Read Area 51: The Grail-5 for Free Online

terrorist. As usual, they are clueless. In past time, prophets, seers, men who claimed to be wise and weren't as bright as they thought. Caliphs and ayatollahs. Women who claimed to be—" He paused suddenly.
    Duncan took a step forward. "What do you call yourself?"
    "You want to know who I am? Perhaps more importantly, you should ask what I am. The end to all this is coming, so it doesn't matter if I tell you. Then, perhaps you will understand how powerless you are and accept the inevitable and align yourself with me. It is the only smart choice."
    The tall man pulled his hood back, revealing a pale, narrow face with black eyes set like stones on either side of a hatchet nose. He smiled, revealing long teeth, almost predatory. "This body is just a garment, like those clothes you wear now. The body allows me to walk the Earth. I am a Shadow."
    "A shadow of what?"
    "More a shadow of who."
    "Who?"
    "You can call me Aspasia's Shadow."
    Duncan shook her head. "Aspasia is dead. He was killed aboard his Talon spacecraft."
    "The original being known as Aspasia was killed. As I told you, I am a Shadow. I had his entire consciousness imprinted many years ago." His hand went to his own chest and rested there for a second. "And because I—my consciousness—have been alive all those years,
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    I am more than he ever was. Wouldn't you agree?" He didn't wait for an answer.
    "It is best he finally died. He was—" a twisted grin crossed his face "—out of touch? Antiquated? Like the gods of ancient Egypt, which, of course, he and his followers were. He, and his, would be out of date in this new millennium.
    I will lead my people to victory."
    "Your people also died with Aspasia," Duncan said.
    "No, my people—the Guides, The Mission—have struggled with me for millennia here on Earth while Aspasia-and his followers hid on Mars. We have earned the right."
    "The right to what?"

    "To rule. To become the Gods that Aspasia and his once were. Gods for a new age, a new world where technology is more important than faith—and we have the technology."
    "And the Airlia on Mars? The ones left behind there who control the guardian at Cydonia? Do they give their allegiance to you?" Duncan asked.
    "Left behind?" Aspasia's Shadow smiled once more without humor. "They know nothing of what it means to be left behind, almost powerless, for thousands of years. They slept while I struggled and fought here and died again and again only to be constantly reborn. Now they have no choice but to obey me."
    "There is always a choice," Duncan argued.
    "Free will?" Aspasia's Shadow shook his head, indicating what he thought of that concept. "You are very ignorant and naive and know nothing of what you speak. You talking about free will is rather ironic if you are what I think you are."
    "What do you mean?"
    Aspasia's Shadow shook his head. "You will either discover what you are looking for or you won't; it is not
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    my concern. There are larger issues than the things you think you are concerned with."
    That made no sense to Duncan, and she wondered if he was trying to confuse her. "How did this all start?" she asked.
    "How it started isn't important," Aspasia's Shadow said. "The end is all that counts. And that is coming very soon."
    "Why did the Airlia come here?"
    "That is not important."
    "Why are you here? Why is the Grail so important?"
    "You have no idea what you have," Aspasia's Shadow said. "If you—"
    "I know more than you think," Duncan cut him off, tired of his threats and his declarations of her ignorance.
    "You are not who you've pretended to be," Aspasia's Shadow said. "I should have known of you, the one who uncovered Area 51, who stopped Majestic-12.
    Your Captain Turcotte killed Aspasia and stopped the fleet, but you were the one who started it all, who put Turcotte in place to do those things. Does he know he is being used? Does he know who you really are? Do you know who you really are?" He didn't wait for an answer. "There have been