The following is a complete work of fiction, and though I like to write as though it is truth everything that follows, including newspaper articles and other documentation, is 100% fiction.Any likeness to any real events is completely coincidental.

An excerpt from a New York Times article, printed August 3rd, 2001:

The body of 28 year old Michael Phoenix was discovered in his Long Beach apartment late Thursday night by a close friend, Madelyn Moore.Moore was worried after not hearing from Phoenix for a few nights, and according to her Phoenix had been acting strangely in the day before.

“He seems paranoid to me, but whenever I asked him about it he just said he was stressed out from work,” said Moore.

Phoenix, a claims adjuster for Geometric Insurance, was also seen acting strangely in the days before his disappearance.He stopped showing up for work Monday, leading investigators to believe he could have been dead since then.The cause of death appears to be suicide, which may be attributed to his strange behavior in the days prior…

An excerpt from a Denver Post article, printed May 5th, 1980:

Police suspect a serial killer may be on the loose after a body was found in a car parked along the side of the I-25 early this morning.The body was propped against the steering wheel, but investigators say there are obvious signs that the body was murdered elsewhere and moved.

This is the third body found in this manner this month.Like the other bodies, all personal effects where stripped from the body, and the body was mutilated in a way to make the body almost impossible to identify.Police are running a missing persons campaign in an attempt to identify the body, as well as the two bodies found before…

An excerpt from a Star Tribune article, printed January 15th, 1921:

The body of a young woman was found washed up along the shores of the St. Croix River, close to Stillwater.Police believe that this killing may be related to organized crime, though the cause of death and identity of the woman are still unknown.No missing people have been reported in Stillwater, leading police to believe that the woman may have been from St. Paul…

A tired, middle-aged man looks over pages and pages of articles.There were thousands, spanning over a period of at least one-hundred years.To any casual observer, these articles would seem to have nothing in relation to each other, other than the fact they were all about murders or suicides.The victims, the location, when it happened, there was nothing to connect them, no pattern to follow, no sense of reason as why these cases would be put together.

That’s where James Holland comes into play.His job was to make connections no one else could make.He was part of a small team, who together were trying to piece together pieces of what could very possibly be the greatest conspiracy in American history.Holland’s job on the team was strenuous and tedious.He had to put together the stories of these people, how they were killed, why, and how their stories fit into the grand scheme of things.No one but Holland would even attempt this job.

He sighed, putting his head in his hands and massaging under his eyes, his glasses tipped up, as he often does when this job gets forces him to work through the night.He straightened his glasses, and then ran his hand through his thin, graying hair.He had once had long, dark black hair, but years of this job had prematurely aged him, and he didn’t have nearly the time to keep it dyed.

Holland’s most recent assignment was far more stressful than any other he had before.Most of the time, he reviewed older cases, and his biggest challenge was connecting it in the big framework of things.But this time, one of their own was involved, and he was missing.And with an O6 member unaccounted for, he was under extreme pressure from the rest of the team to put this story together, in hopes of it leading to valuable information to where he could be.

They had put together information and clues from all over the country over the past few days, and with each new piece of the puzzle came the demand for Holland to make sense of it all.But Holland was finally nearing the completion of his work.He took a long sip from his styrofoam coffee cup and looked over what he had done.He had, to the best of his ability, put together all this information and documentation in what he figured was at least close to the real chronological order of events.It told the story of O6 Agent Peter Jones and a man by the name of Mark Zadrozny, and was quite possibly the greatest compilation of evidence O6 had ever gotten its hands on.

Chapter 1:

Mark Zadrozny looked over his desk at the nervous young man seated across from him.The man, who couldn’t be older than 25, squirmed timidly in his seat.Mark said nothing for a while, alternating between looking at the man and shuffling through the papers on his desk.They both knew were this conversation was headed, and all the rest of it was just formality.

“I’m afraid, when I received the budget reports, I decided a few people were going to have to be let go if we’re going to keep this company above water, Jordan.”

Jordan sulked; he didn’t need to hear the next line, or any other for that matter.People are only called into Mark’s office for one reason, and this is the reason.

“You’re one of those being let go.You can finish out the week, but your desk needs to be cleaned out by Friday.You’ll continue receiving benefits until the end of the month, but after that, you’re off the company plan.”

Jordan didn’t have any comment.He thought for a second that he should retort, put up a fight, defend his job and his work integrity, but he knew that it would do him no good.

Jordan nodded solemnly, then rose from his seat and left the room.Mark remained in the same position while Jordan left, his face expressing a degree of concern for him, his hands folded upon the table, a posture that said, “I’m not the bad guy here, please don’t blame me.”The moment Jordan closed the door behind him, however, Mark’s pose relaxed.He leaned back in his chair comfortably and put his feet up on his desk, a smirk on his face.He wasn’t happy because he fired someone, but because firing Jordan was the last real work he had to do for the day.Now he just had to wait comfortably around his office for another hour and then he could head home.

