"I spend so much time
Believing all the lies
To keep the dream alive
Now it makes me sad
It makes me mad at truth"

"Eyes Without a Face" - Billy Idol

02 October 1999
Seattle, Washington

Have they gotten to her already? Please, God, I hope not.

Fairbanks waited impatiently as the phone continued ringing, horrid thoughts running through his mind as it did so. He knew trying to connect to a line half a world away was going to be difficult given the difference in time zones and the like, but it was not going to stop him from trying. Alyssa Cordeiro had been a friend of his for sixty-nine years. More than a friend. A lover, a confidante, a true companion. He could not let her go without a warning of the current danger, could he?

The third ring sounded in the boy's ear. He glanced at his watch with a growing sense of unease. It was eleven o'clock in the morning. Even with the eight hour time difference between Seattle, Washington and Sagres, Portugal, it would only be seven o'clock in the evening there. Was Allysa not answering because she wasn't home, had moved away, or something worse? Fairbanks shut his eyes and forced himself not to think about that possibility.

"Olá?" (Hello?) answered a slightly breathless Alyssa Cordeiro. "Eu sinto Muito. Eu tive que colocar minhas compras e atravessar a sala." (I'm sorry. I had to put my groceries down and run across the room.)

Fairbanks grinned. Her voice was always enchanting regardless of the language she used. He could picture the girl leaning on her kitchen counter and twisting a lock of her long black hair around one finger as she spoke.

"Alyssa, esse é o Jonny." (Alyssa, this is Jonny.)

"Oi, Jonny." "(Hi, Jonny.) Alyssa's voice perked up with excitement. "Já faz quase um mês. Eu estava começando a pensar que você tinha me esquecido." (It's been almost a month. I was starting to think you'd forgotten me.)

"Eu nunca poderia fazer isso. Não importa quantos anos se passe, você sempre será a garota para mim." (I could never do that. No matter how many years pass you'll always be the girl for me.)

"Você é um amorzinho." (You are such a sweetheart.)

"Sinto muito, minha querida, mas não liguei para recuperar os velhos tempos e sussurrar carinhos em seus ouvidos." (I'm sorry, my dear, but I didn't call to catch up on old times and to whisper endearments into your ear.) Fairbanks' indicated he would truly rather be doing the latter rather than his intended purpose.

"Oh, mas você é tão bom naqueles ... e em sussurrar coisas mais quentes no meu ouvido." (Oh, but you're so good at those...and at whispering hotter things in my ear.)

"Eu gostaria de poder fazer isso também, mas isso é mais sério. (I wish I could do that, too, but this is more serious.)

The playfulness faded from Cordeiro's voice. "Sério? Gosta do quão sério." (Serious? Like how serious.)

"Ameaçador de vida." (Life threatening.)

"Você tem toda a minha atenção agora, querida." (You have my full attention now, dear.)

"Lembra quando David nos contou sobre um grupo de pessoas chamadas de Observadores há alguns anos?" (Remember when David told us about a group of people called Watchers a few years ago?)

"Sim." (Yes.)

"Bem, há aparentemente um grupo dissidente daquela organização que mata Imortais. Eles me atacaram há duas semanas. Eu só fugi porque um Observador amigável me ajudou a escapar." (Well, there is apparently a splinter group of that organization that kills Immortals. They attacked me two weeks ago. I only got away because a friendly Watcher helped me escape.)

"Oh meu Deus." (Oh, my God.)

"Todas essas pessoas que ouvi falar falavam com sotaque europeu, então estou apostando que a maioria delas está operando na Europa. Um deles falou comigo sobre a eliminação de todos os Imortais. Essas pessoas são Observadores, então eles precisam saber onde você mora agora. Eu acho que você precisa sair de onde você está agora e encontrar um lugar seguro para se esconder." (All of these people that I heard talking spoke with European accents so I am betting that most of them are operating in Europe. One of them spoke to me about eliminating all Immortals. These people are Watchers so they have to know where you live right now. I think you need to leave where you are now and find a safe place to hide.)

