark looked around the room, "I trust everything is well now?" he said, Everyone nodded except Jane. Mark took notice. Ginger spoke first, "Wow! We all had been concerned about you ever since that warehouse with those children Mark. At least my fears have been put to rest." His siblings all nodded in agreement, but Jane lowered her gaze to the floor. 42's voice entered Marks ears. "You have them fooled now, but what about her?" he said. Mark sipped his tea, "Jane, I know this is all quick and possibly too much to take in. Be assured that that warhead won't be used against civilians."

42 appeared next to Mark, "I don't think that is what she is upset about big guy."

"What then?" Mark said

"You just admitted that you used everyone and planned their behavior and manipulated them while proving your Alpha Male dominance. Something a little out of character for you don't you think?" 42 whispered.

"Think about it big man!" 42 said laughing.

Mark furrowed his brow and then came to the realization, "Jane," he said, "I did not intend to say that I used you."

She looked up with tears in her eyes, "Then what was your purpose with me?" Amber sat down next to Jane and hugged her. "Mark cares about all of us sweetie! Don't you Mark?"Amber asked.

Mark felt a tightening in his chest, "I do, yes....... But I did not predict what happened between us Jane, I...didn't....I wasn't able to....." His eyes widened and looked at Beverly who was surprised, Ginger watched her brother who couldn't find words, Lawrence felt panic, Amber smiled, "It's okay Mark, you can say it!"

Mark set his tea on the table, his eyes wide and darting around, 42 stood in the corner smiling evilly, everyone was looking at him waiting for him to explain. He couldn't find the words! "I only thought that....I didn't see this." he whispered. His face went blank "Excuse me, I have something to attend to." then he left the room.

Beverly looked at everyone, "What the fuck was that!?" she said exasperated. Ginger sat down and said, "Oh my God!"

"What!?" Lawrence belted out,

Amber hugged Jane tightly, Jane did not know what to say.

Amber, while still holding Jane tightly, said, "I told you he cares about all of us! He loves us all but he's in love with Jane!" Amber giggled.

Ginger took a long gulp of her tea, "She's right! My God!" she started laughing

"Jesus Christ! I need a drink!" Beverly said and she grabbed a bottle of whiskey and drank from the bottle then sat down. "Amber!" Beverly said sternly, "How did you know?"

Amber let go of Jane and said, "I saw his face when he saw her picture, it was quick and he didn't even notice it but I saw the flash in his eyes! This is wonderful isn't it!?" Amber grabbed Jane's hand "Come on Jane, I'll show you how to make tea the way he likes it!"

Jane was speechless, "But, he barely knows me!" she said.

"He knows everything sweetie! We just heard him say so, but he doesn't pay attention to himself. I've been doing that forever. I know him better than anyone!" Amber said beaming and standing proudly. Beverly took another giant swig from the bottle, "What about you Jane?" She asked

"I....." Jane started, but Amber cut her off, "Jane is crazy about him Beverly!" Amber smiled, "Aren't you?" Amber looked at Jane, Jane looked into Amber's innocent and beautiful eyes. They were soft and compelling, just as Mark's were when he smiled. Jane looked into them and before she realized it she said "I am. I love him so much!" She said. Amber laughed and said, "See Beverly? They are madly in love!" Before Beverly could say anything Amber grabbed Jane's arm and started talking about tea.

Beverly took another swig from the bottle and said, "Perfect!"

Ginger got up and patted Beverly on the shoulder as Lawrence watched in awe "This is a good thing you guys!"

Beverly scoffed "How so?"

Ginger thought for a moment, "I have no idea! But Mark in love is better than him being a robot! He was so cold before but we just saw him being somewhat human! He's getting better!"

Beverly stood up and almost lost her balance, "Great Ginger! He can love, he's coming out of his shell, he's capable of being a human, but think about this; if he can feel love, what happens if he feels anger?"

Ginger thought but Lawrence spoke, "I'm terrified to think about that!"

Beverly pointed the bottle of whiskey at him, "Exactly! Mark in uncontrollable anger is a major problem! Not for us, but for everyone! We are moving to the US! What if he throws a Mark sized temper tantrum in a populated area?"

Ginger shook her head, "Yes it is a problem but we are here, Amber and now Jane could calm him down....." Beverly interrupted, "What if Jane is the reason he gets angry!? HMM!? What then!?"

"Then we'll have a big problem." Ginger conceded.

"Fuckin' A!" Beverly said slurring her words, "We need to have a plan for that and he can't make it himself so it's up to us!" Ginger nodded, Beverly looked at Lawrence, "You! Figure one out! Ginger help him! I'm going to warn that woman!" Beverly took another swig of Whiskey and started toward the kitchen but tripped and fell. Ginger picked her drunk sister up and said, "You're not going to, I'll talk to her and Amber about it. Beverly you go to your room and sleep a bit, sober up, we don't need you angrier than usual."

Beverly scoffed, "FINE GINGER!" She yelled, "But make sure to get the point across!" Beverly set the empty bottle of Whiskey down and stumbled up the stairs, cursing under her breath. Ginger straightened her hair. Lawrence looked shocked. Ginger patted his shoulder, "Come on, let's get to work." They both went to the computer room.

Chapter 47

BERITOGA, BRAZIL

FEBRUARY 7TH, 1979

Albert Earle waited for him. He would leave the house shortly. He had to make good on his promise to Dr. Meingle. After further thought, Albert decided that the price was not to much to ask. Dr. Meingle was a good man and this Dr. was not. He made a seriously bad mark on the name of medicine and doctors in general. He was an insult to the profession. Albert was going to wipe that black mark off today.

Mengele opened his bungalow door and walked outside. He took a deep breath and started walking to the beach. Albert became angry at seeing him enjoy something he never should have had in the first place. Because of this man he lost his brother, his mother was tainted by him, Elsa was tainted. General Davidoff had to clean up his mess. The Americans were also cleaning up after him. Not anymore. He would see what he did and see himself for the monster he is.

