THE INVESTIGATION HEATS UP

The nation is up in alarm over the expansion of Nazarene. Now Kentucky and Tennessee are heading to a vote on joining Nazarene. Public confrontations have broken out, with many killed in the violence. The Supreme Court continues to support the states' rights to combine if they wish.

And there is still much talk about the public killing of Chief of Staff Rose. As Rose was seen walking out to an open area, the presumption is that somehow Rose knew he was about to be killed.

Secret Service Director Derasmo is in full battle stations. Why would Rose commit such a public suicide? Why was Tassima’s body found in Rose’s home, presumably killed by Rose? Why was Rose’s suicide note seeking to accuse the Nazarenes (as EON members are now widely called) and Orman?

And now Derasmo learns that President Mengsei's sister, Biyu, has been found guilty of treason. But Derasmo is certain the Chinese would never execute the sister of the President of the United States. But lengthy prison? Perhaps. Derasmo is torn up about this, as is President Mengsei, of course. They must find a way to undo it in a way that lets the Chinese save face.

Derasmo immediately recommends the FBI Director suspend FBI Exec Assist Dir - Criminal Services Orman due to investigation into his role, if any. Before he leaves, Orman tells a junior to continue looking into what happened in the Lunalpha Disaster—especially what started the fire.

The military was able to track the flight of the mini-missile back to St. Louis. The Secret Service and FBI will now send in a covert team to the location—covert so as not to run afoul of the Nazarene Force.

Inside St. Louis, the team finds an unconscious, random "15", lying near the gun, the St. Louis 15. They grab the St. Louis 15 and get him out of Nazarene. In doing so they realize the unlucky man is not guilty of anything other than being a 15. They know the next step will be someone coming to kill the St. Louis 15, so he is put into witness protection.

But there is no other evidence that points toward anyone else. Still, Derasmo thinks Rose might be right, in his suicide note, that the Nazarenes may be behind this. She asks Marcia to consider it too, to see what her quantum algorithmic programs tell Marcia. The idea that EON and Wescott are behind the murders was always Marcia's second theory, so Marcia is ready to go.

EON Director Wescott (and de facto leader of all the Nazarenes) is uncomfortable with the focus now turning on Nazarene. He is distraught over the death of Tassima and blames Orman for being a coward and sending her to kill Rose, against Wescott's direct orders. Wescott tells Orman that the next time a shot is taken at President Mengsei, it will be Orman pulling the trigger. Wescott orders that the St. Louis 15 be killed.

Wescott descends into megalomania: determined now more than ever to see Act 5 of his Grand Opera LE POREM through to the bitter end—whatever the cost. Wescott and the Nazarene churches continue to drum up public hysteria by preaching a form of predestination, and declaring the devil's hand in the Presidential coincidences, each 100 years apart. They declare it cannot be explained any other way than God punishing America for their sinfulness and letting the devil push a 15 letter man to kill President Mengsei. They use the 666 "Number of the Beast" as evidence: 6 + 6 + 6 = 18, then subtract 3 = 15 (They justify subtracting "3" for the three days Christ was in the tomb, or for the three words in the assassin's name, or as an omen that it was to happen three times.) EON hosts worldwide prayer vigils, with millions praying for the safety of President Mengsei.

Derasmo and her team wonder if perhaps President Mengsei's BWS code was not really stolen. Why else would it not be used? Sure there is Rose's pre-suicide explanation, but now the FBI's research is beginning to show that perhaps Rose was feeling guilty about Lunalpha and took himself out before he had to testify against President Mengsei—but the details on that are still far from clear. The rest of Rose's notes, Derasmo thinks, were written to confuse the issue. But how did Rose get a BWS gun, and why fire it from St. Louis? Well, he had been CTO of CIEX, as Marcia had warned her, so getting a BWS gun and micro-missile could have happened. But St. Louis? Perhaps to further make Derasmo think it was a Nazarene conspiracy.

