Ancient Arrow Book, chapter 5

INITIAL CONTACT

As it is my nature to be seven-fold, there are seven universes that comprise my body. Within each of these, a species of a particular DNA template is cast forth and is nurtured by Source Intelligence to explore its material universe. Each of these species is sent forth from the Central Race into the universe that was created to unveil its potential and seed vision. Your species will converge with six other species in a distant future that will reunite my body as the living extension of known creation. While this may seem so distant as to have no relevance to your time, it is vital for you to understand the scope of your purpose. You can think of these seven species as the limbs of my body rejoined to enable me/us total functionality within the grand universe. This is my purpose and therefore your own as well. - An Excerpt from Tributary Zones, Decoded from Chamber 22 WingMakers

Very few people in the mysterious world of Fifteen made him uneasy, but Darius McGavin was one of them. McGavin was the director of the NSA's Special Projects Laboratory. Ostensibly, McGavin masqueraded as Fifteen's supervisor because the ACIO had been established as an unacknowledged department of the Special Projects Laboratory when UFO activity became an imperative in the late 1940s. Technically, Fifteen reported to McGavin.

Fifteen's stealth and intellect were so refined that McGavin was completely unaware of the real scope of the ACIO, its true mission and objectives, or the existence of the Labyrinth Group and its TTP with the Corteum. It was truly a masterful cover-up considering the paranoia and technological prowess of the NSA.

But what really disturbed Fifteen was that McGavin was making an unscheduled, short-notice visit, which could only mean one thing: a serious problem was underfoot. Very often these serious problems were rumors about the ACIO's clandestine initiatives with the military industrial complex, or private sector, industry partners.

Fifteen found these short-notice visits a supreme annoyance. McGavin was arrogant, and splendidly ill informed; a combination that Fifteen could only tolerate in small doses. He had already arranged a series of urgent meetings surrounding his obligatory meeting with McGavin. If he were lucky, McGavin would be back enroute to Virginia in a mere 30 minutes.

It was 1100 hours when the knock on his door reminded him to look chipper and smile like a party host. His back spasms were attacking him more than usual, but he never used painkillers or any kind of medical aid. He ambled over to the door with his white cane, rehearsing his smile one last time.

"Darius, how good to see you."

"Good to see you as well." McGavin replied. "What's with the cane? You're not actually getting old are you?" He snickered as he walked by Fifteen to seat himself at his small, desk-side table. McGavin set his briefcase down and gathered himself in the waiting chair, running his hands over his hairless head as if some phantom hair still remained.

"I'm just having a few back spasms the past few weeks. The cane, well, it's just for sympathy." He smiled politely, just as he had practiced.

McGavin was a rare combination of technical genius and political astuteness. Graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1975 top in his class, he went on to MIT, graduating with a mechanical engineering degree, and then adding an advanced degree in quantum physics from Yale. He was the perfect student, blessed with the ability to study the professor's biases, and reflect them like a newly polished mirror. The NSA recruited him when he was only 23 years old and fast-tracked his career into the SPL.

In just eleven years, he became its director. Fifteen had already been the Executive Director of the ACIO for 18 years when McGavin took the reins at the SPL. Fifteen could barely stomach the charade of being a subordinate to the indolent youngster, as he often referred to McGavin within the Labyrinth Group.

"So tell me the nature of your visit," Fifteen intoned as he eased himself into his chair. His voice resonated with such absolute confidence that McGavin instantly shifted in his chair like a schoolboy called into the principal's office.

"Actually, I was hoping you could help me understand what these are?" McGavin opened a small, glass vial, which contained a small electronic device about the size and general shape of a thimble. Fifteen instantly recognized it as one of the ACIO's phone tap technologies they used for setting up their Listening Fences.

Fifteen put his bifocals on, picked up the device with his hand and examined it closely. "Looks like a wire tap to me. I could have one of our electronics people take an internal scan -- "

"Two curious things have occurred this week that don't add up." McGavin's face took on a serious cast and his voice fell to a whisper.

