It had been about three weeks since Julia and Sam moved into Thomas Curl's guest house. The house was far too large for just the two of them, its endless rooms, high ceilings, and marble floors echoed with every step, making it feel more like a labyrinth than a home. But she wasn't complaining.
The size of the place added a layer of security, and the team assigned to protect them was the best in the business. They hadn't encountered any more incidents since moving here, and if someone was still following them, they would think twice before approaching this fortress.
Julia paused at the entrance of Sam's study, watching him from the doorway. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from a small desk lamp that cast a pool of yellow onto the surface.
Sam sat hunched over his desk, scribbling notes into a worn leather notebook, his brow furrowed in concentration. The crystal lay before him on a soft cloth, its surface catching the light and throwing small, dancing reflections onto the walls.
She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to disturb him, but then she stepped into the room.
"Still at it, huh?" she asked softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She knew how absorbed he could get in his work, especially when faced with something as mysterious as the crystal. There was just something about it that pulled you closer to it. Something unexplainable, something almost magical.
"Yeah, just trying to make sense of it all." Sam looked up, his eyes tired but alert, and gave her a faint smile. "I’ve run every test I could manage out here. XRF, Raman spectroscopy, even borrowed that portable FTIR device from the guys over at the main dig site. And you’re not going to believe this...” He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head.
Julia moved closer; her eyes drawn to the crystal. A deep, otherworldly blue, it seemed to pulse with its own light, almost as if it were alive. "And? What did you find?" she prompted, sensing that he had more to share.
“Nothing.” he said, leaning back, his fingers brushing through his messy hair. "Its properties are unlike anything we’ve encountered, nothing we’ve got can tell us what this is. Every test came back with results that don’t make sense.”
He continued, a tinge of frustration in his voice, “The XRF showed trace elements that don’t match anything we know, no known isotopes. The Raman spectroscopy gave us a spectral signature I’ve never seen. It doesn’t align with any crystal structure in our database."
"What are you saying?” Julia felt a shiver run down her spine. She knew Sam wasn't one for exaggeration, which only made his words more unsettling.
“Every mineral, every compound has a spectral signature." She tried to keep her tone light, but there was a nervous edge to her question.
"I don’t know. I really don’t." Sam shook his head slowly. “All I know is that it's unlike any mineral or compound we’ve ever seen.”
“I double-checked. And triple-checked. This thing… it doesn’t fit into any category we have. It’s like it’s not even from this planet. No signs of decay. And when I say it dates back to infinity, I mean it literally. Every test we’ve run to determine its age just… fails. It’s like the damn thing exists outside of time."
"That’s… impossible," Julia said, her eyes widening.
"Exactly." Sam let out a breath, a hint of a grin tugging at his lips despite the gravity of the situation. "But here we are."
Julia slowly sank into the chair across from him, her gaze locked onto the crystal. "So, what now? What do we do with it?"
"We need to run more tests," Sam said, his voice firm. "Ones we can’t do here, not without a state-of-the-art lab and a team of elite scientists. Resources that just aren’t available in this part of the world."
Julia nodded, trying to process everything. She leaned back, the weight of their discovery pressing down on her. The more they learned, the more elusive the truth seemed. But beneath it all, unease clawed at her chest, a feeling that had lingered ever since they found the crystal.
"Do you think it’s… dangerous?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I don’t know," he admitted. "But I intend to find out."
Silence settled between them, thick and heavy. The room felt colder, the shadows darker. Julia wrapped her arms around herself, shivering, not from the temperature, but from the weight of a secret she had been holding for months. It pressed against her like a stone in her stomach, heavy and unyielding.
She looked up at Sam, still hunched over his desk, his brow furrowed in concentration. She had wanted to protect him, to keep him from worrying needlessly, but now she realized she had made a mistake. She had kept telling herself she would tell him everything once they had answers, but every question had only led to more, with no real answers.
"Sam," she said softly, taking a deep breath. Her voice wavered. "There's something I need to tell you."
He looked up, his expression shifting from curiosity to concern. "What is it?"
She hesitated, then stepped closer to the desk. "I... I can’t keep this to myself any longer." She exhaled sharply. "At first, I didn’t think it was important, but now..."
She glanced at him, searching for the right words. "I was contacted by someone. An anonymous email."
