Firezone

by Debbie Kluge

Story #6 in the Jealousy series. A new enemy with a lust for power makes life difficult for the Quests

14. Chapter 13 Tuesday, December 28

Chapter 13

Tuesday, December 28

Quest Compound

The shrill ringing of the telephone jarred Jonny awake rudely. He jerked upright, blinking in confusion as his hand groped for the noisy object next to him. Fumbling, he picked up the mobile unit and hit the talk button.

"Hello?" His voice cracked slightly and he cleared his throat and tried again. "Hello?"

The caller on the other end hesitated slightly, and then said, "Jonny, is that you?"

Jonny looked around him, still slightly dazed. He was in the lab. Next to him, Hadji was slumped over a console, sound asleep. On the screen in front of them, lines of code scrolled by swiftly. Other than that, things were quiet. Squinting, he peered down at the time display in the corner of the screen in front of him . . . 5:15 . . . they had been here all night.

"Yeah," he replied, clearing his throat again. "Matt? Is that you?"

"Yeah," the voice on the other end replied. "Look, man, I'm sorry for calling like this. I . . . I didn't realize what time it was . . ."

"Hey, not a problem. I wasn't in bed anyway." Suddenly, alarm flared. "Is something wrong? Has Bobby gotten worse?"

"No . . . nothing like that. The doctor was just here and he said that he's about the same. They've decided to let him be transferred back home today. Dad asked if I'd call and let Race know, since he said he'd take care of the transfer. I just didn't realize it was this early . . . I . . . I'm kinda disjointed right now . . ."

"It's okay. I know what that's like. And like I said, I wasn't in bed anyway."

"It sure sounded like I woke you up."

Jonny laughed and stretched, trying to work some of the stiffness out of his back and neck. "Hadji and I got started on a project in the lab last night and lost track of time. We both ended up falling asleep sitting at our computers. Hadji is still out."

"I am not," Hadji replied, straightening carefully. He rubbed his neck gingerly. "I was simply resting."

"Uh huh, resting face down on your keyboard," Jonny replied good-naturedly and he could hear Matt Evans' weak chuckle on the other end of the line. "So what time does Race need to be at the hospital?"

"They said he should be ready to transferred by 9:00."

"Okay. I'll let Race know so he can start getting things lined up. You can expect him there about 8:45 or so unless something comes up. If he can't make it then, I'll have him call."

"I'll let Mom and Dad know." There was a brief pause. "Jonny . . . "

"Yeah?"

"I . . . I guess I just want to say 'thanks'. You guys have been really great . . . what with Race acting as personal transport, and Estella looking after my Mom and all . . ."

"Forget it. We're just glad we can help."

"Yeah, I know. But Bobby was being such a jerk right before all of this . . . over Francesca and . . ."

Jonny sighed. "Look, Matt, it's no secret that I don't like Francesca, and I figure I've got good reason. But I was out of line, too. It's none of my business to try and tell Bobby whom he should or shouldn't see. Truth is, if she makes him happy, who are we to judge?"

"Are you telling me that you, of all people, are starting to trust her???" Matt asked incredulously.

"No. I'll never trust her . . . no matter what she does. All I'm saying is that as long as Bobby is prepared to hang with her, I at least need to learn to be civil. Matt, you and Bobby have been my closest friends ever since we moved here. I really don't want to lose that. So I'm going to try to apologize to Bobby about the whole mess and see if we can't patch things up between us."

"If you get the chance," Matt replied darkly.

"I'll get the chance," Jonny replied with a confidence he wasn't sure was justified.

"And what if he gets better only to have Francesca get him into trouble again?" Matt demanded. "Jonny, you know Bobby. None of the stuff that's been going on with him since he started dating her is anything like him. He's changed, and none of it is for the better."

"I know. But all of us are reaching the point where we're starting to make choices for ourselves and they're ones we have to learn to live with. Some of 'em, we make and don't tell anyone about, and some of them are out in the open and we have to deal with the consequences. From what Race says, Bobby's going to have enough problems dealing with your mom and dad's reaction if he decides to stick with Francesca. I don't see that he needs to lose friends over it, too."

"That's very noble," Matt said, a bit sarcastically.

"No, it's not. It's practical. I think the more we push Bobby to dump Francesca, the more stubbornly he's going to cling to her. Jeez, Matt, you know him . . . and you know the way he gets when he gets an idea stuck in his head. And no matter how much we push him, he's not going to do anything but turn away from us. If we allow that to happen, then when the crash comes . . . and don't mistake me, I think it will come . . . he will have no one to turn to at all. And that's when he's really gonna need friends. So for the time being, I'm gonna put my differences with Francesca aside. I'll watch her like a hawk, but I'll at least associate with her socially. For Bobby's sake."

Matt sighed. "Yeah, I know. And I appreciate your willingness to do that. I just wish he'd see what she's really like and get it over with. And what this is doing to Marla seriously sucks."

"Tell me about it! She called Jess yesterday."

"Oh man . . . She'd heard about Bobby, hadn't she? I'd planned on telling her myself, but when I tried calling her yesterday morning, she wasn't home. How'd she find out?"

"No clue. She called around lunchtime. Kefira and Jessie talked to her. Both of them said she was seriously upset."

"I better call her," Matt said unhappily.

Jonny hesitated. "I don't know, Matt . . . "

"What? You think I shouldn't?"

"I think you'd be better off going to see her rather than calling. It'll probably be harder for you, but considering her history with Bobby, she'd probably feel better actually seeing a live person."

Matt sighed unhappily and then replied, "You're right. Look, I'm gonna go. I'll give her a call right now and let her know we're bringing him back to Rockport. I can also set up a time later this afternoon when I can go see her."

"Uh, Matt . . ."

"What?"

"Not right now, okay?"

"Why not? Is something else going on?"

Jonny squinted at the clock again. "Matt, it's 5:30 in the morning. I don't think you want to get her or her parents up at this hour."

"Oh! No, you're right. That wouldn't be a good idea. Thanks. I'm not real with it, I guess."

"That's okay," Jonny said, laughing slightly. "You're forgiven. Why don't you go get a little sleep? Sounds like you need it."

"Yeah. Okay. You'll tell Race, right?"

"Right now. Go get some sleep, Matt."

"Right. Bye."

Jonny cut the connection and looked over at Hadji. "Well, he's fried."

"I do not think you can blame him."

"No. Not much." Jonny stood and stretched. "Man, I'm stiff. How's the program doing?"

"Almost done compiling. Once it is finished, we need to test it. Do we still have any of those old PCs in storage or did we finally destroy them all?"

"I don't remember. We'll have to look." Hadji had been gazing at Jonny with a speculative look for quite some time. Finally, Jonny rose to the bait. "What?"

"I am just wondering something."

"Well, what?"

"What choices have you made recently that you are not telling anyone about?"

"What do you . . . oh, my comment to Matt, you mean."

"Yes. You had something specific in mind, I could tell. What have you done, my friend?"

A slow flush rose into Jonny's face and his eyes fell under Hadji's steady gaze. He turned and began walking toward the door as he replied, "Nothing I should be talking about."

"Jonny . . ."

"Look, it's a decision we made and it's probably best that it stays quiet."

"We?"

Jonny turned back to look at his brother in frustration. "I just hate it when you do that!"

"Do what?"

"Sit there looking at me and picking out things I say so that you end up boxing me into a corner!"

"That makes it sound like you have a guilty conscience."

"I do not! We're not sorry and it was the right decision. It's just not a good idea to talk about it, that's all."

"Father told you last night that it is not a good idea to keep things bottled up inside you, either."

"This is different."

"Why?"

"It just is, that's all."

"That is not a reason. Why is this different?"

"Because it would only upset people."

"What people?"

"Hadji!"

"Would it upset me?"

"I don't know . . . maybe."

"Jessie?"

"Jessie was in on making the decision."

"Father? Race?"

"Would you stop it?"

"Were you at least careful?"

"Of course we were careful! You don't think we're that stu . . ." Jonny stopped dead. "What do you mean, 'Was I careful?'"

"Exactly what you thought I meant, and exactly the way you responded. You and Jessie have slept together."

Jonny glared at him and then threw up his hands in resignation. "Yes. Are you happy now?"

"That depends. Are you?"

Jonny came back over and sat down again. Gazing steadily at Hadji, he replied, "Yes, I am. It wasn't something we did because things got out of hand, Hadj. We discussed it, talked about the possible repercussions, and finally decided that it was right for us. We aren't sorry."

Hadji smiled at him. "Then I am pleased for you both."

"You don't seem surprised."

"I am not. It was simply a matter of time. I have told you before, I knew a very long time ago that the two of you were meant for each other. And to be honest, I cannot see you waiting four or five years to take this step. It was either this, or marrying much younger than you have told me you are planning. This seemed to me to be the most likely outcome. But I do believe you are wise in not discussing it right now. I do not think that Father or Race would take it well."

"No, I think you're right. We're just going to keep a very low profile and hope that neither one of them asks us point blank."

"And if they do?"

"We won't lie about it."

Hadji nodded. "I will help if I can. But if you are serious about not letting Father or Race know, you must watch yourselves very carefully. I suspected that something had transpired between the two of you."

Jonny's gaze sharpened. "Why? What did we do?"

"It is not so much anything that you did, as it is the way you are responding to each other. The experience has brought the two of you closer than ever before, and your body language is communicating it."

"Oh, great! And do you think Dad or Race have noticed?"

Hadji shook his head. "No. Race has been more interested in Estella, and Father . . . well, Father is not that focused right now. Plus, there has been so much happening, there has not been time for either of them to become aware of it."

"Then how is it you did?"

Hadji smiled. "Let us just say that I understand you a bit better than I used to."

Jonny started to laugh softly. "Oh, the wonders of the right woman. Well, you cover my back and I'll cover yours."

"As we have always done," Hadji agreed. Then he sighed. "But you do not have to worry about covering mine . . . at least, not when it comes to this subject."

"Oh, you never know."

The smile was gone now, replaced with a bitter expression. "No, I no longer control those choices. At least, not if I hope to marry Kefira one day. If I sleep with her before we marry, I will not be permitted to take her as my wife."

"Well, how are they gonna know?" Hadji stared at him without speaking. "Are you telling me they check???"

"Yes."

"That . . . that's disgusting! And rude. And none of their business!!!"

Hadji sighed and shook his head. "It is an old custom . . . designed to ensure that the child produced by the wife of the Sultan truly is fathered by him and is of the royal bloodline."

"That's what DNA tests are for."

"I said it was an old custom."

"Well, it's one that needs to be changed!"

"Yes, but I can only push them so far," Hadji replied with weary bitterness. "Attempting to change this custom right now would be unwise. It is too deeply ingrained. Plus there are more important battles that need to be fought, so my personal preferences cannot figure into it."

Jonny stared at his brother for a long time. Then he said quietly, "I think I'm not the only one who has stuff he needs to talk about." Hadji opened his mouth to protest, but Jonny shook his head decisively. "Don't tell me you're fine, and don't tell me it's nothing. I know you better than that. Hadji, I've never seen you this unhappy. And it's showing. You've lost your temper more in the last six months than you have the rest of your life put together. You're also tense all the time. You can't keep this up, Hadj. We're family. If you can't bring your problems to us, then who can you bring them to?"

"There is nothing you can do."

"We can listen. Is that nothing?"

"No, it is a great deal."

Jonny looked at him for a minute and then asked, "We're brothers, right?"

"Always, and no matter what happens," Hadji agreed instantly. Jonny held out an arm and Hadji grasped it. "Then let's make a promise to each other. When this mess is over and we don't have to worry about Baxter or Surd any more, we'll sit down and talk . . . for as long as it takes to help both of us work through our issues. Deal?"

"It is a deal. And perhaps, somewhere in that time, we can include both Jessie and Kefira, because both of them have a vested interest in our futures."

"It's a date." Jonny glanced over at the computer monitor. "Looks like it's done compiling."

"Then I will go looking for a test computer while you go let Race know that he must be in Rumford by 9:00."

Jonny rose and, slapping Hadji on the back, he said, "I'll be right back." He grabbed his coat as he headed toward the spiral staircase that descended toward the main door to the lighthouse. As he opened it, a blast of frigid air greeted him and he shivered involuntarily. The temperature had dropped dramatically overnight. Jonny gazed skyward as he moved quickly toward the main house. The air was crystal clear and the pre-dawn sky shimmered with stars. Cold but beautiful, Jonny thought. He spotted a light in the kitchen and picked up his pace, ready to be in where it was warm. As he came in, Jessie looked up from her position at the breakfast bar and smiled. Jonny shrugged off his coat and hung it up by the door as Jessie crossed to greet him.

"Good morning," she said softly. His only reply was to put his arms around her and kiss her. The kiss was gentle and loving and lingered for a long time.

"Morning," he finally replied. She laid her head against his chest and they stood in contented silence, simply holding each other for a time. Jonny nuzzled the top of her head gently and said in a very soft voice, "Hadji knows."

Jessie raised her head to look at him. "You told him?" she asked in the same soft tone. Jonny noticed that she didn't sound upset.

He shook his head. "No. He guessed." A smile flickered on his face. "He made me own up to it, though." Then he cupped the back of her neck with his hand and caressed her cheek gently. "He warned me, however, that we need to be more careful. He says our body language toward each other has changed and it shows."

Alarm flared in her eyes. "Does he think that Dad and Dr. Quest have caught it?"

"No, not yet."

Jessie frowned and stepped back from him. "It's gonna be hard controlling reactions we don't even realize we're making."

"Hadji'll cover for us, and he'll warn us if it starts getting too obvious."

"He wasn't upset about it, was he?" Jessie asked anxiously.

"No. If anything, he seemed downright pleased."

Jessie sighed in relief. "That's good. In a way, I was almost more worried about his reaction than I was about Dad's or Dr. Quest's."

Jonny looked at her in surprise. "You were? Why?"

"I don't know," she replied, shrugging helplessly. "I guess because I was afraid that if he disapproved, it would drive a wedge between the three of us. That would almost be like losing an arm or something."

"Yeah, it would." He looked at her for a minute, then added thoughtfully, "A little bit like Matt must feeling, facing the prospect of losing Bobby." Then he shook his head and sighed. "Speaking of which . . . have you seen Race yet this morning?" He told her about the phone call.

"No, he hasn't stirred."

Jonny chuckled. "This is late for him. Married life must be agreeing with him. I'm gonna go get him up and let him know that they're ready to move Bobby, then. Any chance you can throw some sort of breakfast together for Hadji and me? After I talk to Race, I need to go back out to the lab."

"Sure, I'll put together something. How's the work on the program going?"

"It finished compiling a little while ago. We're ready to run the first tests on it. I'll be back."

He strode through the quiet house until he reached the door to Race's suite. He knocked sharply on the door and waited. After a minute or two, he knocked again. Almost immediately, the door opened and Race stood in the doorway. He wore the bottom half of a pair of pajamas and nothing else. Behind him, in the door to the bedroom, Jonny spotted Estella. She wore the other half of the pajamas. Both looked to be freshly awake.

"Sorry to wake you," Jonny said apologetically, "but Matt called a little while ago." Quickly, he explained.

