Sounds of the Forgotten

by Rayne W Grath

  Kiya swirled around and backed up to put some distance between herself and the unknown man as she assessed his intentions. He seemed genuine enough but, even though he was clean shaven and had well-manicured light brown hair, it appeared he didn’t appreciate a person’s personal space. His deep voice and facial features reminded her of Aarik in a way, except he was a couple inches shorter, had more of a swimmer’s build, and slightly darker hair, more than likely from his lack of sun. Kiya considered him a looker but felt no tingles, butterflies, or connection to the man in front of her, like she did with the maddening doctor.

  “Oh, you scared me. I didn’t realize I was speaking out loud,” she explained and issued a small smile that she hoped portrayed the friend zone. Even though Aarik had annoyed her from the moment he opened his mouth. Kiya felt protective of him for some reason that she couldn’t put her finger on.

  “Sorry, someone bumped me at the last second. I had heard this was his first dig and when I overheard you talking, I thought you might know more about him. I didn't mean to get so close.” He reached for her hand as he introduced himself. “I’m Diego, it’s nice to meet you.”

  She grasped his hand and was disappointed at his limp handshake. Her grandpa never trusted anyone that couldn’t grab a hand like a real man and shake it properly, or someone that gave an opinion after eavesdropping for that matter. Kiya pulled her hand back and looked around the campsite. In an effort to hide her annoyance, Kiya was about to ask Diego if he had selected a tent when someone tapped her roughly on the shoulder.

  She turned around and was surprised to see that Aarik looked upset with her. He was probably uncomfortable that they would be working together. She hoped her apology would correct their working relationship, but before she could speak he said, “Listen I know we got off on the wrong foot earlier today, but I need you to be professional, seeing as we will be working together.” he said and held his hand out to her in what seemed like reluctance before adding, “Hi there, I’m Aarik, lead archaeologist around here. What’s your name and occupation?”

  Kiya was shocked and amazed at the audacity the man had to address her about professionalism, but needed to keep her temper in check if she intended to salvage their working relationship and play nice. She realized she had treated him a bit harshly earlier in the day, but thought his angry reaction was hardly rational. It looked like his smile was forced as he waited for her to reply.

  “I am absolutely positive I can be professional, Dr. Landon, let’s hope you can return the same courtesy,” she said and shook his hand. The connection she felt earlier from just being around him intensified at their touch. She broke the contact quickly and retorted, “My name is Kiya Brown, you can call me Ms. Brown if you like. I’m here as a research scientist for S&S Enterprises in the field of acoustic levitation,” she finished proudly. “My main focus will be studying the intact dolmen, and if everything works like I predict, I should be able to reverse engineer the broken dolmen.”

  “That’s a mighty big claim, Ms. Brown,” Aarik replied. “I’ve read some of the research that supports your work. Your contributions will hopefully prove fruitful. Who’s your friend?” he inclined his head toward Diego.

  Diego stepped forward and shook his hand in a feeble manner, “I can speak for myself, as we have only just met. I’d hate to be embarrassed if she didn't remember my name. My name is Diego, and I am also from S&S Enterprises. My role will be less glamorous of course, but I’ve been known to lift heavy objects and will be assisting Kiya, so it seems.” He spoke with authority even though he was trying to assume the role of a grunt.

  Kiya’s opinion of Aarik rose slightly when she saw him wipe his hand on his jeans from Diego’s floppy handshake. Aarik looked between Diego and herself briefly before he said, “Most of the heavy lifting is already done at the dolmen, I could really use your help at the main megalith, if you’re interested.”

  Kiya was relieved as she looked to Diego for his answer. “Sure, if that’s where you could use me. Unless, of course, Kiya would prefer my help?” questioned Diego, while he looked over at Kiya and raised his eyebrows in question.

  “I had no idea the company was sending anyone. I’m afraid it would be the blind leading the blind in my area, as I’ve never even been at an archaeological dig site before and wouldn’t be much help in directing you. This first day, all I’ll be doing is setting up my equipment, which I’ve done many times over but, if I need help later, I’ll be sure to keep you in mind, Diego,” she quickly responded.

