Brodrick gave him one of those looks, which was completely lost in the gloom of the main hall. They walked up the altar steps to see if there was anything else which would give them a clue as to what had happened to the occupants of the monastery, when Ted found another hidden door, by accident.
It was a small chamber with wood panelled walls, and had a spicy smell. Hanging from hooks set in a beam along one wall were several long garments of finely woven purple cloth, each adorned with gold coloured emblems depicting some of the hideous creatures they had seen carved above the long row of chairs in the hall below.
“They really go in for the horror stuff here,” commented Brodrick, wryly. “I wonder what they do for fun? - By the look of those garments, they must be about the same size as us.”
Before he could stop him, Ted had lifted one of the robes off its peg, and draped it around himself. The cloak seemed to come alive, curling around his body and wriggling as if to adjust to its new owner. Ted seemed to grow several centimetres, his face took on a stern scowling appearance, and he turned to face Brodrick. A stream of unintelligible words poured forth from Ted's snarling lips, and he began to raise a hand as if to strike his companion.
“Get that bloody thing off,” yelled Brodrick, gripping the cloak, and wrenching it back over Ted's shoulders. The cloak seemed to try and wriggle itself free from Brodrick's grasp, but he held on and it came free, and then went limp. Ted seemed to shrink back to his normal height, and his face took on a frightened look.
“Sorry about that,” he said, contritely, “don't known what came over me, that cloak has a life of its own.”
Brodrick examined the strange embroidered symbols on the cloak, playing the light of his torch over them again and again.
“I bet this is the alien's doing,” he said at last. “It doesn't make sense for the monks to do this to themselves, so I reckon the alien somehow got them to put these things onto their robes. There's something hard behind the patterns, and I don't see the need for that.”
Brodrick took out his knife and began digging around the edge of one of the patterns. There was a tiny flash of light, a miniscule wisp of smoke, and the whole thing peeled away from the main fabric.
Brodrick examined the peeled off pattern, poking about with his knife and dismembering the intricate assembly of tiny components.
“This is clever stuff,” he finally said. “It's well above anything we could do. I'll try and get one of these things off without destroying it.”
Brodrick carefully cut though the thick fabric of the cloak from the back, revealing the rear of the embroidered pattern piece, which he then freed from the garment. The intricate pattern of components were now revealed, but it was a different type of electronics to that which Brodrick was used to, and made no sense at all. Hanging the cloak back on its hook, he pressed the removed pattern to his chest, his face changed, and Ted knocked the pattern out of his hand.
“Thanks Ted, that was nasty - it must be triggered by my body heat. I felt as if someone else had begun to take over, and I couldn't do anything about it. The poor bloody monks didn't stand a chance. I'll take this thing back with us, it just might be possible to find out how it works.”
They left the robe chamber, looked for any more hidden doors, and failing to find any decided they may as well return to the sandy world the transporter would take them to.
“This air is foul,” said Ted as they left the monastery. “Didn't notice it when we were inside though, maybe they had some sort of air conditioning.” Brodrick said nothing.
They trudged across the crunchy lava plateau towards what they thought was the point where the steps began to go down - but there was no sign of them.
“Where the hell are they?” Brodrick asked, looking up and down the length of the plateau's edge. “They can't have moved.”
“Wouldn't surprise me,” Ted replied, his voice tinged with apprehension. “Anything seems to go in this hell hole - don't tell me we're stuck in this Godforsaken place until we die.”
“We can always go back to the mining site,” Brodrick replied. “Plenty of food and water, but no girls.” he added, as an afterthought.
A particularly loud explosion drew their attention to a distant volcano on the horizon which had just blown its head off, gushing a stream of fire and ash laden smoke skywards, while livid runs of molten lava rolled down its sides.
“Nothing for it,” said Brodrick, resignedly, “we'll have to go to the far end of the plateau, and slowly work our way back to the other end. It's bound to be here somewhere - after all we came up the bloody thing.”
Another loud explosion made them jump as they reached the starting point of their search, and a string of expletives came from a worried Brodrick.
They had been slowly walking for some time, when Ted, who had been on the very edge of the plateau, called out.
“There they are, I can just see them - about fifty metres ahead. I'll stay here and guide you; walk on and I'll call out when you're dead opposite them.”
Ted yelled “stop” after a few minutes, and Brodrick duly did so, looking over the edge and shaking his head. Ted joined him, and stood staring down in disbelief.
“Back there I could see you right at the spot where they go down,” he said, defiantly, “they've got to be there.”
“Well, they bloody aren't,” Brodrick replied.
“They ARE,” Ted insisted, “I could see them clearly. If I hold onto you, reach out with your foot, and see if there's anything below the edge.”
Brodrick gingerly lowered one foot over the edge, and felt about for something solid in the thin air below him. Suddenly the steps came into view, as if they had been there all the time, and Brodrick gingerly stepped down onto the first one.
