The way down to where the miners had last been meant a meandering slog through narrow rocky tunnels, open caverns and steep declines. The other miners barely gave them attention and Francis preferred it that way. Most of the team stuck close to him but Melina had been lagging behind the whole way. He couldn’t shake that something was off with her. She was normally on the ball and aware of her surrenders, he had never seen her zone out like that before. Maybe what happened to Andrey is finally sinking in, or maybe like the rest of them she’s regretting ever being involved in this stupid scheme. What does the Black Conglomerate even care about this rock anyway? The Moon I get but Mars isn’t exactly a paradise, but everything has worked out for the big guy at the top so far. James must know something we don't, that elusive bastard. While being careful not to let the others out of his sight, he dropped back to Melina’s side.

“Something’s got you rattled what is it?”

“What if this facility is like the ones back home?” she asked.

“Meaning.”

“The seeds of the Mortalis were able to spread because we unsealed them. What if that happens here too.”

Normally, he would agree with her, but with how Mars looked above and below, he doubted the seed would grow. “Even if that were possible, the seed would need water or something else to help it to grow.”

“It’s not like the others lacked hydroponics. The aliens that made these facilities intended to stay a long time.”

“I get you’re paranoid, Melina, but this place has been abandoned for years, so the chance of any monster surviving here is slim. Still, we have this tracker. It pings when we’re close to something. I highly doubt we’ll see anything red, and just think, once we’re done, we can take a break and then figure out how to execute the plan.”

“I feel like that ship has long since sailed, you could have seized control the minute we left the ship.”

Francis shook his head. “That might seem obvious and I considered it for a brief moment, but we can’t run this base by ourselves. The only way we’re winning here is by playing the l0ng game. Once we have their trust, then we can strike at them.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Melina looked past Francis and was relieved the others had travelled a little bit faster. “We probably shouldn’t talk like this, the team might get the wrong idea about us.”

“Yeah… we should really catch up, they’re probably wondering where we are.”

The tracker made it easy to catch up with the rest of the group, and Charles saw their approach. “I thought you two got lost.”

“Sorry for lagging behind,” said Melina. “I don’t do caves.”

“None of us really do,” said Charles. “Anyway Echo thinks we’re close, the last place they had contact with the miners. It should be just down there.” He pointed to a slope that led down into a cavern.

In the centre of the room was a large drill with no one nearby.

“So they abandoned the drill then,” said Pyotr walking up alongside the back of it. He soon stopped near the front and waited for the others to catch him.

“That drill head’s seen better days.”

“Could that really have broken the facility’s wall?” Melina asked folding her arms.

“It must have unless there’s another entrance,” said Charles.

They continued into the narrow carved-out tunnel left by the drill. It soon reached a dead end that at least confirmed what they already knew. “Why would they risk going inside?” Echo asked.

“Curiosity, probably.”

“The drill didn’t do this either, the wall was too tough. See those scorch marks,” said Melina.

Francis nodded. “They must have a death wish.”

“So, boss, it's your call to make. You want to enter the beast.”

Francis gritted his teeth together and sighed. “We have a job to do.”

“Just wanted to make sure you know what you’re in for with these things. They say when Stonehenge was first explored. It wasn’t as empty as people had expected it to be.”

Melina side eyed, Francis. “You told me nothing could survive in these places.”

Francis stepped forward and poked his head into the alien facility, the dark gloom that hung over the black metal flooring had him on edge. “The Mortalis are the most persistent thing humans have ever encountered. They thrive in the dark, not saying we’ll find any but you can never be too careful,” he said stepping inside. This was his first time entering such a facility. It had a soft hum to it like it was alive and calling out to him from deep within. From the corner of his eye, a figure drifted around the corner, it looked and had the shape of a woman. It reminded him of someone he knew back home. He shook his head and gestured for the others to enter.

“Let’s find these miners, the less time we spend in some alien tomb. The better.”

No one objected to that.