"At least they're sending him home," Race said gratefully, "even if it is to a local hospital. What time is it?"

"A little after six," Jonny replied.

"I'm going to get in the shower," Estella told Race. "You call Barbara and get things rolling." Then she disappeared.

"How did Matt sound?" Race asked.

"Exhausted. Out of sync. About the way you'd expect. Waiting's the hardest." Then he gestured vaguely toward the kitchen. "I gotta run. Jess is throwing something together for breakfast and I need to get back to Hadji."

"How's the work going?"

"Getting there. You gonna need either one of us to help with the transfer?"

"No," Race replied, shaking his head. "Your priority is getting that virus program done."

Jonny nodded and waved, briskly heading back toward the kitchen.

* * * * *

Conners Residence, Rockport, Maine

Francesca lay flat on her back staring blindly at the ceiling. Sunrise was fast approaching and the vague shadows in her room were slowly resolving themselves into familiar objects once again. She had lain awake most of the night in constant, throbbing pain. She should have taken the medication the doctor had given her, but it left her so groggy she could scarcely think. She was pushing too hard . . . forcing herself to do things she shouldn't be doing . . . and those actions were taking their toll. She closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than the chance to slip away into the oblivion of sleep for a while. But the constant ache and her restless mind wouldn't give her that release. If she could just make it through today. Once Leeds got those codes into the Quest's computer, it should finish quickly. Baxter wouldn't wait to strike. He didn't have the patience.

Leeds was to call her as soon as it was done. Then she would notify Baxter. She didn't know what the man's plans were, but it shouldn't be hard to find out. He loved to boast. Her own plan was simple . . . find out what Baxter planned to do and then put Leeds directly in the path of it. One final phone call to Baxter, warning him of Leeds' presence, would be all it would take to finish the job. What would happen next, she didn't know . . . but she didn't really care, either. There would be time enough to make up her mind about that once this business was finished.

The soft twitter of her cellular phone, which sat in its battery charger beside the bed, startled her. No one ever called her on that phone. The Conners had given it to her in case of emergencies and, in an effort to stay on their good side, she rarely used it. There was only one person who had the number besides Mr. and Mrs. Conners and he . . . With difficulty, she sat up and reached for it.

"Hello?" she said hesitantly.

"Francesca?" a familiar voice queried. She suddenly felt as though her brain had gone numb. It couldn't be . . . could it?

"B-B-Bobby?" The sudden surge of hope and joy surprised her. "Bobby, is that you? Are you okay? No one told me you were awake! How do you feel? Where are you?"

"Wait!" the voice said, breaking in on her stream of questions. Something in the tone caused Francesca to falter.

"Bobby, what's wrong?"

The voice at the other end of the line sighed and then said quietly, "This isn't Bobby, Francesca. It's Matt."

"Matt . . ." All the excitement and happiness drained away. She choked up abruptly and her voice caught on a sob as she said, "I-I thought you were Bobby . . ."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"What do you want?" she said sullenly, angry at herself for her own reactions. "Are you going to yell at me, too?"

"No," Matt replied, wondering who had been yelling at her. "Look, Francesca. I'm not going to lie and say that I've been pleased about your relationship with Bobby. I haven't been. But from what everyone says, my brother's alive right now because of you. And I figure that means we owe you something."

"Gee, thanks," she said sourly. "Your family sure has a strange way of saying 'thanks.'"

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked, his original intentions of trying to be civil rapidly dissipating in the face of her irritability.

"I have been trying and trying to find out how Bobby is. But when I call to ask, I get nothing but grief. Your father hangs up on me, and your mother . . . she calls me names. The only one who was even vaguely civil was Jessie Bannon's mother! And now, I can't even find out by asking the hospital because your parents have told them that they aren't to tell me anything!"

"Well, you can hardly blame them!" Matt replied, irritation turning to anger. "Before you came along, Bobby was happy, healthy, and never got in trouble. Since he's started seeing you, he's out until all hours of the night, he comes home drunk, and now he's half dead!"

"Before I came along, Bobby was bored out of his mind! Do you really think I'm that good? That I could get him to do all those things against his will? Open your eyes and see reality, Matt! Bobby may have been good at hiding it, but the truth was that he was restless and bored. And then, when he began to have some fun, everybody got uptight. Of course he turned rebellious. Do you really blame him?"

"I don't believe it," Matt said flatly. "I know my brother. He was happy and well adjusted, and he was absolutely crazy about Marla Dawson. And then you came along and pulled the same kind of stuff that you did on Jonny and . . ."

"What has Jonny Quest been telling you???"

"He didn't have to tell anyone anything. We all watched you split he and Jessie up . . . just like you did Bobby and Marla."

"I've got news for you, Matt Evans!" Francesca said hotly. "I didn't split up Jonny Quest and Jessie Bannon. They weren't even a couple when I started dating him. Jessie may have thought he belonged to her, but he sure didn't know it! And we were happy, too, until she interfered. If anything, she stole him from me!"

"Oh and since you can't have Jonny, you decide to make my brother's life miserable? Is that it?"

Francesca was about to retort furiously, but that small, calculating voice in her head stopped her. No, there was another way . . . a much better way . . . She let the silence stretch between them for a long minute before she replied.

"He wasn't miserable," Francesca said in a whispery, choked voice. "He was happy . . . we both were. He even told me . . . he said . . . " And then she began to cry in deep, heartwrenching sobs.

On the other end of the connection, Matt Evans blinked and stared at the receiver like it was an alien artifact. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Putting the phone to his ear again, he called, "Francesca?"

"Hello? Who is this?" a new voice demanded. After a minute, Matt recognized it as that of Lillian Conners.

"Mrs. Conners? This is Matt Evans. I was . . ."

"Just what do you and your family think you're doing, Matthew Evans?" the woman demanded angrily. "This poor girl is practically in hysterics."

"Mrs. Conners, I was only trying . . ."

"I don't care what you were trying to do! This child saved your brother's life! And she cares about him a great deal. And you're all treating her like some kind of monster. She's hurt badly enough she can hardly move and you sit there and get her into this state. You should be ashamed of yourself . . . you and your entire family! And you can tell your parents I said so!"

With that, the connection was cut off abruptly, leaving Matt stunned and suddenly wondering if maybe he'd been wrong after all.

* * * * *

Lighthouse Lab, Quest Compound

"That did not work, either," Hadji said in disgust.

Jonny uttered a rude word and then leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. "I can't even seem to think straight any longer. It's so close . . ."

"Yes," Hadji agreed wearily. "It is certainly destructive enough, and there is definitely no way to salvage any part of the program once it starts spreading, but it is still too obvious. Even outdated copies of virus software are detecting it. It would be spotted immediately."

"Hey!" Jessie said cheerfully, walking in the door with a large basket.

Kefira followed her in carrying another one and smiled at the two young men as she set it on a nearby counter. "We thought perhaps you would like some lunch."

"That sounds great!" Jonny said gratefully. "I need something to kickstart my brain again."

"But I do not want to eat here," Hadji said firmly. "I have been in this room far too long. Let us go up to the observation level."

"It's gonna be cold up there," Jessie warned.

"No, it's not!" Jonny disagreed with a grin. "Race managed to get the heating unit up there fixed."

"You're kidding," Jessie said as the two men picked up the baskets and the four of them headed for the stairs. "That's never worked. What did he do?"

Jonny grinned. "Rewired the entire place!"

Kefira stared at Jonny wide-eyed. "Are you saying that he rewired all the circuits in this entire lighthouse?" They could all see her thinking of the huge complex of computers below them.

"No," Jonny laughed. "The wiring for the computer systems, communications lines, and the research lab were all done before any of that stuff was installed. But a lot of the wiring for the routine operation of the lighthouse itself was done in the 1950's when they upgraded it and put in the automated beacon. That's pretty old for a structure like this one, particularly when you consider how much of a pounding it tends to get."

The four young people climbed the last of the stairs and stepped into a large open room. Kefira gasped involuntarily. The room sat immediately below the beacon and was about ten feet across. The walls appeared to be made of glass, but when Kefira reached out to touch one of them tentatively, she found it was actually some type of multipaned, thermally insulated clear acrylic. Padded window seats of a highly polished, golden wood lined the windows, and a large, round table made of matching wood stood at the very center of the space. The only other things in the room were a large storage cabinet on the landing near the stairs and a black steel staircase that spiraled up into the very top of the lighthouse.

"Oh, this is magnificent!" Kefira breathed. As she looked around, she saw that the lighthouse stood like a lonely sentinel on a point of land that jutted out into the ocean. About six feet from the base of the structure, the cliffs fell away steeply to the restless water far below. She turned slowly, watching as the view went from open ocean to rugged coastline, to the lawns surrounding the main house and it's associated buildings. Behind the structures, the tall stands of trees that screened them from the main highway were clearly visible. As she continued to turn, the view seemed to repeat itself in reverse, going from the buildings back to lawns, coastline, and open ocean once again. The view from this place was totally unobstructed and left her feeling as though she was perched on top of the world.

"This is one of my favorite places," Hadji said quietly, coming up behind her. He slipped his arms around her and stood gazing out on the tranquil, sparkling water. "There is a rightness about this place that is very strong. Can you feel it?"

"Yes," she agreed in a soft voice. "It has it's own power . . . not always peaceful, I do not believe, but very . . . " She trailed off as though searching for the right word. "Elemental?"

Hadji nodded. "I believe that would be a good description. I cannot even begin to describe what it is like to watch a storm move in from the sea from this place. It is as though the ancient gods themselves have risen to war with this as their field of battle."

Kefira's eyes took on a dreamy quality and in a soft voice, she said,

The sky is changed,--and such a change! O night
And storm and darkness! Ye are wondrous strong,
Yet lovely in your strength, as is the light
Of a dark eye in woman! Far along,
From peak to peak, the rattling crags among,
Leaps the live thunder.

Hadji looked down at her in surprise. "Lord Byron," he commented, identifying the quote. "Yes, very much like that." He gazed out across the water again and finally sighed. "I miss this place when I am away. I miss the peace it brings me."

"It is always here, beloved," Kefira replied looking up at him. "Hold it in your mind and your heart, and no matter how far away you may be, its peace will always be with you."

He smiled at her. "You are right. I just find it hard to remember at times."

She leaned her head back against his chest and smiled. "Then I will be certain to remind you."

Hadji didn't reply . . . just laid his cheek against the stop of her head and tightened his arms around her.

Jonny looked over at Jessie with raised eyebrows and mouthed silently, 'Beloved?' Jessie just smiled back happily and gave him a thumbs-up sign. Jonny grinned and said cheerfully, "Knock it off, you guys. Jeez, you're getting as bad as Jess and I. Come on. I'm hungry. Let's eat!"

Kefira laughed softly, turning back to the other couple, as Hadji said, "I believe it is only fair. I have had to put up with the two of you for the last two years."

"Too true," Jonny agreed. "And I know it hasn't always been easy."

Hadji laughed as they began to empty the baskets onto the table. "That is certainly true. Jessie has been kidnapped, attacked several times, and almost ended up dead. You have been attacked, stormed an enemy stronghold without help, and fallen over a 100 foot cliff leaving all of us thinking you had died. And you both have been stranded on a mountain following an earthquake. And when one of you gets hurt or is in trouble, the other one becomes totally impossible to reason with. It is no wonder Father has begun developing gray hair."

"Like you haven't given him a few in your day!" Jonny retorted. Then with an evil grin, he continued. "You may not have gotten into quite as much direct trouble as we did, but you sure did have lousy taste in women . . . present company excluded, of course," he qualified quickly, with a wink at Kefira.

"Of course," she replied solemnly.

"I did not!" Hadji protested.

"Oh, yes, you did!" Jessie replied fervently. "I will never understand what you saw in Anaya Zin!"

"Not to mention Elise!" Jonny added.

"And there's Linda Zaveri at school . . ." Jessie added.

"And Lora Tambouri in Africa." Jonny supplied.

"And . . . "

"STOP!" Hadji said loudly, and his two best friends snickered.

"Yes," Kefira agreed. "You must stop and go back. I want details!"

Hadji glared at Jessie and Jonny as both of them convulsed in laughter. "Just remember," Hadji said ominously, "that I know more about the two of you than anyone else."

Jonny controlled his laughter with difficulty. "Okay, you've made your point. Truce."

"Truce," his brother agreed. He eyed the growing pile of food that Jessie and Kefira were emptying out onto the table. "Are you expecting us to stay in the lighthouse for an extended period of time? I do not believe I am quite this hungry."

"Don't knock it," Jessie said grimly. "It gets us out of the house."

Jonny and Hadji exchanged a concerned look. "What's going on up at the house?" Jonny asked.

Jessie grimaced. "Connor Leeds is back. Mom is seriously unhappy about it, and Dad is as nervous as a mouse at a stray cat convention."

"What does he want?"

"I have no clue. He just turned up at the gate and demanded to see Admiral Bennett . . . claimed it was urgent and too sensitive to trust to a phone call, but I think it sounds fishy. If it was so urgent, why did he take the time to drive all the way up here? And when you consider where he works, it's not like he couldn't have gotten a secure line."

Jonny frowned. "It does sound strange." Then he looked at Jessie and asked tentatively, "Do you have any idea what the history is between him and Race? The way Estella went after Leeds the other day, it must be something pretty bad."

Jessie was slow to respond. "No, not really. But whatever it is, it goes back a long way, I think. When we first met him, the name didn't click with me. But the longer I've thought about it, the more I'm certain that I can remember Mom and Dad talking about him when I was little." Then she grimaced. "No, yelling about him. They tried really hard never to fight in front of me when they were still together, but I can remember lying in bed at night listening to them scream at each other. And I'm sure that at least some of those fights had to do with Connor Leeds. My mom really does hate him . . . even though she won't say that outright." Jessie flicked a glance from Jonny to Hadji. "You guys were there when things erupted the other day . . . what happened? What did she say?"

Jonny shrugged. "Things were pretty tense. Dad was seriously pissed and was putting a lot of pressure on Admiral Bennett. They evidently knew that Estella had been with Race at the time of the attack, but they didn't know if she had come out of it alive. Bennett was trying to find out if she was okay when she walked right into the middle of it. Race tried to ease her out again, but you know your mom . . . "

"The instant she realized she was being maneuvered, she was determined to stay," Jessie said knowingly.

"Yeah, that was pretty much it. She got Admiral Bennett to introduce her to the others and when he introduced Leeds, she just lost it."

"She accused him of trying to get Race killed," Hadji added.

"Of setting Race up to get him killed," Jonny corrected. "And she implied it wasn't the first time he'd done it, either. Does that ring any bells with you, Jess?"

Jessie thought about it for a while, then shook her head. "Not specifically, no. But then I was pretty young when they split up, and their relationship had been rocky for several years before the divorce. The only real impression I have is of having heard his name before."

"I do not trust him," Kefira said firmly. "He is much like a foreman my father had once at our main mine. Very pleasant and efficient when you met him face to face, but the exact opposite when your back was turned. He cut corners and put the men under him at risk. Eventually, he got several of them killed because of the way he operated. Father finally fired him."

"I don't trust him, either," Jonny agreed, gazing out toward the main house. "Let's just hope that Dad and Race are keeping a close eye on him."