"O que você está fazendo agora? Você está se escondendo também?" (What are you doing right now? Are you hiding, too?)

"Sim, estou com uma família em Washington. David disse algo sobre "ser caçado" antes de me mandar embora. Eu acho que ele pode ter tido alguma indicação de que isso estava acontecendo - ou talvez apenas sentiu algo, você sabe como ele é - e me queria em um lugar seguro." (Yeah, I'm with a family in Washington. David said something about "being the hunted" before he sent me away. I think he may have had some indication this was going on - or maybe just sensed something, you know how he is - and wanted me in a safe place.)

"Você vai ficar aí? Eu poderia me juntar a você." (Are you going to stay there? I could come join you.)

"Não! Não faça isso. Essas pessoas já têm uma ideia de onde eu estou. Eu não quero você em nenhum perigo adicional. Mesmo se eu me envolver mais com isso, eu gostaria que você ficasse fora disso. Eu quero que você esteja segura. Por -me um e-mail para saber como entrar em contato quando tudo acabar." (No! Don't do that. These people already have some idea of where I am. I don't want you in any additional danger. Even if I get more involved in this thing, I would like you to stay out of it. I want you to be safe. Please. Just send me an email so I know how to contact you when it's all over.)

Cordeiro huffed into the phone, her displeasure with her long distance Immortal boyfriend obvious. "Okay. Eu não gosto disso, mas vou fazer por você. Eu prefiro estar com você, no entanto." (Okay. I don't like it, but I'll do it for you. I'd rather be with you, though.)

"Eu sei. Eu sinto o mesmo. Obrigado minha querida. Eu te amo." (I know. I feel the same. Thank you, my dear. I love you.)

"Eu também te amo, Jonny. Fique seguro." (I love you, too, Jonny. Stay safe.)

"Eu vou. Tchau, minha querida Alyssa." (I will. Bye, my dear, Alyssa.)

"Tchau, Jonny Fair." (Bye, bye, Jonny Fair.)

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03 October 1999
Westminster, England

Devon Sather kept his face more impassive than usual. He was on camera now and his visage was being broadcast to the EDOW and the other five Regional Directors around the world. It was time for him to be more professional. He mentally grinned. At least more professional than he had been with his own boss these last few weeks. Across the top of the large flatscreen monitor, the live broadcasts of the other RDs were displayed. Michael Walker's frowning face filled the center of the screen.

"Alright, everyone," said Walker, calling the meeting to order. "Thank you for coming to this meeting. This is the first time we have used the Voice-Over-IP system so I hope it goes well." Walker glanced to the side where, Sather was sure, a nervous IT technician was sweating over an operations board trying to keep the various audio and video streams going.

"As per usual, the language of this meeting will be English," Walker clarified. "Please keep all of your communication in that language for the clear understanding of all in attendance." This directive brought frowns of displeasure from some, particularly the African and South American directors, but they nodded nonetheless.

Walker cleared his throat and faced the camera again. "I would like to start out with an explanation of the current crisis facing us in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in North America. In the past six weeks, there has been a resurgence of Hunter activity that dwarves any such previous events we have experienced. While other uprisings have been extremely localized, usually centered only in one city, this problem is spread across the entirety of both continents. One hundred thirty-two Immortals are confirmed to have been killed in Europe as of this morning and, in North America, another twenty-one.

"None of these killings are at the hands of other Immortals. We have separated out those deaths from these. All those I have mentioned show signs of some form of other weapons, such as guns or tasers, being used to first incapacitate the Immortals prior to their heads being taken."

Chan-ri Bahk, the Asian director, spoke up. "How do we know this is not a group of Immortals on a killing spree and simply using unconventional methods? It's happened before. This might be the case again."

"Simple," replied Walker. "Reports from Watchers on the scene, those who have survived anyway, were that there were no Quickenings at the times of the killings. None at all. If an Immortal were present, this would not be the case."

Nada Didier, the African director, frowned deeply and leaned toward her microphone. "You said "those who survived." Have Watchers been killed, as well?"

