The Judas Strain/Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Dark Madonna

JULY 1, 10:34 A.M. Venice, Italy
Stefano Gallo hurried across the plazza square, knowing he is being hunted. He knew he might live the day because the item, obelisk, was demanded by Nassar, the Egyptian buyer. They had offered a large sum of money, which he needed to pay the medical bills of his wife so they do not get evicted from their apartment. He entered the Palazzo Ducal, the resident of the Dukes of Venice since the fourteenth century. Entering the place, he stepped down to the palace's deepest dungeons, the Pozzi. He goes down and meets a woman so that they can get it done. He puts it down to the ground, and it glowed in the flashlight, and showed characters.

Gallo turns around after hearing steps and words coming down the stairs, and the woman turns off her flashlight. He turns on his own, and finds a pistol pointed his head, and receives a thanks.

As he tells himself “Maria, forgive me”, he dies.

JULY 3, 1:16 P.M. Vatican City
Two days later, Vigor climbed up the stairs of Tower of Winds. He was reminded of the attack on the tower 2 years prior. Reaching there, he is greeted by his student Claudio. An hour before, Vigor had been summoned by the head of the restoration team. Claudio led him to the place. He met Balthazar Pinosso, overseer of the restoration project of the Meridian Room. Baltazar brings Vigor into a small side closet. The historian said that one thing of this closet was important. As they had used the room before, the place had protected secrets and it was used for tools temporary storage of tools of the restoration. They had scared off a potential thief who was interested in it, and posted a second guard. Then an ultraviolet light revealed something. Bathazar shown a light on the ground, revealing a curled dragon. Vigor immediately recognized it as the symbol of the Dragon’s Court. Bathlasazar futher mentions that he found something else as well. He points to somethng and Vigor feels it to be a script he knew. Something old.

. Vigor realizes that he would need help in solving the script and knew he had to call Sigma Force.

July 4, 11:44 P.M. Takoma Park, Maryland
Gray was at his parents house, celebrating the July 4 with a party. ents. He had some people over. People slowly left the party, and only very people remained. Painter Crowe remained as well. Despite having a drink, he still was attentive, keeping a thumb on world events.

The two talk. Painter maintains that he keeps updates to people. They had sent Drs. Lisa Cummings]] and Monk Kokkalis to investigate a medical cirsis among the Indonesian Islands. They departed that morning as adjuncts of the World Helath Organization. Grey and his father sit on the porch.

A motorcycle, running without lights, attempt to make a turn onto their driveway but crashes. Gray gets up and approaches. He notices the person had a bullet wound in her back and it was someone he was familiar with. Seichan.

Chronology

 * Previous: Prologue
 * Next: Chapter 2