Hector was in the middle of trying to eat what was supposed to be a meal. There was just no getting used to the reconstituted slop he had to eat while at Cydonia. There wasn’t a cost effective way to transport vegetables to his location at Cydonia on a daily basis. "Officer Sanchez we have a ship coming into the region. It matches the description you told us to watch for." He quickly took one more bite of nastiness and grabbed his EVA suit. He contacted the two people outside the habitat who were on watch. "Get on your rovers, and follow the ship. Contact me when you arrive at the landing coordinates." The two new recruits set out after the Constellation as it was flying low and away from them. Hector would be close behind.
Monique assisted Patrick as he was looking for the best location to park the ship. "The dead zone is marked about every fifty yards with signs and markers. Land just outside one of the markers and we should be fine." she said. Patrick brought the Constellation to a safe touch down. "Dalton get ready to test both EVA suits. Julia, Sarah, and Isabella you cover us while we're testing the suits and until we are safely inside the dead zone. Dalton let's see if either of these suits will work." he said.
Dalton exited the ship and began walking into the dead zone. "Have you noticed any change yet?" Vincent asked. "No, I don’t feel any changes and the readings are steady. I'll go further inside the zone to see if anything happens." Dalton said as he continued forward. After another twenty yards Dalton stopped. "Is everything all right?" Vincent asked. "We've lost communications with him Captain. If he’s transmitting we are not receiving." Sarah said. Dalton bent over and removed the helmet from the EVA suit Randy had provided and took some deep breaths. "It looks like he was having some sort of trouble. He looks alright now." Vincent said as Dalton began heading back toward the ship. Holding his helmet near his mouth Dalton began speaking. "Can you read me?" he asked. "We read you now Dalton go ahead." Sarah said. "The EVA suits we received from Randy do not work. I'm not sure what the problem was, but I was running out of air. The alien ETS suits seem to function fine. I feel confident we’ll be alright with them." he said.
"Captain, I have a contact. We are being approached from the south. There are two vehicles headed in our direction." Isabella reported. "Monique and Dominic let's go, we’ll meet Dalton outside. Patrick, as soon as we are off the ship return to orbit. Let's move people." Vincent said. The exploration party entered the dead zone and began traveling toward Cydonia. Running was proving difficult due to the low martian gravity, and eventually each of them were skipping and bounding as fast as possible. Vincent yelled to the rest of the landing party and told them to slow down. He slowed to a walk as did the rest of the party. They were safely out of range and Vincent began looking at the surface. The archeologist in him really wanted to spend years exploring Mars. He was seeing pieces of bone, partial skeletons, and metallic objects which had to have been made by an intelligent species. Just at a glance he was able to tell the skeletal remains were not human.
Prior to reaching the pyramid the team would pass the fabled lost city. Knowing he was short on time Vincent decided a few minutes could be spared to take a quick look. “Let’s look around for a few minutes. A chance like this doesn’t come around very often.” he said.
Columns very similar to ones in seen in ancient civilizations on Earth could be seen toppled on the ground. Most of the city was in ruins. A few structures remained standing but many had collapsed. The layout of the city appeared to resemble Karnak in Egypt. Vincent felt as if he were standing on the graves of the dead. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he shivered. The dead zone was taking on a whole new meaning. He would have to find a way to come back. So much history and so many secrets were waiting to be uncovered.
The dead zone and its secrets was one mystery the government couldn’t cover up. The members of the exploration party were the first humans who had been able to penetrate and enter Cydonia. He had no doubt the mysteries of Cydonia could be studied for centuries before all the secrets would be uncovered. The grand prize of the pyramid beckoned, and he waived his team forward.
Patrick had the Constellation off the surface moments after the team departed. "Isabella, what's the status of the vehicles on the ground? Are they close enough to cause any damage?" he asked. "Both vehicles are too far out but still in pursuit." After just a few seconds the Constellation was accelerating upwards into the atmosphere. "We're out of range Patrick, the vehicles have stopped." she said. "Good, I'm hoping there won't be any surprises waiting for us when we reach orbit. Are you sure you know what you're doing with that missile launcher? We may need it." he asked. "It’s an unknown technology. I'll give it my best shot. Hopefully we won't have to use it." she replied.
It had taken Hector and his men five minutes to get into their EVA suits and begin pursuit of the enemy ship. They were heading in the direction of the last known location of the ship when the recruits were spotted returning. "Please report your status." he ordered. "It looks like the ship has returned to space. Prior to departure there were four people who left the ship and successfully entered the dead zone." Hector didn't think he heard the last part correctly. Nobody had ever successfully entered the dead zone. He asked the recruit to repeat the report a second time. "How were they able to enter?" he asked. "Each person appeared to be protected by some sort of force field or shield. It was hard to tell, we were so far away we could barely see them. We saw a light of some kind surrounding each person." Hector gathered his men and returned to the base. He was glad there was a transmission delay between Earth and Mars. He didn't wish to interact with his angry President directly.
