From Within Trilogy: Book of Perdition

Chapter One: Crystal Cave

The Book of Enoch the Prophet: "Bind Azazel hand and foot and cast him into the darkness and make an opening in the desert and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there forever, and cover his face that he may not see light."

April of 2000, in the Naica Mines of Chihuahua, Mexico, while drilling further into the depths of the earth for precious metals, the mining company stumbled upon a hidden world of Neogene crystals. The Cave of Crystals housed ancient giant pillars of crystal that stood more than 50 feet tall and stretched up to 4 feet round. The cave's ceilings and walls decorated in gypsum shards made it seem like an icy wonderland, except it had scorching temperatures of 150 degrees with 100% humidity. In the deepest parts, the air was like acid on the tongue and would suffocate anything in need of oxygen. It was a harsh, unfriendly environment full of many dangers to most living creatures, but even that could not keep human curiosity away.

The third expedition of 2016 was now underway since its remarkable discovery. This expedition was significant. It would allow a few selected scientists to explore the Crystal Cave of Giants to obtain data regarding its history. The plan was to gather information, samples and explore the uncharted territory of the cave system.

A centralized station called the Hive was built into the cave to support the expeditions. Its walls and floors reflected that of a den only with added doors, manufactured machines, pumped in oxygen, air conditioning, and lights that transformed it perfectly into a research center suitable for humans to reside.

The extreme conditions existing in the Crystal Caves made it nearly impossible for anyone to survive without help from modern technology. Specialized suits were developed to allow people to have a viable way to enter the cave, but even in the suits, time was limited. If a person stayed any longer than an hour, chances of survival were close to zero. The environment was so toxic people risked organ failure. Without the suit, a person could only last approximately 7 minutes, before their vital organs seized. However, it was a risk many scientists were willing to take.

Only six Scientists were qualified for this particular mission, each expert selected by the team leader, Professor Ruben Dias. He had been studying the surroundings for the past six years before establishing his field specialists. His purported scientific goal to which his benefactors funded, was to learn from the environment, figure out how the crystals grew so large, and identify the crystals' age. However, his hidden agenda was to obtain proof of life hidden deep within this crystal grave.

Dias was approaching his late fifties. He was a published author of several scientific books, but he had yet to leave his legacy in the field. His wrinkly tanned skin from several otherworldly digs covered him like a trophy, giving him a wise man appearance. His salt and pepper hair laid wildly upon his head, standing on its own. He had not had a decent night's rest in more than a week. He worked tirelessly putting together this expedition and selecting his team. His team was Dr. Alec Pohl, specializing in ancient languages, cultures, and excavating ruins. Professor Lamar Green, highly educated in environmental and atmospheric chemistry. Professor Lois Lavoie and Professor David Livingston came as a package. Both had experience in extracting, studying, and identifying many geological formations. The final addition was Professor Juan Lopez, who carried degrees in several areas of biology.

Dias's Spanish accent rolled into English words as he spoke. "Professor Lavoie," Dias commanded, pointing his tan finger to a middle-aged woman with frizz in her curly whitish blonde hair.

"And Professor Livingston," he added, pointing to the young male with light brown hair. "will be responsible for gathering some core samples in the farthest part of the cave. You are team A."