Tory observed the various flying craft beyond the transparent domed ceiling of the observation bridge that they were crossing, when she spotted a male of the falcon breed. Unlike Leander, this Homo felemous was zooming along in an enclosed vessel and Tory had to wonder why he wasn't using his God-given attributes to transport himself. 'Do any of the other human races have the immortal gene?'

'No, Homo sapiens are pretty much unique in that sense. Enlil and his clan would never have known about us either, if Inanna hadn't captured me and discovered my everlasting capabilities. There are a few exceptions among the other races that your great-grandfather and his kin have set apart as Chosen, like Hero and Thais for example. Even so, those of the other breeds who live here on the ATEN have an extraordinarily long lifespan anyway, as they have no real concept of time.'

'So that's why there's such a big interest in this sector of space all of a sudden.' Tory was still dwelling on the first part of Maelgwn's reply to her question.

'The Nefilim are heading this way to see how out of control the immortal problem has become on Earth.

And, in light of this new investigation, there's a chance that a tonne of dirt from the distant past could be dredged up in the process.'

'Indeed.' Maelgwn marvelled at her perceptiveness.

'But it was bound to happen, sooner or later. The prophecy of the Gathering, when the Gods would return to sit in judgment on mankind, was also inevitable.'

They entered a large multi-level structure. Maelgwn explained it to be the main technological centre of the ATEN. 'The Lord Gibal works out of here, and your grandfather advised that Gibal could head me in the right direction to begin the search for Dumuzi.'

'So, you finally put all Gibal's parts back together again.' Tory assumed this must have happened if the God was returned to his work.

'Not exactly ...' Maelgwn paused in a quiet corner to explain. 'By the time I found the all-important head, we had no time to recover the parts still missing.'

'What?' Tory stepped away in horror. 'He's nothing more than a head!'

'We needed his mind to make the wormhole happen. It is a new and experimental technology, using antigravity, which he developed. If we'd mucked around finding his other parts first we would never have beat Shamash here. They were counting on Gibal's dismemberment to delay us longer than it did ... I got lucky. I found his head early in the search.'

'But you said he was working here?' Tory tried to refrain from being amused by the notion. 'How does Gibal function with just a head?'

'Ah?' Maelgwn continued down the corridor towards the double doors at the end, turning briefly to urge her to follow.

The doors vanished before them, and Maelgwn led Tory into a huge chamber containing technological equipment of mammoth proportions.

The layout of the machinery was not in any way orderly to the untrained eye. In fact, it just looked like piles and piles of matted, twisted junk and wiring. But the apparatus had the familiar hum of processors at work. High above their heads, the arms of a huge metal spider reached down to tend the differing areas of circuitry in the room. A long, steel shaft extended down from the spider's belly to a platform. On the platform was a mound, on the mound, a head, and on the head was a helmet. The headgear encompassed the controller's eyes and connected him, via the long shaft, back up to the maintenance arms above.

'It is all psychokinetically controlled,' Maelgwn whispered to his awed companion. 'Gibal sees all through his machines, just as he always has.'

'Greetings, Dragon.' A pleasant voice resounded round the room. 'Marduk said I could expect you. He failed to mention your beautiful companion, however.'

'I am Tory Alexander, your brother's grand-daughter, or Lamamu, as he insists on calling me.' She looked about her, unsure from which direction Gibal was viewing them.

'I see you from all angles,' he advised. 'I know why you have come, and as I now have a vested interest in your negotiations with Inanna, I shall tell you my theory as to what became of my baby brother.'

'Have no fear my Lord Gibal. I shall persuade Inanna to return your missing portions, whether or not your theory proves correct.'

'That's what I like about you, Dragon. Always straight to the point.'

Maelgwn bowed his head to accept the compliment, but said nothing more as he awaited Gibal's summation.

'It is my guess that Shamash's father, Narnar, may have aided his son with Dumuzi's disappearance. Narnar had already been banished to the Otherworld of your world's moon before Dumuzi mysteriously vanished.

Therefore, Narnar had nothing to lose by aiding his son.'

But he might have had something to gain? Tory posed on the quiet, wondering what Shamash might have offered his father in return for storing Dumuzi's body.

'May I know why Narnar was banished?' she asked.

'It was discovered by his wife, Ningal, that Narnar had forced himself on many of her female staff. Rape is a most grievous offence by our laws, Lamamu, deserving the punishment of banishment or dismemberment.'

