Project Apollo

Chapter 16

"Hi..." she said. Tobias's stomach twisted in knots as he tried to find the words.

"Hi..." Surprisingly to all the Spartans in the room, Tobias's words came out clean and smooth without an inkling of a stutter. A locked moment passed as their eyes searched each other's.

"This is Ashton, Tobias. And this is Seamus," Xander reiterated the introductions. Seamus handed her a bottle of water, breaking her concentration on Tobias.

"Nice to meet you all..." She still seemed confused.

"We need your help, Catherine. You are the only person who has seen the bacteria that, as you know, has been stolen from the NIH. While it appears some parties want to shut you up, we want you to help us know what we are up against. That bacteria is in play – an impending biological attack on American soil and we need you to help Tobias here in finding a treatment, or better yet a cure," Xander explained.

"Are you all CIA?" A couple smirks surfaced through the room.

"You could put it that way..." Seamus offered.

"Honestly, I don't really know any of you, so how do I know you're not terrorists posing as the good guys wanting my help to kill more people?" Her question was fair. Xander thought for a moment and then fished out of his shirt his necklace. It was a crucifix with Jesus Christ on it.

"Alright then... I guess I'm helping the CIA now..." she shrugged, satisfied with the proof.

"We received our first clue to the target at 4AM and its almost 6AM with no leads," Seamus updated.

"Clues?"

"Yeah, a terrorist is offering us clues to the targets, some messed up game he wants to play with us, but he is our only source of Intel at the moment so we have to indulge," Ashton explained. Xander let his fellow Spartans engage in the small talk as his brain was still occupied by the thought of the clue.

"Okay then... what is the clue?" Catherine asked plainly, pursuing the natural and logical next step.

"Let Us Begin Make Your Hypothesis, Twenty-One Steps Before Anonymous, Follow the Dial at Apollo's Rise, To Discover Where Your First Patient Lies," Tobias recited. A blank expression froze upon Catherine's face – she was perplexed and almost laughed at how lost she already was.

"Okay then... let's get on with it..." she stated as she attempted to ascend to her feet.

"Woah, woah easy now... you've been through a lot. I think you should rest a bit..." Tobias offered in a caring manner. Catherine scoffed at the idea, shaking her head.

"Don't be so cheeky, I'm always awake before sunrise," she mentioned off-handed.

But Xander stopped – shot by a thought.

Follow the Dial at Apollo's Rise

"What is it, Xander?" Ashton asked, aware of his changed demeanor.

"Apollo is the god of the sun..." He concluded aloud.

"So?" The Spartans leaned in for Xander to finish.

"Follow the dial at Apollo's rise..." Xander continued, leaving the others still in the dark.

"When does the sun rise?!" His eyes darted to his watch.

"Around 6:30 why?" Tobias offered.

"Load up now... we need to get to the Washington Monument."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Vice President awoke in his office chair in his residence at Number One Observatory Lane. With little sleep, his eyes slowly focused on the early morning before him. He gathered his surroundings and saw the file labeled "The Ivory Tower Initiative" before him. He closed it quickly, along with the ghosts from his past and placed it on his desk.

He paced aimlessly through his office and into the hall of his ornate residence. Passing the priceless artwork on the wall, he steadied his wanderings in front of one oil on canvas. The frame was long and narrow – about five feet by two feet. The collage of vivid colors appeared pale as if lightly applied in splotches. The piece was entitled "Pandora" by Odilion Redon.

He shuffled into the kitchen and found the coffee pot that sputtered its last breaths of brew. He poured his coffee black.

Need it strong today...

He sipped the caffeine down and felt the warmth fill his abdomen. With a slight shot of life in him, he turned on a thought back to the hall and returned to the painting.

He looked it up and down carefully, soaking in its cautionary message. It showed the Greek figure of Pandora with her box, containing all of the evils in the world. He cocked his head to his shoulder as the day came into view.

At that moment his cell phone rang. He rubbed his eyes to decipher the caller ID. The name 'Marty Jacobs' flashed on the phone. He swiped the call open and brought it to his ear.

"Do you know how early it is, Marty?" He asked through a haze.

"Catherine Mueller has escaped the hospital. Reports from the US Marshals indicate that she was broken out, by professionals. We looked over the surveillance and it's Project Sparta," he briefed quickly through the ear speaker.

The Vice President's eyes lifted up to the painting of Pandora with her box.

The box is opening, isn't it?