Area 51: Excalibur-6 by Robert Doherty Page B

laughing to himself— only! And the top of the Kanshung Face, a mile-high almost purely vertical slab of rock that made up a large part of the north face of the mountain was to his left. That was where it was.
    Irvine slowly got to his feet. He finally knew he could make it the rest of the way without help. When he felt a tug on his waist, Irvine looked down. Mallory was waiting, his face hidden behind oxygen mask and goggles. Mallory began to climb, putting pressure on the rope. Irvine belayed. Mallory made quick time and was within ten feet of the top when Irvine pulled out a knife and held it against the rope.
    Mallory paused when he noted he wasn't being helped on the belay and looked up.
    Irvine couldn't see his partner's face behind the goggles and mask, for which he was glad. It made Mallory seem like a thing, making what he was about to do more palatable. Still, he didn't cut the rope. They had been together for months, traveling from

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    England by ship, then overland by train, and then by horse and—finally—for months on foot, steadily higher into the Himalayas. He'd found Mallory to be withdrawn but competent, with little sign of the change Irvine had been told had occurred. It had brought forth doubts about what he'd been instructed to do.
    Mallory wrapped one arm around the rope, locking himself in place, then pulled aside his oxygen mask. "What are you doing?"
    "I cannot allow you near it."
    Mallory reached with his free hands into his parka and pulled out a small glowing orb. "This must be placed on it."
    "Why?"
    'To destroy it."
    "Why?"
    Mallory cocked his head slightly, as it was a stupid question. "You have no idea of the truth."
    "I know you've been corrupted by the Ancient Enemy," Irvine said.
    Mallory nodded slightly. "It is part of me. But it is here to save you."
    "That is not what is written."
    Mallory didn't reply. He reached up for a handhold. With that, Irvine cut the rope.
    Mallory desperately clung to the side of the mountain. He didn't speak again even though his mouth opened up, farther and farther. Irvine could hear bones cracking and ligaments tearing. Something gray was now visible in Mallory's mouth, coming forth. Irvine didn't wait to see more. He threw his ice ax at the climber and it hit him in the head. Mallory lost his grip, scrambled for it, then arched backward from the step, free-falling, until he slammed into the base and then began tumbling, picking up speed. Irvine watched as the body smashed into rocks, still rolling, then

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    fell off the first step they had climbed earlier that morning and was gone down the mountain.
    Beyond that Irvine knew there was a thousand feet of nearly vertical rock before his partner would crash into rock, ice, and snow. The curious thing was that Mallory had not screamed or made a noise as he slid, as if he accepted and almost welcomed his fate. The memory of whatever had been coming up into Mallory's mouth caused Irvine to shudder, even more than the freezing cold seeping in through his clothing.

    Irvine checked the sun, which was well past its apex. He knew if he continued upward his own death was inevitable. He also knew that he could not make it down alone. He looked up at the summit, then across at the top of the Kan-shung Face.
    The summit? Or the other way? Irvine turned toward the Kanshung Face. It was late in the day and he knew, at best, he would reach the location just before dark, if not after the sun was gone. And that would seal his fate as effectively as a firing squad. And what would be the point of summiting when he was going to die there anyway? No one would know of his feat.
    He rubbed his goggles, trying to scrape away the ice that constantly formed on them. He could barely see twenty feet. As had been true for the past week, the ground in front went upward. Ever upward. He was on the roof of the world—higher than any other human being on the planet.
    He looked up once more, trying to clear his goggles. The sky was