Tory shook her head. 'He's Caradoc, incarnate.'

My brother, Caradoc?

'None other.'

That explains how Doc recognised Miles as me, the day he killed him.

'You relived Miles' murder?' Tory assumed this was the case, as Turan had made the same observation.

Aye, and I wondered how Cadwaladr came to know me by sight. Obviously he has been doing some past-life regression work himself. The thought of Caradoc controlling Rhiannon was both shocking and sickening. Maelgwn knew how it felt to be under the restraint of a NERGUZ module, for he'd been amongst the first of its victims. I have obviously not been told the half of what is really going on.

'Ha! Join the club.' Tory pulled on her jeans and zipped them up.

Tory, Maelgwn appealed. If neither one of us is being told all the facts, then perhaps between us we can piece the truth together.

'Well, I'm all for that.'

Maelgwn gathered as much. But if you are captured by Cadwaladr, that would seem to ruin our chances of doing so.

Though Tory appreciated the subtlety of his approach, she folded her arms in defiance. 'It's alright for you to take the same risks ...'

I have lots of aid.

'So do I.'

Ah ... but I have allies on various levels of the etheric world. He knew he had her on this point. Whereas you have let your ties with the denizens of the Otherworld lapse.

'Well, I've been a trifle busy!' Tory found herself wishing he was physically present, so she could thump him. 'Look, if you're not going to be part of the solution, Maelgwn, then you're part of my problem.

Nothing you can say or do is going to stop me from trying to free our daughter, and you know me well enough to realise I'm not lying.'

Yes, I do, Maelgwn conceded in a huff. Then, at least promise me that you shall consult Taliesin before making any such attempt.

'I already told you. Taliesin doesn't want me to liberate her.'

Then change his mind! Maelgwn remonstrated.

Goddess knows you have an extraordinary talent for getting your own way.

'That's because I'm always right.' She pushed her luck, grinning broadly.

This was Tory's way of saying she agreed with his caution, so Maelgwn resolved with a smile: I cannot argue with that. I can only hope that it will always be thus.

Tory gave him a wink to assure him he could count on it.

Maelgwn did not linger long, though he did promise to contact Tory as often as he could. He feared, however, that his visits would not be as often as he'd like. What with all that was going on in the universe, leisure time was a rarity.

'War,' Tory uttered when she found herself alone, shaking her head as she considered how futile it was. If the Nefilim were so all-powerful and all-knowing, then why were they causing such havoc? 'The trouble is, I have been in awe of these beings ... the whole human race has since the day they fused the genes of an ape-man with their own and created us.' Tory began to pace, her trust in herself being fueled by her words. 'But they were not the very essence of our creation. The Nefilim may be a part of God's universe, but the one divine source of all there is? They most certainly are not!'

In her view, humanity's immortal forefathers had really done no more than to be the parents. They had overseen mankind's development until such time as we were able to cope on our own. Granted, human beings had made quite a mess of their planet. Instead of the temple the Nefilim had left behind, the Earth now looked more like a university student's apartment. Yet much of humanity's destructive tendency may have been avoided had the Nefilim not confused our beliefs and principles through all the ages, just as some parents feel the need to strike the fear of God into their children to keep them under control.

'Well, there comes a time in the life of every child when they become the teacher and the parent becomes the pupil. For the Nefilim, that time is now.'

Feeling, for the first time in a long time, that she truly knew her own mind, Tory headed down to see if Ray and Rhun had any initial observations for her. She did realise Ray's task was going to take some time, if indeed he managed to figure out the NERGUZ at all.

Tory was still of a mind to visit Rhiannon; as long as she could persuade Taliesin to aid her, there was a means by which she could seek her daughter without the risk of being trapped. She had already requested a copy of Doc's itinerary for the coming weeks from Floyd, figuring the diplomat would be keeping Rhiannon close by him. In the light of information concerning Cadwallon's murder at the hands of Inanna and Shamash, Tory also had a few ideas to run by Taliesin pertaining to how Doc might be eradicated from history altogether.

Rhun and Ray had already disassembled several of the NERGUZ modules. Ray was half falling asleep as he inspected the circuitry of one through a strong magnifying glass.

