Location: WO Region: Peru, Department of Ica. Desert area in the south of the country, between the cities of Nazca and Palpa. Ancient sexagesimal coordinates: 14°41’30.7998” South latitude, 75°05’52.4327” West longitude, near the Nazca Lines, just east of the Carretera Panamericana Sur. Current WO coordinates: φ = –0.256 512 ± 0.000 000 16 rad; λ = –1.310 664 ± 0.000 000 16 rad.
Time: +01.01.07, 09:00 UTC–5.
Setting: Units operating on elevated terrain.
“Liutenant Ramon, there’s nothing here at all.”
“Take another look, Carlos. There has to be something. The orders say to search at this point.”
“And what exactly are we looking for?”
“Nobody knows. The instructions only list the coordinates… Strange, though. I remember something like that back at school, in history class. It lists 14°41’30.7998” South and 75°05’52.4327” West, then converts them into current coordinates… We’re practically on top of the point, give or take a millionth of a radian.”
“Fine then. Give me a shovel or a drill, Lieutenant Ramon, and I’ll dig up a mountain of sand and rock right here. But to me, there’s nothing—just sun, sand, and rocks.”
Carlos activated the radiation detection function built into his climate-controlled helmet. He turned several times, pointing now at the rocks, now at the sand. The helmet reacted weakly, showing only minor fluctuations, fully consistent with normal background noise.
The sensor translated the data into millisieverts, expressing the equivalent doses. A value of 2.6 mSv/year—just above normal—was recorded only when he pointed at a volcanic rock.
Carlos snorted and went back to cursing.
“There’s not even radiation here! Just background noise. There’s nothing at all! Alien life? You can’t even see a lizard here!”
“Or maybe a scorpion walking right across one of your boots, Corporal.”
“Oh, shit!”
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Instinctively, Carlos Loaisiga shook the scorpion off, shaking his leg and flinging it onto the sand.
“Let’s get out of here. Good thing we’ve got bulletproof suits. Ah!” he added angrily. “I hate this place! It never rains… actually no, it does rain: it rains fire from the sky, from six in the morning to six at night!”
Almost as if to prove his point, to vent all his hatred for that place, Carlos headed toward the scorpion, determined to crush it under the sole of his boots. But his calculations were wrong.
With a swift strike, the stinger pierced the corporal with surprising ease. It went through the lower part of the climate suit—which also integrated foot protection in a single flexible, lightweight but extremely resistant layer—reaching the skin at the heel. I was stunned; I knew how resistant those suits were.
A cry of pain rang out. Within seconds the situation collapsed. The corporal began struggling to breathe, seized by violent spasms. The lieutenant pulled off his helmet, worsening the situation, while simultaneously sounding the alarm, activating the military network through his visor transmitter.
In the meantime, I kept to myself.
A helicopter took off shortly after from the nearby military camp and, a few minutes later, was flying over the area in search of a landing spot. The scorpion, proud of its victory and with its tail still raised, headed toward a black hole at the base of a rock. I followed it with my eyes, intrigued.
The aircraft landed on a small flat area, not without difficulty. A team immediately rushed out and, amid agitation and confusion, stabilized the corporal, now delirious, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. They loaded him onto a stretcher, followed by the lieutenant, and quickly took off again, completely forgetting that I was still there, hidden behind a rock—though by my own choice.
The scorpion had captured my full attention. And now that I was alone, I felt freer. Sooner or later, they would probably realize I was missing; in the meantime, I was determined to find out what lay beneath that little black opening.
I began digging around the hole, cautiously, trying to see where the scorpion had disappeared. But the hole widened more and more, until it revealed the entrance to a vast tunnel-like cavern.
Suddenly I realized I was trembling. But it wasn’t me trembling: it was the earth. The vault of the cave partially collapsed and I was struck by a shower of stones. One of them hit me on the nape—fortunately from a short height. I fainted. When I regained consciousness, I was no longer there.
SCENE 02 -2 – The Signal
Location: Nazca Plateau. Forbidden zone under military control.
Time: +01.01.21, 07:00:00 UTC–5
Setting: Sensor-based signal at the forbidden zone.
The sign, recently placed along a dirt road, stood out against the sun—a red warning on a black background.