[The Moon - Sector 0 (The Dark Side)]
The elevator descended rapidly. It wasn't a clean, sci-fi lift. It was a heavy industrial cage attached to a plasma drill, grinding its way through miles of gray rock.
Inside the cage stood three figures. Alex, wearing a vacuum-sealed version of his midnight-blue suit. Luna, in her Void Armor, hand on her hilt. Admiral Valerius, holding a heavy plasma rifle, looking at the rock walls with suspicion.
"My sensors are confused," Valerius grunted, tapping his helmet. "The rock density here is artificial. This isn't a natural satellite. It's a... shell."
"Keep your finger on the trigger, Admiral," Alex checked his watch. "I didn't buy a moon just to find out it's hollow."
CRUNCH.
The drill broke through. The cage fell into a massive open space, the cables groaning as they slowed the descent.
[The City of Silence]
The lights on the cage flickered on. They weren't looking at a cave. They were looking at a Metropolis. Miles beneath the Moon's crust lay a sprawling city of silver spires and geometric pyramids. It was dead, cold, and silent. There was no atmosphere, only the vacuum and the dust of eons.
"By the Void..." Valerius lowered his weapon, his voice trembling. "This architecture... this is Precursor tech. The First Civilization. They vanished a million years ago."
"System Alert," Dawn whispered in Alex's earpiece. "Energy signature detected. The facility is in Standby Mode. Approaching Central Gate."
[The Gatekeeper]
They landed on a silver platform. Before them stood a massive triangular door, fifty meters high, pulsating with a faint blue light. Standing guard were two statues. They looked like knights, but made of shifting, liquid mercury.
"Entrance blocked," Valerius scanned the door. "There is no keypad. No interface. We need high explosives to breach this."
"Or," Alex stepped forward. "We just knock."
As Alex approached, the mercury statues moved. They didn't attack. They simply crossed their spears, blocking the path.
[Guardian Protocol: Identify.] [Payment Required for Entry.]
A holographic prompt appeared in the air. It wasn't in English, but the God-Tycoon System translated it instantly.
[Tribute: 1,000,000 GC.]
"A toll booth?" Alex laughed. "Even the ancient aliens were capitalists."
"Sir," Valerius warned. "That is a Class-10 Barrier. If you touch it, it will disintegrate you. We should retreat and bring the Dreadnought's cannon."
"Valerius," Alex pulled out his Black Card. "You solve problems with cannons. I solve them with transfers."
Alex tapped the holographic interface.
[Transaction Authorized.] [Expenditure: 1,000,000 GC.]
HUMMM.
The mercury statues bowed. They stepped aside, their liquid forms rippling. The massive triangular door groaned, splitting down the middle. Ancient air, trapped for a million years, hissed out.
[The Discovery]
"It opened..." Valerius stared at Alex as if he were a monster. "You just bribed a Precursor automated defense system?"
"Everyone has a price, Admiral," Alex walked past the statues. "Even dust."
They entered the hallway. The walls lit up as they passed, sensing their presence. But these weren't just lights. They were Data Streams. Images flashed on the walls: A map of the galaxy. A red line charting a course from the center of the universe. And a destination. Earth.
"Sir," Dawn's voice was urgent. "I am translating the text on the walls. This isn't a city. It's a Vault. And the designation of this moon is not 'Luna'."
"What is it?"
"Designation: The Cradle. Purpose: To contain the User."
Alex stopped. "To contain... whom?"
[System Warning] [Proximity to Origin Point detected.] [Resonance Increasing.]
Alex's chest burned. The Aegis Pendant (holding Elena) and his own heart began to beat in sync with the pulsing blue light at the end of the hall.
"Something is in there," Luna drew her blade, sensing the pressure. "And it's alive."