SHIAM Conspiracy- Book 1 by Joseph Heck Read Free Book Online

luminance, Zak’s mind
drifted back to the Grimrok theft. Whoever pulled it off had to
have had a good deal of clout behind them. It wasn’t only the level
of sorcery that almost certainly had been involved or the skill
that was needed in disguising the entire operation. In order to
learn about the SHIAM prototype in the first place, and then to
plan the break-in and execute the operation without a hitch would
have needed top notch intel and shrewd planning. Vennhim’s
suggestion of a foreign government agency or organized crime being
involved was certainly plausible.
    But Zak couldn’t rule out the possibility of
corporate espionage. There were several corporations attempting to
develop android technology in order to compete with Grimrok for the
market. And none of them had even come close to developing anything
as sophisticated as the SHIAM. And it wasn’t only Aragne
corporations who wanted a piece of the pie. Grimrok refused to
export to foreign markets, not even to the Dwarven nations. In
spite of being Dwarf, Grimrok knew where the butter for his bread
came from. The fact that the SHIAM were exclusively Aragne
technology didn’t sit well with many of the other countries around
the world of Amaco Loch.
    Zak had never been involved in a case this
completely sealed up and lacking of clues, even during his time
with ASID. There was always at least some small hint of a clue. He
had found no physical evidence. A virtual tour of Grimrok’s
internal network had turned up nothing in cyberspace as well. The
only single solitary thing Zak had come up with so far was one
transient hint of magic he had sensed. But it had been neither
sufficiently tangible nor distinctive enough for him to even be
certain that he’d actually sensed it.
    The comm continued to blast away from the
front dash.
    “ Yes sir, folks, that was Purple Dragon
with their new release ‘On The Far Side Of The Second Moon’. We’ll
continue with our night of electro explosions, but first the newest
news brief for the hour.”
    The loud sing-song voice of the DJ was
replaced by a deeper, more somber voice of the newsman.
    “ It’s day two of the big storm!” Dramatic pause. “Two nights ago our twin cities were hit by a
freakish storm and it refuses to leave! Meteorologists are puzzled
over the strange phenomena as it seems that the electrical storm
has become stationary over the metropolitan area in spite of
prevailing winds and air currents. While the weather experts remain
puzzled, several occult scholars have come forward with concerns
that this bizarre weather is due to some sort of disturbance within
the ethereal layer surrounding our city. We’ve spoken with Dr.
Galen Raghnall, Master Wizard of the Institute of Occult and
Paranormal Sciences. He confirmed that a disturbance does, indeed,
seem to exist in the ethereal layer. This is what he had to
say.”
    “ Two days ago,” Dr. Raghnall began.
The deep resonance of the wizard’s voice seemed to immediately
reach out to Zak, pulling his attention toward the words being
spoken. “Our Dimensional Reality Department noted a strong
disturbance within the ethereal layer of our world. The source of
this disturbance seems to be centered somewhere within the greater
Sol Kappur area, but we are unable at this time to discover the
exact location or cause for this disturbance. We are doing
everything...”
    The idea may not have taken shape had it not
been for the allure of Dr. Raghnall’s voice just as Zak wrestled
with the mystery of the Grimrok theft. The storm began two days
ago. The Grimrok break-in happened sometime on the evening before.
Was it more than a coincidence? It was a crazy thought. Zak wasn’t
even certain why it had come to him.
    The timing of the two events kept pushing
into his thoughts. Logically he kept rejecting the idea that one
had anything to do with the other. What possible connection could
there be between the weather and the theft of an android?
    It was too farfetched