Gibal sounded a tad bitter about the latter.

'Nice,' Tory commented. She could hardly wait to meet the fellow. 'So, Narnar is still to be found in the Otherworldly realms of the moon then?'

'Oh yes,' Gibal assured her. 'He is still brooding there, waiting for the time when Ningal will forgive, and return for him.'

'Is Ningal with you,' Tory excitedly entreated Maelgwn.

'Unfortunately, no, she is back on her home planet of Tarazean in the Sirius system,' he regretfully replied.

'She has not yet forgiven her husband it would seem.

The Nefilim really know how to hold a grudge.'

'Especially the females,' added Gibal.

'So how do we find the entrance to Narnar's Otherworldly realm?' Tory was not too familiar with the moon's surface, so she had little chance of just willing herself there.

'On the moon there is a crater, in that crater a cave.

Follow it.'

A red light flickered and then materialised as a small ball before them. Its abrupt appearance startled Tory, though Maelgwn didn't bat an eyelid. He stood observing the face of the rotating holographic moon, studying the craters until their proposed destination lit up in blue.

'I see,' Maelgwn acknowledged, spotting the hole in the crater wall inside the designated area.

'I have already programmed the coordinates into your transport, Dragon. May the universe speed your quest and safe return to us.'

'Many thanks for your time, my Lord.' Maelgwn waved as he retreated to the door, and Tory followed his lead.

'Just let me know if I can be of any further assistance.' Gibal went back about his business.

Their transport awaited them at Maintenance Level Dock Seven, so Maelgwn got Tory geared up in a flight suit in the adjoining suiting station.

'What is this stuff. It feels kind of funky.' Tory had trouble adjusting to the feel of the fabric, which hugged and moved with her body like a second skin. It was made of a rubbery, leather substance, that allowed the body to breathe whilst keeping it just warm enough.

'It's living organic fibre,' Maelgwn began.

'It's growing on me?' Tory was horrified.

'It's protecting you, and it repairs itself.' He explained the nature of the invention. 'It expands and contracts with the prevailing conditions, acting like a protective outer layer. Likewise, the boots will protect your feet, and keep them at a pleasant temperature no matter what extremes you may be trudging through.'

By the time they were space-borne Tory was used to the suit and forgot about it. The scenery out here in the solar system was totally awe-inspiring, and she decided that she could really get used to this intergalactic lifestyle.

Their vessel steered well clear of the moon's populated areas, heading them into a vast, grey desert of craters. Here they descended and slowed as if they were to land. But their craft kept moving, or rather, creeping, towards a huge cavern that was situated at the base of one of the larger craters.

'You're taking the ship in there?' Tory squirmed in her seat.

'Sure,' Maelgwn acknowledged cheerfully, 'unless you'd rather get out and walk?'

After observing the great boulders strewn over the cavern floor, Tory frowned. 'I think I'll pass.'

At this point, they lost the natural sunlight. The pilot's headset automatically extended from the ceiling, and Maelgwn made himself comfortable in his seat to view the dark world outside.

'What do you see?' Tory was uncomfortable with flying into blackness. 'Hasn't this thing got lights?'

'Then the inferred vision wouldn't work, and everyone would see us coming,' he grinned, maintaining his visual advantage. 'O-oh.' He slammed his left hand onto the control plate, and clutched the joystick in his right fist. 'Brace yourself,' he warned, calmly.

'Do you want to be more specific?' Tory looked at the blackened windscreen in a useless attempt to be enlightened. That's when she noticed the craft begin to tilt. 'What are you doing? Whoa ...' In the next instant she was upside down heading headlong into a downward spiral, and in a dark rocky cavern, she knew that wasn't good. 'Is this really necessary? Can't you stop it?'

Maelgwn let go of the controls altogether, his headset retracting, and still the swirling, diving motion of the craft continued. 'I'm not driving any more. It's a magnetic tracking system in the tunnel. It's pulling us along.'

'Hopefully not into a dead end?' Tory forced a smile and closed her eyes. She gulped down her fear, and her urge to be sick subsided. The ride seemed to be getting easier, and when their craft swerved out of the final bend the flaming torches of a great stone palace lit the way to Narnar.

It was a cold, bleak-looking structure - a ziggurat.

The ancient dwelling would have appeared completely abandoned, if not for the torches burning brightly up either side of the entrance stairs.