"Yes. To date, we have lost thirty-eight Watchers at the scenes of these killings, forty-seven in Europe and eleven in America. The people doing this know who the Watchers of these Immortals are and are completely familiar with their surveillance techniques. That means other Watchers. In other words, Hunters."

"We can't blame all of our losses on Hunters, I'm afraid," interjected Jackson Wrigley. "As much as it is embarrassing to admit, four of the deaths in my region were due to the actions of a deranged recruit in Washington. She killed three men before others in the facility were able to take her down."

"No matter how we count the deaths, Jackson," continued Walker, "Watchers as well as Immortals are dying at an alarming rate." The other directors nodded, their heads bobbing up and down on the screen. "And, in the last week, it just got worse."

"How can it get worse than this?" asked Callum Shaw from Australia.

"A few days ago, on the twenty-ninth of last month, Marla Dixon, the wife of Andrew Dixon, and her three sons were found murdered in their homes. Marla was shot once in the head in the sitting room. Her boys were each in their bedrooms with their throats cut. Another boy, Daniel Robertson, age twelve, who was apparently visiting the family, was found tied and gagged in the master bedroom. He was unharmed but obviously terrified."

Walker paused to let that news sink in with the other directors. After a moment of silence, Juliana Oliveira, the South American and Antarctica director, asked her own question. "This is clearly a horrible event, but what does it have to do with the Hunters and the deaths of the Watchers in Europe and North America?"

Sather leaned in to respond to the question. "It ties in, Juliana, because Andrew Dixon and Roy Hardley were found dead two weeks ago at a converted church at the Isle of Skye. That was the home of the Immortal, Siobhan O'Banian. Since her body was not found and both of those men were shot to death, we can only assume she escaped. We believe Dixon and Hardley were Hunters. If our hypothesis is correct, O'Banian is striking back at the families of Watchers in retribution for that attack. Given her IRA background, it makes perfect sense."

"And," added Walker, "there have been two more attacks on Watcher families since the Dixons. Two days after the Dixon attack, Bernard Landow, his wife, Victoria, and their two children, Christina and Joseph, were all shot or knifed to death in their home. The next day, the same thing happened to Arianna Strickland and her family. Her husband, Martin, and son, Kyle, also perished in that attack.

"So, people, we now have a problem coming at us from two angles. We have Hunters killing Immortals and Watchers on one side and we have an angry Immortal killing Watcher families on the other."

Sather pressed his microphone button again. "So far, the attacks on Watcher families are in Scotland and working their way south. We don't know how many Immortals are involved or who their next target will be. We only know that Watchers and their families are in danger."

"What has been done to safeguard the families in the U.K.?" asked Didier.

"That is actually why we're here, Nada," answered Walker. "Devon has a proposal for us that he believes will both allow us to counteract the threat of the Hunters and that of the attacks on our families. I will now turn the presentation over to him."

Sather took a deep breath to ready himself. He could feel the sweat on his palms already. He ignored it and moved his hand to his mouse in preparation of bringing up his short slide presentation.

"I'll admit," he began, "that I just added the security of Watcher families to the concept a few days ago, but the idea isn't too bad a fit as an initial test bed for it. Let me explain." He clicked the icon at the bottom of his screen to bring up his presentation.

"As we have become painfully aware these last weeks, there is no security infrastructure, as far as manpower, within the Watcher organization. Sure, we have technology to secure our files and access to some of our facilities to an extent, but there is nothing to prevent even a moderately determined enemy from breaching any of our locations and slaughtering everyone inside."

Sather kept his grin hidden with some effort as queasy expressions appeared across all of the directors' faces. He continued.

"When we have a threat like Hunters, even if we identify who they are, if they are in significant numbers, more than ten or twenty, there is not really much we can do about them. They have weapons and are determined to resist, after all. What can we do except bum rush them and hope some of us live to tackle them? At least, right now, that is the only choice we have.

