Robert Doherty - Area 51 - Excalibur

8/12/2019 Robert Doherty - Area 51 - Excalibur

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ROBERT DOHERTYAREA 51

EXCALI BUR

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CHAPTER 1 : The PastTHE SOLAR SYSTEM 2528 B. C.

The st ar shi p used a sl i ngshot maneuver around t he st ar t o decel erat e f r omi nt er st el l ar speed. I t was a smal l shi p, a scout , and as t he craf t sl owed, i t s


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sensor s al i gned on t he si gnal t hat had di ver t ed i t t o t hi s syst em f r om i t scent ur i es- l ong pat r ol . The nose of t he shi p t ur ned t owar d t he t hi r d pl anet outas t he data was anal yzed. The si gnal was st r angea passi ve one, a uni f ormr ef l ect i on of l i ght r ays f r om t he syst em' s st ar of f somet hi ng on t he pl anet ' ssur f ace, but t her e was l i t t l e doubt t he unusual ef f ect was cont r i ved byi nt el l i gence.Sear chi ng out , anal yzi ng, and then event ual l y r eport i ng back concer ni ng anyi nt el l i gent l i f e was t he shi p' s mi ssi on. The nat ur e of t he speci es t hat crewedi t was t o f i nd, i nf i l t r at e, consume, and ul t i mat el y dest r oy any i nt el l i gent l i f enot l i ke i t .Havi ng pi cked up no act i ve scanni ng i n the sol ar syst emor si gns of advancedweaponr y, t he shi p emi t t ed an energy pul se as i t sent a spect r umof scanni ngsi gnal s t owar d the t hi r d pl anet t o det er mi ne the sour ce of t he cr ude si gnal .Unknown t o the cr ew, t he pul se was not ed by passi ve sensors as i t penet r at ed t heatmosphere and reached t he sur f ace of t he pl anet . A sophi st i cated comput er ,oper at i ng on l ow- power mode, i nt er cept ed t he pul se, anal yzed i t , and pr oj ect edpossi bl e cour ses of act i on i n a mat t er of moment s. I n l ow- power mode the opt i onswer e l i mi t ed and t he cour se of act i on was qui ckl y sel ect ed.

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THE GI ZA PLATEAU 2528 B. C.

The Gr eat Sphi nx gl owered at t he mor ni ng sun, whi l e behi nd i t s l ef t shoul der t hesmoot h l i mest one sheat hi ng coveri ng t he newl y const r uct ed Gr eat Pyr ami d of Gi zacaught t he r ays of l i ght and uni f orml y ref l ect ed t hem i nt o t he sky. At t he ver yt op of t he f i ve- hundr ed- f oot - hi gh pyrami d, a bl ood- r ed capst one, t went y f eett al l , gl i st ened, an al i en crown t o t he gr eat est st r uct ur e ever bui l t by humanhands. The massi ve st r uct ur e st ood al one on t he st one pl ateau, t ower i ng over t hesurr oundi ng count r ysi de, t he near by Ni l e, and the Sphi nx compl ex.

The pai nt ed f ace of t he Sphi nx was si xt y f eet above t he ground. Fr om t he f r ontpaws t o the r ear, i t was over t wo hundr ed f eet i n l engt h. I t was set l ow i n adepr essi on i n t he Gi za Pl at eau, st one wal l s sur r oundi ng i t . To t he east , i n t hedi r ect i on of t he Ni l e, were Khuf u' s Templ e and t he Templ e of t he Sphi nx, wherebot h Pharaoh and st one cr eat ure coul d be worshi pped. A cover ed r amp l ed f r om t her i ght r ear of t he Sphi nx t o t he Templ e at t he base of t he pyrami d. Whi l e t hepyr ami d was new, t he sur f ace of t he Sphi nx was scored by weat her , havi ng beent here si nce t he begi nni ng of Egypt i n t he t i me when the Gods had rul ed overseven t housand year s ear l i er .Bet ween t he paws of t he Gr eat Sphi nx st ood t he Phar aoh Khuf u, under whosel eadershi p t he Egypt i ans had l abored f or over t went y year s movi ng st one af t erst one t o bui l d t he Gr eat Pyr ami d. The Phar aoh pr ost r at ed hi msel f i n f r ont of ast at ue set bef ore t he cr eat ur e' s st one chest . The st at ue was t hr ee met er s t al land roughl y man- shaped wi t h pol i shed whi t e ski n. The di mensi ons weren' t qui t er i ght t he body was t oo short and t he l i mbs were too l ong. The ears had el ongat edl obes t hat r eached t o j ust above t he shoul ders and there

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were t wo gl eami ng red st ones i n pl ace of eyes. On top of t he head, t he st oner epr esent i ng hai r was pai nt ed br i ght r ed. Even more st r angel y f or t he ast ut eobserver , each hand ended i n si x f i ngers. The st atue' s appearance was i n gr eatcont r ast t o Khuf u' s dar k ski n and hai r and human pr oport i ons.

The Sphi nx had been squat t i ng i n i t s st one depr ess i on f or ages, beyond t he dawnof t he t i me of Pharaohs. Onl y a handf ul of t hose al i ve knew why i t had been


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bui l t or what i t mar ked. For al l but a chosen f ew i t was f orbi dden t o come tot he ar ea bet ween t he paws i n f r ont of I si s' s st at ue.Khuf u had succeeded hi s f at her when he was j ust out of hi s t eens and he was nowmi ddl e- aged. He had r ul ed f or al most t hree decades and Egypt was at peace wi t ht hose out si de i t s bor der s and ri ch wi t hi n i t s own boundar i es. The peace andweal t h had al l owed Khuf u to i mpl ement t he bui l di ng pl an f or Gi za t hat had beenpassed f r om t he Gods, t o t he Shadows, t o the Pharaohs over t he thr ee ages.

The vast quant i t y of st one needed f or t he pyrami d had been quar r i ed upr i ver andbrought down by bar ge. Thousands had l abored seasonal l y on i t , movi ng t he st onef r om t he bar ges and pl aci ng each bl ock i n i t s posi t i on under t he car ef ul eye ofengi neer pr i est s who worked f r om t he hol y pl ans t hat had been handed down.

The r ed capst one had been brought up f r om t he bowel s of t he Gi za Pl at eau, f r omone of t he duat s ( under ground chamber s) al ong t he t unnel ed Roads of Rost au wher eonl y t he Gods and thei r pri est s were al l owed t o wal k. No one knew what exact l yi t was, but t hey had f ol l owed t he dr awi ngs t hey had been gi ven t o the l astdet ai l , f r om t he smoot h l i mest one f aci ng t o pl aci ng t he r ed obj ect as t hecapst one at t he ver y t op.I n t he Pharaoh' s l ef t hand as he pr ost r at ed hi msel f was a scept er , a f oot l ongand two i nches i n di ameter wi t h a l i on' s head on one end. The l i on i mage had r edeyes si mi l ar t o t hat

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of t he st at ue, but t hese gl owed f i er cel y as i f l i t f r om wi t hi n. Khuf u had beenawakened j ust mi nut es ago by hi s seni or pr i est , Asi m. The st af f had been i n t het r embl i ng man' s hand, t he l i on eyes gl owi ng. He had passed i t t o the Pharaoh.Khuf u had t hr own on a r obe and dashed f r omhi s pal ace t o hi s pl ace bef ore t heSphi nx, as he had been t ol d by hi s f ather he must do i f t he st af f ever cameal i ve. He was now chant i ng t he prayer s he had been t aught . The st atue was ofHorus, t he son of I si s and Osi r i s, t he Gods who had f ounded Egypt at t he dawn oft i me and r ul ed dur i ng t he Fi r st Age. Accordi ng t o what Khuf u had been t ol d byhi s f ather and t he pr i est s, i n t he Fi r st Age, t he Gods had r ul ed f or many year sbef ore passi ng l eadershi p on to Shadows of t hemsel ves, t he f ol l ower s of Horus,duri ng t he Second Age. Then even t he Shadows had passed the mant l e on t o men,and the f i r st Pharaohs t ook command of t he Mi ddl e Ki ngdom of t he Thi r d Age.Asi m was t he onl y ot her per son i n t he area. He was the seni or pr i est of t he Cul tof I si s and gar bed i n a red r obe. The pr i est ' s r i ght ar m was wi t her ed anddef or med where muscl es and t endons had been sl i ced when he was a chi l d. Wherehi s l ef t eye had been, t her e was an empty socket , t he ski n ar ound i t charr ed andscarr ed f r omt he r ed- hot poker t hat had t aken out t he eyebal l . Both ankl es andcal ves wer e car ef ul l y bound t o al l ow t he pr i est t o move as t he tendons i n hi sl egs had al so been par t i al l y severed when he was a chi l d. He coul d not r un oreven wal k qui ckl y. The pr i est had al so been cast r at ed bef ore puber t y.

The mut i l at i on was what was r equi r ed of t he head pr i est of t he Cul t and Khuf uand Asi m knew t here was a met hod t o t he madness. The i dea was t o make Asi m' sl i f e so mi ser abl e t hat whi l e he woul d be abl e t o per f orm hi s dut i es, he woul d

not desi r e t o l i ve a l ong l i f e and t hus not hunger f or t he sour ce ofi mmor t al i t yt he Gr ai l t hat was sai d t o be l ocat ed somewher e bel ow t hem, beyondt he st atue bef ore whi ch Khuf u

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bowed hi s head. The scept er t hat Asi m had br ought Khuf u was t he key t o t he Roadsof Rost au, t he undergr ound passageways t hat r an beneat h t hei r f eet , and Asi m andhi s f ol l owers were t he onl y ones who had ever wal ked t hose roads.


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Ar ound Asi m' s neck was a medal l i on wi t h an eye carved i n the mi ddl e, a symbol ofhi s of f i ce. The pr i esthood he was par t of t r aced i t s l i neage back many, manyyear s, t o t he t i me even bef ore t he Fi r st Age of Egypt when the peopl e l i ved i nt he cent er of t he Gr eat Sea beyond the Mi ddl e Sea i nt o whi ch the Ni l e empt i ed,i n t he l ands of t he Gods, bef ore t hey were cast out and t hat l and dest r oyed. Thepr i est st ood f i ve paces behi nd t he Phar aoh, mut t eri ng hi s own pr ayer s r api dl y i nt he ol d t ongue t hat onl y the pr i est s st i l l knew, hi s anxi et y obvi ous.

The qui ck prayers done, Khuf u st ood and gl anced at Asi m. The pr i est nodded.Khuf u pl aced t he st af f agai nst an i ndent at i on i n t he pedest al on whi ch t hest atue st ood. The carvi ng had t he exact same shape as t he st af f .

The pedest al shi mmer ed, t hen t he scept er was absor bed i nt o i t . The sur f ace oft he st one sl i d down, r eveal i ng a si x- f oot - hi gh openi ng. The passageway beyondwas di ml y l i t f r om r ecesses i n t he cei l i ng, al t hough t he Phar aoh coul dn' t seet he sour ce of t he st r ange l i ght . Khuf u hesi t at ed, t hen r el uct ant l y ent er ed t het unnel , t he pr i est f ol l owi ng, movi ng qui ckl y despi t e hi s cri ppl ed gai t . Thest one sl i d shut behi nd t hem.Khuf u hur r i ed down t he t unnel . The st one wal l s were cut smoot hl y, bet t er t haneven hi s most ski l l ed ar t i san coul d pr oduce, but t he Phar aoh, hi s hear t beat i ngf ur i ousl y i n hi s chest , had no t i me t o admi r e t he handi work. He rul ed supr emef r om t he second cat ar act s of t he Ni l e f ar t o the sout h t o the Mi ddl e Sea to t he

nor t h, and many countr i es beyond t hose borders pai d t r i but e, but her e, on t heRoads of Rostau, i nsi de t he

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Gi za Pl ateau, he knew he was j ust an err and boy to t he Gods. Hi s f ather hadnever been down ther e, nor had hi s f at her ' s f at her or anyone i n hi s l i ne. I t hadal ways been a possi bi l i t y f r aught wi t h both danger and opport uni t y.

