Interphase (45 page)

She was right. He held mastery here, because she had granted it. Because he had proven himself worthy. It was time to make use of it. Slowly he released himself and merged his consciousness with hers.

They started with the deep search trackers. The memory of the gateway's bizarre code-strings poured into the seek function, and countless modules blurred past them. Mierva alone might not be able to see Anrathian objects, but Clyde's mind could perceive what she could not.

The search programs continued to scan the network. Nothing was found.

That was only the beginning. V-Net existed in numerous levels of complex data streams. Subsystems were in place to scan and re-scan each line of code. They detected errors, logged irregularities, tracked the flow of data. They commandeered them all and set them to work. Like a gathered army, they raced to do the bidding of their generals, and they spread throughout the whole of V-Net.

The data poured back into their mind, and line by line they sifted through it. With the recent turmoil of Totarakh's attack, the number of errors within the network's code was staggering. Even with all the data they had, there was no way to pick out Totarakh's presence or absence. Slowly, Clyde withdrew from their joining and opened his eyes.

"That's gonna be one hell of a headache once my brain puts itself back together." He grunted and turned back to David. "Sorry, Dave. We couldn't find anything."

***

David couldn't stop the sigh. They'd spent almost two hours waiting to hear some good news, for nothing. "It's okay, Clyde. You tried."

Despite the results, David's anxiety continued to grow. That Totarakh was still alive and preparing a new scheme was bad enough, but a physical gateway held possibilities that made him feel like his insides were crawling with ants. VERA's soldiers could easily counter a real Anrathian invasion, but the power of their sages might be something she couldn't defeat. There had to be a connecting point he could find somewhere! "This all has something to do with the recent finds," he said.

"It does seem a bit too convenient, doesn't it?" Clyde said, rubbing at his chin. "So many dig sites being discovered all at once."

"Exactly," David said. "With the artifacts coming from Analath, we
know
Totarakh must be involved."

Clyde became lost in thought. He blinked and shared a glance with VERA, who nodded. "Son of a… I'd never thought to send probes there. It fits though. Mierva, you're a genius." A grim smile crossed his face. "She found him. Totarakh is hiding in the null zone, the digital garbage bins. Why don't we go and ask him what he's up to?"

David frowned. "Another direct confrontation with that maniac wouldn't be my first choice."

"But it may be our best option," Thomas said. "Totarakh has been hiding himself. It's very likely that he needed to rebuild his strength."

"Or he's working on another nasty surprise," Clyde countered. "Either way, we can't afford to wait. Without knowing where the gateway is, he's all we've got."

Glancing between Clyde and Thomas, David couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, it's a little scary when you two actually
agree
on a plan of attack."

"I can't tell, Lancelot… was that meant to be a compliment?"

Thomas laughed. "I'll take it for what it's worth." He crossed his arms and turned back to David. "Are we agreed?"

Analara had been very quiet. David looked at her inquiringly, and she nodded. "We are stronger than we were. He is weaker," she remarked.

Clyde closed his eyes and frowned. "He's on the move. I think he knows we've spotted him. We have to go, now."

"Bah. I guess I'll have to sit this one out then," Lucas said. They were the first words his brother had spoken in quite some time.

"Next time, don't skip a trip to the museum."

"That is
not
funny, bro."

"Tap into the monitors and keep an eye on us from the outside. Stay safe."

VERA lifted her hands, and a blue glow filled her palms. David felt warmth where the light touched him. "The null zone is not accessible in the traditional sense. I will shift the area into the network so that you can exist there, but be careful. It is the edge of the system, and things there do not work entirely as they should."

The warmth became a blaze that seemed to sink into his skin, infusing him with energy. David nodded gratefully to VERA.

She turned away and offered her hands to Clyde. They drew close together, and their heads bowed until their foreheads touched. A hand slipped into David's as he watched. Analara glanced worriedly at him, and he found his heart pounding with anticipation.

Clyde's expression was determined. "This is
our
world."

VERA raised her arm and gestured. A gray doorway cut into the pristine whiteness of the room. A strange odor wafted into the chamber, like the scent of a place long lost to time. She and Clyde broke their connection. "Hurry," she shouted. "Do not allow him to flee!"

Still gripping Analara's hand, David charged through the portal. In that sliver of space between realities he shifted into the Wraith, and the blade in his hand ignited with blue flame.

As soon as his feet met the floor, a green blaze filled his vision. Analara's shield shimmered in front of them and deflected the viral blast. Beyond the gold dome David could just make out Totarakh. The green glow highlighted an almost skeletal frame, with a face twisted and marred beyond recognition.

"I had wondered how long it would take you fools to locate me," Totarakh sneered. "You had best hope that you can hunt better than you can track."

Clyde tapped Analara on the shoulder and gestured to his launcher. She nodded and lowered the shield. They dropped back, and Analara channeled her power into Clyde's attack. The glowing rocket careened toward Totarakh, but something pulled it off course, and it detonated against the twisting gray walls that surrounded them. Totarakh's eyes glowed with power, and waves of green energy began to ripple from his body. A tremor ripped through the area and knocked the group to the floor. The walls groaned and swayed as the landscape around them bent upward, sealing the group within a long, twisting tunnel.

The world tumbled around them, and they fell upward into the shattered hallways above.

Totarakh floated into the center of the spinning world. "Your fate is sealed! The rising has already begun." His gaze fell on Thomas, and a wicked grin spread across his broken face. "You spurned my offer of servitude, maggot, but your heart is still mine."

