"After going through the pylon and into the depths of the unknown we find ourselves lost within the twisting ebon corridors. The only way now is forward, deeper into the breach of the mountain."

"That's a romantic way to say that we're lost, Dr. Uhe."

The professor grinned and signed off the recorder on his omni-tool, switching to an analysis program he had been running. "I knew it, 'no known provenance,' the architecture doesn't match with any xeno designs, ancient or modern. It's not even Prothean!"

"I think it's a little early to conclude that, Doctor. We should at least take our findings back to the lab and cross-reference with a larger database." said Dr. Sternin.

"Yes, yes, but doesn't it excite you? The thought that we could have stumbled upon the ruins of another advanced species from ages gone by? We might be looking at a people that grew alongside the Protheans!"

"The Alliance brass must have brought me onboard to be the pessimist to your optimism." Dr. Sternin said, chuckling to herself.

Slightly annoyed, Dr. Uhe shrugged off her remark and returned to the data being displayed on his omni-tool. He wasn't much for empathy himself and couldn't see that his colleague was more than a little distressed about being in the ruin, her brief humor intermission doing little to ease her nerves. The black halls seemed to stretch for miles and emanated a humming noise that was barely audible and pulsating; as if they were inside a living creature and they were moving closer to its heart

There were icons lined up along the walls that Dr. Sternin had been taking photographs of with her own omni-tool and sending them back to the lab computer. She made a note to herself that their shapes were not unlike Egyptian ankhs of ancient Earth, although that's where she concluded any comparisons. Unlike her companion, she didn't want to get giddy up over what could be, at least, a ludicrous hypothesis. Though she'd love to see the looks on the conspirators' faces were she to tell the world that ancient Egyptians were actually visited by an advanced alien race.

Although, given the times they were now living in and the discovery that Humanity was, indeed, not alone in the galaxy that theory could be viable for serious study.

"How far are we now from the origin of the energy spike, Dr. Sternin?" asked Uhe as he fumbled with his glasses a little over a datasheet.

"Approximate is…423.4 meters. We should contact the marines in a few minutes to move up the lab to our location and to bring more light sources than we originally-oh."

"What's wrong?"

"I kicked something," she said before shining her light by her feet.

"Check for an opening," Uhe was already prepping a seal on his omni-tool. The world they were on had no breathable gases and the ruins they currently stalked had above normal levels of radiation that got stronger as they ventured further in, likely caused by the source of the energy they were looking for.

"You're clear, doesn't look like you tore your suit open."

"Andrew, look at this."

Dr. Sternin's light shone on what appeared to be a large insect. The outer shell was a dark metal, much like the walls, with sharp looking mandibles and pointed legs. It was turned on its back and motionless. Both of their omni-tools were already scanning it.

"Just a husk," said Uhe, "Whatever this is it ran out of power ages ago."

"I can't get a read of this alloy, it's so strange. I think it's the same as whatever is all around us."

"Yea, those were my impressions. This could be a drone of some kind, perhaps maintenance. Its size would certainly help get it into hard to reach machinery, not much bigger than our holographic drones."

Uhe took a few photos of it before his colleague carefully picked it up off the floor, as though waiting for it to suddenly spring to life. She turned it around to see that the head had a few clear orbs that were likely its optic sensors, "It kind of looks like a giant scarab."

Andrew perked his head up from his omni-tool and nodded in agreement. His communicator was having trouble reaching back to the prefab outpost outside the mountain and all he could hear was static on his earpiece. Dr. Sternin in the meantime placed the specimen in a large hard case she had been carrying for a few miles for just this occasion, although, she had hoped to place several items of interest in it, and not one. Then a thought occurred to her.

"Dr. Uhe, initial scans for life were negative, correct?"

"Right," he replied, still trying to get a clean communication signal.

"And we believe that there is some sort of automated system still functional here, correct?"

"Right, what are you getting at, Rebecca?" his tone frustrated, more at his com-link than her inquiry.

"What if there is life here, just not as we think it?

"Can you reach anyone back at base? I can't get my com to work; damned thing was fine a minute ago. Are we talking about artificial life forms? Like the Geth?"

"Yes, if we could humor the idea for a moment, this world's condition isn't suitable for sustaining life. Maybe it never was, we've no idea if whoever left this structure behind had a hand in its desolation."

The professor allowed his eyes to wander about the corridor realizing that he'd never seen Geth architecture, though the idea offended him a little that machines could develop anything resembling a culture. However, even he had to admit that the simple design of these corridors could have been the work of a machine, but it didn't explain the iconography. It would be a long shot but he'd have to ask Admiral Hackett about any data concerning the Quarian automatons, what little they had.

"Nobody is picking up my calls, but I can still reach my computer. Hold on, I'll turn on the webcam and we can see what's going on."

A vid screen materialized out of Dr. Sternin's omni-tool and displayed her desk, cluttered with data-pads and carrying cases. She motioned the camera, what little it could, to one side of the room to the next. There were no signs of any of the other scientists, or Alliance marines.

"Do you think they went ahead and followed us in with the equipment?"

They were supposed to contact the base once they were within spitting distance of the energy source. Dr. Uhe and all his brilliance assured the marines that an escort wasn't necessary and that they'd only get in the way. Thus far, he had proved himself right by not encountering any major obstacles other than the dizzying effect of seeing the same black wall at every turn.

She didn't know why, but a slow creeping sense of dread began to loom over Dr. Sternin as she studied the empty lab and Dr. Uhe stared blankly over her shoulder without saying a word. Where was everyone?

"Rebecca, move the camera back towards the door, bottom right." There was a slight quiver in his voice.

"What is it, I don'-oh my god!"

"Is that an arm?"

After focusing on the spot, they could see someone's forearm stretched out behind the doorway with the body presumably behind the wall. Thick stains of blood could be seen on the floor around it and the armor around the limb pinched so hard it punctured right into the bone. Dr. Uhe frantically got back on his own omni-tool and tried to contact the base again.

"Hello? Hello! Is anyone receiving? Come in, Command Post Alpha, please respond!"

Only static would heed his calls and a frightened Rebecca shone her light at every corner she could. The hum behind the walls seemingly grew louder and pulsated with her racing heart as she chased away shadows.

"Come on, there has to be someone! Check your computer cam again, maybe someone is there."

A slight tremor was felt, making the scientists stumble on themselves. The walls around them suddenly began to shift and change whilst the runes glowed an eerie green. Dr. Uhe quickly gained his balance as he pushed Dr. Sternin out of the way of a falling ceiling section. The corridor continued to swallow in on itself as if it wanted to crush the intruders, forcing the scientists to run toward their original destination.

They were coming up to a dead end with no other way in sight, their eyes darting in every direction for an exit. Without any attempt to slow down they crashed against the wall and watched with terror as the ceiling continued to crash toward them like a wave. Accepting that there was no way out they collapsed to the floor and watched in anguish as they were about to be crushed. So many thoughts ran through Uhe's mind, trying to seek the logic of what was going on here, trying to find what he had missed. How could this nightmare have occurred in mere seconds from completely nothing?

Just as he accepted his final moments were going to be shaking in fear of the pain to come, the ceiling stopped falling a few meters away. The silence before taking his first calm breath seemed like an eternity. He couldn't believe it. Uhe turned toward Sternin, their eyes watery, and in a moment of insanity laughed at their fortune.

Then the scarabs fell upon them.

Though I'm not a stranger to writing, this is my first contribution to this website. This crossover has been gnawing at me for ages and it feels great to get the prelude out. I'm open to criticism and hope that you all enjoy the next chapter.