"Mr. President you have an urgent message from Mars." his secretary reported. President Louis hoped it would finally be good news. "Mr. President, the ship you warned us about landed briefly on the surface. Four crew members were able to enter the dead zone using an unknown technology. To the best of our knowledge the ship returned to orbit and the four crew members are still within the perimeter of the dead zone." President Louis was normally a patient man. He was angry now. How could anyone enter the dead zone? Experts had been working on the problem for years. Under no circumstances could anyone be allowed to leave Cydonia alive. Time was running short and the fugitives had to be captured. He sent a reply which could not be misconstrued in any way.
"Officer Sanchez, you are to round up every able bodied person within a thousand miles of Cydonia. The dead zone is to be surrounded and these terrorists are to be captured the moment they try to leave. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. We believe aliens have left advanced technology in Cydonia. These terrorists wish to wipe all life off Mars and Earth so mother nature has a blank canvass. We are dealing with extremists. If they are allowed to leave Cydonia with advanced weapons and technology life as we know it will cease to exist. Do not fail in this mission and do not tell me it's impossible. I used to do the impossible every day in Vietnam. Activate the emergency broadcast network. Any citizen of Mars who refuses to help will be subject to arrest and prosecution for failing to follow an Emergency War Directive. I expect this action to begin the moment you get this message. Capture these extremists and safeguard any weapons or technology in their possession.
The dusty red pyramid was growing larger as the group approached. Sand had accumulated at the base of the pyramid, which made it difficult to get close. The group walked around three sides of the pyramid and saw a gap in between the bottom of the sand and what appeared to be an entrance on the fourth side. Dalton took the lead and began negotiating his way up the slippery slope. Halfway up Monique tumbled back to the bottom, and was the last to make it up. “I don’t see how we’ll get anything out if we have to negotiate this hill.” she said. “We’ll worry about it when the time comes.” Vincent said.
The entrance to the pyramid was small. In his mind Vincent had expected a colossal grand entrance. Perhaps there was another entrance buried beneath the sand somewhere. What he found was an opening which would only comfortably accommodate one person at
a time. He told Dominic to stay where he was and stand watch. Vincent pulled a large glow stick from his pack and activated it. The glow stick didn't give off the amount of light he wanted, but there were no other options. Flashlights or anything else electrical was out of the question. The light from the ETS suits would add to the light provided by the glow sticks.
Vincent led the way into the entrance with Monique and Dalton following behind. The tunnel was longer then he expected and changed from martian regolith to the more familiar black alien material Vincent had seen at the Prime Pyramid. The team came to an intersecting tunnel. It was time to make a choice, either left or right. Vincent went to the right with the others behind him. His heart was racing as he saw the entrance to the first chamber.
He entered the chamber and came face to face with an Egyptian man. Jumping back he realized it was a statue of Ka. As the team entered the chamber they were amazed and speechless. The chamber was filled with treasure beyond imagination. Gold artifacts were littered throughout the chamber along with amulets, statues, papyrus scrolls, musical instruments, and sacred seals. At first glance he saw Egyptian as well as Sumerian artifacts. Some he didn't recognize at all. There were artifacts which he didn’t recognize from any culture on Earth. He believed some of the artifacts came from a different civilization and a different species. Vincent let out a triumphant scream, and noticed both Dalton and Monique had tears in their eyes. Vincent hugged Dalton. “We did it my friend. Maria was right all along.” he said. “She would be so proud of you Vincent.” Dalton replied.
Captain Samuels was handed a communication from the President. The Constellation was at Mars and crewmembers had successfully entered the Cydonia region. He had already underestimated his enemy, and now his opponent might have access to alien technology. The Lexington had been screaming toward Mars as fast as she could go, and he was now an hour away from the planet. He issued orders to his crew, and had Tavaris prepare an armed boarding party. It was time to redeem himself, and prove once and for all he was the best and only Captain the Lexington would ever have.
Looking out his window Hector saw the first people arriving at his base. The message on the emergency broadcast network was being followed by some of the personnel on Mars. Small pockets of vehicles and people were headed toward Cydonia. There was little more he could tell them when they arrived. The orders issued on the emergency broadcast were simple. Capture the ship and the crew when they returned. It would be his job to ensure as much of the perimeter could be covered as possible. He put on his EVA suit and began issuing instructions. There still weren’t more then fifty people at the site. Territory would be divided into four sections. He picked out four of his better recruits and told them they were now sector commanders. It would be their job to coordinate with the new people on the ground and to make sure there weren't any gaps for the crew to exploit. He gave each section commander three rifles. With only twelve rifles in total the fight would likely consist of hand to hand combat. Anyone with a rifle would be sent to the landing site immediately. If the people in Cydonia came out with advanced alien weaponry his people would likely be slaughtered.
The Constellation was in synchronous orbit above Cydonia. With each passing minute Patrick felt more confident the expedition would be successful. "Patrick I've spotted an incoming ship." Sarah said. "How far out, and what type of ship?" he asked. "On its present course and speed the ship is about fifty minutes out. It matches the description of the ship which intercepted and destroyed the Avenger." she said. "Prepare to leave orbit. We will conduct a flyby of the pyramid as soon as we enter the atmosphere. We need to identify where the ground forces are most heavily concentrated, and land where we will have to face the least amount of resistance." Patrick said. The Constellation left orbit and headed to the chaos below.
