They still felt a little dazed as they turned to go back through the ornate portal and retrace their steps to the main cavern, a feeling of anticlimax having overcome them.
The door with its bright jewel closed behind them, the jewel still glowing, but not inviting them in.
The trolley with their precious equipment on board was still where they had left it, outside the doorway, and as Hans grasped the handle to tow it along, he stopped in mid stride,
‘How come we didn’t take the trolley in with us? We’ve never left it behind before, as our survival might depend on it.’ They stood there for a moment, looking at one another.
‘I think that jewel took over somehow, when it began the twinkling bit,’ Ben said, to fill the silence, ‘and we were ‘invited’ in.’
‘That’s odd,’ said Ben, ‘I get the feeling that I don’t want to go back in there, yet I would really give my eye teeth to have a forage about in that pyramid.’
‘I think we are being ‘encouraged’ to leave somehow, as the people that show was intended for would feel.’ As usual, Greg had grasped the situation accurately.
‘I wonder just how much of that spectacle was real, I mean physically there, and how much was pure illusion?’ Hans asked, ‘it would have been an enormous undertaking to have constructed that pyramid, let alone carve out the dome to house it.’
They walked on down the tunnel, discussing their thoughts on the reality or otherwise of the dome and its awe inspiring pyramid, not noticing that the tunnel had adopted a gentle curve to the right, guiding them away from the main cavern they thought they were returning to.
It was some time later when Greg called a halt, sensing that something wasn’t quite right.
‘We should have come to that sharp bend in the tunnel we found on the way in by now, and we haven’t, so I can only conclude that we have been directed somewhere else.’ said Greg. ‘We have two choices, go back and look for a section of ‘illusion wall’ which diverted us, and so allow us back to the main cavern, or carry on to see why we are being sent down this way.’
Everyone agreed to carry on, curiosity having got the better of their judgement. It was some time later when Greg was about to suggest that they turn back to look for the original tunnel, that they came to the door.
‘Thank God for that,’ John exclaimed, ‘I was beginning to think we were going around in circles.’
There was no sign of an opening device on the door, or its surroundings, and a feeling of panic gripped the team as they searched in vain for some means to gain access to whatever lay beyond.
‘Pity you hadn’t brought along that laser cutter from the tool room,’ Ben said to Hans,‘I’ll bet that would have got us through.’ Hans just gave him a dirty look through the face plate of his helmet.
‘Well, if we can’t open it, we’ll just have to retrace our steps,’ said Greg, trying to keep his voice calm. ‘it’s no great hassle really.’
In sheer frustration, Hans gave the door a good hard kick as a parting gesture, and that was followed by a grating sound as the door obligingly slid open in a series of jerky movements.
‘I expect there’s a sensor which opens the door when anyone’s this side, and the mechanism had got stuck.’ Greg announced in his calm and nonchalant way, showing no sign of the fear he felt inside.
Ahead of them, a long hall stretched out, with tables jutting out from both walls, leaving an open section down the middle through which to walk. Each table had some twenty chairs arranged along each side of it, the total number in the room being able to cater for several hundred people.
‘I could do with something real to eat,’ Ben called out jocularly, ‘I’m fed up with this plastic stuff we have to endure when suited up. Come on, let’s sit down and see what happens.’
‘I don’t think anything will,’ said Greg, being more of a realist than the others. ‘anyway, how the hell are you going to get it inside your helmet? That’s if it’s edible.’
‘Oh, come on, it’s just a bit of fun.’ chided Ben.
They sat down at the table, most feeling a little foolish for doing so, until they realized that it was one way of taking a rest, which was long needed.
Hans leaned forward, his gaze intent on something in the middle of the table which the others as yet, hadn’t noticed.
‘There’s a section in the middle with two fine grooves each side of it,’ he said, ‘and it runs right down to the wall. And look, there’s a corresponding square section just above where the lines meet the wall. I bet it’s a hatch, and when you sit down, the food comes out on a conveyor.’ Hans felt very pleased with himself for having reasoned it all out so quickly, and feeling he was on a roll, banged the table with his fist to encourage the feeding station to produce some food.
It achieved little, except make the others jump, and sponsor a shrivelling look from John, whose sense of humour was sadly lacking on such occasions.
‘I don’t think we’re going to be fed after all,’ said Greg, getting up to leave the non co-operative feeding station, ‘so let’s see what else there is.’
The far end of the eating hall led them out into another corridor, which in turn split into two sections. As they were identical, it caused a slight delay as to which one they chose to go down, the left one being the final choice.
A few metres further on found the team looking at a series of doors which were set in the corridor walls.
‘I’ll bet that’s where they sleep.’ said Paul, feeling he should contribute something to the exploration. ‘Shall we go in?’ Before anyone could answer, he had approached the door, which slid back with a whoosh to reveal a long row of four tier bunk type beds, arranged along each side of the room. There were no sign of blankets or other coverings, which the team expected, just the bare frames with a flat base to each sleeping section.
‘Bet that’s damned uncomfortable.’ said Ben, eyeing the austere sleeping accommodation up and down.
