Dark Choices - I. T. Lucas Page 0,85

in time most of them were rendered useless. They couldn’t make new parts either because earth lacked the materials needed, or because they didn’t have the knowhow.” He leaned back and smiled. “What I hope to find are the remnants of that technology. Most of it has probably turned to dust by now, but perhaps a few relics were preserved in sealed off tombs or chambers that protected them from the elements.”

“So basically you are looking to confirm your theory about the gods' alien origins?” Kian asked.

“I want to find out where they came from and what kind of technology their homeworld had at the time. The Sumerian legends talk about the boat of a million years. I wonder if that means that their home is an enormous spaceship that travels through the universe, seeds worlds, collects materials, etc.”

“Maybe it’s a rogue system?” Amanda asked. “A red dwarf with its own orbiting planet that is not part of any galaxy and has its own orbit through the universe that takes millions of years to complete?”

Kalugal was impressed. “I see that you are also interested in the subject.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “I read Nature, Science, and other scientific publications. Sometimes an article on a topic that is unrelated to my field catches my interest.”

He was about to tell her about his own investigation into the phenomena of red dwarfs when his phone rang. “Excuse me.” He pulled it out. “Phinas wouldn’t call me unless it was an emergency.”

“Of course,” Syssi said.

“I’ll take it outside.”

As Kalugal pushed to his feet and walked toward the door, Rufsur followed him out to the backyard.

He accepted the call only after Rufsur closed the sliding door behind him. “What’s going on, Phinas?”

“We had another snoop make rounds in front of the house and then in the back. Normally, I wouldn’t bother you with something as trivial, but after what happened at your wedding, I’m not taking any chances. It started the same way.”

“Did you get a look at the snoop?”

“She opened her car window to take photos of the property, so we caught her face on camera. But she was wearing big sunglasses.”

“Send it over. Did you check the car plates?”

“Naturally. It’s a rental. But if you want more information about who the renter is, and where it was rented, you’ll have to call the place yourself and use your mental tricks. I tried to reach the hacker that we usually use, but he’s not responding.”

“He doesn’t work on Sundays. Text me all the information you have, and I’ll see what I can do. Did you send anyone to follow her?”

“By the time I was told, she had driven off already.”

Kalugal rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “It might be nothing. She could have been a real estate agent taking photos for clients or a prospective home buyer. But I’m not taking any chances this time. Put everyone on high alert. Until I come back, I want you to have two men on the street waiting outside for her in their cars. If the woman returns, or any other suspicious activity is noticed, I want that vehicle stopped, and the driver thralled for information.”

“Got it, boss.”

62

Kian

Kian, along with everyone else at the table, watched Kalugal and Rufsur through the living-room sliding door. Their somber expressions indicated that something had happened back home, and Kalugal was on the phone for at least half an hour. But as they walked back in, neither seemed in a rush, so it wasn’t an urgent matter.

“We had another snoop.” Kalugal handed Kian the phone. “Does she look familiar?”

The image captured by the surveillance camera was pretty clear, but since the woman was wearing big sunglasses and her hair was gathered in a ponytail, she was difficult to identify. Something about her looked familiar, though, the way her narrow lips were pressed tightly together, the shape of her nose, but it wasn’t enough to jog his memory.

“Can I see?” Syssi asked.

He passed her the phone.

She shook her head. “I can’t even tell how old she is. She could be twenty or forty.” Syssi handed the phone back to Kalugal.

Returning to his seat next to Jacki, he let out a breath. “Normally, I would have dismissed it. But as Phinas pointed out, a similar thing happened before the wedding attack. The only difference is that this time it's a woman.”

“They might use a woman because females look less suspicious,” Rufsur said.

“The question is, who are they?” Syssi asked. “Is