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Rated: 13+ · Book · Sci-fi · #1369089
The main characters are introduced, also hard science, political and religious intrigue.
#558324 added January 1, 2008 at 11:49pm
Restrictions: None
EPISODE 10 - THE VISITORS
FADE IN:

INT. GALLEY

As it turned out, Yuri and Ivan join them, as do John and
Oksana when the aroma reaches the control deck. Everyone
seems to show up when Mike is cooking and he wasn't certain
whether it was because they liked his food, or just didn't
want to fend for themselves.

Surprisingly, dinner conversation is mainly small talk.
There is an occasional reference to work, but for the most
part, it turns out more of a social gathering for which Mike
is thankful.

                                                 GARAN
                                       (To Sharon)
                             This is really quite a storm we
                             are having.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             Oh yes. Something like this on
                             Earth would cause billions of
                             dollars damage if it crossed a
                             populated area. And where would
                             you find an unpopulated area on
                             Earth?

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             Most of Siberia?

                                                 OKSANA
                             You know, Mr. Angel, if a shield
                             such as we have could be made
                             around a city, it would provide
                             protection against such a thing
                             just as it is doing for us.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I've given that a great deal of
                             consideration. There is only one
                             major stumbling block that I see.

All eyes turn to him as he pauses.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Human nature.

Now they all look puzzled, not following him at all.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             The same technology that makes
                             the shield is the one that powers
                             this ship. The shield can be
                             made impenetrable to anything,
                             including light.
                                       (beat)
                             Your people, weren't exactly
                             happy when one of our presidents
                             a few years back wanted to
                             resurrect the old 'Star Wars'
                             defense initiative.

There are nods around the table.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             The only reason there are so many
                             countries still left on Earth is
                             that we have a threat of mutually
                             assured destruction hanging over
                             our heads. How long would that
                             balance remain if one country had
                             a totally impenetrable defense?

Silence falls as everyone at the table realizes the terrible
implications of what he had just said. Oksana looks horrified.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                                       (Innocently)
                             Couldn't it just be licensed to
                             major cities with the
                             understanding that it would only
                             be used to protect against
                             accidents of nature?

Mike's inherent cynicism comes out against her naivete,

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Right! That would last about a
                             minute and a half! I'd turn my
                             back and some bureaucrat would
                             send in the Marines to confiscate
                             and duplicate it! Don't forget,
                             this is the same thing that
                             creates the singularity that
                             brought us here in three hours
                             instead of six months. I know
                             you are all familiar with the
                             demonstration I had to put on in
                             New Mexico of what else this is
                             capable of if reversed and used
                             on Earth. Now, I know I'm not
                             going to do that again, and I
                             trust me. My native paranoia
                             tells me to place zero trust in
                             anyone else, especially
                             politicians and 'leaders' with an
                             agenda.
                                       (beat)
                             My agenda is to learn as much as
                             I can before I die, which looks
                             like a long time from now.
                                       (smiles at the group)
                             And it is to also pass on to a
                             trusted few what I have discovered.

He looks directly at Oksana who looks down at her lap at the
compliment.

John understands what is being said and reaches over and
squeezes her hand.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Sir, President Forest would like
                             to speak with you.

Mike wipes his mouth slowly with a napkin and to his
surprise, a video monitor at the end of the wardroom
flickers to life with the image of the President.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Sir, it's good to actually see
                             you tonight.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST
                             I didn't call to pick a fight,
                             but I think we both realize that
                             there is now a real potential
                             security problem; not just for
                             the United States, but globally,
                             and I believe President Puchinskiy
                             will agree with me.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Good. Thank you for seeing it
                             realistically. For a change, I
                             also agree with you. I had been
                             hoping that you and your people
                             would see the problem and
                             understand it in a logical light.

All heads at the table turn to Mike. Nobody really has any
idea of what either is talking.

The President nods.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST
                             I feel the most prudent action
                             would be a conservative one until
                             we get more answers.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Agreed. I assure you that until
                             we understand what we're dealing
                             with, we're not going to pry open
                             those sarcophagi and start
                             resurrecting aliens.

The light of understanding dawns on the group one by one.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Sir, we don't know if they are
                             still clinically alive, that's
                             just my guess. If they are, what
                             were their motivations back then
                             and what would they be today? I
                             don't know. I assume benign, but
                             I can't guarantee that because I
                             just don't know. The technology
                             we've discovered is well beyond
                             anything that even the house and
                             I could dream up. Until we
                             understand its purpose and
                             implications, it remains between us.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST
                             Thank you. I know that you can
                             be difficult, but I also know
                             that you're not irresponsible.
                             There are already polls on the
                             street giving almost even odds
                             that the public thinks they are
                             not only alive, but the
                             forerunners of a galactic
                             invasion of Earth.

