Original subtitles

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW,

MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

INSIDE THE TOP SECRET TERROR DOMES.

THAT'S GOTTA BE ONE OF THE MOST

UNUSUAL BUILDINGS I'VE EVER SEEN.

Narrator: ROMANS IN THE AMERICAS.

WHAT IS A ROMAN RUIN DOING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ANDES?

IT REALLY BOGGLES THE MIND.

AND DAWN OF THE ICE MUTANTS.

Carter: IT SOUNDS LIKE SCIENCE FICTION,

BUT IT REALLY ISN'T.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

**

**

FEBRUARY 17, 2020.

CARLO MUNOZ IS ON MAINLAND BRITAIN,

MAKING HIS WAY TO THE COUNTY OF SUFFOLK

ON THE FAR EAST OF THE ISLAND.

A SATELLITE PASSING ABOVE ITS COAST

HAS CAPTURED SOMETHING BIZARRE.

Moran: THIS IS REALLY PERPLEXING.

IT'S LIKE A HUGE FAN EMBEDDED IN THE EARTH

LIKE SOME KIND OF GINORMOUS ANCIENT BASEBALL DIAMOND.

Narrator: MUNOZ IS A MILITARY JOURNALIST

AND RECOGNIZES THE MASSIVE FEATURE.

THIS PARTICULAR STRUCTURE IS PART OF COBRA MIST,

WHICH WAS BASICALLY A JOINT AMERICAN-BRITISH INTELLIGENCE

PROGRAM DURING THE COLD WAR

SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO SPY ON THE SOVIETS.

Narrator: CONSTRUCTION OF THE HIGHLY CLANDESTINE

EARLY-WARNING RADAR STATION BEGINS IN 1968,

BUT IT'S PLAGUED BY TECHNICAL ISSUES,

AND THE GOVERNMENT SHUTS IT DOWN BEFORE IT BECOMES OPERATIONAL.

Morgan: IT PICKED UP A GREAT DEAL OF BACKSCATTER,

AND THAT BACKSCATTER MADE IT THEREFORE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE

TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FLOCK OF BIRDS IN FLIGHT

OR A FLIGHT OF SOVIET BACKFIRE BOMBERS.

Narrator: YET MUNOZ HAS FOUND EVIDENCE THAT

THE STORY OF THIS STRANGE FACILITY DOESN'T END THERE.

Munoz: LOOKING AT THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT REALLY BUGS ME.

ABOUT A MILE AWAY FROM THE COBRA MIST LOCATION,

THERE'S ABOUT 10 BUNKER-LIKE STRUCTURES,

AND I CAN'T REALLY DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE THERE FOR

OR WHY THEY WERE BUILT.

Narrator: THE BUNKERS DON'T LOOK LIKE

ANY KNOWN RADAR TECHNOLOGY,

NOR DOES MUNOZ BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE GUN EMPLACEMENTS.

Munoz: NOW, IF THERE'S NO DEFENSIVE PURPOSE FOR THEM,

WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?

AND WHY ARE THEY SO HIGHLY FORTIFIED?

Narrator: FOLLOWING THE IMAGE COORDINATES,

MUNOZ ARRIVES AT AN ANCIENT VILLAGE CALLED ORFORD.

**

THE MYSTERY STRUCTURES LIE HIDDEN ON

A STRIP OF LAND ONLY ACCESSIBLE BY BOAT.

**

-Munoz: HEY. -NICE TO MEET YOU.

Munoz: NICE TO MEET YOU.

**

Narrator: THIS RIVER IS CALLED THE ORE,

AND 1,000 YEARS AGO, IT CARRIED VIKING RAIDERS

SEEKING PLUNDER INLAND.

TODAY, IT FORMS A PERFECT DEFENSIVE BARRIER

AROUND THE SITE REVEALED FROM SPACE.

[ METAL SQUEAKING ]

[ SEAGULLS CALLING ]

IF YOU WERE TRYING TO DISGUISE OR HIDE SOME SORT

OF PROJECT, POSSIBLY CLASSIFIED OR TOP SECRET,

THIS REALLY WOULD BE THE PLACE TO DO IT.

Narrator: MUNOZ FINDS HIMSELF ON A BLEAK

10-MILE STRETCH OF SHINGLE AND STONE,

BUFFERED BY THE FREEZING WATERS OF THE NORTH SEA.

**

**

THIS IS REALLY, REALLY BIZARRE.

I MEAN, THIS BUILDING,

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF GRAVEL PILED AROUND

THE SIDES, WHICH GIVE IT AN ADDED LAYER OF PROTECTION.

-[ METAL SQUEAKING ] -[ MUNOZ GRUNTS ]

AH!

THIS -- THIS HALLWAY HERE, IT'S JUST -- IT'S MASSIVE.

THIS WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING DESIGNED

TO BRING IN HEAVY MACHINERY, HEAVY TRUCKS.

**

LOOKS LIKE THIS ROOF IS GONNA GO ANY SECOND.

Narrator: WHATEVER TOOK PLACE HERE,

IT APPEARS TO HAVE LEFT A TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION IN ITS WAKE.

GOT A SIGN HERE.

**

"TRIAL IMMINENT. NO ENTRY WITHOUT PERMISSION.

TRIAL IN PROGRESS."

SO IF YOU HAD TO WARN PEOPLE

TO KEEP AWAY FROM THESE FACILITIES THIS FAR BACK,

THEY HAD TO HAVE BEEN TESTING SOMETHING INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS.

**

Narrator: THE NEXT STRUCTURE OFFERS A SINISTER CLUE

TO THE NATURE OF THESE TRIALS.

WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING IS,

LOOKING INSIDE,

YOU SEE THIS KIND OF STRANGE SORT OF PANELING.

THAT TELLS ME THAT THIS IS

PROBABLY SOME SORT OF RESEARCH FACILITY.

