Somewhere on the ocean floor, in the Denmark Strait, midway between Iceland and Greenland, lies an underwater research center. Operated by the United States Army Futures Command (USAFC) in Fort Detrick, Maryland, it incorporates staff from three other collaborating organizations within the US military, all dedicated to the United States biological defense program, often referred to as the National Biodefense Strategy. Their mission is to monitor, counter, and reduce risks posed by biological threats, and through scientific analysis, to prepare programs, should they be needed, to respond and recover from those threats.

The research is vital, but arduous and lonely, with the two teams of scientists working alternating monthly shifts. Living conditions may be cramped, but the equipment on board is state-of-the-art, a compensation for those toiling away beneath the ocean. Very few people know of the center’s existence, not even the close families of those who work there (who think their loved ones are working on dry land in the USA). Such is the highly sensitive nature of the work carried out within its confines.

On March 1, 2019, a particularly cold and blustery day, with temperatures hovering around the freezing point, a troller boat let down four submarine pods to connect to the research center. Although there were no visible eyes in the area, images were being taken from overhead satellites and beamed to computers in several capital cities around the world, including Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran, where they were subjected to the most rigorous of analyses. Each pod carried three people – each a bioweapons expert taking his turn on the monthly rotation, replacing those who had been hard at work for the past thirty-one days. Three of the scientists came from the Institute for Biological Warfare (IBW), three represented the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), three were from the Research of Infectious Diseases (RID) and three had been sent by the Institute for Pandemic Intelligence Control (IPIC).

The pods docked one by one, allowing the passengers and their supplies to be unloaded, before resurfacing alongside the troller boat to wait for instructions to dive once more to collect the scientists who would be leaving. A month was a long time to spend under water, and the ‘inmates’ were more than glad to see their replacements arrive, greeting them with a series of whoops and high fives as their temporary freedom beckoned. But before that, there would be a debrief and a changeover.

“Welcome to underwater hell, gentlemen,” Andreas Sigurdsson joked as he addressed the newcomers around the oval conference table. Sigurdsson was a Nobel prize-winning epidemiologist, and that coveted prize, together with his Icelandic roots, had made him the ideal candidate to head up the operation known by code name Ocean’s 24. His learned audience laughed nervously at his black humor because they knew, in spite of his jovial manner, they were engaged in a race against time.

“I’m afraid that I’m unable to bring much in the way of positive news,” Sigurdsson continued. “We have analyzed the seawater and sea matter samples – dead fish and coral taken from the reefs here to the north of Iceland – that have been collected over the past six months, and applied every test we know, but we have been unable to detect what it is that’s causing the current problem. The tests confirm our initial fears that the coral reefs are dying. Our samples showed all the usual symptoms. Instead of displaying bright vibrant colors, they were pale and muted, and some had even turned white. Also, the urchins and mollusks that one would expect to find attached to the reefs were dead. The same is true for the fish. There are, I believe, somewhere in the region of 340 species of fish living in Icelandic waters, of which about 70 inhabit the north. We tested four varieties — boreogadus saida, or to give it its more common name, polar cod; reinhardtius hippoglossoides, or Greenland halibut; somniosus microcephalus, or Greenland shark; and various members of the lycodes genus or eelpouts. We have isolated a bacterium in all the fish and on the dying coral, the likes of which we haven’t seen before, and so we don’t believe that it is a natural phenomenon. In other words, we are of the opinion that it’s manmade. Having gone as far as we can here, we’re going to take some of the samples back to Fort Detrick and hopefully, with their greater resources, make some kind of identification. We are currently in the middle of analyzing the genetic makeup of the bacteria, which again, gentlemen, is proving to be somewhat baffling, as our tests show elements that indicate a very intricate and complex matrix. After much discussion, we think that it could be the result of gain-of-function research, which as you are aware, has the potential to be extremely pernicious in the wrong hands. Although the US government takes the public stance that it should not be funded, we know there are ways around official declarations and policies and there are some very devious minds who will do anything for the right price. But that, I must emphasize, is at the moment just an educated guess. Further analysis will, hopefully, reveal all.

