Rise of the Fallen: Ascensionis
Chapter 2

The attractive COO of StarSun, Inc., Diana Garrison, adjusts the windsor knot of CEO Theodore F. Reubens’ tie. She has fairly dark skin and smooth long hair. She notices a bead of sweat roll down his forehead and reassures him by saying, “You’ll do fine, Ted.”

“Thank you, Diana. It’s hard to believe this day has come.”

Diana smiles and looks at the reporters of all the major news networks awaiting the official statement confirming Mr. Reubens’ retirement. He takes a deep breath and makes his way toward the podium. Diana’s son, eighteen year-old Joshua Garrison, appears next to her and whispers, “Don’t forget his shoelaces.”

She gives him a serious look and takes a moment to admire the handsome features of her son. He has dark brown hair, which is showing a dire need of a cut, and sideburns. His mesmerizing green eyes show a deep sensitivity...which reminds her of a young Heath Ledger. Diana focuses her attention, once again, on the press conference.

Theodore F. Reubens clears his throat and begins his statement by saying, “I would like to begin by thanking everyone that has contributed to the success of StarSun. That would include our customers who, with their loyal support, made all of this possible. Our goal has always been to provide the world with the highest possible quality of products.”

“Effective the end of this month, I will be retiring and it does sadden me because I have spent twenty years as CEO of this excellent organization. I will miss it...but I leave confident that Diana Garrison will do her best to not only preserve the original vision of this company, but to improve upon it.”

Having become tired of the clicking sounds of the numerous cameras, Joshua decides to leave to get a breath of fresh air. The corporate lifestyle never really sat well with him. He feels much more comfortable outside in a serene environment without the constant pressure of deadlines and fake smiles. As soon as he steps outside, he feels the vibration of his phone. Joshua turns on the screen to read the text message that was sent by his mother. It reads, “Don’t wander off.”

Without warning, the phone suddenly freezes and reboots on its own. While waiting for the phone to boot up, Joshua notices a strange, bright glare on the screen. He quickly gazes up at the morning sky and is instantly blinded by what appears to be two suns next to each other. Just as he puts his hand over his eyes to focus on the odd spectacle, one of the bright stars rapidly moves from left to right....then disappears into the clouds.

Diana Garrison exits StarSun’s corporate headquarters located in New York City to witness her son bizarrely staring into the sky. The corporate executive briefly looks up in an attempt to catch a glimpse of what is entertaining him. She does not see anything whatsoever and proceeds to casually walk towards him while placing her phone inside of her purse. Joshua gets startled when his mother says, “Get your head out of the clouds.”

He is baffled at how quickly his mother finished her business inside and remarks, “That was quick.”

Diana glances at him as she enters the limousine and replies, “Well, if you call four hours quick, then you must have been having fun looking at the sky.”

Four hours? He could have sworn that he stepped out of the building about five minutes ago! Joshua scratches his head and dismisses the incident as a consequence of not getting enough sleep. He then enters the limousine and the driver closes the passenger door behind him. Joshua is sitting next to his mother as she uses her familiar business lingo while speaking on her phone. She uses words like stock holders, maximizing profits and corporate mergers. All he thinks of is the fishing trip he has planned with his grandfather this upcoming weekend. He finds it strange how his mother could harbor such deep hatred for someone so down to Earth and understanding as retired military general Frank Garrison.

Diana finally disconnects the call and says to her son, “I really wish that you change your mind about this weekend, Joshua. I want to spend some time with you.”

“This trip was planned months ago, mom. I can’t just cancel.”

“Just hope that he doesn’t cancel on you. He’s been known to have convenient amnesia.”

Joshua ignores his mother’s comment and glances at his watch. He has an hour to get to his job and the heavy traffic is not helping. Diana says angrily, “I have no idea why you continue to work as a bellhop. It’s disgusting. Seriously...You can do so much better, Joshua.”

The limousine slows to a stop and the blaring sound of car horns can be heard. At this point, Joshua decides to open the passenger door and step outside. He’s really not that far away and can easily walk to the hotel. Diana looks at him and loudly yells, “What are you doing? Are you seriously going to walk?”

As soon as he is about to reply, her cell phone starts ringing and she quickly answers it. Diana raises her finger at Joshua to keep him from speaking and becomes involved in a conversation with a man named Gary. They are talking about improvements for StarSun’s profits and Joshua slams the door shut. He proceeds to briskly walk on the sidewalk while listening to the music on his touch screen phone. He takes a look at the sky and wonders to himself if what he saw earlier was real or not. Were there actually two suns in the sky?

Princess Alexandria marvels at the interior of Indrid Cold’s space craft. The interior is completely white with the windowless walls and floor bearing a striking resemblance to porcelain. At the rear, there is a semi-oval shaped white sofa which is attached to the wall and what looks like a floating glass table in the middle of the area. She laughs at a pale Henry who is suffering from a profound, and debilitating, form of phobia. He loudly yells, “Indrid! Can you please slow down? Just a little bit?”

Dr. Frankenstein chuckles and says, “You need to see this, Henry. The view is amazing.”

Alexandria becomes curious and starts to make her way toward the cockpit to accompany her father and Indrid. To her amazement, she notices that the closer she gets to the cockpit, the more transparent the floor and walls become. She arrives next to Indrid and observes the spectacular view of the desert below. It almost feels like she herself is flying in the air. While being impressed with the breathtaking sight, Barbara tells her, “Amazing, huh?”

Dr. Frankenstein glances at both of them and tells Indrid, “Let’s take them to the moon, Indrid.”

Alexandria excitedly holds Barbara’s hand as Indrid pulls her hands closer to her own body. The ship moves upward and enters a patch of stormy rain clouds. Barbara nervously grabs the doctor’s arm as the ship dodges numerous bolts of lightning. Alexandria whispers, “Wow.” as the she observes the clouds parting to reveal the darkness of deep space.

