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Part I
UNDER ANTARCTICA -
Fact Or Fiction?
George Wilfehrt, 8-78
(*Note all names have been changed
 I hadn't seen by nephew John in years. (His true identity
has been changed to protect him from possible persecution
by the authorities.) Through the family grapevine, I
learned he had gotten a doctorate in geology and had
joined the navy. I was surprised when he called the office
not long ago to invite me out to lunch. He sounded nervous
over the phone and refused to talk about his recent history
until we were alone. I met John at the restaurant he had
suggested, and I was worried by his gaunt appearance.
John is in his late twenties, but he looked like an old man.
The old energy and gutsiness were gone, and his once rigid
posture drooped under an unspoken burden. The scars on
his face bespoke an ordeal almost beyond human endurance.
His hands shook, and his eyes darted continually back and
forth in nervous excitement.
Over our extended lunch, John told me of the strange encounter he had experienced while working at the
the South Pole. Often his voice cracked under the terrors of his past experiences, and he stopped often
to regather his thoughts. What he had experienced in Antarctica had shattered his nerves of steel.
John had been asigned to Project Omega by the navy. Omega was to study the effects of pollution on the
Antarctic ice sheet. Recent scientists have warned that the huge ice sheet that covers Antarctica was
sliding off the land and could break away from Antarctica altogether...the water level all across the world
would rise some seventy-five feet, forever drowning the coasts of all nations.
As part of Project Omega, John's duty was to drill through the ice sheet to take samples of the interface
materials where the ice rested on the solid continent. After several months of taking core samples, the
scientists did discover that the great ice sheet is now resting on a layer of slush ('77-'78). Furthermore,
the whole ice sheet is creepinga few centimeters a year towards the sea. The most puzzling aspect to
the samples came from the ground a mile under their feet. Somehow the continent was growing warmer
from internal causes. Answers were offered, such as increased volcanic activity deep under the earth or
increased radioactivity that warmed the ground, but these answers did not explain the rapid warming
effects noticed by the scientists.
As John was nearing the end of his six month stay on the frozen continent, a radio blackout was put in force
by the armed services. All leaves werecancelled, and the whole continent was put under quarantine.
Authorities said it was due to an outbreak of a mysterious disease thatspread like wildfire throuth the American
bases in Antarctica. John was angered by this sudden blackout, for he was due to be shipped home in weeks.
Before John could act, a special plane was sent for him with no explanation offered, he was whisked off to Ice
Base Arthur near the Wendall Sea. No amount of prodding could make the pilot reveal the reason for this
strangeaction.
Once at Ice Base Arthur, John was hurried into a conference room. Three other scientists were in the room:
Dr. Brooks, a geochemist, Dr. James, a geophysicist, and Dr. Joyce Brown, the only female paleontologist in
Antarctica. They all explained that they too had been hurriedly brought to the base, but no one knew why
they were present.
For a moment John forgot his anger. The three scientists were among the most prestigious researchers in
America, and John was delighted to be in their presence. He was particularly interested in Dr. Joyce Brown,
a small but determined woman...
John barely had time to be introduced around the group, when a door opened and General Phodes entered,
followed by a gaggle of military aides. He went through quick introductions and got right to the problem.
Recent satellites put into orbit over the South Pole to assist scientists had discovered a strange signal
eminating from under Antarctica, General Rhodes stated. The satellites had been recording X-ray
transmissions in the sky over the continent, and through a malfunction, one of the satellites had changed its
facing away from the stars and back to the ground. Before Mission Control back in the States could correct
the roll around, the satellilte sent X-ray pulses originating from far beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. Mission
Control decided to keep the satellite "about face" to study the strange pulsations. Slowly, a pattern began
to form, as though something was sending a message out into space. When this discovery was revealed,
Pentagon authorities had immediately put a quarantine on American bases in Antarctica and hurriedly gathered
a task force to study this phenomenon. The four scientists had been selected to study the X-ray source.
General Rhodes asked if there was any dissent. To a man (and a woman), the four scientists agreed to
undertake the study. The General then stepped aside to allow his aides to fill in the details so far discovered
about the mysterious source of the message.
Sonar studies of the ground from which the X-rays arose revealed little except for a series of caverns under
the ice pack and direct entrance to the X-ray source, unfortunately, was filled with slush from the melting ice.
