Chapter 10: Shadows Beneath the Red Dust
The control room was silent except for the faint hum of the display monitors. Every eye was locked onto the live feed from the Sentinel drone, which had just breached the perimeter of the mysterious coordinates.
Ethan sat at the command console, his fingers hovering over the manual override controls. Michael stood beside him, monitoring the drone's telemetry data. The tension in the air was palpable—this wasn't just another scouting mission.
It was their first true step into the unknown.
Approaching the Unknown
The Sentinel drone moved like a whisper through the thin Martian atmosphere. It was a small, sleek machine, designed for high-speed reconnaissance with advanced cloaking to prevent detection. From the drone's vantage point, the landscape looked like any other part of Mars—barren red rock, jagged cliffs, and dust storms swirling in the distance.
But then, the ground changed.
At first, it was subtle. The Martian soil bore unnatural patterns, almost like circular etchings spread across the ground. Then, as the drone ventured further, the terrain became even stranger—perfectly smooth metallic surfaces peeked through the layers of dust.
Ethan's pulse quickened. This wasn't natural.
"Pause the drone," he ordered.
Michael tapped a command, and the Sentinel hovered in place. The camera adjusted its focus, zooming in on the exposed metallic structure. It was too precise, too symmetrical to be a simple rock formation.
Ethan leaned forward. "EPS, analyze the material composition."
The system responded almost instantly.
[Analysis Complete: Unknown Alloy Detected. Properties Suggest High-Tensile Strength and Heat Resistance. Composition Not Found in Any Earth-Based Database.]
Michael exhaled. "That's not from Earth."
Ethan didn't respond immediately. His mind was already racing ahead. If this structure wasn't from Earth, and it wasn't naturally formed…
Then someone built it.
A Hidden Entrance
Ethan made a decision. "Move in closer. Scan for an entrance."
The Sentinel advanced, its sensors sweeping over the metallic surface. It hovered along the structure's edge until something flickered in the dust—a faint energy signature.
"Hold on," Michael muttered. He adjusted the filters on the drone's sensors, enhancing the image.
And there it was.
A barely visible hexagonal doorway, seamlessly integrated into the structure. There were no visible handles, no obvious entry points. Just a single glowing symbol etched into the surface.
Ethan's heart pounded. "EPS, translate that symbol."
[Translating…]
The system processed for several long seconds before displaying a rough interpretation.
"ACCESS DENIED. AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED."
Ethan's breath caught.
This wasn't just an old ruin. It was active.
An Unseen Threat
Before Ethan could react, an alert flashed across the screen.
[WARNING: MOVEMENT DETECTED.]
Michael's eyes widened. "Something's out there."
The drone's camera auto-adjusted, shifting toward the movement. A shadow passed through the dust storm, swift and unnatural. The drone's sensors struggled to lock onto it.
Then, suddenly—
A flash of blue light erupted from the storm.
The feed cut out.
Ethan shot to his feet. "What the hell just happened?"
Michael frantically ran diagnostics. "The drone's gone—signal lost."
Ethan clenched his jaw. The Sentinel had been their best stealth unit. Whatever took it out did so without hesitation.
Which meant one thing.
They were being watched.
And whoever—or whatever—was out there did not want them getting closer.
The Implications
The weight of the situation pressed down on Ethan. They had barely scratched the surface, yet they had already encountered clear evidence of an unknown intelligence on Mars.
And now, he had lost a drone.
His mind churned through possibilities. If the alien structure was still active, did that mean its creators were still here? Or was something else—something hostile—now occupying it?
Either way, their discovery changed everything.
A Hard Decision
Michael turned to Ethan. "What's the next move?"
Ethan exhaled slowly, forcing himself to think clearly. They couldn't just rush in. Not yet.
But they also couldn't ignore this.
He turned to the EPS interface. "System, compile all data from the drone's final moments. Cross-reference it with everything we know about the alien message we intercepted."
The system responded:
[Analyzing… Estimated Time: 2 Hours]
Ethan nodded. That would give him time to plan.
For now, he had to decide on their next steps. They needed more information. They needed to be ready.
Because whatever was hiding beneath the red dust of Mars…
It had just made its first move.
And this was only the beginning.