Josef Mengele sat on a downed palm tree on the beach. He felt very content. He was on vacation with friends, but he still wondered if his work was being carried out. That was the problem with getting old and being branded a criminal. He could not go back to Berlin and see for himself. He wanted to see the children. They must be something wonderful to behold. He wondered if there were any twins. Twins, they were so much fun to study. Mengele cursed old age and stood up. He needed to clear his mind. The pangs of old age were beating him down, he needed a swim in the wonderful blue ocean to bring his mind peace. He took off his shirt and sandals and walked to the water line. He felt the cool surf wrap around his feet. It was a stark contrast from the hot sun on his back. He slowly waded out to waist level to acclimate his body to the cool water. He dunked his whole body in and felt the little bubbles tickle his skin. He breached the surface again and slicked his gray hair back and blew water from his mustache. This is heaven he thought.

Mengele began doing laps in parallel to the shore. He swam south for several strokes and then turned around and went north. He kept his eyes closed due to the salt water, but there was nothing jutting from the bottom in his path, until now. His arm bumped into what felt like a leg. He then stood up, rubbed his eyes and stared into his younger face twisted into an angry scowl.

"Albert!?" he said, "What a pleasant surprise!"

Albert said nothing.

Mengele stood up straight and asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Albert still said nothing, just stared at him, making him feel very uneasy. Albert grabbed him by the hair and shoved his head in the water. Mengele fought, but he could not beat the strength of Albert. The air burned in his lungs. He needed to take a breath, but his head was still underwater and then panic set in. he could feel the air on his back. He wanted to reach it. He was so close. He could not hold it much longer. He fought harder and felt himself rise a little from the water. No doubt adrenaline was doing it's work. He almost had his nose to the surface, then the force of Albert's arm released. Mengele gasped for a breath and as he did more weight descended on his back. Albert was sitting on his back, he was done for now. The water burned in his lungs and he could not hold it any longer. He gasped in water and felt darkness descend upon him. He was beginning to drown and his muscles became weak and heavy. The pain was slowly going away, and before the blackness came he had one last thought, Heil Hitler!!

The body went limp. Albert stood up and took a deep breath. Mengele's body rose to the surface and floated in place, moving only with the gentle movements of the surf. Albert looked around and saw that they were alone. Not that it mattered. Once it was found out that he had killed the Angel of Death, no one in their right mind would press charges nor find his killer. They would make him a hero. Albert did not want any of that.

He walked into Mengele's bungalow and dried off. He found fresh clothes and then searched the old man's belongings. It had not quite sunk in that he had killed someone. Maybe the fact that he had avenged countless deaths caused by Mengele's hand or design was the reason. There were letters and pictures in the drawers. There were pictures of his experiments, of the Reich and of the children he experimented on. Underneath all of the pictures lay a manila envelope. The front of the envelope was written in German and translated to "Jungle Laboratory". There was also a map and pictures of a grand mansion being built. There were invoices and bills of sale for lab equipment and the deed to the property. A letter from a contractor told that the house was built and ready for him to move in. the letter was dated two days ago. Albert had and ironic thought, a house built for Mengele and he moves in after his death. Albert found a photograph of Mengele with all the leaders of the Third Reich. They were all standing at the entrance to Auschwitz. Albert found a pen and crossed off their faces then circled the X on Mengele's face. He found a blank envelope and put Dr. Meingle's address in Berlin on it and sealed it. Albert grabbed the manila envelope and tucked it under his arm. He left the bungalow and headed for the post office.

Chapter 48

Meingle Compound, Brazil

December 2006

Mark hurried to his lab. His mind was racing, he couldn't think but he knew that he had missed something huge about Jane. He replayed the time they spent with each other over and over in his mind, looking for some secret, something he could focus on to bring sense to it. In the darkness of the lab 42 was clapping slowly and chuckling. "You were quite the sight Mark!"

"You knew, didn't you?" Mark said, "You knew how I felt, but you distracted me from figuring it out?"

42 stopped clapping, "I didn't know you idiot! I'm your repressed feelings Mark, not God!"

"If you are my feelings then you knew." Mark replied.

"Okay fine!" 42 said with a sigh, "I knew how you felt, I knew from the moment you saw her photograph, but we had a bigger plan Mark! I helped you stay focused on that! It went through without a hitch though didn't it?"

"I love her, but it doesn't make sense? I don't know her. How could this be?" Mark asked.

"OY!!!!!" 42 said dramatically. "You've read enough fiction and Shakespeare to know about true love Mark. You just chose to ignore it, I know what you know old man. What you ignore I keep in mind."

Mark walked further into the lab and put his hand on the crate with the sedated Davidoff inside. "What if he loved like that" Mark asked

"We saw what he loves Mark!" 42 growled, "She's upstairs in a coma! What if he had gotten Jane and 'Loved' her?"

Mark imagined the beaten and bloody face of Jane instead of the girl. 42 closed his eyes and moaned, "That is good Mark, now think of what he did with Amber! Think of what those hundreds of men did to Amber! Think of all the other women this piece of shit did! Get him on the table and begin this Mark! It will make you feel better!"

Mark looked at the crate with the sleeping Davidoff in it and then began opening it.

Sergei Davidoff was groggy, he heard clanking sounds and could barely open his eyes. He was in and out of consciousness. The noises stopped but he still couldn't focus his eyes, he tried to speak but all he could muster was gurgled moaning sounds. His mind was becoming clearer and spoke softly "Where am I?" he said groggily. There were footsteps near him, then a face came into view, it was that kid's face, stone cold and unfeeling as he had seen when they were in the club. The kid spoke, "You're in my lab." then the kid moved and Davidoff saw a syringe in the kids hand, "This will help you be more coherent." and the kid injected the syringe in his neck. Instantly Davidoff was awake and alert, there was some light but not much, it was as dark as twilight and blue tinted. Why didn't you kill me?" Davidoff asked. The kids cold eyes looked back into his. "We have some business to discuss." The kid said. Davidoff tried to move but couldn't feel his arms or legs. "What have you done to me!?" Davidoff demanded. The kid reached behind Davidoff's head and there was the distinct sound of Velcro tearing. The kid said, "I've disabled the feeling to your extremities, you can breathe and move your head though."

Davidoff laughed, "What? You going to interrogate me?"

"Not quite" the kid said, then the sound of a switch being flipped and an electrical hum started.

