Since graduating from the Sorbonne, Andrie has accepted a professorship Of Anthropology and Ancient Civilisations at the Academe de Sciences in Paris. Even here, immersing herself in her work, she has been unable to escape her obsession. Being the only two prominent women in their field, the names of Gainsborough and Plainte have become inextricably linked, in particular because they so frequently submit papers on opposing sides of the same debates. Whilst frustrated at her inability to separate herself from her past, Andrie cannot help feeling a certain bitter satisfaction that, due to her knowledge of the right places to publish and the right academics to charm, her arguments are largely accepted as being correct. In her darker moments, however, Andrie sometimes believes that Emily's more hands-on attitude may provide her with a more accurate viewpoint on the real situation in comparison to her own more desk-bound approach. More recently, Andrie's studies have taken a different turn. She has found herself increasingly interested in the occult beliefs of ancient societies. She is unwilling to admit that this may be a waste of her time, rather she prefers to believe that this research gives her a valuable perspective that may give her an advantage over Emily's more narrow-minded outlook. Naturally, these motivations are not apparent to her conscious perceptions.
Even as single-minded an individual as Andrie was unable to ignore the progress of the war. After Paris was occupied, all academic research was suspended, supposedly temporarily. As a person with tremendous drive and intelligence, as well as an overwhelming need to distract herself from her own emotions, Andrie found this situation tremendously frustrating. In addition to this, Andrie's parents have come under pressure from the occupation government to turn over their funds and property to finance the German war effort. Whilst contemplating her situation in her compact but well-appointed apartment off L'Etoile, a messenger calls for Andrie. He delivers an envelope containing copies of documents relating to the position and academic achievements, at a variety of well respected universities and institutions in Berlin and Munich, of a Herr von Struldbrug. The name rings a slight bell, perhaps something from Johnathon Swift? The envelope also contains a hand-written and signed invitation to come to a meeting with him at his office in the Academe de Sciences the following afternoon. The location of the meeting turns out to be in a building with which Andrie is unfamiliar. On attending, she arrives at a corner office with a brass name plate on the door indicating that this is the office of Herr von Struldbrug. The plate seems old but in good condition, with none of the signs of recent installation. She knocks. "Come in Mademoiselle Plainte." The office seems larger than usual for a faculty member but this is possibly an effect of its corner location. Three things immediately become apparent to Andrie. The interior wall is lined with books on the occult, all of which seem to be first editions or impossibly old or rare original manuscripts. There is Alhazerad's Necronomicon, various works by John Dee and Aleister Crowley, histories of the Hermetic Order and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. There are also many books of which Andrie does not recognise the title or, in some cases, even the language. From the large picture windows occupying both exterior walls of the office, Andrie can see the Seine and a view of Notre Dame providing her with an unusual angle which gives her a perspective on the cathedral unlike any she has had before. She has to crane her neck slightly for the best effect but suspects this would be unnecessary if she were in the seat of the man behind the desk. At first glance the occupant of the office seems vaguely ugly in unremarkable kind of way. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that his apparent lack of hairline is in fact an extremely prominent brow, which is slightly projecting and is dimpled in the centre. His hunched-over appearance is caused by long arms which, if he were standing, Andrie suspects might reach to his knees. His overall impression is somewhat monkey-like but this is caused by his disproportionately large head and upper body and his appearance is actually somewhat striking, in a simian fashion. He is reading a book on Sumerian mythology which Andrie had, towards the end of her studies, been unsuccessfully trying to get hold of for weeks. He looks up. "Good afternoon Mme. Plainte." "Bonjour." "I am lead to understand that you have been experiencing some difficulties in pursuing your studies." "That is so, yes." "Well, permit me to make you a proposal. I would like you to pursue a research project for me. I am sure that you would find the material interesting and it would involve nothing you would find unethical or distasteful. How does this strike you?" "It sounds... intriguing." "Good. Take this book with you and meet with me again to discuss your thoughts on it." Von Struldbrug hands he the book he was reading and