Lost Sols 1: Ancient Treasure (22 page)

“Modern humans have no idea what happened in the past. We’re growing as a species, but it’s becoming more obvious with each discovery we still have a long way to go. We consider ourselves advanced. After seeing what has been accomplished by other alien species we’re not advanced at all. We’re lucky we’ve made it this far with all the useless wars we’ve waged. We need to be smarter as a species if we are to develop relations with the truly advanced aliens we know are out there.” Monique said. “The wars we’ve waged have cost a lot of lives, but we’ve developed new technologies, and rid the Earth of some evil people. Hopefully it’s a phase any species must go through in order to advance. We wouldn’t be where we are today if the wars hadn’t taken place. Let’s keep looking at the walls. Maybe we’ll find the cipher or something just as interesting.” Vincent said.

Monique continued down the wall until she reached the end of the room. At the end of the room she found an open door which led to another room. “Vincent come take a look. There’s another chamber beyond this one.” she said. Vincent joined Monique and the two of them entered the second chamber. It was much like the chamber they had just come from. “More engraved walls. To properly research and uncover what is contained in these engravings we would need years and a team of one hundred people at least. I’m not seeing any images in this chamber. All of these engravings are useless unless we can find the cipher. This is getting frustrating.” Vincent said.

Dominic and Isabella didn’t discover anything else in the room where the power source had been discovered. After following the illuminated lines out three of the exits it was time to head back and meet Vincent. The three lines they had followed l
ed to more living quarters the Martians had been using in the underground city. “We better get going we don’t want to be late. I know Dalton is in a big hurry to get back out on the next trip. Everyone will want to know about the power source we found. If we can figure it out, maybe we can get everything reconnected somehow and unlock some of the Martian technology.” Isabella said.

In the far wall of the second chamber the engravings were different. “Vincent, I think this might be the cipher. The information on this wall looks like it’s formatted differently from everything else we’ve seen.” Monique said. “I think you’re right. I wish we would have found it before now. We need to get back. I wanted to have some time to take a crack at the cipher and to figure it out. I’ll tell
Dalton where to find it. He has more experience then me and will have a better chance of figuring it out anyway. At least we know where it is. Now we have a chance of deciphering the information contained in these chambers. Let’s start heading back. Dominic and Isabella are probably waiting for us by now.” he said.

When Vincent and Monique arrived Dominic and Isabella were waiting. “You won’t believe what we’ve found.” Dominic said. “At this point nothing would surprise me. We’ve found the
written history of the entire Martian civilization. Let’s get back to the ship and you can tell everyone what you found when we get there. I think it’s time we all compare notes. Dalton will be ready and waiting, let’s get moving.” Vincent said.

It had taken hours, but Hector finally had the first weapon the printer could produce. A virus had been found in the original software for the printer. He suspected it was planted by one of the terrorist organizations who were against terraforming Mars. New software from Earth had to be transmitted to get the printer to work properly. At last, he had a long range grenade launcher. The grenade launcher could be produced quickly and he would be able to begin arming members of his ground force with the weapon. After ten of the grenade launchers were produced, the printer would switch to missile launchers. He was three miles away from the perimeter when he received a report from the command post at Cydonia. Four people were on the surface and were headed back to the pyramid. Hector knew he probably wouldn’t make it in time. It would take him at least another five minutes to get into position
and another minute or two to arm and fire the grenade launcher. Just as he arrived at the perimeter he received another report. The crewmembers from the Constellation had returned to the pyramid and were out of range. Hector went back to the command post. He vowed the traitorous crewmembers had made their last trip outside the pyramid. He would be waiting the next time any of them went outside.

Vincent led his team back to the alien ship inside the pyramid.
Dalton was anxiously waiting. “Welcome back, we’re going to head out now.” Dalton said. “No you’re not. We need to have a quick meeting to discuss all of our most recent findings before you go. Besides, you’re going to want to hear what I’ve found. All the knowledge and experience you’ve gained in your career will be put to the test when you leave. You’ll be able to leave in about thirty minutes. Let’s go talk about our most recent discoveries first.” Vincent said.

Vincent gathered his crew and everyone shared what had been discovered so far.
Dalton was amazed at what Vincent had found. “After we unlock the cipher, we’ll know everything about the Martian civilization. We know they had a power grid, a transportation system, and had become space faring at some point. They were likely more advanced then we are now. Julia and I will begin working on unlocking the cipher as fast as we can. Patrick and Sarah will continue to explore and see what else there is to find. Unless there’s anything else, it’s time for us to get going. We need to use the time we have to find out as much as we can about the Martians. We might be late if I need additional time to work on the cipher.” Dalton said. “I won’t worry if you’re late this time. I don’t have anything else. I want to get some rest and get back out there myself. Good luck Dalton. The history of an entire world is waiting to be uncovered.” Vincent said. “Thank you Vincent, I’ll do my best to unlock the cipher. Unfortunately these things take time.” Dalton said as he got up and led his team out of the ship. Dalton made sure he had enough paper and ink to write down everything he could possibly learn.

