Underground chamber, uncharted planet in the halo
They both stood in silence for a moment and considered the fact that this chamber might have been constructed by the Ancients.
‘The three moons are missing above the planet,’ said Andy. ‘So there wasn’t a gateway here.’
‘But there might have been a hundred thousand years ago,’ Ed replied. ‘Remember all the rocks and debris the halopods have utilised.’
Andy shone his light around the wall to his left.
‘So there might be a control room somewhere here?’ he said.
‘Big place to build deep underground for no reason,’ said Ed, striding on with renewed purpose and lighting up the wall again, this time with added scrutiny.
The corner of the chamber appeared out of the gloom, with a mirror-smooth wall continuing off to the right.
‘Twenty-six pillars to the corner,’ said Ed. ‘Twenty-two metres apart, that’s way over one point one kilometres across this chamber if it goes as far the other way.’
‘And you felt you had to tell me that, because?’
‘Just trying to get a scale of the place.’
‘Well, I’m trying not to think about how far underground we are, or how far away the ship is,’ Andy moaned. ‘And this suits chafing me around my gentleman’s area.’
‘Anything else?’
‘No, I think that’s about it.’
‘Good, now shut the fuck up and find me a control room.’
They plodded on in silence for a few minutes until the next corner came into view.
‘It might not be in this building,’ said Andy, dejectedly. ‘It could be anywhere on the entire planet, or never have existed at all.’
‘You really are in a glass half empty mood aren’t you?’
‘I’m just bored trudging around this big empty hole in a suit that’s trying to prevent me ever having children.’
‘I tell you what,’ said Ed, as they turned the corner. ‘If we haven’t found anything when we get to the middle, we’ll turn and walk down the line of pillars to the entrance and return to the ship. We can have something to eat, recharge the suits, you can find one that fits better and we’ll come back and check the other side of this chamber. How does that sound?’
‘Deal. Can I have ice cream?’
At the twenty-sixth pillar they turned in towards the centre and began following the line of pillars. Ed counted them again and a few minutes later when they again reached number twenty-six, he stopped.
‘This is the centre of the chamber,’ he said, peering around.
‘Forgive me for not jumping up and down with glee,’ mumbled Andy, pointing onwards. ‘But I believe the raspberry ripple is in that direction.’
‘Yeah, I know,’ replied Ed, sighing. ‘I was kinda hoping there might be something here other than just a circle on the floor.’
‘Well, there isn’t, can we go on to…oh, bloody hell!’
‘Bloody hell, what?’ Ed asked, following Andy’s gaze upwards.
‘That’s the first mistake I’ve seen the stonemasons make.’
‘Mistake? The Ancients don’t make mistakes. What are you looking at?’
‘There’s a lump missing out of that pillar about eight foot up.’
Ed stood back and looking up he followed Andy’s finger. The carvings were normal all the way up, but at one point, on one side, it looked like a small section was missing or damaged.
‘Lift me up there,’ said Ed, putting his gloves either side of the pillar and raising a boot.
Andy cupped his hands under the boot and hoisted Ed up until he could run a glove around the slight flaw. Andy ducked his head as dust rained down on him.
‘Don’t mind me,’ he said, shaking the worst off his helmet.
‘You’re not going to believe this,’ said Ed, through gritted teeth as he struggled with something.
‘Stop wriggling about,’ moaned Andy from below. ‘Or I’ll drop you.’
‘Got it!’ Ed exclaimed, dropping back down.
‘Got what?’
Ed didn’t answer as a rumble from below had them both staring at their feet. A triangular section of the circle on the floor sunk down, followed by another and another and so on.
‘It’s a spiral staircase,’ said Andy, then he turned to glance up again. ‘Was that another recessed handle like at the other control rooms?’
‘Yep.’
‘Wow, well, I’m sorry for doubting you.’
‘Accepted.’
They waited until the clunking and rasping of stone had stopped before venturing down the newly arrived staircase.
‘I hope it’s not too deep,’ said Andy. ‘I hate these things.’
Ed went first, taking the outside route around where the treads were widest. He was pleased to see Andy had got his wish, as it only went down about four metres before opening out into a control room he was quite familiar with. It wasn’t identical, but the basic layout and equipment he had seen before was all present.
He stopped suddenly causing Andy to bump into him and their shields once again fluoresced.
‘I wish you’d stop doing that,’ said Andy.
Ed just pointed to something in the corner.
‘Oh!’ grunted Andy, as he too saw the skeleton lying in a pile. ‘That’s put me off my ice cream that has.’
‘I’ll give some to him,’ said Ed. ‘He could do with a little fattening up.’
‘Hey, listen to you cracking the jokes now.’
‘I do have a sense of humour you know?’
‘What’s that on the skull?’ Andy asked.
‘Some sort of helmet,’ said Ed, leaning over the remains and peering at it. ‘It’s wired into that unit beside you.’
‘D’you think it’s one of the Ancients?’ Andy asked. ‘I thought they were all in that omnipresent gaseous form now.’
‘Well, Neferuptah said there’d been twelve of them originally and not all of them had computerised themselves. A couple had wanted to remain in human form, but utilising their own life-expanding technology.’
‘What, like our autonurse?’
‘I suppose so.’
‘I’m sure Cleo will be able to carbon date one of the bones,’ said Andy.
‘You can pick one up if you like,’ said Ed. ‘It might invoke a curse, disturbing the grave of a god and all that.’
‘Ah, don’t say that. I have enough nightmares as it is.’
Ed ignored the dead eye sockets following him across the small room and stood in front of the main control panel.
‘You’re going to press the top right-hand button again, aren’t you?’ said Andy, watching Ed wipe the panel clean with a glove.
‘Well, there’s no gateway up there this time is there? So, at least this time we won’t lose the Gabriel.’
‘You’re not worried everything might explode then?’
‘Nah, but I would like to know what they are?’ he asked, pointing to several oval protuberances sticking out high on the walls around them. ‘Didn’t have them before.’
‘Camera system perhaps?’ Andy speculated.
‘Why would you need eight of them?’ replied Ed.
‘Fair point.’
Ed shrugged and touched the icon he knew to be the power up button.