Lawrence was in his room on his laptop, he was funneling Davidoff's money into a main account to begin funding the new company they were going to create in Oregon and Washington State. Lawrence hadn't been able to figure out a name for this company or what it exactly it was going to be, but it had almost a billion dollars for startup. Lawrence tried not to think about the girl in the room down the hall. He had all this work to do but he wanted to be with her. Lawrence minimized the window of account flow and began reading about Roman history. It was incredibly fascinating to read, The insanity of it all and the corruption of the emperors felt so close to what he and his family went through and was going through that he was trying to figure out which emperor Mark would be, Trying to label Mark was impossible, he had traits of all roman emperors, except Caligula, Mark could possibly be that insane if he ever showed emotion and had no restraint. Mark seemed more like Julius Caesar, the most respected conqueror, but Mark was way to violent and terrifying. Lawrence pondered his for a moment then he heard the sound of a door opening. Then a Russian accented female voice said "Hello?" Lawrence's heart jumped, it was her! He set his laptop down on his bed and then went to the hallway, he saw the girl in the hall looking around, he was so flustered that all he could say was "Hi!" a little to emphatically. Her head turned towards him and he saw crystal clear blue eyes focus on him. "Where am I?" she asked, her voice made his legs shake. Lawrence took a deep breath and said "You're here.....with us, uh, my brother brought you here.... You were injured and he said that we should heal you....so you're here uh......with our family."

"What is your name!?" she demanded.

"Uh....Lawrence, I'm Lawrence Earle" Lawrence was chastising himself in his mind.

She stepped halfway back into her room. "Who do you work for!?" she demanded.

Lawrence scratched his head, "I, uh, work with my brother......Mark, uh, my brother and my sisters too. We live here......and we were taking care of you."

The girl kept her eyes on Lawrence then asked, 'You work for Davidoff?"

"NO!" Lawrence yelped, "Uhhh...No we don't, uh, Davidoff is dead, my brother Mark killed him after he rescued you from that club. What is uhhh....what is your name?"

The girl seemed to relax slightly, "Nikita, Davidoff is dead you say?" she asked.

Lawrence took a step forward, "Yes, my brother was after him for hurting our sister Amber and his company, we uhhh.... own the company now." Lawrence took another step forward "Nikita? I...we...uh...don't want to hurt you."

Nikita stepped further into her room to where only one eye was visible, "You make me work for you like Davidoff did?' she asked hesitantly.

Lawrence stepped back "Let me get my sister Ginger, she'll explain better than me....."

"NO!" Nikita yelled, "YOU MAKE ME PROSTITUTE?" she screamed.

"No never!" Lawrence said quickly, "You're free, you don't have to do that anymore, Mark really hates that stuff. Let me get my sister...."

"NO!" She screamed again, "I stay with you. Your face is trusting and kind, I stay with you!"

Lawrence could only say "Okay."

Davidoff saw a glowing red light to his right, there was a small guillotine blade turning red hot. He lifted his head and saw several shadows of little guillotines positioned over his arms and legs. "WHAT IS THIS!?" Davidoff shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" he looked back at the kid who was staring at him. Davidoff looked back and forth between the kids face and the small blade, it was turning white and the humming stopped. For a few seconds nothing happened, Davidoff began to think this was a bluff and said, "You're not going to...." then a loud click and the sound of a thwack was heard. Davidoff looked back to his hand the blade cut through it and the smell of burnt flesh reached his nose. He looked back at the kid whose face had a small spray of blood on it. No expression, just staring at him. The kid moved his arm and then picked up the disembodied and cauterized hand and placed it on Davidoff's chest. "That's one." the kid said. Davidoff felt the sweat pouring down his face and felt extreme panic, he screamed, that was all he could do.

Davidoff stopped screaming and was just panting, "What do you want? I'll give you anything, just name it!" Mark watched the man break down in front of him. 42 was dancing around the table gleefully shouting nonsense. Mark wondered how Davidoff broke so quickly. This was something Mark had conjured up based upon a premise from French History. He had never read or seen anything like this machine but, perhaps he was wrong about how tough Davidoff really was, which was disappointing. "OH COME ON!!!" 42 bellowed, "We've just begun and it was so fucking great! Why are you questioning this? All it proves is that he is a coward and bully, and we both know that bullies hurt others for that feeling of power! Just continue! I'M LOVING THIS!!!!"

Mark flipped the second switch, the left foot mechanism began humming. Davidoff started panicking again, and the pleading started. Mark watched him with curiosity, the correlation of panic grew with the hum of the heating element. Halfway through Davidoff started screaming as loud as he could and shaking his head trying anything to get free. 42 was jumping up in anticipation for the eventual drop of the blade. Mark wondered if the women Davidoff raped felt this kind of panic. Mark had read that there was a lot of different emotions that they felt as it was happening to them. They would envision a safe place to hide from what was happening, they would shut down and even repress the situation. Mark hadn't read what happens to men in stressful situations much like that. Men tend to be more tight lipped about such things. Given that this situation was not technically a rape, Mark felt that it was very similar. Held against his will, things being done to his body that he did not want by someone more powerful. Yet Mark himself derived no pleasure from this, only 42 did, one could argue that since 42 is Mark's repressed feelings then Mark himself was deriving pleasure from this.

"JESUS CHRIST MARK!!!!" 42 yelled angrily, "QUIT OVER THINKING THIS!!! DON'T ANALYZE, JUST DO IT!!!"

"You are right." Mark said and then flipped the release switch. Davidoff watched helplessly as the blade cut and cauterized his foot. 42 moaned in ecstasy.

"So you're reading ancient Roman history?" Nikita asked as she looked at Lawrence's laptop. She had come with him to his room after a little coaxing. He found out that Nikita was from a small village in the Ukraine who signed up for a trip to America for school but instead was put into prostitution by the Russian Mafia. She relaxed when she entered the room and Lawrence got her some iced tea. Lawrence himself relaxed as she relaxed.

"Yes," Lawrence said, "My brother says we have to learn as much as we can, we were in a similar situation as you. We were taken and forced to take drugs and experimented on but Dr. Meingle rescued us."

Nikita looked stunned, "You were taken too?" she asked.

"Yes but, we'll get to that later. My brother is better at explaining things than I am." Lawrence replied.

Nikita sighed, "I must look terrible!" she said feeling her face stitches, "Davidoff usually isn't that violent with us."

"You are safe here with us Nikita." Lawrence said. When he said that he saw her smile. It was amazing.

"Your brother is very large with goatee?" Nikita asked

"That's him." Lawrence said.

