The Humanoid

There is nothing within the realm of reality that could be so revealing than the emergent discoveries of science and their intricate nature. It is when man has solved the intrinsic enigmas that confirm their theories that we begin to comprehend the meaning procured, about those mysterious things that we had not yet named or categorised.

It is the imagination, not mere science that compels man to seek the furthest edge of the boundaries of the Earth. There are distant lands that remain to be discovered. Man's fate has always been intertwined, with his evolution and survival. I can only disclose the indelible episodes that the members of the expedition had experienced on that forsaken continent, through my private journal. There is a unique place where the whalers and sailors describe in their own words, as the vast nothingness of heavy ice and coldness.

It is a secretive place that time seems to have forgotten. Its name is the Antarctica. It was there that we would discover, the ancient one that would be known by us, as the humanoid. The year was 1918, when our ship the Holberg had reached the South Pole. We had been drifting a few kilometres off the coast of Antarctica for numerous days, due to the fluctuating weather and strong gale.

It was the month of October when we had reached the area. We had originally embarked from the country of Argentina. There are no genuine autumns nor springs in this part of the world, only summers and winters. Although we were technically in autumn, it was already demonstrating the semblance of an early, bitter winter. Antarctica was known for its cold and windy weather and was positioned around the South Pole and south of the Antarctic Circle.

It was surrounded by the Southern Ocean and was the fifth-largest continent recorded. Its coast was that of floating ice that had manifested in the form of an ice shelf. It is called the end of the Earth, for no man dares to live there. The Norwegians were the first to land there in 1895, and the British were the first to reach the magnetic South Pole in 1907.

The images we had descried were evidently reflective of the isolated nature of its position in the globe. We had thought we were prepared for the cold, but it was something else entirely of another world that we encountered that was perhaps the ancestor of modern man.

18th of October 1918

It was around midday, when our ship had finally landed, and we had stepped on the hardened surface of the South Pole. It was -10 degrees Celsius (13) Fahrenheit, as we headed forth. The mission for the expedition was to explore the continent and establish more bases for our scientific research, in particular, the search for ancient fossils. My name is Reginald Stansfield, an Englishman.

I was accompanied on this expedition by my fellow colleague in profession, Professor Anders Kristianson, a Norwegian. The crew was mostly Norwegian in nationality, with the exception of two Argentines, a Canadian professor and me. The professor's name was Joseph Campbell. Professor Kristianson had previously been to Antarctica a year ago, with another expedition.

He had assisted in the establishment of the base there, and it was relatively close to one of the main mountains, where he had found some old dinosaur fossils previously. We were treated to a remarkable spectacle performed by a roaming orca. From what Professor Kristianson had mentioned to me it was not uncommon to see an orca off the coast, during this time of the year.

There was not much wildlife present in Antarctica that we could confirm were abundant in numbers. There were only seals, albatrosses, penguins, tardigrades and invertebrates such as the krill. We had traversed through the polar desert that was mostly the landscape we had chosen to embark from, until we reached, at last, the base that Professor Kristianson referred to. We were cognisant of the fact that we would not have much sunlight on this trip.

The days were short, and the nights were long. The gloom of the shade of darkness would be our shadow and our hell. Antarctica was divided into two halves, east and west. The vast majority of the area was covered in ice sheets. It had small islands around it, but we never stepped foot on them. The side that we were on was supposedly more hospitable to our expedition.

At the base, we had unloaded all the necessary materials and instruments that we brought for the expedition, including several huskies that would help us explore the continent upon sleds. Professor Kristianson, Professor Campbell and I would discuss the mission in efficient details. We had a reliable map that was marked, by Professor Kristianson of the location we were to explore. I had trusted him, and I had trusted the guidance of my compass.

There was no man more equip to lead a daring expedition than Professor Kristianson. After all, he was the only one that had ever visited Antarctica, and his expertise and proficiency on the matter were duly appreciated. It was determined that we would stay on the continent for two weeks, granted that the weather had permitted it. We were aware that the formidable German U-boats had been prowling the area armed with torpedoes and that we were still at war.

I was eager to find some fine specimens of fossils to bring back to my laboratory to examine meticulously. I was not certain of what we would eventually discover, but I had sensed that something worthwhile was waiting for us to be discovered. We had brought our winter clothing and footwear, including thermal wear for the expedition, and it would serve us well to be properly clothed. There were glaciers and floating icebergs everywhere.