"First, a Professor from the University of New Mexico has sworn in an affidavit that he was intimidated by the NSA to turn over an unusual artifact discovered only days ago by some student hikers. Secondly, we have evidence that two ACIO missions were launched to New Mexico -- only a few miles from the discovery point of this artifact -- in the past four days. One as recently as yesterday."

McGavin paused, taking inventory of Fifteen's body language, looking for any clues to embroider his analysis. Fifteen remained motionless in all respects, waiting for McGavin to continue his story.

"And then this morning our agents, in an attempt to corroborate this Professor's claim, did a routine sweep of his home and office. We found seven of these devices. They look similar to our own surveillance devices, but they're more sophisticated, according to our electronics people."

"And you thought the coincidence of an ACIO mission to New Mexico and this Professor's sworn affidavit were irreconcilable. Right?" Fifteen had a pained expression on his face.

McGavin nodded. "Look, just tell me what's going on. You damn well know that you have to report your activities or I'm forced to assume you've gone rogue. You know the protocol under those circumstances. So just tell me straight out, what the fuck is going on?"

Fifteen pushed back his chair and stood up awkwardly. With cane in hand, he shuffled over to his desk and took out a large file folder. He plopped it on the table in front of McGavin. "Here's everything I know."

McGavin opened up the file and began to scan several documents. "You can't probe it?"

"We can't get anything out of the damn thing. It's a sealed technology. So tight we're completely perplexed. We sent two scientific teams to the general area hoping to find something else."

"And...?"

"Nothing so far," Fifteen replied.

McGavin's eyes turned again to the file documents. "Why didn't you report this?"

"There was nothing noteworthy to report. We're only four days into our investigation -- "

"Four days is a long time my friend. In this business, it can be a lifetime." McGavin set the file down. His fingers were nervously fidgeting with the plastic tab that read, ANCIENT ARROW.

"So you have an alien artifact, a project name, you've sent this professor into major panic, you wiretap his office and home, but you don't think you have anything noteworthy to share with me."

Fifteen listened intently. He restored the concerned look on his face, and painfully gathered himself into his chair. "I know you'd prefer more instant communication, but we have nothing to report -- "

"You have a fucking alien technology! Now I'm not the expert about these technologies that you are, but if you can't probe this thing, then it's damn sophisticated. For all you know, it's a weapon or probe of some kind. The operating protocol states that any evidence of an alien technology must immediately be communicated with SPL. You know this as clearly as I do."

McGavin lowered his voice. "You know I have to set-up an investigation. It smells like a cover-up. I don't want to waste my time and energy investigating the most productive laboratory in the NSA's holdings. It's a fucking waste. But I have no choice."

"I completely understand," Fifteen said. "While it's an inconvenience, we'll cooperate in every way we can."

"You can start by having Evans contact Denise Shorter and arranging to have a shadow agent assigned to the Ancient Arrow Project. We'll keep the communication loops open if we're involved in the project."

"Of course. He'll contact her tomorrow."

"No, today. I don't want any more delays in communication."

"Evans is on a field assignment until tomorrow. He's without secure communication -- "

"Then have Jenkins make the arrangements," McGavin replied. "I don't give a shit who calls Shorter, just get it done immediately.

"Look, I'm well aware of all the rumors surrounding this fiefdom you've built. I know you like to play games, and I know you have powerful allies. But don't fuck with me. Just communicate through standard channels. If you're too busy, then Li-Ching can do it for you. I don't care who performs the communication. I just want to have confidence that when you put a project name on a file folder that you'll send a duplicate file to my office within minutes. Not hours. Minutes. Understood?"

"Completely."

"And one more thing -- "

A knock on the door interrupted McGavin.

"Yes," came Fifteen's voice.

The door opened slowly and a man poked his head into the office. "I apologize for the interruption, sir, but your next appointment is here. In which conference room would you like them to await you?"

"We were just finishing up," Fifteen said, "let's use the Hylo Room."

"Thank you, sir."

The door closed without a sound.

"You were saying...?" Fifteen reminded.

