Part 2 (1/2)

Big Tim was already started up the bank Nellon sucked in a breath and followed after him

The climb was a hard and difficult one, and their recent physical jarring caused by the fall made it all the harder But curiosity pulled theot their aches and bruises Slipping and sliding, clutching for handholds, floundering in loose drifts which filled pockets of hardened crust, they made their way slowly but surely up the bank

Finally they stood before that strangely old The htened and deepened

”It _is_ metal!” Tim Austin breathed ”But--but, Brad, it's not a vein

It's--”

”It's a door!” Nellon finished hoarsely

It was a door, a metal door in the snow covered bank of a falls that had, in soo, solidified to ice A door to what? Where did it lead? What would be on the other side of it? What could be on the other side of a s had ever existed at all?

There was a rasp in Nellon's earphones And then Big Ti in This--why, this is the biggest find of the whole expedition!”

”It erous,” Nellon pointed out, before he could become aware of the wealth of irony which lay behind the words ”We don't knohat sort of life--”

”But this door has been hidden under snow for the Lord only kno many years, Brad Look where the crust had split here It's thick, thick Nothing has gone in or out for a hell of a long tione or dead”

And, as if having satisfied hi Tim stepped directly up to the door He was a tall man, yet he seemed dwarfed beside it And it was obviously very e revealed could not have been spanned by the long, flexiblewas a li Tie

”Give me a hand, Brad We'll see if we can open it further”

Together, they shoved They drew upon ebbing reserves of strength, but what energy they ed to summon they threw into a brief, terrific effort to th seee

They were about to relax their efforts in despair when, suddenly, transloved hands, they felt what see whir The sound smoothed out, deepened, and became a steady hum

Startled, they leaped away Their faces took on an intent, incredulous expression

The door was opening Slowly,wide

No force that they could see was behind it The door seemed to move of its own volition They stood as still as a pair of weird, hest, was directed at the widening gap

At last allnote which had acco dwindled to a whisper and died away

Revealed was a tunnel of utter blackness

Tim Austin released his breath The sound roused Nellon froripped him