Read The Thirteenth Skull Online
Authors: Rick Yancey
The Thirteenth Skull
ALFRED
KROPP
THE THIRTEENTH SKULL
BY RICK YANCEY
Contents
Camp Echo Somewhere in the Canadian Rockies
Helena Regional Airport Helena, Montana
Tintagel, Cornwall, U.K. The Castle Camelot
Epilogue: OIPEP Emergency Safe House (ESH: “Kingfisher”) Somewhere Outside London
To SandyâI love you
Countdown to
Final Extraction Interface
(in days, hours, minutes, seconds):
13:20:48:29
BEGIN TRANSMISSION.
Integrated Security
Interface System
[ISIS]
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Any unauthorized access of this system will result in immediate termination and forfeiture of all rights and privileges granted to personnel under Section 1.256 of the OIPEP Charter.
For security protocols related to use of ISIS, see Section 4 of the Charter.
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DIRSMITH
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ENTER DOSSIER NUMBER OR CODE NAME:
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DOSSIER # 05-5867564
SUBJECT:
ALFRED KROPP
CODE NAME:
little big lance
KNOWN ALIASES:
NONE
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
U.S.
CURRENT RESIDENCE:
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
Vitae:
Subject is orphaned son of deceased special subject Bernard Samson, code named
Lionheart
(cf. Dossier #05-5847631). Reputedly the last remaining descendant of Lancelot Du Loc, subject materially involved as unrecruited third party in Sub.Sub.Sec.Op. Sword of Kings (cf. Main File 05-3128-01, Op SOK).
Subject is currently ward of special subject Samuel St. John, code named
Fallen Father
(cf. Dossier #80-4891207), and formerly the Company's operative under Section 9 of the Charter.
Subject Kropp is in possession of the Great Seal of Solomon (cf. Main File 06-5464-01) and has rejected all Company overtures for its return. Since the Company possesses the Lesser Seal, no operation (Sec., Sub-Sec. or Sub-Sub-Sec.) is currently being contemplated for its recovery BY ORDER OF THE DIRECTOR (cf. DIRORD #06-90876) . . .
Subject has NO SECURITY CLEARANCE
DEO WARNING:
The following material in this Dossier is restricted to DIRECTOR'S EYES ONLY (DEO), with exception granted to the Company Operative Nine [see S. 2345 (d) and S. 9 (f) of the Charter].
ENTER DIRECTOR ACCESS CODE (DAC)
OR OVERRIDING SEC. NINE PASSWORD (ORSECNINE)
DIRECTOR'S EYES ONLY!
(DEO)
ITEM OF SPECIAL INTEREST
At some point during Op. Sword of Kings, Subject Kropp became endowed with special ability to heal, cure, and perhaps resurrect through application of his own hemoglobin.
Subject's blood showed promising results as an active agent in containment and control of intrusion agents during operation referenced in Main File 06-5464-01.
All efforts to replicate this active agent through synthetic or biotechnical means have failed.
I parked the Koenigsegg CCR sports car, with its bicom-pression centrifugal supercharging system and twin parallel mounted Rotrex compressors in the garage beneath Samson Towers, in the space marked RESERVED. Beneath the word was the very dire warning that all violators would be towed at their own expense.
After taking the private elevator from the garage to the main floor, I walked through the huge atrium, past the waterfall gurgling and splashing in the center. The guards behind the metal scanner and X-ray machine waved me through with a smile, and the guy at the security desk gave me a respectful nod, and I thought of my uncle Farrell, who'd had the same job before my life got really weird.
I took the express elevator to the penthouse suite, twisting the Great Seal of Solomon on my finger, a nervous habit I couldn't seem to break. I was thinking about putting it on a chain to wear around my neck or maybe stashing it in the hidden compartment beneath my father's desk, where I'd found Excalibur about a thousand years ago.
Samuel came out of my father's old office wearing a worried expression. “Oh, there you are,” he said. “I was getting concerned.”
He followed me into the inner office and closed the door behind us.
I told him about the meeting with Abigail Smith in the old church.
“She's the new director of OIPEP,” I said. “She didn't seem too thrilled about it.”
“This is very grave news,Alfred,”Samuel said. “As the director, Dr. Smith will be under great pressure to obtain the Seal from you. And the Company, as you know, can be ruthless.”
“Sometimes good people have to do bad things,” I said.
He nodded.
“Well, I'm still not sure I buy that argument, Samuel.” I sank into the fat leather chair behind my father's desk.
Samuel sat across from me, clearly worried. “Perhaps I should not have left the Company.”
“But if you stayed I wouldn't have a legal guardian. Well, I guess I would, but it might be Horace Tuttle, and I really don't like Horace Tuttle.”
“I will do all within my power to guard you, Alfred.” Samuel got very serious, which was a lot more serious than most people get. “I will never abandon or betray you, though hell itself contend against me.”
“Don't say that.” I laughed. “We've been down that road before.”
He nodded, and a dark look passed over his features.
My face grew hot. I shouldn't have said that. It didn't come out right and now it was too late to take it back.
“Anyway, I told you to forget about it,” I added quickly. “I know why you thought you couldn't come with me to face Paimon. That wasn't you at the Devil's Door.”
“Oh, that is the terrible thing, Alfred, the thing I must live with until I live no more: it
was
me, and I have wasted many hours trying to convince myself otherwise. Too often we blame the temptation itself for our succumbing to it.”