The Pit

SCOUTING LOG 3356:

“Status Report on that com link,“ he muttered into the internal microphone in his RadSuit.

He fidgeted with his rifle against the slick outer surface of his Anti Radiation / Bio Hazmat suit, and thought to himself that he needed to add a canvas patch to the outside so his weapon would sit properly against his shoulder.

*Crackle crackle crackle* -Interference- *crackle crackle* “Rocks and compacted earth” *crackle crackle* “to your position...” *crackle*

He tugged on the guide rope that linked all in his party together by a fine micro-filament wire. It was both illuminated from within giving off a low, constant glow, as well as 10 times stronger than nylon cable 20x its thickness.

His reel began to pick up the slack as the other party members moved closer to his location, slowed, and then stopped completely.

*Crackle crackle* “you have to” *crackle* “it’s amazing, I can’t believe it” *crackle crackle* “at least 3 thousand feet below us” *crackle crackle* “...beautiful“ *crackle*

A moment later there were 3 quick tugs on the guide rope, and with that, He began to follow the line into the dark, uncharted hole they were cataloguing to the rest of his team. About 100 yards away from his team, the narrow, dark cavern fell away to a hugely expansive dome like opening, stone walkways, and metal catwalks dotted the gigantic opening. He could see by the soft glow of the guide wire that his team was gesturing wildly:

“It must be a mile wide”

“these nu-steel catwalks must be hundreds of years old”

“what do you think is down there”

“those lights HAVE TO be man made”

As he got closer, he peered over the edge, and there, countless feet below, radiating up from the darkness, were an unimaginable number of softly flickering lights. Each spaced out, as if by civil design, radiating out from the center like the teeth of a gear, or spokes of a wheel.

Quickly, the cartographer in charge of mapping out the caves of this sector turned the page on his pad, and began to sketch what he saw below, the catwalks, the open cavern, the shape the lights below in the pit of darkness made.

***