Impressed more than he had imagined he would be, Richard wrinkled his nose at the stench rising from the pit—like wet dog times a hundred on the reek-meter—and roamed his eyes over what the team were busy exposing. The large hairy beast was amazingly well-preserved. He stared into the face of the woolly mammoth looking up at him, as if it was asleep and could wake at any moment. He altered his gaze to something a man and a woman were working on beside the enormous beast. He took in the animal’s large size, a little over a meter high at the shoulder and two meters long, its large paws tipped with long claws. A formidable beast.
“Impressive, isn’t it,” commented David. “It’s a cave lion, and there’s two of them.” He shuffled Richard around the side of the pit and pointed out a claw protruding from beneath the mammoth’s back. “They were attacking it when the mammoth fell on it. We believe a flash-freeze event froze them in their attack, preserving them to this day. It’s now a race to free them from the permafrost and preserve them before the rotting process held at bay for thousands of years claims them.”
“It’s a spectacular find, David, and you and your team are to be congratulated,” complimented Richard, genuinely impressed. “Pity is, it makes my rock from the sky rather boring in comparison.”
There were a few good-natured chuckles from the gathered group.
David placed a hand on Richard’s shoulder. “Let’s go look at your meteorite. I think you will be surprised when you see it and will find it as exciting to you as our mammoth and lions are to us.”
Richard followed his brother farther across the site and nearer the edge of the crater. Rising high above, the cliff revealed thousands of layers of sediment marked out by strips of various shades of brown. It was like looking at a cross section of tree rings made of soil. In a few areas close to the top was what seemed to be roots or rotted vegetation hanging out from the side of the cliff.
“It’s just over there.”
Richard turned his attention on his brother and followed him along a rough gully and over two mounds of muddy thawing tundra. After passing around a pile of what looked to be recently excavated earth, he saw it. Immediately he realized if it was a meteorite it was something very special. He moved to the green rock and ran a hand over its rough surface. It was beautiful. He examined each side until he found what he was looking for. He ran excited fingers over the wrinkled glassy coating on one face of the rock that was obviously a fusion crust, a kind of glaze formed when the rock was heated during its passage through Earth’s atmosphere.
Noticing Richard’s smile and his hard-to-miss excitement, David said, “It seems it’s not such a boring rock after all.”
Richard smiled at his brother. “Far from it. There will have to be tests to confirm it one way or the other, but from what I can tell from my initial examination is that this” —he slapped the rock with a hand— “is special and might surprise us all.”
David was genuinely astounded. “I had an inkling it might be something extraordinary and not a typical meteorite, which is why I called you. Is it rare?”
Richard nodded. “I have a good feeling it is, but I’ll need some of my tools and equipment to carry out a few tests. We also need to work out how it can be moved and transported to England.”
David glanced up at the approaching grey clouds and the dimming light. “All that might have to wait until tomorrow as it looks like we might be in for some bad weather, strong winds and perhaps snow. Also night is drawing in.”
“Though I’m keen to get working on it, it’s waited a few thousand years to be discovered, so I can wait a few hours.”
“I also expect you’re hungry after your long journey.”
“I am. What’s for dinner?”
David grinned. “Your favorite, humble pie.”
Richard laughed. “Perfect. I think I need a huge plateful.”
Pleased his brother’s mood had changed to a more cheery and positive outlook, David led him back to camp.
CHAPTER 13
EV1Lution
Sven dragged his eyes away from the exciting story in Horror Island and glanced through the window at the early evening gloom descending on the desolate landscape. His watch revealed his comrades had been gone for three hours. Wondering what they were doing, he placed the book aside, climbed off the sofa and walked to the coal fire highlighting the room in its cozy red glow. After adding more coal, he slipped on his warm coat, grabbed the binoculars hanging on a nail beside the door, and went outside. He crossed to the road and peered through the binoculars at the distant buildings and focused on the cab of the truck parked by the entrance. It was empty. A sweep of the compound revealed it to be just as vacant.
Surmising that something must have happened at the facility to hold the men there for so long, he turned his head at Makar’s covered motorcycle. Deciding on his path of action, he nipped inside the hut, slipped on Makar’s driving goggles, slung over his shoulder the rifle he had thus far only fired at inanimate targets, slipped a flashlight into his pocket and went outside. He dragged off the motorcycle’s thermal cover, sat astride the seat and kickstarted it into life. The engine roared like a powerful beast waking from a long slumber. He clicked it into first gear with his foot and pulled away, spraying a jet of soil in his wake when he throttled the powerful machine along the track.
Slowing down when he reached the compound, Sven steered the bike through the gates and circled the truck before stopping beside the building’s entrance. He switched off the engine, raised the googles and looked at the key card protruding from the electronic lock. Kicking the stand out, he climbed off the bike and approached the door. He slipped the key card out and reinserted it. When the door buzzed, Sven pushed it open. Leaning in, he cast an anxious glance into the empty room.
Though he had no idea what had brought the men here so hastily or caused them to remain for so long, he no longer felt they were playing a game on him. He slipped his rifle from his shoulder, checked it was ready to fire and walked to the elevator. The doors swished open with a press of the call button. He entered and rode it down to Level 1.
The old elevator jerked to a halt. The doors opened. Lit by the elevator’s dim light spilling into the corridor, Sven stepped out and nervously peered at the darkness stretching deeper into the facility. He fished the flashlight from his pocket, switched it on and aimed it along the corridor. The beam glinted off glass shards littering the floor. He frowned worriedly at the discovery that someone had broken the lightbulbs. He knew that was something his comrades wouldn’t have been responsible for. Pushing back the anxiety that urged him to leave, he raised his weapon and careful to avoid treading on the broken bulbs that would warn anything down here of his approach, he moved along the corridor.
When his light picked out the skeleton, he cautiously approached. He picked out scraps of clothing and partially melted shoes that identified it wasn’t one of his comrades. Assuming it was one of the scientists who worked here and wondering what had killed the man, he pushed away the images of monsters that invaded his thoughts and warily pressed on.
After a few turns, Sven’s light fell on something ahead. He approached with caution. Saddened by what he saw, he halted by the four skeletons strewn across the floor. Though he couldn’t identify them by their fleshless bones, the scraps of clothing and four discarded weapons, identical to the one held in his trembling hands, labelled them as his comrades. Horrified that someone could have done such a thing, Sven contemplated his next move. He should leave and contact someone in authority to let them know what had happened. If the four men with vastly more experience than him had fallen at the hands of whatever killer was down here, human or otherwise, he wouldn’t stand a chance.