Eyuy wanted to get back to his ship as fast as possible. With the complete translation in hand, he had all he needed to translate those documents and find out what the ICC and the species had been doing on the planet. But the rumbling had his immediate attention. Eyuy glanced at Ppnlak, who looked as confused as he was.

He asked, "Do you know what that was?"

Why would I?

Eyuy breathed out a sigh of frustration, "I don't know."

Should we check it out? Ppnlak turned to the door. The tentacles behind him showed his discomfort with leaving the room. Eyuy couldn’t blame him. The thing was out there, waiting for them. And with the way Ppnlak had reacted to the sound of it earlier, he wasn’t ready to face the thing a second time.

Eyuy turned to the door as well. "Whatever happened must have been serious. We need to know about it."

If you say so, Ppnlak replied. He started to glow a dull green, and his tentacles seemed to wilt. The tenlaupian's bioluminescence was a mystery to Eyuy. He had yet to decipher what the colors meant, but he had a feeling that green wasn’t a happy color. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the luxury to linger inside the temple.

Eyuy walked up to the doors. While the outside was sealed using the panel, the inside simply had a switch. He flicked it, triggering the door's release. They slid open and revealed the low light of the city. Eyuy could feel Ppnlak at his back as the alien peered into the gloom. Ppnlak said, I don't see anything.

"I don't hear anything either. I don't think it's here."

We should still be careful.

"Of course. The ICC code of conduct states that—" Eyuy cut himself off.

Ppnlak tilted his head, bending down to look at Eyuy through the visor of his helmet. He said, It states what?

"Nothing."

Section 21; subsection a: The ICC expects all its officers to be vigilant and prepared for any dangers that may come their way on ICC-sanctioned missions. Maintaining physical and mental safety is of the utmost importance. Further safety information can be found on pages 76-99.

A tentacle brushed Eyuy's back. It will be hard to unlearn what you have been taught is correct.

Eyuy heaved a sigh, "I don't even think it was incorrect."

You don't?

"The rules aren't wrong. The people who don't follow them are."

Ppnlak raised himself to his usual towering height. He asked, All the rules are right?

"Yes."

People like you scare me.

"Why?" Eyuy started down the path toward the origin of the rumbling. "What is there to be afraid of?"

Ppnlak didn’t respond, so Eyuy let it go. He wasn’t sure what the alien wanted him to say. Rules were written for a reason. They had a purpose. If Eyuy followed them, he had a purpose as well. The rules were unbiased and nonjudgmental, so he was too. It was simple and neat and right. Serving on a lawless ship like the Architeuthis must have warped Ppnlak's sensibilities, or perhaps the problem had started on his home planet. Nonetheless, Ppnlak was always itching to denounce anything Eyuy held dear, and it was starting to get on the officer's nerves. He may have been right about the ICC not being what they presented, but not everything was wrong.

Eyuy refocused his attention to the most pressing matter. The rumbling seemed to originate from where they came into the city. Eyuy was annoyed that he had to use his propulsion tech again, but it was the fastest way. And they didn’t want to linger just in case the thing found them. Ppnlak wrapped his tentacles around Eyuy's helmet, lifting himself above Eyuy. Eyuy was a tad bit jealous of Ppnlak's strength.

Pressing the button on his suit, they were catapulted toward the balcony. Eyuy clipped the railing when they landed, which solidified his hatred of the propulsion tech. Ppnlak detached himself from Eyuy's helmet, landing heavily next to the officer.

Ppnlak asked, Where should we go next?

"We should check the entrance first."

Eyuy and Ppnlak headed down the hallway to the staircase. Everything seemed normal until they made it to the door that connected the hallway to the staircase. Fallen rocks and dirt filled the corridor, blocking the exit and entrance to the city. Eyuy's mouth dried, and he tried to moisten it by swallowing. His continuous swallowing was heard by Ppnlak, who laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Eyuy clutched Ppnlak's hand as he dizzied. The once spacious corridor seemed to close in on him, crushing him. Eyuy's breathing began to pick up, and he found it hard to remain standing. The grip he had on Ppnlak's hand tightened until he was squeezing it too hard, and bruises began to form. Swaying under the weight of his panic, Eyuy almost missed the distant sound of Ppnlak in his mind.

Eyuy-yinh! Are you okay?

Eyuy panted, "I'm fine. I just need to sit down."

Ppnlak helped Eyuy sit down against the wall of the hallway. The officer gripped his knees, letting his head lean into the wall. The magnitude of their problem hit Eyuy again. They couldn’t leave. They were trapped in an abandoned city with nothing to eat or drink while the thing stalked them. They were going to die.

I can hear your thoughts, explorer. We will not die, Ppnlak said.

Eyuy snapped, "You don't know that. From where I'm standing, we're doomed."

You're sitting, actually.

"Semantics!"

Explorer, let us think rationally. Our exit may be blocked, but surely this wasn’t the only one.

That gave Eyuy pause. It would have been poor planning to include only one exit, and Eyuy knew that the species was smart. Having an entire city underground took meticulous work. There must be another way. Eyuy replied, "You're right."

For some reason, I tend to be.

"Don't let that go to your head."

I wouldn't dream of it.

Eyuy faced the blocked doorway. "If this is the north of the city, we should check the west for the other exit."

Not south?

"If they've separated the city into quadrants, I'm going to guess that there is an exit in each."

CLICK.

Ppnlak and Eyuy jumped and turned toward the noise. Dread settled in the pit of Eyuy's stomach when they came face to face with the thing. Unlike the previous times, there was no clicking to warm them of the thing's approach. Eyuy didn’t want to think about what that meant, but he couldn’t help it. The thing must be learning from their interactions, and that scared Eyuy. If they survived this encounter, there was a chance that what saved them wouldn’t work the next time. From the corner of his eyes, Eyuy saw that Ppnlak was glowing more brightly than normal.

However, the thing didn’t step back. It stepped forward.