The pr i est had not sai d a wor d si nce handi ng Khuf u t he scepter , as was l aw i nEgyptno one spoke unt i l t he Phar aoh addressed t hem."Asi m. ""Yes, l or d?""What awai t s us?" Khuf u di dn' t st op as he spoke, headi ng deeper i nt o the Eart h,hi s sl i ppers maki ng a sl i ght hi ssi ng noi se as t hey passed over t he smoot h st one.Asi m' s voi ce was harsh and l ow. "These are t he Roads of Rost au, bui l t by t heGods t hemsel ves i n t he Fi r st Age, bef ore t he rul e of t he Shadows of t he Gods,and bef or e the r ul e of Phar aoh. I t i s wr i t t en t her e ar e si x duat s down her e. Iwoul d say, l ord, t hat we ar e goi ng t o one of t hose. ""You have not been i n al l t hese duat s?""No, my l ord. I have onl y gone wher e my dut i es have r equi r ed me t o. "Khuf u suppr essed t he wave of i r r i t at i on he f el t wi t h pr i est s and t hei rmyst er i ous ways. "And i n t he duat we go t o now?""That , my l ord, i s unknown, as I have not been t o t hi s one. The Hal l of Recor dsi s sai d t o be i n one of t he duat st he hi st ory of t he t i me bef ore t he hi st ory wehave r ecor ded. Thi s was t he t i me when t he Gods r ul ed beyond t he hor i zon, bef oreeven t he Fi r st Age of Egypt . The Ol d Ki ngdom of t he Gods beyond t he Gr eat Sea. "

Khuf u wasn' t i nt er est ed i n hi st or y or t he Gods but t he f ut ur e. "I t i s sai d t her ei s al so a hal l t hat hol ds the Gr ai l , whi ch cont ai ns the gi f t of et er nal l i f e. "Asi m nodded. "That i s so, my l or d. ""But you don' t t hi nk t hat i s where we ar e headed?"

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" I t i s possi bl e, my l ord. I t has been passed down t hat we wi l l be gi ven t heGr ai l when the Gods come agai n and we wi l l j oi n t hem. Per haps by bui l di ng t he


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Gr eat Pyr ami d and f i nal l y at l ong l ast compl et i ng t he pl an handed down f r omt heFi r st Age we have earned t he honor of t he Gods. However , I have not yet l ai deyes upon t he Hal l of Records or t he Gr ai l . ""Maybe you haven' t been l ooki ng cl osel y enough, " Khuf u mut t ered. Bui l di ng thepyr ami d had cer t ai nl y been a f eat wor t hy of some reward f r om t he Gods, he mused.Even wi t h the Gods' dr awi ngs, hi s engi neer pr i est s had been f earf ul t hey coul dnot do i t . Ot her s had t r i ed on a smal l er scal e i n ot her pl aces, t est i ng t hedesi gn, and none had succeeded, such as t he one that had col l apsed on i t sel f atSaqqar a. Usi ng t he pr act i cal knowl edge l ear ned f r omt hose at t empt s over t hecent ur i es and t he Gods' pl an, Khuf u had f el t conf i dent he coul d succeedand hehad.

They r eached a j unct i on. The path t o t he r i ght was l evel . To t he ot her si de, t hepat h cur ved l ef t and down. Khuf u had been taught t he di r ect i ons even t hough, asf ar as he knew, no one i n hi s l i ne of Pharaohs had ever actual l y been downt here. The Pharaohs r ul ed above, but t he Gods r ul ed t her e.He tur ned l ef t . I t was cool i n the tunnel but Khuf u was sweat i ng. He who hadwatched t en t housand put t o deat h i n one day on hi s or ders af t er a bat t l e. Hewho hel d absol ut e r ul e over t he l i ves of hi s peopl e f el t f ear f or t he f i r st t i mei n hi s l i f e. But bur ni ng thr ough the f ear was hope, f or he kept r emi ndi nghi msel f what hi s f ather had t ol d hi mt hat i nsi de t he Roads of Rost au, hi dden

under t he Ear t h, t here was i ndeed t he key to i mmort al i t y, t he gol den Gr ai l oft he Gods t hat had been promi sed. And t hat t her e woul d be a day when t he Godswoul d gr ant t hat t o t he chosen. Despi t e Asi m' s pessi mi sm, was t oday the day, andwas he t he chosen one? Af t er al l , as Asi m had not ed, he had compl eted t he Gr eatPyr ami d t hat season af t er t went y year s of l abor, a

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marvel i ndeed, exact l y accordi ng t o t he pl ans l ef t behi nd by the Gods. And hehad put t he r ed capst one up ther e, a t hi ng t hat had come out of one of t he duatsdown her e, dr agged t o t he sur f ace by Asi m and hi s pr i est s under t he cover ofdar kness.

The t unnel ended at a st one wal l . Asi m used t he medal l i on around hi s neck,pl aci ng i t agai nst a sl i ght depr essi on i n t he cent er of t he st one. The out l i neof a door appeared, t hen the rock sl i d up. Asi m st epped asi de and mot i oned f ort he Phar aoh t o ent er . Khuf u st epped t hr ough, i nt o a smal l , ci r cul ar caver n,about t went y f eet wi de. I n t he ver y cent er was a tal l , nar r ow r ed cr ystal , t hr eef eet hi gh and si x i nches i n di amet er , t he mul t i f acet ed sur f ace gl i nt i ng. Set i nt he top of t he cryst al was t he handl e of a sword. Khuf u wal ked f orward, drawni r r esi st i bl y t owar d t he cr ystal . Asi m was at hi s si de now. An ornat e sheat hcoul d be seen bur i ed deep i nsi de t he cryst al . The Pharaoh had never seen suchcr ystal or met al wor ked so f i nel y.

" I t i s cal l ed Excal i bur , " Asi m sai d. "Take hol d of t he sword, my Phar aoh. Removei t f rom the crys tal . "Khuf u r eached down and grabbed t he handl e of t he sword. The sword, st i l l cover ed

by t he sheat h, sl i d smoot hl y out of t he crystal ."Now f r ee t he bl ade, my l ord. "Khuf u hesi t ated. "Why?""My Phar aoh, i t wi l l f r ee the red capst one we j ust put on t op of t he pyrami d t oact out s i de of i t sel f . ""That makes no sense. What can t he capst one do?""I am t el l i ng you onl y what I was i nst r uct ed, my l or d. I t i s i mpor t ant . "Khuf u began t o dr aw back t he bl ade. A shock cour sed out of t he handl e throughhi s hand and i nt o hi s body as he pul l ed i t out of t he sheath.Khuf u stagger ed back as a gol den gl ow f i l l ed the ent i r e


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chamber. Khuf u bl i nked as t he smoot hl y cut wal l s f l i cker ed and came to l i f e. Af l ur r y of i mages f l ashed acr oss t hem, so qui ckl y he coul d bar el y note them: amassi ve gol den pal ace that dwarf ed the pyrami d he had j ust bui l t set on a hi l labove a beaut i f ul ci t y of whi t e st one sur r ounded by seven moat s of water; awave- bat t ered i sl and wi t h t hr ee vol cani c mount ai ns i n each cor ner si t t i ng al onei n an endl ess ocean; a rocky uni nhabi t ed deser t wi t h mount ai ns sur r oundi ng a dr yl ake bed; a desol ate l and swept by snow and i ce; a st r ange l and wher e the sandwas r ed and a massi ve mountai n domi nat ed t he hor i zon, and ot her i mages f l ashi ngby f ast er and f ast er so that he l ost t r ack. I n some manner , he f el t a connect i ont o al l t hose pl aces.Suddenl y t he wal l s went bl ack, t hen a new i mage appear ed, of a f i el d of st ar s,so many Khuf u coul d not even begi n t o count , and t he st ars were movi ng r api dl y,wheel i ng across t he wal l s.

Then bl ank agai n, bef or e r eveal i ng a vi ew of t he sur f ace above but f r om aper spect i ve he di dn' t r ecogni ze at f i r st . He coul d see the Sphi nx and t he Ni l e

beyond as i f f r oma gr eat hei ght and he then r eal i zed t hat i n some manner , t hewal l s i n t hi s deep caver n wer e ref l ect i ng t he vi ew f r omt he t op of t he Gr eatPyr ami d. He was sur pri sed t o see t hat t he r ed capst one was now gl owi ng as i f l i tf rom wi thi n.

He st art ed as a seven- f oot - hi gh red l i ne appear ed bet ween hi m and the vi si on ont he wal l s. The l i ne waver ed, t hen wi dened unt i l a f i gur e appear ed, a twi n t o thest at ue above. Yet Khuf u coul d see t hr ough t he f i gur e, t o the di spl ay on t hewal l .He was t r yi ng t o take al l t hi s i n when t he f i gur e began speaki ng. The speech wassi ngsong, i n a l anguage t he Pharaoh had never hear d."Do you unders t and t he words?" he asked Asi m, hi s voi ce a whi sper as i f t hei mage coul d hear .

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" I t i s t he l anguage of t he Gods, my l ord. I was t aught as much of t he l anguageas has been passed down and remembered among t he hi gh pr i est s. "Khuf u wai t ed i mpat i ent l y f or t he pr i est t o t r ansl at e." I t was hoped the Gr eat Pyr ami d woul d br i ng more of t he Gods, " Asi m f i nal l ysai d, hi s head cocked t o one si de, hi s si ngl e eye cl osed as he l i st ened cl osel yand t r i ed t o unders t and. "That was t he desi gn. " Asi m' s t hi n t ongue snaked aroundhi s l i ps as he l i st ened f ur t her. " I t has not worked t hat way. I nst ead an enemycomes. " Asi m' s good ar m sl owl y rai sed unt i l i t poi nt ed upwar d. "Fr om t he skyabove. "Khuf u l ooked at t he cei l i ng of t he chamber . He coul d see t he sky di spl ayed. I t

was cl ear , not a cl oud or bi r d vi si bl e."What ki nd of enemy?" Khuf u asked, but Asi m was agai n l i st eni ng and di dn' tr espond r i ght away."The Anci ent Enemy of t he Gods, " Asi m f i nal l y sai d. "The ki l l er of al l l i f e. Theenemy wi t h t he pat i ence of " Asi m shook hi s head"I know not t he word, butsomet hi ng l i ke t he pat i ence of a st one, i nf i ni t e. And t he speci f i c wor d f or t heenemy, t he cl osest I can come t o i s when the l ocust s gather a Swarm. "Khuf u had seen swarms of l ocust s so t hi ck t hey made day i nto ni ght passi ngover head. When t hey al i ght ed i n a f i el d, t hey st r i pped i t bar e wi t hi n mi nut es.He t r i ed t o i magi ne a Swarm t hat coul d be a thr eat t o the Gods but coul d not


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concei ve of i t . The vi si on cont i nued speaki ng, t he sound al most l i ke t hat of abi r d, Khuf u t hought .' The capst onewhat i t cal l s t he Mast er Guardi anwi l l st op t he Anci ent Enemy, "Asi m f i nal l y sai d as t he vi si on ceased speaki ng. "Excal i bur cont r ol s t he powert o the Guardi an. Whi l e t he sword i s i nsi de t he sheath t he Mast er Guardi an cannotwork. You have f r eed i t and thus t he Mast er Guar di an has power. The Mast erGuar di an can now t ake act i on agai nst t he Anci ent Enemy. "

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Khuf u t ur ned t o the pr i est . "How wi l l t hi s Mast er Guar di an do thi s? What Anci entEnemy?"Asi m was l ooki ng up. He poi nt ed at t he di spl ay on t he r oof of t he caver n t hatshowed t he sky above the pyrami d. "That enemy, my l ord. "Khuf u l ooked up and bl i nked. There was a dark spot hi gh i n t he sky, r api dl ygr owi ng l arger . As i t descended i t began t o t ake shape and Khuf u f el t hi sst omach knot and t wi st wi t h f ear . I t was a l ar ge bl ack f l yi ng spi der t hat wast he onl y t hi ng he coul d t hi nk. Ei ght l egs, spread wi de ar ound a cent r al , r oundbody. And l argehow bi g he had no i dea, but i t s shadow was now cover i ng t he t op

of t he pyrami d."How wi l l t he Guar di an f i ght t hi s?" Khuf u whi sper ed."You have gi ven i t power by removi ng Excal i bur f r omt he sheat h, " Asi m r epeat ed."Watch t he power of t he Gods, my l ord. "Khuf u want ed t o st r angl e the pr i est . He coul d not t ear hi s eyes f r om t he rapi dl yapproachi ng monst er . Suddenl y a gol den orb of power s t r eaked upward f r om t heMast er Guardi an toward t he obj ect and hi t i t . The spi der j er ked si deways. Khuf ukept hi s eyes on i t and a second gol den orb raced i nt o t he sky and st r uck t heenemy. Br i ght r ed f l ames bur st out of t he si de of t he f l yi ng spi der and i t

j er ked once mor e, now goi ng upward, t r yi ng t o escape.A t hi r d gol den or b hi t i t and envel oped t he ent i r e obj ect . I t was st i l l goi nghi gher and hi gher , edgi ng t oward t he west . Khuf u st agger ed back as t her e was abl i ndi ng expl osi on. When he l ooked up, t he sky was cl ear .