At this point, Barbara can’t help but think about her dreams and wishes as a young child. One of them being to travel to the moon. For the first time in her life, she is about to come face to face with an icon admired by every tin foiled hat wearing conspiracy theorist on Earth. Dr. Frankenstein points his finger toward the familiar object that glows in the night sky and says, “There it is.”

The ship gets close to the surface and everyone on board sees crater after crater zoom past them. Indrid releases the controls as soon as the Earth comes into view and the ship comes to a complete stop. All of a sudden, a beeping is heard throughout the ship. Indrid sees the ID and warns by saying, “There is an incoming video call, Ludwig.”

Dr. Frankenstein nods in approval and Indrid raises her left hand. She makes a wiping motion towards the right and a screen displaying the rather agitated image of Queen Thessalonike appears. She then asks curiously, “What is the meaning of this, Ludwig? Why have you taken Alexandria with you without first consulting with me?”

“My humble apologies, Thessa. After our brief conversation yesterday, I have taken it upon myself to make amends with our daughter. I assure you that she is in safe hands.”

Alexandria begs by asking, “Please, mom?”

After a moment of silence, the queen responds, “Very well. I will allow it. And Ludwig.”

The doctor looks at the screen and listens carefully.

“Thank you. Please be careful.”

“Take care, Thessa.”

With a wiping motion toward the left, Dr. Frankenstein disconnects the call. As both Barbara and Alexandria enjoy this rare opportunity to look at the Earth from a different perspective, Dr. Frankenstein glances at his watch. He then places his hand on Indrid’s shoulder and says in a low tone, “Time to visit father.”

She smiles at him and firmly grasps the controls. Alexandria is astonished while she asks her father, “We’re gonna visit grandpa?”

He places his palm on her head and replies, “That’s right, konfect. On Mars.”

The humming of the ship’s engines are heard as it departs from the moon and makes its way toward the red planet. It enters Mars and Indrid skillfully pilots the craft toward a highly mountainous region. A long beep is heard followed by a voice saying, “You are in a restricted area. You have ten seconds to leave this area.”

Barbara becomes concerned as she looks at Indrid raising her right hand. She then makes a wiping motion to the left and a somewhat transparent computer keyboard appears. Indrid rapidly types and, afterwards, presses the “enter” key. Another long beep is heard followed by the voice saying, “Welcome.”

A section of the mountain dislodges and lowers to reveal an entrance. The silvery ship slowly makes its way inside and Barbara can do nothing more other than open her mouth in disbelief. Even her conspiracy obsessed friends would have her committed by just mentioning this little trip.

The ship lowers until it lands and floats softly on the docking platform. The engines stop humming and a section of the lower part of the craft opens....almost as if the metal were made of liquid. A beam of light exits the hole and the crew members gradually float down. As soon as their feet touch the ground, Henry sighs with relief and says in an angry tone, “Getting your teeth pulled without anesthesia is better than flying on this thing.”

Dr. Frankenstein looks ahead and notices an elderly man walking towards them with the assistance of a cane. Right away, he recognizes his father, Victor Frankenstein and walks forward to greet him. They shake hands and Victor says, “Ludwig. So good to see you. Tell me. How is Thessa? And your brother...Wolf?”

“Good to see you, father. Thessa is fine and Wolf...well...I haven’t seen him in quite some time.”

Alexandria suddenly appears from behind Ludwig and, with her hands on her hips, says loudly, “Sooo...you’re not gonna ask about me, Grandpa?”

Victor’s wrinkled eyelids open wide and he laughingly asks, “Alexandria? What in the world are you doing out of Atlantis?”

She hugs him tightly and he laughs with a joy that Ludwig has not seen in a long time. Victor becomes serious again as he looks up at his adopted daughter, Indrid Cold, and greets her by saying, “Hello, Indrid. Come here, my dear.”

She walks toward him and they embrace each other warmly. He then glances at his son and says, “I am assuming this has to do with one of her premonitions, Ludwig.”

Ludwig does not reply and just nods his head in agreement. Victor continues, “All of you...come with me.”

The group follows Victor to the entrance of the station. As they enter, Barbara is astounded by the highly advanced technology inside. Although not as aesthetically beautiful as Atlantis, it is still a sight to behold. Victor stares directly into a panel on the wall. Suddenly, a beam of light gradually moves down his face and the door makes a hissing sound as it slides open. Everyone steps inside the office and door closes shut behind them. While Victor is lowering himself to his chair, he asks Indrid, “What is going to happen, Indrid?”

“Ninety-five percent of Earth.”

Victor is frozen with fear and, after a few minutes, turns his head to look at his son. Ludwig asks him, “Father. I need to know. Is Project Paperclip active once again?”

His father lowers his head in a state of perplexity and replies, “I have had brief conversations with my former colleagues not too long ago, Ludwig. There was no indication, whatsoever, of any of them being involved in biological experiments.”

He raises his head and continues, “We’re all too old for that, my son. The only form of activity is from the son of Joseph Jaeger. Just recently, Gary Jaeger has become employed by StarSun, Inc.”

Ludwig strokes his goatee and reflects on the recent announcement of StarSun’s new CEO, Diana Garrison. Could this be what he is looking for? Would this new CEO somehow be planning an intentional outbreak for the sake of profits? It would be brutal but not beyond the realm of possibility.

“The company has recently experienced a change of CEO. If there is a sinister plot, the only way to know for certain is to gain access to the upcoming Bohemian Grove gathering. It is very likely that she will attend.”

Victor scoffs and explains, “You know that women cannot become club members, son.”

“Come now, father. You seem to have forgotten about the poet Ina Coolbrith as well as the actress Elizabeth Crocker Bowers.”

Barbara becomes puzzled and asks, “Bohemian what?”