Not that he was a bad person for feeling no remorse for firing Jordan, it was just that he was used to it.He had been doing this job for years and it no longer affected him like it had back when he just started.His job title was Executive in Budget Analysis and Salary Management, which really didn’t mean anything but he enjoyed the title anyway, it made him feel important.His job was to make sure that Brownwell Corp was running as efficiently as possible, salary wise.

The people in charge figured out a long time ago that even with all their budget savings techniques, improved technology, and efficiency guidelines, a great chunk of what could be profit was dumped into employee’s salaries.So they made it Mark’s job to decrease the salary budget to the lowest it could possibly be without hurting efficiency.And Mark’s solution to the problem was cold and effective.He filled every position he could with kids straight out of college, willing to work for less, and then got rid of the older, more expensive employees.And whenever one of those kid’s salaries got higher than what he thought they were worth work and efficiency wise, he fired then and replaced them with a new one.With this method, he saved the company millions.

He got up and left his office, stopping only momentarily to straighten the creases on his dark blue suit.He made his way from his office past the cubicles were many anonymous workers went about their business.Of course, the moment the caught sight of him, they all picked up their paces and worked even harder.He smiled; he loved having that effect on people.

He went down the stairs, making his way towards the secretary’s desk.He planned to grab a cup of coffee and drink it while flirting with the very attractive secretary to help pass the remaining the time.He stopped to examine his reflection on a glass mirror positioned along the wall. He straightened his black hair and pushed his short bangs to the side.He didn’t think he looked that bad, he actually felt he was a pretty attractive for a man in his mid-30’s.His face was practically wrinkle free, except for barely noticeable crows-eyes.He also had a good physique thanks to his years taking up boxing as a hobby.Though he hadn’t really boxed recently, his body still reflected someone who dedicated a great deal of time to shaping it.

He left the mirror and turned the corner, now able to see the secretary sitting at her desk only a few feet away.She looked up him and gave him a smile.He smiled back and walked towards her, only to be cut off at the last second by the looming figure of his boss.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Jack Carter said, looking down at him, disgruntled.

“Just going to get a cup of coffee, Jack, calm down,” Mark answered.

Mark had to look up to talk to Jack, even though Mark was almost six feet tall Jack was considerably taller.

“Don’t bullshit me, Zadrozny, you were going to go waste time with the secretary again,” Jack remarked.“We don’t have pay you for that.”

“Relax, Jack, I’m actually ahead of schedule right now.As far as the rest of the day goes, you could be paying me to draw on the walls, because I’m done.”

Jack frowned, his grayed mustache not being nearly able to cover his expression.He felt like pulling out what remained of his hair whenever he talked to Mark.

“Then get the hell out of here if you’re done and stop wasting time,” Jack growled, before turning to walk away.

“So I can leave early then?” Mark yelled after him, “That’s very nice of you.”

“Just tired of seeing your face,” Jack responded before disappearing around the corner.

Mark smiled, things were going unexpectedly well today and it just seemed to get better and better.He went to his office to collect his things, and then exited the building into the parking lot.

A figure hid in the shadows, watching Mark go through the parking lot and get into his car.It had been following Mark for a few days now, watching him with some interest.And soon, all that watching would pay off.

Mark zoomed down the highway in his almost new blue Jaguar XK Convertible.He loved cars, and he made enough money with at his job that he could afford a new luxury model about once a year.He didn’t care too much about how much they cost to maintain or about the gas costs, he just loved cars that looked good and could zip along at great speeds.

Mark got off the highway an exit early.He decided since he wasn’t expected home by his wife for a little bit, he could stop by the gym and catch up with a few of his old buddies.It had been a while since he had this kind of free time, between his job and his responsibilities at home caring for his kids he was busy all the time.But when he had the spare time, he knew the gym is where his friends would be.

He entered the gym and walked up to the small boxing ring in the corner.A few men were gathered around it, watching the fight in ring and cheering the competitors on.He recognized one of the competitors as his oldest friend, Nole.And Nole was making quick work of his opponent.Nole laid a barrage of punches on his opponent, the last one hitting the opponent square in the chest.His opponent lost his balance and went down to the matt.Nole held up his hands in victory before helping his opponent to his feet.

“I see you’re still the guy to beat around here, huh?” Mark called to Nole as he left the ring.

Nole let out an excited shout to see his old friend, and they greeted each other with a strong handshake and a pat on the back.Nole was a muscular man whose features all seemed to come from his physique.His bald head dripped with sweat from his last fight.He excitedly caught up on old times with Mark between deep breaths.

“You’re the only one who was ever really able to stand up to me here,” Nole said, when the topic shifted back to boxing.“Since you don’t come around anymore, I’ve been bored.”

“Yeah, well my job has been requiring me do more and more,” Mark said, “Plus my youngest has just turned two.You know that means she needs extra care.”

“Well you’re here now,” Nole said.“How about a quick match before you take off?”

Mark checked his watch, and then shook his head.

“Don’t think I have the time.I need to head home soon.”

