Round Trip
The steady “pii… pii… pii…” of the small tracker was loud in the afternoon wilderness. They day was surprisingly quiet, with very few animal sounds breaking the silence. In daylight, they covered the ground far faster than the previous evening. Soon enough, they reached the back exit they had left.
“Oh, wonderful. It’s still open.” Hitomi slipped the tracker back into her deceptively small belt. She pulled off her back pack and grabbed a flashlight. Everyone else did the same.
“It’s about a thirty minute walk through the passage into the tomb.” CJ flicked her light on and slipped into the tunnel. Once inside, she ran the light over the walls of the tunnel. “Are those petroglyphs?”
Mitchell sidled up and squinted at the wall, “Faint, but yeah, I think you’re right. These look like standard cave drawings.”
“Is that odd?”
He shrugged, “Could be. I hesitate to say yes, but considering the rest of this mess.”
They moved down the tunnel, glancing at the walls as they went. There looked to be many faintly visible drawings. Most were too worn, but a few were readable. If any native peoples knew about this, no wonder the canyon was sacred.
At the other end of the tunnel, they could see the flickering of the still-burning torches from the day before. They spilled out into the tomb itself, surrounding the main sarcophagus. Buck raised an eyebrow at the jackal head, but CJ smirked and shook her head, “It was replaced after mummification. The animal’s body is in the corner.” She pointed out the writing on the burial boxes, and some of the pottery.
“This is amazing, no doubt. I wish we could share this with the world. Truth is, some people couldn’t handle history being rewritten.” He sighed deeply, “Even if what they now think of as history is a lie.”
“I’d like to think better of humanity, sir. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
Buck smiled at Mitchell, “An admirable outlook, m’lad. I think you’ll find a great deal of the point is preserving finds like this, and even humanity itself, until such a time when it can handle it.”
“Preserving humanity?”
CJ put a hand on his arm, “That’s something I can explain later. Right now, we should mark the blocked entrance, then see what we can do to reopen it.”
“Indeed. You might want to start a mental list of people or equipment you’d like to get you started. Since you’ll be running the new department, that sort of thing’ll be your responsibility now.”
“Uh, okay.”
Hitomi elbowed her friend, CJ just rolled her eyes and told her to drop a tracker in the blocked passage. Buck radioed the drivers back at the hotel for an update then asked them to drive out the meet them. By the time they made their way back out, a very dusty humvee was waiting, with Jeremy waving from the back. They piled in.
On the drive back, Jerry leaned over to Hitomi, “Alana says hi. She would have come along, but Buck would have locked her in her room.”
Hitomi laughed at that, then found herself smiling the rest of the drive to the hotel.
“Oh, wonderful. It’s still open.” Hitomi slipped the tracker back into her deceptively small belt. She pulled off her back pack and grabbed a flashlight. Everyone else did the same.
“It’s about a thirty minute walk through the passage into the tomb.” CJ flicked her light on and slipped into the tunnel. Once inside, she ran the light over the walls of the tunnel. “Are those petroglyphs?”
Mitchell sidled up and squinted at the wall, “Faint, but yeah, I think you’re right. These look like standard cave drawings.”
“Is that odd?”
He shrugged, “Could be. I hesitate to say yes, but considering the rest of this mess.”
They moved down the tunnel, glancing at the walls as they went. There looked to be many faintly visible drawings. Most were too worn, but a few were readable. If any native peoples knew about this, no wonder the canyon was sacred.
At the other end of the tunnel, they could see the flickering of the still-burning torches from the day before. They spilled out into the tomb itself, surrounding the main sarcophagus. Buck raised an eyebrow at the jackal head, but CJ smirked and shook her head, “It was replaced after mummification. The animal’s body is in the corner.” She pointed out the writing on the burial boxes, and some of the pottery.
“This is amazing, no doubt. I wish we could share this with the world. Truth is, some people couldn’t handle history being rewritten.” He sighed deeply, “Even if what they now think of as history is a lie.”
“I’d like to think better of humanity, sir. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
Buck smiled at Mitchell, “An admirable outlook, m’lad. I think you’ll find a great deal of the point is preserving finds like this, and even humanity itself, until such a time when it can handle it.”
“Preserving humanity?”
CJ put a hand on his arm, “That’s something I can explain later. Right now, we should mark the blocked entrance, then see what we can do to reopen it.”
“Indeed. You might want to start a mental list of people or equipment you’d like to get you started. Since you’ll be running the new department, that sort of thing’ll be your responsibility now.”
“Uh, okay.”
Hitomi elbowed her friend, CJ just rolled her eyes and told her to drop a tracker in the blocked passage. Buck radioed the drivers back at the hotel for an update then asked them to drive out the meet them. By the time they made their way back out, a very dusty humvee was waiting, with Jeremy waving from the back. They piled in.
On the drive back, Jerry leaned over to Hitomi, “Alana says hi. She would have come along, but Buck would have locked her in her room.”
Hitomi laughed at that, then found herself smiling the rest of the drive to the hotel.
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