57 years ago.

"Are we far enough from the centre?"

Mayla jumped off from the ledge of their vehicle, and unscrewed her glass helmet which answered Felix's question. He too unscrewed his helmet, the harmless atmospheric air filling his yellow rubber suit.

Their suits were a performance. Yet they were mandatory to wear when seen leaving the Ring as instructed by Samuel. There were still many unanswered questions about Gaiathal, but the danger of the air or airborne pathogens was not one of them.

"You have to talk to him, Mayla. You're the only voice in his ear that seems to do anything. Especially if tonight he..."

It was six years since they landed, and six years that the colony remained inside the Ring, with the exception of Mayla, Felix, and select scientists. Gwenta sometimes joined too on exploratory excursions until she became pregnant nine months ago.

Felix's father Samuel had won the Meritocracy election six years ago, and then again three years ago, and the public reluctantly accepted his appointment.

Many believed it was not surprising someone as competent as Samuel retained his reign in the age of The Meritocracy, while even more did not believe it was possible for a single person to win not once, but twice in a row, of a colony of over some two hundred thousand people. They were rightfully suspicious of the outcome. Mayla and Felix were trying to distance themselves from politics and what was coming tonight by diving deeper into their research. Both were nervous for the results.

The loudest voice of opposition was none other than Ffion, a second leader the people trusted to keep Samuel and his government in check. And Samuel despised her for it. Her influence was growing. The utmost respect he used to have for her was disintegrating and probably a distant faded memory.

Samuel continued to rule, and in the presence of others appeared to do so reluctantly. He never wanted to rule in the beginning, he said. But those close to him, including Felix, knew that a small piece of him began to enjoy it. Or worse, that he thought he was owed the role of leadership. Samuel's sister, Mayla, appeared oblivious to this fact.

She shrugged at Felix. "He saved us not once, but twice. The people are alive and cared for. He's devoted to the science that you and I are leading. What's there to say? Whatever happens tonight, happens."

Felix collected test tubes and binoculars from the back of their vehicle. He and Mayla had become very close, as she trained him to one day take over the role of Director of the Research Division.

His mind was not at the intellectual level of Mayla's, but he was a natural leader like his father and had an incredible degree of curiosity, which made him Mayla's star pupil. Many of the discoveries he made were through sheer perseverance and imagination unlike through Mayla's algorithmic processing.

One of his claims to fame was the re-invention of radio-transmission.

They had tried all kinds of past human discoveries on this new planet to communicate over long distances, and finally Felix came up with a way to filter radio waves through the obscurities of the new planet's 'noise', as him and Mayla called it, which seemed to interfere with everything. He fascinated her.

Him and Mayla were also spearheading biology research and the engineering of Outposts scattered across the continent, so scientists could have refuge far from the capital and also have the opportunity to cultivate new foods and resources. Mayla frequently ventured to the south-east claw of the continent, but Felix rarely accompanied her there.

"Look, I know he won these elections fairly, and to a process the people agreed to. But you and I both know he could appease the public a little. Weaning them to the outside rather than cooped up in a cage would be a start."

Mayla adjusted her glasses. "With respect, Felix, your father has a better sense of people than you or I. If he believes this is what is best for the people at the current moment, then I believe him. Besides, it's not a lie to say outside the Ring isn't safe. I thought you would know that the best of anyone."

Felix scoffed as they made their way up a rocky hill.
Three years prior, Felix had been late during one excursion to return to an Outpost. When the sun was gone, he was attacked by animals of the night and barely made it back. He had scars on his neck and back that always reminded him of this. This too was perhaps when his father turned even more paternalistic in his methods with the people.

"Is it here?" Felix asked Mayla, who was looking down at a beeping silver metallic device in her hands. They were surrounded by snowy mountains, yet found themselves in a warm and lush green opening that the sun seldom released from its gaze.

"Both are," she answered him, smiling.

They circled a giant rock, and lying in the sun was a golden furred beast, still and quiet, giant and magnificent, as long as Felix was tall who was not short by any means. It looked as if it were sleeping, but its giant rib cage was unmoving and not drawing in air. It's snout was covered in blood and its ear was tagged by the tracker Mayla had placed on it weeks prior.

"Not his blood. Dead, but from old age."

Felix breathed out. "How long has it been here?"
Mayla turned to her nephew and smiled, holding up three fingers. Felix knew the smile. They were on the verge of a discovery. This new planet was like a candy store and Mayla was the only child with the keys.

