'That's very obliging of you,' Doc took hold of her knees, and parting her legs wide pulled her close.

'Well, we aim to please,' she advised in a sultry whisper, his hand guiding hers to stub the cigarette out.

'Your aim is true,' Doc assured, his kiss obliging her to assume a horizonal position.

Confronted by Patrick Haze, Cadfan found his memory.

His initial shock turned to delight, which faded when he noticed the metallic band clamped around Patrick's right wrist. The lad spoke as if he remembered Walter, yet he seemed a completely different character to the Patrick he'd known. He had lost all his spark and individuality; all that remained was a walking, talking, empty shell of a man.

This has been me for the last three and a half years, thought Walter, regretting that he could recall every tormenting second of his confinement.

'And it will be you for the rest of eternity if you don't co-operate,' Doc advised.

Cadfan's horror doubled as he realised Doc no longer needed to be touching an individual to know their thoughts.

'You had best believe it,' Doc confirmed his grandfather's observation.

Walter turned to Rhiannon, assuming it was she who'd been tutoring him. 'Your mother must be proud.'

The healer's eyes were filled with forgiveness and pity, which, under normal circumstances, might have made Rhiannon feel ashamed. But she had the part of 'the Chameleon' perfected these days. She could camouflage her true feelings so well that not even she knew they were there. 'You can't please all of the people all of the time, Walter.' She approached Patrick Haze and wrenched him from his seat by his hair. 'But I can promise you this ... if you don't cooperate with my husband, I am going to beat the life out of your friend here. And you, my dear Walter, shall get to witness every breaking bone. How does that grab you?'

Cadfan didn't know that Patrick was an immortal, and that he was in no real danger. 'Are you possessed, child? What has happened to you?' he wondered aloud, noting she did not wear a module that might have been obliging her to act as she was.

'Not the response we were looking for.' Rhiannon didn't hesitate, she broke Patrick's nose with her elbow and then snapped a couple of his ribs with her knee.

'No, stop!' Cadfan begged her. He knew that although Patrick's spirit was too repressed to cry out in pain, he would still be feeling everything. 'I'll do whatever you want.' Walter's head bowed low in defeat.

Death Valley had been chosen as the location where Cadfan was to meet the people, as this area had remained untouched by disaster. This travesty was to take the form of a healing festival, and the masses had already started to gather.

The evening prior to leaving Britain for Cadfan's big engagement in the US, Doc summoned his guardian to report.

Such meetings took place inside a small circular temple that the diplomat had had erected amidst the extensive gardens of his estate. Inside the sanctuary, torches burnt at the four cardinal points. The walls were perfectly plain, free of incriminating motif or symbol.

Long-stemmed flowers adorned long, golden vases situated beneath each of the torches. A large, glass dome featured in the ceiling overhead, exposing the heavens and, at present, the evening stars. The polished marble floor stepped down to a central circular area, where Doc knelt on one knee to address his instructor.

With the point of his sword to the ground, he gripped the hilt with both hands, his head bowed low in concentration. Doc gathered his will to invoke Utu; sometimes his guardian would appear. At other times he would simply bethink Doc.

Today, Utu chose to manifest. When informed how Cadfan had been persuaded to co-operate fully the celestial being appeared dubious.

And it was the Dragon's daughter who conceived of this means? the glowing presence inquired.

'Yes, my lord, it was. I believe this is a firm sign of her loyalty to us.'

Utu did not seem as convinced. I cannot believe, after so many centuries of life, Cadwaladr, that you could still be so blind to the nature of women. Females of any breed are remarkably resourceful and clever. The moment you trust her fully, she shall betray you.

'I will be cautious.' Doc heeded the warning, all the while trying to conceal the fact that he disagreed.

That is the trouble with human beings, Utu shook his head in sympathy, always seeing what they want to see, not what is truly there.

'I'm sorry, my lord, but what would you have me do?'

Replace the NERGUZ on your wife's wrist for the duration of the healing festival.

'But I cannot betray her loyalty thus.' Doc thought of what this would do to the mutual trust he and Rhiannon had built up during their time together.

Cannot, or will not? Shamash challenged. Mark my words, warrior ... she is out to deceive you. Leaving her to roam free is a mistake.

'How can you be so sure?' Doc questioned defiantly, as he always did. They'd been over this a hundred times already.

Because I know for certain that you are not her true love.

'What!' Doc stood, enraged by the suggestion; this claim had never been raised before. 'Name the man she has deceived me with?' He raised his sword in challenge.

Rhiannon's twin-soul is Cadwallon, though she is not yet aware of his existence.

' Father.' Doc's eyes narrowed, and he began wielding his sword about him. 'He shall never have her. Nor will Rhiannon ever find out about him, is that understood?'

