The Dig
On a deep space tracking station in Borneo, a moving object is discovered in space. Computer programs identify it as an asteroid that will impact on Earth within three weeks. Some time later, a Space Shuttle is launched. A news broadcast explains that the asteroid has been nicknamed Attila, after the historical war leader of the Huns who destroyed the Roman Empire. The probability that the asteroid will hit Earth is 99 %, so NASA has hastily set up a rescue mission. A press conference broadcasted the day before is shown. Shuttle Commander Boston Low (voice of Robert Patrick) stresses that the Space Shuttle is not designed for missions such as this one, but since the fate of mankind is at stake, it will have to do. He introduces the flight team: Ludger Brink (Steve Blum) is a German geologist. His role is to determine where to put explosive charges on the asteroid, in order to move it out of its trajectory without destroying it; if it breaks up, pieces of the asteroid will certainly hit Earth, with devastating effects. Maggie Robbins (Mari Weiss) is a famous reporter, on board to help with the placement of the explosive charges, and to write all about the mission afterwards (although her inclusion seems primarily pr-related). She is well-known for her independence and unwillingness to compromise, but during the mission, she promises to obey Commander Low as any good team member. Journalists remark that Brink is also an archaeologist, and Maggie has a talent in learning new languages; Low responds that they were selected because they are resourceful and creative thinkers, while he is there to keep everyone safe. The other two team members, Cora Miles and Ken Borden, will stay inside the shuttle and assist from there.The Space Shuttle travels to space and stops close to Attila. Low, Robbins and Brink disembark and proceed with the mission. Cora deploys her device, called the Pig, which serves as a floating tool case and scanning equipment. Using a shovel and a zero-G drill from the Pig, the team places two nuclear charges on the designated sites on Attila's surface. When ready, the team returns to the shuttle which takes off to a safe distance, while Ken detonates the charges. Two large explosions are seen on the asteroid's surface. When the situation is stable again, the landing team disembarks to take another look. They find that the explosions have opened up an ancient tunnel into the insides of the asteroid. They send the Pig down to light the way, and find out that the tunnel contains several strange projections and a metallic plate, proving beyond a doubt that there was intelligent life where Attila came from. Robbins immediately wants to notify Houston, but Low overrules her, stating that he got secret orders to investigate the asteroid for any signs of intelligent alien life, and intends to investigate it thoroughly before sending a report. With the drill, Low discovers three more metallic plates below the projections in the wall. When pushing the plates, they disappear through shafts in the wall. One of those shafts leads to the core of the asteroid, which is completely hollow. Unable to communicate from inside, the team decides to investigate further, and discovers the metal plates on the far side of the hollow asteroid, next to a strange pedestal with an indentation that fits the plates. Upon arranging the plates in the indentation, the plates start glowing, turn around and assume a different configuration. Strange beams emanate from the plates, forming a crystalline structure that engulfs the entire cave, and the asteroid suddenly starts to move away. It morphs into a transparent diamond shape, and in a flash, it leaves the solar system, emerging inside a completely different part of space. There, it heads to a blue planet, and lands inside a large stone island structure in the middle of an ocean, designed to receive it, before it dissolves completely.Boston, Maggie and Ludger awaken, and quickly deduce that they must have travelled faster than light, and are somewhere very far from their own solar system. The sky over their heads has not one but two moons. The surroundings appear to consist of a large pentagonal desert, bordered by very high and steep walls, almost vertical. Next to them, in the centre of the desert, there is a small stone platform, also pentagonal. The air appears to be breathable, so they take off their space suits. Boston wants to explore the area and requests the team to follow him, but Brink protests; since the area is an archaeological dig, he should be the obvious leader. Maggie, however, prefers Boston as leader since he has experience with survival, which seems to be their main objective at the moment; Brink begrudgingly agrees.They investigate the vast area and find a shipyard full of broken spaceships, presumably from other civilizations that have also gotten stranded there. One of the ships has its hold torn open. Boston sees a wire hanging, and