Sample Chapter For ALIEN GENES 1: DAUGHTER OF ATUK by Petra Theunissen

12000 BC

The guards yawned as they stood staring into the quiet of the night. The pebbled streets leading to the temple were deserted. Barring a few torches here and there, the city was enfolded in complete darkness.

One of the guards noticed something moving in the shadows. His body stiffened.

“Halt! Who goes there?” he commanded.

There was no response, and the shadow didn’t move again.

The other guard took a sip from his earthen water jug.

“Must be your imagination. You drink too much of your wife’s wine.”

The first guard scowled and spat on the columns at the temple’s entrance. “Shut your mouth,” he growled.

Suddenly, a creature jumped from the shadows and lunged at the two guards. The light from a distant torch reflected off the jagged blade of a warrior dagger as it flashed past the guards’ heads.

The attack was swift and without mercy. Within seconds, they lay lifeless at the temple’s entrance.

The creature with the face of a scarab slipped past the bodies and disappeared through the entrance. Without making a sound it headed down the marbled corridor, moving with the agility and speed of a cat. As it made its way unseen along the interior of the temple the flames of the torches dimmed. It was if a cold breeze had blown through the structure.

At the High Priestess’s chambers the creature paused, seemingly waiting for something. After a few moments, it moved quietly through the opening.

There was a long silence; then the muted sounds of a struggle followed by another lengthy pause. The creature returned, holding its prize—the High Priestess’s golden necklace.

It looked around before hurrying back to the large columns of the temple’s entrance. The bodies of the dead guards lay where they had fallen. The attack had remained undetected.

Out of the shadows of the deserted streets, a man approached the intruder. He moved with the same catlike quality of the assailant, but he was shorter and stockier. By the way he approached the creature, he seemed to be in charge.

The newcomer took the necklace and nodded approvingly.

“You performed well. Your descendants will be well-rewarded.”

The assailant didn’t respond right away. He took off his mask slowly and carefully as if waiting for something. Only when the other man handed him a small bag of what seemed like jewels did he speak.

“My Lord, she said to tell you that she would return,” he said matter-of-factly.

The second man’s body stiffened, but after a few moments, he smiled. “The defiant words of a dying woman. You should not trouble yourself with them.”

“I do not, My Lord, but I believe you should. She had great powers.” He took out a small oval device from under his clothes. “If it was not for this...”

The other man interrupted him mid-sentence. “Do not dwell on things that do not concern you,” he said coldly. “Your task is accomplished. Now we must return home before we are discovered.”

The assailant nodded. His face showed little emotion as he looked up at the night sky.
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and then they were gone. There was no sign that either of the men had ever been there.

* * * *
2004 AD

Cathy held her backpack protectively over her head as she ran through the cloudburst towards the old campus building, wishing she’d stayed at home. She should have known she’d be caught in the rain when she saw the mass of clouds building through the morning. But no, instead she decided to listen to the weather forecast. With all the modern technology, they were still wrong.

She swore as she stepped into a deep puddle of cold rainwater, and grimaced as she felt it soaking her jeans and sneakers. Pulling open the heavy wooden door of the old building’s main entrance, she slipped inside. The small hallway was crammed with students. Apparently, she was not the only one who’d been caught unawares by the cloudburst.

Cathy looked at her watch. It was twenty past ten.

She frowned.

Late for class again. Damn. I should have gotten up earlier.

Professor Anderson disliked it intensely when students came late to her class.

Cathy hesitated, and looked out of the window.

The rain had stopped, and the sun was starting to peek through the clouds. It struck her how fresh and green everything looked after the unexpected downpour. At that precise point, a coffee was more attractive than a lecture on ancient history. Besides, she didn’t have the stomach for the Professor’s acid comment on her late arrival, and she needed to dry off her clothes. She hated being wet.

Cathy went back outside and hurried across campus to the coffee shop, deliberately ignoring the little voice telling her she was being irresponsible for not attending class so close to the final exams. She’d attended regularly throughout the year, and missing one class wouldn’t make that much of a difference, she reasoned.