Alexandria nudges her with her elbow and replies, “Don’t tell me you never saw that video with the huge owl!”

Ludwig raises his hand to silence his daughter and tells everyone, “We will need the assistance of my good friend, David Paul, before infiltrating the gathering. Thank you for your time and help, father.”

As everyone exits the room, Victor stares at his son’s creation in awe. He calls to her in a gentle manner. “Barbara.”

She stops walking and quickly turns around. He motions to her to move closer to him. She steps forward and allows Victor to take her hand.

He asks in wonderment, “How do you feel, my dear?”

Barbara shrugs her shoulders and replies, “Like a monster?”

Victor lightly pulls her hand toward himself and says sternly, “You are not. You are the same person you have always been...inside. And I see a very beautiful young woman.”

She feels a sense of honesty with those kind words and blushes with embarrassment. Barbara responds, “Thank you, Dr. Frankenstein. Your son told me that you made something like me. Where is it?”

Victor hesitates before answering her and makes sure that no one else is listening. He replies softly, “Do not call him that, Barbara. He has a name...like you.”

She is now intrigued by this mystery and kneels down to listen carefully. At this point, the old doctor covers his mouth with his hand as he recollects the events that led to the creation of the eight foot tall behemoth. Victor takes a deep breath and opens a safe behind him. He takes out a bottle of single malt Scotch whiskey with two drinking glasses.

Barbara instantly realizes what he is doing and says, “No, thank you, sir. I don’t drink hard liquor.”

Victor nods and places one of the glasses inside of his personal safe. He then pours a small amount of the alcohol into his glass and takes a sip. After a moment of silence, he begins sharing his story.

“I had everything a man can ask for. A wonderful career, a beautiful home, a loving wife, and two children. Ludwig and Wolf. Wolf was the first born and showed every indication of being a normal baby. Several years later, Ludwig was born. We began to notice something rather odd with Wolf. His behavior would constantly shift from one extreme to another.”

He takes another sip and continues, “My wife decided that it would be best to take him to a specialist. Let me tell you....the worst feeling you can have is feeling unable to help your child. Upon conclusion of the tests, we were given the news that Wolf had autism. My wife had to quit her job to care for him and I took it upon myself to find a cure.”

The doctor finishes his drink and gathers up the strength to finish his recollection of the past.

“I was called to investigate alleged sightings of a Mothman in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1966. My wife arrived home one day and forgot to lock the front door due to her attempt to answer the telephone. When she returned to the living room, she discovered that Wolf was not there and that the front door was wide open. She ran outside and began calling him. Then...the worst fear had come true. At that moment, Wolf got hit by a car traveling at a high rate of speed.”

Victor sighs with frustration and continues, “I returned as quickly as possible. When I arrived at the hospital, I was told that he was in critical condition and suffered tremendous blood loss. And that he may not survive. I could not bear the thought of losing him...so I made a decision. I used my position as a distinguished member of Paperclip to request permission...to perform the experiment that the government wanted.”

Barbara’s eyes widen at this revelation and says, “Oh, my God. Your creation. He’s...”

The voice of Ludwig is heard as he adds to the story by saying, “My brother.”

Both Barbara and Victor focus their attention on Ludwig as he walks inside. Barbara rises to her feet and before she can say anything, Ludwig explains, “My father did, in fact, save his life. By transplanting his brain into a creation comprised of dead human body parts. When my father brought him back to life, he was the same Wolf that we knew...but in a much bigger body. Unfortunately, he did not understand the amount of brute strength that he possessed.”

Victor shakes his head and continues, “He almost killed my wife...with just a mere hug. It was at that point that I realized the danger that he not only posed to humanity, but to himself as well. Instead of having him endure a lifetime of tests, I set him free...into the forest.”

Ludwig takes a quick glance at his watch and says to his father, “I apologize for leaving so abruptly, father. Time is not exactly our ally.”

Victor slowly stands up and places his hand on his son’s shoulder. He tells him, “No need to apologize, Ludwig. Good luck to all of you.”

Victor walks until he arrives at the door and turns around to say to his son while pointing his cane at him, “You need to stop making poor Thessa wait for you to marry her.”

As he leaves, Ludwig notices Barbara trying to hold back her laughter. He asks, “What?” She replies, “He does have a point. You’re not getting any younger.”

Indrid’s ship hums as the engines turn on. It then rises and swiftly departs the station. Victor watches it disappear into the distance and quietly says, “Godspeed.”

On the ship, Ludwig stares into the darkness of space while thinking of his older brother. The time will come to locate him. He is nervous about the reunion and fears for the lives of the people around him. Wolf is a gentle soul but is easily frightened which usually results in a violent tantrum. The Earth comes into view and he gently pats Indrid on her back. She looks at him and says, “He will not harm us.”

Alexandria is confused by what Indrid said and asks her father, “Who won’t?”

Dr. Frankenstein hugs her and replies, “Indrid is referring to David, konfect. It will be fine so don’t you worry.”

As the ship enters the atmosphere, Henry screams, “Indrid! For the love of God...Slow down!”

Joshua exits the hotel and removes his jacket. As he drapes it over his shoulder, a young man also exits the building and asks him, “I still have no idea why you chose to work here, Josh. I want to toss a grenade into this shithole.”

He shrugs his shoulders and replies frankly, “I like working for what I want, Cliff. I can let mommy buy me everything...but that would make the things I buy hers instead of mine.”

Cliff lights his cigarette and, as he walks away, says, “You, my friend, are fucked up in the head. Later.”

Joshua prepares to hail a cab when he sees something coming toward him from a distance. He decides to step closer in order to get a better view and, to his delight, discovers that it happens to be an adorable puppy. It doesn’t look dirty or mangy so it must have an owner who lives nearby. They must have left the door open and it escaped.

“Hey, buddy! What’re you doing out here, huh?”

