Contents
LOST CONTACT
Copyright © 2021
Books by Nathan Hystad
Prologue
Part I The Trail
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Part II The Team
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Part III The Bridge
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Epilogue
Lost Time (The Bridge Sequence Book Two)
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Copyright © 2021 Nathan Hystad
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Cover art: J Caleb Design
Edited by: Christen Hystad
Edited by: Scarlett R Algee
Proofed and Formatted by: BZ Hercules
Books By Nathan Hystad
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The Bridge Sequence
Lost Contact
Lost Time
Lost Hope
Space Race
Space Race
Space Battle
Space Strike
The Survivors Series
The Event
New Threat
New World
The Ancients
The Theos
Old Enemy
New Alliance
The Gatekeepers
New Horizon
The Academy
Old World
New Discovery
Old Secrets
The Deities
New Beginning
New Lies
The Colony
Baldwin’s Legacy
Confrontation
Unification
Culmination
Hierarchy
Lineage
Legacy
The Resistance Series
Rift
Revenge
Return
The Manuscript
Lights Over Cloud Lake
Red Creek
Return to Red Creek
Prologue
September 24th, 1989
Sweat clung to Dirk’s forehead, and he wiped it off with a dusty sleeve. This was finally happening. The relic was heavy in his hands, even though it easily fit into one palm. He flipped the object around, ensuring each of the six hexagons was placed in the proper order.
“We can’t do this,” Clayton said, striding forward. The torches flickered as a breeze penetrated the cave, sending long dancing shadows across the far wall. Dirk watched them for a moment, almost expecting something to step out from the darkness.
“You know we have to. Are you telling me you don’t want to see what happens, after all we’ve been through? We’ll be the first people to solve the mystery. Our life’s work.” Dirk could have kept talking, but he saw the change in Clay’s expression. His counterpart shoved round glasses up the bridge of his nose and frowned.
Clay held his hand out, hovering it above the artifact, and Dirk smiled at the man’s tattoo. He had the same one on his shoulder. His thoughts drifted to his home, thousands of miles away. At this hour, his wife would just be waking up, preparing their children for the school day. He’d miss them fiercely.
“Are you sure we can trust them?” Clay asked, indicating the cave’s exit. Dirk’s gaze followed, pausing to look at the sketches from thousands of years ago.
“They’ll do what we paid for. No sense in angering the gods,” he told his friend, and Clay nodded absently.
Dirk walked to the cavern wall, running a finger across a rough etching. The creature was taller than the man depicted beside it, its head elongated, the eyes almond-shaped. It had been somebody’s god centuries ago: an extraterrestrial from the stars. He turned the artifact over, seeing a matching shape on one of the sides. This was their final stop after procuring the sixth Token.
“We still don’t know if the Bridge exists. Maybe we should check the…”
“No, Clay. We’ve been searching for years. This is the moment we’ve dreamt about.”
Clay shifted on his feet, his dirty boots kicking up dust. “Things are different now. We have families, Dirk. We’re not kids anymore.”
Realization sparked in Dirk’s mind, and he set the artifact on the stone pedestal, grabbing Clay by the collar as calmly as he could. “You didn’t believe. You never thought we’d solve it.”
“I wanted to, but… I can’t go through with this,” Clay muttered.
Dirk had to change tactics. He’d go alone if necessary, but provisions had been arranged, and he didn’t trust Clay to disburse their findings properly. If anyone got wind of what they’d discovered, it would change everything, and Dirk didn’t think it would be for the better. No. He needed to learn what lay beyond the Bridge. Hardy had so many theories, and if even one of them was true, they were going to need assistance from the other side.
“You’re brilliant, Clay. I couldn’t have solved these riddles alone. Your mapping abilities saved us on numerous occasions. Contrary to all of this, we have no idea what we’re going to find, but I know one thing. We’re a team. I can’t do this without help. The entire human race needs us. They didn’t leave these on our planet for fun. They want us to come to them. Now’s our chance,” Dirk said, letting go of Clay’s shirt.
The other man wiped nervous palms on his pants and nodded with resolve. “Fine. We’ve worked hard on this. Believe me, I want to know if we’re alone in the universe as much as you do.”
It seemed like Clayton was back on board. “That’s right, my friend. It’s time.” Dirk was nervous too, scared to death of what they might uncover, but he was more afraid that their dreams would shatter. That he’d have to return home empty-handed, with nothing but an old relic holding six hexagons they’d acquired from around the world over nearly two decades of exploring. He wasn’t sure he could go on if that was the case. Not if what their previous benefactor had told them was true.
“Wait one moment. I need to give them something,” Clay said, and Dirk saw the folded piece of paper in the man’s front pocket.
He crossed the room, snatching it from the man’s vest.
“It’s nothing perilous, Dirk. Relax.”
Dirk unfolded it, revealing coordinates and a series of numbers and letters. He passed it back. “What the hell is this?”
“Something for my daughter,” Clay said. “I left her money in an account.”
“Fine. But be quick,”
