Free Dark Phase by Jonathan Davison Page B

the surface into the gloom. He managed to stand upright as the stairs descended further into the earth. Sarazen hoped that when his power cells were running low, he would have the awareness to begin his ascent, however, the last thing he needed was to have to hurry back to the surface, using more precious energy and increasing the chance of permanent standby. Having never before encountered such a scene devoid of light, he quickly realised that his visual capabilities were not up to the task of peering through the gloom. As he took each step with agonising caution, so his sensory systems began to fail and he challenged himself not to look back into the light of the entrance which would only serve to scramble his adaptive circuits. Persisting with his descent, he now used his tactile sensors to compensate for the loss of his visual acuity. Sarazen paused to contemplate his position. He understood that diverting more power to his visual sensors could aid his navigation but thereby diminishing his power reserves and cutting short his mission. It was a logical step to take without the ability to understand what lay beyond, the mission was devoid of meaning. Diverting the necessary auxiliary energy, Sarazen’s visual acuity increased and despite his previous logic, he began to trot down the staircase with haste despite the possibility that this too would drain his power cells more swiftly.
    Into the moist, dingy atmosphere, the courageous silicant skipped down the thankfully evenly constructed flight of stairs, the tiled walls oozing with corrosive liquids. Sarazen could feel the slimy, dank walls become more arid during the descent as even the most primitive and hardy organics could not survive in such hostile conditions. The structural integrity appeared to increase with each passing step and finally the steep tunnel ended abruptly and Sarazen could just about make out that the tight confines of the descent led to a much larger, expansive chamber. The detail of the find was difficult to distinguish. Sarazen knew then that for further exploration, he would have to either adapt his visual settings for ultra low lighting conditions, or probably less troublesome, devise some kind of artificial light source which could illuminate his surroundings. Sarazen was frustrated and desperately wanted to know what secrets the underground chamber held but time and power were running short. Looking back up to the entrance, he could see the small speck of intense light that would guide his ascent to the surface. His instinct told him to begin the return leg of his journey - there was clearly no point in further exploration. Whatever secrets the chamber held would be preserved for next time and despite conflicting thoughts which demanded to acquire the knowledge now, Sarazen flinched as he realised that he must go without further hesitancy. He turned to take the first step back up the long shaft but as he did so, his visual acuity suddenly diminished. Sending his sensory network into overdrive, Sarazen realised that time was now short. Lifting his foot on to the next step was unusually difficult; his motor sensors were also suffering from power depletion. Scrambling to divert all power to these systems, Sarazen moved with all possible haste up the dark flight, each step becoming more difficult until at one point, he tripped and fell onto his knees. The confusion and panic served only to drain the power cells further and his worst fears were being realised. The light at the end of the tunnel was still too far away to have any impact on the silicant’s power attainment and Sarazen suddenly realised that he had been a fool to risk all for this fruitless venture. One more agonising step was all that Sarazen could manage before the Vitalin ceased to flow and his core functions slowed and then faltered. The spark of consciousness stifled, Sarazen ground to an eternal standstill, his body remaining perfectly still, statuesque in a posture which