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blankets.
Malory almost skipped into the mess to grab lunch, having seen Corky off about an hour before and
already missing her. The doctor had left her quarters reluctantly to go check in on her patient and she
herself had gone to see Clovis and let the man off the hook.
She had just sat down with her long overdue cup of coffee and was eyeballing her burger and fries
hungrily when her radio squawked for attention. She tried not to sigh.
Commander?
This had better be good, she warned irritably.
The interior of the section unearthed yesterday is accessible, Commander, McNeely reported.
They re requesting more personnel to investigate.
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Malory chewed on her lip. And your feelings on the subject?
From what we gather, It s about as safe down here as we can make it, seems to be pretty solid.
Let em have at it, she decided.
Understood, McNeely out.
She tossed her radio on the table and dove into her food with abandon.
An hour later, Malory strode into the lounge and shook her head upon spotting Lieutenant Ring reclining
in front of the television. Even though the man was second in rank only to her, she sort of envied him. His
one and only job was to be a pilot, leaving him pretty much without a place in the chain of command. He
had no responsibilities other than to fly the helicopter and since air travel during the Antarctic winter was
a suicidal proposition, he pretty much had nothing but time on his hands.
Lieutenant, she said. Wanna arm wrestle for control of the television?
He craned his neck around and gave her a smile. If I won would I still retain control of the TV?
Nope, rank hath its privileges.
He chuckled and picked himself up off the couch. Then I concede to your superior arm wrestling
skills.
Ahh, a wise officer, she said sagely. You ll have a long and prosperous career.
Indeed, he agreed genially and handed her the remote as he passed. Your command console,
skipper.
Why, thank you, she chuckled.
She waited for him to leave and ambled over to peruse the available selections, spending a moment in
consideration prior to deciding on an oldie but goodie. She popped it into the machine happily and made
herself comfortable on the couch, managing to stay awake just long enough to get through the opening
titles.
Voices slowly pulled her from her slumber and she was dimly aware of being caked with sweat, a
nagging fear surrounding her like a malignant mist. She struggled for consciousness, feeling it was just
within her grasp as noises were already penetrating the fog, a man and woman were talking only a few
feet away.
But you need no doors to find God. If you believe& the woman said.
Believe?! If you believe you are gullible. Can you look around this world and believe in the
goodness of a god who rules it? Famine, Pestilence, War, Disease, and Death! They rule this
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world.
There is also love and life and hope.
Very little hope I assure you. No. If a god of love and life ever did exist... he is long since dead.
Someone... something rules in his place.
Commander Lovecraft, McNeely said urgently.
Malory awoke with a start, springing from the couch in a near panic, gasping for air and tingling from the
gooseflesh that covered every inch of her body.
Commander, McNeely said, worry evident in his voice.
She shook her head violently to clear the cobwebs, unnerved by a clinging sense of dread. She had been
dreaming, about what she couldn t remember nor did she especially want to. Her hands were trembling
and she realized she was scared; shitless scared. Her eyes scanned the room frantically, searching for the
spectre that she felt sure was stalking her.
Commander, McNeely called again. If you don t respond in the next fifteen seconds, I m
tripping the general alarm.
The words had a soothing effect on her near-hysteria and her eyes focused in on the television. That
fucking eerie Vincent Price! Reality slowly began taking hold and she shook her head again.
Last chance, Commander, McNeely barked, his voice serious.
She reached for her radio. Go ahead, she said shakily.
Are you alright? McNeely asked, his concern evident. I ve been calling you for the last ten
minutes.
I& I m sorry, Sergeant, I must have fallen asleep.
You need some time?
No, I m fine, thank you, she said slowly. What s up?
They ve found something down here they want to bring up.
A feeling of foreboding washed over her, making her shudder. She glanced again at the television and
grabbed the remote, powering it off irritably.
Commander?
What is it?
I have no clue, but its fuckin with my backbone.
She closed her eyes. Gimme the scoop.
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It appears to be a container of some sort, reminds me of that little puzzle box from the
Hellraiser movies but about the size of a washing machine. Know what I m talking about?
Yeah, do we know what s in it?
It s a transparent box, holding some sort of large crystal suspended in the middle. Appears to be
harmless but I gotta point out we found an identical container right next to it that is apparently
empty.
Do you believe it presents a danger?
I would lean toward no, but like you, this whole thing bugs me a little.
Alright, let them bring it up but I want it stored securely in the lab and summon me when they get it
stowed. I want to give it a look.
Understood.
Lovecraft, out.
The radio took its place on her belt and she sat down hard on the sofa, running her hands through sweat
dampened hair. She couldn t remember experiencing such an intense fear at any other time in her life and
it was still wreaking havoc on her composure. Her mind tried to rationalize it as having fallen asleep
during a creepy movie, but a sense of sinister premonition insisted it was something else entirely. With a
shaky, calming breath, she rose slowly and began the journey to the sanctuary of her office, wanting to be
in comfortable surroundings while she waited to see what the hole in the ice had revealed.
The call came sooner than expected and Malory found herself in the lab, staring intently at a container
that defied the laws of physics. McNeely had sized the object accurately for it was indeed about the size
of a washing machine yet a perfect cube and almost completely transparent. A material, both gothic and
technological in appearance, lined the edges of the container to present a visible outline but it was the
item that resided inside that had Malory s total attention.
Floating magically in the exact center of the box was a long and narrow octahedron that glowed a
distinctive Caribbean blue, the intensity of which would probably illuminate the room if someone turned
off the overhead lights. Closer inspection revealed the crystal to be a second container for a substance
residing within, which was the source of its distinct color. A substance that flawed the outward perfection
of the crystal with a multitude of grooves that resembled brain matter.
I was informed there was an identical container to this one that was apparently broken, she asked the
audience in attendance. What exactly was broken, the inside or the outside?
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