Ragnarok

Chapter 52 - Gate

Ragnarok cut a swath through the asteroid belt, leaving destruction behind.

The asteroid belt is a far more diffuse region of space than is often portrayed in science fiction; most asteroids are barely within a million miles of one or two of their neighbors, meaning that the resistance to Ragnarok's intrusion was very spread out. Advanced targeting arrays predicted the giant's inward path and hurled their relativistic missiles towards it, while mining clusters pumped out automated drones. This they continued to do until the dragon-ships fell upon them, assimilating the machines and any other useful materials that were to be found, then moving on to the next target. The few human miners that worked this patch had been evacuated days before, so as yet the death toll remained 0.

Few believed that number would remain low, however. Having cleared the belt, the giant continued its acceleration towards Earth, and if human life was what it desired, the blue world was where it would find its fill.

*      *      *

Mia awoke from her dreams to find their aircar gliding upwards into a rising mountain chain. The sea was no longer visible, and the rocky, arid mountains were a sharp contrast from the verdant rainforest that she had fallen asleep over.

"Interesting dreams, my dear?" Ibis asked, sounding genuinely curious. There was no sign of his own nap, if he had indeed been asleep. His eyes were clear, his suit was unwrinkled and his voice was strong and clear.

Mia shook her head, trying to keep the dream from disappearing into the fog that greeted most dreams upon awakening. "I was being chased through a dark tunnel, but I'm not sure what was after me. I just knew that I couldn't let it catch me, no matter how many times I stumbled and almost fell. Then I came out into a big chamber with glowing fungus and a giant Goddess statue. And ... I think it spoke to me." She frowned, fighting against the forgetfulness of awakening. "Something about ... the 'song of the spheres'? Does that make any sense?"

Ibis looked at her gravely, though his eyes looked oddly pleased. Perhaps he had maintained his own doubts as to whether Mia's dreams were prophetic or not. "Indeed it does. It would take a long time to explain, but there is a theory that the first life in the universe was a species of crystalline lifeforms, similar to the ones that were discovered growing on Eris. It was discovered that these crystals resonate with one another in unexpected ways, in ways that resemble quantum entanglement. What's more, they appear to be able to resonate regardless of the distance between the clusters."

He pulled out a small disc-shaped device, and showed it to her. "This is a device that was designed to resonate in harmony with the crystals. It should allow you to awaken the defense system within Gaia. To activate it you simply push this button here, then put it down and step away quickly. The frequency is a painful one for organics, I understand, but as long as you keep your distance you should be fine."

"That's a few too many 'shoulds' for my comfort," Mia quipped, as the aircar began to circle above a clearing lined with what appeared to be fossilized buildings and statues of people, but upon closer examination was natural rock. There was a small camp set up there, complete with a miniature dome. At first, Mia suspected it was to keep the heat at bay for those who were working up here; then she checked the temperature on the side of the aircar and found that it was considerably cooler than she had been expecting, with the temperature only around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Looks a lot hotter than it is," Ibis said, noting where she was looking. "Up here in the mountains, it's very dry and rather cool, for a subtropical climate. UV radiation is still a danger, though, and the dome also serves as a nice climate-controlled space for our researchers."

"So, where's the hidden temple you told me about?" Mia asked, peering through the windows at the sun-bleached rock. "I can't find it anywhere."

"The entrance is over there," Ibis said, pointing with one of his long, thin fingers towards one of the strange, rocky structures. She followed where he was pointing and her eyes widened. Carved into the side of one of the formations was a giant door, over twenty feet high and just as many wide. A smaller alcove in the center was covered in shadow, but it had the appearance of a gateway.

"Welcome to Puerta de Hayu Marca," Ibis said. "In English, its name means 'Gate of the Gods.' This is the entrance to the hidden temple, where you must go."