I KNOW THE BRITISH DID A LOT OF RESEARCH INTO NERVE AGENTS.

YOU KNOW, THEY TOOK TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY -- FROM THE GERMANS

IN WORLD WAR II AND STARTED REFINING IT ON THEIR OWN.

I ALSO KNOW THAT THE BRITISH DID

DO SOME WORK WEAPONIZING THOSE NERVE AGENTS.

Narrator: THE EXPERIMENTS ON LETHAL COMPOUNDS

SUCH AS SARIN LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF

THE INFAMOUS VX NERVE AGENT DURING THE 1950s.

AS IF THE COLD WAR DIDN'T PROVIDE

ENOUGH OF A CATALOG OF HORRORS FOR US,

ONE THING THAT WE NOW KNOW IS THAT THESE ARE, IN MANY CASES,

TESTED ON SUBJECTS THAT WEREN'T AWARE THAT THEY WERE

BEING EXPOSED TO THESE AGENTS.

Narrator: THE TESTS INCLUDE PUMPING BACTERIAL SPORES

INTO THE LONDON SUBWAY SYSTEM.

[ INDISTINCT VOICE OVER INTERCOM ]

Narrator: AND THE AERIAL RELEASE OF CLOUDS OF PLAGUE MICROBES.

Moran: DURING ONE INCIDENT, THE BRITISH DROPPED

THIS CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE OF UNKNOWN TOXIC POTENTIAL

ON NORWICH, WHICH IS ONLY 50 MILES

FROM THE EXACT SITE OF OUR SATELLITE IMAGE.

Munoz: THIS AREA, BECAUSE IT'S SO ISOLATED,

IS THE RIGHT PLACE TO DO THESE KINDS OF TESTS.

Narrator: MUNOZ HOPES THE FINAL STRUCTURES WILL SHED

LIGHT ON THE NATURE OF THESE EXPERIMENTS.

THAT'S GOTTA BE ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL BUILDINGS

I HAVE EVER SEEN.

[ BIRDS CALLING ]

**

YOU KNOW, THE WAY IT'S DESIGNED.

IT'S LIKE SOMETHING YOU'D SEE IN ANCIENT GREECE,

NOT THE COAST OF ENGLAND.

Narrator: THE WEIRD EDIFICE IS UNLIKE ANYTHING

THE MILITARY JOURNALIST HAS ENCOUNTERED BEFORE.

IF THIS STRUCTURE WAS USED FOR SOME SORT OF WEAPONS TESTING,

WHAT WERE THEY TESTING, AND WHERE DID THOSE WEAPONS END UP?

**

Narrator: COMING UP...

THE STRANGE COMPOUND'S DEADLY SECRET.

Munoz: IT HAS SORT OF A GRAVEYARD FEEL TO IT.

Narrator: AND WEIRD SCIENCE AT THE END OF THE EARTH.

IT MAKES ME WONDER WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING HERE.

**

**

Narrator: DRAWN BY A GROUP OF LARGE,

ISOLATED BUILDINGS REVEALED FROM SPACE,

CARLO MUNOZ IS ON THE SUFFOLK COAST IN ENGLAND.

HE'S DISCOVERED A FORSAKEN MILITARY RESEARCH FACILITY

POSSIBLY USED TO DEVELOP AND TEST NERVE AGENTS.

THERE'S NO ONE AROUND HERE FOR -- FOR MILES.

SO, IF IT GOES BAD, NO ONE WOULD REALLY KNOW.

Narrator: TWO STRUCTURES ON THE CLANDESTINE SITE

REMAIN UNEXPLORED.

THEY APPEAR TO CONCEAL LARGE PITS IN THEIR CENTERS.

Munoz: THE ROOF ON THIS STRUCTURE IS JUST MASSIVE.

I MEAN, THAT'S GOT TO BE A GOOD 4 OR 5 FEET THICK

OF JUST PURE CONCRETE, AND IT'S SUPPORTED BY

THESE SERIES OF PILLARS.

Narrator: TO THE MILITARY JOURNALIST,

THE DESIGN SUGGESTS HIS HUNCH

ABOUT CHEMICAL WEAPONS TESTING WAS WRONG.

YOU DON'T NEED A WALL THIS THICK TO TEST

HOW A CHEMICAL OR NERVE AGENT AFFECTS A SOLDIER,

SO THAT CAN'T BE WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

THIS STRUCTURE WAS USED FOR SOME SORT OF HEAVY

WEAPONS TESTING.

IF THAT TEST WENT WRONG,

WHAT WOULD LIKELY HAPPEN IS THE EXPLOSION WOULD

BLOW THESE COLUMNS OUT

AND BASICALLY DROP THIS MASSIVE CONCRETE ROOF

ON TOP OF THE BLAST PIT.

Narrator: AND MUNOZ HAS SUSPICIONS

ABOUT WHAT KIND OF WEAPONS TEST WOULD NEED

A SARCOPHAGUS THIS BIG AND THIS FORTIFIED.

THE ONLY WEAPON I KNOW WHERE, IF THE TEST GOES WRONG,

YOU WANT TO ENCASE EVERYTHING IN CONCRETE,

IS A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

Narrator: IF THIS IS A NUCLEAR FACILITY,

ITS APPARENT AGE IS INTRIGUING.

Munoz: THE CONSTRUCTION

LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING YOU'D SEE IN PROBABLY

THE EARLY FIFTIES.

AND IF THAT'S THE CASE,

THIS ENTIRE COMPLEX COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE SITES

WHERE GREAT BRITAIN DEVELOPED ITS FIRST NUCLEAR WEAPON.

Narrator: FOR MANY PEOPLE,

THE ATOMIC AGE STARTS IN 1945

WHEN THE ENOLA GAY DROPS

THE LITTLE BOY BOMB OVER HIROSHIMA.

