"This way." "50,000 years ago, mankind faced its first major threat of extinction, a devastation rocked by nature: the Ice Age." "It lasted 5,000 years, rendered four fifths of the earth's surface uninhabitable, and wiped out all but the hardiest of nature's creations." "One of these few was man." "From that devastation dawned a new age - and a new hope." "Phoenix-like, man arose from the frozen wilderness and set forth upon his dream." "Mankind has endured many catastrophes since then, but none so grave as the one which faces him today." "The economic crisis of the past decade has brought inflation, famine and chaos to every corner of the globe." "Some label it the Great Recession." "Others are calling it Armageddon, that final upheaval of the world foretold by the prophets of old." "But amid all the pessimism, one voice rings out its faith in the future:" "Thorn, the world's leading light in building a new tomorrow." "Trite, rhetorical, clich?" "d, inane." "Viewers don't pay much attention to that, Damien." "No, you're right." "And there won't be much attention to that bullshit either." "I said I wanted action, not words." "I wanna see Thorn at work." "A thousand starving kids clamouring for a bellyful of Thorn soya." "Thorn medical teams, construction, engineering." "Instead of which, you spend half the commercial giving us a third-grade version of the history of the Ice Age." "Do we have footage of the Australian drought relief?" "Sure, but nothing new, and most of it's been seen on TV already." "We'll find you something." "In the meantime, go with the old commercial." "I don't want that one used." " What have we got coming up?" " Botswana next week, then the Aswan Dam." " Can we get a film unit to Botswana?" " Sure, but no relief unit till after the coup." " No one's sure how long that's gonna take." " All right." "It'll have to be the Aswan Dam." "Have a film unit there when it goes." "Make sure they give our relief units coverage." "Don't let the Red Cross beat them to it." "Why don't you go?" "Now that would be a real coup." "Damien Thorn supervising relief work in person!" "No, I've got to stay here." " What for?" " To be on hand when the president calls me." "He's gonna offer me the post of ambassador to Great Britain." " I beg your pardon?" " Are you familiar with the Book of Hebron?" "No, I don't know anything about the Book of Hebron." "It's in the Apocrypha - one of the more obscure backwaters of the Septuagint Bible." ""And it shall come to pass that in the end days the beast shall reign one hundred score and thirty days and nights."" ""And the faithful shall cry unto the Lord:" "Wherefore art thou in the day of evil?"" ""And the Lord shall hear their prayers."" ""And out of the angel isle he shall bring forth a deliverer, a holy lamb of God who shall do battle with the beast... and shall destroy him."" ""The beast shall reign one hundred score and thirty days and nights"" "is another way of saying seven years." "That's the time I've been head of Thorn." ""And out of the angel isle he shall bring forth a deliverer."" "The "angel isle" - the original Latin has "exinsula angelorum"." "England." "The Second Coming." "Only it won't be the beast that is destroyed." "It'll be the Nazarene." "You said you were gonna be offered the post of ambassador to Great Britain." "What about our present ambassador?" "Afternoon, sir." "Good afternoon, Mr. Ambassador." "Good afternoon, Mr. Ambassador." "I just had Mr. Sears on the line." " No calls from anyone." " He said it was urgent and I was to remind..." " Press office." " This is the ambassador." "I want a press conference." "Three o'clock." "Come in." "Oh, my God!" "I know that." "No." "I'm not giving out any statements - to him or to anyone else." "It'll only make matters worse." "Make sure that the cable is noncommittal as well." "Yeah." "Let me see it before you send it." "Gee." "Can you believe that?" "Some sons of bitches from the Egyptian opposition party want us to endorse their condemnation of Israel for blowing up the Aswan Dam." "How the hell do we know Israel's responsible?" " My guess is it's the work of the NLF." " Who?" "The Nubian Liberation Front - a quasi-Marxist outfit." "They've had a gripe against Cairo since the '60s, when the High Aswan Dam was built." "They claim that it submerged 50 per cent of their homeland, which, of course, it did." "Until now." "How'd you get this information?" "One of our Thorn relief teams - they were on the scene ahead of the Egyptians." "I wanna take a look at that." "It's quite unofficial, of course." "I don't have to point out to you that... if we can prove it had nothing to do with Israel, we could be averting one mother of a major flare-up." "I'll have to check it myself." "I wouldn't want to feed the White House false information." "As to the other matter," "I'm afraid I can't accept