The coffee shop was an insignificant place, slightly hidden away under the stairs leading up to the university’s newly built amphitheatre, but she loved it. She took in the sweet smell of the garden’s spring flowers. It was amazing how that smell could rid her instantly of any feelings of guilt.

She went inside the darkened shop and bought herself a large cup of steaming coffee. She needed it to help her through some of the reading she still had to do. Holding the cup she sat down, took out a book from her backpack and opened it.

“Studying again, I see.” The voice was teasing.

She looked up. “Hi, Darren.”

Darren was a gangly final year student whom she’d met in her first year. He wasn’t exactly good-looking, but he had a wit as sharp as a razor and an intellect that matched her own. His parents had been divorced when he was very young, and his mother had to struggle to make ends meet. He was determined to get a university degree, and managed to get a bursary as well as taking on a part-time job. She knew that he worked hard, but he never complained, seemingly taking it all in his stride. It was what she liked most about him.

As he sat down opposite her, she noticed he seemed tired, and wondered fleetingly if he had been up studying again half the night.

Seemingly unaware of her concern, Darren leaned over and picked up her book. He read the title out aloud and shook his head. “Why don’t you read some other things?” he asked.

“Like what?” She wasn’t taking him too seriously. He’d always been a tease.

“Alien Abductions in Modern Times”, Darren kidded, but she noticed an edge to his tone. “Or maybe something like ‘They Are Living Amongst Us’.”

“Aliens? Do you think that will help me pass my Ancient History exam?”

He looked at her sharply. “Don’t you believe in it?”

“In what?” she asked, thrown off-guard by his sudden change in demeanour.

“Alien abductions.”

For a moment, she was speechless. Then she smiled. “You’re kidding, aren’t you? Little green men carrying off big strong humans? No way.”

“It’s not a joke,” he said earnestly. “It does happen.”

His sudden seriousness took her by surprise, and she wasn’t sure how to react. Alien abductions?

“Since when do you believe in aliens?” When he didn’t respond, she added, “You can’t possibly believe in that stuff?”

He leaned towards her and furtively looked at the other students seated nearby before whispering, “They do exist, you know, and they’re among us.”

Still smiling, she shook her head.

“No way, Darren. That’s just ridiculous.”

She was determined not to fall for his joke. Not again. She’d made that mistake too often. But his gaze didn’t leave her face for a moment and she felt faintly uneasy.

Then his expression suddenly changed and he leaned away from her, speaking in a brusque tone.

“There’s no need to be so flippant. You’re being very narrow-minded.”

She looked at him in surprise. His behaviour was quite unlike him and it took the wind completely out of her sails.

“Come on, Darren, you honestly cannot believe that there are alien creatures running around on this planet. If there are, where are they? Surely, we would’ve known about them by now. Or are you implying that they don’t look any different?”

“Excuse me,” a voice unexpectedly interrupted, and both Cathy and Darren looked up, somewhat irritated. “Do you mind if I borrow this chair?”

She looked up at the young man, fleetingly noticing his piercing green eyes.

“No, feel free,” she said before returning her attention to Darren.

“Thank you,” he said, and when Cathy realised he wasn’t moving, she looked up again.

“Was there anything else?” she asked, feeling a bit annoyed that the discussion with Darren had been interrupted.

He shook his head. “No, not at all.”

He took the chair and sat down at an adjacent table.

Darren leaned forward again, and looked around suspiciously before answering her in a low voice. “They look like us, they know our ways and they know how to blend in. They’ve been on this planet long enough to have had children with us. That’s why we don’t recognise them as aliens anymore. For all you know, I might be one of those children. Or you.”

Cathy frowned. She wasn’t in the least amused by his suggestion. If she hadn’t known Darren for such a long time, she would have thought that he’d gone completely mad. He certainly acted like it.

“Yeah right, I’m an alien. Good one, Darren! First I’m being narrow-minded and now I’m an alien.”