'The good news is, these actually are radiation detectors.' He pushed his glasses back up his nose as he looked at Tory. 'Only this tiny area here,' and he motioned to the part of the armband that rested against the inner wrist, 'is of concern to us. Come here.' He motioned Tory round behind him, from where she could view the processor magnified.

Once detached from the metal casing, the tiny processor chip resembled a hexagonal ball that had a minute spike at one end. It was simply beautiful to look at, like a fine jewel that glistened with a myriad of colours.

'I don't suppose you've ever seen anything like this before?' Tory inquired, sounding hopeful, as she certainly hadn't.

Ray shook his head. 'Turan may have, but not I.

Still, commonsense tells us that this wee spike here is integral to the control mechanism's function.

Therefore, if we were to create a device that would sever it from the processor, it may well deactivate it.'

'If, of course, it doesn't give the wearer a severe psychotic breakdown in the process,' Rhun added.

'Or explode, etcetera,' Ray finished. 'The trouble is, we can't seem to find anything that will even scratch the surface of the damn thing, let alone cut it.'

'Well, keep trying. You're doing good.' She rubbed both their necks in gratitude, and feeling how tense Ray was she turned all her attention to him. 'You should get some rest, my friend.'

'Who can sleep!' he scoffed.

'You would, if you'd just put your head down for five minutes! See to it that he does,' she instructed Rhun as she kissed his forehead on her way out.

'Are you off somewhere?' Rhun inquired, sensing that she was.

'Don't worry, I'll stay out of trouble.'

His mother vanished before she reached the door.

Rhun pondered what she might be up to, then, with a shrug, looked back at Ray and the challenge at hand.

'Remind me, in a couple of hours, that I need to check up on her.'

'Bloody parents, eh?' Ray commented. 'You can't let them out of your sight for a second.'

When Tory materialised from the ethers, expecting to confront Taliesin, she again found herself in complete darkness. She could only assume that this meant the Merlin was still in the company of Neraida's clan. This time, however, the room she'd manifested into did not feel entirely stable - in fact, it felt mobile. She was about to call to Taliesin, when the floor underneath her feet tilted abruptly and she was cast off-balance and sent hurtling into a wall. 'Holy Moses!' she muttered, sliding down to the floor where she stood a better chance of keeping her bearings.

'Tory?' She was wrenched from the ground and thrust into a seat. 'Dear me. Are you alright?'

'Taliesin! What's happening? Is it an earthquake?'

she questioned anxiously as she felt him strap her securely into the seat.

'No, not quite.'

He placed a pair of goggles in her hands, which she immediately placed over her eyes to discover her surroundings. 'No wonder,' she mumbled.

They were in some kind of flying craft that was heading at an inconceivable speed through a large subterranean tunnel. The dark, rocky cavern through which they moved was so deep that Tory could only barely make out the river of red molten lava that flowed miles beneath them.

'We're underground.' She had deduced that much.

'But -' Tory was too overwhelmed to decide whether she should ask why, where, or how.

Knowing her mind, Taliesin filled her in on the details. 'Why? Because I have identified all the immortals in Neraida's tribe, so I am moving on to the next underground clan in this area. Where? In the vicinity of Mt Ararat. As for how, Eli here,' he motioned to the man piloting their craft, 'is Neraida's grandson. He knows his way through the fault chasms in this Middle Eastern sector better than anyone.'

'Are you saying we're flying in between the tectonic plates in the Earth's crust!'

'We're below all that,' Eli informed her with a wave to acknowledge his new passenger. 'My tribe has been getting around this way for eons.'

'You see,' Taliesin began his lecture, 'fault lines run along a grid where the electromagnetic energy is strongest. And as this craft is powered by electromagnetic propulsion, fault chasms form the perfect highway.'

'Electromagnetic propulsion,' she echoed, knowing this type of travel had yet to be perfected by those living on the surface of the planet.

'This transit system was left here by the Nefilim,'

the Merlin explained, 'though they themselves have now discovered far more advanced forms of propulsion that do not rely on such tracks.'

'And you've been getting around this way for eons, did you say?' Tory directed the question to Eli, who nodded, indicating she'd got it right.

'Puts a whole new slant on the UFO conspiracy, doesn't it?'

'I'll say.' Tory pondered this a second. 'So, am I to assume, then, that the Nefilim left this kind of underground base all over the world?'

'You guessed it,' Eli confirmed.