Even though I had not met the others members of the crew, except Professor Kristianson before, I knew he had faith in them and had hired them, due to their experience, skills, knowledge and travels. It was significant that we had such men of high regard and commitment to depend on and to be organised. Not many men could bear the burden of the ill effects of the coldness and isolation or the long months at sea.

I certainly could understand how men far from their homelands or family could go mad with such despondency. I myself had been abroad from England for almost the duration of a year. My residence at that time was in Australia. I had moved there specifically, because I had been working on an excavation in the island of Tasmania, searching ancient dinosaur fossils that were recently uncovered. I had high hopes that I would not be wasting my time there in Antarctica.

Once we had left the base, we headed towards the valley that Professor Kristianson had been exploring on his prior expedition. It was situated next to a towering mountain of the highest elevation seen. It was there, where any hope of making a genuine discovery would be probable.

When we had reached our destination, we began to explore the vicinity. Professor Kristianson was confident that we could locate precious fossils. I too had shared his optimism. Professor Campbell was intrigued by the prospect of our discoveries. It was apparent that there was some type of activity at the site. Someone had discovered the site unbeknownst to Professor Kristianson. There were distinct traces of someone's presence. The question that we all had was who was here before us.

There were no actual reports of any known scientists on Antarctica at the time. The only recent visitors were the whalers from Argentina. They had no reason to spend their time searching for complicated fossils or minerals. It wasn't until I had noticed something very odd. It was in the engraved formation of the limestone of the rocks that I saw the image of what had appeared to be a human or something relative in its physiognomy.

It was under a mass of ice. Professor Kristianson had noticed it also. He had instructed the men of the crew to break the ice with their pickaxes. The ice was heavy and almost impenetrable. We could not use dynamite. It was not a fossil; it was a humanlike thing. We had assumed that it was male. It had taken us hours and hours before we could at least break a portion of it and release it from the rock. The men were beginning to get fatigable, and the weather had become colder.

It was decided that we would stop for the day and take our specimen or block of the ice figure with us, back to the base to examine it. We had taken photographs. None of us at that moment knew what discovery we would make, or the significance it would bring to the world.

We had not only found a massive discovery, but a specimen that would awaken after centuries. When we had returned to the base, we immediately began the process of melting the ice figure, by storing it next to one of our small radiators. We were not successful at first, since the ice was definitely hardened. The cold that had entered the base did not help much. We could not afford to burn the ice, with a flamethrower nor utilise fire. That would only jeopardise the specimen. We had allowed the process to continue its natural course.

In the meantime, we the professors had gathered together to converse about the ice figure. The men of the crew were resting. We were baffled to describe what had been found. It had appeared humanoid in form, yet it had been embedded deep inside the rock for centuries.

This would indicate that it was ancient in nature. If that was the case, how old was this specimen? How could we measure its age and its existence accurately?

Professor Campbell had insinuated that it could have been a primitive man or Neanderthal. Professor Kristianson had rejected that notion and had suggested it was more likely it was perhaps the earliest human that was Homo Habilis that had lived more than 2 million years ago in the past.

According to recent discoveries Homo sapiens fossils were calculated to be no more than 30, 000 years old. We made certain to preserve the specimen and photographs.

19th of October 1918

We had checked on the ice figure specimen, and it had still not melted. We did not want to precipitate ourselves and had realised that the only thing that we could have done was to wait and be patient. The possibility of finding more discoveries had urged us to return to the site of the rock formations in the valley. We searched as much as we could in the general area, until we had found more fossils in the formation of the rocks.

Unlike the ice figure man, these fossils were broken fragments of ancient creatures or animals. We had discovered an Elasmosaurus that had eroded in the sediments, an old aquatic reptile that once had swum the Antarctic seas of the Cretaceous period, with dinosaurs and amphipods that were small marine crustaceans.

The ice walls that had rested on the rock were challenging to penetrate. I was aware that dinosaurs had once dwelled in Antarctica, such as ankylosaurs, mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, but to find a fossil of any of them was unthinkable at the time. We had enough fossils to occupy us back at the base. The hovering darkness had once more inhibited our continuation and progression. Back at the base, we had studiously examined the fossils and we began to formulate theories amongst each other, about their origins and their connection with the ice figure humanoid.

Professor Kristianson was bold enough to suggest that underneath the ice sheet there were great mountains, valleys and plateaus. He had also opined that there could have been during the Cretaceous period, possible remnants of an ancient rainforest. What we knew from our arrival on Antarctica was that its freshwater reserves were completely frozen, and its vegetation was mostly lichen. It had lakes and rivers that were found, within the continental ice sheets of the valleys.

