"I've done all I can," said Polizia Chief Rafael Neri. "This Arnold Eastman is a tough one to crack. He would only answer in disjointed Bible verses and un mucchio di sciochezze that I can't sort through."

"He will open up," said Elizabeth. "You play 'good cop, bad cop' here, too, don't you?"

"Si, si. And I suppose you'll be the good cop?"

Elizabeth smiled, knowing it didn't occur to Neri that a doe-eyed, diminutive, cultured slip of a girl could ever play the bad cop. "Stavolta, si."

They both entered the interrogation room.

"I've just heard, 'Brother,' that you are charged with causing some trouble in the United States, as well as here. The FBI has gone to a lot of trouble to send Agent Errol-Koenig here. So I hope, for your sake, you will stop talking nonsenso," said Neri.

The suspect looked over to the dark, black-suited young woman that sat before him.

"Touch nothing unclean…" he said almost to himself.

Neri leaned on the table, his menacing frame looming large. "Racist, no? Don't worry. And don't flatter yourself. I don't think she's interested."

"It is a disgrace for a woman to speak…"

"Capo, posso fare questo," the woman interrupted. "'Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities,'" she quoted to the suspect, "'for there is no authority except that which God has established.'"

"I follow a higher authority."

"Higher than God, Mr. Eastman? I will continue. 'The authorities that exist have been established by God.1' Yes, Mr. Eastman, I'm afraid that includes women in authority. Even Black women. And federal agents. If your higher authority is any good whatsoever, and if you have nothing to hide then you will respect me."

"Dio mio," thought Neri, as he stepped out of the room. If this was what Elizabeth was like playing "good cop," he didn't know if he could stand to ever get on her bad side.

"I hear you don't even want a lawyer."

"The Lord is my advocate…"

Elizabeth leaned toward him, eyes ablaze. "And mine, too. I just wonder if we're talking about the same Lord."

Eastman blinked and squinted as the woman before him seemed to blur and brighten for a split second. He also felt a need to either stop or redirect the conversation.

"But you look faint, and I'm a bit hungry, myself. How about something to eat?" Elizabeth said, in a low, smooth voice. She punched an intercom button and rattled off a few more words Eastman could not understand. An officer brought in some coffee and a couple of sandwiches. His vision blurred again.

"The best Rome's finest can offer." Elizabeth shoved a plate and cup toward him. "Buon appetito. And when you're ready, might as well come out and tell me everything."

Eastman took a bite and glanced up. He'd never seen, let alone eaten, anything on ciabata bread before, and was a bit cautious. But Elizabeth was right. He was hungry, and it was pretty tasty. After several more bites washed down with coffee, he felt much better.

Elizabeth continued. "While you finish eating, I might as well tell you how I moved up with the FBI. I don't practice any occultism, but my first official capacity was as a psychic."

"You have the gift of prophecy?"

"You could say that. But my point is that I'll find out whatever you try to hide one way or another, so you might as well save us both the trouble and be upfront with me. And there is that commandment against bearing false witness."

Eastman noticed a silver medal she wore around her neck. "So you are a believer. You know Scripture. And that medal-"

"Yes. It's of St. Michael the Archangel. Patron saint of soldiers and police officers."

"Appropriate." Eastman smiled. "But you forgot swordsmen."

"So I did. Not very many people know that outside the salle. Do you fence much,

by any chance?" she asked. Establishing authority and then trust helped, but how on earth did he know that?

The question caught him off guard. "No. Do you?"

Elizabeth smiled. "A bit, but back to the subject, Mr. Eastman-"

"Brother Eastman."

"Brother Eastman, from here on out, try quoting Scripture correctly and in

context. The Lord also said you shall not kill. And you're here on charges for attempted murder."

Eastman looked down. "That reporter was marked for excommunication."

"Excommunication just means being denied Communion, 'Brother,' not being blown up."

Eastman about choked on his coffee. "For treason against humanity? Comforting mutant abominations? The Supreme Pontiff said such a death would be a merciful punishment for those crimes."

"You're not talking about the current Pope, are you?"

"That apostate?"

"I didn't think so. So tell me more about your 'Supreme Pontiff,'" Elizabeth demanded.