then his attention wanders to the window. Andrie decides the most graceful option is to simply leave and closes the door behind her. In the hallway she opens the book and finds an envelope containing a cheque made out to her for a thousand francs. For the next few months, Andrie meets with von Struldbrug, sometimes reporting on the documents he provides and sometimes on material she requests herself. The work is fascinating, as promised, and Andrie has no problems gaining any resource she requests. These include loans from other sites, a research staff and travel documentation to visit French institutions with artefacts of interest. Money is no object and von Struldbrug seems to handle everything personally without ever leaving his office. Andrie quickly becomes engrossed in the project to the exclusion of almost everything else. The data itself predominantly relates to Sumerian mythology and shows that their civilisation has strongly influenced almost every society that has existed since. Their culture was based on law, religion, technology and the occult, between which no distinctions are drawn. The language is heavily metaphorical and context dependent and each phrase contain multiple levels of information. It is hard to translate and Andrie would sometimes read passages which would, for instance, be straightforward descriptions of legal matters and then wander off into a Biblical style allegory involving the twin vine like strands of the Tree of Life before returning to the original topic as if no change had occurred. Over time, Andrie realises that the documents contain insights she would have earlier found unbelievable. It becomes clear that Sumerian records describe an earlier civilisation from which they inherited their social structure. The rules of this culture implicitly dominate modern society to the extent that knowledge of them gives one an insuperable advantage in life, able to manipulate situations and gain political advantage. The material also seem to describe technology far in advance of that supposed to have then existed and, indeed, superior to modern science. There is information relating to the manipulation and unification of forces, the use of those forces to construct materials upwards from the very smallest scales and to transmute, transmit and store both matter and energy. The origins and mechanisms of life seem to have been investigated and there are references made to personalities which seem to have artificial origins. These are originally subject to absolute, literal control but, as they increase in sophistication, require orders, discussion or even cajoling. The hard sciences are not Andrie's first strength but her research (again, completely unobstructed) seems to bear out the truth of her findings. Indeed, in areas of theoretical or recent knowledge where the data does not match current findings, it is her research that seems the more consistent. Andrie comes to realise that she is not only being offered knowledge but power. Political and physical power but also power of a third kind. For the records she has contain not only social and technical information but also occult knowledge. It strains her credibility but the practicality of the more mundane knowledge she has gained is so evident and the esoteric is so inseparable from the temporal that she finds it almost impossible to not believe in one without accepting the truth of the other. At this time Andrie discovers a Sumerian myth cycle which relates to Inanna, the goddess of Love and Battle. It tells how, when threatened by Kur, which can mean "mountain", "foreign land" or "great beast", called Ebih which "poured fearsome terror on the abodes of the gods". She goes to Anu, the king and most powerful of the gods and requests permission to destroy the threat. He does not believe she is powerful enough to take on this opponent and responds, "You cannot pass through its terror and fear. The mountain range's radiance is fearsome. Maiden Inanna, you cannot oppose it." Inanna descends into the Land of the Dead where she is required to pass through seven gates and remove one of her garments (elsewhere referred to as being weapons or the source of her power) at each one until she stands naked and defenceless before Erishkigal, the Queen of the Other World. Erishkigal

...fastened on Inanna the eye of death.
She spoke against her the word of wrath.
She uttered against her the cry of guilt

She struck her.

Inanna was turned into a corpse,
A piece of rotting meat
And was hung from a hook on the wall.

My lady confronted the mountain range. She advanced step by step.
She sharpened both edges of her dagger. She grabbed Ebih's neck as if
ripping up esparto grass. She pressed the dagger's teeth into its
interior. She roared like thunder. 

The rocks forming the body of Ebih clattered down its flanks. From its
sides and crevices great serpents spat venom. She damned its forests
and cursed its trees. She killed its oak trees with drought. She poured
fire on its flanks and made its smoke dense. The goddess established
authority over the mountain. Holy Inanna did as she wished.