She smiled, slowly shaking her head in the negative.

'Thank you,' he stated sincerely. 'This is a real miracle for me.'

'For me too,' she assured him.

4.

THE PROPHET AND.

THE DIPLOMAT.

None of the crew doubted Tory's word when she introduced their two newest shipmates ...

except for her daughter. Rhiannon could sense her mother's anxiety at having both Ray and Noah in the same room, and as their new systems technician felt wary also, Rhiannon realised that she wasn't getting the entire story. But she knew the protocol, and said nothing to make anyone aware of her suspicions. She would just have to curb her curiosity until she could get her mother alone.

Ray was in Tory's cabin later that night telling her of the events that led to him fleeing the United States in fear of his life. He felt uneasy disclosing the information; if the Agency was prepared to kill one of their top designers because of what he knew, they certainly wouldn't hesitate to kill Tory. What she couldn't tell him was that she couldn't be killed. So Tory took the line that her Navy connections would protect her.

Ray said he'd always liked his work; it took him to interesting places, and gave him top security clearance in most government departments the world over.

The Californian quake had marked the beginning of a major world emergency, but it also began a shift towards greater global co-operation. The United Nations had set up a special organisation called the ICA (International Crisis Agency). This was headed by a financial whiz cum social strategist named Doc Alexander, who had been recruited from the IFC (International Finance Corporation).

The United Nations couldn't have picked a better man for the job. Doc Alexander was said to be a young, charismatic genius, although he had few close friends. A big supporter of 'global planning', he spoke many languages, and regarded all men and women as equals.

He saw no countries, just land and sea; no races, just human beings. 'One world, one team,' was Doc's motto.

The movements of the Earth's surface due to plate-tectonics, the floods caused by the greenhouse effect, pollution, drought, famine, the slow tilt of the world's axis, the shrinking natural forests that would result in the slow suffocation of the planet, the general strain on the economy of dwindling resources; these were all global problems now, and Doc Alexander was aiming for global solutions. He brought together teams of scientists and technologists from all over the world to address the problems facing the planet. This was seen by the world, via the media, as a wonderful sign of lasting international peace and good relations. In its first ten years, the ICA proved to be a great success.

Doc's team working on the Greenhouse Effect, for example, estimated that the water level would continue to rise some twenty metres over the next century before it peaked and began to subside. With this information to hand, the ICA set about designing flood barriers that could act as artificial coastlines for those major cities that the world would not allow to succumb to the sea's will. New York was one such city, and the construction of its breakwater was already well under way.

Needless to say, Doc Alexander was fast becoming a worldwide phenomenon. After he had the logging of the Amazon rainforests banned on the grounds that they were needed to help reduce the amounts of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, even the greenies loved him.

'So what was it you were working on, Ray?' Tory had already gathered he was employed by the ICA.

'I developed a system to monitor a fusion reactor.

It warned of impending fluctuations or instabilities in the reactor.'

Tory's eyes widened in anticipation. 'You were successful then?'

'That I was.' Ray seemed kind of proud of himself, despite what he'd been party to. 'It wasn't until I was briefed on my following assignment that I found out the ICA were actually after power of another sort.'

'Yes?' Tory urged; it was like being enthralled by a really good spy thriller.

'Well, well.' Rhiannon entered, closing the door behind her. 'There's a strange man on my mother's bed, and father's not even been gone a day?'

Tory knew the accusation was a joke to make Ray feel uncomfortable. 'I don't recall hearing you knock, sweetheart. You might have interrupted something important.'

'Look.' Rhiannon folded her arms. 'I kept my mouth shut in front of everyone else, but I think I deserve to know what's going on. Who are you really?' Her cool glare turned to Ray. 'Who are you hiding from?'

'Jesus.' Ray sat up, amazed as he looked from Tory to Rhiannon and back again. 'She's just like you. A little less subtle, perhaps.'