He glowered. “I’m not saying that at all. All I’m saying is that you should watch out. They are among us, and they are watching us.”

Cathy shifted uneasily in her chair. She’d never heard Darren talk like that. It wasn’t a joke any longer. “Are you alright, Darren?”

“Actually…no.” His blunt admission didn’t come as a revelation, but he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he got up as if the discussion had never taken place.

“I’ve got to go now. See you later,” he said impassively and left without as much as a look in her direction.

Cathy watched him go out the door, feeling as if she’d just been in a scene of a very bad movie.
Could he be doing drugs?

It would certainly explain his strange behaviour. Or was he just playing a joke on her and taking it too far?

She tried to focus on her book again, but it suddenly seemed so trivial, she closed it and put it back in her backpack. She took a sip from her coffee, and grimaced. It was cold. She grabbed her bag and got up, needing to get out. The coffee shop suddenly seemed pressingly small.

Outside, Cathy ran into Sue, Darren’s girlfriend.

“Hi, Sue.”

Sue, startled, guiltily tried to hide the cigarette she’d been smoking. “I needed a smoke,” she tried to explain sheepishly. “You won’t tell Darren, will you?”

Cathy shook her head. “I thought you’d given it up?”

Sue nodded, appearing uncomfortable. “I did, but...well, things are a bit...I needed one.”

She waited for an explanation, but it was clear that Sue wasn’t going to give one.

“Has it got something to do with Darren?”

Sue seemed surprised by the question.

“Yes, how did you know?”

“What’s up with him?” she responded without answering Sue’s question.

Sue avoided her gaze and exhaled a puff of smoke. “What do you mean?”

Cathy hesitated. It seemed the other woman didn’t want to discuss Darren with her, but she needed to know what was going on. The discussion with him had unnerved her.

“He doesn’t seem to be himself,” she said carefully. “Did the two of you have a fight or something?”

Sue took several quick puffs from her cigarette before answering curtly. “No.”

“Oh.” Cathy knew that she should back off, but she couldn’t help herself. She was concerned for Darren.

“I guess he’s a bit tense…all the studying for the final exams and stuff...”

“I guess,” said Sue, putting out her cigarette on the side of the rubbish bin before tossing it in. She fumbled in her backpack and took out another pack of Marlboros, lighting her next smoke with a visibly shaking hand.

Cathy patiently waited for her to say something but after a while it was clear that she wasn’t going to elaborate about Darren’s behavior. Reluctantly, she decided to let it go. She’d find out eventually what was going on.

“You missed a good guest lecture.”

Sue changed the topic. “Oh, really?”

“Yes. The guy was good. He knew everything about ancient Egypt. It was as if he’d been there.”

“Who was he?” Cathy said, feigning interest. She couldn’t care less about the guest lecture. Her thoughts were still with the bizarre discussion she had with Darren.

“Some Professor from the University of Cairo. A Professor Ali…Abid…or something.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll fill me in some time.”

Sue didn’t react. It was as if she’d forgotten about the other woman, staring blindly at the well-kept campus lawn.

Cathy glanced at her watch, suddenly remembering she had an appointment with her hair stylist at half past twelve. Twelve o’clock already. She’d have to rush if she was going to be on time. She waved good-bye to a distracted Sue and rushed to her car.

With her mother in Beijing on a trip for the UN, her father had asked her to accompany him to an end-of-the year business function at one of the posh hotels in the city, and she was really looking forward to it. She didn’t often get a chance to interact with so many high-profile people. It helped having a renowned executive for a father.

* * * *

After she had her hair done, she drove home to her parents’ double-storey home in the suburbs. Her father’s metallic green Mercedes was already in the driveway, and she parked her car next to his. With a bounce, she got out, and walked into the house throwing her car keys carelessly on the telephone table in the entrance hall.

“Dad, I’m home,” she shouted down the passage.

“About time,” her father yelled back from the study. “You’re late. The function starts in an hour. You know I like to be there early."

