=== Old mining shaft / Laboratory of the Particle Accelerator ===

Several hundred meters below the surface, the VERITAS-team awaited impatiently for the CTR to finish its work. Slice after slice of the famous Stone of Scone, the age-old crowning relic of the Scottish kings, appeared on the computer screen. So far, the procedure hat revealed nothing spectacular. Had their guessing been wrong? Calvin gnawed nervously on his lip and Juliet narrowed her eyes like a teacher waiting for the answer of a particular retarded pupil…

"There's something!" Maggie called out. "Appears to be a cavity… no, it's too rectangular to be natural! It's definitive a carved out space in the middle!"

Solomon Zond bent closer to the screen. "And there's something within! Is it possible to magnify that section over there? … Yes!"

All eyes stared at the small round shaped object emerging in front of them.

"Is that a stone?"

"Don't know… The rays can't penetrate it. It's…. it's…"

"Hieroglyphs!" Juliet whispered in awe.

"Look at the inner circle! That's a character of the scripture of the Ancients!" Cal pointed at the screen. "And there's the next one!"

"It might be some sort of a Rosetta stone," Juliet mused, already trying to translate the hieroglyphs. But the writing on that object, which was only about 12 centimeters in diameter, was obviously encoded and compressed. They would need time to compare the text with other fragments and to decipher it!

"I wonder how they got it INTO the stone!" Calvin shook his head.

"Maybe they beamed it into it," Nikko said, meaning it as a joke. However, his father only replied "We have to consider every possibility. It wouldn't be the first time the Ancients surprised us with their technology."

"Teleportation is technically not possible," Cal said, enjoying his knowledge once again. "You just can't store the information of the exact location of every subatomic particle without using a computer the size-"

"Wait!" Maggie retrieved one of the previous pictures and zoomed in. "There are small lines… I think… yes, this section seems to have been removed and later replaced, using some sort of mortar."

"Yes, I see it!" Solomon confirmed. "So we might be able to actually get the Seal without damaging the Stone." Of course, damaging anything had been out of question anyway! The government and National Museum trust would've never allowed such a thing, and he had signed multiple warranties. This wasn't just some old artifact, lost and forgotten for thousands of years, this was a monument of public interest! But if they could get what they wanted in just re-opening the ancient 'entrance', this wasn't exactly 'damaging' the stone, was it?

…

Meanwhile, Vincent was in the supervising room some floors up, together with two police men and an engineer from the facility. He had double checked the elevators, emergency exits and the ventilation grid, using an automated probe in the last case. So far, everything was clear. Nonetheless, he had positioned himself strategically at a point, from where he could see the monitoring screens as well as the elevators. And beneath his inconspicuously coat, he was well equipped with a whole arsenal of weapons.

So, that was it, the Seal of Imhotep, Vincent thought catching a glimpse of the piece on one of the screens. Suddenly it felt as if it hadn't been that long, that he crawled into the tomb in Saqqara in 1218. Time seemed to shrink. Now would be fulfilled what had started then; not only the quest of the VERITAS team, but also the quest of his own life… What would happen, if the seal was inserted in the Ring of Truth, where it belonged?

Vincent saw a tiny blur from the corner of his eyes and startled from his thoughts. Following the effect, he discovered that the blur in fact was a fast spreading cloud of smoke coming from the AC system near the ceiling. Experience, instinct and training made Vincent react instantaneously and get down on the floor, ordering the others to do the same. But already, one of the police men, who had stood next to the AC, sank to his knees. The engineer tried to make it to the door, but was out before he could reach it, and the remaining police officer tried the wrong thing: reaching for the phone instead of getting out as fast as he could.

Vincent couldn't bother with them. He knew he would hold out longer because of the regenerating ability of his cells, but the poison, whatever it was, took its toll as well. Crawling out as close to the floor as possible, he had the impression to breathe pure fire. He coughed, tried to suppress the need to gasp for air. His aim was the place with the fire extinguisher and oxygen mask some meters ahead. But it became more and more difficult to move at all; his body seemed to become heavier with every second, and his vision was darkening, too. One of the elevators moved down. The attackers must have neutralized the rest of the police force upstairs at the entrance … Maybe they have parachuted down, thus avoiding the police barricades… Vincent thought. They are on their way to the lab… to get the artifacts… He fought to get the mask out of its casing. His fingers just didn't want to comply! His mind focused on one thing, more precious than the Ring or the Seal: Juliet! He had to help her! If he failed in everything else – not in that task! Finally, he had the mask on and the oxygen flow regulated. It took a while though, until he could breathe better and stand up again, not to mention to run and fight. Some precious minutes passed.

When Vincent arrived in the lab, the intruders were gone, and with them the box holding the fragments of the Ring. Gone as well was the just extracted Seal of Imhotep. And his friends, his beloved Juliet, lay on the floor! He checked their pulse; they were alive, but who knew what damage the gas had done? Vincent had retrieved another oxygen mask from the emergency kit on this floor, and this one he dragged over Juliet's head. It was hard not being able to help all of his team mates, however he didn't hesitate one moment longer. It might be wrong, considered their goal, their mission – but he didn't care about that now!