“When this operation was first mooted and the facility was built, I know we all hoped and expected to keep our findings here, away from prying cyberbots, which is why our communications are short and in code and we have to meet in such secrecy. I am reluctantly returning to Maryland with my team to carry out further research, because although the facilities there are without a doubt secure, one cannot rule out the possibility of a leak. Still, that’s life, and that’s where we find ourselves.”

“But be that as it may, I would now like to conclude this brief debrief…” Sigurdsson smiled at his little play on words. “… by adding that the detectors fitted to the exterior of this research center show beyond a shadow of a doubt that radiation levels in the water have increased and are increasing in this immediate vicinity. How far that has spread will I hope be determined by you as you analyze the samples you’ve brought with you today.”

Sigurdsson indicated he had finished and Lance Masterson, another award-winning epidemiologist, and leader of the new group, took over.

“Thank you for the update, Andreas ,” he began. “We do indeed have many new samples to analyze – taken from off the coast of Greenland and in the southern coastal waters of Iceland – and that should give us an indication as to how far this poison has spread. Furthermore, we’ll also be able to extrapolate the information to give us a timeline on how quickly it’s advancing and whether it’s losing or gaining power as it goes.”

“So, as time is of the essence, I think the best thing to do now is for my team to pair off with your team for individual briefings and then you can all be on your way. I’m sure you can’t wait to get back onto terra firma to see your families.”

*

Silver Spring , Maryland, USA, September 2019

The large hall in the basement of the Seventh-day Adventist church headquarters was packed. Hundreds of delegates had traveled from all over the world to attend the special session of the General Conference Executive Committee called by the president. For many years, an African-American congregation based near Orlando, Florida had been a leading proponent of the Spirit of Prophecy and was not following the new teachings of the SDA church. This remnant orthodox church was calling for the SDA to return to the original teachings of Ellen White and was teaching that the SDA church had modified her true teachings, thus fulfilling White’s prophecy (Spirit of Prophecy) that it would leave its original calling. While this remnant orthodox church tolerated the intrusion of mainline Adventists and visitors, in an effort to protect its members and preserve its mission, it recognized the need to respond to disruptors and those attempting to undermine its teachings.

The elders of the SDA church remained hopeful they would be able to bring the Orlando church back in line, but following the failure of all attempts at reasoned discussion, and even coercion and bribery, matters had come to a head. The SDA leaders remained afraid that with the congregation moving further and further away from their new organizational positions, they would no longer be able to hide the problem element from the rest of the world, causing much embarrassment to the church.

The Spirit of Prophecy is the name given to the writings of Ellen G. White, the Adventist prophetess, and it has formed a cornerstone of the SDA church’s beliefs and teachings. In the 1970s, Walter T. Rea, a minister of the SDA church, and others, called the writings into question when they noticed that some of White’s work was remarkably similar to other work that had been previously published by other authors. More investigation followed, and it was discovered that large tracts of her work had, in fact, been plagiarized. The results of the research were presented to the SDA President, Neal C. Wilson, and the General Conference Committee, who apparently expressed interest in the findings at the time; however, they showed their true feelings about the matter by dismissing Rea after 36 years of service. Nevertheless, the seeds of doubt had been planted in fertile soil, and over the years, they began to blossom in Orlando, Florida, in a sect which, although it still came under the SDA umbrella, functioned in a manner that was independent from the main church which had moved away from a firm belief in a spirit of prophecy. Using various social media platforms, the Orlando church proclaimed to the world that the SDA church had also moved away from moral and dress codes, as well as the Investigative Judgement; the SDA church also retreated from its position on Sabbath observance and a formal position to expose the Catholic church as the first beast of Revelation. Over the years that independence grew, and with it came problems for the SDA church. The Orlando church could see the organized church was embarrassed by the teachings of Ellen White, but the Orlando church was committed to remaining faithful to her teachings.

