"Just be careful."
"Okay, we'll split up into groups of four, as Tebrey has suggested," Bauval said. "I want each group to have an armed marine with them. No one is to go out of sight of anyone in their group for any reason. We will all rendezvous back here at the gate when the sun is no less than two fingers from the horizon. That should give us about ten hours to explore and get back here. Do you have anything you want to add, Commander?"
"Only this," Tebrey said seriously. "Anyone not back at the appointed time will be left here. We all feel whatever it is that's wrong with this place. We can't afford to play games here. Does anyone doubt what I say?"
There were some uncomfortable looks passed, but no one said anything.
"Good. I'd like to talk to the marines privately before we go in."
There was a shuffle as people began to sort themselves into exploration parties. There seemed to be a tendency for them to divide by what their areas of expertise were. Tebrey noticed that the three other archaeology students were snubbing Jane and Doug. He supposed that the two had been associated with Anderson for too long. Tebrey and Hunter moved off to one side and waited for the marines to join them.
"Well, that ruffled their feathers, sir," Sergeant McGee said with a chuckle.
"I wanted to reinforce the seriousness of the situation," Tebrey replied.
"Would you really leave them, sir?" Christopher asked. She had just walked up with Corporal Cook and Private Stevens.
Tebrey sighed. "I sure want them to believe it, Lieutenant. If someone gets lost, Hunter and I will do what we can to find them, but I refuse to linger here once the sun goes down. I want each of you to make sure that you get your people back to this gate at the appointed time. No tricks, no games. There's something alien about these ruins. It feels to me like something is still slumbering here. I don't want anyone to wake it up."
"You don't believe in ghosts, do you?" Stevens asked.
Tebrey was aware of Bauval listening to their conversation off to one side. "No, but I believe in booby traps, wild animals, and stasis chambers. Things can linger for a long time with the right kind of help. Something bad happened to this place. This isn't like the other archeological site. This place wasn't built by humans. Who knows what it might contain? I just want each of you to be on guard. Be careful."
"All right, people, you heard the commander," Christopher said. "Find your groups and be careful. We'll rendezvous here at the appointed time. Anyone late will be very sorry. Stevens, keep your students moving. Those young people like to drag their feet, as we've all seen. Let's go!"
They moved off to find their groups, and Tebrey walked over to Bauval and Mason, who were talking quietly with Dr. Seshadri.
"Doctors," he said politely as he walked up. Hunter moved close and settled to the ground beside him.
Ramon Seshadri eyed Tebrey with suspicion. Tebrey could tell that the man knew that he had been instrumental in keeping them all alive through the winter, but the archaeologist couldn't get past his nagging doubts. The man is military, and the military always finds a way to twist the works of scientists. Still, Seshadri thought, Anderson hates him, so he can't be all bad.
"I wouldn't say that he hates me, Doctor. We just don't agree very often."
Seshadri jerked like he had been slapped. "You can hear my thoughts?" he exclaimed.
"Only when you direct them at me, Doctor," Tebrey lied. "You were focused on me and thinking hard. You have a strong will. I usually only receive vague impressions of emotion from non-psions."
"But you would never intentionally read...?"
"No, Doctor. It's unethical, impractical, and usually... distasteful."
Seshadri grinned and shook his head. "I suppose most people do have quite a few things in their heads that no one would want to see. We were just discussing what part of the city to explore. Do you have any suggestions?" Tebrey could tell that Seshadri was beginning – just a little – to like him in spite of his prejudices.
"I would think that to be most productive, we should head for the center of the city. Most cities have archives and seats of government in the center."
"That is what we also thought," Seshadri said, giving Tebrey a hard look. "I take it you are to be our escort?"
"Ramon, be nice," Bauval said. "Tebrey is our friend. He is also quite intelligent and well-read. His insight will be invaluable."
"Besides," Mason said with a smile, "if something is lurking in the ruins, I'd want Tebrey and Hunter there to deal with it. Wouldn't you agree?"
McGee sighed softly as he watched the groups file into the ruins. He would have preferred to keep everyone together. It wasn't his decision to make, though. Christopher had stuck him in the group with Dr. Anderson and his two graduate students. Anderson still wasn't completely recovered from his illness, but he was doing better. Well enough to be a pain in McGee's ass, anyway.
"Where would you like to go first, sir?" he asked politely.
Anderson ignored him. "Everyone else seems to be moving into the heart of the city. I think we should explore along the wall. Douglas, if you would lead the way? We'll start with that building to the left of gate."
The sergeant wished that the lieutenant or the commander had volunteered to go with Anderson, but neither of them were on good terms with the scientist, and they had wanted someone with him who would stand up to him. They weren't sure Cook or Stevens could handle the man.
He sighed. At least they had been able to salvage energy cells for the laser rifles from the shuttle wreckage. He unslung his rifle and double-checked the settings. With the unnerving quality of the ruins, he wanted to be ready for any problems.