Doc looked to his guardian for confirmation, his sword held poised in challenge once again.

Cadwaladr. Utu appeared surprised at him. As long as you follow my instructions, she never need know.

The contempt returned to Doc's face. 'Are you trying to blackmail me, my lord?'

Succeeding, I would say. Don't forget you need me to remove from your memory that which you have just learnt.

Otherwise your wife might perceive the fact of Cadwallon from your good self, and we wouldn't want that, would we?

Doc lowered his sword. He could not expect to outwit such a being, and in all honesty, he'd never expected that he might have to.

Restrain your wife, Utu concluded bluntly, before his image shrank into an angry ball of light. The bright manifestation then rammed Doc's head and, by sweeping through his memory of the previous conversation, it neatly edited out the details of their disagreement. All Doc was left with was the overwhelming urge to keep Rhiannon restrained.

The plan was a fairly straightforward one.

A swirling, cosmic cloud mass, disguising their recovery craft, would be orchestrated from deep within Taliesin's maze of a house. Herein was the room of hexagons; technology procured from the Merlin's future travels. He had a device to monitor and manipulate weather patterns within a twenty mile radius of a targeted area. Although this technology could not aid the world's erratic weather problems, it would serve their purpose. Noah had been instructed and briefed on manning the controls, which freed Taliesin to assist Myrddin with the other visuals that would make Cadfan's ascension a realistic and memorable event.

The Merlins planned to conceal themselves in the crowd to carry out their part in the rescue. They were responsible for Cadfan's ascent into the clouds, where his escape vehicle would be awaiting him. Then they were to keep the mystified onlookers entertained long enough for the Goddess to get well clear of the area.

Tory and Rhun would transport Cadfan to the entrance hall of Taliesin's labyrinth. There they would be joined by other immortals, who would form a protective shield around Cadfan until such time as his own spiritual defences were fully restored. As this process was expected to take weeks, Taliesin had rallied immortals from all the underground tribes to join in the vigil of protection, and he felt quite sure that they would not lack for volunteers.

Being the best pilot, Brian assumed this role and Tory was taking the co-pilot's seat. She was of the mind to record the event on CD-ROM, just in case she should ever wish to expose their hoax. Naomi, as per usual, was navigating and her son, Daniel, was present as a backup in case they needed to launch one of the smaller reconnaisance units. Nicholas was keeping a watchful eye on radar and sonar, and Jenny was his backup should Merlin I or II be needed. Ray was, of course, overseeing the electronic systems and Rhun was in attendance as all-round trouble shooter. Only two members of the usual team were absent: Noah, who was doing his part from the room of hexagons, and Floyd, who stayed at base to record the media reaction.

Taliesin and Myrddin caught a ride on the Goddess to their destination and both were impressed with her performance on her maiden air voyage.

'This is simply splendid, Tory,' her father told her, as he reclined in a luxurious chair, sipping tea. 'I very much approve of my investment.'

'Well, we did invite you to the launch, Dad,' Tory commented, leaving the co-pilot's seat to join her father in the lounge area, located at the rear of the control room. 'But as usual, you didn't listen to me when I told you that she was something extraordinary.'

'For this day and age, anyway,' the Merlin quite agreed.

'Hey, Taliesin,' Brian called back to him from the pilot's seat. 'It's time.'

Ray looked over at Teo after he'd responded to Brian's cue. 'Why does he keep calling you that?'

'It's a nickname,' the Merlin told him. 'You see, Taliesin was a very, very, very wise man, like Einstein.'

He was forced to end his explanation there, as Tory and Myrddin burst into laughter.

'So, what's so funny?' Ray's smile wavered, feeling that maybe the joke was on him. Teo raised his brows in disgust, shrugged and disappeared.

'Taliesin was also renowned for his modesty,' Tory explained, spurring on their laughing fit.

'I still don't get it?' Ray looked to Rhun, whose smile indicated he was in on the joke.

'You know my family.' He slapped Ray's shoulder to encourage him to ignore them. 'They're all nuts.'

As Noah eagerly awaited Taliesin's arrival in the room of hexagons, he scribbled down notes for his book. 'All these computers and I don't know how to access a simple word processing program?' He shook his hand, which was beginning to cramp, thinking his situation ironic.

'You were always more partial to the written word anyway.'

Taliesin startled him with the comment, and Noah dropped everything. 'Is it time?'

The Merlin found the lad's reaction amusing.

'You are the very image of an animal stunned by the headlights of an oncoming truck,' he explained.

'That's exactly how I feel,' Noah realised, reaching for his folder to make a note of it.

Once the startup sequence had been initiated, Taliesin was to leave Noah to execute the other functions as taught. But before departing he approached a small control panel that stood facing the largest hexagon in the room. The panel board consisted of nothing, bar a large mottled crystal ball that lit up when Taliesin passed his hand over it.