"What's so special about this artifact?"

"We don't know if anything is special about it. It may turn out that this thing is truly a sealed technology, which would be a shame, but nonetheless, if we can't probe it, there's not much we can do but place it in storage and wait until we have the technology to probe it.

"I noticed you had nothing in the file about RV analyses. I assume you'll do an RV."

"Yes, of course."

"I'd like to see the RePlay tapes when you have them."

"Of course."

McGavin looked around the spacious office as if he were stalling. Fifteen knew that he was annoyed by the fact that another appointment had been scheduled so close to his own. "I will fry your ass if I find anything that looks even remotely suspicious about this project. You might think that you're well beyond the reach of my powers, but let me remind you that your budget has my signature on it. Don't fuck with me."

With that, McGavin stood up and opened his briefcase. "I assume I can take this with me?" He held the file folder that Fifteen had given him to read.

"Of course."

"I'll call Shorter in thirty minutes," McGavin said. "I trust she'll have spoken with Jenkins by then."

McGavin closed his briefcase, returned his chair to its previous position, and walked to the door, escorted by Fifteen. McGavin put his hand on the doorknob, stopped short of opening the door, and looked directly into Fifteen's eyes. "Octavio, I have doubts about your motives and your operation. And these doubts... they trouble me. And when I'm troubled, I get paranoid. And this paranoia... it makes me ruthless."

"What're you trying to say?" Fifteen asked innocently.

"I can make your life a living hell if I can't trust you."

"You now know as much as I do about the Ancient Arrow Project," Fifteen calmly replied. "We'll all do a better job of keeping you informed. We just didn't think we had anything worthy of distracting you. I see now that we miscalculated. It won't happen again. I assure you."

"Pray that it doesn't."

The two shook hands and bid each other a good day.

Fifteen closed his office door. He laid his cane on the table and sat down in the same chair that McGavin had sat in moments earlier. He closed his eyes. His face completely relaxed. His hands went underneath the table and pulled out a small, black object. Fifteen leaned closer to inspect the device, and slowly smiled. A knock on his door interrupted him.

"Yes."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I was curious to know how your meeting with McGavin went." It was Li-Ching. She was wearing a red wool skirt that draped to her ankles, and a sleeveless white silk blouse. Her raven-black hair was tied back in an exotic ponytail that was held together by a silver lattice of thread.

Fifteen held the tiny black object up for her to see, and smiled broadly like the Cheshire cat.

She sat down on the edge of the table next to Fifteen; a narrow slit in her skirt parted to reveal her ivory legs, perfectly turned as if by a lathe. "Judging from your face, it went pretty well."

"Yes," Fifteen replied, "but it's a pity he doesn't trust us."

Fifteen took his cane and delivered a fatal blow to the electronic listening device that McGavin left behind.

"Only one this time?"

"Only one," Fifteen sighed. "You'd think he'd give up on this pointless effort to wire my office."

"He just wants to remind you that he's watching and listening," Li-Ching said. "You know the strategy, the more paranoid you are, the more mistakes you're bound to make."

"He wants to get rid of me."

"No, he wants to get rid of the ACIO and its separate cover and independence. He's no dummy. He knows that the only way he'll ever seize control of the SPL agenda is if the ACIO is integrated within his department. That's where he's headed. Everything he does is designed to move him closer to that goal."

"Perhaps if he knew what we really did, his interests would wane."

"What do you have in mind?"

"The damn idiot ordered an investigation -- ostensibly to determine whether we went rogue on the Ancient Arrow Project, but I'm sure his real agenda is to snoop into our technologies. They found the Level Five Listening Fence in Steven's home and office."

"Shit!" Li-Ching stood up and started pacing.

"He suspects we're keeping the pure-state technologies and sending them diluted versions. This investigation will center on that. He wants proof. With that in hand, he'll try to remove me."

"God, what a waste of time." Li-Ching said.

"He doesn't know that."

"Well, then he is a dumb-ass after all."

"Let's let him have his investigation, shadow agent, and anything else he requires. Evans will take care of the SPL agent and you'll take care of all the communication protocols."