Mike laughs aloud and starts coughing,

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Hollywood cranks out too many bad
                             science-fiction movies! I think
                             the evidence is going to bear out
                             that the people from here are not
                             invaders, but our ancestors.
                             That's what leads me to the
                             benign theory. Besides, we've
                             already accounted for the major
                             racial groups on Earth, but don't
                             know what group these two
                             represent, or why they were left
                             behind. I'm not ready to wake
                             them up until I know for certain
                             what they represent. Were they
                             criminals? Were they defective?
                             Were they insane? You can rest
                             assured, I'm not putting my
                             people here at risk, much less
                             the rest of you down there.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST
                             I appreciate your caution. Barry
                             was right when he predicted that
                             every flying saucer cult would
                             start clamoring for something or
                             another. On the plus side,
                             church attendance is up 300
                             percent. I don't know whether
                             it's good or bad, but almost
                             every television in the country
                             is being carted into offices and
                             schools so that nobody misses
                             anything. AFTRA and the
                             Screenwriter's Guild are on my
                             back because even the soap operas
                             have been cancelled until you get
                             home. You don't understand the
                             damage control and PR nightmare
                             you've created.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Vesna, is this conversation secure?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Yes sir. I did not know what you
                             wished to discuss and switched
                             feeds when the President called.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Thank you Vesna. Sir, if I may
                             speak freely, if you'd concentrate
                             less on damage control and more
                             on the positive PR side of this,
                             you'll get fewer ulcers. People
                             are resilient and will accept
                             most of this at face value.
                             That's why we have 24-hour
                             coverage. This may be the
                             information generation, but
                             nobody is accustomed to total
                             honesty from government. Now I
                             know I backed you and President
                             Puchinskiy into a corner on this
                             publicity issue, but you can turn
                             it to your advantage very easily
                             and I'll cooperate with that.
                             Here we have an International
                             group of scientists who have made
                             discoveries that will have an
                             effect on the entire planet for
                             generations to come and you were
                             a part of it. Lord, the two of
                             you could probably run for Tsar
                             if you played your cards right
                             and make it.
                                       (beat)
                             Now I promise not to fight with
                             you in public any more, if you'll
                             just relax and trust my judgment
                             in what we're doing. My people
                             and I had just finished discussing
                             the perils of the military
                             applications of our technology
                             just before you called. Everyone
                             here can understand the full
                             implication of how disastrous it
                             would be to have an imbalance of
                             power with it. I'd appreciate it
                             if, until I come up with a viable
                             solution, you keep your military
                             advisors at arms length.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             I'm not about to upset that
                             balance unless I get angry, and I
                             hope you understand I don't want
                             to do that. My agenda has never
                             been hidden. It's 'knowledge for
                             knowledge sake' - hopefully, a
                             noble savant ideal. But I fully
                             realize that some knowledge can
                             be dangerous in the wrong hands,
                             and I'm not saying that yours are
                             the wrong hands.
                                       (added quickly,
                                       holding up his hands
                                       in a stopping gesture)
                             But the only person I trust at
                             the moment is me, and maybe
                             Oksana over here.

The girl shrinks back in her seat, again showing the
beginnings of a blush.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST
                             I'm also being pressured by the
                             people we've gotten together so
                             far to get some physical samples
                             of your finds so that they can be
                             verified by independent tests.
                             Is there any way more data can be
                             transmitted?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I'm way ahead of you. I already
                             contacted Sukhoi to construct
                             another container pod that my
                             prototype ship can pick up and
                             bring here. It should be ready
                             by the end of the week. The
                             prototype wasn't built to
                             accommodate humans, but I think
                             she can ferry some samples back
                             to you and President Puchinskiy's
                             group quickly. I'll make the
                             delivery arrangements and let you
                             know.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST
                             Thank you. Can I be frank?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Yes, Sir.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST
                             With all respect to the rest of
                             you in the room and up there, Mr.
                             Angelskov, how can you stand
                             these scientists? They're
                             driving me crazy.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Sir, politicians drive me nuts.
                             You handle politicians and I'll
                             take care of the science types.
                             Keep in mind that I'm one of them.
                             And also, 'the geek shall inherit
                             the Earth'.

The President smiles at this.

                                                 PRESIDENT FOREST
                             I want you to know that the polls
                             on the street put you a hands
                             down winner of the next election
                             as a write-in candidate.

Mike chokes. After a minute of coughing:

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Sir, your job is safe. I
                             wouldn't have it on a bet!
                             Please make sure that doesn't happen!

Forest smiles and breaks the connection.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             How's that for one-upmanship?

He is met by completely blank stares.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             He must have found out that
                             Vladimir Grigorovich has been
                             using a video link and I guess he
                             couldn't be outdone! Good for
                             him. Now, does anyone have any
                             comments on our discussion?

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             I guess I hadn't thought of the
                             threat. I was so caught up with
                             the discoveries, that there might
                             be something dangerous never
                             dawned on me. I'm supposed to be
                             a journalist, but I haven't been
                             very objective.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Not really. You don't think like
                             a politician or a military person.
                             I can; I just don't like to.
                             That's why I find both distasteful.
                             But the inbred paranoia I have
                             about both makes me look for all
                             of the implications.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             You think there might be some
                             danger here, then?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             No. However, I'd rather cover
                             all my bases before tilting at
                             windmills and risking everything,
                             including civilization, as we
                             know it. We've already had a
                             couple of major surprises; I'd
                             like to keep them to a minimum:
                             especially the dangerous ones.

