Black Order/Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Roof of the World

## May 16, 6:34 A.M.

Himalayas
Everest Base Camp 17600 Feet

Taski, the lead Sherpa, pronounced this verdict with all the solemnity and certainty of his profession. The squat man barely reached five feet, even with his battered cowboy hat. But he carried himself as if he were taller than anyone on the mountain. His eyes, buried within squinted lids, studied the flapping line of prayer flags.
Dr. Lisa Cummings centered the man in the frame of her Nikon D-100 and snapped a picture. While Taski served as the group's guide, he was also Lisa's psychometric test subject. A perfect candidate for her research.
She had come to Nepal under a grant to study by a research of the NSF.

The people were planning to hike up a mountain.
Lisa snapped shots of people. She was with her brother Josh Cummings and a team. Weather forced to stop for the day. The climbers were displeased with the delays.
A helicopter appears, as it was a rescue helipcopter designed to climb to heights to rescue climbers. Just a week before, an expedition had gone up on the Nepal side. The sign of the helicopter indicated something probably was on hand as issues.
A helicopters comes up, but no one had called on the emergency band. Two soldiers came out, looking for Lisa. They speak to a monk, introducing himself as Ang Gelu, who tells her that something urgent desired her attention. She was She was a doctor. A nearby monastery was struck by a mysterious ailment, affecting most of the inhabitants. One person reached a hospital to tell them of the need.
She was referred by Dr Sorenson and they wish for her to help them. She agreed, and that Dr Sorenson had gave them material for a short term mission. She gets into the helicopter.

## 9:13 A.M.

Elevation 22,230 feet.
He moved along the chasm fellor with easy strides, with steel crampons gouging deep into snow and ice. The gorge was angled upawrd to his goal.
He carried his items and moved forward, holding his assault rifle. His goal was to clean up the the monastery after the accident, as to cover up everything. He hears the helicopter and smiles, knowing he can clean up more at once. His contact, through his earpiece, tells him the orders to do so.

## 9:35 A.M.

Lisa looked at the monastery, thinking to her self and asking why would someone live far away from everything in an unforgiving environment. She had thoughts of herself in extreme sitautions, asuch as in Deep Fathom and other places. Now, at 33, she had her research for company.
They land and enter.
Ang Gelu recognize a monk, who was infected and tries to attack them. This fails as a soldier shoots him. They walk around the place, seeing symbols everywhere.
They walk up the temple and into a room where a man was writing symbols on the wall with his own blood. Lama Khemsar. They try to help him, but he died. On the man's chest was a swastika. An explosion distracted them.

## 9:57 A.M.

The helicopter was destroyed.
Ang Gelu says they must leave. A second detonation sounded. Roof tiles sailed skyward.
Another shot killed him.
Lisa hid. She saw the shadow move around, the sn iper moving around.
The person ran and had thrown another detonator.
The person ran up to attack her. Lisa tried to free herself, but was restrained.
It was Painter Crowe.