When he looked up again, he discovered some police men and paramedics, all of them equipped with masks, heading through the corridor towards the laboratory. Someone in the control center must've been able to hit the emergency button! "What happened?" one of the police shouted, sounding muffled because of his mask.

"Intruders. Used some sort of gas," Vincent answered, still cowering next to Juliet. "They've stolen the artifacts we were testing!" The paramedics set to work and heaved the unconscious team members on stretchers. Juliet opened her eyes – that was, what Vincent had waited for! "Everything will be okay," he whispered. "I love you, always remember that!"

Then he stood up, pushed a police officer aside to reach the elevator.

"Hey! Wait! We need to quest—" A professionally placed hit by Vincent made the officer stumble against the wall and down. When he had his gun ready to fire, Vincent had already vanished behind the elevator doors. No time to answer questions right now; he had to fetch the precious artifacts, before DORNA did anything nasty with them!

He left the elevator one floor above and then took the emergency staircase. It was far too easy to block an elevator and thus apprehend him! On a staircase, there were always certain possibilities for a well trained and well armed man!

…

The black Rover sped ahead, away from the area of the old mining facility. Inside, two DORNA adepts leaned back and enjoyed their victory, while the third, Antonio de'Medici snarled a grumpy: "Don't get over confident!" He was very pissed off, to say the least, that those two idiots had managed that easily what he had failed to achieve so far. "We're not done yet."

The man sitting next to him just grinned and picked the little tracing device from the box containing the Ring. "I'd love to take a look at that damned thing, you know!"

De'Medici clasped the other man's hand before it could reach the bar of the box. "If you touch it, you'll die." How it was disgusting having to rely on that kind of people! How it was disgusting seeing them succeed!

"Cool off, man." The henchman leaned back again and searched for his cigarette package. His colleague, a slim Asian type, started to play with the Seal. However, a threatening look by De'Medici made him place it back in the casing.

…

Vincent had given the police surrounding the facility a short but hard fight, that ended with several incapacitated officers and three destroyed cars. Now he was under way on a police bike, so far successfully outrunning his pursuers. DORNA had only one place close and safe enough – and he knew the way to it. They wouldn't risk bringing the artifacts out of the country; they would try to assemble and test them as soon as possible. He had to stop them!

Vincent was that absorbed in his determined thoughts that he almost collided with the black limousine suddenly crossing his way. He recognized the vehicle even before the window at the driver's seat was lowered and Jean de Molay's face appeared.

"Vincent!" he greeted, "I was confident you'd make it. The dosage was heavy, but for sure not enough to bring you down."

"You knew about that attack! Knew and let Solomon walk into that trap! Are they the collateral damage now?"

"They only will be, if we don't hurry!" Molay replied. "Get into the car. A police bike is not exactly suited to get away unnoticed."

"We have to stop the activation of the Ring!"

"We will do what is necessary."

Vincent was well aware that Molay's definition of their goal was not his own, and now even less. But there remained no option to take things in his own hands, when his companion continued: "I just gave the police an anonymous note about someone doing suspicious things near the Particle Accelerator. Someone resembling you very closely, Vincent. So either you are on my side – or you're in jail very soon."

While complying, Vincent remembered the old saying about hunter and prey, or opponents on each other's heels for too long. In the end, they became so much alike, that no one could discern the difference anymore…

=== One day later / Underground meeting place of DORNA ===

The elite of DORNA had gathered. Today the millennia-long search and the waiting would end. How exactly, this question was answered differently. Some thought they would initiate contact with the descendants of the Ancients, others thought the Ring would show itself as the ultimate weapon to gain control over the vile, retarded humanity. Yet others believed they would reach a higher level of existence. In any case, a feeling of impatience and anticipation dominated them. And their eyes were fixed on that altar like structure in their middle, which held the Ring of Truth and, next to him, the Seal. It was gleaming in the light, almost fluorescing.

Vincent, who stood nearby, felt reminded at the glow in Imhotep's tomb in Saqqara. He knew that the only reason he was still alive was, that they wanted to make an example of him, of course after he had the opportunity to watch their glorious triumph! His glance moved to Molay's motionless figure; a shadow amongst other shadows waiting for their resurrection. There was no doubt anymore that he, Vincent, had been the other man's entrance fee to that assembly. The price that Molay was willing to pay. Just some more collateral damage! What did it matter, in the end; in the grand scheme of things this man was thinking in? Nothing, obviously. Nothing for him. But for Vincent, it mattered a great deal. Nonetheless, he had not many options left. He had been disarmed as soon as he arrived and since then, he was under surveillance - meaning a friendly little laser tracker from a sniper rifle pointing at his head.

One member of the DORNA elite, a Chinese, had stepped into the circle and approached the altar in the middle. Two other members closed in from the other sides. A perfect triangle moving towards its center. DORNA always had a sense for theatrics, Vincent had to admit that. "Stop it," he wanted to shout, however he knew, no one would have listened.

