THE ONLY WAY WE HAVE OF WORKING OUR WAY BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE CONSPIRACY IS TO IDENTIFY NUMBER XIII. ROWLAND'S WIDOW, KIM, ALSO SEEMS TO KNOW SOMETHING BUT WE'VE LOST TRACK OF HER.

I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THE MONGOOSE DOESN'T FIND HER BEFORE WE DO.

THE MONGOOSE?

THAT'S THE NAME USED BY THE LEADER OF THE HIT MEN TASKED WITH REMOVING BOTH XIII AND HIS TESTIMONY AT THE SAME TIME. WE ONLY KNOW OF HIM BY NAME.

I THINK, GENERAL, THAT YOU'VE HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE XIII IN ACTION… GENERAL?..

EXCUSE ME… I WAS THINKING OF THAT MAN LOCKED UP IN THE ASYLUM… WITHOUT HIS MEMORY, HIS IDENTITY OR HIS PAST. AND EVEN HIS FACE DOESN'T BELONG TO HIM ANY MORE… REALLY WE HAVEN'T LEFT HIM WITH ANYTHING, THE POOR GUY…

YOU'RE FORGETTING THAT YOUR "POOR GUY" IS A MURDERER OF THE WORST TYPE, GENERAL.

MMM, YEAH… YOU WERE SAYING?..

THAT YOU'VE SEEN XIII IN ACTION. WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING WOULD YOU SAY HE'D RECEIVED?

THE BEST. THIS MAN IS CAPABLE OF DEALING WITH ANY TYPE OF SITUATION…

HOW MANY TRAINING CENTRES DO YOU KNOW OF THAT COULD PROVIDE THAT KIND OF TRAINING?

I CAN ONLY THINK OF THREE THAT ARE RESERVED FOR CERTAIN ARMY UNITS. HOWEVER, SOME OF THE "ACTION MEN" FROM THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES ALSO HAVE ACCESS.

IN YOUR POSITION AS HEAD OF THE JOINT CHIEFS, GENERAL, I PRESUME YOU HAVE CLEARANCE TO VIEW THE FILES FROM THESE CENTRES?

CORRECT.

WHAT WE ARE ASKING YOU TO DO IS QUITE SIMPLE, GENERAL: WE NEED A LIST OF ALL THE MEN WHO PASSED OUT FROM THESE CENTRES IN THE LAST TEN YEARS AND WHO HAVE THE SAME PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AS NUMBER XIII…