YET THE JOURNEY TOWARDS NUCLEAR OBLIVION BEGINS

WITH A DISCOVERY MADE IN ENGLAND DECADES EARLIER.

IN MANY WAYS, ENGLAND IS THE BIRTHPLACE

OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.

IT WAS ACTUALLY A BRITISH PHYSICIST WHO

WAS THE FIRST ONE TO SPLIT AN ATOM.

Narrator: THAT PHYSICIST IS ERNEST RUTHERFORD,

WHO, IN 1917, BECOMES THE FIRST PERSON TO CREATE

AN ARTIFICIAL NUCLEAR REACTION.

BY THE DAWN OF WORLD WAR II,

BRITISH ATOMIC RESEARCH LEADS THE WORLD.

BUT FEARING A NAZI INVASION,

PRIME MINISTER WINSTON CHURCHILL DECIDES TO ACCELERATE

HIS NUCLEAR BOMB PROGRAM BY

COLLABORATING WITH THE U.S. ON THE MANHATTAN PROJECT.

Silbey: CHURCHILL HANDED OVER BRITISH ATOMIC SECRETS

TO THE AMERICANS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE AMERICANS WERE NOT

QUITE AS GENEROUS IN RETURN.

Narrator: WHEN THE WAR ENDS, PARANOID ABOUT SHARING

THE SECRETS OF THEIR NEW MEGA WEAPON,

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

THE U.S. CLASSIFIES ITS ATOMIC RESEARCH PROGRAM.

Announcer: THE ATOM BOMB CAREFULLY SCREENED, IS WHEELED

TO THE B-29 THAT'S ABOUT TO CARRY IT TO BIKINI.

NOT EVEN A GLIMPSE OF THIS EPOCH-MAKING MISSILE

IS PERMITTED.

WASHINGTON DECIDED TO CUT THE BRITISH OUT OF THE PLAN

COMPLETELY AND KEEP THE TECHNOLOGY FOR THEMSELVES,

WHICH LEFT LONDON NO OTHER CHOICE THAN TO HAVE TO START

THE PROGRAM AGAIN FROM SCRATCH.

Narrator: IN 1949, PRESSURE ON THE BRITISH NUCLEAR PROGRAM

INCREASES WHEN RUSSIA BECOMES THE SECOND

GLOBAL NUCLEAR POWER.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

[ INDISTINCT TALKING ]

THE UNITED KINGDOM SUDDENLY FELT EXTREMELY VULNERABLE.

[ INDISTINCT TALKING ]

AND IT LEADS ONE BRITISH POLITICIAN TO MAKE THE STATEMENT

THAT WE NEED AN ATOMIC BOMB,

AND WE NEED IT TO HAVE A BLOODY UNION JACK ON TOP OF IT.

Narrator: DECLASSIFIED COLD WAR FILES

REVEAL THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT BUILDS THE SITE IN

THE IMAGE, CALLED ORFORD NESS, TO COUNTERACT

THE COMMUNIST NUCLEAR THREAT.

Announcer: AND NOW, AS THE MOMENT OF DETONATION

DRAWS NEAR, THE ATMOSPHERE IN

THE CONTROL ROOM BECOMES INCREASINGLY TENSE.

THE BRITISH NUCLEAR PROGRAM DID ULTIMATELY SUCCEED.

IN OCTOBER OF 1952, BRITAIN EXPLODED

ITS FIRST NUCLEAR WEAPON.

[ TICKING NOISES ]

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

THAT EXPLOSION ANNOUNCED

BRITAIN AS THE THIRD NUCLEAR POWER IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: BRITAIN'S FIRST OPERATIONAL NUCLEAR WEAPON IS

A 10,000-POUND FREEFALL BOMB CODE NAMED BLUE DANUBE.

THE PRECISE DETAILS OF ORFORD NESS'S ROLE IN ITS DEVELOPMENT

REMAIN CLASSIFIED,

YET ITS DECAYING STRUCTURES OFFER CLUES.

THIS LOOKS LIKE A BALLISTIC STOP WALL.

WHAT THEY PROBABLY DID FOR THE TEST IS THEY WOULD MOUNT

CAMERAS ON THERE

AND BE ACTUALLY ABLE TO FILM THE IMPACT OF MISSILE CASINGS

AND SEE HOW THEY REACTED.

Moran: AT ORFORD NESS, WEAPONS ARE TESTED WITH ALL

THE CONDITIONS THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY OCCUR BEFORE THEY'RE

DETONATED -- VIBRATION,

EXTREME TEMPERATURES, SHOCK, G FORCES, AND IMPACT.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

Narrator: IN 1958, AFTER YEARS OF MISTRUST,

BRITAIN AND THE U.S. REESTABLISH RELATIONS

AND BEGIN CONDUCTING ATOMIC TESTS TOGETHER.

OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS, THE STRANGE TEMPLES TO SCIENCE

WHICH ESTABLISHED BRITAIN AS A NUCLEAR POWER

SLOWLY FADE INTO OBSCURITY.

**

NATURE IS TAKING OVER.

IT HAS SORT OF A GRAVEYARD FEEL TO IT.

BUT IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT,

THIS PLACE WAS THE FRONT LINE FOR THE COLD WAR.

**

COMING UP, ICE WARS --

THE DAWN OF THE SUPER SOLDIER.

YOU WOULDN'T WANT THIS TECHNOLOGY TO FALL INTO

THE WRONG HANDS.

Narrator: AND THE MEGA BLAST THAT CHANGED HISTORY.

THE DETONATION IS JUST ABSOLUTELY CATASTROPHIC.

**

**

Narrator: NOVEMBER 8, 2019.

THE WorldView-3 SATELLITE SCANS

THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS ICE SHEETS OF ANTARCTICA.

Kourounis: YOU'VE GOT THIS WHITE BACKGROUND OF ALMOST

INFINITE SNOW,

BUT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE IS THIS BLOOD RED SPLOTCH

AS IF SOMEONE HAS TAKEN A GIANT KNIFE

AND DRIVEN IT INTO THE HEART OF THE ICE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.

