Chapter 1

Terminal was an odd place, both from above and on the ground, but neither Cally or Tarrant had any ambition to stick around to find out just how odd. All they wanted to do was locate Avon, and then find out what was going on and what it was that had brought him here in this frenzied way. Not that they were sure they could make him tell them, or even how to try, but they would find a way.

Then they wanted to leave as fast as Liberator would take them.

They should have known it wasn’t going to be that simple.

The landscape they arrived into was cold, grey and windswept; and far too open for comfort. After scurrying for cover they crouched, side-by-side and silent, whilst they scanned the bleak landscape around them. Tarrant’s disgust was written in his face, Cally agreed with him. She felt a sudden apprehension, almost a premonition, as she looked at the emptiness all around them; her first impressions of this artificial world suggested that Avon’s comments about going back the drawing board were more than justified.

So what had brought him here in such a reckless and determined fashion?

The place had a stunted, sullen, feel to it, not hostile but certainly unfriendly. The surface of the open ground was covered in a rough grassy plant and there were huddles of small wind blasted trees at intervals. Topographically the land was not remarkable, but it presented challenges if they were to stay unseen. As far as the eye could see was a mix of shallow valleys and hillocks that offered little cover, other than the scrub and the occasional pockets of more established woodland that followed the curve of the higher land. There were no signs of occupation, either domestic or military, nor was there any sign of Avon or anything to suggest which way he would have gone.

All in all Terminal had a very deserted feel about it. Cally looked at Tarrant again and his face said it all, ‘why here?’ Terminal had been lost for a very long time, it looked as if Tarrant at least thought it should have stayed lost.

After a few minutes of debating the possible options they moved off in what, they agreed, was a logical direction in search of Avon. The ground was hard going and the wailing of the wind that whipped at their hair made it difficult to hear. That, and the openness of the landscape, stretched their nerves to near breaking point. Progress was therefore slow, cold, and fraught with tension even before the guards appeared, and the two figures were almost reassuring given the apparent desertion of this most artificial of worlds.

However that didn’t make them welcome. Cally and Tarrant, taken almost by surprise, had got into deeper cover only just in time to avoid being seen; huddling together, crouching low and holding their breath as the newcomers passed just above them. There were two of them, one male and one female, and whoever they were they weren’t concerned about being inconspicuous. The guards, if that was what they were, were tricked out in some of the most obtrusive uniforms that Cally thought she had ever seen, and they were moving openly through the trees apparently oblivious to the possibility of being seen. But, showy as they were, these two at least seemed to know what they were doing and where they were going. Given the deserted nature of Terminal that objective had to be related to Avon, anything else would simply be too much of a coincidence.

So they followed at a respectful distance, all the time wondering where they were being led. Keeping up with them was hardly a difficult job in the bleak surroundings, not least because their uniforms shone like mirrors in the grey light. Cally wondered at the complacency of the pair, but they were armed and so she and Tarrant treated them with caution and stayed as far away as they dared.

The journey was uncomfortable but uneventful until they reached a shaft cut into the hillside; then it suddenly got very eventful indeed.

The ape like creatures arrived without warning, appearing from above and behind the shaft entrance. There were several large individuals and they showed no fear of the human arrivals, their great strength and aggression driven by hunger or anger and probably both. The attack came suddenly, but even so the guards ahead of them were surprisingly slow in defending themselves, far too slow. It cost them their lives.

There was nothing Cally or Tarrant could do to help, it was all they could do to stay alive themselves, the creatures were strong and when they turned their attention to them only luck and a little more warning saved them. But the encounter was both painful and terrifying and as a result their escape into the shaft was both hurried and undignified. Not one of their finer moments Cally had admitted to herself as they clambered down the shaft.

The thud as the door locked echoed loudly behind them seemed an ominous sign. There was no way of knowing where the shaft led to, but an underground installation seemed the most likely candidate. The shaft itself was deep and poorly lit, even so it seemed obvious that this was not the main entrance. But at least the ladder was in good repair, a small but important mercy. Despite that the descent into the darkness was nerve wracking.

The shaft opened out into a corridor as bland and featureless as the thousand others they had both seen. There was no way of knowing whether Avon had come this way, there was no dust or dirt that might have betrayed his passing, they just had to trust that it would lead them to him.