If only half of what we had been contemplating was factual and proven, then this meant that the continent was once the home of prehistoric beings that had included dinosaurs and as well humanoids of some sort. Evolution was at the forefront of Darwin's theories, but I was certain that we had uncovered something much more elaborate and important than what he had discovered.

Professor Campbell had interjected that in Canada there were similar fossils found in the northern part of the country that were traced back to this same type of dinosaurs. I was convinced that the fossils we had retrieved, including the ice figure humanoid were all connected to some kind of a prehistoric event or coetaneous time period. The correlation was not that irrational to surmise and the evidence that we had gleaned was indicative of this possibility. It was not incompossible to the notion that we had been speculating with our theories.

We had established a foundation for this hypothesis, and both of the professors had concurred with this analysis shared and expressed. If this was ultimately the case and all of these fossils were relatively of the same time period, then what was Antarctica like in that time period?

Was it much colder than its present state, or was it the opposite? What type of wildlife and vegetation had lived on the continent then? How did these species survive? If the humanoid ice figure was indeed the common ancestor of the first man, then what had happened to the others? Were there more of his kind, or was the humanoid the only one? If so, how did he get to Antarctica? A plethora of questions and little information to cogitate with a ruminative mind.

We had joined the others at the dinner table. We had limited generators for the usage of electricity and radiators to keep us warm. Despite the menacing cold, the men did not complain much. They were all accustomed to it and had spent a lot of time battling against its bitter effects. I found them all to be resolute and obedient to our significant instructions.

We were paying them a great sum of money, for their services and diligence. More than what they had been earning, before the expedition. This had seemed to be propitious in the beginning, but it would become our main disadvantage in the end. We had brought sufficient rations to eat and canteens of water to drink. We had prohibited bottles of alcohol. We did not want the men to be intoxicated, and we had needed them to be sober and cognisant, during our time in Antarctica.

We had as well some flasks to heat the water. We had spent our time after finishing our meals, discussing an array of things, from personal matters to stories about wild adventures experienced. I was in the privacy of my room that night, pondering where what would be our next task, when Professor Kristianson had entered the room to inform that the ice figure humanoid had vanished.

When I had asked him to clarify what he meant by that, he had told me literally that he was no longer at the base. We had isolated him in a storage room next to a radiator that was specifically for our experimentation and had a guard always monitoring the specimen.

Apparently somehow, the ice figure humanoid had broken from out of the shell of ice that it was deeply imprisoned, but how? There were no signs that had implied that the iced had melted already to its completion. Perhaps it had melted enough, for the humanoid to have broken from the ice and be freed? There were pieces of ice everywhere inside the room, but the most troubling thing was to discover that the guard we had placed to protect the ice figure humanoid had been murdered. Someone or something had killed him. Was it the thing that was the ice figure humanoid?

Professor Campbell was the first one to check on the deceased guard and from his observation, he had concluded that he was indeed murdered. His neck was broken, and his eyes were totally white. Professor Kristianson had instructed the men to look throughout the base for the humanoid. He did not want it to escape the premise.

After a futile search from room to room, they could not locate the humanoid. Either it had masterfully concealed itself well enough to not be detected inside the base, or it had merely disappeared into the vastidity of the cold Antarctica. None of the men had confessed to the murder, and they were all in the dinning room with us the professors, at the time of the murder. This we had calculated. It was -14 degrees Celsius (7) degrees Fahrenheit outside. Professor Kristianson had wanted to continue the search for the humanoid, out in the bitter cold.

I was not certain that it was the right thing to do at the moment, due to the lack of the transparency of light more than the frigid cold, but the professor was in charge and had insisted. We had lost one man on the night. Was it worth the risk to lose any more? I had related this concern of mine to the professor in person. He had dismissed my concern and had instructed the men to prepare themselves and to commence the search for the humanoid, even though it was dark and freezing.

We had remained behind, anticipating that the men would locate the specimen. They had taken with them rifles to protect themselves, but were under the orders to not shoot or kill the humanoid. Professor Kristianson had wanted it alive if found. There was no actual shred of evidence that had indicated that the humanoid had killed the guard. The only evidence we had was that the guard's neck was broken and the pallid whiteness of his eyes.

We did not know precisely, if the humanoid was behind his untimely death. We had gathered some samples of hair follicles and skin tissues from the deceased guard and the humanoid. The humanoid's samples were found directly, from the melted pieces of ice.