‘No, we won’t be trying them out,’ retorted Greg firmly, ‘we need to find our way out of this maze, or at least back to the main cavern.’ They trooped out of the dormitory and on down the long corridor, looking for a possible exit to the main cavern, as their oxygen supplies were running low.
The passageway finally ended with another door, and this opened as they approached it, leading them out half way along the main cavern with its central rail track. The exit was just in sight at the far end.
‘If you can find it, we'll pick up your laser drill thing.' Greg said to Hans. ‘It may come in useful, and the boys back home would certainly like to see it.’ After much searching, they found the correct tool room, picked up the laser cutter,
Hans looking hungrily at several other tools, and then headed for the exit tunnel.
As they moved along, they looked out for the mark they had previously put on the wall of the tunnel, hoping to locate the illusion covered second exit they had found on the way in. When they found it, they continued along, checking the floor as they went with a pole, just in case there was another hidden shaft for the unwary.
Fortunately, their fears were groundless, the tunnel floor remained solid all the way to the exit, and suddenly they were out in the valley, hardly noticing the illusion covered section through which they had passed.
‘We’ll arrange a few of these loose rocks on each side of the entrance, so that we can find it next time,’ said Greg, pushing the first piece into position, ‘this’ll save us quite a bit of time in the future, look how near we are to the slope.’
‘That’s if it’s the real slope.’ added John, remembering the journey down last time.
They were back at the Lander as the sun, weak as it was this far away, got even weaker, cresting the distant rim of the volcano known as the Olympus Mons, an area they had intended to explore, if the valley hadn’t taken all their attention with its mysteries.
They went through the usual routine of stowing their gear, cleansing the suits, and getting everything ready for th
eir next foray into the complex.
After a substantial meal, the conversation began, more mysteries had been discovered than solved, as usual, and opinions of what they had experienced was the only way to try to resolve some of the enigmas.
The laser cutter Hans had liberated from the tool room was stowed away carefully, so that careless hands couldn’t accidentally blast a hole in the Lander’s otherwise airtight walls, and so terminate the mission
‘You know,’ began John, ‘there’s something odd about that dome and the pyramid......’
‘Yes, we know.’ Paul cut him short. ‘We’ve agreed that the whole thing must be an illusion, they wouldn’t go to the trouble of creating it in reality when they could so easily have obtained the same effect with their illusion techniques.’
‘I wasn’t referring to the stage show they put on, but to what it implies.’ retorted John, who didn’t like to be chopped when in the middle of a profound statement.
‘OK, sorry John, what’s your theory then?’
‘If you look at the whole thing, I think you’ll see what I mean. There is a workforce, who after their shift, are guided to the pyramid show, and then guided to their eating and sleeping quarters. This must mean there is another layer in their society, who are in control, and don’t need the ‘show’ to keep them going, but have probably created it, to control the others for their own ends.’
This got the undivided attention of the other four, who eagerly leaned forward across their folding table to make sure they didn’t miss anything.
‘I think there are three types of people or creatures involved here. One, the higher echelon, who must basically be scientists or people of a similar nature, and they are in control.
‘Two, the workers, probably of the same race, but not so bright, or ill educated, or even purposely kept in ignorance.
‘They are cajoled, conditioned or whatever, to comply with the needs and aspirations of the ones above, hence the reinforcement technique of the pyramid show, for that’s all it was. Thirdly, possibly another race, kept from entering the complex by the illusion traps, so they may be animal or humanoid, but judging by the bones we found, I’d go for animal, as an educated guess.’
Someone was here
‘That sounds a bit complex to me.’ said Hans, who liked things to be simple and orderly.
‘Maybe it does, but look at the facts. There were people here, we can tell that from the artefacts they left behind, and a very advanced race too, by the look of it. We don’t have tools like those we saw in the workshops, nor do we have anything like the skills needed to produce the illusionary effects we’ve seen.
‘In size, they can’t have been too different to us, judging by the height of the tables and workbenches, and Hans was able to hold and use the laser tool quite easily, so their hands must have been similar too.’
‘What makes you think there was an upper echelon in control?’ asked Ben, not sure that he fully understood John’s explanation given earlier.
‘Someone or something must have been in control,’ John sat back on his chair, he was at his best when expounding a theory, ‘otherwise who was running the pyramid show?
‘And why would they have needed to run it, if everyone was of the same mind or type?
‘Also, look at the set-up. Automated feeding, cramped sleeping quarters, illusion guidance systems, a floor show to reinforce their beliefs, and I’ll bet those beliefs were introduced at some time in order to have a controllable workforce. To me, the whole thing smacks of a very weird mixture of science and religion. It must have been effective, as they’re no longer there, and as there are no signs of the place being slowly run down, I can only assume that an orderly exodus was achieved. Just look how everything was left, not a thing out of place, everything all neat and tidy, and no sign of the people who lived and worked there.’
