Inside the giant cave, the towers also beckoned to be explored, but so far, none had been accessible. The tall arched doors at their base were still impenetrable by the colonists’ lights. They had even tried using a couple of colored filters to attempt to recreate the purple light from the ship, but that had not helped either. No matter what they did, all they could see past the doorway was absolute darkness. François had dared step a few meters inside before discovering the arch had disappeared behind him as soon as he had turned around. The intense drop in temperature that had followed had been the lowest his suit had ever registered since their arrival on Mars. Staying any longer could have spelled certain death quickly. Luckily, Dedrick had had the good idea of suggesting they attach a cable to his suit, to pull him back out in case of an emergency. Without it, it was doubtful he would have ever found his way back.
A thorough investigation of the “machine” had suggested that the alien contraption had probably been a generator of sorts, maybe a power source for the towers, or as Ladli had theorized, an atmospheric generator, a machine that could have turned the cave into a pressurized and breathable environment. Quite a wild hypothesis, Dedrick had thought, even if an interesting one. Whatever the case, most of it had been severely damaged by a substantial cave-in. There were also several more spheres lying about. Some were almost completely buried under high piles of rubble. Others looked as if they had just been left there that morning. But the largest damage the area had sustained was at the mouth of the cave’s entrance. Large boulders, some the size of houses, were permanently obstructing the main passage. If, as François had suggested, the white structure was in fact a ship, the cavern’s collapse would explain why the vessel was trapped. And as for the ship itself, it was by far the most interesting structure in the whole place. Soon after their mapping of the cavern, they had eventually turned their attention back on the “big cloud” and begun a new probing. The fog just below the corridor’s ceiling had dissipated after a few days and revealed a see-through roof. Even though no one could have known from the outside, especially due to all the dust and dirt on the structure, the explorers could now clearly see the roof of the cave from inside the ship, as if the ship was wide open above them. Even the dirt and small rubbles on the surface weren’t there. They had also tried multiple times to figure out a way to take different corridors, wishing to explore other parts of the structure, but nothing they did had any effect on changing their predetermined path. They always ended up back in the same room, with its twenty-six pods.
Dedrick and François had surveyed the large space and its containers from top to bottom. François had even run around the circumference several times, hoping for another corridor to open, without any success. Both Dedrick and he had stood countless times on the circular platform, searching in vain for a recess or definable feature, around the large sphere.
“We’re never gonna find out what’s in these pods, are we?” asked Ladli with obvious disappointment, looking at Dedrick.
“In all honesty, I still don’t know if we should risk it. If there are beings in there, I have a feeling they have been in here for quite some time, maybe for a very good reason.”
“What makes you say that?”
“This place. You’ve seen the far back of the cave. It looks like the whole cavern has been sealed by a large collapse above the original entrance. This ship, or whatever you want to call it, had to have come through that passage, there’s no other way in large enough. That collapse didn’t happen yesterday, but I keep thinking it was deliberate. Someone wanted this place sealed.”
“You really believe that?”
“In all honesty, I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he paused. “I had another dream, last night.”
François looked at him.
“And?”
“It started out the same way, with the fireplace, Rita, and the toolshed in the backyard, but…”
“Still can’t get past that second gate? I think that’s the strangest part, considering we’ve been inside the ship several times now, and we know what’s behind that door…”
“Actually, it was different, this time.”
“What do you mean?”
“This time, the alien brought me and Rita inside the room, and we ended up right here, in front of this very pod,” he replied pointing at one of the white containers. “Then, he disappeared, and when I leaned over the pod, I… I could see through it. I could see him, lying inside it, sleeping…”
“Oh, good. So, you finally got further. And then what?”
“Then Rita turned into Chasma, somehow. She was smiling at me… I watched her approach the pod and put her hand on the glass. I tried to stop her, but I couldn’t move… and then… the sphere rose to the ceiling, spinning. I don’t remember how the pod got there, but it was floating underneath the sphere and… then… there were all these bright colors, and…” he paused, trying to remember. “I think the container just disappeared after that, and the alien was standing in its place, looking at me… blinking.”
“Blinking?!” repeated Ladli, perplex.
“OK. So, don’t you see? Ever since the discovery of that gate, I’ve been thinking your dreams have something to do with this whole thing. I’m not sure why or how, but there seems to be a strong connection between you, Chasma, and this place,” said François. “I think the same voice that guided her to the cave is asking you to bring her back.”
Dedrick looked at François.
“I don’t know…”
“Listen, there’re only two options. Either we leave them where we found them and forget about the whole thing, or we get Chasma to open those darn things and hope for the best. Personally, I have to know.”
François gave a deep probing look at the container in front of him and added, “I wish there was another way… But I think we both know we need to bring Chasma back. Something tells me that’s how it’s supposed to happen. I don’t know why, but she seems to have been… chosen. She says she can hear the alien, right? I know you didn’t want to take that seriously, but at this point, I think we should accept the fact that she is more receptive to this place than us. I’m not sure why… Maybe because she was born on Mars… Or maybe because she is young… who knows? Either way, I have a strong feeling she’s the key.”
“I know. To be honest, I’ve been thinking the same thing for days now. I just don’t like the idea.”
“I don’t know, guys. She’s only five, after all. I seriously doubt Vera is gonna be OK with this. To be honest, I can’t blame her. We really don’t know how dangerous any of this might be. What if what’s in those pods is toxic to us?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
The three had discussed the idea the entire way back to the station, and the prospect of awakening the aliens had been argued back and forth by the entire group the following day. Vera had again been totally opposed to the idea. Even after Dedrick had told her of his dream, and that he believed only Chasma could awaken the alien. Vera simply refused to let her go. And when her little girl had assured her she knew she would be safe, because the alien named Jorh had told her so, Vera had felt even more opposed to the idea. The voice Chasma was claiming to hear was beginning to frighten her again. Again, Dedrick, and especially François, had worked diligently at convincing the worried mother to let the child come. Her daughter’s presence had played a major role in the new discovery. She was the one who had led them to the cave, and it was her who had opened the ship. If Dedrick’s dream was more than just a dream, Chasma’s presence was essential. How could they ignore the plea for help from another being? They had to open that pod. Their relentless pleading had finally paid off. Vera had eventually capitulated a few days later. Not that the argument alone could have made her change her mind of course, but something in her daughter’s voice had. She couldn’t quite explain it, but the calm and confidence in Chasma’s begging had given her the feeling the young girl would be perfectly safe. There was also the fact that deep down, she was still curious as well.