[b]The ruins[/b] It had been four days since we left the Vanguard’s base. Our ship, [i]Red Hawk[/i], had dropped us there, as the pilot refused to get closer to our destination, for overflying the reddish brown dunes of the [i]Sunken Zone[/i] was then reckless. Not always had it been this way. Back in the Golden Age, the [i]Buried City[/i] and its surroundings were one of the most thriving centers of our civilization. But this was long ago, before the Collapse and the arrival of our now long known neighbors. At that moment, most of the city was covered by oceans of sand, and the Cabal were giving us some trouble, shooting down each and every one of our birds irresponsible enough to go deep into their territories – almost the whole [i]Sunken Zone[/i], except the ruins of the city –, where a rain of flak was ready to welcome them. Driving our sparrows across the desert hadn’t been exempt of hazards, either. We came across a few patrols, but their clumsy handling of machine guns wasn’t rival for our skill, and so we knocked them out before they could even alert more troops. Finally, there it was. The remains of the once brightest light of Mars were now glowing right in front of us, just a shadow of its old great glory. Only a few of the buildings, the tallest among them, stuck out the surface, rusty and tumbledown. But not everything was going as we expected. A low noise seemed to come out from the depths of the place, and it was growing stronger as we walked towards the heart of the ruins. Then, I saw it, and a shiver ran down my spine. We quickly understood why the Cabal avoided the city, but it was too late to follow suit.