Interphase (46 page)

Clyde gaped like he'd been caught before a Talan combat division without shielding.

"Give me a moment!" The archeologist took off at a run.

"What… the
hell
… just happened?" Clyde sputtered.

Thomas chuckled and clapped a hand on Clyde's shoulder. "It's called 'celebrity', my friend. You'd best get used to it."

"I think I prefer hacking my way through stuff."

The archeologist returned a minute later. Dr. Donovan Bell trailed after him at an unhurried pace. He pasted a smile on his face and stretched his hand out to Clyde. "Mr. Verell, it's nice to make your acquaintance. I wasn't aware VERA had sanctioned any official visits today."

Clyde's look of total confusion was priceless.

Dr. Bell barely batted an eye at the absence of a reply, already turning his fake smile on David. "If it isn't Mr. Harris, one of my most… unique students."

By 'unique', you mean argumentative, independent…

"It's nice to see you too, professor," David lied with a smile on his face.

"I happen to have a few minutes before the next phase of digging gets underway. Perhaps you and your associates would care for a
brief
tour?"

"We'd be delighted."

Dr. Bell led the way toward a collection of tents gathered around the edges of an enormous pit. Each tent housed a different work station, and dozens of assistants and laborers busied themselves with cleaning and cataloging unearthed artifacts. Several mobile power stations buzzed nearby, and they could see a few computer terminals being used to update V-Net users on the activities of the digging crew.

The group moved to the edge of the chasm and looked down. Gigantic earth-movers carefully lifted piles of dirt out of a hole that was already terrifyingly deep.

"Despite our progress, the structure is still completely buried," Dr. Bell explained. "Most likely, it won't be exposed until some time this evening."

"What do you expect to find, professor?" David asked.

Dr. Bell smiled. "Nothing short of the most important archeological discovery in the history of mankind."

He turned and walked toward the main tent; the others followed him. Inside, shelves and tables were covered with numerous artifacts. Analara moved over to inspect them. "These are just a few of the many items we have uncovered here," Dr. Bell lectured. He picked up a long, cylindrical object and studied it beneath a hanging lantern. "The craftsmanship of this item is exquisite." He tossed David a smug grin. "I remember the jokes the student body used to tell about my theories, Mr. Harris. Are you surprised to learn that I was correct?"

"Honestly, sir, I'm not that surprised at all."

Both Clyde and Lucas snorted with suppressed laughter; Thomas merely grinned. Dr. Bell cocked an eyebrow, then frowned at something behind them. "Do not touch that, young lady!"

Analara snatched her hand away from the shelf, looking startled. "I'm sorry, sir."

Dr. Bell strode toward her and stood in front of the shelf. "These artifacts are priceless. You are not trained in how to properly handle them."

"Priceless?" Analara echoed dubiously. "I was just trying to turn the lekather back over. You happen to have it standing upside-down."

Dr. Bell's eyelids lowered in irritation. "I beg your pardon?"

She pointed over his shoulder to a clay panel with Anrathian characters inscribed on it. Tilting her head to the side, she stared at it and smiled. "It's a pretty design."

"What is it?" David asked.

"Lekathers are wall ornaments. We had several back home. Usually they were inscribed with prayers to Siath, but this one reads more like a warning. 'Beware the tainted sky'."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Dr. Bell demanded. "Do you honestly expect me to believe you can read an extinct language? The people of this race died out
thousands
of years before humans even set foot on this planet, and this is the first glimpse we have had of anything resembling written language."

Analara glared at him. David stepped in between them and put an arm around her shoulders. "It's all right, Analara. He's just not ready to hear the truth yet," he whispered.

"Mr. Harris, this is highly serious work—"

"Professor, doesn't it seem a little strange that all of these discoveries have come in rapid succession? One right after another? I remember a lecture you gave on the average rate of real archaeological discoveries. What you've found in the last week is unprecedented. You've been searching for proof of pre-human civilizations for your entire career. So why now? And why so many?"

Dr. Bell crossed his arms, trying to appear nonchalant, but tight lines formed around his mouth. "I trust that there is a point to this interrogation?"

"Something else is going on here. Someone wants you to find these sites."

The mention of 'someone' made Dr. Bell stiffen. David continued, "You've been fed information about all of these sites, haven't you? You didn't discover them, you were
led
to them."

Dr. Bell's eyes narrowed to slits. "If you are accusing me of something, then you had better have some significant evidence at hand."

"I suspect that
you
are being played." David's mind raced. That was the connection! Totarakh had brought something through his gateway. He was contained inside V-Net but had laid a trap in the real world. Now he was leading his prey to it by the nose. "Professor, it is imperative that you stop the excavations. This is all a set-up. You're be—"

"That is enough," Dr. Bell shouted. "I have had it with people questioning my theories, undermining my research and laughing behind my back. Finally, my dedication has paid off, and not you or anyone else will stand between me and glory! Mr. Harris, remove yourself and your friends from my camp immediately."

David stared hard at Dr. Bell, shaking his head. "I hope you live long enough to regret this, professor."

They turned and headed for the front flap of the tent. David paused and locked his gaze with Dr. Bell. "One more question before we go, Donovan. Have you ever heard the name of Totarakh?"

"Get out.
Now
!"

***

Thomas shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun outside. The group left the excavation site.

"I'm so sorry," Analara said when they were back on the public side of the barricade. "I should have kept quiet."

David put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her. "Actually, I was proud of you. Not many people have the courage to throw Donovan's ego back in his face."

Thomas drew alongside David. "It sounded like you worked something out near the end of that conversation," he said.

