“Eleven times bigger?” Richard repeated.
“Yes, sir. And the external surface appears to have been molded from organic materials. Nothing appears to be synthetic at all, sir,” Michael added.
“We are not with the shuttle, otherwise we would be able to take a flight to each of their summits to see what we can from those peaks. It is probable that those might be the highest points on this planet, considering their sheer size and height,” Andrews said.
“Can we find any entrances? We can still find out if they are hollow like those on Earth, can’t we?” Richard asked.
“Of course we can, sir. Just give me a minute. Let me view these pyramids using x-ray vision,” Michael replied, typing on his tablet.
“I have discovered one already,” Katrina said.
“And I can see an entrance as well,” Michael added.
“So, they are all hollow?” Andrews asked.
Both Michael and Katrina nodded.
“They are indeed hollow,” Michael replied. “From my x-ray map, I can see several chambers and passages. All of them have been intricately designed and linked to one another in a very detailed and articulate fashion. Only a genius could have designed such an intricate pattern and network.”
“Okay, let us proceed to take a closer look at one of them,” Andrews said. “Lead us to one of the entrances so we can search through.”
The team followed Katrina as she led them to a corner of the nearest pyramid. She held up her tablet and peered at the base of the pyramid with it. She then put her tablet down and began to trace the side of the pyramid’s wall with her fingers.
“What are you searching for?” Andrews asked.
“According to the map on my tablet, there is supposed to be a door in this exact spot. I am searching for a lever or knob of some sort,” Katrina replied.
“Why are you searching for a knob or lever? I don’t see any such thing on the map,” Michael said.
“It is there, Michael. Look closer on the map,” Katrina replied.
Before Michael could make any further comments, Katrina exclaimed, “I have found something!”
“Well, what is it?” Richard asked.
“It is a lever of some sort,” Katrina said. Her right hand was hidden from sight. Using her left hand to support herself, she appeared to pull on something with her right hand.
Katrina strained as she pulled. Eventually, she had to stop trying, shaking her head. “It seems to be too stiff,” she said.
Michael stepped forward. “Let me give it a try. Perhaps it just needs a little bit of additional force.” Michael inserted his right hand into the side of the pyramid’s wall. After feeling around for a while, he felt the lever that Katrina had previously been pulling on. Supporting himself with his left hand, Michael pulled and pulled.
Suddenly, there was a loud snap.
All the members of the crew looked in dismay as Michael raised his hand. As he did, he brought out a long lever. From the jagged edge, they could see that it had been broken.
“I apologize,” Michael said as he looked at the lever.
“I don’t think that is necessary now, Michael,” Richard said. “Just ensure that you keep that lever close by so that we can figure out how to mend it somehow. It will be a shame if we are the ones disfiguring such a historic monument simply because we are looking for an entrance into it.”
“But this should be the entrance, sir. The readings and the maps on our tablets are very precise about its location,” Katrina said.
“I agree with you, Katrina. But how do we get into it?” Richard asked.
They all looked at the wall. But, nothing was happening.
“Wait a minute, Michael. Hand me back the tablet let me make a review again,” Andrews instructed.
Just as Michael was handing back his tablet, some lights suddenly appeared in a straight line on the wall not too high above them.
As the lights appeared, all the crew members stepped back and watched. The lights were seven in number and they looked like bulbs. They were glowing alternatively in different colors from blue to yellow and red.
After alternating in their glows for a while, they all turned white.
As the lights all turned white, a huge panel started to lift up from the side of the wall. The panel started to rise and slide up into the top of the wall. As it did so, it was clear that the panel was a door and it was revealing a passageway.
Richard smiled and nodded. “I must commend you all on a wonderful effort, gentlemen and lady. We finally have an open door and a passageway right ahead of us. All right, let us all proceed inside the pyramid immediately,” Richard said.
Michael led the way. As he walked ahead of them, he turned on the tablet’s external light, which was sufficient to illuminate the dark passage. Andrews was following Michael, while Richard came behind and Katrina was the last person.
They soon came out of the dark passage and into a very wide hall.
“Katrina, can you call up the initial hologram of the pyramid? The one in which we saw the halls, passageways, and the inner structures? We need to find out where we are before we move further into the pyramid,” Richard said.
“You are right about that, Mr. Daniels,” Andrews said.
Katrina typed some keys on her tablet and a hologram appeared above her tablet. It was showing the same 3-D image of the three pyramids.
“Eliminate from the hologram the other two pyramids, and then identify our position in this particular pyramid that we are already inside,” Richard said.
Katrina pressed some keys, and two of the pyramids disappeared from the hologram. She then pressed some keys again. Nothing happened.
“Can’t you indicate our positions in the hologram image of this pyramid?” Andrews asked.
Katrina shook her head. “I have tried it twice, Professor. But nothing seems to be coming up.”
“All right, can you establish our point of entry, that is, the doorway through which we came in and this passageway?” Andrews asked.
