Pyramid of the Ancients Read online

  “My mind’s made up, Corporal,” Rebecca said, attempting to lighten the mood with a grin.

  Clearly not thrilled with her friend’s decision, Lisa resigned herself with a sigh. Then, with a grin of her own, she said, “Oh, I see how it is. You didn’t have to pull rank on me. Right this way, Gunnery Sergeant, Sir!”

  Stepping through the doorway, Lisa led Rebecca into the chamber beyond. Scattered throughout the large, rectangular room were numerous work stations, each occupied by NASA employees deeply engrossed in their individual tasks.

  “This is what we call the ‘workshop,’” Lisa said as they walked. “We call it that not only because this is where we do much of our work now, but because Jeffrey and Jerome believe this was the original workshop of the designer.”

  “The designer?” Rebecca asked.

  Lisa stopped walking and faced Rebecca. “Yes. Weren’t you briefed at all?”

  Rebecca shook her head. “No. There wasn’t time. Dr. Eisenberg was in the process of filling me in.”

  Lisa frowned. “You must’ve pulled quite a few strings to get here without having time for briefing. So, are you telling me you don’t know what’s here?”

  “Only what Dr. Eisenberg told me,” Rebecca replied. “He said that you found a couple of books and alien corpses. Was there something else?” she asked anxiously.

  “Yes. That,” she said, pointing to the far end of the room.

  Looking past the throng of workers, Rebecca could see into the room beyond the chamber in which she currently stood. At first, her mind couldn’t quite make sense of what she was seeing. Squinting her eyes, she began walking closer to get a better view. Suddenly her eyes grew larger and she stopped in her tracks. Turning back to face Lisa, who had followed her across the room, she frowned. “A pyramid? What’s a pyramid doing underground inside another building?”

  Lisa drew nearer as she answered. “It’s more than just a pyramid. It’s a spaceship!”

  Rebecca sat in stunned silence for several seconds as she processed the news. “That is what the aliens flew in to get here? But how? Does it work? Where are the alien bodies now?”

  Instead of answering her questions, Lisa placed her left arm around Rebecca’s shoulder and steered her toward the right side of the room, which looked more like a laboratory than an archaeological dig. Various kinds of scientific equipment littered the tables and hung from the walls. Lisa led Rebecca to a door that appeared to lead into a storage closet, judging by the dimensions. As they neared the door, Lisa leaned over to one of the workers and whispered something into his ear. The man nodded, then resumed working.

  As she placed her hand on the security panel and looked into the retinal scanner, Lisa said, “In here is where we keep the ‘designer’ and his ‘bodyguard,’ as we like to call them.” She waited a second until she heard the telltale click of the lock, then grabbed the handle and pulled open the door.

  Although Rebecca had tried to brace herself for whatever it was she would find inside the room, she was still shaken to the core by the sight of the two giant bodies resting inside the glass cases.

  “Dear God!” she exclaimed in hushed awe.

  “They are the real thing, Becky. You’re looking at two genuine extraterrestrials.”

  Rebecca’s mind reeled. Could it be true? But if there really are aliens, then how do they fit in with what I believe about God and the Bible? Were they also created by God? Think, Becky. When you come across something you don’t understand, fall back on what you know to be true. I’m convinced that evolution can’t be true, so that means they had to be created by God. But how does that fit with the Bible? Did God create some other race of beings on another planet?

  “It messes with your mind, doesn’t it?” Lisa said. “I mean, we were always taught that if evolution could create life on earth, then it is statistically probable that evolution could create life on other planets as well. I just never thought I would live to see a real alien, even if it is dead. The funny thing is, they don’t look anything like those pictures you see of the gray aliens with the big eyes and large heads.”

  Rebecca turned to look at her friend. “Lisa, you know I don’t believe in evolution anymore.”

  Lisa returned her gaze. “I know,” she said. “But then again, I thought maybe a little evidence like what we’ve found here might bring you back to the fold. So tell me, then, if evolution isn’t true, how do you explain these?” she challenged, pointing at the bodies. “Does this look like the handiwork of God? Look at the teeth and the grotesque, animal-like features. These things don’t look like they were created by a loving God, but rather by a mad scientist— or by evolution.”