“Come on, it won’t take me that long to beat you,” Nole taunted.“I mean, when was the last time you were in the ring?You’re probably so out of shape by now you’ll go down in one shot.”

Never one to turn down a challenge, Mark smirked and pointed into the ring.Nole excitedly jumped into the ring, waiting for his fight with Mark.Mark took off his jacket and shirt and folded them neatly to the side so they wouldn’t get ruined in the fight.He put his shoes on top of them and then jumped into the ring.He was handed a pair of boxing gloves by the same man Nole had just beaten, then waited for someone to sound the bell signaling the start of the match.

The bell sounded, and in a flash the two of them were in the center of the ring, exchanging rapid blows and each fighting with the skills of a professional boxer.Back in college, where they first met, Nole and Mark both had big dreams of dropping out of school and making it as professional boxers.One such opportunity presented itself to them near the beginning of their third year in the form of a talent scout.Nole took the opportunity, however Mark was afraid to take that chance.Now, Mark has a six figure salary and Nole is barely making ends meet operating this gym.Not everyone can make it boxing.

Mark held his arms up to block Nole’s attacks, then sidestepped his next attack and returned with two punches of his own.As he fought, he felt the familiar senses of the ring rushing back to, his heart racing, sweat dripping, sensing and predicting his opponent’s movements and feeling the power of his own punches as they connected, it felt good.It was something he hadn’t felt in far too long a time.

He stepped back, trying to lay an uppercut to his opponent’s torso, but as he did Nole’s fist came flying out of nowhere, taking advantage of Mark’s temporary vulnerability, and smacking him across the face.Mark could see the bottom of the ring rushing up to greet him, and then he saw black.

Mark came to with Nole standing over him.He looked around at where he was.Someone had moved him from the ring and he was now laying on a matt across the floor.His head pounded, and he grasped it as he sat upright.

“Sorry, I thought for sure you’d block that one,” Nole said.“Guess you’re more out of practice than I thought.Glad you’re alright.”

“How long was I out for?” Mark asked.

“Fifteen minutes or so,” Nole answered.“I was beginning to get worried, I didn’t know if I should call an ambulance or not.”

“Fifteen minutes, shit, I’m going to be so late getting home.”

Nole helped him to his feet, and as he rose he felt another sharp pain on his head, this one right above his right eye.He reached for it, and found a bandage had already been placed.

“You got a little cut right there,” Nole said.“I already treated it.”

“Shit, Sam’s going to know I was boxing now,” Mark complained.“I’m going to be in so much trouble.”

“Sam still got you around her leash, you never change,” Nole laughed.“You’re going to be alright to drive?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mark said, getting his shirt and jacket back on.

They exchanged their goodbyes and Mark hurried to his car, hoping if there was no traffic he might barely make it home on time.

“I wish you wouldn’t let that Nole talk you into boxing like this,” Samantha Zadrozny said, examining the bandage on Mark’s head.

“I’m fine, nothing happened,” Mark said, trying to calm her.

“But something could have happened,” she complained, “It’s a dangerous hobby to have.”

Samantha was an attractive woman who looked like she was in her 20’s, despite being well in her 30’s.With her figure you would never guess that she had given birth to three children.Her dark red hair was curled back into a ponytail and she was dressed in the latest designer fashions.Her expression was currently mixed with worry and anger.

“You’re such a kid sometimes,” she said.

“It’s not like a do it a lot; I just wanted to see Nole again.It’s been a few months since we last got to talk.You understand that, don’t you?”

“I suppose,” she conceded, her expression relaxing a little, “As long as you don’t plan to make a frequent habit of it.”

Sam was a very understanding woman, and that was part of the reason that Mark had fallen for her.He liked to flirt around a little with attractive women, but he loved Sam and never considered actually cheating on her.And Sam knew this, so she was never jealous if she caught Mark glancing at other women.They were usually a very happy couple, and some would even comment that they have a “fairy-tale” marriage.

Mark was also a very dedicated father.When he was home, his children got his complete attention.After he was done talking with Sam, he went around the house and preformed his fatherly duties as Sam straightened up the house.First he helped his oldest, a 15 year-old dark haired boy named Kevin, who looked almost like a miniature version of his father, fill out applications to a very exclusive private school that he wanted to attend.Then his 10 year-old daughter, Laura, who took after her mother, needed help with her homework.And of course, his two year old daughter, Heather, needed lots of care and attention.

When the day was finally over, he washed up to get ready for bed.As he leaned over the sink, looking into the mirror, he removed his bandage and got a good look at his cut for the first time.It ran right through his left eyebrow and would probably scar a little.He tried touching it, and winced in pain as a result.It would probably take a few days to stop hurting.He filled a cup by the sink with water and took a few aspirins to help relieve the pain.

He then joined his wife in bed and quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.He felt he lived a great life with few problems or complications, and people without problems can typically sleep soundly with no trouble.However, as he slept peacefully under his covers, cuddled up with his wife, he had no idea that this was going to be his last peaceful night in a long, long time.