“We’re talking about Kimball Hayden, who’s more than ‘one man.’” And then: “What about the rest of the team?”
“Let me worry about them.”
“You do understand, Your Holiness, that our mission is not to assassinate, but to realign conventional thinking to those who oppose tradition. Those who refuse to return to the conservatist values are then deemed as a threat to the church and then, and only then are they be terminated. Hayden is no threat to the values of the church. In fact, he upholds them.”
“Kimball Hayden is a loose cannon who breaks every Vatican protocol whenever he can.”
“In order for the Nocturnal Saints to be mobilized,” she informed him, “you know as well as I do that reasonable grounds have to be established in order to curb the threat.”
“He’s the devil who walks among us,” stated the pontiff.
“Mere accusations, Your Holiness, cannot be considered as grounds for termination.”
“How much do you know about the man?”
“I know he has an incredible skillset. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
“What else?”
“I know he’s been mythologized in the Middle East as the Devil’s Magician.”
“Anything else?” asked the pontiff. “Say his past, for instance.”
She had no clue.
“Kimball Hayden,” the pontiff began, “is here because he was recruited by Bonasero Vessucci, who was a cardinal at the time of Kimball's recruitment, and he continued to support him thereafter while serving as the pope. For some inexplicable reason, Bonasero Vessucci saw something inside this man that I do not. To me, the man is as godless as godless can be.”
“I don’t understand. Why would the church recruit a man who is without faith or soul?”
“My sentiment exactly. Why recruit a man who is without faith? It’s been a question long on my mind ever since he became lead of the Vatican Knights. He is the devil in priest’s clothing and a wolf who lords over his flock of sheep.”
“Why not dismiss him from duty?”
The pontiff sighed at this. “Because he is highly respected by his team. If I terminate Kimball’s position, then I stand the chance of losing the unit. And I need the Vatican Knights to perform certain tasks in the name and interest of the church. I need them under my command. Not his. If he happens to find his end of life—say—by accident or by enemy intervention, for which I’m sure he has many, then his removal will be one that does not bring into account a suspicious eye. The team will be under my full command.”
“With all due respect, Your Holiness, in order to fulfill a mission, two things must happen: one, the person involved must either be so lost in his principles that he or she refuses to see the light of old traditions, which in turn could create a threat to the institution of the church; or two, that the Light is beyond the reach of the person who seeks it because his or her past sins are too egregious to overcome.”
“Then let me offer you the life history of Kimball Hayden,” he countered. “Before he became a Vatican Knight, he was a government assassin who worked for either a black-ops arm of the CIA or a deep-state organization—it’s not clear as to which he was employed with—and he is someone who killed innocent people, including women and children, in order to achieve the means of his operations.”
“You know this to be fact? The killing of innocent woman and children.”
The pontiff nodded. “It’s in his biographical history. What Bonasero Vessucci saw within this man is beyond me. I see nothing but fantastical rage and violence—all unbridled, I might add.”
“Are you sure about the killing of children?”
“I am.”
“That sin in itself is so egregious that it can never be justified, even in the eyes of the Lord.”
“Exactly, so his redemption, which is what he seeks, is forever out of his reach. I know this. And such a man, as you well know, cannot serve in the capacity that the church requires of an individual. He is a threat to the moral conventions we both hold dear, yes?”
She nodded, though her head bob was slight. “He’s a morally corrupt individual who’s deeply flawed,” she said. “But the fact remains: he’s a huge threat.”
“Your organization runs deep with people from all walks of life: politicians, physicians, CEOs and captains of industry, military specialists. I think you would be able to cobble together a military unit to serve the needs of the church.” The pope leaned forward as though to emphasize a point. “The devil walks the hallways of the Vatican,” he told her, “proud and untouched. He is a blighted soul who has the ability to bring with him overwhelming Darkness. If that happens, Sister Jennifer, then the church will flounder.” He eased back into his chair. “Do you or do you not agree, given the nature of this man?”
“Of course, I agree. But that’s not the cause for my hesitation. Please remember, Your Holiness, that I saw this man’s handiwork up close and personal. I know what he’s capable of doing.”
“As I said, he will be one man alone. And as I just stated, I’m sure you can piece together a formidable group of fighters. Can you do that, Sister Jennifer . . . in the name of the church?”
After a pause, she said, “I know of four men. Two ex-Seals, an ex-Ranger and a former Delta. I’ll contact them as soon as possible.”
“Excellent. How soon can you gather your team?”
“Within a day or two.”
“Nice. Kimball Hayden is moving to Rome with the woman he covets more than his own life, an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Perhaps, Sister Jennifer, she can come into play as a pawn.”
“Perhaps. But would it be prudent to use such a pawn, when the man who loves her more than his own life, be a wise decision? Sometimes, such a maneuver can prove disastrous because it often wakes a sleeping giant. And in
