Moonlight shimmered over the edge of the cavern entrance, an etherial barrier to the world beyond. Elvira thought it an especially haunting backdrop for the whirl of the helicopter blades. Gordon set them down between the piles of stone that littered the clearing in front of the Eternal Archive.

The rest of the team hopped out of the aircraft with nervous energy, but the red haired Ranger was doing his best to pour himself from the side door. He was the only member of the rescue party who hadn’t been able to sleep on the flight, on accounts of being the only pilot.

“Gordon,” Bridget said. “You got us here in one piece. I guess you aren’t so—“she cut herself off with a cough. “I mean, good work. I’m n— You really came through for us.” She offered a hand to help him down. He looked at it with sleepy misgiving, but slowly took it and dropped to the ground.

“You really were a lifesaver,” Elvira said. “But are you sure you don’t want to get some sleep.”

“Could go all night,” Gordon said. His dreamy tone suggested otherwise. “Besides, gotta punch dumb ghost to save meathead.”

Elvira smiled. “I’m surprised you know how to fly a helicopter.”

“S’a good Ranger elective.” He shuffled away, doing a few stretches and simple exercises.

Elvira turned to Reaper, who remained by the vehicle door. He was staring intently at the strange white structure nearby. Elvira was about to say something, when he braced himself and took a deep breath. He reached up and pulled off his mask, revealing a green eyed woman.

Elvira managed only an incoherent cry of confusion, more than a little too loud to be polite. Her eyes darted across the olive skin of Reaper’s face, taking in the long and angular features as well as the short brown hair tied carefully into tight curls. A Duroterran, if an uncommonly dark one.

The party turned to see the source of the commotion, greeting the sight with a smattering of shocked chatter, although Newton and Bridget seemed more curious than perplexed.

“I knew it!” Elvira said, finally. “But why?” She motioned more towards the surroundings than to Reaper herself.

“It’s better to confront your mistakes openly,” Reaper said. She walked by, towards the nearby entrance. The others followed, arriving as she finished testing the glowing pad by the door.

“Any clue how to get in?” Elvira said.

Reaper shook her head. “It seems to be locked.” She took a few steps back. “Let’s not waste time, stand clear.” She aimed her right hand towards the door, then her whole body flared with light. A radiant beam shot from her palm into the door.

Elvira recoiled from the sudden action, blinded by a terrible flash. When she opened her eyes she saw the door… was still there, without so much as a scorch mark.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Uh, what gives?” Elvira said.

Reaper looked even more bewildered than she was. She shook her head. “It’s like it didn’t even touch it….”

“Maybe there’s a way to open it from the inside?” Protius said. He walked up and put a hand on the door, then disappeared in a plume of black smoke. He came back a few minutes later bemused, and with a little pout. “Well… I managed to turn the lights off.”

Bridget tapped the door a few times. “Maybe we can push it up?” She planted both hands and slid them up, then shook her head.

“What’s the problem?” Elvira asked.

Bridget hummed, then shrugged. “I couldn’t get any grip. It felt… supernaturally smooth, I think is how I’d describe it.”

“Maybe with an arte?” Protius offered. He touched the door again, a wave of light traveling to his fingers. A puzzled look grew on his face over the seconds as the air around him darkened. He huffed and stepped back, shaking his head. “That was enough force to flip a tank and it didn’t even budge.”

He looked at the others. “I’ll go in and scout the place out, find where Eve is keeping Hitori. If I think of a way to get you though I’ll head back immediately.” The Arteficer vanished into smoke.

Newton meandered to the keypad and tapped a few glowing symbols. “It is in Common,” she mused, “but doesn’t seem like Southern technology at all. I wonder what this place is? Master Étienne was not very forthcoming.”

“Can you bypass the lock?” Bridget asked.

Newton pursed her lips, squatting to eye level with the panel. She rocked back and forth on her toes as she poked and prodded at it. She even pulled a small tool from her belt, holding it close and scrutinizing every beep and boop, then bounced to her feet, cheerfully saying, “Nope, completely impossible.”

“What! Why not!” Elvira asked.

“Ah well,” Newton gestured vaguely. “There isn’t any kind of control system inside the panel. It just sends a signal somewhere further in. If I could get to whatever is on that end I might be able to do something, but from here it’s little more than a bunch of wires.”

“It is still electrical though, right?” Chandra said. She walked past Newton and Elvira, then ran her hand on the wall next to the door.

“Sure is,” Newton replied. “Though it didn’t seem like any wires I’ve ever heard of.”

“I think I can open it.”

“Really!” Elvira said.

“Ah, yeah,” Chandra blushed. “I… don’t want to over promise, but this is supposed to be my specialty.”

“Get to it then!” Bridget said.

Chandra colored deeper, but nevertheless turned to the entrance and got to work. She took a small set of tools from a satchel on her back, running one of them over the doorjamb. After a moment, she said, “This… material is….”

“Super weird, right?” Newton said. She was standing over Chandra’s shoulder, or under it as needed, watching her work.

Chandra nodded, continuing to work as she replied, “Yeah, the malhahonic probe says it’s almost paper thin, but the electronic one thinks there’s more rock than it can penetrate. I have no idea what it could be made out of. Still…”

She placed two glowing pads on opposite ends of the entry, above the top line of the door.

“If it’s electrical”—she pushed a symbol on the pad in her hand and the door slid up with a soft whoosh—“you only have to flip the charge in the motor and it changes direction.”

Elvira clapped. “That was amazing!” Chandra beamed. “I wonder what’s inside.”

Chandra blocked her from leaning through the entrance. “I wouldn’t linger there,” she said. “Whatever motor holds the door shut is tremendously powerful. If it dropped suddenly I don’t think it would even slow down as it passed though whatever piece of you was in the way.”

“Ah, yes, thank you,” Elvira smiled awkwardly. “I like my pieces where they are.”

Protius materialized on the tentative edge of the diffused moonlight from outside. “I, uh, I think….” He held up a hand to stop a comment from Bridget. “I found something… worth checking out.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Bridget said. “Let’s get in there already.”