Explorer II was the fifth rover to travel to the red planet neighboring earth. It's mission was continue the objective of Explorer I and map the terrain of Mars in preparation for man to set foot on the planet. As the blue sun set over the horizon Explorer II noticed a shadow along a nearby ridge. The rover turned its wheels and buzzed along the ancient riverbed towards the shadow. Explorer II sent an urgent message to the NASA headquarters on Earth, it had found a cave.

"What's in there?" Asked Dave, the lead scientist on the Explorer project. His associate simply shook her head and shrugged, urging the rover to explore further.

On Mars Explorer II's headlights clicked on as it illuminated the cave. The interior of the cave was smooth due to years of water running through and an ability to be hidden from the outside elements. Explorer II continued further into the depths of Mars, on its way to uncover a secret that would change the course of human history.

Heated words were being exchanged in the conference room at NASA. Scientists screamed violently at each other while others sat and watched. Taking Explorer II into the cave was dangerous and could potentially ruin the billion dollar rover and the team was furious over the risk. However exploring a cave on Mars could lead way to new discoveries. The argument was cyclical and accomplishing nothing.

Dave grew tired of the arguing and eventually stepped outside for a smoke. The hot Texas sun beat down on him as he unbuttoned his collar and loosened his tie.

Explorer II drove deeper into the frigid cave on Mars until it reached a large open cavern. The dim headlights switched to bright as Explorer began to survey the room.

14 minutes later after accounting for the time delay the NASA team turned their attention to Explorer II's feed. The sudden bright light caught their attention and immediately all tension in the room was lifted. The small rover on the alien planet had revealed a launch room in a cavern on Mars. The walls were lined with control panels, rusted and torn with age yet still preserved below the cool surface. An ancient flood had rusted most components in the cave but one thing was for certain, this fossilized technology had been on Mars for thousands of years.

Dave's associate kicked off her heels and ran swiftly through the hallway before bursting out the back door, nearly knocking Dave off his feet.

".... what the hell?" he began before he was cut off.

"You need to see this sir."

Dave walked into the conference room. The entire staff was sitting silently staring at the monitor. Explorer II turned its cameras to the floor of the cavern, an unnaturally flat surface that could not be explained by natural events. Dave stared blankly into the screen. The manned mission to Mars would be planned sooner than expected, and the cave was the first objective.

It wouldn't be until 10 years later that the first humans on Mars would inspect the cave and find that it was an ancient launch pad for a ship aimed for Earth. The contents of the ship? An ancient man with the ancestors of all life we know today, seeking salvation from the floods on Mars to the promising blue planet closer to the sun.