THE SHADOW MAKES YOU REALIZE IT'S A VERY LARGE STRUCTURE.

I WOULD ASSUME IT'S AN ANTARCTIC BASE.

Narrator: THERE ARE AROUND 70 RESEARCH STATIONS IN ANTARCTICA,

BUT LAND RECORDS REVEAL THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE

ABOUT THIS ONE.

THERE ARE ACTUALLY SEVEN NATIONS THAT HAVE CLAIMS TO ANTARCTICA,

AND THE PORTION WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THESE IMAGES IS ACTUALLY

CONTROLLED BY AUSTRALIA.

BUT IT TURNS OUT THIS ISN'T AN AUSTRALIAN BASE.

Narrator: FOR INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS,

THE BASE'S COLOR IS SIGNIFICANT.

WHEN WE REFERENCED THE RECORDS OF

THOSE FACILITIES IN ANTARCTICA,

CHINA'S BASES DO APPEAR AS BRIGHT RED.

SO WHY IS A CHINESE BASE IN

THE MIDDLE OF ANTARCTICA ON AUSTRALIAN TERRITORY?

Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE CHINESE,

THE FACILITY HOUSES A 50-FOOT TELESCOPE,

WHICH WILL HELP STUDY EARTH-LIKE PLANETS AND DARK MATTER.

YET IMAGE ANALYSIS SUGGESTS

THE STRUCTURE MAY SERVE A DIFFERENT PURPOSE.

WE'RE NOT REALLY SEEING THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH ASTRONOMY.

THERE'S NO LARGE TELESCOPE.

THERE'S NO HEAVY MACHINERY FOR CREATING ONE.

IT MAKES ME WONDER WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING HERE.

Narrator: THE BASE IS ONE OF THREE

THAT CHINA HAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE REGION.

IT HAS NEVER BEEN INSPECTED BY AUSTRALIAN OFFICIALS.

WHAT TYPE OF EXPERIMENTATION IS BEING CONDUCTED?

THERE IS SO MUCH SPECULATION ABOUT THIS FACILITY,

BUT SO LITTLE OVERSIGHT.

Narrator: MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST ADAM RUBEN UNCOVERS EVIDENCE

THAT COULD EXPLAIN BEIJING'S

APPARENT FASCINATION WITH THESE VAST EXPANSES

OF ICE AND SNOW.

I'VE COME ACROSS A SERIES OF REPORTS THAT INDICATE

THE CHINESE ARE INTERESTED IN BIOPROSPECTING IN ANTARCTICA.

THIS IS BASICALLY THE SEARCH FOR ORGANISMS THAT

MIGHT CREATE MOLECULES THAT COULD HAVE COMMERCIAL USE.

Narrator: FROM MEDICINES TO TECHNOLOGY,

BIOPROSPECTING HAS POTENTIALLY

REVOLUTIONARY COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS.

Ruben: A LOT OF THE MEDICINES AND CHEMICALS WE USE

ARE DESIGNED BASED ON THINGS THAT LIVING CREATURES MAKE.

THIS KIND OF TECHNOLOGY IS FASCINATING,

BUT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH IT.

[ PENGUINS CALLING ]

Narrator: FOR BIOPROSPECTORS LOOKING TO EXPLOIT NATURE FOR

TECHNOLOGICAL GAIN,

ANTARCTICA IS A 5.5-MILLION- SQUARE-MILE GOLDMINE.

THE ORGANISMS OBVIOUSLY HAVE SOME REALLY COOL PROPERTIES

THAT ALLOW THEM TO LIVE AT SUCH EXTREME TEMPERATURES.

Narrator: ANTARCTICA IS THE COLDEST, DRIEST,

WINDIEST, AND HIGHEST CONTINENT ON EARTH.

IT MEANS THAT ORGANISMS HERE HAVE DEVELOPED GENES THAT

ENABLE THEM TO THRIVE IN THE HARSHEST

CONDITIONS IMAGINABLE.

THE GENES THAT WOULD POWER THESE ORGANISMS ARE ONES

THAT WOULD BE OF GREAT USE TO A GENETIC ENGINEER,

AND THE CHINESE ARE VERY INTERESTED IN GETTING THOSE.

Ruben: THE MOST CONCERNING THING THAT ANYONE COULD DO WITH

THIS TECHNOLOGY WOULD BE TO USE IT ON HUMANS WITHOUT PROPER

REGULATORY OVERSIGHT.

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE HAS RECENTLY EMERGED THAT BEIJING

IS POURING INCREASING AMOUNTS

OF ITS $250 BILLION DEFENSE BUDGET

INTO BIOTECHNOLOGY.

AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS RESEARCH IS

A REVOLUTIONARY GENETIC EDITING TOOL CALLED CRISPR.

Kourounis: IT'S ALL ABOUT SPLICING

THE BUILDING BLOCKS THAT MAKE UP,

WELL, US,

AND IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CURE ALL KINDS OF

GENETIC DISEASES.

AS PROMISING AS THAT IS,

YOU WOULDN'T WANT THIS TECHNOLOGY TO FALL

INTO THE WRONG HANDS.

Narrator: IN 2018, A CHINESE BIOPHYSICIST SUCCESSFULLY

AND ILLEGALLY CREATES

THE WORLD'S FIRST GENE-EDITED BABIES USING CRISPR TECHNOLOGY.

THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT IT COULD ALSO BE USED

TO SPLICE SUPERGENES FROM ANTARCTIC ORGANISMS

INTO HUMAN EMBRYOS.

IF YOU HAVE AN ORGANISM THAT CAN SURVIVE THOSE HARSH

WEATHER CONDITIONS,

IN THEORY, THAT NEW ORGANISM WILL HAVE THAT CAPABILITY.

