“Yep, and it’s also damned hot in here. There’s an updraft coming from that big cavity.” The drone went and hovered over the hole, and it was buffeted slightly, even with the gyros working to keep it level.

“Can’t get a reading. No idea how deep it goes.” Freddie let out a huge juddering breath. “It’s freezing.”

“The cave? The hole?” Cate frowned.

“No, but I wish I was in that nice warm cave. I can’t feel my fingers anymore.”

They could hear another exhalation, and Cate pictured her friend blowing on his fingertips.

“Guys, we now have ten minutes of time left… and we’ll need most of that to get Buzz back to us. Sorry, time’s up.” Freddie started to back the drone up.

Cate sat staring at the screen for a few more seconds, her mind working. There was no other exit from the cave other than that hole. There had been an explosion and the edges of the hole looked raw, new, so she bet her last dollar that her grandfather fell in, or travelled into that damn pit.

“Why?” she sat back.

“Huh, why what?” Freddie asked.

Cate shook her head, sitting forward. “Freddie, you know what? I don’t really want a drone. What I really want is to know what’s in that hole, and why Jim Granger went in there.” She folded her arms, knowing she was about to kiss her investment goodbye.

“But…” Freddie sighed. “Wow, okay Professor, you’re the boss lady. Dropping the last relay beacon.”

He moved the drone to the edge of the hole, and let another of the small boxes fall to the cave floor at its edge. Then he lifted over the stygian dark void. He tilted forward, but there was nothing but blackness filling the screen.

Cate imagined this was what it would be like if you were in deep space, and came across a black hole – no light, no sound, no nothing – there was just the absence of everything.

Greg nudged her. “If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” He grinned. “Ready?”

She nodded dreamily. “Let’s do this. Freddie, take it in.”

“Aye aye, Captain, taking her in.” They passed over the lip of the hole, and continued to drop. “Going to use full illumination as I guess we don’t need to save any power for a return journey.”

Extra lights came on, but there was still nothing but darkness. Numbers scrolled up on the side of their screen showing descent rate – fifty feet, one hundred, five hundred, six… the rate of drop was accelerating as Freddie let gravity take over.