"Did you give him the Ancient Arrow file I prepared?"

"Of course," Fifteen replied. "He seemed satisfied, at least partially."

"Most of it's true anyway. I didn't have to doctor much."

"He wants the RePlay tapes from our RV department related to the artifact." Fifteen sighed. "You'll need to get Branson working on that immediately. I'd like to approve the script before we make the tape."

"Understood." Li-Ching's voice seemed far away as if she were thinking about an entirely unrelated issue. "You implied earlier that you want him to know what we really do around here. What did you mean?"

"Let's give him evidence of what he already believes is true. He doesn't have any clue about Labyrinth or Corteum. He may have heard some disjointed rumors, but nothing more. He believes we're rogue and that we've not shared some of our best technologies."

"You want Ortmann to leak some of our more benign pure-state technologies... like our listening fences?"

"Yes, can you have him put a list together as to which technologies he thinks we can live without?"

"No problem."

"I want McGavin to feel victory. He'll relax then, and get off our collective back."

"Anything else?"

"Stevens is unstable," Fifteen said. "I think he needs a reminder visit and a Level Seven Listening Fence."

"What about memory restructure?"

"The damage's done. If he suddenly forgets, it might only worsen our situation by alarming his colleagues who already know, not to mention McGavin. No, let's have Morrison pay him a reminder visit ASAP. Jenkins can reinstall the listening fence."

"Okay."

Li-Ching sat down again on the table's edge. Her skirt parted as she crossed her legs. Fifteen's hand wandered to the exposed leg and he smiled with his mischievous eyes.

"Damn McGavin!" Fifteen's fist pounded the table. "I can't have my way with you right now... I just remembered that I need to confer with Jenkins on an urgent matter."

He stood up abruptly and Li-Ching understood her time with him was finished. She kissed his cheek and whispered something in his ear. Fifteen's eyes narrowed as he listened attentively. Li-Ching finished as Fifteen's face visibly flushed to a reddish hue.

"Just in case McGavin managed to plant more than one listening device," Li-Ching said. She disappeared before Fifteen could utter a sound of protest. As the door closed, he struggled a moment to remember Jenkins' extension.

• * * *

Evans saw an indentation in the canyon wall out of the corner of his eye. It was small, only about half a meter high, but it was clearly an opening into the cliff face. He resisted the urge to call his colleagues. Instead he kneeled down and peered into the darkness of the fissure, and in a loud voice called Neruda's name several times. He listened with all his power, and a faint voice returned, "I'm here. I'm in here." There was more, but Evans couldn't understand the rest of it.

There was urgency in the voice that was unsettling. Something was awry. The voice sounded like Neruda's, but lacked his normal vitality. He was hurt. That was the only plausible explanation. Evans yelled with all his force. "We'll be there in just a few minutes. Hang on."

He immediately stood up and yelled to his team. "I found him! Everyone follow my voice and come here!" He continued to yell, "I found him!" every few seconds. In a matter of minutes the entire team was assembled except for Andrews.

"What happened to Andrews?" Evans asked.

"He's carrying the Little Monster as he refers to it," Samantha said. "He offered." She put her arms out, palms up, as if implying a small miracle occurred.

"I can only imagine how long we'll have to wait," Evans said in disgust. "We don't have time. Collin, you and I will go ahead and locate Neruda. He's probably trapped himself in a narrow tunnel. I can't believe he'd do that... at night no less.

"The rest of you wait here for Andrews. We'll be back as soon as possible -- hopefully with Neruda."

"Can't I join you?" Emily asked. "We don't both have to wait for Andrews." She looked to Samantha and then Evans.

"Okay, but be extremely careful, and stay right behind us. Samantha, keep yelling every so often so Andrews has something to track."

"Okay," she replied.

"Everyone has their flashlights, I presume," Evans stated like a commandment. "I have a rope, first-aid kit, and some food and water. Anything else you can think of?"

Emily and Collin looked at one another and shook their heads.

"Then let's go."