Immediately, we had examined them meticulously. This activity was being effectuated, whilst the men were searching outside for the humanoid. What we had examined under our microscopes was astonishing. Professor Kristianson had predated the specimens that we had gathered from the humanoid to be prior to the known period of the first Homo sapiens or Homo Habilus. This had meant that the humanoid had predated them.

Of course, this was all merely a theory we had been circulating with our thoughts and ideas. Nonetheless, as men of science that we were, the notion of that feasibility was conducive to the evidence we had amassed. The fossils that we had retrieved were not affected. They were still intact in the storage room. It had seemed that the humanoid had no need for them.

His only action was to leave the base, and he was able to achieve his escape with efficaciousness. What we did not know at the moment was that he had escaped. We had abandoned the search. There was no necessity for a reconnoitre. There was a surreptitious location, beneath the layers of ice near that mountainous valley, where the humanoid had gone to that night.

20th of October 1918

We had failed to locate the humanoid during the night, and upon the morning, we had resumed the desperate search. Half of the men would join us, and the other remaining would stay behind at the base, in case the humanoid had returned. We had gone to the excavation at the site that we had called point A, where the fossils including the humanoid were discovered. The weather had become colder, during that blustery morning. It was -10 degrees Celsius and (13) degrees Fahrenheit.

We were aware that the temperatures in the winter could drop to -80 degrees Celsius (-112) Fahrenheit. All of these previous calculated measures were taken into consideration before the expedition, but we were not totally prepared to confront the humanoid and the aftermath that had ensued.

Who in their right mind would asseverate that they were prepared, for a being that had lived billions of years ago? Not only that, but he was also much more astute than we were in our actions and thoughts. I surely was not in my assertion. Over one of the mountains before reaching the valley of Point A, one of the men had discovered an enormous hole beneath the surface of the winter ice. At first, I had mistaken the hole to be a polynya, which was rare but seen on this continent.

Professor Kristianson had not agreed with my observation. The hole was a crater, the size of two full sized ships. As we excavated, we had discovered large chunks of what appeared to be fragments of a meteorite. This discovery would suggest that a meteorite had fallen from the sky and landed on Antarctica billions of years ago. From our studious assectation and examining, we had made that logical assumption. That was not the only thing we had located. We had located fragments as well of a spaceship.

This last discovery would be the most telling. It would connect the sequence of events that were unfolding and provide us with more answers. Answers that would fascinate and horrify us. We had taken the fragments of the meteorite and the spaceship with us back to the base. Upon our return, the men that had remained did not see the humanoid come back. My intuition was telling me that he was observing us from nearby, and it was a matter of time, before we would encounter him once more.

After examining the pieces of the meteorite and the spaceship, Professor Kristianson had intimated that the meteorite could had contained the oldest material in the solar system about billions of years old and that the spaceship had somehow collided, with the meteorite and was forced to land on Antarctica by mere necessity.

It was a bold claim to make by the professor, but it did make sense after looking at the photographs. What if the meteorite was linked in consecution to the spaceship? None of the professors had believed that the intended destination of the humanoid was the isolated continent of Antarctica. What was its intended destination?

This dubious thought had left us musing about the origin and reason the humanoid had come to the planet. Was it even possible that it had fallen to the earth, due to the collision with the meteorite? Whatever was the occurrence, it had only intrigued even more.

Professor Campbell had been examining more in detail, the specimens of the fossils we had retrieved before. He was convinced that the continent was at one time more hospitable to wildlife creatures, including the dinosaurs. Had our humanoid coincided with them at one time? How advanced was the humanoid compared to them? The thought of the humanoid co-existing with the dinosaurs in Antarctica had amazed me.

Nothing in the annals of history had ever recorded, such anomaly to this extent of co-existence. There had not been any evidence of alien life forms in the way of fossils or matter discovered at the point in time. Truly, we were on the verge of becoming pioneers of science. Three mere archaeologists in the middle of nowhere had made the most incredible and revealing discoveries.

Not only had we discovered the Elasmosaurus fossil, but as well the humanoid intact and alive. To suppose that a living being from outer space that was humanoid in appearance was once more breathing upon the earth was utterly unfathomable. We headed back to point A, to see if we could find more viable clues and evidence. When we reached the site, we had discovered that someone else had been to the site recently. Who was the question we had asked?