The puppy begins to rapidly wag its tail and growl. It then lets out a computerized barking sound which completely baffles him. He looks all around the area to see if it’s one of friends playing a prank on him. But there is no one to be found. Joshua takes one step closer and the puppy runs away in the opposite direction. After a brief moment of hesitation, curiosity gets the better of him and he follows the small animal down the dimly lit sidewalk.

At the Museum of the City of New York, forty-five year-old David Paul Stubbe sits in his office performing his usual tasks of Curator of Natural History while taking a sip of his coffee. He is suddenly blinded by a very bright flash of light and almost chokes on his hot beverage. Once he recovers his vision, David immediately recognizes the person standing in front of him. Just as Dr. Frankenstein is about to greet him, he raises his hand and says, “Uh,uh...no.”

“What if I just wanted a tour for my daughter, David? Is that how you treat tourists?”

David rolls his eyes and answers, “No and yes.” as he points his finger at the door. Dr. Frankenstein closes the door behind him and gives David a serious look. He tells him, “I really need your help. Indrid had another vision...this time, the whole world is in danger.”

David sighs and explains, “I’ve retired from that life, Ludwig. Have you forgotten what happened the last time I assisted you?”

At this point, David glances at Barbara and adds, “Besides, it would seem that you have found, or created, a suitable replacement.”

Dr. Frankenstein takes one step forward and informs him. “David. If you value the innocent lives of the friends and family around you, I would strongly advise that you reconsider.”

David Paul sits down and finally realizes that his old friend is, once again, in desperate need of his assistance. But what if he loses control? The last thing he wants is to rip someone to shreds...just as he did in the past.

The diminutive, brown puppy sits down just in front of the museum. Joshua keeps his distance this time and hides behind a parked car. He takes a peek and wonders why the little creature with the odd bark is simply sitting there. It’s almost as if he is waiting for his master. Just as Joshua is about to whistle, a bright light emerges from the night sky and shines down on the puppy. To his amazement, he witnesses the puppy floating upwards into what looks like a giant star. Joshua immediately takes out his phone in an attempt to capture an image of this unbelievable event. He curses as the phone freezes and reboots on its own. He decides to step closer to the beam of light to, at least, enjoy every moment of this paranormal experience. The beam reminds him of a giant flashlight as he stares into the sky.

Joshua slowly, and cautiously, moves his hand toward the luminescent beam. As soon as his hand touches the light, he opens his mouth in shock. The hairs on his skin stand on end...almost as if he is in the presence of static electricity. An unseen force then begins to pull on his arm...to the point that his feet lift off of the ground. Joshua tries his very best to remove his hand from the beam, but realizes that it is much too late as he looks down in horror. His entire body disappears into the enormous star above him.

Joshua tries very hard to focus after becoming blinded. The figures of two people slowly begin to solidify. His mouth drops open as he stares at the pale, feminine body of a creature he has previously seen only in science fiction movies. Next to her is a much younger, normal looking girl holding the puppy in her arms. Alexandria gives Indrid a concerned look and utters in a low voice, “Uhhh...not good.”

Joshua interrupts them and demands in a frightened tone, “Where the hell am I?”

He almost loses his balance as he feels himself becoming extremely disoriented. When Joshua takes another look at Indrid, his eyes widen as she becomes consumed by a dark mist. The mysterious mist becomes taller and sprouts moth-like wings. He tries to scream as two, large red eyes stare back at him, but nothing comes out of his mouth. He then falls down and loses consciousness.

Dr. Frankenstein feels his cell phone vibrating in his jacket pocket. He takes it out and looks at the screen. The caller ID is hidden but he knows exactly who is calling him. He answers the phone and asks, “Indrid?”

“We have a problem, Ludwig.”

The doctor grunts with frustration and says, “Fine. Get us out of here in two minutes.”

He then looks at David waiting for a response to his request. David slams his fist on his desk and tells him, “Damn it! Okay. You need to restrain me when there’s a full moon. Got it?”

Dr. Frankenstein grins as he speaks into the phone. “All of us, Indrid.”

“Understood.”

He hangs up and Barbara asks, “What happened?”

The doctor looks up at the ceiling and replies, “I don’t know, Barbara. I do have a feeling that Alexandria has something to do with it.”

Barbara also looks up at the ceiling and suddenly feels the familiar sensation of static electricity. The entire office becomes consumed with a brilliant white light and everyone disappears in an instant.

On the ship, Dr. Frankenstein is contemplating on what exactly should be done with the unconscious young man on the sofa.

Indrid says bluntly, “The boy has seen too much, Ludwig.”

“How did this happen?”

“I did not deactivate the beam in time.”

The doctor gives a stare at his daughter and asks in a loud tone, “And why was it activated again?”

Alexandria lowers her head in shame and replies, “I wanted to explore the city, dad. Don’t blame her.”

He shakes his head in disbelief and places both of his hands on his hips. Dr. Frankenstein places his hand on Indrid’s shoulder and tells her, “You know what has to be done.”

Alexandria’s mouth drops open as she opens Joshua’s wallet. She remembers watching the news on her father’s tablet back in Atlantis. His last name is what captures her attention...Garrison. Is this person related to the new CEO of that company?

Without looking at her father, she calls him. “Dad?”

He looks down at her and becomes worried with how pale her face has become. Alexandria shows him his identification and he immediately recognizes the name. The doctor whispers to himself, “My God.”

Barbara looks over Dr. Frankenstein’s shoulder and reads the name aloud. “Joshua Garrison. As in Diana Garrison’s son?”

The doctor turns around and says to Indrid, “Make it quick. Who knows when this boy should have been home?”

Indrid kneels down next to Joshua and gently touches his forehead. She closes her eyes and, in her mind, rewinds the events until she arrives at his first sighting of Fluffy. Indrid pauses for a moment and, afterwards, slowly stands up. She then nods at Dr. Frankenstein to confirm the completion of her task. He says to her, “Let’s get him to where he lives, Indrid.”

