Closing her guidebook, Raven turned her chair around. Sighing, she wished he took her. Looking up, her eyes widened as she stared at something black crouching on the nose of the ship and staring back at her. Its head reminded her of a zucchini. Moving closer, she leaned forward noticing it was swaying its head. Maybe it was as curious about her like she was curious about it.

A second mouth popped out slamming against the window causing her head to whip back.

"Rath?" she thought, "This won't take long. Was the reason you wanted me to stay with the ship happens to be a big, black bug with a zucchini like head?"

Further they followed the tunnel, more it became to resemble the inside of a metallic ribcage.

"How far is it?" asked Desmond.

"Not far," answered Rath.

"Just that you know. I got an itching trigger finger."

"That's good to know."

Turning a corner, they noticed an opening. Closer they got, Rath realized it was doorway to the altar room. The fact it was opened didn't bother him, it was that sonar blips had stopped, now that bothered him.

Entering, relief spread through him. The stone altar wasn't covered with the same bio film that the hard meat used to make their nests. Etchings of the same figures, that were the bases for the statues, were in battle with some crustacean like creatures.

"Where's the treasure?" asked Desmond lining his rifle's site on Rath.

"I don't trust him," said Sparx, "Let's cut our losses and leave."

"If he could open the pyramid's door and us this far…"

"Then he can led us into a trap," remarked Loria.

"Loria's right," said Geist, "He understood how to pilot the ship. That level of intellect means he could be a little clever, maybe too clever for my taste."

"If he's that smart then he knows how to find the treasure," stated Desmond returning his crosshairs on Deckland, "especially with the right motivation."

"Why change our understanding?" remarked Rath walking towards the altar.

Staring the three circular stone dials that represented the months, days, and years, it always amazed him how technically advance the yautjas were yet they used the simplest techniques, or maybe it was just who built the pyramids. Who knows?

Turning clockwise to add a hundred to the year dial, he stepped sideways to avoid being hit from the drawer sliding forward from the altar base. It was empty.

"Where is it?" yelled Desmond slamming his rifle butt against the right side of Rath's skull.

"It's not here, Desmond!" said Geist, "Someone beat us to it."

"Then way was the door closed?" stated Desmond aiming at Rath, "So where is it?" switching his aim to Deckland, "Or I'll shoot."

"Could've been moved," remarked Rath waiting for the stars to fade away.

"Let's do what Sparx said and cut our losses," stated Geist.

"Not leaving!" growled Desmond, "Guess bodies have to drop."

"Don't ever think about it!" warned Geist putting Desmond in his crosshairs, "There's no profit in murdering."

"Don't aim at him!" shouted Sparx bringing Geist into her rifle site.

"Calm down, Sparx," said Loria.

"Don't tell me to calm down, soft belly!"

"Soft belly!" bringing her crosshairs on Sparx, "Take that back, plate head!"

Blinking, Rath rolled away. Watching this armadile stand off, he slowly stood up and walked backwards until his back hit the wall at least he believed it to be a wall. The blips were moving.

Staring at the open altar drawer, "Now if I can close it," he thought slipping a small disc out of his right coat pocket, "then this party can really get started."

Movement along above Geist caught Rath's attention.

A spear like tail speared through Geist. Lifting him up, the hard meat turned Geist's armored body around until they came face to face. Quivering its lips, the hard meat's fanged mouth opened allowing its second mouth to shoot out and pierce through Geist's skull. Whipping its tail threw Geist's lifeless body into a stone column.

"Die!" yelled both Loria and Sparx firing at the scrambling hard meat.

A swarm of hard meats fell onto Loria and Sparx like black rain.

Throwing his disc, it ricocheted towards the altar. Slamming against the drawer, it slid closed as Rath ran towards Deckland, Gog, and Frag.

"Time to go!" ordered Rath.

Noticing the altar door lowering, he grabbed Deckland while Frag scooped up Gog. Frag made it out before some hard meats blocked Rath's way.

Noticing the door lowering, "It worked for Hellboy," thought Rath throwing Deckland. past the hard meats.

Sliding past the hard meats, Deckland made it out of the room.

Building up speed, Rath dropped to the ground sliding past some hard meats. A hard meat chased after him. He slid under the closing door. A hard meat slipped past the lowering door only to get its tail caught. Jumping to his feet, the twin blade popped out allowing him to slice through hard meat's skull.

"Stop standing around!" ordered Rath running past Deckland, Gog, and Frag, "Time to run."

Running down the tunnel, an explosion echoed through the tunnel then followed by, "You're going to die, terrain!"

"Boy, he's pissed," mumbled Rath.

Wall started to move as sections of the floor either dropped or began rising up.

Jumping, Rath barely missed making it before the stone doorway closed.

"Where's Gog?" asked Frag.

"Lost him along the way," answered Rath.

"Those were…"

"Hard meats. Least that's how it's translated, Professor."

"No, the creatures that those…"

"Yautjas. Every hundred years the yautjas used pyramids like this for their rite into manhood rituals."

"How do you know that?"

"Rath?" asked the alluring voice of Raven in his head.

"Not now, Raven."

"This won't take long."

"What is it?"

"Was the reason you wanted me to stay with the ship happens to be a big, black bug with a zucchini like head?"

"Damn it. They found the ship. How many do you see?"

"There's one staring at me, now."

"It's still outside of ship?"

"Yes."

"There could still be more trying to break in?"

"There's more?"

"Properly a pyramid full."

"So what are you doing about it?"

"Giving exposition."

"How are you going to get out of there?"

"Let me worry about that. Your job is to keep them out of the ship."

"A second one just joined his pal on the ship's nose. I think they're planning something."

"Turn on the shields."

"Which button is it?"

"You really need to learn about the ship's control panel. See the green button?"

"Yes."

"Hit it. Then push the level beside it up."

"Boy, they didn't like that."

"Good girl. Now turn on the internal and external sensors. Keep the home front safe until we get there," turning his attention to his audience, "Now, where were we? Oh yes, I lived with them for awhile," getting up, "Let's see how the outside is," peering through the peep hole, "Oh he's fuming and ran out of missiles while fighting for his life," feeling a beep against his wrist, "Time to get moving."

A door slid open across the room.