‘I’m inclined to agree with John, it seems the most likely explanation, and would account for most of the strange things we have found. Only one thing bothers me, where did they get their technology from? They couldn’t have evolved on Mars to the stage they’ve attained, as the planet lost its atmosphere so long ago, and there wouldn’t have been enough time with a viable atmosphere for such a race to develop.’ Greg wouldn’t accept loose ends in a discussion.
Paul pushed a print of a star field sheet across the table,
‘Just before we ate I had a rummage in the orbiter’s data base and had this transmitted down. Remember when we were in the dome, and the pyramid sent that beam of light up into the stars on the dome’s ceiling? Well, the star pattern it pointed at seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.
‘I think the star field has shifted slightly over the ages, and that’s why I didn’t recognize it at the time. The beam pointed at the constellation of Orion. That rings a bell, but I can’t remember why.’
‘I think I might know.’ said Ben. ‘There was a story going round a long time ago of a hole in the side of one of Earth’s pyramids, which when looked through, pointed at the Orion constellation, that’s when you take into account the shift in the star field from the time when the pyramid was built, but I don’t know if it’s true.’
‘So how come we have pyramids on Earth and up here on Mars?’ asked Hans, beginning to doubt what he was hearing.
‘There’s nothing very special about polyhedrons,’ said Greg, ‘they are a basic geometrical shape, and any race with only half our knowledge would have found out about them through simple mathematics. I think there might be something in the Orion observation though. We’ll have to wait until we return to Earth to get at their data banks.’
‘I was coming to that.’ said John. ‘Did you notice the tiny pinpoints of light travelling up and down the light beam? Well, I think they represented the idea of travelling to and fro from the star the beam pointed to. In other words, the observers on the gallery where we were standing, were supposed to be reminded of where they came from, and possibly where they where going back to, if they worked long and hard enough.
‘It’s only an idea, but to me it makes sense. Why else go to all the trouble of an elaborate performance like that if it didn’t contain a message of some sort?’
‘All right, let’s suppose they had to leave the Orion area for some reason, and landed here. We must also suppose that the planet, at the time, was able to support life, and they set up a colony here. Why try to fool the workers that they were going back to Orion, when the reason for their leaving probably still existed, and the ‘controllers’ knew they were going somewhere else anyway?’ Hans was enjoying the argument, and intended to keep it going.
‘I think what might have happened, is this.’ John looked around at his audience to make sure all were paying attention.
‘For whatever reason, they had to leave wherever they were, and had the technology for space flight. They landed here and set up a colony, which through time devolved into two separate levels, those in the ‘know’, the scientists, technicians etc., and the less aware, who became the workers.
‘As the planet began to lose its atmosphere, they had to go underground, constructing the airtight complex we found, and then realized that such a system wasn’t viable over a long time period. There must have been just enough knowledge retained in their writings, or their memory, to construct ships to transport them on to somewhere else.’
‘Where they went is anyone's guess, but they all left, or we would have found some of their remains. I’m not saying that we can judge other races by what happened on Earth, but look what did happen to our civilizations as they reached their peaks. Once they stopped advancing technically, they went downhill, almost reverting to barbarism in some cases. I think that’s what happened here. They gradually lost the drive to advance, for whatever reason, and slowly degenerated into two distinct classes, the more knowledgeable ones retaining just enough data to begin the exodus project, and the others providing the workforce.’
‘It sounds a bit too simple for my liking.’
Paul too, was enjoying the discussion, and wanted to keep the momentum up. ‘How about the bones we found? You said they might be animal. If they were, a simple gate would have kept them out of the complex, so why go to the trouble of an elaborate illusion system, or they could have had a guard there, and just shot ’em. And what about the slope down to the valley, which seems to switch positions at will? They didn’t need that to keep animals out.’
‘Maybe there was an indigenous race here,’ John replied, ‘and early in their evolutionary stage, I think the illusions would have been quite effective at controlling where they were allowed to go.’
‘What puzzles me,’ said Hans, changing the subject, ‘is why is the power still on? Surely they would have switched everything off before they left, and shut the power generators down.’
‘It would certainly seem the logical thing to do, but did it matter if they left it on? The power plant would run down in time anyway, so why bother? Maybe they didn’t think like we do, after all, they were alien.’
‘And that’s something else,’ Hans interjected before the others could say anything, ‘what and where is the power source? It can’t be drawn from the planet’s core, because the volcanoes are all dead and there’s no noticeable tectonic plate movement to generate heat.
‘Solar power is out this far from the sun, considering the amount they would need to power the complex, so that only leaves atomics. So far, we haven’t picked up any radiation, so what did they use that can keep going for so long?’
‘That’s something we shall have to look into.’ said Greg. ‘Our next visit may well throw some light on the matter. The other outstanding item is the rail tracks. We ought to find out what went on them, and where it is. Looks like a full day tomorrow.’ he added with a grin.
The conversation, as usual, went on long into the night, with Greg having to end it, as they needed to rest up for the next day.
During their slumbers, something crept along the plateau and approached the Lander, but not close enough to trigger the warning sensors. The Lander was scanned, electronic pictures taken, and then the device slunk back from whence it had come.
The Martian Enigma Page 8