This probably wasn't the most intelligent thing you and I have ever done…

I was just thinking that myself. If we come to a steep drop in this thing, we're going to have to turn back and go back to Atlantis for ropes.

They were in the lava tube and had been walking through the tube for almost ten minutes before the realization of just how dumb this was had occurred to her. Aside from the light cast from the flashlights she and Kale were holding, it was as dark as anything Melony had ever seen. Which was probably to be expected, but it made for a very dangerous situation should they fall into an unexpected incline and get stuck somewhere because they couldn't get out.

We'll just have to keep a close eye on what's ahead of us

What was behind them was Kale, who was breathing heavily – even though the walk hadn't been very difficult so far. Melony suspected he was borderline claustrophobic, but when she asked if he was all right a few minutes before, he'd nodded and said he was fine. Of course, that could have been to keep her from sending him back outside, in which case she was going to cut this excursion short if he got any worse – she owed him that much consideration – and more.

Another five minutes and she was ready to call it quits. The lava tube had seemed like it might be an ideal place for her little secret lab, but it hadn't opened out to anything like Talon had hoped it would – and had expected it to from his studies of such things. It just seemed to go on and on, in a very slight incline that would make getting out an easy walk, and guarantee that water never flooded the place if it rained, but that was about it.

"We might as well turn back, Kale," she said a minute later. "I don't-"

"The tunnel is getting lighter, Melony…" The Light One interrupted.

Melony hadn't noticed with her flashlight going all over the place like it had been, but Kale's sharper eyes had picked up on what she hadn't. There was a very dim light in the darkness of the tunnel, now, coming from ahead.

"Lava?"

I don't think so…

"I don't know…" Of course he didn't know. He'd never seen a volcano before.

The tunnel curved slightly and suddenly opened out in a huge cavern.

"Wow…"

She looked up and saw that there was a slight crack in the ceiling of the cavern – slight being relative, since it had to be at least a foot wide and appeared to go down through at least ten feet of the hardened lava that made up the ceiling. It was enough to give off the light that they'd seen, and then some, and plainly allowed them to see the dimensions of the grotto they'd just stepped into.

"This is amazing," Kale said, shaking his head as he shined the light upwards, the flashlight's light losing its intensity as the ceiling was at least a good hundred feet above them. The walls weren't perfectly round or anything, but they extended out about another hundred and fifty feet, and for the size of it, it was warm, which told Talon that there had to be a geothermal source somewhere in the area – not too close by, because it wasn't hot – but close enough they could search it out.

This place is ideal for what we want to do

Are you sure? Melony asked. A Jumper won't fit in the tube…

We're not going to be using a Jumper, Hot Shot. We're going to steal a Dart – and they're smaller. One will probably fit through the tube, and we could even steal a couple with this much space to work in

"Is this what you were hoping to find, Melony?" Kale asked.

She nodded, and realized he wasn't looking at her so he hadn't seen it.

"Yeah. I think so…"

"Could you be so fortunate to find something on the first place you looked?"

"Well, it's not exactly what I was intending to find, but it'll do nicely. I suspect we'd find something equally suitable on many of the other worlds on the list we made, but why not grab the first good one that comes along?"

Besides, it has a ready supply of coffee…

There is that, she agreed, smiling in the dim light.

"I wonder if we can find it from the outside…" Kale said, looking up at the ceiling.

"It won't be much of a secret lab if we can," she said, looking up as well. "Should we go see?"

"Yes."

His quick agreement told her he was ready to leave the cave, and the tunnel. Melony could see other tubes leading off from the main cavern – four of them, although one was only about three feet in diameter and she wasn't going to check that out any time soon. She wasn't ready to go crawling around just yet.

Wimp

I just don't want to get my clothes dirty.

Bullshit, you just don't want to do anything hard…

Hush.

She felt his amusement – because he knew he was right – and put her hand reassuringly on Kale's back.

"Let's get out of here, my friend. We'll see what we can find from the top."

OOOOOOOO

It turned out they didn't find anything from the top. Even when Kale took the air, following what he believed to be the path of the tunnel they'd just left, he still couldn't find the crack that illuminated the cavern.

While he'd been flying, Melony had hiked up the side of the ravine – mainly to make sure it actually wasn't all that hard – and found it wasn't. He came in and landed beside her, and transformed back.

"I couldn't find it. We'll have to walk and see if it's visible."

She shrugged, wiping the sweat off her forehead and taking a drink of water.

"That can wait. If you couldn't find it easily with your sharp eyes, then the next thing to do is see if we can find it in a Jumper."

"Which means we're done searching?" He asked, taking the canteen from her and drinking.

She nodded, "I think so. It seems to be close enough to what I was looking for that it'd be a waste of time and resources – and energy – to keep looking."

"I agree. Although I am willing to, if you desire it."

"Unless we find some serious flaws in the lava flow that make it dangerous to be under – which we won't until we use sensors on it – I think this one will be fine." She smiled, and readied her harness. "Let's head back to camp, and get it packed up."

Kale smiled.

"I think you're just tired of sleeping on the ground."

"That, too."

He laughed, and transformed, then took to the air.

Turn on the shielding device, Hot Shot

I was going to.

Uh huh…

It was obvious he didn't believe that, either.

She turned it on, and a moment later was snatched off the ground, and Kale carried her back the way they'd come.