'Just answer the question.' Rhiannon stared him down with eyes so black, they gave the illusion they were deep purple.

'Down, girl,' Tory intervened. 'It's a very long story, which Ray was in the process of telling me. If you calm down, you may stay.'

Ray stood. 'I don't think so. She's just a girl.'

'Look Ray,' Tory pushed him back down. 'Rhiannon is telepathic, so she'll find out anyway.'

'Yeah, right,' he scoffed.

Rhiannon gripped hold of his wrist and closed her eyes. 'The last time you got laid was ...?' She smiled.

'Whoohoo, just last night,' she announced, laughing at his dismay.

Ray snatched his arm back. 'You could have guessed that.'

Both women were staring back at him with their eyebrows raised and hands on hips.

'Relax,' Tory advised him. 'She can't read your mind unless she's touching you. Still, between Rhiannon and I, nothing is sacred. If you tell me your woes, you tell her.'

Ray calmed down, but was still staring at them as if they were some sort of advanced alien species. 'I think I'm beginning to see why God sent me here.'

The assignment that changed Ray's mind about the ICA was the designing of a special mechanical glitch for each power storage unit on the world fusion grid. He hadn't been told all the details at his first briefing, and Ray guessed the Agency were testing his resolve. He already knew too much about the secret fusion project for the ICA to just let him walk if he decided not to play ball. So, as he had no other option, Ray decided to co-operate. But that night he'd had the vision concerning Tory.

'And, as God is my witness,' Ray swore, 'the next morning I awoke in a field that was miles from the ICA facility where I had gone to sleep. All I had were the clothes on my back, and the stuff in my case. Still, I don't think I was followed.'

'You could have sleepwalked,' Rhiannon put forward.

'Straight through all the Agency's security measures? I think not.' Ray rubbed his weary eyes.

'Well, maybe you have the ability to travel without moving,' Rhiannon began. 'Mum can -'

'Ah!' Tory jumped in before her daughter said too much. 'Ray, you look totally stuffed. Maybe you should get some rest, hey?' She moved to see him out the door. 'We'll have plenty of time to postulate theories,' she impressed on Rhiannon, 'once we're out at sea.'

By nightfall of the following day the Goddess had made the trip back to the dive site once again.

Noah was eager to have his first ride in a bathyscape, but as he could not drag any of the pilots away from the television set to take him joy-riding he resigned himself to waiting until the scheduled dives the next day.

The television report that had everyone so fascinated was about a psychic diagnostician and healer named Walter Cadfan. Cadfan had risen to fame over the past ten years due to his ability to diagnose people's ailments and advise treatment without ever having to see the patient. But it wasn't the miracles he'd been performing that had the crew of the Goddess so engrossed. He, too, had experienced visions on exactly the same dates as Tory and Rhiannon, the last of which was the 30th of June. However, Cadfan was better at predicting the time and place the foreseen events would take place than they were.

'Those who have read my latest predictions will know that ...' The middle-aged, slightly balding healer turned his droopy, blue eyes from the interviewer to address the camera directly, 'by the time this interview goes to air, large tremors in Denmark and England will cause large areas of those countries to fall into the North Sea, where a new land is emerging.'

'But dad's in England.' Rhiannon's fearful eyes turned to her mother.

'Is this some kind of joke?' Brian became angered as the station interrupted the program for an emergency news bulletin.

Teo came bursting into the rec-room, looking like he'd seen a ghost. 'There's been a quake in the U.K.

The waves will hit us in a little over two hours.'

He didn't have to say any more; everyone was already making for their stations.

'Looks like you'll get your wish after all,' Tory informed Noah.

'Could I dive with you?' he appealed, throwing the straps of numerous bags across his body for easy cartage.

Tory gave a shrug. 'I don't see why not.'

'Bonus.' Noah made after her to Sub Bay Two.