the post." "If I were ambassador to Great Britain, I'd have to relinquish my control over Thorn." "Hell, no!" "We can take care of that for you." " It is against the law." " Then we'll just have to bend it a little." "But there are two other conditions." "What?" "Well, first, it could only be for two years, because of running for the Senate in '84." "And second, I'd want the presidency of the Youth Council." " I've already promised that to Foster." " I realise it's a problem." "The NL... what?" "The Nubian Liberation Front." " Craig." " Yes, Mr. President." "I've just appointed Mr. Damien Thorn as our new ambassador to the Court of St James." "Have Eisenberg prepare a press release to that effect." "Right away, Mr. President." " Craig." " Yes, Mr. President." "Add to that that I've also appointed Mr. Thorn as president of the United Nations Youth Council." " But I thought..." " Just do it... will you?" "Well, Damien, your father would have been very proud of you." "I appreciate your sentiments, sir." "Cassiopeia." "Right ascension." "One hour, 16 minutes, 12." "Select declination at 22 degrees on an eight-by-four ratio." "Super grid R-3 at eight diagonal." " Eight diagonal." " Increase focal length to max." " Hold." "OK, Tony." "Hard copy." " Right." "Can I see the cell from June 1953?" "June 1953..." "Right here." "And..." "December 1928." " Well, what would you say?" " I'd say I was dreaming." " And the rate of acceleration?" " A couple of thousand parsecs, minimum!" " I'd say we're in for one hell of a bang." " No." "An alignment, not a collision." "Let's transfer to the simulator, see if we can't get an accurate schedule predict." "Right." "Whenever you're ready." "..verbo sanctifiicatur omnia benedictionem tuam effunde super scuti istas." "Per Christum dominum nostrum." "Amen." "Oh, blessed Saviour, who hath, through the confession of thy departed servant Father Spiletto, revealed unto us the identity of the Antichrist here on earth." "Grant us thy strength and guidance in our holy mission, that we may rid the world of Damien Thorn and thus ensure the safety of thy Second Coming." "Oh, Lord, bless these seven sacred knives from Megiddo, which thou hast seen fit to return unto us, that they may serve their holy purpose and destroy the Prince of Darkness, even as he seeketh to destroy thy child of light." "I now call upon each of you to come forward and arm yourselves in the name of the Lord." "Brother Martin." "Brother Paulo." "Each of us must pray to our Lord in the silence of his own soul." "Since we are prepared to lay down our lives in the pursuit of this enterprise, we must seek final absolution from God now," "Lest we be denied the redemption of the blessed last sacrament at the moment of death." "Above all, we must ask God to grant us courage, guidance and strength, as we prepare to do battle with Satan and his son, the Antichrist." "The exact hour of our Lord's Second Coming, for which centuries have wept, has now been revealed to us by signs in the heavens." "It is imperative that the destruction of the Antichrist takes place before then, and we have but a short time in which to carry it out." "My brothers, remember that these seven daggers and ourselves are all that stand between the son of Satan and the Son of God, for they alone can destroy him." " Can't quite place it, can you?" " No." "Waiter, let me have a look at the label on the bottle of wine we're drinking, will you?" "Is he really only 32?" "No idea." "Shouldn't be surprised." "Americans always seem to think" " they can run before they can walk." " Like their wine, what?" "The answer is yes." "He's the youngest ambassador ever appointed by the president." " Are you part of his staff?" " I'm his private secretary, Harvey Dean." " Kate Reynolds, British television." " My wife Barbara." " How do you do?" " We're fine." " Lafite-Thorn." " Must have bought the bugger out!" "Amazing what they can make with soya beans these days." " Would you like to meet the ambassador?" " Yes." "Yes, I would." "Thank you." "Be back in a jiffy." " Good evening, Mrs. Dean." " Hello." " When is the happy event?" " Next week, I hope." "Damien." "I'd like you to meet Kate Reynolds." "Miss Reynolds works for British television." "She has her own weekly news show." "It's called The Worldin Vision." " In Focus." " Excuse me." "The Worldin Focus." "Or out of focus, as the case may be." "How do you do, Miss Reynolds?" "The Barbara Walters of British television?" "On my salary?" "They don't call us the British Broadcasting Charity for nothing(!" ")" "Well, that makes two of us." "I'm in the charity business as well." "What can I do for you?" "Actually, I'd like to talk about doing an interview with you sometime, concentrating on your views on youth." "I've heard a lot about them from my son Peter." "He's only 12, but your ideas have made a big