---

Sunday, August 17, 2014 – 3:16 AM EST – The Compound – Old Saybrook, Connecticut

---

Once we returned to The Compound Sebastian went straight to his study, shut the door and got back to work. I went to my private quarters and tried to sleep but after forty five of tossing and turning I decided to give up on sleep and instead opted to pace around my room thinking about what happened on the plane.

Sebastian didn’t seem overly concerned with what happened. In fact, he didn’t really give it a second thought. Instead saying that this sort of thing has happened before and it will most likely happen again. Oddly enough, I have no recollection of previous episodes at all.

And to be honest, I don’t remember a whole lot about this episode either. They say that when you wake up from a dream or a nightmare, you often forget the details and in this instance that would ring true. While I didn’t forget all of the details I have no recollection of the vast majority of them. I remember seeing the face of a girl, I believe she was my sister, but she did not look like Ellie. I also recall a house that was my home, but not the home I grew up in. And then I saw Sebastian.

Why those three things? Why are those the only details I remember and what do they mean? I could try to talk to Sebastian about this but I am not sure how much help he would be. Without being able to remember more it makes recounting for someone else all the more difficult. Part of me hopes to have more episodes like the one I just experienced in hopes of learning more. And yet part of me hopes that I never have another episode like that again. Being jolted awake and feeling like everything you think you know about yourself is either a lie is not a feeling I am eager to relive in the near future.

In the meantime I need to find a way to get my mind away from all of this. I need something else. Yes I have a match to prepare for, I should probably even address those in the match again, when they actually give me something to respond to. New York is still off limits on account of the Fed heat I received the last time I was there. Matthew has been monitoring agency chatter to find out what he can about the feds that were following me. From what he has told me the Feds were tipped off to my operation several months ago but they had no real solid leads other than a picture of my face. That was until the incident involving Donald Renner.

For those who might not remember, Donald Renner was of the names that was given to me by Matthew. As was our process Matthew would send me the names of people who he believed were behind unsolved crimes, people that the police were unable to find, or were suspects but due to a lack of evidence were unable to move on them. So he sent me the names and I would investigate them further. I would send my recon man Nicholas Ian Gerhart out to collect as much information as he could. Nicholas was possibly the most skilled recon man I have ever come across. There is nothing this man can’t find out about a specific target and not once has he drawn the attention of the target or the authorities.

Nicholas got me the information I needed and with it I spent several weeks watching Donald, learning everything I could about his patterns. And once I was satisfied that I had what I needed I moved to take Renner out. I followed him to the home of Kristy Prada, whom I believed was his next target. As it turned out Kristy Prada and Donald Renner were both just pawns in a game put on by the grand master my brother Sebastian Duke. I killed Donald as I intended to do. My brother killed Kristy, and then everyone else in the cul-de-sac was wiped out by a series of explosions orchestrated by Sebastian. The reason? To teach me a lesson. A valuable lesson but a bloody lesson.

My hands will forever be stained in the blood of the innocent. I am no longer the person I fought so hard to be. I grew up with a monster for a father. His actions resulted in the suicide of my sister, he was a monster, in every sense of the word. It was because of him and for my sister that I did the things I did. I couldn’t protect her but I was not going to allow others to follow in my sister’s path. I was not going to allow other innocent victims to succumb to the actions of vicious monsters like my father. I spent my nights in New York City protecting the innocent by murdering the monsters. And yet everything I fought for went up in flames that night with the cul-de-sac. I am no longer that person anymore.

What I am now is so much worse. Where I once had purpose I now have guilt. Make no mistake, I understand the purpose of what Sebastian did. In light of recent events it makes even more sense now. I had grown accustomed to, even comfortable with using, and in fact expecting Matthew to continue providing me with what I wanted, what I needed. The truth is, as it always was, Matthew worked for Sebastian. Not me.

While you might expect things to be a bit awkward when I returned to The Compound for the first time in several months they actually weren’t. I understood what had happened. Matthew understood what had happened. We all play a role. Matthews was to deceive me at the order of Sebastian, mine was to be deceived, and in so doing learn a bloody and valuable lesson. And now because of Sebastian’s actions my role within the Illuminati and now, within the Brotherhood has been made abundantly clear. And for that I am grateful.


Knock!

Knock!

Knock!


At this hour that could only be one of two people. Sebastian whom I know was awake, still in awe of the item I had delivered for him or the aforementioned Matthew, a man who lives on adrenaline and caffeine.


ENIGMA: “Yes?”


The door opens and standing in the doorway is Matthew.


MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “May I speak with you?”

ENIGMA: “Come in.”


Matthew continues to stand in the doorway for a few seconds while surveying the room before finally stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.


ENIGMA: “What can I do for you Matthew?”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “You asked me to keep an eye on your associate Nicholas Ian Gerhart.”

ENIGMA: “Yes I did. What have you got for me?”

“Please tell me he is still holed up in the Poconos like he said he would be.”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “He is in fact. He only leaves when he needs to buy some food at the grocery store.”

“And he never frequents the same store twice.”

ENIGMA: “Smart.”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “Yes it is.”

“But I think we might have a problem.”

ENIGMA: “What is it?”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “There has been a significant FBI presence in that area over the last two weeks.”

ENIGMA: “What else?”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “I have a contact at the local police department.”

“He sent me a sketch of the man they believe to be Nicholas Ian Gerhart and have it plastered all over town.”


This is not good. This is really not good.


ENIGMA: “Do you have the sketch with you?”


Without responding Matthew pulls a piece of white paper out of the folder that was in his hands and hands it to me. I unfold it and look down.

Fuck!


MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “What do you want to do?”

ENIGMA: “Do you know exactly where he is?”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “Yes.”

ENIGMA: “Give me the address.”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “Why? What are you going to do?”

ENIGMA: “I need to get to the Poconos.”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “That’s out of the question.”

ENIGMA: “I don’t work for you Matthew.”

“I don’t have to ask for your permission to do anything.”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “It’s insane.”

“The heat is already on you and you want to go to the Poconos to see a man that is being heavily hunted in that area and has obviously been connected to you.”

“You really think this is a good idea?”

ENIGMA: “No I don’t. It’s a horrible idea.”

“But it has to be done.”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “Why?”

ENIGMA: “You know why.”

“It’s a three hour trip. I will be back by lunch.”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “And if you’re not?”

ENIGMA: “Feed my fish.”

MATTHEW, TECH WIZARD: “You don’t have any fish.”

ENIGMA: “Well then I guess it’s a good thing I’ll be back.”


I walked over to my desk, grabbed my coat, wallet and keys and walked out of my room and headed towards the garage. This is not exactly how I pictured my week going.

TBC...