Milénium

FRANK AND WATTS TRAVEL TO GERMANY WHERE THEY SEEK A LEGENDARY HOLY RELIC In the year A.D. 998, a Fugitive who possesses a mummified hand--the Hand of Saint Sebastian--is betrayed by his ally, the Provider. Two archers step from the shadows and release their bows, striking the Fugitive as he attempt to flee. As the Provider searches the Fugitive's clothing, looking for the holy relic, he exposes the man's skin, on which is displayed a tattoo of an ouroboros--the symbol of the Millennium Group. In the present day, Watts asks Frank to help him with a case unauthorized by the Millennium Group--but fails to provide any details. Frank agrees. The pair travel to a laboratory in Germany, where a Dr. Schlossburg had been murdered three days before. In the center of the lab sits an autopsy table containing the remains of a mummified man. Their efforts are interrupted by two German police detectives, Heim and Betzdorf, who had been staking out the lab. Frank and Watts are transported to a police station for further questioning. A Captain apologizes for the misunderstanding and pledges the department's fullest cooperation. The pair ask permission to examine Schlossburg's remains, but are informed that the coroner inadvertently cremated the body. Detective Heim drops Frank and Watts off at their rental car. As they enter the automobile, Frank notices an electrical wire on the carpet. The pair jump from the car moments before it erupts in a huge fireball. Frank concludes that someone connected to Schlossburg's murder planted the bomb, and he demands that Watts brief him about the details of the case. Watts explains that the mummified body dates back to the beginning of Christianity--when the Millennium Group first came into being. Their conversation ends when they realize they are being followed by two men. Frank and Watts return to their hotel, where they encounter fellow Group member Cheryl Andrews, who offers her assistance. It is politely declined by Watts. With some help from Roedecker, Watts guesses Schlossburg's computer password (the doctor being an adult film fan). Meanwhile, it turns out that Schlossburg is still alive. When he regains consciousness in a hospital, he tells Heim his attacker was Peter Watts. Andrews tells Frank she was sent to "reel in" Watts, who is acting without the Group's authorization. She gives Frank a phone number where she can be contacted. Later, Frank encounters Watts inside Schlossburg's lab. Watts describes how, a thousand years earlier, the Order of the Knights Chroniclers, who warned of the upcoming millennium, possessed the hand of Saint Sebastian. This holy relic extended to its possessor the "knowledge to overcome the evils of the millennium." Watts then tells Frank that Schlossburg had discovered the site of the Knights Chroniclers' burial ground. Frank and Watts discover that Schlossburg is, in fact, very much alive. Watts gains access to Schlossburg's hospital room. Schlossburg tells him that he was attacked by a man who identified himself as Peter Watts. He then tells Watts that the burial ground is located at a peat bog. Frank and Watts leave the hospital. Shortly thereafter, Schlossburg is murdered. The pair locate a preserved corpse--and the mummified hand--beneath the peat bog. Moments later, Heim and his men arrest Watts for Schlossburg's murder. Frank instructs Roedecker to find out who used Schlossburg's account to log onto an adult chat line two days before. He then rendezvous with Andrews at a storage building where the mummified corpse is stored. There the pair are pursued by two assassins. During the chase, Frank reveals the unit number where the body is hidden. Suddenly, Andrews turns on Frank, and instructs the assassins to seize him. Frank realizes Andrews set up Watts to destroy the Group's credibility. A group of German policemen suddenly spring from their hiding places, taking Andrews and the assassins into custody. Frank tells Andrews she made a crucial error...