Sam’s eyes narrowed. "An anonymous email?" A beat passed. "About What? When?"
"A few months ago.” Julia swallowed hard. “Before we moved here. It gave me the exact coordinates of where to dig… where we found the crystal."
His face remained unreadable, but she could feel the tension in the air.
"There was also an attachment," she continued, "It listed every authority figure who ensured that Mohenjo Daro wouldn’t undergo further major excavations. Government officials, powerful people—it was like they were all in on it, ensuring George Dales stopped his work."
Sam's eyes widened. "Dales? He was here for two years, then suddenly left. Went back to his life as an Associate Professor in Pennsylvania…" His voice trailed off as he pieced it together. Then his gaze snapped back to her, sharp with frustration. "Why the hell didn’t you tell me this sooner?"
Julia could see the frustration in his eyes.
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"Because… the sender sounded like a nutty conspiracy theorist at first. The information was on point, yes, but the rest sounded ridiculous— exaggerated, even. I didn’t believe it all." She ran a hand through her hair, the weight of her decision pressing on her.
"Then everything happened so fast, and after being followed, we were already on edge. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions or scare you."
Sam let out a short, frustrated sigh. "But you should have at least filled me in, especially after we were being followed."
Julia nodded, biting her lip. "I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make the situation worse. I didn’t want you to worry needlessly. I needed to be sure the threat was real, not just something we made up in our heads."
Sam shook his head, his frustration evident. "Julia, you can't keep things like this from me. It’s not just your safety at stake, it’s mine too. We’re in this together. If there’s anything else, I need to know now. I mean it. If I find out later that there are more secrets, I’m walking out."
A pang of guilt twisted in her chest.
Without a word, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, handing it to him. "I’m sorry, Sam. Really. Here, read the email for yourself. And look at the files. I’m not keeping anything from you."
He took the phone from her, his expression a mix of frustration and concern. The room was silent except for the faint tapping of his fingers against the screen.
Julia watched him, her heart pounding.
Sam’s face grew tense as he read, his eyes darting back and forth across the screen. Finally, he looked up at her, his expression unreadable.
The email read:
October 9th, 2023
Subject: Excavation tip - Crucial Information
Dear Dr. Julia,
I hope this message finds you well. I realize that receiving an email from an unknown source may be unsettling, but I urge you to consider the content of this message carefully. What I’m about to share with you is of immense importance, not just to your career, but to the very foundation of our understanding of history.
The site at Mohenjo Daro has been the subject of much speculation and mystery. A few know that the 1965 excavation was abruptly halted, with the official explanation pointing to concerns about the weather potentially damaging the remains. However, the truth is far more complex. Attached to this email, you will find documents that confirm the real reason: a deliberate attempt to cover up what was discovered there, evidence that could rewrite our history.
I am providing you with the exact coordinates of the location within the Mohenjo Daro site that requires your immediate attention: 27.3294° N, 68.1389° E. This site holds secrets that have been buried for thousands of years, secrets that the world may not yet be prepared to understand, but you are.
I understand that you may be skeptical of my intentions or perhaps even wary of my identity. Let me assure you, I have no desire to cause you harm or bring any unwanted attention to your work. I remain anonymous not out of malice, but out of necessity. The information I possess is dangerous, not just in a physical sense, but in its potential to disrupt everything.
Your work has always been about uncovering the truth, no matter how deeply it is buried. This excavation will be your greatest accomplishment, one that could change the course of history and elevate your name to a level of distinction that few in your field have ever achieved. But more than that, it is something that must be done. The truth demands it.
I trust you will make the right decision. The attached files will provide further context and evidence for what I’ve said. I cannot stress enough the importance of your role in this. What you will find has implications far beyond any of us.
Sincerely,
A Friend of the Truth
Sam's eyes stayed glued to the phone screen, his face tightening with every new piece of information. He scrolled through the attached file, his fingers moving faster as he took in the names, the photos, the records of everyone involved in George F. Dales’ two-year excavation. Each entry peeled back another layer, revealing a hidden truth that had been kept from the world.
Julia watched the gears turning in his mind as he absorbed the notes from Dales’ students about how they spoke of whispered warnings from their professor. Unofficially, Dales had confided in them about higher authorities, powerful figures who had made it clear: he was to stop digging.
