""So I looked, and behold, a pale horse." "And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hell followed with him." "And power was given to them over a fourth of the Earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death... and by the beasts of the earth. "" "Oh, God!" ""Lord, how long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph?"" "Like yourself, Mr Watts, the Millennium Group is not content to sit around waiting for a happy ending." "We're calling it "The Trust"." "We have two ex-KGB, two ex-Mossad agents working alongside an old Company man." "Who'd have believed it?" "The rest of us you know from the old Bureau days." "Duncan, Vitaris, Brian Dixon." "We feel, Frank, that we have taken the best elements of those organisations and dumped the worst, and put together a corporate security consultation dream team." "That sounds great, Rich." "I'm really happy for you and those guys." "I tell you what, Frank, we've taken off like a rocket." "And it's notjust disgruntled employees and stalkers." "We're working with Western corporations in Moscow, harassed by Russian gangsters." " Threat assessment?" " Yes, sir." "And we've worked with the Japanese officials about the Aum Shinri Kyo sect." " Even governments in Columbia." " You don't have to pitch me, sell me." "I just can't tell you how many times one of us from the Bureau says," " "We could sure use Frank on this one. "" " You want me to work for Brian Dixon?" "No, even Dix didn't want that." "No, you're his idol." "We all agreed that the only way to do this is for you to come aboard as a full partner." "What?" "My hunch is you're tight on funds." "The company will take care of the buy-in money, and you can work against it." "I don't know what the Millennium Group pays you, but we'd be in the ballpark." "And, the advantage is this one's yours." "So you know what it is, and we're all upfront about everything." "You'd have more time with Jordan, and the potential to make more for her future." "Hold on just one second." " Hello." " Frank Black, please." " May I ask who's calling?" " Dan Sullivan." "I'm a public-relations administrator at St Sebastian's Hospital." "I'm Frank Black." "I apologise for the delay in notifying you." "However, it took us some time to find the next of kin." "Next of kin?" "Our deepest condolences, Mr Black." "Your father Henry passed away in our Intensive Care Unit at 6.02 this morning." "You can't die when it's your birthday." "Right?" "I'm afraid no one gets any free days, sweetheart." "What happens when you die?" "I don't know." "I know it sounds scary, but no one knows." "Maybe that's the beautiful part of it." "Thank you." "Kids don't die." "Right?" "Actually, some do." "So that's why we all have to appreciate..." "Remember that word?" "If we appreciate each other, and take care of each other while we're alive..." "Grandpa will appreciate this." "Are you lonely without your mommy and daddy?" "Come on, sweetie." "We'll go and wait in the car." "I'm very lonely." "This is 555-0114." "Please leave a message." "Lara, this is Frank Black, here's my thing." "I've been trying to reach you." "Could you please call me back?" "I want to..." "I need someone to talk with." "I hope you're all right." "Bye-bye." "Jason Mogilny, he's 32." "His roommate reports he left his residence two days ago to come fishing." "He was discovered by a ranger this morning." "Crime-scene team didn't find any new tyre tracks on the dirt road." "There's no footprints in view, no disturbance in the foliage." "The only sign of resistance were these two trails leading to the body." "The body appears to have been exsanguinated." "A precursory ME exam indicates no puncture wounds large enough to expel that much blood - an entire six pints." "No abrasions or lacerations." "No sign of any struggle whatsoever, except for these drag marks." "There are several one-inch diameter holes in areas about the body." "Why stop at the riverbank?" "Why notjust toss him into the river?" "Peter?" "These are not drag marks." "These are maggot migrating trails." "Postfeeding larvae leaving the body." "That means that there's no evidence of a struggle whatsoever." "I'll have the Group send a pathologist to extract DNA, because of the degradation." "Have you been in touch with Lara?" "I've been trying to get ahold of her for several days." "Is she on assignment for the Group?" "Last I heard, she was at home awaiting assignment." "Let's get her here." "We're gonna need all the help we can get." "Sorry, the number you have dialled is no longer in service." "Please dial again or ask the operator for assistance." "This was not a homicide, but all indications point to a sudden and horrible death." "Dementia, severe blood loss." "Status epilepticus." "That's continuous state of seizure." "Impaired swallowing reflex." " This man drowned in his own blood." " What caused this?" "I'm familiar with what we've found, but I've never heard of it occurring simultaneously." "There is evidence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy." "TSEs." "It's a blanket term covering a number of brain diseases." "You might be aware of it as "mad cow disease"?" "Now, this is transmissible, but the infectious agent is believed not to be viral or bacterial, but a protein, called a prion." "It's not even alive, and although these diseases can produce astrogliosis, there, it's the enlargement of the cells in the brain which fight infection." "TSEs produce no signs of infection." "There's no fever, there's no detectable antibody activity." "The incubation period can be decades." "But in the case of this victim, there was antibody activity." "Evidence of viral infection as well." "Just like an ambush." "I would guess the incubation time to be minutes." "Nearly all the tissue cells were attacked, including the brain, causing the blood vessels to leak." "His blood was unable to coagulate." "He