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Description
Tall White Lady froze at the shout from F'loona. She looked over at the suspect statue who had pivoted on the ball of it's foot and raised it's arms.

TWL said to F'loona, "I wasn't going to. I'm stumped. After six hours of life and death puzzles, my brain is worn out!"

Twl backed away until her back was against the wall where Martya's unconscious form was,and slid to a seated posture next to her.

F'loona stood, looking at the hand-held camera they had found in the room. The creak of stone caused them to jump as the 'statue' dropped it's arms to it sides and resumed a less threatening pose.

F'Loona asked in a whisper,"It's a robot of some kind, right?"

"No...This suit doesn't show ANY parts in the body! It shows up as STONE. Regular old silicate rock! I'm AM feeling a shielded mind from it. A mind of some kind. I'm not sure what to do." TWL sounded frustrated and tired.

F'Loona snorted,"Ha! I know what Toxic would do!"

TWL looked at her and asked,"Bite it? Offer it a cookie?"

F'Loona frowned and stepped forward and looked like smacking TWL. She grumbled,"Think about what we saw on the camera play-back! That archeologist lady said that first group were going to chisel through the doorway. They all died. The second group were going to blow the door and they all died. The Archeologist lady broke in after almost two hundred years and found the holo-display, and touched it and the statue crushed her head."

"What one thing that Toxic would almost always do, that they didn't DO?" F'loona was insistant.

TWL rolled her eyes and sighed,"Ohhhhhh,shit."

F'Loona grinned, "That's closer, but still not it."

TWL levered herself up, feeling the aches of carrying Martya into the warmer interior of the ancient temple. She padded over the pedestal and looked at the stone statue intensely. She ignored the fortune in gold on it. She ignored the golden goblet-like font, and the holographic display, showing the Four Sisters symbol.

This was a test. One which TWL was sure now, that Toxic would breeze through without trouble. TWL took a deep breath and said aloud,"Excuse me, Mister Rock-guy? Could you open the way to the lower level, so we can rescue the Measure from underneath the Four Sisters' Star-ship? This is really important to the survival of Mankind's survival!"

The stone statue shrugged and stepped off the pedestal. It said in a neutral toned man's voice,"I have waited for the proper question to move me. I have no name. I am an upgrade for the Sister of Earth, and guardian of the Four Sister's ship."

The pedestal hinged up, revealing a stairway into the darkness. The creature waved to to the doorway,"As you surmised, the doorway was also a distraction leading to death."

TWL looked him over and asked,"WHAT are you? Not an android or robot?"

The creature acted surprised. "Nothing so primitive as that! I am Driftware. I am a hyperspatial energy construct without moving parts. I may inhabit physical structures and animate them within limits of their structure."

"So...you're not going to kill us?" TWL was a little nervous about asking THAT question.

"Not unless you violate one of my protocols." It was matter of fact with the statement.

F'Loona asked,"You will warn us, right?"

"Yes, by striking a non-cranial mortal blow, such as crushing you neck vertebra or rib-cage. The second violation will result in your decapitation, and loss of brain." It stood there and waited as if it were a statue.

TWL shrugged and sighed,"Let's go save Measure."

F'loona groaned, "Great. Hey, Rocky, can you carry Martya, the Sister of Air?"

It nodded and said,"I live to serve and protect the Four Sisters."

F'Loona said rhetorically,"AND if we get out of line, first warning shot through the heart, second through the head."

"That is correct."

F'Loona looked at TWL who shook her head and headed into the darkness. F'Loona followed.

--TO BE CONTINUED!--

Description
Tall White Lady froze at the shout from F'loona. She looked over at the suspect statue who had pivoted on the ball of it's foot and raised it's arms.

TWL said to F'loona, "I wasn't going to. I'm stumped. After six hours of life and death puzzles, my brain is worn out!"

Twl backed away until her back was against the wall where Martya's unconscious form was,and slid to a seated posture next to her.

F'loona stood, looking at the hand-held camera they had found in the room. The creak of stone caused them to jump as the 'statue' dropped it's arms to it sides and resumed a less threatening pose.

F'Loona asked in a whisper,"It's a robot of some kind, right?"

"No...This suit doesn't show ANY parts in the body! It shows up as STONE. Regular old silicate rock! I'm AM feeling a shielded mind from it. A mind of some kind. I'm not sure what to do." TWL sounded frustrated and tired.

F'Loona snorted,"Ha! I know what Toxic would do!"

TWL looked at her and asked,"Bite it? Offer it a cookie?"

F'Loona frowned and stepped forward and looked like smacking TWL. She grumbled,"Think about what we saw on the camera play-back! That archeologist lady said that first group were going to chisel through the doorway. They all died. The second group were going to blow the door and they all died. The Archeologist lady broke in after almost two hundred years and found the holo-display, and touched it and the statue crushed her head."

"What one thing that Toxic would almost always do, that they didn't DO?" F'loona was insistant.

TWL rolled her eyes and sighed,"Ohhhhhh,shit."

F'Loona grinned, "That's closer, but still not it."

TWL levered herself up, feeling the aches of carrying Martya into the warmer interior of the ancient temple. She padded over the pedestal and looked at the stone statue intensely. She ignored the fortune in gold on it. She ignored the golden goblet-like font, and the holographic display, showing the Four Sisters symbol.

This was a test. One which TWL was sure now, that Toxic would breeze through without trouble. TWL took a deep breath and said aloud,"Excuse me, Mister Rock-guy? Could you open the way to the lower level, so we can rescue the Measure from underneath the Four Sisters' Star-ship? This is really important to the survival of Mankind's survival!"

The stone statue shrugged and stepped off the pedestal. It said in a neutral toned man's voice,"I have waited for the proper question to move me. I have no name. I am an upgrade for the Sister of Earth, and guardian of the Four Sister's ship."

The pedestal hinged up, revealing a stairway into the darkness. The creature waved to to the doorway,"As you surmised, the doorway was also a distraction leading to death."

TWL looked him over and asked,"WHAT are you? Not an android or robot?"

The creature acted surprised. "Nothing so primitive as that! I am Driftware. I am a hyperspatial energy construct without moving parts. I may inhabit physical structures and animate them within limits of their structure."

"So...you're not going to kill us?" TWL was a little nervous about asking THAT question.

"Not unless you violate one of my protocols." It was matter of fact with the statement.

F'Loona asked,"You will warn us, right?"

"Yes, by striking a non-cranial mortal blow, such as crushing you neck vertebra or rib-cage. The second violation will result in your decapitation, and loss of brain." It stood there and waited as if it were a statue.

TWL shrugged and sighed,"Let's go save Measure."

F'loona groaned, "Great. Hey, Rocky, can you carry Martya, the Sister of Air?"

It nodded and said,"I live to serve and protect the Four Sisters."

F'Loona said rhetorically,"AND if we get out of line, first warning shot through the heart, second through the head."

"That is correct."

F'Loona looked at TWL who shook her head and headed into the darkness. F'Loona followed.

--TO BE CONTINUED!--