As Ethan and Anne walked toward the yawning mouth of the shaft, the soldiers they passed stood a little straighter, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten under the gaze of their leader.
"Your men look like they've been fighting a mountain and winning," Anne remarked, glancing at the massive concrete beams being lowered into the earth.
"They aren't fighting a mountain, Anne" Ethan said, stepping into the industrial elevator. "They're unearthing a new era. And I don't intend to let a little bit of rock and ancient metal slow us down.
The industrial elevator cage rattled as it plunged into the abyss, the magnetic brakes hissing against the rails. The rapidly passing layers of rock became a blur of gray and ochre.
"I thought we were here for a beast, Ethan," Anne said, leaning against the cold steel mesh of the cage. "Are you planning to excavate the entire canyon just to find it? What kind of rare creature is this that requires an army and laser drills?"