The selected building was a ten-meter cube of fused rock. It was crumbling along the edges but otherwise seemed structurally sound. The oddly low and narrow opening looked like it had once held a door, possibly metal. McGee activated his hand lamp as they entered. The ceiling was low, too, and shadows danced and twisted at the edge of the light. The floor held a mosaic of some kind, geometric in nature. It was hard to grasp the exact pattern because it seemed to change each time they looked at it; it made McGee a little dizzy trying.
The first room was two meters square and about a meter and a half high. There were three doorways that led deeper into the structure, one in each wall.
"This chamber reminds me of ancient tombs on Earth," Anderson remarked, stooping.
Thank you so much for that, McGee thought sullenly.
"I was just thinking that myself, Doctor," Jane replied. "Like the Mayan tomb we excavated my senior year. We should be careful."
"You're thinking the rooms may be trapped?" Douglas asked.
"This isn't a tomb," Anderson said irritably. "It just remains me of one. I don't think we need worry about pitfalls or poison arrows. This was likely some kind of gatehouse or barracks. Obviously the species that built this was of a different size from humans."
"Nurgg are little buggers," McGee suggested.
Anderson gave him a scathing look. "The Nurgg are methane-breathers. I dare say they would find it uncomfortable on this planet, Sergeant."
McGee shrugged. "Just a thought, sir."
"It's cold in here," Jane said suddenly, breaking the tension.
"Nothing supernatural about that. The thick stone walls and recent cold weather would lead to a lower average temperature in these chambers – you know that," Anderson said. "I say we head left again and work our way through this building. As tall as the structure is, there may be a way to the upper levels."
"There could be lower levels, as well," Douglas pointed out.
McGee shuddered. He didn't like being in the building at all, but the thought of descending into the dark depths under it filled him with dread. He wouldn't have been able to put it into rational words, but he was sure that something lurked below the city. He didn't want to be the one to find it.
Chapter Thirty-Four
"This writing doesn't match the script we found at the other dig site.
It's closer to cuneiform," Dr. Seshadri said, gesturing the others over with excitement.
Mason walked to him and examined the archway. "You're correct, Ramon. It is similar to cuneiform – very similar in fact. What's this in the middle of the inscription? A gorgon? A squid?"
"Possibly. Some of the architectural elements do remind me of Minoan. I wish we had time to do this right," he said, glancing accusingly at Tebrey. "We should spend days here."
"At least we can record everything. I'd love to find a few artifacts. We still have no idea what kind of culture would build such a strange place," Mason said.
Tebrey ignored them and walked over to stand next to Bauval. The biologist was looking at a set of geometric symbols inlaid into a wall in black stone.
"Bored, Doctor?" Tebrey asked.
Bauval jerked. "Sorry, you startled me; I didn't hear you walk up. I'm not bored. I just feel out of my depth. I imagine you feel about the same."
"Yes," Tebrey replied. "I know just enough to understand what they're talking about, but not enough to actually make any educated guesses. There's something I wanted to ask you, though. Why does nothing grow here?"
"I don't know. I've been wondering that myself. I was a little worried about radiation, but I tested that, and the levels are well within the norm for background radiation on this planet. Something keeps the plants and animals away, certainly. I've never seen a place so devoid of life."
"I worried about radiation as well. I didn't realize you had a scanner," Tebrey said. "Do you think it could be linked to whatever it was that scared the horses?"
"That nameless dread you mentioned when we first started exploring? Possibly," he replied.
"The feeling has gotten stronger since we neared the center of the city," said Tebrey. "Maybe it's a field effect of some kind. Some defense system still operational after millennia."
"That would suggest an awfully advanced culture – technologically, anyway. I doubt we could build anything now that would still be operational after fifteen thousand years."
"Are these ruins really that old?"
"Probably. The ruins from the other site were. These must be that old, or even older. My gut feeling is that they're far older."
"Why aren't these ruins buried under sediment, in that case?" Tebrey asked.
"I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. Maybe the wind is stronger here sometimes."
"Hmm. I guess."
"You think it's more recently destroyed?"
"I honestly don't have an opinion.".
"This place was probably abandoned at the same time the other cities were destroyed."
"Let's hope nothing survived whatever happened here, then," Tebrey said.
Bauval shuddered. "I guess it could be something automated. Some of those artifacts at the other site seemed to still have power. Those two students were killed by something."
"Yes, that's true. I couldn't get any of the artifacts to react or show any sign of power, though."
"No one was able to figure out exactly what killed them, either," Bauval said. "I remember Dr. Rodriguez saying that it appeared as if all chemical activity had simply ceased in both of them. And then there were the others. Everyone in the site that day had symptoms similar to radiation poisoning, but no radiation was detected. She had no idea what could cause such a thing."
"Hmm, sounds like a death-field generator."
"A what?" asked Bauval.
"Sorry," Tebrey replied. "I remember learning about Giclan weapons that had similar effects. They created a field that caused carbon-based life to die. The Giclans used them in one of the Empire wars a few centuries ago."
"Strange, I'd never heard of such a thing. I didn't think Giclans could withstand our temperatures."
"They can't. They dropped the field generators in from outer orbit, made quite a mess. It stopped the Empire from irradiating the outer planets, though – short war. Bauval," Tebrey said, changing the subject, "I don't like this place. Something isn't right here."