A hush fell over the auditorium as the president of the church swept in, together with his close aides, and took his place on the stage in front of the assembled delegates.

“Good morning,” the president said, rising to his feet and looking down over the sea of expectant faces. “It’s good to see you all here, and I’d like to get straight down to business. We all know the background of the group that considers itself to be the protector of the Spirit of Prophecy, so I won’t bore you all by going through it again. As you are aware, the reason I’ve invited you all here today is so we can decide what to do about it. Should we allow it to continue thumbing its nose at us and in doing so bring our organization into disrepute, or should we impose severe disciplinary measures upon it and its leaders. Or should we publicly disavow it once and for all and shun all of its members. This is an open discussion, and we welcome the thoughts and opinions of everyone here today, so please, don’t feel shy about speaking up. But before we begin, please join with me in prayer, asking God to guide our thoughts towards a fair and just conclusion.”

When the prayer was concluded, the president took his seat and the hand of a rather plump woman was raised in the front row. The president pointed to her and said, “We have our first contributor.”

The roving microphone zoomed through the air and came to rest a couple of feet above her head. She began by introducing herself before saying, “Their cancer is spreading. From talking and listening closely to members of my church, I understand that they now have an insidious online presence, and some of their weirder ideas are being spread much further than Florida. Take gay sex, for example. We all know that’s a mortal sin, but from what I overheard the other day, Florida is saying that we in the SDA church are pushing it as being completely normal and appropriate. I know it’s wrong to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help myself, and the two people in question, both of them middle-aged family men in my church who should remain loyal to the Adventist educational system, seemed to be in agreement with what they’d read.”

Another hand went up. This time, it was a short, balding man. “Yes, I’ve been on their site myself, in preparation for today, and I’m absolutely disgusted with the lies they are disseminating, compounding what we have just heard by saying that our church is even promoting gay pride celebrations in hospitals, schools, and universities. To encourage our youth down the road towards Sodom and Gomorrah is the ultimate act of immorality and evil, as we all know. How can we allow them to get away with telling such enormous untruths?”

“I take your point,” the president said. “And I view it with serious concern.”

“And they are saying that Ellen White predicted it would happen,” the delegate added before the microphone was whizzed away to give the next member a chance to speak.

“They’re also saying the SDA church is engaged in secret arrangements with governments around the world in matters of health. I thought that was a thing of the past.”

The president nodded, a grave look on his face. “And do they cite any sources for such speculation?” he asked.

“No, they don’t.”

“Then I think you have your answer.”

“And what about their claims that the SDA church is beginning to have a more open dialogue with the Catholic Church with a view to closer ties and collaboration?”

The president smiled and shrugged. “Sources?”

“None.”

“Then what else can I say? The internet is a terrible rumor mill and misinformation can escalate so rapidly that by the time they’ve been copied and pasted to hundreds, if not thousands, of sites, they start to sound like the truth. Was it not Joseph Goebbels who said, ‘A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.’ That is the work of Satan, and we must never drop our guard. The devil never sleeps.”

The discussion continued for just over an hour, much of it low key, although some members were so outraged by the dissident Florida congregation’s attempts to discredit the mainline organization that angry voices were raised more than once. In direct contrast, the president of the General Conference remained impassive, his stoic facial expression making it impossible for even the most highly trained observer to read his private thoughts. When it appeared that everyone had said all they wanted to say, he spoke again. “It has been a most interesting discussion, but before we come to a vote, I would just like to add a few words about finances. I’m not ashamed to say that part of the reason we have put up with the Florida congregation is we don’t want to bring them to the world church’s attention and affect the flow of tithes from our millions of members. Over the past 30 to 40 years, our church members have continued to meet their financial commitments to the mother church, and over the years, as you can imagine, that has amounted to a sizable sum, all of which has been used to further our cause and spread the Word of the Lord. And while the Florida congregation has been delinquent in its responsibilities, I don’t think it’s fair to penalize those members who disagree with their pastor and other members of the local hierarchy by cutting the congregation off entirely.”