However, further studies revealed a small passageway leading out under earth to a small group of volcanoes
just off the Antarctic coast. A group of soldiers had explored the cavern for anumber of miles before turning
back. The air was breathable, and the heat from the volcanoes provided sufficient warmth. Trickles of water
from the ice sheet even provided water. The task force of four scientists would be stationed in one of the
caverns to study the strange phenomenon, but they would not be allowed to proceed further into the mammoth
caverns.
The four scientists stared at one another in amazement. The unspoken question hung in everyone's minds:
could there possibly be an intelligent race under the continent of Antarctica? The authorities downplayed
this suggestion, assuming, until futher facts were available, that the source of the X-rays was a natural
occurance. Still, with the sudden blackout in effect, it seemed that even the government was not too sure
about what would eventually be found.
The task force was soon established in a large cavern. The heat from the volcanoes made the cavern quite
warm in contrast with the bitter cold ofthe windswept plains above their heads. The army personnel enjoyed
the activity, aiding the four scientists in setting up equipment and recordingtheir observations. It was soon
discovered that the huge caverns had been formed by melting ice from the heat of the volcano. Although
geologically interesting, there was nothing to suggest an alien race at work. Soon, the scientists concerned
themselves with any possible natural phenomenon to explain the X-ray transmissions... from the satellite
recordings it seemed that the X-rays were carrying a message. Anyexplanation of the X-rays seemed
impossible.
The disaster occurred after the first week in the cavern. The soldiers were out getting more supplies and
equipment for the task force, leaving the four scientists alone in the cavern. Suddenly, the ground shook
under their feet,and rocks began falling from the ceiling. Taking cover under an outcropping ofrock, the four
scientists watched in despair as the earthquake sealed their escapetunnel. Huge boulders fell on their tents
and supplies, and the air grew increasingly warmer. Then as suddenly as it came, the earthquake ended.
The rocks stopped falling, but the air continued to grow warmer.
John told the group that what probably had happened was that one of the volcanoes had become active again.
Not only was the group sealed in the cavern, but the increase in warmth was probably due to volcanic activity
close to them. They might die either from heat exhaustion or be drowned if the melting ice above their heads
seeped down into the cavern. Their only possible salvation lay in heading deeper into the maze of tunnels and
away from the volcanoes.
Dr. Brown andDr. James were reluctant to leave the cavern, since the army would no doubt blast its way back
into the cavern to find them. If the group moved away from the tunnel, they might be forever lost. Yet, even
as they argued, the air grew hotterand hotter. To stay would mean certain death and to keep exploring might
destroy them too.
John, master of every situation, told the group he was heading deeper into the tunnels. If they wanted to follow
him, he would leave his trail on the walls of the cavern witharrows pointing his direction. John gathered up a
sleeping bag, food supplies, side arms and ammunition, and several flashlights. With a cheery goodbye, he
started down the long tunnel, stating that if he ws going to die, at least he would discover the reason for the
strange X-rays.
He had scarcely traveled a mile through the dark tunnel when he heard a shout behind him. The rest of the group
had followed his lead, especially when they found streams of melting water leaking into the cavern. Under Joyce's
urging, they had prepared themselves and headed after John. Following the arrows on the wall, they had quickly
been able to catch up...
The journey through the tunnels was often dangerous. Occasionally, they would come to wide chasms, dropping
down further than their flashlights could penetrate. Joyce had remembered to bring a coil of rope which they
used as a bridge to cross the chasms. Fortunately, all the members of the party were young and strong, and
there were no accidents along their journey.
The temperature inside the cavern would vary greatly, as the tunnel dipped down towards the center of the earth
and then rose again towards the surface...
The next day almost brought further disaster. The tunnels now headed back towards the surface, and the air
grew colder. Donning their parkas, the four adventurers pushed on through the cold. Ahead of them, they saw
a pale light, the first lilght they had seen under the tunnels. To their surprise, they found the tunnel had
touched the surface, but the ice sheet was a solid lid through which they could not pass. From the hole, a water
fall of slush fell and had carved a great lake of ice cold water. The lake blocked their tunnel. It was too largese to
swim across. A swimmer would die of cold before reaching the far shore. Nor was there rope long enough to
bridge the lake. It seemed the exploration had come to a dead end.
John refused to be blocked by the obstacle. He ordered everyone to open their knapsacks to reveal the contents
in hopes of finding a way across the icy lake. In Dr. James' sack, he found the perfect solution - a rubber air
mattress which Dr. James used under his sleeping bag. John would use the mattress to cross the lake.
He fastened one end of the rope to an attachent on the raft. Stripping down to jeans and a sweater, John
pushed himself out across the lake. His gloves gave him some protection from the icy water, but his hands soon
became numb from the cold. valiantly, he pulled himself across the lake and finally reached the oppposite shore.