The three disappeared into the open fissure like travelers moving through a portal into a new world. Evans went first and had the most difficulty getting through because of his physical size. Only after contorting his shoulders and head like a magician trying to release from a straight jacket did he find success.

On the other side of the opening was a large chamber or cavern about 20 meters in diameter, with an opening into darkness on the far side of the chamber. Their flashlights sliced effortlessly through the interior darkness, crisscrossing randomly across the brown stone.

"Neruda, where are you?" Evans shouted.

"I'm here," came the faint reply.

"Can you give us directions to where you are," shouted Emily.

"Good to hear your voices..." answered Neruda. "I'm straight ahead. Go to the opening and stay straight for about another twenty meters or so. You'll come to a fork in the tunnel, stay to the right. However, before you take another step, listen carefully.

"This is homebase. I don't have any real evidence yet. But as you move deeper into the interior, you'll notice it becomes increasingly sophisticated in its design. And part of this sophistication is in its security system."

"Come again?" Evans shouted.

"There's some form of a security system surrounding this system of tunnels. I fell into one of its traps because I wasn't expecting any such sophistication, but believe me, the entire place could be filled with traps. In other words, be extremely careful."

"Any advice?" Collin asked.

"Go slowly and retrace my steps until you come to a glyph carved in the wall of the tunnel -- it's on the right side of the tunnel wall. I'm okay. If it takes you an hour to get here that's fine, just get here safely."

"Are you trapped?" Collin asked.

"Most definitely."

"What happened? Maybe we can learn from your experience."

"The problem is I don't know what I did. I may have touched a pressure-sensitive pad, or tripped a wire. I'm not sure. All I know is that it happened so quickly that I couldn't react fast enough to save myself. I fell quite a distance, but nothing's broken."

"Okay, we'll take your advice. Be patient." Evans yelled in return.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning to go anywhere," Neruda replied faintly.

Evans, Collin, and Emily looked like statues anchored to the ground. Their flashlights were scanning the floor of dust, dirt, and rocks looking for any sign of potential danger, and Neruda's tracks. The light beam of their flashlights would occasionally illuminate an animal skull or skeletal carcass of a wayward rabbit stashed against the wall of the chamber like windblown trash collects against a fence.

"I think we have a clear path to the tunnel entrance," Evans remarked.

Evans carefully picked his way toward the tunnel opening at the far end of the chamber. Collin, then Emily, followed close behind, each trying their best to trace the exact same footprints that Evans left behind. As they entered the tunnel, the air became noticeably cooler and they could feel a slight downward slope to the tunnel's path.

"Can you see our lights yet?" Evans asked.

"No, but you'll understand why in a few minutes. Just keep advancing per my instructions."

Emily was comforted by the fact that Neruda's voice was getting louder. He seemed relaxed and in no imminent danger. She could feel his own optimism rise with every footstep.

"I'm trying to trace your steps," Evans yelled.

"That's fine, but try and avoid my last one," Neruda laughed, "it's a real dilly."

"This is the last time I'll ever travel without local communicators," Evans said under his breath.

"This whole trip was planned too quickly. We should've waited," Emily lamented.

Evans cast the beam of his flashlight down the narrow tunnel hoping to see some evidence of Neruda, but the beam blended into darkness before anything distinct could be identified.

Evans turned around to face Collin and Emily. "If this tunnel stays at this rate of slope, it goes down deep. It's going to get cold."

"Can you see our lights yet?"

"No. But turn off your flashlights for a moment," Neruda suggested. "I'll turn mine on and see if you can see anything."

Instant blackness engulfed them as their flashlights were turned off.

"There, I think I saw something about fifteen meters ahead. Yes, I definitely saw a light." Evans flicked his light back on. The walls of the tunnel were only about three meters across and tools had shaped them. Not much precision, but definitely a designed structure.

"Okay, Jamisson, we saw your light. We'll be there as fast as we can. Your voice sounds like it's below us. You said you fell. How far, do you know?"

"I'm not sure. I lost consciousness for some period of time -- maybe ten minutes or so. I still have a helleva headache to confirm my fall."