  “It looks like you’ll be seeing me in the near future Dr. Landon, just need to throw my things in the tent.” Diego smiled at Kiya and said, “Let me know if you need any help,” before he nodded and walked away.

  Kiya expected Aarik to wander away as he met with the other crew members, but he hadn’t budged. “Well, I better go find my tent as well. Do you know if it is furnished, Dr. Landon? I wasn’t sure what to bring and need to know what all to unpack from my car.” she asked politely, trying to fill up the silence as he stared at her.

  “I haven’t seen them all, but mine came with an air mattress that sits on a cot, a small table, a sturdy lantern and a foldable camping chair. All you should need is sleeping gear and clothes and you’ll be set, Kiya. May I call you that? I’m not quite used to the whole doctor thing yet and much prefer to be on a first name basis with the people I work with,” he looked down at his feet before he looked up again and caught her staring.

  As soon as Aarik mentioned sleeping gear her brain instantly thought about what it would feel like to be lying next to him on a small cot and then realized with his size they wouldn’t fit side by side. Even with her dark coloring she felt her cheeks pinken. She almost missed the fact that he asked to use her first name. She liked the way it sounded in his deep timbered voice but was afraid of just how much she liked it.

  “You don’t think using our first names would be unprofessional? I wouldn’t want to upset our fragile working relationship, Dr. Landon,” she replied sweetly, as she turned and walked away from him.

  Aarik called after her, “Like I said earlier, I would much prefer it if everyone called me by my first name.” She looked over her shoulder at him as she entered the last tent available and smiled demurely at him before she closed the flap without answering him.

  Chapter Six

  Aarik

  Aarik watched the flap close on Kiya’s tent and smiled to himself when he realized their tents were side by side. He liked her fire and was drawn to her presence like a ship on the edge of a maelstrom. He shook his head and groaned when he recalled their conversation; what was supposed to be an apology instead came out like an accusation. He had no idea where the feeling of possessiveness or jealousy stemmed from, but hoped a long day of back-breaking work would break his mood. He needed to focus on his work and not on a frustrating, yet beautiful woman.

  Patience was a skill that Aarik felt was innate and not learned. From the moment he signed the contract with the Department of Homeland Security and was provided minimal knowledge on Project WEST, Aarik couldn’t wait to get his hands dirty. A coal sketch included in the government-supplied packet depicted a much larger chamber existed under the mountain and it would be Aarik’s job to uncover it. Aarik had waited for a moment like this since he was a boy. He brushed the medallion under his shirt briefly and wished for luck.

  Aarik looked around for the other guy he hadn’t met and spotted him near the command central tent. As Aarik approached the young man, a growing smile could be seen on his face. The kid couldn’t be much older than 18, but looked eager to get started. “Hi there, you know where you’re headed?” he said, while shaking the kid's hand.

  “No, sir. I mean, Dr. Landon, sir. My name is Lucas Traynor, my friends call me Luke,” Luke rambled on nervously, as he continued to shake Aarik’s hand. “The guy in the tent said I should talk to you, so I was looking for you.” Luke looked down at their hands and blushed as he let go quickly, and cleared his throat.
“Uh, sorry about that, I’m a bit nervous. You see, my uncle got me this job for the summer, says it would look good on my resume when I apply for college, and I don’t want you to think less of me for knowing the right person. You might know him, his name is Peter Thomas,” said Luke. “Anyways, I wanted to make sure you were aware that I completely agree in hard work. I grew up wanting to be Indiana Jones and will work hard to not disappoint you.”

  “Do you have any experience, Luke?” Aarik asked.

  “A little, sir. I talked my parents into sending me to Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, in Cortez, Colorado for one of their summer camp programs. I had the opportunity to learn excavation techniques, washing, cataloging and analyzing of artifacts. I plan on attending the same college as you for a degree in archaeology,” replied Luke honestly.