It was night and Hector was waiting patiently on the perimeter of the dead zone. He received a report from one of his spotters. There were people leaving the pyramid again. He looked through the scope of the grenade launcher and saw the four spheres of light in the darkness. The four people leaving the pyramid were in his sights. He took aim and fired. The grenade exploded well behind his intended target. At first he didn’t understand, and then realized the settings on the launcher were for Earth gravity conditions. He didn’t have time to do the math and figure out what the correct settings should be for Mars. He simply adjusted the angle and continued to fire as quickly as possible.

Julia and Sarah were discussing the inscribed walls Vincent had found as they walked toward the underground entrance. Suddenly an explosion rocked the area behind them. The two of them froze for a few seconds and began to head back toward the pyramid. Knowing they were under fire, they ran as fast as possible. Dalton and Patrick were ten yards away and were turning toward the pyramid as well. Three quick explosions went off between the team and the pyramid. “Quick get to the underground entrance, they’ve cut us off.” Dalton yelled as he began running toward the lost city. Dalton stopped briefly and tried to return fire with the handgun. He could barely make out the people on the perimeter and knew he had no realistic chance of hitting anyone. He put the gun away and began running with the rest of his team. The team was running for the shelter of the underground. Dalton didn’t think any of his team would make it as the explosions rained down all around. Just as they reached the entrance Sarah was hit and went down. Her right leg was bleeding heavily and she was unable to get up. Patrick picked her up and dragged her into the entrance.

Sarah’s leg was mangled below the knee. Bone was protruding out of her skin and she was losing blood quickly.
Dalton took off his belt and made a tourniquet above her knee as she screamed in pain. Patrick took off his shirt and wrapped it around the wound as best he could. “How are we going to get back? We need to get back quickly and get her medical attention.” Julia said. “We don’t have any medical supplies inside the pyramid. I’m not sure if getting her back to the pyramid will even help. At the moment we’re trapped.” Dalton said. “There has to be something on the alien ship which can help her. We need to get her back now.” Julia said. “The second we stick our heads out of the entrance we’ll be blown up. We were lucky we made it inside as it is. We need to get her bleeding stopped and see if we can find another exit. If we can find another exit closer to the pyramid we might have a chance.” Patrick said. “Patrick, go see if you can find a different exit closer to the pyramid. Julia, you stay with Sarah and see what you can do for her. I’m going to go and take a crack at the cipher.” Dalton said. “No you’re not Dalton. The cipher is no longer a priority. We have to work together and get Sarah back to the ship. We don’t have time to try and unlock the cipher now. I’m sorry Dalton, but the longer we wait the more organized our enemy will become. If we wait too long we might not be able to make it back to the pyramid at all.” Patrick said. “He’s right Dalton, we need to get out of here and get Sarah some help. She could die if we don’t act quickly.” Julia said.

Dalton
knew Julia and Patrick were right. He wanted so much to see the gold chambers and to unlock the secrets of the Martian civilization. He could see it all slipping through his fingers. As soon as they made it back to the ship Vincent would insist on leaving due to the new danger. “You’re right of course. Let’s head to the pneumatic tunnels and see if we can find an exit closer to the pyramid Patrick. We’ll come get you and Sarah as soon as we find an exit.” Dalton said to Julia.

Patrick and
Dalton took off in the direction of the tunnels. “I hope they find an exit. I don’t want to die on Mars.” Sarah said between clenched teeth as she tried to cope with the pain in her leg. “Your bleeding has almost stopped. I’m going to tighten the tourniquet a little more. For now I think you’re out of immediate danger. You’re going to lose your leg below the knee. It’s something you need to prepare for.” Julia said. “I can deal with losing part of my leg. Amputees can live a normal life these days with the advancements we’ve made in prosthetics. I wonder if Vincent will try to come for us?” Sarah asked. “He might not have even heard the explosions. He’s inside the ship asleep deep inside the pyramid. It looks like we’re going to have to get out of this situation on our own.” Julia said.

Patrick and
Dalton arrived at the pneumatic tunnel. “I’ve lost my way down here. Do you know which way we should go?” Dalton asked. “We need to go left. The pyramid is in that direction. Let’s get moving, the ground force is likely getting reinforcements and more weapons.” Patrick said. After traveling a couple of hundred yards the tunnel began turning to the right and Patrick saw what appeared to be a passageway which had been caved in. “Dalton, this might be what we’ve been looking for. If we can clear this passageway we might be able to make it to the surface.” he said as he began moving rocks and sand from the passageway. “It looks promising.” Dalton said as he began removing debris.