"And that is exactly what I am proposing we change. We need a security force with the capability of direct action. In civilian terms, that means they can attack the attackers, fight back on their own terms or better. With the right equipment and training, they can make small work of Hunters. Over time, they will even be able to guard Watchers in the field when they are assigned to track highly dangerous Immortals.

"We don't have the luxury of time and facilities for training right now so the first iteration of these guardians will have to start out as Watchers and other current employees who have prior military or police experience. We can refine that experience with training over time. We will assign these guardians to secure the homes of the families we deem to be the most at risk as well as assist in apprehending Watchers we determine to be suspected Hunters. The Hunters will then be brought before the Watcher Tribunal, as per our usual standard of justice, for review and, if necessary, sentencing."

"Director Sather," interrupted Callum Shaw. "It sounds to me like you are proposing a sort of Watcher police force. Or even an army. Is that what I am hearing? Do you want to form a small army within the Watcher Organization?"

"Essentially, yes. More like a police force, I'd say," replied Sather, nodding. "But more specialized than that. These people would be more along the lines of a SWAT team. They would not be trained for crime scene investigation or anything of that sort. As I said, they are to be primarily organized as a security force. They would be taught how to identify threats and the most expedient methods to take down that threat."

"You said these people could be used against dangerous Immortals. Doesn't this concept violate our non-interference principle?" Juliana Oliveira sat back, her challenge hanging in the air.

Sather blinked before responding. "Not in the slightest," he said. "These men will all still have been Watchers originally and the code they followed then still applies. Even then, they will be under strict controls. They would be commanded by a trustworthy individual. Their sub-commanders would all have to be of high moral character and the unit as a whole would be under the direct command of the EDOW himself. Only he would be able to authorize their use on any mission."

Oliveira nodded, Sather's words seeming to have satisfied her. "Thank you, Director Sather."

"This sounds like a huge risk to me," said Director Bahk, "Watchers with guns? It's quite the paradigm shift. I will admit we need to have some way to protect our people, but I can see so many ways this can go wrong. For example, what if the next group of Hunters sprang up from within this group of armed Watchers? Then we would have a more militarized Hunter threat - and a much more dangerous one - than we have now. I don't like the idea of hiring outside security to protect us, though. That seems to only invite the prospect of more corruption than we already have." Bahk sighed. "Perhaps this is the only way."

"I am also concerned," agreed Wrigley, "particularly with the fact that Director Sather is proposing we start this group off with little to no training other than what they may have had years before. I confess there is no time and nothing in the way of infrastructure to do it, but the notion itself is enough to cause alarm. Who would not have some level of anxiety knowing we're arming men and not providing them also with at least some modicum of training in their use and other methods needed to properly conduct their missions?"

Sather leaned in to answer the directors. "These are valid concerns you are expressing, every one of them. I, too, am uneasy about the lack of current training the members of this unit will have. Director Bahk is concerned about adequate controls over the men and keeping them from becoming a new threat to the organization. That, also, is completely valid. For the time, I believe the only way to overcome the training issue and any distress over any loose cannons with guns would be having the best possible leaders - at all levels - in command of this new unit. From the lowest team leader to the commander of the entire detachment, every officer must be of impeccable character and possess the best leadership qualities. They must supervise their subordinates effectively and remain vigilant against possible threats like all of those mentioned here.

"We will also derive another benefit from such leaders. Good leaders always find a way to improve their men. If we select the best leadership we can for this unit then despite the lack of current training now, they will get better over time. Their leadership will see to that in order to keep their men alive. That is what good leaders do."

Sensing the mood of the group, Walker took over the meeting once more. "Now, everyone, Devon's idea has implications for everybody here. His new unit will be responsible for security at all Watcher facilities. Since that affects all of you then all of you have a say in this. I would like to bring this up for a vote now. Everyone who agrees with this proposal, please raise your hands for the camera now."

Sather held up his hand and watched the top of his screen. Nada Didier, Chan-ri Bahk, and Jackson Wrigley the same. Only Juliana Oliveira and Callum Shaw kept their hands down. Since the EDOW only voted on such measures in the case of a tie, the motion had already passed. Walker would ask for the votes of those opposed just to get them on record.