"He was very scary, he looked like that robot, the Terminator, no emotion but scary"

"I suppose he is," Lawrence said, "But he's a good man. He has destroyed much of the criminal activities here. He has saved many people, including children from drugs and prostitution."

"Now me." Nikita said.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments but then footsteps started coming up the stairs. Nikita fell to the floor and hid on the far side of the bed, Lawrence stood up and said "It's okay, it's my sister Ginger coming to check up on you." Nikita did not move

Ginger passed the door and Lawrence called out to her. Ginger entered the room. "Well, look who's up!" she said softly. Nikita ducked a little. Lawrence explained the situation and Ginger smiled, "It's okay Nikita, it is about time for you to be up and about. I do need to check the stitches on your torso though, is that okay?" Ginger smiled and Nikita carefully sat on the edge of the bed. "You will not hurt me?" she said.

"No," Ginger said softly. Nikita looked at Lawrence who nodded and said, "She's our doctor, she was the one who fixed you."

"Okay," Nikita said hesitantly and she stood up. Ginger approached her slowly, Lawrence then said, "I'll be outside for a moment."

"NO!" Nikita screamed, Ginger stopped "YOU STAY WITH ME!"

Lawrence stammered, "But you'll be naked.....privacy and all of that?" he looked at Ginger who shrugged. Nikita then said, "You stay with me!"

Lawrence looked at Ginger puzzled, "You can turn around Lawrence." she said.

"You hold my hand!" Nikita demanded.

Ginger and Lawrence exchanged looks, Ginger smiled and Lawrence was aghast. "Alright." Lawrence said puzzled. He turned around and Nikita moved past Ginger and grabbed his hand tightly. "Okay then" Ginger said. Lawrence closed his eyes and Heard the rustling of the robe. Nikita squeezed his hand tighter.

"HE PASSED OUT!?" 42 screamed as he looked over the unconscious body of Davidoff. "God how I wish I could slap his stupid face!"

"Interesting" Mark said. "He shut down."

"YA THINK?" 42 said.

Mark looked at the monitor of Davidoff's vital signs. Then sat in the chair next to the table, brow furrowed. "I'll have to extend this, this first session was too much for him. I'll have to gradually build up until it is done."

42 laughed heartily, "And to think I was worried that you would want to end this as soon as possible."

"I do," Mark said, "Apparently it is up to him to make that decision."

42 hobbled next to Davidoff's face and leaned in. "I suppose delayed gratification is better than instant wouldn't you agree you bastard?" 42 said, then in a higher pitched voice 42 talked as Davidoff, "Yes, I'm such a baby when it comes to getting what's coming to me. I want to draw this out to make you feel better even more!" Then he laughed. Mark went over to his desk and brought up the internal house cameras on his computer. He went through each one and stopped on the upstairs hallway. Ginger, Lawrence and the girl were heading out of Lawrence's room to the stairs.

"She is awake." Mark said.

"Oh great!" 42 said sarcastically, "You'll want to talk to her and she'll be scared and emotional and blubbery and all of that shit! GOD!"

"I'll get to her eventually," Mark said, but what is interesting about this is look how tightly she's holding onto Lawrence."

42 hobbled to the screen and looked, "Baby brother has a new playmate?"

"Seems so," Mark replied, "I'll need to have more hands-on psychological training. This is not what I figured would happen. Another thing I didn't plan for."

42 chuckled, "Predicting human behavior is tougher than you thought, but you've just begun, for the most part you're very good at it. Don't worry, you'll perfect it! That's why doctors call it practice!"

Mark sat back in his chair and folded his arms. "Indeed."

Chapter 49

Meingle Compound, Brazil

October 2007

Davidoff laid silently on the table, staring up into the dark ceiling of Mark's lab. The guillotine machine had been taken away months ago so Davidoff's torso was the only thing left. 42 had convinced Mark to hang the cut off parts of Davidoff above him as a mobile, Mark had placed them in jars of formaldehyde and constructed the mobile. After the limbs were severed, cauterized and then placed in the jars, Mark and 42 watched Davidoff silently for a few hours a day. Mark put on soft classical music and 42 would dance around savoring every moment. Davidoff's mouth had been sewn shut to stop the screaming. Mark watched as the criminal slowly lost his mind, thrashed about on the table but in August, Davidoff went quiet. Mark checked neurological signs and figured the brain was functioning but Davidoff had apparently escaped into the depths of his own mind. He lay physically underneath the compound in Brazil, but his mind was elsewhere.

Above the entire camp was empty, The people were given the option to stay in Brazil or go to the US. Everyone opted go go to the states. Lawrence and Beverly had purchased land all around the Pacific Northwest. By taking over Davidoff's company they had a business and the means to bring jobs to the area. Davidoff shipping had been bought out and was restructured as Nero. The new company kept the shipping but with Lawrence's natural talent of networking and computers, coupled with Mark's insistence of them learning as much as they could as fast as they could, Lawrence was able to get the invested money of the cartels in South America funneled into a conglomerate account while keeping the watchdog agencies blind. It was all information on digital interfaces, nothing more, so the money was kept where it was, on a screen, but Lawrence had written a program that kept the funds in their new company. Nero was being structured to have a field where all of them could find a niche. Lawrence and Nikita had a cybersecurity and telecommunications division, Beverly had Private Security, Ginger had a medical division, Amber had childcare and parenting. Jane had gone back to Langley. Mark opted out of having a division because he felt his criminal upbringing couldn't be a marketable skill. They were all the board of directors with Beverly as Chair. Mark had other things to do.

Everyone was at the Nero head offices in Newport Oregon. Mark stayed behind in Brazil. Before the compound left, a large manila envelope arrived addressed to Mark, it's contents were a standard letter with explicit instructions to be read when he was alone written on it. It was Dr. Meingle's hand writing. Mark waited until everyone left to open the envelope here in his lab.

Mozart was playing softly and Mark broke the silence. "I know you are in there Davidoff, I know you haven't heard a word for months, but it is time to end this."

42 stopped dancing and feigned surprise "No more dancing with the rapist? Mark you're terrible!" His deformed body shaking as he let out a huge laugh.

