A Start

Preface: Sweet goodness, where does the time go. 

I have not posted ANYTHING like I said I would. 

I hope you all have enjoyed the last few months, because it is time to light this work in progress. I mean seriously, this is going to be so raw for me. I am going to be posting basically unedited drafts of my darling for all to see, and while there may not be anyone viewing it, there is a chance. 

Oh well. No time like the present. (Ahem, that means start your book also).

 

Kill Protocol Seraph – Draft 1 - By Joshua Bennett

Prologue – Vostok Lake, 2012 (also the last year according to some Mayan calendar interpretations, and the year the LHC detected the Higgs boson aka The God Particle)

The team achieved a great event, drilling into the lake that was located over 13,000 below the surface of the ice. It was the payoff of long dedicated work, and even though this was not the end of the research, small victories of course must be celebrated. 

The science team of course celebrated and perhaps, after such a long stressful challenge, was tired and a little careless with the retrieved samples.  

They did not notice what was there, and even if they did, it was too late. It was free again. 

 

 ******

 

J Edgar Hoover Building

 

Agent Williams walked down the hall on a Monday afternoon in the way back to his desk after a cheap but edible lunch from the not so local sub shop. It was a familiar path for him, having taken it ever since he started working here five years ago. 

Or at least he thought it was familiar, until today. Walking down that hall, he noticed a door that stuck out. It was not placed at the right distance between the other doors. There was no badge swipe pad for access, just a regular old knob. 

The door opened and a skinny man wearing a plaid shirt and khakis, shaggy hair with a beard, glasses and a lanyard with his ID badge looked right at Agent Williams.

"There you are, come on" the man hurriedly waved for Agent Williams to enter.  

Well, this isn't the strangest thing that has happened to me since I started working here thought Williams.

"Sorry, who are you?" Williams asked as he followed the man down a hall. The door closed behind them with a click of the lock. 

"Sam" he said without turning to face Williams. He just kept walking. 

"Agent Sam, nice to meet you but what is this about?" 

"No, just Sam. You'll see."

Williams was curious, a little amused as he thought how serious some agents could be. Maybe Sam was right to be so serious, but Williams would judge for himself. 

Sam led them through a windowless door into a medium sized room that look like it had not been updated since the 1960s. It was filled with metal filing cabinets and a few desks with lamps.

Only one desk lamp was on. Sam led them there. On the desk was folders, stacks of them. 

Sam sat at the desk and motioned for Williams to take a chair.  

"Agent Williams, how are cases and programs supposed to be closed and shut down?"

"Well, I'd guess the lead agent would submit a report recommending it, or the director or manager would order it closed."

"And....?"

"And the case would be closed?"

Sam sighed "And they would submit the proper form with signatures, stamps, and dates to be notarized and inserted into the beginning and end of the file."

"Well, yeah. That seems to be the details implied in the process. Why are you asking?"

Sam opened a folder. "It appears there was a program investigating one case that was supposed to not only be closed but the files to be destroyed also. However, there is no proper paperwork, just a memo from an unnamed director taped to the first file." Sam handed the folder with the memo to Williams. Williams read the memo "Closed. Destroy all files" then a sloppy signature that might have been Jim something or other. 

"How many files were supposed to be destroyed?"

Sam gestured around to the room. "All of this apparently."

Williams looked around again. That's a lot of files.

"What was the program?"

"Something called Origin in the beginning, then was nicknamed Star Seed later, then again to Pandora. The files are wild, the research goes way back. There are even some photo copies of what appear to be books and files in Latin and from the Vatican Library, but who knows where the originals are now."

"Okay. So what are the files about and what do I have to do with this?"

"Don't know. I was told you can handle this and to hand it off to you, so here we are."

"Who told you that?"

"You know who" was the reply.

Hell that could be anyone Williams thought.