"But that means," Felix began, shaking his head, "It's been here two nights...why do the creatures of the night not consume them?"

"Why indeed," Mayla said. "And look here."

Mayla brushed aside long golden fur from the hind leg of the beast with her gloved hand. Its skin was smooth and pink.

"This was Hercules. Remember when we first found him with his pack? A Bear took a chunk out of him. Right here."

"Whoa," Felix exhaled. He remembered. Hercules was mortally wounded when they first tagged him. His constant tracked movement perplexed scientists for weeks afterwards. And now they had the answer.

"These wolves, they heal themselves. They have extraordinary healing properties," Mayla said, taking a swab from the wolf's mouth and drawing blood from it's leg with a syringe.

Felix shook his head incredulously, and said, "But their healing doesn't explain why we can find their bodies when they've died. Why do the animals of the night not eat the corpses, most of which are probably scavengers?" Felix said.

Mayla looked at Felix, her face glowing with excitement. "Come on, more to see."

They made their way down the rocky hill towards the outskirts of a forest, Mayla's device beeping faster as they approached a nearby tree. She pointed upwards.

A beast of grey and brown slumped along a thick and sagging branch halfway up the tree. Twice the size of the golden wolf they were previously examining yet just as magnificent.

Felix exclaimed under his breath, "That's the third Bear body we've discovered."

Mayla nodded and said, "Look there. A tree it ripped from its roots before it died. The strongest animals on this planet, no doubt."

Felix began to put the puzzle together in his mind. "It's no accident we've only found the remains of five animals on this planet, of which we can't identify predators for. The creatures of the night don't eat them. Why?"

Mayla prodded her pupil. "I think you've answered that. The Orca bodies we've found along the coasts, the Ravens and Bears strewn in trees, the Wolves in the mountains and the Tigers in the jungles... They're the very top of Gaiathal's food chain. And the animals of the night..."

"They don't eat them out of fear," Felix exclaimed.

"And respect," Mayla slightly corrected him. "They also are the only one's we've documented in the wild with advanced capabilities... This newly discovered healing ability of the Wolves, the Bears sheer strength, the Orca's incredible metabolism, the Raven's extraordinary sight, and the Tiger's ability to somehow manipulate electromagnetism... It makes them the Apex predators of this strange world."

Felix was skeptical. There were countless animals not yet discovered, how could Mayla be so sure? She noticed this skepticism on his face, and he could tell she had some sort of answer.

"What I show you next, Felix, must remain between the two of us. You mustn't tell your father even. I'm not even telling the other scientists."

They made their way back to their vehicle and boarded it, making their way south through the grassy and rocky terrain. Mayla instructed Felix to slow down as they approached a valley of caves, a river flowing between them. They exited and Mayla passed him a flashlight as they walked towards the nearest one. Felix was reluctant to enter, but Mayla entered without fear.

Light from the entrance of the cave was now a speck behind them as Mayla approached a smooth silver wall. She pointed her flashlight towards it, smiling at her nephew. There were chrome scribblings against it. Figures, but these were no primitive cave drawings.

"There are dozens more through this cave system, all the exact same drawings. Look here," Mayla said, pointing to five figures above the other drawings.

"It's them," He yelped in excitement. "It's the Apex animals."

His hand glided along the Raven, and then the Wolf, the Orca, Tiger, and Bear. Above them all was the face of man. They were carved in such detail it was like he was looking at them in person. The face of the man could have been a picture of himself. It was how Mayla was sure these were the Apex predators of the planet.

Mayla beamed at him. "I think they have more meaning than we know. And more importantly, we are not the first ones to have been here. They know something about these animals that we don't know yet, whoever left these for us."

Below the animals on the cave wall was more pictures scrawled into the steel surface of the cave. They were clearly buildings. Advanced buildings. The detail was breath taking. The walls circling the illustrated city made the Ring pale in comparison. Apparent computer-like structures were erected throughout the drawn colony. The depiction of the technology was clearly human - or even more advanced. Felix's knees felt weak.

Felix analyzed the cave drawings in awe, turning to Mayla and said, "The brain that drew this, this was no primitive brain just regurgitating alien technology that it had seen. They both drew this and created this..." A chill went down his spine. "They aren't here anymore, obviously... but where are their creations? Their buildings? Why draw it on a cave if you have the technology to document it on paper or electronically? Can we carbon date any of this?"