He was interrupted at that point by a member of the committee. The man was a fellow Shmita Advent Rite Freemason, or Advent Muslim, as they are also known among themselves, though his membership in the group was known only to a few in the room. “If I may just interrupt for a second, Mr. President, I would like to say I share your views about not punishing the non-wayward members of our church, but could they not find another name to give themselves? After all, if their faith is strong enough, they should welcome the opportunity to remove themselves from such a “nest of vipers”. And as for the tithes, surely the SDA principles should weigh more than a short-term loss of revenue. Besides, I know from information freely available that the church is heavily invested in Big Pharma, and the return on those investments must surely be worth a lot more than the tithes from a fourth of our members who join this man in Orlando. And who knows, with them out of the way, we might well attract new members. Cut out the malignant tumor and let the body re-grow. For me, it’s a no brainer.”

A short silence followed as the president waited for any further comment. When none was forthcoming, he addressed the delegates once more. “Well, I don’t think there’s any more to be said, so in a moment, voting slips with the three options I outlined at the top of this meeting will be distributed, and when you’ve made your choice, place your folded slip in the black box at the back of the auditorium. The result will be read out loud within the next hour. In the meantime, I thank you for your wisdom in helping our church decide this matter.”

*

Vatican City, November 2019

In the catacombs deep beneath the streets of Rome, a meeting of the Vatican Star Chamber had just begun. Present were four cardinals and Dr. Nathan Thomas, Pope Francis’s eyes and ears.

Dr. Thomas clasped his hands together and took a deep breath before speaking. “Gentlemen, my latest mission has taken a long time and it hasn’t been without its ups and downs, but I’m pleased to say that I’m at last able to bring you some very useful information. At times during the past few years, I had the distinct feeling I was running non-stop from pillar to post, such was my lack of progress. But just as a good wine takes time to mature, so the many contacts I made in Washington, Fort Detrick, and with a myriad of US intelligence agencies and bioweapons defense contractors, have now begun to bear fruit. However, I must warn you that to say what I’ve learned is troubling and worrisome is a huge understatement.”

“The first thing I need to tell you is that the world is about to become enveloped in a pandemic.”

The four cardinals, who had been looking quite relaxed up to that point, erupted into a series of coughs, splutters, and protestations, simultaneously all reaching for their glasses of water.

“Exactly, gentlemen. My reaction was the same when I was first made aware of the matter. Now let me furnish you with the salient details. The pandemic will go by the name “COVID-19.” It’s an airborne respiratory virus that will prove deadly to those who have one or more co-morbidities, but this bioweapon is, in fact, no more dangerous than a regular bout of seasonal influenza. And it will have many of the same symptoms, which will enable authorities to declare anyone who has influenza to have COVID-19, so we can expect annual influenza cases to fall dramatically, if not disappear altogether. The more co-morbidities a person has, the greater the chance they will die. At the present time, there is an outbreak in a place called Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province in China. The population there is 11 million, making it the ninth most populated city in China. The Chinese government, not known for its overriding humanitarian concern, has agreed for Wuhan to be used as a guinea pig to test the virus’s efficacy. There will, of course, be deaths, but the Chinese government sees those who succumb as necessary and unavoidable collateral damage in furtherance of what is to become known as The Great Reset. However, it must be stressed that this virus is not a mass killer, as that is not its purpose. The purpose of this virus in its early stages is to spread alarm among the world’s population via a compliant mass media to bring down Western economies and usher in what is referred to as the “new normal,” placing the whole world under the control of a central government, initially led by the so-called elites. In order to achieve this, populations will be demoralized through round-the-clock propaganda, telling them their lives are all in danger unless they do exactly what their government tells them to do, accompanied by lockdowns, the wearing of face masks, and the instruction to remain a couple of meters away from the next person wherever they go. This will be very intense and will cause great mental, emotional, and physical hardship, especially when people are forbidden to travel and visit dying loved ones or attend weddings or funerals. But having driven the population to its knees, vaccines will miraculously be made available – indeed patents have already been applied for – but they won’t be vaccines as we currently know them. Rather, they will be vehicles for genetic engineering and control, while at the same time killing off the most vulnerable members of society, leaving a healthy – and I use that word advisedly – nucleus of society to serve their new masters. Of course, the general public won’t be told this; rather, they’ll just be so grateful to have their freedoms returned, they’ll do anything and take anything their trusted governments tell them to, including recommended boosters, which will in the future include nanotechnology inserted intravenously. It’s Psychology 101. And at this point, anyone dying of vaccine effects will be noted as an influenza victim, thereby reversing the policy that will be brought in at the beginning. Furthermore, anyone refusing to take the vaccine will be blamed for those deaths and stigmatized by the media, with the vaccinated encouraged to shun them, in the hope that such a move will encourage what will be known as anti-vaxxers to comply with governmental dictates.”

