The most important thing when fleeing through a strange temple from armed alien rats was to stay focused.

Alix’s plan was simple. Keep out of sight of the guards, make it to the top tier of the ziggurat, and escape down its stairwell to freedom while the guards are still searching for them inside. If she could just keep running up the tiers and keep her eye on the ball, there would be no issue.

But that was easier said than done when one was running through floors filled with wonders never before seen by human eyes.

The first distraction was housed in the main hall of the first floor of the second tier. It was so stunning that Alix skidded to a stop, her jaw dropping at the sight before her.

“What are you doing?” Figaro hissed. “We ain’t here to sight-see!”

“I know, but look!”

The hall was lined with tiny mummies, each standing snug in sarcophagi of malachite and azurite, molded into the visages of what Alix could only assume were former Aexon royalty of some sort. Some were open, so that the withered, wrapped remains could be seen, while the rest of the sarcophagi were fused shut. Like the ziggurat steps, the centers of the sarcophagi were engraved with painted symbols. Alix delicately brushed her fingers over one of the sarcophagi. A fine layer of dust came off at her touch.

“Can you read any of these?” Alix asked Figaro as she started trotting through the hall again. There were at least a hundred sarcophagi in the hall.

“Of course not, I only ran speech analysis. I don’t think my program even has the ability to analyze glyphs,” said Figaro. His eyes lengthened nevertheless, scanning until they were out the other end of the hall. “You know what I noticed, though? One symbol seems to consistently pop up on every single one of those things. A silver sphere.”

“I saw that symbol, too. On one of the mosaics in the main hall downstairs What could it mean?”

“Come on, Alix, I’m a robot, not an anthropologist.” He swatted at her ear. “Now hurry it up!”

Alix kept up the pace, but the distractions only grew from there. One room they passed was constructed with walls entirely of selenite gypsum so that the light of the torches hung in the room corners lent the room a stunning shine. Another room seemed to have served as a bathhouse, with the floor carved into a cluster of circular pools that held glowing blue waters. When Alix bent over and peeked into the waters, scores of little translucent fish surged toward the surface. Then there was the hall that must have served as an armory, for hanging from the walls were hundreds of Aexon-sized spears, arrows, and even swords forged from crystal.

By the third tier, things got even stranger. Alix and Figaro ran through rooms filled with nothing but stone heptagons, halls so slim Alix had to turn herself sideways to squeeze through, rooms with floors and walls purposely warped into waves, stairwells made of mirrors (of which Alix cracked a few when running up). They ran through a bestiary of the dead, the chamber cluttered with the stuffed or dried specimens of animals from the surface, most of which neither Alix nor Figaro recognized. One chamber was dedicated solely to housing one, mile-long parchment scroll that was half-unfurled, its every inch crowded with glyphs. Yellow, carnivorous plants snapped at Alix’s ankles as she ran through another hall, sprouting from between cracks in the wall, dripping amber from their petals.

Alix filed each and everything she saw into her memory, already planning how she’d fit it all into her next entry for the Compendium. All of it was so inscrutable to Alix, a treasure trove of oddities begging for further exploration and explanation. There was no time for that in their ascent of course, but Alix did notice something as she ran past these numerous artifacts and sights. In some way or another, they were all linked to the symbol of the silver sphere.

It was present in every room, every hall. It was carved on the sides of the heptagons, on the floors, at the bottom of the pools and around the plants. Entire swathes of the scroll were simply the symbol, drawn over and over. This entire ziggurat was dedicated to it.

As Alix bounded up the set of stairs that led up to the fourth tier, she couldn’t help but hope that there would be some clue waiting for her there. Something that would make everything she’d just seen click together.

Instead, there was a fresh horde of Aexon guards waiting for them.

“Jesus!” Figaro yelped. “They were lying in wait!”

Alix swiftly turned and made to run back down the stairwell, but over a dozen other Aexon guards were already filing up it, swords and spears in the air.

Alix returned to the ones on the fourth tier, anger spiking through her. The Aexon that had been wielding her raygun since her capture, who she was starting to think of as ‘Raygun’, was at the front. She stared down at Raygun. “You know, I didn’t want to get into a fight with you guys, mainly because you are tiny and adorable. But a woman’s gotta draw a line somewhere.”

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“That’s right, Boss!” Figaro pumped one of his limbs in the air. “Punt ‘em into the next century!”

Raygun stared her down right back, aiming the gun directly at her. He let out a series of low, growly squeaks.

“He says we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Figaro translated.

“Really?” Alix glanced between Figaro and Raygun. “He said those words, exactly?”

“I mean, not exactly, but I took that to be the general tone.”

“Okay, well, tell him that we’re not going down without a fight!”

Figaro pointed at Raygun and emitted a bunch of squeaks and trills. For a moment, no one moved or spoke. Then Raygun lowered his gun slightly as he and the other guards all exchanged baffled looks and shrugs.