Mark stood up and placed the letter in front of Davidoff's eyes. "Dr. Meingle sent this a few days ago, I have no idea what it contains but it was explicit that I read this myself when I'm alone. I think under these circumstances I can read it to you. I've been thinking about you and I've realized that even though you have paid the price for raping my sister Amber, I have to give you some credit for taking us away from the island." Davidoff stared past the letter and showed no sign of comprehension. Mark continued, "It was you and Dr. Meingle who brought us here and set me and my family on the path we are on today, so, I thank you. I do admit though that the price you've paid is a bit steep for one raping, but as I understand it, my sister was not your first but I have your last. She's doing fine, if you want to know. She and my brother work well together. So all this was for the women who you did rape and torture over time, and even though my method was a bit much, I was also punishing those who had forced me to watch my sister be raped and tortured but unable to do anything about over the years with you acting as proxy."

Davidoff did not move, he took long deep breaths and stared through the darkness. Mark watched him, This is similar to what happened to him. He was tortured and had pieces of his humanity cut off then dangled before him.

42 limped across the table, "Really? So you've replayed what happened to us with this...man!" 42 chuckled as he said man.

"It is a bit on the nose isn't it?" Mark said.

42 laughed, "You don't like it do you? All the cramming of information these past few months and you still are learning. I know you hate this because you have done exactly what was done to you. You want the cycle broken, but you've repeated it! I can feel the disgust you have for this!" 42 limped away from the table into the darkness.

Mark sighed, "Yes, I've done what was done to me, but it is different with you, Davidoff. Tonight I will release you, you will die. Which is something I know you've wanted for some time now. That is why you've retreated into your mind, you're waiting for it."

Davidoff's eyes moved to Marks face, they pleaded him to do it. 42 scrambled to Mark's side. "That got 'im! Look at the tough guy now!" 42 giggled looking at Davidoff's eyes as a tear formed in them. "Oh Mark! This is too much! Look there!" 42 clawed at Mark with his shriveled hand, "DO IT NOW!" 42 screamed.

Mark pulled out a zippered pouch from his pocket, opened it up and pulled out a syringe and a vial of morphine. He filled the syringe and set it beside Davidoff. The pleading eyes followed the syringe and his breathing became heavier. Mark leaned in close to Davidoff's face. "I've been studying religion. Even though I'm not ordained, I will absolve you of your sins. You do not need to fear Hell Davidoff, You have paid for your sins and then some, if there is any punishment owed on your part, I will take it in your stead." Davidoff's eyes welled up with tears, they looked grateful. 42 let out a pained scream, "You've ruined it!" and he began thrashing around the room and yelling.

Mark picked up the syringe and injected the morphine into Davidoffs neck. The tears stopped and the breathing stopped when Mark was halfway into the plunge. Mark finished injecting and then set the syringe aside. 42 became quiet. Mark sat in a chair and then pulled out the letter from Dr. Meingle. He opened it and read:

"Dear Mark,

I know that my leaving abruptly might have been confusing. I apologize for that, but I feel that you and your brother and sisters can carry on without me for a while. I've lied to you Mark, I've lied to all of you. I had hoped that when you first came to my compound you may have recognized me, but you didn't. None of you did. That was painful for me but, it is probably to be expected given your...our history.

I am your uncle, Albert Earle. When you children were taken, I disappeared and remained so until now. The name of Karl Widmund made me realize that all of us are a part of a conspiracy that began since before I was born. I remember you as a child being forceful and stoic, much like you are now. All of you were unique and very special, but you are the first born from my brother Joseph and your mother Elsa. I had a plan with a Dr. Mashu to have myself injected with your abilities straight from the source, your mother. You were taken before we could complete the plan. I am looking for his daughter Motoko. She was taken along with you children and she may be able to help me get that serum, so I can have the ability to fight alongside you in the events to come. You and your siblings have powers but I have knowledge, experience, and wisdom. I must go this route alone.

As for my continued lie, I didn't want to set off a flood of emotions in any of you in this delicate time. I thought it best for you all to not remember me or your parents until necessary. I love you all dearly but I also fear you, Mark. What they have done to you is beyond words and beyond anger. I've hid for years trying to get you and your family back, and I succeeded but time is short for me as I have aged and become unable to finish this out. We are looking for a cure, a way to stop the abilities your father, mother, brother and sisters have. It has been corrupted which is what we fought so long to avoid. I was alone until I got you back, but there is much to learn before you can join me against the Thule Society. I will contact you when I am able to join you. I ask that you do two things for me; learn as much as you can about history and the world. Secondly, do not look or come for me, once you surface in the world they will watch you. They don't know I'm alive and I need the anonymity. Feel free to share this with your brother and sisters when you feel it necessary. I am so saddened that I could not tell you this personally but as I write this, a great weight has been lifted from me. I will be back.

Love,

Albert Earle"

Mark looked up from the letter with his eyebrows furrowed. He looked at 42 who looked terrified. "Dr. Meingle is my Uncle? I don't remember this." 42 held his hands up, "Mark, It's coming back to you. Please stay calm!" 42 hobbled to his knees.

Mark stood up and looked at the letter again. "Why do I have no memory of this?" His voice trembled. Mark felt something deep inside of him a twinge of pain, but not physical, but it was a spark. He closed his eyes and a flash of a man with blond hair smiling at him. Marks heart jumped, "Uncle Albert?" his eyes shot wide open. He looked at 42 who was cowering in a corner sobbing, "Not yet! This is too soon! Not yet! NOT YET!" Mark closed his eyes again, a longer flash with Albert then a dark haired man, "My Father?" Mark whispered. 42 clutched his chest and screamed. Mark looked at the letter again, he read the name, "Motoko!?" he closed his eyes and saw a young Japanese woman, Mark felt an intense warmness inside him, he kept his eyes closed More images were flashing, he saw his brother and sister being born, there was a beautiful woman holding them, Mark could not make out her face but he saw his father, his uncle, Motoko, and old man in military uniform. "General Davidoff?" Mark said with a trembling voice. "Who is the woman holding them?

42 crawled n his belly and latched onto Marks leg. "Don't go any further Mark, Please? I beg you! Lets leave and don't try and remember!" 42 was sobbing his right eye was crying blood.

Mark closed his eyes and really focused, nonsensical images flashed, people he knew but couldn't remember, a feather from a raven, the woman's face came right before his eyes, with a warm smile, pale skin, deep green eyes.

42 started to scream and thrash on the floor.

