The room around them was twisted in angles and dimensions that hurt his eyes to look at.

The effect was not so strong as to completely dissuade Brooks from going forward, but it was not helping.

They saw strange illusions; of themselves, and of shadowy movements that looked nothing like themselves. In places they began to find evidence of ancient inhabitants; just small debris whose original shape and purpose was unknown.

Kat and Nade stopped to examine scraps that might have been something like fabric. Radiation damage and time had weathered them down, so that the slightest touch caused them to crumble.

"Kell," Brooks said. "Do you know what they are?"

Kell would not reply. He seemed to be distant, his face almost slack. The only hint of emotion was an occasional twitch that looked like anger.

But he did lead them on, able to discern a path through even the most bizarre geometries, through rooms like kaleidoscopes and prisms and other shapes that mundane names could not accurately describe.

"These aren't here for fun," Fergus said. "They must serve a purpose."

Brooks cleared his throat. "Has anyone tried looking at a compass?"

Silence fell for a moment. "Who knows what kind of magnetic field is in this place, it doesn't seem like a very useful idea," Nadian replied.

Brooks held up a small, clear plastic piece with a bit of metal in it. "I have one with me. Look at what it's doing."

The others came closer, and he showed them.

The needle was not still, nor even twitching about. It simply rotated, slowly and steadily.

"Does that mean there's a magnetic field moving around us?" Kat asked, looking around.

"There's no way to tell," Nade replied, looking up. "But Fergus is right, there's a purpose to these rooms. Our guide," he stabbed a thumb over his shoulder towards Kell. "Isn't much use in figuring them out."

"Did you want Kell along because you thought we might encounter this higher-dimensionality and you thought he could guide us?" Brooks asked.

"Turned out to be a good guess," Nadian admitted.

Brooks frowned. "Unfortunately, it doesn't bode well. Are you all wearing krahteon-exposure bands?"

"No," Nadian said. Kat shook her head in the negative as well.

"Ach, no, man," Fergus said. "Those kraan bands are as dangerous as the tenky rads themselves! Worse, since you're guaranteed to be getting them."

"What? No, that's nonsense," Brooks said. He had access to the latest research in this, and he read them regularly; even accounts that were unofficial or from those he was skeptical of. Only in the most idiotic fringe had this idea taken hold, that simply wearing a kraan exposure band was bad for the health.

He glanced at the last of their group, Fromm, who shook his head.

"I'm safe as I am," Fromm said.

"Do you feel anything?" Brooks asked him. "Anything strange?"

"Feel? Just . . . I don't like the Ambassador," the man muttered, glancing at Kell with fear.

A lot like Apple, Brooks thought. "That's it? Do you feel anything else? A pressure or . . . ?"

"No," the man replied with a shrug.

"This deep into this structure, I'm not too worried about Leviathans," Nadian said, correctly guessing where Brooks was going.

"Just because one wouldn't fit in here doesn't make us safe," Brooks replied.

"I've been into a lot of these temples. I've never even run into a real piece of relic technology, Captain. I'm not scared."

"I have more experience with Leviathans and tenkionic matter than anyone," Brooks replied. "In my experience, where we're headed is likely to be more dangerous. We need to all be wearing monitors."

"I won't," Fergus said. "Don't even get yours near me, Captain. Gods above."

Brooks did not know how the idea that they were dangerous had gotten started, or why these people believed it. But he could not change it.

They moved on, the path narrowing to a hallway that seemed different from the others. It had new markings on the wall, which Nadian, Kat, and Fergus descended on.

"Are those really Kim-Sun Markings?" Fergus asked.

"They are!" Kat agreed, sounding just as pleased.

Nadian took out a book of actual paper, flipping through it until he found a sketch.

"Christ in heaven, is that Kim's original journal?" Fergus asked.

"Yes," Nadian replied absently. "Before he died, he gave it to me."

Kat frowned. "You never told me about this, Nade."

He shrugged it off. "Didn't seem to matter until now . . . Look!"

He pointed to a symbol sketched on the paper, then to the marking on the wall.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Brooks leaned in. The marking changed as his angle did, the entire shape altering as he moved, new entire points and shapes emerging with every new view.

But as he lined his head up just right, he saw that the symbol was a match for the one sketched in the journal.

"It is," Kat breathed

A look of almost boyish joy was on Nadian's face.

"But do we know what it means?" Brooks asked.

"Yes," Nadian breathed, excitement rushing his words. "Before he died, Kim and Sun almost went mad trying to make heads or tails out of Higher Script. Not long before . . ." he paused. "Before their deaths, they had a breakthrough. After experimenting with mind-altering chemicals, Kim had a vision."

"A vision while hallucinating?" Brooks asked. "That doesn't seem trustworthy."

"I would normally say the same thing. But what Kim wrote down has held up. With it, we've been able to translate a few inscriptions we've found. They describe things that are mundane, but specific enough that they're right."

He pointed. "This symbol implies that there is something powerful in this direction. Not like a power plant or weapons - but knowledge."