pulls it down. Immediately, a strange blue light comes swirling down; it displays several shapes, including geometrical figures, and then vanishes. Before it disappears, and without anyone noticing, it drops a yellow decorative wand with 5 small floating geometric shapes that seem to be held in place by an unseen force. Boston takes it, and also finds a chest with a blue orb in it. The next site they find consists as a pile of dirt with several tusks mounted on it. Rodent-like creatures have made a home of it. Boston takes a tusk. Brink guesses that the site is a grave, and is very dismayed when Boston intends to start digging into it. However, Boston is only concerned with survival right now, and the grave may provide him with something useful. Brink´s prospect of getting criticized for destroying an archaeological site during the first alien encounter is the least of his worries now. Digging yields a pile of bones and a jawbone with very sharp teeth, which may come in handy.The last area is near the wall, which has images carved into it. The blue orb seems to act as a tracking device; it points in the direction of a heap of sand, in which they find a small bracelet. Since there is no more to explore in the desert, they return to the stone platform. There, the blue light returns. It forms a flame that hovers over a small hole in the sand, before disappearing again. Maggie suggests that these apparitions may be the aliens themselves, but Brink and Boston wonder if it could be some kind of technology, or a warning system. They even suggest it might be alien ghosts, and that they are in some form of afterlife. Boston wants to investigate the hole that the light was hovering over. He starts to dig to make it bigger, but finds that the sand is soft and he is sinking. They deduce that the area underneath must be hollow. Since Brink has experience as an archaeologist, he offers to open it up. However, after moving several shovels of sand, Brink reaches a hollow point, and the ground collapses under him. Brink cannot hold on and falls several feet down below. The rubble forms a ramp that Boston and Maggie use to climb down, but they find Brink dead on the bottom.Maggie concludes that it is too unsafe to proceed with the two of them, and that they should split up, having a better change to survive and discover things on their own. Boston protests, but Maggie informs him that it is no longer a mission, so he no longer has command; they will both go their separate ways and call each other on their intercoms when there is something to report. Boston goes off on his own and finds that he is in a heavily decayed circular nexus, with plants, seemingly connected to each other, growing through cracks in the stones. There are five differently colored doors here, four with a panel besides them. One door is standing next to an alcove, exactly like the one they found inside Attila where the metal plates were fitted. Boston finds a metal plate not unlike the one found in Attila, and another rod, purple with four different geometrical shapes on it. There is also a ramp that leads to an area below the nexus. Boston finds a large platform there, hanging over a huge pit. Down there is a vast piece of machinery, and a system of lenses that focus beams of energy toward a central triangle; one of the lenses has fallen out, causing the beam to scatter away. Boston quickly finds out how to operate a repair system connected to the platform, and repairs the lens. In an instant, the power of the entire site is back on-line.Back inside the nexus, Boston finds that energy is flowing through conduits, and that the doors are powered. The new rod he found seems to be a code key: its four shapes form a sequence of three-dimensional symbols that should be entered on the panel of the door with the corresponding color. Boston manages to open the first door, and finds a platform on the other side. Maggie calls in, and announces that she has discovered something too: a large room with alien devices that still work. She got there through a tunnel that immediately collapsed, which would have killed anyone coming after her, which convinces Boston that splitting up may not have been such a bad idea after all. They promise to stay in touch. A call button on Boston's platform calls a sophisticated tram, shaped like a giant blue orb. Entering it activates the tram, which rolls down a long crystalline underwater tunnel. Boston ends up on a platform on an enormous stone spire island that rises from the ocean. He can see that there are a total of five spires around the large central island he came from. Inside the spire, there is a stone sliding door which he cannot open. Outside, near the spire's base, there is a small shore where he can see an underwater cave. A turtle-like creature emerges from the water, but it is immediately eaten by an enormous carnivorous eel, so Boston decides not to go into the water. He ascends some steps leading up the