The gol den gl ow i nsi de t he chamber decr eased and Khuf u al most col l apsed, f eel i ngdrai ned. The Pharaoh st ar t ed as t he i mage began speaki ng agai n."We ar e saf e f or now, " Asi m t r ansl at ed. "But "he paused as he t r ansl at ed, eyecl osed"i t i s not saf e. ""What i sn' t saf e?" Khuf u demanded.

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"The Gr eat Pyrami d. The Mast er Guar di an. The pyrami d di d not work as i ntended.I t summoned the Anci ent Enemy and not t he Gods of ol d. I f t he Anci ent Enemy cameonce, i t can come agai n. What drew i t her e must be dest r oyed. "

The f i gur e chi med on f or a mi nute and Asi m r emai ned si l ent , unt i l t he f i gurest opped speaki ng, coal esced i nt o a t hi n red l i ne, t hen di sappear ed.

Asi m opened hi s eye. " I have been t ol d what i s t o be done. Put t he bl ade back i nt he sheat h, my Phar aoh. "Khuf u sl i d the bl ade i nt o t he scabbar d."Come, my l ord. " Asi m was hobbl i ng t oward t he t unnel . "There i s much t o do. "So st unned was t he Pharaoh by t he r ecent event s t hat he di dn' t even quest i onbei ng or dered about by t he pr i est . He si mpl y f ol l owed hi m out of t he chamber ,t he cover ed sword i n hi s hands.Wr eckage f r om t he scout shi p t umbl ed t oward t he empty deser t west of Gi za. Amongt he debr i s was a bl ack pod, appr oxi mat el y f i f t een f eet acr oss, t he met al sur f aceunmarr ed by t he expl osi on. As t he pod appr oached t he sur f ace of t he pl anet , i t s


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r oof of t he t empl e at t he base of t he pyr ami d. The ni ght sky was cl ear . The r edcapst one no l onger gl owed as i f l i t f r omwi t hi n as Khuf u had Excal i bur i nsi det he scabbard now st r apped to hi s own sword bel t .Khuf u coul d st i l l see i n hi s mi nd' s eye the bl ack spi der t hat had come down f r omt he sky. He di d not underst and what i t was, but t here was no doubt i n hi m t hati t was a danger . Whatever ent i t y cont r ol l ed such a f l yi ng creat ur e and wascapabl e of f i ght i ng the Gods was i ndeed somethi ng to be f ear ed."What are we wai t i ng f or?""When t he sword i s i n t he sheat h, t he"Asi m sear ched f or t he r i ght words"Chari ot s of t he Gods cannot appr oach t he capst one. You must t ake t he bl ade outonce more. "Khuf u drew t he weapon. He wat ched as t he capst one gl owed once mor e.Asi m cont i nued. "Si nce you have r emoved the sword, t he capst one can beappr oached. ""By who? What Char i ot of t he Gods?"

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"Ther e, l or d. " Asi m was poi nt i ng t o t he nor t h.

Somethi ng was appr oachi ng t hr ough t he sky. Khuf u st art ed, and t hen r eal i zed i twasn' t another ai r - spi der . Thi s obj ect was shaped l i ke an i nver t ed di sh andgol den, r emi ndi ng hi m of t he gl ow t hat had sur r ounded hi m i n the chamber f arbel ow dur i ng t he day."The Char i ot of t he Gods, " Asi m whi sper ed.

The obj ect passed by overhead and hover ed above t he ver y t op of t he pyrami d,f i ve hundr ed f eet above t hei r heads. A gl ow ext ended down f r om t he di sk andsur r ounded t he r ed Mast er Guar di an. The Guar di an was t went y f eet hi gh at t hebase and had been br ought out of t he Eart h bel ow by Asi m and ot her pr i est s,f ol l owi ng i nst r uct i ons as handed down t hr ough t he ages. I t had been l abori ousl ydragged t o the t op j ust t he previ ous week t o compl ete the pyr ami d by bei ngdragged up the scaf f ol di ng t hat had been wr apped around the edi f i ce. Al t houghl ar ger t han bl ocks used i n t he st r uct ur e, Khuf u knew i t was l i ght er because oft he number of men needed t o pul l i t , i ndi cat i ng t hat i t was not sol i d. No oneknew what i t was made of , as t he red sur f ace had seemed to shi mmer , and menf ear ed t o t ouch i t .Khuf u star t ed as t he Mast er Guar di an separ at ed f r om t he pyrami d, l i f t i ng i nt ot he ai r as i f by magi c. The gol den obj ect , wi t h t he Guar di an i n tow, beganwi t hdr awi ng i n t he di r ect i on i t had come f r om, t o the nort h. Khuf u wat ched unt i li t di sappear ed i nt o t he ni ght sky, t hen he t ur ned t o Asi m."Wher e does i t go?""To a secur e pl ace, my l ord. Separ at e f r omt he key. ""Why separat e the t wo?""The Mast er Guar di an wi l l be mor e secur e i f t he key i s not wi t h i t . " Asi mabsent l y r ubbed hi s empty eye socket . ' The sword you hol d was once wi el ded byt he gr eat est of t he Gods. Wi t h i t he cont r ol l ed t he Master Guar di an, and i n t ur nhi s ent i r e domai n. "

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Khuf u l ooked at t he smoot h bl ade. He had never seen such f i ne metal . " I t i s agreat weapon, t hen. ""I t i s, " Asi m sai d. "Especi al l y as i t cont r ol s t he power f or t he Mast erGuardi an. I t al l ows whoever has t he sword to be very powerf ul . " "And now?"

"Have your t r oops scour ed t he desert f or t he spi der cr eat ur e, my l ord?"


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"They have f ound no si gn of t he sky monst er , but have apprehended al l t he peopl et hey f ound to t he west . "Asi m nodded. "The pr i soners must be part of what we do i n the morni ng. ""And?" Khuf u pr essed."My l or d, t omor r ow we must compl et e t he undoi ng of what our peopl e have workedso har d to do over t he past t went y year s. " He poi nt ed. "The f aci ng of t hepyrami d must be r emoved. " "Why?"" I t sent out a si gnal , my l or d, but i t di d not br i ng t he Gods as hoped, butt hei r enemy. "Khuf u knew t he pyr ami d coul d be seen f ar away, and he i magi ned t hat i f one coul dbe i n the sky as t he spi der cr eat ur e had been, i t coul d be seen at a gr eatdi st ance i ndeed. He di d not wi sh f or a repeat of t hat . "I t wi l l be done. "Hi dden i n t he dar k shadows of a r ef use pi l e of cr acked st one bl ocks t he watcherf r om t he deser t had obser ved t he same thi ng as Khuf u and Asi m. He' d not ed t hedi r ect i on t he gol den di sk f l ew of f i n, Mast er Guar di an wi t h i t . Despi t e t hedar kness of hi s hi de, he wr ote al l t hat he had seen down on a pi ece of r eedpar chment . As hi s hand moved, a l arge r i ng wi t h an eye symbol r ef l ected t hescant star l i ght .

Then, keepi ng t o ground he knew wel l , he made hi s way

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of f t he Gi za Pl at eau and t o a smal l hut near t he Ni l e. I nsi de, he checked t hewr i t i ng, maki ng sur e i t r eport ed accur atel y what he had seen, t hen r ol l ed i t andsl i d i t i nto a t ube. He pour ed wax f r om a candl e on t he end and then used t her i ng to seal i t wi t h an i mpr i nt t he i mpr i nt had the same desi gn as t hat on t hemedal l i on worn around Asi m' s neck.He sl i d t he t ube i nsi de hi s r obes and sat down cr oss- l egged on t he sand f l oor ,wai t i ng f or t he sun to r i se. He' d managed to escape the Phar aoh' s t r oops i n thedeser t , st i cki ng t o the hi dden ways. He' d not ed t hat t he members of t he Li byancaravan had been brought t o the pl ateau i n chai ns, t he man he' d seen di sappearunder t he sand among t hem.

Tomor r ow woul d be a most i nt er est i ng day, he mused.When dawn came, i t was assembl y- l i ne murder .

The great Phar aoh Khuf u, son of Ki ng Snef eru and Queen Het peher es, r ul er of t heMi ddl e Ki ngdom, watched, hi s f ace i mpassi ve, as r i ver s of bl ood f l owed down t hesmoot h l i mest one f aci ng of t he Gr eat Pyr ami d.He was at t he f l at t op wher e t he Mast er Guar di an had been, over 480 f eet abovet he Gi za Pl at eau, seat ed i n a throne made of gol d. Four sacr i f i ci al t abl es wer espread out i n t he smal l space i n f r ont of hi m, manned by pr i est s of t he Cul t ofI s i s .Asi m was worki ng swi f t l y as t her e were many t housands of t hr oat s t o be cut . Al ong l i ne of st oop- shoul der ed men st ood on the wooden scaf f ol di ng that l ed t ot he l evel pl at f or m at t he t op of t he pyrami d wher e Asi m wi el ded Excal i bur , t heswor d of t he Gods, movi ng f r om t abl e t o tabl e, sl i di ng t he r azor- shar p bl adeacr oss t hr oat s. Sol di er s ensur ed t hat t he l i ne kept movi ng. Ever y worker who had

spent even one mi nut e i nsi de t he pyrami d dur i ng i t s const r uct i on was i n thatl i ne. When Asi m' s work was done, t he onl y ones t o have been i nsi de t he pyr ami dand l i ve woul d be Khuf u and Asi m.

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As each worker r eached t he t op, t wo sol di er s woul d l i f t hi m bodi l y, t hr ow hi mont o a sl ab, pi nni ng hi s shoul der s down, and a pr i est woul d hol d hi s head back,wai t i ng f or Asi m t o come by and dr aw Excal i bur acr oss t he man' s t hr oat whi l e


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qui ckl y mut t er i ng t he necessary pr ayer . Bl ood woul d spur t out of hi s car ot i dar t er i es, be caught by t he l i p of t he sl ab, and be channel ed i nt o sever al hol est o reed pi pes at t he bot t om, whi ch di r ect ed i t t o t he edge of t he pl at f or m anddi sper sed i t ont o the si de of t he pyrami d. Thr ee si des were dr enched r ed and t her eed pi pes had j ust been r edi r ect ed t o t he f our t h si de. As spect acul ar as t hewhi t e l i mest one f aci ng had been when pure, i n an obscene way, t he gl i st eni ng redcoveri ng of bl ood made i t even more awe- i nspi r i ng.Dul l ed by year s of l abor, sur r ounded by t r oops, and condi t i oned t o obey t hei rPhar aoh and Gods wi t hout quest i on, t he men st ood i n l i ne wi t h l i t t l e pr ot est .Occasi onal l y one woul d t r y t o bol t , t o be cut down by t he guards i mmedi atel y andt he body haul ed t o the t op.Not onl y were pr i est s and worker s among the condemned, but so were al l t hose whohad been caught i n the deser t t o t he west t he previ ous day. The Li byan who hadapproached t he sand dune was dragged up wi t h chai ns around hi s ankl es and t hrownont o an al t ar . He had hi s head up, l ooki ng around as i f not i ng al l . When hi seyes f el l upon Excal i bur i n Asi m' s hands, hi s cal m demeanor suddenl y changed andhe st r uggl ed i n the guar ds' gr i p. As Asi m dr ew t he sword of t he Gods across t heman' s neck, t he body convul sed, si t t i ng st r ai ght up despi t e t he bl ood pour i ngf r om t he sl i ced ar t er i es i n hi s neck. Asi m st epped back i n shock, Excal i bur hel dup def ensi vel y. The two sol di ers who' d br ought t he Li byan to the al t ar gr abbed

hi s shoul der s.The Li byan snat ched t he sol di er s' necks and smashed t hei r heads t ogether,ki l l i ng t hem. Asi m used t he oppor t uni t y

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t o j ab f orwar d wi t h the sword, t he bl ade punchi ng i nt o t he Li byan' s st omach.An unear t hl y scr eam r oar ed out of t he man' s wi de- open mout h. Khuf u, behi nd al i ne of hi s i mper i al guar ds, was l ess t han t en f eet away, wat chi ng t he bi zar r espect acl e. The Pharaoh gasped i n hor r or as Asi m st r uck once more bef ore t heLi byan' s body was r i pped apar t f r omt he i nsi de. The t i p of a t ent acl e punchedout of t he man' s ski n f r om hi s chest .

