“I guess I’m the guinea pig then,” she said and shrugged her shoulders as she looked at the men, refusing to apologize for her comment.
Aarik sent Tanner to get the harness as Ivan and Phil studied the clamping mechanisms, taking measurements and recordings while they waited. Cooper, Luke and Aarik combined their ropes and carabiners to produce a makeshift pulley system that was supposed to make Kiya feel better when she climbed aboard a supposed 10,000 year old contraption. Tanner didn’t take long, as he appeared in the entryway hardly affected by his sprint, whereas Mark, who had left much earlier, trailed behind him with sweat trailing down his reddened chubby face.
“Perfect timing, guys! Mark, you got anything?” Aarik asked, as Tanner handed over the harnesses and stepped back to get out of the way.
“Nothing in here at all, but it seems to be just this room. Both instruments pick up the normal radioactivity we see on a daily basis everywhere else, but the moment I walk into this room, nothing. I still have power, but the dial is flat,” Mark replied, breathless with amazement.
“Interesting. In your opinion, are we safe?” Aarik inquired.
“I think so. I always carry a personal radiation tag, and I’m still in the green,” Mark said, pulling back his flannel to reveal a radiation badge hanging from his belt loop with a smile on his face.
Aarik looked down at something hanging from his belt loop, shook his head before he turned to Kiya and motioned her closer, “Do you trust me?” he said quietly, when she stood close enough that no one else would be able to hear.
She gave him a small smile and said, “Surprisingly enough, I do. Let’s get this over with before I change my mind.” She reached out to take the harness from Aarik, but he shook his head and pulled it back.
“Let me help you, there’s not much room to move around up here, and I said I’d keep you safe, and I meant it. I promise to be strictly professional,” he said intensely, holding the harness out for her to step into.
She was about to argue with him about being able to do it herself but decided he had a point. Her nerves were shot and having a steady hand on her shoulder would give her a false sense of security. “Make sure you have very little slack when I step onto that thing,” she said fiercely, hoping to hide the fact that she was scared to death.
“I promise,” Aarik said, and held up his fingers like a boy scout.
Luke piped up, “I’ll supervise and step in to be the hero if needed,” he joked.
“Ahh, thanks, bud,” Kiya purred back and almost laughed until she saw Aarik’s reaction. She distracted him by placing her hand on his shoulder while she stepped into the harness and wiggled her hips as she pulled it up. He stared down into her eyes as he tightened and adjusted her straps. Connecting the carabiners to her harness, he took up the slack and nodded toward the ship with giddiness.
“Here goes nothing,” she said around the lump in her throat. Kiya lifted her foot onto the craft and tried her weight before climbing aboard. She expected the ancient metal to groan or creak under her weight and turned around too quickly to look back at Aarik, tripping on the rope around her leg and landing in the seat abruptly. She laughed out loud when she realized she was okay and looked up into the faces of the panicked men who had no time to react to her clumsiness. “I’m okay. Obviously this thing can support my weight and unintentional jarring. Anyone else want to give it a try?” she asked, struggling to get up without entangling herself further.
“I’m glad you’re okay, but stop moving. Give me your hand,” Aarik said, as he stepped onto the craft, stuck out his hand and reached for Kiya, as Luke and Cooper came up from behind to hold him.
“You’re supposed to be spotting me. How will you do that with only one foot on stable ground?” she said jokingly, looking up at him.
“Just grab my hand, please. You said yourself that it seems stable. Besides, I’m afraid you’re going to mess something up squirming around in there like that,” he said harshly.
“Wow, nothing like the truth to slap a girl in the face, and here I thought you were concerned for my safety,” she snapped back, and grabbed his hand reluctantly.
He pulled her easily out of the craft and gently set her down in front of him. He raised his hand towards her face like he meant to caress her cheek, but stopped midway and lowered his hand quickly when he heard Luke snickering behind them. Kiya stepped back, cleared her throat and tried to pretend she was interested in removing her harness while she hid her growing smile.
