Chapter 1 – An Accident with Unintended Consequences

For all throughout human history, there has always been one question that seems to be the basis for everything ranging from pure curiosity to books, to even epic space operas seen on television and movies:

"Are we alone in the universe?"

Decades ago, the answer would genuinely go in range – some would say that we are the only sentient race in the universe, and others would say that we are not, but nowadays, the answer to the question would be a resounding yes. Merely due to the fact that the planet Earth itself had a protector who was quite literally from another planet.

But even with that realization, that still did not curb the enthusiasm people had for wanting to see if there was life out in the universe. If anything, people were only galvanized more. So it wasn't a surprise that many at NASA were more than happy when it was revealed that a mission to send a rover to Mars had been given the green-light. While the mission was simply to see if the planet had environmental conditions for microbial life (as well as see if the planet was viable for future human explorations instead of just exploration from machinery), it was still seen as a step in the right direction.

So here was the Rover – dubbed The Curiosity – trudging along the Martian landscape, collecting samples every so often as it moved along, while NASA monitored everything from their home base in Washington DC.

"So, anything new?" Asked one of the NASA employees to their co-worker who was monitoring The Curiosity.

"So far, just the usual readouts we've gotten before." Replied the monitor.

As The Curiosity continued to make its way across the landscape, it then came to a stop near a makeshift hill to collect some more samples from the ground. However, as it began collecting said samples, its Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) began picking up strange readings coming from not too far in the ground where it was. Since the NASA monitor picked it up back on Earth he then then had the rover move into a better position so it could detect the radiation reading, which it did. However, no sooner had The Curiosity moved to its new position did the ground near one of its wheels then crack and give way before the Rover's equipment could detect the disturbance, but once it did it was too late, for part of the rover had crashed into the hole that appeared once the ground gave way. If one was able to see the Rover from a distance, it would look like it had fallen on its side, but in reality half of it was outside, while the other half was on in the inside part of the gap.

"Uh…we got a problem." Spoke the NASA monitor to his co-worker.

"What's going on?" Asked the co-worker.

"I don't know." Admitted the monitor. "All I know is that Curiosity was picking up some strange radiation readings. I had her move to a better position to get a better reading when all of a sudden the ground just gave way and made a hole. Now she's lying on her side like somebody pushed her over."

Not good. Thought the co-worker. "All right, keep monitoring her and try to run a diagnostic, I'm gonna let the big wigs know about this."

As the monitor would later find out, the Rover itself was completely intact, despite falling on its side. However, what the monitor didn't realize was that the ground that had given way was in fact a ceiling…to a place that had been long forgotten by a nearly-extinct race. It was a place where a final stand between two factions had been made long ago, and while victory had been won…for the winning side, the victory had still come with a very steep price. But now that the rover had unknowingly made a hole up in the ceiling, what, and most importantly whom, had been trapped in there had begun to awaken.

"The gas effects…are wearing off…" Spoke one of the prisoners in its own language.

"That…they are…" Spoke another.

"Look up there." Spoke yet another one in a weakened voice as it gestured to the part of The Curiosity's chassis that was peeking through the hole in the ceiling, to which several other awakened prisoners took notice of.

"Several of you latch yourselves onto it, but quickly disguise yourselves once you do. Wherever that device came from, we can't chance being spotted by another sentient race yet until we are at full-strength, and are certain said race poses no threat." Spoke the first prisoner.

"Understood. What shall you and the others do in the meantime?"Asked the second prisoner.

"We will alert the rest of our brethren who escaped the last battle that we are awakened again." Replied the first prisoner.

In no time at all several of the prisoners latched onto the Curiosity and assimilated themselves onto the machine so as to throw off any suspicion by anyone who would come to investigate. Meanwhile, the first prisoner and several of its associates then walked over to what seemed to be an old console and did some kind of mechanical trickery with it to get it working enough to send out an encrypted signal. However, no sooner had it done that did the prisoner then notice an alarm going off, to which the prisoner then cut the power to the console, its work already accomplished in sending out the needed signal.

A final safeguard? Thought the prisoner. Very clever of them, even in death.

No sooner did the prisoner think that did it then look up to the ceiling where the Rover was.

Or perhaps…not completely dead. The prisoner thought.

(Elsewhere on Earth…)

"Ahhh!"

A man woke up with a start as he kept hearing a loud noise both in his ears and in his mind as he tried in vain to buffer the sound by covering the sides of his head with his hands, but to no avail.

Within a few moments, the sound faded away, but the man was still breathing heavily as he still held his head in his hands.

It's not possible, the man thought. There is no possible way, but if it did happen, and they escaped…then this world is in grave danger. He finished as he then lifted his head from his hands, revealing a crimson glow in his "normally" brown eyes…