literally sweated blood." "I've never seen such a thing." "Have you, Peter?" "Have you seen such a thing?" "I've read reports of such a thing." "They're connected to a mutant strain of the Marburg virus." "Uh..." "I'll immediately contact the CDC, and send a sample to Mill Hill in Britain as well." "As a precaution, I strongly believe that everybody exposed to this victim, the park ranger, the crime-team members, you two gentlemen and myself should be quarantined, pending blood and cell-sample analysis." "Thank you, Mr Watts." "The baby has been in the cooler for weeks." "Marks on the first cervical vertebrae confirm the head was cut off." "Probably with a kitchen knife." "You have seen it before, haven't you?" "The Group knows what this is." " The Group knows what it could become." " Don't." "Don't speak to me that way." "I'm alone in a cell." "I'm away from my family." "I'm in a danger, and I don't know what it is, but you do." "This really sums up my involvement with the Group." "And it does for you too, Peter." " I know." " Then why?" "Why do you do this?" "Why?" "I don't know why!" "Maybe I just have to have faith in something." "Faith fills in the holes of uncertainty." "Elements that are never meant to be known:" "God, death." "The Group creates uncertainties with secrets." "That's not faith, that's control." "They know the sickness that killed Mogilny." "And if they won't inform anybody outside the Group, they are not seeing prophecy fulfilled." "They are fulfilling their own, for the purpose of control." ""And behold a pale horse. "" ""And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with them and they were given power over a fourth of the Earth to kill with sword, with hunger, with death and by the beasts of the Earth. "" " "When he opened... "" " Revelation is not a prophecy!" "There is no millennium!" ""Then they called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Lord?"'" ""'How long until you judge, and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the Earth?"'" " Happy Mother's Day." " Oh, thank you." "They're beautiful." " What are you doing ringing the bell?" " It's not our house any more." "Don't you ever say that." "It'll always be your home." " Is Dad watching the Padre game?" " Hi, Dad." " It's over." " Oh, yeah, I spaced." "They played Atlanta." "All morning with your father swearing at the Braves' announcers." "Ever hear those guys?" "The Braves could be down by ten, with two gone and they go," ""Well, if Klesco could hit one out, or Chipper Jones hits one out... "" " You never hear Jerry Coleman do that." " Mother's Day." "No sports." " Oh, you know I don't mind." " And I'm cooking now." " They nearly done?" " Let's have a look." "Oh, yeah." " I'll get the rest of the stuff." " I'll help." "Here, boy." "What you got?" " Don't you ever get tired of this music?" " Be quiet, it's Mother's Day." " This stuff's getting big again." " See, I'm hipper than you think." "Oh, wrong pipe." "Tim, pass me an ear of corn, would you?" "Barbecue sauce get on the corn?" " This chicken cooked enough?" " Mine's a little overcooked." "Mom?" "I'll listen to whatever music I damn well please!" "We were justjoking around, Mom." "You have some ketchup on your blouse." "Oh, God!" "Help me!" "911." "What is your emergency?" "Hello?" "Anyone there?" "Hello?" "Hello, you've reached 911." "Please report your emergency." "Is anyone there?" "Thank you, Mr Black." " Peter?" "Are you all right?" " Lara is safe, Frank." "I don't think it's right you should be made to worry." " Blood test, Mr Black." " You just took some half an hour ago." "What do they do?" "Pay you by the hour?" "You guys just took some." "I was quite concerned for a while, Mr. Black." "Your T-and-B-cell count flew up there." "Your body temperature was increasing." "All signs of infection, but we couldn't identify any known infectious agent." "I was prepared to administer antibiotics and other medicines, but then all of a sudden, you returned to normal." " Peter Watts the same?" " Yes." "Nearly identical pattern for Mr Watts, the crime-scene team, Dr Schroeder." "Everyone who was in quarantine." "I think we're out of danger." "I'm here to accept your offer." "I'm really grateful to you guys, and I'm anxious to begin working with you." " But we have to wait." " We can no longer communicate by phone." "The Trust understands the danger you're in." "We've heard about the Millennium Group." "There are people involved." "I can't leave them behind." "I've got to get them out." "Investigating the Millennium Group will be the most difficult case you've ever had." "They don't tolerate enemies." " I've been involved in that, Richard." " So how can we help you get out?" "I need your skills to find someone." "Lara Means?" "Soylent green is people." " Yeah." " Don't." "Don't pursue this." "We have to talk." "Jordan has been having these intense, reoccurring nightmares." "She says that there's ajungle, a wall of trees, and there are these men, who she calls "bad men", although she can't say why." "And they go into the jungle, but then all of these angry, screaming monkeys come out of the trees." "The monkeys are covered with blood." "I don't know where a six year old gets such images." "She dreams that we are the only ones left in the world." "And then suddenly we - you, me and her - are in a cabin in the woods." "And then she sees me walk off into the woods, leaving her and you alone." "She sees your father chasing after me." "I have talked to her and listened to her, suspecting separation anxiety because of her first experience of loss through death." "At your hospital, I need to speak to a physician with a background in research." " Someone I can trust." " Is this for an investigation?" "A Group investigation?" " Ugh!" " Hey!" "Look at what they have done to you." "You care more about their concerns than your daughter." "How could you let this