"All those against?" Shaw and Oliveira raised their hands.

"The vote is four to two in favor. The proposal for a Watcher security force passes." Walker leaned back in his seat. After a breath, he added, "In light of this vote, I hereby promote Devon Sather from Regional Director of Europe to my personal staff. I am creating the position of Director of Operations Security with worldwide authority effective now. Director Sather will answer only to me and will be responsible for all security operations throughout the Watcher Organization. A new Regional Director for Europe will be selected from qualified candidates within the next five days. More information regarding the new security force will be disseminated to you as soon as it is available. I thank you for your attendance at this meeting, ladies and gentlemen. Have a pleasant day."

Walker turned to the IT technician next to him. "Please disconnect all streams except for Director Sather's, would you?"

"Yes, sir," replied the tech, clicking a few icons and hitting a key. "It's done. Still secure with Director Sather."

"First of all, Devon, congratulations on your new position. You've got a lot of work to do and little time to put together a group of people to help you do it. We also have to think about your replacement for the Regional Director seat. I was thinking about Fazekas László, Cari Prothero, or Danika Opperman. Do you have any suggestions?"

Sather closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He remained silent for a good fifteen seconds. "All of those people are very good," he commented. "Let's also consider Sudanek Yegorov, Ong Khemera, and Jeannette Vallotton. They're all District Directors of renown just like László, Prothero, and Opperman and will do an excellent job."

"Alright, Dev. You narrow those six down to three final candidates and I'll select the one person to fill the slot. Fair enough?"

"Will do, boss."

"Now, obviously, you can't do the job of selecting and organizing this new group, whatever we're going to call them, all yourself. You're going to need help with that. I'm giving you free reign to choose whomever you want from within the organization to assist you. You give me the names and they will be transferred to you. If they are in a director's seat of any sort, just be sure to choose someone to replace them, as well. I want as little disruption as possible with these moves. I know there will be some. That's to be expected. Just try to keep it down, if you can. We're already in turbulent times."

"Got it."

"Try to think about the future, too. I'm sure you're already doing that, though. How are we going to maintain this new group and improve it as time goes on?"

"Already thought of that. I've got a plan."

"Good. And, of course, I'll expect you to move to Paris."

"I figured you would, if this thing made it through today's meeting. I'll start packing. I don't have much stuff to move. I'll be there in a week or so. I should spend at least two days with the new RD to help him transition. It's more than anyone did for it."

Walker nodded. "Charge everything to the expense account. This is a company move."

"Thank you, Mike."

"That's all for now, Devon. You've got a lot on your plate now. I'll talk again with you soon."

"Alright, boss. Out here."

"Goodbye, Devon."

xxxxxxxxxx

Devon Sather sat in his seat, stunned that his proposal had been accepted. He had expected it to go down in flames and for him to have to settle for organizing a localized version of it in Europe only. Instead, he had succeeded in creating a new global force and had global responsibilities along with it. He also had a twenty-five percent pay increase, putting him somewhere in the neighborhood of eighty-three thousand pounds (at the current exchange rate, one hundred thirty-four thousand dollars) per year. He would have to look up the salary of the special staff to be sure.

Born in Nashua, New Hampshire in 1973, Sather was an only child. His parents, Jack and Stacy, divorced when he was four, with his mother gaining sole custody of the boy. Sather grew up without ever meeting his father, and did not, in fact, meet his father until Stacy died from breast cancer when Sather was sixteen.

Not long after reuniting with his father, Sather was startled to discover his father's membership in the Watcher Organization, as well as the existence of Immortals. The younger Sather wished to join the Watchers himself, but decided to put it off until he could be of some use to the millennia-old Organization. With the Watchers as his ultimate goal, Sather joined the United States Navy in 1990.

Sather was an above-average recruit, winning his choice of assignments following boot camp. He requested SEAL training. His request was granted only days later. He finished third in his class at BUD/S and, after completing the arduous training program, served with distinction for two years.

