(Sæmorous 1:1) 1 General Holmes paced back and forth along the row of consoles. He stroked the base of his chin and scanned the images on HULK. “Never a dull moment, eh?” he said, leaning into Susan. “No sir,” Susan said. “Who’d have thought that Part Seven would turn on his own?” he said. “This is the stuff of movies. He’s a serial killer, for Christ’s sake.” “Participant Four is in shock from severe blood loss,” Susan said. “His systolic is 90mg, heart rate at 45 beats per minute. I doubt he’ll survive much longer.” “Excellent—that will put us in a much safer zone. Keep me abreast of his vitals,” he said. New faces decorated the Purgatory 8 monitoring station. Holmes had invited close colleagues, executive and military, to watch the ritual’s conclusion—all to his credit. News of Theo Watson’s capture had coursed through Una Corda and was generally well-received—Theo had made a habit of stepping on people’s toes. The ritual’s impending success shone a lustrous light on General Holmes. Icing on the cake.