The t entacl e was gray and t i pped wi t h t hree di gi t s t hat bent and t wi st ed as t heygrasped f or a target . The body of t he Li byan was bent i n an ext r emel y unnat ur almanner , as i f t he spi ne had been t ur ned i nt o a l oose st r i ng. Asi m swung t heswor d, sever i ng the end of t he tent acl e. The end that f el l t o t he stoneshr i vel ed as i f baked, whi l e t he other sl i d back i nt o the body. Then t he pr i estst epped back, Excal i bur at t he r eady."What was t hat?" Khuf u demanded.Asi m j abbed t he sword sever al more t i mes i nt o t he body, but t here was nomovement . "Bur n the body, " Asi m order ed sever al of t he I mper i al guar d. "Scat t ert he ashes. "As t hey gi nger l y pi cked up t he Li byan' s body, Asi m wal ked over t o the Pharaoh,sweat st ai ni ng hi s r obes. "The Anci ent Enemy, my l ord. I t came out of what wesaw yest erday. "Khuf u coul d onl y shake hi s head, t he event s of t he past t went y- f our hour s

t hr eat eni ng to over whel m hi s sani t y. "What ki nd of enemy i s t hi s?"" I t i s t he enemy of t he Gods and our enemy. ""How di d i t get i n t hat man?"" I do not know, my l or d. I was t ol d t o wat ch f or t hi s by t he appar i t i onyest er day. ""How di d i t survi ve? We saw t he sky t hi ng dest r oyed. "" I do not know t hat ei t her , my l or d, but t he appar i t i on

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warned me i t coul d. And i t t ol d me that t he sword woul dki l l i t . "Khuf u l ooked at t he bl ade i n Asi m' s hands. "That i s i ndeed ver y powerf ul . "" I t was desi gned so that whoever wi el ded i t coul d r ul e supr eme, " Asi m sai d.Khuf u underst ood t hat concept of consol i dat i ng power and r ul i ng supr eme. A t hi ngt hat one person coul d carr y and t hat hel d such power hel d both gr eat oppor t uni t yand gr eatdanger .Asi m si gnal ed f or t he sol di er s t o cont i nue t o br i ng pr i soner s f or war d and wentback t o hi s gr i m t ask. By t he t i me the l ast worker was dead and the bodyuncer emoni ousl y t ossed over t he si de t o be bur ned, al l f our si des of t he Gr eatPyrami d were st ai ned red. There was no repeat of what had happened wi t h theLi byan.Over f i ve t housand had di ed i n f our hour s. Asi m came back t o Khuf u, hi s armt r embl i ng wi t h exhaust i on. He handed the sword to Khuf u, who sl i d thebl oodst ai ned bl ade i nt o t he scabbard." I have done as t he Gods or der ed me, " Asi m sai d. "Now you must have your menf i ni sh what must be done t o thepyrami d. "

Khuf u gave t he or der s. Sol di er s hammer ed spi kes i nt o j oi nt s al l al ong t he edgeof t he pl at f orm, between the whi t e l i mest one bl ocks on the f aci ng and t he morecoar se bui l di ng st ones under neat h. What had been so car ef ul l y pl aced and f i t t edont o t he pyrami d, was r i pped of f , t he st one tumbl i ng down to the gr ound,r eveal i ng t he unf i ni shed st one under neath.

The dest r uct i on of t he f aci ng begun, Khuf u t ook hi s l eave bef or e t he r amp wasdest r oyed, Asi m cl ose at hi s s i de. When t hey r eached t he gr ound, t hey went t ot he Gr eat Sphi nx. The Hor us st at ue bet ween t he paws had been r emoved, r epl acedby a st one one. The or i gi nal had been t aken by Asi m and hi s

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pr i est s i nt o the Roads of Rost au i n t he ear l y mor ni ng, t o what dest i nat i on, onl yt he hi gh pr i est knew. The men who had hel ped drag i t under ground wer e amongt hose ki l l ed. Khuf u and Asi m st ood between t he massi ve st one paws, out ofear shot of anyone el se."You must decree that no one wi l l wr i t e of t hi s day' s event s, my l or d, " Asi msai d.Khuf u sai d nothi ng. He had begun the day wi t h hopes of i mmort al i t y, and as ni ghtf el l , he was seei ng hi s greatest achi evement def aced. He had hoped t hat bui l di ngt he Gr eat Pyr ami d woul d br i ng hi m t he f avor of t he Gods. I nst ead, al l wascr umbl i ng ar ound hi m. I t woul d not be hard t o i ssue an order t o ensure that noone wr ote of t hi s. He coul d sense t he f ear among hi s peopl et he f l yi ng spi dert hi ng, t he ki l l i ngs, t he creat ur e comi ng out of t he Li byan, and t he desecr at i onof t he pyrami d' s f aci ng. A cl oud passed by, bl ocki ng the sun, and Khuf ushi ver ed.

"What shoul d I do wi t h t he sword?" Khuf u asked. "Per haps I shoul d keep i t i ncase we ar e at t acked agai n. "" I t was the Mast er Guar di an t hat st opped t he Anci ent Enemy craf t , " Asi m sai d,"not t he sword. Wi t hout t he f aci ng, t he pyrami d wi l l not be f ound by t he Anci entEnemy. " Asi m poi nt ed at Excal i bur . "Wi t hout t he sword, t he Mast er Guar di an i spower l ess. ""How can t hat be?"" I do not know but i t i s what I was t ol d. And what peopl e may desi r e i n t heduat s al ong the Roads of Rostau ar e secur e i n one f orm or another . ""Why di d you have t o use Excal i bur and not your ceremoni al dagger?" Khuf u asked.


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"The sword has another speci al power , " Asi m sai d. "As you saw, i t i s t he onl yt hi ng t hat can ki l l t he undead and t he i mmort al . ""The undead?"

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"The Anci ent Enemy. ""The i mmort al ?" Khuf u st epped cl oser t o t he pr i est . "Someone has part aken of t heGrai l ? '" I ver y much doubt i t , " Asi m sai d, "but al l who coul d have had access t o theduat s had to di e. "" I do not under st and, " Khuf u sai d." I do not ei t her, my l ord, " Asi m sai d. " I onl y do what t he Gods command. Thesword i s t he key t hat must be hi dden away agai n. ""Why di d the gods have us bui l d that "Khuf u j erked a t humb over hi s shoul der att he pyrami d"i f i t woul d onl y br i ng enemi es?""The Gods hoped i t woul d br i ng t hei r ki ndr ed Gods f r om t he sky, " Asi m sai d. I twas t he same answer he had gi ven bef ore, but Khuf u f el t despai r ."And now?" Khuf u spr ead hi s hands wi de. "Now what do

I do?""You r ul e, my l or d, " Asi m sai d."What wi l l I do wi t h Excal i bur ?" Khuf u asked once more."We wi l l l eave i t i n t he sheat h and r et ur n i t t o i t s pl ace i n t he duat s so thatt he Gods may have access t o i t when i t i s needed. When t he Mast er Guar di an i sr eturned or neededagai n. "On one hand, Khuf u was rel uct ant t o pass t he sword back t o the hi gh pr i est . I twas, af t er al l , t he sword of t he Gods and obvi ousl y very power f ul . But t hat samet hought f r i ght ened hi m wi t h t he pot ent i al r esponsi bi l i t y f or havi ng such at hi ng. He unbuckl ed i t f r omhi s bel t and handed i t over t o Asi m, who t ucked i tunder hi s cl oak.Asi m l ef t Khuf u wat chi ng t he desecrat i on of t he gr eat est achi evement of hi sr eal m, i ndeed i n t he ent i r e hi st ory of manki nd, and headed t oward t he Sphi nx. Heused hi s scept er and t he stone door sl i d open. He ent ered, t he door sl i di ng shutbehi nd hi m.

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He made hi s way down the st one cor r i dor , scept er i n one hand, Excal i bur i n theot her . He paused, cocki ng hi s head, as i f he sensed somethi ng was wr ong. Hewai t ed sever al moment s, t hen cont i nued. When he r eached t he i nt ersect i on, het urned r i ght and came to a compl et e hal t as a man st epped f orward t o conf r onthi m.Asi m hel d t he swor d i n hi s good hand, across t he f r ont of hi s body, st i l lcover ed by t he sheat h. "Kaj i . I knew you woul d be about . Scur r yi ng ar ound l i ke

t he r at you ar e. ""Even a r at i s bet t er t han bei ng a sl ave, " Kaj i sai d.Asi m spi t at t he ot her man' s f eet . "You Wat cher s. You have bet r ayed our anci entpr i est hood. "Kaj i shook hi s head. "We betr ayed? Whom di d we bet r ay? The ' gods' who l ef t us t of end f or oursel ves? Who al l owed our homes to be dest r oyed, our peopl e ki l l ed?What di d you per f orm t oday? How many peopl e di ed t oday because of t he ' gods' ?How many more wi l l have t o di e?""You are a Wat cher , " Asi m sai d. "You can do nothi ng accor di ng t o the l aws ofyour order . Get out of my way. "


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Kaj i ' s j aw was set . "My t hr ee br ot hers , my si x nephews. Two of my t hree sons.They di ed t oday on t he pyrami d. "Asi m t ook an i nvol unt ar y st ep backwar d. "You took an oat h to onl y watch. "" I am done wi t h bei ng a Wat cher. My sur vi vi ng son wi l l be the next Kaj i . Thenext Wat cher of Gi za, of t he Roads of Rostau. ""Sti l l , you t ook an oat h. " Asi m t ook anot her st ep back."You know t here ar e t hose beyond t he Watchers, " Kaj i sai d. "Those who act . " Kaj ihel d up hi s hands, hi s f i nger s l acki ng t he r i ng t hat was t he symbol of t he f i r str ank of hi s order . "Af t er openi ng a door t o t he Roads of Rost au I l ef t my r i ngf or my son t o f i nd. "

That st r uck Asi m as hard as a bl ade. The pr i est hel d up t he

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sword, but had not drawn the bl ade. "What good wi l l i t do t oki l l me?"Kaj i bar ked a l augh. "You' r e not t hat i mpor t ant . ""Then what ""Excal i bur , " Kaj i sai d. " I t i s thei rs . And i t i s the key. I wi l l

t ake i t . ""You cannot . I t i s onl y f or t he Gods. "Kaj i i ndi cated Asi m' s wounds. "Have you ever l ooked at yoursel f ? What has beendone t o you?"" I t i s the pr i ce of servi ce. ""To what end?" Kaj i ' s voi ce shook. "To what end does your servi ce go?"' To get et ernal l i f e, " Asi m sai d. "To part ake of t he Grai l . "' The Gr ai l has been ar ound si nce the dawn of t i me and we have never been al l owedt o par t ake! "Asi m' s voi ce f el l t o a whi sper . "I t wi l l happen someday. I f not t o me, t hen t ot hose who f ol l ow. But onl y t o t he t r ue bel i ever s. "Kaj i t ook anot her st ep cl oser t o the pr i est . He was i n r ange of t he bl ade, butAsi m di d not dr aw i t . "Has i t ever occur r ed to you t hat per haps par t aki ng of t heGr ai l mi ght not be agood t hi ng?"Asi m' s eyes wi dened. He bl i nked as i f he had j ust hear d t hat t he sky was red,hi s head shaki ng i n di sbel i ef ."Excal i bur , " Kaj i sai d.Asi m shook hi s head more f i r ml y. " I t must be kept saf e. ""You t hi nk thi s pl ace i s saf e?" Kaj i di dn' t wai t f or an answer . "The ' gods'f i ght among t hemsel ves. Both si des know of t he Roads of Rost au. I t must behi dden f r om t hem or el se we wi l l have r epeat s of t oday' s di sast er . ""But t he Anci ent Enemy" Khuf u began."Yes, t he Anci ent Enemy. " Kaj i nodded. "Excal i bur must be pr otect ed f r omt heAnci ent Enemy al so. I saw what hap-

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pened on t he t op of t he pyrami d. What makes you t hi nk t hat was t he onl y enemyt hat sur vi ved?""The enemy was dest r oyed. " "You don' t know t hat f or sur e, " Kaj i sai d. " I saw t he Li byan t aken by t heAnci ent Enemy i n the deser t t o t he west of her e. More danger coul d be cl ose by.