impression on him." "Excuse me." "The Israeli ambassador has to go." "Of course." "I'd be pleased to talk to you." "Give Harvey a call." "He'll arrange a time." " How about Sunday?" " Well, Sundays I usually spend with Peter." "Fine." "Bring Peter along too." "Excuse me." "Come on, you two!" "You'll get wet!" "Mummy, look what Damien's given me!" " No, you can't." " He can." "He just did." "It's safer with him." "If I have a collision, we might have some sort of international crisis on our hands." "I'm not sure you should spoil him so much." "Well, to tell you the truth, he's been spoiling me." "It's not every day you get the chance to be a boy again." "Well..." "English weather." " Go on, dog." "Go and get it." " Tell me about Peter's father." "He died just after Peter was born." " Have you never thought of getting married?" " No." "I'm too much of a skeptic." " Oh, yes?" " Besides, I've never really had the time." "Peter's always wanted me to buy him a dog." "Well, you should." "Dogs and boys go great together." "We've had one of these dogs in the family since I was a kid." " They used to march with the Roman army." " Did they?" "They're as old as sin." " Feel like some lunch?" " Good idea." "..probably realised my favourite subject is me, not only because I'm very beautiful..." "I am beautiful!" "People from all over the world came for our actors, but where are the new ones gonna train if we haven't got any stages?" "And the reason we haven't got stages is because people are not going to the theatre!" "They are watching television." "You're sitting in a bar, and at 11 o'clock they say "You have 10 minutes to drink up."" "You've paid a fortune for that drink and they throw you out in the streets." ""The day of Christ is at hand" wrote St Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians." ""Yet let no man be deceived, for that day shall not come until the man of sins is revealed, the son of perdition, the Antichrist."" ""And be not deceived by him, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."" "The hour of Christ's Second Coming draws nigh." "The prophecies fulfilled one by one." "Right now, my friends, in the constellation of Cassiopeia, a holy trinity of stars is converging to herald our Lord's Second Coming." ""Rejoice, you heavens and you that dwell in them" commands St John in Revelation." ""But woe to you, sea and earth, for the devil hath come down to you in great fury, knowing that his time is short, and the Prince of Darkness shall be mighty."" ""And he shall flourish and destroy the mighty."" ""And he shall cause craft to prosper in his hands."" ""And by peace shall he destroy many!"" "I followed them through the crowd, but couldn't get close enough." "He was with a woman and a boy of about 11." " Who was the woman?" " She's a television interviewer." "I asked someone who went up to her for an autograph." "Kate Reynolds." "She apparently is quite some celebrity." " And the boy?" " Probably her son." "Please, Father, let it be me." "Let me be the bait to flush him out and destroy him." " Thorn and I have made contact eye to eye." " That is exactly why it cannot be you." "We have to strike him off guard." "Yet the target must be still..." "for the marksman to be sure of his aim." "A sitting target..." " A sleeping target?" " No." "His residence is guarded day and night." " How about the embassy?" " Impossible." "There's our sitting target." "Where?" "The Israeli government has denied responsibility for the Aswan Dam disaster, which has so far claimed the lives ofover50,000 Egyptians, though many fear that the final death toll may reach twice that number." "Already typhoid has broken out among the country's thousands of homeless refugees..." " It's OK." "I'll do it myself." " ..and a major epidemic seems unavoidable." "The Egyptian government has revealed that Thorn is supplying soya..." "At the centre of Thorn's global operations is a man who has become a legend for his time:" "Damien Thorn." "Did you see that woman?" "It's not a woman." "It's a guy." "It's a faggot!" " Dressed up like a woman." "It's a faggot!" " They're all God's children, Harvey." "..in a career that's already being compared to that of the late John F Kennedy." "After majoring at Yale, Damien Thorn came to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, where he captained the Oxford eight to victory and won the Westchester Cup at polo." "In 1971 he took over his uncle's business, Thorn industries, and in seven years has turned it into the world's largest multinational, producing everything from nuclear armaments to soya bean food products." "And now, at the age of 32, Damien Thorn has..." "Are you lost?" "You're not connected with this programme, are you?" " This is stage eight, isn't it?" " Four." " Studio eight's the next one along." " Yes." "Thank you." "A brilliant career for one so