"Okay, just take it easy and we'll get there shortly." Evans turned to Emily and Collin. "Let's stay very tightly packed. I'll keep my flashlight trained on the path ahead of us. Collin, position your beam on the right side of the tunnel, and Emily, you watch the left. Stay alert. If you see anything that looks unusual, say so immediately and freeze your position. Understood?"

Though he had a tendency to be obnoxious, both Collin and Emily were glad that Evans was leading them. He instilled confidence through his every mannerism and movement. He seemed to extract exhilaration from such circumstances where others could only find fear.

As they inched their way down the corridor, Collin's voice broke the silence. "Stop!"

They froze in their positions. "What is it?" Evans asked.

"It's the glyph that Neruda mentioned earlier."

All of the flashlight beams converged on a hieroglyph intricately carved upon the rock wall of the tunnel. The wall had been carefully prepped and was relatively smooth in order to accommodate the detailed lines and pattern of the glyph.

"What did you make of the glyph on the wall?" Evans called out to Neruda.

"I've never seen anything quite like it before," he replied. His voice was unmistakably closer, but also coming from some distance below their position. "It's related to the glyphs on the artifact, but it's different in many respects. Keep an eye out for my final step, it wasn't much farther that I tripped something."

Evans' flashlight identified Neruda's final footprint about two minutes later. A skid mark veered off to the right of the tunnel, but there was no sign of a door or exit path.

"Let's position all of our light on this area." Evans used his flashlight beam like a laser pointer to define the area he wanted them to collectively illuminate. "Okay, do you see anything that looks like a seam?"

"Nothing so far," Collin replied.

Emily pointed to the top of the tunnel where her flashlight was positioned. "What's that?"

"It looks like a ventilation duct or small opening of some kind," Evans said. "Maybe that's how we can hear Neruda."

"Jamisson, say something," Evans suggested.

"Something."

"A little more of your usual verbosity would be helpful," Emily said playfully.

"Okay, but I'm warning you, my life story is pretty boring until I hit the age of five or six -- "

"You're right, it's the source of his voice," Collin said excitedly.

"Jamisson, this is Evans, we found a ventilation duct or something in the ceiling of the tunnel. It's a small hole, maybe ten centimeters in diameter. We also found your last footprint, but there's no sign as to where you fell. We can't see any seams or edges indicating a door or exit path. Any recommendations?"

"Do you have any rope?"

"Yes, about ten meters in length I suppose."

"Can you fit the rope through the opening?"

"Yeah, I think so," Evans said.

"Try feeding the rope through the opening, as much as you can. With a little luck, I'll see it."

"What kind of a room are you in?" Emily asked.

"It has tall ceilings -- maybe ten or twelve meters, it's about three meters in diameter and the ceiling is arched like a dome. It's definitely a construction... an elaborate construction. But I can't see any openings, and like you, I can't find any seams. I don't exactly know how I even got in here."

Evans was on his tiptoes trying to get the rope through the opening. He looked a little like a giant, awkward ballerina. The opening in the ceiling was about half a meter beyond his reach, and the rope was too limp to thread the opening without Evans jumping.

"This may be stupid to jump around here, but it's the only way I'm going to be able to feed this rope through. You two stand back. If I go down, Collin goes back for help. Emily, you stand watch. Here's my base communicator." He handed it to Collin.

"I could boost you into position," Collin said.

"I doubt it. I weigh too much for you. And we can't afford to lose two of us."

Emily agreed. Collin resembled a walking stick.

"Why don't you boost Collin up," Emily suggested. "He'd be like a feather to you."

"I'm not willing to risk two of us, if it can be done with one. Let me try it first myself. If I fail and nothing happens, I'll boost Collins. Get back at least five meters."

Evans waited for them to retrace their steps backwards. He jumped perfectly to the hole like a basketball player dunking the ball. The rope sailed in cleanly. And then fell out. Evans came down hard, but safe.

