their concerted efforts, they discover that Sigma is experiencing an internal struggle. The founders, who are dead or dying, believe that Sigma should disband, as it had played its role in the world; they're called the angeli rebelli, and are being hunted by the new Sigma leadership. That new leadership, an apparently philanthropic doctor named Jürgen Lenz, son of Sigma founding member Gerhard Lenz, has decided on a new direction for the group, and is determined to eliminate any internal opposition. Navarro is kidnapped by Lenz, and Hartman tracks them to an old castle in the Austrian Alps. Successfully infiltrating the castle, he discovers Sigma's new direction: age reversal. Lenz had found a way to reverse human aging based largely on WW2 era experimentation on children with premature aging also known as Progeria, and he had been treating some of the world's elite to reverse their aging as well. Lenz was his own first successful experiment, for his real name is Gerhard Lenz - he is the Nazi doctor and a founding member of Sigma. After killing Lenz, Hartman and Navarro escape in a helicopter, while the castle is destroyed by an avalanche. The book is based on the Bilderberg Group and the myths and mysteries surrounding it. Film adaptation On May 16, 2016, Universal Pictures and Captivate Entertainment announced the film adaptation will be a part of a cinematic universe of Robert Ludlum adaptations such as: The Janson Directive, The Covert One series, The Parsifal Mosaic and crossover films. Publication history 2001, US, St. Martin's Press , Pub date October 30, 2001, Hardback 2002, US, St. Martin's Paperbacks , Pub date October 13, 2002, Paperback 2002, UK, Orion , Pub date August 1, 2002, Paperback Novels by Robert Ludlum 2001 American novels