* * * * *

Main House
Quest Compound

Bennett closed the door to Benton Quest's study behind him and turned to glare at his companion. "Alright, Leeds, let's have it. What are you doing here after I ordered you back to Washington with instructions to stay there?"

"Something is happening. Baxter is on the move. I've gotten word through an informant that the man plans to strike at the Quests in the very near future."

"What informant? I thought the man we lost in the desert was the only plant we had in Baxter's organization."

"It was at the time. I've been working on trying to turn one of the people in his organization for several months now, and I finally managed to accomplish it. The person called yesterday afternoon to let me know that the strike was being prepared."

"What kind of strike?"

Leeds shook his head, pacing restlessly. "My informant didn't know. Only that one was being readied."

"Then what are you doing here?" Bennett demanded sharply. "You need to be back at I-1 where the person can reach you!"

"Not necessary," Leeds replied. "This informant uses e-mail. All I need to do is log onto my office account."

Bennett eyed the man suspiciously. "Are you saying you've never talked with this person directly? How do you know he's reliable?"

"Yes, I've talked with him directly. But it's difficult for him to reach a phone where it's safe to call. But he has ready access to a computer terminal and whatever his encryption program is, he's confident enough in it to be willing to communicate via e-mail. So far, his information has been 100% accurate. So if he says that Baxter is planning an assault on Quest in the very near future, I'm prepared to believe him."

"That still doesn't tell me what you are doing here against express orders," Bennett snapped. "This is nothing you couldn't have called me from Washington about. You did not have to come here."

Leeds' expression was ugly as he turned on Bennett. "Baxter is MINE," he replied harshly. "I've been chasing this bastard for over ten years and I'm not going to sit on the sidelines and do nothing when there is an opportunity to flush him out into the open. The intelligence says he's going to strike at this place, so that's where I want to be."

"I don't care where you want to be, Leeds," Bennett said tightly. "The Quest's don't want you here . . ."

"You mean Bannon doesn't want me here!" Leeds cut in sharply.

"It's the same thing. You know the place he holds in Benton Quest's household. If Race doesn't want you here, then Dr. Quest doesn't want you here, and we can't afford to alienate either one of them."

"They were happy enough to have me here a couple of days ago," Leeds replied bitterly.

"Not particularly," Bennett responded coldly. "You made them an offer and they took you up on it. It may have made you a few points, Leeds, but I doubt there is a thing in this world that you could do to make up for what you've done in the past as far as Estella Velasquez-Bannon is concerned. And as long as she is upset by your presence, you won't be tolerated here."

"I'm trying to keep them safe!"

"There's a fine line between trying to keep them safe, and using them to attract the man you are trying to take down. Race knows how you work and so do I. I want you to leave . . . NOW!"

Leeds swore and smacked the back of one of the study chairs in fury. Finally, he said stiffly. "At the very least, let me check my e-mail before I go. If I've heard back from my informant, I might have some additional information that could help keep them secure."

Bennett looked hesitant, clearly torn. Finally, he replied, "We'll leave that up to Benton Quest." He picked up the phone on the desk and did something Leeds couldn't see. After a few seconds, he said, "Dr. Quest, I wonder if you could join us for a few minutes? Thank you." He set the phone down once again and the two men stood waiting in silence.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Benton Quest entered. Both Bennett and Leeds half-expected Race to follow the older man into the room, but Benton closed the door behind him. He had come alone.

"So?" Benton asked.

Bennett sighed, sensing that, thanks to Connor Leeds, he was an outsider in this house once again. "Leeds tells me that he has received a warning that Baxter is about ready to strike at you here in the Compound. He came because he is concerned for your safety."

"I'll say it again," Benton replied stiffly. "I am safe in this Compound. My family is around me, the defenses are in place and operating at optimum performance, and, against my better judgment, I've allowed you to put guards around the outer perimeter. If he wants to try to strike at this place, then let him. He won't get through."

"Yes, I understand, Doctor. But forewarned is forearmed. Leeds is waiting for a message from his informant. He would like your permission to utilize one of your terminals briefly to check his e-mail through the agency. He says this is the way the person generally contacts him."

"You know that we've got the computer systems here cut off from the outside to ensure no one attempts to get into them."

"Please, Dr. Quest," Leeds begged urgently. "It will take very little time, and if my informant has been able to come up with the exact time and how the attempt will be made, it will go a long way toward ensuring that your security isn't breached."

Benton Quest stared at the raven-haired man with a brooding expression. Finally, in a hard voice, he said, "The man whose opinion I value the most highly in this entire world does not trust you any further than he can see you, Mr. Leeds. Give me one good reason why I should."

Leeds gestured helplessly. "How do I convince you, Dr. Quest? Race Bannon hates me, and I'm not going to try to tell you that he doesn't have just cause . . . he does. I was young, hot-headed, and full of myself back when we worked together. I would go to almost any lengths to achieve my goals and others paid the price. I don't always learn very quickly, and my temper still gets the better of me sometimes. But I've seen what Baxter is capable of." Leeds stopped abruptly, staring inward at some vision in his own mind, and a shudder ran through him before he continued hoarsely. "I thought I knew and understood the depths the man could reach, but what he did at Brattleford prison . . ." Finally, Leeds' eye rose to lock on Benton's. "No matter what my history with Bannon is . . . no matter how much I'd like to say 'Screw it . . . you don't want me . . . I'll leave' . . . I can't do that. Because if something should happen here . . . something I might have prevented . . . " He stopped and just shook his head.

After a long moment, Benton finally sighed. "All right. Five minutes. No more. And Admiral Bennett and I will stay here while you do it."

"Fair enough. I won't need any longer than that."

"IRIS," Benton said quietly. "Reinforce all firewalls and isolate the computer unit in the study from the rest of the system. Once the unit is secure, reestablish the connection to the internet backbone on this single unit. Then allow one-time access to Lieutenant Commander Leeds."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. WORKING." After a few moments, she said, "UNIT ISOLATED AND SECURE. CONNECTION TO THE BACKBONE REESTABLISHED. PREPARING FOR IDENTITY VERIFICATION. PLEASE PLACE YOUR RIGHT HAND ON THE MONITOR PLATE ON THE DESK AND STATE YOUR FULL NAME, TITLE AND PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT."

Leeds stepped up to the desk and looked around. He suddenly saw that what he thought was a glass top on the desk was actually a flat computer monitor build into the desk. Reaching out, he placed his hand on the glass and said, "Connor Ian Leeds, Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy on permanent assignment to Intelligence One, United States Government."

"IDENTITY CONFIRMED. ACCESS GRANTED. YOU HAVE A MAXIMUM OF TEN MINUTES TO COMPLETE YOUR ACTIVITY."

"The keyboard pulls out from under the desk," Benton instructed him. "Are you familiar with a mainframe computer environment?"

"No."

"Then use the Windows environment simulation. It's probably what you are familiar with. Just type 'Execute windowing simulation' at the prompt and the system will bring up an environment you should recognize. There will be an icon on the desktop that says 'e-mail'. Simply run that and follow the prompts."

Leeds nodded and pulled out the keyboard. He typed for a moment and then hit another key. The result caused him to utter a profane word.

"What?" Benton demanded, moving to come around the desk.

Leeds shook his head and glanced up with a sour grin. "Nothing. My fingers don't want to work, that's all. Computers are not my strong point." He tried again and this time the results caused him to nod. "Works a lot better when you have your fingers on the right keys." He worked for a bit longer and then sighed in frustration. "Nothing. I really thought he would have known something by this time. Do I just exit from this?"

"In the lower right corner you will see a button marked 'exit'. Just click on that. It will get you out. IRIS, allow the system to shut down, log it off of the backbone, and then run a security diagnostic on it, please."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. SYSTEM SHUT DOWN, CONNECTION TERMINATED, TEMPORARY USER ACCESS CANCELLED, AND DIAGNOSTIC IN PROCESS. NO ATTEMPTS AT ENTRY WERE DETECTED. SYSTEM IS SECURE."

"Thank you, IRIS. Reconnect the unit to the Compound system. Monitor all approaches to the Compound closely and notify me of any change."

"ACKNOWLEDGED."

"Alright, Mr. Leeds, that's it," Benton said with finality. "I gave you the chance to check on your possible lead, and it didn't pan out. Now I want you out of this house and off of the grounds. And from now on, I would prefer that you call ahead if you want to come here. Don't just turn up at the front gate. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly," Leeds replied stiffly.

"Admiral, would you be good enough to escort Mr. Leeds off the property. I will see to it that IRIS has the pedestrian gate set to open when the two of you get there."

Bennett nodded. Then he paused and looked at Benton Quest. "And me?"

Benton shrugged. "That I'll leave up to you. You're welcome to return if you wish. You know what you are allowed access to and what you aren't, and I trust you not to push those limits."

Bennett nodded. "I'll be back shortly, then. Come on, Leeds, let's go."

Benton sank back into his desk chair after they had left and said, "IRIS, monitor them out to the gate and display the feed on the monitor in the study."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. DISPLAYING NOW."

Benton watched the pair in silence while he brooded. There was something not quite right about that entire encounter, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Finally, he sighed and shrugged to himself. Whatever it was, if something really was fishy, he was sure he'd find out about it soon enough.

* * * * *

Race stopped in the family room doorway and watched his wife. She stood at the front window, watching Bennett and Leeds drive off toward the front gate. The rigidness of her posture told him she was still upset. After a minute, he moved up behind her and rubbed her shoulders gently. For a moment, she didn't say anything, continuing to stare fixedly out the front window.

"I'm trying, Race," she said finally.

He sighed softly and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. "I know," he replied quietly.

"I . . . I'm just having a hard time . . . with that man. Bennett is one thing. If you got in trouble, I know in my own mind that he would do everything in his power to protect you. Even Jade . . . as hard as I find it to think about her, I can't believe she would ever deliberately do anything to put you at risk. But with Leeds, it's totally different. He's still in the business and it seems like every time he comes anywhere near, death follows him. And no matter how hard I try, I keep getting the feeling that if things got tight . . . and he thought that you were in his way, he'd kill you himself. That terrifies me."

"That's not going to happen, Stel. I promise you, I won't allow myself to be put into that position. No one knows better than I do what Connor Leeds is like, or what he's capable of. I'm out of the game and I will not be drawn back into it again. I wouldn't be involved with them now if it weren't for the fact that the people Bennett and Leeds are chasing have targeted our family."

"I know," she replied with a sigh. "I'll be okay. I just didn't expect him to show up today and it caught me off guard. I can deal with him civilly when I expect it, but when he just turns up like that, throwing out demands and veiled threats . . . "

Race chuckled dryly and turned her away from the windows. "I understand. He gets to me, too. But, Stel, you have to promise me something. You simply have to quit hitting the man. That's twice in three days that you've nailed him. Leeds is a professional, and he's trained to react to a threat, not to stop and think about it first. If you keep this up, one of these days you're going to catch him at a time when he's not as firmly in control and he's going to hurt you. And then we will have a problem, because I'll have to hurt him and things will get out of hand very quickly."

Estella flushed and looked ashamed. "I know. I'm sorry. I never should have struck him. But when he looked at Benton and made that crack about choosing which members of his family would die . . . well, I just lost it. You said you told him what happened to Rachel. That crack was totally uncalled for. He had to know how deeply it would cut, but he said it anyway because he knew it would get him what he wanted. The bastard . . ."

"I know. I know . . . "

"And then to have the audacity to ask to stay here under the pretext of wanting to help protect him! Who needs that kind of protection?" she demanded hotly, pulling away from him. She turned and gestured angrily toward the front gate. "He's lying, Race! What did he want? What has he done?" She turned back to him and glared fiercely when she saw him grinning at her. "What's so funny?"

"You. Two months ago you were saying to me that you felt so left out to hear Jessie and I talking about this place being 'home'. And now, here you are, socking Leeds for making nasty comments to Benton, and losing your temper because someone is threatening this family. It certainly didn't take you long to find your place here."

Estella opened her mouth to retort, then closed it again, not sure how to respond. She thought about it for a minute and then said slowly, "You know, you're right. I . . . I do feel like I belong here. I actually feel more at home here than I have anywhere I can ever remember . . . even more than when I was still living at home with my parents. I don't know what it is . . ."

"I do. It's Benton." Race shook his head. "I can't tell you how he does it, but when you cross that threshold from being an acquaintance to being a part of his inner circle, there is something that changes. He cares deeply about the people he allows close to him, and he is an incredibly giving man. I remember when Hadji first joined us." Race chuckled. "He was a flip little cuss . . . always polite and cooperative, but a master at the art of double meanings. And he could cause his fair share of trouble, let me tell you. He was a practical joker like you wouldn't believe . . ."

"Hadji?!?" Estella exclaimed in astonishment.

Race nodded, perching on the arm of a nearby chair. "Yes, believe it or not. And he seemed to have a streak of the daredevil in him that could be even worse than Jonny. The two of them made a formidable pair, let me tell you. They were forever getting into trouble. They gave Benton and I more gray hair than either of us care to admit."

"But . . . but . . . what happened??? Hadji is nothing like that, now!"

"No, he's not. Actually, I'm not sure he ever really was. Oh, he has a sense of humor, that's certain, but not the broad, slapstick sort of thing he used to display. Before Hadji came to us, he survived as a street performer in Calcutta. He was a snake charmer, mainly, although he did tricks, too. And he was an incredibly talented little thief. Pasha kept an eye on him as best he could, but that was about it. I guess what it came down to was that Hadji felt that Benton had picked him up off the street because he was looking for a companion for Jonny . . . someone that would keep him entertained . . . and that any bright, outgoing kid would have sufficed. And since the street performer was what Benton first saw, that's what Hadji figured he wanted. He was determined to keep up the façade so that he wouldn't be sent back to Calcutta. I have no doubt that Pasha reinforced that idea, too."

"So he was trying to be 'on' all the time," Estella said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Race agreed. "And eventually it began to take its toll." Race smiled. "I remember the night Benton realized what was going on. As usual, we were traveling, and for several days we'd been noticing that Hadji had seemed very quiet and withdrawn in the evenings. Not at all his usual self. Plus, he seemed absolutely exhausted most of the time. That evening after dinner, Jonny had run off to play with a group of local kids and Hadji had stayed behind. By this time, Benton was seriously concerned. He sat down to talk with the boy, and when Hadji realized that Benton was worried because he wasn't going with Jonny, he jumped up, totally prepared to run off and join them. Suddenly, just that quickly, he seemed like the boy we thought we knew. But Benton wouldn't let him go. He kept after him . . . What was wrong? Was he afraid? Did he feel sick? And, finally, he told him that he didn't have to go play with Jonny if he didn't want to, and asked him what it was he wanted to do. You could see the boy searching for the answer he thought Benton wanted to hear, and getting more and more upset when he couldn't seem to find it. Finally, the boy broke down and started to cry. He was downright panicky. Hadji begged Benton not to send him back to India . . . that he would do anything or be anyone Benton wanted him to be if only he could stay.