After working tirelessly for an hour the passageway was clear. “It’s just like the first one we found. I hope we have access to the surface.”
Dalton said. Patrick climbed up the passageway and found the same metallic lid which had been found at the original entrance. He put as much of his weight into the lift as he could, and tried to push the metallic lid off. It wouldn’t move. Patrick slammed his fists against it. “Damn it. Too much sand has piled up on top of this location. This lid might not ever move.” he said. “Let’s not give up yet, I’ll squeeze in next to you, and we’ll see if we can get it off together.” Dalton said as he climbed up. Pushing as hard as they possibly could the two of them were able to push the lid to the right by a couple of inches. Sand immediately began flowing into the passageway. “The sand will flow in just like in an hourglass. In a few minutes all the weight will be gone and we’ll have access to the surface.” Dalton said. The sand slowed and finally stopped. “Let’s see where we are. Hopefully the pyramid isn’t too far away.” Patrick said as he slid the lid off. Patrick carefully poked his head above the surface. The exit was surrounded by small hills, and the pyramid was only about twenty yards away. He couldn’t see the ground force at the perimeter, which meant they couldn’t see him either. He climbed back down. “It’s as good as we could have possibly expected. We’re close to the pyramid and we won’t be seen until we’re just a few feet from the entrance. Small hills will hide us from the ground force when we first emerge. Let’s go get the girls. Hopefully we can do more for Sarah when we get back inside.” he said.

Julia was getting worried. Sarah had been unconscious for half an hour and her pulse was getting weak. If she didn’t get proper medical attention soon she wouldn’t make it. She was about to go look for
Dalton and Patrick when she heard them coming down the passageway. “I hope you’ve found an exit. Sarah is unconscious and getting worse. We need to get her out of here now, even if we have to go out the way we came in.” Julia said. “We’ve found an exit, let’s pick her up and carry her back.” Dalton said.

Hector had been practicing with the grenade launcher. He now had five other men practicing alongside him. The launchers were easy to use once he had m
ade the proper adjustments for martian gravity. His men were improving with each shot and he felt confident he would kill the four people on the surface when they emerged from their hiding spot. One of them might already be dead. After watching the video he noticed one had been hit. He and his men had just completed another practice session and were back at the perimeter waiting for the traitors to emerge with their wounded comrade. He had assigned a spotter to each member of his team who had been issued a launcher. “Sir we have activity in a new location. They’ve emerged right next to the pyramid and will enter in seconds if we don’t stop them. They’re carrying an injured person.” his spotter said. Hector raised the launcher, took aim, and fired just as his targets were entering the pyramid. The shot was on target and Hector watched as a cloud of dust rose from the base of the pyramid. Four other explosions rocked the base of the pyramid in quick succession. “I think we got them this time. Send me a copy of the video as soon as possible.” he said to the spotter.

“Holy shit that was close. We won’t be leaving any time soon.” Julia said as the entrance collapsed behind them in cloud of dust and smoke.
Dalton and his team carried Sarah down the passageway and back to the ship.

During her recovery time
Sandy had been learning what she could about the alien ship. At first she had explored every nook and cranny. Lately she had been spending her time in the control center asking the computer questions and trying to figure out how to fly the ship. She was especially interested in the weapons systems. After consulting with the computer and identifying the proper controls she felt confident she would be able to target and destroy any ship which might threaten them. Vincent believed the ship was invulnerable, but she wouldn’t be taking any chances.

Vincent had been awake for five minutes when Dominic told him
Dalton and his team was back inside the pyramid. “They’re approaching the ship. It looks like they’re carrying something or someone.” He said. “Are you sure Dominic? Dalton and is team aren’t due back for another couple of hours.” Vincent asked. Dominic was looking out one of the viewports. “We better go help it looks like someone is injured.” he said. Vincent met Dalton at the hatch. “What happened? Is Sarah alive?” he asked. “The ground force has some new weapons. Sarah was hit. She’s alive but has lost a lot of blood. We need to get her medical attention quickly.” Dalton said. Sandy appeared and helped the others gently place Sarah on the floor. “While I was exploring the ship I think I found what might be a medical center. Let’s bring her there and see if we can find some medical supplies we can use.” Sandy said as she helped pick up Sarah again.

Sarah was brought to the room
Sandy had found. Vincent thought the computer might be able to help. “Computer, we have an injured human female. Is there equipment on this ship we can use to repair her injuries?” he asked. “Place the injured female in the regeneration chamber.” the computer replied as a wall opened and a small chamber slid out. Vincent, Dominic, and Patrick placed Sarah in the chamber. A few seconds later a translucent lid closed over the top of the chamber. “Computer, can you give a diagnosis of the injuries to the female?” Vincent asked. “The female has suffered trauma, broken bones, and has lost blood. Repairs are estimated to take eleven hours.” the computer replied. “Computer, will the appendage be fully repaired?” Vincent asked. “The appendage will be fully repaired and will be fully functional provided the female is left inside the regeneration chamber.” the computer said.