Derasmo is careful not to take the bait because this is now looking like someone is trying to spark a violent conflict between the U. S. Government and Nazarene. Either someone outside Nazarene wants to see the U. S. military go in and put an end to Nazarene—or someone inside Nazarene wants to see the U. S. military try to do that, thus igniting a surge in recruitment to Nazarene's cause in the name of Christ.

President Mengsei wants it all settled down. He debates heavily declaring marshal law so that he can go around the courts and send in Federal troops. The masses who are protesting any action by President Mengsei against Nazarene exercising its state's rights, are as large as the masses who are protesting President Mengsei's apparent hesitancy to do anything at all. 

Derasmo is still worried about the threat to President Mengsei—if President Mengsei's BWS was stolen, then it's still out there and a real threat to President Mengsei. Derasmo and her team need to stay close on Orman, but Orman is extremely good at losing them. They start tracking Orman by his BWS, but Orman's bowler hat and other ways help keep him hidden. This exceptional difficulty in tracking Orman finally exasperates Derasmo, leading to Derasmo now asking the FBI Director to reverse himself and have Orman re-instated. The reasoning is that Orman will be easier to track if he thinks no one is suspecting him. But it's a long-shot and no one is particularly surprised when Orman doesn't show up for work.

Orman reports to Wescott that the St. Louis 15 has been put in witness protection, but as Orman is now back reinstated in the FBI (thanks to his ex-wife Derasmo's mistaken reversal), Orman can now find out the location of the St. Louis 15.

Meanwhile Wescott decides to go a different direction, to go 'old school', and find someone who can be his full-on Lee Harvey Oswald—not just a 15 to be used, but someone who can be unquestionably blamed. Wescott circles back to what he learned earlier about another 15, a DHS employee named Paul. Paul has raised FBI and Secret Service suspicions before. And Paul has no ties to EON, so perhaps by using Paul, Wescott might get the focus off of the Nazarenes.

Wescott sends Orman to find Paul and start tracking him.

Orman tracks Paul to Marcia's floating house.

IS Paul THE 15 LETTERS MAN?

The new FBI agents investigating the Lunalpha Disaster discover that President Mengsei and Rose switched their helmets before the trip back to Earth. But why? They bring this information to Derasmo, and Derasmo is equally confused—but Derasmo thinks the whole Lunalpha investigation is a ridiculous distraction—it concerns something that happened a long time ago—don't they all have a real crisis on their hands in real time?

But the FBI agents also mention something else that gets Derasmo's attention—they say Orman has asked about the witness protection of the St. Louis 15.

Marcia has been continuing to run her algorithms on 15s, getting the possibilities narrowed more and more. With a new, top-down design, Marcia gets a whole new approach to produce the top five 15s—her top suspects according to her algorithm.

She is shocked to see that Paul is on that new list. She attempts to prevent Paul from seeing the results, but Paul does. Paul is furious at Marcia, almost striking her, and she leaves.

The now-scared Marcia turns over her results to Derasmo, and Derasmo also is intrigued that Paul would show up on the list.

Derasmo reviews with Marcia what is known of Paul:

• Paul initially lied about being a 15.

• Paul was caught developing a secret BWS capture device that was later suspected to be used by the discredited FBI Exec Assist Dir Orman (and Derasmo's ex-husband) to steal President Mengsei's BWS at Rose's house—at the time Paul claimed Rose had told him to do it, but that never seemed to jibe with Rose's story.

• Paul was the last person seen talking with the CIEX Employee—their best suspect in the murder of the Senator Nichols two years prior.

• The CIEX Employee died after a plunge from Paul's high-rise apartment building.

• Paul possessed cyberbees capable of injecting a poison, and there were bees (real or android) observed at the Presidential Inaugural Ball.

• President Mengsei's son thought he had been stung by a bee.

• Paul's cyberbees tested positive for residue of D-L, the same chemical injected into President Mengsei's son, killing the boy.