"Benton looked downright shaken. He picked Hadji up and cuddled him, making these soft, soothing noises and just rocked him for a long time. When Hadji finally began to calm down a little bit, Benton asked him if he understood what the word 'adopted' meant. Hadji's response was that it meant that he could live with us until he did something wrong and then he'd have to go back." Race shook his head again. "His English was always so good. It never dawned on either of us that when Benton told the boy that he'd adopted him, he didn't understand what that meant."

"How old was he then?" Estella asked softly.

"About eight, I think," Race replied after some thought. "Give or take. See, we never knew when his birthday was or when he was born. During the adoption proceedings, we found absolutely no records on him at all, and he had no memories of his past. When we questioned Pasha on where the boy came from, he claimed not to know . . . said he found him in the streets of Calcutta and that he liked the boy so he let him hang around. It was only much later, after Hadji tried to force memories of his past with Benton's experimental memory gear, that we discovered the truth.

"At any rate, Benton told him that he would never have to go back to India if he didn't want to . . . that Hadji was his son, just like Jonny was, and that Benton would never let anyone take him away. He also told Hadji that he could be and do anything he wanted . . . that the only thing Benton wouldn't tolerate was Hadji doing something because he thought that's what Benton wanted. The boy just stared at him with these huge, dark eyes like he was waiting for Benton to tell him what price he was going to have to pay to have all of this." Race gazed vacantly into space for a minute and then shook his head sadly. "It was absolutely heartbreaking, Stel. No child of that age should have that look. Eventually, Hadji realized that Benton really wasn't going to demand anything of him in return and then he started to cry again. It took a long time for Benton to get out of him that no one had ever offered him anything without wanting something in return and that the boy simply didn't know how to react.

"For the next several weeks, Hadji became incredibly clingy . . . seemed to have a desperate need to be with Benton all the time." Race sighed. "I don't know how he did it, Stel. I didn't realize it at the time, but he was so spent . . . so close to the breaking point, I just don't know where the strength came from to provide the emotional support that child needed. But somehow, he found it. After a time, Hadji improved. A couple of weeks later, once he seemed a bit more steady, Benton asked him again what it was he really wanted, and hesitantly, Hadji told him that he wanted to learn . . . things from books and about how the world worked . . . things like what made the sky blue. Benton told him that he would teach him anything he wanted to know.

"From that day on, Hadji was different. The façade dropped away and he seemed to relax. Oh, he and Jonny were as close as ever, but the dynamic between them changed. They still got into trouble, but Hadji became more introspective . . . more of a moderating influence. He also started to read voraciously and seemed to absorb everything around him. He'd spend hours with Benton; fascinated with anything he was working on. And anything the boy showed an interest in, Benton saw to it he had the opportunity to learn . . . even if it meant hiring specialized teachers. It was good for Jonny, too, because what one boy was taught, the other learned as well. It was like they were attached at the hip and Hadji's interest in something always seemed to rub off. Benton was positively delighted. Things like languages . . . Hadji's interest is the main reason that Jonny is fluent in about eight languages. He never showed much interest until Hadji did, and then both of them absorbed them like a sponge.

"That was the start of the young man we know today. A different man probably never would have been able to convince that jaded little boy that he was telling him the truth. But there's something about Benton that engenders that trust and he seems good at collecting people around him that need that nurturing. God knows, I needed it."

"So did Jessie," Estella agreed. "Our divorce had been hard on her. Plus, I was always in the field, and when I simply couldn't take her with me, I was forced to leave her with Mother. It took a while for me to realize that when I did that, Mother spent the entire time trying to turn Jessie against you. She would return from stays there silent and withdrawn and it took me a long time to find out what was going on." Race made an angry sound, and Estella came over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know. As soon as I realized what she was doing, I refused to send her there any longer. About that time, you approached me about having her come stay here with you half the year. I was boxed into a corner. I couldn't send her to Mother, but I also couldn't take her with me into some of the more remote places my funding agencies were forcing me to go. So, finally, I agreed. When she first started coming here, and she fit in so effortlessly, I will admit that I was jealous. She was so happy and loved it here so much, it was all I could do not to try to stop her from coming. She seemed to be drifting away, and it scared me.

"It took the lot of you coming to my dig site in Colombia that summer she was 14 for me to really see how good it was for her to be part of what Benton offered. There were so many things that impressed me: the interaction with Jonny and Hadji who were kids her own age, the intellectual environment that stimulated her curiosity, the way Benton included her in everything he did, how he respected her intelligence and worked actively to foster it, and how hard he worked to save her when she got that ancient Malenque plague." She paused, looked at him seriously. "And there was another thing . . ."

"What?" he asked softly.

Her response was slow in coming. "There was you. You had changed in some way I couldn't seem to put my finger on. You weren't as distant. Oh, I don't mean with Jessie . . . you were never distant with her, even when things were at their worst. No, it was a change with others . . . including me." She flashed him a look. "I . . . I have to admit . . . you really shook me in the mine that day."

He seemed to know immediately what she meant. "You mean when I suggested that maybe we should get married again?"

"Yes."

"I meant it, you know."

"I know that now. I didn't then. I thought you were kidding. But . . . but there was an openness about you . . . a sensitivity . . . that I'd never seen before. And it was strong enough that I responded to it without even understanding what it was. And when I finally recognized that change, I couldn't do anything but what I did. No matter how hard it was to let her go, I couldn't deny her the opportunity to be part of all of that. It still wasn't easy, but the difference it made was more than worth it."

Race nodded. "That's Benton. And now, he's collected another one."

"What do you mean?"

"Kefira. That girl was struggling, too. She told Benton as much the other morning. And she's found a place here, as well. You weren't there in the study that morning before our wedding." He told her about Kefira taking the gun from the storage case. "That was the most bizarre thing. You would have thought that she had been brought up in this house all of her life. She and Jess moved like a well-oiled machine . . . enough so that it seriously shook Commander Barclay. He didn't know what to think. And Bennett gave me credit for training both of them."

Estella nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. Jessie told me that the same sort of thing happened when the two of them were under attack in the van. Jessie's just delighted about it. She commented to me that it's almost like having a sister. They seem to operate on the same wavelength."

"Just like Jonny and Hadji do," Race agreed. "But again, I think that's fostered by Benton." Race sighed. "I was telling Bennett the other night that I wished he could get by Rachel's death. It would be nice to see him lay some of those old ghosts to rest."

"Maybe he has. That business with Jonny yesterday afternoon really shook him. Something definitely happened to him after that. Maybe he did finally see the truth."

"Only time will tell." Race straightened. "What do you say we go find Benton and see if we can figure out exactly what it is Leeds was trying to accomplish with this little visit?"

Estella moved to join him and allowed Race to tuck her against his side. "Whatever it was, I still bet nothing good will come of it . . ."

* * * * *

Leeds had barely turned onto Route 1 before he had his cell phone out and was dialing. The phone rang twice and then a familiar voice answered.

"Hello?"

"It's done. You'd better be right about this. Now what?"

"Now, you wait." Then the line went dead.

* * * * *

Baxter's Lair, Portsmouth

Richard Baxter was perusing the annual financial reports for his far-flung empire when a knock on the door of his office in the Portland complex caused him to look up. With a frown, he growled, "What is it?"

The door opened hesitantly and a young man in a suit stuck his head in the door. The man's tentative movements and obvious fear further irritated Baxter. "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir . . ."

"I told you I didn't want to be disturbed!"

"Yes, sir. I know, sir. And I truly am sorry . . ."

Baxter was seized by an almost uncontrollable urge to grab the man and smash him against a nearby wall. He laid the papers he had been holding down onto the table and placed both hands flat on the desk, as though readying himself to rise. "What . . . do . . . you . . . want??? he grated.

"The phone," the man stammered in fear. "The girl . . . I mean . . . the call . . . the one you've been waiting for . . . on the phone . . ."

Baxter froze, halfway to his feet, and demanded sharply, "The Hamilton girl?"

"Yes," the young man in the suit whispered, and gestured toward the instrument sitting on the desk with a shaking hand.

"Get out," Baxter snapped, sitting back down and reaching for the receiver. "No, wait . . . Edgerton . . . go find Edgerton and his friends and send them to me immediately." But when he looked up, the young man had already disappeared. Baxter brought his hand down on the desk with a resounding slap, venting his irritation. He was surrounded by sheep! Before picking up the phone, he hit an intercom button and demanded that someone find Edgerton and send him to his office. Then, he turned back to the phone. Picking up the receiver, he demanded,

"Well?"

"It's done," Francesca's voice replied confidently.

"Excellent," Baxter replied, immediately in a better humor.

"So what happens next?"

"Now we get what we want from Quest."

"Yes, yes, I know," she replied impatiently. "But how are you going to do that? And what are you after?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Look, Baxter," Francesca said belligerently, "you told me that if I got this done there'd be a place for me in your organization. I took you at your word, and I did what you wanted. But I'm the one that's sitting at ground zero here. I at least deserve to know what to expect."

A fleeting grin crossed Baxter's face. Say what you would about this young woman, she was not a sheep. She had fire and nerve and it appealed to him that she didn't back down when she wanted something. After a moment's thought, he replied, "We're getting ready to go after something at the Quest Compound. I'm told that the codes you inputted into their computers will allow us to bypass their computer security and get us into their mainframe." Baxter leaned back in his chair, suddenly feeling talkative. "Personally, I have my doubts that it will work. Or, if it does, that it will be worth the trouble. But Edgerton's convinced, so I'm letting it play out to see if he can pull it off."

"Edgerton," Francesca said in disgust. "It figures."

"Now, now, my dear," Baxter replied in amusement. "He's a top notch research scientist."

Francesca snorted. "Maybe. But he loves to take the round about way in everything. If those codes will get you into their mainframe, why don't you just shut down their security and take the place by force? It would be a lot simpler."

"I would lose a lot more men that way," Baxter pointed out.

"Since when has that worried you?"

Baxter laughed outright. "True. I like you Francesca. You should be grateful your old man is gone. He held you back. With him out of the way, there is a whole new future opening up for you. You're going to make a good addition to my organization."

There was a startled pause, and then she replied, "Well . . . I'm glad you're pleased. I appreciate the opportunity to prove myself."

"You're doing fine so far."

Another long pause ensued and then, as though making a decision, Francesca said, "Mr. Baxter, I think there's something you should know . . . just so our new association gets off to the correct start . . ."

"Yes?"

"I didn't come back to Maine by choice."

Baxter sat forward, frowning suddenly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I was planted here."

"By whom?"

"A government man. He sprung me from that place in Egypt and brought me back here for one specific purpose . . . to lure you into a trap."

Baxter's genial tone was gone as he replied, "Who is this man?"

"An intelligence agent by the name of Leeds."

"Him again!" Baxter swore. "That man has been a thorn in my side for years. But why approach you? What made him think you had any connection with me?"

"I have no idea. He just turned up in my cell one day and offered me this deal. He'd get me out of jail and back to the States. In return, I'd have to set up in Rockport and work my way in with the Quest crowd again. He seemed to be certain that once you knew I was there, that you would contact me again and that I was to let him know once I knew what you were planning."

"And have you?" Baxter asked ominously.

Baxter heard the laughter in her voice as she replied, "Well, yes and no."

"What, exactly, does that mean?"

"He knows you've contacted me. And he knows what you wanted me to do. What he doesn't know is that I've told you about him and that I have every intention of setting him up so you can take him out."

"And why would you want to do that?" Baxter demanded in anger. "What kind of game are you playing at, you devious little shrew?"

Francesca's voice turned ugly. "Listen, Baxter, no one plays me for the fool. My deal with Leeds was very simple. He got me and my father out of Egypt and I'd play the patsy for him with the Quests."

"Your father's dead," Baxter said flatly.

"Yes, and that bastard knew it before he ever approached me. I won't be used, Baxter, you understand me? I'll work for you and I'll do what you ask. And I'll do it better than anyone else will, but you sure as hell better be straight with me. You yank my chain and I'll turn around and bite you."

Across the room, the door opened without warning and Edgerton, Julia and Lorenzo walked in. Baxter eyed the three of them as he thought about Francesca's words. Finally, he answered evenly. "Fair enough. What is your position at the moment? Are you secure? How long before the Quests realize what you've done?"

Francesca laughed. "You take out Leeds and they'll never know. Two can play that man's game. I didn't input those codes . . . he did. There's no way to connect me to it, unless Leeds tells them where he got them. And he's not going to do that . . . he's too scared of Bannon."

"He's associated with Bannon?" Baxter demanded sharply.

"I think he used to be. But there's bad blood between them now. You can tell it. Leeds hates him. And I think he's got the hots for Bannon's daughter . . . a fact that would get Leeds very dead if her father found out about it. So unless he gets backed into a corner, he's not going to tell the Quests. And before he reaches that point, I trust you can get rid of him for me. Call it a gesture of good faith to seal our partnership. I'll give you the access to the Quest Compound and help you get whatever it is you want from there, and in return, you get rid of Leeds for me. You just tell me when and where you want him, and I'll see he's there. Deal?"

Baxter leaned back in his chair again and a slow smile formed. "We have a deal, Ms. Hamilton. For now, I want you to lie low. I'll contact you again once the present operation is completed and I know where we stand. How do I reach you?" Francesca rattled off a telephone number, which he quickly jotted down on a pad in front of him. "Very good. Don't do anything else until you hear from me. I should get back to you within 24 hours."

"I'll be waiting."

"Oh, and Francesca . . ."

"Yes?"

"Welcome back."

"Thank you, sir."

Baxter set the receiver back into the cradle and smiled tightly at Edgerton. "It's done. Now we see if your little plan will work."

"What was that all about?" Edgerton demanded.

"Francesca Hamilton passing on the word that she's kept her end of the deal."

"You can't trust that girl," Julia stated flatly.

"On the contrary," Baxter replied in a hard voice. "Francesca Hamilton is very predictable. She is a highly practical young lady, and she always acts in her own best interests . . . a motive I can easily understand. You see that she benefits from any mutual arrangement, and you can trust her explicitly. Cross her and . . . " Baxter gestured vaguely with an unpleasant smile. "Well, let's say that the results are less predictable . . . as an old enemy is just about to find out." Baxter sat forward abruptly. "How soon can we start?"

"A couple of hours," Julia replied. "The codes are designed with a lag time built in so that you can get clear if necessary. Once they begin to function, they will create a shielded breach in their computer security and send us a message saying the opening has been established."

"Their computer systems are off line," Edgerton warned. "We've been monitoring them and everything is down."

"There's a net detect agent as part of the program that Hamilton has triggered. When it finds the system offline, it will bring it back live. It will also suppress any system warnings so that the Quest's aren't warned as it goes back online." Julia smiled unpleasantly. "Don't worry, Mr. Baxter, it won't be long now . . ."

* * * * *

Quest Compound
Lighthouse Laboratory
QuestWorld

Hadji glared at the results of the virus scan in disgust. "It is still detectable."

Jonny grunted as he arched his back and rotated his healing shoulder gingerly. "It's good enough," he replied.

"No, it is not," Hadji insisted. "We will only have one chance at this. We cannot risk having the virus detected and stopped before it accomplishes its purpose."

Jonny turned and looked at his brother for a long moment. "Hadji, the only program in the world that will be able to detect this thing is the one you wrote, and that's only because you know exactly how to program the thing to find it. No generic program out there is gonna see it."