Mark fell to his knees still eyes closed, her face was so beautiful, he saw her and his father together with his uncle, a deep electrical shock hit his heart that Mark grunted. He opened his eyes, but the flashes of scenes kept coming with waves of emotion. "Mother?" Mark whispered. The a flash of her face scared, his father holding baby Lawrence, newborn Amber held tightly to his mothers' chest, young Ginger hiding behind her father. He and Beverly facing a door where there was loud shouting and gunshots. He felt fear, excitement, courage, and anger. "Mother!" Mark said louder, he stood up and looked around the room. The noise in his head became deafening. Mark remembered that day so vividly that the last thing he saw was his mother and father terrified, and blood from men attacking them.

42 disappeared, and Mark felt everything inside him start to burn. His muscles tightened, his mind roared, his breathing became hard, his voice started grumbling and he could not contain it. Mark began to scream, then he saw the color red.

Chapter 50

Unknown location

Present

The highly polished mahogany desk reflected the images flickering on the computer screen glowing on the face of the man in the leather office chair. He lowered the lights to see the black and white image clearer. Mark was on the couch of the CIA woman. There was no audio, but he didn't care about what they were saying. There was another girl that could influence Mark Earle but she would rather die than do what he wanted. With her dead most of the biological department would fall with her. The man regretted ever making the deal with Motoko Mashu, more to the point she could see her beloved Mark every day. That was partially true, she saw him on a monitor everyday while the experiments were being done. Her suicide attempts and insistence that Albert Earle would save her made her a liability. She was now in Denver. She was barely holding on to sanity. Like Mark, she buried her emotions deep inside. It was sad, but those were the mistakes of the past. Now is what mattered and what was to come mattered more.

He watched Mark's face as the girl attacked him. No doubt the sexual arousal pheromone was in his blood instead of permeable through the skin. When he cut himself it released and hit this girl. He watched as she went wild on him. Mark held her up with his hands, cradling her as she squirmed all over him. He marveled that Mark could have that control over his raw sexual instincts and not kill her. Mark had more abilities than he was given, thanks to his fathers enhanced genetics. Joseph Earle looked the same as he did 30 years ago on that fateful night when they took over. Captain Gregorovich played his part well, everyone did. The look on Joseph's face weeks later when he found out who the traitor was, was a Kodak moment if there ever was one. Not knowing all this time that he was the one who infiltrated the KGB. Everyday hiding from Elsa's keen scent detection, and the ability to control his own urges was hard to do. The power that was needed to control himself made him even more believable in his character as Colonel Yvgeny Radvic, his fathers name. How he hid in plain view for all those years made him laugh. Right in front of them was Karl Radvic, the second surviving test subject on the Phoenix Project. Now he continued his journey to give the world his powers and Mark was the key.

How to reign in Mark Earle was no doubt a difficult task. He had a weakness for children, but exploiting that would surely lead to death and destruction. Motoko refused to take part in it so did Joseph and Elsa, not like he would do what was asked by his parents anyway. No, there had to be a girl, a special girl who would bring that smile out of him. Radvic watched as he saw Mark's face watching the writhing girl on him. Then it came, the smile just as radiant and genuine as Motoko described. So heartwarming it was that Radvic knew immediately what Motoko went through when Mark shut down emotionally. Now Radvic had his bait, Jane Brown. Mark would move heaven and earth for her and he was about to do just that.

Radvic smiled and said, "Enjoy it while it lasts Mark. Your work is about to get much harder." Radvic watched as the two lovers on the screen went into her bedroom. "Enjoy it very much Mark!" Radvic said. Radvic brought the video to its beginning and pressed pause, he then picked up the phone on his desk, "Bring them in." he said. Pushing a button on his desk, the lights in the room came on, illuminating the entire room. Everything was fine wood and fine leather. Just above the desk mounted on the wall was a painting of a rounded swastika bright as the sun. Just in front of it was a double-edged dagger wrapped in vines and the words printed under the symbol said "Thule-Gesellschaft" in German. Translated it read Thule Society.

The doors opened to his office and Joseph and Elsa Earle walked in. They were not pleased, they never were pleased to come up to his office. Radvic enjoyed this, the look on her face was so fierce and intense. She hated him but they were so forlorn about losing their children, but like Ms. Mashu, they saw the progress and tests on their children. They had much better mental strength than Ms. Mashu, but they still cried when they saw what was done to the children.

"Joseph!" Radvic said as he stood up from his desk, "Elsa my dear! Glad you could come!" he said.

Joseph glared at Radvic, "Like we have any choice you bastard!" Joseph growled. Elsa refused to speak to Radvic for the past 10 years. Radvic smiled and said, "My friends I know we've had our differences in the past, but today is a very special day!." Radvic said as he went to the bar and poured himself and the others a glass of scotch. Radvic handed Joseph a glass then handed one to Elsa who promptly threw the glass against the wall, shattering it. Radvic took a sip and then said, "You realize that is very expensive scotch Elsa?" She folded her arms and took a deep breath to calm herself. She had tried several times to kill him but Radvic was just as much of a quick healer as she is. Radvic motioned for them to sit in the chairs on the side of the room. Radvic sat behind his desk.

"My friends," Radvic said, "Let's get to the point. I have some good news and some very good news this time."

Joseph scoffed, "It's never good with you Radvic."

Radvic laughed, "I know Joseph, I know I'm the villain so it is within my purview to be evil. You know the particulars of my story, my humble beginnings, both of them, but I will honestly tell you that I have no evil planned for today..." Radvic paused, "Well let's say not yet."

Joseph and Elsa said nothing.

"I understand you hatred towards me, I really do. I have hated myself for a long time. The things that were done to me before and after Mengele have given me powers that are not natural and believe me when I say this, I have tried to control them with some success but not total." Radvic explained, "But today, I'm feeling good. We have a reunion of an old friend and some very good news about Mark!"

Joseph and Elsa tensed up when they heard his name. Joseph set his scotch down and stood up. "What have you done to him now!? We have watched for years while you tortured him and injected him with the visions of murderers and rapists. We've seen him be destroyed, we watched as he killed that poor young boy! You have forced us to watch the unspeakable horrors that you have done to him and the others! Then we watched him murder and kill drug dealers and criminals! You allowed that Dr. Meingle to rescue him and the others only to spy on them and force us to watch. You tread carefully Radvic when speaking of him!"

