[ WP ] We finally get men on Mars and they discover an old Soviet flag placed down decades ago . The Soviets won the space race but for whatever horrifying reason did n't say anything .

First it was the flag. A manned Soviet mission to Mars would have been the ultimate propaganda, but even decades later there had never been any mention of it. When the response from Earth came back, the Russian government claimed that no trace of such a mission existed within their records. 
 
 Then it was the ship. Years of wear from the Martian storms had damaged it almost beyond recognition, but a closer inspection began to identify a number of irregularities – multiple components inside the ship that would have otherwise been protected had been irreparably destroyed. While the damage was haphazard and imprecise, the crew ’ s engineer concluded that the most likely cause was deliberate sabotage by one or more members of the original team. 
 
 Then came the doors. The Soviet team had constructed their base inside a nearby cave system, presumably to hide it from orbital surveys, with the entrance protected by a heavy blast door. The level of security was understandable given the political situation at the time, and it took several hours to repurpose the mining equipment brought on the mission and gain entry, but as the crew ventured further into the base they were faced with door after door. Each was sealed through no small amount of effort – seams had been welded together, mechanical components had been forcibly fused, control panels had been ripped from the walls, and hydraulic tanks had been drained of their contents. 
 
 Finally the team reached the final room of the facility. Schematics from one of the offices indicated it had been a secure storage area, with only one entrance and an isolated life support system in the case of chemical leaks. Once the door had been forced open, the fate of the Soviet crew was finally revealed: shredded suits and shattered bones littered the area, separated with considerable force. Of the cause of the devastation no sign could be found, and a check of the room confirmed that there were no other entrances that hadn ’ t been recorded on the plans. 
 
 Having completed their search, the team began to make their way back to the surface to report their findings. But the images continued to linger in their minds, and though they dared not say it aloud, every member of the crew could feel a rising sense of dread; as if unseen eyes were burning holes in their backs…
