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Sebastian Duke · **03-02-2015, 11:48 AM**

Saturday, February 28, 2015 | 12:09 PM Local Time | Camp Finis | Near Stuttgart, Germany

Earlier today, Prince Thaddeus tested the Altar of Leviticus with overwhelming success. His father is happy and proud of Thaddeus' achievement. It is not without its detractions, but it is a symbolic and just end to the thousands of Catholics that will inevitably step through the gates of Camp Finis, never to leave.

Out of the numerous camps set up by the Illuminatus, Camp Finis is as its name suggests, the end. It's the only camp that houses the death chamber. Thaddeus only showed you the tip of the iceberg. If a moment occurs where the Illuminatus must start dispatching Catholics in large numbers, the Altar of Leviticus is equipped to handle such a task. The entire interior of the false church is capable of going up in flames at the very simple push of a button. With the large steel doors being sealed, the chamber can bring up to a thousand to their deaths in one fell swoop.

In a panoramic view of the Illuminatus, it would seem that all bases are covered. The public is relatively happy, at least as happy as they can be being occupied by a foreign power. The military is completely controlled by the Illuminatus and have sworn new oaths to protect the nation and go to war if their new leaders should order it. All communications, television, radio, internet, telephone, cell phone, all monitored by the Communications Ministry lead by Matthew.

Of course in this life, we often learn that not everything is as it seems. Sometimes things go wrong. Unexplainable things. Things happen without any obvious reason.

The cellular phone in the King of Darkness' pocket starts to vibrate as he just sits down to eat lunch with his son, his best-friend, and the warden of Camp Finis. He retrieves his phone and looks at the screen.

”Who is it?” Jacob asks, before shoveling a spoonful of hot stew into his mouth.

”My father,” he says with a quizzical look.

”Are you going to answer it?” asks the young Prince.

”I had a text exchange with him earlier, telling him not to disturb us unless it was something of dire importance,” he says, still staring at his phone. ”Maybe he ass dialed. I'll wait and see if...” he says as his phone starts to ring again. ”What's up?” he asks, after hitting the speaker button on his phone.

”You need to get back here, Sebastian,” says the Chancellor with a desperate sound in his voice.

[red]”Why? What is it?” the King asks.

”We have a major problem,” says Asmodeus before pausing. ”Something or someone is causing communications failures.”

”Is it...” says the King before being interrupted.

”I don't know what it is, Sebastian. Matthew is working hard trying to decipher what's going on, but so far he's come up with nothing. We're without any communications whatsoever to the German military,” he pauses for a few moments. ”Someone is trying to stage a coup. I can feel it in my bones, Sebastian. You have to get back here. And quickly.”

”It's an eight hour drive...”

”Fly!” yells the increasingly nervous sounding Chancellor.

”Air Darkness One is down for repairs, and...” he says before once again being cut off by Asmodeus.

”I don't care what you do or how you do it! Just get back to Berlin!

“And bring De Mortis Principe,” says the Chancellor just before ending the call.

”It sounds pretty serious,” says the King as he replaces the phone in his pocket.

”What does De Mortis Principe mean?” Thaddeus asks his father.

”It's Latin, my Prince,” Jacob says as he stands up from the table. ”He's talking about you, kid. It means Prince of Death,” Jake concludes, noticing a smile on the face of Thaddeus.

Three Hours Later

Saturday, February 28, 2015 | 3:17 PM Local Time | The Chancellery | Berlin, Germany

Getting back to Berlin was easier than anyone expected. Most German citizens, while appearing happy and cordial, still fear the occupying power and will pretty much do anything they're instructed to do. The King merely showed up at the airport in Stuttgart and demanded the next flight to Berlin be canceled. Within twenty minutes, those that were already boarding the plane were ordered to evacuate. A few minutes after that, the black Chevrolet Tahoe was loaded into the belly of the AirBerlin jet and after a few more minutes, all other landings and take offs were halted until the Illuminatus were airborne.

Traffic in Berlin was a nightmare though. The black Tahoe, still looking way out of place in Germany, escorted by Berlin police and military personnel bobbed and weaved its way from the airport in Berlin to the Chancellery. It nearly took as much time to get from the airport to the governments primary headquarters, than it did getting from Stuttgart to Berlin by air. A trip that takes just about an hour and a half.

The escorted Tahoe screeches to a halt outside the building and under heavy military cover, the King, the Prince and Jacob make their way into the building and head to the top floor. They burst into the office of Asmodeus who stands near the window sipping a stiff drink. Whiskey or Bourbon is likely.

”It's about damn time!” shouts the German Chancellor.

”We're here now. What's the latest?”