  “How old are you?” inquired Aarik gently.

  “I turn 18 on August 31, sir,” Luke answered nervously.

  “This job not only entails hard grunt work, with long hours and attention to detail, but intuition as well. I’m sure you won’t disappoint anyone if you are a man of your word, but only time will determine that. What I can tell you now though, kid, it’s not like the movies make it out to be. I have yet to find myself in the middle of booby traps or having to run for my life, but if you find pleasure in uncovering lost history or lost treasure, you could be in the right field,” he smiled down at Luke and squeezed his shoulder. “This career can also be helpful with the ladies, by the end of the summer, you’ll have a nice tan and a stronger build from all the hard work.”

  Luke chuckled and said. “I can’t wait to get started, where do you want me?”

  Aarik liked the kid instantly and figured he couldn’t get into too much trouble helping Kiya out, and told him “I have the perfect place for you, Luke. I’d like you to work at the dolmen site, helping out a lady by the name of Kiya. Don’t let her know I sent you, but I’d appreciate it if you’d keep an eye on her for me.” He felt guilty for pulling Diego from helping her and this was his small way of correcting his wrong.

  “I’d be more than happy to, Dr. Landon. How will I know who Kiya is?” Luke asked.

  “She’s a black-haired beauty and probably around your height.” Aarik cocked his head as he calculated, “I’m guessing 5’8”?”

  “Beauty, huh? Is she single?” joked Luke. Aarik’s temper rose at the joke and he reminded himself the kid was harmless. Besides, Kiya wasn’t his and he needed to start acting like it, but only after he made sure the kid was aware she wasn’t available.

  “Not for you, son, if you get my meaning,” he stared Luke down to ensure the kid knew he was serious.

  “I understand completely,” Luke winked and continued on, “It’d be my honor, Dr. Landon! I’ll head up right now and wait for her.” Luke trotted off after a quick salute.

  “What a disciplined kid” thought Aarik, as he watched Luke leave the campsite. He waited for Kiya to leave her tent before heading to his to gather his gear for the day. He picked up his water container and headed straight for the main chamber of the dig site.

  On his way to the chamber he thought about the two employees from S&S Enterprises and decided to hold off on calling Jones and Thomas for a report. At least until after he had a chance to get to know Kiya better and figured out what her employer was up to. He didn’t trust Diego in the least, maybe because he looked out of place with his clean-cut outfit, manicured hands, or his floppy handshake. He didn’t want to admit his distrust had anything to do with Kiya, but regardless he felt the guy warranted watching. Aarik wasn’t an expert in Kiya’s field and had only read a couple of articles on acoustic levitation in the past. He was aware of the progress made in levitating small objects like water droplets and small microchips, but nothing he had read indicated larger objects were being tested with any success.

  Aarik approached the entrance to the chamber, really just a crack in the wall, and turned on his headlamp before squeezing through to other side. He stopped after entering and looked around in amazement. The chamber was large and circular in formation with a cathedral ceiling that looked like it was held up by giant stone pillars carved directly out of the mountain. The pillars lined a walkway from the entrance that led to nothing but a stone wall. At first glance, he could find no other visible doorways. As his team filed into the room behind him, he walked down the dirt incline to the middle of the room on the floor, and when he reached one of the pillars he touched the surface in a moment of admiration. The pillars were massive in height and width, almost three stories high and maybe twenty feet in diameter.

  Flood waters from a glacial lake in Montana had partially filled the chamber with silt as it passed through. It wasn’t until a recent flash flood eroded enough of the entrance that it was discovered by hikers in 2016. They stumbled onto the chamber while in the area looking for the dolmen that had been posted on Facebook with a vague location. Their discovery was logged into the geographical information systems (GIS) database that researchers use to record data from around the world about archaeological sites that might garner interest from those with money.

