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the image of an arched dome appeared. The dome stretched out along its base into a long disk so that it seemed to be a tall, rounded mountain stretching out to a valley floor. At the top of the massive dome was the elevated dais and atop that, looking very small when compared to the dome itself, was the Laguna Pyramid. A distance from the top a ring of three-quarter pyramids guarded the crest. According to the scale, there was one pyramid roughly every half-kilometre, twenty-eight in all. At the bottom of the disk, the object was thirty-two and three quarter kilometres across. It was circular and the blister-like top of the arched dome was almost seven and a half kilometres high.
     
    “My God,” Santino said, “What the hell is it?”
     
    “James, get me a linx to the WAAS,” Echohawk said, “I need to speak with Professor Todds immediately.” James nodded and began working a second keypad.
     
    “I don’t understand,” Peter said, “What are we looking at? A domed city? If so, who built it?”
     
    “We don’t know that that’s what it is,” Echohawk cautioned.
     
    “Well, what else could it be?” Peter demanded, “And how did such a civilization occur without any other evidence ever being found? How did they develop their industry without fossil fuels?”
     
    “Alcohol-based fuel?” James suggested, “Maybe they used geothermal power?”
     
    “James, my linx to Professor Todds please,” Echohawk reminded him, “Guys, let’s try and stay focused here. We don’t know what we’re dealing with right now and we can’t jump to any conclusions.”
     
    “Prof? We have a problem,” James reported.
     
    “What is it?”
     
    “I have no Grid access,” James said, “I’ve even lost the feed from Concord 3.”
     
    “How is that possible?”
     
    “I don’t know!” James answered, “I can’t access the WAAS, Concord 3, I can’t send linxes and I can’t even get a VOD show.” Echohawk crossed to where he’d put down his travel bag and pulled out his own console. He switched it on as he slipped his headset on. Lowering the microphone and display booms into place Echohawk placed his own Grid linx. All his display showed was a standard no-service message:
     
    Error 201.21: Unable to access World Grid at this time.
    Please ensure that your modem is online and that your connection settings are valid. If the problem persists, please contact your Grid Service Provider.
     
    “Shit!” Echohawk swore, “What the hell is going on?” In response to his question the aluminum walls of the lab building began to rattle and hiss as they were pelted with sand, dust and small rocks. At the last Echohawk heard the distinctive staccato thunder of helicopter blades rumbling in all around them. He, James, Peter and Chief Santino rushed from the shelter into the night air. A storm of debris blew around them as four massive black helicopters landed in the compound. Several other military vehicles, including British-made Ranger armoured personnel transports were rolling up. The glare from the floodlights on the helicopter illuminated the compound with dusty beams of cruel, artificially white light. The storm began to die off as the helicopters’ propellers cycled down. The growling whine of the power cells in the land vehicles also faded, leaving only the migraine white of the floodlights that seemed to be everywhere. Echohawk squinted vainly, feeling pain behind his eyes. James and Peter produced sunglasses. Santino shielded his face by making a visor with his hand. They watched, stunned, as soldiers began running around in an organized, concerted effort. The soldiers were rounding people up from the mess tents and the shelters, bringing them all over to the central location of the laboratory. Two soldiers stood before Echohawk as the rest of the camp’s inhabitants and the dozen-odd curious onlookers that were almost always on site were herded together behind them.
     
    “What the fuck is going on?”