**

Narrator: FOR THE MILITARY, THESE GENETIC

CAPABILITIES WOULD BE GAME-CHANGING.

YOU COULD ACTUALLY END UP WITH A UNIT

THAT IS COMPRISED OF SOLDIERS WITH INCREDIBLE STRENGTH,

INCREDIBLE ENDURANCE, ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

Narrator: THE AGE OF THE SUPER SOLDIER HAS BEGUN.

Carter: WHAT BETTER PLACE IN THE WORLD THAN

THE ANTARCTIC TO DO THIS KIND OF RESEARCH?

IT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE SCIENCE FICTION,

BUT IT REALLY ISN'T.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, THE LOST EMPIRE OF THE CLOUD WARRIORS.

THEY FIND THEMSELVES MERCILESSLY ENSLAVED.

Narrator: AND THE HEROES THAT CHANGED HISTORY.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEIR WORLD

JUST BLOWS UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.

**

**

Narrator: NOVEMBER 20, 2014.

AN EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE ORBITING OVER

THE PERUVIAN ANDES CAPTURES

AN ANOMALY FAR BELOW.

Paul: WHAT WE SEE IN THESE IMAGES

IS A VERY LUSH GREEN LANDSCAPE.

WHAT'S UNUSUAL IS, IN THIS CLEARING,

WE SEE A CLUSTER OF CIRCULAR STRUCTURES.

Krueger: WHEN YOU ZOOM IN REALLY CLOSELY,

YOU CAN SEE THAT THESE ARE ACTUALLY WALLS IN A STATE OF

GREAT DETERIORATION.

SO THEY MUST BE REALLY, REALLY OLD.

THE QUESTION IS, WHY WOULD SOMEBODY BE BUILDING

BUILDINGS LIKE THIS WAY HIGH UP IN THE ANDES?

**

Narrator: FEW ANCIENT PEOPLES SUCCEEDED IN CARVING OUT

AN EXISTENCE IN THE LOW OXYGEN ATMOSPHERE OF THE HIGH ANDES.

THERE'S ONLY ONE PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW IN THIS REGION

WHO ADAPT TO THAT HIGH ALTITUDE LIFESTYLE.

WE CALL THEM THE CHACHAPOYA.

Narrator: THE CHACHAPOYA, ALSO CALLED THE CLOUD WARRIORS,

RULE THESE JUNGLES AND MOUNTAINS BETWEEN THE NINTH

AND FIFTEENTH CENTURIES A.D.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HOPE THIS SITE

REVEALED FROM SPACE COULD SHED NEW LIGHT

ON THIS POWERFUL, YET MYSTERIOUS, CIVILIZATION.

WE KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THIS CULTURE,

BUT IF THEY WERE BUILT BY THE CHACHAPOYA, THESE CIRCULAR

STRUCTURES COULD BE 1,000 YEARS OLD OR MORE.

Narrator: THE CLOUD WARRIORS LEAVE NO WRITTEN RECORDS.

BUT STUDIES SUGGEST THEY ARE HEADHUNTERS,

MACABRE TROPHIES OF THE MANY TRIBES THEY CONQUERED.

THEY BUILD GIANT SARCOPHAGI INTO CLIFFS TO HONOR THEIR DEAD

AND TERRIFY THEIR ENEMIES.

SOME OF THE LEGEND REFERS TO SHAMANS HAVING AN ABILITY TO

SHAPESHIFT INTO DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANIMAL FIGURES.

SO THEY WERE DEFINITELY FEARED BY OTHER PEOPLE IN THE REGION.

Narrator: CLOSE TO THE SITE IN THE IMAGE,

WROUGHT IN STONE, CAN BE FOUND

EVIDENCE OF THE CLOUD WARRIORS'

IMMENSE POWER AND SKILL.

KUELAP IS THE CHACHAPOYAS' LARGEST

MOUNTAIN CITADEL.

IT'S EVEN BIGGER THAN THE FAMOUS MACHU PICCHU.

Narrator: AT ITS HEIGHT, THE CLOUD WARRIORS' EMPIRE

SPREADS ACROSS 25,000 SQUARE MILES

AND NUMBERS 300,000 PEOPLE.

BUT AFTER 600 YEARS, IT COMES TO A VIOLENT DEMISE.

BY THE END OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY,

AS POWERFUL AND MIGHTY AS THE CHACHAPOYA ARE,

THEY CAN'T RESIST THE FLOOD TIDE OF THE INCA.

[ SHOUTING AND BATTLE NOISE ]

Paul: THESE TWO INCREDIBLE WARRIOR CULTURES

CLASHED WITH ONE ANOTHER.

ULTIMATELY, THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BEHIND

THE INCAN EMPIRE PREVAILED AND DEFEATED THE CHACHAPOYA.

Narrator: YET WHEN INVESTIGATORS VISIT THE SITE REVEALED

FROM THE SKIES,

THEY UNCOVER ANOTHER STRANGE CHAPTER IN THE STORY OF

THE CLOUD WARRIORS.

Paul: ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED

AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TYPE OF STRUCTURE

ON A GRID LAYOUT WITH VERY STRAIGHT LINES.

WHAT'S REALLY STRANGE IS IT'S MUCH MORE

Krueger: SIMILAR TO THE LAYOUT OF A ROMAN RUIN.

WHAT IS A ROMAN RUIN DOING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ANDES?

IT REALLY BOGGLES THE MIND.

Narrator: SOME HISTORIANS CLAIM THAT THE ROMANS VISIT

THE AMERICAS OVER 1,000 YEARS BEFORE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.

YET PATRICK HUNT SUSPECTS THE MYSTERY RUINS

ARE A LEGACY OF ANOTHER EUROPEAN NATION.

SOMETHING HISTORY-CHANGING HAPPENS AT THE END

OF THE FIFTEENTH AND THE BEGINNING

OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY --

SPAIN, THE CONQUEST OF THE NEW WORLD.