When the corridor joined a series of others they had wasted no time in heading towards the central area, where most of the operational functions were likely to be. Neither she nor Tarrant doubted that Avon would have done exactly the same if he had come this route. The tension grew in them as they walked side by side in wary silence, they needed to find Avon as quickly as they could, each second they spent here made the risks of discovery and capture greater. Every instinct told them to be quick and to be careful, abandoned or not Terminal was proving to be a rather curious place.

But was it abandoned Cally wondered? The underground complex was large, sprawling and apparently deserted, yet there was full environmental control, with replenished air and a moderate temperature. Full lighting seemed to be available everywhere, and much of the equipment they passed looked to be of recent manufacture and in working order. More importantly perhaps everywhere was clean and well maintained, as if it had been kept in a state of readiness, even if not used. Cally began to wonder if Avon hadn’t been right to come alone after all, perhaps the risks were greater than they had allowed for.

They moved almost silently and with caution, communicating only by looks and gestures yet ot was difficult to put a finger on why the place felt so threatening; there was no sign of any more of the silver uniformed guards and no federation troopers. Odd. Each deserted level increased her uneasiness, there was no one here and yet she felt that there should be, that it wasn’t usually this deserted. Terminal and it's empty, echoing, base was a very strange place indeed. As they edged around another corner and into yet another empty corridor Cally hoped that someone was standing by the teleport because, for all the deserted corridors and the silence, she had a growing feeling that they were going to need it.

As they walked Cally thought about Avon's recent actions. She was sure that his behavior in the teleport had been his way of preventing them following him and walking into the risks. She smiled grimly to herself as she recalled it, Avon never had been any good at manipulating them; Blake would have managed it far better. Only now, as the ominous silence seemed to echo around them, did she wonder why Avon had been so threatening if he had intended to come back. She suppressed the thought with a mental shrug, if he hadn’t intended to return to them then why hadn’t he taken Orac? Why would he of all people leave such an asset behind.

A nasty cold thought crept into the bottom of her mind; maybe he had suspected he would not be able to come back. But if that was the case why had he come at all? She pushed the thought away; she would find no answers until they found Avon, and if she was honest with herself, possibly not even then. Suddenly angry at something she couldn’t name she followed Tarrant stealthily round another corner.

***

As Cally and Tarrant disappeared from the teleport station Vila and Dayna returned slowly to the flight deck.
"I'm not sure they should have gone down there you know, Avon is not going to like it one little bit," Vila moaned, "If he finds out he'll take it out on all of us, and personally I could live without that."
His voice trailed away but the worried frown stayed between his eyes.
"Yes. He can be difficult enough when he has had sleep,” Dayna laughed, “Avon with no sleep and furious isn't likely to be a comfortable experience."
Vila half turned towards her,
“That’s what I mean, and what for? Avon seems to think he knows what he’s doing, so why should we interfere?”

Dayna frowned at him,
“But you agreed Vila, it’s too dangerous to leave him down there on his own without backup.”
“I know, I know! But we could be back up on Liberator, if he got into trouble all he had to do was call us.” Vila carped.
“Assuming he could call us,” Dayna added.
Vila closed his eyes briefly and groaned.
“Don’t say things like that, it makes me nervous.”
Dayna gave a small impatient shrug,
“Why should it? He’s down there and you’re up here.”
Vila’s eyes opened wide,
“So what’s to say that what’s down there can’t get up here! Particularly if it’s Servalan, you know how tricky she can be.”
Dayna smiled the special smile she kept for the mention of Servalan, the one that really worried Vila, worried him even more than the smile Avon kept for when Servalan was mentioned these days. Her voice was almost a growl,
“Oh I hope she does, it would give me great pleasure to throw her off,” the smile became a grin, “out of the airlock!”
Vila felt his stomach do a back flip,
“I don’t want her getting up here to be thrown off, Dayna.”
His anxiety was real and obvious but the young woman opposite simply grinned again,
“Oh relax Vila, there’s no reason to believe she got anything to do with this, whatever it is.”

Vila looked at her shrewdly,
“It seems to me she’s got everything to do with everything these days. It’s a big galaxy but you’d never think it the number of times we find ourselves tripping over Servalan. It’s worse than when Blake was around! Take your eyes off the long-range scanners for a moment and she’s there and up to something. I’m beginning to feel persecuted!”
“So what’s new?” Dayna laughed.
“Avon not running away that’s what’s new! Avon going looking for her. What’s got into him that’s what I want to know? Why can’t we just stay away from her and go and get rich somewhere quiet.”
“Well you can ask Avon when he gets back,” she comforted.
“Assuming he gets back.” Vila didn’t sound reassured.
Dayna rolled her eyes and strode past him, heading for the flight deck. Vila sighed and followed her.