Dr. Thomas paused to take a sip of water. As he looked around the table, he noted the expressions of horror and disbelief before him. “I told you it wasn’t going to be pretty, gentleman, and I know it all appears to be no more than the ramblings of a demented conspiracy theorist, but that’s exactly what the shadowy powers behind the scheme want in order to push their plans forward at warp speed. They fully expect a vocal minority to object, and so they will make sure to push a narrative that makes their plans sound so ridiculous that the trusting majority will believe them and not the vocal minority. They will line up like sheep at shearing time to take their deadly medicine, thereby allowing their freedoms to be stolen and their lives to be irrevocably changed for the worse.”

“For those of you who would like to see how this is being rolled out,” Thomas continued, “I encourage you to watch the overview of Event 201: A Pandemic Tabletop Exercise, the wargame conducted at Johns Hopkins last month.”

“The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hosted Event 201, a high-level pandemic exercise, on October 18, 2019, in New York. The exercise illustrated areas where public/private partnerships will be necessary during the response to a pandemic in order to manage large-scale economic and societal consequences.”

“So what have the Chinese and Wuhan got to do with this? Cardinal Belluomo asked.

“Wuhan was chosen because it’s home to the Institute of Virology, which engages in gain-of-function research and is funded by the National Institutes of Health by the US, the European Union, and many others, including charitable foundations set up by leading ex-politicians and wealthy retired businesspeople.”

“Gain of function? What’s that?”

Dr. Thomas nodded. “A very good question, Cardinal Labriola, as it is a phrase which will be on everybody’s lips within the next 18 months or so. Gain of function involves increasing the transmissibility of a virus in animals to humans. But back to Wuhan. Not only does the city play host to the Institute of Virology, it also boasts a vibrant wet market, where they sell all kinds of animals we in the West do not eat, such as bats. And why are bats important? They are important because COVID-19 has been engineered in part from bats via gain-of-function, and having the wet market situated within a few hundred meters of the Institute of Virology is perfect cover for the shadowy powers behind this pandemic-to-be to obfuscate its origins.”

“It all sounds pretty incredible,” Cardinal Marucci interjected.

“Oh, I agree,” Dr. Thomas replied, “but let me assure you that that is part of the plan. Those behind it are the personification of evil. The devil truly walks among us. As I said, the more bizarre their plan sounds, they know the less people will believe it and go along with the so-called sensible propaganda that will accompany it, not realizing that they’re being played. Some will of course understand what’s going on, but they’ll be marginalized by governments and the mainstream media working in tandem, spreading their version of events 24/7, every month for as long as it takes.”

“But why the Chinese?” Cardinal Sarti asked.