spire, and finds a strange device with a lens attached to it. Another blue light appears, this time bouncing off the lens. Boston activates a button on the device, and finds out that it creates a solid bridge, made out of light. The bridge meets up with a large crystal form hanging in mid-air, high above the central island; apparently, it is formed from energy that flows straight up from the stone pentagonal platform in the desert below, that has started radiating energy since the power was restored.Entering a doorway on the spire leads Boston into an area with four large displays, which he nicknames the Museum. Boston finds two strange green-glowing crystals, a stone tablet in an alien language, and another engraved rod. The displays show Boston reliefs that morph into each other, and depict several stories. The first one shows a large crystal space ship landing on the central island, with the resident aliens greeting the newcomers and taking them to some kind of machine. Another shows a secret area below a tomb. The third shows a dead alien revived through the contents of one of the green crystals; and the last depicts some sort of canister which acts as an explosive when it comes into contact with water. Boston takes another doorway out, and finds Maggie among several glass-like cubes. She has designated this area the Library; the consoles there show all kinds of symbols, and Maggie theorizes it was designed for visitors to learn the native alien language. She opts to stay and learn more, as Boston takes the tram back to the nexus.Back in the nexus, Boston uses the code from the newly found rod on the door with the corresponding color. He finds another tram platform, but there is no response when he pushes the call button there. Going back, Boston sees Brink's dead body, and remembers what he saw in the museum display. Even though the crystals he found were not designed for humans, he decides it is worth a try. He opens one of the green crystals and pours its contents on Brink. Brink's body immediately absorbs the fluid; green energy starts to flow into his body, and Brink regains consciousness. With seemingly no ill effects, Brink gets up and is initially doubtful of his death, but Boston assures him he was really gone for some time. Hearing about being resurrected by the so-called life crystals, he theorizes that human cells must be very similar to the aliens' for the crystals to have the same effect. He shows great interest in finding more crystals, since they make him feel more alive and mentally stronger than before he was dead. Boston calls Maggie, who does not believe the resurrection story at first either, until she hears Brink's voice. She expects that the crystals will change everything back on Earth, but, to return there, she will need to continue her research in the library. Boston takes Brink with him to the tram, and they travel back to the Museum spire. On the platform, Brink helps Boston open the sliding door. Inside is a room with a large basin, filled with life crystals. Suddenly, the blue apparition appears again; it hovers inside the basin among the crystals, then forms the shape of a skull before dissolving. Brink is certain: the crystals are the secret to life, and the aliens want to share them by pointing the way. Boston is less convinced, and points out that the skull apparition indicates danger; there could be side effects to the crystals, and even if they are the antidote to death, it is suspicious that there are no more aliens around. Brink dismisses this idea, since the crystals make him feel amazing, and he suggests the aliens simply moved on to another plane of existence. Boston interjects that they may all be dead from the crystals, but Brink simply scoffs at the notion, implying he is now feeling intellectually superior to Boston. He takes several crystals for personal use; Boston takes some as well, for study, but Brink predicts that Boston will use them on himself at one point as well.Next to the basin, Boston finds a canister like the one he saw in the museum display. They go outside to the shore, where another turtle-like creature is eaten by the giant eel. The eel spits its bones and shell out on the ground. When the eel returns to the water, Boston finds that Brink has bailed on him, and does not respond over the communicator. Boston warns Maggie through the communicator about Brink's strange behaviour and disappearance, suggesting the crystals may have some kind of addictive power. Through a fossil nearby, Boston is able to piece the dead turtle's bones back together. He adds the explosive canister, and uses one of the life crystals on the creature. It comes back to life, same as Brink, and it gets eaten immediately by the giant eel. But as soon as the giant returns into the water, a loud explosion is heard. With the monster dead, Boston takes a dive and swims to the underwater cave. He finds a second metal plate, and another coloured engraved