Although it was only a suspicion, we knew that it was the humanoid. Who else could be out here in Antarctica. We could not rule out that unbeknownst to us, outsiders had landed on the continent, but it was unlikely. We would have noticed their presence. What was strange were the footprints marked that were not sufficient to reveal the person or thing clearly.

This certainly had caused us to be more concerned and anxious, with the whereabouts of the humanoid and his position. It was obvious that he was watching our every step and action taken. This would imply that he knew how to cope, with the inhospitable weather and landscape, much better than us.

We did not have time to deal with suppositions. We had to devise a plan to capture him, before he left the continent or worse, decided to murder us. Essentially, we had to outsmart him with our ingenuity. We had excavated the rigid ice and were able to penetrate more into the stiffened surface of the area, where the space ship was located. Unfortunately, we were not able to locate more fragments, except of few that were unrecognisable and too brittle.

Thus, we had to leave behind one of the men at the site, until the night had fallen. It was an imminent risk and peril we were taking and asking the man to do, but one of the men had volunteered to stay behind at the site for the nonce. When we had returned to the base, we had discovered that the men that had remained were all dead. Gutierrez, Santinni, the Argentines and Olsen, Pedersen, the Norwegians had all perished, along with Hofland the day before. Gundersen and Bergland had accompanied us.

We had left Helmark behind at the site. The killer had killed again, and with the same modus operandi. Their necks were broken, and their eyes drained of their natural colour. Quickly, we were reduced of men and supplies. The humanoid had taken some of our supplies with him. He had taken clothing and torches too. What would a humanoid need with these things?

Professor Campbell had suggested that we did not separate, and that the humanoid existed amongst us. It was unclear at first what he was implying, until he had explicated that the humanoid had limitations like us, and he was perhaps attempting to blend in and assume one of our identities.

If this was proven true, then it was a frightening and disturbing revelation. This also meant that we were not in absolute control of the situation. The options that were available to us was to either stay and find the humanoid or leave at once Antarctica, with what we had with the fossils and more importantly, with our lives.

I had opted to leave with the fossils we had in our possession, but Professor Kristianson wanted to stay and capture the humanoid. The fact that we were then reduced in numbers did not dissuade the professor, it only had emboldened his need to find the humanoid. The decision was made to stay at least, a pair of days more. It would be a decision that would haunt us and at the same time enthrall us.

Professor Kristianson was insistent on capturing the humanoid, and I was persistent in my belief that the humanoid knew where to find us. It was not hard, since we were forced to stay at the base. What I had wanted to know was how much better could the humanoid adapt to the unbearable conditions outside, during the night? Once more I thought in the back of my head, why did it require clothing?

After realising that the humanoid was an alien and not human in composition, then it made sense that it was using the clothing to disguise itself. The humanoid had seemed to be an anthropomorphic being in appearance and characteristics, but it was much more than that I had perceived.

Was is probable that it could alter its shape or matter and manifest, as human or any form of existence? If this was the case, then we were dealing with a being much more advanced than us in its nucleus. Had it come from another galaxy, from the vast and interminable cosmos? I was under the impression that it did come from outer space.

21st of October 1918

We were extremely cautious from that moment. Without knowing the culprit, we had lost important men of the expedition already, at the hands of the murderer. What was the culprit seeking? As with the first murder, the men had choked marks, as if they were strangled. Whatever being this humanoid was in nature, it had demonstrated great strength to have killed the men with little effort exhausted.

Some of our men were tall and robust in stature. Helmark had not returned back to the base that night. We were worried about his fate, knowing what had betided to the others. I could not sleep that night, with the thought that poor Helmark was all alone to face the cold and the daunting humanoid. The day was cold, but we had returned to the valley behind the mountains where our site was at, to see if Helmark was there. Professor Kristianson had suspected that the humanoid would return the next morning, and he was correct.

Upon our return, we had found poor Helmark lying stone dead on the surface of ice with a pallid look, as if something had taken the breath out of him instantly.

The startling look in the expression of Professor Campbell was exactly the same as mine, utter disbelief. The method of the murderer was identical to the other murders. The victims were all blanched in pallor and had their breathed absorbed.

We were reduced then to five persons from the original expedition that had left the ship. Gundersen, Bergland, Professor Campbell, Professor Kristianson and myself. There was, of course, the humanoid of which we had not located. As we returned to the base and had gathered in the main room, we began to discuss our options once more. Professor Campbell had voiced my concern of staying and thought it was time to leave the continent, with what we had. I had made clear my position and had stated to the others that we could not risk anymore deaths, even if that meant jeopardising the mission.

