The Deadliest Alien Artifacts (Story Collection) (17 page)

“
Its potential had been rapidly
acknowledged and paid for by the American military, which had put a
sizable investment into the invention.

“
Though it was confidential, it did
not last long. Though they intended to use this technology with the
regular US military, to detect such things as underground bunkers
and mines, which are extremely hard to detect.

“
Parker had been currently on an
exciting project over in Greenland, searching the depths of ice
...

“
They were targeting locations at the
oldest regions of ice recorded by scientists, at particular deep
depths that the technology could handle, and drilling at particular
sites.

“
The continents have shifted
considerably since the dinosaurs existed, and the right locations
must be rare. If they exist there at all!

“
They had notably considered going to
the Antarctic, where the ice in regions has been proven to have
been on the land there for millions of years. Perhaps amphibious or
other prehistoric animals, which were there, are buried there.
Extinct species, and even some remaining dinosaurs, might have been
roaming there, and could have been killed in avalanches or
snowstorms, just before it froze.

“
We were allowed to use the results of
their findings, and, if we needed it their equipment, planes,
technicians and pilots.

“
This technology is a scientific
breakthrough, and it would have been a real shame if it had not
been used for science.

“
They have already been using it to
scan and map miles of rural Britain, the coast, and expertly
examine beneath fields, forests, hills, lakes in distinct detail.
Even though it has not so far given anything of what they were
searching for. But, from examining their maps of a coastal region
of Cornwall, which was in the central region of our co-ordinates, I
caught sight of something, which seemed little to them. And when we
had it checked again, we soon realized that we had to have found
it.

“
We have a great deal to do, to get
our prize, and in good order
–
and photography and study this astonishing
creature.

“
We have arranged more expeditions for
members of the Exploration Association to see it
…

“
Has anyone any
queries?
”

A man sitting alone, at the edge the
audience, hastily stood, before anyone else.

He lifted his hand for him to acknowledge
him.

“
Have you a more elaborate description
of it?
”

“
What precisely do you wish to
know?
”

“
What species is it?
”

“
I can
’
t tell you that
–
at this
moment!
”

“
Did it have two or four legs? And was
it a carnivore or herbivore?
”

“
I couldn
’
t distinguish neither, from what we
have found ...
”

“
What were the theories
...?
”

“
By all means,
”
he spoke with an optimistic
glare,
“
I
’
ll tell you the last theory put forward,
which I
’
ll
not elaborate. They believe that it
’
s either an early form of
prehistoric animal or one of the last dinosaurs to roam this
planet.
”

“
Tell us of the strange magnetic
phenomenon you found
…
!
”

His brisk halt, defined composure, rapidly
drew them to him.

“
By some phenomenon, which has not
been properly explained, an instrument
–
an accurate scientific
compass
–
wildly oscillates and spins when turned in the direction of
the site.

“
Some form of powerful magnetic
influence, or something of that nature, acts upon it.

“
What could create such power? It has
to be tremendous!
”

“
Someone may be playing around with
something there!
”

“
Yet why would they be experimenting
on something out there though?
”

“
Perhaps they were creating some sort
of weather machine
–
to combat global warming
–
by influencing the
world
’
s
magnetic field. Perhaps it was one of many random locations using
some form of manipulation on the Earth
’
s core.

Some aged and stately scientists watched on
bemused, resembling apparitions with their bright gray features and
slow movements.

Every shadow about Professor Farrell held a
mystery now.

Existence was strange, but sane, and out of
the reaches of chaos.

“
What are your
assumptions?
”
Dr Davidson
–
a tall silent man
–
uttered, breaking the deep
silence.

“
I
’
ve not drawn any proper
conclusions,
”
Professor Farrell confessed, looking over at Professor Thomas
for guidance. His knowledge in physics and of things of that nature
was great.

“
Whatever it is
–
it has incredible
power!
”
Professor Farrell swiftly continued.
“
We need more reasonable
clues.
”

“
Even in our little cluster of
planets, unknown and unexplained phenomena still
exist,
”
Davidson reassured them.
“
Who knows what exists out there in the depths
of space
–
and even unseen about us
–
which could very well be beyond our
comprehension.
”

Some strange thought ran through the mind of
Professor Farrell, and he figured through possibilities. He also
occasionally had the look of a person who somehow sensed an
oncoming consequence, and was checking ways to tackle it.

Had he found something? Or had he dreamed of
scientific finds far too many times?

His adrenalin was visibly rushing through
his veins, and it frequently exploded into his brain, almost
overwhelming him.