rod. Returning back to the nexus, Boston uses the new rod to open yet another door. The tram there takes him to another spire with a path leading up. He finds himself on a vista with a waterfall, containing another light bridge, which he activates. A nearby cavern contains an alcove with a glowing blue rod in it, and a crack in the rock with a glow inside. Another path leads him onto a platform with a door on the other end. However, one of the rodent-like creatures there picks away a machine part from a nearby panel, which immediately closes the door. Boston fabricates a primitive trap from some nearby objects, and chases the critter inside of it. He puts the small bracelet he found earlier on the critter, and releases it. He uses the tracking device to locate the critter's nest inside a nearby cave. Digging on the spot produces the machine part, with which he opens the door.Inside is a small room shaped like a crystal, not unlike the spaceship that brought them here, with a light on the ceiling. There is another metal plate, and two electrically charged staffs, a blue one and a gold one. Pointing them at the ceiling reveals a hologram of a planetarium, depicting the planet and its two moons. The rods have the effect of moving both moons along their orbit around the planet. It appears that this also moves the real moons around the planet. However, at that moment, the rodent steals the machine part again, trapping Boston inside the Planetarium. Fortunately, the door can also be operated from Boston's side. He returns to the nexus.From the nexus, Boston takes a dark tunnel outward, and finds himself in a crystalline cave which is located underwater. From there, he can see the underwater tram tunnels leading to the five spire islands. There are five crystals on a pedestal in the middle of the room; one of the crystals is lifeless, the others glow with a blue colour. With the blue rod found on the previous spire, Boston activates a control system for the crystals, with which he re-energizes the lifeless crystal; immediately, the previously deactivated tram is active again, and Boston takes it to its respective spire. Halfway up the spire, there is another engraved rod, and a half-buried passageway. With the shovel, Boston opens it and finds a small room inside, with a triangle on the floor. He remembers it from on of the Museum displays, and wonders if it is a burial chamber. All the way up the spire, there is a platform where Boston finally finds Brink. The reunion is not a happy one, though; Brink is extremely curt and completely occupied with working on an old alien relic, refusing to explain his sudden absence. He admits to having used several more life crystals, and the effect on his health and mind have increased with each use. He dismisses Boston's worries and refuses to explain what he is currently doing, only stating that it is important and that he is operating beyond normal human intelligence now. Boston sees no use in further conversation and returns to the nexus, where he uses the rod on the last-to-final door. However, despite entering the right code, the door does not open. He notices that a rock from the ceiling has cracked open a nearby energy conduit in the floor, and the door is simply not receiving power. He pries the panel off with the tusk, and connects the mechanism inside to the open conduit, using the electric wire, powering up the door. He finds a heavily decayed tram platform there, and takes the tram to another spire.This spire has an intraicate network of tunnels in its interior. These connect several large caverns and two beaches at the base. The beach nearest to the tram has a set of faintly glowing panels set in the rocks; the outer beach appears to have no special features. Further ahead is a dark connecting cave which apparently serves as a nest to certain local animals. There is a large cave with a waterfall; at the top, there is a grate where water from the fall can be diverted to. Another large cave leads to an overgrown cave, with a panel consisting of four symbols, the same ones as the engraved rods and door panels in the nexus. Entering the codes from each engraved rod produces a holographic picture of an area on the corresponding spire. The code from the tomb spire shows that the triangle in the burial chamber provides access to an area underneath, just as Boston suspected. He finds another light bridge, but it is broken; through a panel on the device, Boston repairs it and activates the bridge.The Crystal Form where the light bridges meet is starting to take shape with each light bridge that is activated; Boston can faintly see a doorway, but it is still not solid. He walks via the bridges to the tomb spire. There is a picture on the wall nearby, showing the smaller moon eclipsing the larger one, with the light of the two moons shining through a hole in one spire onto another spire. Boston remembers he also saw a Museum display showing him the hidden tomb getting