Radvic held his hands up, "Joseph, as I've told you they were all necessary evils for the ultimate plan. Granted I haven't told you the plan yet, but it does involve all of us, and Mark is key, the absolute key to it all."

"WHAT IS THIS GODDAMNED PLAN!?" Joseph bellowed.

Radvic sipped his scotch, "Okay Joseph!" he laughed, "The plan is for Mark and the others to kill us."

Joseph looked at Elsa and then back at Radvic, 'What in the Hell does that mean!?"

Radvic held up his index finger, "One moment please." He picked up the phone and dialed. "Bring him in." he said then hung up. "We are missing one in our party here so just be patient." Radvic said. The office doors opened and two guards escorted an old man into the room. His face was bruised and there was dried blood on his face and clothes. He looked like he was drugged, he looked at the room and gurgled. The guards set him in a chair opposite Joseph and Elsa. Radvic stood up and walked over to the old man.

"My dear friends, This is the esteemed Dr. Meingle! Born on July 9th 1900, former SS doctor and Jewish liberator who also died in 1982 in Berlin Germany but apparently also moved to Brazil in 1979 and has taken over Joseph Mengele's property and estate. He secured the release of your children and has been helping them adapt to the real world. He also has intimate knowledge of the Phoenix project and our time in the tunnels of East Berlin." Radvic said as he opened up a cabinet and took out a syringe. "Would you care to hazard a guess on who this man really is?" Radvic said holding the syringe up and making sure there were no air bubbles in the contents.

Joseph and Elsa looked confused. Elsa stood up and went over to the old man. She held his face up to hers and she saw the eyes. She was astounded and she gasped, "Albert!" she said. Joseph came over and looked at the old man. "My God!" he said, "It is him! What did you do to him!?" Joseph demanded. Radvic got an alcohol swab and swabbed Albert's arm, then injected the syringe into him. "Well Joseph, "Radvic said as he set the syringe back in the cabinet. "Even though he is an old man, he still has some fight in him. We captured him in our Colorado facility, he found out where Johnston and Ms. Mashu were and came in with the intent to kill." Radvic explained.

Albert then tensed up and grunted in pain. He began to shake and lurch in the chair. Joseph and Elsa tried to hold him down. Joseph yelled, "YOU'RE KILLING HIM NOW? IN FRONT OF US? YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Joseph leaped up and punched Radvic. Radvic fell backwards and fell down. He laughed as all of this happened. Albert seemed to get worse and started screaming. Elsa was crying, Radvic was laughing and Joseph was so angry that he kept looking at Radvic and Albert, trying to figure out what to do. Albert began seizing violently. He flailed around and everyone stepped back. Over the ruckus Radvic had gotten up and said, "I'm not killing him Joseph, I'm completing a plan that was hatched at your wedding." Albert flopped onto the floor and became silent.

"What the Hell are you talking about!" Elsa snapped.

"He and Dr. Mashu hatched a plan to inject Albert with your serum, my dear, so that the original plan of curing you and keeping you out of the hands of the wrong people would have a fail-safe." Radvic said as he checked Albert's pulse, it was there, faint but getting stronger. "He's fine, but before they could implement their plan, I took over and Albert has had to suffer from the ravages of time. Not anymore though, That was the serum Dr. Mashu made with a few little, let's say, improvements."

Radvic turned Albert over and the young face of his brother made Joseph gasp. "His hair is still gray though."

Radvic checked Albert's pulse again and said, "Well yes Joseph, the hair cells are dead so they won't go back to their original color until it grows out a little."

"What are these 'improvements' that you said Radvic?" Elsa asked.

Radvic smiled at her, "That's a surprise my dear."

Albert opened up his eyes and saw Radvic "YOU!?" he yelled and jumped up from the floor. Albert grabbed Radvic and punched him. Radvic's body flew across the room and smashed the wet bar. In a split second Albert was on top of Radvic before his body hit the ground, Albert straddled Radvic and kept punching screaming at him. Radvic's blood sprayed across the floor and walls as Albert beat him. Radvic was laughing in between blows. Joseph and Elsa ran to stop Albert but the office doors flew open and 10 guards rushed in and tackled Albert, They were able to subdue Albert after much effort and they began tying him up. Two guards wrapped duct tape across Albert's mouth and the yelling became muffled.

Radvic was on the floor laughing hysterically as his face healed. The guards stood at attention and Radvic got up, took out a handkerchief and began wiping his face. Radvic motioned for the guards to set Albert in the chair he was in. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag on the temper and strength improvements!" Radvic smoothed out his hair and motioned the guards away.

Radvic looked at his wet bar and said, "Well there goes offering you a drink Albert!" And he laughed. "Sit down please." Radvic said to Joseph and Elsa. He went to his desk and pushed a button, the banner behind his desk rose up to the ceiling and revealed a large monitor with the image of Mark and Jane in her Apartment paused.

Albert looked at his brother and Sister-in-Law then began to struggle but Radvic said, "It's no use Albert, those are special carbon fiber restraints, you'll never get out." Albert stopped struggling but kept his angry eyes on Radvic. Radvic pressed play and everyone watched as Mark and Jane interacted on the screen, Radvic narrated. "This is Jane Brown, she is the section chief of South American operations for the CIA. Mark had found out that he had killed many undercover CIA agents as he swept across the country destroying criminal activity, so to make amends he and his siblings came together to make restitution to the families. After all he has seen and done, the high moral of being a good guy wasn't taken away from him. This is good news indeed for you, seems as though he can use his abilities and high moral center to do good..."Mark had just been cut on the video and Jane jumped on him. "Also Mark's blood holds the attractiveness ability as you can see our dear Ms. Brown is helpless." Radvic held his finger over the pause button and waited for the right moment, as soon as Mark smiled he paused. "There! That smile of his, so elusive, but warm, caring, and just wonderful as it has been described. Your son and nephew dear friends is in love with her. His smile has only been seen by three people; his dear mother, Ms. Mashu, and now Ms. Brown." Radvic stopped the video and opened another then paused it.

"What is the meaning of this Radvic!" Joseph growled.

Radvic smiled, "It means that he's no longer the robot that he became after killing that poor child those years ago. He's getting better!" Radvic replied, "Now, this next video is the most recent, it was cut from many hours in Mark's lab at your compound Albert."

Albert said something muffled but Radvic held up his hand, "Yes, I've been watching all this time, but we'll get to that in a bit. I must apologize Albert, I did something in your name to begin the next phase in my plan..."