“Yes, Professor. From my tracking, this is the spot through which we came into the pyramid. We have not made much movement apart from the progression through this passageway,” Katrina replied, pointing at specific points on the hologram.
“Okay. Our suits have bio-indicators, don’t they?” Andrews asked.
“Yes, Professor. All our space suits have bioindicators and monitors embedded in them,” Katrina replied.
“Good. Michael, bring your tablet over here. Use it to see if you can call up each crew member’s vitals and indications,” Andrews said.
“No problem, Professor. I am on it already,” Michael replied, and began to type on his tablet.
“What do you intend to do, Professor?” Richard asked.
“Sir, it is imperative that we should be able to track our movements within this massive structure, otherwise we stand the risk of getting lost because it is unfamiliar terrain to us,” Andrews said.
Richard nodded. “Yes, Professor. That is very obvious.”
“So what I intend to do is to cross-reference our indicators from Michael’s tablet and superimpose them into the hologram. That way, we can always identify where we are from looking at the hologram,” Andrews replied.
“That is ingenious of you, Professor. Well done on coming up with such an idea,” Richard said.
“Thank you, Mr. Daniels,” Andrews said. He then turned to his assistants. “Well, Katrina and Michael? We are not going to spend the entire day just stuck in this one place, are we? We have got to keep on moving. What is going on?”
“I have just identified each of our holograms on my monitor, Professor,” Michael replied.
“Good. Now generate a 3-D image of each person. Once you do that, you need to sync your tablet’s operating system with Katrina’s. That way, her tablet can access your 3-D holograms and superimpose them into the hologram of the pyramid,” Andrews said.
Michael paused and looked at Katrina. He then lo
oked up at the professor. “Will that be possible, Professor?”
“What do you mean by that question, Michael?” Andrews asked.
“I am just asking, sir. I mean, superimposing one hologram from a different operating system over another. I have never heard of it,” Michael said.
Katrina nodded as well. “Me neither, Professor. I don’t think it will work.”
“That was what skeptics said the first time the idea of travelling to the moon was shared back on Earth years ago. And now what is happening? Man is already exploring worlds far beyond our solar system, thanks to our efforts at GEI. Look, I am not wondering if this is possible. I am instructing you guys with clear-cut instructions on what to do, and yet you still raise doubts. What if I had left you two to figure out what to do? I am sure we would still be in this same spot for the next week. Just do as I have instructed and let me have your feedback right away,” Andrews said.
Katrina and Michael both nodded and began to work on their tablets.
“Are there any doubts about your technique?” Richard asked.
“Not really, Mr. Daniels. It is usual for fellow scientists to question the efficacy of a method that has not yet been tested by them. It actually helps to make sure that one’s own theories are sound and valid. That way, a scientist will always double check whatever he or she postulates at any time. So, one should always expect criticisms like this,” Andrews said.
“I am done with the hologram images of the crew members, Professor,” Michael said.
“Let me look at it,” Andrews said. He then reviewed what Michael had done and nodded. “That is excellent. Now, sync your tablet with Katrina’s. In the process, allow her tablet's operating system to have complete access to yours.”
Michael did as he was told. The crew members then waited.
After a while, Andrews pointed at the hologram of the pyramid. There were now four red dots hovering inside the hologram of the pyramid. “I think it is completed. Both holograms appear to have been integrated into each other. But we still need to be sure. Michael, take a walk towards the direction of the doorway through which we came in.”
Michael did as he was told. He began to walk towards the direction of the door.
As he did so, one of the dots was seen moving away from the other three. The red dot could clearly be seen moving through the map of the pyramid.
“This is wonderful, Professor! That is Michael showing up on the hologram, sir,” Katrina gushed.
Andrews nodded. “Yes it is, Katrina. But it can be much better.”
“Much better?” Richard asked.
“Yes, Mr. Daniels. We all knew it was Michael because we can physically see him here. What if we were to get separated for any reason? Whoever has this hologram will not know for certain which of the team members is moving through any part of the grid at any point in time,” Andrews said.
“I see. In other words, you wish to distinguish between each of the red dots in the grid. So what do you intend to do about it?” Richard asked.
“That will not be a problem. I’ll just need to modify the labeling of each dot, sort of like giving them a separate personality,” Andrews said, and began to type some keys on the tablet.
“Separate personalities, Professor?” Katrina repeated.
Andrews nodded. “Yes, sort of like distinguishing them from each other. It’s not as if we are so many on this team. So we can each have a distinct trait that is different from the other person. Maybe we can work with colors. Four different colors can work out just fine. Or, perhaps we can go with numbers instead? I think numbers will do just fine with the red dots,” Andrews said.
“How will you allocate the numbers, Professor?” Michael asked.
“That should not be too difficult, Michael. The CEO will be 1, while I am going to be 2. You and Katrina will be 3 and 4 respectively,” Andrews said.
As he said this, the dots on the hologram became modified. Rather than just dots, they were now red dots with numbers superimposed on them. The numbers varied from 1, 2, 3, and 4.