  Suddenly, Rebecca remembered the words that Sikaris, the angel from her vision, had written in his last letter to her: “Always remember what you learned during your time on Ka’esch. Keep it in the forefront of your mind so that your faith will not waver during the difficult times that lie ahead.” Closing her eyes, Rebecca shook her head to clear her mind and focus her thoughts. Could this be what Sikaris was referring to?

  Looking back at Lisa, she replied firmly, “You see what you want to see because of what you believe. You believe evolution is true, so you see aliens. I believe we were created by God, and so I believe that, somehow, these creatures must have also been created. That doesn’t necessarily mean they were created by God. Perhaps you were right when you said they were the creation of some mad scientist. I don’t have the answers right now, but I’m going to rely on what I know to be true.”

  Lisa looked at her with frustration. “How can you hold to such a blind faith in the face of hard evidence?”

  “But that’s where you are mistaken,” Rebecca countered. “It’s not the evidence that we are disputing, but the interpretation of that evidence. These bodies didn’t come with labels attached saying, ‘Hi, I evolved.’”

  “I hope you’ll change your mind after you see their spaceship,” Lisa replied sadly.

  They stepped out of the storage area and Lisa resealed the door. As they headed back toward the center of the room, Rebecca spotted a familiar face approaching her, smiling as he drew near. Unlike most of the others she had seen, he wasn’t wearing anything with a NASA logo or insignia. Instead, the six-foot-two man was dressed in a pair of tan pants and a simple brown polo shirt that matched his brown eyes and complemented his dark complexion and short hair. “Becky, it’s good to see you again,” he said warmly.

  Returning the smile, Rebecca stepped forward to give him a welcoming embrace. “Jerome, how are you? It’s been too long. How are Tarshwa and the kids?”

  “Tarshwa just finished her second book. Her publisher said it should be out by next fall,” Jerome said with pride. “The twins are doing great. They’re sophomores now, can you believe it? And...and Joy is almost fully recovered.”

  Rebecca’s expression filled with concern. “Yes, I heard about the accident. I’m glad to hear she pulled through.”

  “Yeah. It was tough on all of us. Especially Tarshwa. She somewhat blamed herself for letting Joy go to the prom with that jerk. I only wish I had been there instead of here,” he said regretfully. “But that’s all ancient history. So tell me, how have you been?”

  “I’ve been okay, just working a lot,” Rebecca said dryly. Not wanting to go into detail about her research against evolution, she simply changed the subject. “This is quite a place you have here. Lisa was just going to show me the ship.”

  “Actually…Jerome, would you do me a favor?” Lisa asked. “I’ve really got to go check on a couple of things. Would you mind showing Becky the ship?” she asked, sounding urgent.

  Jerome looked at Lisa for a moment, and it seemed to Rebecca that something unspoken passed between the two others. “Sure, sure,” Jerome said, his gaze returning to Rebecca. Then, holding his arm out for her to take, he said, “Right this way, ma’am.”

  Giving her a final embrace, Rebecca held Lisa at arm’s length for a moment and smiled once again at
her best friend. “Thanks, Lis. It’s been so good to see you again. I’ll see you around.”

  Lisa gave another awkward, halfhearted smile. “Yeah. See you around, Gunny,” she replied, using Rebecca’s military nickname.

  Rebecca turned and followed Jerome as he led her toward the opening leading to the room with the pyramid. As they were about to enter the room, she gave one final glance in Lisa’s direction to see her friend wiping away the vestiges of tears from her eyes.

  3

  The Pyramid

  “So whattaya think? She’s a beauty, huh?” Jerome asked, forcing Rebecca to put her concern for Lisa out of her mind.

