reason.”
Rachel stilled. Her amber eyes heated with sudden comprehension. She pursed her lips and shook her head in wonderment.
“Now that,” she said carefully, “is a rather scary thought. What was inside the Preserve that was so important or so dangerous that the Aliens would have put up a high-tech psi-fence?”
“We don’t know and it didn’t seem to matter because until now, the Preserve has been quiet ever since my ancestor claimed the island. The assumption was that whatever had once been locked up on the other side of the boundary had died or disintegrated centuries ago.”
“Died or disintegrated?”
“We have no way of knowing what was locked up inside. Could have been animal, vegetable, or mechanical in nature.”
“I see,” she said.
“Remember, at this point it’s all wild speculation based on the existence of what we think was intended to be an energy fence. We could be wrong about our basic assumption. Whatever the case,now that the currents are getting hot inside we need some answers and we need them fast.”
She frowned in thought. “But why would the Aliens have kept something that was vitally important to them here on an island in the middle of nowhere?”
“Good question. The para-archaeologists and other experts concluded years ago that something about the surface environment of Harmony was poisonous to the Aliens. That’s why they went underground and bioengineered an entire rain forest, and that’s why ninety percent of the ruins are down below in the catacombs.”
“Exactly. Everything that seems to have been crucial to their well-being is belowground, not up here on the surface.”
“Yet they paid special attention to this one lone island located in the middle of an unimportant chain of islands in a remote sea,” Harry said.
“Are you absolutely sure of that? There aren’t even any ruins on the island.”
“None that have been discovered yet,” Harry said. “But like the Underworld, most of Rainshadow has never been explored.”
“If the Foundation researchers believe that there was something very important happening inside, why haven’t they conducted some major expeditions into the Preserve?”
“Because very few of our people can get more than a hundred yards beyond the fence,” he said, “let alone conduct serious research. As I explained,once inside, most instruments and high-tech equipment is useless.”
“Just like in the catacombs and the rain forest,” she said. “But you can come and go the way Slade can.”
“The deeper you go into the Preserve, the more powerful the currents become. Talents like Slade and me can go farther than most, but there are limits, even for us. None of the navigational instruments that have been developed for the catacombs and the rain forest can handle the heavy psi in the center of Rainshadow.”
She looked at the old files on the table. “So your plan to get answers starts with drawing up a list of people who might have the ability to go through the fence, is that it?”
“It’s a start.”
She raised her eyes to meet his. “Well, then, I guess you’ll have to put me at the top of your list. We know for a fact that I was not only able to go through the fence, I managed to find my way back out all by myself.”
He exhaled slowly, with perfect control. “Yes.”
Understanding lit her amber eyes.
“Oh,” she said. She gave him a cool smile. “I see. You already had me in the number-one spot on your list. That explains why you’ve asked for my help, isn’t it? This is a twist on the old advice to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
“Rachel, let me explain—”
The blast of rain struck with enough force to rattle the windows. Sheets of water cascaded down the glass. The flames flared on the hearth in response to sharp updrafts. The wind howled beneath the eaves. Thedarkness outside was suddenly absolute. Thunder rumbled.
The lights flickered and went out.
“Oh, damn,” Rachel
Rachel stilled. Her amber eyes heated with sudden comprehension. She pursed her lips and shook her head in wonderment.
“Now that,” she said carefully, “is a rather scary thought. What was inside the Preserve that was so important or so dangerous that the Aliens would have put up a high-tech psi-fence?”
“We don’t know and it didn’t seem to matter because until now, the Preserve has been quiet ever since my ancestor claimed the island. The assumption was that whatever had once been locked up on the other side of the boundary had died or disintegrated centuries ago.”
“Died or disintegrated?”
“We have no way of knowing what was locked up inside. Could have been animal, vegetable, or mechanical in nature.”
“I see,” she said.
“Remember, at this point it’s all wild speculation based on the existence of what we think was intended to be an energy fence. We could be wrong about our basic assumption. Whatever the case,now that the currents are getting hot inside we need some answers and we need them fast.”
She frowned in thought. “But why would the Aliens have kept something that was vitally important to them here on an island in the middle of nowhere?”
“Good question. The para-archaeologists and other experts concluded years ago that something about the surface environment of Harmony was poisonous to the Aliens. That’s why they went underground and bioengineered an entire rain forest, and that’s why ninety percent of the ruins are down below in the catacombs.”
“Exactly. Everything that seems to have been crucial to their well-being is belowground, not up here on the surface.”
“Yet they paid special attention to this one lone island located in the middle of an unimportant chain of islands in a remote sea,” Harry said.
“Are you absolutely sure of that? There aren’t even any ruins on the island.”
“None that have been discovered yet,” Harry said. “But like the Underworld, most of Rainshadow has never been explored.”
“If the Foundation researchers believe that there was something very important happening inside, why haven’t they conducted some major expeditions into the Preserve?”
“Because very few of our people can get more than a hundred yards beyond the fence,” he said, “let alone conduct serious research. As I explained,once inside, most instruments and high-tech equipment is useless.”
“Just like in the catacombs and the rain forest,” she said. “But you can come and go the way Slade can.”
“The deeper you go into the Preserve, the more powerful the currents become. Talents like Slade and me can go farther than most, but there are limits, even for us. None of the navigational instruments that have been developed for the catacombs and the rain forest can handle the heavy psi in the center of Rainshadow.”
She looked at the old files on the table. “So your plan to get answers starts with drawing up a list of people who might have the ability to go through the fence, is that it?”
“It’s a start.”
She raised her eyes to meet his. “Well, then, I guess you’ll have to put me at the top of your list. We know for a fact that I was not only able to go through the fence, I managed to find my way back out all by myself.”
He exhaled slowly, with perfect control. “Yes.”
Understanding lit her amber eyes.
“Oh,” she said. She gave him a cool smile. “I see. You already had me in the number-one spot on your list. That explains why you’ve asked for my help, isn’t it? This is a twist on the old advice to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
“Rachel, let me explain—”
The blast of rain struck with enough force to rattle the windows. Sheets of water cascaded down the glass. The flames flared on the hearth in response to sharp updrafts. The wind howled beneath the eaves. Thedarkness outside was suddenly absolute. Thunder rumbled.
The lights flickered and went out.
“Oh, damn,” Rachel
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