Islands in the Sky Page 12

  "Who knows, but it's up too high for us to reach," Mica admitted as we scanned the walls for a way to access it.

  "Well, it looks like we'll have to make our way back to the previous passage and try to make our way through that debris field of encroaching ice," Alexander sighed as he sat back against the metal structure. After a moment, we noticed that the tiny glowing spores released from the multiple plant blooms were concentrating into illuminated clouds which coalesced together near this strange structure we had noticed above. Several more clouds of colorful spores also rose to the ceiling above and flowed towards the center of the chamber as they followed the draw of the hot air.

  Logan, Mica and I were watching the light show as Alexander sat on the ground behind us; stretching his arms as he leaned against the faux doorway. Looking down, he noticed a metallic crossbar protruding from the wall which was poking into his back. Turning around, he brushed aside the thin foliage covering it and wondered what it was. Grasping it with his hand, Alex innocently tried to see if he could move it, and turned it clockwise. There was a sharp 'click' as it locked into place and he pulled his hand away in mild surprise as the lever slowly spun itself to a complete full circle.

  Alex jumped to his feet shock as a loud whirring noise began to beat to life from behind the metal wall. We all turned around to see him stumbling back towards us as the stone platform beneath our feet began to tremble. Mica screamed aloud as the massive metal wall began ripping itself from the frail vines veiled upon it; folding itself down upon us were we stood. The four of us jumped to either side of the narrow outcropping to avoid being crushed by its immense weight.

  The bronze wall fell outward and stopped at a slight angle, revealing a thick set of plates held within it. The interior behind it was filled with strange gears and swinging pendulums that squeaked and complained as they performed their various functions. Once the wall jolted into place, the next section of it extended outwards in succession. One after the other, the plates connected together until the reached ever higher towards the metal harness we had seen attached to the cavern ceiling.

  "Well now, that's certainly impressive," Logan sputtered in mixed surprise at the ingenuity at the mechanical bridge.

  Testing its edge, it seemed solid enough to place our weight upon. High above us the last plate fell into place and latched itself to the tackle which was securely affixed to the ceiling. The pressure of it triggered another device which lowered itself from the hanger onto the last platform; accompanied by a rush of air. The colorful clouds of glowing spores floating about the ceiling rushed to this outlet and were sucked up through the open shaft. We looked at one another in a moment of surprise; perceiving that we had just found our way out.

  "Come on, let's go!" I ushered to the rest of them.

  "But where does it lead?" Alex asked nervously.

  "How the hell would I know, it's a way out of this place," I responded to the irrational question.

  "We at least have to see where it leads," Mica offered kindly towards Alexander, who was clearly worried, "we can always backtrack if it doesn't go anywhere."

  "Have faith old friend," Logan offered, "the way that spore cloud evacuated from the chamber means there is likely an air draft to the surface," he concluded. With a shrug, Alexander yielded to our combined encouragement and we cautiously climbed aboard the bridge and ascended to the landing above.

  "Sure is a long way down," I breathed as I carefully peered over the side, while wondering about the structural integrity of its construction.

  The bridged swayed slightly with the combined weight of us moving upon it and I wondered if we should have chosen to make the ascent one by one; for safety's sake. Logan seemed far beyond confident in its design, though I couldn't figure out why. Perhaps he had no fear of death at his ripe old age, or that he considered meeting his demise in the bowels of a long lost city was a good way to die. Either way, I didn't fancy joining him on that type of quest.

  There were still many clouds of spores glittering with a rainbow of colors sweeping their way around us towards the outlet. When we finally reached the support hanger we could see how it interconnected with the bridge which led to a long circular tube made from the same type of material. The bronze cylinder had a horizontal opening which flared outward from its side and appeared to be stuck in a cycle of circulating as it clanked in place repeatedly.

  "Seems like its gears are seized," I stated while trying to figure where it connected above as the large opening was sucking in air into its funnel.

  "What do you think this contraption is?" Alexander asked the professor as he examined the strange device.

  "Well logically, it seems to be sucking up the hot air from this chamber, and redirecting it ...somewhere," Logan trailed off.

  "Like a heat-exchange system?" I blurted in wonder.

  "It would make sense if that was so," the professor responded, "by using this natural geothermal heat, this mechanism might be part of some sort of temperature regulation system."

  "That's all fine and dandy, but now what?" Mica proclaimed as they all stood on the upper platform as tiny illuminated spores were drifting around them and sticking onto their clothes.

  "Maybe we should take a look inside," I offered as an answer.

  Logan nodded in agreement as Mica followed in suit. Alex was a little skittish about that idea, but he didn't want to leave his companions or take the chance of having the sky bridge retract; which would leave us stranded high off the ground in case the tube withdrew back into the ceiling. We climbed into the large orifice to see what we could find and were slightly surprised by the design of it. Inside we found several rotating flaps that either seemed to direct the airflow or were measuring it in some fashion.