                                                 OKSANA
                             Then what should we do?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             For starters, I need you to
                             understand as much as you can
                             about the machinery in there:
                             what it does and how it works.
                             That means you need to keep
                             working closely with Doctors
                             Belisar, Barishnikov, and Vesna
                             on the translations of the labels.
                             I know you still want to
                             understand Vesna fully, but
                             there's plenty of time for that.
                             Right now we need to figure out
                             what's really in there and
                             possibly how to use it. Vesna?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Yes, sir.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             You have a complete database on
                             human psychology. While you're
                             working on translations, see if
                             you can detect any attitude or
                             motivation in the language once
                             you can come up with a reasonable
                             understanding.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             I will do that.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Yuri, you and Peter work on the
                             materials analysis. That may
                             give some insight on the level of
                             technology we're dealing with.
                             Ivan, you and Jim need to find
                             out whether those two bodies are
                             corpses or alive in suspended
                             animation. I don't want to open
                             a coffin and have one sit up.
                             All of you make a list of
                             additional equipment you need to
                             perform whatever tests you want.
                             McKinney will get it together and
                             send it up with the prototype in
                             a few days. Pass the word to
                             your counterparts, too.

                                                 GARAN
                             But, won't that put us over the
                             thousand pound limit?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I only set that limit to keep the
                             women from bringing along 17
                             suitcases of junk for a one-month
                             stay.

Sharon makes a face and sticks her tongue out at Mike.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (shrugging and smiling)
                             Hey! What can I say? The
                             coveralls are color-coordinated
                             enough for my taste and we didn't
                             have unlimited storage space. I
                             just figured that 15 pairs of
                             shoes wouldn't really be
                             appropriate and heels are out of
                             the question in this sand.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             I'll have you know that I only
                             own three pairs of shoes and none
                             of them are high-heels! And I
                             could probably only fill ten
                             suitcases.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. COMMAND DECK

The storm passes a few hours later and the video screens on
the control deck again show the normal evening scenery. The
placement of the dunes has changed a bit, but otherwise the
view is the same. Most of the crew has retired for the
evening, but a few are either in their labs or chatting in
the lounge. Oksana has gone down to the Russian archaeology
lab and is conferring with Vesna and the doctors over
possible translations of the text and functions of the
various machines.

                                                 BARISHNIKOV
                             This writing appears to have
                             components of the other four
                             languages, but with something
                             else added. I really feel that
                             the color shades are also part of
                             the script, and not just a
                             decoration.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             I agree. There is also something
                             which none of you has noticed
                             because your eyes aren't made
                             that way. The color variations
                             extend above and below the
                             spectrum that's visible to the
                             human eye.

                                                 BELISAR
                             That would mean whoever wrote
                             that had a wider range of vision
                             than we do. Probably better
                             hearing, too.

                                                 BELISAR (CONT'D)
                             I'd like to put forth a theory.

The others look his way in anticipation.

                                                 BELISAR (CONT'D)
                             First, we discovered that the
                             other four languages were
                             precursors of languages known on
                             Earth, right?

The other two nod,

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             That is true.

                                                 BELISAR
                             Second, we have found similarities
                             of each of those languages to the
                             characters in these writings,
                             correct?

                                                 BARISHNIKOV
                             Da. I think I know where you are
                             going with this. The writing we
                             have here may be a precursor of
                             each of those four. Each of them
                             may have been extracted from this
                             earlier writing for some reason
                             or another.

                                                 BELISAR
                             Exactly. Vesna, can you apply a
                             regression against the words and
                             meanings we understand from the
                             original four alphabets in
                             relation to the similarities that
                             you found in this one?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Already started. I also have the
                             house working on this to try to
                             come up with an algorithm based
                             on the natural progression of
                             alphabets and languages that we
                             know on Earth. This may take
                             some time.

                                                 OKSANA
                             You may want to also try to
                             correlate that with the placement
                             and possible function of the
                             indicators and switches on the
                             panels. This may give some idea
                             of meaning, even if we do not
                             know what they do.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Very good. I will work on that
                             part myself.

At this point, Mike walks into the lab.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             How's it going?

                                                 BELISAR
                             Very well!

They bring him up to speed on what they have found and the
planned approach to the problem. Mike beams at this progress.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Oksana. I want you to pay close
                             attention to these two.

She looks at him questioningly.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             I don't want you to fall into the
                             trap that most engineers have of
                             thinking only in a straight line
                             or only one way. Even if you
                             think like a Russian, most
                             engineers think that there is
                             only one solution to a problem.
                             These people here may be
                             archaeologists, but they are
                             anthropologists first. They're
                             trained to use an
                             interdisciplinary approach to
                             problem solving. I'll bet they
                             don't even think about it any
                             more, but they will automatically
                             apply whatever discipline
                             produces the best results to a
                             problem. Am I right, gentlemen?