With a harsh gasp Thomas doubled over and fell to one knee, dropping his sword to press his hand against his breastplate. His skin paled, and a sickly green glow surrounded him. David remembered the wound Totarakh had given him inside the gateway chamber, and a chill of fear rippled through him.

"He failed to join the winning side," Totarakh crowed. He lifted his hand to form a claw. "All he needed to do was kill you."

His gaunt fingers clenched, and Thomas choked.

"Stop it!" David focused his power and leapt up into the air, sailing through the grey haze toward Totarakh. The Wraithblade burned with blue fire and David thrust with all of his might. Totarakh screamed and fell toward the group below. An instant later, one of Analara's arrows pierced his shoulder. Streams of viral energy writhed around his frame, but they could not dislodge the arrow. He fell the rest of the way to the ground and landed with a crash.

Totarakh
had
weakened.

Even diminished, he was still dangerous. A lance of scalding energy streaked across the sky toward David, who leapt back toward the ceiling and the party. A detonation from Clyde's rocket nearly sent him tumbling away, but Thomas grabbed his hand in time. David turned and watched their enemy crumple under a sustained barrage, then lifted the Wraithblade again, preparing to strike.

Thomas beat him there. He dashed forward and seized Totarakh by the throat, lifting the struggling figure off the ground. He pulled his fist back and delivered a crushing blow directly to Totarakh's face. The viral flames died down to barely a smoldering ember.

Thomas threw Totarakh against the nearest wall, and the world stopped spinning. A twisting screech sounded as the bent hallways of the gray landscape inched back toward their original configuration. Thomas's face took on a look of total concentration, and a small spiral of green energy flowed from his chest into his open palm. Deliberately, he turned his hand upside down, dropping the green ball to the ground where it dissipated. "My heart is my own," he growled.

"Are you all right?" David asked.

Thomas's pale face dripped with sweat, but his eyes glittered. He nodded, glaring down at Totarakh's collapsed form. "You will tell us what evil you have been plotting."

"Beware the dark portal." Totarakh clawed at the floor, his breath coming in sharp gasps, as if suddenly afraid. "The dark portal…"

Thomas planted a boot on Totarakh's throat. "The dark portal? Is that the gateway you have created? Answer!"

"It holds the secrets… the terrible knowledge…"

"You will tell us now!"

David stepped forward and put a hand on Thomas's shoulder. "Wait. Step back." Attempting to move the knight was like pushing a mountain, but after a second Thomas relented. David stared down at Totarakh, trying to pin the mad, roving gaze. "You spoke of the rising. What did you mean?"

Totarakh stopped thrashing and stared straight into David's eyes. His gaze, free of madness, transfixed David.

"Dig, usurpers. Dig to your doom."

Then, in the blink of an eye, Totarakh vanished.

Chapter 37

David got up early the next morning, feeling like he had never closed his eyes. Totarakh's words still rang in his mind. Dig to your doom… Obviously it was related to the archeological discoveries, but what was the connection?

Turning on the viewscreen while he fixed himself breakfast, David listened idly to another newscast about the latest findings. Surprisingly, the director of the recent digs had consented to give an interview. David nearly choked on a mouthful when he saw his old professor, Donovan Bell, on the screen.

"Dr. Bell, this is the largest dig site that your team has uncovered so far. What do you expect to find at this latest excavation?" the reporter asked, sweeping her arm to encompass the sun-blasted, dirt hills behind them.

"My initial readings of the area have revealed a massive structure buried beneath the surface. It may be a tomb, a temple, or even an entire city. I shall know much more once the dirt is cleared, but several of the artifacts that I have recovered from the surrounding area would indicate…"

David tuned out Dr. Bell's droning voice just like he had in countless patronizing lectures he'd suffered through regarding crazed theories about pre-human existence on Phoenix. Dr. Bell had been arrogant, even before he was vindicated by these recent discoveries. From the sound of things, he'd only gotten worse in the intervening years.

Dig to your doom…

Was there something dangerous about the artifacts? Perhaps Totarakh was hoping to distract them while he launched another invasion? The latest excavation site truly was enormous. Even Dr. Bell's team would be stuck there for some time.

There was no way to find out without getting a closer look.

David grabbed the phone and called Analara first, while checking to see what time the first tube shuttle was leaving New Terra.

It was a long, boring trip to New Mercury, despite Analara's surprise at the inter-city transport system. The group got a ride from a transport service that VERA had set up just outside the city dome, and a few minutes later, they arrived at the dig.

The excavation was dusty, hot, and crowded. While it was only a few miles from the edge of New Mercury's dome, it was outside the reach of the city's climate controllers. David kept a firm grip on Analara's hand, not wanting to lose her in the press of people.

"Bro, was it necessary to do this so early?" Lucas complained, stifling a yawn behind his hand.

"Better now than later in the day. The heat will be blistering by then. You forget just how unlivable parts of Phoenix were before VERA's terraforming."

A barricade had been set up to keep anyone from disrupting the dig. A pair of junior archeologists milled about, chatting with reporters and keeping people informed of the status of the excavation. David tapped one of the team members on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but we need to speak with Dr. Bell."

"I'm sorry, sir, but he's done with interviews for the next few days."

"I'm a former student of his. I know he's busy, but could you please ask him if he has time to see David Harris?"

"Dr. Bell is extremely…" The archeologist stopped and squinted at David. "Hang on, I know you. You're one of the guys who stopped the terrorist attack at the mall."

A blush crept up David's cheeks. "Uh, I guess."

"My uncle's a V-Cop out of the 9th. Appreciate what you did."

David shared a surprised glance with Clyde, and the archeologist's eyes widened. "Holy… I know you too. Clyde Verell. The new V-Net Architect!"