Free Return to Dark Earth by Anna Hackett Page A

movement. Like someone was
hiding. And watching us.”
    “Nothing on scans, although once you get
over seven meters out, the radiation makes them unreliable. No one
could have survived here. Seeing shadows?”
    Her mouth flattened. “No. I saw
something.”
    If she did, he believed her. “Okay. What
could it be then? No wildlife survived in this part of the planet.
The jungles to the south contain…things.” Mutated things. He
figured they really didn’t want to run into whatever had managed to
survive Earth’s destruction.
    Finally, Nera shook her head. “Let’s check
out the last part of this sector and get back to the ship.”
    They walked to the end of the street and the
final structure. Nik frowned. Here, the black sand looked like it
had been subjected to intense heat. It formed a solid sheet of what
looked like black glass.
    Nera tapped it with her boot. Parts of it
broke off. “It’s gone brittle.”
    “It could be covering something.” Nik looked
back at the other buildings. “Probably another shop.”
    “Wonder what caused this?”
    “Some sort of localized blast, maybe? Who
knows?” And they’d never know. It was the frustration of his
passion for the past. For every one of history’s secrets he
revealed, he uncovered several more that would always be a mystery.
It took him a long time, but he’d learned to celebrate what he
could and not let the rest drive him crazy.
    He pulled his multi-tool off his belt and
dialed up the hammer. He hit the black glass and it chipped
away.
    He worked for a bit, just to see how thick
the layer was.
    Suddenly, a portion the size of a dinner
plate gave way, leaving a gaping hole.
    Nera crouched and flicked on her ion light.
She shone it into the hole, but all they could see was impenetrable
darkness.
    “It appears there’s a space under there,”
she said. “Want to take a look around?”
    “We should maybe send a probe in first. And
we don’t have much time left—”
    She stood and kicked the edge of the hole
with her boot.
    A huge slab broke off, leaving a hole large
enough for a person to crawl through.
    “Nera…”
    She shone the light again. This time, it
gleamed off…something.
    Nik’s pulse tripped. Damn, now he wanted to
know what the hell was in there.
    “Come, Dr. Phoenix. Live a little.” Nera
leapt into the hole.
    “Nera!” Dammit to hell , they had
fifteen minutes left.
    Grinding his teeth, he followed her in.
    The drop was only a few meters, and his feet
hit concrete. Smooth, well-preserved concrete.
    Nera appeared out of the darkness and shone
her light in his face. “Come take a look.” She swung the light away
from him.
    It illuminated a… He took a deep breath, his
eyes widening. “Oh my God.”
    It was a perfectly preserved car.
    Its body was long and stylish, and glossy
red. There was only room for two people to sit. It was long in the
hood, and short at the back.
    God, it was beautiful. A work of art.
    Nera touched the still-shiny metal. “It
seems…far less modern than I imagined Terran transports to be.”
    “It’s not a model that was manufactured at
the time of Earth’s demise. It’s a classic car.”
    She frowned. “It was already old.”
    “Yes. A collectors’ item. I have some
records on ancient automobiles. I think this is one of the cars
listed. A 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang.”
    “Priceless,” she murmured.
    “Yes.” It would fetch a fortune on the open
market. And would look very nice in a museum where the galaxy’s
children could marvel at a piece of their ancestry.
    Nera moved through the darkness. “There’s
another one.”
    “God, a 1965 Shelby Cobra.” Also in pristine
condition, as though the apocalypse had never happened. “The glass
covering outside seems to have preserved everything in here.”
    “I like this one.” It had a sportier look to
it. It was a royal blue, with two white stripes down the
center.
    There were three cars in total. A 1966 Dodge
Charger rounded out the small collection.