The swor d must be r emoved f r om here. "Asi m f r owned. "What do you know of t he Anci ent Enemy?"A st r ange l ook cr ossed Kaj i ' s f ace. "The l egends" Hi s voi ce t r ai l ed of f .


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"How di d you know t o go out i nto t he deser t ?" Asi m pr essed. "Why di d" Asi mcont i nued but he di dn' t compl ete t he sent ence as Kaj i sl ammed hi s dagger i nt ot he pr i est' s chest.Asi m l ay on t he tunnel f l oor , dead. Kaj i r eached down and t ook t he pr i est ' scl oak, wr appi ng i t around hi s own sl ender body, pul l i ng t he hood up over hi shead. He pi cked up Excal i bur and t he scepter . Then he headed t oward t he sur f ace.Khuf u was al one on t he r oof of t he pyr ami d t empl e. The removal of t he cover i ngst ones was compl ete about a t hi r d of t he way down. Peopl e f r om al l around wereat t he base, t aki ng t he l i mest one wi t h t hem, as the Pharaoh had al l owed i t . Theycoul d bui l d homes wi t h t he stone. I t mi ght as wel l serve some posi t i ve pur pose.Sever al l arge r ough bl ocks had been empl aced on t op t o keep t he sembl ance of apyr ami d and al so hi de t he f act t hat somethi ng el se had once been up t here.He hear d hi s guards snap to at t ent i on bel ow and t ur ned. A sl i ght f i gur e came upt he l adder ont o the r oof , movi ng wi t h di f f i cul t y. He r ecogni zed Asi m f r om t hehi gh pr i est ' s cl oak and t he sword i n t he man' s hand.

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" I t hought you were t aki ng t hat back undergr ound, " Khuf u sai d. "Have you had

second t hought s?"The f i gur e came cl oser . Khuf u gasped as t he swor d was drawn and t he bl ade cameacross hi s neck. He coul d f eel t he cool ness of t he met al agai nst hi s ski n."Ar e you i nsane, Asi m?"

The man pul l ed hi s hood down, r eveal i ng hi s f eatures."Who are you?""A man. Li ke you. My name i s Kaj i . "Khuf u star ed i nt o the man' s eyes. "Ar e you goi ng to ki l l me?""Asi m i s dead. I ki l l ed hi m. "Khuf u l ooked back up at t he def aced pyrami d. The sword pr essed t i ght er agai nsthi s throat . He wai t ed t o f eel i t sl i ce hi s ski n. Now, f or t he f i r st t i me i n hi sl i f e, Khuf u f el t hi s mor t al i t y, and knew t hat he was not t he f avor ed of t heGods, t hat he was j ust a man."He l i ed t o you because he was l i ed t o, " Kaj i sai d."Li ed about what?" Khuf u asked, hopi ng to avoi d thi s dar k f at e as l ong aspossi bl e, t hi nki ng that per haps one of hi s guar ds mi ght check on them, al soknowi ng t hat hope was f ut i l e, as no one woul d dare i nt err upt t he Pharaoh whi l ehe was consul t i ng wi t h hi s hi gh pr i est .' The gods. The empty pr omi ses. " The sword was r emoved f r om Khuf u' s t hroat andKaj i sheat hed i t , bef or e hi di ng i t under hi s cl oak. "My Phar aoh" Kaj i poi nt edt oward t he pyr ami d. "That i s what has been done t o your peopl e i n the name oft he gods. Per haps i t i s best i f t hese gods ar e not par t of our l i ves. I wi l l l etyou l i ve i f you gi ve me your word as Phar aoh t o r ul e as a man and not as apuppet t o t he gods. " Khuf u swal l owed and nodded, hi s conf i dence shat t ered byr ecent event s. "Yes. Yes. I can do that . I wi l l do t hat . ""I do not bel i eve you, " Kaj i sai d si mpl y. "St i l l , ki l l i ng you wi l l sol ve not hi ngand i n r eal i t y, you have l i t t l e choi ce now

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but t o rul e as a man. And ther e i s doubt i n your mi nd now. Per haps t hat i s al l Ican do here. Doubt i s t he seed f r om whi ch one day may gr ow i ndependence. Theabi l i t y t o t hi nk f or our sel ves. We have been l i ed to many t i mes, by t he gods, byt he pr i est s. We must make our own t r uth. "Wi t h that , Kaj i t urned and di sappear ed down the l adder . He made hi s way al ongt he pr ocessi onal pat h, t he guar ds keepi ng t hei r di st ance, r ecogni zi ng t he cl oak


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of Asi m, t he hi gh pr i est , second onl y t o t he Phar aoh hi msel f . Kaj i mai nt ai nedt he st r ange gai t of t he pri est unt i l he reached t he Lower Templ e. Then he wentby t he pr i est ' s pat h to t he near by Ni l e where a smal l boat wai t ed, manned by ayoung man who wore t he medal l i on of t he Wat chers.Set i n t he boat was a wooden box, t hree and a hal f f eet l ong. The young manswung the t op of t he box open. Kaj i pl aced the sheat hed sword i nt o t he box, t hencl osed t he l i d. He t hen handed t he tube hol di ng hi s r eport t o the man. The boatsl i pped away i nt o t he dar kness t o make i t s l ong j our ney t o del i ver t he r eportand sword.

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CHAPTER 2: THE PRESENTAREA 51, NEVADA

Li sa Duncan l ooked down her bl ood- spat t er ed robe, f i nger s r eachi ng i nt o t he hol ei n t he cl oth wher e t he bul l et t hat had ki l l ed her had gone t hr ough. The ski nbel ow was unbl emi shed wi t h no si gn of t he f at al wound. She touched t he spother sel f , as i f not bel i evi ng her own eyes."Who are you?" Mi ke Turcot t e was i n f r ont of her and he pl aced hi s hands on her

shoul der s, f i nger s di ggi ng i n a l i t t l e t oo t i ght l y. "I saw you di e. " Tur cot t esai d t he words i n a whi sper , as i f not bel i evi ng them. " I hel d you i n my ar msand wat ched you di e. I f el t you di e. "A deep, accent ed voi ce caused Tur cot t e t o l ook over hi s shoul der. "She part ookof t he Gr ai l , " Yakov sai d, as i f t hat expl ai ned ever ythi ng. "The l egends ar et r ue. She i s i mmor t al . "Gi ven that Yakov was t he one who had shot her , Tur cot t e wasn' t f eel i ng tooki ndl y t oward t he Russi an, even t hough Yakov had done i t i n a vai n at t empt t oprevent t he Gr ai l f r ombei ng st ol en. The Russi an was a huge man, st andi ng al mosta f oot t al l er t han Tur cot t e. He was a f ormer agent of Sect i on I V, t he Russi anequi val ent of Amer i ca' s Maj est i c- 12, set up t o moni t or al i en act i vi t y on t hepl anet . Both Sect i on I V and Maj est i c no l onger exi st ed, vi ct i ms of t he event s oft he pastyear .

Turcot t e wor e camouf l age f at i gues t hat f i t l oosel y on hi s sol i d body. On bothshoul der s was t he same subdued mi l i -

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t ary pat ch: an arr owhead shape, wi t h a dagger i nsi gni a crossed by threel i ght ni ng bol t s: t he pat ch f or t he US Ar my Speci al For ces. He was of aver agehei ght and stocky, wi t h shor t dar k hai r spr i nkl ed wi t h gr ay. The stubbl e on hi schi n i ndi cated i t had been a whi l e si nce he had enj oyed t he comf ort s of a warmshower and a sharp r azor ." I ' m col d, " Duncan mut t er ed.

Turcot t e l et go of her shoul ders and bl i nked, l ooki ng about , t aki ng i n t hei r

sur r oundi ngs, as i f r eal i zi ng f or t he f i r st t i me t hat he was st andi ng i n amorgue and Duncan was si t t i ng on a st ai nl ess- st eel aut opsy t abl e. She l ookedsmal l and vul nerabl e i nsi de t he bl oody robe. Her short dar k hai r was pl ast er edagai nst her skul l and her f ace was pal e and dr awn.

Turcot t e scooped Duncan up i n hi s arms and headed f or t he door. Yakov, Pr of essorMual ama, Che Lu, and Maj or Qui nn f ol l owed, t he cor e of t he group t hat wasl eadi ng t he f i ght agai nst t he al i en pr esence on Ear t h. By def aul t t hey were t heones who now r an Ar ea 51.

Turcot t e car r i ed Duncan t o a parked Humvee and sl i d her i nt o t he passenger seatbef ore goi ng around and get t i ng behi nd t he wheel . The others pi l ed i n, Qui nn


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j ust managi ng t o get i nsi de bef or e Turcot t e st omped on t he accel erat or . He drovet owar d the l ar ge hangar cut i nt o t he si de of Gr oom Mount ai n. To one si de a l ongr unway st r etched out of si ght al ong t he dr y bed of Gr oom Lake. Vari ous hangarsand suppor t bui l di ngs were cl ust ered around the end of t he runway, bet ween i tand t he mountai n.Ar ea 51 was about ni net y mi l es nor t hwest of Las Vegas, i n the mi ddl e of nowher eon t he way t o nowhere, est abl i shed on l and t hat hel d no val ue ot her t han i t si sol at i on. Numerous mount ai ns sur r ounded t he dr y l ake bed, l and that t he USgover nment had gobbl ed up t o make t he l ocat i on secure. The spot had gai ned i t sname f r omt he t r ai ni ng ar ea

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desi gnat i on number i t r ecei ved on t he mi l i t ary map f or t he Nel l i s Ai r For ce Baser ange of whi ch i t was ostensi bl y a par t .Most had thought Ar ea 51 was pl aced i n the l ocat i on because of i t s r emoteness.

The t r ut h, however , was t hat i t had been pl aced where i t was because of t heshocki ng di scover y dur i ng the ear l y days of Worl d War I I of a massi ve al i enspaceshi p i n a caver n under neat h Gr oom Mountai nt he mot her shi p. Over a mi l e

l ong and a quar t er mi l e i n wi dt h at i t s cent er , t he cr af t had both st unned andi nt r i gued t he sci ent i st s sent t o i nvest i gat e i t . I mages on pl aques f ound i n t hecaver n l ed t he Amer i cans t o di scover smal l er at mospher i c cr af t , cal l ed bouncer sand shaped l i ke gol den f l yi ng saucer s, i n Ant ar ct i ca. They had been br ought t oEar t h i n one of t he hol ds of t he mother shi p.

The ent i r e di scovery was cl ass i f i ed at a hi gher l evel t han anythi ng had everbeen i n the Uni t ed States. A commi t t ee Maj est i c- 12was est abl i shed to over seet he al i en ar t i f acts. For over f i f t y year s Maj est i c kept t he t r ut h secret f r omnot onl y other count r i es but Amer i cans al so.But even Maj est i c hadn' t known t he real t r ut h about t he al i ens: t hat Ear t h hadbeen vi si t ed by al i ens over t en t housand years earl i er and they hadheadquar t ered t hemsel ves on a l arge i sl and i n t he mi ddl e of t he At l ant i c Oceant he l egendar y At l ant i s. And t hat when other al i ens of t he same speci es, t heAi r l i a, had ar r i ved thousands of year s l at er , t her e was ci vi l war bet ween them.One si de was l ed by an al i en named Aspasi a, t he ot her by Ar t ad. The i ni t i albat t l i ng r esul t ed i n the dest r uct i on of At l ant i s and a tenuous t r uce. Aspasi awas bani shed to an Ai r l i a base under neat h the sur f ace of Mars at Cydoni a, wherehuman ast r onomers had l ong been i nt r i gued by anomal i es on the sur f ace. Ar t ad andhi s f ol l ower s, t he Kort ad, went t o Chi na, under neat h t he massi ve t omb of

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Qi an- Li ng, and l i ke Aspasi a and hi s peopl e, went i nt o suspended ani mat i on.But each si de cont i nued a subver si ve war t hr oughout t he mi l l enni a on Eart h.Aspasi a' s si de was r epr esent ed by t he Mi ssi on, l ed by a cont i nual l y regener at edhuman, Aspasi a' s Shadow, who passed Aspasi a' s memor i es and personal i t y t hrough

succeedi ng gener at i ons vi a t he ka, a memory devi ce t hat coul d be updated muchl i ke a comput er hard dr i ve. Ar t ad' s s i de was r epr esent ed by t he Ones Who Wai t ,Ai r l i a- Human cl ones, and Shadows of Ar t ad, such as Ki ng Ar t hur and Shi Huangdi ,t he f i r st emper or of Chi na.