Narrator: AS THE SPANISH MOVE ACROSS SOUTH AMERICA,

THE CHACHAPOYA LEARN OF THE CONQUISTADORS' PLANS TO

ATTACK THE INCA.

Hunt: THE CHACHAPOYA SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF REVENGE

AGAINST THEIR INCA CONQUERORS -- GLEEFULLY,

THEY JOIN THE RANKS OF THESE CONQUISTADORS

TO TAKE DOWN THE INCA.

[ SHOUTING AND BATTLE NOISE ]

Narrator: WITH HELP FROM THE CHACHAPOYA,

THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE INCA IS SWIFT AND BRUTAL.

BUT FOR THE COLLABORATORS, VICTORY IS SHORT-LIVED.

Paul: WITH THE INCA PRIMARILY DEFEATED,

THE CONQUISTADORS TURN ON THE CHACHAPOYA,

THE VERY PEOPLE THAT HAD THROWN THEIR SUPPORT

BEHIND THE SPANISH.

Narrator: HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS REVEAL THAT THESE STRANGE

ROMAN RUINS ARE A LEGACY OF THE SPANISH SUBJUGATION

OF THE CLOUD WARRIORS.

KING PHILIP II OF SPAIN

ISSUED A SERIES OF LAWS CALLED THE LAWS OF THE INDIES,

AND HE DECREED THAT ALL NEW TOWNS IN

THE AMERICAS SHOULD BE BUILT FOLLOWING A ROMAN PATTERN.

Narrator: DURING A DECADE OF CULTURAL OPPRESSION,

THE SPANISH FORCIBLY RESETTLE AROUND 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE

INTO THESE ROMAN-INSPIRED TOWNS CALLED REDUCCIONES.

THE CHACHAPOYA FIND THEMSELVES

MERCILESSLY ENSLAVED.

THIS VERY TERM REDUCCIONES MEANS

THE REDUCTION OF A PEOPLE.

Narrator: THE CONQUISTADORS FORCED

THE FORMER PROUD WARRIOR PEOPLE TO WORK IN GOLD

AND SILVER MINES AND SHIP THE RICHES OF THEIR FORMER

EMPIRE BACK TO SPAIN.

[ CHURCH BELL TOLLS ]

Hunt: THE ABSORPTION OF THE WEALTH IS SUCH THAT YOU CAN

HARDLY GO INTO ANY RENAISSANCE OR BAROQUE CHURCH

IN SPAIN AND NOT SEE ALTARS COVERED IN PERUVIAN GOLD.

Narrator: REDUCED TO SERVITUDE,

THE REMAINING CLOUD WARRIORS VANISH INTO THE MOUNTAINS

AND JUNGLES,

LEAVING BEHIND THE STRANGE PATTERNS SEEN FROM SPACE.

**

Narrator: COMING UP,

TERROR COMES TO CALIFORNIA.

ALL THAT'S LEFT OF ONE OF THE SHIPS IS A PIECE OF

WRECKAGE THE SIZE OF A SUITCASE.

Narrator: AND A MYSTERY ETCHED IN STONE.

THE QUESTION IS WHO DUG THESE PITS AND WHY?

**

**

Narrator: MARCH 11, 2019.

THE GeoEye-1 SATELLITE SWOOPING OVER

THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA PHOTOGRAPHS THIS.

Kourounis: THIS IMAGE IS REALLY STRANGE.

MOSTLY GREEN FIELD,

EXCEPT FOR THIS BIZARRE GRID PATTERN

WITH LUMPS OR MOUNDS AT REGULAR INTERVALS.

[ TYPING NOISES ]

Narrator: FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TREVOR ALBERTSON

RECOGNIZES THE STRUCTURES.

YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A CEMENT FACE TO IT,

AND THEN IT'S COVERED BY GRASS.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT AN AMMUNITION DUMP LOOKS LIKE.

Narrator: THE SIZE OF THE AMMO DUMP SUGGESTS

IT'S BIG ENOUGH TO STASH

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TONS OF HIGH EXPLOSIVES

AND SITS NEXT TO A HIGHLY-POPULATED SUBURB.

CLOSER ANALYSIS REVEALS SOMETHING EVEN WEIRDER.

ON THESE INTERSECTING ROADS,

THERE ARE FOUR-WAY STOPS,

AND I SEE CIVILIAN VEHICLES ON THEM.

Narrator: UNSURPRISINGLY, THE U.S. MILITARY

DOES NOT ALLOW CIVILIANS

TO DRIVE AROUND ITS WEAPONS FACILITIES.

SO WHAT ARE THESE CARS DOING IN

WHAT AMOUNTS TO A MASSIVE MILITARY AMMUNITION DUMP?

Narrator: ALBERTSON LEARNS THAT THIS BASE DOES HAVE

A HISTORY OF CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENTAL EXPLOSIONS.

Albertson: THIS SITE IS RIGHT NEXT TO

A FACILITY KNOWN AS PORT CHICAGO,

FAMOUS FOR A DISASTER THAT OCCURRED THERE

DURING WORLD WAR II.

Narrator: THE U.S. MILITARY BUILDS PORT CHICAGO IN 1942.

MANY OF ITS SAILORS ARE TASKED WITH

LOADING SUPPLY SHIPS WITH WEAPONS AND HIGH EXPLOSIVES.

SHORT OF COMBAT, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST

DANGEROUS JOBS IN THE MILITARY.

Narrator: MUCH OF THE LOADING IS DONE BY SOME OF

THE 1.2 MILLION AFRICAN-AMERICANS

RECRUITED TO FIGHT NAZI TYRANNY DURING WORLD WAR II.

YET AT PORT CHICAGO, AS ELSEWHERE IN THE MILITARY,

THEY ENDURE DAILY OPPRESSION AND RACISM.