Ten minutes later they had found an appropriately sized rock to tie to the end of the rope, and Evans once again dunked the rope into the hole. This time it stayed.

"Do you see anything?" Evans shouted as he began feeding the rope through the opening.

"Yes, but you'll need a lot more rope to reach me."

"Any chance you could climb the wall and grab it?"

"None."

"If I could get you a rope, would you be able to make it to the top of the chamber?"

"I think so, but it's not clear to me what we'd do next. Last time I checked, I couldn't fit through a ten centimeter hole."

"We can widen the hole," Evans replied, a little irritated. "But can you make it to the top of the chamber?"

"Yeah, there's something of a ledge that circles the top of the walls before they become the dome ceiling. It could be useful."

Evans turned around to face Emily and Collin. "I need you to go back to the entrance. Contact Jenkins and inform him of our situation. I'll get Jamisson out and we'll meet you back at the entrance in two hours. If we're not there in two hours, have Jenkins send a security detail with search and rescue equipment immediately."

"How are you going to get Neruda out by yourself?" Collin asked in a mystified voice.

"Before we do anything," Emily said, "can I suggest we try to replicate Jamisson's last footstep and see if we might be able to trigger the passage to open without falling into the chamber ourselves?"

"It's too dangerous," Evans interjected.

"It seems to me if it's pressure sensitive, we should be able to touch the same spot and the doorway should open. Maybe we could keep it open."

"I agree, it's worth a try," Collin said. "I don't see how you'd have any chance of getting him out otherwise."

"Neruda, are you listening to this?" Evans asked.

"Yes."

"Opinions?"

"Yeah, Emily and Collin should do as you suggested. The sooner the better."

Evans whispered. "Please, go now. And be careful to retrace our steps exactly as we came in. We'll be out within two hours. Go." His arm waved them on like a sea swell.

Emily and Collin walked away stunned. They could see no reason for Evans' confident posture. It was even more baffling that Neruda would agree with him. Something strange was going on. But they dutifully fulfilled their part of the plan and rejoined Andrews and Samantha, at the entrance. They made good time, requiring only 17 minutes.

The light hit their eyes hard as they stumbled from the narrow opening into the waiting arms of Andrews and Samantha who helped them ease through the crack.

"What the fuck took you so long?" Andrews asked.

"We found Neruda. He's okay," Emily began. "But he's trapped in some sort of a chamber, and we can't get him out without supplies. Evans stayed behind. They're going to try and get out on their own, but if they're not out in another... hour and a half, we're supposed to have Jenkins send a security team."

"We need to alert Jenkins now," Collin reminded her.

Collin pulled out the base communicator that Evans had given him and fired the RECORD button. He spoke into the microphone haltingly. "Subject found. Search and rescue likely. Update in ninety minutes. Please prepare for immediate dispatch of S&R in ninety minutes. Will send exact coordinates in next communiqué. Please confirm."

Collin played back the recording and then hit the SEND button satisfied with his message's accuracy and brevity. Everyone knew that Jenkins and Evans hated long, detailed messages.

It was a little past ten in the morning, and the warmth of the desert sun was beginning to make itself known. Andrews had set-up a makeshift campsite, and they all settled in to wait out the next 90 minutes. Emily busied herself in the task of making coffee on the solar heating pad. Collin looked over the maps to get the exact coordinates for the search and rescue mission.

"It's the homebase isn't it?" Samantha asked Emily.

"Neruda seems to think so."

"Did you see anything... anything unusual?"

"The tunnels are artificial. There's a glyph on the wall of the tunnel similar to the glyphs on the artifact. Somehow Neruda ended up in the equivalent of a jail cell, but we couldn't find any exit path or door in the tunnel. It was as if he was literally dematerialized and placed in holding -- "

"For what?"

"We don't know."

"They're protecting something," Samantha said.

"What're they protecting?" Andrews asked as he approached Samantha. "I mean, if it's more artifacts like our little monster here, what's to protect?"

"A genetic technology," she said both as a statement and question.

"How do you know this?" Emily asked.