Marcia makes her case again to Derasmo:  Marcia is beginning to think Paul is the actual 15 Letters Man—the Pre-suspect who Derasmo should be focused on—the man who Derasmo has consistently overlooked up to that point. But Derasmo tells Marcia that there simply isn't enough evidence, even if Derasmo agreed with Marcia—all they have is circumstantial. Besides, Paul had a good reason to have the things he did—they shouldn't jump to conclusions. But in truth, neither Marcia or Derasmo can shake the thought that perhaps Paul is the would-be-assassin.

PRESIDENT MENGSEI HAS HIS BWS REPLACED

Derasmo sets up a private meeting with Paul. There Paul reveals to Derasmo what Paul  has been working on—what they discussed briefly before—a way to replace a person's natural BWS code that their mind emits. But it could have some negative effects on the brain. They need some subjects to test it upon—a number of prisoners volunteer in trade for reduced sentences. For every prisoner, Paul's method seems to work, with no side effects, so far.

Though clearly Derasmo now doesn't trust Paul, she also can't deny that Paul's idea for permanently protecting President Mengsei might be just the thing needed. But Derasmo knows she will never let Paul get anywhere near President Mengsei.

When the idea of BWS replacement is presented to President Mengsei, he agrees to do it. But before President Mengsei undertakes the procedure, he instructs VP Johnson that if he (Mengsei) does not come through the procedure or comes through mentally incapacitated, then VP Johnson must do whatever she can to get Biyu out of prison. The best suggestion is to do a prisoner swap, to find a Chinese spy inside the United States and turn that person over to the Chinese in trade for Biyu. The problem with that idea is that relations with China have so improved that the United States currently has no Chinese spy. "Make one," President Mengsei tells VP Johnson. "We have to be seen giving the Chinese somebody, to save face for both countries."

The BWS alteration procedure is completed and President Mengsei's seems to be alright. Now no one in the world, except President Mengsei and Derasmo, know President Mengsei's new BWS code. If any would-be assassin fires a BWS-guided micro-missile at President Mengsei, then the mini-missile will be blind to the new code and only hit whatever is transmitting that old BWS code—like an android clone of President Mengsei.

ORMAN COMES AFTER MARCIA AND PAUL

Orman learns who Paul's girlfriend (Marcia) is—Marcia is the one who has been providing information to Derasmo, and he learns that EON raided Marcia one time for hacking into their Nazarene system. Based on Paul's apparent closeness with Marcia, Orman decides Paul is not a good patsy for Wescott—he decides to act on his own and kill both Paul and Marcia. Orman is tired of taking orders from Wescott—for this one hit, Orman will make the decision himself.

Orman's sees Paul and Marcia in Marcia's floating house. Orman uses a small, military drone to blow the house to bits—taking out much of the whole floating neighborhood—killing many adults and children.

But Derasmo, not trusting Paul at all, and now by extension perhaps not Marcia either, had ordered Paul and his BWS lab, and Marcia and her powerful quantum computer, be moved into protective custody in a safe house that only Derasmo knows about. Paul's mother is allowed to come with them—but that's it—and no leaving the house.

What Orman didn't realize was that who he saw in Marcia's window were Paul and Marcia's android clones—left behind—having an android clone conversation in the kitchen.

Orman reports to Wescott, saying at first that he took care of Marcia—someone who was leading the FBI and the Secret Service toward EON by way of hacking into EON and by following the stolen BWS code. But Wescott interrupts, saying he doesn't care any more about President Mengsei's BWS code—now Wescott wants the setup done in such a way that Wescott's perfect patsy, Paul, will appear to be the shooter of President Mengsei (with a laser guided bullet). Wescott asks what Orman learned about Paul, and how soon Orman can be ready to grab Paul.

Orman must confess that he's pretty sure Paul is dead too. Wescott is enraged at Orman's stupidity. Wescott would kill Orman right then and there if Wescott didn't need Orman's "inside information". Wescott warns Orman that the day Orman fails to be useful will be Orman's last day alive.

