Discovery part 1 by Ronald Faltus

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This is precisely how Gareth and his small band ended up digging on a hill side kilometers form the main excavation. Gareth picked out the hill form a satellite survey of the area, and while the small mound looked similar to the hundreds of others that dotted the landscape, he was convinced that they would find something at this particular one. Something about how the hill faced the main site, and then tapered away only to seemingly disappear into the face of the plateau that ringed the valley. Even his own crew doubted that there was anything of value here, until the sonar picked up the angled slab. The there was no doubt in their minds, Gareth had seemingly plucked this discovery out of thin air, and soon they would see the results of his premonition.

There was a sharp scrape as Gareth made his next pass. He had hit something hard, denser than the dirt he had cut through so far. Using a brush to clear the fresh score, he rubbed his hand over the surface that remained. It was cool to the touch, and did not yield as he pressed his fingers firmly into it. The team behind him held his breath as Gareth raised his trowel and brought the butt end down onto the surface. Everyone heard the clang as the two met, confirming what Gareth had originally surmised, the slab was solid metal, and from how it was positioned on the hill, was probably a door, a hatch that opened into a subterranean chamber.

Taking only a moment to turn and give his team a confident wink, he set about clearing the rest of the door. His hands seemingly moved by their own accord, the trowel breaking up the stiff dirt, then the brush making clean passes to push the debris away. Working across his body, Gareth cleared a path to the right, seeking the edge of the slab. Finding the crevice, he fit his fingers into the gap, trying to gage the space between the hatch and its frame. Feeling that that they could only penetrate a few centimeters, he repositioned himself on the stakes so he could look directly into the crack. With a steady stream of breath form his parched lungs, he blew out any stray dust and sand. The two edges matched up perfectly flush, creating a seemingly intact seal between the outside world and the chamber that lay on the other side.

Having confirmed that the chamber seemed preserved, he leaned up, and lowered himself off the stakes, indicating to the crew to clear the rest of the door. As he straightened his back for the first time in hours, pain shot through his spine, muscles refusing to contort back into place. Arching backwards, Gareth tired to remind them of their proper position. After taking a healthy drink of water, he turned to watch his team excitedly extend the crevice. First they followed it up, till it came to a right angle and continued laterally across the hill, about two meters along the top, then turning downward. Minutes passed and soon the entire edge of the hatch was uncovered.

An intact chamber, Gareth shook his head as the unbelievable thought rolled though his mind.