  Most of the dirt and silt only reached midway into the chamber, so the back wall was visible. The outer wall, next to the entrance, would require the most work and would be where he had his team start. The chamber was carved out of the mountain with such precision that no stone age equipment ever documented would have been able to achieve the results with such accuracy. The granite stone walls were smooth with no evidence of any markings on the surface. Seams ran perpendicular to the floor every ten feet, but no gaps could be seen between the stone.

  Aarik pulled out the small spiral notebook from his back pocket, that he used for taking notes, and sketched a rough draft of the inside chamber. He didn't want to embellish anything later when trying to recall the details of what he had seen. He planned on using geophysic techniques and was bringing in a magnetometer the following week to map the levels of magnetism within the soil of the chamber. He noted that he should also consider using ground penetrating radar, so that he would know where to focus his efforts in finding a secret tunnel.

  He directed his crew to start a chain gain and picked up a shovel to show them how it was done. The crew moved sand, clay, and stone by shovel throughout the day and only stopped for necessities, like water, food, and bathroom breaks. The shovel loads were sifted using screens and the larger items were sorted in racks to be taken back to the main site for careful review before being eliminated or cataloged as items of interest.

  Aarik looked at the progress they had already made and congratulated everyone on a hard day’s work. He looked at his watch and decided to call it a day. “Good job, everyone. I think we are at a good stopping point, but we still have a lot to do before we can get to the meticulous work. Head on out and don’t be late for dinner. I plan on working you hard again tomorrow and you’ll need your strength.”

  The entrance would be completely cleared by the next day and he was proud of the way his muscles ached as he walked back to his tent. They had less than an hour to get washed up before dinner and he didn’t want to piss off Doris, the chef, she came highly recommended and proved her worth at lunch. He lived by a few rules when it came to people to befriend in workplaces, and the people that made your food were always at the top. Who knew what they might do to the food of the people that pissed them off!

  Aarik used the solar shower, to the right of his tent, that he had hung the day before and washed quickly. He was anxious to talk to Luke about how his day with Kiya went and hurried to get ready. When he arrived at the chow hall, Kiya and Luke were both missing. He had just come from the direction of her tent so he headed towards the dolmen to fetch them for dinner.

  Chapter Seven

  Kiya

  By the time Kiya finally reached the intact dolmen, her arms burned from carrying the load. She set the wood down against a few crates stacked next to the megalith and cursed herself silently for not accepting Diego’s help. She
took in the unique structure and looked on in fascination at the immense size and shape. The opening of the dolmen faced the mountainside at a forty-five degree angle and when she stepped inside, it had enough room to fit eight people comfortably.

  The stone pillars and capstone were made of granite and sparkled in the sun like glistening dew drops on the grass. She guessed the pillars weighed in excess of 60 tons each and supported the weight of a 100 ton capstone. The pillars were eroded slightly but only allowed minimal light to filter through each gap. Most of the dolmen was exposed and the few people assigned to her area were already on their knees with brushes. They worked meticulously to reveal the surface of the stones, in the hopes that they would uncover either hieroglyphs or petroglyphs that would give them an indication of when, and by whom, these ancient megaliths were built. Since stone has no way to be carbon dated and researchers are left to make assumptions from artifacts, geology and medieval writings when they add the find to their established timeline, these petroglyphs and hieroglyphs would be critical in the dolmen's correct chronological placement. She quit gawking and decided to get to work.

  Her name, written in bold letters, decorated the outside of the boxes just as promised by her mysterious contact, D.G., at S&S Enterprises. The crates felt a bit old school when she realized she would need a crowbar to open them. She took inventory of the land and picked out a spot for her gear before she headed back for tools. She turned around and squealed when a young kid appeared directly in her path. He stepped back and held his hands up before uttering an apology. “Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to scare you. It looked like you could use some help and I just happen to have a tool belt at my disposal,” he said in an apologetic voice, using one finger to point towards his belt.

  “Whew. Apology accepted, but please call me Kiya. Ma’am makes me feel old,” she paused and waited for him to introduce himself, but instead he only stared at her like a puppy dog, “I could call you my hero, unless you want to give me your real name,” she said with a smile, as she watched the kid blush before he looked away.