With teeth chattering, he sent the air mattress back to his comrades, keeping the rope in his hands.
The three scientists tied their belongings to the raft and John pulled the supplies across the lake. As the raft
drifted back to the opposite shore, he quickly donned his parka and skinned off his soaking clothes. Then one
by one he helped the other scientists across the cold lake. With teeth chattering away like maracas, the three
travelers also changed their wet clothes. Once dry and warm, they continued their exploration.
(*Note all names have been changed)
Part II
UNDER ANTARCTICA -
Fact Or Fiction?
George Wilfehrt, 8-78
Day followed day in dull monotony as the foursome continued through the tunnels. The
darkness of the tunnel darkened their spirits, and the quiet whisper of melting water
and the crunch of their own footsteps over the hard ground was the only noise they
heard. Slowly, the tunnels began to dive deeper and deeper into the earth. The
periods of cold soon vanished, and the air grew temperate and then tropical. Shedding
their heavy clothes, the explorers continued in the warm tunnels...
On the seventh day, the group found the underground sea. The tunnel had opened into
another broad cavern, but it was mostly filled with water. Their flashlights followed the
ceiling of the tunnel as it slowly dipped into the cold water. Again, it seemed their
exploration hadcome to a dead end. Reluctantly, John agreed that the party would have
to turn back. Perhaps the volcano had subsided, and the army would have been able to
clear the blocked tunnel. That night, broken in spirit, they camped by the subterranean
sea.
They were awakened that morning by Joyce's astonished cry. John...rushed with the
other two scientists on his tail to where the scream had come. Joyce stood in a crevice
in the rock. Her flashlight revealed a wall!
It seemed to be ceramic, smooth and cool to the touch. Joyce explained that she could
not sleep and had spent the night exploring the tunnel in hopes of finding a passageway
around the underground sea. She had been exploring the crevice in the tunnel when she
had slipped and fallen against some rocks. The rocks gave way under her hands and part
of the wall had collapsed on top of her. For a moment she thought she was dead, but
fortunately the avalanche of rocks was short lived. Groping for her lost flashlight, she
had felt the cool, even surface. It was the sudden discovery of the ceramic wall which
had made her scream.
Here was a mystery darker than any known before to man. The wall was obviously crafted
by someone intelligent, but it was impossible for it to exist. The Antarctic had been
frozen over for hundreds of thousands of years. No man could have buuilt this smooth wall
that they had found... They were awed by the fact that they had discovered a lost
civilization buried beneath the ice of Antarctica.
The problem still remained: how were they to return to the surface and tell people of their
amazing discovery? To go forward seemed impossible, and to return also seemed doomed
to failure. What could they do?
John helped Joyce back to camp area, and Dr. Brooks broke out the first aid kit. Fortunately,
Joyce had only received one cut on her scalp, which they were soon able to staunch.
They were all relieved, for a serious injury in this prison tunnel would surely have meant
death. Joyce was a bit shaken by her injuries, but she was even more anzious to go back
to examine the ceramic wall she had uncovered.
Even as they finished bandaging Joyce's head, Dr. James returned with-exciting news. The
Ceramic wall ran parallel to the tunnel, and the encrusting rock broke away easily from its
smooth surface. He had tried breaking off a piece of tile with his hammer, but the wall was
unusually hard...
Knowing that they were all too excited to go back to sleep, John ordered them all to eat
breakfast before returning to the wall. In his mind was the question he knew they were
all asking: could there be an entrance, a door, some way to get beyond the wall? Of
course, once beyond the wall, what would they find?
They were all more cheerful as they went to work, tearing away the rock that had formed
around the wall. As Dr. James had discovered, the rocky layers pulled away easily from
the ceramic. In an hour they had exposed ten feet of the wall. Dr. Brooks was the first
to notice the doorway in the wall, a small opening about three feet high and two feet wide.
Quickly, they cleared the rocky rubble away from the entrance. They pushed at the
entrance, but it refused to give. After a half hour of exertion, they gave it up as hopeless.
If the wall was indeed as old as they estimated... it would not be surprising if the doorway
had been welded shut by mineral deposits.
John noticed that the initial elation in the group was giving way to despair. Despite the
fact that they had found the most important archeological discovery of the century, it
would not make much differnece since they could not get out to tell anyone. The group
slowly stopped their work and one by one sat on the hard ground to stare at the ungiving
wall.
