Ragnarok

Chapter 56 - Stone

Mia did not consider herself an impatient person. She enjoyed meditation, and normally could remain focused on something as simple as the pattern of her own breathing for hours. For some reason, though, she found it insanely difficult to concentrate now that she was back on the Earth's surface. She felt an urge to hurry forward, though she still had only the most vague idea of where exactly she was going to be going.

She understood the reason for the caution of the researchers who had been working here; while her daily exercises in the centrifuge had kept her body able to withstand Earth gravity, feeling the full weight of its pull at all times was still rather draining. She was regularly given a shot of some blend of exotic drugs and nutrients, designed to help her body adjust back to an environment that should have come naturally to it. The plan was for her to spend a week on base before she attempted to open the Gate, but after about three days she was ready to stop waiting and do ... whatever it was that she was supposed to do.

The researchers themselves were polite enough, but usually occupied with their own tasks. The only time she really socialized with them was during mealtimes. They were a rather diverse group, with a couple of Martian Chinese, a trio of Russian brothers, and a single dark-skinned man from one of the Star domes. Questions about the work they were doing received vague answers, at best. They were a secretive bunch, but considering the unusual line of work they were in, she could understand why.

Mr. Ibis had left again shortly after the two of them had touched down, his only instructions being to stay out of trouble and ease into the adjustment to Earth gravity. She did her best to comply, but after three days, she was about ready to try and sneak out an airlock, if it at least allowed her a few minutes outside of the dome.

Fortunately, on her fourth day there Mr. Ibis returned, and after taking one look at her, declared that she seemed ready for a walk around the site. "You've adjusted quite well to Earth gravity," he commented. "And the researchers may be dedicated to their tasks, but they're neither blind nor deaf. They can tell you're getting a bit of cabin fever in here, waiting on us to finish preparations."

"Guess it was a little obvious," Mia said, sheepishly enough. She had been tempted a few times to get on Valhalla and see what Thorin and the rest were up to, but apparently the Datanet in this area was all but nonexistent, and what bandwidth they had was devoted strictly to the project's needs. "I hope I didn't disturb anyone too much."

Ibis smiled. "Not at all, in fact the research team has taken quite a shine to you, and wanted to make sure you didn't injure yourself trying to sneak out or anything. What's more, the UV radiation is down today, so you won't need to wear one of those solar ponchos. Regular clothes will do just fine."

So it was that Mia was shortly in front of the same airlock she had fantasized about breaking out of, being allowed to walk right out the door and into the open air of her homeworld. She breathed in deeply, spreading her arms as she threw her head back and let the cool mountain air run its mischievous fingers through her dark hair. She looked up at that wide-open, natural sky, and a laugh escaped her lips. Ah, how glorious it was to be back on Earth! Why did they ever leave, when they could have had paradise itself?

"Feels good to be back on the homeworld, doesn't it?" Mr. Ibis said indulgently. "No matter how long a spacer stays off-world, they always savor their time Earthside."

"Indeed it does," Mia sighed, lowering her eyes to her surroundings. A pity she couldn't be somewhere that was a bit more green. The area around her was largely a study in shades of brown, represented by bare stone, sandy ground and a few clumps of tough-looking scrub bushes. From a few spots, she could look out into the surrounding landscape, and it was much the same, brown and dry highlands with the more verdant areas lying miles away and hidden behind clouds of mist.

The main feature was, of course, the natural rock face that had been carved into a massive door, and the smaller alcove in the center. It was not the only curiosity to be found, however. Visible nearby were other unusual rock formations that resembled buildings, people, or animals.

"The native peoples of this region have long revered this area as a Spirit Forest, a place where the spirits molded the living stone into different shapes, called Simulacra," Ibis said, gesturing to the Gate. "The Gate itself was discovered in the late 20th century by a wandering tourist guide named Jose Luis Delgado Mamani, and afterwards was studied extensively by archaeologists and Inca historians. There is a legend of a priest from the time of the Conquistadors, named Aramu Maru, who escaped from the Spanish raiding his temple with a sacred golden disc. Finding this place, he found his disc was able to open the portal and summon a tunnel of blue light, through which the priest passed and was never seen again."

"So, the door needs a key to open it," Mia mused. "And I suppose your team just happened to find that disc, after all this time?"

"Something like that," Ibis said, smiling mysteriously, and for a time, would say no more.