James Axler – Demons of Eden

“Krysty, that light wavelength could be radioactive for all we know!” Mildred shouted.

J.B. checked the rad counter attached to the inner lapel of his coat. “Nope,” he said with satisfaction. “The needle hasn’t moved.”

Krysty reached the outer edge of the crystal-studded, golden wafers arranged on the floor. As Ryan rushed toward her, she knelt and pressed her forehead against a crystal. She seemed to freeze, paralyzed by some cold, hidden power.

“Krysty!” he called.

She didn’t respond, didn’t seem to hear.

At the same time the dancing pattern of the light changed. It leaped, then sank, and the strobing effect slowed. The green color deepened.

Ryan reached Krysty, his fingers biting her arms as he pulled her back and up. Her eyes were slightly glazed. Everyone crowded around them.

“Are you all right?” he demanded angrily.

She ran a hand over her face and murmured, “What I saw”

“Saw what? You touched the crystal for a second. You didn’t answer when I called you.” He was angry and a little frightened.

“The ancestors of all the tribes, leaving this valley and spreading out over Earth” Her whispering voice faltered and broke.

She shuddered, hugging herself. Ryan tried to put an arm around her shoulders, but she pushed it away impatiently. She spoke quickly, tersely, as though she were trying to keep her excitement bottled.

“An entire culture based on science of the mind, of wholeness with nature and the planet itself.”

“That’s what you saw?”

She gestured to crystal disks inset on the gold slices. “Those are sculpted memory crystals, like the ones used in the computer databases in the redoubts. I accessed the entire history of this place, and even what I can’t explain, I understand deep down.”

Doc, Mildred, Sisoka and Blood-sniffer made their way down and joined them. Krysty repeated to them what she had told Ryan.

“Does this energy source bear any resemblance to Dr. Wyeth’s hypothesis?” Doc asked. “Is it a manifestation of the quantum stream?”

“It is the heart of the Grandmother,” Sisoka stated stolidly.

“Yes and no,” she answered. “It’s both and neither. The information I accessed is chaotic, but at least I can make a pretty good guess to its true nature. It is a focal point of earth energy, what Sisoka calls the Grandmother and I call Gaia.”

“Are you saying this light is sentient, self-aware?” Mildred demanded.

“It’s more than light,” Krysty replied firmly. “My mother taught me that a harmony, a balance, exists between energy forces we can’t see, but can still affect us. Ancient peoples constructed megalith structures to serve as conductors of the earth energy.”

“Lea lines,” Mildred said, understanding dawning in her eyes.

“Exactly. This power was utilized to aid the propagation of crops, fertility and good fortune. I saw that what’s in this cave is a natural phenomenon, a convergence of lea lines, a hub of geomagnetic energy. It’s the external manifestation of what used to be called ‘geofire.’ ”

“That does not answer my question,” Doc declared stiffly.

Mildred laughed. “Doc, your question can’t be answered.” She waved toward the glowing waves of light. “That’s the only answer you’re likely to get.”

“Why did Sisoka’s people worship this place, if it’s not supernatural?” Ryan asked.

“It is, in a way.” Krysty smiled wanly, glancing toward a puzzled Sisoka. “I saw that her ancestors knew how to interact with the energy. They existed in a cause-and-effect relationship with it, like dropping a stone into a still pond, which causes ripples of water to spread out in circles. The First People figured out how to work with the naturally occurring crystals, and through the enhanced electromagnetic energy of their brains, they manipulated the geofire on a non-physical level in such a way as to affect the physical level.”

“I get it!” exclaimed Mildred. “Quantum theory states that all physical forms are of energy, but vibrating at different rates. Nothing exists in a vacuum, so when the First People and their direct descendants focused their thoughts, accidently at first, I’ll bet, they interacted with the vibrational field of the geoenergy. The field absorbed, then carried the intentions of their thoughts. The more focused the intention, the more empowered was the vibrational wave of the geoforce to effect changes in their physical environment.”