She could hear Luke humming the kissing song as he walked away with the rest of the guys. The whole crew rushed from the room like they had walked in on their parents in the middle of an argument and wanted to avoid involvement.
Kiya wanted to stay mad at him, but he made it hard with his consistent pursuit and devastatingly good looks. She struggled with the straps a bit longer before she gained enough courage to look up at him, and barely managed to contain herself when she saw the same need she felt mirrored in his eyes. Hoping to prolong the inevitable, she averted her eyes and said, “I’m stuck.”
“Is that your way of asking for help?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in a teasing manner.
The comment surprised her, she had expected something along the lines of flirtatious comments and scandalous brushes along her skin when he helped her remove the contraption, she was now beginning to regret putting it on, as it rubbed against her nether region whenever she moved. She recognized his words for the retreat he offered and decided now wasn’t the time to explore this insane attraction. “Where are my manners? Feeling a little claustrophobic over here, could you please help me out of this thing?” she said with reluctance, and watched as he too tried to shake off their interaction like it had no affect on him at all.
“Of course, why didn’t you say something sooner,” he said, and ducked as she swung to smack his arm. “Hey, careful. We are still connected and if I fall, so will you.”
Kiya looked down then back up before she said, “Oops, my bad.” When the clasp clicked open she scrambled out of the harness and dropped it to the floor with gratitude. “Thanks, Aarik. I’m gonna head back and get my equipment secured before dinner. Perhaps we can talk when I get back.”
“Back? Back from where?” he said, as he trailed behind her barely making it past the fallen crystals.
“I’m heading home for a few hours to visit my Grams. Shouldn’t be gone more than a few hours, four at the most, I’ll have to drive extra slow at night on that washboard road with my poor car,” she replied, as she turned the corner and headed up the ramp towards Taylor.
“Why do you have to leave at all? I didn’t realize you were so close, you said you weren’t a local when I asked you out for drinks the night we first met,” he asked, when he reached her side, and nodded to Taylor as he followed her out.
“My family's land is a little over an hour away, so I technically didn’t lie when I said I wasn’t a local. My Grams doesn’t believe in cell phones and after Gramps died, I like being able to check in with her from time to time. It was part of the reason I came home after school and wanted to find local work,” she replied, hoping she satisfied his curiosity and he would stop pestering her for more information she wasn’t ready to provide.
Of course he wasn’t satisfied with her response when he opened his mouth and said, “Is your grandma ill? Do you need any help?”
“Perfectly healthy, but not quite as spry as she used to be. But, thank you for asking. I don’t need any help though. Honestly, my grandma would be too much for you to handle and besides that I wouldn’t want to have to try and explain our business relationship. She would be like a dog with a bone and wouldn’t believe a business associate I just met would want to meet her for no other reason but to be helpful to her granddaughter. I wouldn’t put it past her to start planning our future marriage,” she said, in the hopes he would withdraw his offer without realizing she was making half of it up.
“You said it would take you longer to make
the trip with your car, I have a Jeep if you change your mind. I’m not afraid of your grandma, older women love my gentlemanly ways,” he said and winked down at her before adding, “Besides, how are we supposed to discuss your testing schedule if you get back late?”
“You have a point, but our discussion shouldn’t require hours of negotiation. I’ll be back before 2100. Will you be asleep by then?” she teased back.
“Ha. You make it sound like I’m an old guy. You chastised me earlier for asking your weight, so I won’t make the same mistake again, but I don’t think I’m much older than you, princess. I’ll be awake. If I’m not in my tent, I’ll be up at command central, reviewing footage with Taylor and filling out paperwork,” he replied in mock defeat.
“I’ll find you,” she said and stopped when they reached the trail that would separate them. “Maybe I’ll see Diego in town, checked into a hotel when I pass through.” she half joked, before she walked towards her gear.
