Rhun smiled, relieved beyond belief to have her conscious. 'What we seem to be dealing with here is a classic case of outer time-distortion. The astral plane, being comprised mainly of anti-matter, functions free from gravity and space, but the physical plane does not.

Therefore, although the time you spent in transit would have been non-existent, the time you spent in father's company must have been distorted, as time functions differently in space.'

'You gave us such a scare.' Rhiannon tried to refrain from tears, as she knelt by the bed and took hold of her mother's hand.

'Oh Rhiannon.' Tory was overwhelmed to see her so upset. 'Couldn't you sense I was in a heavenly place?'

Her daughter nodded. 'So heavenly in fact, that you might never want to return. Especially considering the horrendous scenes previewed in the latest mass vision.'

'Come again?' Tory did manage to hoist herself upright this time, supporting her head that felt as if it were weighted with lead.

'So you didn't perceive it then?' Rhun presumed from her reaction.

Tory wracked her brain a moment, but only recalled the most pleasant of memories. 'I'm afraid not. What did the vision predict?'

'Famine, disease, war ... the usual,' Rhun advised, with a shrug. It was nothing he wasn't already aware of, having been to the future already. 'So, you found Father?' He seated himself before her, wide-eyed and eager to hear.

A smile took possession of her face that all the self-control in the world couldn't have prevented. 'Did I chance to run into your lover, you mean?"

'I didn't know you had a girl.' Rhiannon raised herself from her knees to join her kin on the bed, finding their conversation most interesting. 'You've never mentioned her.'

Tory became a little fearful of where this conversation was heading, for there were parts of the answer Rhiannon wouldn't want to know. 'Baby, I need to speak with Rhun alone.'

'Why?' Rhiannon backed up off the bed, immediately suspicious. 'Is this Dragon character not my father, too?'

'Please understand, my instructions were very specific,' Tory replied calmly, which only seemed to anger her daughter all the more.

'Yeah, right! My own father wants me left in the dark.' Rhiannon took a defiant stance, hands on hips.

'You know what? I think you're both full of shit.' She went to storm from the room, but then realised her voice did not open her mother's chamber door. 'Open it!' She turned back briefly to demand.

'Open.' Both Tory and Rhun complied in a casual fashion. 'Close.' They activated the door after Rhiannon made her hasty retreat.

'Christ, she's such a drama queen.' Tory couldn't see the need for the performance.

'Well, why didn't you let her stay?' Rhun could relate to his sister's view. 'I knew you were lying about your instructions, so Rhiannon most certainly did.'

'Look. I met Ray's perfect incarnation there. He's Cadwallon.' Tory felt stressed.

'So?'

'So! Do you think she's ready to conceive of the fact that Ray's going to perish sometime before Cadwallon returns, for surely he is Rhiannon's other half, so to speak.'

'I'm sure she realises Ray's going to go sometime.

After all, he's not immortal.'

'Yes, but some of us here that aren't necessarily of our family line must be. Or perhaps they are of our family line, but more distantly related. Perhaps they were born with the immortality gene still dormant in their DNA.'

'What led you to this conclusion?'

'Well, I met Ione during my dream journey. She is in Maelgwn's service. Only her perfect incarnation wasn't Ione but the warrioress Boadicea. Therefore her other half, Sir Tiernan, must be currently here on Earth.'

'Floyd,' Rhun resolved, well pleased. 'But how?'

'How did Jenny get returned to us?' Tory put forward. 'I don't know, but it makes sense. I was introduced to Robin of Loxley - you were right he is John Pearce.' The memory of their meeting made her smile, briefly. 'Someone activated the immortality gene in Jenny after her death. Who that was, I don't know. Nevertheless, when God starts handing out immortality to a select few amongst us, leaving the others to perish ...' She shrugged, concerned.

'I see your point,' Rhun conceded. 'Perhaps such information would be better concealed until such time as it can be a comfort to those of us left behind, rather than burdening them now with the inevitable.'