The mission for me was over. The unnecessary deaths of the others and the lack of men were sufficient to convince me of that gruesome reality. Professor Kristianson did not think so and had wanted to proceed at whatever cost. I don't know exactly why he was so adamant about continuing the expedition, but I had sensed that there was something odd that was occurring with him that I could not easily discern or perceive at that time.

I could sense that he was aware of everything that was transpiring, yet he had seemed to be indifferent to the deaths of the men. He tried to sway us by arguing that if we would find the humanoid, we would be able to uncover the countless secrets of our planet and the rest of the universe. He also argued that we had come so far to give up then.

The ship was still off the coast and prepared to live at any moment. We go return to the ship and bring more supplies and men. We had the instruments of radios at our disposal, which we used constantly. The only negative thing was that the radios were not that effective at long distance. I had used the radio to communicate with the crew on board of the Holberg and had apprised them about our ordeal.

It was determined that Gundersen, Bergland would return to the ship and we three professors would remain behind at the base. The men would leave, but they never returned. They would never reach the ship, and they would be murdered along the way.

That night, I was in the laboratory. I was again examining the follicles and skin tissues under the microscope. The follicles and skin tissues had resembled human, but it did not prove with an incontrovertible distinction that the humanoid was purely human. It merely proved after further examination that he had taken on a human form, through either some pattern of evolution or by an alien transformation.

The need to know had been gnawing at me. I began to ponder the question, if the human body consisted of trillions of cells, each capable of growth and alteration, then could not the humanoid that we had discovered, not be capable of adapting to the cell structure of a Homo sapiens or Homo Habilis?

Was the humanoid attempting to take human form and was interrupted by the ice and blustery cold? Could he had been trapped in Antarctica by the ice? Or during an ice age? I dismissed the ice age theory and was more convinced that the humanoid had collided, with the meteorite and was mistakenly buried, under the thick layers of the ice sheets of the mountainous valley.

Professor Campbell had abruptly entered the laboratory to announce that Professor Kristianson was gone. He could not locate him in any place at the base. With immediacy, we had attempted to radio the ship, but with no luck. The frequency of the transmission was inaudible or unintelligible. Professor Campbell and I were all alone at the base, and with no one to help us look for the missing professor. Compound that with the fact that it was now -17 degrees Celsius or (0) degrees Fahrenheit outside.

We had been discussing the possibility that the humanoid had snatched and killed the professor. I had begun to suspect even more that Professor Kristianson was hiding something from us, or he had gone off to find the humanoid on his own. When I had shared my ideas about the humanoid's possible cell structure in comparison to that of a human, Professor Campbell then made a shocking possibility. He had suggested that Professor Kristianson was the humanoid.

When I had heard him say that I could not believe that, but after ruminating I began to think that it was not that irrational. As we had continued the conversation, Professor Kristianson had walked into the room. He had startled us both. When we asked him where he had gone, he had told us that he was looking for the humanoid in the bitter cold. I had looked at his hands, and they were not suffering chilblains nor any ill effects of the cold, which I thought was queer.

I thought about what Professor Campbell had mentioned about the professor being the humanoid. Thus, I had revealed to Professor Kristianson about the comparison of the cell structure from the humanoid to humans that I had examined, under the microscope. I had sensed that he was surprised by that discovery.

He wanted to examine the hair follicles and skin tissues for himself. He had spent several minutes intensively examining the specimens. Afterwards, he looked straight into our eyes and had said to us that the humanoid and humans were indeed intrinsically connected.

There was something else that he wanted to inform us. We were correct in our assumption that the meteorite and the spaceship were connected. It was then that he began to tell us who he was really was in essence. The professor Kristianson that we had known, was no longer alive. The humanoid had assumed his identity and was indeed male.

It was a shocking revelation and one that had left us both speechless. It was the confirmation that the humanoid had existed and could take human form, but this was not only the most disturbing thing to hear. The humanoid that had taken the form of the professor had told us that he had come to our galaxy billions of years ago, from a faraway galaxy that was unknown to humans.

This was not that surprising, because we had located the spaceship. What was surprising was what he had professed afterwards. In the admission of his words, he was the ancestor to the first know primitive man, Homo habilis. He had told us that our direct descendants came from his galaxy, not from the supposed evolution of an ape as Darwinism suggested, or a celestial god from the heavens. Homo habilis was an experiment gone wrong.