Vincent, Dalton, and Monique went from chamber to chamber and continued to find each room filled with ancient relics, artifacts, and treasure. The majority of the artifacts looked familiar while some were unearthly. When the three of them went to the chamber on either end of the tunnel each one was sealed. Vincent asked Dalton to look for hidden releases on both of the sealed chambers. He could not find any. Returning to the passageway Dalton began searching for the entrance which led to the ninth hidden chamber which had been found in both the Ark and Prime pyramids. The release was right where it was supposed to be. He activated the release and the door slid aside. “The designers of these pyramids have been very consistent with the location of the hidden chamber. I wonder if there are other hidden chambers we’ve missed?” Vincent asked. “It’s definitely possible. I can’t help but wonder what’s in the sealed chambers at either end of the passageway. Perhaps there will be another passageway in this hidden chamber which lead to the sealed chambers.” Dalton said.
A short passageway led them into the largest chamber Vincent or Dalton had ever seen inside a pyramid. The magnificent beauty of one of the alien transports seen on the Roswell video stood directly before them. The three of them surrounded the ship. Vincent had to try and find a way to access the ship this time. He didn't want this one getting away like the one on Rhea. He carefully examined the craft. The surface looked as if the ship had just been manufactured. There weren't any seams he could use to try and access the craft. Dalton and Monique weren't having any success either. After his third trip around the vehicle he saw a small grove with eight small holes. The pattern looked familiar but he couldn't place where he had seen it before.
Dominic was exploring the area outside the pyramid. He had found pieces of machinery and tools. Bone fragments littered the entire area. He had found two complete skulls. Neither of which was human. Looking down he saw a piece of bone which was partially uncovered. He picked it up and found what appeared to be a crude knife on the opposite end. Carved into the blade was the image of an alien. After searching for another fifteen minutes he sat down and tried to relax. He was perched on top of a small mound admiring the martian sunset when he spotted the Constellation approaching. He immediately ran into the pyramid to find the rest of the team. Dominic was overwhelmed by the gold and artifacts he saw as he passed the chambers. There was no time to admire the find. He had to find the rest of his fiends and head out of the dead zone for pickup. He was yelling for them and hadn’t received a response. He had looked in every chamber without finding anyone. Twice he passed the hidden entrance before finding it on the third try. The alien ship was beautiful, and was a wonder to behold. He found Vincent inspecting a specific spot on the ship as he approached. “The Constellation is back. Something must be wrong.” he said.
Vincent wasn’t happy to see Dominic, and knew instantly things were about to get more complicated. Vincent was not going to let the alien ship in front of him get away like the one on Rhea. He told the team to wait. He needed to think for a few seconds before everyone rushed out of the pyramid and back to the edge of the dead zone. "Dalton, stay with the alien ship, do not leave the chamber. I don’t want to lose this ship too. We will be back soon." Dalton nodded his head in agreement, and Vincent waived Dominic and Monique toward the exit.
Patrick was getting annoyed. The planetary engine wasn't designed for flying and hovering for extended periods. Mars had enough gravity and atmosphere to create significant operational problems. Fuel levels were dropping and he still hadn't spotted Vincent. "Patrick, more people are arriving in the area. Most are currently at the domed base. They are beginning to spread out, it looks like the ground force is trying to form a perimeter." Isabella said. It was now night and the lights on the EVA suits could be seen easily as three crewmembers on the ground finally emerged from the pyramid. "Sarah, get ready on the laser. We will lead Vincent as far from the ground base as possible. Only three of them came out of the pyramid. Someone is missing. I doubt if these are soldiers on the ground, they are too disorganized. Don't try to hit anyone, scare them away from our landing area." Patrick said.
Emerging from the pyramid Vincent saw the Constellation hovering above.
He knew Patrick had spotted them when the Constellation began moving. He waved the others forward, and followed the ship.
Once the team on the ground was headed in the right direction Patrick brought the ship to a landing area. The area had only a few members of the ground force nearby. "Alright Sarah, get rid of these people. Our team will be here in about fifteen minutes." There were five people close enough to pose a possible threat to the Constellation and her crew. Sarah began firing in their direction. None of the personnel on the ground were interested in advancing after being fired upon. All of them retreated and Sarah only had to fire on two newcomers before the team arrived. The team was out of breath and tired when they boarded the Constellation. After Patrick was sure everyone was on board, the Constellation left the surface.
Vincent was still out of breath when he reached the command center. "What's going on Patrick?" he asked. "I believe the ship which destroyed the Avenger has arrived. It was spotted forty five minutes ago. At that time it was fifty minutes from the planet." Patrick replied. "So it's up there waiting for us now then. Patrick don't bring us out above Cydonia. Take us at least three thousand miles away." he said. "I've already thought of that, we will reach orbit a long way from Cydonia. Hopefully we’ll enter orbit a fair distance from the enemy ship." Patrick replied.
Lost Sols 1: Ancient Treasure Page 16