“That would make sense. He seemed out of place out here in the wild, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he checked in, just for a shower, when he headed out for a better signal,” replied Aarik seriously. “Drive safely, Kiya,” he said, before he continued on towards the campground.
She followed his movements for awhile before she hurried to pack up her precious equipment and lock up her laptop before she headed out to confront her Grams.
Chapter Fourteen
Aarik
As he headed back to camp, Aarik was torn between feeling relieved she didn’t take him up on his offer of driving and bummed she didn’t want his company. He had plenty to keep him occupied until she returned and needed to call Jones before he got too carried away in deciphering his medallion. Between the three archways, his medallion, and the photocopies, he was hopeful they had enough to make an accurate translation. He just knew the moment he laid eyes on the pictures, this job would bring him the answers he had sought after his whole life. He grabbed his duffel bag from his tent and headed to the shower. He dialed Jones and didn’t have to wait long before he answered, “About time. You were instructed to call the moment you found something,” Jones spit out without even a hello.
“Hello to you too, Jones. I’m calling you now so don’t get your panties in a twist. After that kind of a greeting, I can only assume someone already reported what we found today?” Aarik said in annoyance. What was the point of having him in charge if they had eyes and ears on the ground? They could leave him to do his real job, instead of feeling like he was a puppet in some secret government cover up.
“Yes, Mark called us around 1400. You can imagine my surprise to find out you had validated our suspicions earlier in the day and had yet to call,” replied Jones.
“I figured since you already had evidence of chambers existing under the mountain, it wasn’t something you needed validated. As soon as we left the craft room this afternoon and I had a proper signal you were the first thing on my mind. If you want, I can have Mark call you once an hour with updates?” he fired back, tucking his cell phone into his shoulder he dropped his duffel bag on the ground, near his walled off shower area and dug around for his towel and toiletry bag.
“That’s a wonderful idea, except for the fact that I’m paying you to do that, but I’ll let him know of your expectations. That doesn’t mean you get off on giving us a report when things of importance are found,” Jones said in a smug voice. “Even though I know about the craft, what else can you tell me?”
“There’s a total of three, two untouched for millennia while the other appears to be damaged from a cave in. Phil was working on collecting a sample when I came outside, so we should know the metal composition by the end of next week if we’re lucky. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. The silvered metal was cold to the touch and blended into the gold top of the craft as if they were one. It almost looked painted it was so well done. The bay-like area where we found them could hold twenty craft altogether. The first hallway we explored was living quarters of some type. Besides the craftsmanship, some old metal cooking pots, and a single pillow, it didn’t provide many leads. We were only able to gain access to two corridors because of a cave in. I’ll need more men if you want me to break through before the end of the month,” Aarik added with satisfaction, standing up after finding his stuff and tucking it under his arm, impatiently staring at the shower with longing.
“You’ll have your men by Thursday at the latest. Don’t be surprised when someone shows up to collect your treasures. The government can’t afford for this secret to be exposed just yet,” Jones said rudely.
“Afraid that’s not possible yet. We haven’t figured out how to release them from the clamps holding them, but you’ll be the first person notified when we do,” he retorted quickly, wishing he could see Jones’ face at his statement.
“Mark mentioned the chamber was opened by sound?” questioned Jones, ignoring Aarik’s claim.
“The other company, S&S Enterprises hired an acoustic levitation scientist and during her first test run, the massive stone blocking the tunnel moved. I’m set to meet with her tonight to discuss specifics, and planned on giving you an update after I had more information. I believe her contribution to this project will be helpful. I have my doubts about her co-worker, Diego, on the other hand, I found him wandering around mischievously the first night we were here and he left shortly after the original discovery to make a phone call and has yet to be seen,“ Aarik replied carefully, hoping he created enough separation between Diego and Kiya in his suspicions.