The homo sapiens that had developed on the Earth, had carried the cell structure of his species. It was merely circumstantial and consequential that he had arrived on the planet Earth, and that we Homo sapiens evolved to our present state. I could not help but ponder as he was relating these things, if our primitive ancestors on Earth had worshipped, a genuine race of these cosmic beings that projected themselves, as humanoids to us in their grandeur?

If so, then were the legendary and ancient Greek, Egyptian, Nordic, and Roman gods from the vast cosmos? I could imagine this occurring thousands of years ago. It would explain the continual veneration of these pagan gods, but there was something that I had not understood and that was, why did the humanoid have to kill to survive? Why did he kill our men to be precise?

When he was asked, his reply offered little comfort in the way of an explanation. He was forced to kill, in order to survive. When I had pressed him on the matter, he admitted to the ghastly nature of the deaths, but once more reiterated his position. He was suspended in animation, when he had located him, behind a thick layer of ice from the rock formations of the valley of the mountains.

When we had him brought back to the laboratory and base, he was still in suspension. As the ice gradually began to melt and he was able to break out of the ice, his body had immediately become weaker. He had to regain his energy and recharge his cell structure.

Thus, he was forced to kill the guard and the rest of the men as well. When I had asked him about the discolouration of the eyes on the murdered men, he said that there were caused by him, draining the cells from the men after they were murdered. It was not his intention to kill them, but he had no other choice. He had to survive at whatever cost.

It was surreal yet true that all this time, we were sleeping and living at the base, with the killer that was the humanoid. Professor Campbell had asked, why he did not kill the dogs. The humanoid responded by telling us that they had offered no value to him, since they did not have any worthy intelligence.

As Professor Campbell and I stood before the humanoid, we had wondered what would happen next. Were we to be his next unfortunate victims, or were we to be spared? We were at a disadvantage. We had no weapon to carry nor and exit to flee. We were at the mercy of the humanoid. This was not encouraging to know.

We were aware of the fact that he could have killed us then at the base, yet he had decided not to kill us then. When we enquired about what he was planning on doing with us, he had told us that he was seeking our cooperation. I had asked him obfuscated, in what manner could we assist him.

He stared at us and simply said to us that he had wanted the ship, so that he could leave Antarctica. When I asked him why, he had told us that he was going to find the necessary materials he needed to repair his ship. It was a harrowing decision to make.

We knew that if we conceded to his demand, then he would possibly let us go. Professor Campbell had not believed that. He knew that the humanoid would ultimately kill us. I had realised that if we gave him the ship, he would too be forced to kill the other men.

We could not let him escape from the continent. He told us that he had the wisdom and knowledge to offer mankind great discoveries. We had to stop him. If he would reach civilisation, he would cause tremendous havoc and terror. The question was how could we achieve this? He was not that facile to destroy, but there was one way in which we could stop him, and that was to freeze him again. We had to imprison him beneath the ice.

22nd of October 1918

We were forced to dissimulate and hide our intention. We had convinced him that we would take him back in the morning. The temperature was cold and the winds were bustling a rousing birr. I had explained to Professor Campbell the plan, just before we were about to leave. The humanoid had stepped away. He was back at Point A. It was enough time for us to calculate our plan and effectuate it the best that we could.

We knew that we would not have much time nor another opportunity. It was either sooner than later. We were in total agreement, and the details were simplistic in nature. We were going to stop the humanoid, from leaving the continent. There were no elaborate tricks or beguilement we were going to utilise. We had the instrumentality of our knowledge at our disposal. It did not imply that we were underestimating the prowess and intellect of the humanoid.

The irony was that we could not escape the continent, without him knowing. If we had left whilst he was back at the Point A, then he would eventually have apprehended us. He had released the dogs, and we had no sleds. The radio was not operating as well.

It was a direful and bleak circumstance we had found ourselves emerged deep within its grasp. The more time had elapsed, we had felt that the humanoid would kill us too. To run in the stark cold to the ship was suicide. The radios were not effective. The humanoid had sliced our thermal footwear to prevent us, from escaping far from the base. It was unsettling to not be capable of escaping nor doing anything else but wait, for a being that had murdered already.

We knew all too well his capability to kill and his desire to leave Antarctica. It had certainly meant also, leaving us stranded behind in the middle of nowhere if left alive. Professor Campbell had remembered that there was a particular place before the valley near the mountains, where he had believed there was a thick patch of ice, whose layers were deep enough to freeze and imprison the humanoid.

