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Authors: Victor Methos
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special suits. Reserved for their priests. Not everyone can wear them. I think that’s what happened to my grandfather. I think he discovered the suits and it killed him.”
“There’s something down there,” Dillon said. “I don’t know what it is. Something…alive.”
“The writings said the suits had a modification. Something that was added to it. It…distorted the user’s mental and physical state.”
“That’s how they were destroyed,” Dillon said.
“What?”
“I saw it. I saw it when that th ing down there touched me. Their civilization was destroyed by giants. Men in these suits were fighting them…they were killing each other.”
“Why did you need us up here?” James said.
“I’m bankrupt,” George said. “ I’ve spent everything I had exploring this city…but I had to come back. Those suits…those suits…I mean, who knows how much power they contain. I had to come back. So I went to Henry and he agreed to finance two expeditions.”
“One question,” Dillon said. “Do you know how to get out of this thing? It split down the middle to let me in but there’s no seams or cracks.”
“I don’t know how it’s controlled. None of their writings ever described in detail how they worked. I think they were worried about their enemies getting their hands on the suits.”
“How did you get in?” James said.
“I told you, it sucked me in.”
“Well, it must’ve responded to you. That means you can get yourself out.”
Dillon straightened up but the tent was too low. He stepped outside and closed his eyes. He emptied his mind, the images of slaughter fresh. He forced them out, counting slowly to ten, his mind blank in between the numbers.
He felt the freezing chill of the Antarctic wind and opened his eyes. The suit was open. He stepped out and it closed up again.
Dillon stood staring at it. “Gentlemen, I do believe all of us just got very, very rich.”
17
The next day, it was decided that the expedition was over. Dillon wouldn’t take them down there again, insisting the black substance was far too dangerous. They decided that the suit was enough of a find to make the expedition worthwhile. Whatever it sold for would be split three ways among them, after Henry’s cut.
On the voyage back, Dillon sat on the yacht, staring at the suit that was set up on the deck. James had tried to enter it, as had George. It wouldn’t open for any of them. But when he had walked to it, it opened up wide and engulfed him. He tested it several times and the principle held true: He was the only one that could use it. It had…bonded to him somehow.
Henry had been notified that they’d found an artifact unlike anything that had ever been discovered. Though tentative, once they had described what they were bringing back with them, Henry could not name a figure high enough. What would a government pay to have the ability for their soldiers to fly and have the strength to run through walls? It was, he said, a blank check.
James stepped out of the cabins and came and sat by him. It was freezing and they were both bundled up tight, a battery-powered space heater in front of them. They didn’t speak at first and instead just stared at the glimmer of the stars off the water.
“I don’t think we should sell it,” Dillon said.
“What?”
“I don’t think we should sell it, James.”
“What exactly would we do with it otherwise? Use it as a lawn decoration?”
“I ran through walls like they weren’t there. I can fly. Who knows what else that thing can do? Why do we need to sell it?” He leaned toward him. “What if I go to the diamond mines in Zaire? I can bore into the caves and take whatever I want.”
“Dillon, we don’t know how this suit operates. What if it’s dangerous? How is it powered? You could be halfway to the center of the earth when it runs out of batteries…so to speak.”
“I don’t think so. I can feel its…power. George said it
“There’s something down there,” Dillon said. “I don’t know what it is. Something…alive.”
“The writings said the suits had a modification. Something that was added to it. It…distorted the user’s mental and physical state.”
“That’s how they were destroyed,” Dillon said.
“What?”
“I saw it. I saw it when that th ing down there touched me. Their civilization was destroyed by giants. Men in these suits were fighting them…they were killing each other.”
“Why did you need us up here?” James said.
“I’m bankrupt,” George said. “ I’ve spent everything I had exploring this city…but I had to come back. Those suits…those suits…I mean, who knows how much power they contain. I had to come back. So I went to Henry and he agreed to finance two expeditions.”
“One question,” Dillon said. “Do you know how to get out of this thing? It split down the middle to let me in but there’s no seams or cracks.”
“I don’t know how it’s controlled. None of their writings ever described in detail how they worked. I think they were worried about their enemies getting their hands on the suits.”
“How did you get in?” James said.
“I told you, it sucked me in.”
“Well, it must’ve responded to you. That means you can get yourself out.”
Dillon straightened up but the tent was too low. He stepped outside and closed his eyes. He emptied his mind, the images of slaughter fresh. He forced them out, counting slowly to ten, his mind blank in between the numbers.
He felt the freezing chill of the Antarctic wind and opened his eyes. The suit was open. He stepped out and it closed up again.
Dillon stood staring at it. “Gentlemen, I do believe all of us just got very, very rich.”
17
The next day, it was decided that the expedition was over. Dillon wouldn’t take them down there again, insisting the black substance was far too dangerous. They decided that the suit was enough of a find to make the expedition worthwhile. Whatever it sold for would be split three ways among them, after Henry’s cut.
On the voyage back, Dillon sat on the yacht, staring at the suit that was set up on the deck. James had tried to enter it, as had George. It wouldn’t open for any of them. But when he had walked to it, it opened up wide and engulfed him. He tested it several times and the principle held true: He was the only one that could use it. It had…bonded to him somehow.
Henry had been notified that they’d found an artifact unlike anything that had ever been discovered. Though tentative, once they had described what they were bringing back with them, Henry could not name a figure high enough. What would a government pay to have the ability for their soldiers to fly and have the strength to run through walls? It was, he said, a blank check.
James stepped out of the cabins and came and sat by him. It was freezing and they were both bundled up tight, a battery-powered space heater in front of them. They didn’t speak at first and instead just stared at the glimmer of the stars off the water.
“I don’t think we should sell it,” Dillon said.
“What?”
“I don’t think we should sell it, James.”
“What exactly would we do with it otherwise? Use it as a lawn decoration?”
“I ran through walls like they weren’t there. I can fly. Who knows what else that thing can do? Why do we need to sell it?” He leaned toward him. “What if I go to the diamond mines in Zaire? I can bore into the caves and take whatever I want.”
“Dillon, we don’t know how this suit operates. What if it’s dangerous? How is it powered? You could be halfway to the center of the earth when it runs out of batteries…so to speak.”
“I don’t think so. I can feel its…power. George said it
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