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dad,” she shouted back. She knew he wasn’t really angry. Although he tried to be stern about it, there was little she could do wrong in his eyes.

Her father came walking down the passage from his study, already dressed in his formal tuxedo. He was a tall, light-haired man with the same shade of blue eyes as hers. For a man in his early fifties he was remarkably well built.

“You’re a student, Cathy. You don’t have enough problems yet to forget appointments. Now hurry up,” he said, clearly trying to sound unsympathetic.

She smiled brightly at him and rushed up the flight of stairs to change. When she came down half an hour later, he was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. The pleased expression on his face told her that she had chosen her outfit well, and she curtsied jokingly in front of him.

“Shall we go?”

“You look very nice,” he complimented her. “You have your mother’s poise and beauty.”

She smiled, flattered. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You’ll make the men’s heads turn,” he added, before walking out ahead of her.

The hotel was less than twenty minutes’ drive from their suburb. Cars were already parked outside and it was clear they weren’t the first guests to arrive. As they entered the reception area, a waiter dressed in a black uniform offered them a drink. Her father took up the offer, scanning the crowd while sipping his sherry. She knew he was looking for a familiar face, and before she knew it, he’d disappeared into the collection of guests, leaving her standing alone like a lost sheep. It was a good thing that she’d become used to his occasional inconsiderate behaviour. Had he been her boyfriend, she’d have dropped him like a hot potato. Fortunately, he wasn’t. But it didn’t take him long to return.

“Honey, there’s someone I want you to meet,” he said, ushering her unceremoniously through the crowd.

She sighed. No doubt that once again it was some young businessman he thought would be a good catch, and she’d end up being bored out of her mind the rest of the evening, too polite to tell the poor sod to get lost. When it came to men, her parents were like pit-bulls. When they thought they’d found a match for her, they held on for dear life. She loved her parents, but it was really getting out of hand. She would need to have a serious talk with them.

“Ah, here we are,” her father suddenly said, clearly pleased. “Cathy, I would like you to meet Professor Al-Abud.”

The name rang a bell, but it took a few minutes before she knew why—he had to have been the guest lecturer she had missed that morning. She held out her hand in greeting. “What a surprise, Professor. Apparently I missed a very good lecture this morning.”

“Oh, you are a student?” the Professor asked, appearing intrigued.

She nodded, shaking his hand briefly. “Yes, I study Ancient History.”

There was something in the old man’s dark eyes resisting her from looking away, and she had to force herself to look at her father.

“Sue, Darren’s girlfriend, mentioned Professor Al-Abud. She said his lecture was brilliant,” she explained.

The Professor turned to the man at his side. “See, you should have been there.”

She hadn’t immediately noticed the younger man standing next to Professor Al-Abud, and she looked up, offering her hand in greeting. She was instantly struck by his tall stature and piercing green eyes. She frowned, convinced she’d met him before.

But where?

The Professor motioned towards his colleague. “Miss McNeal, meet my colleague, Dr. Eqin O’Connor. Dr. O’Connor, meet Miss McNeal.”

“Pleased to meet you,” she said.

“Pleased to meet you, too,” he replied with a telltale Irish accent. Judging by his tone, he was really pleased to meet her, and she blushed. He took her hand in his and she noticed how perfectly it fitted. She felt strangely at ease with him, as if she had known him all her life.

Out of her corner of her eye, she noticed her father pucker his brow, and instinctively knew he didn’t approve.

“Cathy is a postgraduate student,” he stated.

Professor Al-Abud looked at her. “Is that so? Do you enjoy your studies?"

She turned to the older man to answer his question.

“Yes, I do. I planned to study corporate law, but after a few months I realised I wasn’t passionate enough about it so I changed my major. I think it’s important to be passionate about what one is doing.”

“Yes, indeed. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do.”

There was a moment of awkward silence. The Professor’s words seemed out of place and she wasn’t sure how to react. Her father excused himself, detecting someone else he needed to make small talk to, leaving her alone with the two foreigners.