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Tuesday - September 14

Ted gets up, grabs a piece of bacon from his plate, and while shoving it into his mouth manages to articulate, "But, bacon is good cold or warm." Monica and I both laugh as we pick up our trays to return to the cafeteria.

Just when I'm about out of my office, the phone begins to ring. Recognizing the ring as an inside caller, I tell Ted and Monica to go ahead and I'll catch up with them shortly. I head back to my desk, set my tray down, and quickly pick up the phone before it goes to voicemail.

"Hello, this is Dr. Bennett," I answer.

"John, this is Julie. Is Ted and Monica with you?" she inquires.

"They just left, but I'll be joining them in a few minutes."

"Make it five minutes."

"Five minutes for what?" I ask.

"Two more bodies have been brought in, John," Julie answers. I can tell by her voice that there's something else as well.

"Where were they found?"

There was a moment of silence, which is unusual for Julie. She has always been straight forward and knows what she's about to say, even before she thinks it. I don't know if I should ask her again, or just wait.

When I'm about to ask the question again, Julie stammers, "New York. They were discovered in New York."

Totally stunned by what she said, I sit down and rub my forehead, saying, "Oh, God! This can't be happening. Are they identical to the other three brought in yesterday?"

"From a superficial view, pretty much. Of course, we won't know until they have been completely examined. John, I hope we don't have a pandemic arising due to someone's ability to destroy the human body," she sadly replies.

"Do you think it is man-made Julie?"

"I don't know, John. I truly hope that this is not a sick joke by someone, or someone's."

"I hope not either, Julie."

After I deliver a deep sigh, I look at the clock on my desk and notice that it's already 10:30 a.m. I want to talk to Claire, and now, but it looks like I won't get a chance to.

"Are you in your office, Julie?" I ask.

"Yes, I am. I will meet you and the team in five minutes in the lab. Bring any reports that you have already received. See you in five." Julie disconnects in her usual manner.

I hang up hoping that this will be a good time to ask her about seeing my dad's old files. I look at the clock again and decide to give Claire a quick jingle. I speed dial her on my cell, but she doesn't answer. Not wanting to leave a voicemail, I hang up, grab my tray and the only report received so far, and head down to the cafeteria to collect Ted and Monica to join Julie in the lab.

The three of us consume our food as we head to the lab to meet with Julie, and also, to see our new friends from New York. When we enter the lab anteroom, we notice Julie inside the lab observing the new discoveries. Ted, Monica, and I put on our hazmat suits as quickly as we can. Anxiously, we enter the lab to see what we have.

I head to table one to view the latest victim. Immediately, I notice on their right forearm a bluish mark. It doesn't look like a burn mark, or a bruise. I grab a magnifying glass and bend down to get a closer look. The mark looks like a backward c, with a straight line that looks like the letter L next to it. I ask Monica to bring me pencil and paper. Carefully, I lay the paper onto what use to be the forearm and begin to trace the backward c and the letter L. When I finish, I hold the paper up to the overhead lights, and say, "Everyone, I have some lettering from this victim, and I'm pretty damn sure it's a tattoo."