'Yes,' she agreed, relieved. This was her very thought.

'But keeping the truth from Rhiannon will not be easy, and you know how much she detests being kept in the dark.'

'Well, we've managed thus far.' Tory regretted keeping secrets from her kin, but Rhiannon and Ray had just settled into a romance and she would not burden their happiness with complications that could be decades away.

'So, what of my other half?' Rhun pleaded to be told, using his big, brown puppy dog eyes to aid his cause. 'Did you learn her true identity?'

Fluffing her pillows to get more comfortable, Tory tortured her son with delay. 'Why do you want to know?

So you can pop off and see her?' she teased.

'After witnessing the time-dilation that occurred during your little adventure? I think not,' he answered her surely, though he was saddened by the fact. 'I cannot risk being dysfunctional for days or weeks, as the case may be. What would be the point anyway? I wouldn't be able to touch her.'

His words made Tory very curious. She had been wondering about the consequences of teleporting her physical form to Maelgwn's side. 'Why not transport your physical self. Surely it would take no longer?'

Rhun stared back at her, quite frankly surprised by the assumption. 'The travel time might prove no different, I'll grant. But where etheric matter can cheat time on the physical plane, physical matter cannot.

Don't forget that we're dealing with a destination that's light-years into deep space, where gravity and time functions differently to here. And as the universe is constantly expanding, how could you be sure just how much time-dilation would occur during the journey?

Could be months, years, longer!'

'I see.' Tory tried not to look disappointed. 'That would explain why Maelgwn hasn't attempted such contact.'

'Don't you think I would have tried it by now, if it were at all feasible?' Rhun put forward, appearing as frustrated as Tory felt. 'I just want to know how Bridgit fares, who she is. Please tell me.'

As Tory could plainly see no harm could come of it, she relented. 'I have actually met Bridgit's perfect incarnation before in my travels. She was an Atlantean Priestess and truth-seer, but she is a Star Warrior now.'

Rhun moved to query this further but Tory was already aware of his question. 'The name you seek is Sybil.'

15.

2020.

The environmental problems afflicting the Earth had continued to increase with each passing year. The population of third world countries had grown by more than half in a decade, and continued to grow despite the high fatalities due to disease and famine. The planet's raw materials were strained to the point of being astronomically expensive to buy, especially fossil fuels. Thus, when the ICA put forward their proposal to build a fusion reactor that could cater to the whole world's power needs, the long-term cheaper, cleaner form of energy appeared most attractive to those assembled at the United Nations.

The first question put forward about the scheme was where the ICA planned to locate the power station when the Earth's surface was growing increasingly unstable. Most of the old nuclear reactors worldwide were being decommissioned due to the immense clean-up operations that were required to mop up the mess left behind when these power stations were damaged by earthquakes, or rendered useless by flooding. No country could risk playing host to a new and experimental fusion reactor, despite the obvious political power and financial advantages of volunteering.

Doc Alexander had a very simple solution to this dilemma that, as it turned out, was the only option; the fusion reactor that the ICA had designed would only function in space. For out beyond the Earth's atmosphere, the high vacuum needed to sustain a thermo-nuclear plasma was free. Fusion power, derived from combining two atoms (tritium and deuterium) to form one helium atom with a consequent release of energy, was a process that required temperatures of around one-million degrees Celsius. In the past, the heat factor had hindered the development of fusion power, but in space the extremely cold temperatures meant the reactor could be vacuum-cooled.

This breakthrough, as exciting as it was, raised many other questions, like: could a malfunction in such a reactor inflict serious damage on our atmosphere, or worse, the surrounding solar system? Absolutely not, said Doc. For even if the monitoring computer system failed to shut off the reactor the second a malfunction was detected, it could be powered down manually within seconds.

