Alien Origins

By Saffron Bryant

Ultimate Discovery
Melody, a cutting-edge archaeologist, stumbles onto the biggest find in human history, but there are many people who would rather the truth stay buried.

On the Run
Melody must avoid religious fanatics, the government, and a deadly hidden enemy to uncover the secrets of humanity's origins.

Uncover the Past
In order to survive and unravel the mysteries she’s stumbled upon, Melody must delve deep into her past and discover the truth of her identity, before her history catches up with her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saffron Bryant
• Release date: Mar 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370398829

Saffron Bryant

Saffron Bryant was born on the 17th December 1990 in a small town in North Queensland. In 2010, a few weeks before her twentieth birthday, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After extensive, life-saving surgery she returned to her home in Queensland to recover and finish The Fallen Star. She received a Bachelor of Biomedical Science in 2011 along with the Society for Immunology Prize and an Academic Medal. Saffron has been interested in fantasy writing from a very young age, writing her first story at the age of seven. She has always been fascinated by fantasy stories and has a passion for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Saffron currently lives in Sydney with her partner Michael Lee where she is completing her PhD in chemistry.

Book preview

Chapter One

Bright street lights flew by on either side of the empty road, creating specks amongst the enshrouding darkness. No moon lit the fluffy shreds of clouds scudding across the otherwise clear sky. The speakers boomed with a heavy bass, rolling through Melody's body and seeming to join her heartbeat.

Melody bobbed her head in time with the music, frizzy brown hair bouncing as she gripped the back of the driver's seat, hands covered in entry stamps. An alcoholic buzz ran through her body. She grinned over at Jessica, with her hands on the roof, hair flicking in wild arcs.

That was wild, Ginny said from the driver's seat.

You're just happy because Andrew finally spoke to you.

Ginny grinned. Yeah.

We should have stayed there all night, Bella said, leaning out the side window and letting the wind rush through her hair.

Jessica tilted her head towards Melody. I would have, but someone kept saying they needed to study tomorrow.

I do need to study, Melody said, some of the joy leaking out of her. If she didn't study, she wouldn't do well on the exams. If she didn't do well in the exams then she wouldn't get into a PhD program, and if she didn't do that… well her life was pretty much over.

I don't know why you're complaining, Jessica said without stopping her dancing. How hard can archeology be? As far as I can tell you just spend your time looking at rocks.

Yeah, and you love it, said Bella.

Melody broke into a grin. I do love it; and they're fossils, not rocks.

I assume you're staying at Jessica's? Ginny said over her shoulder.

Melody rolled her eyes. Yes, please. Can you imagine if mother saw me like this? It's bad enough I have to keep most of my wardrobe at someone else's house…

She's still against knees then? Bella said with a chuckle.

And elbows, Melody muttered. She should have been born five hundred years ago as a nun. At least that would save me the trouble.

"I thought she was a nun," Ginny said, frowning.

No, she just spends a lot of time at church, Jessica said.

Melody nodded, the last of her smile fading from her face. It wouldn't be so bad if her mother didn't force the issue every time they spoke. How could she possibly agree that the Earth was only 6,000 years old when she'd studied fossils from millions of years before that? It turned every conversation into a barely civil battle of wills.

I don't know how you put up up with it, Jessica said.

I won't be for much longer. Found a place on campus.

Jessica punched the air. Woo! Parties at your place from now on!

The other girls cheered and Melody's face broke into another grin as the radio changed beats.

It's my song! Turn it up, Jessica said.

Ginny rolled her eyes as she reached for the control. Every song is your song.

The music filled the car, making the windows vibrate and drowning out the sound of the engine.

They all sung the chorus, bellowing to be heard over the music. Jessica pretended to hold a microphone out to Melody as she dived into the next verse, but the end of the last line disappeared in crackling static.

Melody clapped her hands over her ears and winced. The loud static scraped over her brain like a piece of sandpaper.

