TWO: DISPATCH

24 December

1300 hours Eastern Standard Time

Manhattan, New York

Footsteps could be heard clanking against the marble flooring from the hallway, even with the door shut. Markus Hayman was busy reading through his case files for the Massachusetts murders that claimed the lives of fifteen innocent victims. He worked in a separate division of S.T.A.R.S. that was called E.D.E.N., an acronym for les Enfants des Espoirs-Nationale, or "the Children of the National State". It was depressing to see that one man was able to get away with fifteen murders within the duration of three days; no trails were left, the crime scenes were always spotless. The acts were well executed—aside from being disgusted Markus was impressed by the murderer's skill.

"C'mon," he said to himself, tapping his pencil rapidly on his desk. "C'mon, I need a lead—something! Anything!" He flipped through page after page of newspaper articles and magazine cut outs and a photo album left at one of the crime scenes (the only article ever left behind at a scene but did not help in solving the case) and he even watched several surveillance tapes that only caught glimpses of someone pulling his victims into the dark allies of the city.

As Markus was scanning the album once more, his fleece jacket began to ring. He rolled his chair over to where his jacket was hung and grabbed the phone from its front pocket, flipped it open and answered.

"This is Markus Hayman."

"Markus," a woman responded, it was his wife. "I wanted to wait until you came home, but—"

"Madeline, what is it? My mind can't wander too far from work. I'm already lost and confused as it is. This case just isn't—"

"I'm pregnant." She said, almost as if she didn't mean to but did anyway.

Markus was filled with a sudden feeling of exciting and fear at the same time. His eyes shot open and his mouth hung low. With his phone still to his ear he stammered his next sentence. "A-a-are you sure? I mean, wow, that's great! But are you sure? When? How? You're gonna be a mom. I'm gonna be a dad! Jesus! Maddy!" He was no longer able to hold his excitement that was pitted at the bottom of his stomach so he jumped from his chair and gave out a loud yippee and started screaming excitedly into the phone.

After he hung up with his wife his mind could no longer concentrate on a murder case that seemed impossible to solve. Instead it switched over to what he would name the baby and how he would spend time with his baby. He was going to be a daddy!

Wow, he thought to himself, me, Markus Hayman a father at twenty-nine.

His moment in bliss was cut short by a blaring ringing from his office phone. He rolled his chair back over to his desk and pushed the button to accept the call. It was Emperor Albrecht checking up on his progress on the Massachusetts case, no doubt.

"Hayman," came the voice of the brutish man on the other end of the receiver.

I knew it, his mind whispered from the back of his head.

"Hayman?"

"Uh…yes, sir?" Markus replied.

"I need you up in my office now." And Albrecht hung up without another word. And by the urgent tone of Albrecht's voice Markus needed to be up there immediately, so he grabbed his case files, threw them under his arms, stormed out of his office, down the corridor past the other offices and over to the glass elevator at the end of the hall. He pushed the little "up" button, which glowed thereafter, and waited for the elevator to arrive. Once it did, the doors slid open and he walked in, pressed another "up" button and he was on his way to Albrecht's level.

Once he was on the fifth floor, the glass doors glided open and led him onto an outstretched platform that led to the end of the room where the hidden door was. He walked across the platform at a quick pace, making sure not to catch the eyes of one of the Masters of Justices as he did. He only managed to catch a glimpse of the floor beneath him, as there was no other flooring on this level, meaning no ceiling on the fourth floor.

He reached the small podium in front of the door, placed his hand on the cool surface. His name was spoken to him by a computer system and the door slid open, taking with it the grotesque portrait of Albrecht.

Markus entered Albrecht's office, stepping onto a plush red carpet. He walked to the centre of the room where the S.T.A.R.S. insignia was embroidered and waited in front of Albrecht's desk with his arms behind his back.

"Sir, you summoned me?" Markus said with a mark of confidence, his files still in hand.

Albrecht turned around in his chair, his hands clasped together in front of his face. His cold eyes stared up at Markus who stood 1.8 metres (5ft. 10.5 in.) tall. He moved his hands away from his face and placed it on his desk.

"Your current assignment is the Massachusetts case, right?" Albrecht asked. Markus nodded his head. "You have made very little progress since the beginning of November when you were handed the case, yes?" again Markus nodded reluctantly. "All you have managed to uncover is that Massachusetts was not his only target area and that his only victims are women of all ages. All of this is helpful, but leads us nowhere, really."

Albrecht got up from his chair and walked around his desk to come face-to-face with Markus—or at least face-to-chest.

"Hayman, from here on out I am relieving you of your duties on the Massachusetts and handing it over to Natalia. However, you are to take on another case—a hands-on case, in England."

"I'm sorry, sir? England?" Markus looked down at Albrecht with incredulity.

"Yes. It would seem that there's been an incident at a rogue facility in the county of Essex. The facility is suspected of aiding in the development of bio-weaponry for terrorist countries, and those weapons are believed to be targeted at the United States. That is why I need you. I need you to infiltrate the facility, collect any incriminating evidence proving thusly and leave without a trace. If you are caught in action I am giving you permission to kill.

"Your plane leaves in 0100 hours—you dispatch at 1400 hours and will arrive at a landing station near the vicinity of the facility at 1500 hours; that's 2000 hours Greenwich Mean Time. Your Alpha team from the E.D.E.N. department will be accompanying you throughout this operation."

"Yes, sir."

Markus spun around and began for the door, but just as he was about to release the lock for the door to open Albrecht called to him, "I want you back in one piece, soldier. I'm taking a big risk here. You never know what type of bio-weapons they've developed across that pond."

"No problem, sir." And he turned to leave to assemble his Alpha team. E.D.E.N. was to be put into action on an international scale.