"Yeah." David frowned deeply. "I really hope I'm wrong."

He explained his theory: Totarakh had brought a trap through the gateway and planted it underground, and was now leading Dr. Bell and his archeological team to uncover it.

David frowned. "I have to hope that it's not some kind of viral weapon. Given what he's become, the thought is almost too terrifying to imagine."

Thomas clenched his fists. A zealot, a maniac, and a cunning schemer. Totarakh was an extremely dangerous enemy. He cast a glance back at the excavation camp, as if staring at it long enough would help him pierce the mystery lying before them.

The morning had almost passed, and the heat was growing by the minute. They retreated into the shade of the transport station and waited for the next ride to arrive. Analara looked nearly wilted, and she rested her head on David's shoulder.

"You seem tense, Lancelot."

Thomas dragged his gaze away from the dry hills and found Clyde studying him. He sighed and crossed his arms. "I don't like the feeling of an unknown enemy at my back."

Clyde shrugged. "We've beaten Totarakh's ass plenty of times. What's there to worry about?"

"All of our previous battles have taken place within V-Net. We were evenly matched there. But out here—"

"Out here? Exactly what can Totarakh do 'out here'? Even if David is right and we start seeing Anrathian soldiers in reality, they won't stand a chance against VERA's army. No, I think he's just buried in the system. Hell, so far he's only shown up to mess around with
your
head lately. Dunno why he'd want to, the inside of your head doesn't seem like it'd be all that interesting."

Thomas caught the friendly note in Clyde's voice, and laughed. "All right, you've made your point."

From a distance, they could see the transport heading their way.

"Good. Now I think it's time to ruin someone's day. Mr. Bigshot Professor may think he's running the show, but while our first visit
was
unsanctioned, the second will most definitely be otherwise. VERA is sending some large, armed, metallic friends to remind him who his boss is." He stretched his arms above his head, grinning evilly. "I must say, being on the right side of authority does have its advantages."

A deafening crack, like a massive boulder shattering, split the parched air just as the next transport hummed up in front of them. Thomas looked back towards the dig site. Clouds of dust swirled up in the distance, and he could hear shouts over the din.

"Oh hell," David whispered.

"Time to go," Clyde shouted.

They clambered into the transport and ordered the pilot drone to make for the city at top speed. The transport kicked forward and sped away from the dig site.

Thomas glanced behind. The hills above the excavation were collapsing, as if shaken by a monstrous hand. People fled wildly from the chasm. For an instant he thought he caught a glimpse of Dr. Bell, and then the ground exploded around the escaping figures.

A dark mass pushed up from beneath the earth. An armored head rose above the edge of the hole. A clawed hand reached out to dig into the ground, lifting long, jointed arms, enormous shoulders and a thick body clear of the dig.

It was not the only one. A new mountain formed, and then another figure burst up, heavily armed and armored.

The nearest machine raised one arm, and suddenly the sky went red. The transport shook from the tremendous shockwave, pitching its nose into the sand and nearly flipping. Thomas was hurled against his restraints, the safety straps preventing any of them from being thrown clear of the vehicle. The transport sputtered and crashed into a sandy hillside.

David unstrapped himself and vaulted out of the wind dome. "Thomas, help me!"

Thomas jumped down next to him. They pulled on the transport, trying to free it from the hill. Clyde, Lucas and Analara pushed from the other side.

Another shockwave knocked them to the ground, but the transport was dislodged. Hopping back in, they stared in dismay at the broken pilot drone.

"Let's go, everyone!" Thomas wrenched the inert piece of machinery from its moorings as sparks from crushed circuitry fizzled in the air.

"You can drive?" Clyde demanded.

"We're about to find out."

Thomas pressed a button. The transport shuddered forward, building up speed. Grabbing at a pair of levers that he guessed to be the controls, he steered around some low mounds, gaining more confidence.

"Holy shit," Lucas shouted.

"What's wrong?" Thomas replied. An instant later the ground exploded behind them. He fought to steady the transport and risked a glance behind. A blackened crater yawned, and the shadow on the horizon readied another discharge. "Why are they shooting at us?"

"You wanna turn around and ask?" Clyde yelled. "Get us the hell out of here, Lancelot."

Gritting his teeth, Thomas increased their speed to maximum. The hills rushed by dizzyingly fast. He clung to the controls and fought to keep them from crashing, expecting any second to feel the heat of the explosion that would end them.

"If we survive this, Clyde," Thomas growled, "remind me to tell you exactly what can happen 'out here'."

An explosion to their right rocked the transport, pelting the wind dome with debris. For a terrifying instant Thomas slid out of the driver's seat, and the transport veered. Scrambling back to his position, he righted the controls and sped on.

More weapons fire echoed through the air, but this time the sound came from in front. Several hundred figures marched toward the two gigantic war mechs, firing ion-charged rail guns. Their bodies were humanlike, but metal, their faces devoid of features.

Talan assault soldiers. VERA's robotic army.

Chapter 38

The transport failed just outside of New Mercury. Analara leapt out with the rest of the group and ran toward the nearest city gate. She could still feel tremors shaking the ground here, and colored flashes lit up the noon sky behind them.

They entered the city, and David looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. "Clyde, we've got to get into V-Net as quickly as possible. Where is the closest access point?" he asked.

Closing his eyes, Clyde pointed in the direction of a tall, dome-shaped building. "It's a public access point, but it should have enough chairs for all of us."

They dashed to the building and hurried inside, each sitting down in a free link chair. Analara's heart thudded heavily in her chest, but she forced herself to calm down as her mind opened to the embrace of the network.