young, Mr. Ambassador." "Not when you remember that Alexander the Great was commanding the Macedonian army at 16." "Of course, that's how many people view you - as a sort of 20th-century Alexander," "Leading the world out of the doldrums of recession into the golden era of prosperity." " You've seen too many of our commercials." " But it is the image you put across." "Well, the image of Thorn as a corporation, not a personal image of myself." "But yes, it's true." "I certainly have tremendous optimism for the future, and I wanna see Thorn play a major part in achieving it." "You have an interest in young people." "What are your plans as president of the United Nations Youth Council?" "A great many things, but I think the most important task I have is to help young people gain a more prominent role in world affairs than the one we currently afford them, or rather deny them." "I mean, what is this arrogance that makes us think that we know better than them?" "We call them immature and naive. "Wait till you're grown-up." "Then we'll listen to you."" "What we really mean is "Wait till you're grown old." "Then you'll think the way we do."" "And so youth stands aside because it has no other choice, and we set to work." "We ply them with our values, we indoctrinate them with our mediocrity." "Until finally they emerge from their brainwashing education as so-called fully fledged citizens, clipped, impotent, and above all safe." "Damien!" "Grab one of these extinguishers!" "Come on!" "God!" "I need a drink." "I keep seeing that face." "How about you?" "You want one?" "That was an assassination attempt." "What?" "I found this on the studio floor." "This is one of the seven knives of Megiddo - the only thing on earth that can kill me." "They were discovered in Israel when I was a child." "An archaeologist, Bugenhagen, found them." "He gave them to my father to destroy me." "But I had the love of my true father to protect me." "You said there were seven." "Where are the other six?" "That's what we have to find out." "Someone must have dug them up from the old Thorn Museum in Chicago." "And now they're in the hands of someone who knows who I am." "And whoever knows who you are must also know the prophecy." "Get hold of Buher right away." "Tell him to get to Chicago as soon as he can." "Excuse me, sir." "The Harley Street Hospital has just telephoned for Mr. Dean." "Barbara." "I..." "She went into labor this afternoon." "Can I borrow your car?" "Call by the embassy first." "Get hold of Buher right away." "Are you OK, Damien?" ""In a statement issued from the American embassy," "Ambassador Thorn stated that he was satisfied that there was no connection between himself and the unfortunate victim."" "Thorn knows it was no accident." "Our priority now is to locate the holy child as soon as he's born." "Brother Simeon and Brother Antonio," "I want you to make ready to come with me tonight to ascertain his birthplace, for the hour draws near." "The rest of you must wait until we return before deciding how we proceed." "Our efforts must be strictly coordinated next time." "We can't afford to make a second mistake." " George." " Yes, Mr. Ambassador?" " I won't be needing anything else tonight." " Right you are, sir." "Good night." "My father," "Lord of silence, supreme god of desolation, who mankind reviles yet aches to embrace," "strengthen my purpose to save the world from a second ordeal of Jesus Christ and his grubby, mundane creed." "2,000 years have been enough." "Show man instead the raptures of thy kingdom." "Infuse in him the grandeur of melancholy, the divinity of loneliness, the purity of evil, the paradise... of pain." "What perverted imagination has fed man the lie that hell festers in the bowels of the earth?" "There is only one hell - the leaden monotony of human existence." "There is only one heaven." "The ecstasy of my father's kingdom." "Nazarene charlatan, what can you offer humanity?" "Since the hour you vomited forth from the gaping wound of a woman, you've done nothing but drown man's soaring desires in a deluge of sanctimonious morality." "You've inflamed the pubertal mind of youth with your repellent dogma of original sin." "And now you're resolved on denying him ultimate joy beyond death by destroying me!" "But you will fail, Nazarene." "As you have always failed." "We were both created in man's image." "But while you were born of an impotent god," "I was conceived of a jackal." "Born of Satan, the desolate one, the nail..." "Your pain on the cross was but a splinter compared to the agony of my father, cast out from heaven, the fallen angel, banished, reviled..." "I would drive deeper the thorns into your rancid carcass, you profaner of vices." "Cursed Nazarene." "Satan," "I will avenge thy torment by destroying the Christ for ever." "Father De Carlo, welcome." "Gentlemen." "The simulator