"There's no path this way," Brooks pointed out. "How do we-"

Kell leaned in, reaching over them. His body, so close, caused Brooks to recoil, a coldness and even an emotional state of annoyance and frustration bleeding off of him.

And not simply through body language; Brooks felt his actual emotions in his own mind, for just a moment.

Kell touched the wall, turning his hand - and then there simply was a path ahead of them.

Brooks looked to Kell, who ignored him, looking away, annoyance showing on his face.

"You find it all incredible and incomprehensible," he said. "I am walking down a hallway."

He turned away, and Brooks looked back to the others.

Nadian shrugged, closing the journal. "Let's go," he said.

This new hall was different yet; unlike the yellowish glow of other rooms, this one's glow turned blue-toned.

"Everyone wait here," Nadian said softly.

"Like hell," Fergus said. Brooks held a hand up to him.

"If something happens, we need another expert," Brooks said.

"You're not robbing me of my glory, Captain!"

Brooks wanted to curse the man out, but he didn't. He leaned in closer. "I guarantee you that you won't be robbed," he said quietly. "But remember that pride begets the fall."

Fergus seemed to take the words to heart, nodding solemnly. "Very well, Captain."

Setting his pack down, Brooks moved after Nadian, down the blue hall.

It seems to rotate, the floor itself shifting in a slow circle. Why, he did not know, but it made little sense. Glancing back, he could not even see where he had come from, only a twisting of halls into infinity.

"Damn it," he muttered. He couldn't even see Nadian now.

Creeping forward, he ran into the man suddenly, stopped at a threshold. On the other side was a room.

It was different than any room they'd found so far. In it were things.

Words on the walls and ceilings and floors, written in Higher Script. They were set on panels, floating in the air with no connection to the walls, but always hovered above the same type of pale stone block.

Shapes like panels rose from the floor, like consoles with markings that resembled controls. They were set high, almost at the level of his chest. Pillars that reached his waist stood near the consoles - seats.

"What do you make of this?" Nadian asked him.

Brooks saw that the man had not crossed the threshold yet.

And he could not blame him. This did seem important - important enough to potentially guard.

"A control room of some kind, obviously." Brooks pointed. "There's four obvious points of traps, if the builders were worried about security. But I'm not really concerned about intentional traps, so the danger will probably be more obvious."

Nade let out one scoffing laugh. "Not bad, Captain. I see seven points, but you do have some experience."

He took a careful step forward. "The pattern here suggests there's a safe path."

Brooks was skeptical. But nothing happened as Nadian stepped in, and after a few paces, he called out.

"It's safe!"

The others came through behind them, and Brooks stepped in carefully, following the path Nadian had made. There was a different pattern here, but the part that Nadian had used was not the obvious part of it. Perhaps he had been right that stepping on the round sections that seemed to invite the feet was simply a trap.

"Watch where you step," Nade told the rest of the party as they approached. "Especially you, Fromm. Don't touch anything."

"My god," Fergus said. "We've found something bloody big here!"

Brooks glanced at him. "Enough to get your name in the history books."

Nadian was studying a collection of the Higher Script, about half a meter long. "These aren't carved in the wall," he said. "We could move it . . ."

"I don't think we should do that," Brooks said firmly.

Nade shook his head. "There's never been an example of Higher Script that we've been able to bring out of a place. It's almost always carved in walls, and in the removal it gets destroyed."

He carefully picked up the edges of the block and lifted. It came up easily - and the text was intact.

"My god," Nadian said softly.

"We're not taking anything," Brooks said. "Put it down."

"This is mine, Captain. You nor the whole Sapient Union are stopping me."

"I won't let you loot this place," Brooks told him.

"You used to be a looter," Nadian snapped back. "I'm an archeologist."

"There's a hair of difference between the thing I once rarely did, and what you still do," Brooks replied.

"Ah, the old grave-robber imperialist idea," Nadian replied with a laugh.

Fergus laughed even louder. "They can call me a grave-robber all they like," he sneered. "They won't have their names in the books. We're legends, all of us. Just for setting foot in this place."

Kat spoke now, her voice louder. "These control panels are glowing," she said. "There's power in here."

The others fell silent, their argument forgotten.

Nadian stepped closer. "Kat, be careful what you do. If you move your hand at a wrong angle you might touch something you can't even see is there."

Brooks puzzled for a moment, before realizing; if changing your view allowed you see new angles of the Higher Script, then so too might there be controls that they could not see.

"Kell," Brooks said. "Is she near a control?"

Kell had entered the room, but stopped just inside it, looking slowly around, studying every surface. Now, he looked to Kat.

"Yes," he said. "She is among the most dangerous. Do not move."

"What?!" she said, jerking back in shock - and the room began to shake.

"Kell, what's happening?" Brooks called. The room was rattling so hard that he could barely stay on his feet.

"She has awoken the temple," Kell said simply.

Behind him, the doorway was suddenly filled in, a solid piece of yellow stone filling the entire gap.

They were trapped in the room.

"Hold onto something!" Nadian called. He staggered towards Kat, grabbing her and throwing an arm around one of the half-height pillars.

"Craton!" Brooks called. "Craton, come in! Something has activated!"

He could not get a signal.