"I had another experience with the artifact during an RV session just before Evans discovered the opening in the wall. I saw images -- "

"Like?"

"Like an image of what these ETs look like."

"Woah..." Andrews started. "How do you know you can believe the image this thing put in your head?" He was pointing to the aluminum case that held the artifact. "These same ETs built the equivalent of a Goddamn mousetrap, which now holds Neruda prisoner. Doesn't exactly engender trust in my little ol' heart."

Samantha started to say something and then stopped.

"Jesus, Andrews," Emily said, "Can we let her tell us what she saw without interruptions and your bloody opinions?"

Andrews kicked the loose rocks beneath him and watched them scatter. His lips danced silently with words that no one could hear.

"All I'm saying," Samantha said slowly, "is that the images I saw were of something altogether different... more advanced... maybe human, maybe something else. It varied from a human-like presence to a geometric shape like... like a rectangle." Samantha stopped for a moment as if she was trying to remember something.

Collin looked up from his maps and listened intently.

Samantha began again, "I can't pretend that I know what or who they are, but this image is as clear to me as you are, and it's not the image of a truant or warring species. My sense is that they're benevolent -- even helpful to our species. They've stored something here that was supposed to be discovered by us, and it has something to do with genetics. It's all part of a masterful plan."

"That of course includes Neruda being fucked over." Andrews mumbled.

"I don't know about Neruda," Samantha explained, "but I'm sure of what I've told you. They probably designed a variety of protective mechanisms to ensure that we discover this site instead of someone else. There's something here that they want us to have."

"So you think there's something inside this mountain... a gift from these unknown ETs, with our name on it?" Andrews couldn't contain himself. He was one of the few within the ACIO that didn't have a healthy respect for RVs and the job they did, or anything else that went bump in the night. To Andrews, RVs were simply glorified psychics.

"Yes." Samantha answered quietly.

"Collin, did you get any message back from base yet?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, we're confirmed," he glanced at his watch, "sixty-eight minutes and counting."

"So what are they?" Andrews asked. "Friendly ETs who came to earth twelve hundred years ago, played around with the Indians, and then stored something inside a mountain for us to find? I buy that."

"These are just feelings you have, aren't they, Samantha?" Collin asked quietly, trying to mitigate Andrews' sarcasm. "You don't actually have anything on RePlay, do you?"

Samantha shifted her position on a large rock, and brushed back her hair with both of her hands. "No. When I went back to RePlay the images weren't recorded. Somehow they bypassed the capture sensitivity of RePlay. They're probably based on the imagery projected by the artifact, and I wasn't even in RV mode. But these images are powerful. I mean real powerful. I can't overstate that."

"Okay, I'm still confused," Andrews said. "You saw an image of a geometric shape -- I believe you said rectangle -- and from that you feel that there's something buried inside this mountain, perhaps a form of genetic technology. Is that about it?"

"I saw several images. The other image was of the earth floating in space and there was a grid surrounding it like filaments of light, and at certain cross-sections, I could see a pulsing glow -- "

"How many?" Emily asked.

"Maybe three, no, maybe five. I'm not sure."

"Did you notice where they were located?" Collins asked.

"The only one I paid attention to looked like it was here... New Mexico." She squinted her eyes and then closed them completely for a few moments.

"I had an overwhelming impression that the technology was stored in this very place," she added. "It was left here by this race for a very specific reason, but I'm not sure what it is..." Her voice trailed off into silence. Everyone had been listening so intently to her voice that they hadn't noticed Neruda's muffled pleadings, just inside the canyon wall, for coffee.

"My God, you made it!" Emily cried as she saw Neruda break through the crevice opening into the light. The angle of the sun had cleared the wall and was now shining -- in all its glory -- directly on Neruda. Blinded by the sudden light, he squatted to the ground and shielded his eyes.

"The warmth feels great, but I wish someone could dim the damn lights." Neruda's eyes were thin slits looking for a familiar face. He found Emily first. "I don't suppose you have any coffee made? I have a splitting headache."

Emily laughed with a mixture of relief, joy, and ample surprise.