has established the approximate location over which the three stars are to converge." " How accurate is that?" " To about 50 square kilometers." "Once the alignment has taken place, we can narrow it down to the nearest square metre." "Excuse me, sir." "We're at T minus 500." "The final countdown is about to start." "There, gentlemen, are your three stars." "The waiting of 2,000 years... is at an end." "Mr. Ambassador!" "Is there any connection between the accident at the BBC and today's news?" " No." " What about Schroeder's revelation that the Israelis were responsible for the Aswan Dam disaster?" " If it's true, it's a sad blow to world peace." " Is that an official condemnation?" "I condemn all violence, but it's too early for that." "The Soviet Union's offered support to Egypt for retaliation." " How do you react to that?" " Gentlemen, I have nothing else to say." "Mr. Ambassador, I tried calling you last night but there was no reply." "Isn't there something we can do to make up for what happened?" " Like what?" " Well, like..." " Like finishing the interview?" " Well, yes." "All right." "But I'd sooner we did it at my place than yours." "Yours is a little... dramatic for my taste." "Why not stay on for dinner afterwards?" " I'd love to." " All right." "I'll have Harvey fix it." "Fine." "No, a boy." "Yeah, he sure is ugly." "Yeah." "All right." "Thanks, Paul." "Yeah." "Yeah, I'll talk to you later." "That was Buher." "He just sent over the NLF report to the White House." "He said it's so full of holes, you can drive a truck through it." "Thanks for the flowers." "Barbara really appreciated..." "And the daggers?" "Apparently all seven came up for auction a few months back." "They were bought by a priest, and he passed them on to a monastery in Italy" " Subi..." "Subiaco." "The monastery of San Benedetto." "Yeah, Subiaco." "We've got our people in Italy working on it." " Unless something happens, they should..." " It's too late." "They're here in England for the birth of the Nazarene." "Trying to destroy me before I destroy them." "He was born last night." "I feel his presence." "Like a virus, a parasite, feeding on my energy, trying to drain me of power." "For every day that he lives and grows, my force will weaken." "Hide if you must, Nazarene, but I will hunt you down." " Why is he just sitting there?" " Waiting for me to follow him." "He must be an idiot if he thinks you're gonna do something like that." " He knows that's exactly what I intend to do." " But what if he's got one of those daggers?" "I'll be wasting my time if he hasn't." "Matteus here." "I'm 10 minutes away." "Thorn's about... 500 yards behind me." "Enough!" "Enough." "It's done." "But it was him!" "I saw him!" "I saw him!" " Sweet Saviour, spare our minds." " We're possessed!" "Spare our minds!" "Down there!" "It's our only way out!" " It's bricked up!" " It's closed here too." "There is no way out!" "We're trapped!" "There are still three daggers left." "But I can't afford to waste any more time." "The only way to be rid of the Nazarene is to kill every male child in the country born between midnight and dawn" " on March 24th." " How can we be sure he's in the country?" ""And he shall come forth out of the angel isle." That's what the prophecy says." "One thing pedantic Christians believe in is sticking to the letter of their prophecies." " How's Barbara?" " Fine." " And your son?" " Fine." "He's fine." "He was born on March the 23rd, wasn't he?" "Yeah, yeah." "Sure." "He was born 10 minutes before midnight, March 23rd." "Whenever you're ready, Mr. Ambassador." "Liquidate the Nazarene." "Me?" "How?" "That's what our people are for." "Now, call a meeting for Sunday." "I'll make my own way there after the hunt." "Chin up, old boy." "Thank you, my dear." "I've been waiting for this drink since the last meet." "Stay close to Susan at the back, and don't go showing off to Damien." " Don't worry." "You'll still get blooded." " What does blooded mean?" "You know perfectly well what it means." "If it's your first hunt and they catch a fox, they smear blood all over your cheeks." "Satisfied?" "Take care." "Well, Mr. Ambassador, you've got the fastest horse in the hunt." "And it's a lovely morning for you." "OK, boys." "Take him." "Damien!" "Damien, did you catch one?" "The hounds didn't leave too many souvenirs, but..." "I saved some of the blood." "Can you blood me?" "Does it count?" "It does with me." "Disciples of the watch," "I stand before you in the name of the one true god, who was cast out from heaven but is alive in me." "Do you hear me?" "We hear and obey." "We hear and obey." "I now command you to seek out and destroy the Nazarene child." "Slay the Nazarene, and I shall reign for ever." "Fail, and I perish." "Slay the Nazarene, and you, my disciples, shall truly inherit this earth." "Fail, and you will perish