As Indrid makes her way toward the cockpit, Alexandria can’t help but stare at Joshua. For some strange reason, she feels a sort of kinship with him. Almost as if they share something special in common.

Alexandria puts his wallet back into his back pocket and whispers, “Sorry about erasing your memories, Josh. It’s for the best...I guess.”

It is peaceful and tranquil in the suburban area of New York. All of a sudden, a hum is heard followed by a gentle breeze. A bright light shines down on the lawn followed by Joshua’s body drifting down. His body finally touches the ground and the light instantly shuts off. He gradually regains consciousness and recognizes the front lawn of his home. Joshua stands up and asks himself, “What the fuck? How did I get here?”

Diana’s voice is heard. “Joshua?”

He turns around and sees his mother standing at the doorway. “Where were you? I’ve been trying to call.”

Joshua scratches his head as he gazes up at the starry sky. Diana wonders to herself why her son has a sudden obsession with the sky when her thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She answers it and walks back inside her home while talking to that Gary person again. Joshua shakes his head and says to himself, “Home sweet home.” He walks inside and closes the front door.

Barbara stands next to Dr. Frankenstein in the cockpit and enjoys the view of the ocean below. She turns her head to look at an oddly quiet and still Alexandria. She is stroking Fluffy while her mind seems preoccupied. Barbara grins slightly and whispers to the doctor, “Looks like Alexandria has something...or someone...on her mind.”

He takes a quick glance at his daughter and replies, “Well. She needs to get her mind back to reality.”

He then raises his wrist to look at his watch and adds, “I think it’s time to pay a visit to Joseph Jaeger. Perhaps he can shed some light into his son’s current position in StarSun.”

Indrid advises, “I do not believe he will provide any useful information to us.”

“Maybe. Gary is, of course, his son. Perhaps if I give him the impression that I’m not a participant in any kind of investigation, he may be a bit more forthcoming.”

An extremely woozy Henry stands up and responds, “Wait. You’re not thinking of going there alone...are you?”

“Yes. I don’t want him to feel threatened, Henry.”

Barbara gives Dr. Frankenstein a concerned look and says, “Henry should go with you. With his power, maybe he can find something.”

The doctor is pleasantly surprised at Barbara’s sound recommendation and replies, “That...is actually not a bad idea, Barbara. Thank you.”

He then places his hand on Indrid’s shoulder and tells her, “Whenever you’re ready, Indrid.” The ship glows like a giant star and disappears into the clouds above.

The elderly Joseph Jaeger is sitting on a chair next to his large swimming pool while reading a newspaper. He has grown accustom to spending some time outside before retreating to the comfort of his bed. His maid arrives with a tray carrying a pot of tea and one cup. As she pours into the cup, she says, “You have a visitor, Mr. Jaeger. His name is Ludwig Frankenstein.”

Joseph takes the cup and sips. He replies, “Ah...Victor’s son. It has been quite some time. Please, Mary. Tell him to come and see me.”

The maid gives a slight bow and walks back inside the mansion. After several minutes, Dr. Frankenstein steps outside to greet his father’s former colleague. Out of the shadows, a mysterious six foot and five inch man steps in between them.

“I need to frisk you, doctor.”

While the man frisks Dr. Frankenstein, Joseph says apologetically, “I am sorry, Ludwig. I was the victim of an assassination attempt not too long ago. This is merely a precaution.”

Dr. Frankenstein does not reply and looks down at the ground. To his amazement, the tall man’s feet...are positioned backwards. He remembers this deformity from when his father was a member of Project Paperclip. He then looks up at the man and asks, “You’re from Pakistan...aren’t you?”

The tall man finishes frisking Ludwig and tells Joseph, “He’s clean.”

Joseph motions to Dr. Frankenstein to sit down and answers his question by saying, “You are correct, Ludwig. This is Sajjad...an Abarimon. I am very fortunate to have acquired his services.”

As he raises his cup to take a sip of the herbal tea, he asks, “So, Ludwig. How have you been? How is Victor?”

Dr. Frankenstein sits down and replies, “All is well, Mr. Jaeger. Father is currently stationed on Mars working as a consultant.”

Joseph chuckles and responds, “Ah, Victor. Always moving about.”

Sajjad hears a sound emanating from inside of the mansion. It almost sounds like footsteps...but not coming from the maid. He is aware of the rhythmic pattern of the footsteps that are unique to the residents. He tries to listen carefully for the unfamiliar footsteps again before making his move. Sajjad hears the sound and tells Joseph, “I need to investigate something, sir.”

Dr. Frankenstein looks at Sajjad walk away and asks him, “What’s wrong?”

Sajjad briefly stops walking and replies, “No need for alarm, doctor. It may be nothing.”

Dr. Frankenstein did not count on the presence of an Abarimon. Humanoids that are located in the Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan. They possess remarkable heightened senses, formidable strength and, despite of their handicap, can run extremely fast. It would seem that they have managed to become accustomed to the air outside of their homeland. Either they managed...or someone assisted them? He gives Joseph a puzzled look.

Joseph gives him a sly grin and says, “I know what you’re thinking, Ludwig. How is he able to breathe here? Well...that is precisely how I acquired his services. In exchange for protection, I provided them with the means to roam the world without the danger of suffocation.”

Joseph reaches into his pocket and shows Dr. Frankenstein an object that resembles an inhaler used by asthma sufferers.

“In this inhaler contains my formula. It allows the Abarimon to travel anywhere they please and fulfill their dreams.”

Ludwig takes the inhaler and studies it closely. “It would seem that my father is not the only person moving about.”

Henry is proceeding down the hallway while making the least amount of noise as possible. Invisibility does have its advantages but works best with the absence of sound. He enters one of the bedrooms and searches for any kind of information about Gary Jaeger. On a bedside table, he notices a piece of paper with a date scribbled on it.

