Lost Contact (The Bridge Sequence Book One) Read online

  Contents

  LOST CONTACT

  Copyright © 2021

  Books by Nathan Hystad

  Prologue

  Part I The Trail

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  Part II The Team

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  Part III The Bridge

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  Epilogue

  Lost Time (The Bridge Sequence Book Two)

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  Copyright © 2021 Nathan Hystad

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Cover art: J Caleb Design

  Edited by: Christen Hystad

  Edited by: Scarlett R Algee

  Proofed and Formatted by: BZ Hercules

  Books By Nathan Hystad

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  Nathan’s books are also available on Audible!

  The Bridge Sequence

  Lost Contact

  Lost Time

  Lost Hope

  Space Race

  Space Race

  Space Battle

  Space Strike

  The Survivors Series

  The Event

  New Threat

  New World

  The Ancients

  The Theos

  Old Enemy

  New Alliance

  The Gatekeepers

  New Horizon

  The Academy

  Old World

  New Discovery

  Old Secrets

  The Deities

  New Beginning

  New Lies

  The Colony

  Baldwin’s Legacy

  Confrontation

  Unification

  Culmination

  Hierarchy

  Lineage

  Legacy

  The Resistance Series

  Rift

  Revenge

  Return

  The Manuscript

  Lights Over Cloud Lake

  Red Creek

  Return to Red Creek

  Prologue

  September 24th, 1989

  Sweat clung to Dirk’s forehead, and he wiped it off with a dusty sleeve. This was finally happening. The relic was heavy in his hands, even though it easily fit into one palm. He flipped the object around, ensuring each of the six hexagons was placed in the proper order.

  “We can’t do this,” Clayton said, striding forward. The torches flickered as a breeze penetrated the cave, sending long dancing shadows across the far wall. Dirk watched them for a moment, almost expecting something to step out from the darkness.

  “You know we have to. Are you telling me you don’t want to see what happens, after all we’ve been through? We’ll be the first people to solve the mystery. Our life’s work.” Dirk could have kept talking, but he saw the change in Clay’s expression. His counterpart shoved round glasses up the bridge of his nose and frowned.

  Clay held his hand out, hovering it above the artifact, and Dirk smiled at the man’s tattoo. He had the same one on his shoulder. His thoughts drifted to his home, thousands of miles away. At this hour, his wife would just be waking up, preparing their children for the school day. He’d miss them fiercely.

  “Are you sure we can trust them?” Clay asked, indicating the cave’s exit. Dirk’s gaze followed, pausing to look at the sketches from thousands of years ago.

  “They’ll do what we paid for. No sense in angering the gods,” he told his friend, and Clay nodded absently.

  Dirk walked to the cavern wall, running a finger across a rough etching. The creature was taller than the man depicted beside it, its head elongated, the eyes almond-shaped. It had been somebody’s god centuries ago: an extraterrestrial from the stars. He turned the artifact over, seeing a matching shape on one of the sides. This was their final stop after procuring the sixth Token.

  “We still don’t know if the Bridge exists. Maybe we should check the…”

  “No, Clay. We’ve been searching for years. This is the moment we’ve dreamt about.”

  Clay shifted on his feet, his dirty boots kicking up dust. “Things are different now. We have families, Dirk. We’re not kids anymore.”

  Realization sparked in Dirk’s mind, and he set the artifact on the stone pedestal, grabbing Clay by the collar as calmly as he could. “You didn’t believe. You never thought we’d solve it.”

  “I wanted to, but… I can’t go through with this,” Clay muttered.

  Dirk had to change tactics. He’d go alone if necessary, but provisions had been arranged, and he didn’t trust Clay to disburse their findings properly. If anyone got wind of what they’d discovered, it would change everything, and Dirk didn’t think it would be for the better. No. He needed to learn what lay beyond the Bridge. Hardy had so many theories, and if even one of them was true, they were going to need assistance from the other side.

  “You’re brilliant, Clay. I couldn’t have solved these riddles alone. Your mapping abilities saved us on numerous occasions. Contrary to all of this, we have no idea what we’re going to find, but I know one thing. We’re a team. I can’t do this without help. The entire human race needs us. They didn’t leave these on our planet for fun. They want us to come to them. Now’s our chance,” Dirk said, letting go of Clay’s shirt.

  The other man wiped nervous palms on his pants and nodded with resolve. “Fine. We’ve worked hard on this. Believe me, I want to know if we’re alone in the universe as much as you do.”

  It seemed like Clayton was back on board. “That’s right, my friend. It’s time.” Dirk was nervous too, scared to death of what they might uncover, but he was more afraid that their dreams would shatter. That he’d have to return home empty-handed, with nothing but an old relic holding six hexagons they’d acquired from around the world over nearly two decades of exploring. He wasn’t sure he could go on if that was the case. Not if what their previous benefactor had told them was true.

