Chapter 25: Selina [Origin(2)]

Climbing down from the ruins, Selina made her way to the camp. Entering the camp, a main table was set up inside the camp the other were surrounding it, discussing about something.

Austin was the first one to be aware of her presence, but he didn't say anything as he was busy in listening Shawn's explanation. Annie was looking over the map, marking places for her research and Alia was studying a graph made by the government when they runned through their test on the ruins.

"Hey Annie, would you run through a test on this?"

Selina called out for Annie, giving her the fragment of black stone. Annie stared at the black stone for a second and then gave her a nod. Annie left to conduct test on the black stone, while Selina walked over to the map looking on it for herself.

"This map is..."

A voice cut in between, it was Shawn's voice.

"Interesting right? I mean look at this, this civilization was big considering it's primitive origin."

Selina looked at him, and nodded. She was fascinated by this civilization and it was revealing more and more surprises to her, she wanted to find more about it whether this was truly an civilization older than humans or was a forgotten part of the human civilization.

"Everyone come over here."

Captain Austin called them over, standing in front of the computer in his hand was a paper, Selina and others had no idea what it was all they could was wait for their captain to explain everything to them and he did. 

It was the plan the government had suggested to follow, although they could have follow their own way but they usually agreed government path as it was less unbothering. This time they had many days to do work, 10 days to be exact.

"I hope everyone have understand how this expedition of our team will go through. Since we came here very late we will begin to take action tomorrow, just set up everything and take a good rest. Your extra clothes have been brought here, change into them after you are done with your things."

With that everyone dispersed, busy in their work. Selina was setting up some devices she might need in the expedition with Shawn as he was the main technician and the one that handled all device work. 

"Finally all these things are setted up, thanks Shawn."

She gave Shawn a small smile, which Shawn replied with his own sweet smile and walked away to help others. She walked to the jeep taking out her pair of clothes for night it was a comfortable white pyjamas set, using the in built bathroom of the camp she changed into them.

By that time everyone was done with their work, taking their place inside their sleeping bags everyone bid themselves a goodnight and went off to the sleep in the camp. The night had quickly passed and everyone were ready to start their work.

Annie walked over to Selina, with a small report in her hand confusion etched on her face as she was still reading it. Handing the paper over to Selina, resulted in the same expression and the same thing happened with the rest of the group.

'This Black stone doesn't match any substances present on Earth.'

Selina looked at Annie and asked:

"What about it's components there should be some results about it right?"

Annie shook her head to a 'no', and handed over another report that confirmed her statement. The group was left in silence, no one had answer for this everyone were turning their gears faster to find a reason for this situation, and all of them come down to a final conclusion that this black stone is made up of an element that is either not discovered by humans or it is an element that came on Earth from outer space through asteroid or a comet.

"But then, how much big this asteroid was if all the eight pillars are made out of it, and how did they even extract this stone?"

More and more questions were formed with no answer for them, but this also increased their drive to explore the ruins. Austin clapped his hands, taking the groups attention away from the report and towards him.

"All of our question will might be answered when we explore these ruins, so tidy up we have a lot of work to do today and in upcoming days."

Everyone nodded and started to move, readying their equipments. The main team that will go inside the ruins started to wear their protective gear and took up the special equipment, explosives specially designed to open up sealed spaces without causing any damage to nearby structures.

Selina without anyone noticing kept a glock with her, they were now ready for their expedition in the ruins. Shawn and Alia were going to be outside as their work was mainly based on the data the computer showed through radiography, Austin as the captain took the lead and climbed up to the ruin's.

"No matter how many times I looked at this, these structures are too exciting to study."

His voice filled with excitement, as Austin looked around the structures that were a type of gateway to the underground civilization, he studied every pillar not leaving one of the eights. His eyes fell on the runes scribbled on the only standing pillar and his eyes felt a pang of pain, shaking his head he walked away from the pillar not able to understand about what was reason for sudden pain in his eyes.

At the center of standing pillars there was an altar or something that looked like one, it was not made up of the black stones like the pillars and the runes or designs done it were faded. Austin sighed, and take out the special explosive putting it around the altar's boundary and connected each piece with a wire, he took a step back and used a remote to detonate it.

The blast occurred causing small smoke, as the smoke cleared the altar was separated from it's boundary, Austin walked towards it and used a long metal stick he had brought and place it the gap, using force he lifted up the entire altar revealing an underground tunnel with spiral staircase. 

"What you guys are waiting for? Let's go."

With that they entered the tunnel using the in built spiral staircase, at first all they could see was the surrounding walls but soon, the staircase lead them to somewhere. Selina was amazed at what she was seeing, the staircase lead them to what should be the entrance of the homes of the people of the ancient civilization.

"This is.... incredible."

Annie marveled at the tunnels, leading to the houses of the people that once lived here, Selina and Austin looked around inspecting the tunnels and set up few devices for the others outside to conduct more tests using radiography.

Looking around the walls, Selina got a full idea of the structure it seemed to her that all of the tunnels meet at the square shaped room, from where the group have come using the spiral staircase.

"This place might be used as a common point for meetings and seeing how few tunnels are there, the population of here was low, around 70 peoples were here."

Selina spoked in front of the camera, she was using for recording and this recording would continue for the next nine days of their research, walking while recording things in houses of the ancient people, she talked more and more and then moved her camera to her captain, Austin.

"So Captain Austin what do you think about this ancient civilization?"

Austin moved his head away from the object he was studying, looked at the camera and said:

"This ancient civilization from my study and the objects that have been found here, might be the forgotten part of our history. Since this civilization is older than the known history of us humans, they might be our real progenitors or people who were a part of this civilization have left this place and started their own civilizations, that is what I believe about this civilization."

Selina moved the camera away from Austin face and shifted towards her face, she smiled and said:

"What my captain said might be true, because my father had found a broken tablet and the runes on it seemed to be originating from this civilization, it was maybe their language or something else we don't know yet or maybe will never get know. This is all for the first day, since it's night time now we will continue our research from tomorrow, over and out."

With that Selina turned off the recording, and kept the camera back in her bag and walked out from the ruins using the spiral staircase with the other members of the group. They returned to the camp, changed to their usual clothes and went for sleep in their sleeping bags.

For the next following four days, the team researched on the first level of the underground civilization, studying how the people of that time lived considering they were the most primordial people of the starting human era. 

To their surprise, it turned pretty advance considering their standards most of the thing know to humans of this current era was all started by them, farming, building tools and weapons, even saving their history through art, etc.

Moving on the second floor which was from what the group had assumed the storage room of the civilization, using the coolness of the underground they stored the food they gathered. It also was a area where weapons were kept, considering the left over weapons or what they had considered was a weapon.

The spears tip was broken, and shaft's wood was rotten, there were few engravings on them but the team couldn't understand what they meant as they cannot understand their language, their were some pots too once again showing the advancement of the civilization.

There study was going to be done on the second level for four days however something absurd happened, it was when Selina was studying the walls of the second level for any descriptions or runes but before she could find one, she was called by Shawn through the walkie talkie she was carrying.

"Yes Shawn?"

Shawn voice came from the walkie talkie.

"Selina, there is another level beneath you guys."

Selina was silent for a moment then said:

"What? Another level is beneath us but the staircase don't go any further down."

The spiral staircase was built only to lead to first and second level, it didn't went any further, a third level was something the group wouldn't have been able to find if it wasn't for the the report from the radiography done by the latest technology.

Shawn voice was heard from the walkie talkie.

"I understand what you mean, but this is what the new radiograph show us. There is a level down there, a wide one at that if you guys can use the EFP to create a hole in the second level, you will be able to explore it."

Selina looked at Austin looking for approval, Austin didn't answered right away he waited for a few moments collecting his thoughts, then he nodded.

"We are going to do it then."

Shawn voice came through the walkie talkie.

"Okay then, I will give you guys the point where the ground has the least thickness."

Following Shawn's direction, they placed the EFP in a circle. Taking few steps back, Austin used the detonator initiating the detonation of the EFP, unbeknownst to them due to the sound of the blast they didn't heard another sound, it was the sound of a....

Firearm.