=== Edinburgh Campus / Temporary VERITAS-HQ ===

An hour ago, the team had been released from the hospital. Their mood was down, and not only because they felt still tired and struggled with headaches and cough. The enemy had taken their artifacts, and he had taken them with surprising ease. All those years when they had enjoyed a little victory against DORNA - now all was nullified. They had won. Solomon Zond sighed and felt too weak to sit up. His life's work was shattered! No, not only his, but Haley's as well. And he had hoped to finish what she hadn't been able to do! He had silently promised her that the moment he had been informed of Haley's death. Now Solomon felt doubly frustrated. And Vincent… Vincent was still gone…

"Well, he finally did it!" Nikko snorted. "Betray us to DORNA! He had just waited for the right time!"

"Vincent hasn't betrayed anyone!" Juliet shouted back, immediately regretting her outburst because of her headache. "How can you even think such a thing?"

"The police showed us his picture, didn't they? He let that mysterious intruder escape! He was snooping around the facility-"

"Because he set up security for us!"

"He did a fine job in that," joined Calvin, shuffled to the window and looked outside.

"-and he was seen in company of known DORNA members!" Nikko ended. He felt so angry and sad at the moment, he was close to cry.

"I'm sure there's an explanation for that!" Juliet jumped up and looked around in the faces of her team mates, not really believing what she saw there. She remembered Vincent saying 'Trust me'! She really did; it wasn't just a figment of her imagination! "Solomon! Say something! Vincent is your best friend! You just cannot believe he's a traitor!"

But the team leader sat there, face buried in his hands, and remained silent. The silence was oppressing. Juliet stared into the faces; faces that turned away one after the other. That was the true victory of DORNA, Juliet realized with shock. Not only had they stolen the Ring of Truth and the Seal of Imhotep. They had stolen their heart, their soul, their trust, their friendship!

==== Underground meeting place of DORNA ====

Simultaneously, the three members of the ancient organization had lifted the round shaped Seal and placed into the middle of the Ring. And something amazing happened: the only partially assembled Ring completed itself, until all missing segments had appeared. Then, a faint blue light shot up to the ceiling - and beyond, penetrating the concrete without damaging it. A moment later, the linear light started to split and form some sort of rotating helix. Some DORNA members fell to their knees. Others preferred to run out. The eerie helix spread fast, and a soft hum filled the room.

Vincent looked to Molay, whose face had the solemnity of a martyr seeing his cause finally win. It is wrong, Vincent thought, it is all wrong… The laser twitched away from him. The sniper had other things to do right now.

The blue helix span faster, widening its diameter. Strange black cracks appeared in the air, as if the reality was an old paper withering away. One of the cracks reached a DORNA member, and before the robed figure could pull back, it had penetrated him and deleted him from existence. Just like in a computer game, the man simply vanished in a white flash of energy. He hadn't even time to cry. But others did, now, and they fled out of the room, away from the force they had unleashed.

Vincent stared at the Ring. The helix started to spread only about ten centimeters above the inserted Seal. Similar to a tree spreading its branches. So maybe it was possible to reach the artifacts and separate them again… He drew a deep breath, thought at Juliet - and lunged forward.

…

The next moment he felt strangely weightless and lifted upside down into a vortex of light. For an instant, he believed to recognize the surroundings as something Ancient Egyptian. Hieroglyphs… painted columns… a pyramid in gleaming white new stones…. Then the pictures swirled faster. Suddenly, it was dark - and Vincent recognized the surroundings as the frightening path through the Pyrenees, that he had been walking with the Holy Grail in his bag. The place, where he lost footage and fell! There it was, everything happened again! He tried frantically to hold onto something, but he continued to fall into the black gaping abyss.

Let go, let go! The voice of his father? That wasn't right! Nothing was right. Nothing was real! Focus! For some seconds, as if windows opened in the whirling light, Vincent saw other strange things. Huge bridge like shapes, high almost transparent towers, a strange sky with a double moon… Voices again. He couldn't understand what they said, and he couldn't discern the faces of the persons. He tried to speak, but he wasn't able to, just like in a nightmare.

Then, he was back in the castle of his father again, hearing him debate with one of his knights whom to entrust the Grail. Your son is too young. He will fail. - He won't. - Trust him. The voice of a woman. What woman? There hadn't been a woman in this discussion. And yet, now there was. A woman with long dark hair that was all Vincent could see through the blurred haze of this … dreamscape. Juliet? He still couldn't speak.

Send him back, the woman continued.

Our guardians have failed the first time. We will destroy it. It is too dangerous.

Trust me. Trust him. We have proven to be on the path of truth.

The light became a blinding, hurting crescendo, before it abruptly ended.

…

"Vincent? … Wake up! … Come on, wake up!" The voice of the woman was still there, but it wasn't Juliet's voice for sure.

Slowly, Vincent opened his eyes. Next to him kneeled - Haley!