“In a word: power. The Chinese government wants to rule the world, as do we, the Freemasons, the Mormons, the Jews, and many others, so this way they can get a seat at the table. As I said earlier, they care not for the loss of life, especially if it provides a means to their ends. But they are not in this alone. There are other players. The Chinese government is happy for China to be the fall guy – for the moment – as they are militarily very strong, and certainly a match for the US. But at some point, if everything goes according to plan, those sitting at the top table will have to divide up and share the cake, and then we will see what sort of honor there is among them. Personally, I wouldn’t wager against the Chinese Communist Party, and I feel it will all become so bloody and horrendous that I hope I’m not around to witness it. Make no mistake, this is a game with the highest stakes possible, and it is the product of a kind of madness. When financial superiority has been gained, what is left for those invested in such goals? The answer is power – the ultimate aphrodisiac. And that is the goal of those who are the unwritten signatories to this scheme.”

Dr. Thomas paused once more to quench his thirst. “So, gentlemen, if I may continue. I said that the Chinese are just one player in the game. Another is the Seventh-day Adventist church, but, and this is a big but, they appear to have lost control.”

The four cardinals raised their eyebrows in unison, an action which amused Dr. Thomas, although he refrained from showing it. “We all know that the Shmita Advent Rite of Freemasonry, SARF, worked hand in glove with Josef Mengele and the Argentinean government after the Second World War to form a secret agency in the likeness of the CIA, but my inquiries have revealed that the SARF went even further than that, creating a highly trained secret order within that secret order. It was code named Octopus Wolf One – no doubt a hat tip to Adolf Hitler being codenamed Gray Wolf as he made his escape from Germany to South America in 1944. Its mission was to bring about the fulfillment of Ellen White’s prophecies, as laid down in her writings, known as the Spirit of Prophecy, as the SARF felt that nature was not bringing them about fast enough, making all the failed Armageddon predictions of the SDA church look rather foolish, and by association, the church itself and White.”

“This ultra-secret group was granted operational autonomy by the SARF, and at first, things went according to plan, with them reporting back on whatever they were doing. However, as time went on, they became more and more distant, so much so that they ceased communication with the Argentinean government and the SARF. Just like in the Jason Bourne series, the SARF sent messages, but received no replies. This has been going on for the last 40 years. So, in a nutshell, Octopus Wolf One has gone rogue and it’s suspected that they are also involved with the forthcoming pandemic of COVID-19, which I referred to earlier.”

“But why are they involved in this pandemic?” Cardinal Labriola asked. “And why are they working with the Chinese?”

Dr. Thomas smiled. “Once again, a couple of very pertinent questions, Cardinal. I will do my best to answer. Remember that at this moment, Octopus Wolf One is only suspected of being involved in COVID-19. When I tell you about Operation Nightfall, you will understand why we have drawn that conclusion. As for why this secret group is working with the Chinese, we must always assume that they are involved in the propagation of this pandemic-to-come because they see it as an opportunity to further the aims of Operation Nightfall, and they see the Chinese as a useful wagon onto which they can hitch their horse. They will achieve their aims, as will the Chinese, so in Octopus Wolf One’s book, it is a win-win situation.”

“So tell us about Operation Nightfall,” Cardinal Marucci said. “I don’t want to make light of this, but what you’re telling us is better than the current Patterson thriller I’m reading at bedtime.”

The other three cardinals and Dr. Thomas laughed.

“I guess we must find humor where we can,” Dr. Thomas replied. “Sometimes it’s the only thing that keeps us sane and stops us from quitting when the odds against us are so huge, just as they are now. But onto Operation Nightfall. What I’m going to tell you has been gleaned from intercepted messages and conversations overheard over a very long period of time. Washington has top personnel working around the clock on this. The effort going into it makes the hunt for Osama bin Laden look like a kindergarten picnic. So, Operation Nightfall. What is it? In simple terms, it’s a plan to fulfill Ellen White’s prophecies. In other words, a bid to usher in Armageddon after the seventh plague, as detailed in the book of Revelation, which I’m sure you know a lot more about than I do. But as I understand it, the first plague will bring painful and loathsome sores to worshippers of the Beast, the second will poison the oceans, making life in them unsustainable, the third will have the same effect on inland water sources, such as rivers, streams and lakes, leaving people virtually unable to find any potable water, and the fourth will see darkness engulf the planet for 30 to 90 days as sunlight is blocked out…”

Dr. Thomas observed the four cardinals’ heads nodding in agreement.