One of the greatest problems physicists had had to overcome was maintaining the momentum of the fusion reaction, as the energy created by the imploding atoms was dissipated so quickly. But when the reactor chamber was flooded with extremely energetic plasma, a strong magnetic field enabled the energy to be harnessed and beamed to a storage facility on Earth. The power would then be farmed out across a grid. It was proposed that this grid would require seven major stations, excluding the host. These would be located in South America, Europe, Africa, Russia, Asia, India and Australia. These stations would supply ten sub-stations, and these would supply a further ten sub-stations. Only three underwater links would be needed to connect the seven major stations with the host storage facility in North America. This had been provisionally chosen for its central location.

What Doc failed to mention was that America had supplied most of the funding and manpower for the project and intended to go ahead with the reactor regardless of the world view. For indeed, the construction of the host station had already begun just outside of Farwell, New Mexico.

A pipeline across the Pacific would supply Asia, India, and Russia. A second pipeline across the Pacific would provide Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand and the surrounding Islands with power. The third pipeline across the Atlantic would feed Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The remaining stations could be supplied via land-lines. Each country would incur the cost of setting up their part of the grid, and would pay a rent for maintenance of the stations and their pipelines.

The ICA's AIDS facility in Alaska, funded and handled in a similar manner to this current power proposal, had been a great success. Over fifty percent of the world was rid of the disease and in remaining areas the number of AIDS cases diagnosed had dropped dramatically. The media had reported countless numbers of heartwarming stories from people who surely would have perished from the disease were it not for the ICA scheme. Those cured then urged others who had not yet been tested to register at once - the earlier the disease was detected the greater the chance of recovery.

However, not everyone sent to the Alaskan facility returned home, healed, as originally promised. Reports of abuse and favouritism at the clinic began to leak through to the outside population via underground publications and the internet. Doc Alexander publicly denied these claims, dismissing them as terrorist attempts to sabotage the new era of world peace and cooperation.

The nations of the world were slowly coming to rely on the ICA. There was not one country that had not been aided by the organisation in some way. In fact, many of the world's leaders were very wary of defying the United Nations for fear they would lose ICA assistance.

These days one could never be sure when the ICA's expertise might be required. It seemed the Agency had managed to bring about a forced world peace. Doc and his multicultural team of scientists, physicists and the like, always came up with the most feasible solutions to the world's ever-increasing problems.

The conversion of the Goddess was all but complete, bar a few minor glitches, as was the work on Merlin I and II.

Under Ray's guidance Brian and Tory were running the two smaller craft through a systems check before their first trial run inside the cavern of pools.

The Goddess had been backed out of dry dock and was moored on the largest of the three bodies of water.

In the control room, the rest of the crew gathered to observe the tests. Teo and Naomi were at their stations ready to monitor and guide the movements of the smaller craft.

Brian was strapped into the pilot's seat of Merlin I, familiarising himself with the new additions to its control panel. 'I always wanted to fly,' he commented to Tory in Merlin II, which was parked on the embankment alongside him.

'Yeah, well, don't get too over-zealous,' she warned, glancing at her brother as she finished strapping herself in.

'Listen to her, Brian.' Ray's voice came through their headsets. 'The hover-system controls are very sensitive. Bear in mind you haven't got the drag of the water to slow you down. I can only take an educated guess as to what the Merlins' top speed might be when airborne.'

'Do share with the other children,' Brian encouraged, raring to go.

'That is not today's objective. Keep it slow.' Ray dampened his test pilot's enthusiasm. 'It's taken me three years to get these vessels operational. Let's not destroy them in a day.' Ray handed the headset back to Naomi.

'Bloody engineers,' Brian uttered under his breath.

Who paid for the damn thing? 'Could we possibly get this show on the road before I fall asleep.'

'Roger that, Merlin One,' Naomi gave Brian the go-ahead as Ray nodded to confirm it. 'You may fire up when ready.'

'Hallelujah!' Brian activated the hover system, and grinned with glee as his craft lifted from the ground.

Tory observed Merlin I as it rose to hover about 1.5 metres above the embankment. The several sets of advanced hover blasters that rotated in opposing directions beneath the craft shot compressed air downwards to give it levitation. Yet these powerful thrusters hardly stirred the surrounding area during lift off.

