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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1469274" data-attributes="member: 6294">"Space Tomb" - Part 4The door opens into a plain steel room, large enough to old maybe eight or ten people.  Another, equally large steel door is set into the opposite wall, and is flanked by two globular protrusions in the wall, which are set at about head height."Those black globs could be weapons." S'Ondra eyes them suspiciously, brandishing her heat lance as she does so."I don't think they are.  This looks like an airlock -" Fury suggests, as he steps inside. "- and it would make a lot more sense to put the weapons outside, rather than in there."S'Ondra grunts a reluctant acknowledgement of this logic, and the four space adventurers step into the steel room.  There is no reaction from either the globules or the door in front of them.Gustav nods,"I zink you were right, Captain, and zis is an airlock.  We will need to close ze exterior door, before ze interior one will open.""This button appears to operate the exterior door." Archie indicates a large white button, set into the wall near the door through which they entered."That, or it fires the death rays to disintegrate us all." S'Ondra eyes the globules again, "I know it doesn't make any sense, but we're in an Egyptian pyramid, in the middle of the asteroid belt.  That doesn't make any sense to begin with.  I say we just blast the doors.""I zink, leibchen, zat if zey are death rays, zey are more likely to start shooting us if we blast ze door zan if we press ze button." Gustav pats her on the shoulder, "Archie, if you would be so kind ..."Archie presses the button, and the exterior door glides shut, closing with a soft clunk of gears."See?  That's the atmospheric seal.  An airlock, like I said." Fury nods in satisfaction, right before the group are lit up by an eerie green light.If this is an attack, however, it is a singularly ineffective one.  Their flesh does not burn from their bones; their lives are not snuffed out in an instant, and they don't collapse in writhing agony.  In point of fact, the light induces no physical sensation at all; just gives them a minty green glow.  After a few seconds, even that ends, as the light is extinguished as suddenly as it began."What was that about?" Fury cocks his head in puzzlement."Perhaps they infected us with germs.  An insidious attack, indeed." Archie initiates a hygiene scan, and several lights on his console immediately glow white.  "Most interesting.  I detect no foreign organisms on our bodies, but there is now a thin atmosphere in this chamber.  It was not present before.""A breathable atmosphere?" Fury asks."Yes."Gustav snaps his fingers as an idea occurs to him,"Perhaps ze builders of zis structure could not have infinite resources, so they structured ze atmosphere processor to commence operations only when zere was someone here to breathe it.""It's an interesting theory, Doc, though it doesn't bode well for our welcome.""How so?""Well, if the people here don't need an atmosphere, then they're probably dead." Fury explains."Or robots." Archie manages to sound wounded."Or robots.  In which case I'm sure the welcome will be excellent, once we're done with the decontamination procedures." Fury rolls his eyes."I think they're all dead." S'Ondra sounds almost pleased by this thought, "I mean, that's what you humans built pyramids for, wasn't it?"I'm not an expert on the subject, Princess.""I'm not surprised."The inner door slides open, interrupting the latest squabble.  Beyond is a short corridor, leading to what appears to be a set of elevator doors.  The walls of the corridor are decorated in Egyptian-style murals, and lined with clay urns that stand nearly waist high."The atmosphere is present throughout this area as well." Archie advises.Gustav removes his helmet and nods toward the elevator doors,"I don't zink zere were many lifts in ancient Egyptian tombs, somehow.""Probably not." Fury agrees.  After waiting just long enough to be sure the Doctor isn't choking to death, he removes his own helmet, "Not without slaves to work the pulleys.""These jars look empty." S'Ondra moves past the men and peers inside one of the large clay urns.  Seeing nothing, she sticks her arm down into one of them and feels around, "Nothing.""I'm glad to see they aren't trapped, either." Fury mutters.S'Ondra gives him a withering look,"We aren't in one of your silly human adventure vids now, Captain."Archie trundles past the others and presses a button beside the doors.  These immediately slide open, revealing what is clearly an elevator car."I suggest we continue our exploration.""A good idea, Archie!" Gustav follows the robot into the elevator, "Come on leibchen, Captain."Entering the elevator, Fury and S'Ondra find Archie busily studying a console with four buttons, a video screen, and six small meters set into it.  Only one of the four buttons are lit, though three of the six meters show readings.  On the screen, a miniature version of Gustav can be seen waving at the camera which provides the video feed."What do you suppose these are?" Fury taps the meters."I do not know." Archie admits, "It is possible that they are energy readings.""Only one of the tanks is full, then." Fury indicates the meter in question.  The other two are lit only for one third to one half of their length, while this one is almost fully illuminated."So where do we go?" S'Ondra peers at the console, "I guess the lit button is probably the floor we're at, now.  Which one do we press?"Fury shrugs,"If in doubt, start at the top." He presses the highest button, and the elevator begins to rise.</blockquote>

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