“Good thinking Ted - don't think I would have thought of that - must be some sort of visibility screen, but how the hell do they do that?” Ted did his best not to smile too broadly.
“Be careful of the dust on the steps, it's slippery,” Brodrick called out, as he began the dizzy descent. “There's no way I can dig you out of molten lava.”
They reached the little ledge where the teleport hugged the vertical cliff above, and chanced to look up. The head and shoulder of a hooded figure could be plainly seen staring down at them. Ted waved his arm a couple of times, but there was no response.
“Shall we go back up to see him?” Ted asked.
“No way,” Brodrick replied, “if he had waved back, we might have chanced it, but as he didn't, he would probably have pushed us off into the lava below - sorry.”
They entered the teleport, and the door slid to with a grinding noise because of the blown in dust. Brodrick pushed the knob - and they were back on the world of sand.
CHAPTER 5
THE DOOR SLID back, and sunlight streamed in.
“OK, you carry the pistol and I'll take the rifle, that carnivore might still be around. I don't want to take life unnecessarily, but if comes to it and us, we come first.”
They shouldered up their backpacks and went out into the brilliant light of the blue green sun, and a cloudless sky.
“We'll top up the water supply first,” said Brodrick, “and then do a bit of exploring. There must have been something of interest for our alien to have set up the teleport here, unless he uses it just as a base - but I don't see any point in doing that.”
Down to the odd building with its water collecting equipment they went, keeping an eye out for anything that moved, but there was nothing. With the containers full, the pair set off, following what looked like a path, but Brodrick insisted it was created by water flow, although there was no sign of any water from the immediate past. It wound on down to a valley between steep cliffs, which they hadn't noticed before, but as the ground was all the same colour, it was difficult to pick out such details as it all seemed to merge into one.
“There's a definite sign of water flow here,” remarked Brodrick, always looking out for little details, “so where does
it all go? I would have thought there would be a lake or something here.”
“Hey, look over there,” said Ted, pointing down the valley. “It looks like a small building.”
As they approached, it was plain to see it had been constructed with care. Cut stone blocks formed the walls; although the roof had collapsed, a couple of wooden beams were still in place indicating a proper roof had once adorned the structure.
“Careful as you go in,” said Ted, “there's no telling if something is sheltering in there from the heat.”
Inside were some planks of wood on the stone floor; the way in which they lay suggested they may have been a table of some sort before time took its toll. The remains of a long bench was easier to discern, along with two planks set in the wall as shelves.
There was no sign of cooking utensils or containers, or anything else to indicate human or otherwise occupation.
“Looks like whoever was here took all their possessions with them, but I wonder where they went, or why,” Ted said. “A lot of work must have gone into this place.”
As the hut wasn't going to reveal any more clues as to what might have happened, they left to continue their exploration.
The valley walls were now almost vertical, and then they came across their first pile of bones. The creature must have been about the size of a large dog, according to Brodrick, with powerful jaws and a long backbone. Several smaller bone collections came to light as they went on, and then something which stopped them in their tracks. This creature must have been at least twice the size of an elephant, Brodrick figured out, based on the size of its leg bones, which were still connected together by what looked like gristle. He reckoned the teeth were of those of a creature used to eating foliage, as opposed to other creatures, although some animals were omnivorous. Of the hide or any other tissue, there was no sign; Brodrick thought it might have met its demise about ten to fifteen years ago, as the climate was so dry, so delaying decomposition.
The occasional withered plant, struggling to exist in the dry atmosphere, were the only adornments this landscape offered to break the monotony of sand and stone, although, what they thought were several very dead tree trunks were seen.
They passed a hole in the cliff face, but resisted the temptation to explore it, and then they came to one which had been purposely enlarged. This was too much, and they headed into its dark interior. It had been a natural tunnel, probably carved out by water, but here and there tools had been used to remove protruding lumps of rock to make passing through that much easier.
Their torches shone on glistening crystals set in the rock matrix, as they passed ever deeper in to the cavernous complex, but there was no sign that anyone had tried to remove any of them, although Ted was tempted.
A soft glow on the walls ahead heralded an unexpected change, as so far they only had light from their torches to guide them.
“Surely we can't be through to the other side yet,” Ted said.
“Doubt that,” responded Brodrick, “let's go slowly, in case there are some nasty surprises.”
They turned the corner in the tunnel and the light grew in intensity as the passage widened. And then the cavern opened out to enormous proportions - huge transparent colourless crystals, some about three metres in diameter and fifteen long, protruded from the walls, pushed up from the stony floor, and hung down from the roof some thirty metres above. They were hexagonal in shape, with the exposed end drawn to a needle sharp point, lighting the cavern with a soft white light, but it was difficult to see exactly where the light was coming from. The pair stood transfixed by the sheer size and beauty of nature's display.
“I've seen large crystals before, but they have been either gypsum or calcite, and not as clear as these - or as large, these are unbelievable.”
“My God, they're beautiful,” Ted exclaimed, after a few moments. “Don't suppose they're radioactive, do you?”