“I’m beginning to feel like you’re keeping things from me. I shouldn’t have to drag things out of you like this. Thomas will look into the company and this Diego fellow a little more. I’ll give you two weeks, Dr. Landon. If you haven’t figured out how to release them by then, I’ll send in a team to remove the crafts and the clamps holding them by force if necessary. Do we have an understanding?” Jones answered without missing a beat.
“Crystal clear understanding. Landon out,” he said, ending the call abruptly, with satisfaction, before Jones had the chance to do the same. He didn’t want his new treasures to be spirited away by “the man” never to be seen again, without having the proper time to study it first. He needed to figure out a way to stall them if necessary, because he’d be damned if he let that craft out of his sight before he was able to connect all of the dots. He’d have to keep in mind of who was around when he worked on the craft next time, he didn’t want to accidentally turn it on before he was ready.
Thankful to have finished the call before his shower, he felt like he was washing the guilt of keeping such a major break through from his colleagues away, as he scrubbed his skin roughly before turning the water back on for a quick rinse. His medallion was one thing to keep secret but a whole culture or underground village with astounding technology was a hard pill to swallow. He wasn’t sure how he would look his colleagues in the eye the next time they were in the same room if he was forced to keep it a secret. Grateful Taylor was someone he could confide in, he finished rinsing off and dressed quickly, hoping to find Taylor at the chow hall.
Taylor was huddled over his notebook in the far corner, when he entered the tent, oblivious to those around him as he stuffed food in his mouth haphazardly while he poured over his notes. Aarik loaded up his plate with succulent Tikka Masala and Naan Bread before he headed over to Taylor’s table. He was excited to find out if they had the means to translate his medallion. “Tell me you have good news, man,” he said quietly as he sat down.
“Between the five we have in our possession I have worked out a crude alphabet. At first, I thought I was completely off but after your last discovery I’m not so sure,” Taylor whispered, as he turned his notebook around and pointed towards his notes.
Aarik peered down at the familiar cuneiform script from his medallion scribbled in Taylor’s perfect penmanship but was electrified when he saw the translation below in English, TERRA JUMP. He touched the medallion reverently
under his shirt and looked up at Taylor with intensity. They needed to keep this to themselves and sneak off later to put his theory to the test. Closing the notebook with a calmness he didn’t feel, “Amazing! I envy your ability to draw. I’ll be in the command tent after dinner if you want to stop by and give me your report,” he said hoping Taylor would catch on to their need for secrecy and play along with ignorance.
“Sure no problem. Cooper has a lot of pictures and videos to download, so I’ll meet you there in fifteen,” Taylor said without missing a beat. Aarik knew there was a reason they were best friends. He was the type of friend that asked questions later, most of the time, and only voiced words of caution when he knew Aarik would come to regret his choices.
“Make it twenty. This meal deserves respect by not rushing it down my gullet; and seconds of course, maybe thirds,” he said, digging into his meal with enthusiasm.
“You and your stomach, Aarik. You’d think with the amount of adrenaline pumping through your body today, food would be the last thing on your mind,” said Taylor teasingly, as he got up and gathered his things before leaving.
Dinner had just the right amount of spice. Licking his lips, he looked around for Doris, intending to praise her cooking, when he spotted her recruiting poor Luke to do the dishes. Not wanting his own chore assigned, he snuck out like a coward to meet up with Taylor. The longer he thought about his medallion, the more he knew it would fit the circular notch on the console of the craft perfectly. If Taylor’s translation was accurate, he could have the key in his possession that would change history forever. Aarik opened the flap of the tent and was disappointed to find Cooper still inside with Taylor when he arrived.
“Ahh, Cooper. Quite a day, wouldn’t you say?” he commented, looking over at Taylor who stood behind Cooper and mouthed the word “sorry” as he shrugged.
“I’d say. Never thought I would be a part of finding something people thought only existed in myths and stories,” he smiled, and reached over to grab Taylor’s notebook, “I’ll scan in your notes if you want, I’m already here.”
Sounds of the Forgotten Page 9
