Scene 07-5 – The Red Book
Location: Basilica of Collemaggio, L’Aquila
Time: 01.08.25 – 10:15:00 UTC+1
Setting: WO security operation inside the basilica and adjoining convent.
Genevieve had never travelled in her life—not like this, not for so long. She had never seen so many people around her. Yes, she had been trained through SAI simulation programs designed to replicate external environments, but this time was different. She had landed in Rome after a two-and-a-half-hour flight from London. From there, she had taken the train to L’Aquila. Another three and a half hours followed, including an unexpectedly good lunch.
Outside L’Aquila station, a WO security vehicle was waiting for them: a white sedan with tinted windows, an electric engine, and the WO emblem in place of a license plate.
The journey was brief. They found themselves on the lawn in front of the basilica. Genevieve followed the team of six men armed with high-precision laser rifles. The guards entered with weapons raised, black helmets covering their faces.
Genevieve looked at the pink and white rhomboid stones that clad the interior. They seemed to extend without end, and the altar appeared distant.
A friar of the new cult, also bearing the WO emblem on his habit, came toward them.
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The head of security addressed the friar of the spiritual cult, who appeared visibly frightened:
“Let us into the convent. Take us to the Cavae muratae section.”
“No one is allowed in there.” answered the friar.
“We are. Do not argue. Follow orders. World Order security. Our orders are law.” To leave no doubt, the WO agent brought the muzzle of his precision rifle within inches of the man’s face. The message was immediately understood.
“As you wish, as you wish. Come, come.”
The friar led them through several corridors. At the end of the last one, he pointed to the wall in front of them.
“This is it,” he said.
The WO team had all the necessary equipment. Within moments, the wall was breached and torn down. Beyond it lay a dark room, soon illuminated by flashlights. Shelves filled with books were interrupted by narrow, cramped corridors.
The team split up. They knew what they were looking for.
“Shelf 852,” a voice suddenly said. “Found it. It should be here—numbers one to two… twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four. There it is.”
The agent pulled a large red book from the shelf, bound in goatskin leather over beechwood boards. The volume was secured with clasps that appeared to be brass, but had Genevieve seen the orichalcum, she would have recognized it immediately.
The title stood out on the frontispiece:
“Tethys and the Wounds of Doctor Achilles, Archiatros.”
The team handed it to Genevieve, in accordance with precise orders, and left the convent without another word, under the stunned gazes of the friars, who dared neither protest nor object—though they were left with a sizeable hole in the wall to repair.
The internal SAI screen activated.
The face of Prime Executive Alhana Mereth filled the display, staring at everyone—yet Genevieve felt the gaze directed squarely at her.
“Attention. Change of flight and schedule. Iberys international flight Rome–Lima departing at 23:34 from Rome – FCO. There is no time to return to London. Agent Genevieve de Villeneuve is to board flight 4339 Johann Sebastian Bach with her escort, with a stopover in Madrid. Further instructions will follow during the layover. Agent Genevieve de Villeneuve is authorized to carry the seized book with her, but not to read it.”
