Phantasm 2: In the Shadow of Iniquity (three)

For an hour or perhaps a little more, the Minarthans showed them their homes and revealed how they lived, how they functioned as a society. Once this was over, a group of perhaps nine or ten of the petite little aliens led the three humans to the surface. Laura watched while the Minarthans scrambled up the walls gracefully, their movements almost double-jointed yet flowing together in an elegant way, while Malcom, Scott and herself were forced to climb the ladder so they could reach the platform.

They were taken back through the passages. The Minarthans were small enough to walk through them. Laura tried to ignore her discomfort inside the passages until they finally emerged into the open areas again.

From there they were urged to walk with the Minarthans for perhaps a kilometre before they came to a section of ground broken by long cracks and fissures. Around these were deposits of silca and lime carbonate, formed into the shape of cones. Many more groups of Minarthans were gathered there, the total number somewhere around fifty. Their escorts brought them closer, then left them to join the others of their kind. It was obvious that they had been brought here to observe, not to participate. Not that Laura was particularly sure she would want to anyway; she had a strange feeling that this was not what it seemed to be.

There was a great deal of commotion from the large contingent of Minarthans, a loud beating of sticks in excitement, anticipation. Three aliens stepped away from the rest and proceeded to stand a metre or so behind the first series of cracks in the ground, appearing to wait.

"What's going on?" said Scott, his tone indicating genuine puzzlement.

Malcom shook his head slowly. "I don't know. This is something we have never seen before," he replied. "I have no idea what they're doing."

"I think it's a right of passage, some kind of coming of age ritual," said Laura. She would have said more to elaborate but she stopped as movement from below caught her eye.

They heard a sharp bubbling hiss, then bursts of water exploded from a few of the cracks, shooting up in great columns, cloudy with steam and clumps of dirt. They looked as though they reached to at least thirty metres in height. The effect seemed to spread, as if all the cracks were set to erupt on a timer, a sequence of plumes moving one after the other. It was such a strange thing, a large amount of water in an area of land not far from the wastelands, but it showed how alien it was to her preconceptions. Like the Minarthans themselves.

"Geysers," whispered Laura.

Geysers formed in areas where water drained through the earth deep below the surface. A channel reached from the surface, extending far down, and cold water seeped down until it reached very hot rocks which heated the water. More water came down, creating columns above the original seepage, and it couldn't boil because of the weight of the columns. Gradually the heat at the bottom of the column would rise far above the boiling point for water and steam would begin to form, the rising bubbles lifting the water column a little, raising some of the water in the channel over the opening, lightening the water, allowing more steam, repeating the process. Eventually all the water near the bottom of the channel would expand into steam and would force out the rest in a great explosion. When the water and steam settled back to the earth, some would fill up the channel again, repeating the process. Laura could remember that Earth had had several large geyser groups but none of them seemed to erupt anywhere near as frequently as these did here. Just why was a mystery and would probably stay that way, but at least it helped to explain a little of the channel in the rock-city.

The three Minarthans suddenly dashed forward into the series of geysers, trying to run through in a straight line. The others watching began to smash their sticks together in frantic approval, urging them on. They kept running until they reached the steam eruptions and they tried to absorb the water, tried to take in the steam through their skin, but it was much too hot and blistered their skin and their insides, burning them. Laura realised that was the purpose, to determine how much pain they could stand before giving in. It was horrible and she glanced away, unable to watch.

Ten seconds went by. It seemed impossible but the gathered Minarthans began to strike their sticks together even harder, generating more applause, an even louder cacophony. When it appeared to have reached its climax, Laura turned back. The three had collapsed on the other side of the geysers, curled over in foetal positions. Their skin was badly burned and they were bleeding in places as well.

"Fascinating, fascinating," said Malcom excitedly, his tone filled with emotion but somehow completely analytical as well. "It explains so much about them, about why their young keep to themselves, because they haven't been proved yet. Using their environment as a test? it's brilliant."

Hearing his words produced some spark within her, making her lose control. "Jesus, Malcom, can't you care even a little bit? They're hurting and all you can do is analyse what has happened."

"No, I'm sorry, but I can't. I always analyse situations, it's what I do, it's who I am," said Malcom, staring at her cautiously from the side.

"It's sadistic," snapped Laura.

"My first thoughts are always analysis," said Malcom. "I can't help it. I look at a situation and I study it."