Bells are ringing all over San Francisco one night as Dr. Stanley Cornell, doing lab research at the University Bioengineering lab, discovers the specimen in his incubation chamber grown at an alarming rate. His partner, Warren Sloan, comes into the building and is remarking about the bells to Dawson, the security guard, when they both hear noises and a terrible scream. They run to the lab to discover Cornell dead, the incubation chamber exploded and its occupant gone, and a strange green gel on the wall around the air vent.
Dr. Frances Carlton, a coroner and friend of Nick's who knows of his interest in the unusual, has called him down to the morgue to show him the very strange death of Dr. Cornell: some unknown energy surge has exploded his internal organs, and a strange green substance smelling of sulphur is all over the body. He was, she says, literally scared to death.
Rachel comes into the Legacy House remarking about the strange ringing of the bells the night before, to find Derek on his way out to investigate this very event. Telling her that Alex will fill her in, he hurriedly leaves. Alex informs Rachel that bells all over the city rang by themselves at 10:06 pm; Derek thinks it is a warning of some kind. The pattern centers on the University Chapel.
Outside the Chapel Derek encounters a Coptic nun, Sister Jehanne, who is a member of an Egyptian order, the Holy Order of Anchorites. She has come because of the bells, which she says are ringing in celebration of a miracle: the rebirth of a saint her order has awaited for nearly 2,000 years.
At the Saint Francis Hotel, Sloan reports the death of his partner to their benefactor, Victor Arkadi. Arkadi senses the presence of evil in the event, and seems very satisfied by that. Sloan doesn't want to be involved any longer; Arkadi makes it clear that he has no choice in the matter. He orders Sloan to either find the entity or duplicate the process that created it.
Derek and Nick, using the connections the Luna Foundation has with the University, have managed to get admitted to the lab. Nick notices the strange green substance on the incubation chamber that was found on the body, and finds what looks like a tooth on a slide under the microscope. Nick pockets the specimen as Sloan enters. He refuses to answer any of their questions and demands that they leave. After Derek and Nick exit, Sloan discovers the specimen is missing.
Later that night, Dawson goes to investigate a strange noise in a storeroom and is grasped around the throat by a tentacle and dragged off.
Back at the Legacy House, the team is investigating Cornell's background. They discover a lot of money in various international bank accounts, and a recent trip to Egypt.
Sloan enters his lab to discover Arkadi there; Arkadi tells him "something" is hunting. Using technology and the specimen they have created something truly extraordinary. At this point Sloan reveals that the specimen is missing, nd that two members of the Luna Foundation had been in the lab. Arkadi demands that he get it back.
Sister Jehanne has set up her vigil outside the lab, praying for the saint to come reveal himself to her. She is observed through the grating by the creature.
At his hotel, Sister Jehanne tells Arkadi that she believes the saint is born again; her order had saved the bones of Saint Anthony all these centuries in expectation of this day. Arkadi tells her she must maintain her vigil.
In the meantime, Alex has discovered a strange account of Saint Anthony among Cornell's papers, of his wrestling with a demon in the desert. Could Cornell and Sloan be trying to clone the saint? Derek and Nick decide to return to the lab and investigate further. There, Nick discovers the green gel on the vent shaft. An investigation of other vents in the building reveals evidence of the creature breaking out, along with human blood and a shoe. Following the bloody trail into the steam tunnels, they discover the mangled body of the dead security guard. Fearing the monster has decoyed them to its nest to trap and kill them, they hastily retreat.
Sister Jehanne, troubled by visions, goes to Arkadi. She sees the demon in her visions and fears something terrible has happened. He reassures her and she forces him to pray with her.
Derek has asked that the University close the bioengineering lab and turn down the heat in the building. The test results on the speciment of bone from the lab show it is actually a piece of a horn, most likely from the demon St. Anthony had fought.
Even though Sloan is getting more and more unhappy about the situation, Arkadi demands that he break into the Legacy House and retrieve the horn. He is, of course, caught, and Derek knows who has sent him: Arkadi, whom Derek has encountered before. Arkadi's family has been obsessed for generations with obtaining power through occult artifacts. He suspects that Arkadi is responsible for the murders that brought down the Cairo House.
Using Sloan, Derek and Nick gain access to Arkadi in his hotel suite. In a powerful confrontation, Derek gets Arkadi to admit he created the creature to control and use; Derek warns him they must destroy the demon before it can kill again. Nick and Derek quickly leave, and Arkadi reveals to Sloan that he will use Sister Jehanne to control the demon. Over his strenuous objections, he forces Sloan to accompany him back to the lab.
Confused as to why he does not show himself, the nun has gone into the steam tunnels to look for the saint so she can serve him. There she is surprised by the demon who kills her.
Derek and Nick arrive to find the nun gone. In a vision Derek sees the sister confronting the demon; he says they must get the nun's amulet, which contains a bone from the saint, to kill the creature. They go in after Sister Jehanne. Shortly thereafter Arkadi and Sloan also arrive, and go into the tunnels as well.
They are the first to discover the body of the nun, and take her amulet to confront the demon, the terrified Sloan protesting all the way. Nick and Derek come upon the scene moments later to find the amulet missing.
Further down in the tunnels, the demon has surprised Sloan and killed him. Arkadi's attempt to control it fails, and the monster causes him to drop the amulet. Being a prudent man, he turns and runs. When Derek and Nick find Sloan's body, they also locate the dropped amulet and turn to confront the demon. Nick's bullets don't work against it (big surprise). With amazing precision (possibly of Divine origin) Derek flings the amulet straight down the demon's throat and destroys it. There is nothing left but a puddle and the amulet.
At the Legacy House, Derek opens the secret room in the cellar. Taking the amulet from the velvet bag he'd carried it in, he puts it into a box, closes and locks it and leaves the room.
Description last revised: 26 February 1997