* * *

Augustus Germaine held the scale up with a pair of tweezers and rotated it against the light, shaking his head.

“I thought that Almadu was dispelled, what, seventy years ago?” Assistant Director Grosskopf said.

“All are not dead that sleeping lie,” Germaine answered, continuing to examine the scale. “What once was can be again. And, clearly, is. The thorium traces are distinct, as is the patterning of the scale. Someone has been very naughty.” He set the scale down on the laboratory bench and looked over at Dr. Mattes. “Concur?”

“Oh, yes,” Vonnia Mattes, Ph.D., replied, shrugging. “And the construct DNA, of course.”

“So it’s a manifestation of Almadu for sure?” Grosskopf asked, pointedly. “That’s a full avatar manifestation. I can’t exactly send my agents in on that!”

“No, it’s clearly Special Circumstances,” Germaine said with a sigh. “I’ll find someone to attach to your investigation. The usual covers.” He frowned and bit his lip, wincing. “But for a full manifestation… I don’t really have any agents, available agents, that are up to dispelling one of those. Not to mention their followers. This is likely to get… noticeable.”

“Five dead hookers are already noticeable,” Grosskopf pointed out.

“Noticeable as in explosions, weird lights, people going insane and lots of dead bodies,” Germaine snapped. “This is not going to be an easy take-down. The last cult involved depth charges, torpedoes and a full cover-up. And even then that beastly writer got ahold of some of it!”

“Whatever,” Grosskopf replied. “Just get it shut down. Fast. Before somebody outside the organization stumbles on it.”

“Well,” Germaine said, shrugging, “if they do, I don’t think they’ll live long enough to tell anyone about it.”

* * *

Blessed peace.

Barbara enjoyed driving, especially when she was by herself.