Rise of the Beast: A Novel (The Patmos Conspiracy Book 1) by M.K. Gilroy

downtown. Over an eleven course meal, he told her that he had come into contact with an organization committed to doing something to make the world a better place for the living—more specifically those who were able to fashion a reasonably successful living. She asked the organization’s name. He said there was no name. But she was being invited to become both a member and an employee of this cutting edge research organization.
    A day later, she called in sick to GlobalHope, a first, and flew first class to Frankfurt, Germany. From there she bordered a private plane that was luxurious beyond anything she could have imagined. When she asked the pilot what their destination was he put a forefinger to his lips and made the shushing sound. They landed close to water and from there she was ferried in a luxurious speedboat to an undisclosed island. She was welcomed at the dock by Patton and another scientist with a thick Russian accent. She was given a tour of the most remarkable laboratory facilities she had ever laid eyes on. She was then interviewed for twelve straight hours by a woman who was the head of Human Resources for a company with no name. Patton simply advised her to be forthright. There would be no record of this meeting and no personal or professional repercussions if she wasn’t hired or elected not to accept an offer of employment. Sometimes formal, sometimes casual; sometimes hostile, sometimes warm and encouraging; sometimes general andsometimes focused on specifics from her life; she was asked to account for every inch, every nook and cranny of her entire life story—and her feelings about the state of the planet.
    She wasn’t sure how she did when the interview abruptly ended. She suspected she had failed, something new for her, which made her nervous. But when she landed in Boston, Patton was already there, waiting for her with a limo driver. They were driven to a brick home that had been converted to law offices on Boylston Street. It was there she was officially offered a job with Aristotle Research Partners— the company did have a name, even if it was a front and no one actually used it. Her official assignment would be on the company’s only active project: Patmos. When the attorney told her what her salary and living arrangements would be, she was shocked at how little she was being paid by GlobalHope. She immediately accepted and signed reams of paperwork dealing with trade secrets and confidentiality; non-compete issues, patent ownerships, and too many other legal terms to remember. Details of the actual project were vague but she knew where Patmos was going and what it was about. Her talks with Dr. Patton had been specific. At least five billion non-progressive people must be strategically targeted for death.
    She moved from confusion to certainty that this was the right course for a viable future humanity. She would have signed for less than she made at GlobalHope. Money was never her motivation.
    A week later she called her parents to let them know she would be off the grid for a while and would call when she could, but that she was more determined than ever to save the world.
    Listening to them babble with childlike wonder and joy at what a wonderful daughter she was created a memory she cherished, but ridiculed at the same time. She had talked to them once a month for two years and missed them terribly. But it was a small price to pay for changing the course of world history.
    The director of GlobalHope let her know how sad he and the rest of the small team of scientists would be to see her go after she marched in his office and turned in her resignation. But he knew with her intelligence, talent, and drive, she would make a huge difference in the world. She did her best to look sad and grateful.
    He was right.
    Yes I will make a huge difference in the world. I will dedicate my work to Mariama.

18
    Devil’s Den Hiking Trail,
Ozark National Forest
    JULES RETRACED HIS STEPS ANGRILY. His