  “Wait one moment. I need to give them something,” Clay said, and Dirk saw the folded piece of paper in the man’s front pocket.

  He crossed the room, snatching it from the man’s vest.

  “It’s nothing perilous, Dirk. Relax.”

  Dirk unfolded it, revealing coordinates and a series of numbers and letters. He passed it back. “What the hell is this?”

  “Something for my daughter,” Clay said. “I left her money in an account.”

  “Fine. But be quick,” Dirk said, turning his attention to the artifact once again. It was ready. From the information he’d compiled on the Bridge, he was confident the hexagons
had been placed correctly. All they needed to do was activate it. Hardy would be so proud of them. Hunter Madison would be furious.

  Clay returned, white as a ghost and clearly terrified.

  “We’re about to uncover the truth,” Dirk said, smiling widely despite his own apprehension.

  The torches flickered again, though Dirk didn’t feel any wind, and he lowered the artifact to the center of the stone podium. It was directly in the middle of the cave, and was twenty yards from any edge of the room. The ceiling was lofty; an opening overhead showcased the stars in a perfectly clear night sky.

  Dirk stayed on one side of the podium, with Clay on the other as they’d practiced, and both set their hands to the device. It was made from an otherworldly material, a dense matte-black metal, and it was cool to the touch, even after spending most of the night in Dirk’s clammy grip. He rotated it, ensuring the switch atop the cube faced up.

  “Are you ready?” Dirk asked. The nerves he’d been ignoring surged forward, threatening to overtake his actions. He considered leaving. Maybe it was better not knowing what lay beyond the Bridge. He’d likely wasted the last seventeen years of his life on this fool’s errand.

  Clay watched patiently with eyes darting behind his spectacles, and Dirk waited for him to nod curtly before pressing the switch.

  Nothing happened.

  Relief flooded his mind, and his shoulders promptly relaxed. He laughed, unable to stop the feeling of joy.

  Clay didn’t join him. “The fifth Token. It’s sideways.”

  Dirk turned it, realizing his mistake. “I was sure I had them in the proper placement.” He stepped away from the stone lectern, hands shaking, but Clay took hold of his wrist and dragged him back.

  “You’re not going anywhere. Fix it, and try again. You spent all this time convincing me, and now you’re too afraid?” Clay was angry.

  Dirk planted his feet and only nodded in response. He corrected the Token, sliding it from its metal arms. He swiveled the hexagon, the peaks directing upward, and set it on the surface again.

  “Here we go.” The apprehension withdrew this time, and when he triggered the device, sparks ignited from the corners of the artifact. Neither of them let go as the specks of light grew in intensity, swirling around the cave. The wind tunnel blew out the torches, and a calmness overtook Dirk. Unabashed tears streamed down his cheeks as the brightness increased, and he craned his neck upwards, no longer able to see the same stars through the aperture in the cave’s ceiling.

  Blue light rushed from above, enveloping the pair of treasure hunters, and Dirk smiled as he was thrust to the sky.

  He’d done it.

  Part I

  The Trail

  1

  August 11th, 2025

  I waved off the swarm of insects hovering in front of my face and stopped in my tracks. Angry welts burned on my arms, and at that moment, I hated myself for ever coming.

  “This has to be it,” I muttered, holding the GPS unit two feet from my eyes. The glow was bright under the dark canopy of heavy Ceiba tree leaves, which drooped ponderously with rainwater.

  “You’ve been saying that for hours,” Marcus responded. His forehead was covered in bites, and he tugged at his bandana, trying to conceal them.

  “The main ruins are half a mile to our west, so the causeways ended around here. We know they built them for a reason,” I told him.

  “Rex, they wanted to relocate supplies around the swamps. It’s the only reason for the roads.” It was clear Marcus was losing his motivation for adventure, but I didn’t blame him. The trek to El Mirador had taken three days on foot, thanks to the summer storms, and this wasn’t his idea of a holiday.

  I hunted for the stone path, noting it fifty yards to my left. “There it is.” My heart sped up at the sight of the crumbling square rocks. Just as I’d expected, the trail halted abruptly. My boots sank a good foot into the mud as I stepped closer, and Marcus stayed put on solid ground.

  “You’ve got to be out of your mind. Tell me why I agreed to this again?” Marcus asked.

  “Because you were my favorite student, and I’ve inspired you to leave your comfort zone,” I suggested. My boots squelched with suction, but they landed on something stable again a moment later.

  “You do know I’m not a student anymore, right? This is the third trip around the world, and it’s always the same thing. We go home empty-handed, occasionally with some exotic disease,” he mumbled, but I hardly heard him. “I can only imagine how many locals have come out here and robbed this temple clean of any artifacts since they discovered this place.”

  I glanced at the sky, seeing the glimmer of stars behind the thinning clouds. We’d already devoted two days to searching through the main complex, each of the three pyramids, and every abandoned structure, but my gut had led us to this spot. My father had always said to question the obvious route first, because it often led you in the right direction.

