Nikko was worried about his father and it was difficult to keep the fear from his mind. He couldn't remember a time when he'd seen his father in hurt before. He shook his head and brought his focus back to the climb. Several meters below and about the same distance to his left, Vincent was making steady progress up the wall. Nikko wished he had the other man's ability to concentrate on a task. It was something Vincent had been teaching him during training but he couldn't always do it, especially when it came to his father.

Distracted by his thoughts the teenager failed to check his hand grip before he shifted position. The cracked stone under his hand sheered away from the wall causing his arm to swing free. Nikko's body swung back, prevented from falling only by the less than perfect grip of his other hand and the one secure foot placement. His heart pounded as adrenaline surged through his system, knowing that at any moment he could fall. Far below Nikko heard the loosed stone bounce once from the rock wall, hit the ground and skidding away.

"Nikko!"

The teenager heard Vincent's call but was frantically trying twist himself back to face the wall without weakening his hold and didn't have the time to answer. He managed the feat by taking a desperate lunge for and grabbing the closest hand-hold. Once secure Nikko leaned his head against the warm rock, and breathed deeply for a few moments.

"Are you all right Man?"

Nikko raised his head and nodded, looking up he examined the rock face directly above him. "Yeah, I'm fine, but there are fractures in the rock everywhere. It looks a lot worse on your side."

"Don't worry about me, just get yourself stabilised and anchored properly," Vincent instructed.

Nikko did what he was told and wedged an anchor deep into the strongest looking section of the broken wall and hooked his line to it. "I'm set."

Vincent began to climb again. Nikko looked over the other climber's line and was horrified to see a support working free from its placement. He was about to call a warning to his friend when the anchor gave way.

"No!" Nikko shouted as he watched Vincent drop almost ten meters down the wall before jerking to a sudden stop, his body spinning around to slam backward into the rock. Vincent grunted with the pain of the impact but Nikko was relieved to see him still moving, spreading his arms and legs in an attempt to stop the dangerous spin. Vincent quickly steadied himself and Nikko knew he would be all right.

"Vincent?"

Small stones and pebbles rained down on the other climber and Nikko looked up along Vincent's rope. The fall had obviously put too much weight on a broken section of stone because it had shifted. A large section of stone now hung precariously over Vincent's position, making it impossible for the man to climb up without the risk of dislodging it. If it fell Vincent would be hurt, maybe even killed.

"You'll have to transfer to one of the other lines." Nikko called down to the other man.

Vincent, looking upward, had seen his predicament and shook his head. "No if I put too much weight across the rock it will bring it down. It could compromise you as well. I'll have to go back down."

Going down the rope was only slightly less dangerous, Nikko knew any movement on the rope could see the broken section collapse. Besides that, Vincent carried the communications equipment. If the transmitter was damaged in any way, it would be Vincent who would have to repair it. For the other man to go down then begin the climb again would take a lot of time, they had already been gone over an hour. It was time his father may not have.

"Vincent, stay there. I'll climb laterally and then you can transfer to my line."

Vincent was quiet for a moment and appeared to be thinking it over. "Nikko, you'll never reach my line without risking yourself."

"I can make it. Just try to ease the pressure off your rope."

Nikko didn't wait for any more discussion, he was frightened enough already without hearing how impossible this was. As carefully as he could the teenager began to make his way across the damaged rock toward his companion's rope.

Looking down Nikko could see Vincent carefully moving his body to find a position where he would be able to support his own weight, but didn't watch for long. He was having trouble finding secure holds of his own.

Vincent was right; he was never going to reach the other rope. The fear was choking him. The rope looked so close, but it was well out of his reach, in desperation Nikko stretched for the rope. Vincent's words from their last session came back to him, "Focus on the goal, not the task."

Just as had happened with the can of soda, when he reached for it the rope moved the critical distance into his outstretched hands. Nikko's fingers closed around the thick cord and for a long moment he just stared at it. Then he remembered he wasn't alone and looked down toward Vincent, the other man's head was only just rising to face him; he hadn't seen how Nikko had gotten the rope.

The surprise on Vincent's face was plain to read, and he wasn't a man that was easy to surprise.

"I've got it. You can come across now," Nikko said looking away from Vincent and working on the lines, surprised how clam his voice sounded.

"How did you reach that?" Vincent asked.

The teenager looked across to where the rope had been and shrugged, still not looking toward Vincent. "What does it matter anyways? Are you climbing or what?"

"Someday you will have to tell me how you managed that."

Juliet took a futile step back as the sea began to wash over the floor of the altar level of the pyramid. Nothing of the temple remained above the water except the altar itself and even that seemed destined to sink. The young woman looked around frantically, there was no where to go. She had never told any of the Veritas team this, but she didn't like deep water. She was fine in a pool but swimming in the ocean, where she couldn't see or touch the bottom terrified her.

"Please, help me," Juliet begged the messenger as the water reached her hip-deep.

"Despite my warning you tell me you intend to let the world perish… yet you expect me to help you?" The messenger turned and walked away, unaffected by the rising water.

"No… wait, come back. Help me!"

The water reached her neck and Juliet began to struggle. The water rose and she tried again to call for help but couldn't keep her head above the surface. Choking and gagging on the salty water she desperately searched for anything to hold on to.

A hand grabbed hers and Juliet clung to it, using it to pull herself upward.

"Hey… hey, take it easy. You're okay. It was just a dream."

Through her panic it took Juliet a few moments to recognise Calvin's voice and she realised it was his hand she held. She found she was sitting up, wide awake and back in the cave the team had been exploring. She remembered Nikko handing her the box and the strange but very real feeling dream. She looked around and saw Dr. Zond resting on the ground nearby, propped up by one arm, watching her. Memory of the messenger from her dream with that same face turning away and leaving her to die in the rising water caused a shiver to run the length of her spine.

She didn't know what had happened to the team after the box had opened. Dr. Zond looked like he'd been through a ringer, and it was obvious the man was hurt and could barely move. She saw no sign of Nikko or Vincent anywhere.

"What happened?" Juliet asked.

"That's funny, I was going to ask you that," Zond said.

Juliet hook her head and didn't answer.

One of the communications handsets rang, and Calvin rushed to pick it up.

"Maggie! I can't tell you how great it is to hear your voice." The relief in Calvin's tone was obvious to the others as they listened to the one-way conversation.

"I'll tell them. No, Maggie, we're fine, everyone is all right here. Both Dr. Zond and Juliet are awake… Thanks Maggie. We'll be waiting for you."

Calvin turned the handset off and turned to his companions smiling. "Nikko and Vincent made it, and they fixed the transmitter and Maggie is sending a rescue team for us. They should be here in a couple of hours."