"But . . ."

"Look at it this way," he said reasonably. "Do you really want a program as deadly as this one to be so cleverly disguised that even your own virus detection program can't spot it? Trust me, it's good enough. What's more important now is getting the thing securely tagged onto dad's files on the evaluation of Payson's work."

"He's got a point, Hadji," Jessie agreed, crossing the room to massage Jonny's neck and shoulder gently. After lunch, the two young women had decided to remain in the lighthouse, and had spent the early afternoon working with Jonny and Hadji to complete the work on the virus program. It was now moving toward late afternoon.

Kefira, who had been sitting next to Hadji at the computer console, rose and began to mimic Jessie's actions as she gazed over his shoulder at the results of the scan. "I believe they are right, beloved," Kefira said after a moment. "The code is so detailed and specific, the likelihood of any other detection software being out there with that exact sequence is highly improbable."

Neither Hadji nor Kefira caught the look that flashed between Jessie and Jonny at Kefira's words. The afternoon the four of them had spent working together in the lighthouse had dissolved the last of the walls between them. Kefira had melded herself into the rapport that existed between the three young people effortlessly, until it almost seemed as though she had always been part of their group. As a result, the feelings between Hadji and Kefira were no longer kept shielded from their friends. Kefira spoke to him lovingly and without thought in Jonny and Jessie's presence, and Hadji responded in kind.

"Perhaps you are right," Hadji said with a sigh, closing his eyes and relaxing under her hands. He leaned forward and laid his forehead against his hands on the console in front of him, allowing her to work her way down to the small of his back. After a moment, he sighed contentedly and added, "You will put me to sleep if you keep this up, my love."

"You're gonna have to teach me to do that," Jessie commented, watching Kefira closely.

Jonny looked up at her in surprise. "You do just fine."

"Not to say that I can't learn to do it better," she replied with a smile and leaned over to kiss him quickly.

Kefira laughed. "I will teach you. I am finding that my mother was right . . . it is a useful skill to know."

Hadji's murmured reply was totally unintelligible. Sitting up abruptly, Jonny leaned over and smacked his brother on the shoulder. "Don't do that! I want to get this finished. I'm gonna run over to the house and see where Dad is with the file we're supposed to attach this to. I'll be right back."

"'Kay," Hadji mumbled sleepily. "You can wake me when you get back."

"Uh uh. No way. You fall asleep now and you'll never wake up again. Come on, you can come with me. Some fresh air will do us both some good." The two women laughed and stepped back as Jonny forcibly hauled Hadji up out of his chair. "Wake up! Don't you know, true love isn't supposed to put you to sleep?"

"Hmmm," Hadji replied, stumbling upright. He stretched and then gave his brother a slow, decidedly evil, grin. "That depends on what you were doing right before you got sleepy, does it not?" Jonny blinked at him. "Well, how long were you able to stay awake after . . ."

"Hadji!" Jessie gasped as Jonny turned a bright crimson.

Kefira looked from one to the other and then started to grin as the implication became clear to her. "Ah, I see. You know, I have wondered about that . . ."

"Oh, man, I just knew I was gonna regret admitting to this," Jonny muttered darkly.

"Well, why did you?" Jessie demanded.

"He didn't give me a choice!"

Jessie looked at the grinning couple. "We are going to be seriously abused about this, aren't we?"

"Yes," Kefira replied without hesitation.

"Absolutely," Hadji agreed firmly. "It is what friends are for."

"Yeah, well just remember one thing," Jonny warned. "We will file away everything you say or do until the day when you two are in the same position."

"We never said a word about positions," Kefira replied innocently. "That is between you and Jessie."

Hadji began to laugh uncontrollably and Jonny grabbed him by the shirt and began dragging him toward the door. "Okay, okay. Come on, let's go up to the house. Jeez, Hadj, pull yourself together . . . "

Wiping tears from his eyes, Hadji grabbed his coat and followed his brother out the door. "Oh, Jonny, if you could have seen your face . . ."

Both Jessie and Kefira laughed, listening to the two brothers bicker amiably as they descended the stairs. As Jessie turned to look at Kefira, she saw the other girl's grin fade. Hesitantly, she said, "Jessie, I am sorry. Perhaps we should not . . ."

Jessie waved negligently. "Forget it. I knew the instant that Jonny told me Hadji had gotten him to tell him about the advancement of our relationship that we would never hear the end of it. Those two are way too close not to expect them to give each other grief." She looked at the other girl seriously. "Do me a favor, though, would ya? Our parents don't know about this and we want to keep it that way for now. So be careful what you say around them, okay?"

Kefira nodded. "I understand." She glanced over at the computer console and then nodded at the monitor with a troubled expression. "That is a very dangerous program."

"Yeah, it is, "Jessie agreed. "But it should do the trick if we can get it into Baxter's system."

"I just hope that it is controllable once it is turned loose."

"We should be okay. It's based on the same bug that Hadji wrote as a safeguard for the systems here at the Compound, right?"

Kefira nodded. "That is what he said he was going to do."

"Well, then, I think we should be okay because that one has a burnout loop. I doubt he eliminated that during his modifications."

"A burnout loop?"

"Well, I don't know if that's the proper term or not, but essentially it is a check on the program that prevents it from spreading beyond a certain point. The virus will infect a system with a base set of signature codes and will spread rapidly through that system, but when it reaches the point where it doesn't find those signature codes any longer it will burn itself out. That's how he designed it to ensure it would destroy QuestWorld if the system ended up compromised."

"Yes, but that sounds like the same codes that prevented it from being transmitted, and that he had to change."

Jessie frowned. "You may be right about that," she said slowly.

"As deadly as this is, I would not want to see it get out of hand."

"No, neither would I," Jessie agreed. "Maybe we should ask him when he . . ."

A chime suddenly interrupted her and IRIS announced. "ACKNOWLEDGING OVERRIDE CODES. ACCESS TO QUESTWORLD CONFIRMED. PLEASE SPECIFIY PROGRAM."

"IRIS, what are you doing?" Jessie demanded, throwing herself into the nearby chair and attacking the keyboard frantically.

"SECURITY VIOLATION DETECTED. UNABLE TO EXECUTE SPECIFIED PROGRAM."

"Oh shit! The system's back online! IRIS, stop!!!! Shutdown QuestWorld and reisolate the mainframe."

ACKNOWLEDGING BYPASS CODE. STANDING BY FOR INPUT."

"IRIS, abort! Priority shutdown!" Jessie looked up at Kefira in desperation. "Nothing! She's not responding to any command I try to input!"

"ACKNOWLEDGING ADDED CODE. APPEND COMPLETE. RECOMPILE COMMENCING. ANTICIPATED COMPLETION TIME TWO MINUTES."

Kefira joined Jessie at the console, staring fixedly at the code scrolling by on the screen.

"What program is this?" Kefira demanded.

"PROGRAM THOUGHTSCAPE RECOMPILE IS NOW COMPLETE. LAUNCHING PROGRAM. QUESTWORLD LOGON, SUBJECTS JULIA CANOVA, JEREMIAH SURD AND RICHARD BAXTER. GOING HOT . . ."

"IRIS, NO!!!!!!! STOP!!!!!"Jessie screamed frantically, but again the computer system refused to respond.

"But how can she be doing that? You had it password protected!" Kefira demanded, watching as Jessie worked frantically to try to shut down the system again.

"It was Surd's program. He must have had some kind of back door into it that was able to bypass the security I put on it. She also added code and recompiled it. I have no idea what she's done. I just know that I can't let them get to him. If they free him from that program we're in a whole lot of trouble!"

"What about Hadji's program? Can we transmit it somehow?"

"It's not ready. If we try to send it, it will be spotted immediately. Call the house! Make sure they know what's going on and get them back here . . . QUICK."

Kefira snatched up the phone from the console and began dialing the house. As she did so, she demanded, "IRIS, can we still logon to QuestWorld?"

"AFFIRMATIVE. ACCESS TO QUESTWORLD IS AVAILABLE."

"Then we must go in after them."

"You're right," Jessie agreed immediately. "I'll go while you . . ."

"You cannot go in there alone!" Kefira said sharply. "The system says there are three entities in that program. One on three is not good odds . . . particularly if you are right and the program can inflict physical harm."

"I don't have a choice!" Jessie snapped. "We can't wait for Jonny and Hadji to get back and you have to stay out here and monitor."

"No!" Kefira replied with equal force. "I do not know the system well enough to be able to monitor, but I can be of assistance in defense from inside. Jonny and Hadji will be back quickly enough. It is our only choice. Mrs. Evans? Mrs. Evans, I need to talk to Jonny or Hadji immediately. It is very urgent! . . . set up the system to log us both in . . . "

"This is not a good idea . . . "Jessie muttered, working quickly. "Hadji is gonna kill me if something happens to you."

"My choice!" Kefira snapped. "Jonny? Come quickly. Somehow Julia has accessed the system. She is in QuestWorld right now, going after Jeremiah Surd. I don't know how she got in. It does not matter. She is in . . . that is all that is important."

"We're set, Kefira! If you're coming, we have to go NOW!" Jessie said forcefully, moving quickly for the access chairs. Picking up a headset, she tossed it at Kefira and began donning her own.

"Jonny, Jessie and I are going into QuestWorld after Julia. Get here as quickly as you can." Even from across the room, Jessie could hear Jonny's wildly screamed "NO!!!!!!!" just before Kefira hung up the phone. She slapped the headset on as she crossed the room at a run and flung herself into the chair next to Jessie's.

"Kefira, I really don't think it's a good idea for you to come along . . ."

Cutting her off swiftly, Kefira called out, "IRIS, remote access, please. QuestWorld logon . . . subjects Kefira Subramanian and Jessie Bannon."

"REMOTE ACCESS ACKNOWLEDGED. QUESTWORLD LOGON . . . GOING HOT . . ."

* * * * *

"NO!!!!!!!" Jonny screamed wildly. "Kefira, don't . . . " But the line had already gone dead. He whirled to stare at the others in fear. "The system's come back online somehow and Julia's gotten into it and is going after Surd. Kefira and Jessie are going in after them!"

"No!" Estella gasped. "They can't!"

"But how?" Bennett demanded. "You said it was offline!"

"It does not matter how," Hadji said grimly, unconsciously echoing Kefira. "All that matters is that it has happened and we are not ready."

Benton turned back to the computer terminal he had been working at and typed quickly. "The entire system's connected and live again." He saved the file he had been working on and shifted it to a common drive quickly. "Come on, let's go!" Benton snapped. "We've got to get to the lab!" With Bennett in hot pursuit, the entire family left at a run.

* * * * *

The fluorescent green and black tunnel spat Jessie and Kefira out into the middle of a maelstrom. Roiling violet/pink surrounded them, jagged bolts of lightening lashed out violently, and the din was unbelievable. Both began to tumble downward at a frightening speed the instant they materialized within the program.

"HOVERBOARDS!!!!" they screamed simultaneously. The requested items materialized a short way below them and both landed on them with jarring force.

"What has happened?" Kefira gasped. "How did we get into the program without coming through the gateway and having to give the access codes?"

Jessie looked around grimly. "Julia's been altering the programming. Somehow, she's found a way to rebuild the program. That probably means that not only has she taken out my security, but the original traps are probably operational again. Kefira, you can't be in here! You don't have enough experience . . ."

"I will not go back!"

"You have to! This program's purpose was to kill! I never should have allowed you to enter it at all. IRIS, log Kefira out now!" But there was no response. "IRIS?"

"I do not believe we have a choice any longer," Kefira told Jessie. "Our only option is to go forward. So let us go find our enemies and end this." With that, she shot off down the stormy tunnel.

With a deep sense of foreboding, Jessie took off after her. "Hadji, where are you?" she muttered. "Your 'beloved' needs you right now!"

* * * * *

Jonny, Hadji, Benton, Race, Estella and Bennett erupted into the lab. An alarm immediately began to sound loudly and IRIS said, "WARNING! UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL DETECTED IN LEVEL ONE SECURITY AREA. INDIVIDUAL HAS FIVE SECONDS TO VACATE THE PREMISES BEFORE SECURITY MEASURES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED."

Bennett immediately dropped to the floor and rolled, knowing even as he did so that it was futile. Nothing he did would allow him to avoid the precision targeting of the Quest's defensive systems. But a split second before they began firing, Race Bannon's voice cut across the warning alarm.

"Security override! Bannon-mark 7 authorization code 372. HOLD!"

The audible alarm stopped and IRIS replied sedately, "HOLDING."

"Reset access for Bennett, Charles Donald, Admiral, United States Navy and Commander of U.S. Military Forces."

"SPECIFY TYPE OF ACCESS."

"General for all levels. Notify a primary family member if detected in high level security areas without escort."

"DURATION?"

"Until further notice."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. ACCESS RESET."

"Where are we?" Race demanded, turning from Bennett to peer over the shoulders of Jonny, Benton and Hadji, who were now working feverishly at keyboards. "Why isn't the monitor working? Where are they?"

"The entire system seems to be in a lockout," Benton replied grimly. "They've shut us out so that we can't help them."

"Yeah, but Surd's done this before," Jonny said, "and we've said he always used his tricks over and over. Hadji, what about the one he used the time we were trapped in MegaQuest? Julia's good, but she isn't as good as Surd. She couldn't have developed her own lockout. She's gotta be using one of the systems that Surd had written . . . probably the same one that was on it before. You cracked that one last time. Let's find out if you can do it again."

"I am on it!" Hadji replied, working frantically.

Estella and Bennett watched the three of them in stunned amazement. Two or three word phrases between them seemed to communicate entire conversations. The three of them worked in tandem in a way that neither of the newcomers had ever seen before. Race tore is eyes away and glanced at his wife and former boss.

"Almost frightening, isn't it?" he asked with a weak chuckle.

"How do they do that?" Bennett asked in fascination.

Race shrugged. "ESP? Who knows. But they've always been able to do it . . . ever since the kids were old enough to work on computers. Put them together working on a common problem, particularly if they are under a deadline of some sort, and the three of them just click." He looked over at his wife. "What's really unsettling is to watch Jessie plug into the flow."

"She can do this?" Estella asked in amazement.

"From about the third day she started actively working with Ben . . ."

Their voices were suddenly drowned out by a roaring that sounded like the worst thunderstorm anyone could possibly imagine. With a brilliant flash, the huge wall monitor flared to life showing the violent violet/pink storm.

"Got it!" Hadji yelled over the din.

"What is that?" Estella yelled in horror.

"Damp the sound, Hadji," Benton yelled.

"I cannot! It is this or nothing. I was able to get in, but I have no control over anything . . ."

"They're back in Surd's program again!" Jonny screamed. "That's the gateway . . . "

Suddenly, the two girls flashed onto the screen, moving at high speed on hoverboards. Through the din, they all heard Jessie.

"Hadji, where are you? "Your 'beloved' needs you right now!"

"Jessie! Kefira! Can you hear me?" Hadji yelled into the console mike. But neither girl responded. The members of the Quest family could see and hear, but they were powerless to do anything to help.

* * * * *

Catching up with Kefira, Jessie dropped down beside her and yelled over the tumult, "We need a plan!"