During his time with SEAL Team Two in Little Creek, Virginia, Sather earned a Master's Degree from Virginia Tech (to the amazement of his peers and instructors). Six months after having earned his degree; Sather was on deployment in Bosnia when he learned that his father was dead, killed by an Immortal while in the field.

Sather received permission for a compassionate discharge and left the Navy soon after that, having served only four full years, and, in 1994, immediately requested to join the Watchers. He was politely refused, the Organization's thinking being that he was out for revenge, and nothing more.

Frustrated, Sather applied for, and was accepted into, the FBI Academy. Once more, Sather excelled at training, graduating first in his class. He served with the Hostage Rescue Team for almost a year and a half, resigning from the Bureau only after he was finally accepted into the Watcher Organization on 06 August 1996.

Sather's hard charging attitude put him at the front of the class again at the Watcher Academy and he quickly became the favorite for the honor graduate recognition. He attained that title easily and was immediately put into the field. Since he claimed no connections in the United States, his first assignment was in Europe.

His leadership qualities did not go unrecognized as a result of his status as a new Watcher. Sather's performance reviews placed him consistently ahead of his peers and he was often commended for passing on the skills he had learned in the military and the FBI to other Watchers in order to improve their fieldcraft. Near the end of his second year in the organization, when the southern England area directorship chair became vacant, the district director immediately nominated Sather to fill the position. The other District Directors balked at the nomination, saying the youthful Watcher, barely twenty-five at the time, was too young for such a responsibility, but the EDOW chose him regardless.

Eleven months later, the European Regional Director, Alfred Metzer, retired from the Watcher Organization. Nine District Directors and Sather were nominated to replace Metzer. The same argument concerning Sather's age arose again. Once more, the complaints fell on deaf ears with the EDOW. He ultimately selected Sather for the European directorship despite the fact Sather had never held a district directorship. Michael Walker never looked back on his decision even when the hotheaded director occasionally lost his temper on the phone and let his sailor language slip out. Sather always performed to the highest degree.

Now, after a mere four months as the Regional Director for Europe, Sather was a member of the EDOW's special staff. He had to gasp at this fact. Three years in the Watchers and he had already topped out as far as promotions were concerned, unless he became the EDOW. He chuckled. Fat chance of that.

Shaking his head to bring himself back to reality, he logged onto an anonymous VPN server and sent a quick email. That done, he switched off his computer. He walked out of his office. Waving at Sandy and telling her he would be back the next day, he strolled out. He had to get home and start packing.

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03 October 1999
Winchester, England
Winchester Royal Hotel

David Ashton sat at the head of the long conference table. A small grin lit his otherwise impassive face. The turnout for the meeting was good. Including himself, fifteen of the original twenty-two people invited had arrived. He looked down the table to identify the rest of them: Lawrence Channing, Paderau Griffin, Maximillian Honnecker, Jasper Marion, Eric Doyle, Darren Dublin, Jennifer Ellis, Wallace Frazier, Winter Kjellson, Chris Pellier, James Pellier, Viktor Petrov, Payton Swift, and Charles Ulrich.

Seven places at the table were vacant. Each had a place card with a name: Jacob Forrester, Dalla Selbjorgsdottir, Jonas Cartell, Turan Abjer, Dominic Ackart, Hotsuma Bentenrai, and Joseph Madsen. All of those concerned had replied to Ashton's email and all had promised to join him at a later date, some as early as a month from today, some a few weeks later than that. Ashton had sworn to keep them updated on events until that time.

Ashton waited until everyone had their coffee or tea and had sat at their assigned seats before speaking. He tapped lightly on the table with his knuckles to call for an end to the chatter around the room. Silence quickly fell and heads turned his way. The Minoan let the grin spread across his lips.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming to this meeting. I know that, for many of you, it was quite an inconvenience to do so. Sadly, the reason for this assembly is quite necessary. As I said in my original email to all of you, there is a danger out there which threatens all of us and we must join forces in order to counter it. That is why I have called all of you here this morning.