Both doctors look a bit sheepish, but nod.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Precisely. You may become an
                             engineer, but I want to see you
                             think also like a physicist, a
                             priest, a poet, a shaman, a
                             sociologist, and a mystic. There
                             are always a dozen ways to look
                             at a problem and at least a dozen
                             solutions. Only when you can see
                             from all of these viewpoints will
                             you be all you can be.

Oksana stares at the floor, trying not to blush.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Would you guys take her under you
                             wing and show her what I'm
                             talking about? And Joe, would
                             you include John a bit more?
                             He's feeling somewhat left out
                             and could use the training. He's
                             a bit unfocused now.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             If you could open up the infinite
                             possibilities to him, I would
                             really appreciate it.

                                                 BELISAR
                             I hadn't considered that. But,
                             of course!

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Thanks. A night well spent, I'd
                             say. It may be time to let the
                             computers do their crunching and
                             the humans get some sleep.
                             There's a big day ahead and some
                             time to make up tomorrow, so why
                             don't we knock off for today?

The three nod. Barishnikov closes a notebook he has been
writing in and puts it in a desk drawer.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. GALLEY

Chapter Thirty-five

Dawn breaks rather unceremoniously and Mike straggles over
to the galley around 0600 Zulu. The telltale aroma of fish
cooking assails his senses and woke him up immediately.
Oksana has arrived early and was preparing a large breakfast
of smelt and eggs along with sausage and bliny as well as
something he didn't immediately recognize.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Playfully)
                             We're not at the farm, you know.

                                                 OKSANA
                                       (Laughing)
                             Ya znaiu, but a good breakfast
                             will put everyone at their best
                             today.

One by one, the rest come in. Most of the Americans are not
used to the sardine-like fish for breakfast and aren't quite
certain how to take it, but the Russians dig in.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. RUSSIAN SCIENCE SECTION

The crew assembles on the lower deck and suits up. Most has
already packed the equipment they anticipate needing that
day and it was ready by the airlock. John and Mike exit
first and disable the force field across the entrance of the
tunnel. There is another two feet of sand piled in front of
the opening that collapses when the field is turned off.
John has thought ahead and brought along a shovel. As soon
as the sand falls, he begins clearing the hole again.

The scene inside the airlock is just as they had left it.
The party removes their suits and start in pairs down the
passageway carrying their gear. Oksana tags along with the
two archaeologists. Carol and Lana run along to catch up
with them. Sharon, Mikhail, and John go with the
hydrologists, while Mike joins up with the geologists.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. WATER POOL

The hydrologists and Sharon reach the pool before the others
get to the main chamber. They begin setting up several
makeshift hydrophones.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                                       (Reportorial voice)
                             What is it you're attempting to do?

                                                 STROMBERG
                             We're going to try to calculate
                             the depth of this pool. Once
                             we've determined that, we hope to
                             find the source of this water. I
                             seriously doubt it's naturally
                             occurring. It's much too pure to
                             be natural. In fact, we've
                             determined it's more pure than
                             triple distilled water on Earth.
                             You really couldn't drink it.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             Why is that? It's water, isn't it?

                                                 STROMBERG
                             It would leach the calcium and
                             other minerals from your bones
                             and blood. That's how pure it is.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             Yes. It is as if someone took
                             pure hydrogen and burned it in
                             pure oxygen with no other
                             contaminants present. There is
                             absolutely nothing else that we
                             can detect. Of course we'll know
                             better tomorrow when the big gas
                             chromatograph arrives from Earth.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             Then where do you think it's
                             coming from?

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             We do not know. Once we know the
                             depth, we will use a camera such
                             as you have to try to locate any
                             pipes or sources on the bottom
                             and sides. There was a time, as
                             I'm sure doctors Jameson and
                             Garan will confirm, that the
                             surface of this planet had as
                             much water as the Earth does
                             today. Where did it go? We
                             don't know, but maybe some of it
                             is here. Maybe we can stop at
                             the poles before going home to
                             see if that is water ice or just
                             carbon dioxide ice. Until then,
                             we just do not know. We come
                             here for answers and all we get
                             is more questions.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. MAIN EQUIPMENT ROOM

In the main room, Lana and the girls reach the panels with
the archaeologists. For a moment, all of them just look
around at the myriad of controls and writings trying to make
some sense of it. They had studied pictures previously
taken, but the real thing is still awesome to behold.

                                                 SVETLANA
                                       (Reporter's voice)
                             Have you come up yet with a
                             translation?

                                                 BARISHNIKOV
                             Not as yet. We have been busy
                             trying to find the similarities
                             and mapping out the position of
                             the various symbols.

                                                 OKSANA
                             We have discovered that eight of
                             these panels are almost identical
                             except for this symbol here.
                                       (points to a symbol
                                       near the top of the panel)
                             This looks like a title or an
                             identification of some sort since
                             this line does not appear
                             associated with any of the
                             controls. Everything else is
                             next to a control or an indicator.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             You said eight of the panels. I
                             count 11 on this wall.