Hymel: THIS IS A SEGREGATED MILITARY.

THEY'RE LOOKED DOWN UPON.

THEY'RE NOT TRAINED IN WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

Narrator: WHITE OFFICERS SET ALMOST

IMPOSSIBLE QUOTAS FOR LOADING BOMBS

AND EVEN ENCOURAGE COMPETITION BETWEEN THE SAILORS.

IT'S A LEVEL OF PREJUDICE THAT'S GONNA LEAD TO DISASTER.

Narrator: DURING THE NIGHT OF JULY 17, 1944 HUNDREDS OF PORT

CHICAGO SAILORS ARE RACING TO PACK TWO SHIPS WITH MUNITIONS.

Munoz: THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,

THEIR WORLD JUST BLOWS UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF BOTH SHIPS DETONATES.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

THE DETONATION IS JUST ABSOLUTELY CATASTROPHIC.

IT'S EQUIVALENT TO LIKE 6,000 TONS

OF TNT EXPLODING IN ONE PLACE.

Narrator: THE BLAST IS FELT 50 MILES AWAY.

Wawro: THE PIER DISINTEGRATES. THE SHIPS DISINTEGRATE.

ALL THAT'S LEFT OF ONE OF THE SHIPS IS

A PIECE OF WRECKAGE THE SIZE OF A SUITCASE.

Narrator: THE EXPLOSION CLAIMS 320 LIVES.

15% OF ALL AFRICAN-AMERICANS KILLED DURING

WORLD WAR II DIE IN THIS SINGLE BLAST.

Hymel: THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SAILORS THAT SURVIVE,

THEY'RE TRAUMATIZED BY WHAT THEY'VE GONE THROUGH.

AND YET, JUST A FEW WEEKS LATER, THE U.S. NAVY

TASKS THEM WITH LOADING

ANOTHER SHIP IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION.

WELL, THEY REFUSE.

Narrator: EVEN WHEN THREATENED WITH THE DEATH PENALTY,

50 SAILORS REFUSE TO OBEY THE ORDER.

Albertson: IT LEADS TO WHAT AMOUNTS TO A MUTINY.

THESE MEN ARE THEN COURT-MARTIALED IN ONE

OF THE LARGEST SINGLE COURT- MARTIALS IN NAVAL HISTORY.

Narrator: THE SO-CALLED PORT CHICAGO 50 ARE EACH

SENTENCED TO UP TO 15 YEARS HARD LABOR.

[ TYPING NOISES ]

THE VERDICT SENDS SHOCKWAVES THROUGH AMERICA.

IT REALLY SHINES A SPOTLIGHT ON THE DIFFERENT

TREATMENT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN TROOPS VERSUS WHITE TROOPS.

Albertson: WHAT STARTS AS A VERY TRAGIC DISASTER ENDS UP

BECOMING THE CATALYST FOR VERY MEANINGFUL AND POSITIVE CHANGE.

THE NAVY IS ONE OF THE FIRST INSTITUTIONS

IN THE UNITED STATES TO DESEGREGATE.

Narrator: YET THE MYSTERY REMAINS OF WHY

A BASE THAT HAS WITNESSED SUCH

A MASSIVE EXPLOSION APPEARS TO HAVE CIVILIAN CARS WEAVING

AROUND ITS AMMO BUNKERS.

Hymel: MUNITIONS IS A DEADLY BUSINESS,

AND THAT'S SOMETHING PEOPLE IN THIS AREA KNOW

A LITTLE BIT TOO WELL.

Narrator: THE ROAD MARKINGS AND VEHICLES APPEAR IN 2014,

A DATE THAT CORRESPONDS WITH A SECTION OF

THE FACILITY BEING DECOMMISSIONED AND LEASED

TO LOCAL COMPANIES.

Kourounis: THIS PLACE IS REALLY CLOSE TO SILICON VALLEY,

AND PUTTING TWO AND TWO TOGETHER,

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES ARE ONE OF

THE HOTTEST TECHNOLOGIES RIGHT NOW.

PERHAPS THIS IS AN AUTONOMOUS CAR-TESTING GROUND.

Narrator: THE AUTONOMOUS CAR INDUSTRY

HOPES TO CUT ROAD DEATHS BY OVER 90 PERCENT.

BUT THERE ARE STILL YEARS OF TESTING TO COMPLETE.

YOU DON'T START BY DOING YOUR TESTS IN THE MIDDLE

OF MANHATTAN.

YOU NEED A TESTING GROUND THAT HAS, WELL,

EXACTLY WHAT THIS SITE HAS --

OPEN ROADS, LOTS OF SPACE, STRAIGHTAWAYS, CURVES.

Narrator: THE BASE THAT EXPERIENCED

ONE OF THE DEADLIEST DISASTERS IN U.S. HISTORY

MAY YET SAVE COUNTLESS LIVES IN THE FUTURE.

Kourounis: HOPEFULLY,

THE NEW TENANTS OF THIS LAND WON'T FORGET THE MEN WHO

LIVED AND DIED ON THIS PLACE SO MANY YEARS AGO.

Narrator: COMING UP,

WHERE RELIGION MEETS THE UNDERWORLD.

THESE REPRESENT STONEMASONRY ON AN EPIC SCALE.

**

**

Narrator: OCTOBER 12, 2015.

HUNDREDS OF MILES ABOVE HENAN PROVINCE IN CENTRAL CHINA,

A SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

Mosher: THIS IMAGE IS REALLY INTERESTING.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE PLOTS OF FIELDS,

BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THAT

ARE THESE STRANGE AND REALLY BIG RECTANGULAR STRUCTURES.

Narrator: ANALYSIS REVEALS

THAT THESE ARE NO ORDINARY STRUCTURES.

Ruben: WHEN YOU LOOK CLOSER, YOU SEE THESE BUILDINGS

ARE NOT COMING UP OUT OF THE GROUND.