"I will recap some of the information we have. There is an organization known as the Watchers which is a group of mortals who are aware of our existence. They have been around for nearly four thousand years. Their mission is to observe us and record the facts of our lives. Except for rare occasions throughout history, they have never interfered with us. When they have, it has been in the form of small splinter groups known as Hunters. These Hunters are radical offshoots of the Watchers who believe us to be a threat to mankind and therefore seek to destroy us. Thus far, as stated, these previous events have been small and localized. However, now we are facing an expanded version of that threat, a continental - or perhaps even intercontinental - version of the Hunters.

"The information I just gave you came from an anonymous insider within the Watcher Organization who reached out to us and provided us with the basics of the Hunter threat. It has been invaluable so far. This information is what has enabled us to organize to the bare extent that we have and allowed General Honnecker and his team to defeat a small group of Hunters in Austria. The reason for this Watcher's willingness to provide such information to us is the Hunters are not only a danger to Immortals but also to the Watchers themselves. Several Field Watchers have been killed while conducting surveillance of their assigned Immortals.

"What I propose to you today is not a campaign against the Watchers. I do not believe them to be a threat to us. If anything, I believe them to be just as concerned about the secrecy of our existence as we are. It is the Hunters who threaten us and they are what must be countered and destroyed. How we will do that will be the difficulty.

"Since our enemies are Watchers themselves, they are fully aware of our strengths and weaknesses. They know, for example, that we cannot fight on holy ground and take advantage of that fact by ambushing us there. They also make sure to attack us in numbers, use firearms, and take our heads when no other Immortals are around so that our Quickenings are lost."

There was a visible shudder around the room as he said the last part. Ashton continued.

"With this small group, and those who will be joining us soon, I want to begin a campaign of active resistance against these Hunters. We will start with several days of intelligence gathering of our own in order to gain as much information about our enemies as possible before we make any moves against them. We may have to center our operations here in Britain or in another country. We do not know enough right now to make any determinations. We will remain flexible until we know more about our foes and will adjust our tactics accordingly as we learn. For now, though, we will use this hotel as our base of operations but shall be prepared to relocate, if needed.

"I have initiated contact with certain elements of the black market to acquire the equipment needed for our fight. Darren, I will turn that responsibility over to you, if you don't mind." Dublin nodded. "Thank you. I will give you the details when this is concluded.

"I'd like for the rest of you, except for Payton, Max, and his people, to act as scouts. Go out into the field and find whatever data you can. Anything will be better than the zero we have at the moment. We will have a location here where you can call in whatever you find. The information will then be analyzed and plans made."

Ashton turned his gaze to Honnecker. "Max, I'd like for you, Lawrence, Jasper, and Viktor to set up and run an operations center to receive the reports from the scouts. I've reserved one of the smaller conference rooms for that purpose."

Honnecker acknowledged the directive with a nod and made a note on his laptop. As he did, he raised an eyebrow as a notification popped up. He concentrated on the screen.

"May I interject, General?"

"Of course," replied Ashton.

"I have just received a message from the anonymous Watcher's email account. He has an update for us. I'd like to read it to the group.

General Honnecker,

The Watchers have reacted to the Hunter attacks and some other events of which you should be aware. They have just agreed to form a security team composed of current employees with prior police or military experience. There is no time to give them additional training so these people will have to be put to work immediately. There is not even proper equipment yet for them. Who knows where they will get that?

This new team will be responsible for finding the Hunters and putting a stop to them. They will also guard critical Watcher facilities and, when necessary, Watchers in the field. Temporarily, they will also be tasked with providing security to the homes of Watchers in Europe, as manpower is available.

The reason for the last task is as follows. An Immortal who survived a Hunter attack has begun seeking retribution by killing Watchers and their families. We believe this Immortal to be Siobhan O'Banian but have not yet confirmed this fact. Regardless, this Immortal has probably put together a small group of like-minded Immortals and has so far murdered the families of three Watchers in Scotland. They are currently working their way south through the U.K.