It was where we had found that huge hole in the surface of the ice. If we could only fool him to go there, we could indeed trap him. It was parlous in nature, but we had no other choice given to us. We were both willing to sacrifice our lives, if necessary.

Our advantage was that it was cold enough for the ice to free, but we were not that certain how deep the hole was. If it was truly deep, then it would be sufficient to contain him, until the waters had frozen anon. Confidence was the only thing that we could grasp on to for hope and success. We gathered all the information that we had on the humanoid in the written form, and we had concealed the fossils retrieved also in our haversacks.

The humanoid was more occupied with what he was bringing back to the ship than what we had in our belongings, which was not much at all. He had allowed us to bury the dead under piles of rocks we had carved out and brought with us to the base, during our time at Point A, with the exception of Helmark who was back at the site.

There was never a Point B. We had not reached the other side of the continent to place a site at. The expedition had planned to embark from the original base. There were supposed to be more expeditions to be followed, if we were successful in our endeavours.

That would not be until a year at least. The thought of being stranded in the Antarctica for a year was definitely frightening and haunting. Once the humanoid had returned, he had told us to grab our belongings and that we were leaving the base for the ship off the coast. He was carrying a rifle, and he would walk behind us during our trip.

I was bold enough to confront the humanoid, on the issue of retrieving Helmark's dead body. He was not content with the idea, but he had acquiesced. Somehow, he had located the dogs and had tied them to our sleds in preparation for our trip. During the trip to the site, we could feel the bitter cold on our feet, as we had trodden upon the ice surface. He was well clothed. We could see from the distance, the indicated place that we had planned on freezing the humanoid.

Everything was going in accordance to our plan. The humanoid had not suspected our intention. I was the closest to the humanoid, and I would be the one to push him into the deep hole. The closer we got, the closer my heart pounded with anxiety.

There was no turning back. It was either we stop him, or he would destroy us. It was not the moment to doubt our plan one bit. We had put all the pieces into motion. It only required our actions. At around precisely ten o'clock, as I had looked at my watch, we had reached the designated area. Amain, I had pushed the humanoid into the expected hole, and he fell under the thick layer of ice screaming. He had attempted to grasp on to the surface of the ice, but it quickly absorbed him entirely.

The hole was deeper than we had imagined, and he had fallen down below its gripping water of terror. It was too deep for him to free himself. All around him was the immovable ice that was impossible to break. It would be his wretched prison once more. His face and body began to deform, into a hideous thing that was a blob of mass.

This was due to the change in his cell structure. I had grabbed the rifle and shot at one of the towering peaks of the mountain full of ice. It was enough to cause an avalanche. The avalanche would bury him under the water. The question was for how long? We would not stay to know that answer.

As we watched the pile of ice that fell over the humanoid, we took a deep breath and had exhaled. We had left the area for good, using the sleds. The dogs would pull us back to the ship. We were exhausted, but we were heading back to civilisation. On board of the ship, the rest of the crew that had remained had welcomed us, but they were sad to see that the others had perished during the expedition. No one had durst to envision such a cruel outcome, nor a horrendous occurrence. I could say that I had not fathomed these things.

What had begun, as an exciting possibility had abated, into a terrible nightmare that was real. The only positive thing that we had managed to salvage was the fossils we had retrieved from the site. I would have never expected the number of crewmen we had lost there at the bloody continent of hell.

There is a good reason that few men dare to venture to the Antarctica and those that do, do at their discretion. As we departed the coast, I had to see for one last time, the dreadful mountainous valley, where the humanoid was left buried, under the thick layers of ice.

Instant chills ran down my spine. Just the thought of what had transpired with the humanoid and the deceased men had given me enough images to rattle me. I said my goodbyes to Antarctica. I would never return to the continent, but others would. I would seldom read the newspapers or listen to idle talk on the matter. I had remained in correspondence with my good colleague Professor Campbell, who was in Canada.

He had been excavating the areas of northern Canada, near the North Pole a year after our expedition. He had invited me to join him on an expedition to the North Pole. I cordially had told him that I was occupied. I did not want to seem disinterested, but the memory of what had occurred back at Antarctica was still fresh on my mind.

How could I forget the event that had unfolded and the horrible faces of the dead men? I had felt a certain guilt that these men had perished, because I was at fault. Professor Kristianson's body would never be retrieved. Although the humanoid had taken his life and ultimately his body to the depth of the Antarctic ice, I could not avoid to feel pity for his actual demise. As I sit here writing my memoirs about our time spent together, I wonder if the humanoid is still there, where we had buried him.

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