Tory stood staring up at the palace, thinking it not too inviting with its stony gargoyles perched all over the place like a silent army ready to strike.

Maelgwn dispensed with their transport by aiming the module he was wearing at the craft. It decomposed, at his word, into light matter and was sucked back into the storage module. 'Come on.' He held a hand out to Tory, who took it gladly.

They strode up the stairs to the opening on the first level of the ziggurat. A long, wide stone passage led into the belly of the structure. Torches lined the walls to light their way. Between each torch was a pillar, and on each pillar was a gargoyle. These winged, spindly-limbed creatures struck a variety of poses, and were the very image of little devils, though they were as grey as the stone they were carved from.

'Narnar really has a thing for these little guys, hasn't he?' Tory observed the statues as she passed them by, feeling that they were observing her just as closely.

'What was that?' Tory paused to listen. 'I could have sworn I heard a whistle.' She placed both hands on her hips, accusingly, looking to the gargoyle she had just passed.

The sound of devilish laughter began to emanate from the carvings and echo round the chamber.

'You're brave,' the accused statue turned its head to address Maelgwn, 'bringing a woman down here.'

Suddenly all the creatures broke from their poses, and fell about laughing on their pedestals.

'In fact, I'd say you're brave coming down here - period!' The troublesome creature sprang onto Maelgwn's back, screaming with laughter as he yanked at his hair.

'Oy.' Tory drew the attention of the whole swarm when she dangled a ring on a chain in the attacking creature's face. These little fellows were of your basic variety of Earth elemental, which meant they had a real fetish for trinkets of precious metal.

'Ah!' The stony demon grabbed for the jewel.

'Not so fast!' Tory quickly withdrew the item. 'Take us to Narnar, and I shall give this to you as payment.'

All the little beasts screeched with laughter again.

'What if I just took it anyway?' The creature leant over Maelgwn's shoulder to call her bluff.

'What if I just wring your neck?' Maelgwn raked the critter off his back, but it had vanished before he got a chance to finish the job.

'Deal.' The demon reappeared between Maelgwn's shoulder blades, near startling the life out of him. 'I'll take you to Narnar. But I expect payment despite his reaction.' It vanished again before Maelgwn could hit it, and then materialised further down the passage. 'This way.' He flew off ahead, his buddies resuming their motionless forms.

The creature led them through a labyrinth of passages and stairs, until they came to a grand central chamber. A masked warrior sat playing cards with hordes of the stony, grey devils.

Their guide did an about-face, and demanded payment with a whistle and a click of his fingers.

Where have you been, Tobit? Narnar inquired of their guide.

'Wait.' Tory went after Tobit, having handed over the ring as promised. 'You were sent to get us?'

A devilish grin consumed the creature's face, but before he could nod, Narnar stood, enraged.

How dare you bring a female here! I have banned the foul creatures from this place.

Maelgwn restrained his wife, clamping a hand over her mouth to withhold her fiery protest. 'I do apologise, my Lord, I did not realise -'

It's too late now, Narnar interrupted him to announce. You'll have to fight me for her.

'Pardon me, my Lord, but I was under the impression you didn't want her here.'

I don't. If I win, I shall kill her.

The stony beasts all seemed to like that idea.

'Pardon again, my Lord, but she is immortal, you cannot kill her.'

There was an almighty gasp as all present drew back in reverence, and Narnar changed his tune.

You are Gods? Narnar assumed.

Maelgwn nodded, sensing it was the safest way to plead, when Tory elbowed him in the ribs and he was forced to free her.

'We have come in search of the Lord Dumuzi.' She strolled forward to confront the huge warrior. 'You can name your price if you know of his whereabouts?'

I don't like females of any breed! Narnar leaned forward to impress his words on Tory, his huge form towering over her.

'Ah ...' Maelgwn intervened on cue, pulling Tory back out of the way. 'If it pleases my Lord, you may deal with me.'

In whose name do you seek Dumuzi? Narnar lowered himself back into his throne, as Tory held her tongue and remained in the background.

'The Lord Marduk wishes to prove his innocence in the affair of his brother's disappearance.' Maelgwn decided honesty was the best policy, despite the fact that Narnar belonged to the house of Enlil and was not of the Serpent's clan.

Does he now. Narnar gave half a laugh. And it would serve that lying maggot, Shamash, right, if he did.

'But Shamash is your son, Sire,' Maelgwn reminded him, just to see what kind of a reaction he'd get.