What? Jessica cried, tossing her hands in the air.

Ginny grappled for the volume and turned it down. Damn dead patches!

Melody released her ears and let her hands drop to her lap, the car falling silent without the music. I've been getting a lot of those lately. Maybe they lost a tower or something.

Useless! Jessica said. What's the point of living in a first world country if we can't even get radio?

I think it's getting better, Bella said, turning the volume up a bit so that music filled the gaps in their conversation without rattling the windows.

In the relative silence, Melody's head filled with thoughts of her mother, and of her coming exams. She shook her head and took a breath. I—

Something tickled the base of her heart. Like a rush of adrenalin or a sudden fright. She swallowed, throat dry, and looked around.

You what? Jessica said, still bobbing her head to the quieter music.

Did you guys feel that? Melody said.

Feel what?

Melody frowned, trying to describe the sensation, but it had faded faster than it had come. Nothing. I thought I… but it was nothing.

Right…Jessica said. Well as I was going to say, we should stop for a kebab or something. I'm starving!

Oh no, Bella said, hanging her head. We haven't fallen that far, have we?

Don't look down on street kebab. It's delicious and satisfying, Jessica said, grinning.

Melody opened her mouth. I—

The rush came harder, squeezing her heart and stomach and making it hard to breathe, as if she'd suddenly found herself on a roller-coaster hurtling towards the ground. Cold crept up her spine, settling at the base of her neck, the sensation like a fat, wet toad lay across her shoulders. She gasped, her throat raw and catching, and gripped the end of her dress in a tight squeeze.

She took three deep breaths and turned to the window, half expecting to see faces staring back at her from the passing darkness.

What's wrong with you, Mel? Ginny said, glancing at her in the rear-view mirror.

I don't know… it was like—

Random images and thoughts bombarded Melody's mind like a broken projector, hurling pictures at her too fast to process. Icy fear settled over her stomach and spread up through her chest, as though cold iron bands were clamping around her organs. Goosebumps flared along her skin and without realizing it, she reached for her abandoned seatbelt.

Jessica stopped dancing and stared at her with a raised eyebrow. What's wrong with you?

Who counted how many drinks Mel had? Ginny said with a chuckle.

Melody pulled the belt over her shoulder and pushed it into the clasp with an audible click, hands shaking. Seatbelts. I think you should all… seatbelts.

Mel, there's no one out here. What are you worried about?

But Melody's throat closed in under a feeling of dread settling over her.

Jessica laid a hand on her arm. Mel, talk to me. What's going on?

We need to pull over, Melody whispered, voice husky.

What? Why?

Maybe she's gonna hurl, Ginny said.

Jessica's face twisted. She better not. This is a new dress.

Anger flared through Melody's mind, creating red clouds at the edges of her vision. Why aren't they listening? Didn't they feel it?

Melody grabbed Jessica's arm in both hands. Pull over.

I can't pull over here, Ginny said. What is it? Can't you wait.

Melody's heart fluttered and her grip tightened on Jessica's arm.

Ow! Mel, let go.

Melody locked eyes with Jessica. Seatbelt.

Calm down, if it'll make you feel better I'll put it on. But I don't see what—

Melody froze, her whole body paralyzed as if she'd been encased in a block of ice. Even her eyes resisted moving, only barely drifting from Jessica's face in time to see the car barreling towards them.

From there, everything happened in slow motion.

The girls saw the car. Ginny tried to swerve, but too slow. It was as if the other car had been set on a path straight for them, a battering ram with a target.

The two vehicles collided, their back wheels lifting off the ground with the sound of screeching breaks. Metal crumpled. Glass shattered. Screams pierced the night.

Jessica's body flew like a rag-doll between the front seats and slammed through the windscreen, sprawling across the bonnet with a a solid thud. Blood poured down her face, dyeing her red dress a deeper shade.

Bella lifted up from her seat and her skull cracked against the roof of the car before she slumped down, head hanging between skewed legs.