Then there was the article, published five years after Dales' passing in 1992. A stark claim that he had backed out of further research due to death threats.
Sam exhaled sharply, gripping the phone tighter, “Who the hell is this person?” he demanded, his voice low and intense, “And have they contacted you again?”
His hand trembled slightly as he lowered the phone, locking eyes with Julia in disbelief and confusion. A dozen emotions flickered across his face.
Julia hesitated. “No, not since that first email… but I’ve been thinking who this is? Are they trying to help us, or is something else at play?”
Sam’s gaze was sharp, searching. “And? What do you think?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. Taking a steadying breath, she added, “I’ve considered e-mailing back. Trying to get more information. But I didn’t want to make that decision alone. You're in it with me too, your say matters.”
Sam ran a hand through his hair, pacing. “Damn it, Julia. This is serious. Someone out there knew exactly where to dig, knew about the crystal, and they’re feeding you coordinates buried for…” He turned to her, eyes dark. “Thousands of years.”
Sam took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Alright,” he said, his tone calmer but still firm. “We need to figure out who this person is, what they really know and why he messaged you.”
Julia nodded at Sam. They stood in silence for a moment, the weight of their situation settling in. Finally, Sam spoke again. “So, we email this guy back... right?”
“I think we have to,” Julia looked at him, feeling a mix of fear and determination. “If there’s even a chance, he knows more we can’t ignore it but... I’m not sure about it.”
“Alright. Let’s think about it for a second,” Sam nodded, his resolve firm. “There’s someone out there who doesn’t want us to excavate. It can’t be this person because he is the one who tipped you to do just that. If nothing else, at least we will get an idea of what exactly is going on here.”
“Agreed,” Julia said as she picked up her phone, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. “Let’s see what this guy really knows.”
With a shared look of determination, they both leaned over the phone, ready to take the next step into the unknown. Julia stared at her phone, her mind wandering as she prepared to draft a cautious reply to the mysterious email.
Suddenly, an important detail clicked into place, and her eyes widened in realization. She remembered something, when she first received the email, it hadn’t landed in her inbox. It had initially been flagged as junk.
She quickly scrolled through her email account, her heart pounding. She needed to be sure. She found the junk section buried beneath countless other tabs and tapped on it. Her breath hitched. There, bold and unread, were twelve new anonymous emails from the same ID.
“Oh…” she gasped, the sound escaping her lips involuntarily.
“What?” Sam asked, his attention immediately drawn to her expression.
Julia turned the screen towards him. “Look,” she said, pointing to the list of unread emails. “They’re all from the same sender. I saved the first one and moved it to my inbox when I first received it, but… I didn’t realize there might be more in the junk folder.”
Sam's eyes widened as he saw the dates of the emails. “Since our interview,” he muttered. “Every single one of them is after we went public.”
Julia nodded, her mind racing. She quickly tapped on the most recent email, and they both leaned in to read. It was brief, just like the others, but the message was clear:
“You’re in danger. Meet me. I can help.”
They scrolled through a few more. Each email was almost identical in tone, growing more urgent with each new message. Whoever this was, they were desperate to meet, repeatedly urging Julia to come alone. The last email, sent only a day ago, ended with a stark warning:
“Time is running out.”
Sam looked at Julia, his face a mix of concern and curiosity. “Do you think it’s safe to meet this person?” he asked, his voice steady but cautious.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “They’ve been urging me to meet—not threatening us. And here, in Thomas Curl’s guest house, we have security in every corner. If anywhere is safe, it’s here.”
Sam nodded, the gears turning in his head. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s not going to get any safer than this. If we want answers, we should do it now, while we still have the upper hand.”
Julia felt a surge of confidence. She took a deep breath and began to type:
Meet us at House #54/A, tomorrow, 4 PM. Come alone and unarmed.
She hit send. The room fell into tense silence, the air thick with anticipation.
They sat back, watching the phone, waiting for a response. As the seconds ticked by, Julia felt the weight of their decision settle over them. Suddenly her phone vibrated with the notification of a new e-mail. Julia quickly tapped on the notification to read it. It was one line and it read,
“I’ll be there.”
Tomorrow, they would finally meet the person behind the emails. Whoever they were, whatever they knew, it was time to find out.
***
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