"Go away." "Go away!" " Susan!" " Oh, go back!" " What is it?" " Oh, don't stay here!" " It's stopped." " Well what did you see?" " What's the matter?" " Susan, answer me." "Well didn't you hear it?" "There could be animals in this jungle around us." "No." "No, it wasn't anything like that." "Well now, take it easy, Susan, and try and tell us what it was you heard." "Well it was..." "It..." "It was horrible!" "She'll tell us in time." "Look Susan, whatever it was, it's gone now." "I did hear it, you know." "Yes." "This is a dead place." "Yes, it's a bit quiet, isn't it?" "That isn't quite what I meant." "The key must be on the other side of this wall." "Yes." "There's some sort of an archway." "Look at these creepers!" "Some of them almost as thick as small trees." "A-a-and was grandfather all right?" "Yes." "I didn't want to stay until the last possible moment." "I..." "I don't like to say goodbye." "No, I know." "I suppose we could cut them down." "Not unless we have to." "Take us the best part of a day to hack that little lot down." "The best thing we can do is take a walk round these walls." "Oh yes, that would be wise." "Then we might find another entrance." "I'll go with you." "Ian." "Susan and I will stay here." "All right." "We won't be long anyway." "We'll look around for some branches and things in case we have to force our way through that arch." "That's a good idea but don't do anything until we get back, eh?" "All right." "Come on, let's try this way." "I do wish Ian wouldn't treat us like Dresden China." "I think it's nice the way he looks after us all the time." "Yes, I know." "But just once in a while You rebel." "Yes." "How are you feeling now?" "Oh, I'm alright, thank you." "Susan, what did happen?" "...Well it was a sound, a noise, like..." "like tapping and... and whirring mixed up with a sort of screeching." "I..." "I've heard it before." "Where?" "Well that's just it, I can't remember." "I..." "I just recognise it as...being something evil." "You know, I've never seen vegetation as dense as this before." "It'll overrun the building in time." "Do you think the key's inside, Barbara?" "Oh yes, it must be." "It's a funny old place, isn't it?" "Yes." "You know, in a few years these walls will be so weak you could push your way through." "You know Susan, looking at this archway, I'm not at all sure it isn't half as dense as it looks." "I'm sure we could get through." "Barbara!" "Barbara!" "It was alive!" "It was alive!" "...snake crawling all over me!" "No, no, it must've fallen on you from the trees." "No it didn't, it's...it's alive!" "Now stop it, Susan, stop it!" "It was trying to twine all round me!" "Look, it was just your imagination." "I'm sorry." "It couldn't move by itself." "You know it couldn't." "No." "Come on." "Over here and help me at the archway." "You know, you...you'll frighten me if you go on like this." "Oh, look, you can move some of these back quite easily." "Yes, I thought so." "What is it?" "I'm not sure." "It's so dark in here." "There's a...a statue at the end of the tunnel, a, an idol or something." "Be careful, Barbara." "Barbara!" "..." "Barbara!" "..." "Are you all right?" "Oh please don't go any further!" "It's alright , I can see it now." "It's a big, grotesque statue." "Ah, there's no other way in, Susan." "Oh Ian, thank goodness you're here." "What?" "Where's Barbara?" "She's gone down here." "What...?" "Barbara!" "What are you doing?" "I told you to wait until we got back." "I thought there was a way through." "Ian, look!" "The key, the micro-circuit, I've found it!" "Hang on, I'm coming!" "No no, it's all right." "I can reach it." "What's happening?" "Barbara's found the micro-key!" " Wonderful!" " Can you manage?" "Yes, I..." "I think I've got it." " Ian!" "Help me!" " Barbara!" "Help me!" "You see what happened?" "Yes." "Is there no break in the wall?" "Perhaps there's a hidden spring." "Well if there is, I can't find it." "Well we must get inside." "Yes, but how?" "Oh, let's get out in the open, I can't think in here." "Barbara's disappeared." "That... idol thing was on some sort of a pivot." " Oh no." " At least we've found the micro-key." "Oh, I don't care about that now." "The only thing that matters is getting Barbara out of there." "Yes, I agree." "Here Sabetha, you'd better take this." "Keep it with