Beth was on the war path. Despite his first introduction to her, she was a spunky, no nonsense type of person and, once she had her release, very quickly took charge again, organising her staff. She had flung herself into work to try and distract herself from her worries for Serenity and to try and deal with the huge spanner in the works that was the police investigation. Even though the remote sites were still working, they had to make do with fewer resources and input. The command centre was in lockdown for the police investigations so Beth was reduced to phone calls and old information rather than the live feed, life sized holos of the remote sites. The remote sites just didn’t have the equipment to process all the data they were recording either.

It was worse here at the main site. They were reduced to old school methods of analysis, ground penetrating radar, manual cleaning of find. For goodness sake, they were sifting soil. Archaeologist hadn’t sift the spoil heap in years! Mind you, Xander hadn’t heard any complaints. Serenity was well known and well liked. Keeping busy with old school manual labour was a welcome distraction. Even Xander and jumped right in with Beth and Sams blessing.

The reason for all the upheaval, apart from the missing people, was that the police believed the cameras had been tampered with. They could find no footage of Serenity leaving the sight and it would have been impossible for anyone to leave that spot without passing by at least five cameras. There was also much concern about what had caught Serenity’s attention. It didn’t look good...

Xander want to do more to take his mind off it. Beth had given him permission to access all the data he’d wanted and he had decided to do a comprehensive analysis of the main and remote sites. There had been much excitement as the initial discoveries and he was beginning to see why. These structures were huge, capable of holding hundreds of people, even thousands, all radiating out from on point. And they found evidence of people from every walk of life. It was a wonder this site had not been discovered and excavated before now. How had it remained hidden?

Xander lost himself in his analysis and planning for hours and was only roused by the complaints of his body, specifically, his back and his stomach. He made his way to the communal food tent, stretching as he went. Though he could do his job with outdated techniques, he was glad that didn’t extend to the accommodations. Morden “tents” were made from a light, strong material that, when erected in their custom frames, went rigid forming a study, self contained, self heated structure. They were a marvel and great for professions like his.

Entering the tent, delicious smells drew him in and her oiled his plate high. Finding a table, he settled himself and dug in to a well earned meal. Lost in satisfying his hunger, Xander failed to realise he had company.

“Xander, thank you for all your hard work. You’ve produced some really valuable findings we can use going forward.”

Despite the obvious tiredness, Beths enthusiasm and gratitude for his work was evident.

“N-not at all. Glad to contribute.” Xander managed to stutter out, surprised by her presence. Beth nodded back and made to turn away when he managed to pull himself together and regain his faculties.

“How are you Beth?” She paused and turned back to him, debating why to say. “I know you and Sam are close to Serenity, you’ve worked together for years right? This is a nightmare situation for you.”

Beth hesitated again, scrutinising him. She seemed to come to a decision because she pulled out a chair and collapsed into it with a sigh, eyes closing. “In our profession, Xander, we bump into a lot of the same people. I’m pretty sure I’ve met you on a few UK digs. Despite her dislike of working in her home country, Serenity is well known and well liked. Sam and I are really luck to be on her team.”

The man in question appeared from nowhere, plate piled high much like Xanders. “Definitely. Beth and I basically grew up on her digs. Gained real experience. Not just archeological experience, life experience. We’re basically family.”

Xander smiled, he knew exactly what they meant. Thinking about it, his smile dimmed. “I’m sorry this has happened to you. Is there anything more I can do to help? Your dealing with a lot.”

“Thanks Xander. You’re a good guy. I spoke to the police and because of the size of the site, they’re going to be calling on volunteers to help with the search. I think they were going to make the announcement after dinner. They haven’t stopped but their man power just isn’t enough. They said they’ll need to stop the search after a week and seriously reduce the man power after five days. They’re gonna rely heavily on volunteers.”

Sam jumped in. “I expect a lot of our staff will join the search. They’re concerned and we’re fast running out of ways to keep them occupied. There’s not much more we can do in this state.”

“Of course, I’ll put join the search. In all honesty, I’ve struggled to concentrate. It will be good to do something proactive to help Serenity.”

His sentiment was emphatically echoed by the pair and they all settled back into their own thoughts, loading up on yummy file for the long hours of searching ahead. As the meal wound down, an officer entered the tent and, after surveying the tables, approached Beth.

“Ms Thompson. We’re about to make the announcement. Can you make sure it gets to everyone on site?”

Beth nodded, “Of course.”

The officer turned and headed to the most visible area and cleared her throat. Beth tapped her AI and began recording. “Can I have your attention please.” The from quieted. “Due to the large area of the site, we are calling for volunteers to assist in our search for Professor Serenity Neville and an individual known as Wick. We’ve not been able to ascertain his true indenting. Those wishing to volunteer, please gather outside the command tent in ten minutes. Wear warm, rain proof clothing. You will be divided into groups and assigned to an officers. We can also provided torches, water bottles and energy ration should you need them. Listen to your officer. You will be walking in lines, searching the ground. If you find anything that meets the parameters of the search, shout out and the whole line stops. Any questions, direct them to your groups officer. Thank you in advance, for your assistance.”

With that, the officer left the tent briskly. There was a quiet pause before, one by one, people began to leave the food tent. Some rushed the last of their meals before heading out. Beth, Sam and Xander rose almost as one and left to prepare.