“I can see from your reaction that my understanding of the scriptures is correct, so I’ll go no further. It’s thought that this COVID-19 pandemic could represent the first plague, especially as the so-called vaccines are designed to keep creating new variants over the next seven to 14 years, and the first plague is prophesized to run throughout the course of the other six. While we suspect this to be a sophisticated bio-weapon, it will be known to the public as a global virus. This lends credence to the theory that Octopus Wolf One is involved, even if it is only piggy-backing on someone else’s virus, which of course, we can’t say with total certainty.”

“As you know, back in 2012, it was thought that all the chemical and biological weapons from Octopus Wolf One – although at the time their identity was not known for sure – had been destroyed, with the exception of one truck, which escaped thanks to weaponized drones evaporating the pursuing vehicles. Scientists at Fort Detrick carried out extensive testing on what was discovered in the captured vehicles, and they found that the substances contained the virus and several variants of what is to be called COVID-19. The Americans knew immediately that a planned pandemic had been foiled and a major bullet had been dodged. But since then, they’ve been on high alert, anticipating that Octopus Wolf One won’t give up so easily. And, of course, there was the escaped tanker. The American authorities have always wondered what it contained. Was it more COVID, or was it something else?

“That is the reason for the wargames at Johns Hopkins.”

“Yes, I think we all remember that,” Cardinal Labriola said, “although as might be expected, it was largely ignored by the mass media and went unnoticed by the vast majority of the world’s population. But I must apologize. I interrupted.”

“That’s perfectly alright, Cardinal. I get tired listening to the sound of my own voice and welcome any opportunity to break the monotony,” Dr. Thomas replied, a smile appearing on his face.

“The government’s belief in the need for gaming a pandemic scenario is an indication of how seriously they perceived the threat was – or still is. However, those exercises were not without controversy. Among those members of Adventist leadership who did get wind of what was going on, several also believed that there was something nefarious at work, questioning the bona fides of some who were present, believing that they were bad actors – such as, may I suggest, members of the SARF, or those doing their bidding. Now, whether or not that is true, I cannot say, but if one is to look online, one can see many convincing arguments both for and against such a scenario. Suffice it to say, for now that there are two schools of thought: those who believe this a bioweapon and those who believe this is simply a naturally occurring virus that we must control as quickly as possible. The doubters are being labeled as conspiracy theorists, a convenient description for the establishment to label anyone who doesn’t go along with its supposed truth. And with the waters being so horribly muddied, who is to say for sure who is right and who is wrong?”

“And having mentioned waters, that brings me back to the tanker that escaped. It’s certainly possible that it also contained COVID-19 and/or variants, but now there is another school of thought, though it is still in its infancy. Researchers have noted that in the ocean to the north of Iceland, fish are dying in large numbers, as are sea plants and coral reefs. There are some who believe the tanker that escaped contained the substance causing the death and destruction, or if you like to speculate, plague number two. Again, I must stress that this, at the current time, is just a theory, but a plausible one nevertheless, as there has been no large scale movement of trucks out of Argentina since 2012. That is not to say, of course, that Octopus Wolf One hasn’t set up production facilities elsewhere. And there must be something going on somewhere if this future pandemic is to be realized. Many in Washington believe that the Chinese may well have taken on further production of the virus and variants in Wuhan, possibly in conjunction with Octopus Wolf One, but I’m afraid we’re scrambling to catch up and nothing is known for certain at this point. We only have our best guesstimates based on current knowledge.”