Ginny's face slammed into the steering wheel and stayed there, causing an unending wail from the horn.

Melody's body shot forward but her belt ripped her back, smacking her head against the seat as glass rained down on her. The shards left sharp lines of pain over her bare skin. Stars flashed over her vision as the scent of blood and burnt rubber filled her nostrils. Pain radiated through her skull, clear and sharp, but the ice in her stomach had gone, faded, and even the memory seemed hazy and half imagined.

She drifted out of consciousness.

Through clouds of pain and confusion, voices drifted amidst flashing red and blue lights.

…head on collision with only one survivor.

She was the only one wearing a seatbelt?

Yes. Mind you, even she's lucky to be alive.

Where's the other driver?

Dead.

Chapter Two

Melody blinked, the sounds of sirens fading back into her memory. Her hands hung limp at her sides as she stared at a smooth piece of stone scattered with carvings. A fluorescent lamp cast her shadow across red stick-figures hunting wild bison through small forests of trees.

The corners of her eyes stung but she forced it away and took a deep breath, savouring the dry scent of the caves, the scent of ages past, and pushing down the far more recent, painful history.

Are you still with us?

Melody's brow wrinkled and she looked down from her place on top of the ladder towards her research assistant, Amy. The younger girl looked up at her with a freckled face, her brown ponytail hanging down her back.

Earth to Melody.

Melody grimaced. Yes, I'm here.

You disappeared for a bit there.

Thinking.

Melody turned her attention back to the wall and ran her small brush over the grooves, cleaning away centuries of gathered dirt to reveal the pictures beneath.

The mural spread away in both directions, a vast canvas of cave paintings showing prehistoric man hunting, fighting, and living. If she closed her eyes she could almost see them coming to life a millenium ago and painting these very caves.

Above her head loomed several metres of solid stone, shutting out the world beyond, but the thought never scared her. Some people said being in the caves felt like being trapped in a tomb; to Melody, it was more like being in a protective shell. The cool stone shielded her from the harsh desert sun and created a calming muffled silence. Somewhere in the distance, echoing through the cave system, water dripped.

Melody brushed away another layer of dirt from the cave wall to reveal more running figures. The electric lamps they'd brought cast static, clinical light over the lively paintings. She considered lighting a fire instead so she could see the drawings as they'd been intended, but they didn't have time for that.

I wanted to talk to you, Amy said.

Melody continued brushing. About what?

I found some kind of script.

Impossible.

Amy rolled her eyes. Looks like writing to me.

Melody looked down from her ladder. There was no written language here until almost three thousand years after these drawings were made.

Amy shrugged and gestured deeper into the tunnel.

Melody sighed. It wouldn't really cost her much to go and have a look, because if it was something and she missed it… She turned back to the entrance where the dim glow of sunlight outlined the other researchers. Amy and I are checking on something.

One of the silhouettes, it looked like Phil, waved his hand. Don't be gone too long, lunch is on.

Melody stepped around her small ladder and followed the bobbing light of Amy's lamp, wiping her dusty hands on her long pants. Sand crunched beneath her boots and the cold from the stone tunnel walls seeped through her clothes. She shivered, wrapping her arms over her chest.

The light of the entrance faded behind them, disappearing around a slight bend in the tunnel along with the voices of the other researchers. The darkness seemed thicker here, almost tangible enough to touch.

She looked over her shoulder and bit her lip. How much farther? They'll be starting lunch.

Not far now.

Melody's foot caught on a concealed rock and she stumbled, arms spinning. She fell against the wall and gasped, pushing herself away and hoping that she hadn't ruined any ancient drawings. A kernel of frustration flared to life in her stomach. This is ridiculous. What were you doing down here?

The light in Amy's hand bobbed as if with a shrug. I finished my bit and didn't want to start something new before lunch, so I thought I'd look around.

You know the rules, no wandering off, Melody said. We don't even know if the tunnel is stable this far in.