Throughout human hi st or y both groups f ought cover t l y, usi ng humans as pawns i nt hei r bat t l es. Tur cot t e and t he ot her s had di scover ed much, but t hey st i l ldi dn' t know t he f ul l extent of t hi s i nt er f er ence i n human hi st ory. They knewabout t he cl ash bet ween Ar t hur ( Ar t ad' s Shadow) and Mordred ( Aspasi a' s Shadow)i n ear l y Br i t ai n; t he devel opment and spr ead of t he Bl ack Deat h i n the Mi ddl eAges; t he ri se of t he SS i n Nazi Germany; t he i nvent i on of t he at omi c bomb f r om


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st udyi ng an Ai r l i a weapon di scover ed underneat h t he Gr eat Pyr ami d, al so i n t heear l y days of Worl d War I I . Many ot her event s t hr oughout hi st ory wer e the resul tof ef f ort s by one si de or t he other t o gai n t he upper hand.

Turcot t e and t he ot hers had al so l earned t hat t he human sur vi vor s of At l ant i shad f ormed a gr oup cal l ed t he Watcher s t o moni t or t he al i ens. The Wat cher s weref ormer pr i est s who had worshi pped t he Ai r l i a as gods, and who t r i ed t o moni t orthei r conf l i ct .

The l i d bl ew of f al l t hose cover t act i ons when Maj est i c- 12 was cor r upted af t erdi scover i ng a guardi an comput er i n South Amer i ca. The guar di ans were gol denpyrami ds secr et ed ar ound the wor l d by t he Ai r l i a, as par t of t hei r anci entout post s. Cont act wi t h one by a human r esul t ed i n a di r ect

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mi nd i nt er f ace, wi t h t he guar di an t aki ng cont r ol and t ur ni ng t he per son i nt o aGui de. The member s of Maj est i c were cor r upt ed i n thi s manner and Mi ke Turcot t ewas sent by Li sa Duncan t o i nf i l t r ate Ar ea 51 and di scover what was goi ng on.

Turcot t e had l earned t hat Maj est i c was prepar i ng t o f l y t he mot hershi p on or dersf r omt he guar di an, most l i kel y t o go to Mar s and pi ck up Aspasi a and hi s

f ol l ower s. He al so f ound i nf or mat i on t hat i ni t i at i ng t he mot her shi p' si nt er st el l ar engi ne woul d at t r act t he at t ent i on of t he Ai r l i a' s anci ent enemy,known onl y as t he Swar m, and br i ng dest r uct i on t o Ear t h. Tur cot t e f oi l ed t hatpl an and al l - out ci vi l war had er upt ed bet ween t he two Ai r l i a si des, t he humanr ace caught bet ween t hem.As i t st ood now, Tur cot t e had ki l l ed Aspasi a and dest r oyed hi s f l eet comi ng f r omMars , but Aspasi a' s Shadow was now secreted on East er I sl and wi t h t he Gr ai l i nhi s possessi on and a bur geoni ng mi l i t ar y f orce. And i n Chi na, Ar t ad had beenawoken by t he Ones Who Wai t .I t was t hi s pr ecar i ous wor l d si t uat i on pl ast er ed al l over t he si t uat i on boar d att he f r ont of t he CUBEcommand, cont r ol & communi cat i ons C3deep under Gr oomMount ai n, t hat t he smal l gr oup saw as t hey got of f t he el evat or f r omt he hangarabove.

Turcot t e i gnor ed t he si t - boar d and hel ped Duncan t o t he conf erence r oom. Theot hers t r ooped i n and t he door was shut as an uneasy si l ence pervaded. Tur cot t esat Duncan i n t he chai r at t he head of t he tabl e and sl umped i nto the seat nextt o her .

Yakov was next t o Turcot t e. Mual ama, an Af r i can ar chaeol ogi st who had f ol l owedi n t he f ootst eps of Si r Ri char d Franci s Bur t on and uncover ed t hat expl or er ' ssecret account of al l he had l ear ned of t he Ai r l i a and t hei r i nf l uence on Ear t h,was next t o hi m. Mual ama had al so uncover ed the

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scept er t hat had al l owed Duncan and hi m access t o t he Bl ack Sphi nx, deep under

t he Gr eat Sphi nx, whi ch had cont ai ned t he Ar k of t he Covenant and t he Gr ai l .They had al so di scovered t hat Mual ama was a f or mer Wat cher .Then t here was t he el derl y Chi nese prof essor , Che Lu. She had opened t he upperl evel s of t he anci ent t omb at Qi an- Li ng. She had recent l y been tr yi ng t o f i gur eout an al i en gr i d syst em t hat hi ghl i ght ed many of t hei r anci ent bases. She hadcr acked the code and was st i l l wor ki ng on f i xi ng the var i ous l ocat i ons, whi chi ncl uded Qi an- Li ng, East er I sl and, and Mount Si nai , wher e the Mi ssi on had hi ddeni t sel f f or a l ong t i me.At t he other end of t he t abl e was Maj or Qui nn, a l ef t over f r omt he days ofMaj est i c, t he man who knew t he i nner worki ngs of Ar ea 51 and was abl e t o get


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what was needed f r om t he US government . Or had been abl e, as i t now appearedt hat Ar ea 51 was bei ng cut out of t he chai n of operat i ons. He was a smal l man,wi t h t hi ck- l ensed gl asses per ched on a t hi n nose."My f r i ends, " Yakov began.

Turcot t e di dn' t part i cul ar l y want t o hear whatever i t was t he Russi an had t osay. He was wat chi ng Duncan, who seemed to be sl owl y comi ng t o her senses."My f r i ends, " Yakov repeat ed as he tur ned t o the ot hers at t he tabl e. "We mustl ook at t he l ar ger t hr eat s. ""And what can we do about t hem?" Turcot t e snapped. He was bone- t i r ed. Si nceuncover i ng the secr et of Ar ea 51 he had been f i ght i ng the al i ens and thei rmi ni ons al most nonst op. For ever y st ep f orward, ever y vi ct ory gai ned, t hereseemed to be two st eps back and mor e secr et s uncovered and more def eats. Theyhad l ear ned much but Tur cot t e f el t t her e was a l evel of al l of t hi s t hat t heyhad yet t o penet r ate. They di dn' t know why t he ci vi l war among t he Ai r l i a hadst ar t ed mi l l enni a bef ore, nor what each si de' s t r ue agenda

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was, al t hough t here was l i t t l e doubt nei t her si de car ed how many humans di ed i n

t he cour se of t hei r bat t l es. Beyond t hat , t hey di dn' t even know why t he Ai r l i ahad come t o Ear t h so many years ear l i er or what t he ci vi l war had been about .Mual ama st eepl ed hi s f i nger s. "We have been appr oachi ng thi s i ncor r ect l y. Thi si s a war . And war i s al l about power . "

Turcot t e, who had been pract i ci ng t he ar t of war hi s ent i r e adul t l i f e, st aredat t he ar chaeol ogi st . "And?""We must search f or t he source of our enemi es' power, " Mual ama sai d."And t hat i s?" Tur cot t e pr ompt ed."We must f i nd and cont r ol t he Mast er Guar di an, " Mual ama sai d. " I f we do t hat , wecan cont r ol t he East er I sl andand most l i kel y t he Qi an- Li ngguardi ans. Maybeeven t he guardi an at Cydoni a on Mars. "

Turcot t e r ubbed hi s eyes f or a second. "Now you say we need t he Mast er Guardi anbut yest erday you sai d we needed t he Gr ai l . ""We di d need the Gr ai l , " Mual ama sai d. "But we don' t have i t . Aspasi a' s Shadowhas i t and i t i s now under t he shi el d at East er I sl and. The Gr ai l i s i ndeedpower f ul , as i t hol ds t he secret of et er nal l i f e. However , most of Aspasi a' sShadow' s power comes out of t he East er I sl and guardi an. The guardi an cont r ol st he shi el d wal l and t he nanovi r us he has i nf ect ed hi s f or ces wi t h. I t i s al sot he way he communi cat es wi t h hi s f orces. I t i s t he key t o hi s power . ""We don' t have t he Mast er Guardi an ei t her , " Tur cot t e sai d. "We don' t even knowwhere i t i s . ""Bur t on' s manuscr i pt descr i bed Watcher r ecor ds sayi ng i t was removed f r om t het op of t he Gr eat Pyr ami d t housands of years ago, " Mual ama sai d."And t aken where?" Tur cot t e asked.

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"The Wat cher s" Mual ama began, t hen paused."Go on, " Yakov ur ged hi m.

"Yes, " Tur cot t e sai d, spi nni ng i n hi s seat t owar d t he Af r i can ar chaeol ogi st ."Tel l us what el se you' ve been l yi ng t o us about . ""Not l yi ng, " Mual ama sai d. "I t j ust di d not come up. ""So we have t o ask you speci f i c quest i ons t o get you to hel p us?" Tur cot t easked. He sl owl y got t o hi s f eet and appr oached t he archaeol ogi st . He l eanedcl ose to Mual ama. "Wher e i s t he Mast er Guar di an?"


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" I t i s wi t h the mot her shi p, " Mual ama sai d."The mothershi p was dest r oyed, " Tur cot t e sai d, t ur ni ng back t o hi s chai r anddi smi ssi ng Mual ama. "I t ' s f l oat i ng dead i n or bi t . ""Aspasi a' s mother shi p i s f l oat i ng dead i n orbi t . How do you t hi nk Ar t ad came tot hi s pl anet?" Mual ama asked i n a l evel t one.

That caused Turcot t e t o pause f or a moment . "Ther e' s another mot hershi p?"Li sa Duncan spoke up. " I t makes sense. Remember we f ound t he power spher e f or ani nt er st el l ar dr i ve hi dden i n a caver n i n Et hi opi a, yet t he mot her shi p her e hadone al r eady i n pl ace. "

Turcot t e sl owl y sat down and nodded. "The sphere we f ound came f r om Chi na. ""And Ar t ad i s i n Chi na, " Duncan sai d."But we di dn' t see a mother shi p i n Qi an- Li ng, " Che Lu sai d." I t mi ght be i n t he l owest l evel , " Tur cot t e sai d, but he doubt ed i t even as hespoke. The mot her shi p was si mpl y t oo l arge t o be hi dden t her e, even gi ven howbi g t he mountai n t omb of Qi an- Li ng was.Qui nn spoke up. "The Nazi r ecor ds you r ecover ed f r omt he Sovi et ar chi vesi ndi cat ed t hat t hey wer e sear chi ng f or an

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arknot t he Ar k of t he Covenant , but Noah' s Ar k. I t woul d make sense t hat amother shi p woul d be cal l ed such a t hi ng. Per haps sur vi vor s f r omAt l ant i s wer eput aboar d i t ? That woul d expl ai n t he l egend of t he Ar k. ""But t he Nazi s di dn' t f i nd i t , " Tur cot t e not ed."We haven' t gone thr ough al l t he recor ds, " Qui nn sai d."Do i t , " Tur cot t e or der ed."Nor have I t r ansl at ed al l of Si r Ri char d Fr anci s Bur t on' s manuscr i pt , " Mual amaadded. "He al so was i nt er est ed i n the l egend of Noah' s Ar k. ""And I haven' t pi npoi nt ed al l t he l ocat i ons t hat Pr of essor Nabi nger t r ansl at ed, "Che Lu sai d.