                                                 BELISAR
                             That is correct.          The two on
                             either side of the center bear
                             several extra lines of controls
                             and a very different inscription
                             on the top. The very center
                             panel has no relationship to any
                             of the others. It is as if it
                             was a master control for the
                             other ten. Some of the same
                             characters are on the others, but
                             there is other verbiage associated
                             with them. In addition, the
                             layout of the indicators is
                             different. Oksana is attempting
                             to determine the purpose of these
                             controls which may help
                             translating the characters.

Lana nods as Carol speaks up,

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             What about that panel on the
                             other wall?

She points to what could be a mural except that there are a
few controls evident on it. There is more script and much
fewer controls and indicators than on any of the other panels.

                                                 BELISAR
                             We don't know. It is totally
                             different from the others, we
                             felt it better to concentrate
                             here first to try to get a handle
                             on what we are doing.

The girl wanders off to study the lone panel.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. BY THE SARCOPHAGI

Mike and Yuri are busy at the sarcophagi trying various
chemical tests to determine the composition while Doctor
Jameson is going over every square inch of another with
high-powered magnifiers. Lana strolls over to watch their
progress as Sharon comes down the long hallway and enters
the room.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             Anything yet?

Mike shakes his head.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Nothing definitive, but it's
                             beginning to look like I was right.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                                       (Under her breath)
                             As usual.

Mike ignores her.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             So far it looks like these
                             coffins are pure diamond.

                                                 JAMESON
                             Not just that, look here.
                                       (pointing at the
                                       junction of the black
                                       base with the clear lid)
                             Do you see that?

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             No, just a change in the color.

                                                 JAMESON
                             Alright, now look closely through
                             this.
                                       (indicating a
                                       microscope attached to
                                       the side of the case
                                       with suction cups)

Lana puts her eye to the instrument and adjusts the focus
slightly.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             There is a microscopic line there
                             between them.

                                                 JAMESON
                             Exactly! The joint between the
                             two materials has been polished
                             optically smooth to within a few
                             angstroms. There is maybe one or
                             two molecule's difference between
                             the two surfaces. It makes a
                             perfect seal. We don't have the
                             technology to do that with
                             diamond without shattering it.
                             Mike's hunch was right.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             This is news?

Lana makes another face at Mike. Since the television
camera mounted on her shoulder keeps her face out of range,
Mike can't retaliate by sticking his tongue out. Instead,
he just looks back sheepishly and shrugs.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             Why is this important?

                                                 GARAN
                             Because this creates an almost
                             perfect airtight seal. Molecules
                             of an atmosphere can escape, yes,
                             but no more than they can through
                             the walls and the top. It would
                             take millennia for any gas inside
                             to escape out into this chamber,
                             or vice-versa. We are measuring
                             the thickness of the top and the
                             sides of box to be nearly 15
                             centimeters. Any diffusion of
                             gas through that thickness of
                             this material would be on the
                             order of millennia, instead of
                             the decades it would through most
                             metals.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             So it's a perfect seal?

                                                 JAMESON

More perfect than we could make. I would say that the
majority of whatever gas was inside there 10,000 years ago
is still there.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             How would you open it?

                                                 GARAN
                             Ya nye znaiu.
                                       (shrugging)
                             I assume it could be lifted off
                             somehow, but it would be heavy.
                             It's four feet by eight feet by
                             six inches of solid diamond. It
                             would be at least several tons.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Yeah, try putting that on your
                             finger.

There is another dirty look from Lana.

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                                       (Calling loudly)
                             Hey guys, come take a look at this.

Mike stands and sees she is in front of the oddball panel on
the side of the room. She has been studying the inscriptions
even though she is no linguist. The excited look on her
face, though, indicates that she might be on to something.

The two geologists go back to what they were doing, but the
rest of the crew in the room walks over to where Carol is
standing.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             What do you have?

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             Look here and tell me what you see.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             A waterfowl walked across an
                             artist's palette then climbed up
                             the wall?

This time it is not just Lana who gives Mike a dirty look,
but the other two girls as well. He shrugs and tilts his
head to one side.

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             Look at the colors and tell me
                             what you see.

                                                 OKSANA
                             Except for the top and the bottom
                             symbols, it looks like a rainbow
                             almost.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Doesn't go with my living room set.

He ducks in case somebody had something loose in their hands.
This time they don't even bother looking at him.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             Is this something significant?

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             I think so, and I'll bet that the
                             top and the bottom are colored
                             also. We just can't see it.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             That is correct, Miss Manson. The
                             top is actually in the infra-red
                             and the bottom is colored in the
                             ultraviolet.

                                                 BARISHNIKOV
                                       (Curiosity piqued)
                             Does this mean anything?

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             It must, because I detect
                             something else here; a pattern.

Everyone looks questioningly at the young woman

                                                 CAROL MANSON (CONT'D)
                             Vesna, would you analyze the
                             frequencies of each image for me,
                             please?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             The top character is a little
                             over 300 terahertz or about 900
                             nanometers. The bottom image is
                             radiating at a thousand terahertz
                             or 300 nanometers.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             Ah, and the human eye can only
                             see between 400 nanometers and 700
                             nanometers. This confirms that
                             whoever wrote this has a wider
                             range of vision.