"I don't know. Even a believer like you may not fathom-"

"In my line of work? Please. I specialize in the unfathomable."

"Very well, then. His story is the stuff of legends…."

Neri watched through the window in disbelief. Here this guy was rambling on and on with the same feci della mucca that he had to hear. And Agent Errol-Koenig smiled, nodded, and took it all in, occasionally asking questions like whether or not Eastman had met this "Supreme Pontiff," and what the "Church" hierarchy was like, almost, after the initial confrontation, as if it were nothing more than a friendly interview over lunch. Most of what Eastman said sounded like rote recitation, and her questions seemed to confuse him. But she seemed to get some answers, though Neri could not venture a guess as to how.

Before long, Agent Errol-Koenig got up to leave. "You have helped out considerably, and I thank you. Maybe, if you get a lawyer, we can see about reducing the charges for your cooperation."

And certainly get this guy a deprogrammer. To think he really believed all he was saying! And with all his talk about combining technology and sorcery, maybe he needed a copy of That Hideous Strength as well.

She then turned back, her eyes ablaze. "Out of curiosity, what do you make of this 'apostate' Pope's ex cathedra statement that those who do not welcome mutants have cut themselves off from the Church?"

"True enough. We just have to rebuild the Church anew in our image, of untainted humanity."

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Back at Vatican Security Headquarters, Zeitgeist worked on her laptop, drafting a report for the chief of Vatican Security. She emailed a copy to her station chief. Then she added two more paragraphs and saved it to her A drive. It wouldn't do to send personal email from a CIA computer. Anyway, there was a cute cyber cafe she wanted to visit.

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To: wingman

Re: Polizia Romana Case #374613924

I've narrowed down our leads in this case. While the suspects have all been linked to one or another of the organizations that claimed responsibility for robbing Notizie San Gabriel and for the attempted bombing, all are connected to yet another group that was not listed. This group is the one most likely behind all this.

This new organization seems to be recruiting primarily from Catholic excommunicants disenfranchised by the Pope's expressed sympathy for mutants. Make no mistake. This is not a movement within the Church, as I previously suspected, but now an entirely separate sect that will try to infiltrate the hierarchy. They want to remain under the radar for now, but expect their attacks to become more frequent, more sophisticated, and more flagrant as their plans progress, particularly since this organization seems to be as much doomsday cult as hate group.

And while there is an active cell in Rome, it's constituted almost entirely of U.S. and Canadian citizens. As is most of their leadership. Be on the lookout for a lot of activity Stateside. I am having trouble determining their base of operations, as this group seems extremely mobile. And I cannot get any concrete information at all on this person they call the "Supreme Pontiff." I will need to investigate further.

Attached is a list of all the suspects and the leads they've provided.

Also, I must warn you that your investments are targeted to take a literal as well as financial beating, starting with this operation in Clark County, Nevada. (Also, if I were in your situation, heads would roll in the boardroom about that one. This business is technically legal otherwise my people in the Bureau would have busted them a long time ago. They'll wish we could have before long.) And I need to get in touch with Kurt somehow. Don't ask me how, but this group knows about him.

And due to the sensitive nature of this information, do not forward or respond to this email, bitte. You may, however, want to pay a visit to Mr. Cassidy on your way to the upcoming G8 conference. Nothing personal against him, but he's likely to ruin everything.

-Zeitgeist

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To: unknown address

Re: you know verdammt good and well

If you so much as even entertain the idea of trying to contact me ever again, that your militia will crumble from within will be the least of your concerns. And rest assured, it will, in the worst possible fashion. I never thought what you were doing, particularly with the people you're "recruiting," was a good idea, in the first place.

Oh, yes, and I know you haven't tried to contact me yet. But I also know you're considering it. Nothing personal, but your kind of "help" will endanger us like nothing else. I have my eye on you, and have alerted some of my operatives already. If you or anybody connected to your X-Corps even thinks about my whereabouts, or me or acknowledges me as anything other than some false reading you've tapped from Cerebra, I will know. And I won't enjoy what I'll have to do to keep you quiet and away from my mission and me. Sean, you are a good, but misguided, man with noble intentions. You know who I am, and that's too much. Don't tempt me to introduce my blade to that overdeveloped trachea of yours. This is your only warning.

1 Romans 13:1

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