happen?" "These nightmares are occurring because you are gone and you are gone because of them." "They have so engulfed your life that you don't even care about your own daughter." " These are the psychological tactics..." " Of a cult!" "Listen, I'm notjust making up some kind of simple deal." "I'd never lie to you." "I can't take... the heartache of not watching Jordan grow up right in front of my eyes." "Or being there every day." "Do this for me without question." "I'll leave the Group." "We'll go back to the yellow house as a family." "As a family." "OK." "Open up." "That's all I need, Frank." "When you get the results, could you please not phone, fax, or email me?" "Just seal the results and give them to Catherine." "Thank you." "The last call from her apartment in St Louis was on April 23 to Peter Watts." "Her apartment has been sublet to a couple with no history to Miss Means." "On April 25, Lara Means vacated the residence." "She left no forwarding address." "The investigation at this juncture proved difficult." "No credit-card transactions, no presence on airline passenger manifests." "Miss Means appeared to have vanished." "Acting upon information provided by Mr Black, regarding Peter Watts'statements that Miss Means was safe, the investigation turned to Mr Watts, under the possibility he may be in contact with her." "Via the use of electronic surveillance, it was confirmed that Mr Watts was aware of her location." "Attached, please find a detailed report of Mr Watts'activities, and arranged travel destinations." "The purpose of his travel remains undetermined." "But evidence indicates the location may be the current whereabouts of Lara Means." "Section four." "No sign of him here." "If someone is out there, please help!" "Is there anyone out there?" "We're desperate here." "Oh, God... oh..." "Say hello." "Come on, say it." "You can do it." "Come on, say hello." "Peter, Frank." "This is the last message I'm leaving, I'm not gonna page you." "But we have to talk." "Dad, how come people can talk and animals can't?" "That's just the way it worked out, I guess." "That doesn't mean they can't communicate." "If you take care of Kenny, you're gonna know if he's happy, or sad, or scared." ""The way it works out. " Does that mean it's the way it's supposed to go?" "Can I talk to you about the bad dreams you've been having?" "Jordan." "Jordan, listen." "Come on." "We should leave the monkeys in the trees." "What did you say?" "Mom!" "Dad bought me a parakeet, just like I wanted." "Oh, wow!" "I thought taking care of something that was alive would help her feel better." " He's pretty." " Yep." "Maybe I ought to get you a bird." "Oh..." " Peter." " How did you get access to Blue Level?" "Roedecker was so disgruntled when you fired him that he showed me this trick." "It's the only way I could contact you." " Talk." " You don't want to talk because you're afraid." "Believe me, you have every reason to be." "I ran some tests of my own." "They have done something to us..." "that may affect everyone." "You understand this?" "The blood tests indicate the presence of genetically altered Ebola virus." "There is also evidence of prions, which in nature have no RNA." "They're not alive." "In your body there are prions with RNA." "Exactly." "Because they don't occur naturally." " Someone gave these prions life." " The report says they're inactive." "Life was taken away from these creatures to render a vaccine." "It's a DNA vaccine against the disease that killed Mogilny by the river." "It's out there spreading." "But you and I were given a vaccine... by the Millennium Group." "In quarantine?" "I don't recall anything but blood being drawn." "All right." "A team came in." "They weren't hospital doctors." "They gave us the vaccine while appearing to be taking blood, so we wouldn't suspect." "It's an old magician's trick." "It's all an illusion, Peter." "The Millennium Group's an illusion." "Ceremonies and secrets that only certain members can understand?" "Collecting the Cross of the Crucifixion?" "Ancient texts for future prophecies?" "It's all a diversion." "Distraction from the problems they're trying to control." "This is not about the end of the world, it's about controlling it." "That's not who I am, and that's, I believe, not who you are, Peter." "They came to me at a time in my life when evil - there's no other word for it - had lost all proportion with the world around me." "I was witness to crimes that had no basis in human motivation." "There has to be more to it than just us." "There has to be." "It all has to lead in some inevitable direction." "Their answers touched on all my questions." "I believe it." "The Group knows there is an infectious man-made agent." "If reports are correct, it is a plague that can travel the world in days, killing people in seconds." " We were vaccinated against this agent?" " Why didn't they want us to know that?" "The Group is not the solution, it's the problem, Peter." " I'm not gonna leave the Group." " Then investigate it with me." "Question your faith." "If I'm wrong, then it's confirmed, you're stronger." "If they found out I was doing that, a made member investigating the Group, they would kill me." "If I'm right, we'll save lives." "Tomorrow morning, at 4.13am... a 5.2 earthquake will hit the Seattle area." "How can you know that?" "The way we knew the Kobe quake would occur a year after the Northridge quake." "We knew where to look. "There shall be great earthquakes in various places, and famine, and pestilence. "" ""And there shall be fearful sights and great signs from Heaven. "" "If this occurs will you become a full member of the Millennium Group?" "No more questions?" "No more doubts?" "Hello." "It's all right, Frank." "There's no need to doubt." "They're right." "The things I'm seeing, oh..." "The things they show me." "The secrets you will learn." "Lara?" "Lara?" "I made this!"