Mike tries to redeem himself.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             It also means that whoever wrote
                             this could never go outside here
                             unprotected because the
                             ultraviolet would burn their eyes
                             terribly.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                                       (Nodding)
                             That might explain why there is a
                             reddish cast to the light in here.
                             Not to imitate the outside, but
                             to soothe the eyes.

                                                 BELISAR
                             That would indicate that there
                             was a denser atmosphere here at
                             one time. It would need to
                             filter out the heavy ultraviolet.
                             It probably still had a red cast
                             to it because of the iron in the
                             soil, but I'd wager that there
                             was enough oxygen to make ozone then.

                                                 BARISHNIKOV
                             Maybe so, but even then, our sun
                             is not really suited to a race
                             with such a wide range of vision.
                             Maybe a white dwarf, but
                             certainly not an old orange ball
                             of gas!

                                                 SVETLANA
                                       (Protesting)
                             But that would mean that these
                             beings were not from here.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Seriously)
                             Precisely. If our current
                             theories are correct and we came
                             from here, then it's also safe to
                             say that they didn't. Mars was
                             just a staging area to seed the
                             Earth from.

There is silence as this began to make an impression on the
group.

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             Vesna, would you please plot the
                             differences in the frequencies
                             and wavelengths between the
                             characters in each of the columns
                             of writing?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Certainly.

Vesna pauses for a moment and then reads off a series of
numbers to the girl. Suddenly Carol looks as if she would
fall over.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             What's wrong?

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
                             It's just too much to be true.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                                       (A sound of concern in
                                       the voice)
                             Why is that?

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             Take the frequencies from the
                             first column. What pattern do
                             you detect?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                                       (Astonished)
                             Why it's a Fibonacci series!

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             And the second?

Again a short pause.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             It's based on the Golden Section
                             with a base of ±1.6180339887, a
                             perfect folding!

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             The next?

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             A binary progression from top to
                             bottom!

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             Exactly! The colors are
                             mathematically precise. I
                             believe that they determine the
                             context of the letters they are
                             shading. If you will try not
                             just to interpret the denotation
                             of each character, but the
                             connotation and context determined
                             by the coloration, you might be
                             able to figure out what they
                             really mean faster.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                                       (Almost apologetically)
                             I'm sorry that I didn't see that
                             sooner.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Take a lesson in the way humans
                             think. That's why I wanted this
                             group. Human intuition will beat
                             machine logic any day. That's
                             something you have to learn and use.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Noted.

By now, the two hydrologists and the two boys have joined
the others gathered at the panel. Sharon lags behind, still
not used to lower oxygen content in the room. The men are
also breathing hard and somewhat pale.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             What's up?

                                                 STROMBERG
                             Do you have any idea how much
                             water is in that tank back there?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             No, but I hope you do.

                                                 STROMBERG
                             That tank is almost five miles
                             deep! There's enough water in
                             there to supply Los Angeles for a
                             couple days, almost a half-
                             billion gallons! And it's
                             absolutely pure!

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Where's it coming from?

                                                 STROMBERG
                             I've got no idea. We don't have
                             enough cable to lower the camera
                             far enough.

                                                 NEWS DIRECTOR
                             Vesna, have McKinney include a
                             deep-submergence robotic camera
                             on the load with the prototype.

                                                 VESNA (OS)
                             Yes, sir.

                                                 GARAN
                             What have you discovered here?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Carol here may have come up with
                             the key to interpreting the
                             scribbles on the walls. It seems
                             that the colors play a large part
                             in their language, not just the
                             characters themselves. She's
                             deciphered a pattern on this
                             panel that may just let us
                             understand what the rest of this
                             means.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

EXT. SHOT OF VESNA

The extra equipment was waiting for them when they awoke the
next morning. Vesna is another section "tall" and the new
module with the supplies is at the bottom.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. NEW SECTION

Series of shots.

The labs and the center space are crammed full of everything
that the scientists could think of, plus a lot of gear
recommended by the two government teams back on Earth, just
in case. It looks like a university science department's
dream come true. Everything from laser quantometers to gene
sequencers is included.

Kitch and Medvedev have received their gene sequencer and
enough plates to analyze the heritage of half the city of
Chicago. Now they could stop using the blender in the
galley and the Jell-O from the food locker for their analysis.

The hydrologists have their remote controlled deep-
submergence camera and extra sonar gear to relay images and
readings directly to Vesna for storage and analysis and the
NOAA had donated their newest high-powered Doppler radar to
the meteorologists.

There are several days of rearranging equipment and re-
running prior tests using the more sophisticated equipment.
Each of the scientists retreat into themselves as they focus
on getting their new equipment up and calibrated, verifying
their preliminary test results. Meals become hit-and-miss
with each of the crew totally fending for themselves.

The microbiologists manage to create several sets of genetic
"keys" that allow each team to open the primary airlock in
the pyramid without having to go in groups.