"You know the program. What do you suggest?" A sudden slash of lightening right next to her threw Kefira from the hoverboard with a scream. Jessie darted down and was able to get under her. Kefira hit the hoverboard on her side and lay draped across one end, partially stunned, as Jessie clutched at her desperately and tried to keep both of them from being flung off into the storm. With difficulty, Kefira regained her feet and stared at Jessie grimly. "That hurt . . . " she said unsteadily and Jessie saw that her QuestWorld garments showed a long scorched mark down her right side.

Back in the lab, Bennett turned from the scene and strode across to the two girls in the couches. Reaching around, he carefully inspected Kefira's side.

"Good Lord!" he said, backing away abruptly, looking sick. His right hand clutched scraps of charred clothing. "She bleeding! What the hell is going on here?!?"

Benton swore viciously. "That goddamned son-of-a-bitch . . . the 'death' module that Surd built into the program has been reactivated. If they are hurt in there, it will be transferred to their physical bodies here!" He gestured toward the cabinet on a nearby wall without looking up. "There's a first aid kit over there, Admiral. Can you tend to her?"

Back in QuestWorld, Jessie replied, "The program is trying to defend itself against us. It did this to Dr. Quest and Jonny, too." Above them, Jessie could see Kefira's hoverboard. It hung stationary, not yet having been destroyed by the turmoil around them. Jessie sent her board spiraling upward again and as they approached it, Kefira made the leap and mounted it again.

"We must get out of here," Kefira yelled over the turmoil, sending the hoverboard sailing forward again. "What can we expect next?"

"I don't know. The program's changed . . . it's not acting the way it did the first time. So Julia's hasn't been able to rebuild everything."

"The images we saw the last time we were here . . . what were those?"

"Surd unleashed Jonny and Dr. Quest's deepest fears against them . . . Dr. Quest's fear that he failed his family, and Jonny's fear that he's a disappointment to his dad. It was designed to play head games with them and break their will to fight. Those were the images you saw . . ."

Without warning, the two erupted from the violence of the tunnel into the dreary gray/black of the abyss. They could see the path below them again, looking even more decayed and poisonous than the last time. The sudden silence was profound after the noise of the initial passage.

Jessie peered into the gloom. "We should be able to see the castle from here. Where is it?"

"I do not know, but we need weapons if we are going to be expected to fight."

"IRIS, power swords and shields," Jessie demanded. Again, there was no response. "Hadji? Jonny? Are you there?" Nothing. Jessie looked over at Kefira. "We are in serious trouble."

"Power swords and shields?" Estella demanded, sounding angry. "This isn't some computer game! Give them something useful, IRIS . . . like pistols or something!"

Unbelievably, a pair of pistols materialized directly in front of the two women. Jessie blinked in astonishment and fumbled to grab the weapon before it fell into the emptiness below them.

"It is loaded and appears to be ready to work!" Kefira said, examining hers closely.

"But where did it come from?" Jessie demanded suspiciously. "Something really weird is going on here."

"How did you do that?" Benton demanded of Estella.

"I have no idea!"

"Jessie, can you hear me?" Jonny demanded, but again it appeared the two couldn't hear him.

"IRIS, can you tell us what's going on?" Race asked.

"THE PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE FUNCTIONING WITHIN ACCEPTABLE PARAMETERS."

"What parameters?" Race demanded.

"UNABLE TO SPECIFY. THE PROGRAM HAD BEEN BADLY DISRUPTED BEFORE JESSIE BANNON STABLIZED IT. WHEN THE RECONSTRUCT SEQUENCE WAS ENABLED, THE PROGRAM RECOMPILED. HOWEVER, LARGE PORTIONS OF IT HAD BEEN DESTROYED. THE RECOMPILING PROGRAM TAPPED OTHER SOURCES TO COMPLETE THE REBUILD, SO IT IS NOT THE SAME AS IT WAS IN ORIGINAL FORMAT. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO PREDICT EXACTLY HOW IT WILL FUNCTION."

"You're saying that even Julia can't predict how it will work?" Estella questioned.

"AFFIRMATIVE."

"Here they come, Jessie!" Kefira said urgently, staring up the road. "Whatever 'they' are . . ."

Jessie followed her gaze and spotted ranks of what appeared to be soldiers marching toward them along the road. They were black and faceless with glowing red eyes. Their shape could be discerned because each one seemed to be surrounded by a fiery red glow. They appeared to be armed with pikes. "The stained glass window soldiers," Jessie identified quickly. "They were stained glass portraits in Surd's castle that he brought to life." The one in the lead suddenly stopped and pointed his pike at the two women. From the end of it, a bolt of energy shot out at them. "YEOW!" Jessie exclaimed as the two of them shot in opposite directions attempting to evade the bolt. "They couldn't do that before!"

Kefira brought the pistol to bear and fired. The bullet struck their attacker square in the chest and he shattered into a million pieces. Jubilation turned to horror, however as they watched each shattered piece grow into a new soldier. "How do we fight what cannot be destroyed?" she demanded in frustrated anger. The remaining soldiers raised their pikes and all of them began firing at the two women. Both continued to fight valiantly, darting and weaving on the hoverboards in an attempt to avoid being struck by the energy bolts.

"We have to do something!" Jonny said frantically. "They can't keep that up . . . they're going to be overwhelmed!"

As Estella watched the battle, she had been thinking desperately. Suddenly, her eyes widened as a thought struck her. She leaned in over Jonny's shoulder and said urgently, "A flamethrower! Give them a flamethrower! If those soldiers were originally conceived as "glass" maybe if they are melted it will truly destroy them."

"But how do we get IRIS to provide it?" Jonny demanded in frustration. "She isn't responding to commands!"

"Look!" Bennett interjected sharply, pointing at the monitor. As one, they all stared as a flamethrower materialized directly in front of Jessie. She only paused for a flicker of an instant before she snatched it up and aimed it at the advancing soldiers. The characteristic roar of the device as it began to belch flame was clear in the relative quiet.

"That is handy," Kefira said as the glass figures began to melt under the force of the heat. She ducked reflexively as one of the soldiers shot at her. "Beloved, if that is you out there providing us with these items, you might consider providing some type of energy shield, as well." A second bolt struck even closer to her than before, almost throwing her from her hoverboard. "It would be very useful right now . . ."

"I cannot . . . "Hadji snarled, but stopped as the requested item materialized almost in her hands.

"Thank you, my love," Kefira said, sliding one arm into it quickly and promptly deflecting three separate bolts that otherwise would have struck her squarely.

"How did you do that?" Jonny demanded of his brother.

"I did not do anything! What is happening?"

With sudden understanding, Benton shot to his feet and dragged Estella over and shoved her into his chair. "It's not responding to us! It is responding to Estella and Kefira. Somehow, Julia's managed to block those of us who have been in the program before. But she didn't bargain on Estella and Kefira. They can make it respond where we can't!"

Estella leaned over to the mike and called urgently, "Jessie! Kefira! Can you hear me?"

Jessie's head snapped up immediately, as she seemed to look around her. "Mom? Is that you? Where's Jonny?"

"He's here. There's no time to explain, but for some reason, IRIS won't respond to commands from anyone but Kefira and me. When you need something, Kefira has to make the request for it."

"Got it!"

"IRIS, another energy shield . . . quickly!" Kefira snapped.

"And a couple of power swords!" Jessie called to Kefira as she wielded the flamethrower at the glass soldiers again.

"And two energy swords!" Kefira confirmed and watched with satisfaction as the requested items materialized. She snatched one and tossed it to Jessie before grasping the second one. "Now we have a chance!"

"Let's do it!" as both women turned on their attackers.

Back in the lab, Race turned away from the big monitor and reached for a nearby headset. "IRIS, is it still possible to log into QuestWorld?"

"AFFIRMATIVE."

"What are you planning?" Bennett demanded sharply, turning to the younger man.

"I'm going in after them. Jessie is more than capable, but Kefira's only been in QuestWorld once before and has no experience fighting in that environment."

"What makes you think you can get in?"

"Because I wasn't in the program the last time."

"Neither was I, Race," Hadji pointed out as he watched Jessie and Kefira battle the glass soldiers. He noted that the two of them were now decimating the ranks of the enemy and they had begun to fall back in the face of the young women's assault. "I was not in the program before, either, and it will not respond to me."

"Yes, but you acted as operator on the system and interacted with it from the outside, helping Jonny and Benton free themselves from Surd's mind simulations. I didn't. I was on Compound invasion detail. If we're right, I should be able to log in and operate in QuestWorld much as Kefira does." Raising his voice, he called, "Jessie . . . Kefira . . . can you hear me?"

"Yes!" they both chorused.

Race nodded sharply as he donned the headset and settled in the chair next to his daughter. "IRIS, remote access . . . QuestWorld logon . . . subject Race Bannon. Immediate insertion into running program."

"REMOTE ACCESS ACKNOWLEDGED. QUESTWORLD LOGON . . . GOING HOT . . ."

The headset flared and suddenly the monitor shifted from the view of the abyss to the violence and noise of the entry tunnel once more. Race appeared in the midst of the maelstrom and promptly began fall into the chaos.

"What the . . . IRIS, HOVERBOARD!" It materialized and Race landed on it neatly. "Why didn't I enter the program at the point where Jessie and Kefira are?" Race demanded. "IRIS . . ."

"You can't, Dad." They could barely hear Jessie's disembodied voice over the tumult. "The program was too damaged. It only operates linearly. You have to start at the beginning and go straight through. I don't think whatever Julia did would be capable of fixing that. You're going to have to catch up with us."

"Jessie, look over there!," Race suddenly heard Kefira call. "Is that the castle?"

"Yes! Dad, we're heading in. Follow us as quickly as you can!"

"Jessica, wait for me! Don't go in there on your own . . ."

"No time, Dad. We can't let Julia get to Surd! Just get here as quickly as you can."

"IRIS, I need a power sled, NOW! And arm it . . . incendiary missiles, a laser cannon, and an energy shield.

Everyone in the lab stared at the screen tensely as it flashed and the scene changed again. A huge castle hung in the midst of the blackness. The decaying path ended at the front gates and at the entrance was a group of new soldiers.

"What is that?" Kefira demanded.

"Surd's castle," Jessie replied. "It was there that Jonny and Dr. Quest first confronted Surd."

"It was not here the last time we entered the program!"

"It comes and goes. Remember how I told you the images weren't always the same? The only thing that has always been here every time I've entered is the gateway tunnel and the tower. Everything else seemed to come and go at random."

"Do we have to go through the castle to get to the tower?"

"I sure as hell hope not. I don't even like to think about all the booby traps there are in there. We're gonna start by trying to go around!" The two women banked to the right and began to circle around the large structure. They rounded it and took off into the blackness once again.

"Where is that tower?" Jessie muttered, peering ahead into the darkness. Suddenly, a structure materialized out of the darkness. As both of them stared, the structure solidified out of the darkness. Surd's castle . . . again.

"Damn!" Jessie said explosively. "Let's try to the left this time . . ." Once again, the two of them circled the castle and shot off into the darkness, only to have it reappear in front of them.

"I believe we are going to have to go in whether we like it or not," Kefira said unhappily.

"No," a new voice said strongly. "We don't go in . . . we go through." A loud, whining sound whistled past the two women and they had the briefest image of a missile before the castle exploded into a million flaming pieces in front of them and Race shot past them on the power sled. In the distance, beyond the flaming castle, the tower suddenly appeared.

"Way to go, Dad!" Jessie crowed.

"Let's put an end to this, "Race said grimly. "NOW!"

"What is that thing he is on?" Kefira asked, eyeing the sled.

"It's a power sled," Jessie replied, watching her father disappear into the distance no matter how hard the two women tried to keep up.

"IRIS, two power sleds," Kefira called and the requested items promptly appeared.

"Yes!" Jessie said enthusiastically. Then she warned, "Hang on to your hoverboard. You're gonna need it. These are too big to be able to get into the tower." Kefira nodded and the two of them sped after Race.

Back in the lab, Benton turned to his sons. "Come on. We've still got to get the virus planted. We gain nothing if that doesn't get transferred back to Baxter's home base!" The three of them moved to another workstation as Bennett sank down next to Estella and stared tensely at the monitor screen.

"I never dreamed that VR applications could be taken to this kind of length," he said hoarsely. "This is a nightmare . . ."

Estella shot him a swift glance. "Now do you understand why Benton won't let anyone know about this, Admiral?"

"My God, this makes Payson's work seem like child's play."

"Yes."

"What ever possessed Quest to invent something like this?" Estella saw him look toward the immobile body of Kefira. "A system like this should not even exist!"

Estella's tone was hard as she replied, "Benton Quest did not invent this. This is the work of a madman . . . a madman whose research you funded for years, I might add. Don't sound so morally outraged, Admiral. QuestWorld has a lot more positive applications than you can begin to imagine . . . something that cannot be said for the nerve gas you funded."

"That's not fair!" Bennett replied hotly. "There were outside pressures . . . we were in the middle of a cold war . . . we had enemies . . ."

"And that is supposed to excuse the development of invisible agents that can kill indiscriminately and with no warning?" Estella retorted hotly. "Let me tell you a story, Admiral . . . a story about a native South American culture who believed just as you do. No length was too far to go to defeat their enemies. Oh, they defeated them, all right . . . and in the process, they destroyed themselves, as well. The plague that they developed to kill off their enemies didn't make distinctions . . . it just killed. The ends don't justify the means, Admiral. All they're likely to do is to come back and even the scales!"

"Where do we set this up?" Jonny demanded, working swiftly. "If they're trying to back out of the system quickly, they aren't likely to be looking around to see what they can find."

"Hadji, can you find their point of access into the system?" Benton demanded. "Our best bet is to tie it to their point of exit."

"I am on it."

"But how are we going to get them to take it?" Jonny insisted.

"We do not need to," Hadji replied. "It is infectious enough, all they need to do is come in contact with it." Suddenly, he gave a grunt of satisfaction. "I have it!" He studied the results on his screen for a moment and then shot Jonny an ironic glance. "They are using the exact same access that Surd used the very first time he broke into the system."

"Figures," Jonny said in disgust.

Benton worked quickly, moving the research file to the appropriate location in the QuestWorld environment. "IRIS, compile the transferred file and convert it to a QuestWorld executable." He glanced over at his eldest son. "You have immunized our system to this thing, right?"

Hadji nodded. "Yes. IRIS cannot contract it, but I've programmed IRIS to infect any persona in QuestWorld that is not one of the family members."

"IRIS, execute the file and transfer the virus to it." He looked at his two sons. "The personas that Julia and her friends are using are actually executable files. That means that the program that replicates them in QuestWorld is capable of picking up the virus. All they'll need to do is come in contact with it and they'll carry it back with them.

"ACKNOWLEDGED. WORKING. CONVERSION COMPLETE. EXECUTING NOW."

The small screens on the three workstations flickered and steadied. The video of the desert footage played out in absolute silence. Immediately after, the scene repeated itself, but this time the weapon seemed more accurate than it had before. Then it repeated once more, again with what appeared to be better results. The third time it ran, there seemed to be no change.