the other and keep it safe." "Thank you." "Look, I don't want to raise false hopes" " ...but perhaps things aren't as bad as they seem." " What do you mean?" "Well Barbara was wearing her travel dial, wasn't she?" "Yes, none of us have taken them off." "Then as long as she wasn't injured when she was trapped, she can escape whenever she wants." "It's a possibility." "Well, I'm sure she would've thought of that." "Yes, of course." "But she may not have taken advantage of it yet." "Anything might've happened to her." "But if she was in danger, she'd have to use her travel dial." "It's turning again." "Now the arms are open." "Well that means it either must've released her or she's escaped." "She may have been injured, or even..." "But if she used her travel dial and has gone on to the next destination, we don't know what danger she may be in there." "No." "Well we must cover all possibilities to the best of our abilities." "You'd better go on ahead with Susan and Altos." "Yes, that's wise, I think it is the wisest course." "Ian, what are you going to do?" "I'm going back in there." "If that idol works once as a trap there's no reason why it shouldn't work again." "Once inside, well if there's no sign of Barbara," "I'll follow you as quickly as I can." "Well if that's settled there's no point in delaying." "You ready, Sabetha?" "Susan?" "Can't I come with you, Ian?" "No Susan, better not." "We'll wait for you, Ian." "And I'll be your guardian, Susan." "Look after her, Altos." "Take care, my friend." "Goodbye, Ian." "Good luck." "Here." "You'd better put this on your chain with the other one." "We don't want you losing it somewhere in outer space." "That would be terrible." "There." "I think that's safe enough." "This isn't it!" "What?" "It's just an imitation." "Look, Ian." "This edge is a fraction shorter." "Are you absolutely sure?" "I mean, isn't it possible that there was some... genuine variation in the original micro-keys?" "No." "They all look absolutely identical, so this one must be an imitation." "We're no further on than when we arrived here." "Do you want me to stay with you?" "No." "You go on ahead with the others." "They'll be worried already." "Tell them what happened and tell them I'll follow as soon as I've found the real micro-key." "Please be careful." "I will." "Off you go." "Ian, behind you!" "You not hurt?" "No, just a bit shaken." "Barbara, if you hadn't shouted..." "Never mind about that now." "Ian, I've been so frightened." "If you hadn't turned up in another half an hour, I was going to turn the travel dial." "I'm glad you didn't." "That micro-key you found, it was a fake!" "What?" "Yes." "The real one must be in here somewhere." "Then I warn you, its not going to be easy to find." "Oh?" "This whole place is one big booby trap." "It's full of things like that statue." "I'd only been here a minute when part of the wall crashed down just where I'd been standing." "Well we'll take it very slowly." "That doorway looks a good place to start." "Any idea where it leads to?" "No." "Into the building I suppose." "Well that's a likely place to hide a key." "Come on." "You know, these vines are everywhere." "They seem to be crawling all over the building." "Not only the vines." "It's all vegetation." "Look at that wall!" "Seems to be trying to get in..." "Let's get the micro-key and get out of here." "Oh, it looks as if we're going to have to break this door down." "No, it's pretty solid." "I shall need something to..." "I wish I could..." "I saw some iron bars in an alcove down there." "Ian!" "Ian!" "I'll be right with you." "Ian!" "Ian!" "Help me, Ian!" "Help me!" "Why have you come in search of the keys?" "Help me!" "Who are you?" "What interest have you in the keys?" "Look, I..." "I can't talk to you like this." "Let me go." "Are you a Voord?" "You do not resemble their race and yet..." "Arbitan sent us." "That is a lie." "No, its true, he... he was alone on the island, he couldn't send anyone else." "How can you prove it?" "I don't know." "Look, where's Ian." "What have you done to him?" "How can you prove that Arbitan sent you?" "Oh, the travel dial." "On my wrist." "I will examine this... and if it is set correctly with the proper journey programmed," "I shall know that you speak the truth." "Only Arbitan could set your complete journey." "Er, what