"I thought you were kidding."

Sarah let out a sigh, "If I had known you were going to be able to open it, I wouldn't have been. Look, I'm going to head back down, don't touch anything else. This time I mean it!" With that, Sarah disappeared from view.

"Now Dr. Boynton, how…" began Col. Brock before he was interrupted by Alex.

"I know what you're going to ask, but before I answer I want you guys to get Dr. Maheshwari. We have some questions regarding the UV readings we're getting."

Col. Price motioned to somebody off camera. He then turn back and acknowledged that the doctor was on his way. Alex then gave a brief synopsis of how he opened the Obelisk.

"Can you reverse it? Can you close it?" questioned Col. Brock.

"Possibly," replied Alex "it's either going to be the same sequence or the reverse sequence. However, I would rather not try it before we've had a chance to explore inside. It would be pretty frustrating if we close it and find we can't open it again."

Both Colonels nodded in agreement just as Dr. Maheshwari entered into view.

"Dr. Maheshwari," greeted Alex "are you receiving the same readings up there as we are getting down here?"

A technician in the command tent directed the doctor to which computer screen to look at. "Ah yes, thank you. Yes, I'm getting the readings up here just fine."

"Good." replied Alex "As you no doubt notice, there seems to be a fair amount of UV radiation coming from the interior of the Obelisk. We were wondering if it's possible that it's some sort of sterilization process to protect against alien microbes."

Maheshwari studied graphical data for a good minute, occasionally using a mouse to presumably bring up some other data before finally responding, "No, it doesn't seem likely. There is a dramatic drop-off at 300 nm, which beyond that point is the UVC radiation which is normally what is used for sterilization. While there is some sterilization with UVB, the irradiance levels I'm seeing here would probably allow for most microbial life forms to quickly adapt."

"Is it perhaps some sort of fault that's developed with the Obelisk?" questioned Simon out loud seemingly to nobody in particular.

"I can't answer that." replied Maheshwari.

Alex furrowed his brow. An idea was starting to percolate in his brain. He stared at the Obelisk false colour image, while remember something Fenske said about 'if one could see into the ultraviolet'. A hypothesis formed…

"I think the aliens who built this can see into the ultraviolet." announced Alex.

"I think that could be plausible," agreed Maheshwari, "there are many species here on Earth that can do that. It would seem highly likely that a completely alien species would have that ability."

Simon spoke next, "I just have one further question. How safe is it for us if we go in there?"

"Well the irradiance levels are not that intense. You're probably safe for a couple of hours, but if you're going to be in there all day, I would suggest some sunscreen."

There was a clang as the cage elevator reached bottom. Everyone turned to the noise. Normally the noise was ignored as everybody became used to the constant coming and going of various people. This time with the anticipation of Dr. Marshall returning, the clang caught the attention of the research team. Alex thanked Dr. Maheshwari and turned his attention to Sarah. He quickly briefed her on what they learned about the UV radiation and the working theory about the aliens.

Sarah took this all in and nodded. "Okay, here is what we're going to do. We're going to keep exploration of the interior limited to two hours for now. I want a camera in there connected by cable to record the research. I want to make sure that whatever you touch or find is well documented."

"We're going to need to bring in a couple of spots to light the interior, after all, we can't see in ultraviolet." interjected Simon.

"Good point set that up as well. Both you and Alex will have the first shift. Make sure you both have headsets on and in constant communication with us and the control centre upside."

At that moment the elevator clanged, and Prof. Morton stepped off whistling some John Philip Sousa march. He stopped suddenly and gaped at the now open Obelisk. His eyes suddenly narrowed at Alex in mock anger, "You just had to steal my thunder, didn't you?"