"That's it," Benton said quietly to his sons. "I was never able to get it to perform any better than that. Payson's basic premise won't allow it to develop any further."

"Thank God!" was Jonny's soft, fervent reply. "At least, if anyone else gets hold of his work, we know there are limits to what they can do."

"The same can't be said for QuestWorld," Benton replied heavily. Then he sighed. "I don't know . . . maybe we should destroy it now . . . before its existence becomes known. The devastation this system is capable of . . . "

Jonny reached out and laid a hand on his father's arm. "We've safeguarded it the very best that we can, Dad. And no one can steal it without destroying it."

"I know, Son, but no system is foolproof forever. What's kept it safe up to now is that no one knew of its existence. But more and more people are becoming aware of it. And sooner or later . . ."

"I understand, Father," Hadji replied softly. "But there is a tremendous amount of good that can come from the system as well. To deny that simply out of fear is not wisdom. We both know how much you feared the uses that the Rachel program could have been put to, but you resisted the urge to destroy it. Instead, you kept it, strongly safeguarded, and the world as we know it exists today because you did. Please, Father . . . do not destroy your greatest achievement."

The sudden sound of laser fire brought all three of them around to stare at the wall monitor. They saw Race hovering at the top of the tower on the power sled. Flashes of laser fire emanated from the interior, causing him to veer away from the entrance. As they watched, Jessie and Kefira joined him.

"We have to get inside!" Jessie called to her father. "Cover us!" Snatching up her hoverboard, she leaped from the power sled and sped toward the entrance to the tower with Kefira right behind her.

"No! Girls, wait!!!"

But it was too late. Both of them had disappeared through the entryway. Race sent a barrage of laser fire in after them, praying they were out of the line of fire. "IRIS, I need a hoverboard!" But return fire drove him away from the entrance again.

Inside, Jessie and Kefira leaped from their hoverboards in opposite directions. Laser fire followed them. Kefira rolled to her feet and snapped off a shot as she continued to move, taking shelter behind a lab table. On the other side of the room, Jessie threw herself down behind another table, and peered out, searching for their adversaries. She spotted Jeremiah Surd almost immediately. He stood, staring blankly at nothing, at the far edge of the room. Even the laser blasts exploding around him did not cause him to move. Suddenly, Jessie saw movement not far to her left and, as she looked, she saw Julia stand quickly and snap off a shot in Kefira's direction. Jessie didn't even hesitate. She launched herself at the woman, catching Julia squarely in the stomach with a shoulder. The two of them crashed backwards into a nearby counter and beakers, flasks and various other glassware came crashing down around them. Julia writhed desperately in Jessie's grasp, struggling to twist in her hold. The two of them rolled over and over on the floor as Julia's fingers grasped Jessie's throat.

"What have you done with Jeremiah?" Julia screeched, and tried to slam Jessie's head down on the floor. But Jessie writhed sharply, freeing her arms from under Julia's body. She lashed out and struck Julia sharply across one cheekbone with her fist. Julia sat up sharply, giving Jessie the opening to lash out at her again. Then, lying on her back on the floor, Jessie freed one leg, planted her foot firmly in Julia stomach, and sent her sailing across the room to crash into the wall.

As Jessie started to rise, she found herself staring straight down the barrel of a laser pistol. The eyes on the opposite side of the gun glowed an unholy red in a face totally devoid of color. Jessie gaped up at her assailant, stunned to immobility by the sight her new attacker.

"Who are you?" she stammered.

The face split into a nightmarish grin as his finger tightened on the trigger. "The last person you'll ever see!" he grated. But before he could complete the action, a dynamo with streaming black hair struck him like shot, sending the man end over end across the floor.

"Not while I can prevent it!" Kefira snarled. "IRIS, a staff!" She caught the weapon as it appeared in mid-air, and advanced on Baxter, wielding the long piece of wood deftly, as he staggered to his feet again. Lashing out with the staff, she knocked the gun out of his hand and it spun upward in a high arc to land somewhere on the far side of the room amid the rubble. Then, with a sharp, upward stroke, she smacked him under the chin and sent him staggering backward. She whirled the staff fluidly above her head, catching it by one end and struck him sharply again, this time in the ribs. Baxter doubled over, groaning, and dropped to his knees. "These are my friends you are threatening and I will not permit you to continue!"

Back in the lab, everyone watched in stunned amazement as the young Indian woman thrashed Baxter soundly.

"Woo hoo! Way to go, Kefira!" Jonny cheered. "Let him have it!" He reached out and pounded Hadji on the shoulder in glee. "Man, where did you find this woman? She is absolutely terrific!!!"

Hadji just grinned.

By this time, Jessie was back on her feet and turning to face Julia once more. She saw the woman aiming her pistol at Kefira. Without hesitation, she snatched up anything she could lay her hands on and began hurtling it as the older woman. Julia threw one arm up to deflect the missiles and turned the pistol on Jessie. She snapped off a shot, but it was deflected by an incoming beaker. Jessie leaped to her right, grabbing for her pistol, which lay on the floor a short distance away, but a lucky shot from Julia sent it skittering out of her reach. Just as Julia was taking aim again, Race erupted into the midst of the melee. Jessie's forward momentum sent her directly into her father and they both tumbled to the floor. As he went down, Race lashed out with a leg and kicked Julia soundly, sending her reeling backward toward Kefira. The Indian girl dodged the careening woman, but the movement caused her to miss the stroke she had aimed at Baxter. The man lunged for her, but she ducked again and he went sprawling to the floor. What he found, when he came to a stop, was Jessie's gun. Snatching it up, he rolled, brought it up, and aimed it at Kefira as the girl turned to face Julia.

Time seemed to freeze as everyone realized that Kefira was totally unaware of the threat behind her. Race's voice in QuestWorld echoed Hadji's in the lab as they both screamed, "NNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" at the same instant.

But Jessie's voice drowned them both out as she screamed, "Kefira, DROP!!!!" Without losing a beat, the Indian girl seemed to collapse. She dropped straight to the floor and rolled. The shot, aimed to strike her in the chest, went over her head harmlessly and struck the immobile body of Jeremiah Surd squarely in the face.

All around them, a wild keening rose. It was sharp and piercing and seemed to penetrate into both body and soul of anyone within earshot. Rage, hatred, and despair echoed like the sound of the wind wailing on a stormy night, and they all thought they heard a voice shrieking, I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!!!! And then, finally, like a dying gasp, Jjjjuuuulllllliiiiaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then it was gone.

For an instant, no one moved. Then Baxter snarled in rage as he brought the pistol up again and aimed it at Race and Jessie. But when he pulled the trigger, nothing happened. The powerpack was spent. Julia leaped to her feet and ran toward him. "It's over!" she spat. "Let's get out of here!" Pulling him behind a nearby lab table, she called, "This isn't finished . . . we'll be back! QuestWorld logoff . . . subjects Julia Canova and Richard Baxter!" And in the next instant they were gone.

"Kefira!" Hadji's voice suddenly echoed frantically in the shattered lab. "Kefira, are you all right?"

Jessie and Race looked at the Indian girl sprawled face down on the floor with sudden fear. Both heaved a sigh of relief as she propped herself up on her elbows and shoved her hair out of her face. She looked directly at Jessie. "Never dull . . ." she said with a shake of her head, and Jessie collapsed back against her father, laughing weakly. "Yes, beloved," she replied. "I am fine."

In the lab, Hadji dropped heavily into a chair, his legs no longer able to support him. "Damn . . ." he said clearly.

"Hadji!" Benton gasped, stunned. Jonny chuckled and patted him on the back.

"You'll never get used to it, but you'll learn to live with it," he said knowledgeably.

"Are they gone?" Estella demanded.

Benton turned back to his console. After a moment, he replied, "Yes, they're gone."

"And the virus?" Bennett questioned.

Benton nodded wearily. "Transferred. It looks like Baxter picked it up."

"How long before . . ."

"It will take some time," Hadji replied. "In order to ensure that our enemies do not detect it and have a chance to try to formulate a defense or analyze it, I designed it as a stealth virus. It will spread undetected and causing no damage until it reaches a certain saturation point within the infected system. Once it reaches that point, it activates and destroys totally. After it activates, there is no stopping it."

"So now we wait," Jonny concluded.

Back in QuestWorld, Jessie got to her feet slowly. Kefira rose to join her and the two stood, surveying the wreckage for a moment before they turned and moved slowly toward the blank wall on the far side of the lab. When nothing happened, Jessie reached out and laid her hand against it. Nothing. She turned her head and the two eyed each other in silence.

Finally, Jessie said quietly, "I guess it really is over, now. He's gone."

"Yes," Kefira replied softly. "But it was not your doing, Jessie. You did not kill him."

Race came up behind the two. "What do you say we get out of here? Let's go home."

Wearily, Jessie nodded. "IRIS," she called, "log us out of QuestWorld, please."

"ACKNOWLEDGED." A few seconds later, all three opened their eyes to find the rest of the Quest clan gathered around them. Hadji caught Kefira up out of the chair and hugged her to him tightly, not saying a word. Race rose and went directly to Estella. Jonny helped Jessie up and started to put an arm around her, but she moved away from him. Crossing the room slowly, she stepped up to the console. Hitting two keys, she said quietly, "IRIS, system update."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. WAITING . . ."

With a sigh, she said, "Purge all components of the program 'Thoughtscape'. Also, access all archive material, search for program 'Thoughtscape' and purge from there as well."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. WORKING. PROGRAM 'THOUGHTSCAPE' NOW PURGED FROM MAIN SYSTEM. SEARCH OF ARCHIVED MATERIALS COMMENCING. ANTICIPATED COMPLETION TIME AT CURRENT PRIORITY RANKING, 12 HOURS, 23 MINTUES. DO YOU WISH TO INCREASE THE PRIORITY LEVEL FOR THIS FUNCTION?"

Jessie shook her head slowly. "No. Continue at given priority level. Notify me when purge is completed."

"ACKNOWLEDGED."

"You did the best you could, Jess," Jonny said softly, turning her from the console and gathering her into his arms.

She laid her head against his chest and sighed again. "I know. And I understand that it's probably better this way. But I still feel like I failed somehow."

Jonny just pressed her head into his shoulder and held her tightly.

* * * * *

Baxter's Hideout
Portsmouth, Maine

Julia Canova and Richard Baxter opened their eyes to find themselves back in the research complex in Portsmouth. Julia leaned forward and put her face in her hands. "Oh, Jeremiah . . ." she whispered softly.

Nearby, Lorenzo stood, staring at the screen of the laptop that sat on the table. "Where's the boss?" he asked in confusion. "I thought you went in there to get him out." He turned to stare at the immobile figure sitting in the life support chair nearby. "Hey, that gizmo's stopped working!"

"Yes," Julia whispered. With an effort, she straightened and turned to look at her brother. "He's gone, Lorenzo. He died."

"Died? But . . ." Then he stopped. Lorenzo was not the most intelligent person in the world, but he knew his sister and he knew that she had been devoted to Jeremiah Surd for a very long time. Awkwardly, he stepped up and patted her on the back. "Oh, hey, Sis . . . I'm really sorry."

Julia sighed deeply and then looked across the table at Richard Baxter. He was staring back at her with a calculating look. "So now what?" she asked.

"I want it," Baxter replied with conviction. He turned to Edgerton, who was still staring at the screen on the laptop with a stunned expression.

"I've never seen anything like that," he said. He turned to Julia abruptly. "That's fully VR? The people you fought in there are real?" he demanded.

Julia nodded wearily. "Yes . . . just like we were. I don't know who the dark-haired girl was . . . I've never run into her before . . . but the other two were the Bannons . . . father and daughter."

"But how? It was so fluid . . . totally seamless. No jerkiness, no hesitation at all." He looked over at Baxter. "Cybersickness? Disorientation?"

"Absolutely none," Baxter replied.

"How?" Edgerton demanded fiercely, turning back to Julia.

"Quest's design . . . totally," she replied, sitting back with a deep sigh. "Even Jeremiah didn't understand how it works. It's like he completely started over. The system never appeared to be based on anyone else's work. Jeremiah could make it work to his advantage, but he was never able to duplicate it . . . or even figure out the fundamental way it works."

"I want it," Baxter repeated more forcefully.

"Can we pirate it?" Edgerton demanded

Julia shook her head. "No. It becomes totally unstable when you attempt to download it. The only way we were ever able to get a copy of it was if we stole a machine that it was already loaded on . . . like we did this one. Quest must have a way, but we were never able to discover what it was."

Baxter rose to his feet abruptly. Pointing at the laptop on the table, he said to Edgerton. "Plug that thing into our system and analyze what's on there. If nothing else, analyze the data it accumulated while we were in there. I want that system. And if I have to take that Compound by force, then that's what I'll do."

"Yes," Edgerton agreed, still staring at the laptop. Julia knew that look . . . it was greed. Not only did Baxter want the system . . . so did Edgerton. She also knew what the look meant. Any question of a direct assault on the Quest Compound was now settled. They'd be going in with a full, frontal assault. It was only a question of when . . .

* * * * *

Quest Compound

Benton, Race and Admiral Bennett sat in Benton's study. The tension between them could be clearly felt.

"I still don't understand how this could have happened!" Bennett said harshly. "You said the system was offline . . . disconnected from anything that would have allowed access. How did Richard Baxter and Julia Canova get in?"

"I don't know, Admiral!" Benton replied in a hard tone. "How many more times do I have to say it? You heard Jessie as clearly as I did. Something triggered IRIS to bring the system back on-line. I don't know what it was. In all likelihood, it's something Surd had previously planted, but until we can find and analyze it, I can't tell you how it was done. Hadji is looking. If he's able to locate it, then we have a chance of disabling it. If not, the best we can do is react to the threat when it occurs."

"That's not good enough!" Bennett replied angrily. "Every time they get in, the risk increases."

"You think I don't realize that?" Benton snarled, beginning to lose his temper. "I can all but guarantee that whatever Surd did to turn QuestWorld lethal did not get purged along with that program. He made that modification long before the 'Thoughtscape' program ever existed. As it stands, I can't even swear that the standard games that Jonny and Jessie used to play haven't been infected and won't kill them! You think I want to put my kids at risk the way we were just forced to do? But there's simply no other choice. Until we can figure out what allowed them access, our hands are tied."

"You can destroy the entire system!"

"Now wait just a damned minute . . ." Race started to say, but Benton overrode him.

"Believe me, Admiral, I've considered it. I came extremely close this afternoon. But as long as there is any chance that I can find a way to safeguard it so that it can't be used for harmful applications, I'll preserve it and keep trying. There's too much potential for good in it to give up unless I absolutely have to."

"And what's it going to take to convince you . . . one of your own kids dying in there???"

"That's ENOUGH!" Race thundered, as Benton turned white.

"Perhaps it would be better if we placed the blame for the incident this afternoon where it belongs," a new voice said coldly. All three men looked up to see Hadji standing in the doorway. His face was set and harsh, and it occurred to Bennett that this was as close to fury as he'd ever seen in Benton Quest's eldest son. "I have managed to isolate the subroutine that allowed our enemies access to the system," he said tightly, moving into the room. Bennett saw that Jonny was behind him, and the younger boy looked no friendlier than his brother. The two young men moved to once again flank their father and stared at Bennett coldly.