Brodrick looked around the cavern, studying the water clear crystals, and what little bare rock there was between them.
“Look at those fern-like plants,” he said, “they're all the same; if there was a fair amount of radiation present, they would be all different due to the change in their genes. I think it's quite safe for us to go closer.”
Brodrick drew his knife, and went up to the nearest crystal, drawing the point across its surface. All he got for his trouble was a high pitched squeak, but there was no mark on the pristine surface of the crystal.
“Don't know what this is, but it's not what I thought it might be - and it's diamond hard.” He leaned forward, and gave the crystal a sharp tap with the handle of his knife.
A clear tone rang out, echoing around the huge cavern, but it had a melodious quality about it which surprised them.
“Now that's unusual,” said Brodrick, “that tone isn't just one note. I reckon it's made up of the harmonics of some of the other crystals, vibrating in sympathy. Never come across that before - well, not in nature anyway.”
They wandered around the crystals in what little space there was between them, admiring their beauty, when Brodrick let out a little chuckle.
“I see you're doing it too, I feel almost compelled to stroke them,” he said as he ran his hand down a gleaming surface, “it certainly has a calming effect. I wonder if the people who enlarged the tunnel came here just to do this.”
They both stopped caressing the crystals at the same time, and looked at one another.
“Do you think the crystals get something from us, and they've now got enough, of whatever it is?” asked Ted.
“Either they're giving or getting, I don't know which, but I feel our time here is now done - well, that's the feeling I get.”
They left the crystal cavern feeling calm and at ease, something they hadn't done for some time.
Out in the valley again, Brodrick was studying the marks on the almost sheer walls, looking at one side and then the other.
“Those look like water marks to me,” he said, “see how some sort of plant growth has marked the high water mark, the water has dropped, and another mark shows the new level. There are dozens of them, one below the other, right down to ground level. Reckon this was a lake at some time, but a long time ago. It seems to have filled and drained many times according to those marks.”
Just ahead another small stone block building appeared, and they hurried over to it.
“If it's another water storage place, we might as well top up our supplies,” Brodrick said, as they entered past the illusion of a solid wall, “can't tell if there will be any more of them.”
After stocking up with water, they continued on down the valley, which was now much steeper - and still the water marks were visible on the almost vertical walls.
Rounding a bend, the vista opened up right to the horizon, with the cliffs falling away on either side.
“This must have been one huge lake.” Ted commented.
“It's not a lake, it's an inland sea - just look at the size of it,” Brodrick replied, “and there's some water in it still.”
A few hundred metres ahead, a large shimmering lake of sparkling water stretched before them, a small remnant of that which had once been.
“Looks like there's something out there, near the middle,” Ted observed.
Brodrick reached into a side pocket of his backpack withdrawing his monocular, and, putting to his eye, let out a gasp.
“Hey, take a look, and see if you see what I do,” he said. “I don't believe this.”
A huge hole, lined with the now familiar grid pattern of the teleports was just visible below the tranquil surface. Even as they watched, the water in the grid lined hole disappeared, and with a roar more water rushed in to fill the empty space.
Slowly the turbulence died down, with just a few ripples travelling across the surface to fade out into the distance.
“Now we know what the aliens came here for,” Brodrick announced angrily, “to pinch their bloody water. The poor sods who lived here must ha
ve gone frantic seeing the lake disappearing before their eyes - hence the water storage buildings. There can't be much surface water left, that's why they had to pump it up from below. The plants must have died out, except for the few we saw, and the animals followed, as there was nothing left to sustain them.”
They both stood in silence, staring at the unbelievable, until another cycle of water transportation took place with a thunderous roar - breaking the spell.
“How could anyone do this to a whole planet and its life forms - God they're a ruthless bunch.” Brodrick was still furious at the injustice of it.
“With their technology they could surely have done it another way, instead of destroying a planet.” Brodrick was still seething, “They could have captured a couple of comets, or gone to a world without life forms.”
It was with sadness the pair turned away from the fast diminishing lake and began their journey back to the teleport, with the intention of trying the last remaining symbol on the dial, and the return to Earth.
As they passed the water storage building they refilled their water containers, and again marvelled at the door illusion.
“I wonder just who put these water plants in,” mused Brodrick. “Was it a kindly act by the aliens for pinching the lake, or the natives? They would have been capable of the building and pumps, but that door smacks of a higher intelligence - and a great deal of technical know-how - doubt we'll ever know.”
The teleport was reached without incident, and with one last look at the almost barren desert world, they entered the chamber, the door sliding to behind them.
Brodrick turned the pointer to the next symbol they hadn't tried, pushed the knob firmly home, and they waited for the mist to clear.
CHAPTER 6
WHEN THE DOOR slid back, they were confronted by a tangled mass of metal bars, so twisted and bent that it gave no clue as to what the construction might have been.
They managed to wriggle their way out of the tangle, and into open space. A walk around the jumbled mass gave a clue as to what might have happened.
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