Defender Zik and Mizhakwan quickly realize that the mysterious sound is just the opening of an old Earth song by The Tragically Hip. The Temerity has arrived and Trent’s idea to lure the crystals is working! They’re leaving the cave!
The stranded duo watch in amazement as the crystals start moving more quickly, reforming and combining together as they make their way out of the tunnel. Once the way clears, they make a break for it up the crevasse!
Finally back at the surface, Mizhakwan and Zik are startled by what they see!
And for those of you who’ve never heard Gift Shop by The Tragically Hip, here it is! Enjoy!
Mizhakwan shows Defender Zik what she’s been up to in the cavern. Sitting in front of the thickest part of the crystals, she sings an Inuit lullaby. As she sings, a new crystal emerges from the mass and begins to grow towards her. An amazed Zik watches as it grows and glows in response to her song.
Once it is close enough to be uncomfortable, Mizhakwan ceases her song, giving it a playful tap. She explains that she’s managed to teach the crystal to avoid getting too close with this Pavlovian strategy of feeding it only until it has grown large enough.
Suddenly, their experiments are interrupted by a deep, overpowering sound broadcast into their helmets. All the crystals in the cavern begin pointing somewhere outside. What’s happening?!
DEFENDER ZIK LORE BREAK!
Mizhakwan speaks several languages, including a couple of Inuit languages. She’s singing a lullaby that also teaches the names of the fingers. Here’s the full song, with each line translated into English:
Kullu kullu kullu kullu naaniippi? (Thumb, thumb, thumb, thumb, where are you?)
Maanippunga maanippunga qaanuippilii? (Here I am! Here I am! How are you?)
Tiikiq tiikiq tiikiq tiikiq naaniippi? (Index finger, index finger, index finger, index finger, where are you?)
Maanippunga maanippunga qaanuippilii? (Here I am! Here I am! How are you?)
Qitirsiiq qitirsiiq naaniippi? (Middle finger, middle finger, where are you?)
Maanippunga maanippunga qaanuippilii? (Here I am! Here I am! How are you?)
Miikiliraq miikiliraq naaniippi? (Ring finger, ring finger, where are you?)
Maanippunga maanippunga qaanuippilii? (Here I am! Here I am! How are you?)
Iiqiquq iiqiquq naaniippi? (Pinky finger, pinky finger, where are you?)
Maanippunga maanippunga qaanuippilii? (Here I am! Here I am! How are you?)
Defender Zik, now alone in the cave and out of contact with the others, gets his rock climbing gear ready. Reasoning that using his jetpack is too risky under the circumstances, he unwinds the carbon fiber nano-mesh cable in his gauntlets and prepares to descend into the tunnel Mizhakwan fell into.
As he rappels into the crevasse, he calls out to Mizhakwan, who is finally able to answer! She assures Zik that she’s fine, it just took a few moments for her to figure out her burst transmission settings. Not only is she okay, she’s ecstatic!
Zik discovers the reason Mizhakwan is so overjoyed as he reaches the bottom; there’s a cavern absolutely packed with glowing crystals! Sitting cross-legged in the back of the cavern, Mizhakwan cautions Zik to be careful where he steps, to avoid damaging the crystals. Mysteriously, several crystals are pointing spikes directly at Mizhakwan. When Zik enquires why, she replies with a confident “Watch!”