“I might have dropped a vowel or ten in my speech,” Figaro admitted. “There’s a distinct possibility I accidentally told him we’re not going down without a fish.”

“Peachy.”

“Here, lemme try the word again.” Figaro pointed at Raygun once more and chanted the same sequence of squeaks repeatedly.

Raygun let out a rage-filled screech and shot the raygun inches away from Alix’s head.

“Alright, I think he got it this time,” said Figaro.

Alix lunged for Raygun, intending to take the most dangerous weapon out of the equation. Raygun was more agile than she’d anticipated. He rolled out the way before she could grab him, firing off a blast that nearly blew off Alix’s fingers. Meanwhile, the reinforcement guards had made their way up the stairs and were joining the others in a charge against her and Figaro. Alix kicked them away frantically, but they were stronger than they looked, and several managed to land blows on her legs, slashing through her jumpsuit and even drawing blood.

“Ow, OW!” Alix continued kicking her way through the battalion, occasionally having to dodge Raygun’s shots. “Get away from me, you—”

“Miniature maniacs?” Figaro suggested.

“Good one.” Alix turned as one of the Aexons leaped up and latched onto her arm. She shook him off, feeling a pang of guilt at his pained squeak when he hit the ground. The feeling quickly dissipated as she saw more Aexons hurrying up the stairs her way.

“Duck!” Figaro shouted.

Alix moved her head just in time to miss another shot from Raygun. Figaro jumped down from her shoulder at that moment and made a beeline for Raygun.

“Pick on someone your own size!” Figaro shouted at him, then emitted a new series of squeaks and slapped Raygun across the face. The outraged Aexon smacked Figaro right back with the side of the raygun, but Figaro was undeterred. He tackled Raygun, knocking the raygun out of Raygun’s grasp. The weapon went skittering across the floor as Raygun and Figaro battled it out. Alix rushed for it, but another Aexon guard with purple beads threaded through his fur reached the weapon before her. Purple Beads held the raygun up with four shaking paws, aiming it at her. His little chest heaved as he squeaked a warbly command at her.

Alix took the gamble that he wasn’t as good with the raygun and ignored him, kicking away more Aexons as she went to Figaro’s rescue. She plucked him from his tussle with Raygun and took off running toward the nearest staircase, with the shouting Aexon army following her as she did.

“Didja see that? I had him on the ropes!” Figaro declared as Alix ran up the stairs with him cradled in her palm.

“So much for playing nice with them,” Alix said breathlessly. They were already scurrying up the stairway after her.

“They forced our hand. But how are we going to escape from the city with them chasing after us?”

“We’ll just have to worry about that after we’ve escaped the temple.”

Alix pushed herself as fast as she could go, nearing the end of the stairs, the entry to the highest tier of the ziggurat. So close.

Raygun’s cries grew louder behind her. The guards were catching up, but that was okay, because Alix had just stepped into the fifth tier.

It was much smaller than the previous tiers. About the size of an auditorium, Alix would say. It also didn’t house a host of unique sights like what could be found below. The room was bare, with the exception of a large stone cube that sat in the center of the tier’s single chamber. On the other side of the chamber was an open door just barely big enough for Alix to fit through, leading to a set of stairs outside.

And between that door and Alix were five gray-furred Aexons in ornate robes.

Much as Alix didn’t want to manhandle a bunch of elderly Aexons, she didn’t see any other choice. She moved to go shove them out the way and make her escape when a threatening trill echoed behind her. She turned her head to see Raygun, armed with her weapon once more, aiming at her head. He was joined by a guard aiming her tranq gun at her.

Raygun trilled again.

“He says to put your hands up,” said Figaro. He crawled from Alix’s hand onto her shoulder and raised his limbs in the air. Alix sighed and did the same. Her mind raced as she debated her options. Charging the guards could end with her getting shot in the face. Making a break for the door could end with her getting shot in the back. Conclusion? She was never going to bring a raygun with her out on fieldwork again.

One of the elder Aexons burst into squeaks as he hobbled over toward Raygun. He motioned to the guards to lower their weapons, which triggered a heated argument between him and Raygun.

“What are they saying?” Alix whispered to Figaro.

“I don’t know. They’re talking too fast for me to tell,” he replied.

Finally, Raygun tore his gaze from the elder and looked back at Alix, eyes narrowed. He remained frozen, as though locked in some internal debate, before finally lowering the weapon. He squeaked sullenly, and the other guards all lowered their weapons as well.

The elder Aexon patted Raygun on the shoulder approvingly, then walked over to Alix. He dipped his head. He held out a paw toward her, expectant. Alix guessed he was trying for some sort of handshake and slipped her finger into his paw.

He didn’t shake her hand. Instead, he lightly squeezed her hand, then nodded toward the stone cube. He pointed at her with another paw and squeaked.

“What’d he say?” asked Alix.

“I didn’t understand most of it. His vocabulary’s pretty different from the others’. The only word I caught was . . . ” said Figaro quietly. “ . . . ‘Answers’.”