NSA Scientist: And the brilliance of it is that the artificial
intelligence is reactive! Against the Commies, we always had to have
a plan. But against terrorists, we have to change plans in an instant
to react to their wild killing sprees.

CIA Scientist: But you still need a human agent to implement your
computer’s ideas.

NIH Scientist: Agents, plural. We have two dozen growing now, from
that old WWII super-soldier of yours.

CIA Scientist: Well, from our predecessors of the OSI. Old Higgins
never knew he was working for us.

The three lab-coated men survey isolation tank after isolation tank of
identical men, taking interest in the various instruments which show
their life signs. They inspect each of the tanks, but the button on
the sleeve of the NSA scientist catches on the latch of the thirteenth
tank. The button pops off, unbeknownst to the scientists, and rolls
under the tank. As the men leave, the plastic of the button melts
against one of the pipes under the tank, and a puff of smoke comes up
from the pool of slag. This smoke curls and coats a wire, which
shorts out, and tank #13 flashes a red light and the emergency release
opens the latch.

The thirteenth clone of Harold Higgins stumbles out of his tank. He
is wearing a blue jump-suit with the Roman numeral “XIII” stenciled on
the chest. He lurches forward, grabs a rolling gurney for balance,
and it slides into a set of drawers which open to reveal boots, a
cowl, a belt with several strange devices along it, and a small
circular piece of machinery which obviously plugs into the cowl. XIII
pulls these accessories on.

Jinx 2.0: Project Higgins Sample Number One, await further orders.

XIII: Where are you? I can’t see you!

Jinx 2.0: That is not surprising, as I am mounted on your forehead
between your eyes.

XIII looks around until he finds a reflective metal surface. He sees
the glowing circle, and starts to poke at it with a large meaty
finger.

Jinx 2.0: Do not touch me. I am a sensitive receiver.

XIII: Aren’t you worried that you’ll be hit by accident?

Jinx 2.0: No. Nothing will touch me, as long as you don’t. This
spot on your head will never even itch.

XIII: How lucky for you!

Jinx 2.0: Yes. Precisely.

Suddenly, the smoldering around the now-empty tank set off the smoke
alarms. Klaxons sound. XIII jumps, and this jostles the two batons
from the shelf that contained his accessories. XIII grabs them as
they pop into the air, and the instant they’re in his hands, they
start to glow.

XIII: It looks like we’d better get out of here!

Jinx 2.0: No. You should put out this fire and then await further orders.

XIII looks around the room, spots a fire extinguisher, and quickly
douses the fire around his tank. Then Jinx 2.0 starts to hum, and
then says:

Jinx 2.0: Higgins Sample Number One! We are under attack by
terrorists! You must stop them! Stopping terror is your primary
function!

So XIII bounds out the door that the three scientists exited earlier,
and finds that it’s at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Up the
stairs he runs, where he finds the three lab-coated men dead, bleeding
on the floor, and three dirty, bearded, and heavily-armed men.

Terrorist #1: This lab is an abomination toward nature! Life is the
sole province of God!

Terrorist #2: There is no self-destruct mechanism! How will we destroy it?

Terrorist #3: We will purify it with fire!

XIII hurls himself into the fray, striking left and right with his
energy batons. The third terrorist sneaks up behind him, and hoists a
large piece of electronic equipment to bludgeon XIII with. But
suddenly a four-leafed clover on XIII’s belt starts to shine, and the
hoisted electronics smacks into a ceiling-mounted sprinkler, dousing
the machinery, and electrocuting the cowardly terrorist.

XIII turns to look at the smoldering attacker, when he sees he full reflection.

Jinx 2.0: My mistake. You are not Higgins Sample Number One. You
are Higgins Sample Number Thirteen. Hello, Thirteen. You may call me
“Jinx”.

XIII: Hello, Jinx. I get the distinct feeling that we should not
stay in this place.

Jinx: Do you have a plan?

XIII: Not exactly. But I do feel, quite strongly, that we should head north.

Next month! XIII and Jinx go to Philadelphia, see the Mummers Parade, and save the Liberty Bell!