Chapter 3: The Complex

The team worked tirelessly under the scorching sun of the Gobi Desert. The magnetic storm had passed a few hours ago, but small electrical discharges still lingered in the air, causing the equipment to crackle. Altaa, covered in dust, watched intently as Saruul and Batu dug around the metal structure they had found buried in the sand.

-”How can something like this be out here in the middle of nowhere?”- Enkhee asked, making notes on his map. His eyes were fixed on the GPS device, which was beeping erratically, still affected by the geomagnetic activity.

-”If this is part of Shambhala, it makes sense,”- Altaa replied. -”Legends always speak of hidden entrances protected by natural or technological barriers. Perhaps these storms are more than coincidences.”-

-”Are you saying these storms could be ... artificial?”- Saruul asked, stopping to wipe the sweat from his brow.

-”It’s possible. If this underground civilization was as advanced as the stories say, manipulating the Earth’s magnetic field wouldn’t be so far-fetched. At least not for them,”- Altaa explained, checking the readings on her spectrometer. -”This isn’t just metal. There are traces of composite materials that aren’t found naturally on this planet.”-

-”Well, then we better find out soon,”- Batu interrupted, hitting the ground with his shovel. -”Because these ‘lurkers’ aren’t going to sit around waiting if they decide to follow our trail.”-

After several hours of careful digging, they finally revealed what appeared to be a circular metal hatch, embedded in the sand like a blind eye peering into the sky. The surface was covered in intricate symbols that glowed faintly when sunlight reflected off them.

-”This isn’t a known language ... at least not to me,”- Enkhee murmured, leaning down to inspect the engravings. -”But it has patterns. It could be some kind of symbolic writing, like that used in early ideographic systems.”-

-”Could you decipher it?”- asked Saruul hopefully.

-”It could take me weeks,”- Enkhee said with a sarcastic smile, -”but I suspect we don’t have that much time. I can interpret the general ideas of the messages by grouping the symbols together ... that would speed up the translation.”-

Altaa looked at the symbols and pointed to a repeating set near what appeared to be the edge of the hatch. -”If we follow the logic of ancient engineering systems, this pattern could indicate an access point.”-

-”What it indicates,”- Batu added, adjusting his goggles, -”is that we need something stronger than our hands to open it.”- He pointed to some hinges.

Oyun appeared with a blowtorch and a pair of thermal gloves. -”You said it loud. Here you go.”-

The group stood back as Batu and Oyun worked the blowtorch on the hatch hinges. The hum of the equipment mixed with the clicking of metal being weakened by the heat.

-”I hope whatever’s down there isn’t something that will make you wake up in a bad mood,”- Saruul commented, half joking, while cleaning his rifle.

-”If it is, I hope it’s slow,”- Batu replied, sweating profusely as he continued cutting.

Finally, with a creak, the hinges gave way. Oyun and Batu stepped aside and, using heavy-duty ropes attached to a winch on the tank, pushed open the door or hatch, revealing a staircase that led downwards to a dark tunnel that descended into the bowels of the earth.

-”Does anyone else feel like this is a bad idea?”- Saruul asked, eyeing the opening warily.

-”It’s almost always bad ideas that lead to great discoveries,”- Altaa replied, turning on her flashlight. -”And if not, at least we’ll have a good story to tell.”-

The team began to slowly descend a metal ladder embedded in the tunnel walls. The walls were smooth, as if they had been shaped rather than dug. Soon, natural light disappeared entirely, and the surroundings were dimly lit by a green and blue bioluminescence emanating from what appeared to be lichens or fungi on the walls and floor.

-”This is impressive,”- Saruul said, picking up a sample of the fungi. -”These species could be the result of bioengineering. Perhaps this civilization used living organisms to light up their structures.”-

-”That would explain why they appear to be ‘alive’ even after centuries, or perhaps millennia,”- Altaa added.

The group descended in silence for a moment, listening to the echo of their own footsteps in the tunnels.

They continued down the tunnel until they came upon a massive door, flanked by two structures that looked like humanoid statues. The “guardians” mentioned in the legends of Shambhala. Their eyes glowed faintly, and their metallic bodies were covered in engravings similar to those on the hatch.

-”Guardians?”- Enkhee murmured, approaching cautiously.

-”I don’t think those statues are just decorations,”- Oyun said, pointing at one of the guards with his magnetometer. -”Look.”-

The display screen showed that the statues were emitting a weak electromagnetic signal, as if they were in a state of rest.

-”They could be surveillance robots,”- Altaa said.

Batu looked at the door, which had no visible lock. -”How the hell do we open it?”-

-”Let me try something,”- Oyun said, deploying a laser from one of the scout drones they carried. He aimed the beam at one of the symbols on the door, and the structure began to emit a low hum.

-”I think you just woke her up,”- Saruul said worriedly.

-”Perfect,”- Batu said, loading his gun. -”Let’s hope it’s friendly.”-

The door slowly began to open, revealing a vast cavern lit by a combination of bioluminescence and advanced technology. Ancient drones and robots moved silently through the place, as if they had never ceased to fulfill their original purpose.

-”Welcome to Shambhala,”- Altaa whispered, her eyes filled with wonder.

Before them loomed the reactor: a huge metal sphere suspended by columns of an unknown material, with a network of cables glowing faintly like veins of energy. Surrounding the reactor was what appeared to be a command center, with workstations and consoles reminiscent of a space center, though its designs were unusually sleek and minimalist, almost alien.

Semi-humanoid robots, covered in dust but still functional, moved with precision around the area, some adjusting panels and others performing tasks that were impossible to interpret. As soon as the protagonists set foot inside the reactor, the robots stopped their movements and their luminous eyes turned from a soft blue to a deep red.

-”I don’t think they like us,”- Batu muttered, instinctively dropping his hand to his gun.

-”Don’t do anything impulsive!”- Altaa said as she watched the robots slowly approach. -”These systems seem to be designed to protect the reactor. I don’t think they’ll be hostile unless we do something they perceive as a threat.”-

-”And what do you think they perceive as a threat? Breathing?”- Saruul joked, trying to lighten the tension as he stuck to one of the columns to prevent the robots from surrounding him.