“
At any rate, there are other mentions
of such occurrences from all over the globe. Even if most are
antiquated and mythological! For instance
–
how about the Bermuda Triangle?
That was reputed to cause such an effect
–
just before ships and planes
vanished!
”

“
Though mystifying, there could be
some sort of mineral around
–
perhaps a mass of magnetic iron
–
or the reactions
created by ...!
”
Davidson assured.

“
I
’
ve not heard of such a mass of
minerals
–
iron, nickel ...
”
he argued.
“
Neither a magnetic mountain of iron
ore nor a hill of iron in a purer state
–
even as a tremendous meteorite. And
the magnetic field of the globe has been recorded at places, and
though not altogether investigated, it is very unlikely to have
such an intensity, nature, and be confined to such a zone, even in
northern regions ...
”

“
Okay! It
’
s coming from where we are going ...
And it will be beneficial to check this great disturbance
–
which cannot be
explained by normal science.
”

“
And, of course, the preservation of
our creature specimen could be connected with it!
”

Many of the scientists showed mild
curiosity, genuinely surprised. Now not knowing what to think!
While silently observing him, and that he believed that he had
passed the boundaries of what could be explained.

Surely this excited professor meant
something else! But what he meant was not fully clear, and by his
behavior there seemed to be far more to come.

“
Say that again!
”
Davidson stated, not
believing his luck.

“
Let me explain ...! My lecture to the
Exploration Association is not entirely complete.

“
When I had questioned the crew, which
had been on board the plane, they had told me their scanning
equipment had begun to blank out, as though it had been running out
of power, or fluctuations of energy had been overpowering
it.

“
We attempted to find out if someone
had something around there, or was using something capable of
affecting it. Yet there was nothing for at least thirty miles in
every direction.

“
When we flew over the site, the
equipment barely functioned. Strange images flashed on its screen,
at the precise spot. It was there that they spotted an unusual
formation, in the blur of flickers!
”

Chapter 11

The Transcendent

(From the novel
The Alien Artifact 1)

A dull red radiance gleamed over the
Superbeing
’
s devilish shape, lighting up a blood red
shadow of its peculiar shape, across the surface below
it.

Sandler felt excitement exploding across his
mind, while a hole formed in the structure of a panel. The darkness
about him grew apparent, as horror gripped him, and he recalled
what his original beliefs of the Superbeing had been.

He was obviously still partially
asleep
–
it
was night
–
going by his watch. Something had awakened him, and he was
now watching the creature through a small gap in his eyelids. He
heard the others still asleep about the galactic
transporter.

The creature viciously shuddered, arching
its sharp claws. Its small glowing shape activated controls, and
lifted into the air, then floated to the hole under the control
panel. A glowing purple triangular object appeared in it. Its
wildly rotating shape floated out of the hole towards it.

Once it had returned to its original
position, the controls about its front began flashing shades of
green over its dwarf-like figure. The screen flashed on a view of
the galactic transporter
’
s propulsion blasting into the outer
whiteness. Its furious energy exploded out. Remote globes of
universes moved fast by its sides. Sparkling beams of clustered
starlight shined out of their spheres. They went by its sides in
lines.

The immensely powerful galactic transporter
propulsion continued blasting out, and its hurtling shape continued
on and on into the endless white.

The Superbeing crept around its control
chair in the dark shadows. Its claw still gripped the purple
triangular object.

Sandler had often watched it, fascinated at
not being able to understand what it did or thought.

When it had finished activating controls, it
moved back to its control seat. It then mentally positioned the
triangular object at an area of its head.

When the device began to function, clear
mental visions of the outer universes, about the galactic
transporter, appeared about him. His mind picked up its powerful
mental images!

The spheres zoomed by, with a magnified
appearance, and it examined them in faraway places.

An extra large universe appeared, and
it remained fixed in the center of the galactic transporter.
Suddenly visions from in it appeared in his mind. There were no
stars in it
–
just a dark crimson sky, and burning flames.

What was it? It resembled neither a world
nor anything else that he had ever seen before. Sandler sensed that
shocking sadism existed in the place. To his amazement, he saw
demon beings with wings. The visions changed to swirling spectral
lights, and vanished from his mind.

The Superbeing put the object back under the
control panel, just before he went back to sleep.

The voyage had gone beyond his wildest
dreams! He had visited many mysterious worlds, existing in
alternative universes. Many with a likeness to Earth, but still
they had been unsuitable, and the velocity had gradually increased
to a point where they had been unable to teleport. Then he had
known that it had not been possible for them to get out of it.

But one day, while he was visiting the back
of the galactic transporter, watching the two men play a game of
cards, he felt a strange sensation of something. Moreover, he knew
that something was about to happen.

All of the instruments began functioning all
about him. Then he saw that the screen at the front had symbols all
over it, and he heard a specific machine make a sound, which
indicated that the galactic transporter was about to make an
announcement.