"Something happened to the owner of this. What was the condition of the artifact when you found it?"

Roger rifled through a stack of files and folders spread over the tiny desk. With a click of his tongue, he pulled out a photo pad.

"I took as many pictures as I could. Managed to get UV and basic structural scans done too. I was on my way to get my radiation meter to take some readings when it blew."

49.

The photo pad flicked through the images at a rapid rate. Jenna paused it on an image of the device in the ground. The crew had set up the tent around the dig, a barrier of four feet prevented anyone from accidentally disturbing the ground. What caught her attention was a test kit lying two feet from the artifact.

Roger coughed and Jenna looked up and frowned. All thoughts of what she was going to say fled her mind when Ben walked in.

"You should come see this." He didn't wait for her to answer, simply held the door open.

"I was getting there," Roger said, hands on his hips. "She needs to understand the background before she can understand what happened."

Ben leveled an icy glare at him. Roger took it for several seconds before he stuck his hands into his pockets.

"I'll go check on the beta team. See how they're making out," Roger said, quickly averting his gaze.

It was Jenna's turn to roll her eyes. The testosterone was stinking up the place. She pushed past Ben and charged halfway across the courtyard until she realized she didn't have a clue where she was going.

Ben's chuckle came from her right. "This way."

She had to jog to catch up with him, but easily fell into step beside him.

"Any thoughts as to what it is?" she asked when the silence got to be too much for her.

He shrugged casually. "I was hoping you could tell me."

A short distance away, Jenna could see the remains of a metal and plastic portable lab skewed over the ground. It was the same color as the portable in the pictures. As they got closer, a large crater became visible, smoke drifting upward.

"Oh shit."

They stopped on the edge and Jenna was stunned at the destructive force needed to blow a hole this deep into the surface. In the side of the crater the artifact was half buried, the end sticking out like a stick in the dirt. Its round belly was mostly buried by sand and rocks. It looked like the force of the explosion sent it flying hard and fast.

Ben gently caressed her arm. "Come take a look."

He jumped down into the hole, turned and offered her a hand down. She slid her fingers into his, the contact sending tingles through her hands and up her arms. As she jumped beside him, there was a sudden buzz of electricity around them. Her heart raced, and blood pounded in her ears.

She was hit with a sudden wave of sensations. Ben's scent washed over her. His cologne and desire mingled with a scent she couldn't place. It made her nipples tighten, her breathing became ragged. So overwhelmed with desire, Jenna didn't know what to do.

A glance up into Ben's face didn't help. His eyes were wide, a look of pain and 50 pleasure mixed on his face.

"Were you down here before?" she asked in a quiet voice.

She watched him fight some sort of internal battle before he nodded.

"Was it like...this last time?"

"No." He swallowed.

His fingers tightened around her hand. Her body swayed towards his so she had to tilt her head back to look into his eyes. This pull was unlike anything she'd felt for him before. It was a living pulse of desire. One too powerful for her to resist.

Ben was fighting the same battle. He bent his head down and brushed his lips across hers. On a second pass he sucked on her bottom lip before devouring her mouth with his. Their contact only lasted a moment before he pulled back. He closed his eyes for a moment and then as if it took every ounce of his strength, he stepped back.

"Not here."

Her heart sank.

"Let me show you this and get you out of here before I cross the line."

Cross the line! her mind screamed. Instead she nodded and smiled.

"We wouldn't want that to happen." She was feeling naughty, not like her normal cautious self. She leaned in and placed a kiss at the base of his throat. "I might have to punish you."

He moaned low and deep in his chest. She tried to look in complete control as she smiled and stepped away. She turned her attention to the artifact and hoped she could rid her mind of the images of making love to Ben.

Cautiously, she approached the object, making mental notes of its position and the environment around it. She should have grabbed her camera.

"Matt said no one knows what it is. Even your assistant." He said the last with a note of distain. "It looks like the explosion caused some serious damage though."

Squatting beside it, Jenna began to brush away some of the ash off the scorched metal. Her head began to buzz, like her brain was itchy.

"A probe?"

"Maybe. But I'm not sure if Sanderson is the right person for this job after all. He's on his way. I figure the least he can do is guess."

Something caught Jenna's eye. "Come take a look at this."

She waited until Ben squatted beside her before she pointed.