Minutes later the divers were in the water with Merlin I and Merlin II making sure they were okay to dive. The two mini-subs would guide the mothership down. Once submerged deeply enough inside the Atlantic basin the north-eastern wall would protect their craft and the wave should pass straight over them.

'Hatches are all secure,' Jenny's voice advised through the intercom to those in the Goddess' control room. 'We're clear to dive.'

' Merlin One and Two. I am pleased to advise that the Goddess is going down,' Teo broadcast with a chuckle, throwing the switches to flood her tanks.

'Are you alright?' Tory enquired of her mystified passenger, whose eyes were fixed on Merlin I which he could see outside the large porthole in front of him.

'What a life,' Noah mumbled. 'There couldn't be a safer place on the planet.'

'Don't let the peace give you a false sense of security.

Down here nature rules, and we're the invaders.' Tory gave a thought to the two members of their team that weren't there, and fell silent to continue her system checks.

The headset, the eyes for the exterior camera, captured Noah's interest. 'Is this for stills or film?' He placed it on his head and the lights went out. 'Geez, you can't see much.'

Tory reached over and switched it on. 'It's CD ROM. So you just take the stills from the moving footage.'

Noah was waving his arms around in front of himself, as if trying to swim through the water. 'Holy smoke, I'm out there!'

'You certainly are.' Tory placed one of his roving hands on the control stick, and the other on a set of buttons. 'The movement of your head controls the angle of the camera.'

Noah looked from left to right, getting a feel for it.

'Whoa!'

'The joystick guides the remote when the camera is mobile. The buttons at your left hand are your zoom, wide angle, and filters.'

'This is amazing!' He sounded put out. 'Why did I bother carting all my stuff?'

' Merlin One, this is Merlin Two. I'm picking up a large life-form reading and that can only mean one thing.' The sonar in front of Tory was pinging and tracking a large shape.

'Roger that, Merlin One. I have him too,' Brian answered.

'Me, three,' Teo cut in.

'We'll try to lead him elsewhere.' Tory switched on her propulsion system and took off after Brian, whereupon he veered left and she right.

'Yee-ha.' Noah was still hooked up to the camera.

'This is excellent!'

'I beg to differ.' Tory's eyes did not waver from the controls. 'Our big friend isn't worried about our tiny craft. But I don't know how it will feel about something as large as the Goddess invading its territory.'

Noah removed the headset, the information grabbing his attention. 'Danger ... good, there must be a story in this.' He grabbed for his folder.

'O-oh.' Tory swung her rig around, almost throwing Noah from his seat as she brought Merlin II to a standstill.

' Merlin One to Merlin Two. He's not taking the bait.'

Brian sounded more than a little annoyed. 'I'm heading back.'

'I'm with you, bro.' Tory looked over to Noah, who was madly scribbling notes. 'Make yourself useful. Get that headset back on and keep an eye out for Moby Dick.'

'Aye, aye, captain.' Noah jumped to the call, thrilled by the notion of being part of such a team - if only for an hour or so.

Teo had stabilised at a depth of five thousand feet.

Tory had the Goddess and Merlin I within her sights when Noah cried out.

'Down there!' He blindly pointed off to the right.

Tory swerved to avoid getting in the monster's way.

' Merlin Two to the Goddess. We have visual at four o'clock.'

'I copy Merlin Two.' Teo was sounding surprisingly calm. 'Stabilise at a safe distance, and stand by.'

All they could do now was wait and see how the huge beast was going to react.

The creature was drifting slowly towards the mothership.

'This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen.'

Noah sat, frozen into stillness.

He could see the picture of the huge ancient creature face to face with the space-age sub plastered across the cover of every major newspaper and magazine in the civilized world. The tip of the beast's great snout eventually touched the bathyscape so gently that those in the Goddess didn't even feel the impact.

'I think it's in love.' The scene was so heartwarming that it brought a tear to Tory's eye.

On the bridge at the Goddess' controls, Teo and Naomi were looking straight into the eyes of the huge monster.