THEY'RE SINKING DOWN.

SO THE QUESTION IS, WHO DUG THESE PITS AND WHY?

Narrator: MARK HORTON HAS A THEORY.

IT MAY WELL BE THAT THESE CHINESE PIT STRUCTURES

COULD HAVE HAD A RELIGIOUS PURPOSE.

THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE CARVING OUT LIVING ROCK

IS A POWERFUL IDEA IN MANY DIFFERENT RELIGIONS.

Narrator: IF THESE ARE RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES,

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST THINKS THEY COULD BE MANY CENTURIES OLD.

WHEN I SEE A PIT LIKE THIS,

THIS ACTUALLY REMINDS ME OF A TRADITION OF ROCK-CUT CHURCHES

THAT ONE FINDS IN ETHIOPIA.

Narrator: IN A MOUNTAINOUS REGION IN THE HEART OF ETHIOPIA

STAND AROUND A DOZEN SUBTERRANEAN CHURCHES.

THEY HAVE DUG A GREAT BIG SQUARE PIT,

AND LEFT INSIDE A PILLAR, A PLUG OF THE ROCK,

WITHIN THIS IS THEN CONSTRUCTED A CHURCH.

Narrator: STONEMASONS HAVE CARVED ENTIRE FLOORS, ROOFS,

CAVES, AND CATACOMBS INTO THESE GIANT COLUMNS OF ROCK.

THESE CHURCHES REPRESENT STONEMASONRY ON AN EPIC SCALE.

THE WALLS ARE MADE OF STONE. THE PILLARS WERE MADE OF STONE.

THE WHOLE THING IS SCULPTED OUT OF THE LIVING ROCK.

Narrator: WORK ON THE CHURCHES BEGINS

IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY A.D.,

THE SAME TIME CHRISTIANITY IS INTRODUCED TO CHINA.

YET FURTHER EXAMINATION SUGGESTS THE PITS IN

THE IMAGE DO NOT SERVE A SIMILAR PURPOSE.

LOOKING AT THIS MORE CLOSELY, I SEE SIGNS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY,

POSSIBLY SOME COLORED ROOFS.

IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE THIS COULD

BE SOMEWHERE THAT PEOPLE ARE DWELLING.

Narrator: A STUDY OF LOCAL HISTORIC RECORDS

YIELDS FURTHER CLUES.

THESE ARE WHAT'S KNOWN AS YAODONGS,

WHICH ARE UNDERGROUND CAVE HOUSES DUG INTO EARTH

AND INTO CLIFFS.

YAODONGS, WHICH TRANSLATES AS "HOUSE CAVE,"

FIRST APPEAR DURING THE XIA DYNASTY AROUND 2000 B.C.

OFTEN HEWN OUT OF ROCK,

A COURTYARD OR ENTRANCE CAN GIVE WAY TO MULTIPLE

CONCEALED ROOMS.

SOME OF THESE ARE HUNDREDS OF YEARS OLD

AND HAVE HOUSED GENERATIONS OF THE SAME FAMILY.

Narrator: YAODONGS HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN SOME OF

THE MOST PIVOTAL EVENTS IN CHINESE HISTORY.

IN 1934, MAO ZEDONG LEADS 100,000 PEOPLE ON A YEAR-LONG,

6,000-MILE FLIGHT ACROSS CHINA, THE SO-CALLED "LONG MARCH."

HIS RED ARMY SOLDIERS THEN DIG OUT

CAVE HOUSES NEAR YAN'AN CITY,

IN WHICH MAO FORMULATES MUCH OF HIS COMMUNIST IDEOLOGY.

THESE AREN'T JUST HOLES IN THE GROUND.

THESE ARE VERY ELABORATE DWELLINGS.

Chamberlain: ONE INTERESTING CHARACTERISTIC OF LIVING IN

THESE CAVE HOUSES IS THAT IT'S ALMOST LIKE HAVING

A NATURAL AIR CONDITIONER.

THE ENVIRONMENT IS REALLY HOT IN

THE SUMMER AND VERY COLD IN THE WINTER,

YET INSIDE, IT REMAINS 50 TO 70 FAHRENHEIT ALL YEAR ROUND.

Mosher: LIVING UNDERGROUND HAS ITS PERKS,

BUT THESE STRUCTURES ARE VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO NATURAL

DISASTERS LIKE FLOODING AND EARTHQUAKES.

Narrator: IN 1556, THE DEADLIEST EARTHQUAKE IN HISTORY

HITS THIS REGION,

KILLING 830,000 PEOPLE, MANY OF WHOM

LIVE IN CAVE HOUSES.

YET DESPITE THE POTENTIAL PERILS,

THESE ARCHAIC DWELLINGS MAY PROVE TO BE THE FUTURE OF

URBAN HABITATION.

TWO-THIRDS OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION IS PREDICTED

TO LIVE IN CITIES BY THE YEAR 2050.

SO MAYBE STARTING TO BUILD UNDERGROUND

IS THE WAY TO SOLVE OVERPOPULATION.

Narrator: TODAY, ENGINEERS IN CHINA ARE

CONSTRUCTING 21st CENTURY VERSIONS OF

THESE 4,000-YEAR-OLD HOUSES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS OF

SUBTERRANEAN FAMILIES.

AND IN CITIES AROUND THE WORLD,

MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE MIMICKING THE ANCIENT WAY OF

LIFE REVEALED FROM SPACE.

THERE ARE ACTUALLY PLANS IN MEXICO CITY FOR SOMETHING

CALLED THE "EARTHSCRAPER,"

WHICH IS LIKE A SKYSCRAPER BUT BUILT DOWN INTO THE EARTH.

Mosher: IN LOOKING FOR HOW TO DEVELOP CITIES INTO THE FUTURE

WITH A GROWING POPULATION, WE'RE INCREASINGLY LOOKING TO

OLD TRADITIONS TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM.