Chapter 11: Echoes of the Forgotten
The underground command center buzzed with quiet urgency. A lost drone wasn't just a failure—it was a message. Something intelligent and hostile had responded to their intrusion.
Ethan Walker stood at the center of it all, his jaw clenched as he stared at the dark screen where the Sentinel's feed had gone dead. His mind was racing, calculating the next move. He had spent years preparing for every possible challenge, but first contact with an unknown force on Mars?
This was beyond anything he had ever imagined.
Decrypting the Drone's Last Moments
"Status update," Ethan demanded, turning toward Michael Reyes.
Michael was hunched over a console, eyes darting between lines of code and the scrambled data from the Sentinel's last moments. "EPS is still processing the drone's final transmissions," he said. "Whatever hit it—it wasn't just an EMP. There's some kind of data corruption in the logs. Like something hacked it before shutting it down."
Ethan frowned. "You're saying something got into our systems?"
Michael hesitated. "I'm saying… something injected foreign code into the drone right before it went dark. Look."
He tapped a few keys, and a distorted waveform appeared on the screen. It was a fragmented sound recording from the drone's final seconds.
Ethan's pulse quickened. "Play it."
A burst of static crackled through the speakers, followed by something… unnatural.
It wasn't just noise. It was whispers.
Low, rhythmic, unrecognizable words layered beneath the interference. The tone wasn't human, but neither was it purely robotic.
A chill ran down Ethan's spine.
"What the hell is that?" Michael muttered.
Ethan exhaled. "EPS, analyze the audio. Attempt translation."
The system processed for a moment before displaying a response:
[Translation Probability: 46%]
[Partial Interpretation: "Unworthy… leave… or suffer…"]
The room fell into a stunned silence.
Michael swallowed hard. "So… they know we're here."
Ethan's mind was already moving past the fear. They had intercepted an alien message before. Now, they had received a direct warning. That meant the entities beneath Mars weren't just observers—they were defenders.
But defenders of what?
Decoding the Structure's Secrets
Ethan turned back to the screen. "EPS, give me a full report on the material scan we took before the drone was lost. What else do we know about that structure?"
The system responded:
[Structure Age Estimate: 15,000+ Years]
[Energy Signature: Residual, Faint Power Source Detected]
[Construction Material: Unknown Metal Alloy with Molecular Stability Above Earth Standards]
Michael let out a slow breath. "Fifteen thousand years… Ethan, if this is accurate, that means this thing predates human civilization."
Ethan nodded grimly. That realization hit harder than anything else so far. This wasn't just a random alien ruin.
It was ancient.
And yet, despite its age, something was still guarding it.
A Dangerous Decision
Ethan knew they couldn't just turn back. If they left now, they would never get another chance to uncover the truth.
But if they pushed forward without understanding their enemy…
They might not survive the next encounter.
He turned to Michael. "We need a new approach. The next drone we send will carry an encoded message—something to show that we're not a threat."
Michael raised an eyebrow. "And if they don't care?"
Ethan's gaze hardened. "Then we prepare for war."
A Personal Moment
Hours passed as the system compiled data, but Ethan didn't rest. His mind was still reeling from the revelations. He knew he needed a moment to step away—to clear his thoughts before making a decision that could change the course of history.
He walked through the dim corridors of the base, eventually finding himself outside his private quarters. The door slid open, revealing Laura sitting on their small couch, reading a data pad.
She looked up, immediately sensing the tension in his expression. "Ethan?"
He let out a slow breath and sat beside her. "We're not alone out there."
She didn't react with shock. She had always known the risks of what they were doing. Instead, she simply reached for his hand. "And what's the next step?"
Ethan exhaled. "I don't know yet. But whatever happens… I need to be ready."
Laura gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Then be ready. But don't forget why you started this. Why we're here."
He squeezed her hand gently. "I won't."
But deep down, he knew—this was bigger than him now.
This was about the survival of humanity itself.
Preparing for the Unknown
Back in the command center, Ethan stood before his team.
"We've received a warning," he said. "And that means we have two choices. We can back down… or we can move forward."
His gaze swept across the room. "I refuse to turn away from this. We came here to build the future. And now, we've uncovered a past that refuses to be forgotten."
He turned to Michael. "Prepare the next drone. But this time, we're sending more than just a camera."
Michael frowned. "What do you have in mind?"
Ethan's eyes darkened.
"A message."
One that would either open a door… or start a war.