Noah was so mesmerized by the Merlin's actions that he didn't notice the full-colour holograph taking form inside the large hexagon. Taliesin had to direct his attention to it. 'Holy smoke!' Noah raced over to view the tiny, technicolor landscape more closely.

'Death valley,' the Merlin stated. 'You see that wee cloud forming at your eye level?'

Noah raised his eyes and nodded when he spied the cloud mass erupting in the middle of nowhere.

'That's your cloud.'

' Wow, ' was all Noah could say - the technology was mind-blowing.

'You know what to do if the ICA put any helicopters in the air.'

A little fearful of the prospect, Noah nodded to confirm.

'It's only to scare them off, my friend. If they don't get too close, they won't be harmed.'

'I understand,' Noah stated surely. 'I'll do my best.'

22.

ASCENSION.

It was clear skies as they flew in over the crumbling western coastline of the US. The good weather would make it easier to spot Noah's cloud, which Brian estimated would be in sight within half an hour.

The two Merlins departed before the Goddess took up station over the target area. Cadfan had been healing people and prescribing natural cures since sunrise; hence you couldn't get within a mile of his healing platform because of all his adoring disciples. Further away, where the masses had spread out and were seated absorbed in their prayers, suited Taliesin and Myrddin better. Here the earth inclined gradually upward, awarding a fine view of the stage in the distance and the cloud mass above it.

The temperature in the valley was quite bearable as the climate in this region of the world had also taken a severe turn. It was the weird vibrations emanating from the healing festival itself that were unbearable - both Taliesin and Myrddin felt it - for although people were singing, chanting, and giving praise, their motivation sprang from wantonness and fear, not joy and love.

'I feel this afternoon is going to be a real eye-opener for many of these folks,' Taliesin commented in an aside to Myrddin, who quite agreed.

'That is, of course, if any of them still think for themselves.' Myrddin rolled his eyes and sat himself down. 'I am sorry,' he apologised, as soon as Taliesin had joined him crossed-legged on the ground. 'That was most unnecessary. The vibrations here today are really very unsettling.' He shook off the negative energy.

'Let us hope the elementals are not feeling it as strongly.'

Taliesin hadn't called upon the nature spirits of late.

Most had retreated to the fourth dimension, where time does not exist, and from there accessed other ages when the Earth was more hospitable. Those that did remain in the present concerned themselves only with tending the planet. Understandably, they were not well-disposed towards the human race of the twenty-first century; all the ruptures in the Earth's surface were evidence of their discontent. Myrddin had stayed in closer contact with the deva kingdom, mainly those beings who frequented the woodland areas of Britain. So, although desert spirits weren't really his area of expertise, he offered to try and make contact with the elementals in the region - just to make sure all this pandemonium wasn't bothering them too much. Taliesin agreed this was a good idea, so Myrddin disappeared under the hood of his robe to meditate on the task.

He emerged from his private pow-wow about ten minutes later, appearing rather pale. 'We must get these people out of here,' he said.

'That has always been the plan,' Taliesin assured him, noticing the turbulence in the cloud above.

Myrddin shook his head slowly. 'I don't think you understand. I mean this whole valley is very unstable.'

Taliesin knew exactly what he meant, but the plan remained the same and they needed to get on with it. 'I have faith in you. Are you ready?'

Slightly perturbed about the role he had to play in this affair, Myrddin nodded. 'Let us begin.'

It didn't take long for the masses to notice the unnatural movement and glow of the huge cloud above.

The anomaly was pointed out to the security guards who lined the front and back of the stage. They also thought it unusual and stood staring up at it just as everybody else did. They certainly didn't expect it was going to steal their charge away, or they surely would have made for Cadfan sooner. Doc would have suspected at once. But, unfortunately, he was having lunch with his associates in a large marquee that had been pitched in the VIP area backstage.

Brian was lining up the Goddess to be directly above Cadfan, while beside him Tory watched a live broadcast of the event. The television cameras had switched to a long shot to film the glowing cloud mass expanding above the stage.

'Hey, the searchlights are really effective with all the turbulence the thrusters are creating,' Tory commented.

'I'm pretty sure we're directly over him.' Brian locked into hover mode. 'Hit the searchlight.' They had positioned this earlier, it was aimed directly down.

Tory flicked the switch, her eyes glued to the television broadcast. The cloud had created a shadow over the stage area, and their light beam could be clearly seen as it landed right on Cadfan. 'Direct hit!'

Tory squealed with delight, giving her brother a high five.

The light came streaming down upon him. Cadfan raised his eyes from his patient and smiled as his feet left the ground. 'Grandfather,' he uttered, relieved, knowing his kin had finally come for him.