He was still worrying when they arrived and he threw himself down on the forward couch and frowned at the floor.
"I'm sure Avon has good reasons for not wanting to be followed,” he turned to look at her, his expression resigned, “Avon always does have reasons for what he does.”
Vila looked up at her with narrowed eyes for a moment,
“Tarrant and Cally should remember that.” He looked at the floor again and sighed, “It's just that he's as bad as Blake was at sharing them."
Dayna grinned again,
"Maybe that’s where he learned it."
"Don't let him hear you say that," Vila exclaimed, he looked up at her quickly and gave a mock shudder "suggesting he's like Blake is inviting getting your head bitten off when he's in a good mood, and one thing is certain he hasn’t been in a good mood for days."

"No" Dayna agreed her grin fading; she crossed to the couch and sat beside the slumped figure,
"I've never seen him quite like this before, I think he really would have shot Tarrant if he had tried to interfere."She sounded thoughtful.
Vila edged his shoulder closer to her and shrugged,
"Well we all feel like shooting Tarrant from time to time, but I know what you mean.” His voice had a reflective note, “Even Cally was shocked, and she's known Avon a long time and probably understands him better than the rest of us."
Dayna leant back and frowned,
"So what is so important Vila? What could have driven Avon to bring us here, and so recklessly?"
" I don't know", Vila sighed, " but he really didn't want any of us going down there did he? And that’s not like Avon, he’s not someone to go in for lonely heroics."
'INFORMATION'.
Dayna and Vila looked up as Zen demanded their attention.

'ABNORMAL AUTOREPAIR PATTERN HAS BEEN DETECTED'
"What" Vila exclaimed, "Zen explain"
' FURTHER INFORMATION IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE. HOWEVER SIGNIFICANT POWER DRAIN IS PREDICTED IF THE ANONOMOLOUS SITUATION CONTINUES'
"Power drain! Dayna, I don’t like the sound of that"
There was a rising note of panic in Vila’s voice.
"No." she replied quietly, " Zen identify source of power drain."
'AUTOREPAIR. CURRENT DATA INDICATE EXTENSIVE ONGOING DEGENERATIVE ACTIVITY IN HULL AND UPPER STRUCTURES. ANALYSIS CIRCUITS INDICATE THAT THIS SITUATION WILL THREATEN THE SAFETY OF LIBERATOR IF NOT RECTIFIED AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED'

Dayna turned to Vila in horror but he was staring unbelievingly at Zen. She reached out and caught hold of his arm shaking him slightly. He turned to face her, a look of naked fear on his face.
"Call the others," Dayna told him "or better still ask Orac".
"Do we have to? " Vila complained "that heap of spare parts always makes me feel in need of a drink, the only person it is ever polite to is Avon, and it’s not nice to him very often."
"Ask!" Dayna insisted.

Vila pushed himself to his feet and hurried across to where Orac sat silently absorbed in some private researches. He reached for the key that usually sat close to the activator switch, only to find that it wasn’t there. Frantically he searched around the little computer pushing it to one side then the other, but there was nothing.
"I can't, the key’s not here."
His voice rose in panic as he fell onto his knees and frantically searched the floor. Dayna hurried across to join him, standing over him, hands on hips, as her eyes roamed over every surface on the flight deck.
"Well where is it?” The anxiety showed in both her face and voice.“ Surely Avon didn't take it with him?"
"I don’t know. He must have done," Vila almost shouted at her in panic, then he rose up onto his knees his forehead furrowed, he hesitated for a moment remembering the scene as Avon had teleported down.
"Wait a minute! No I don’t think so - he didn’t have a bag of any kind and his jacket didn’t have any pockets that I could see. Anyway Avon wouldn’t risk losing it would he? Not on a place like this Terminal."
He turned to face Dayna his expression more calculating than was usually seen except when he was looking at a lock.
"Anyway I can't see him taking the key but leaving Orac if there was any chance that he wasn't coming back. So it must be here somewhere."