  “Yes, it is magnificent,” she responded in genuine admiration of the fifty-foot pyramid looming before her. Its bulk covered most of the floor space in the room, leaving only fifteen feet on each side between the base of the pyramid and the wall. Ten of those fifteen feet were taken up by a flight of giant-sized steps that led from the five-foot walkway that encircled the room down to the pyramid itself. The size of the steps gave the chamber the overall effect of a square coliseum. Directly in front of her, at the bottom of the two-foot-wide steps, gaped the entrance to the pyramid. Even in the modern illumination, its massive maw seemed to beckon to Rebecca menacingly. A shudder passed down her spine at the mental images of what it would have looked like in the flickering flames from primitive torchlight.

  Diverting her thoughts from their current disturbing path, she quizzed her new guide. “So you really think it’s a spaceship? I mean, it doesn’t seem to make sense to me. Where are the boosters? Are they buried under the floor? And how would it get out? Does the roof open up?”

  “Well, we don’t know exactly what the designer had in mind regarding the roof,” Jerome answered. “The roof doesn’t open, so we had a crew dig up the area. Once we have this thing running, which should be sometime this evening if all goes well, then they’ll tear up the ceiling so we can get it out.

  “As for the boosters,” he said with a smile, “that’s another thing entirely. They are buried in the floor, so to speak. I take it, then, that Lisa didn’t tell you about Elmer or the technical journals?”

  “Elmer? Who’s Elmer?” Rebecca asked.

  “Elmer is NASA’s new toy. Its real, unimaginative name is ‘Multi-Function Utility Droid.’ We shortened it to MFUD, which sounds like Elmer Fudd—the character from that old cartoon that aired way back before the new millennium. You know, the one who used to chase that one rabbit—what’s his name?”

  “Beetles Bunny, wasn’t it?” Rebecca offered.

  Jerome laughed heartily. “No, not Beetles—Bugs!”

  For the first time in recent memory, Rebecca let out a deep laugh that brightened her spirit and chased away her misgivings—at least momentarily.

  “Yeah, so anyway, we now just call it Elmer. Come on. Let me give you a tour of the ship and then I’ll introduce you to Elmer and show you the technical journals,” Jerome said as he led Rebecca down the steps toward the entrance.

  No matter how much Rebecca tried to shrug it off and chalk it up to superstition, she couldn’t ward off the feeling that grew with each step she took towards the pyramid. A heavy, malevolent presence weighed upon her mind so much that as she stood at the threshold of the pyramid, she was forced to stop.

  Jerome, noticing her discomfort, asked with concern, “Becky? Are you okay?”

  What’s wrong with me? she chastised herself. For a moment, she considered saying something to Jerome, but it was obvious that he didn’t feel anything wrong, and it would probably just add fuel to the fire. After all, Jerome and Jeffrey already thought she had gone a little crazy with her religious beliefs. Lord, whatever it is, help me and protect me, she prayed quickly. Although the presence was still there, she could feel it lighten somewhat, as if it had retreated a short distance away, but was still lurking and awaiting the chance to pounce once more.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she reassured him, offering the best smile she could muster. “It’s nothing.”

  Not fully convinced, Jerome nevertheless let it pass, much to Rebecca’s relief. Taking a steadying breath, she stepped inside the pyramid.

  The entrance hallway extended twelve feet before branching off to the left and right, then continuing around to the back of the pyramid. Jerome led her to the fork, then stopped. “The pyramid is basically built around this central room,” he explained, indicating the wall directly in front of them. “This square room houses the power source for the entire ship—the core that arrived with you. The techs are installing it now, as a matter of fact, so I’ll show it to you later. That’s what all the noise is coming from around the passage to the right, in case you were wondering. It took us a while to find the entrance to that room. The only way in is through a secret door in the northeast corner. We never would have found it if we hadn't had the blueprints.”

  “These…aliens...just happened to leave you the blueprints?” Rebecca asked skeptically.

  Jerome ran his hand over his cropped hair. “Well, it’s not so much that they left them. You saw the bodies. We think the shorter one was in the process of finishing it when he died. Do you wanna see them?”

  “The blueprints? Sure. Why not?” Rebecca asked in a mock casual tone.