without trace." "Slay the Nazarene, and you will know the violent raptures of my father's kingdom." "Fail, and you will be condemned to a numbing eternity in the flaccid bosom of Christ." "Do you hear me?" "We hear and obey." "Disciples of the watch, there must be no delay." "Slay the Nazarene, and the victory will be ours, now... and for ever more." "Do you hear me?" "We hear." "We hear." "We're going for a walk now, aren't we?" "With Auntie Carol, hey?" " Barbara!" " Hi." "I'll be with you in just a minute." "There you go." "All wrapped up." " Harvey!" " Yeah?" "I'm just going shopping with Carol." "I'm gonna take Junior with me, OK?" "Listen, don't forget to pick up my stuff from the cleaner's." " No, I won't." "I'll see you later." " Bye." "Peterson?" "Harvey Dean." "I said "I'm not paying you that much." "You've only been here for two hours."" " What do you expect me to say?" " You've got such a nerve." "The Brookman family at 23 Ormsby Road," "Sefton Park, Liverpool." "Listen, Peterson, I don't give a shit how you feel about this!" "Just do the job!" "OK." "Now..." "Sefton Park, Liverpool." "And the boy's name is Christopher." "Kirkby Towers." "Kirkby 14." "Boy's name is Alexander David." "OK?" "By Tuesday night." "Right." "Blake?" "Dean." "Why don't you and Harvey come over for a meal?" "Yeah." "OK." "That's nice." "I'll call you later." "Bye." "We'll soon be home and you can have something nice to eat." "Are you hungry?" "Who's a good boy, then?" "Can you hear me?" "No!" "No!" " Name this child..." " Alexander David." "I baptise you Alexander David, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." "We receive this child into the congregation of Christ's flock, and sign him with the sign of the cross." "Morning, missis." "We've come to do our good deed for the day." "We're devoting the first part of our programme to a disturbing phenomenon that's been puzzling both doctors and police this week." "The mysterious deaths of numbers of babies in the kind of circumstances that coroners are fond of terming "misadventure"." "At the turn of the century, the infant mortality rate stoodata staggering 34per cent." "In 1945 it dropped to 16 per cent." "And nowadays it's been cutback to under two per cent." "That is, until last week." "In Greater London, 17 babies have died in the last seven days, with a further 14 deaths reported from Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester," "Leeds and Liverpool." "These may not sound unduly high figures, but nationwide they represent a chilling 15 to 20 per cent increase" " in the mortality rate." " Harvey..." " Details are still sketchy at the moment." " It's just a coincidence, that's all." "..except one - in every case the victim has been a baby boy." "To throw further light on the subject, I have with me Dr Richard Philmore from the Ministry of Health and Social Security." " Tell me, what explanation do you have?" " Barbara?" "It's too soon for us to make any statement, but I'd like to correct you on a point that you just made." "It really is quite inaccurate to speak of a 20 per centrise in the infant mortality rate index." "Our statistics are based on annual averages and not on weekly fluctuations." "But you admit there's been an unexplained increase in the deaths among baby boys?" "A rise, but nothing compared to the rise you'd expect to find during, say, a flu epidemic." "Surely, Dr. Philmore, we're not talking about a flu epidemic." "We're talking about household burns, drownings, car accidents, suffocation, food poisonings, electrocution." "Scotland Yard has assured us that in their opinion there is no question of foul play in any of the mortalities reported." "Forgive me if I speak bluntly, but your kind of scaremonger reporting is the kind of behaviour that brings the media into bad repute." " Night, Miss Reynolds." " Night, Bill." "Miss Reynolds." "I need to talk to you urgently." " It's about your programme about the deaths." " A protest march of one." "How disappointing." "On the contrary, I congratulate you on your perceptiveness." "Well?" " May we go inside?" " I'm sorry..." " Father De Carlo." " I've had a long day, Father." "If you call my secretary, she'll make an appointment." "I told you, I need to talk to you urgently." "OK." "But... please keep your voice down." "My son's asleep." ""Then Herod sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof, according to the time of the birth of Jesus, which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."" "What are you talking about?" "You stated that the common factor about these killings is that all the victims have been baby boys." "But there is another common factor." "All the boys were born between midnight and 6am on the morning of March 24th." "Every child that's still living born between those hours is in mortal danger," " if he has not already been