activated when the smaller moon eclipses the larger moon through the hole. He walks to the planetarium spire, and positions the planet's moons so that they align just as on the wall picture. Back inside the tomb, there is a stone with the symbol of the eclipsing moons on them; standing on the stone opens a shutter in the ceiling. Boston jams the stone with a iron rod, and light from the moons outside shines through a lens in the shutter, activating the triangle on the floor. It retracts in the floor, and returns with a giant ferocious-looking creature on it; however, the creature is made of sand and crumbles into dust. Boston mounts the triangular platform, and it descends into a large hallway underneath.There is a door at the end with two large skeletons next to it. As soon as Boston comes near, there is a rumble, and a life crystal falls from a hole onto one skeleton, reviving it. It appears to be a large, snarling alien dog-like creature, which will not allow Boston to come any nearer. But Boston thinks of a solution: he throws a life crystal onto the other skeleton, which revives the second guard dog. Both creatures fight until they get squashed under a heavy rock. The door opens when Boston touches the plate next to it with the yellow rod, the first one he found. Beyond the door is a long and high stone walkway that stands amidst the ocean; at the end is a translucent pyramid with the remains of a large creature in it. Boston contacts Maggie on the communicator to tell about his discovery, believing that this is the place where the apparitions were trying to lead them to. Maggie, however, voices some concern; the disposition of the blue ghosts is still unclear, and there is no guarantee that the creature in the pyramid has good intentions. Boston decides to find out. He touches the pyramid with the yellow rod, which instantly vanishes. He uses a life crystal on the creature, which is resurrected and is of intimidating height. Although the creature appears intelligent and friendly, it speaks in an alien language that Boston cannot understand. After several fruitless attempt at conversation, he gives up, and the alien seals itself again in the pyramid.Boston contacts Maggie about the alien, just when Maggie indicates that she can now understand and read the alien language. However, she is approached from behind by a massive four-legged insect, and contact is suddenly lost. Boston quickly goes to the Library, to find Maggie missing, with no sign of struggle. As Brink does not respond to Boston's call for help, he goes to him personally, but Brink shows only hostility towards Boston's presence. He refuses to help with finding Maggie and maintains that his current work takes precedence. He is also fiercely protective of a stash of life crystals he has placed nearby. Boston leaves and searches the spire islands, finally finding Maggie back in the nesting area inside the map room spire. She is tangled in a web, next to a grate, guarded by the four-legged monster. The creature blocks Boston's way when he tries to get through the door to the waterfall, so he has no choice but to go and get help. He returns to the tomb spire, and notices that Brink is standing close to a cave where some bat-like creatures have made a home on the ceiling. With the flashlight, he awakens the bats. They fly out and swarm to Brink, who runs away in panic and disgust. Boston quickly goes to the platform and steals Brink's crystals. Brink returns and angrily demands them back, but Boston assures him that he will only get the crystals back if he helps rescuing Maggie, so Brink has no choice but to obey.They go to the nest, and Brink creates a diversion, luring away the creature with his flashlight so Boston can slip by. Boston proceeds to the source of the waterfall, and diverts the stream of the waterfall into a large grate; this causes the grate next to Maggie to start leaking water. Boston then has Brink lure the creature towards the grate, and when Maggie opens it, the monster is flushed away. With Maggie released safely from the web, Brink immediately demands his crystals back. Boston tries to reason with Brink and persuade him to team up again, but Brink violently attacks, punching Boston to the ground, and threatening Maggie not to interfere. He takes all of Boston's crystals and quickly runs away. Realizing that Brink is beyond help at the moment, Maggie tells Boston she read some texts in the Library that suggest that the aliens have left their world for another, and she gets the feeling that the ghostly apparitions are trapped there, and need their help. Boston suggests asking the dead alien again. They go to the tomb and revive him, with Maggie translating his words.The alien (James Garrett) explains that he was once hailed by his people as a brilliant inventor, the one who had unlocked the secrets of the universe. His society had become obsessed with eternal life, to which he created the life crystals. However, the