“This is impressive, Professor. Very ingenious of you, I must say,” Richard said as he regarded the enhanced 3-D images.
“Thank you, Mr. Daniels. The primary purpose of all this is just to guarantee our safety and security in this strange place,” Andrews said.
“You have really gone way ahead of us all with the 3-D imaging and holograms, Professor. How do you find time to work on this software?” Michael asked.
“The same way we all allocate assignments and tasks to ourselves every day, Michael. While you are busy at your activities, I am also busy at mine. Now you can see that it actually pays off to study things in depth and detail,” Andrews said.
“But you are always so busy, Professor. How do you have the time to delve deeper into such advanced stuff?” Katrina asked.
“I don’t know, Katrina. I guess it is all borne out of interest and the thoughts of necessity. And I’m glad it has paid off. You can see that no knowledge is ever wasted,” Andrews said.
“I admire all the talk and commendation, folks. But we still have a mission at hand here,” Richard said.
“Mr. Daniels is actually right. But before we proceed further, there is one last thing we need to do,” Andrews said.
“What is that, sir?” Michael asked.
“Michael, I need for you to relay this new hologram program to each of our communication devices in our program to each of our communication devices in our D images of the pyramid and each person’s locators independently and from any location,” Andrews said.
“Is that necessary, Professor? I mean, considering that our team is quite small, with only four members. Would it be advisable for us to be apart from each other?” Michael asked.
“I do not think we will have to deliberately break up, Michael. But you never know how things might turn out. Anyone could suddenly go missing, and would have to be able to communicate with others, as well as trace their movements and steps back to the others in case such a thing happens. And this will only be possible if that person already has a copy of the 3-D image and hologram,” Andrews said.
“The professor is quite right about this, Michael. I advise that we all have a copy of the 3-D images and hologram. This is unfamiliar terrain. We need to be sure that we can locate each other in case anything unexpected was to happen and we all got separated,” Richard said.
Michael picked up his tablet. “Okay, Professor. Let me upload the program into each of our suits immediately.”
A couple of minutes later, Michael looked up from his tablet. “Professor, the upload has been successful. Each of our suits’ communication device has been embedded with a copy.”
“Let us all test them to be sure that it is working,” Andrews said.
Each of the team members then checked the devices on their left wrists. They were designed like smart watches and had very broad faces. By touching some indicators, the hologram was easily called up and the 3-D images were displayed a foot above each of their wrists.
Andrews turned around and observed each of the four smaller holograms that were now hovering on their left arms. The holograms above their arms were the exact replicas of the larger model that was hovering over Katrina’s tablet
“I can see that they are all active and properly synced with the images generated by the tablet,” Andrews said. “Now we don’t have to be afraid of anyone getting lost or going missing during this tour of the pyramid.”
“But we are going to still maintain one group formation, Professor. I do not want us to split up and separate for any reason whatsoever,” Richard instructed.
“That is well understood, Mr. Daniels. For the next phase of our movement, I suggest that this time around, Katrina should lead the way. I and the CEO will follow behind her while Michael will cover our backs,” Andrews said.
The crew members all nodded and then began to move again.
As they walked further into the hall, they looked around.
“Everywhere is still quite dark, Professor. Do I activate my tablet’s backlight as well so we can see what is around us?” Katrina asked.
Andrews nodded. “I think it is all right to do so, Katrina. We don’t want to fall off a boulder or a cliff while touring this place.”
Katrina turned on the backlight of her tablet and instantly the entire hall became brightened with illumination.
The crew members were gazing around when Richard pointed. “What are those over there, Professor? On the walls.”
The professor peered closely at the walls. He went close to them and ran his fingers across some of the inscriptions that were all over the wall. “It appears to be some form of inscriptions or writings, Mr. Daniels. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to make sense of any of it. They are absolutely alien in pattern and sequence, sir.”
“Alien writings? Are we trying to say that, unlike what we initially thought while we were outside, this planet might have been inhabited by some alien life forms?” Richard asked.
“It is probable, Mr. Daniels. I mean, just look at the size of this pyramid. And the ingenuity that went into designing the chambers and passageways. Clearly, this was handled by some ancient form of intelligence, Mr. Daniels. It must be advanced intelligence,” Andrews said.
“This is really strange. I was under the impression that what the aliens gave me was a virgin planet, one that had never been inhabited before,” Richard said.
“Well, maybe it was not inhabited. Maybe whoever built these pyramids simply came visiting and then left afterwards,” Katrina said.
“Or maybe they were chased away from the planet. Or perhaps overpowered and vanquished,” Michael added.
“Overpowered and vanquished? You mean like there was some kind of a war or battle on this planet?” Richard asked.
“Let us not start rushing to any conclusions, Mr. Daniels. For now, we are still very much in the dark about what happened on this planet or how these pyramids came to be. We can only make guesses at this moment until when we can verify our suspicions,” Andrews said.
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