Tory took a deep breath. 'That would certainly seem to explain the connection between UFO sightings, fault lines and the ley-line grid.'

'Indeed.' Taliesin smiled, feeling Tory's curiosity had been satisfied for the moment. 'So, to what do we owe this visit?'

Tory looked at him surprised. 'What, you're actually asking me?'

'Well I know how you detest me jumping the gun,'

Taliesin said dryly, 'but I can just give you a straight answer up front, if you'd prefer?'

'As I believe time is of the essence ...' she invited his view.

'The answer is no.'

The Merlin's blunt refusal got Tory's back up. 'No, I cannot time travel back to prevent Inanna and Shamash from murdering Cadwallon in his cradle? Or, no, you will not assist me to rescue my daughter?'

Taliesin took a deep breath, knowing how Tory hated taking his word for anything. 'I have seen the present day in a reality when Cadwaladr was not Caradoc's reincarnation ... it was a disaster.'

'You mean the world would be a worse place without Doc Alexander?' The Merlin nodded, and Tory paused before arguing with him to consider all that the diplomat had done for the nations of the world and the planet itself.

'Understand that, as spiteful and manipulative as he has been throughout the centuries, Cadwaladr has also had his quiet moments of victory and achievement.'

Taliesin's glimpse of the alternative future had made that plainly obvious. 'I also know that, deep inside, you know there is good in Doc. Just as you knew there was good in Caradoc, which is why you wouldn't allow Maelgwn to feed him to the Dragon.'

Tory looked at him, realising that ultimately she had brought this upon herself; had she not been so merciful, Caradoc's soul would have been wiped from existence and Cadwaladr would have been someone entirely different!

'Ah, but would he have been a better man? Ask yourself that,' suggested Taliesin, who was following her train of thought. 'For in the reality I saw, I assure you, he was not.'

'Shit,' she conceded finally. Tory hadn't considered she might actually make things worse. 'Just how much time-hopping have you done in the chariot?' Now that they were on the subject, she was rather curious to know.

'In the chariot ... hardly any. I returned it to your father's cave ages ago for you to find.' He thought he'd avoided that question rather well. 'And you?' he inquired, politely.

'I have to free my daughter,' Tory insisted, to avoid the small talk.

'You can't,' Taliesin said. 'You have no means.'

'Then I have to see her, at least! If I astrally project myself to her, I cannot be restrained -'

'To what end, Tory? Are you forgetting that Rhiannon has been drained of all her psi ability. She won't see you, or hear you.' Taliesin hated to be so harsh on her, but she simply wasn't thinking straight. 'And quite apart from that, Inanna is after your personage, or have you forgotten?'

'No, I haven't forgotten. Why do you think I let Maelgwn talk me into seeking your assistance.' The frustration brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't think of a practical reason to take the risk, only a personal one. 'I have to see her, Taliesin. I have to see for myself how she fares. If you really are my friend, as you have so often claimed, and you are not beyond questioning the Nefilim's motives and orders, you will aid me in this.'

The Merlin seemed puzzled by her words, perhaps even a little bewildered. 'This has very little to do with the Nefilim's will, I assure you,' he declared, before sighing deeply. 'But I can see I shall have no peace if I do not agree -'

'Oh, thank you.' Tory grabbed hold of him to kiss his cheek.

'There is a condition, however.' He spoke up before she got too excited.

'Anything, what is it?'

'You will wait a month before making contact, no questions asked.'

'But why?' She couldn't help herself.

'I have my reasons.' His expression gave nothing away. 'Are we agreed?'

Tory hesitated. She knew what Taliesin was like.

There was very little point in hounding him about his motives if he was of the mind to keep them secret. 'No deal, I'll do it on my own.'

'And risk never being able to touch your love again?' The Merlin tormented her. 'If Inanna claims your physical self you shall be stranded in the ethers until such time as she is bored with you ... and from what I hear of her designs on your husband, that may not be for some time.'

'Alright, already.' Tory didn't like putting her own selfish desires before the welfare of her child, but the notion of Maelgwn being deceived into an affair with that evil enchantress was enough to make her accept Taliesin's terms. She slouched in her chair, all huffy once more.

'Good, it's settled.' Taliesin pretended not to notice her resentment. 'Meanwhile, I shall visit Watarrka to seek out those in your camp who are Chosen.'