crystals restore only the body, but make the user a slave to its effects. They bring back life, but take away all that is worth living for. However, spaceships had already been sent out in all directions of the galaxies, in order to invite other species to this wonder, before his people realized their horrible effects. Out of guilt over bringing such misfortune over his people, the inventor chose to have himself sealed with no memory or name to live after him. He became the guardian of his forsaken place forever, sworn to warn all visitors about the dangers of the crystals. His tomb was hidden carefully so only the most dangerous and persistent visitors would ever find it. Millions of years have passed since then; many pets and companions followed their own evolutionary paths, some were created, like the one that kidnapped Maggie. His body is now so ancient that the life crystals can only resurrect him for only a few minutes, and soon will cease to revive him at all. He refers to them as the second worst mistake he made.Maggie inquires about the ghostly apparitions. The inventor explains that in their quest for eternal life, his people opened the way to Spacetime Six, the place where the three dimensions of space meet with the three dimensions of time. The lightbridges were originally designed to open the Eye, the gateway to Spacetime Six. It showed them beauty beyond belief; however, it was just a non-corporeal existence, where they would live forever, but it was not true life, as they could not build anything there. The blue ghosts are his people, who can only disturb the energy in the air and make themselves visible for just a few seconds. Leaving Spacetime Six requires enormous strength of will, something which none of his people has been able to accomplish, since they no longer have the physical memory of Spacetime Four, the normal world. The ghosts have led the humans to the inventor, in the idle hope that they may perhaps be able to open the Eye and lead them out of Spacetime Six. Only his people can create a star port to send the humans back to Earth, but they are forever stuck, and the inventor fears that Maggie and Boston will only get lost themselves in Spacetime Six, so he urges them to give up. Maggie shows the stone tablet that Boston found in the Museum, which speaks of something hidden. The inventor merely mentions that it was a first achievement to his greatest error, the one that condemned all his people.The inventor locks himself away again in his pyramid tomb. Maggie explains that the stone Museum tablet speaks of a hidden object on the other side of the hole, with instructions on how to reveal it. Boston takes Maggie to the beach on the map spire with the glowing lights embedded in the rocks. Maggie recognizes it from the stone tablet description, and with instructions from the tablet, she activates the rock panel, and a stone island appears in the sea out of nothing. There is an opening on the island that leads to a cave, where the last metal plate is suspended in mid-air. Hoping that aligning the plates on the alcove in the nexus will open up the way home, they contemplate leaving Brink, but they decide that they will have to take him with them. On their way to him, there is a powerful earthquake. They are immediately contacted by Brink; he has gotten his hand stuck in a crevice in a rock. From his description of the surroundings, they deduce it must be the Planetarium spire.They find Brink, who was reaching for a life crystal inside the crevice, when the rock suddenly shifted and trapped his hand, closing of his blood circulation. Brink urges Boston to help him, even by cutting off his hand if necessary. Maggie protests, but both Boston and Brink realize that Brink will either die of gangrene or starvation if they do not free him. Boston still has the jaw bone he collected from the grave earlier, and uses it on Brink's hand. With no anaesthetic, the procedure is agonizing for Brink, but he endures it without fainting. He immediately grabs a life crystal and breaks it on his bloody stump, sealing the wound, and immediately states his intention to find more life crystals, but Boston tells him about the last metal plate he found, and that it may open the way home. Brink has his doubts, but decides to come along under one condition: if the metal plates do not open a way home, both Maggie and Boston will have to leave him alone. They agree and return to the nexus.Boston aligns the four plates. The plates start to float and rearrange into another shape, exactly like back on Attila. There is a rumble and the final door in the nexus opens. Brink is disappointed with the result and walks away, reaffirming that they will have to leave him alone from now on. Thinking him definitely insane, Maggie and Boston enter the door and find another tram platform. They take the tram to the final spire. A large piece of machinery is inside, something which Boston recognizes from one