Mayla shrugged incredulously. "I have no idea. Perhaps they drew it from memory from another planet, I'm not sure... but these animals, they mean something. The artist and his people worshipped them. We need to find out why. It may be connected to why there isn't a trace of these people, besides these cave drawings. We don't know how long ago these were drawn."

Felix was floored. He was enthralled and was terrified and thrilled and perplexed all at once. "We can't tell father," He said silently to his aunt. He was worried his father would become even more draconian in light of this information.

Mayla had agreed for once to keep Samuel out of this, but not for the same reason as her nephew. "I agree. If he saw this, I'm worried he would board us all back onto Nighthawk to find another planet. There is too much to discover here."

Felix slid his gloved hand along the cave wall, standing where this mysterious being who drew it once stood. Mayla's voice cut through his thoughts.
"There's more."

She led him down the cave to another wall, their blue flashlights cutting through the pitch black of the cave. Her light shone on a wall and Felix's eyes followed. He gasped.

Encircled in the light was the continent that they landed on, etched into the stone perfectly and identically to the outline Mayla had provided from the initial scan upon impact from above. But off to the right was another one, smaller than the continent they were on, but still large. Strangely, there was one sun drawn upon the second continent and many above the first.

"It's impossible. We scanned the planet, where is that second land mass?"

Mayla shrugged again. "Not there anymore. We would have detected it. My drones can't detect it, either. My hypothesis is that city you just saw was part of it and is now under water. Why? I don't know. Perhaps it is where these artists actually lived."

Felix jumped ahead to the thoughts he knew were racing in Mayla's mind. "We can't build ships without Dad knowing, Mayla. Hiding these cave drawings from him is one thing, constructing a navy behind his back is another."

Mayla took his hand in hers, and said, "Felix, we could be on the precipice of the greatest discovery in human history. A lost city of technologies we can only dream of. One ship, that's all we'll build. For you and me only."

Felix relented, both reluctantly yet excitedly. "One ship. Where could we build it without him knowing?"

Mayla smirked at him as they began to make their way to the cave entrance. "I've already begun. There's a small lab in our most eastern Outpost close to the coast that only you and I have card access to, which will drain right into the ocean. You and I can pick away at the construction of it. It'll be our little side project, when the time's right."

Felix laughed and said, "Great. My aunt has brought me into a conspiracy to build a submarine in a closet and sail to unknown waters."

He couldn't wait.

**

It was past mid-day and Felix and Mayla made their way back to the centre which was a close drive from the cave systems.

They returned home to the Ring. It was always a depressing time for both Felix and Mayla, who were born to explore and roam, and returning to a cage that was becoming increasingly tightened. Not by the stagnant population, but the growing unease of the populace.

The outer wall began to slide away, and Felix drove to the middle section within the Ring, concrete and steel now encircling them. Felix and Mayla rolled their eyes as the outer gate closed in on them, and fake yellow sanitizing liquid doused their vehicle and them as they got out in their yellow plastic suits.

The inner gate opened, purposely, before the disinfecting process finished so the people within the walls could see the lengths researchers went to stay purified. Felix and Mayla re-entered their jagged yet round metallic vehicle and drove into the colony.
Swarms of inhabitants were along the main street of the centre, waiting for Mayla and Felix's return out of both boredom and an opportunity to protest.

Mayla's outposts had also been outfitted with expanded farms to grow vegetables and fruits which Mayla and Felix had brought back from their many excursions.

The diet of those within the Ring consisted entirely of a nutrient rich vegetable grown within Nighthawk called Craggage and dairy products provided by the Shantle they had brought from the Old Planet. The people were not starving, but eating Craggage day in and day out for three years had worn on the people's morale. The rich variety of fruits and vegetables Mayla and Felix intermittently brought back from Outposts could not quell their frustration; there was only so much one vehicle could bring back along with their research equipment, and Samuel instructed the scientists to limit their agricultural work abroad.

Families with red tickets in their hands ran up to the vehicle hurriedly, waving them frantically, their hands slamming on the hood and glass of the vehicle. Samuel had enforced a weekly lottery system for families to indulge in the foods Mayla and Felix were able to bring back in the small quantities they could.

"Okay, okay hold on," Mayla said to the people circling their vehicle.

Mayla barely opened the trunk of the vehicle before the families began scrummaging through looking for their prize.

A loud crack made Felix and Mayla flinch, while the lottery winners ducked and threw their food in the air as they laid down on the ground in fear.