Trying to appease Wescott, Orman gives Wescott the location of the St. Louis 15 who is now in witness protection in Oregon.

DERASMO GOES WITH THE CLONE TO LURE THE SHOT

San Francisco has a terrible earthquake and President Mengsei and the First Lady plan to tour the damage and meet with first responders and the victims' families there.

Secret Service Director Derasmo tells Paul to get the android clones of President Mengsei and the First Lady ready to deploy at any moment.

Meanwhile, when the FBI runs its most advanced quantum computer analysis, it too has Paul as one of the top three Pre-suspects. Also on the list, but in the 32nd ranking, is Orman himself. Derasmo and others note that. It is also noted by the FBI that Derasmo is who asked that Orman to be reinstated to the FBI post haste. The FBI Director asks Derasmo if Derasmo knows where Paul or Orman is, but Derasmo says no. The FBI Director doesn't believe her—perhaps Derasmo herself is to be watched.

Derasmo tells them the FBI Director that he needs to move the St. Louis 15—that the man is no longer safe—wherever they put him.

The FBI are very much against President Mengsei being in the open at all, and strongly suggest that Secret Service Director Derasmo cancel the President's plans in San Francisco. They are surprised when Derasmo pushes back, arguing that San Francisco is President Mengsei's home—there is simply no way that President Mengsei won't go there after the disastrous earthquake. But this refusal makes the FBI further suspect Derasmo.

But of course Derasmo has her own plan—she tells Paul and Marcia to get the android clones to San Francisco.

VP Johnson has an idea regarding the Chinese and Biyu. The Chinese agree to do a swap, but it must appear to be for an American who can be said to have betrayed America for China—just reverse to the Chinese PLA's accusation against Biyu. Derasmo has an idea as to who they can use.

Orman, following Derasmo, realizes that Paul and Marcia are still alive, and that they are working for Derasmo. But Orman doesn't know what Paul and Marcia are doing.

Wescott orders Orman to get to San Francisco to do the job and to get another patsy-15 ready there.

Derasmo learns Orman has been spotted entering San Francisco, supposedly as part of the FBI's clean up task force—but that the FBI didn't ask him to do that.

Derasmo realizes by focusing on what the algorithms and Marcia's hunches told her, Derasmo has missed the most obvious 15 in front of her—her ex-husband and the FBI's Exec Assist Dir - Criminal Services, Orman. The search is on for Orman in San Francisco.

The event occurs and President Mengsei and the First Lady are in the open. It is a Friday.

Derasmo closes in on Orman, tracking him by his BWS. With no more time, Derasmo orders the use of an illegal—it can cause irreparable brain damage—reverse-BWS-jamming device to try to knock Orman unconscious remotely via a highly targeted blast to Orman's BWS. It works—but not before Orman fires a laser guided bullet at President Mengsei's head.

On impact it is clear that Orman shot President Mengsei's android clone instead.

Derasmo and her team capture Orman, unconscious, in his sniper's nest. On Orman they find information about the actual location of the St. Louis 15.

Derasmo calls VP Johnson to say that they must do the swap for Biyu right now, immediately.

To Derasmo, Marcia's methods have proven to be useless, as clearly Paul wasn’t the to-be-assassin.

Paul and Marcia break up when Paul realizes Marcia was telling the Secret Service all along that Paul was their prime would-be-assassin suspect.

With Orman in custody, and mentally damaged by the reverse-BWS-jam, Orman gives up Wescott. Orman also says someone is in route to kill the St. Louis 15. Derasmo is pleased to show Orman a media report—the Chinese have swapped Biyu for an unnamed Oregon man who admitted to working secretly for the Chinese. The man Orman who sees is the St. Louis 15.

In St. Louis, Wescott is now well-protected 24/7 within the EON compound. Wescott tells the world that the U. S. Government has made up charges against him as an excuse to send heavy military into Nazarene. Wescott calls on all "Godly Americans" to not believe the false news reports, but instead to stand up and resist the tyranny of President Mengsei and the breakaway Texans.