"Is there some basis for that, or is it just another hunch?"
"I've learned to trust my instincts."
"Yes, I think we all feel it, Tebrey. The problem is that we, as scientists, don't like to admit that there's something we can't understand lurking around the corner. Look at yourself. Humans have known about psychic phenomena for thousands of years, but the science of psionics is still fairly new, and we still don't really understand it. Yet it is undeniable; one only has to look at Hunter and yourself to see it in action. You have a bond that defies understanding for someone who doesn't have your abilities. Do you think that whatever is causing this feeling is psionic in origin?"
"I don't know. That's part of what scares me. I've felt something like this before, Bauval. Trust me when I say that you don't want to experience what I did then."
"What are you two getting so serious about over here?" Mason and Seshadri had come over while they were talking.
"We were discussing the unpleasant feeling we've all been experiencing but haven't been talking about," Bauval replied.
"Oh," Mason said uncomfortably. "Come to any conclusions?"
"Not yet," Tebrey replied. "How about you two? Any luck?"
"No," said Seshadri. "We took pictures of all the writing we could find, but without some common point of reference, it's unlikely we would ever be able to understand it."
"So what now?" Bauval asked.
"I don't know. Tebrey, you and Hunter probably feel this odd dread more than we do. Can you pinpoint the center of it? Maybe we should investigate where the feeling is coming from."
"I'm not entirely sure I'd want to do that. There are some things that are best left alone."
"You sound as if you have some idea what it may be," Seshadri said.
"Maybe. I don't know. It feels like something I felt before. I'm just not sure."
"What, Commander? I've never seen you like this," Mason said. "I'd almost say you were afraid."
Tebrey forced a laugh. "Contrary to popular belief, Doctors, I'm quite often afraid. It just doesn't stop me from doing what I have to do. Eight months ago I was assigned to the Kirov, a Wolf-class cruiser with over twenty-eight hundred personnel aboard." He paused, and Hunter pressed himself close. Tebrey's hand reached out and caressed the soft fur as he spoke. "Several days into transit, while in hyperspace, something came aboard ship. This is all classified information, by the way. I'll deny having this conversation if you ever repeat it. Anyway, something got aboard ship."
"When you say something, what exactly do you mean?" asked Seshadri.
"I mean some thing," Tebrey replied. "My memories of the entire ordeal are blurred. I think the Fleet psychologists tried to suppress those memories, but that never has worked well on me. Just one intruder got aboard the ship, and we fought. We fought for three weeks while it tore us apart. Some it killed quickly. Some it toyed with for longer. It drove people many people insane, so that they attacked each other. The whole time I could feel it feeding, gorging itself on human suffering."
"Oh, my god," Mason said softly. "That's how..."
"Yes," Tebrey said, nodding. "That's how my last companion died. Ripper died protecting me from whatever it was. He bought time, with his life, for me to bring the ship out of hyperspace."
"How many?" Bauval asked, his voice rich with sympathy.
"There were six of us still alive. Just six," he whispered. "You can do the math yourself. And what scares me is that it felt just like this place when it started."
"Careful here," Douglas said. "The ramp is crumbling a bit."
"Why ramps?" Jane asked. "Why haven't we found any stairs? It seems like a waste of space."
"We cannot project human values onto the builders of this place," Anderson said. "We don't know why they did any of the things they did here."
"It would make it easier to move equipment," McGee suggested.
"That is pure speculation."
"I thought that's what you were doing: speculatin
g."
Anderson glared at him. McGee really wanted to apply the butt of his rifle to the man's smug features.
"Doctor!" Douglas shouted from above. "There's something here I think you need to see."
"What is it?"
"I don't know. I mean, it's a skeleton, sort of. Just come look."
They moved cautiously up the ramp to the third level. The ceiling was still just as low, and there dust in the air, churned up by their passage. Douglas crouched at the far end of the room.
"What is it, Douglas?" Anderson asked as they walked over.
"Look," he replied. He shone his light down at the corner.
In the small pool of light, the bones stood out in stark relief, the shadows reluctantly releasing their hold. Ragged strips of mummified flesh clung to the pale ivory bone. Small metallic objects glittered in the dust.
"What is it?" McGee asked.
"I don't know," Anderson replied, too fascinated with the find to chastise the sergeant like he usually did. "It may be one of the builders."
"Look here," Jane said suddenly. She squatted down and pointed at some of the bones. "These look identical to human hand bones. Do we have more than one body here?"
"No, look over here," Douglas said. "The same bones, but joined to the... arm?"
"The bones do appear similar, but let's not jump to conclusions. The hands look human, as do the mandible, teeth, and orbital bones."
"A lot of orbital bones," Jane said. Her voice shook. "I suppose we should call the central part a skull."
The teardrop-shaped skull was roughly fifty centimeters across and radially symmetrical. There were eye sockets – of a sort – spaced evenly around the skull in two alternating, offset rows. In between each pair of eyes, and below them, a tentacular appendage grew out of the bone. The appendages became longer, further down the skull, so that the ones along the bottom were almost a meter long. Those four longest had human-like hands on them. The others just tapered to blunt ends like the tentacles of an octopus.
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