  Shining our flashlights around the darkened interior, the only other light source was the stream of glowing spores which were being sucked up into a funnel far above our head. We couldn't detect any ladders or a way to climb the smooth chute, so it appeared another dead end. Our only option was to climb back down to the forest of light and search for another way out of this cavern. Surrendering to that option, we were making our way towards the egress when we heard a loud 'snap' and the sound of metal grinding on metal.

  Looking through the opening, we could see that the bridge had disengaged and was retracting away from us. Now we were stuck high above in this unlikely nest.

  "Ah, that's not good," I breathed with a sigh of worry as Alex began to pace back and forth in the small circular room. Just as suddenly we were thrown to the floor as the telescopic pipe withdrew into its former placement in the roof of the cavern.

  Before it sealed, there was an immense pressure of air that lifted us off our feet and sent us tumbling through the ductwork. I could even hear Mica cursing while Alexander screamed like a little girl as we were sucked up into the ventilation shaft. Rings of light swam past us as the four of us were inhaled through the tubing as we were siphoned through its length. I lost all sense of direction of which way was up or down, and started to feel like I was going to vomit from the constant spinning. Clearly this duct system wasn't meant to be occupied in any fashion; but I was too busy feeling sick and dizzy to be worrying about where we might end up. Like the others, I just wanted this unbearable joyride it to end.

  Our unfortunate transit through the ductwork ended up spewing us into a basin of warm water. We grabbed Alexander who was flopping like a fish to help him keep his head above water. Logan himself looked just as ruffled as the rest of us as we waded to the edge of the pool and got ourselves out of the pool. Stripping ourselves as much as we could of our soaked clothing, we got the chance to look around at our surroundings.

  "What is this place?" Alex blubbered as he spit out more water from his lungs. Directly above us was what appeared to be a giant sieve, made of the same bronze colored metal which was placed directly above the spout from which we were ejected.

  "This pool must be a collection point for condensation of the water vapor," Logan
speculated as he inspected the strange contraption. As we stepped away from the obscuring steam of the watershed, we were amazed at what we saw.

  Towering structures of brass and bronze lined an entire causeway as far as we could see. The details of the cavern roof were lost in the dark shadows beyond the reach of our weaken lamps. There was a churning sound like gears and pumps that brought us to the outer edge of a walkway which was lined with a row of dim lights. Mica tapped at the thick glass of the lights, which appeared to be incased in a type of crystal.

  "This is incredible, I wonder how they work?" Mica beamed as she searched for a sign that might reveal how they were put together.

  "What is it Allen?" Logan asked as he came to put his hand on my shoulder. He could see the worn look on my face as I glared into the darkness of the metal city.

  "Ah ...I, I just can't help but feel that we're getting even more lost the farther we go, and we'll never find a way out, Professor," I admitted with a heavy sigh, "we're running pretty thin here boss. We're all tired and hungry and nearly out of fresh water."

  Logan's face turned into a gentle wash of sympathy and guilt since he was the reason we were all here facing this dilemma. He had felt a great deal of remorse for Tom's death, and began to doubt his own principles for having brought us on this expedition into the frozen wild; and conceded how reckless it was of him to risk the lives of others. The professor wasn't usually the kind of man who second guessed himself, but there would be no realization of his life's work if they remained trapped beneath the ice and the expedition party became the next permanent residence of is lost culture.

  "You're right Allen, we should keep moving," Logan agreed while swallowing his guilt, "maybe we can find a vent shaft to the exterior and call for help on the radio."

  We set off through the open causeway that led between the towering metal pillars and strange machinery powered by the rising steam. Farther down the walkway we began to find bones lying in scattered piles; their texture was so brittle that they decayed into dust when handled. They were small, almost the size of a child, but far thicker in diameter that that of a normal human. Mica gathered a few biological samples as Alexander investigated what was left of the cadavers.

  "This is strange indeed," Alex declared, "they appear to be the thickness of full grown adults, but appear to be stunted."

  "Dwarves, they must be dwarves," I blurted out loud.

  "Dwarfism is a rare genetic condition," Alex responded in defense, "but here it seems like an inherent trait," he noted as he motioned to the few dozen bodies lying about the pathway.

  "Is it normal for the skeletal structure to disintegrate like that?" I had to ask, not wishing to touch any of them.

  "No, we do digs all the time, and depending on their age they might be fragile, but they don't crumble apart like this," Mica added as she put away her collection bag and attempted to take a few photographs; only to notice that her camera was acting belligerent and refusing to work properly after its recent dunk in the water.

  "Professor, what do you think that is?" I asked as I stood up on the highest edge of the walk and pointed out towards the end of the causeway.

  There appeared to be several softly glowing vein-like tubes running from the machinery at the edge walkway that led out into an open field. We approached the exposed space while following the nearest tube which slowly pulsated with an internal light. At the edge of the clearing we found what appeared to be a type of nursery. Within the vast field where strewn a mix of strange crystal formations growing within large circular enclosures. Each of these pens were cut into four triangle shaped compartments; within their centers stood spouts which released a fine mist of water vapor several minutes apart.

  A great number of the devices which fed the fine spray were now clogged and broken; and where those tubs sat the crystals with were in a state of decay. Many of them looked like growths you might find within a geode, while others were enormous samples of crystalline growths. These beautiful structures glinted in our flashlights as we walked among the scattered field.