“7/12/14”

Can this be when the Bohemian Grove gathering will take place? Henry gets a feeling like he is being watched and turns around. He sees, at the doorway, a very tall man with a neatly trimmed beard. Sajjad begins to wheeze and reaches into his pocket. He places an inhaler into his mouth and presses the button. He then makes his way toward Henry!

Henry thinks to himself, “Does he know where I am?”

Sajjad stops just in front of him and extends his hand. Henry quickly dodges and begins to sweat nervously. Without meaning to, he lets out a little air from his mouth. Sajjad hears this and moves his hand toward the source of the noise. Henry proceeds to contort his body in ways he never thought was possible and succeeds in avoiding coming into contact with the large hand. Sajjad taps his chin with his finger and wonders if he has been imagining all that he has heard. His cell phone rings and he answers it. “Yes, Mr. Jaeger. No, everything is in order. I will be there shortly.”

He hangs up and puts the phone back into his pocket. Sajjad turns his head from left to right and sniffs in one last attempt to find something out of the ordinary. After several minutes, he turns around and walks out of the room. Henry pulls himself from the edge of the window and enters the bedroom. He whispers, “Jesus Christ.”

Ludwig takes a sip of his tea and clears his throat. He asks Joseph, “Is your son working at StarSun now, Mr. Jaeger?”

Joseph pauses for a moment and then replies, “Yes. Gary apparently is on the verge of a breakthrough. Beyond that, I really haven’t the slightest idea, Ludwig. Companies, such as StarSun, usually have strict guidelines regarding research and development.”

Dr. Frankenstein raises his eyebrow and thinks to himself. Could his theory of intentionally releasing a deadly virus to the public be correct? He focuses on Mr. Jaeger again and says, “Yes, quite true.”

He is tempted to continue probing but Sajjad arrives and decides to refrain from further questioning. Joseph curiously looks at Sajjat and asks, “Did you hear something?”

“I heard footsteps in one of the bedrooms, sir. It was not Mary’s.”

Ludwig strokes his goatee and asks, “Really?” The doctor turns his head and looks up at the windows. He then calls out, “Henry? Did you follow me?”

After a few minutes of silence, Henry materializes while walking toward them. This startles Sajjad and he reaches for his gun. Henry raises his arms and says, “Whoa, big guy! I heard what happened and I was worried for the Doc. Sorry, Mr. Jaeger.”

Joseph motions to Sajjad to keep his gun in the holster and replies, “It is understandable, Henry.”

Henry lowers his arms and Dr. Frankenstein asks Joseph, “Did you ever find the person that tried to kill you?”

Joseph takes a deep breath. “He was a member of one of those radical activist groups. Some people only seem to remember my participation with the Schutzstaffel as a Nazi scientist and not my later accomplishments after the war.”

Dr. Frankenstein says, “Those are kids that are just confused and misled, Mr. Jaeger. They believe everything they read on those conspiracy web sites.”

Joseph laughs at Ludwig’s comment and says, “Yes. Utter nonsense.” He then gazes at his watch and says, “Oh, my. It’s getting rather late. I do not wish to be rude, Ludwig, but I really need to get some sleep.”

Dr. Frankenstein stands up and shakes Joseph’s hand. “It is quite all right, Mr. Jaeger. Thank you for being a gracious host.”

Sajjad bows slightly and says, “Good night, gentlemen.”

Dr. Frankenstein and Henry bow in return and make their way back inside the mansion. Mary escorts them to the entrance and opens the front door. As they exit, she says, “It’s been a pleasure. Good night.”

She closes the door and the sound of numerous locks are heard. They are both now walking briskly along the sidewalk of the affluent neighborhood of Carnegie Hill. Henry tells him, “That was not what I had in mind, Doc.”

“I know, Henry. I did not expect to meet an Abarimon tonight. Did you find anything useful?”

“I found a date. July 12 of 2014.”

“Good work, Henry. That would be make this coming Saturday the next meeting of the Bohemian Grove.”

They are suddenly surrounded by a bright light. A jogger witnesses this and immediately stops. He observes in horror as the two men get pulled into the star above them. The star shines like a huge sun and disappears into the night sky. The jogger looks all around him in an attempt to find anyone else that observed the bizarre event. He realizes that there is no one else and says to himself, “You did not just see two guys get abducted.”

Joseph Jaeger is still sitting on his chair next to the pool while trying to think of a reason for Ludwig’s visit. He is aware of Indrid Cold and her accurate visions of future disasters. He looks at Sajjad and says, “Ludwig’s unexpected visit worries me, Sajjad. I need to find out what exactly my son is up to.”

Sajjad does not reply and uses his inhaler to calm his wheezing. Joseph prepares to stand up when he suddenly winces in reaction to a sharp pain on the back of his neck. He then feels as though his heart is about to burst out from his chest. Sajjad rushes to hold his arm and sits him back down on the chair. He calls his name while touching his chest. “Mr. Jaeger?”

Because he saw Joseph react to a pain behind his neck, Sajjad takes a quick glance and sees a tiny red dot. He watches helplessly as Joseph clenches his chest and lets out a loud groan...then he becomes limp and his eyes roll back. At this point, Sajjad comes to the conclusion that Mr. Jaeger has just been assassinated.

On the roof of a nearby building, a woman dressed in black military attire hides and begins disassembling her custom SVD Dragunov sniper rifle and shoving the pieces into a gym bag.

Mary is inside peeking through a thin slit of the curtains while holding a cell phone. She whispers, “Direct hit, sir. He’s dead.”

A man, around fifty years old, is at his home sitting in his office chair next to a laptop while holding a cell phone next to his ear.

“Thank you, Mary.”

He disconnects the call and whispers, “Good job, Rikki.” A woman’s voice is heard shouting from the kitchen.