"What . . ." Benton began, but Jonny interrupted.

"It had been dormant . . . up until this afternoon."

"Then someone input a code string that activated it," Hadji added.

"But how," Bennett demanded once again. "If the systems were offline, how did someone get in to do it?"

"Because it was done from inside . . ." Hadji said coldly, moving toward the military man threateningly. ". . . from this very room."

"It certainly didn't take you long to locate it," Benton said, leaning forward and placing a placating hand on his eldest son's arm. "How did you find it?"

"We started with the assumption that because the system was off-line, whatever triggered it must have come from activity inside," Hadji replied, taking a deep breath and turning to his father. "We had IRIS give us a list of all data input to the system within the last 24 hours and began reviewing it. It was easy enough to eliminate the work that Jonny and I had been doing in the lab, and that you had been doing in the main house. Beyond that, most of us had not been working on the system. It did not take us long to find the one done from here."

"What was the command?"

Jonny shrugged. "It wasn't really a command . . . just a string of pure gibberish. It's what made it stand out so clearly . . . particularly since it followed immediately after one stand-alone terminal was reconnected to the backbone." He glared at Bennett. "Funny thing . . . all the trouble to isolate a single unit and bring it back on-line and then no one used the connection." He turned back to his father. "As close as we can tell, the program itself was set up to trigger an executable file when that particular string of gibberish was detected. So we physically disconnected the hard line to the outside and disabled the satellite uplink transmitter, put a tracker on the string and executed it again. From there, it was easy enough to monitor system activity, trace the result back to its destination, and destroy the program."

"An accident?" Benton asked. "Could one of us just have gotten lucky and input the right string of characters?"

Both young men shook their heads emphatically. "Not a chance," Jonny said grimly. "That string was constructed to ensure that it wouldn't happen accidentally . . . too many characters that you wouldn't use, even in programming, unless you were going for them specifically."

"And that leads to only one conclusion," Hadji said coldly, turning back to Bennett once more. "Someone from outside this family, with access to our computer system, deliberately input that data."

"Leeds," Race said flatly.

"It can't be," Bennett replied with conviction, turning back to Benton. "Leeds is a lot of things, but he is not a traitor."

"No," Race said in a quiet voice that caused everyone to turn and look at him. He had listened silently as Jonny and Hadji had explained their logic. Now he raised his eyes to Bennett's and the look in them caused the military man to shiver. "No," he repeated, "he's not a traitor. But he is a self-centered bastard, and this is exactly the type of game that he'd play. He'd use anyone and anything to get what he wants. Somehow, he knew what would happen when he inputted that code, and he bet the entire game on the hope that we could repulse anything that Baxter might do."

"To what purpose?" Bennett demanded. "What could he possibly hope to gain?"

"We're bait," Race replied coldly. "He knows Baxter . . . has been chasing the man for over ten years with a single-mindedness born of hatred. Little or nothing draws this man out into the open. But QuestWorld is totally unique with a great potential as a weapon. The promise it holds would be enough to do it. Leeds has gambled that Baxter's inability to lay his hands on Benton or any other member of this family, coupled with his first demonstration of the power of the system, will be enough to draw him out in a direct, frontal assault on this Compound."

The members of the Quest family saw Bennett's face change as the impact of that logic hit him. "He said it," Bennett said hoarsely after a moment. "He said he wouldn't sit back and do nothing when there was a chance to flush the man out in the open . . . "

"So he set it in motion," Race said grimly. "Which means, sometime very soon Baxter is going to hit this Compound . . . probably with everything he's got."

"Well, it's what we were trying for," Jonny pointed out dryly.

Race grimaced. "Yes, but I would be a lot happier if we were in a bit better control of the situation."

"Look," Bennett said, standing, "we need to get all of you out of here. We can put military personnel in the . . ."

"No," Benton said flatly.

"You are a direct target now," Bennett argued. "You can't stay here . . ."

"I am not leaving, Admiral. This is my home, and I will not be driven out." He turned to Race. "What do you think we can expect?"

Race looked grim as he contemplated that question. "It's hard to say. The man has been collecting cutting edge weapons technology for close to 15 years, so it's anyone's guess what he's got. Our big advantage is that he wants the Compound . . . wants IRIS . . . although he probably doesn't realize exactly what's he's after. He's not going to do anything really drastic, like nuke the place, or he'll destroy the very thing he wants."

"What about that nerve gas?" Bennett pointed out harshly. "He could wipe out everyone in this place with little or no effort."

"No," Race countered. "We already know that Julia's in league with him, and she knows that it won't matter if they take this place if they don't have at least one of us alive and talking." He took a deep breath and looked Benton straight in the eyes. "And that means that we really should get you and the others out of here, Benton. Kefira said it last night . . . we can't afford to have you put in the position of having to make a choice between one of the family and giving Baxter what he wants."

"No," Benton said again. "I stay. If it gets that bad, then my own hand destroys this place. But I will agree that you need to take the others . . ."

"I won't leave," Jonny said flatly. "Not as long as you're here."

"Nor I," Hadji agreed.

"If one stays then we all stay," a voice said from behind them. As one, the five men turned to find Estella, Jessie and Kefira standing shoulder to shoulder just inside the door. No one had heard them enter.

"Stel . . ." Race began, but he was cut off immediately.

"Women and children to the lifeboats, is that it?" she asked angrily. "Well, it's not going to happen! I'll die fighting beside you before I live one more day without you. I swore that to you three days ago, and I won't turn my back on that vow now, you understand me?"

"None of us will go," Jessie said.

Hadji crossed to Kefira and caught her by the shoulders. "Kefira, it is going to be extremely dangerous. I cannot allow this. You must . . ."

"We stand together or we fall together, beloved," she said, gazing up at him. "I will not leave."

"Okay, that's it then," Benton said reluctantly. Turning back to Bennett, he said, "We all stay. But I want you out of here, Admiral, along with all of your men outside of the perimeter fence."

"No, Dr. Quest! You are going to need all of the manpower we can possibly get. I'll call in added reinforcements. Hopefully, they will get here in time . . ."

But Benton shook his head. "No, Admiral, you won't. If Baxter hits us with that kind of power, added men on the outer perimeter will simply be slaughtered, and I won't have them inside the fence."

"Now is not the time to worry about a repeat of what happened with your wife!" Bennett said hotly.

Benton returned his gaze steadily. "I'm not," he replied. "It is vital that the defenses of this place be able to operate at optimum levels. IRIS must be programmed to recognize anyone inside the fence that is not to be a defensive target. The more people there are within the boundaries, the more limited she is." Benton shook his head sharply at Bennett's look. "I don't think you understand the gravity or scope of the situation, Admiral . . . or just how determined I am to be certain that Baxter doesn't get the technology housed in this facility. There are things within this Compound . . . working prototypes and programs . . . that have the potential to destroy the world." Benton smiled grimly at the man's look. "Does that idea scare you, Admiral? It should, because it scares the hell out of me. Race told my son last night that, for a good man, nothing is worse than discovering that there is a part of you capable of lusting for revenge and having the power to exact it. I've never been consumed by that burning need for revenge . . . no matter how much I've hated. But I've had my own demons. Time has allowed me to lay most of them to rest, thank God, but trust me when I tell you, grief can drive a man as frantically as revenge, and its result can be equally horrifying. Do you know that I could bring my wife back, Admiral? Do you comprehend what that means? I have the power to go back and alter what happened 12 years ago . . . change history. But I haven't done it, and I won't. The price would be higher than I could ever pay . . . no matter how desperately I may want Rachel back."

Bennett stared at the red-haired man in front of him in disbelief, wondering if the pressure was finally starting to cause him to crack. His gaze shifted to Jonny, Hadji and Race who stood at Benton Quest's side and all of them gazed back at him without flinching. Suddenly, Bennett heard Race's voice echoing in his mind.

"We'd been there for about a month when he came downstairs one morning with an almost frantic need to work. In a frenzy, he got the lab set up again and then he shut himself away for days at a time, working on a project he refused to talk about."

"What did you do?" Bennett asked in a hoarse whisper, shaken into belief. "What did you create?"

Benton shook his head. "It doesn't matter. In the end, I didn't use it. But there are those who wouldn't hesitate to do so. And because of that, I will never let anyone take this place. I will blow it to kingdom come with my entire family inside before I allow that to happen."

Bennett looked from the intense man sitting behind the desk to his two sons, who stood to either side of him. As he watched, the rest of the family came up to join them. Jessie went to Jonny's side and Kefira to Hadji's as Race and Estella moved to stand at Benton's back. There were identical expressions on every face.

"In the wrong hands, much of what is here is extremely dangerous, Admiral," Jessie Bannon said quietly. "But the very things that you seem so horrified about now have saved you more than once. Ezekiel Rage would have destroyed this entire planet if it weren't for Dr. Quest and his inventions. You have a responsibility in this, too, you know. You can't come to us with frantic requests for help in the face of impossible situations and then be morally outraged when you find out what it takes to accomplish what you asked."

Benton shook his head slowly. "No, Jessie, the responsibility for the things I've created, both alone and with the help of others, still belongs to me and no one else. So, Admiral, I want you to take the men you have stationed outside this Compound and I want you to leave. I won't be responsible for any more deaths than are absolutely necessary. I would send my family with you, but I know them well enough to know that they wouldn't go . . . they'd simply try to defend me by drawing my attackers off using themselves as bait. And I can't permit that." The man smiled with absolutely no humor. "So you see, Admiral, what Kefira said was true. We will stand together or we will fall together . . . as we've always done."

Bennett was silent for a long time, looking from one to another. Finally, he drew a deep breath and said quietly, "If you are determined to have them gone, then I will send the men outside away, Dr. Quest. I swore to you a few days after your wife died that I would never again go against your wishes on the matter of defending you or your family. But Ms. Bannon is right . . . part of this is my responsibility and I have no fear of accepting that. I have stood in defense of you and your work for many years, and I won't stop now. You are a man of integrity and high principles and as long as you control what is here, I have no fear that it will be put to improper uses. So whether I do it from inside or outside, I will stand with you, as well."

Benton sighed softly. "Very well, Admiral. I will leave that decision to you, just as you must leave the decision on the final fate of this Compound to me."

"Fair enough."

Benton leaned back in his chair and was silent for a moment, staring at the surface of the desk blindly. Then he looked up toward the ceiling and said quietly, "IRIS, institute failsafe protocol, please."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. FAILSAFE PROTOCOL ACCESSED. AUTORIZATION CODE?"

"Authorization code Quest 9874 failsafe omega."

"VOICE MATCH CONFIRMED. AUTHORIZATION CODE CONFIRMED. FAILSAFE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. PLEASE SPECIFIY PARAMETERS FOR EXECUTION."

"Hold for instructions."

"HOLDING."

Benton leaned forward and activated a switch under the desk. Rising from his chair, he crossed to the far corner of the library and moved a table out of the way. Kneeling, he ran his fingers along the floor until he located the slight ridge along the floorboards. He ran his fingers along the ridge for a moment and suddenly an entire section of floor rose revealing a floor mounted safe. A moment later, he had the safe open and had removed two small optical disks from it. Shutting the safe, he closed the floor access and replaced the table. Then he crossed back to the desk and faced his sons. He held one of the disks out to each of them.

"These disks contain the execution commands that will trigger the failsafe protocol. Inserted into the drive of any computer in the house or the lab, it will activate the countdown and 20 seconds later, this entire bluff will vaporize along with anything on it." Both young men took the disk offered to them. "I am the only one who can trigger the failsafe by voice, and I expect to be the one to make that choice. But should something happen and I am incapacitated before I can do it, I expect you both to do what needs to be done. No hesitation, you understand? If it means sacrificing any or all of us, that's what I will expect of you. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Father," Hadji replied steadily and Jonny nodded.

"We'll do what has to be done, Dad."

Benton nodded and then addressed IRIS again. "IRIS, activate voice recognition protocol and passwords for failsafe execution. Also, enable optical disk protocols for failsafe execution with vocal confirmation by either Hadji Singh or Jonathan Quest."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. SPECIFY DURATION OF FAILSAFE ACTIVATION MODE."

"Until further notice."

Suddenly, hidden lights flared casting a dim red glow across the ceiling of the room. Bennett turned and looked out into the hallway through the open study door and saw the same red light reflected across the ceiling in the hallway. IRIS' voice seemed to echo throughout the house as she replied, "WARNING. COMPOUND FAILSAFE SYSTEM NOW ACTIVATED AND ARMED. AWAITING FINAL COMMAND FOR EXECUTION OF PROGRAM ANNILIATE."

Benton turned from his sons and looked steadily at Race. "Well, old friend, here we are. We both hoped it would never reach this point, but . . .

"I know, Benton. But we always knew it might come to this."

Benton nodded wearily. "So now what?"

"Now, we start getting ready," Race said grimly. "First off, we all need rest. We'll start sleeping in shifts . . . four on, four off. Benton, Stel, Jonny and Hadji . . . I want you on first round." He checked his watch. "It's 8:20 p.m. I want you to go to bed now. We'll wake you at 1:00 and trade places. I'll have a list of things for you to do when I rouse you. In the mean time, Jessie, I want you and Kefira to do a physical run through of the house. Check all doors, windows, and accesses. They need to be closed and locked. Check all mechanisms and let me know if anything appears loose or worn. Also, all sensors on accesses. When you finish that, I want the same thing done in the lighthouse. Hadji, did you leave the satellite uplink and the hard-line disconnected?" Hadji and Jonny both nodded. "Good. We're not going to risk them getting back in and attempting to disarm the security system. Admiral, you and I are going out to talk with your men outside the perimeter." Race looked at Benton apologetically. "I know you want them out of here, Benton, but I'm going to override you on that one. We need all the advantage we can get, so I'm going to use them to give us an edge. I've gone against Julia enough to know how she thinks. So I'm going to see if I can't funnel her attack. She'll want to hit what she perceives to be our weak point, so I'm going to give her one."

Bennett was nodding. "Reinforce the perimeter and leave a deliberately vulnerable spot. Narrow the areas we have to watch."

"When do you figure they'll strike?" Benton asked.

Race shrugged. "Anyone's guess. But I don't think Baxter will wait long . . . he doesn't strike me as the patient sort. And if it was me, I'd strike right before dawn. Darkness would give me cover to get my men in place, but dawn would give me the light I'd need for a ground assault."

"There's one other thing," Jessie said quietly, looking at Jonny and Hadji. "We've got some phone calls to make."

"The party," Hadji replied.

"Dang," Jonny muttered. "I'd forgotten about that. What do we tell them?"

"We tell them that we are postponing it," Kefira replied.

"They'll want to know why," Jessie warned.

"Then we tell them it's because of Bobby," Jonny said decisively. "We tell them it's because we're concerned about him and we want to wait until we know something about his condition. He and Matt have been my best friends here in Rockport since we moved here. No one will question that." Jonny looked over at Race. "That's the first thing we have to do. We can't risk someone wandering out here and getting caught in the middle of a firefight."

Race nodded. "Do it. Okay, let's go people. We've got a lot to do and we don't know how long we've got. Let's get at it."