The journalists resort to scheduled "official" reports from
on board Vesna during this period until something Earth
shattering happens that requires real-time coverage.

The scientists conducted outside research in pairs or fours
at odd times, rarely assembling the entire group for an
outing. Overall, things began to settle into a routine,
albeit, an exciting one.

Vesna continues the real-time television feed of those
things that she found interesting, but for the most part, it
becomes a typical mundane research routine.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. GALLEY

                                                 OKSANA
                             Mr. Angel?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Chiding)
                             Oksana! You're beginning to make
                             me feel really old with that.

                                                 OKSANA
                             I'm sorry; I have a problem being
                             near such great people. Yes sir,
                             Mike.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             You're one of those 'great
                             people'. Don't forget that!
                             Yeah, what's up?

                                                 OKSANA
                             I believe we are making some
                             progress on the translation of
                             the odd panel. Not so much the
                             full meaning of all of the
                             characters, but a general meaning
                             of the function of that one section.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             That's fantastic! What do you
                             have so far?

                                                 OKSANA
                             You all know that there are only
                             two controls on that panel and a
                             great deal of writing. We don't
                             yet understand most of the
                             writing, but the labels on one of
                             the controls may be 'pictures',
                             'dialogue', or 'history'. It
                             seems to refer to some kind of
                             explanation. Vesna has found a
                             similarity to both ancient
                             cuneiform and Sanskrit in the
                             symbols themselves.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             And the other control?

                                                 OKSANA
                             It refers to a language, or words.
                             We are not certain, but we hope
                             that it would be some kind of
                             dictionary.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Then you think that this was left
                             with the intention of us finding it?

                                                 OKSANA
                             We are not certain, but it would
                             seem so. The doctors think that
                             this is a link to teaching us
                             what the other panels mean, and
                             Carol says that with the colors
                             of the letters on the second
                             control it is mathematically
                             below the first, meaning it
                             should be used after the first one.

Mike is about to burst by now.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Okay! We'll organize the full
                             group for an outing today to test
                             your theories. Have you figured
                             out how the controls work yet?

                                                 OKSANA
                             No, we have all been afraid to
                             touch any of them. I do not know
                             if they are push buttons, or
                             should be turned, or even if they
                             are coded like the ones at the
                             entrance to your genes. It may
                             be all three, but I do not know.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Well, let's find out today! If
                             you're right, we now have the key
                             to life, the universe, and
                             everything!

Oksana just gives him a strange look.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. COMMAND DECK

Mike has assembled the crew a few hours later on the command
deck.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             OK. Oksana, Carol, and Doctors
                             Belisar and Barishnikov think
                             they've got a handle on what that
                             twelfth panel is trying to tell us.

The doctors nod, a bit hesitantly, and look around at the
rest of the group.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             I'd like us all to go back and
                             see if Oksana's evaluation of the
                             function of that panel is correct
                             or not. I personally don't think
                             this is dangerous, but I'd like
                             to put it up to the rest of you
                             whether we experiment or not.

There is a general murmuring from the crowd as they turn to
each other in discussion.

                                                 SHARON MANSON
                             Have you discussed this with the
                             governments?

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                                       (Shaking his head)
                             No. I figure we're the ones on
                             site, so the final decision
                             should be ours anyway. Anything
                             goes wrong it's our heads. The
                             rest of them are 47-million miles
                             away.

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                                       (Disgusted look on his face)
                             Good. That is as it should be.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             What's wrong, Ivan?

                                                 MEDVEDEV
                             While it is nice to have other
                             eyes and thoughts, I am getting
                             tired of the politics of committee.

Mike raises an eyebrow and makes a questioning face.

                                                 MEDVEDEV (CONT'D)
                             I remember now why I decided not
                             to be a medical doctor. They are
                             all idiots! The American doctor
                             from the Medical Association came
                             close to accusing us of falsifying
                             the samples we sent back. He
                             said that our tests are all wrong
                             and that the samples were
                             impossible. My people are just
                             as bad. They do not believe
                             either that cells can exist that
                             have no defects and are demanding
                             to know how we synthesized them.

Mike grins from ear to ear.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             I knew there was a reason I liked
                             you guys. You all hate the
                             formal bull as much as I do.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             Just remember that we're goring
                             quite a few oxen here, but that
                             sacred cows make the best hamburgers.

More blank stares from the Russian delegation.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             It's a reference to the Hindus
                             and sacred cattle and...oh, never
                             mind. It's not important. Boy,
                             this is a tough room! What do
                             you say we go push some buttons?

As they start out of the room, Lana cornered him.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             You really are a risk-taker,
                             aren't you?

                                                 MIKE
                                       (Smiling)
                             The meek may inherit the Earth,
                             but the bold will inherit the stars.

                                                 SVETLANA
                             You're no better than the
                             children here! You are nothing
                             more than a big teenager.