“But I have digressed somewhat from my original train of thought, although it conveniently brings us back to Octopus Wolf One and why some believe they are involved in the future planned pandemic; this belief is made more solid by the poisoning of the ocean, which could be the forerunner of plague number two. Teams of scientists from Fort Detrick, along with others, are apparently working underwater, somewhere off the coast of Iceland, in great secrecy, investigating the mysterious deaths of the fish, plant life, and coral reefs. Security is paramount as the SARF, possibly through Octopus Wolf One, seems to have eyes and ears everywhere. Now, it’s possible the whole episode could be nothing, but it’s all looking a little bit too coincidental that they are somehow not involved.”

“All of this brings us back to the involvement of the SDA church and how it’s lost control of everything. At first, the SARF was quite content to allow Octopus Wolf One its head, as they were working to accelerate the fulfillment of Ellen White’s prophecies – or the fulfillment as they interpreted them – which is what the SARF wanted. But since the early days, they’ve gone off the grid. Even Washington can’t get a beat on them. They’ve intercepted messages, but it’s been a long drawn out process, and what I’ve told you today has taken years to piece together. Octopus Wolf One is really good at covering its tracks.”

“This is most disturbing,” said Cardinal Sarti. “We know about Ellen White’s prophecies, of course, but the SARF has such an extreme interpretation of them. They have been taught that they are the angels who will do God’s Will by pouring out the plagues at different times and locations throughout the world and that there will be a final battle after the seven plagues have been released. This battle, Armageddon, will destroy all life on Earth by fire, with only the righteous being saved by Christ’s mercy in what they say will be the Second Coming of Jesus. In truth, they are attempting to end all life on Earth just to fulfill their perverted interpretations of a woman whose writings have been questioned by former SDA church members. It’s the height of wickedness. The work of Satan.”

“I agree with you, Cardinal,” replied Dr. Thomas. “And those questioning Ellen White’s writings are another thorn in the side of the SDA church at the moment. But the main problem is that they have started something that has taken on a life of its own. Nobody knows where Octopus Wolf One is, how many people are involved, or what they are doing. The SARF may certainly want the same ends as Octopus Wolf One, but we hear they are equally helpless in preventing them from using such extreme methods to achieve their goal. Although if Octopus Wolf One is successful, will the SARF really care, as their aims will have been satisfied?”

“Perhaps that isn’t as true as you think,” Cardinal Labriola interjected. “Even though the SDA church teaches that the righteous will be caught up with Jesus in the clouds and taken to heaven for 1,000 years, the SARF interprets that to mean all bodies will be dead and only righteous souls will be alive and taken to heaven. That interpretation ultimately fulfills Ellen White’s prophecy that the whole world will begin going through misery, and in trying to understand why, government agencies and private industry will start focusing on the SDA church’s secret collaboration in the development of biological and chemical agents capable of destroying life on earth. The church as a whole will become suspect, and in time, hated, thus fulfilling Ellen White’s prophecy.”

“But could they fulfill that all by themselves?” Cardinal Marucci asked.

“By themselves, I doubt it,” Cardinal Labriola replied, “but they have created conditions for the perfect storm. Over many decades, they have made inroads in public and private sectors throughout the world, and have financed, taught, or brainwashed religious and political groups worldwide to assist in carrying out their agenda, cleverly disguising it as something else. The Adventist church knows its efforts benefit these groups, so recipients of the church’s largesse have not – and will not – ask questions, thereby enabling the church to increase its influence to such a degree it can never be successfully challenged or entirely thwarted. And when push comes to shove, all those groups will rise up and help the SDA church achieve its goal.”

“That’s beyond disturbing,” Cardinal Marucci replied. “But returning to this future pandemic, which I pray never happens. It seems to me that this could be the pinnacle of Josef Mengele’s work.”

“Very true,” Dr. Thomas replied. “It was certainly the kind of thing he was working on, or towards: control of the world through vaccines. It certainly fits the bill. And, of course, apart from the planned variants, we have no idea if there will be another virus released to speed the process along.”

“There are too many people trying to play God,” Cardinal Belluomo said. “I think it’s time we joined together in prayer to ask for His guidance. And then we will decide what to tell the Pontiff.”