of the museum display as one of the inventor's finest achievements, even though he has no idea what it does. The machine consists of strange devices and consoles. There is a large control panel at the base, with two slots for life crystals, but also a missing button. Outside, they activate the final light bridge. The Central Eye definitely shows a doorway now, but it is still not solid. With no idea how to activate the large machine, they return to the inventor to ask him for help.The inventor explains that the small island that contained the final metal plate was a test. He moved it out of reality, but only a little bit. Which each time it came back, the island lost substance. The aliens hoped that they could use this technology to take their world with them into Spacetime Six, where time is infinite in all directions, but found out that this was impossible, since objects do not move along a single line there, and cannot be predicted or controlled.Maggie asks about the machine in the cathedral spire; the inventor explains it is the device that can open the Eye to Spacetime Six. His people went there, but he believes they cannot return since they no longer have the strength to leave. Maggie believes that one can return from there if one's tie to reality is strong enough. The inventor responds that his people, the strongest race known, could not resist the temptation to let go of reality there, and scoffs at the idea that the humans could achieve what his people were unable to. However, on Maggie's insistence, he is willing to show them the way to the missing machine part. He makes a hand gesture and summons another engraved rod, telling them that the code on the rod will show them a map of the location of the hidden machine part.They leave for the final time and enter the rod code in the map room console. A picture of a small beach is displayed; Boston recognises it as the beach on the far side of the map spire. They find a piece of engraved rock there which contains the part. They return to the cathedral spire, picking up some life crystals from the museum spire on the way, but before they can place the machine part, a grim-looking Brink shows up and angrily demands all of their life crystals. He says he needs them for his machine and will do whatever is necessary for his science breakthrough. Boston offers him a few life crystals, but Brink takes them all, still angry and distrustful about Boston stealing his crystals earlier, and makes some more death threats to a unmoved Boston, should he get in his way again; Brink leaves as he mentions that he is about to make the biggest scientific discovery in history. Boston places the machine part, but finds that it does nothing without two life crystals placed on the console as well. They go to the life crystal basin on the museum spire, only to find that Brink has completely depleted it.They go to Brink, who is now completely paranoid. He angrily warns them to stay away from his life crystal machine. Frustrated, he tells them that the machine is not working. He has also translated the alien language and read all instructions, but the machine is still missing a vital part. He fears that Boston has come back to steal back his life crystals, and becomes verbally aggressive again. Boston tries to appease him by showing the machine part, suggesting it may operate on both machines. Boston thinks the inventor hid the part on purpose, since it activates the two machines he considers most dangerous. Brink is still dismissive of Boston's claims that the crystals have dangerous addictive effects; he warns them that the real danger may lie in activating the Eye, as the alien had also claimed. Boston decides to make a deal with Brink: they will activate his life crystal machine and divide the crystals it produces equally between them. With little reason to trust Boston, Brink agrees under the condition that he can divide the crystals. Boston places the part in the machine, but it produces only two life crystals. Since Boston needs both crystals for the cathedral, he states that it is no more than fair that he gets them, with the hundreds of crystals Brink has already collected from the islands. Boston takes the machine part over Brink's furious insults, promising him that he can get the part when they are done with it. As the machine powers down. Brink becomes enraged, and threatens to kill Boston, and Maggie, if she interferes. He pushes Boston to the ground, and attacks Maggie when she tries to intervene. Brink picks up a stone with the intent to crush Boston under it; however, he has trouble holding it with only one hand. He finally loses his balance and falls off the platform screaming, to his death on the cliffs below.Boston feels immense guilt over Brinks death, but Maggie assures him that the Brink they knew died when he fell to his death the first time. Boston has become doubtful about activating the Eye; Maggie tells him that this place is worse than