I was holding in my hands. I watched him die. He'd been so strong... Mr. FBI. He was a hero... A real hero. But then... He was... He was... You shouldn't have to watch your father die twice. 
Night Force (Volume 3) #5 is an issue of the series Night Force (Volume 3) with a cover date of September, 2012.
Synopsis for "250 Minutes, Chapter 5: The Dormants"
Having gone to see his oracle in the 17th Century, Baron Winters was trapped in her dungeon by Simon Talman and the other Gatherers. Without him there to control Wintersgate Manor, the Baron is trapped with no help from his Night Force acolytes. Eventually, he and Merlin will run out of air and die.
In the present day, Annabeth Saunders is pregnant by a father she cannot remember. Though she assumes it was the result of a drunken tryst, it was in fact the result of meddling by the Gatherers and Nurses. She and her brother are at a carnival when she suddenly feels an unexpected kick from the baby - far too soon for any normal birth. She begins to feel faint, letting her brother get on one of the rides without her. Two Gatherers disguised as clowns offer her some medical attention, sand she faints in their arms as they carry her off to meet with Mrs. Greene. A quick examination shows that he girl is doing well, and may be able to produce a child of Generation-10. For now, they wipe her memory and return her to her brother under the pretense that she was just dehydrated.
Jim Duffy and Zoe Davis have just witnessed the death of Jim's father firsthand in 1956. The shadows that killed him are still there, and Zoe urges Jim to leave with her. Jim is overcome with grief, and won't move. Fortunately, just as the shadows are readying to kill them, the pair are transported back to the Manor.
The Baron and the leopard are notably absent, and Jim insists that he go to the police station alone, leaving Zoe alone to wait for the Baron to return. The name Madeline Greene appeared in Jim's father's papers, and that connects these events to Senator Brian W. Greene. Jim intends to sort this all out at the police station. Zoe feels vulnerable once Jim is gone.
Jim returns to his precinct and begins researching. One of his coworkers has found some information, revealing that Cary Singer was not Zoe Davis' father. Unfortunately, the murder case against Cary Singer was predicated on the idea that he had also raped Zoe's mother. As a result, James Duffy, Sr. helped to send the wrong man to the electric chair.
Jim gets a call from Zoe, who has been reading the Baron's Book of Night, and from it, she has learned that Winters may not be human. In the meantime, Jim has not yet found Senator Greene, but he has something to tell her about his father when he sees her next. Once he gets back to her, they will be returning to South Carolina immediately. However, as soon as she hangs up the phone, Zoe is kidnapped by one of the Gatherers.
Elsewhere, Senator Greene has been experiencing debilitating migraines which could threaten his life. He has been genetically manipulated perfectly so that he is guaranteed of winning the presidential race, and once he does, his wife and her cohorts can begin phase two. If Brian dies, they risk forfeiting all of their plans. In order to save Brian, Mrs. Greene and the Nurses perform a ceremony which sacrifices the lives of 131 potentials for Brian's. They wipe his memory and let him sleep off the experience.
Meanwhile, Jim has been staking out the Greene's Brownestone, and he is terrified by the green light emanating from the house as a result of the ceremony. He decides to follow Mrs. Greene's car as she goes to attend the Generation-9 woman Mia's delivery of what they hope will be a successful Generation-10 baby. At the same time. Brian Greene wakes in a daze, and sees a horrifying sight in the mirror next to his bed.
Mia's baby is barely human, and it doesn't measure up on any of their scales. Jim watches from the shadows solemnly, hearing that they have captured Zoe. Mrs. Greene orders the Nurses to prep her husband to rape Zoe again, in the hopes that he can produce another Generation-10 with her. In the meantime, Mia and her baby must be disposed of. Mrs. Greene reveals that there are only 27 years left to reach Generation-12, which requires four more Generation-10s for this quarter.
Just then, Jim knocks a vase over, and the Nurses are alerted to his presence. They blast him into unconsciousness and Mrs. Greene orders that they burn the house down with Jim, Mia, and her baby still inside.
Merlin wakes in the dungeon to find the Baron hammering against the wooden door with a bone. They'll run out of air soon, but hopefully the leopard's claws can get them somewhere - if he is willing to help.
Appearing in "250 Minutes, Chapter 5: The Dormants"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Simon Talman
- Gatherers
- Mrs. Greene
- Nurses
Other Characters:
- Merlin
- Senator Brian W. Greene
- Annabeth Saunders (First appearance)
- Theodore Saunders (First appearance)
- Foster
Locations:
- 1648
- 1956
- South Carolina
- Hilton Head Island
- South Carolina
- Washington, D.C.
Items:
- Book of Night
Vehicles:
See Also