Chương 2: Digging Up the Future

Dr. Elena Rasmussen slowly climbed the ladder out of dig‑pit 6‑B.

"We have more fragments over here!" she called out, her eyes sweeping the site. Several young workers looked up, unfazed.

"I said," she repeated, louder this time, "we have fragments over here!" That finally got them moving; a cluster of archaeological students hurried to her side. Elena let out a weary sigh, giving her head a small shake. Not sure if it's because I'm getting older or they're getting younger, she thought, rolling her eyes. This lot looks like they were recruited straight out of middle school.

"Whatcha got, boss?" asked a young man whose name escaped her at the moment. Elena surveyed him up and down, taking in his inappropriate attire and disheveled appearance, wondering where he matriculated from.

"Well, I think the statement ' we have fragments' says it all."

"We have fragments in this pit," she said sharply.

"Not sure what kind of fragments, because they are… well…" she paused, taking in a breath.

"Still in the ground," she added sarcastically her eyebrows raised. Hearing the familiar sound of metal meeting rock, she peered downward.

"Careful with that!" she yelled to another young man in the pit, who was using a trowel instead of a brush to retrieve an artifact.

"You're not digging for potatoes! For crying out loud, use the damn brush!" she snapped. The young man looked up at her from the pit, then back at his work, unsure what to do next.

"How do you know there isn't something of importance buried right next to that? There could be more, just out of view, and there you are hacking away as if you're cutting down a tree." What was this kid's name again? She thought as she searched through her mental database to match the name with the face. She shook her head, hoping she found the right one.

"If I told you once, I've told you a thousand times, these things can't be rushed… Jake," she said, hoping it was the correct name. She stood, watching for a reaction. Seeing none, she continued.

"You need to brush the dirt off slowly… carefully, layer by layer. You can't just yank shit out of the ground like that!" He placed the trowel back into his tool belt and pulled out a brush.

"Are you sure this is what you want to be doing for the rest of your life?" she asked, thinking, you may need to rethink your career choice there, Jake.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, flustered, using the small brush to clear the debris.

"This is all I've ever wanted to do." Elena sighed. Don't give me the eyes… And there they were. The big sad eyes, like an animal abandoned by the side of the road.

"Slow and steady wins the race; fast and furious leaves you in disgrace," she said, softening.

"That's the archaeologist's credo. Remember it. And here's another pearl of wisdom: when in doubt, sweep it out." He gave her a half smile.

"I'll remember that. And I promise to do better, Dr. Rasmussen." I doubt it, Jake, she thought as he returned to brushing the artifact. You know the minute you are out of sight he is going to get frustrated and start hacking at it with the trowel, she thought, turning away. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Thank you, that's all I can hope for," she added over her shoulder, not wanting to watch this ridiculousness any longer than necessary. She spotted him in the distance. It had to be Alex, the gait was unmistakable. She quickened her pace to catch up with him.

"Dr. Palladore?" she called out, trying to remain professional in front of the students. He stopped and turned around.

"Ah, Elena. I was just looking for you," he called out, strutting toward her.

"I have something remarkable to show you." Intrigued, Elena broke out into a slight jog to catch up to him.

"What is it, Alex?" she asked, now close enough to speak without shouting.

"I think we are on the verge of uncovering an event that was truly catastrophic," he said, running a hand through his hair as if the energy had nowhere else to go.

"You have to see this for yourself." He went still, the excitement draining into something quieter, almost reverent.

"It's beyond words." Elena looked out over the once-barren landscape and felt her pulse quicken. The sand was now littered with various markers chronicling the history-changing discoveries they had already uncovered. Red for bone, green for pottery, orange for organics, and purple for unknown. Relics had been painstakingly unearthed, each one defying rational explanation. Among the discoveries were bone fragments, but curiously, no full skeletons.

Tens of thousands of pieces from a potentially advanced civilization, each one creating more questions than answers. One single intact skeleton could tell them so much. What were their physical characteristics? Were they similar in size and build? Did they suffer from any anatomical malformations? How did they live? The fragments they had discovered were so small, it was impossible to determine what bone they originally belonged to.

When the analysis came back on the bone fragments, the results were rather unexpected. The fragments all belonged to the same unknown species. Up until this dig, everything found had painted a pretty clear evolutionary timeline. This species, however, threw the timeline out the window. Determining when this race lived would be crucial to understanding the development of Falotopia as a whole. Were they a race living alongside the natives? Were they fighting for resources?

Four months earlier, construction workers installing water pipes made the initial discovery. They had found a long-forgotten chamber buried deep within the shifting sands. The arid conditions made it virtually impossible for the area to maintain a permanent settlement of any kind without the aid of modern irrigation and water delivery systems. There was simply no means of survival without a reliable water source. Or so the officially accepted history insisted.

Not only was there a settlement here at one time, it was a thriving community. They had the infrastructure in place, they had the technology to flourish, so what made it go so horribly wrong? Elena's anthropologist side needed answers that the archaeological side could not provide. She felt compelled to uncover who this ancient race had been. She was determined to reclaim their lost identity and heritage for them, to tell their story with dignity and truth, cementing their rightful place in the historical record.

Who were these people? Where did they come from? Why were they here? Above all else, she felt she could not rest until she figured out who or what erased them from time itself. She and Alex had been calling this part of the world home for the last four months. When the University of Falotopia suggested they co-managed the site, she could not help but jump at the chance. The air felt charged with something just out of reach, something her fingertips swiped at but could not grasp.

She felt as if she was standing on the threshold of a vast doorway of forgotten knowledge and ancient power. She followed Alex toward the place this archaeological journey had begun, the chamber hidden in plain sight.

"We're looking at something special, something unusual," Alex whispered, his hand tracing the grout lines on the ceramic tile on the wall.

"We're looking at a complete, systemic, inexplicable annihilation." He exhaled loudly. Elena recognized the sound; it was the sound he made when he was still trying to wrap his head around a discovery. She had come to know him so well both professionally and personally over the years, she no longer needed words to understand his meaning.

"Elena, the amount of force needed to achieve this level of destruction is unfathomable, but it seems we also have what we'll call pockets… untouched." Elena looked at him, her brow furrowing.

"How is that even possible, Alex? I mean, take a good look around you. Everything was obliterated," she said, sweeping her arm around the site.

"Some of these fragments have been reduced to little more than pebbles."

"It defies the laws of physics. I agree. It's almost like…" He paused as they moved closer to the tunnel, searching for the right words.

"It's as if they're sitting in a bubble of sorts," he said, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Not a very good explanation, but it's the only one that fits. You have to see it for yourself to understand." Elena scratched her head and glanced toward the tunnel, apprehension tightening her chest. What could possibly be in there that would leave Alex at a loss for words?