”Matthew just called from the Communications Ministry about twenty minutes ago. He thinks he figured out what's going on,” says Asmodeus, obviously nervous at the current goings on.

”What did he say?” asks Jacob.

”Nothing! He wouldn't tell me anything because he fears our entire existence in Germany has been compromised.

“That said,” he says while retreating from the window and taking a seat in his large leather chair. ”I think its time we appoint a Defense Minister. One we can trust to...”

”It's Thaddeus,” interrupts the King.

”Look, I know you want him to be a powerful man, and one day he will be. But, he's just a boy,” says Asmodeus, discarding the notion that Thaddeus become the Minister.

”Yes, he's young,” the King begins, ”but he's also been dead before and lived again. He's a miracle in the flesh. Besides, you coined him yourself, the Prince of Death,” Sebastian concludes.

”Grandfather,” interject the young Prince, ”I know I'm young and I have a ton to learn. But if you let me have Jacob as an adviser, I will succeed beyond any of our wildest dreams. He's advised my father for years.

“Grandfather, please. Let me do this. Let me impress you. Let me defend this nation and our cause because I assure you, whoever is responsible for whatever is going on here, they will suffer the cost. They will pay the ultimate price.

“I can lead the defense ministry. I'll be damn good at it, too,” pleads Thaddeus, hoping that his grandfather will agree.

”Thaddeus, son of my son,” says Asmodeus as he stands up and walks slowly around the desk. He places his hands on the shoulders of his grandson, ”it is not about impressing me, nor is it about impressing your father. It is about doing what is hard to do. It is about doing what must be done even when it seems unthinkable to do it.

“Can you handle that? Can you really handle that kind of responsibility?”

”Without question, grandfather. I'm a born leader,” insists the Prince.

”Ha! I believe you are. And one day you will lead the entire Illuminatus. You may just do it better than either of your predecessors.

“I'll shall give you a taste, Thaddeus Duke.

“I hereby name you Defense Minister of Germany.”

Sebastian can't help but smile. It's yet another proud moment between father and son. Of course, this small moment is ended abruptly as Matthew, out of breath, barges through the door way.

”We have a problem,” Matthews says, catching his breath.

”Slow down, relax, what is it?” asks the King.

”You're not going to want me to relax when I tell you what I've discovered,” says Matthew, reenforcing his zealousness.

”Well, let's have it. What have you discovered?” asks the Chancellor.

”At first I couldn't figure it out. It was baffling. Mind boggling, even,” he starts out, before being curtly interrupted by Thaddeus.

”Out with it! Time is of the essence, here!”

”We have a mole,” says Matthew with an intensely serious look on his face.

”My greatest fears have been realized. Someone in this country is staging a coup. Or attempting to at least.”

”The mole successfully severed communications from the Chancellery to the military. I have them back up utilizing alternative channels that I don't think the mole was aware of. That was priority number one.

“Priority number two was located who the mole was,” he explains as he takes a seat offered to him by Jacob.

”Tell me Matthew,” starts Thaddeus as he stands in front of the Communications Minister. ”Have you discovered the mole?”

”I have, my Prince,” he answers.

”Who might this mole be?”

”Well, I remember the Pope saying something awhile back about there being plants from the Church within the Illuminatus. So I activated the tracing and tracking devices on all Illuminatus cell phones,” he begins to explain, before being interrupted once more by Thaddeus.

”What made you think that whoever it is would be dumb enough to use their issued cell phones?”

”Occam's Razor.

“The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. I thought that if they'd be dumb enough to plot against us, they'd be dumb enough to use what we gave them, in order to do it.

“I found encrypted messages being sent from just one cell phone to someone else.”

”Who is the mole, Matthew?”

”George von Hildenburg.”

The men in the room exchange looks and gauge reactions.

”That doesn't make sense. He's the one man that enabled us to even take the nation over. Why would he only turn now, when he could have easily just ignored the orders to kill his father and we'd be left with our dicks in the wind against the German military?”

”I don't have that answer. But it's worse than just him being a mole, or a plant, or whatever you want to call him.”

”A traitor. That's what George von Hildenburg is, Matthew. He's a traitor.”

”It's worse than you think. That encrypted message that was sent, it was coded by another nation. They were expecting it.”

”Jake, I think its time we paid a visit to George von Hildenburg.”

”I couldn't agree more, sir.”

Thaddeus and Jacob start for the door but are stopped by the King opening his mouth. ”What did this message say?”

”It was received by the Polish government. I have to warn you, their military has mobilized. The message said: Jestem Illuminatus. Zniszcz mnie.

“I am Illuminatus.

“Destroy me.”

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