“Gary! Would you like some coffee?”

In the meantime, Indrid’s ship arrives at The Capitol at Chelsea in New York. David frigidly looks at Dr. Frankenstein and says, “When I accepted to help you, I didn’t have babysitting in mind.”

“Yes. I do apologize, David. This is, however, the best option for her.”

Alexandria says to her father disappointedly, “I was so looking forward to the owl worshiping, dad.”

She grabs Fluffy and prepares herself for her first visit to the upper world. David raises his eyebrow at the puppy and mumbles in a way as to show discontent. Alexandria tells him, “You won’t even know he’s there. I can put him on mute or even make him take an eternal nap.”

David pauses for a moment and asks her, “Does it poop?”

“He can...if I send the command.”

Dr. Frankenstein warns loudly, “Konfect! Don’t make me regret this.”

Alexandria giggles mischievously and places Fluffy to sleep by pinching his ear. Afterwards, she puts him inside of her purse. Her father points his finger at her with a serious expression on his face.

“Do not give David a hard time, konfect. Understood?”

She stands up straight and salutes him just as a soldier would salute his, or her, superior. This makes him grin and he then gives her a long hug and a kiss on her forehead. Indrid takes a look at them and smiles while asking, “Are we ready?”

Dr. Frankenstein nods in acknowledgement and Alexandria stands very close to David. This makes him feel unbearably uncomfortable and he moves an inch away from her. He doesn’t have children of his own for the simple reason that they demand an extraordinary amount of patience...which he lacks. She finds his aversion to be interesting and decides to hug his arm and place her head on it while giving him her puppy-dog eyes. David rolls his eyes and whispers while looking up, “God. Make this night end quickly.”

A white light lights up what was once a dark alley two blocks away from the apartment building. A homeless man laying down on the ground covers his eyes with his hand and moans in a drunken stupor. He then becomes startled at the sight of a man and a girl appearing out of nowhere. After rubbing his eyes with his hands, he sees that he is not imagining this.

He shakes his fist in the air and yells, “Where the fuck is Kirk you son of a bitch!”

Alexandria cringes at the overpowering bad smell of the alley and covers her nose with her hand. David notices this and tells her, “Welcome to New York.”

The doorman recognizes the approaching individual as a tenant of the Capitol apartment building and opens the front door. He asks in a state of shock, “A visitor tonight, Mr. Stubbe?”

“Yes, Charlie. This is my friend’s granddaughter, Alexandria. I’m the unfortunate soul that’s giving her a tour of the city.”

As they walk inside, Alexandria tries her very best not to burst out laughing and mouths to Charlie, “He’s so rude.”

David presses the elevator button and wonders why she is giggling to herself. “Fucking kids.” he thinks to himself. The elevator doors open and they walk inside. David presses a button and the doors then close shut.

Alexandria marvels at the older technology being used as she watches the digital numbers above her. She asks David, “Can we go to the Statue of Liberty tomorrow?”

“It’s going to rain tomorrow, kid. Your father told me that you are to not get wet. You being a mermaid and all.”

She grins and begins to pull on the skin of her arm. To his amazement, he sees a clear covering being lifted off of her skin and asks, “What is that?”

“It’s a little something me and auntie Indrid have been working on. We call it the second skin. It acts as a barrier to prevent the water from making contact!”

Unwilling to accept defeat from a child, he informs her, “Do you know how crowded it gets? You need to get there extremely early to even have a chance.”

Alexandria excitedly takes out her phone and asks David, “At what time should I set the alarm?”

David groans at the arduous task of waking up at such an ungodly hour. The elevator door opens and he exits very promptly. Alexandria gives chase and demands loudly, “Hey! Tell me what time, David!”

David opens the door of his apartment and his young guest runs inside. He closes the door and turns on the light. They both look at each other and share an awkward moment of silence. David clears his throat and asks her, “Are you hungry?”

Alexandria does in fact feel hungry right now. She suddenly feels like she’s intruding in David’s personal space and becomes shy. He finds her behavior to be quite unexpected and tries to calm her.

“Come on, now. Let me show you the kitchen.”

She nods nervously and follows him. David turns on the kitchen light and opens up the refrigerator. He motions to her with his hand to step closer. Alexandria stands next to him and looks inside. The brief silence is broken by the sound of her stomach grumbling.

“Oops. Sorry.”

Her good manners take David by surprise and results in his mouth forming a small grin. Wait a damn minute. What the hell is going on here? He hates kids! He walks away treating the situation like ground zero of an infectious virus outbreak.

“Help yourself to anything you want, kid. Except the imported beer.”

Alexandria takes this as a cue to raid David’s refrigerator and grabs everything in sight. He watches her prepare a monstrous looking sandwich and shakes his head while chuckling.

On Indrid’s ship, Barbara is sitting next to Henry and observes his knee as it rapidly moves up and down indicating the high level of fear he is currently experiencing. She can longer take much more of this and places her hand on his knee rather forcefully. He sees Barbara’s annoyed expression and stops moving his knee. She mouths “Thank you” to him and releases her firm grip.

Dr. Frankenstein stands next to Indrid and views the Pacific Ocean beneath them. It should just be a matter of minutes until they arrive at California. She says while glancing at one of the screens, “Weaving Spiders Come Not Here.”

He immediately recognizes that as being the Bohemian Club motto. It would be naive of him to actually believe that the most powerful, and influential, men would gather together and not discuss matters of business. Who can forget the infamous Manhattan Project meeting that took place on September of 1942? Dr. Frankenstein says to Indrid, “If only that were true.”

Alexandria is sitting next to David on the couch and thoroughly enjoying her sandwich. He is confounded by the massive appetite of this skinny little girl. She notices his stare and blushes with embarrassment. David takes a sip of beer and tells her, “No. Actually...this isn’t the nightmare that I expected.”