Turcot t e r ubbed hi s f or ehead. Despi t e al l t hey had l earned, t hey wer e st i l l f arbehi nd t he i nf ormat i on curve. The t r ut h of t he pr esent hi nged on knowi ng t het r ut h about t he past and t hat was st i l l l argel y unknown. But t hey di d have moret han t hey had st ar t ed wi t h. Di d t hey have t he t i me t o pr ocess i t al l ? hewonder ed."And i f we don' t f i nd and gai n cont r ol of t he Mast er Guar di an?" he thr ew out .Qui nn spoke up. "The mi l i t ar y i s mar shal i ng a f l eet i n Hawai i . I t ' s our l astl i ne of def ense i n t he Paci f i c. They ar e consi der i ng at t acki ng East er I sl and. ""They won' t be abl e t o br eak t he shi el d wal l , " Tur cot t e sai d."Unl ess we can access t he Mast er Guar di an and shut down the East er I sl andguar di an, " Yakov poi nt ed out .Qui nn f r owned. "There was somethi ng i n t hat archi ve materi al you recover edunder neat h Moscow about a weapon and a shi el d. ""What somet hi ng?" Tur cot t e demanded, l eani ng f orward."I ' l l have t o l ook at i t agai n, " Qui nn sai d.

37

A sergeant came i nt o t he room and handed Qui nn a f i l e f ol der and j ust as qui et l yl ef t t he r oom.

Turcot t e f i nal l y consi dered t he st r at egi c si t uat i on. "Wi t hout a mi r acl eor usf i ndi ng and cont r ol l i ng the Mast er Guar di ant hat f l eet i s not goi ng to be abl et o get t hr ough the al i en shi el d wi t h any degr ee of ef f ect i veness, " he sai d. "Andaccor di ng to t he st atus boar d, t he shi ps t he al i ens have capt ur ed ar e headi ngt owar d Pear l . We' l l be l ucky i f t hey don' t sei ze Hawai i and our shi ps t hat we' d


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need t o at t ack East er I sl and. Maj or Qui nn, send a message to the admi r al i nchar ge t here and war n hi m of t hat . ""Yes, si r . "

Turcot t e' s eyes were on Duncan, who seemed t o be f ol l owi ng t he conversat i on. Het ur ned t o her, goi ng back t o t he more i mmedi ate i ssue, or at l east what heconsi der ed more i mmedi at e. "What happened to you?"Duncan bl i nked. " I " She hel d her hand up, l ooki ng at i t as i f i t were an al i enobj ect . "I put one of t he st ones i n t he Gr ai l . Then I put my hand i n t he Gr ai l .One end of t he Gr ai l , " she added. " I t bur ned. Up my ar m. My ent i r e body. ""We need t o get her t o a doctor , " Qui nn suggest ed.

Turcot t e i gnor ed t he maj or . "So t he l egend i s t r uei t grants i mmor t al i t y?"" I t must be, " Duncan acknowl edged. She t ouched her t orso, where t he bul l et hadt or n t hr ough her , st i l l not bel i evi ng t he unmar r ed ski n. "I ' m her e. " She sai d i tal most as a quest i on. "And you say you saw me di e. ""How does i t work?" Tur cot t e asked.She sl owl y shook her head. " I don' t know. "" I t must do more t han gi ve i mmort al i t y, " Yakov sai d. " I t br ought her back t ol i f e. "

Turcot t e t hought f or a f ew seconds, t hen r at t l ed out mor e or ders. "Maj or Qui nn,you check t he Nazi r ecor ds we

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brought back f r omMoscow t o see i f you can l ear n any more about t he l ocat i on oft he ar k/ mother shi p. Al so, I want you t o go back t hr ough Maj est i c' s r ecor ds andsee i f t her e i s anythi ng on t hi s shi el d wal l how i t works, and i f t her e i s anyway we can get t hr ough i t on our own. Because i f we can' t , we' r e def ensel essagai nst Aspasi a' s Shadow and hi s f orces."Prof essor Mual ama, you go t hrough Burt on' s manuscr i pt agai n and see i f wemi ssed anyt hi ng regardi ng the l ocat i on of t he Mast er Guar di an. Prof essor Che Lu,I t hi nk you need t o get wi t h Lar r y Ki ncai d and check al l t he l ocat i ons t hatNabi nger r ecor ded. Per haps one of t hose i s t he second mother shi p. I ' m goi ng t ot r y to send a message t o Kel l y to see i f she can t ap i nt o the East er I sl andguardi an and gi ve us a bet t er i dea where t hose obj ects are. Any quest i ons?""And me?" Duncan asked."We need to f i nd out what happened t o you, " Tur cot t e sai d. "How t he Gr ai laf f ect ed you. "

Turcot t e l ooked around t he r oom. They were t he exper t s, t he ones who knew t hemost about t he Ai r l i a and t hei r t echnol ogy, yet he f el t gr ave mi sgi vi ngs aboutt hei r l oyal t i es: Yakov, t he Russi an, who had shot Duncan; Che Lu, t he Chi nese,who had del ved i nt o Qi an- Li ng at such an oppor t une t i me; Mual ama, t he Af r i can,who had l i ed t o themabout bei ng a Watcher and onl y tol d t hemt hi ngs when i tseemed t o be conveni ent t o some agenda of hi s own. And most of al l Li sa Duncan,t he woman he had t hought he l ovedwhat had happened t o her ?Qui nn had a headset on and he pul l ed t he smal l mout hpi ece away f r om hi s l i ps. "Adoct or i s comi ng down on the el evat or . We need to get her l ooked at . " He was

st ar i ng at Tur cot t e. Sur pr i si ngl y, t he t i ny of f i cer got up and went t o t he headof t he tabl e, where he ext ended hi s hand t o Duncan, i ndi cat i ng she shoul d getup.

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As Tur cot t e st art ed t o pr otest , Qui nn put hi s ot her hand i n t he Gr een Ber et ' schest . "A doctor can t el l us more r i ght now t han anyone el se. We need to get herl ooked at . "


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Turcot t e was so sur pr i sed by Qui nn' s act i on t hat he al l owed hi m t o escor t Duncanout t he door , where a man i n a whi t e coat wai t ed. Qui nn r etur ned, shut t i ng t hedoor behi nd hi m."What t he hel l " Tur cot t e began, but Qui nn pi cked up the f ol der t hat he' d beengi ven and t ossed i t i n f r ont of Tur cot t e." I don' t know who t hat woman i s, " Qui nn sai d, "but t here i s no Li sa Duncan. Ihad t he Agency do a check on her . Ever yt hi ng i n her backgr ound i s a l i e. "

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CHAPTER 3: The PastGLASTONBURY TOR, BRI TAI N A. D. 529

Sur r ounded by wat er , t he Tor j ut t ed f i ve hundr ed f eet above the count r ysi de,cr owned by a rui ned st one abbey. I t was a sacr ed pl ace, one wher e f ew dar edt r avel , yet on t hi s dr ear y morni ng, a smal l boat , oar s pul l ed by a si ngl e mandr essed i n a l ong bl ack robe f r i nged wi t h si l ver , sl owl y made i t s way acr oss t hepl aci d water. I t was a pl ace of l egend, r umored by many t o be the l egendary si t eof Aval on, home to st r ange f ol k wi t h even st r anger powers . Those who l i vednear by dar ed not set f oot on t he i sl and.

The bot t om of t he boat grat ed onto a pebbl ed beach. The man st owed t he oar s,t i ed t he boat of f t o a st unt ed t r ee, t hen made hi s way up the t r ack t hat woundi t s way up the hi l l . He wal ked as i f car r yi ng a gr eat bur den, st oop- shoul der edand wi t h st i f f l egs, but al l he had i n hi s hands was a l ong st af f of pol i shedwood t hat he l eaned on t o ai d hi s cl i mb. Hi s f ace was hi dden i n t he shadow of anover hangi ng hood, but a whi t e bear d poked out at t he bot t om.When he r eached t he t op, he paused, t aki ng i n the shat t ered st one of t he abbey.

Then he l ooked al l about , at t he count r y t hat sur r ounded t he l ake. Not hi ng movedunder an over cast sky. I t was as i f t he l and had been swept cl ear of man andbeast . A gust of col d wi nd caused t he man t o pul l hi s r obe t i ght er around hi sbody. Ever si nce t he gr eat bat t l e of

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Caml annt he showdown between Ar t hur and Mor dredt he l and had appear ed bl eak andcol d.He wal ked t o t he abbey and t hrough a doorway. The i nter i or was open t o t he sky,t he f l oor l i t t er ed wi t h st one bl ocks f r om t he col l apsed r oof . Wi t h a gnar l edhand t he man r eached i nt o t he neck of hi s r obe and r et r i eved a medal l i on. On t hesurf ace of t he met al was t he i mage of an eye. He pl aced i t agai nst t he f r ont oft he smal l al t ar wher e there was an i ndent at i on of si mi l ar shape. He hel d themedal l i on ther e f or sever al moment s, t hen r emoved i t , sl i di ng i t back i nsi de hi sr obe.He rubbed hi s hands t oget her as he wai t ed. He st ar t ed as a door swung open i nt he wal l of t he abbey. A f i gur e st epped i nt o t he abbey, cl oaked i n br own. He t oowor e a hood, whi ch he pul l ed back, r eveal i ng a l i ned f ace and si l ver hai r . Hi s

eyes wi dened as he recogni zed the man by t he al t ar ."Myrddi n! "

The ol d man wear i l y smi l ed. " I have not been cal l ed t hat i n a l ong t i me, Br ynn.At t he cour t of Ar t hur t he Ki ng t hey cal l ed me Mer l i n. ""So I have hear d, " Br ynn sai d.Merl i n l ooked about . "They woul d have brought Ar t hur her e. ""He di ed r i ght t her e. " Br ynn poi nt ed t owar d the near est st one wal l of t he abbey."And Excal i bur ?""No sor r ow?" Br ynn f ol ded hi s arms acr oss hi s chest . "No si gn of gr i ef f or t hedeat h of your ki ng?"


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" I knew he was dead, " Mer l i n sai d. "I have gr i eved i n pr i vat e. "" I doubt i t . "Mer l i n st r ai ght ened, dr awi ng hi msel f up, and despi t e hi s worn condi t i on, Br ynnt ook a st ep backward.

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"I di d what I di d f or t he l and, f or t he peopl e. "" I t di d not wor k, " Br ynn not ed." I t was bet t er t han hi di ng i n a cave wi t h ol d paper s, " Mer l i n snapped."Was i t ?" Br ynn di dn' t wai t f or an answer . "The l and i s worse of f t han i t was.Many have di ed. The Gr ai l was al most l ost . The sword t oo. "" I know about t he Gr ai l . One of your f el l ow Wat cher s has i t . "" I t i s good t hat you don' t consi der your sel f one of us any l onger , " Br ynn sai d."You bet r ayed our order . "" I went beyond our order as must be done at t i mes, " Merl i n sai d. "You wi l lr et ur n t he Gr ai l t o Egypt ?""That I cannot t el l you. "Mer l i n shook hi s head. "Ret ur ni ng t o the st atus quo. That woul d be f i ne, except

what i s t he status quo?"Brynn f r owned. "What do you mean?Mer l i n st amped hi s f oot on t he Tor i mpat i ent l y. "Our order has wat ched si nce t het i me of At l ant i s. We once worshi pped t he ' gods. ' And when they f ought amongt hemsel ves, many of our peopl e di ed and At l ant i s was dest r oyed, t he survi vor sscat t er ed." I t al ked wi t h Ar t hur many t i meshe was a Shadow of one of t hese cr eat ures. Heknew much of t he gr eat t r ut h. ""' The gr eat t r ut h' ?""What do we know?" Mer l i n asked Br ynn. "Do we know where t he ' gods' came f r om?Why t hey ar e her e?"

