Chapter 16
"Oh, my God" Indiana whispered.
"What, what?"
"It's… an astronomy room. There are paintings of the entire solar system on the floor. . There's no ceiling. I can see the entire top of the cave…"
"What's wrong, Indy?" Sallah asked.
"I get it. This place was never below ground. It was some kind of valley. What I thought was the top of the cave is actually… I guess mountains, that collapsed and hit each other, completely covering the village. Right above me where the rover is is actually the top of the mountains, completely covered in sand. It's a miracle none of this is completely squashed."
"I take it that there's no chance of removing the mountains so the village can be visible from here on Earth?" Marcus said.
"Not unless you want to risk giving this place a makeover."
"Hmm, that really is a shame. You best be sure you're recording, Indiana."
"Will do, Marcus."
"Junior, How is the map on the floor?" Dad asked."Is it accurate?"
"Well, I'm no astronomer, but all the planets are here, even Pluto. Question is how did they discover all this, maybe thousands of years, before man?"
"You're sure there is nothing there, Indy?" Sallah asked.
"Positive. Perhaps, after the mountains crashed they all left. Problem is, there are no notable craters or valleys here on Mars that show more signs of architecture. I need to keep looking."