Message #310281

[Flipz]

==Regulus Office==
Regulus swore.  One of the people whose names he had from the list had shown up in a news article...but before he could read it the whole site went down.  He quickly saved the other, more basic info he had on the man.  Yes, that fits...biologist, late 20s, good-looking by human standards... "Jarvis!  I found something!"

Jarvis rushed in, trailing papers from an opened folder.  "Sir?"

Regulus switched to Demotic.  "This man...Tyler Matthews...he's our leak.  Either MI5 planted him there, to spy on us, or he's a symbiont."

"Or both."

Regulus scowled.  "If that's the case, then we may have to kill a lot of people to protect our kind."

"To preserve our secret?  Sir, if he IS a symbiont like us, why would he expose us?  He'd expose himself, too."

"Maybe that's what he wants.  Or maybe he's got some way of staying hidden, while he gets the rest of us killed."

"...killed?"

"Yeah.  I seriously hope the guy's just a freelancer, trying to get by like the rest of us.  But if he's working for MI5, and feeding them info, then he's the guy who killed all of them."  He gestured toward a board on the wall, the kind used by police to mark the location of crimes--in this case murders.  Chris Johnson's photo was among those pinned to the board, at the CERN laboratory where he'd died, but Regulus paid little attention to it specifically.  "Get Matthews' photo and the director's to our boys.  Have them whip up a few tranqs with the special sauce, tell 'em to tranq 'em on sight if they come anywhere near Colorado while we're there.

Jarvis nodded.  Then, something came to him.  "Sir, what if Matthews is dead, and his symbiote is the one controlling the director?"

Regulus snorted.  "We don't even know if the director IS one of us, yet.  But if he is, then it can't be Matthews'.  Matthews' symbiote has developed human tastes--"

"Like you have, sir?"

"Stuff it.  I don't feel like having that conversation again right now.  Anyhow, he's got human tastes, which means he'd never in a million years pick an ugly, unlikeable slug like the director.  No, they may or may not be working together, but even if they are, they aren't one in the same."

"Yes, sir.  I'll get these to the team right away.  And sir?"

"Hmm?"

"You aren't looking well.  Two hosts in six years...well, it was hard enough keeping the project running when your last host died.  I'd hate to see it die completely if it happened again."

"Jarvis, why do you think I'm trying to catch this b******?  If he goes free, I'll be next."

"Well, don't do his job for him.  Good night, sir."

As Jarvis left, Regulus sat back in his chair and sighed, putting his hands to his face and rubbing his forehead.  Inhaling deeply, he pulled a chrome-plated Android phone, the one whose number matched the puzzle he had set the director, from his desk and set it on top.  Then, he sat back in his chair.

And waited.