  I took a step to the side, finding that the slab beneath my feet remained. This was the entrance. It was raining, but it had eased up, and a snapping twig caught my attention in the dense rainforest a short distance away. “Did you hear that?

  Marcus tilted his head, setting a pack on the ground. “Hear what?”

  I waited another minute, but finally ceased my worry. No one in their right mind would have followed us this far.

  “This was a huge waste of time, Rex. I can’t believe you convinced me to join you. Come to Guatemala, you said. It’ll be a hoot, you said. And there I was, hoping for a trip to the beach, chilling at a pool with a cerveza, but no…”

  “Marcus, stop complaining.” That silenced his ramblings. “Take the pack.” I pointed at his heavy bag, and Marcus rolled his shoulders.

  “Why?”

  “Because you never leave your gear behind. Anything can—” I walked toward him and nearly tripped on something jabbing out from the slab hidden below the mud. The earth shook, vibrating deeply as the secreted entrance slid open, sending me into the swamp. Water rushed around me, and I was swept into the current, grasping at the air for purchase on anything stable.

  I felt the hand clasp before seeing Marcus, his firm grip the only thing keeping me from plunging into the hole. The water was gone in a flash, and I scrambled to my knees, peering through the three-foot-wide opening into the ground.

  “You were right,” he whispered, slapping at a huge mosquito.

  I was sore, sweaty, and soaked from the bog water, but I didn’t care. We’d found our hidden entrance below El Mirador. “Grab the ropes.”

  A half-hour later, we had our rappelling gear locked and loaded, and Marcus started to move for the entry. I clutched his arm. “I go first. You know the rules.” He was twenty-three and no longer my student, but I had a protective obligation to him. And truthfully, I owed him huge for all the effort and time he’d spent at my side during these ridiculous endeavors.

  “Fine.” Marcus turned his headlamp on and stared down. “It’s a twenty-yard drop. I hope these aren’t more tombs. I can’t tell you how mad I’ll be if some ancient mummy puts a curse on us again.”

  “Again?” I asked with a laugh.

  “You didn’t see the string of dates I went on after that last trip.”

  Ignoring his jokes, I shuffled to the edge and tugged on the rope, ensuring it was secured to the giant Ceiba trunk before starting my descent. I’d tracked this particular symbol for years, and it was inconclusive whether this was the right place or not. The sole artifact I’d seen at the Smithsonian, a golden moon on an eating utensil, was all I’d based this on, but it had looked so familiar. It was the same image drawn in the margins of my father’s old journal.

  I went slowly, one hand lowering to let go of the rope in my grip before the other grasped it, and in a few minutes, my wet boots hit the floor inside the underground ruins. The cave had remained intact over the centuries, huge chunks of stone piled atop one another, bracing the open excavation.

  “Right b
ehind you.” Marcus started to drop as I detached my lanyard and drifted farther into the space. I turned on my lantern, the bright white light giving me a much better visual.

  I glanced to the stone floor, seeing the water that had dropped from above rolling across the slanted stones. Marcus arrived, a huge smile on his face. “Rex, you’re going to become a famous man!”

  “It’s not about that, and you know it,” I told him quietly. The truth was, even if I discovered what I was seeking, no one would ever know I’d located it. I’d make sure of it.

  “Sure, but imagine if you really come across something.”

  “Be cautious. Anything could be down here,” I warned him, and he froze in place.

  “What do you mean? Something worse than snakes or bats?”

  “That would be the least of my concerns,” I said, but I didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t common, but traps were still obstacles we had to contend with in well-concealed regions like this—although collapse was a more likely danger.

  It was musty down here, years of mildew from rainstorms settled over the floor. The cave was empty, but I did notice two huge jaguar claws carved from stone above an exit, and moved for them, each step slow and deliberate. I listened for sounds of shifting rock but heard nothing out of the ordinary.

  Marcus had his camera out, recording everything, the red light steady as he walked around the cave. I ran a finger over one of the claws and stepped through the arched opening, into the corridor beyond.

  The symbols had baffled me my entire life. Six icons, repeatedly sketched in my dad’s journal. He’d devoted his life to them, and one day had vanished. I’d been a little boy and could scarcely recall him now, but finding that book of his, stored with the few belongings Mom had managed to keep, had sparked something in me.

  It hadn’t been a coincidence that I’d studied archaeology, or that I was a professor now, just like he’d been at the start of his career. I figured that if I followed in his footsteps long enough, I’d learn what had happened to him.

  My light seemed muted inside the hall, the lantern’s beam cutting short in the cool caverns, but I didn’t stop until I found the next room. It was on my left, the entrance up to my neck. Another emblem was carved in the stone mantel atop the doorway, and I smiled as I recognized the symbol for the moon. This was it.