Dayna looked around her in confusion,
"But where?"
Vila shrugged and got to his feet.
“Where was Avon likely to have put it?” he asked, almost to himself.
“He always leaves it with Orac.” Dayna answered and this time Vila could hear the strain in her voice.
“Then maybe he didn’t mean us to find it,” the words slipped out quietly.
Dayna’s eyes were wide and worried,
“But why Vila? Why would he want to do that?”
Vila looked around the flight deck helplessly,
“I don’t know! But it doesn’t give me a good feeling about this whole mess. Not that I had good feelings about it to begin with.”Dayna sighed,
"Contact the others, let them know there's a problem"
Vila hesitated, then looked toward Zen,
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. After all we don’t know what is going on down there, Avon isn't the type for jumping at shadows but he certainly wanted to keep us away from the place, so who knows who might be watching them. I don’t like the idea of letting anyone know that Liberator is in trouble.”

She looked thoughtful at that,
“No I suppose not,” she agreed, “but we must warn the others, the sooner they can get Avon back here, the sooner we can talk to Orac and the sooner we can sort the problem out.”
“Assuming that Orac can help.”
“If he can’t then we are in real trouble,” she snapped.
Vila could hear an edge of panic in her voice and fought to keep his own calm.
“Not necessarily, Zen is capable of doing whatever is necessary to protect Liberator once there is an actual threat, and it sounded very actual to me.”
Dayna looked at him unsmilingly then took a deep, steadying, breath,
“I hope you are right. But I really wish Avon was here.”
“Avon got us into this mess” Vila replied sharply.
“I know, but I still wish he was here.”

Vila looked at her serious expression and nodded in resignation,
“Yes, it's at times like this you can forgive Avon for being Avon. If you know what I mean?”
Dayna gave a small wry laugh,
“I know what you mean. Lets hope the other two find him quickly.”
She turned away and began to search around the flight stations. Vila watched her, an unusually grim expression stamped on his face,
“And that he doesn’t kill them before they get him back here,” he muttered under his breath.

***

Theystill moved almost silently and with caution. Tarrant could feel his nerve endings stretching tighter with every passing second and with every corner they approached. He almost wished they would find someone just to break the tension that seemed to crackle in the air around them.

Nothing about this place made sense. The corridors were too quiet, the background hum of ventilation systems was the only sound, other than the rasp of their breathing and the pounding of his heart.That bothered him, he wondered why the environmental systems had been left on if Terminal had been abandoned. The fresh feel to the air and the lack of dust on the floors and other surfaces suggested that it had been working for a considerable time, but who had turned it on? He looked around him taking in the spotless corridors, the clean and well maintained vents, dry and un-corroded metal surfaces. Carefully he took a deeper breath, no smell of decay, or dirt. So someone had been using the place for a while, or they had gone to a lot of trouble to make good several hundred years of neglect.

From the guards with tracking devices and weapons who paid no attention to two intruders and let themselves be slaughtered by large, but unarmed, apes, to the strange deserted readiness of this base with no observable function, nothing made any sense that he could see. Looking around him he was struck by a faint feeling of familiarity, but for a moment he couldn’t understand why. Then he realised, it reminded him of a ship recently refitted waiting for its crew to come aboard. But who would the crew be and where would they be going?

He opened a door to his right and carefully put his head round the edge. Like all the others before it the room was lit as if it were waiting for use. Equipment stood against the walls, all neatly stowed and in good repair, but it was nothing he could identify. Carefully he edged back towards Cally and on towards the next intersection.

His mind continued to churn even as his senses searched for any sign of danger. Whoever ran this place had some interesting priorities because nothing about this base was normal, much like the planet it was located on. Empty corridors, no sign of even basic surveillance, no indications of what it was for at all, but full readiness even so. As the time ticked by he began to wonder of they would ever find everything to explain why Avon had come here, or where it was that he had gone to.

With a faint sigh he edged forward again, wondering if they should contact the ship. Maybe Avon had finished whatever it was that he had come to do. Would he wait for them if he had returned to Liberator and found them missing? Or would he leave them? Angry at their following him. What if the Federation turned up, if they needed to make a quick getaway? Would he take the time to contact them to bring them back up?

Tarrant shook himself mentally, of course he would! Avon, for all his posturing in the teleport, wouldn’t leave them stranded. Even so the sooner they got back to the ship the better; after all none of them knew what it was that Avon had expected to find here. A little voice in his head whispered quietly, ‘maybe you should have thought of that before’. Tarrant ignored it and cast a look behind him; Cally was close, the tension etched in her face and the set of her shoulders. She met his gaze questioningly, he flashed her a very small smile and edged forward again; at least there were two of them and they were prepared for trouble.

He tightened his grip on his gun as they emerged into yet another empty corridor. The silence allowed his own heartbeat to fill his head, his stretched nerves vibrated in sympathy; prepared or not he hoped they found Avon soon.

***