37 Chapter 37: Just One of Those Human Things, Part 2

The great doors slid apart with a rumbling that Aloysius felt in his battered and dented torso. He could see nothing beyond except blackness. Then the hieroglyphics dragged him inside.

The silvery creatures dragged him down a corridor of glistening stone. He twisted his neck upward, but could see nothing, save for a glow in the distance. As the dim light grew closer, a low hum shook the corridor. He looked back to the floor.

The room was circular, with twelve runes embossed evenly around its circumference. As the light grew, they unfurled into silvery, curved loops. Thorns of glass bristled from their surfaces. Aloysius tensed. He had no weapons, save for his scoop, and what remaining wits bounced amongst his circuits. "All right you bastards," he said aloud. He tried to extend his sampling tool, but the gossamer strands held him fast. He bared his teeth. "Now you're making me angry. Come here, and I'll teach you a lesson."