Industrial Caves II

As agreed with colonel Ryan McRae, John had two days off planned with absolutely no leisure time organized prior this happening. After all, it was not his expectation to get much time off and he either way thought the most reasonable way to use it would be just getting some rest in his quarters. Therefore, he started with sleeping for until his organism forced him to wake up, which was about twelve hours and, since Ryan gave him actual two full Gaian days off rather than Earth days, he still had around thirty six hours to use up. Having nothing better to do, Marlow continued running further data analysis with his PEC and investigating events from the First Haven, yet it was still not engaging him fully, thus he decided to go on a stroll around the Industrial Caves to see how much the place changed compared to the first time major reached this location.

Since then, the biggest difference on the ground level was related to how the alien buildings were now cleaned up and the way space made for the crew's accommodation. Right now, the ground level was fully adapted for farming, general resources gathering and storage areas for the heavy equipment that could not fit in the caves. Going deeper, subsequent lower levels included living quarters, emergency shelters, field hospital, various workshops and research lab, ultimately reaching all the way down to the underground labyrinth, which was the key investigation focus for the group currently staying in the area.

Of course, for expanding the space and ability to explore, they needed materials and equipment. While having designated areas for the aforementioned, the group still had to rely mainly on whatever was recovered from the landing pods and transporter units as different types of resources were still scarce. However, John was aware that soldiers, supported by science people, were actively scouting areas around the Industrial Caves to pinpoint and secure spots rich in relevant minerals, and engineers were working on constructing required items, devices and machinery.

This was a huge step forward Marlow would not have imagined several weeks ago, when colonel Ryan McRae was stubbornly set on pushing forward to reach the original rally point, therefore not investing in building any kind of advanced structures, including assembly lines required for quick manufacturing. This has changed now, and they already managed to repair several medical capsules, while group of engineers, including Martin Johnson, were currently involved in building the very first assembly line.

Speaking of the medical capsules, having these meant possibility of higher level treatment, therefore John checked with medical team first about replacing the cybers he was equipped in right now to recover his own hand and leg, but the request was declined - when talking with Manuela, he learned they were not their yet with necessary side equipment.

- Besides, the procedure for disconnecting military-grade cybers is a really long one - she told him, while taking care of one of her current patients - It would take two people from the medical team to spend around eight hours to remove the cybers plus the time needed to reconnect your regrown limbs. To be blunt with you, we have no time for such a luxury right now. Also, don't you think these are much better suited for survival on this planet than your regular flesh? - doctor Gomez asked, pointing at his hand and leg - I hear some stories how thes helped you out already.

As usual, her attitude pissed him off, yet he could not disagree since she did have a point there regarding his usage of cybers so far. Thinking this through, Marlow backed off with the idea, also following the suggestion from McRae, who seemed to be interested in the diagnostic data these two pieces of equipment will produce.

With that, major did not have any reason for visiting hospital anytime soon and, because he was really interested in progress made on research of the alien installation, the underground became the next destination after having a tour outside.

From the last time John was here, the biggest change was related to the main entrance leading underground - previously, it looked like an usual cave entrance, but now was safely sealed by double reinforced door made of parts from taking apart one of the transporter units. By the door, there were two soldiers standing guard and checking who is going in and out. After short conversation, Marlow was let inside.

Interior of the caves also changed visibly. Based on short look, John noticed a lot of original alien installation was now excavated, specifically the groundwork - slightly coarse, black plates made of metallic material, and portion of the walls, showing the original walls of the buildings adjacent to the route he was walking on. Only the ceiling was left untouched, most likely to avoid potential collapse.

As he continued downwards, deeper into the structure, Marlow could see new passages opened in-between the buildings and people working in niches. When passing next to one of these, he was stopped by a familiar voice.

- I see you are finally awake, John - it was Keira Evergate who approached him, having part of his F-suit covered in dust - Why didn't you contact me before coming here?

John shrugged.

- I just went for a stroll to look around and see how the things are - he replied - I left without any plan what to do and just ended up getting here. I didn't want to disturb your work too, but I would have contacted you.

She looked at him with suspicion, though only for a short moment.

- It's fine, I guess. We ended up bumping into each other either way, so maybe we can chat for a bit now.

- Don't you have work though?

Keira waved her hand and smiled.

- It's not even my shift time right now. I'm here out of my own volition to check our curious findings and work on my translations further. While you were away, we uncovered quite a lot.

- Oh, I could see that already. The place changed a lot.

Miss Evergate laughed.

- You've seen nothing yet, I tell you. You just barely entered the caves, so you didn't see what happened deeper in. But, before going there, I have something to show you, if you don't mind.

Since Keira was a bit eccentric type and had a habit of involving others in her won business and problems, John was moderately careful about agreeing to anything straight off, even though he did not have any particular plans for now, therefore he decided it is better to follow with the conversation to learn more before giving yes or no.

- Is it related to your job?

- Generally speaking, yes, but there is a bit more to it - she replied, squinting while looking at his face - Don't worry, John, I doubt this one will get you mixed up in anything problematic. Quite contrary, you may find it quite useful and see something interesting at the same time.

Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, meaning miss Evergate must have found something amazing and since Marlow rarely saw her like that, this ended up picking his interest, despite his usual carefulness to not get in trouble.

- Ok, it's not like I have much to do right now, so I guess I can spare a moment here. I just hope it's something good.

