We walked a short distance down the hall, Angel leading the way. Our footfalls sounded ghostly, echoing, yet muted but the almost tangible crypt-like atmosphere. We were lead by Angel to a door. At least, it looked like a door. It was a smooth plate of what looked like metal, in an indentation in the wall that looked exactly as a door should. But with no knob or lever to open the door.

Angle approached the 'door' and frowned at it. With a sigh, she edged her delicate looking claws into the seam where the door met the door frame, and tugged. At first, Sarah and I looked at Angel with completely dumbfounded faces. But then I realized she was trying to slide the 'door' over. Sarah and I both moved forward to press our hands against the 'door' and move it aside. It wouldn't budge.

We all stopped. In frustration I punched the door with my left hand, not very hard, or so I thought.

*WHANG!*

Not knowing that I had it, my left arm's new strength left my arm numb, my hand screaming in pain, but a full knuckle print in the surface of the door. Holding the palm of my hand and clenching my teeth to stop me from swearing, I looked at the door in amazement. As the pain receded, I curled my arm back, and punched the door again. Ready for it this time, it didn't hurt nearly as much, and the door shivered in its frame. Sarah and Angel were looking at me like I had grown another head, but at the time, I think I needed to break something. So I did. I pounded on the door with my off hand, until I was sure my hand was going to break. But the door did first, warped right out of the tracks it was meant to slide on.

Holding my left arm with the other, I stepped aside, "After you ladies." And they walked in.

It was a small room. The room was thick with dust, though nothing smelled like mold. It was a small bedroom, just like those found in the smaller temples, like the one we rebuilt. The bed was still intact, the sheets still there, though the room looked like it had not been used for some time before this place was abandoned. A chair made out of wood and metal. A desk made out of just metal. A guest room maybe?

The ceiling was adorned by two of those softly glowing strips, providing us with light enough to clean up the room, and see what we could do with what we had left from the Worm attack.

After a brief dusting, walking into the hall to shake out the sheets and mattress, we all sat down in the middle of the room. My arm still hurt, I noted, as Angel started to pull things from her backpack. The Book, some dried fruit, enough for a day or two, the compass Dr. Percius gave me, and Angel's pad of paper and wrapped charcoal sticks.

We would need to find water. Our canteens had been left at the ambush site. But for now, we all shrugged our shoulders, and found places to sleep.

I had a dream that night. My vision was blurred slightly, like having my eyes open under water. I felt that my body was floating, as I watched what looked like men and women, milling about at odd looking machines in front of me.

'Increase electrode currents over the back plating by five percent.' I heard a voice say from some place to my right.

'Yes sir. Charging now. Activating.' Another voice replied, while I felt my back tingle gently, as if a dozen thin lines were being traced over my back.

'Good. That should do it. How is project Angel proceeding?' I saw the man who asked, turn to look over at another figure.

'As planned, catalyst 'Angel' will be ready just before solution 'Zan.' A female voice replied.

My vision blurred and went dark, and the sensation of time passing whirled through my dreamscape. When my vision cleared, it was to the sounds of yelling voices.

'We have to abandon the project! We must seal the temple!' The same female voice from before almost screamed at some body.

'No! This is our one chance! If we lose this, then we lose our one hope to win this war!' The same male voice replied.

'And if the temple is taken, so will our one chance! I don't have to remind you of how much potential this has! If it is used for the enemy, the world is Doomed!' I could see the female out of the corner of my eye trying to tug some thing, I guessed the male's arm, towards the door.

'Fine! And may the gods have mercy on the world if this thing ever wakes up without us.' The male replied.

'It's useless without Angel. Now come on! The temple is already being evacuated.

Again, my vision faded, and the sensation of time passing touched my dream. This time, I woke up to an almost light less room. In the front of my field of view, I saw... Angel. Looking as she always has, laying down on a table. Attached to her forehead, were two small white patches, with what looked like string trailing off them, and into the table to either side of her head. A single word flashed on a black plate on one side of the table. 'Stasis'.

I woke up with a start, sitting as Durahan sat while he slept. Sitting against the smooth stone wall of the room. Angel was looking at me with concern, her soft face, eyes and body language showing worry.