"To have him kill us?" Elsa interrupted

"Yes my dear, please don't interrupt?" Radvic said, but then continued. "Mark is getting better, but not in a well adjusted normal person sense. He does have a dark side that he is hiding from everyone. Here watch!" Radvic pressed play, the video showed Mark entering his lab and then going to a crate, he put his hand on it for a few moments then opened it up. Mark then lifted the unconscious body and set it on a table then began assembling a machine.

Radvic narrated, "As you can see Mark has some plan for this person. Something sinister and dark to be sure. If you can't tell, the person is the son of our dear friend General Davidoff. Unfortunately The son did not follow in his fathers footsteps and became a top lieutenant with the Chechen Mafia. He sold Arms, Drugs, Underage Prostitutes and has killed many people including those he raped. One exception from his penchant for rape was our dear Amber, which young Davidoff here and his men attacked on the plane from Alaska to your place in Brazil Albert." Radvic looked at Albert who said something muffled. Radvic replied, "Yes I'm sure you are aware of that but, mommy and daddy here didn't know that. Elsa began crying. Joseph tensed his body. Radvic laughed at their reactions. "Not to worry friends, While hooded and bound per my instructions, Mark killed two of the men and severely injured young Davidoff here. Your daughter is very resilient, I've seen that such nonsense like that will never bother her." Radvic turned his attention to the screen and narrated, "As you can see Mark has constructed a guillotine machine to cut off the segmented limbs of young Davidoff here, but it gets better!" Radvic un-muted the sound and the brief interaction between Mark and Davidoff began. Hearing their son's voice for the first time in years both parents had tears. Mark flipped a switch and they heard a loud humming sound. "Watch Davidoff's right hand, I love this!" Radvic said. They all watched as the small blade turned from dark to red to white hot, they watched as Mark flipped the switch and the blade cut off Davidoff's right hand. Mark picked it up and set it on Davidoff's chest and said "That's one."

Elsa turned away, Joseph whispered "My God!" and Radvic laughed heartily. "He is something special isn't he!?" Albert began to cry.

The video sped up and jump cut between gaps of time. "He did this for a few weeks to Davidoff, he made that man suffer as much as he could. Mark never released Davidoff from the pain blockers, he psychologically tortured him, then after all the limbs were taken, Mark would spends hours there just staring at Davidoff. Davidoff eventually became catatonic, but Mark was able to snap him out of it on the final day.

The video came upon Mark's lab and Mark apologized to Davidoff then injected him with Morphine. Radvic scoffed, "This is still his inner turmoil of good and bad, he let Davidoff go peacefully. Not to mention that while all of this was happening, your children were packing up and leaving Brazil for the United States. Plus, Ms. Brown was upstairs the whole time and they made love like crazy and cemented their relationship. Now here is the part I was apologizing for Albert. I wrote him a letter in your name explaining your quick and sudden departure and then gave cues to Mark's memory and saturated the paper with memory enhancing powder which absorbed through the skin and led to this."

They all watched and listened as Mark whispered their names, shook his head, then fell to his knees. The color drained from Joseph, Elsa, and Albert's faces as they heard the excruciating painful scream come from Mark. They watched as he fell to the floor and began sobbing. After a minute, Mark growled and stood up. Mark went to the far side of the lab and dragged a crate across the floor. Mark tore it open with his bare hands and revealed a Nuclear Warhead. They watched as he set a timer and growled while doing it, a few times he stopped rigging the warhead and yelled angrily and threw various objects around the room, then he would quickly compose himself and fix the timer. When he was done, the timer was for one hour. They watched as Mark tore up the letter and left the room. The video sped up and the counter reached zero then a bright flash then static.

Radvic closed the media player and then typed on the keyboard. A satellite image of a smoldering crater was shown and the date was yesterday.

"This is formerly the compound and roughly a few square miles of Brazilian jungle." Radvic said, "There are reports out of Sao Paulo that a naval ship was taken, the crew killed by being ripped to pieces and before the tracking system was deactivated, the course of the ship was heading Northeast. I think it is safe to say that our boy is on his way to Germany to find you."

Joseph wiped tears away from his face "You are a Bastard Radvic!" He held Elsa who was quietly sobbing holding Joseph tightly. "You are insane!" Joseph whispered.

Radvic smiled, "Probably, but my plan has been working perfectly and now it is time for the next phase."

"He's going to kill us now?"Joseph scoffed.

Radvic laughed, "No Joseph!" He laughed again, "Mark is far from ready to do that!" Radvic laughed even harder.

"NOTHING YOU SAY MAKES ANY SENSE!!" Elsa screamed.

Radvic looked disappointed, "You really have no clue do you? This plan has been going on for over 60 years!"

Joseph shook his head and Albert mumbled through the duct tape.

Radvic got up and stood in front of his desk. "It was I who sent you the letter in 1962 Joseph that led you to your wife and eventually your children. I came to the project because I wanted to oversee the project to eradicate our abilities so I could eventually take it over and make the entire human race better than what it is! My God people! I resurrected the Thule Society not to build a master race but to make the others subservient, I...we are going to purify the human race, eradicate evil, make everyone better, smarter, stronger so we can destroy our destructive nature. I'm going to kill all the old rules, we will topple governments, end corruption of policy and get rid of genetics that have hurt us all since the beginning of time! We are going to do a forced evolution of mankind for the better!" Radvic was almost manic, "In my planning of this it became apparent that even though we will be hailed as saviors, we all must die, including the children to end the previous hypocrisy and evil that was mankind for good! I have spent years placing the pieces and now it is time to play the game! Mark was the first move! The game is on!"

"You can't possibly control Mark or the other children!" Joseph said through clenched teeth, "You can't plan for every variable. We will have no part in this plan!"

"It's to late Joseph," Radvic said solemnly, "You have already done your part. Mark and his siblings have already started it and there are fail-safes in place. I know his weaknesses, I have you three, I have men on the inside of their new company, I have men in the governments of all over the world, I have someone so close to him that in an instant I can make him do what I want."

"How could you possibly do that!?" Elsa said

Radvic smiled and chuckled, "Even though she doesn't know it yet, Jane Brown is my daughter and I made her to have certain traits that can be activated at anytime." Radvic laughed and said, "There is no going back now!