killed." " Are you suggesting they've been murdered?" "No, no, I am not." "I am stating it as a fact." " Who on earth would do such a thing?" " He is born again, Miss Reynolds." "And so is the Antichrist." "The son of Satan." "As foretold in the Book of Revelation." "I'm sorry, Father." "Look, I do respect your faith, but I don't share it." " You are not a practising Christian?" " No, I'm a practising journalist." "One rule of journalism is to be a doubting Thomas." "I need to see evidence with my own two eyes." "Right." "Here is your evidence." "Check them for yourself." "Copies of the dead boys' birth certificates from the central registry office." "In every case, the child was born on the morning of March 24th." "Even if I can't appeal to your faith, I appeal to your logic." "Why else would someone want to destroy all children born on that date, were it not in an effort to destroy one child in particular?" "That child is our blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ, reborn." "Thus fulfilling his promise that, at the end of times, he shall come again to deliver the world from the Antichrist." "And who exactly is this..." "Antichrist?" "The American ambassador, Damien Thorn." "That's ridiculous!" "I know Damien Thorn." "You may know the man." "Do you know his soul?" "Miss Reynolds, I am a religious man, not a fanatic." "One of the commandments of my faith is that we shall not bear false witness against any man." "If I had one shred of doubt about Damien Thorn, my faith would command me to remain silent." "But I've watched him now for 27 years, ever since his father came to our monastery to seek help in destroying him." "I've watched him grow from a boy into a man, seen him exterminate all those who stood in his way." "Very well." "You know Thorn, the man." "I'll leave you with our research on him." "But you must satisfy yourself before reaching your opinion." "And when you have done so, I would urge that you contact me as soon as possible, at this address." "Here." "Day or night." "I..." "I can't promise you anything, Father." "You say I know only Thorn, the man - not his soul." "But if I don't even know my own soul, how can I see into his?" "Only God can show you that." "There is, however, one sign that identifies him as the Antichrist." "You will find it in the Book of Revelation, as I told you." "You will also find it on Thorn himself." "Under his hair." "Here." "The birthmark of the devil." "6... 6... 6." "I'll let myself out." "Good night, Miss Reynolds." "And may God guide your decision." "The Israelis are onto Schroeder." "We've got to eliminate him - now!" "Before they have a chance to make him talk." "Then do it." "But we can't get close to him." "They've got him in Tel Aviv." " Damien, you're the only one that can do it." " You can handle it." " I just told you." "We can't get..." " And I told you that every day the Nazarene lives, my force would weaken." " Now, how many boys are left?" " Three or four." " Including your son?" " Now, wait a minute." "I've already told you, he was born March 23rd." " Now you gotta believe me." " I'll believe you when the Nazarene is dead." "Yes?" "Who is this?" "It's Kate Reynolds' son." "He's calling from a coin box." " But how'd he get this number?" " I gave it to him." "Hello, Peter?" "Good." "Now, listen carefully." "I want you to follow him wherever he goes, and make sure he doesn't see you, OK?" "Yeah, and call me as soon as you find out." "All right." "Be careful, Damien." "His mother was on the phone earlier this morning." " She wants to see you." " Why didn't you tell me?" " I wanna talk to her." " Because she's dangerous." "I decide who's dangerous and who isn't." "Now, get her on the phone, and tell her I wanna see her tomorrow at the house." "And don't mention Peter." "Hi, honey!" "I'm home!" "What are you doing in here?" "Don't you come anywhere near him, you murderer!" "Murderer?" "What are you talking about?" "You lay one finger on him, and I'll butcher you, just like you've butchered all these other children." "A priest came by today." "He came to warn me that Damien Thorn is the Antichrist, and he'll murder my baby, like he's killed these others that were born on the same day." " You believe some religious maniac?" " No!" "I found the proof myself!" "You don't know what you've done." "I once hosted a programme, And Now For The Good News," " which won an RTA award." " Really?" "For the lowest audience viewing figure of the year." "Yet now I'm reporting death and destruction, and my show's gone to the top of the ratings." " Everyone loves a mystery." " I think it goes deeper than that." "We might aspire after good, but our real fascination lies with evil." " Don't you agree?" " Not really." "Most people confuse evil with their own trivial lusts and perversions." "Now, true evil is as pure as innocence." "Then what is