“Too soon to tell,” she said slowly, studying the walls. “It’s possible that the tunnel was formed by a natural geological process.”
“Would a geological process create such a perfectly straight line?”
“Straight lines do exist in nature. On the other hand, if something could manipulate the natural rock to create this…” She shook her head. “We don’t have that level of technology.”
Roland scurried a few meters down the tunnel, his sensors scanning continuously, and she followed him. The golden glow of his eyes cast eerie shadows as he moved.
“The composition of the walls is exactly what I’d expect,” she said, studying her scanner. “But I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Zach joined her, his own light playing over the tunnel walls. “Could it be something GenCon did?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. This rock is ancient—it predates the human presence on Mars by millennia.”
“Are you suggesting that there was an advanced civilization on Mars that we’ve missed all evidence of until now?”
“If they manipulated natural materials rather than creating artificial substances, it’s possible. A surface scan wouldn’t have picked up anything except rock down here.”
The implications hung between them, too enormous to fully process. If she was right, they were standing in the first evidence of life on ancient Mars.
Roland chirped, drawing their attention. He had moved further down the tunnel and was examining something on the wall.
“What is it, Roland?” she asked, joining him and shining her light on the wall. Striations covered the rock but there was nothing unusual about them. Except…
“Zach,” she called, her voice barely above a whisper. “Look at this.”
He joined her, his light adding to hers, illuminating the markings more clearly.
“Is that a pattern?”
She shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. They could be natural markings, but it’s odd that they’re so regular.”
“Like the tunnel,” he said grimly and she nodded.
Roland continued ahead of them, his sensors scanning every centimeter of the tunnel. She followed, recording everything, her mind racing with possibilities. Zach remained close, his attention divided between her and their surroundings.
The tunnel finally began a gentle curve to the right, but as they reached it Roland suddenly stopped, his mechanical body going completely still.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, moving towards him.
Zach’s hand shot out, grabbing her arm. “Wait.”
She turned to look at him, startled by the tension in his voice. His eyes gleamed silver as he scanned the darkness ahead, his body alert in a way that sent a chill down her spine.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Movement,” he said softly. “Just at the edge of my vision. Something’s down here with us.”
She’d been so caught up in the mystery of the tunnel that she’d almost forgotten their original goal. Her heart hammered in her chest as she strained to see into the darkness. Roland remained frozen in place, his sensors clearly picking up something beyond human perception.
“Could it be a cave-in? Dust from the storm?” she suggested, but even as she spoke, she knew it wasn’t that simple.
He shook his head slightly, his grip on her arm tightening. “No. It’s deliberate movement. Controlled.”
A soft sound echoed through the tunnel—a subtle scraping, like something being dragged across the stone. Roland’s ears twitched towards the noise, his golden eyes glowing brighter in the darkness.
“How far?” she whispered.
“Maybe fifty meters,” Zach replied, his voice barely audible.