  Jerome took a step into the left passage, then turned to look towards the main entrance. Framing the entrance hallway from the inside were two doors, each facing rooms located in the southern section of the pyramid. “According to the blueprints, this was supposed to be the kitchen,” Jerome said, grabbing the handle of the western door.

  “The kitchen?” Rebecca asked. “You keep the blueprints in the kitchen?”

  “No, this was supposed to be the kitchen, based on the original plans. Now, this is the office of the man who is in charge of them. After you,” he said as he opened the door for her.

  The room’s lone occupant was a slightly overweight man in his mid-thirties. His black, greasy hair looked as if it hadn’t been washed or combed in decades, and was matched by his wrinkled T-shirt, which sported the logo of some band Rebecca had never heard of. A pair of smudged blue jeans that looked like they might have been older than their current owner perfectly complemented the rest of the man’s unkempt appearance. The most curious thing about him, however, was the simple fact that he was dancing and singing in the middle of the room even though Rebecca could hear no music.

  “She’s got the looks that KILL! Huh!” he grunted as he spun around in a complete circle, his white tennis shoes squeaking on the stone floor. As he finished his spin, he caught sight of Rebecca and Jerome standing in the doorway. Grinning sheepishly over his shoulder, he slowly turned the rest of his body around to face them. “Hi!” he said casually.

  “Mack, I’d like you to meet—”

  “Wait a second,” Mack said abruptly. Reaching with his left index finger, he pressed down gently on his right wrist. Instantly, a blue-tinged holographic image appeared, hovering over his arm. Mack quickly touched a point on the image with his free hand, and then once again pressed the same spot on his arm, causing the image to vanish.

  “Sorry about that. Now, with whom do I have the honor of making an acquaintance?” Mack asked cordially, his voice suddenly becoming deeper and more dignified.

  “Mack, I’d like you to meet Rebecca,” Jerome repeated.

  Mack extended his right hand in greeting and gave Rebecca a weak handshake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca.”

  “You too,” she replied. “I’m going to be Dr. Eisenberg’s new assistant.”

  “New assistant, huh?” Mack said, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t know he needed one.”

  Rebecca ignored the comment. “Pardon my asking, but what was that you did a moment ago with the hologram? I’ve never seen that before.”

  Jerome looked down at her and grinned. “Mack has made a few…additions to what nature gave him.”

  “I’d call them improvements, not just additions,” Mack countered proudly. “This
particular improvement happens to be a Lydian 3 nanoprocessor with holographic display and touchpad.” Seeing that Rebecca didn’t seem impressed, he assumed it was due to her obvious lack of understanding. Feeling the need to enlighten her, he expounded further. “In essence, I have an entire computer embedded under my skin, with a mini holographic imaging device that projects a computer keyboard and screen I can operate with a simple touch of my fingers.”

  This time, Mack’s explanation produced the desired result. He watched in satisfaction as Rebecca’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “That is quite an improvement.”

  “Yeah,” Jerome said skeptically, “except that this particular improvement is connected to a set of nanospeakers embedded in his ears. Half the time, Mack’s walking around jamming to music only he can hear.”

  “What can I say?” Mack said, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m a man who marches to the beat of a different drummer.”

  “That’d be fine if you only did it when you’re alone. But it’s quite annoying when others have to throw things at you just to get your attention!” Jerome countered.

  Ignoring Jerome’s tirade, Mack looked at Rebecca and asked, “So, to what do I owe the honor of your visit, Ms. Rebecca?”

  “I’d like to show Rebecca the books we found in both the antechamber and the workshop,” Jerome said, answering for her.

  Mack’s eyes lit up with excitement, and Rebecca noticed through the curtain of curly hair that his eyes had an odd, greenish-blue hue to them. Probably another ‘improvement,’ she thought.

  “Sure! It would be my pleasure,” Mack said as he beckoned them to follow him over to his work desk against the southern wall, which Rebecca guessed to be the outer wall of the pyramid, judging by its inverted slope. The rest of the room, she noticed with interest, contained an odd assortment of books written in several languages piled haphazardly on shelves and tables, mixed with various bits of science fiction and New Age paraphernalia.