It was then that John noticed that one ceramic block looked slightly different from the rest.
He noticed four circles on the block -- making it either an unusual key system or a pressure
-trip plate. He moved to the wall and put his four fingers on the indentations on the smooth
ceramic. He pushed slightly, and the block slid gently into the wall. There was a grinding of
old gears within the wall. The small door inched open. A rush of foul smelling air rushed
through the entrance, gagging the scientists. After a moment the foul effluvium ebbed;
although the air from the tunnel was stale, it was breathable.
John looked at the members of the group. They nodded their approval to enter. They all
knew that they were quite possibly about to make history... and their adrenaline surged with
excitement.
John entered first, followed quickly by Joyce and the other doctors. Inside was another
tunnel system, scarcely large enough for Brooks, the tallest, to stand without touching
his head to the ceiling. The tunnel was cylindrical and seven feet in diameter, but they were
a light blue in color. The floor was slipper with moss, and there were no prints to be seen.
Obviously, the tunnel had not been used in many, many years. The hope of finding (anyone)
...flickered in their hearts; the tunnel seemed too ancient -- whoever had built it was either
dead or gone forever.
John ordered the group to fill up their canteens. He checked the food supply. They still had
enough food for two weeks inside the...tunnel. They decided to follow it up the slope towards
the surface for one day. If it was the exit to the tunnel, then they would go back to explore
the rest of the tunnel. They set off at a brisk pace, their hopes much higher than they had
been for days.
The walk through the tunnel soon became boring. Occasionaly they would find another doorway,
but none of the doors opened. Dr. Brooks assumed that most of the doorways had been
covered over with rocky mineral deposits during the long ages the tunnel had been in existence.
At one time all the doorways might have opened out onto our world, but with the coming of the
ice to Antarctica, the doorways had been sealed shut by accumulating mineral deposits and rock
slides. They had been very lucky to find a doorway that still worked. Joyce arguedtht the
strange texture of the tunnel prevented it from being sealed completely. If the rocky encrustation
could be cleared away, she felt all the doors would still work. Whoever had built these tunnels
had built them to last. Even if the tunnels were deserted, they still existed...and they could be
used again if the race who built them ever returned.
Their exercises in speculation were cut abruptly short when they came to a dead end in the tunnel.
They all let out a soft gasp as they looked at the tunnel which had been folded flat. It seemed as
though some great mass had arisen above the tunnel or that the ground itself had folded under the
internal pressures of the molten mantle at Earth's center. The tunnel still held back the pressure
of the rock, but it was twisted and smashed almost flat. It was obvious they could no longer go
forward -- their one exit to the surface had been cut off. All they could do was sigh with
disapointment and turn back to explore the lower levels of the tunnel.
...Their hopes of escape seemed greatly reduced. Still, if they were to die, they wanted to know
everything they could about the mysterious race who had built the tunnel which could withstand
enormous pressures without shattering. Obviously, the ceramic tunnel had amazing elasticity,
bending under stress as it did rather than shattering.
The trip back down the tunnel was more hazardous. Often, they would slip on the mossy surface.
Fortunately, the moss also offered a soft landing place when they fell but their clothes were soon
covered by the gooey mess.
When they reached the open doorway, they decided to spend the sleep period in the rocky grotto,
where they could wash themselves clean in the cold underground sea. After a night of exhausted
sleep, they prepared themselves for the final descent into the... (subterranean) complex.
They marched down the... tunnel for two uneventful days. There were no side tunnels to explore.
The tunnel just kept sloping gently downwards. Again they became covered with the mossy
growth, as they slipped and slid on it. Joyce's flashlight died as did Dr. Brooks'. They had only
two lights left plus three extra batteries. In a matter of days they would be without any
illumination, which worried John tremendously. They were all tired and exhausted, but they were
still sane. With all light gone, they could easily start slipping into insanity within the tight confines
of the tunnel.
Three more days they continued their walking, averaging, John estimated, a good twenty-five miles
a day. At every doorway they would stop and try to open it, never with any luck. The monotony
of the journey grew heavy upon them all, and even Joyce began snapping at John's orders.
On the sixth day of their journey through the tunnel, they came to a doorway that was larger than
any they had seen. John, Joyce, and Brooks simply passed by the doorway, but James, still as
stubborn as ever, decided to make one last attempt. He found the pressure plate, set four fingers
in the indentations, and pushed. The doorway started togrind open. Quickly, the others joined
James and helped push the doorway open.