"Look at the soil. Those crystals look like they have grown straight out of the ground."

"Any chance it's a result of the explosion?"

"Possibly. I'd have to run some tests to be sure."

When she hesitated, Ben nudged her with his knee. "But?"

51.

The brief contact jolted her. Images of Ben tied naked to his bed bombarded her mind. She needed him now. She had to concentrate to force the air to move into and out of her lungs. Her panties were soaked with her desire. One touch was all it would take for her to explode.

"Gods," she whispered.

"What was that?" He kept his eyes fixed on hers.

Jenna's mind began to race. She had to push back her desire and force her mind to concentrate.

"I have a theory."

Ben stood and adjusted his groin. "I'm all ears."

Her face grew hot and she had to turn her head away. With him standing she was at the perfect level to take his shaft into her mouth.

"Climb out of the crater for a minute," she said the words a bit too quickly.

"Why?"

"Because I can't think with you standing so close to me," she snapped. "Just trust me. Climb out and stand on the edge."

He gave her a puzzled look before he made his way up and over the sandy hill to the surface.

With her eyes closed, Jenna felt the tension drain from her body with each step away that Ben took. The air lightened, and the pounding in her head stopped.

"What the hell?"

She looked back at him. "I feel it too."

"Feel what?"

Roger had come up from the west and jumped down beside Jenna before she'd realized he was there. She stiffened, expecting her body to react in much the same way it had with Ben.

Her shock and surprise must have been obvious. Roger scrunched his nose up as he looked at her.

"What?"

"Do you," she hesitated, not knowing how to ask. "Do you feel anything?"

He stared blankly into space for a minute before he shrugged. "Hungry."

"Nothing else?" Ben called from above. His voice sounded strained, a note of annoyance clear.

"What a jerk," Roger whispered under his breath. "No. Care to enlighten me?"

Jenna knew he wouldn't be able to handle the idea of her sudden and intense attraction to Ben in the vicinity of the probe. She patted him on the shoulder and stood.

"I'd like to keep my theory quiet right now. Until I get the proof I need."

A discreet glance at Ben and she knew he saw the connection. They needed to talk.

52.

Her legs screamed as the circulation returned after her extended squat. She had to give them a minute before she'd be able to walk out of the crater. The buzzing in her head increased and she had to give it a shake to try to clear it.

Help.

"Did you hear that?" Jenna asked, spinning around.

"Hear what?" Roger answered, giving the probe a kick.

Help!

"You can't hear her? It sounds like a woman's in trouble." Jenna turned to Ben. "Do you hear her?"

Ben turned to look behind him. "Everyone seems to be back at the base. I don't hear anything else."

Find him please.

"I must be more tired than I thought," she muttered and began to make her way out of the crater. Hearing voices was never a good sign. Everyone would want her to go home and lie down, blame it on stress. But it didn't feel like stress. Jenna pushed the odd feelings away for now and headed over to Ben.

Every step jolted the pins and needles through her legs as she tried to scramble up the hill, away from whatever the thing in the crater was. Roger was close on her heels, muttering curses none too quietly under his breath.

"Jenna, will you slow down? What's going on here? I don't like being kept out of the loop, especially since corporate boy is now on duty," Roger bit out beside her.

"You're being an ass. Stop it and play nice for once," she said and continued up out of the crater. Ben was there to lend her a hand up and out. Something she noticed he didn't do for her assistant.

Roger tried to pick his way up the hill, but lost his footing and slid back to the bottom. He punched the sand before making a successful second attempt. The trio stood on the edge, looking down at the unassuming object that had caused the massive explosion. Jenna still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more here than an alien device. She needed to spend some time alone with the device so she could get her head around what was going on.

"I need to get that back into the lab. I have a theory that I'd like to test." Jenna turned to Roger. "What are the chances that we can get a crane here?"

"Zero until morning. Even if we could find one, it will take a full crew to properly secure it. I don't want to take any unnecessary chances."

Jenna nodded. "It might be easier if I conduct some preliminary tests where it is. It should give me enough to confirm a theory. Do we still have a test kit?"

"Nope. Blew with everything else. I have one back at the university. But I don't have a vehicle. Mine was damaged."

"I can have Matt drive you. He can get you there and back in forty," Ben said.