Here, Amy said, lifting her lamp high and ignoring Melody.

The bright light fell over a section of wall. Nearest to Melody, more stick figures chased after one another, but in front of Amy a bigger figure loomed over a crowd. Beneath them, a foot from the sandy floor of the cave, spread a series of joined lines, like half-formed triangles.

Melody's frustration disappeared; she dropped to her knees and leaned closer, squinting.

Amy brought the lamp down so that Melody could feel the heat of it on the side of her face.

The symbols seemed all straight lines and angles. Jagged letters carved deep into the surface of the wall, at least as old as the other drawings. Spaces between groups of letters definitely made it look like a written language.

Something about the sharp letters tickled the back of Melody's memory but she shook it off. She'd never seen an unidentified language before, she'd remember something like that.

So? Amy said, her voice tight.

Melody let out a long breath. It looks like writing.

I knew it! Amy leapt to her feet so that her light bucked and swayed, casting erratic shadows through the tunnel. Her boots kicked up loose sprays of sand that skittered against the stone walls. But what does it mean?

Melody lifted her hand, her fingers hovering inches away from the writing. I don't know. It doesn't resemble any of the written languages I've come across.

Melody's heart pounded in her chest. This could be it, her one big break. Discovering a form of written language in Australia that was this old could change everything. She took a long steadying breath. This could be what we've been waiting for.

Amy placed the lamp into the sandy floor and pulled her phone out of her pocket. No way I'm letting this go without a picture.

Melody rolled her eyes and stepped out of the way as Amy snapped a dozen photos of the jagged letters. Although, a deep part of her wished she'd thought to keep her phone in her pocket; there may not be any reception down in the tunnels, but at least then she'd have photos too.

What do you think this means? Amy said, gesturing to the taller figure standing above the others.

Melody frowned. Probably some kind of God worship. You see these pictures in caves all around the world. People love their gods. The rest of the team will work their way down here probably tomorrow to do a full analysis and take proper pictures.

Amy grinned and waved her phone. But I'll always have the first.

Melody smiled. Yes you will. And I'd hold onto those if I were you. They could be worth a lot if this turns out to be what I think it is.

Oh, I'm never letting go of this phone. Amy turned away, thumbing through the images.

Melody bit her lip and leaned closer to the jagged letters. The first writing on this continent, written thousands of years too early.

Chapter Three

I think we all have to agree that Amy gets the prize for best find today, Melody said, lifting her plastic mug of tea into the air so that the steam wafted off and disappeared on the desert breeze.

A tall fire flickered in the middle of their small circle, casting warmth and light over a bare patch of desert. Smoke drifted away from them on the desert breeze, carrying the thick scent of burning wood.

Here, here. The other researchers raised their steaming mugs towards Amy who stood and bowed towards the central fire.

The flames cast an orange glow over her face, dancing as tiny reflections from her eyes.

Of course we won't know… Melody said, grinning.

Give her a break, Melody. A blind man could see that that's writing, said Phil.

Okay, okay, Melody said, waving her hand towards the fire's heat. She's probably right. It did look like writing.

The ball of excitement in Melody's stomach had been growing all day. She couldn't be sure she'd even be able to sleep with it rolling around inside her.

Might explain… the stories, Darren said, eyes twinkling.

Phil groaned. Not another—

Ghost story, Darren finished, tapping the side of his nose.

Phil hung his head in his hands. Can't we just sit around the fire like normal people?

Darren shook his head. This one's relevant. They say this cave is haunted.

Amy rolled her eyes and collapsed back into her chair. Melody let her eyes fall to the fire as she sipped her tea, relishing the Earl Grey flavour and only partly listening.

They say this used to be an Aboriginal burial ground. The—

Wrong! Phil bellowed, slapping his palm on his knee. This place far predates Aboriginal burial grounds. There. Story finished.

Darren's nostrils flared. "Not finished! There