have you done with Ian?" "Help me!" "Oh, help me!" "Help me!" "Help me!" "Help me!" " Barbara!" "Are you alright?" " Help me!" "Yes." " Help me!" " In there." " What?" " In here." "Help!" "Help me!" "It's coming again." "The jungle is coming, when the whispering starts." "It's death, I tell you, death..." "He's coming round, Ian." "Ian, I think he's dying." "You must not...stay here." "Listen to me." "Where is the micro-key?" "We're looking for it." "Do you understand?" "Arbitan sent us." "Has Arbitan sent someone at last?" "Yes." "The idol..." "I put a false key on its head." "Yes, I found it." "I know...system of mirrors." "When the false key was taken..." "I put my...traps in motion." "Only those...warned by Arbitan could avoid them." "He's getting weaker, Ian." "I wish there was something I could do, I..." "I feel so helpless!" "I haven't long to live, have I?" "You must trust us." "Tell us." "Where is the micro-key?" "Closer..." "D-E-three-O-two." "What do you mean?" "I don't understand." "Quickly, the darkness, the whispering will start..." "He pointed to this door." "What do...do the numbers and the letters mean?" "I don't know." "Could be the combination to a safe." "Let's go and see." "Ian, you were right, it is a safe!" "And a combination one at that!" "D-E-three-O-two." "Hello, it's only got the letters on." "Perhaps the figures were the number of turns." " Yes, try it." " I'll try it, yes." "D, E, 1, 2, 3, O, 1, 2." "It doesn't work." "You sure we got it right?" "Yes, certain." "Try again." "D, E, 1, 2, 3, O, 1, 2." "No, no, it doesn't work." "Well I suppose he could have hidden the combination somewhere." "Yes, I suppose so." "There's also a possibility that he didn't mean the safe at all." "Judging by the traps and decoys around here," "I should think the obvious hiding place is the least likely." "Hmm, we must go over this room inch by inch, eliminating everything but the safe." "And if we haven't found it, it must be in here." "I'll start over here." "Ian, I've been trying to think back." "What did he mean "darkness, the whispering will begin"?" "Whispering?" "I wonder if that's what Susan heard?" "I don't know, I think he was rambling." "It didn't mean anything." "I'm hoping to find a lead in here." "It's a diary of his experiments." "Oh, what was he working on?" "Biology seems to have been his field as far as I can make out." "Well, judging by the specimens in here, I'd say he was very successful." "Yes." "Last couple of entries are a bit strange." "All about the balance of nature and increased destructive forces." "Listen to this." ""Nature has a fixed tempo of destruction, water dripping on a stone may take a thousand years to produce any sign of wear."" "Well that's not very original." "It is if you could speed up everything." "The wear on the stone could happen in one day." "But that's ridiculous!" "Is it?" "He didn't seem to think so." "He ends up by saying," ""The growth accelerator has changed nature's tempo of destruction entirely."" "Yes, well that may all be very fascinating... but we are supposed to be looking for the combination to that safe." "All right, all right." "You know, it's quite dark outside." "Have you looked through this one?" "No." "What's that?" "I don't know, it sounds like whis..." "Whispering!" "He said it would begin when darkness came." "This must be what Susan heard." "Well, what's causing it?" "Shh!" "Listen!" "It's like someone trying to get in!" "You said that when we were outside, about the jungle!" "But it couldn't, Ian." "It couldn't!" "Look!" "Oh Barbara, don't you see?" "That's what he meant, the tempo of destruction!" "I mean, normally it would take fifty or a hundred years for the jungle to overrun this place." "Now the whole process has been accelerated!" " You mean the jungle is attacking us?" " Yes" "Look, Barbara!" "Of course, it's a chemical formula!" "DE3O2!" "The micro-key's in one of these jars." "Come on, quick!" "Let's find it!" "Ian, the key!" "Barbara, you've found it!" "Let's get out of here quickly." "Turn your travel dial." "Now!" "Now!" "Oh, it must be far below zero!" "Barbara, this wind's going right through me." "We must move!" "No, I can't." "I, I can't move, Ian." "I'm..." "I'm too cold." "Barbara, we've got to." "We must move!" "If we don't find shelter we don't stand a chance!"