He smiles broader, puts his arm around her waist, and gives
a squeeze.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             Darn straight! That's really why
                             they're here; I needed somebody I
                             could relate to.
                                       (looking down at her
                                       surprised face)
                             Look, I know that's the way your
                             Illya was and I understand why it
                             frightens you. I am not going to
                             take risks that I don't have a
                             good idea will turn out how I
                             want them to. Your husband and I
                             both joined the military service
                             with many ideas of saving the
                             world. We both became cynical
                             after we realized that the idiots
                             got there first and were in
                             charge. He ran into some bad
                             luck that wasn't his fault and it
                             got him killed. I'm calling the
                             shots here, and I'm not about to
                             let anyone get hurt, OK?

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. NEW SECTION

They all gathered in the new laboratory section. At Vesna's
request, Lana carries a tripod mounted camera and Sharon a
transmitter pack to be left inside.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

EXT. TUNNEL OPENING

As they exit the airlock onto the small outcropping in front
of the tunnel, Sharon glances back, astounded by the
immensity of the craft with the added section.

                                                                                          CUT TO:

INT. MAIN EQUIPMENT ROOM

Lana sets about putting up the tripod camera and flips it on.
She trains it on the 12th panel and Vesna checks out the
remote pan, tilt, and zoom functions so that she can get a
good uninterrupted view.

Mike turns to the archaeologists and the two girls.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             You want to explain again what
                             you've found so far?

Doctor Belisar steps forward and points to a set of deep
blue characters under the leftmost protuberance on the panel.

                                                 BELISAR
                             Very honestly, we do not, as yet,
                             have a literal translation of any
                             of these symbols. However, we do
                             have some similarities to the
                             writing on the outer door that
                             resembles early languages on
                             Earth. These characters, for
                             instance, closely resemble the
                             words for 'ancient' or 'history'.
                             The consensus is that this
                             control will indicate something
                             that may provide a further
                             explanation of what this
                             structure is all about and what
                             went on here.

Mike looks a little skeptical.

It is Barishnikov's turn to point to the second control with
its Kelly green lettering.

                                                 BARISHNIKOV
                             These symbols are similar to ones
                             that mean 'words', 'language',
                             'reading' or 'meaning'. I think
                             that this is a dictionary to
                             their language.

Mike has an extreme look of excitement on his face.

There is a good half-minute pause.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             OK, so which button do we push first?

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             I'd say we go for the one on the
                             left.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             History? Why so?

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             Look at the color, it's just past
                             blue. If I'm right about the
                             frequency of reflected light
                             giving importance to the meaning,
                             then the blue would be more
                             important than the green.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             But red is near the top of these
                             panels and blue at the bottom.
                             Wouldn't that indicate a
                             superiority of red over blue?

The girl thinks for a moment and then looks Mike squarely in
the eye.

                                                 CAROL MANSON
                             I don't think so. Since they
                             used easily identifiable patterns
                             on the first panels that range
                             from least to greatest, I think
                             that greatest, that is the higher
                             frequencies, are more important.
                             I still say the blue.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL
                             As John would say, cool! Oksana,
                             do you want to do the honors?

The girl stiffens and looks around the room in a panic.

Mike nods at her.

                                                 MIKE ANGEL (CONT'D)
                             You're the chief engineer, and
                             you should have the honor, my lady.

She tries to hide the panic in her eyes as she steps forward
stiffly to the panel.

The girl hesitantly extends her right hand until her
fingertips touched the raised portion of the panel. The
metal does not give when she presses harder.

Oksana places her entire palm over the knob and presses;
still nothing.

She tried grasping the protuberance with her fingers and
twisting: first clockwise and then counter-clockwise, nothing.

She looks rather desperately at Mike, who just shrugs and
tilts his head, telling her to keep trying.

She places her palm on the knob and twists her hand to the
left with no result. Then Oksana placed her palm on the
control with her fingers extending upwards and twists it 90-
degrees clockwise and all can hear a low humming coming from
nowhere in particular.

Suddenly a cylinder of light appears behind the group in the
center of the room. If everyone had swiveled around any
faster, there would have been broken bones.

Mike had been facing the group and is the first to see the
column of light descend from the ceiling. All can hear a
sound that was almost musical as Vesna pans the camera to
the sight.

The journalist's shoulder cameras show the audience on Earth
a hologram of the woman in the second sarcophagus that would
make Walt Disney envious. The mouth is moving synchronously
with the sound, which is more of a song than speech. She is
not naked, as in the sarcophagus, but clothed in a robe
resembling a Greek toga. The fabric appears to be metallic
fibers instead of cloth.

The vision is suspended on a pedestal about a meter from the
floor. Across the bottom of the pedestal are five rows of
graphic symbols in time with the "speech", appearing to be
not only in the current symbol set, but also in the four
languages that were shown on the outer door.

                                                                                          FADE OUT:


Ben W. Gardner
Sedona, Arizona

"I do not fear computers. I fear lack of them." --Isaac Asimov

http://ca.geocities.com/vladilyich/

In The Beginning - ISBN: 1-4116-3848-4
Just In Time - ISBN 1-4116-3851-4
Ad Astra - ISBN: 978-1-84728-518-8
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