death, and they have to try and leave it, even if it may kill them.They return to the cathedral and place the machine part and two life crystals in the console. The large machine starts humming. Boston asks Maggie if she has any clue what the machine will do, but Maggie has only been able to read partial instructions in the short time she had. However, she has no doubt that the machine is dangerous, and the inventor had also warned that the costs could be high: this may mean that the machine needs more than life crystals; it may drain the life from whoever uses it, or kill whoever is not using it. But it could very well do nothing. They make a final promise to each other: if one lives and the other dies, none will make an attempt to revive the other with life crystals, seeing what they did to Brink. Boston asks Maggie one last time if the instructions specified anything about the danger to the one operating the machine; Maggie says she honestly does not know.Maggie taps several of the consoles, and the machine starts to build up a huge amount of energy. She notices that there is a shutter that traps the energy, which will have to be opened. She pulls it open, but gets hit by a wave of releasing energy. The energy beam reflects towards the Eye and creates a doorway inside. Boston runs towards Maggie, realizing that she knew that operating the machine could kill her, and kept it silent. Dying, she assures Boston that her death was worth activating the Eye. She urges him to go home. Boston grieves for a while, but respects Maggies wish, and proceeds.(In an alternative course of events, Boston uses a life crystal on Maggie. Maggie wakes up, and is horrified, reminding him of the promise he broke. She runs to the top of the spire, chased by a desperate Boston, and throws herself off the cliff screaming, forcing Boston to mourn her again.)Boston walks towards the Eye. The portal opens, but another ferocious guard-dog comes out and chases Boston back to the spire; another one of the inventor's safety measures. Boston quickly deactivates the light bridge, causing the creature to fall down into the ocean. Although hesitant, Boston convinces himself that he will be able to get the aliens back from Spacetime Six and that they will send him home. He reactivates the bridge, and enters the door. Inside is the portal, a large glowing sphere. He touches it and is immediately absorbed inside.Boston sees beautiful globes with other worlds, and reminds himself how easily he could get lost amidst so much beauty. He decides to venture no further. Immediately, several aliens materialize before him. Their leader (Steve Blum) tells him that he is as strong as they had hoped. He explains that in Spacetime Six, all minds can communicate perfectly, and need no spoken language. The aliens find portals to their planet again, to reality, and start materializing on their world, where they will die one day, but where they will have a life before that. Boston says he can see every past and future, and asks which one is real. The leader does not answer, but asks Boston to take him home. They return to the planet, and the leader tells Boston they are in his debt for restoring them to their bodies again. Boston says that all he wants is go home and tell his people how his friends have died. The leader suggests that they tell the story themselves; he knows all the other paths through time and space. He goes back in and returns with both Maggie and Brink. Brink says they were lost and the alien found them. Maggie smiles and hugs Boston, thanking him for not reviving her, and finding another way to bring her back from death. (In the alternative event, Maggie angrily slaps Boston for reviving her. He apologizes and says he simply did not want to go on without her. Maggie reminds him that the life crystals could never truly bring her back, but now she is happy to be alive again). Brink has aged considerably, but he is free of the madness of the crystals. Boston thanks the alien, but he thanks Boston in return; they once revered a great inventor for opening the door to unchanging eternity, but Boston opened the passageway back into true life. His people are already preparing a crystal starship to take them home. He extends an invitation to anyone on Earth who wishes to come. Humans are a young people, strong and full of hope and passion, and he thinks both species can learn a lot from each other, and will be friends forever. Maggie voices some concern, since not all humans are as nice as they are. The alien tells them not to worry, as all young species are like that: those who will try to fight the aliens will be no match for them. The alien tells them to go home and tell the people what they have accomplished, the perfect job for Maggie.Maggie and Brink enter the crystal spaceship. Boston shows the alien how humans shake hands, and enters as well. The crystal takes off from the central island, and begins its way back to Earth.
insanity