As you can see, the Watchers now have two problems before them: the Hunters and this Immortal contingent attacking their families. I have mentioned the intended purpose of this new security force, but it will take time to get volunteers and to get them on site. I don't know what your plans are, just that you have already taken some action against the Hunters yourself. If you intend to continue doing so, I hope this information is useful to you.

PO2

"I'm not sure what the signature means," admitted Honnecker, "but he used it on his last message, as well."

"Petty Officer Second Class," said Ashton. "Our man was a noncommissioned officer in the Navy. You were right about sensing a military air about him." The Minoan swivelled his chair and crossed a leg over his knee. "This update complicates matters considerably. We need to confirm the identities of this group of murderous Immortals and stop them. If we don't, their actions will not only lead to many more unnecessary deaths but, as purely a self-defense mechanism, could drive more Watchers into the Hunters' ranks, as well."

Ashton uncrossed his leg and sat forward. "Max, would you write back to this Watcher and request any additional information he might be willing to provide? Tell him about our alliance and goals. Perhaps he can assist us some more."

"Yes, sir."

Eric Doyle, the youngest looking Immortal in the room, he was barely eighteen when he met his first death, raised his hand and spoke, "When we go out there to gather intelligence, I presume you want information on the Watchers and anything that could lead to the Hunters. That's pretty specific and is going to be hard to find among millions of normal people. Do you have any suggestions on how we could go about it?"

"I suggest you ask Watchers," replied Ashton with a grin. "They're out there. You just have to find them. Or, rather, they'll find you.

"A word of warning to you all, though. Don't harm them. We're on the same side. Convincing them to talk may be a challenge, but I have confidence in your resourcefulness."

"How will we recognize them?" asked Winter Kjellson, pushing her long, blonde hair out of her eyes as she spoke.

Ashton gestured to Honnecker with a finger as he answered. "They all have a tattoo on their inner wrist, typically the left one." Honnecker spun his laptop around to display the blue Watcher emblem. "When you see that, you know you have a Watcher. Of course, the Hunters have the same tattoo so you must be wary. However, Watchers tend to act in ones and twos and are unarmed. I would assume that Hunters travel in larger groups for safety."

James Pellier, a mirror image of his brother, Chris, clasped his hands on the table before softly clearing his throat. When he spoke, it was in a clear, confident tone.

"I have a suggestion for consideration by the group. Regarding this email General Honnecker received just now, should we offer to assist the Watchers, as able, with security at their homes? This nameless Watcher might be freer with information for us if we provide some level of service to him in return. It would also give us the potential of encountering and even engaging this radical group of Immortals. We might be able to prevent an attack or two, as well."

Jennifer Ellis, a petite Algerian, smiled from across the table. "I think that's a grand idea. We could take that in shifts when we're not out on reconnaissance."

At the head of the table, Ashton nodded. "Sounds viable. It would be a difficult undertaking for us and we would have to stress, if we did it at all, that this would not be a permanent taksing for us. Only temporary. Any thoughts from the rest of the group?"

"I'm willing to do it," said Wallace Frazier. "It should not detract from our intelligence gathering efforts, though. That should be the primary goal."

"Agreed," said Ashton.

"I don't think it would," countered Dublin. "If we only take on a certain number of homes and with proper planning of the shifts, there shouldn't be a problem."

Ashton raised a finger. "Let's not get too confident. The only known in this equation is the manpower we currently have. That's the people in this room. We know neither the disposition, composition, and strength of this radical group of Immortals nor the number of homes that will require protection. A third unknown is the number of Hunters in the area."

The Minoan continued while turning his gaze to Honnecker. "Offer our support, but on a limited basis. I don't want us to get so bogged down with that effort that we lose sight of our primary objective." Honnecker nodded, his fingers already working on the keyboard.

"Are there any other suggestions," queried Ashton, scanning the room. He despised long meetings and wanted to see this one ended. There were more important things to do than sit around a table. No one answered his question. A few even shook their heads. Ashton nodded.

"Good. Then let's get to work."