Many of the square ceramic plates surrounding the facade of the massive vessel, had already crumbled, exposing the black metal underneath. At its end facing away from the cliffside laid what looked to be a dome, at its tail end hanging over the edge, it tapered to a broad point, making it look like a huge metal acorn.

Regarding the craft, Walter searched hard for a passage inside, but could not find any breaches or cracks in the ceramic plates. He wanted to get them both out of the open as soon as he could. Pinching his arm, Caitia grabbed his attention.

“There,” she pointed to a round protrusion sticking out of the snow.

Walter hurriedly made his way to it with Caitia in tow. A cylinder ending in a pair of sturdy doors were before them now.

“Looks, stable ma’am. Perhaps some drastic action is in order.”

Walter tapping on it pulled an explosive from his bag

“Put that way, you idiot! So daft...”

Pushing Walter aside, then peeling off a panel at the side of the door, Caitia went to work. In a matter of minutes, the door was open.

“Well done, my lady.”

“Save your praise, and It's just proof of why I had to be here. I now only question your usefulness here. Left to your own devices, nothing would be left to gain,” her voice was deadpan.

“I'm glad you permitted this old soldier to come, despite his numerous shortcomings” A thin smile could be seen under Walter’s neatly trimmed grey beard.

It was too dark to see, peeling off his shaded snow goggles, he switched them out for a pair of light-enhancing ones, his “NVGs,” night vision goggles, from his old life.

Gripping his back and peeking from behind him Caitia whispered

“Do you see anything?..”

“When I do, you’ll be the first to know.”

She gripped his shoulder tight, Walter’s anxiousness was making her on edge. As far as she could tell, they were the first to survive the journey up the mountain and to reach the vessel. She had seen the fate of the unlucky few that had risked the climb earlier...

She thought to herself, What does he see that I don't?''

Reaching back, he patted her on the wrist. Their sign that they were in the clear. Letting go, she removed the rope from them both and walked up ahead further into the crashed vessel. Walter knelt at the entrance they had found, constantly vigilant he continued to survey the path they had just taken.

Lighting a flashlight, Caitia made her way to the center of the wrecked vessel. The interior to her delight was mostly unscathed. There was a good chance everything she needed was still intact.

It was six months back that she first saw a blazing ball tumble from the sky and collide with the mountain high above her lab at home.

Hastily packing her things, she began to make her way to the crash site. But before she could make it out the door, she was stopped by Walter.

"We won't last a week on the mountain in the dead of winter, ma'am." Walter had stood in the doorway, blocking her exit.

If she had the choice, she would have left that moment. She knew now how foolish that would have been. If it were not for Walter’s intervention, she would have found herself not far off from the dead men they had passed.

Grabbing a twisted piece of metal from a nearby wall, she began to peel it away with all her strength.

"Let me get that for you, ma'am."

"No, I can do this myself. Keep on with your… ‘lookout.’ You got me to the craft. I can take care of myself now. There’s nothing left to worry about."

With one more great tug, she freed a long metal bar from a damaged wall. Using the scrap, she proceeded to pry open the sliding doors that stood between her and deeper depths of the vessel.

Halting her with a hand on her shoulder, Walter pressed a heavy metal object into her hands. “If you please, ma’am…” Caitia understood immediately.

Reluctantly Walter watched as she went deeper inside. He returned his attention outside.

Forcing her way past several doors and hallways, she carefully made her way to the center; she counted herself lucky that the falling craft had landed so entirely on its side.

The deeper she went, the more the rooms began to widen until she found herself at the wrecks core. She was astonished by the size of the space. She could see the inside of the dome they had seen outside.

You could fit a Light Airship in here…

Though freezing outside the interior of the core seemed very warm, from when she first entered to now, every room she had passed seemed to grow in temperature.

Uncomfortably warm now, she tossed off her white jacket revealing a frilled white blouse with a yellow bow at the collar. She had already built up a sweat on her underclothes from the short time it took to go from the entrance to the ship's cavernous core.

Time to get to work