Alexandria swallows and asks, “Why do you hate kids so much?”

At this point, David thinks to himself the word that she just used. Hate. This one human emotion is the primary cause of wars and racial tension throughout history...and he should now. He looks at her and takes another sip of his beer.

“Well, Alexandria. I wouldn’t go as far as to say hate. A more accurate term would be...afraid. As you know, kid, I am a werewolf. This curse has passed on from one generation to the next. And now...the bloodline is going to be cut.”

“You’re the last one?”

“You got it.”

David raises his wrist to look at the time. Ten-thirty. He stands up and finishes what’s left of his beverage. Alexandria, he thinks to himself, is a sweet girl. It boggles the mind that someone that has had so much hardship, in regards to her father hardly being there for her, managed to keep herself together.

“I’m hitting the sack, kid. The TV’s all yours. My laptop’s over there if you need the Internet.”

She smiles and replies, “Thanks. Good night.” She then squeezes Fluffy’s ear and he immediately wakes up wagging his tail.

All of a sudden, on the ship, Dr. Frankenstein’s phone is heard ringing. He thinks to himself that it may be his daughter wanting to talk. This is, of course, the first time she has visited the upper world. His reaction changes from that of fatherly love to concern when he sees that the phone number is not familiar. He answers the phone.

“Hello?” There is nothing but silence. He repeats, “Hello?”

Dr. Frankenstein then hears a familiar middle-eastern voice ask, “Dr. Frankenstein?”

The doctor pauses for a moment and replies, “You’re Mr. Jaeger’s bodyguard. Sajjad.”

“Yes, doctor. I’m afraid that I have terrible news. Mr. Jaeger is....dead.”

Dr. Frankenstein slowly walks toward the white sofa and sits down. He then asks, “What happened?”

“He suffered a heart attack just after you left. I need to speak with you, doctor. I want to discuss the circumstances of his death.”

“Of course. Where would you like to meet?”

“Central Park. Tomorrow. Six AM.”

The call disconnects and he looks up at the entire team in a state of bewilderment. He says, “Joseph Jaeger is dead.”

Henry steps closer and replies, “Huh? But he looked as healthy as a horse!”

“I fear, Henry, that his death may have been caused by something...deliberate.”

Dr. Frankenstein rises to his feet and twists his goatee with his finger. He says to everyone, “While Henry infiltrates the Bohemian Club meeting early tomorrow morning, the rest of us will meet with Sajjad.”

Barbara asks him, “Doctor? Would it be okay if I stay with Henry? In case he needs help?”

“Fine. Let’s all get some rest now...tomorrow is a big day.”

Hours later, Alexandria is in bed and staring at the ceiling of David’s guest bedroom. This bed of his feels so uncomfortable when compared to the one in her room at Atlantis! She sighs and rolls over to her side while whispering, “It’s the same thing here, dad. You always leave me alone.”

She is awakened several hours later by the immensely loud alarm coming from her cell phone. She takes hold of the device and touches the screen. The room is quiet once again which tempts her to continue sleeping. Not willing to miss the opportunity to visit a popular landmark, she sits up and stretches her arms while yawning. Fluffy is next to her licking her arm and wagging his tail. Alexandria gets out of bed and walks into the bathroom.

Moments later, she gradually opens the bedroom door and looks down the hallway in hopes of seeing David getting prepared. To her dismay, the only noticeable occurrence is the sound of snoring. Just as Alexandria is about to knock on his bedroom door, she changes her mind. It would make her feel guilty to wake him up from his sleep and make him hate kids even more. She looks down at Fluffy and whispers, “You look ready. Let’s go.”

Alexandria opens the front door and she holds the dog leash tightly so that Fluffy does not escape from her. She does her best to make the least amount of noise possible as the door makes a clicking sound when it closes.

A light flashes above Monte Rio Avenue. Shortly afterwards, Barbara and Henry appear. They nod at each other and Henry fades away until he is completely invisible. It still manages to make her feel a bit uneasy when he does that. She tells him, “Let me know the second things go bad, Henry. Good luck.”

“Thanks. I’m gonna head on up to Bohemian Avenue.”

Barbara’s thermal imaging sensor in her eye picks up Henry’s body heat and watches him run towards the aforementioned avenue. She then proceeds to run into a heavily wooded area and lifts her wrist to speak into it.

“Henry’s on his way right now, doctor.”

She hears him reply, “Good. Keep me posted, Barbara.”

Dr. Frankenstein is sitting down on a park bench at Central Park and begins to read his newspaper. He looks at his watch and it shows ten minutes past six. Could something have happened to him? A tall man sits down next to him. He crosses his leg over the other and his backwards foot can be seen.

“Sajjad.”

Sajjad takes a deep breath from his inhaler and says, “As you are assuming, Mr. Jaeger’s death was not a natural occurrence. I found a minuscule reddish entrance wound on the back of his neck which resembled the puncture of a needle.”

“The icy projectile.”

“Doctor?”

“In 1975, it was discovered that the CIA developed a poison in the form of an icy projectile that could be fired from a gun. It was, and still is, untraceable.”

Sajjad takes a moment to think about his present situation. He has lost the person that he swore to protect. The person that provided not only himself, but all of the Abarimon, the freedom to travel anywhere around the world.

“I must avenge his death. I want to help you.”

“You are fortunate that they did not kill you, Sajjad. They do not see you, nor myself, as a threat. However...I will be traveling down a path that will place everyone that I know in danger.”

“I am aware of the risk involved, doctor. And I accept it.”

Dr. Frankenstein grins and extends his hand. Sajjad nods and shakes it thus confirming the new addition to the team. The doctor closes the newspaper and rises to his feet followed by Sajjad.

“Follow me, Sajjad.”

They both begin walking toward a nearby alleyway. Upon entering it, a bright flash is seen and the two men disappear.

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