The l ook on Br ynn' s f ace i ndi cat ed he di dn' t even underst and t he quest i ons,never mi nd wonder about t he answers.Mer l i n si ghed and dr opped that l i ne of t hought . "Excal i bur i s mor e t han j ust asword. I t does other s t hi ngs. And t he war wi l l come agai n. And both si des wi l lwant i t . And men l i ke me"Mer l i n nodded, acknowl edgi ng hi s

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r ol e i n r ecent event s"wi l l t r y t o use Excal i bur al so as a symbol . But i t i smor e t han a symbol . I t has a pur pose, a ver y cr i t i cal pur pose. I t i s a cri t i calpi ece, one of sever al , i n a ver y anci ent puzzl e. "Br ynn wai t ed, l i st eni ng." I am her e t o make amends, " Merl i n sai d."And how wi l l you do t hat?""Excal i bur must be hi dden bet t er t han thi s pl ace. "

" I do not" Br ynn began, but Merl i n sl ammed t he but t of hi s st af f ont o the st onef l oor ."Li st en t o me, Br ynn. The sword must be hi dden. Si nce i t was br ought out , t hosewhom you wat ch now know wher e i t i s. WeI awakened those bet t er l ef t sl eepi ngand t hey sent f ort h thei r Shadows t o do war t o t r y t o gai n the sword and theGr ai l . Bot h were hi dden f or many generat i ons but now t hi s pl ace i s no l ongersaf e. You know t hat or el se you woul d not have sent away t he Gr ai l . ""How do you know t hi s?"


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"Wat cher s are so i gnorant . I was i gnorant , but I have t r avel ed f ar and seenmuch. Have you even read some of t he paper s you guar d so cl osel y bel ow? That i swhat I spent my t i me doi ng whi l e I was here. "" I have r ead t hose scr ol l s I can, " Br ynn ar gued."And t he ones you can' t r ead? The ones wr i t t en i n t he anci ent r unes?""None can read t hem. "" I coul d and can. ""And what do they say?" Br ynn asked, i nt er est ed i n spi t e of hi msel f .

"The deci si on t hat demanded t hat our sol e f unct i on be merel y to watch whatt r anspi r ed was made by a vot e at t he f i r st Gather i ng of Watchers. And i t was notunani mous. There were t hose who t hought wat chi ng wasn' t enough and

44

act i on needed t o be taken. That man woul d be best of f i f we cont i nued t o f i ghtf or f r eedomf r omt he Gods and t hei r mi ni ons. ""But t he vot e was t o wat ch, " Br ynn sai d si mpl y. " I t i s t he r ul e of our or der . "Merl i n si ghed i n f r ust r at i on. "But i t was a deci si on made by men. And we ar e

men. We get t o change i t . "Br ynn shook hi s head. "The or der woul d never change t hat . And t her e has not beena Gather i ng i n memory. ""You ar e i gnor ant , " Mer l i n sai d."What wi l l you do wi t h t he sword?" Br ynn t ur ned t he subj ect f r om t hi ngs he knewnot hi ng of .' Take i t and t he sheat h t hat cont ai ns i t f ar f r om her e. And hi de i t wel l i n apl ace wher e menand t hose who pr et end t o be mencannot easi l y get t o i t . ""There i s no reason f or me to bel i eve you, " Br ynn sai d as he t urned back towardt he doorway." I was wr ong. "Br ynn paused.Mer l i n cont i nued. "We shoul d not get i nvol ved wi t h these cr eat ur es and thei r waramong themsel ves. We do not have the power f or t hat . ""And?" Br ynn demanded. "That i s t he Watcher' s cr edo. To watch. Not t o act . Whi chyou vi ol at ed. ""And t hat i s wr ong al so, " Merl i n sai d. "We must not j ust watch. We must act . Butnot i n t he way I di d, t r yi ng t o i mi t at e t hese creat ur es, al l yi ng wi t h one si deor t he ot her . I t hought Ar t hur " He shook hi s head. " I was mi sl ed, as t hepri est s of ol d were. We must keep our sel ves separate. Compl etel y separat e. Andf i ght t hem when we have t o and when we can do so wi t h a chance of vi ct ory. ""What does t hat have to do wi t h the sword?" Br ynn asked."I t i s a t hi ng each si de needs i n or der t o wi n t he ci vi l war , "

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Mer l i n sai d. "And now t hey know of t hi s pl ace and i t i s easi l y accessi bl e. Thati s why Excal i bur must be r emoved. I t can not be f ound by Aspasi a' s Shadow orAr t ad' s f ol l ower s or ot her s, even mor e evi l , who woul d seek t o dest r oy i t . "Br ynn' s f ace pal ed. "The Anci ent Enemy?"Merl i n nodded." I t hought t hat was j ust a myt h made up by t he pr i est s. Li ke t he Chr i st i ans havet hei r Sat an opposi ng thei r God. ""Ther e i s al ways some t r ut h i n ever y myt h, " Mer l i n sai d.Br ynn ran a hand thr ough hi s beard, obvi ousl y shaken.


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"You say i t i s t he r ul e of t he Wat cher s onl y to wat ch, " Merl i n sai d. "Then howdi d Excal i bur and t he Gr ai l come her e i n t he f i r st pl ace?""They have t r avel ed f ar over t he ages. J oseph of Ar i - mathea br ought t hemheref or saf ekeepi ng f r om J er usal em. ""And di d he not vi ol at e t he r ul es of your order by doi ng so?"Br ynn r el uct ant l y nodded."Then l et me r i ght t hat wr ong and r emove t hem f r om her e. Then you can go back t owat chi ng. ""Excal i bur i s saf e now, " Br ynn sai d wi t h l i t t l e r emai ni ng convi ct i on. "I knowt hat "Merl i n cut hi m of f . "The Gr ai l has been sent away. The sword must be sent awayal so. They came her e t o r et r i eve Ar t hur ' s ka, di dn' t t hey?"Br ynn sl owl y nodded. "Yes. The Ones Who Wai t . ""Then they know t hi s pl ace. They wi l l be back. ""I t i s what I f ear , " Br ynn admi t t ed."They can al ways f i nd t he swor d her e, " Mer l i n sai d, "but I can put i t i n a pl acet hat wi l l be di f f i cul t , i f not i mpossi bl e, f or t hem or any ot her s to f i nd andbr i ng back. "Br ynn f r owned. "Wher e?"

46

"On the r oof of t he wor l d where someone mi ght be abl e t o r each i t , but neversurvi ve l ong enough to be abl e t o br i ng i t back down. ""Wher e i s t hi s r oof ?""Do not concer n your sel f wi t h t hat . " Mer l i n smi l ed. "You have not hi ng t o f ear i ft he swor d i sn' t her e. "

Thi s l ast bi t of l ogi c f i nal l y came home t o r est wi t h t he Wat cher . "Come. " Br ynni ndi cat ed f or Mer l i n t o f ol l ow hi m.

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CHAPTER 4: The Pr esentAREA 51, NEVADA

Turcot t e opened t he door t o t he med l ab and j erked hi s t humb t oward t he hal l way."Leave, " he order ed t he doct or." I don' t t hi nk you have t he"

Turcot t e had hi s 9mm pi st ol out of t he hol st er and poi nt ed at t he man i n t hewhi t e coat bef ore he coul d f i ni sh the sent ence."Leave, " Tur cot t e repeat ed, pul l i ng t he hammer back wi t h hi s t humb aspunct uat i on.

The doct or scut t l ed out of t he r oom, t he door swi ngi ng shut behi nd hi m.Turcot t e t hrew t he f i l e f ol der he' d been gi ven by Maj or Qui nn ont o t he exami ni ngt abl e on whi ch Li sa Duncan was si t t i ng. "Read. "

She pi cked up t he f ol der and opened i t . She had bar el y begun t o peruse i t whenshe st art ed shaki ng her head."What ?" Turcot t e demanded."Thi s can' t be r i ght . ""Why woul d someone make i t up?" Turcot t e asked.She l ooked at hi m. "Why have you been checki ng on me?"" I haven' t . Qui nn has. And appar ent l y he was r i ght t o. "Duncan f r owned. "But t hi s"she shook t he f ol der "i sn' t cor r ect . I am who I am. ""When was t he l ast t i me you saw your son?" Tur cot t e asked.

The f r own deepened as she t r i ed t o r emember.


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Turcot t e di dn' t gi ve her much t i me t o t hi nk. "Was i t bef or e you or dered me t o got o Ar ea 51? Bef or e al l t hi s st ar t ed?"She sl owl y nodded. "Yes. We' ve been so busy si nce t he di scovery t hat ""You had t i me t o see hi m i f you had made the t i me, " Tur cot t e sai d. "When we weret ogether at your house i n the Rocki es. I shoul d have known somet hi ng wasst r ange. I was t her e but he wasn' t . You tol d me he was wi t h hi s f at her , your ex-husband. But t her e i s no f atherand no son. "Duncan' s pal e f ace f l ushed r ed wi t h anger . " I have a son. ""No, you don' t . ""That can' t "

Turcot t e cut her of f . "Why di d you or der me t o go t o Ar ea 51?""Ther e wer e report s of i r r egul ar i t i es at Ar ea 51, " Duncan sai d. "My son" shebegan, but he cut her of f once more."Qui nn hasn' t f ound any of t hose r eport s. And he was par t of Maj est i c' s supportt eam. He knows how t i ght secur i t y was. And he knows t her e were no l eaks. "

Turcot t e r eached over and t ook t he f i l e f r om her hands. "And you wer e appoi nt ed

as sci ent i f i c advi ser vi a paperworkno one ever i nt er vi ewed you. Hel l , yourent i r e backgr ound i s a f r aud. No one car ed who t he hel l t he nat i onal sci enceadvi ser was. No one checked. I n f act , i t appear s t hat someone used Maj est i c' scl ear ance to get you the sl ot , yet Qui nn has f ound no record of Maj est i c doi ngt hat . What bet t er way t o get someone af t er Maj est i c t han by usi ng thei r ownsecur i t y cl ear ance?""No. " Duncan was shaki ng her head. "No. I " She f el l si l ent , overwhel med."Who ar e you?" Tur cot t e asked. The st r ai n of t he past several weeks, of combat ,of seei ng men di e, of wi nni ng

49

bat t l es agai nst t he al i ens and thei r mi ni ons but al ways seemi ng to be behi nd i nt he war , was t oo much f or hi m. He st epped up next t o t he tabl e, hi s f ace cl oset o Duncan' s, hi s voi ce ri si ng. "Who ar e you? Why have you done al l t hi s?" Hi shands were on her shoul der s, shaki ng her . "Why?""I don' t know. I don' t . I don' t ! "

Turcot t e bl i nked, l et go of her , and st epped back. Tears were st r eami ng downDuncan' s f ace. He went backwar d unt i l hi s l egs hi t a chai r and he col l apsed i nt oi t . He put hi s head i n hi s hands, hi s el bows on hi s knees. Hi s body beganshaki ng. Abr upt l y he st ood, sendi ng t he chai r f l yi ng. He gr abbed t he door andst ormed out of t he r oom, sl ammi ng t he door behi nd hi m.

Yakov, Che Lu, and Mual ama wer e i n t he hal l way. The Russi an st epped i n f r ont ofhi m. "My f r i end"" I am not your f r i end, " Tur cot t e snapped. He poked a f i nger i n t he Russi an' schest when t he man r ef used t o move. "Your ' f r i end' Katyenka bet r ayed us i n

Moscow. You came back here wi t h a bug on you. You shot her" He j erked a t humbat t he door behi nd hi m. "What do you know t hat you haven' t t ol d me?" He spunt oward Che Lu. "And you? Why di d you suddenl y deci de t o go i nto Qi an- Li ng?Conveni ent t i mi ng t her e. Ri ght af t er Maj est i c was compromi sed. " Then he tur nedon Mual ama. "And f ol l owi ng Bur t on? Lyi ng t o us about bei ng a Watcher . Tel l i ng usabout hi s manuscr i pt i n bi t s and pi eces and onl y the par t s you want t o. " Heshoved Yakov out of t he way. " I ' m done wi t h al l of you. "

Turcot t e made a beel i ne f or t he out er door and wal ked i nt o t he br i ght Nevadasunshi ne. He bl i nked, hi s eyes smar t i ng. At f i r st he t hought i t was t he l i ght ,


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but when he put hi s sungl asses on t hey st i l l hur t . He r eal i zed he was cr yi ng.Turcot t e wal ked away f r om Ar ea 51 t owar d t he deser t .

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QI AN- LI NG, CHI NA

The Si l k Road was t he f i r st connect i on between East and West i n t he anci

Robert Doherty - Area 51 - Excalibur

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