  "This is incredible," Logan proclaimed, "this field of crystals is a conservatory."

  "A what?" I asked, completely confused.

  "It's like a greenhouse, but instead of plants, it appears they were growing minerals instead," Mica replied.

  "You mean all this equipment is a mineral farm?" I responded, while daring to touch some of the colorful formations, "for what reason would they do that?"

  "Their ancient technology might rely on it, in place of fossil fuels like our own modern civilization," Logan answered, "it's quite ingenious actually, as it would be an entirely renewable source of material. The core essence of these minerals are naturally filtered and collected from the deep geothermal springs below us."

  "But what would they use them for?" I shrugged; not having a clue to the complexities of this lost culture.

  "It could be anybodies guess. These could be source material for construction or a type of resource material which helped supplement their dietary needs in this environment," Logan suggested.

  "So they grew their minerals and base ores rather than dig them from the earth?" I asked, trying to understand the process.

  "Maybe so; instead of having to waste time and energy on digging into the soil, they had learned to extract such resources through a much simpler means," the professor offered in return.

  Progressing onwards, we came upon a strange structure located in the middle of the mineral field. There were several of the same tubes fanning outwards from its base into the crop of mineral baths, but they didn't appear to be functioning. There were several large beehive shaped tanks stacked upon one another which surrounded a series of central antennas that reached straight up into the darkness. Alexander was the first to mount the deck upon which it sat; while examining how it might work or a clue as to its function.

  Alex had a habit of experimenting with things he didn't understand, which was probably due to his timid, if not overly curious nature. Near the center of the formation he found a tall cone made of the same bronze metal as the rest of the machinery we had seen.

  "Mica, if I may borrow that ring of yours," Alex inquired as he turned to the professors assistant.

  Mica removed the large silver bracelet and handed it over as he looked over her shoulder to receive a nod of approval from Logan. Alexander took the ring and gently slid it upon the sharpened cone which pointed vertically alongside the antenna-like structures. Once the thick ring slid down to where it fit snugly and came to a halt on the shaft, several glowing characters began to appear upon the metal.

  "What does it say?" I asked in surprise; wondering what he had discovered.

  "It's not Sumerian or any of the dialects I'm familiar with. Why don't you take a look, Logan," he offered for the professor to take his place in front of the mysterious device.

  Logan strode over and inspected the strange characters with interested as he rubbed his chin in thought. I dared to peer over his shoulder to see what they were. To me the glowing red symbols appeared to be an odd combination of old Norse runes all jumbled about like complicated Chinese characters. I had no clue as to what they meant, so I nudged the professor to tell us what he thought. That nudge of curiosity was a mistake.

  I bumped his shoulder as he was tracing one of the characters with his finger, which he accidentally hit when I pressed his arm from behind as I contacted his shoulder. The symbol he unwittingly touched immediately turned a bright green and several of the other symbols sporadically faded to a dull orange. Logan glared at me over my shoulder for my clumsiness.

  "Oops ...sorry," I blubbered as I backed a step away. Just as I did the silver ring we used began to spin in place upon the cone, vibrating ever faster.

  More green light shot through the tubes at our feet around us and fanned out through the mineral field. We jumped back as we heard loud pops and explosions of what sounded like water tanks bursting, and we stood there stunned when the distant walls surrou
nding us began to burnish with strings of light. A circular city of golden metal beamed to life; the dwellings stacked upon one another like intricate cliff dwellings from some old forgotten tale. Around them stood tall effigies of bearded men with gaunt faces; the moisture upon these formidable metal figures glistening in the hard light.

  "Holy shit ...a real Dwarven city," I blurted aloud in my astonishment as the rest of my crew turned in unison as their mouths fell open in awe.

  The Catacombs

  The clanging of old and broken machinery echoed from within the central spire that Alex had initially activated, leading us to wonder if we were in danger if the thing might explode. We backed away from the device warily until Mica dared to backtrack to grab the metal ring. She gingerly lifted it off the spike, wondering if doing so would disable the device. After removing it from the cone, the machinery within the spire remained working which allowed the surrounding spotlights to keep the city illuminated.

  "What's the plan, Logan?" Alexander inquired as we gazed upon the glittering city as Mica slipped the ring safely back upon her wrist.

  "We came here to explore, so we might as well take a look and see what we find," the professor muttered with mild jubilation.

  It was amazing to see how the old man's eyes would light up every time we tripped across a new discovery. I wanted to say he looked like a kid in a candy store; but the though of that made my stomach grumble. We had already gone nearly a full day without food by this time, and the strain was starting to wear on us.

  We approached the largest statue made of the same burnished bronze as the rest of the dwellings stacked up upon the wall, and marveled at its design. It was not pieced together by rivets nor welds as we might have expected from an older civilization, but was instead compromised of tightly interlocking seams. Alex noted that it was similar to the ingenuity of the ancient Inca's who were known for their masonry and their finely cut stonework by which they pieced together great blocks without mortar. The advanced technology was from a different era and would take years to reverse-engineer to understand it properly.