Looking right back at her, my voice was flat and cold, 'Take me to Zan.'

***

Angel led the way again, looking unhappy. My words had upset her. Sarah was walking next to me my arm around her shoulder. We both needed comfort I think. The very walls seemed to drain our resolve with the silence of something that was once greater than anything we had ever seen.

We walked down many halls, down a set of stairs, through a couple of those sliding doors that were jammed open with what looked like small iron spikes. It suddenly dawned on me. 'My father was here, wasn't he?'

Angel stopped, turned and nodded, kneeling down on the floor, and getting on all fours for a moment, looking for something. Then with a quiet satisfied noise, she pointed to a spot on the floor. Kneeling down, Sarah and I examined the spot, and after a moment, we both saw what looked like, no, was, a foot print. I even recognized the track from an old pair of hiking boots my father wore on our camping trips. We walked a little slower, looking for more signs of my father's searching. A couple more doors, spiked open, what looked like a drop of dried blood on the wall near a small jagged bit of stone jutting from the otherwise smooth surface. Finally, we came to one last door. Three floors down, and looking like it had been pried open once. Guess my dad ran out of spikes. I was about to punch the door, when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my forearm.

Angel hung onto my arm, shaking her head. With my questioning look, she let go, and stepped forward. Sarah and I both stepped back as Angel's hands started to glow. A gentle blue at first, then green, then an almost angry violet, her hands traced small short lines in the air in front of the door. With a final snap of her hands, a glowing circle lit up on the door, the same almost malignant purple as her hands. With a shuddering snap, the door split down the middle, and opened, the two halves retracting into the wall.

Angel lowered her hands, and sighed, stepping into the room. We both followed her inside. The room was huge. No bands of light lit this place, like they had in the rooms and halls, giving the room an eerie shadowed look. Chairs in front of odd looking desks with buttons on them, small glowing pin points of light, and a very faint, yet all encompassing hum filled the air.

With a sudden clap that startled both Sarah and I, Angel's hands came together, making the purple glow that once surrounded them wink out, and some how, turning on the lighted bands that we now saw trailed along the entire room, just under the ceiling. She walked forward, to the far end of the room, where a tall glass tube sat. Filled with liquid, and occupied by some thing tall, black and for the most part, human looking.

In front of the tube, lay a table. The same one from the dream. Even the two little white patches lay where Angel's head once rested, for who knows how long. Still, we approached the tube.

It was a monster. But, nothing like I'd ever seen before. It floated in a standing position, dozens of those white patches covered its body. Clawed feet, armored body, sharp edges on every part of it that could be considered for striking, it looked like a suit of armor meant for close combat. On its back, almost like the bones of a dragon's wings, but without the 'fingers' of bone or the leathery membrane, were what looked like extra striking arms, tipped with foot long mirror smooth blades. Its head was smooth, rounded over the top, yet slightly finned on either side, like praying mantis, mixed with a bird of prey.

Angel stood in front of the tube, turned around, her feathery wings spreading out, suddenly doubling in size, a glowing gold halo appearing over her head, and she spoke, looking me in the eyes.

It was a single word. The only word I'd ever heard her say. And yet, it was as if she was only supposed to speak this one single word. 'Zan.'


***********

Okay... I know its not very long... and it's taken over a month to get it out. But, here it is!

I can say now, that the story is about .... half done. Maybe more. So, stay tuned, and it will get here... eventually.

thanx for the installment. zan is well introduced.

I agree with torey. Excellent verbiage on introducing, for all intended purposes, primitive civilization to high class technology. Very well done.

It seems Daeore did it's best, praise it? Yes. Very much.

That was great, can't wait for the next one!

Me too. Zan was always a favorite.

Daeore seems pleased.

Daeore would like a 'new hard drive'. Give?


Yeah. Lost a hard drive. came pretty close to the 'let out the blue smoke' level. BUT. it wasnt the drive with the story. ^_^

Anyhow... Data recovery went... so-so. Managed to get alot of stuff off one part of the drive. but the other (that had all my music) was so corrupt. even trying to access the thing crash/locked my computer.

SO. yeah. humbug. BUT, worry not. ^_^ I am still going to write. especially this. thanks for the comments people.