The doorway opened out into a huge cavern. The cavern was illuminated very faintly by glowing
panels on the ceiling. James estimated the ceiling was at least two hundred feet above them. In
the dim light they could see that the cavern seemed to go on forever. Nor was it simply an empty
rocky cavern, for they saw dirt and dead grass and millions of mushrooms covering the floor! Joyce
decided they were edible mushrooms, so for the irst time in days they were able to eat something
other than emergency rations and even save their flashlight power.
After a short pause to rest, they decided to push on and explore the huge chamber. They walked
half a mile strait ahead in the dim light, when they saw the fence. It was a tall fence, at least fifty
feet or more and strong enough to hold back a charing bull elephant. Beyond the fence the ground
acovered by dead grass. There were no mushrooms no moss, just brown grass that fell to dust
when they touched it.
They decided to walk along the fence. To the right they saw the lighting panels in the ceiling appear
brighter and so headed in that direction. As they walked, they saw dead tree trunks standing inside
the enclosure. In the dim light, Joyce thouht she detected ginko trees and dead ferns. She decided
it must have been a tropical garden... or perhaps a farm where they could raise crops from their own
seeds. Brooks stated that if it were only a farm, there would be no need for the huge fence. Since
it was doubtful that there was anything to keep out, the fence was meant to keep something within
-- something big and powerful!
They soon reached the end of the fence. There was a road, made of the same ceramic material as
the walls of the tunnel, but it was not covered with moss. Brooks pointed to another gigantic
fence on the other side of the road. As if to answer their question about whether it was farm or
zoo, a skeleton lay by the edge of the road. Their mouths dropped open -- the skull showed the
animal had been a triceratops, one of the last of the dinosaurs. Joyuce ran to the skeleton and
examined it closely. She said it was brittle, but not more than one thousand yers old!
John ordered the reluctant Joyce to join them again. Their water supply was short, and they had
to find more water. They started down the pale blue road, the cyclopean fences dwarfing them.
For a day they marched down the long aisle, their thirst finally begining to affect them. They
camped for the night and drank the last drops of wter. The mushrooms provided some moisture,
but not nearly enough. The next morning they continued their long walk.
Around midday they reached a point where the fence had been broken. Lying astride the broken
fence was another skeleton -- which Joyce stated must have been a tyrannosaur. Perhaps... they
had left behind their zoo... As the power source in the... complex diminished, the struggle for food
among the zoo animals stiffened. This tyrant king had managed to break through a weak spot in
the fence, and it had died in the effort. But from the amount of prints in the area, it seemed that
a number of dinosaurs had broken free. Joyce, a devoted paleontologist, refused to budge until
she had made a thorough examination of the skeleton. While Brooks and James joined her in
measurements, John decided to explore inside the cage. If there had been animals in it, there must
have been water.
He wandered over fields of dead grass, past trunks of long dead trees. A rocky crag made a good
vantage point from which to see a great distance. Far, far down the road the lights grew bright,
and not far from the fence was a small pool. Hopefully, the water was fit to drink. He ran down to
test it. There ws a sour taste to the water, but it could be managed. Stripping down, he flung
himself into the cold water for his first bath in over a week. His cries soon brought the rest of the
adventurers who soon joined him in the ancient watering hole.
They camped for the night. Their hearts sung with new hope. They seemed to have reached the
interior of the... complex, and there was still power in it to provide illumination.
They resumed their journey down the road. Slowly, the ceiling panels began to give more light.
After a two day hike they reachedan area where the light was almost too intense for their weary eyes. More
importantly, they found the grass growing again. There were brushes and small trees. The temperature was a bit
warmer, about 80 degrees. They found a hole in the fence across the road, not quite as large. Gathered around
the entrance, in a futile effort to escape, were skeletons of large beasts which Joyce labelled as mastodaons,
creatures extinct for at least ten thousand years. Obviously, they had tried to break down the fence, managing
to create only a small hole through which smaller creatures could escape.
Camped around a fire that night, the group argued over what could have happened. Obviously...they must have
abandoned it fairly recently, for the skeletons were all about one thousand yers old. Had some catastrophe
occurred? ...There were no skeletons ... Joyce hoped that a few samples of prehistoric animals had survived further
ahead in the green area. Eventually, the group stopped talking and, one by one, drifted off to sleep.
They were awakened by a scream of terror from Dr. Brooks. They all looked up in shock to see a group of
Dinosaurs encircling the dying campfire. The dinosaurs were about seven feet tall, and numbered about twenty.
"Tyrnnosaurs!"" Joyce cried. They were attacking Brooks and James! |