- I can guarantee you won't be disappointed. Also, I didn't tell anyone yet, so you will be the first one to see it.

- Now I'm a bit worried - John said, seeing her wide smile after mentioning this finding being something completely new only Keira knew.

Whatever it was, he already agreed and backing off after giving a word was not his style, thus Marlow followed miss Evergate, leading him into one of the new routes through the stone wall.

The path was more of a tunnel than a corridor - with his height, major had to bow way more than what was comfortable to walk. In fact, even Keira, who was shorter than him, also had to lower her head a lot to go through. And if that was not enough, the farther they got in, the lower the ceiling got, ultimately making them go on all fours.

- No wonder why her F-suit had so much dirt on it - John thought to himself, trying not to stare too much at Keira's bottom, which was perfectly on his eyes' level.

At some point, miss Evergate stopped moving so suddenly that Marlow's head hit her butt.

- Not that I don't like the idea, John, but it's not time for that - she said that to him jokingly before taking a turn that finally led them into a room where they could finally stand up properly - Now, give me a moment - the area was dark and both of them could see only thanks to their F-suits - Here we go.

Just a second after, lights started appearing on the walls, floor and ceiling - various symbols displayed in different colors and interchangeably appearing in several spots.

- Keira, what is...? - Marlow began asking a question, but then his companion did something and an opening appeared within the wall, following some of the symbols stabilizing.

- This is just an entrance, John - she informed him - Be patient. Once we get through, I will explain.

Miss Evergate went in first, leading her companion through into a much bigger room with a peculiar layout - there were several rows of black walls on each side and same-colored pillars located around in perfect symmetry.

Similarly to the previous chamber, Keira again adjusted the symbols on the wall by the entrance, which caused the interior to be illuminated delicate, bluish light - while a bit dim at first look, it was perfectly sufficient for walking around without the use of noctovision.

Once there was a light, miss Evergate turned around with a smile, visibly proud of herself. Still, Marlow could not really tell what was interesting about this place.

- So, what I'm looking at here, Keira? - he asked her, unable to take a guess.

- Right, I get it's not clear as it is now - she said that with a nod, then approached two walls and two pillars, setting symbols on each of them, then turned back to John - I call this place "a library".

Following her actions, on each object miss Evergate touched, there was a number of symbols displayed, some swapping regularly and displaying different sets of symbols. Curious, Marlow himself approached one of the walls and started checking it - similarly to what he encountered underground before, this was another type of an alien device, made of exactly the same material. He could not fully understand what was written on the wall even with the translator app he got from Keira before as there were numerous symbols not registered before and, this time, there was no voice in his head giving him clues. However, he still managed to get parts pointing to being some kind of technical writing.

- And? What do you say, John? - miss Evergate was observing him and finally broke the silence - Is it interesting enough?

Major did not even realize he was standing there for several minutes already, looking through everything displayed on this single wall, simply captivated by how interestingly this object functioned.

- Very interesting, I would say - he replied to Keira, finally moving back from the device - Did you manage to translate these?

- Unfortunately not, nothing in full - she told him, while shaking her head - I barely learned how to turn these on and select the pieces to be displayed. However, it seems as if it follows where you are looking and keeps showing subsequent parts, because I noticed each time any of these is turned on, it displays symbols at different point. It's that way for me, that is, and makes the whole translation effort much harder. I did take some captures to keep the history of my work here, but it's only a very small portion of what is recorded in this place. To be honest, I don't even know how many different entries can be found here.

- Anything noteworthy in these parts you did review? - Marlow was really interested in that since the piece he was checking just a moment ago seemed to be strictly technical information, which could prove really useful for a person from a science team.

Keira shrugged and scratched her head.

- I cannot really tell, there were many bits I went through, so it's not easy to recall anything just like that. Is there something specific you are looking into?

- Yes, technical entries of any kind, everything that you have.

- Hm. There were some for sure, John, though I don't remember details. I think it would be best if I share with you the data I have gathered here so far. It's not organized as it is, but I only plan to take care of that once I have more material, so cannot guarantee when I could give you something more useful. It's both disappointing and motivating situation for me. After all, the moment I thought I'm close to cracking their language, I found even more pieces to fit.

- You are doing great, Keira - Marlow assured her - What you did before was one of the reasons why we managed to get through underground alive. I fully trust your skills, you will get this sooner or later.

Suddenly, she gave him a hug.

- That's a thank you, for believing in me - she said and proceeded to data transfer with him.

Once the transfer was ready, they were both walking around the room, checking out different walls and columns.

- So, when do you plan to share this finding with others? - John asked her at some point - Wouldn't it be better to get someone to help you out?

Keira sat on one of the short, square-shaped objects sticking out from the floor, using it as a stool, showing John to sit on another one in front of her.

- You know, I would love to do that soon, but you should know better than anyone trusting someone is hard nowadays - she told him - I'm worried that disclosing such an important information too easily may cause it to get into wrong hands.

- And yet, you were happy to share it with me. Are you really sure I'm that trustworthy?

Miss Evergate shrugged.

- I don't know how to say it. It's just a kind of gut feeling I have, I think. You may not be aware of this, John, but while you try to act indifferent, your behavior gives you away. Or rather, you clearly seem to be a gentle soul deep in your heart.

The atmosphere between the two of them was getting warmer, yet Marlow felt it was not a good moment to get into any sort of "action", thus he promised to set some time for them to meet later on and both walked back to the main corridor as major still intended to visit other places.