evil?" "Come on." " I'll show you where Old Nick hangs out." " Old who?" "Old Nick." "He's down there somewhere, lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce." "He must be at least 40 by now." "We first met when I was about four." "We've been old friends ever since." "You know Old Nick is the name for the devil in England?" "Of course I know." "But it's a great name for a pike." "Do you believe in God?" "I think you know the answer to that question already." " Look, there it goes!" " Where?" "Down there." "Damien!" "Help me!" "Damien!" "I can't..." "Help me!" "Well, that should fit you." "I feel like a moth that's flown too close to the flame." "But who is the moth, and who's the flame?" "Don't stop, Damien." "Don't stop." "Please don't stop." "What's the matter?" "What's the matter?" "You wanna see what I see?" "I want you, Damien." "You're hurting me." "Birth is pain." "Death is pain." "Beauty is pain." "Damien?" " Was Schroeder on the Thorn payola or not?" " No statement." " Can't we talk to Ambassador Thorn?" " The ambassador is unavailable." " He's not even here." " Where is he?" "When he is ready to make a statement, we will let you know." "Damien, I thought you were up at the house." "The press are goin' crazy for a statement." "I can hold 'em off until I've talked to Buher, but you're gonna have to..." "What was De Carlo doing at your house yesterday?" "Who?" "Now, come on, Dean." "Just give me the truth." "I'm telling the truth." "I've never heard of De Carlo before in my life." "Peter." " Go ahead, Peter." " "At half past three yesterday afternoon," "I saw the priest called De Carlo go to 144 Abbey Crescent, where he spent an hour and 22 minutes talking to the wife of Mr. Dean."" "Damien..." "Look, I..." "I didn't know he was a priest." " I didn't know Barbara would..." " Kill your son!" "What?" "!" "There's only one boy left, and that's your son." "Destroy him... or be destroyed." "Damien, for the love of God!" ""And God said unto Abraham:" "Take now thy son, thine only Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer him for a burnt offering."" "Now, if Abraham was willing to slay his own son for the love of his god," " why won't you do the same for mine?" " You're all crazy." "Crazy." "Aren't you gonna stop him?" "There's no need." "Go on!" "Go away!" "Go on!" "There, now." "It's OK, honey." "He..." "Barbara!" "Start packing!" "Barbara?" "Ten o'clock, Miss Reynolds." "Locking up in five minutes." "Coming." "Miss Reynolds." " What are you doing here?" " You saw him, didn't you?" "You know Thorn is the Antichrist, so why are you protecting him?" "Either you get out of here or I'll call security." "Your son..." "Where is he?" " He's in bed and asleep, of course." " He is not." "Your son is with Damien Thorn." "In body and soul." "Your son has become an apostle of the Antichrist." "You think Peter's been at school for the past three days?" "Check with the school if you don't believe me." "He's been working for Thorn, conspiring to murder the holy child." "They won't succeed." "The holy child is beyond his powers now." "He's safe." "But your child is not." "There is only one way to save your son, Miss Reynolds." "And that's by destroying the Antichrist." " Are you asking me...?" " No." "No, Miss Reynolds." "That is to be my sacred task." "But if you value your son's immortal soul, you must help me to carry it out." "Hurry along, Miss Reynolds." "We're locking up." "I'll be out in a moment." " I'm going home to my son." " Then I beg you to let me come with you." "There will be no time to lose when you find he's not there." "Please." "You think you've won, do you?" "You watched me slay a hundred children and never lifted a finger to save them." ""Suffer the little children to come unto me." Your words, Nazarene, not mine." "Oh, Satan, the victory is thine." "All praise to thee, for thou hast delivered this child unto me that I maybe brought face to face with the Nazarene at last." "Now, Peter, listen to me and listen carefully." "The Christian faith has ten commandments." "I have only one." "Say it now and we two shall become as one." " I love you." " Beyond all others." " Beyond all others." " Beyond life itself." "No, Peter." "Don't say it." "Give me back my son" " and I will lead you to the Christ child." " Where is he?" "Give me back Peter first and I'll take you to him." "Very well." "You shall lead us both to the Nazarene, and then Peter shall be yours." " No, Damien!" "It's a trick!" " Not if she wants her son back, it isn't." "All right." "If you can help me, help me now." "No!" "Peter!" "Peter?" "Peter, dearest!" " No." " Where is your god now, priest?" "I'm here, Nazarene!" "Where are you?" "You hear me?" "Face me!" "Face me!" "It's time!" "Show yourself!" "I know you're here!" "Come out and face me!" "You bastard!" "Nazarene..." "You have won... nothing."