This was due to the angling of the opposing, rotating blasters that concentrated the airflow against itself, keeping the disturbance to a minimum while maximising the vehicle's performance. When the vessel moved out over the surface of the water the air pressure beneath it became more obvious. Once the cloaking device was activated the reconnaisance sub would be neither seen nor heard. All that would remain for the naked eye to see would be a small, silent whirlpool of wind. The visual impression just screams UFO. Tory amused herself with this thought, as Teo instructed her to proceed with her launch.

'Wow, this feels strange,' Tory relayed her observations to those inside the Goddess, as she guided Merlin II across the pool in pursuit of her brother's craft.

Steering the little submersible had never been too difficult, but in hover mode the controls were hypersensitive; the slightest deviation from course would send the vessel off on a completely different tangent.

Tory learnt this all too quickly when a sneeze nearly sent her on a collision course with the mother ship.

'Easy,' Ray winced as he observed the movements of the tiny craft from inside the control room. But his quiet smile of satisfaction returned when he observed how quickly Tory recovered from the mishap.

'Clearly,' Rhiannon kissed his cheek, well proud of him, 'the man is a genius.'

'Now, for my next trick.' Ray glanced from his lover to those manning the guidance systems. 'Ask them neutralise.' He looked back out the porthole and waited for the vessels to comply.

'Aw! I was just getting a feel for it,' Brian protested as the instruction reached him via Naomi. Still, he obliged: 'Neutralising now.'

Merlin I settled to a stop, and Tory pulled her craft up close by it. 'Good ...' Ray felt as nervous as an expectant father. 'Instruct Brian to activate the cloaking mechanism.' His eyes remained fixed on the pool below as Naomi passed on his request.

Within moments, Merlin I vanished. The air from the propulsion system agitating the surface of the water beneath the vessel was the only evidence of its presence. Ray looked to Jenny who was viewing the electromagnetic radar.

'He's gone alright,' she confirmed.

'Activate tracking device.' Naomi instructed Brian to complete the procedure.

All eyes turned to Nick, who was seated before the crystal-emission tracking system that Ray had designed.

'I've got him, dead ahead.' Nick cocked an eye, impressed. 'It works!'

A cheer accompanied loud whistles and applause from everyone present, acknowledging the engineer's hard work and subsequent triumph.

'Why do you all seem so surprised?' Ray tried to sound like he wasn't. 'Can Tory confirm Brian's position?' He circled round behind Teo, who put the question to Tory.

'Well, Murdock ...' Tory's voice came over the intercom, sounding none too enthusiastic. 'It would seem you're not a complete intellectual retard, after all.

Congratulations.' Her tone became sincerer. 'All systems are go here.'

Again the congratulations broke out from his friends and associates, but Ray was not prepared to count his chickens before they hatched. He refused Floyd's kind offer of a celebratory beer until they'd tested the cloaking device and tracking system in Merlin II. The celebration wasn't postponed long, however, as the second recon sub's systems activated as smoothly as those in Merlin I.

The two hovercraft skirted around each other until mission control were satisfied that the day's objectives had been successfully achieved. Brian and Tory were given leave to wrap it up for the day and come join the party.

As all in the control room were distracted proposing a toast to their young Einstein, Brian couldn't resist the urge to experiment further with his transport's new capabilities.

Tory was guiding Merlin II over the embankment to land when she spied Merlin I on her monitor taking up position under the opening at the far end of the cavern roof. 'Brian!' Tory switched her voice-link to his direct line. 'Don't be daft.'

'Hey, it's not like it's going to kill me now, is it?' he replied, beginning his ascent towards the wide open spaces.

'I'm not worried about you, you moron!' She re-engaged her thrusters to go after him.

Brian chuckled as he noted Merlin II change its course to pursue him. 'Catch me if you can.' He switched off his voice-link, opting to listen to some music instead.